Pogwatigue Perambulations: Nebraska Panhandle

Over the weekend, I headed out of town and in to the plains. Originally, I planned to see three sights (Pawnee Buttes, Panorama Point and Carhenge) in a day, but during last minute preparations decided to throw my camping gear in the car, which allowed me to extend my range a little further and see Fort Robinson in far northwest Nebraska, as well.

The Pawnee Buttes made a cameo appearance in James Michener's Centennial, the first novel of his that I read. A bit out of the way, it took me three hours to drive there. Then, I spent about as long hiking around them including a climb part way up the eastern butte, but trying for the true top was out of the question. Located not too far from the buttes, Panorama Point is the highest point in the state of Nebraska. It's the thirteenth highpoint that I've 'summited' behind Mauna Kea in Hawaii and Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Like those, I drove to the top of this state highpoint. From the point, you can see the tri-corner marker placed where Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming meet. After signing the Panorama Point summit post, I drove over to see it.

Full Screen Version

From the tri-corner marker, I had a long drive to see Carhenge, a mock depiction of stonehenge using junk automobiles in place of monoliths. I arrived shortly after sunset and had just enough light for a few pictures. Two hours later, I pitched my tent in Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford, Nebraska. It's the first time I used it since the Lonliest Road. I had a similarly chilly, though not quite as uncomfortable, experience. In the morning, I checked out out the fort grounds. Still off-season, none of the the buildings nor museums were open, but I was free to walk around and read the historical markers. The army commissioned the fort during the Indian Wars of the late Nineteenth Century and used it until the end of World War II, during the later conflict, as a POW camp.

I drove back toward Denver through the western fringes of the Nebraska Sandhills, my second trip through the strangely scenic region. I hoped to visit Ash Hollow State Historic Park, in its day an important way station on the Oregon Trail, but the park was closed for the season. I couldn't even access the park trails. There weren't any other attractions in the area and the day was almost over so I drove to Ogallala and had lunch at Runza, a Nebraska institution, before finishing the drive back to Denver.

Statistics
Miles: 947.1 (941.6 driving, 5.5 hiking)
Days: 2
States: 3
Total Counties: 23
New Counties: 11

Highest Elevation: 5,610 feet (Lakewood, CO)
Lowest Elevation: 3,225 feet (Ruza, Ogallala, NE)
Pictures Taken: 127
Pictures Archived: 42
Fuel: 26.853 gallons
MPG: 35.1
Cost: $147.85