RILEY J ROAMS

The 14-or-so-hour drive from Chicago to Colorado features corn, rolling grasslands, and more corn. I’ve taken two different routes to complete this drive: stopping in Kansas City then going through Kansas or booking it through Iowa and Nebraska. Going to Kansas City adds on a few hours, but stopping in the cute country town with delicious food is always refreshing, but this time I took the quicker way.

Driving from Chicago to Denver typically takes a little longer than 14 hours, and I like to split that drive up in to two days. In the past I rented an Airbnb in central Nebraska, but this time I drove 12 hours in a day to make it to Ogallala. The drive wasn’t too bad until the sun set, and my eyes got heavy. We were about an hour away when winds began to pick up and thunder roared in the distance. Lighting strikes covered the sky, which woke me up immediately. Winds continued to blow, but the rain was letting up when we finally found the small group of cabins. We ran into the cabin to find a warm space with snacks and a hand written note from the host. After a long day of driving and eating snacks it felt good to move from my car seat to a couch. I watched the storm for a bit before falling asleep in a cozy bed with the window open.

The next morning I woke up just as the sun was rising. Once I convinced myself to leave the warm bed I stepped outside to a huge lake across the street: Lake McConaughy. I spent the morning journaling and doing yoga while taking in the view. There were a few families packing up their cars from the cabins surrounding ours.

The cabin had a full kitchen with pots and pans, but all I needed was the toaster to make a bagel. The cabin was clean and comfortable, but what was really unique about this place was the view of the 35,000 surface acres lake. It stretched along the horizon with green hills on the other side.

The owners of the cabins also have a general store across the street that sells snacks, toiletries, and anything else you may have forgotten on a road trip. It was fun spending the morning enjoying the view and talking about the property with one of the owners, Kate.

Even though my time here was short, I loved spending the night here and enjoying Lake McConaughy before continuing my drive to Colorado. I know I’ll be staying here again the next time I drive through Nebraska on my way out west.