We headed out on another day of exploration in the northwest corner of Nebraska beginning our day in a drizzle on a road called Corkscrew Road. It was not named because it was a curvy road but rather because we literally swerved all over the road in a gelatinous mud until we got back on pavement. K2R2 was covered in mud. By the time we reached Agate Fossil Beds National Monument it began to snow.
The Agate Fossils Bed monument is one of the premier paleontological sites in America. A large bonebed beside an ancient waterhole has yielded thousands of fossil remains of exotic creatures that roamed the area millions of years ago.
However the monument is more than a world class fossil exhibit. It is also home to an amazing collection of Lakota Indian artifacts that were given to local rancher James H. Cook as gifts. The Cooks in turn, wanting to preserve the many artifacts and gifts, donated their collection to the park service and it is an outstanding museum of beautiful handiworks.
We continued on through our day and the snow picked up. We marveled that it was snowing this much in mid May but we did enjoy the snowy landscape.
Our other destinations for the day were Scott’s Bluff and Chimney Rock National Monuments, both prominent rock formations that were important landmarks for early emigrants on the Oregon trail. Due to the weather the roads were closed to drive up to both monuments so we like many travelers from the past viewed them from afar on that snowy day.
One Response
The picture of the windmill in the snow is so peaceful. I can see my self in a little cabin sitting by the fire reading, sipping port and falling asleep