I woke last night to the sound of thunder! Unlike Bob Segar, I did not wonder how far off as I sat and wondered. It was right on top of me and I had a Chinese fire drill getting out of my tent and putting up the rain fly in the rising wind at 1:00 in the morning!
The storm did not generate much rain but it sure got my attention.
In the morning I set off for North Platte, NE. It was going to be a 62 mile ride today again along the So. Platte River. I had to actually negotiate a few hills yesterday in the late evening to get to Brûle, but today was again going to be more flat terrain.
I stopped in Paxton for lunch and stayed there for over 2 hours resting. I can feel the humidity rising as I ride along the river. My clothes feel clammy and they don’t seem to dry out like in dryer climates. I vaguely remember this from living in Texas. Don’t get me wrong though. This percent of humidity is not oppressive like Houston was. Just annoying.
So far, riding through Nebraska has not been a bad choice. The state is green and the abundant fields alternate between corn, cattle pasture, and land lying fallow. Really quite nice.
There is a lot of corn though!
I have been struck by the thought that riding through the mid-west is beneficial if you just love cycling. Not really caring about much except the joy of being out on your bicycle churning out miles. If not, one might get bored or even a little dejected over the lack of iconic destinations or variety of landscapes. So far, this has been a good cycling experience.
Arriving in North Platte, I found a bike shop that was open. I inquired about some route options for riding through the rest of Nebraska. I have lots of options to consider. Finding an open bike shop was not as easy as I thought. It was late in the afternoon and between the city of Ogallala and North Platte I crossed into the central time zone and did not know it at the time. I guess that is another milestone to chalk up!
I camped at the big city park, Cody Park. It cost 5 dollars and was a nice facility. It was also right on the bank of the North Platte River, a much more impressive river compared to the South Platte.
The confluence must have been just out of town but nearby.
I had a nice dinner and went to bed with the thought that I would make my final route decision tomorrow on which direction I would take from North Platte. It would be based on camping alternatives and the distances between towns. So tomorrow we shall see where I am going. No matter where, it will be interesting.
Greg, so glad things are going well. Maybe being fooled twice means you will start putting on the rain fly just in case??
Not a chance. Third time is a charm, right?