Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement.

Gering, Nebraska

Population: 8,179
Founded: 1887
Elevation: 3,911 feet above sea level
Average income: $31,262
Average price of housing: $185,858
Median age of the population: 36
https://www.gering.org/

Impressions:

Geographically, Gering is a small town in western Nebraska. It is at the foot of Scotts Bluff National Monument. With Nebraska’s scenic Wildcat Hills as a backdrop, Gering is a picturesque community. While staying in Gering we also visited the town of Scottsbluff, just north of Gering.

Gering is a small town with a big personality. You can feel the pride people in town have for their community. We had a chance to experience some of this pride at the Plains Museum Harvest Festival and at the Fiesta Patrias.

Downtown

The downtown area was less than 3 miles from the campground. Small town with shops, restaurants and business. There were very wide streets! A pleasant walking area.

Food and Drink

Gering: We had breakfast at the Log Cabin Restaurant and Lounge. We had large portions, good food at a good price. Most of the patrons (and staff!) were enthralled with listening to the college football game on the radio. Nebraska vs. Oklahoma at Oklahoma! The Log Cabin seemed like a wonderful homey, comfortable local place.

Attractions

There was lots to see and experience in Gering and Scottsbluff while we were there.

Gering: Over the weekend we were there, the Legacy of the Plains Museums had their 26th annual Harvest Festival. The museum was impressive!! The museum was huge and had hundreds of exhibits! During the Harvest Festival there was an outdoor exhibit of farmers harvesting potatoes on the museum grounds. I don’t think I have ever seen as many beautiful old quilts!

Gering: Also, this weekend we were in Gering there was the Fiesta Patrias celebration. It was a family friendly celebration of “empowering families, western Nebraska pioneers and Los Guadalupanos.” In addition to the parade through downtown there was food, art, bingo, live music and dancing performances from different regions of Mexico. Very festive and no, we did not win anything at bingo!

Scotts Bluff: Scotts Bluff National Monument is an absolutely must see. Stop at the Visitor’s Center for a quick movie and a tour of the museum, and then take the drive up the side of Scotts Bluff. The drive will take you about 7 minutes, but the vistas are amazing. You can see for miles and miles! There are a few short hiking trails from the Visitor’s Center and at the top of the Bluff. It is amazing to think of the pioneers who went through Mitchell Pass looking for a better life.

Home Base: The Campground

For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!

We stayed on site 6 at Robidoux RV Park in Gering, Nebraska. The campground was clean and well maintained. We only talked with staff when we booked the site and when we checked in. Very simple check in! Our full hook up (water-sewer-electric) site was on concrete. Our pull through site was way long enough to leave the Jeep hooked up and still have both vehicles off the road. 30 and 50 amp service were available. There was good cell phone coverage (Verizon) and a good open southern sky for our satellite.

It is a very quiet campground. If we were in the area again, we would definitely stay here.

Fun Facts

Outside of the Visitor’s Center at Scotts Bluff there are three replicas of wagons the early pioneers would have used. In the pioneer times there were only three styles of wagons: Conestoga, Studebaker and Murphy. At the Visitor’s Center there were two represented. The first wagon is a Conestoga wagon, named for its similar shape to a boat. It was the biggest of the wagons and would have been used by businesses taking their wares going east or west.

The second two wagons at the Visitor’s Center are Studebaker wagons. The Studebaker brothers were originally blacksmiths. They soon found they could make more money leasing out their blacksmithing shop and tools to pioneers traveling through than doing the work themselves! They soon became inventors, first designing and building the Studebaker wagons and then designing Studebaker cars! Fun fact!

At the Harvest Festival we learned another fun fact. We I booked the reservation at the campground in Gering, Robidoux RV Campground, I thought it was “just” named for the owner. It is a pretty common practice. However, when we were chatting with some other people at the Harvest Festival, we were told the campground was a nod to pioneer times when people would sometimes take the easier Robidoux Pass, a few miles south of Mitchell Pass. Interesting! Robidoux Pass was a shorter, “easier” route, but Mitchell was closer to the North Platte River, the only water source in the area.

Summary

We were only in Gering a short time, but found it to have very friendly people, amazing scenery and a lot of history. We would highly recommend spending at least a couple days in this area. It will be well worth your time!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn, Dave and Lucky
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

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