Great Scott! I’m in Scottsbluff!

Friday, September 10

For my first Nebraska night I was treated to a prairie lightening show with scattered rain and hail. Safely tucked away I watched my tent illuminated by flashes of light but luckily the hail missed my camp. When I checked into the motel today the lady said it had been damaged by last night’s storm. I’m sure that had it hit me directly it would have rented my tent.

Someone asked in the comment section about how do I decide where to sleep and how many miles a day do I walk? If nothing is pushing me forward and nothing is holding me back I prefer to walk 25 miles a day but there are many factors that enter into this. If the next town is 19 miles away I usually walk 19 miles. If the next town is 30 miles away I will try to walk 30. Because of the vast space in the West I usually have always stayed in a motel when available with camping in-between. This will change as I get into more populated areas of the country. One night in a motel is usually sufficient and I then look forward to camping again.

I will start walking the 124 miles to Ogallala in the morning. Looking at the map there seems not to be a lot in between and I imagine camping will be the norm for the next four nights.

I want to acknowledge the several people who stopped to chat and in particular I wish to thank the produce stand guy who tossed me a ripe peach! Sometimes small things can make a big difference.