Peculiar MO to Doniphan NE to Cheyenne WY
Before leaving Peculiar, I took advantage of an opportunity to drive into KCMo Thursday night and have dinner and listen to live Blues at ‘BB’s Lawnside BarBQ’. The band that plays there on Thursday nights includes a guitar player, Bill Dye, who hosts the morning blues program on XM74. They also had a young lady about 21, who made a guest appearance and she was just phenomenal. Played guitar and lead vocals for the second set. Her day job is as a concert pianist. The BBQ Pork was quite good as well.
Friday morning, I went on my way down the highway, crossing into four states in about 3 hours. Sorry about all the text messages guys. Went from Missouri, into Kansas, back into Missouri, up into Iowa, and finally Nebraska heading west. As soon as I crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska I hit one of those concrete highways that I now call a Sh!tshaker. Shook me up so bad that my ribs and lips hurt after about 30 minutes. I had to slow to 40 MPH too keep it from scrambling my brains. No way around it at that point.
As I progressed across Nebraska, I became less impressed by the hour. Several sections of I-80 were classified as Sh!tshakers, so I eventually ended up on an alternate route (US30). Stopped for the night Friday night in Doniphan NE at a KOA which was less than impressive. Lots of monthlies taking up multiple sites with their trucks and toys and such. Nearly ran out of gas in this same area, as the gas stations in Aurora were closed due to the tornadoes the night before. Gas prices were as much as 15 cents a gallon higher here than anywhere else and Saturday morning my fill up was higher than any I have ever had since buying the Durango, $91. When I got to Sidney NE Saturday night were I had planned on spending the night, I was so fed up I went on into Wyoming.
I did cross the 100th meridian in Nebraska, and according to the roadside signage, this is the point were west of this point, crops required some irrigation assistance. I did see a marked difference in the landscape, including less crops (corn and beans) and more livestock. I also first started seeing steers and even crossed paths with a tumbleweed or two. Also of note, as I progressed across Nebraska, I steadily gained elevation. From about 1200 feet or so, up to 6000 once I crossed into Wyoming. It is not really noticeable without the assistance of a GPS, or at least by watching the tachometer as my little Durango tries to maintain some speed.
Wyoming was refreshing. The roads were better, the gas was cheaper, and the weather was cooler. I also found an outfitter that has all of the gear I need for my sojourn into the National Parks. The KOA here was in much better condition and under improved management. IF I come back this way, I will definitely stay here.
So here I sit on the High Plains overlooking Cheyenne WY. Moving out this morning around noon local time and headed south into Colorado. Less than 100 miles from here is Rocky Mountain NP, where I hope to camp and hike for a few days.
Pictures are from my trip across Nebraska. Enjoy what little scenery there is. Damage shot is from the tornadoes that went through Thursday night. Log cabin is a former Pony Express station, and of course, some more roadside flowers.
