Day 63- Blair, Nebraska

Way back in North Platte, the guy at the bike shop I visited said that I might consider not riding Hwy 30 between Columbus and Fremont due to the heavy truck traffic from the gas industry. Well, today’s ride is to Fremont. It is Sunday so I am going to bet that the truck traffic will be light due to the weekend and chance the Hwy 30 route.

After stopping at a store for some prévisions, I hit the road headed for Fremont. I would say my assumption about the traffic was accurate. The truck volume was not too bad today. I wasn’t trilled by the shoulder width in places. The Hwy started off as a divided road with a nice shoulder. It then ended and the shoulder got pretty narrow. It just so happened that the state was constructing a new roadbed to continue the divided section. At one point, the toad was completed but not open.

Seizing an opportunity, I decided to use this new road as my own personal private bike path! So much for the narrow shoulder width. As a note, they build a lot of Portland Cement roads her in the Midwest. I am not used to them, but they are smooth and result in a lower rolling resistance.

The rest of the ride into Fremont was uneventful. As a matter of fact, it was so uneventful that the ONLY hill I encountered was an overpass on the outskirts of Fremont.

I was uncertain on where I was going to stay in Fremont and it was still pretty early so I decided to ride on to Blair, NE. It was 23 miles past Fremont. It was rolling hills and a pleasant break in the monotony of the flat Platte River plain.

In Blair, there was an RV park run by the city where I could pitch a tent for $10 and included a shower. I like it when I can take a shower!

Baring a major calamity, this will be my last day in Nebraska. I pushed pretty hard through the state. 360 miles in 5 days for an average of 72 per day. So I wonder what Iowa will be like?