Since leaving Omaha, our trip has become very open-ended. We don’t know many people out West, so we will depend on camping and motels now more than ever. The Cowboy Trail cuts across 180 miles of Nebraska of which we know zero people. With the freedom of camping wherever we please, feeling really confident in our bodies, and having a flat, paved road to ride on, we thought it would be the perfect time to achieve our goal of a century ride, or 100 miles in a day.
We started the day in Neligh, Nebraska at Mama’s and Nana’s where Charlie met all of the friendly locals picking up breakfast. We have been astonished by these tiny Midwestern towns with only one restaurant and a population below 1,000; these rural areas are not what either of us are used to. After scarfing down a bacon and egg sandwich and a cinnamon roll, we hit Route 20 and did not look back.
We rode the first 60 miles at a scintillating pace, 13.3 miles per hour. We stopped every 20 miles and continued to comment on how strong our bodies felt. Highlights from our breaks: saw a dead raccoon in a garbage bin, ate Subway sandwiches and DQ blizzards, saw the largest permanent shamrock in Nebraska’s Irish Capital, and continued Charlie’s quest of eating every gas station candy option. As of now, Kit Kats and Albanese gummy bears hold the top spots in the candy rating.
The ride itself was beautiful. The environment alternated from prairies to verdant woods. The sun was out the whole day and the lack of wind allowed us to feel the sun’s heat upon our backs. As always, we saw lots of cows! It was a great day to have a great day.
We were flying until mile 70 or so when the wind decided to interrupt our fun. I know I’ve said this a million times, but I take umbrage at the wind and it’s incredible ability to stop us in our tracks. The last 20 miles were a grind, my butt was aching, a few hills reappeared, and we became a bit impatient (maybe it was just me😅).
We finally made it to Long Pine, where we have set up camp for night. Our tents are on the shoreline of a pretty creek, and the weather isn’t too nippy, thankfully. We whipped up some dehydrated risotto, which was surprisingly tasty. I am actually a fan of camping!
In massive news… WE ARE HALFWAY (according to Google Maps)!!! I’m currently blasting Halfway There by Big Time Rush to celebrate. We can’t believe how far we have come and know that we have so much natural beauty in store for us. We are still happy, healthy, and thriving! So happy to be on this trip!
-Maddie
Total Miles: 1682.6
Century rides completed: 1