Today is our first full day in Nebraska and our first day of the third week of this trip. We have traveled 1,534 miles and climbed a total of 48,411 feet in 15 days. With that being said, we are still not even half way to Plumb Island yet. The only way we will get there is to continue to get up every day and head east – one mile at a time.
We got an early start, on the crank at 6:58 AM. The temperature was already at 62 degrees, a good indication that today would be our hottest day so far. We were well into the 80s by 9:00 AM. And we finished with a temperature of 95 degrees. The hotter temperatures increases water intake (hydration) but also suppresses our appetite. We have to force ourselves to eat so we have enough calories to ride these long rides.
The ride was relatively flat, but we still managed to climb 2,369 feet. Within the last five miles, we hit three back to back hills ranging from ½ mile to a little over a mile with 6% grades. After over 100 miles today, there was not much left in the legs for these hills. We rode a total distance today of 118.8 miles. We are still riding at relatively high elevation – max was 4,976 feet and this evening we are still at 3,800 feet. Tomorrow we will drop another 1,300 feet.
We traveled on Hwy 20 all day. This is the first day when the roads were rough for most of the ride. Every 10 yards we hit a crack on the shoulder. By the end of the ride, our wrists were sore. Every chance we got we rode the road which was a lot smoother. Traffic was again light. The terrain is starting to remain green. We traveled through the Nebraska buttes and within a few miles of the Nebraska National Forest – I didn’t know Nebraska had either. Grasslands, hay fields and wheat fields lined the road. Toward the end of the ride, I spotted a few corn fields. Small farms could be seen most of the day. This reminds me of the terrain in Iowa where I grew up. We are definitely in the Midwest now.
