Lewis and Clark Monument Revisited-The Views Never Disappoint

Lewis and Clark Monument-The Most Amazing View of Omaha, NE. A place I suggest you visit if you are ever in the area.

The back side of the Monument. Please make sure to click the links to get the most from this post.

I am quickly growing to love the Loess Hills along the Missouri River in Western Iowa. The Loess Hills are a geological feature that only exists in Iowa, a small portion of Northwestern Missouri and China. Even though the Bluffs occupy both sides of the river, this feature does not exist on the Nebraska side. Click the link above to read why.

I have now visited the Lewis and Clark Monument four times and think it will be a place I frequent often. I am an avid sky watcher and record the Sunrise, Sunset and time lapses of the sky often and this is the best sunset view around that is accessible by the general public.

I love creating GIF's and cannot wait until more site's allow you to drop them straight from your device

There is a local tradition of putting a lock on the rail with the name of a deceased loved one. I assume it's so they can find their place of rest in the setting sun. Unfortunately there is limited room, so when the rails fill up, the locks are removed. They are allowed to remain for quite long periods of time though and there is a camera trained on the spot to deter vandals. The city goes out of their way to respect this tradition the best they can.

The Monument sits on top of the Bluffs, (noun-a cliff, headland, or hill with a broad, steep face. source.) with Big Lake Park below. It boasts a five mile bike trail that is heavily used and the loosely packed dunes of the Loess Hills has deep run off drains from erosion. These create chutes perfect for mountain bikers to navigate at quite high speeds. Night riding these trails is quite popular.

Don't let their size fool you. The steep inclines make for great moderate hikes that can rival hikes in the mountains. I am currently looking for more trails in the Bluffs and just hiked the Honey Creek Trail, which is part of the Chutes. A ski hill in the bluffs. It was a very serene hike that will be the feature of a future blog.

The trailhead, which is located at the NW corner of the Monument

The Monument commemorates Lewis and Clarks adventure and meeting with the Otoe and Missouri Indians. This was the first formal council of representatives from the U.S. Government and Western Indians. This is where the name Council Bluffs, IA comes from.

I am huge fan of reading reviews for everything. Research is key for me long before I ever buy a product, travel long distances for a hike and even for deciding the next skill I'll learn. For this reason I record as much footage as possible of everywhere I visit providing as many details as I can. I try to give the reader as full of a picture as possible, because this is what I would like to find when reading reviews.

Most places I visit will bring a multitude of photo's, video and even GIF's I create from that footage. Everything I post unless otherwise noted is copyright free and I grant you permission to use, alter or format copies however you like. I don't even require you cite me as a source, but would greatly appreciate it if you do.

I only create content that I am knowledgeable about or in the process of learning and will only bring you to places I have actually visited. All photography is shot by me on scene. Blogging for me is just a great way to present my photograghy, video's and GIF's. I hope you enjoy them.