Bridgeport, Nebraska---Oregon Trail Territory

We had another short travel day,we had a strong headwind,  and going was slow in the RV as we were also gaining elevation. Our planned stop was Bridgeport State Recreation Area in Bridgeport, Nebraska. By the time we got set up, Bob and I both thought we had been breathing dust the entire day due to the strong winds blowing. We found a great spot next to the lake. We had no plans to use the grill on site so it didn't matter that it was down for the count!

 This was a great area to boondock. There were several lakes with campsites around them. It cost $8 a night plus you had to have a Nebraska park permit which we purchased in North Platte.

 After a short rest we set off to find some geocaches at local historical sites. The first was Jailhouse Rock....

 ...next to Courthouse Rock. There was a geocache on Jailhouse Rock......

 ...but with the wind blowing so hard we decided it was not safe to walk along the ledge to get to the cache. The views were pretty good on Jailhouse Rock. It gave us a good idea of how the people traveling the Oregon Trail must have felt looking at the unspoiled landscape.

 From 'the rocks' we went out of our way and into remote territory to find Mud Springs Pony Express Station. Yes,that is a cow in the background. We had to carefully pick our foot placement as we got out of the car to avoid the 'patties.' We also had to shoo the cows away so we could read the monument to claim the geocache!

 The next day we headed west and found another famous rock, Chimney Rock. We went in the visitor center, but the smell at the rear exhibit was more than I could handle. We exited to the patio and found that a gas snow blower was stored inside the building. We left not long after that discovery as the fumes were overwhelming.

 I was amazed by the change in the rock over the last 150 years. The top used to be rectangular shaped, but it has eroded.

 From Chimney Rock it was on to Scotts Bluff National Monument. We visited this monument on our first retirement trip in 2008. On that trip, we hitched a ride to the top and walked down the 1.6 mile trail. This time we decided to walk up and down! This was the beginning of the trail behind the visitor center.

 This was a rest stop. You can see the trail angling up to the right of me in this picture.

 This is a view looking down. We weren't even halfway to the top at this point.

 The tunnel is about 3/4 of the way to the top. The wind briskly blew through the tunnel. but it was not cool enough to wear my jacket.

 Ahhh, the top and time to take a break to enjoy the views.

 This was on one of the trails at the top. There were about 3/4 of a mile of trails at the top of the monument.

 After we completed our hike, it was back to the RV to plan our next day. Geocaching was on the agenda for the next day.  So far we had been south and west of our campsite so it was time to head north. This building was originally a school and is now a church. We found a geocache behind the building.

 No trip to western Nebraska is complete without a trip to the 'sacred tourist trap' of Carhenge!

 Supposedly there was a geocache on this car, but Bob and I could not find it!

 However, I did find the tailgate of the Chevy truck that was dismantled in the Strataca Salt Mine!

All being said, it was a pretty neat display of old vehicles. Bob and I could recognize most of the makes and models from their shapes.

We enjoyed our trip to western Nebraska, but the weather was once again going to turn on us and we had to move on to Wyoming.