50/80/50 Trip Day 9 - You're The Fastest Runner But You're Not Allowed To Win

 Salt Lake City, UT to North Platte, NE:  675.4 miles

After getting up and having a cup of coffee I packed up the bike.  I said goodbye to my sisters and was out the door when it was still just a bit too dark - so dark I almost missed the correct entrance to the interstate.

Once on I-80, I knew I was going to be on I-80 for a while.  If Day 2 brought a demoralizing distance from the GPS, this day was over twice as bad as it said my next turn was 572 miles.  Ouch.

But I guess this early in the day it didn't feel quite so demoralizing because I just said, "Oh well, I'll ride one mile at a time..."  It was a beautiful morning.

I climbed out of the Salt Lake Valley, headed east in the vague direction toward home.  I had seen a bit of rain on the radar but was still very surprised when I hit some shortly after crossing into Wyoming.  It wasn't enough to really worry about though even thought it was still cool to cold out.  I also hit a few very brief, but heavy showers in both Eastern Wyoming and Nebraska.  Neither one was enough to make me stop.  Wyoming was very smoky from wildfires burning somewhere, so I wasn't even sure it was rain when I was coming up on it.  Oddly, I smelled the distinctive smell of rain well before actually hitting it.

When my sister and I were in the Olympic Village, we heard Howard Jones' No One Is to Blame while briefly on the shuttle.  It turned into an ear worm lasting much of the day.  It could be worse.

I enjoyed the thinking time as I motored along.  Conversation with my sister's the previous night gave me stuff to think about.

I passed many routes that SO and I have taken on various other adventures out west.  I appreciated the memories.  I'll admit that I cried a little on the inside when I kept going on the interstate after seeing the signs for Flaming Gorge.  The picture below is from our first motorcycle adventure out west from 2004.  In so many ways that seems like so long ago.  It is also very likely my second favorite road trip I have ever taken.

I even stayed on I-80 in Eastern Wyoming instead of getting off to go through Medicine Bow National Forest - another frequent, gorgeous detour which is also a great motorcycle ride.  I was obviously in going home mode.

I crossed into Nebraska and the temperature increased quickly.  I was ready to be done for the day.  I bought some "Big Berry Adventure" Tic Tacs to eat and help keep me awake - they were so terrible I dumped them out on the road (but didn't litter the container).  The Tic Tac company should be ashamed.

Eventually I rolled into North Platte.  I thought about going to the Golden Spike Tower, but it just didn't seem like it would be $8 worth of interesting relative to getting off the bike for a while.  I found my hotel - another indie hotel - just down the road.  The last time I stayed in North Platte, I had Chinese duck for dinner so I repeated that this time.  Unfortunately, the duck tasted like chicken wrapped in duck skin.  It wasn't bad, but it was disappointing.  The Zingers I bought at Walgreens were a good way to end the night.