Today was a pretty long drive. The tracker said 331 miles and 8:28 hours. It was long, but finding camping in this part of the country is difficult. No BLM or forest service land, plus an Indian Reservation. We ended up at a pay campground just outside of Badlands NP around 8 PM.
We left Greeley, CO a bit late (11AM) and headed north. We first crossed into Wyoming south of Cheyenne, and then headed northeastward into Nebraska. We made it to Scott’s Bluff National Monument around 1:30 and took in the sites. It was 87 degrees and hot out for the pups. There was a drive to the top of the bluff but there was a limit of 11ft 7in for vehicles. I pulled out the tape measure and measured 11’ 5” for the truck. Two inches to spare. The sides were only 10’4” with the AC adding about 12”. Needless to say we took the drive.
After leaving the monument we managed to find the grave of Rebecca Winters, a Mormon settler that caught cholera and was buried along the trail. Her burial was unique in that someone scribed her name and tribute on a wagon wheel iron tread and left it with her. Most were buried in the road with little memorial.
After Scott’s Bluff we continued north and east until we needed to stop for diesel. Diesel was found in Alliance, NE, and just after filling up we ran across a roadside attraction called Carhenge. Apparently a gentleman named Jim Reinders has some time on his hands and a few spare junk cars and he recreated Stonehenge with cars on a hill in Nebraska. It was an interesting find and a tribute to people with time and creativity in their toolboxes.
We continued northward and east a bit and tried to find a place to camp. Unfortunately in this part of the country all land is private, a sad state, and we could not find a pullout to camp. We crossed into the Lakota Sioux reservation and drove another hour into South Dakota and took the Badlands. We did get to see the Battle of Wounded Knee memorial site along the way.
It was a long day of driving through miles and miles of beautiful green grasslands (and happy cows). Tomorrow will be a visit to the Badlands NP and then on to visit Riley in Rapid City.
here is a link to some more photos.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250616-scotts-bluff-np-to-badlands