Author: Greg Pezoldt

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?

As expected, my tent was again soaked with the dew from the night. I guess I might have to except that this might a new reality for me. I am not sure how I will deal with this on a daily basis. But I will.

My goal today is to ride east on Hwy 92 until I intersect Hwy 30 again and follow the Platte River to Columbus, NE. A nice 68 mile day.

Heading back toward the Platte, the land is again pretty flat. But today, something is a little different. There is a slight wind, but today it is a tailwind. A quartering tailwind to be exact, but it a welcome change. Easier pedaling is always welcome.

There are no real towns on this stretch of Hwy 92. There are a few that are off the route by a couple of miles so I decided to ride past them today. I would ride 30 miles before turning north east on Hwy 30 and hoping to find a cafe there.

Turning into Hwy 30 turned the wind into a pure tailwind. Not a strong wind by any means but still great (finally). Plus I found a place to eat after only 3 miles. So after lunch, I cruised into Columbus. Well I guess I should say I cruised right up to the outskirts of Columbus. As I approached the city limits, I hit a really nasty rumble strip and flatted with a double “snakebite” pinch.

Once that was fixed, next was to figure out dinner and where to camp tonight. Dinner was easy. The Gottbeer brewery. Where to camp, not so easy. There where places nearby but I would either have to ride 5 miles out and then back in the morning or negotiate a long gravel Road. So I am in a hotel tonight. I get to get everything dried out and can get an earlier start in the morning. I am not sure if I will get to Iowa tomorrow but my days in Nebraska are getting short.

When I woke up this morning, my tent was soaked in dew. It must be the humidity. I don’ really like to pack my tent wet so I got a late start waiting for everything to dry out.

I am thinking about a easy day. Not a rest day but maybe dialing back the mileage. There is a campground near Loup City at Lake Sherman that is about 40 some miles away. That sounds about right for the day, but we shall see how the riding goes.

It is another day of rolling hills. The wind is also slight to non existant. Again I am struck by the nice cycling that the back roads of Nebraska has to offer.

Arriving in Loup City, I found out that the Lake Sherman campground is 7 miles out of town on a gravel road. Since it is still fairly early in the afternoon, I am going to ride the next 25-30 miles to St Paul and camp at the Loup River State Campground instead. So much for the easy day. It wasn’t too bad though. The terrain is again flattening out again so it wasn’t extremely hard cycling. It was just pretty hot out and the humidity never really goes away making you sweat that much more. Finally at St Paul, I pulled into the first diner I came to. I am not sure what my servers think at these various places I eat at. I am just so thirsty that I usually have about 3-4 refills on Coke or 7-Up and they just keep serving them up and I just keep drinking them. St Paul was no different.

After my dinner, I still had to ride north about 3 miles to the campground. It is Friday so I am hoping that it isn’t filled up. There are only 10 camp sites there.

I crossed the Loup River just before the campground. It is

pretty wide but must be really shallow.

I see lots of sand bars but my biggest clue is that the few boats I see on the river are “air boats”. These are the boats that I thought were only used in the Everglades where they are shallow draft flat bottom hulls and powered by an engine with a big airplane propeller on the back. Interesting.

I found the Loup River Campground deserted. It is really nice though. There are large oaks and walnut trees lining the entry lane and nice grass areas for the tents. But as nice as it looks, it is right on the river and it is REALLY hot and humid. And more than a few mosquitos. But I did enjoy the fireflies.

That last interesting thing about the campground is that there is a fee to camp there but no place to pay. I what to pay my way but it looks like this is going to a free stay.

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.

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.

I got up and made it to the bike shop. I did not have too get up early since the shop did not open until 10:00. Now supplied with new inner tubes, I again feel confident and prepared to continue the trip.

I am going to ride to Julesburg today. This was not my original plan. Initially, I was going to ride straight north and eventually ride east on Nebraska Hwy 20. Now armed with a map, I decided that is going to far north and a bit west and too far out of my way. I am going to go east from here and angle north as opportunities present themselves via roadways. I will need to make some new choices once I get to North Platte but that is a couple of days away from now.

CO Hwy 138 started off terrible. I had to continually dodge huge potholes on the shoulder and in the lane. The worst road I have ridden on so far. Fortunately, that only lasted for about 8 miles. Some recent construction made that situation much better. Also much better was the wind situation this morning. There is virtually no wind at all. And there are absolutely NO hills either. But the Hwy is great to ride in from a traffic perspective. Most of the traffic is traveling on I-76 which is running parallel to CO 138. Not much traffic on my route at all.

I cannot say it was completely flat though. I lost about 500 feet of elevation over the first 60 miles I rode today. Not enough to notice but I supposed it helped. I did see one hill in the distance this morning but it turned out to be a pile of cow poop piles high in a nearby feed lot. That is how flat it was.

I rode through some little towns that did not have much to offer. A convenience store at a gas station was about it in most cases. So I just kept on riding for Julesburg. I eventually got there around 4:30 due to my late start this morning. I intended to eat dinner at the local cafe and then head for a campground on my map in Brûle, Nebraska. So after dinner, I started riding again. I crossed into Nebraska after only 2 miles.

I should mention that I have been following the So. Platte River for the entire day. I haven’t seen it even once but I know it’s there because the tree lined banks are dominating the landscape. The campground I am heading for is supposed to be near the river.

So arriving in Brûle, I did not see any sign for the campground. Hmm. I turned toward the river at the only intersection in town and eventually saw an old sign for the Riverside RV and campground. It is pretty run down and abandoned. I am going to camp here anyway. I am tired, it is getting dark, and I’ve already ridden 82 miles today. I am not going any farther. Period.

But I did get to finally see the So. Platte River!

I wanted to get an early start today to try to beat any strong winds and potential rain that might come up in the afternoon. The wind has calmed down this morning, but not completely gone. It is still a light headwind. Well, I have to make Sterling no matter what the weather brings.

The pedaling was going well this morning. The headwind was pretty light but there none-the-less. I stopped briefly in a town, New Raymer for some drinks and a candy bar for some pedaling fuel! (Anything counts as pedaling fuel at this point).

The miles kept ticking off at a regular interval despite the mild headwind. The weather seemed to be remaining steady so I was hoping that the winds would remain slight and not pick up to gale force like yesterday.

I met another cyclist in the morning. His name was Miles from Minneapolis. He was riding to Boulder, CO and he was a wealth of information for me. He even gave me his ragged, taped up map of Nebraska which I will be needing tomorrow. He also gave me some route suggestions to coïncider as I work my way across Nebraska and Iowa. We did not talk for long though. He had a tailwind and was going to make a big push for Ft Collins today and wanted to get going to take full advantage of it.

So far, the Plains are not boring to me. Not yet anyway.

You might have a different opinion about that. I tend to avoid boredom as I seem to be continually caught up with my thoughts. They range from one moment thinking about global politics and a moment later to why are pants called a “pair” when there is only one? As I often say, “it is not easy being me!”

I made it to Sterling at 1:30. Unfortunately, the first bike shop I called when I got there turned out to be a “vroom vroom” bike shop. The second was closed today and will open in the morning. Since I really need to get some things, I am staying in Sterling today. 63 miles is enough and the wind is still blowing and I would have to do a minimum of 30 more miles to get anywhere near another large enough town. Yes, 63 is enough and the weather is beginning to look like late afternoon rain. So not only am I staying in Sterling, but I am getting a cheap motel room as well. I wonder what is on TV tonight?

One interesting thing about Sterling. The elevation is 3925. I really cannot remember the last time I was below 4,000 ft. I wonder if I will get above 4,000 ft again? Something else to contemplate as I cross the heartland of the country.

Today, I am a bit anxious. The Plains are going to be a new experience for me and I have no idea what to expect.

The day started ominously. It was raining when I woke up in Ft Collins. I took a wait and see approach and packed up the bike at a very leisurely pace and visiting with Danny some more and waiting to see what the weather was going to do.

It did stop raining so I ended up leaving about 10:00. Before leaving town, I did have a consumer success story. Back in April, I bought a new camera at Best Buy. I also bought a product guarantee policy since I was taking it to the Grand Canyon and I knew the sand is hard on electronics. The camera survived the GC but cracked the preview screen a few days ago when I dropped it. So in Ft Collins, I took it in to exchange it, no questions asked. And they did! OK sorry for the Best Buy plug.

Leaving Ft Collins, I headed straight east on Hwy 14. I am planning on staying in this route till Sterling, CO. Then north into Nebraska. Immediately I noticed the vastness of the Plains. I did turn to take a last look at the Rockies.

Then, no looking back. Now in the Plains, there isn’t a National Forest of course. There is instead the Pawnee National Grassland. It has a subtle beauty to it. Green grassland as far as the eye can see. It is mixed with additional green fields of grazing land for the many cattle out here.

The wind is going to be the big factor for riding in the Plains since there isn’t much vertical challenge. And the wind did come in the afternoon. With a vengeance I might add. It wasn’t a head wind, but rather a strong side wind from the north with scattered rain mixed in. It really took it’s toll and I cried “uncle” after only 38 miles. I decided to camp in one of the Pawnee National Grassland campgrounds in the area near Briggsdale.

At the campground there were some interesting people. John was a photographer who was fascinated by my bike. He took a few photos of course. And later I had a very interesting conversation with a guy from China. He spoke a little English and we got by with the help of his amazing phone app that could translate Chinese characters into English. I have no idea how it works but it did.

Tomorrow, I need to get to Sterling. It is 63 miles and I really need to get to a bike shop. I had a flat today and found that the valve stem was compromised and unrepairable. Now with no spare tube, I was really nervous. Plus I need to try to put in some longer mileage days across the Plains so I can make the east coast in a timely manner. I am getting nervous about that too. So tomorrow I hope the wind and weather cooperate. We will see since the wind is still blowing here at the campground tonight.

Today I leave the mountains. But not before one last ride through some nice countryside. With very tired legs too that are a direct result of the big climb up to the top of Trail Ridge Road. Today’s ride might be a little difficult.

I have this “cartoon” map of Estes Park that their chamber of commerce outs out. It shows some roads that connect up to Devil’s Gulch Road which is the way I want to leave town. The map is just wrong. It shows that Lone Pine Road connects to Devil’s Gulch. It doesn’t. I eventually did find a route to Devil’s Gulch though and it was all worth it.

There was a very slight climb to the top of the road and then an extremely enjoyable downhill into the little hamlet of Glen Haven. The road was “swoopy” on buttery smooth pavement. The only drawback was that I interrupted the descent for a stop in Glen Haven for a muffin and beverage. Then it was back to the descent.

I should back up a little bit. I ended up on Devil’s Gulch Road because it was recommended to me. If you remember back in Wyoming I met Rupert who hailed me along side of the road outside of Big Piney. During the lunch we had, he pointed out the the Devil’s Gulch road and another road I would take later in the day through Masonville as an alternative route into Ft Collins. Rupert’s advice was worth listening to it turns out.

The Devil’s Gulch Road eventually intersected Hwy 34 but the downhill descent continued. This was turning into a very enjoyable day after all. My tired legs seemed to have sufficiently recovered with all of the downhill.

Hwy 34 came to the intersection where I would turn off to Masonville after about 9 miles. This route would go the back way to Ft Collins and avoid the flat road from Loveland. There will be plenty of time to ride flat straight roads in the next days and weeks. This road went through some classic “red rock” country that is unique to Colorado and Utah. I don’t think I could ever get tired of red rock country.

Once in Ft Collins, I called Danny Long. If you recall from long ago, we climbed the North Cascades together. He moved to Ft Collins to begin his PhD in mathematics. He has lived in Ft Collins for exactly half a day and is still willing to let me sleep on his floor. Or more exactly, his roommate Elly let me.

It was great to see Danny again. I had last seen him in Winthrop, WA before he headed south. He told me all about his bike tour. He had a blast riding to Portland and the down the Oregon coast, and down to San Francisco. Now it is time for him to buckle down with his continued studies, but it seems like Ft Collins is a good landing spot.

For me, Ft Collins seems like the end of a chapter for this trip. The end of the western mountains and into the plains. There is an adventure out there too but I just don’t know what it is yet. Beginning tomorrow, i will start to write the next chapter.

After getting back to my camp after the ride up Trail Ridge Road, of course the weather cleared. I have edited the original post to add some late afternoon photos and clarify some of my thinking on the ride. Be sure to go back and check out the revised Day 54.