Tourists in Nebraska – Carhenge, Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds
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It’s not quite as mystical as Stonehenge, but still worth the stop.
Now you might think there isn't much to do in western Nebraska, but you'd be soooo wrong. We opted to skip a visit the Museum of Fur Trade though it was on the way. We realize it's a part of our Old West history and contributed to western commerce, but the slaughter to near extinction of animals for their hides and pelts and fur seemed to make a visit to the museum complicit in the commercialism of slaughter. I'm not on a soap box here... only explaining our rationale for giving it a pass. Instead, as soon as we finished riding the Cowboy Trail West, we headed to Alliance to visit the world famous Carhenge. Okay... so maybe it's not world famous like England's Stonehenge and certainly not as mystical, but it was worth the stop. As 'Stonehenge stands alone on a plain in England, [so] Carhenge towers over the plains of Nebraska.' You certainly shouldn't be surprised that we'd drive out of our way to see such a sight. I depend upon Roadside America and Atlas Obscura to seek out quirky sights everywhere.
Thirty-nine cars, all painted matte gray, 'were placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring ~96' in diameter.'
The creator of this unique car sculpture, Jim Reinders, lived in England for awhile and took the opportunity to study the design of Stonehenge. In the summer of 1987, Reinders and his extended family gathered to construct a memorial to Reinders’ deceased father. Stonehenge was the theme, but with a decided twist... old cars instead of stones. Thirty-nine cars 'were placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring ~96' in diameter.'
There's more to Carhenge than just this sculpture in what is known as the Car Art Reserve. Check out some of these other unique artworks below.
Carhenge isn't a time-intensive destination. Visitors walk around the car-strewn field, take some pictures, maybe stop at the Pit Stop souvenir shop for a postcard, drop a small donation in the box and then call it good. We stayed the night in Alliance and since Scotts Bluff National Monument wasn't far away, our love of national parks drew us there.
Rising 800' out of the valley floor , Scotts Bluff has served as a natural landmark for travelers for centuries.
We got a late start and it was near 100F when we reached Scotts Bluff National Monument. The native people called it 'me-a-pa-te' (hill that is hard to go around). Located on the historic Oregon Trail, thousands of travelers have used Scotts Bluff, rising 800' out of the valley floor, as a natural landmark. Native Americans have roamed this area for centuries. Wagon trains, trappers, miners and the short-lived Pony Express used this route as a prairie pathway for heading west.
We walked a portion of the Saddle Rock Trail, mostly uphill and exposed to a blazing sun. It was just too hot, so We opted to cut it short, but enjoyed the stupendous views.
Yucca in bloom on the valley floor
The serpentine 1.6 mile Summit Road wended its way through three tunnels carved through the bluff and took us from the Visitor’s Center to the top.
Short, paved trails led to more summit viewpoints and more outstanding views.
About 50 miles north of Scotts Bluff is Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Brennan reminded me we'd visited this monument in 1992 on a mother-son road trip. Hmmm... it was all new to me. I plan to document this visit well, so I’ll remember next time.
Set in the high plains along the Niobara River, Agate Fossil Beds in a 3,055 acre park, once part of Captain James H. Cook's Agate Springs Ranch. According to the park brochure “About 19-20 million years ago, drought struck the western Nebraska plains... hundreds of animals died around shallow waterholes.” Mammal fossils dating from the Miocene Era, 20+ million years ago, were found in a bone bed on the ranch in the early 1900s. When Cook found the bones, he invited scientists and paleontologists from around the country to come and study his find.
The Agate Fossil Beds NM visitor center provided lots of information and replicas of the bone beds and skeletons of animals that once roamed these plains.
The Cook ranch lands were also known as a gathering place for Ogalala Lakota and Chief Red Cloud. Pictured above tipis representative of the Native American presence in this area and, in the distance, University and Carnegie Hills, the main paleontological dig sites.
Once again, the heat did us in. It was nearly intolerable to be outside, we could feel our skin toasting. We retreated to the A/C of the car. Where to next? It seemed too hot to camp out, at least at this altitude. We headed north to South Dakota where we’d meet our youngest son and his wife in a few days. We made a hotel reservation for the evening at an exorbitant nightly rate. A word about hotel prices… just to get it off my chest.
We realize that hotels and the hospitality industry suffered severely during last year’s pandemic. However, mediocre hotels are charging $200-$400/night for rooms with limited services (grab’n’go or cold breakfasts are still the norm) and no housekeeping. We were usually fortunate to be able to use ‘points’ for inexpensive and/or free nights, but, wow, the general public is definitely getting scalped.
We would end up cancelling that over-priced hotel reservation for a much better alternative. Catch up next time as we wander in South Dakota’s Black Hills.