Didn't quite get an early start today as there were a couple of things to do before getting underway. Basically just a travel day today from Valentine to Omaha.
Left Valentine around 9:45am heading for O'Neill. On the way we passed through a number of small and large towns like Ainsworth and Atkinson. Immediately it felt like we were back home riding through the Darling Downs. The rolling plains, trees, cattle and horses, corn crops and bales of feed. It must be a very fertile area as there were corn crops almost all the way to Omaha. Interesting to see these to towns each had a beautifully maintained golf course.
From O'Neill we headed through Neligh to take a look at the Old Neligh Flour Mill Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed. Still, it was time for a break and a coffee so we looked around and took the break before getting on our way again to Norfolk, travelling through some really nice towns that obviously have great pride in their appearance making it a very pleasant ride.
Through West point and Scribner and you start to realise a very common theme to all these towns. Each one has multiple farm machinery businesses, all carrying floor stock that must be worth a fortune. There must be a very high turnover of machinery and support for the local business in the area to enable so many to be viable.
Into Omaha, early for a change and able to get some stuff done and maybe an early night for a change.
For those of you who are Goldwing riders, I've been a bit remiss in describing the bike we are on. The bike has had a couple of loving owners who have set it up almost spot-on and suited to us for this type of touring. So similar to our own bike in many ways and one extra that may end up on ours when we get home. The bike has a full Traxxion suspension system giving it a good carrying capacity while having a smooth controlled ride similar to the custom work done on ours. The windscreen is a Firecreek Windbender two part screen with electric adjustment. A bit low for my height but it seems to work well and is good to be able to lower it on the move on a hot day. A little more height in the rain would have been good. Mike Mutes are fitted and are great, so good to be able to get rid of the noise of the always open mikes. Makes the ride much less tiring and worth the effort of tapping the push-to-talk CB button to switch the intercom on and off. Beyond that it has a combination of the various accessories we all have to personalise our bikes. Handle bars are a bit low and I prefer mine with the risers to allow for my additional height. My shoulders seem to be getting used to it though.
That's about it, early night tonight and may attempt to edit and load a couple of videos from previous days. Come back here and if I have, I'll list which days to check.
495 klms today, total to date 4471 klms.
Irrigating Corn near Ainsworth
Cattle. This whole area today reminded me on the Darling Downs in Queensland
Doing the daily chores
Horses in the field
Multiple small and large towns, every one has multiple machinery businesses full of new equipment
The bridge and sluice gate at an old water powered flour mill in Neligh. There used to be a weir raising the water to working height
Vertical water wheel and mill driving wheel
The Neligh Flour Mill Museum
The Neligh Flour Mill Museum
The brick section is the original mill built in 1873
Looks like we missed heavy rain by only a day or so at West Point
