June 13, 2006 - Scotts Bluff, Nebraska
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| The next morning I drove out to Scotts Bluff National Monument. I think that is Dome Rock off to my left. |
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Approaching Mitchell's Pass, where the Trail went through. Scotts Bluff is to the right of Mitchell Pass.
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| They have a nice Visitor's Center when you can watch a short movie and walk through the small museum. I really enjoyed looking at a collection of images by William Henry Jackson, who was an artist/photographer in the late 1800s and captured what the Oregon Trail experience looked like. |
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Looking west through Mitchell's Pass.
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| The Center runs a shuttle up to the top of Scotts Bluff, from where you can get a great view in any direction. But not as good as from the Citabria! |
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| Looking south. The Visitor's Center is down below. |
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| Looking west. The trail runs from left to right where it rejoins the N. Platte River. |
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Looking north. You can see the badlands between the river and Scotts Bluff. They are the reason the trail goes through Mitchell Pass.
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| You can walk along the trail through Mitchell Pass. That wagon behind me is the real thing. |
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Not very big. The immigrants didn't ride in the wagons usually; instead, they walked.
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| Oregon Trail marker placed back in 1912. |
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| The asphalt ended after awhile. This is the actual path the trail followed. |
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| Looking back at the visitors center and the wagon. |
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The big rock to the north is Eagle Rock.
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| I think this is Sentinel Rock. |
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| Looking south. The trail came through that ravine just left of center. |
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The trail emerged from Mitchell's Pass and headed northwest to the river.
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| After leaving Scotts Bluff , I saw a sign for the Wyo-braska Museum of Natural History. It was nearby so I stopped in. Located in a restored railroad depot, they had over 650 animals posed in dioramas. They were pretty realistic looking. |
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| Big cats. |
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More big cats.
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Bears.
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| Animals of the Rocky Mountains. |
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| Their star attraction was the Blauchiterium, a replica of the largest mammal ever. Apparently the Blauchiterium was a very large, hornless rhinoceros that lived 20-30 million years ago in Asia. This is the only authentic replica of its kind. It stands 19 ft tall and 30 ft long. |
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| Yeah, that's a big fella. |
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