Fall 2018 Western Trip: Across America's Heartland

Saturday, 9/15:  267 miles and camped at Oakwood Trail Campground, Austin, Minnesota

Site 10

We were on the road about 9:30 this morning.  We crossed the Mississippi River and camped at the most unique place we have ever stayed at.  Oakwood Trails is a small 25 site park located in a hillside  oak grove on a working 440 acre crop and beef farm.  We saw lots and lots of corn and soybean fields on our route today.

Dinner was leftovers.  Tomorrow we are off to Anita, Iowa.


Saturday, 9/16:  233 miles and camped at Lake Anita State Park, Anita, Iowa

Along the shore of Lake Anita.

Site 130

We were on the road about 10:30 today.  It was another day of corn and soybeans and wind turbines.  And then, even more corn and soybeans and wind turbines.  We arrived at the campground about 2:30 to sunny and 90 degree weather.  Fortunately, there was a nice breeze blowing in off the lake that made sitting outside pleasant.  Lake Anita is a really nice park.  The park was probably only a third full.  We had an electric only site right on the water.

Lower level electric only with lake views.

Full hookup sites on the second level.

View from the second level.

Tomorrow we head for Kearny, Nebraska.


Monday, 9/17:  258 miles and camped at Fort Kearny State Recreation Area, Kearney, NE

Site 10

Gorgeous lake view from our campsite.

We were on the road about 9:30 today.  It is turning out to be another hot and sunny day. 70 degrees when we woke this morning.  In fact, when we pulled in to the campground in Kearney, it was a blistering 93.  More corn and soybeans and wind turbines today across western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.  The soybean combines and the tractor trailer grain trucks were out in full force finishing up the harvest.  There is still a lot of standing corn to be harvested.  We tried sitting outside at the camper, but it was just too hot.  Dinner was leftovers in the air conditioned camper.

Tomorrow, we are off to Chimney Rock.

Tuesday, 9/18:  261 miles and camped at Pioneer Crossing Campground, Chimney Rock, NE

Site 12 at Pioneer Crossing Campground.

We left Fort Kearny SRA right at 10:00 and we arrived at Pioneer Crossing just about 1:00.  But remember, the four trip was only three hours on the clock because we went from Central Time to Mountain Time.  The countryside changes today.  Fewer corn and soybeans, and beef cattle grazing lands instead.  There is still corn, but nowhere as much.  About 3:00 we drove down to the Chimney Rock Interpretive Center which is just a mile away.  The center is small, but we learned a lot.  Chimney Rock is the most commented on feature in all of the writings and diaries from the Oregon Trail era.  It was a major landmark on the strenuous trek west.  Secondly, Chimney Rock is not a rock.  It is the eroded remains of volcanic ash and clay sediment over millions of years.  That is why it is eroding so fast.  Photographs and paintings show it quite a bit shorter than it was during the mid and late 1800's.

Wow.  They light Chimney Rock up at night.

Tomorrow we head to Fort Collins, Colorado for a 5 night layover.  It will be nice to settle down for a few days.

Wednesday, 9/19:

This morning we left the campground about 9:15 and stopped at Scott's Bluff National Monument in nearby Gering.  Scotts Bluff was an interesting visit.  We  stayed about an hour.  The bluff was a noted landmark rising over 800 feet and marks Mitchell Pass, through which the Oregon Trail emigrants were able to travel cross.  Present day Nebraska Route 92 follows the old Oregon Trail through Mitchell Pass now.

Mitchell Pass, with Scotts Bluff on the right.

Scotts Bluff, standing 800 feet tall.

Typical 6 oxen team used on the Oregon Trail

Typical wagon.  Most people had to walk
because the wagons were so heavy with supplies.

At 10:30 we pulled out of the monument parking lot and headed south to Fort Collins.