Day 4: Omaha, NE to Big Springs, NE

I want to start off saying “This country is beautiful in all kinds of different ways.”

Anticipated Mileage: 360 miles
Actual Mileage: 361.3 miles
Total Miles traveled: 989.3 miles (Just under halfway there!)

(Pictures coming later – having some trouble uploading them via wifi)

I left Omaha, Nebraska bright and early at 7:00am, refreshed and ready to go.

Some highlights of the Trip:

I filled my scooter up with Dinosaur Juice (it was a Sinclair gas station, which has “Dinocare” in the gas)

Side note about gas in Iowa and Nebraska – there is the option to go ethanol-free (which costs about the same as regular gas does in Indiana). Illinois –> Indiana I averaged about 84 mpg. Iowa –> Nebraska…over 100 mpg!

Anyway, part of my trip was to stop in Grand Island, NE for a visit to Tri-city Cycleworks, a Genuine Scooter Dealer. As I pulled up, I was greeted by the Owner (Daryl) and the Administrative Assistant (Doreen). They immediately came over to Donna, saying how impressed they were to see another Stella, especially one so loaded up, and we started swapping some Stella pictures! I had originally gone there to get some vented gloves, but had a fantastic time chatting! If you are ever in the area, stop by – everyone there was very nice, and they have quite the selection!

I left Grand Island, heading west, and was enjoying the scenery when I drove by something out of place. To make sure I wasn’t crazy, I turned around and sure enough, I was sane.

I continued on my way, and reached North Platte not long after. I was going to just pass through, until I saw a sign for “Buffalo Bill’s Scout’s Rest Ranch.” Took a nice little detour and checked out the home of Buffalo Bill (when he wasn’t touring with his show).

Back on the road, stopping at a few historical markers on the way (there was a rather nice view at California Hill, one of the routes used by settlers traveling to Oregon, and later California). It’s a shame that my camera messed up the panorama. You could see forEVER.

I finally arrived at McGreer campground around 5:45pm. I was originally going to just set up a tent (as there are no trees to hang a hammock…seems to be a thing with campgrounds in Nebraska??), when the gentleman helping me offered a deal on the cabin. A/C, private bathroom, and a bed? Sign me up! Funny enough, he mentioned he had looked at doing a Master’s in Russian Lit at Indiana University (but turned it down).

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So, what did I learn about Nebraska?

Corn. Corn everywhere. I’ve never seen so much corn. Or such large cornfields. Yuuge. Tremendous fields.

Despite seeing a grain elevator in the distance, you still have about 15-20 minutes before you get to it.

The roads are very straight, until you get near the end of the state.

There are a lot of trains. Union Pacific has a lot of cars, engines, and tracks there. They use them frequently.

Tomorrow, off to Colorado, with a goal of Steamboat Springs!

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Want to Help? That would be super-cool!

Than trip should take an estimated 10 days maximum, and roughly 3,000 miles. That will take a bit of a toll on the ol’ wallet, so I am happy to take any donations my generous friends would like to offer. For reference:

$3 will get me approximately 70 miles closer to my goal.
$15 will feed me for the day
$35 will get me one night at a Tent Campsite at a KOA Campsite
$40 will buy me one tire when I get to my destination (as the rear tire will likely be spent by then!)
$75 will get me one night at a hotel (and more importantly, a shower!)

If you would like to donate, feel free to leave a comment (they are private until I approve them, or you can email me at bryrhoey at gmail) and I can set that up, or you can send me money via PayPal! 🙂

If you live along the route, and don’t mind me camping/crashing/eating with you, I’d appreciate that too!