Chimney Rock

I figured the drive from Oklahoma City to the West Coast would be a little grim. It was. Not a lot to see. I knew Nebraska had a lot of corn. At least the road I was on, you pass "Entering Nebraska", then enormous fields of corn. Not a big thrill, but kind of interesting. For a lot of the next couple days I'm following what is basically the Oregon Trail. The freeway following the Platte River.

I knew we would be coming to Chimney Rock - a landmark to look for just like the early pioneers did. Wait for it, wait for it...disappointment. I had heard you could see this from a long ways away. I started looking for it when we were about 50 miles out. I'm not sure what I was thinking. Due to the Earth's curvature, it probably would have to be about 10 miles tall to see it from that far. I got to where it should be according to my atlas. (Sorry tech nerds, I still love my atlas.) I saw a rock, but it was nothing like what it should look like. I actually tromped through a field, getting a bazillion stickers in my socks to get a better look at it. It turns out my atlas was wrong and it was just a big ole rock. Just after that, I drove down a street that said Chimney Rock was ahead. Thanks.

I'm still not sure how this was a landmark for the pioneers. Its not that big. You have to get right up to it before you can see it, while passing other rocks that are as big. Turns out my fifty miles was way off. So it was fine and cool looking rock I suppose. My expectations were just a bit too high.

Its just like the Moonbow incident. At Cumberland Falls in Kentucky during a full moon there is apparently a "moonbow". They say its the only place in the United States it happens. So it's only once a month and then it can't be cloudy, so viewing opportunities are limited. I went this past June. It was technically the day after the full moon, but it seemed like that would be OK. Plus there were a ton of people there that evening, so I must be onto something. As it got darker we were all staring at the falls waiting for this moonbow to appear. Waiting and waiting. I got there at about 9:00 and staying until about 2:00 a.m. All the time just looking at the falls. Eventually this very dim white arc seemed to appear at the base of the falls. Everyone was saying "Is that it?". So I guess I saw it. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part.

Like I said, there were a ton of people there and they had a pretty good attitude considering, but eventually people started to drift away. Chimney Rock and Moonbow. You need to step it up, Mother Nature.