I left a piece of my soul in Valentine, Nebraska.
Much to my husbands chagrin, I said "let's take the scenic route through Nebraska." We've been on Interstate 80 so many times, I figured that couldn't possibly be everything that Nebraska had to offer.
Most people probably think of Nebraska as that one plains state that is standing between where they are and where they want to go. Not so, my friends. Not so.
Our journey east began in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hauling a trailer with two Harley Davidson motorcycles in it, we were "going home" to Wisconsin for a motorcycle rally. It was August and although Utah has crazy low humidity, every mile that moved us further towards the Midwest was also a degree higher of humidity.
We started at Scotts Bluff National Monument in western Nebraska, an unexpected outcropping of rock nestled in the otherwise flat landscape. Driving north to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, we were invited to have birthday cake with the lonely Park Rangers. Our final stop was the Niobrara
National Scenic River, where the visitor center is peacefully perched on top of an amazing sheer bluff face with the sparkling river below.
Here's our route.
I searched and searched but couldn't find any pictures of this trip. That's ok, because I remember it more vividly than I remember many other places. Beautiful rolling hills, sun toasted fields, not another car in sight and rural towns where pride of place is a birth right. As luck would have it, I ran into a magazine publisher from Nebraska at a recent conference. I told him about this project and he sent me several of his staff file photos to use here. Thanks, Chris!
Do yourself a favor and take the scenic route next time you're in Nebraska. It's well worth it.
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| All Photos in this Post Credit: Nebraska Life Magazine, Flagship Publishing (Used with permission). |
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