We were up and out the door to a cool morning after some gratis hotel waffles. It is hard to describe how wonderful mornings on the bike are, even if we were on the interstate. Cool dense air and getting pushed down the road by an amazing sunrise.
I'm not sure what it is about this trip, but we once again had a hitchhiker along for the ride. He didn't want to leave Iowa, so he bolted at some point near the border with Nebraska.
People often complain that Nebraska is boring to drive through. And if you jump on I-80 and go border to border, fighting with all of the other people who say Nebraska is boring, it will be. But the 2-lane roads are nearly as fast and there are many scenic areas. Nebraska is only boring if someone demands that it be boring.
The eastern part of the state is mostly agricultural and low in elevation. As travel goes west, the terrain slowly increases in hills and curves in the road. Elevation increases until the Sandhill region which is around 4000 feet above sea level. All this while on roads that are nearly devoid of other cars.
Nebraska has many small lakes. Some of these are likely man made, but they are still pretty to drive through. Several had people (meaning one or two) fishing in them.
There are several streams which range from tiny, to broad enough to boat one.
It is hard do the Sandhills region justice, but the area is uniquely beautiful. Approaching some of the higher elevations and being able to see seemingly forever in the distance can be breathtaking.
We had a short rest stop at a gas station where several other "kids" on motorcycles were also taking a break. They made some Goldwing jokes as we pulled in which was fine. I was there once too...
Arriving in Alliance, we went to SO's sister's house. Their rambunctious kids kept us entertained while Troy smoked ribs and chicken for dinner. Smelling the food for several hours made us very hungry to the point I ravenously ate too much for dinner.
For whatever reason, I was beyond exhausted and turned in early to be able to head out west and north in the morning.
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