A shorter day planned today, and with my accommodation booked the night before I had a bit of a lie in and left the motel slightly later. No breakfast at the motel, so a blueberry muffin I bought the night before would have to do.
The weather was brighter today, with very few clouds at all. It was still cool though and stayed that way through the much of the day due to the strong breeze. Apart from the occasionally strong gusts, it was a nice day to cycle, and the rolling hills kept the ride interesting.
Parts of the US 20 'Bridges to Buttes'/'Crazy horse memorial' highway got quite tedious though. Cracks running perpendicular to the road widened as they reached edges of the shoulder, making it quite bumpy for some stretches. I had to jump back and forth between the road and shoulder to avoid the cracks and passing traffic.
Once I hit Chadron, the scenery changed dramatically. The hills rolled bigger and I had my first sight of proper hills and mountains off in the distance. This was the beginnings of the Rockies!
With a few miles left to Crawford I noticed some flashes out of the corner of my right eye, and turned to see another storm massing on the horizon. It was a fair way off but it was growing fast and moving towards me. I could feel the temperature dropping and the winds picking up, so my legs kicked into overdrive again and I made it through Crawford to my end point 3 miles further down the road at the 'Fort Robinson state park lodge' without getting caught in the rain.
The lodge is a lively place, with trails and activity trips for families running through the state park. The scenery is stunning, with rocky outcrops surrounding the fort. After a buffet dinner at the lodge restaurant, I went for a wander around the grounds and they had a couple teepees set up to have a look inside. There were horse and cart rides and bike hire places for the daytime too (I said hi to the friendly horses).
The lodge I'm staying in was once a barracks in 1909 and I can see why it's a popular holiday stop, with plenty of amazing views and activities in this historic park. This west side of Nebraska is such a contrast to the previous few days riding!
Miles today: 74.0
Total miles: 1868.4
The weather was brighter today, with very few clouds at all. It was still cool though and stayed that way through the much of the day due to the strong breeze. Apart from the occasionally strong gusts, it was a nice day to cycle, and the rolling hills kept the ride interesting.
Parts of the US 20 'Bridges to Buttes'/'Crazy horse memorial' highway got quite tedious though. Cracks running perpendicular to the road widened as they reached edges of the shoulder, making it quite bumpy for some stretches. I had to jump back and forth between the road and shoulder to avoid the cracks and passing traffic.
Once I hit Chadron, the scenery changed dramatically. The hills rolled bigger and I had my first sight of proper hills and mountains off in the distance. This was the beginnings of the Rockies!
With a few miles left to Crawford I noticed some flashes out of the corner of my right eye, and turned to see another storm massing on the horizon. It was a fair way off but it was growing fast and moving towards me. I could feel the temperature dropping and the winds picking up, so my legs kicked into overdrive again and I made it through Crawford to my end point 3 miles further down the road at the 'Fort Robinson state park lodge' without getting caught in the rain.
The lodge is a lively place, with trails and activity trips for families running through the state park. The scenery is stunning, with rocky outcrops surrounding the fort. After a buffet dinner at the lodge restaurant, I went for a wander around the grounds and they had a couple teepees set up to have a look inside. There were horse and cart rides and bike hire places for the daytime too (I said hi to the friendly horses).
The lodge I'm staying in was once a barracks in 1909 and I can see why it's a popular holiday stop, with plenty of amazing views and activities in this historic park. This west side of Nebraska is such a contrast to the previous few days riding!
Miles today: 74.0
Total miles: 1868.4
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