Day 37 - Saturday, July 21, 2001
Springview to Spencer, NE
65 miles

Since I had planned on getting an early start today, Barb (the hotel owner) had left some cereal out for breakfast, since they didn't officially open until 7:30. I got up at 6, ate, and then looked outside to see lightning in the direction I had planned to go. So I went back to bed.

By 9:30 it was still overcast but at least the dark clouds were done, so off I went. The clouds kept the temperature down, with highs forecasted in the high 70s. However, there were still some residual headwinds from the storm for most of the day.

Naper was the first town that had anything, about 40 miles east of Springview.  A good stop for a late lunch, and friendly customers there also.

After Naper things flattened out quite a bit, and cornfields started appearing.

Ten miles from Naper was a stop in Butte, the county seat. They had the first library I visited without internet access. They used to have access, but nobody used it, so they got rid of it. (I guess they must have paid for it themselves instead of getting a grant like other places.)

Another ten miles down the road is the largest town in the area, Spencer. I had hoped to arrive before the post office closed at 4 PM, since I have a package waiting for me. At least it opens early tomorrow at 7 AM.

The folks in Naper gave me a hotel recommendation for Spencer, but when I arrived in town two people had told me about camping at the city park/fairgrounds, complete with clean showers/restrooms. I could even use the city pool if I wanted. A lady told me I could use the 4-H building - it's unlocked all night - if it downpours tonight.

It's about 120 miles to Sioux City, Iowa from here, so it should be an easy two days of riding from here to there. So I will be back on schedule with my original timetable! (Somehow my Excel spreadsheet thought that there were 31 days in June, so the day numbers and dates will be out of sync by a day.)

After I get my package tomorrow I will have to rethink my Mississippi River crossing location - I may cross in Dubuque, IA or Savanna, IL instead of the Quad Cities. That will of course determine my route across Iowa.

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