After we left North Dakota, we made our way toward Denver. We stopped and stayed in Scottsbluff, NE for several days. We were pleasantly surprised by this quaint little town. It was quite lovely with much to do. We camped at a campground right on the river. There is a zoo and awesome playground right there. There is also a gorgeous walkway/bike path that runs along the river. We walked it everyday!

We went over to Scotts Bluff National Monument one evening just as the sun was setting. It was quite lovely and a storm was off in the distance putting on a lightshow. On July 4th, we headed to the monument and did the hike up to the top and back down. It was a beautiful hike! We got rained on a little on the way down, but it was no big deal and quite refreshing! We got to walk on the actual original Oregon Trail. The stories of the journey are sobering.

We continued the celebrations later at home with a 4th of July dinner and dessert and sword fighting. Later that evening a storm rolled in and gave us amazing skies and rainbows. The communities of the town put on a fireworks display all night long. It seemed every street had fireworks. We watched no less than 25 separate fireworks displays. It was freaking unreal!

We really enjoyed our time in Scottsbluff, NE. We spent much more time there than anticipated because we enjoyed it so much. I highly recommend it! I love it when a place surprises me 🙂

Several of the national monuments we’ve been to have really been fantastic. Check out our visits to Craters of the Moon and White Sands National Monuments. They are some of our favorites.