Without a boat, canoe or kayak and time to explore, National Scenic Rivers are among the least satisfying of the park service sites. We are limited to river bank views, and time seems to always be a factor. The Missouri was flooding so two of our planned sites were closed. We did find an elevated extensive view over the Missouri at Military Bend near Vermillion SD. Crossing into Nebraska, we set out to find the Niobrara River and a promised amazing bridge near Valentine. Serious disappointment. It may have been a construction marvel but it seemed ordinary today and very hard to access for a photo.

We nearly ran out of gas on the back roads to this area - another limiting factor. On the plus side, on a walk along a scenic approach to the river, I spotted and photographed my first horned lark. Yay for small victories!

Cadillac’s Viewpoint: All rivers are nice, these were a bit too large for the proper foliage growth for me to graze, but, still, rivers! Cadillac’s Elevation 2 Antlers