November 8, 2024
Dramatic orange and yellow sunrise in northwestern Nebraska.

Morning Runs and Big Sky

Can you fall in love with the sky?

Afternoon sun shines in a blue sky over windmill in Gering, NE.
Mid afternoon sun over Scotts Bluff Monument, from the Farm and Ranch Museum in Gering. Photo credit: Leah Nyfeler

For the last five days, I’ve spent my  mornings outdoors in northwestern Nebraska, running and walking. Exploring.

Not in the big cities commonly associated with the state, but small towns–Gering, Crawford, Alliance. The settings varied: patchworks of lush neighborhood lawns, historic parade grounds and horse barns, striated geologic formations. But one thing remained constant.

A heart-stopping, breath-taking expanse of sunrise sky filled with incredible light.

Sunrise over Scotts Bluff Monument in Gering, NE.
I ran in the neighborhoods in Gering, NE. Some of the prettiest lawns you’ve ever seen…and this view to wake up to. Photo credit: Leah Nyfeler
Water towers in Ft. Robinson State Park in Crawford, NE.
Exploring Ft. Robinson State Park by jogging the paved roads that wind around historic barracks. Photo credit: Leah Nyfeler
Three horses look over a fence at Ft. Robinson in Crawford, NE.
These guys came over to say “good morning.” Ft. Robinson has a long and important equestrian history. Photo credit: Leah Nyfeler
Dramatic orange and yellow sunrise in northwestern Nebraska.
All I had to do was point the camera at the sky and click for an amazing photo. This was taken from a moving car through the window, as I traveled to Hudson-Meng Bison Boneyard. Photo credit: Leah Nyfeler
Sunrise over wooden slat at Hudson-Meng Bison Boneyard in Nebraska.
Sunrise from the Hudson-Meng Bison Boneyard as we set out toward Toadstool Geologic Park. Photo credit: Leah Nyfeler
Three hikers on the Bison Trail between Hudson-Meng Bison Boneyard and Toadstool Geologic Park in Nebraska.
The 3-mile Bison Trail connects Hudson-Meng Bison Boneyard and Toadstool Geologic Park. Photo credit: Leah Nyfeler

That sky, that beautiful sky.

I could’ve taken many more photos and never once truly captured its expanse or hues. I could’ve sat, watching the horizon throughout the day, and never been bored. I could write thousands of words and never fully express the wonder and awe that amazing sky inspires.

These photos will just have to suffice.

Boots in foreground of horizon from atop Scotts Bluff Monument in Nebraska.
Watching the sky from atop Scotts Bluff Monument in northwestern Nebraska, along the Oregon Trail. Photo credit: Leah Nyfeler
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Leah Nyfeler

I'm a writer, content marketer, and adventurer who is always looking for the another story, exciting adventure, new trail, and good meal/book/movie. I love sharing things I'm curious about, what I know, and how I've come to learn it. Read my blog, "Enjoying the Journey: Observations on the Fit Life" (leahruns100.com) and find my articles in a variety of print and online magazines.

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