I want to compare two routes, after having read several journals mentioning strong winds in Nebraska. (gusts up to 50 mph, perhaps writer's embellishments...). Not entirely clear how to process/present the info.

When planning trips like that, I usually break the trip into segments of roughly 100 kms (60 miles) and compute a conservative travel time (speed on the flats at 14 kmh + 1 hour per 500 meters of elevation gain). I usually make sure that every segment requires less than 10 hours. It might be interesting to factor in the wind. I'd use the estimates from bike calculator.