When you camp you wake up to the sun illuminating your tent and birdsong in the air. We got on the road nice and early... and proceeded to get blasted by the wind for the first 8 miles. At that point we reached Atkinson, NE, where we took a rest at D & B Cafe.
The prices on food out here in the middle of nowhere make prices back home look downright criminal. D&B had 3-egg omelets available for 4.50. I ordered a bowl of oatmeal for two dollars. Maddie got a western omelet with a side of pancake. The country skillet, piled high with potatoes, chicken-fried steak, eggs, and gravy, filled me up and had me ready to take on the rest of the ride.
Maddie and I biked the rest of the day side by side on the wide shoulder of Highway 20. The traffic out here is thin; sometimes minutes go by where we don’t see a single car. The ride today took us through Nebraska’s Sandhills region. The scenery around us alternated between the prairie, with cows across hundreds of acres, and the grass-covered sand dunes for which the area is named. It is flat out here, much like Indiana. But the flatness is more beautiful, and less lonely. Instead of square plots of farmland colored brown, we are surrounded by endless plains with occasional small dunes. Cows roam the landscape, birds are constantly flitting beside us, sometimes dipping down into the tiny ponds alongside the road. It is more welcoming than Indiana, in my opinion. Maddie agreed, saying the ride through the last few miles in the Sandhills was her favorite part of the day, with the blue sky and rolling hills that allowed you to coast on the bike, even on the leisurely uphill sections.
With 7 miles remaining to Valentine we hopped back on the Cowboy Trail, which had been running parallel to the highway the entire time. We chose the perfect time to return. The last 7 miles of the trail were absolutely beautiful; evergreen trees with the “plumpest” pine cones Maddie has seen in a while lined the trail, along with other trees and shrubs.
Maddie and I stopped to attempt a photo shoot amidst the scenery. Unfortunately, without kickstands our bikes were difficult to deal with. They just didn’t seem to want to stand up and pose for the camera. Our fastidious natures had us kneeling in the gravel for 20 minutes, trying to prop the bikes up with our panniers to get the perfect shot. At long last we gave up with a couple decent pictures to show for our efforts. We heard thunder claps nearby, so we decided it was time to skedaddle.
The sky ahead of us to the northwest was crystal clear and pure blue, straight out of a picture book. To the south, however, was a different story. The sky was a dark gray, and we could see the rain pouring down from a distance. We kicked it into high gear and raced the storm into Valentine, arriving at the Super 8 at the exact moment the first rain drops fell.
For the last few hours we’ve gone grocery shopping, eaten, watched some tv, and otherwise relaxed. I ate a cheeseburger with chili on it from Frosty’s drive-in; when I saw it on the menu I was dubious, but I’m glad I gave it a shot because it was delicious. Or I was starving. We each got a sundae as well. No day is complete without some ice cream! I’m not sure if we’ve mentioned this previously, but it’s amazing how much later it stays light on the west edge of a time zone versus the east. It’s been light until well after 9 the last few nights!
On our way to Chadron tomorrow. It will be a 2-leg journey, so we will camp somewhere in the middle tomorrow night. We stocked up on Campbell’s soup at the grocery store, so we’ll be eating well in camp! Until tomorrow.
-Charlie