June 22, 2021
Day 16: Central City, NE to Wahoo, NE
If travel is searching. And home what’s been found. I’m not stopping. –Björk – “Hunter”
Today was Tuesday, June 22nd with a 77-mile route. I had some apprehension about today’s ride in case the wind was against me.
As it turned out, the wind was very light to begin with, and as it strengthened was off my back right shoulder, which helped somewhat.
After following US-30 for a few more miles, I turned east, and was on Hwy 92 for the rest of the day. It was arrow straight, and the shoulder quality varied, but there was far less traffic than 30.
A few miles later, I crossed the Platte – I think this may be the last time I see it on this trip. I’ve been following it (on and off) since Denver. It’s a lot wider with way more water than in Denver, but I’m sure a lot of other rivers and streams have added to it.
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After several flat days, I encountered something different – hills! Not huge, but noticeable, and the last 30 miles of today was all rolling hills, which I enjoyed.
The farmland became a bit more interesting as well – still lots of cornfields, but the terrain was overall much prettier than the central part of Nebraska. Ok…you may think it looks the same, but having cycled through hundreds of miles of Nebraska cornfields, I’m telling you it’s different!
I’m not sure what these purple flowers are, but they lined the highway all day.
The farms became more attractive as well. Less industrial, and more what you think of with small farms. This one looked particularly nice with big old trees lining the driveway and an old weathered barn:
I rolled into Wahoo about 1pm, still feeling as if I could have ridden longer.
Today marked a sea change in my attitude towards this trip. The first few days, heading to Kearney weren’t all that far from home, and I knew I would arrive to an event I’d done before with some people I knew. The only setback I had was quickly erased by my wife putting me back on schedule. There was a level of comfort there.
Leaving Kearney yesterday I had far more uncertainty. There would be eight straight days of riding before seeing a familiar face, and I think I was a bit spooked by some of my experiences with Nebraska wind.
For some reason, today was full of optimism. I felt stronger and faster. My body seemed to be adapting to riding many miles daily fairly well. Today as each of the rolling hills towards the end appeared, I actually anticipated and enjoyed the climbs, and then the resulting descents. I found myself looking forward to the days ahead.
Tomorrow, I’ll turn 58, and have a fairly short ride (48 miles) – sort of a treat to myself I guess. I’ll slow down the pace and just enjoy the ride.
Best track today was easy – “Move on Up” by Curtis Mayfield. Another track it’s impossible to ride slowly to!
Today's ride: 77 miles (124 km)
Total: 781 miles (1,257 km)
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