Middle of the USA - DAY 3

Otter Creek Bridge from 1908

I woke up really early today because I had a lot of miles to cover. I was up at 6:00 and left the cabin at 7:00 a.m. Usually, I take sunset pictures, but today, the sunrise was unbelievably beautiful – take a look!

Getting to the bridge required navigating 100% dirt roads, some rougher than others, but all of them kicked up a ton of dust, leaving my car looking like a ghost.

Due to the ongoing drought, I suppose the water levels are low, and they're incredibly still. So once again, I had the opportunity to capture some amazing pictures with the bridge's reflections.

Built in 1908, this bridge stands right next to the currently used one. However, the Creek Bridge is blocked for traffic, except for pedestrians.

Rocky Ford Bridge: A Dirt Road Journey

Today seems to be all about dirt roads and no pavement. Our second bridge required about 20 miles of dusty, winding roads. It was nice to see wildlife along the way. There were quite a few animals, but every time I pulled out my phone, unplugged the GPS, and turned on the camera, they ran away. However, a group of three deer stayed still long enough for me to capture a picture - "thank you, deer."

The second bridge was passable for vehicles up to a certain weight and was really beautiful from both above and below. Even though you could see some water running under this bridge, keep in mind that during normal times, when there's no drought, there is a gushing river here.

Chase Lake: A Colorful Stop

Next up was Chase Lake. On the way, I stopped to take some beautiful pictures of the trees with their changing leaf colors. The further north I traveled, the more colors I saw.

Driving to Chase Lake took me right through a small city called Cottonwood, and its main street was quite charming. I stopped in the middle of the road to take a picture right down Main Street to City Hall – beautiful!

When I got to the lake, there were many ducks or geese – I couldn't really tell. They were incredibly loud and noisy, so I tried to take a video of their quacking. I hope it came out well.

By now, it was already 10:00 in the morning, the sun was shining, the weather was getting warm, and I took a 20-minute break, had a sandwich, and then moved on.

Wilson Lake: Drought's Impact

Wilson Lake was my last stop before reaching Osborne. Martha had told me that I would be driving on the dam, so I stopped at the boat ramp to take our usual boat ramp shot. The entire lake was clear but very low. The dam is tall and wide; I'm sure it usually handles much more water than it does now, but after three years of a drought, it's no wonder the water is so low. Still, it was super relaxing, and there was not a soul in sight except for me, so I had the lake all to myself.

Osborne: A Warm Welcome

Finally, around 1:00 pm, I reached Osborne, Kansas, where my dear friend Martha lives. I took a picture when I was 2 miles out, and you can see that Osborne is truly in the middle of nowhere because there is nothing on the left and nothing on the right.

When I got to Martha's house, the first thing I did was take out the Nespresso machine and make everyone a cup of cappuccino coffee. Martha, Betty, and I are all coffee drinkers, so it worked out great.

One thing you'll notice in the picture is the weirdest-shaped milk container, which looks like a gallon container we have in Dallas, but shrunk down to a quart or pint – very strange. I had never seen one of these funny containers before.

Before I moved on, we had lunch, which consisted of grilled hamburgers, grilled chicken thighs, guacamole, and chips. Martha went all out, and it was great to have a nice warm meal. After some hugs and kind words, we said our goodbyes, and I moved on to our next interesting place to see for the day.

Statue of Liberty Mini: A Golden Surprise

Yep, just like the title suggests, this is a miniature Statue of Liberty, but instead of being green, it's gold. And it's heavy – you can see me in the picture holding the statue up. I would say it probably weighs a few hundred pounds.

Geographic Center of the 48 States: Finding the Center

I never knew this place existed. It's called the geographical center of the 48 states, and there's a rock that, when you sit on it, you are right in the smack center of the USA (not including Alaska and Hawaii). I sat on the rock, took a picture, and you can definitely feel that you're right in the middle. I can't explain it; you just feel it, so you'll have to come and feel it for yourself. hehehe

The road to this location is an absolute straight line with lots of waves, and it was fun to drive because I did it fast (shhhh...I may have been speeding – “may”).

Broken Bow: A Quaint City Stop

The reason I pushed so hard today to get to the middle of Nebraska was so I could get back home before Tuesday night since it's the company dinner event. So, every day I'm stealing a few hours from the next day. Broken Bow is a nice, quaint little city, and the first hotel I went to, for which I had reservations, was very modern. However, they only had me on the second floor with no elevator, and you all know how much stuff I carry around with me, right? So, they refunded me all the money, and I called and made a reservation at a small hotel-motel where I can park right next to the door, and I found one called "Pump and Pantry."

At the time I made the reservation, I wasn't aware of why it's called "Pump and Pantry," but now I know it's right next to a gas station (PUMP) with large convenience store (PANTRY) and it sits right near the railroad tracks, so it's a bit noisy with trucks coming in and out and the trains honking their horns every couple of hours. But I'm so tired after all this driving; I'll just fall asleep, and it won't bother me.

Tomorrow, it's another very early start as we need to cross almost to the edge of Nebraska to do all the waterfall tours of the day. So, it's goodnight for now, and I'll see you all on the next leg of this adventure.