Lake Ogallala, Nebraska

    We awoke to a clear blue sky and a slight breeze.  The weather report was for windy conditions later in the day so we rushed a bit to get going by 8:30.  We are not much for long drives, but today it worked out to be 400 miles between stops.  I don't know what I was thinking when I planned these two stops on this trip.
    We had an easy drive through Council Bluffs and Omaha.  I wondered if there was a council on the bluff that gave it its name and sure enough:  the Lewis and Clark expedition had a big meeting with the Otoe tribe in 1804 on the bluffs above the Missouri River. The town was the starting point for the Mormon Trail and was a major outfitting point on the Missouri for the Emigrant Trail and Pike's Peak Gold Rush.
    As we continued on I-80 we began to follow along the Platte River and the Great Platte River Road which was used by settlers going to Oregon and California as well as by riders on the Pony Express. Rick thought that the Pony Express was in business for only five years, but actually ran only 18 months and then the railroad went through to California.  Anyway, the Platte follows a wide, flat valley which was just perfect for the wind.  By lunch time it had gone from a breeze to a blow - we ate lunch  inside again today.
    After lunch, with 200 miles yet to go, we found ourselves driving almost directly into the wind and often slipping into third gear as we fought to keep our momentum going.  Strong gusts blew us off to the side.  The wind went from a blow to a gale.  We finally

The huge earth dam keeping Lake McConaughy from our campground

got to the town of Ogallala and were happy that we were almost to our campground when the GPS became confused and sent us all around town.  We pulled over and brought up Google Maps on my phone and followed the map out of town towards Lake McConaughy which is a 22 mile long reservoir on the North Platte River.  The lake is much smaller at the moment after a few years of drought, but is still quite a sight with wonderful sand beaches all along its shores.
    We eventually got to our campground on a little lake just on the other side of the huge earth dam, Lake Ogallala.  The campground has dozens of old cottonwood trees and is beautiful.  However, the wind is blowing so hard we have to hold on to our door with two hands to keep it from being torn off the hinges.  I feel sorry for the folks who have come to this pretty place for a fun weekend of campfires and boating.  Mostly folks are huddled on the downwind side of their campers and trying to hold on to their hats.
   Every day is a new adventure on the road.  Tomorrow our drive to Colorado Springs is only half as long as the drive today and hopefully the wind will have died down.