It's Not Flat

When folks find out I am from Nebraska, the first thing they usually say, well after some comment about football, is "it's pretty flat and boring out there, isn't it?"

It's neither. Nebraska is transitional between boring Iowa and supposedly exciting Colorado. (The California know-it-alls have taken over Colorado and ruined the state.) I won't include Wyoming in on this because Wyoming is truely eye candy.

But there has to be a little building to go from 1,000 feet above sea level to those 12,000 foot snowcaps out west. Hense, the natural beauty of Nebraska.

You don't need to drive more than about 20 miles into Nebraska before you get a taste of something neat. You'll have to cross the Platte River to get anywhere on Interstate 80. You'll see lots of sandbars from this famous river that cuts right through the middle of Nebraska. Sometimes, it's a mile wide and an inch deep and out by Gothenburg, you will have to search to find it because the water has been diverted for irrigation purposes. Further West, the Platte becomes Mr. Rugged again. Keep in mind, the Platte is not just a river. It's America's pathway--the Oregon and Mormon Trails wandered along with the Platte. To the Northwest is the Nebraska Sandhills and if you liked the rugged beauty you saw in Dances With Wolves, the Sandhills are for you. The Sandhills are often called the Great American Desert because that is what it was a few hundred years before football came to Nebraska.

Take Highway 26 out of Ogallala and you will see the mountains starting to form. You'll soon come across great bluffs and wonderful vistas. You will follow the North Platte as it points you toward Chimney Rock and Wyoming. The Union Pacific Railroad line will keep you company as you drive along and go up and down the great hills of Western Nebraska--a great challenge for anyone with a road bike who wants a nice challenging ride through history.

Nebraska is more that football. It's beautiful. Take a good look at that vista pic and judge for yourself. I took it from outside of my car and not a plane because it popped up out of nowhere and wowed me. Nebraska just might wow you, too!