It was sweltering from the start today, and I kind of wished I had gotten off to an earlier start, not that it would have been much cooler. I headed south into Nebraska from Rapid City, taking a slightly longer route than I would have had to. The small part of Nebraska I saw seemed to be quite diverse as far as scenery goes. After all I've seen it was a pretty boring ride today, I will be honest.
At Bridgeport, I took highway 88 right through the middle of nowhere back into Wyoming. The portion of Nebraska 88 from Bridgeport to where it hits highway 71 was some of the loneliest highway I've been on this trip. After highway 71 it was a little more populated.
It felt like it was getting hotter as I went west, and for the most part it was a cloudless sky. My nose is the most exposed part of my body, and it was pretty tender by the days end. I may have to start wearing a bandana, the sunscreen is not enough.
I got gas in Cheyenne, and the set off on the final leg of the day. Traffic was heavier than I've seen so far, but it makes sense I guess as it is a Friday. The days all seem to blend together on a vacation. I was beginning to regret the decision to get so close to a major city like Denver. I've mostly been in smaller cities, and much prefer that.
I got here in time to eat before a major thunderstorm rolled through. Hail, high winds, pouring rain, and lightning were much better seen from the comfort of the hotel room!
With 5 or 6 days left now before spending a long weekend with friends in Washington, I've left myself with a bit of a tough decision now. I originally planned to see southern Colorado and Utah, and also the west coast. Doing both won't work, so I will have to decide before I set out tomorrow. Either way, I will be leaving a lot of great destinations for a future trip.
Shortly after reaching Nebraska today I turned over 6,000km since leaving home. It's not a lot when averaged out, less than I had originally expected, but I've never done something like this before. I knew bike travel was different than in a car, but it's way different. On days this hot one has to drink a lot of water, and the bike is much more tiring. I might have to test ride an Ultra the next time I can:)
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