3 September 2011

I had to remember to turn west out of the parking lot; I had to go back to US83 to go north, since I had a somewhat special stop in mind.

The SCMA (sponsors of several rides I've done) added a new optional wrinkle to their "Four Corners" ride called the "True X." You have to return to the "conterminous center of the US" three times (between each corner stop). There's a monument located northwest of Lebanon, KS designating the location, and I was headed for that.

A bunch of years ago, on one of my first cross-country trips, I remember stopping at a monument claiming to be the center of the US; it must have been this one, because everything but the monument itself is familiar--the actual center is some quarter mile away, in a farm field (I remember hiking up a hill to it). I think I was headed west instead of east, so it all seems backward. Anyway, here's a picture.



Then north a bit, and east again in Nebraska. I'm not getting very good mileage today--high speeds and lack of tailwind, I guess; anyway, stop in Beatrice for that.

About 10 miles from the Missouri border, there's a sign "US 136 Missouri River bridge closed, use alternate route." A quick check of my route shows I'm heading north almost immediately on US 75, whew!

Ha, fooled you! My route is crossing at Nebraska City on SR2, and just before that is a sign "Road Closed, local traffic only." Well, I know I want to go north, so I wend my way back to 75; there's got to be another bridge somewhere! (Except my GPSs all want to go back to the waypoint on that Missouri River bridge.) Eventually, I edit the route to stop all the panic "recalculating" and end up on I-80 through the outskirts of Omaha and Council Bluffs, then back to my original route on US 59.

That high-speed interstate travel has me needing gas again in Defiance, where the parking lot is wet. (I've been traveling under a cloud cover pretty much all day, under the tail end of a massive storm system that's heading east at about the same speed I am.)

It's getting late, and a quick check shows some motels in Denison, and not again until at least Sac City; Denison it is. I see an isolated Days Inn off to my left as I roll into town, then a Super 8--but I'm headed for one closer to groceries, the Budget Inn. It's a rough looking 'residence' motel, and she only has one room left, smoking. Nope, not gonna do it. Back into the west part of town to the Park, where I see the "No Vacancy" sign as I'm getting off the bike. Damn! Then the Super 8, who also has one 'smoking' room left. What the...? She says there are two weddings in town, and offers to call the Days Inn. He's got rooms. Lots of them, it appears from the empty parking lot; I get one on the ground floor, close to the entrance and the breakfast lounge. Groceries are a two+ mile drive, but the price isn't bad and the room is huge (one bed in a room made for two), good wi-fi signal; what more could I ask?  
 
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