I got up early to try to beat the heat of the day. It was 70 in the morning, but the temperature was forecast to rise to 95 degrees in the afternoon. I was only going to ride to the end of the Cowboy Trail, which was about 45 miles. The wind wasn’t to bad, so I hoped to be done by noon.
The hotel had a nice breakfast, and it was available at 5:00. I was on the bike before 6:30.
The wind was light in the morning, and I really enjoyed how quiet it was. The trail was in good shape. This area of Nebraska is called the Sandhills, and these hills were everywhere. The terrain was not as flat as yesterday. I’m not sure it really comes through in these pictures from the morning.
This is definitely cattle country. I didn’t see any crops, just pasture land. I saw both cows and horses.
And just in case someone couldn’t figure that out for themselves, the country put up a billboard.
One thing I appreciate about bike touring is that the speed is slow enough to stop and check out the flowers. Here are the new ones I saw today. First was Prickly Poppies.
Then there was Western Spiderwort and Prairie Rose.
Finally, there was Prairie Sunflower.
I did finally see some other cyclists on the trail today. I didn’t see any cyclists my first two days on the trail. I stopped the first cyclist and chatted for a while.
Mostly the sandhills were around me, but for a stretch, the trail went right into the hills. I was glad to get closer to the hills and see them up close. In the second picture you can see where the erosion has exposed the sand below.
As I approached the end of the trail, I crossed the biggest bridge on the trail. It is a former railroad bridge that is a quarter-mile long and 148 feet high and spans the Niobrara River.
The Cowboy Trail ends in the town of Valentine. And that also was the end of my day. I reached Valentine at 11:30, and even though it was almost 90 degrees, I felt like I had beat the heat.
I had a great lunch at a local restaurant called “Peppercorns” (Prime Rib sandwich and a cob salad). Then I checked into my hotel early.
I plan to spend some time this afternoon planning out the next few days of riding. I’ll check which towns have hotels and gas stations and decide on a route to get me to the next trail, which is the George S. Mickelson Trail through the Black Hills of South Dakota.
For the day, I biked 48 miles and climbed 375 feet.
Great job Jim! I still wish I was with you. Great pictures. Love Dad.
Wow that looks stunning!!! Keep peddling!
Beautiful pictures. Nice to know you have some long days and some short days. So much planning and so much beauty and adventure! The Mickelson trail is on my list too.