June 12, 2021
Day 7: Oshkosh, NE to Paxton, NE
Another long day fighting the wind. It started out light and in my face, but soon shifted to a brisk crosswind from the south that never let up all day.
Cows, cornfields, wind, sun. My Nebraska days are beginning to blur together, and I’m not even half way across the state yet.
After an hour, I turned onto Hwy 92 to cross along the north side of Lake McConaughy. This is Nebraska’s largest lake at something like 22 miles long. Here was my first view of it:
It was nice having something other than fields to look at, but the wind increased coming off the lake as there was nothing to block it.
I did get to stop at the vacation lake-house of my boss. I filled up on water and chatted with her family for a few minutes before continuing. I should have taken a picture, but didn’t think of it until after I left.
At the end of the lake, I turned east again. This picture is of the beach at the east end of the lake, where a dam divides McConaughy from Lake Ogallala.
Where I stopped to check my map, this red-wing blackbird wouldn’t stop scolding me. Must have been near a nest. These birds always remind me of growing up in Iowa where they seem to be along the ditches of every road.
Then my GPS tried to put me on a dirt/gravel path once again. I called an audible and headed due south. This necessitated a long climb out of the valley I was in, sometimes at 9% grades and into the wind the whole way. Here’s a view looking back from near the top:
I eventually got near I-80 and turned east on Hwy 30. I was only a few miles from Sutherland, when my wife found me and picked me up! She thought it would be a nice surprise to join me for dinner and the night before returning to Denver.
Best of all, she whisked me ahead to the stop I would have been at had I not lost a day in Scottsbluff – so tomorrow will have me heading to Kearney. It feels a bit like cheating, but is nice to be back on schedule!
Today’s standout track was “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen – for obvious reasons….it’s hard to ride slowly to that song!
Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km)
Total: 386 miles (621 km)
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