to Lincoln: a visit to the capital of Nebraska

August 28, 2017

Mike fixes a nice hot breakfast for us: pancakes, eggs and bacon to get us going. We say our goodbyes to these great "warmshowers" hosts and head out. We were given good directions to avoid the first 5 kilometers of US77 which still does not have a shoulder. When our back road route meets US77 the shoulder starts, first to Beatrice, then all the way to Lincoln. There is a railroad bike trail, but the surface is crushed limestone and just does not roll as well as asphalt.

Our first stop is the bakery in Beatrice Carol recommended to us. We have a couple of great fresh cinnamon rolls and talk with a crew of local retirees enjoying their morning coffees. On the outskirts of Beatrice we find some new paperback books at a thrift-store. The English language paperbacks that are so valuable in other countries are pretty much throw away items here, you can pick them up for 10 cents each at the second hand store.

The first section of our ride today was calm, but in the afternoon a northerly wind starts blowing and gets stronger. We struggle for a while, but we have a nice wide shoulder and can put our heads down and draft behind each other. On the outskirts of Lincoln we take one more break for cold drinks and a sandwich, then a final push into the city.

Our host has a great location only blocks from the Nebraska State Capitol. We visit for a while with Kevin, clean up and walk to the Capitol building. The main entrance puts you on the first level which feels like you are a subway, with low stone vaulted ceilings and long corridors. The second floor though is wide open with high ceilings, a high rotunda and beautiful artwork. There are tiny old elevators that take you up to the 14th floor and the observation decks on the tower. What an impressive State Capitol!

On our way back to our hosts building we make a stop by a Mexican restaurant for some Tex-Mex food. Very different from what we had in Mexico, but nice indeed.

We enjoy a couple of very nice pastries and talk with the locals.

Holland and Panama are very close together in Nebraska.

Lincoln has a prominent place in the capital of Nebraska.

Very impressive interior in the Nebraska State capitol.

Interesting door inside the Nebraska State capitol.

Dragonfly floor inlay in the Nebraska State capitol.

Buffalo Bill Cody is also a Nebraska native....?

Today's ride: 88 km (55 miles)
Total: 38,256 km (23,757 miles)

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