July 4 we celebrated our Independence by driving about 100 miles back into Nebraska to see Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluff. The pioneers depended on these two landmarks to guide them west. Chimney rock is about 22 miles east of Scott's Bluff and the early pioneers would climb as high as they could and etch their names into the soft sandstone. Erosion and time have diminished to rock somewhat, and the names are no longer legible.
Scott's Bluff National Monument sat along the Oregon trail where the pioneers moved through the Mitchell's Pass on their way west. There is a portion of that trail that have been protected, and it was really a moving experience to walk on the trail that the pioneers walked so many years ago on their way west. We also drove to the top of the Monument and enjoyed looking out over the area. We could see Chimney Rock in the distance.
On Monday, July 5, we drove the old Lincoln Highway from Cheyenne to Laramie. We stopped at the Summit rest stop on I-80 where the old Lincoln highway joins I-80 to view the huge statue of Abe Lincoln. The Summit is the highest point on I-80 at approximately 8000+ feet.
Today, July 6, we decided to take the Snowy Range byway up into the Snowy Range mountains and enjoyed a beautiful day. I'm attaching a picture of us at Snowshoe Rec area. We were at 11,000 feet, and were on the snow line. We left Laramie at 10:30 and got back to camp about 2:30. We were disappointed to see all the dead/dying trees in the Medicine Bow National Forest. It's caused by the pine bark beetle and is truly distroying the forests from Mexico to Canada.
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