Phase 3, Day 1. Scottsbluff, NE - Bridgeport, NE

The good thing about traveling alone is that when things need to change it's an easy thing to do.  Today things changed quite a bit.

The master plan had today as my day to get into position, including a 7 hour drive, in Scottsbluff to begin riding tomorrow.  I spent hours driving across Nebraska on the most beautiful clear Blue Bird day thinking what a pitty I can't be enjoying this great day on the bike. The rest of the week's weather doesn't look so good.

A word about the weather:  Crossing Tornado Alley on a bike at the height of tornado season sounds dubious at best.  I understand the timing could be better but my plan is always to get rolling at sunrise to arrive at my destination before the severe weather gets cranked up. Tomorrow's forecast is particularly bad, mostly in the afternoon, so to improve my odds avoiding the "..large hail, damaging winds and possible tornado" as they are predicting I thought what the heck!  Let's start today!

Tornado Siren in Malbeta, NE. Looks like a tsunami siren to me. Today, silent.  Tomorrow?

By the time I arrived in Scottsbluff, mailed my street clothes and shoes to next Monday night's Kansas City hotel (I have no need for them for the next 7 days), dropped the rent car and stopped to say HI to my friends at Sonny's Bike Shop (See Phase 2, Day 7) there was not enough daylight left to complete the planned 90 miles to Lewellen so figured I could get about half way, Bridgeport sounds about right, then tomorrow I could wait for a gap in the weather and sprint the 50 miles to Lewellen in about 3 hours and hunker down there.  Sounds logical at least.

I ditched the Scottsbluff hotel and booked a motel in Bridgeport.  An easy 40 mile ride with a stop at Chimney Rock at the end of a sunny day was fun. Chimney Rock was the most celebrated of all natural formations along the Westbound Overland Emigrant and Pony Express routes as it marked the end of the Plaines travel and the beginning of the rugged mountain portion of their journey.

Planning to spend the afternoon hanging around Scottsbluff then suddenly to find I am on the bike and riding the last week of this great adventure was a glorious moment. You know...like a nice surprise?  Bucking the 15 mph headwind didn't bother me at all....I usually loath it.

Chimney Rock.  I stayed on the sidewalk.

Tomorrow the early morning 50 miles could be a non event but I will keep an eye on things before I head out and as I go with the iPhone Doppler radar app. A similar thing happened on the very first day of this journey 2 Junes ago as I had to leave Sacramento a day early to beat a snow storm crossing the Sierra Nevada.