Oc course I did not seriously expect to avoid the high winds by traveling north through Wyoming to the plains of Nebraska,\u00a0 but it was as good as any excuse to make the long trip and activate a new summit in a new association. As far as I know, it was the first activation in W\u00d8N.<\/p>\n
![\"Scotts](\"http:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Untitled_Panorama3.jpg\")
<\/a>Scotts Bluff National Monument<\/p><\/div>\n
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Trailhead:\u00a0 4118 ft \/ 1255 m\r\n Summit:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 4649 ft \/ 1417 m\r\n Elev. gain: 531 ft \/ 162 m\r\n Roundtrip:\u00a0 3.2\u00a0 mi \/ 5.2 km<\/pre>\nCompare this summit with my other activated summits<\/a><\/p>\n
How to get there:<\/strong>
\nFrom my QTH (Fort Collins) I took I25 north towards Cheyenne, WY. I took exit 17 onto US-85 N\/Canam Hwy\/Torrington Rd. Make sure you have enough fuel in your tank. It’s going to be lonely a lonely trip with only sparse signs of civilization.<\/p>\nAfter 46 miles, turn right onto WY-151 E<\/b> which becomes NE-88 E<\/b> after about 10 miles. After another 20 miles, turn left onto NE-71 N\/State Hwy 88. After another 11 miles, follow the si<\/b>gns towards Scotts Bluff National Monument<\/em><\/a>.
\n<\/b><\/p>\nThere is a visitor center with a parking lot on the north side of the road.<\/p>\n
There is hardly any traffic on these roads. I passed the time by trying to avoid as many tumbleweeds <\/a>as I could. With the high winds, it seemed that I was constantly under attack. Tumbleweeds of all sizes rolling over the hills in troves, jumping over fences and crossing the roads with no respect for oncoming traffic. I had to stop twice and pick the under-carriage clean from the remnants of all the collisions.<\/p>\n
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