I knew that today was going to be one of the longest days of the trip at 450 miles (724 km), so I wanted to get a bit earlier start today. I got up around 4:30 and pulled out of the hotel parking lot at 6:10. It was 55 degrees (13C) when I left, so it was a bit chilly at 65-70 mph (105-112 kph).
Note - I need to apologize to those of you who are used to SI units. I have been a bit remiss in calculating those for you. I'll try to remember in future posts.
In just over an hour, I was crossing the first state line of the day. I couldn't stop on the side of the road for this one as it was a pretty busy highway. Luckily, there was an exit right there, so I could get the photo from just under an overpass. Crossing into Kansas knocked another state off my list. Only 3 more to go to have all 50 checked off. At this point I also noticed that I hadn't latched my top case properly, and it was open. Thankfully, nothing came out!
Shortly after crossing the state line, the first (and only planned) kitsch stop of the day was coming up. I took this chance to grab a quick fast food breakfast as well. The kitsch stop was kind of a bust. With what I had read about it, I had expected a bit more. See the description HERE
I took the requisite photos, and continued on. As I had never been to Kansas before, I was expecting nothing but flat terrain and straight roads. The straight roads were spot on, but there were much more hills than I had expected. Northwest Kansas was not as boring as I thought it would be. A short time later, I came upon a HUGE wind turbine farm.
The photo doesn't really do it justice, there were probably 100 or so of these turbines. If you haven't seen one before, it is also hard to describe how big these things are. Quite impressive. Shortly after the wind farm, I turned north toward Nebraska. For the first time on the trip, I got stopped by a train.
Kate's father was a career railroad man. Whenever we see trains, we see it as her dad looking out for us. I took this as a sign I'd have a safe journey for the rest of the day. A few miles later, I crossed into Nebraska. Another first time here for me as well. Just two left!
As I was stopped on the side of the road, another motorcycle pulled up and took a photo as well. He had been to Nebraska, but had never ridden his motorcycle there and wanted a photo as well.
Like Kansas, the terrain in Nebraska surprised me. Very straight roads, but really beautiful terrain. Huge farms of cattle, corn, and soybeans. The sheer square miles of farmland in this part of the country is kind of mind-boggling. The industrial infrastructure to support all of this farming is impressive as well.
I really wish I could have safely gotten a photo of the rail yard I crossed over in Lincoln, NE. It may have been the largest rail yard I have ever seen.
As I was passing through Laurel, NE, I saw a sign for a WWII memorial and decided to stop for a stretch and to see what it was all about. It was called the B-17 memorial and was for the crews of two B-17 bombers that crashed in 1944. From the memorial plaque:
On August 5, 1944 a formation of eighteen B-17 bombers were on a training flight from Sioux City, IA to Rapid City, SD. On their return to Sioux City they were passing over Laurel, NE when two of the bombers' wings hit. One bomber came apart in the air and the other bomber nose-dived straight down to the ground two miles east of here.
These are the things that I love finding on this trip. There is so much to see in this country, and I really want to see it all.
Many miles of hills, farms, and clear blue sky later I made the last state line crossing of the day. South Dakota makes the 8th state I have been to so far.
It was a beautiful day of riding . The temperature never got above 72 degrees (22C) and I had blue skies most of the way.
There was one downside for the day. Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska all use chip-seal for resurfacing roads. I don't know the reasoning behind it (we are seeing it in NC too) but it is not good for motorcycle tires. This bike puts a ton of torque to the back wheel, and the tire that I thought would get me all the way to Seattle (I have a fresh set waiting for me there) will not make it that far (This is where I admit Mr. Rosen predicted it right). I called a shop in Rapid City, and they assure me that they can hook me up in the few days that I am there. Watch here for updates.
Todays miles - 449
Total miles - 1538
States today - Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota
States total - North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota
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