This morning I had to make the final decision if I was going to keep following the Platte or try something different. The Platte route goes a little south from here and I don’t really want to go south only to have to go back north again. I have decided to travel to Broken Bow and stay north on some secondary hwys. Plus I will see some different country.
I took off in a north easterly direction on Hwy 83. I quickly found myself in hills! Nothing too steep but rolling hills that generally were more up than down.
I got to Stapleton around lunch so stopped there. The local cafe had a senior lunch that I qualified for. All you could eat buffet for $4.00. The deal of the century. That was the good news. The bad news was that I did not study my map very well and had to backtrack 4 miles to get back on route 92 to Broken Bow. That meant 8 extra miles on the day. Instead of 74, I was now looking at 82. Oh well. Lunch was worth it (I hope).
Getting away from the Platte River really was a nice change of scenery. Green fields and rolling hills as far as the eye could see.
The traffic on the secondary Hwy was light as an added benefit. Really nice cycling country. Some challenge with the hills but not overwhelming either.
Also as I got away from the Platte River, the humidity dropped. But it was also getting pretty warm. At one stop, they said it was 92 degrees. The amount I was sweating would confirm that. I think I stopped in every little town to buy a Gatorade.
Eventually, I came to the town where I would get on Hwy 2, the last 9 miles to Broken Bow. I finally was done with the hills and had a generally downhill ride into Broken Bow which was welcome at this point in the day.
They had a city park which offered camping and a shower. Then I went in search of the Kinkaider brewery which I had heard about in North Platte. I had several beers and dinner there. All very good. And I will sleep really well as a result.
$4.00 Senior Citizen lunch special- score!!!! I’m looking at satellite maps of your path- all I see are round crop sprinklers. I’m loving your description of the countryside, roads and the weather. Its interesting that the humidity would drop that much as you move away from the river. How are the bugs- do they bother you much when your riding? I bet in the evenings they are pretty harassing. Stay safe!!
The insects are interesting. The mosquitos have been around but not that bad so far. The biggest insect issue are the huge grasshoppers that hit you when you are riding. I think they could cause a wreck! There are not too many trees around but when there are, the noise from the cicadas can be deafening. Lastly, in North Platte, there were fireflies out in the evening. I have seen them before but I can’t really remember where. They are kinda cool.
I believe all of the humidity is caused by the irrigation. It may that there is just more irrigation down along the river, although they seem to irrigate almost as much away from the river too. So in other words, I have no idea why the humidity dropped yesterday!!
Hi Greg!! I hope you are enjoying your trip. We all miss you! (Especially Pita🙃) I hope you are better than ever. Latest update on Leonora: I have a competition tomorrow!! I’m really exited and kinda nervous. I got a new phone too. [not that you would particularly care but…. i think it’s kinda kool.] We can be iPhone buddies when you get back ! Good luck with the grasshoppers😂🦗 -Leonora
Good luck with the big competition. I predict a great performance!
Oh memory lane,having come from Connecticut originally I use to catch the fireflies in a mason jar. They are pretty cool✌️