Heading East: Scottsbluff, NE & Winterset, IA

Neither Nebraska nor Iowa is probably on anyone’s travel bucket list unless you want to visit every state like we do. They were both new states for us on a new route back across the country as we headed back to NC.

Scottsbluff (the city) and Scotts Bluff (the National Monument) in western Nebraska was the most interesting place we could get to in one drive day from our previous location in Ridgway, Colorado. We spent the 3rd week of October at Robidoux City RV Park.

Scotts Bluff is a towering silt and sandstone formation near the North Platte River with a lot of historical significance. The river was a pathway through the prairie for thousands of years, from the American Indians to the fur traders. Later, it was a recognizable landmark on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails, and the Pony Express because it was at the start of the badlands and numerous mountain passes that travelers would have to navigate.

There is a road to the top of the monument where there are some short trails and overlooks of the surrounding area.

We also walked around to town of Scottsbluff and decided to try a runza which is a tasty bread pocket stuffed with beef, onions, and cabbage descended from the early eastern European settlers of the plains.

We left Scottsbluff on a Saturday morning to drive all the way across Nebraska via I-80 and spent the night in a Cabela’s parking lot in Omaha.

We had originally planned to spend the last week of October at the Iowa State Fairgrounds campground in Des Moines but found out at the last minute that it had already closed for the season. This ended in our favor because my subsequent search for a place to stay led us to the Winterset, IA City Park Campground where we had full hookups for a bargain $22/night.

Winterset is a cute small town 30 min south of Des Moines, in Madison County, and is known for its covered bridges, as in the Bridges of Madison County book/movie.