Day 60 - ending at Scottsbluff, NE - The Great Plains Trail - Sort Of

July 13, 2023

Day 60 - ending at Scottsbluff, NE

Day 60 - Kimball, NE to Scottsbluff, NE

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I was up at 4:40am for report work. Went to the motel's breakfast room at 6:10am for breakfast.

Got started riding at 8:57am, following the Great Plains Trail north out of Kimball. Destination: Riverside Campground in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The direct way there would be highway NE-71, but the GPT has its route going through Harrisburg, located a few miles west of NE-71. I was close to Harrisburg in 2013. Now I'd actually be able to say I've been there.

I started out on highway NE-71, then turned west on Longhorn Road. At 9:42am I turned north onto Road 37. Loose gravel/sand made this road, like some of yesterday's roads, unrideable. I was thinking about turning around. Instead, I walked to the top of the hill ahead. After that the road was great. Lots of open grassland and a southeast wind pushing me along. The route was mostly north, but there were a few turns west.

At 11:25am, I was able to tune in on my radio classical music from radio station KTFM (91.1MHz) out of Alliance.

I crossed the county line into Banner County at 11:38am. Now I was on CR-39. At noon I wrote down 16.2 miles. Slow progress. There was quite a winding downhill around some buttes a few miles before I reached Harrisburg.

At 1:52pm I was in the county seat for Banner County. Rode around town taking pictures. I like their road signs. Looks like they were made by a skilled artistic welder. At the Banner County Museum I met a kind, older woman who was sweeping in the pavilion. I believe she said there would be a surveyors meeting there tonight. She said lately with all the rain, it's been hard to keep up with the mowing, but I think the place looked nice.

I guess I was too excited being on pavement (Spur S4A), that I missed a turn, or made one that I shouldn't have, for I ended up on highway NE-71 five miles before I should have. Backing up, when I still was on S4A, an older gentleman (Greg) in a red pickup stopped on the road. He asked where I was going. After I answered, he said, "Throw your bike in the back. I'm going to Scottsbluff myself. It's too hot to be out here riding." I told him the whole point was riding and I was doing OK. He said he'd met another character like me once who was climbing all the high points in the area. He listed some of them. One was Gabe Rock, which is 8 miles west of here. I camped just west of Gabe Rock in 2013, when a storm stopped me from going further. Shortly after the fellow started his truck and took off, I found a brand new screwdriver along the side of the road. I would have given it to Greg, but didn't see it until after he was gone.

Arrived at highway NE-71 at 3:10pm. It has a wide shoulder and pretty bad seam bumps, so going was initially slow. Later the shoulder was better. I had an internet connection now, so checked the weather radar. There was rain ahead of me and behind me. At 4:00pm, the wind changed to from-the-north, and it was strong, thanks to the storms. There was an uphill ahead and that just increased my slowness. But it did allow time for the storm ahead to pass and for the wind to die down, so I stayed dry.

At 4:04pm, I met back up with the GPT, which follows NE-71 for a ways. I was reluctant to get off NE-71 when I came to Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area. The GPT went through there. After much internal debate, I went through there also. There was another long downhill around buttes when I left the park. At 5:55pm, I was back at the highway, but not for long. The GPT routed on dirt roads to the west. This was in irrigated lowland, and was pleasant evening riding. I came up to a group of four kids riding bikes. One of them, Devon, rode alongside me for half a mile asking about my bike and my trip. It's fun to see young people interested.

The GPT certainly goes back and forth a lot, especially in this Scottsbluff area. I stayed with it until I got to Legacy of the Plains Museum. There was another 1.3 miles to go west before I could turn back east. It was 7:25pm, so I decided to just go back into town and make my own way to the campground. I'd heard earlier in the day on the radio that there is an event going on in town. Turns out it's Oregon Trail Days in Gering this weekend. This got me concerned on whether there would be space for me in the campground. I arrived there at 7:57pm. Tent spaces were available, but none have electricity. They're only $10 a night, so that's a deal. I signed up for two nights with the option for a third night. I was here during my 2019 bicycle trip. I think I'm at the same tent site.

Once I was set up I ate a bag of Chex Mix, then went to bed, figuring tomorrow's when I can get stuff done.

Jeff

Spent: $5 (Banner County Museum donation) + $10 (campsite) = $15