Day 47 July 8th Cowboy One

Norfolk NE to Ewing NE  57 miles (2074)

Today's blog could be titled 360° in 4 hours.

This was day one of four planned days on the 200 mile Cowboy Trail in Nebraska.

Today I was shown some thoughtful, caring hospitality by this couple, Shane and Amy:

Here are the events that led to meeting Shane and Amy:

At about 7:00 a.m., I hopped on the Cowboy Trail and was enjoying its beauty for the first hour and a half or so. It was fantastic. Then it began raining lightly. I double checked the forecast and it called for light rain. So, I didn't even put on my light windbreaker because I was feeling warm from riding. After a while, the rain picked up a little so I did stop to put on my light windbreaker; but didn't even think about my rain jacket because it would be too hot to wear. Then the rain turned heavy. I was getting soaked. I continued riding in heavy rain for about an hour when I finally came to a town called Tilden. My ride had taken a 180° turn from good to bad. Trail conditions had turned from dry and smooth to wet and gooey. I googled, "Where to eat in Tilden, Nebraska". The only place that came up was The Branding Iron Bar and Grill. It was only 10:00 so I doubted they were open, but I called them anyway. I asked the gentleman who answered if they were open. He told me they didn't open until 11:30. I replied that I was riding my bicycle on the Cowboy Trail and in need of shelter and could I shelter in the restaurant even though they were closed. He said yes and that his wife had already unlocked the door for the day and I was welcome to come on in. I soon found The Branding Iron close to the Cowboy Trail and went in to the entryway where I hung up my windbreaker on a step ladder and began to assess my situation. Shane (the co-proprietor together with his wife, Amy) came and told me I was welcome to use the restroom. So, I got out a towel and a change of clothes and went at it. By the time I was dry and a bit warmer, the weather had changed and I decided to press on. But first I wanted to give Shane and Amy a coaster. When I went to give Amy a coaster she said, "Oh, I love coasters; in fact,I collect coasters!" I took her picture:

After taking Amy's picture, I started getting ready to go, when Shane came to me and said, "The salad and soup bar are ready early today. Go help yourself - it's on me." I went into a glorious sight:

Shane makes all the soups from scratch and uses vegetables from their garden. I decided to eat the soup in the upper left of the picture - spicy ribeye chili. Seriously the best soup of my life!

My day had just taken another 180° turn from miserable to encouraged and energetic. 360° in 4 hours! Equipped now with energy and encouragement, I made it safely to my overnight.

Here are views of today's ride on the Cowboy Trail together with signs of towns that I passed by:

There were two detours on my route today:

I had been warned not to ignore these detour signs, but to heed them by jumping on highway 20, which parallels much of the Cowboy Trail. Highway 20 has a smooth, wide shoulder and not too much traffic. The gravel/crushed rock was laid on so thick in places along the trail that it made it difficult to ride. There were many places where I fishtailed through the unpacked surface. Highway 20 offered relief to my thighs as pushing through the deep gravel makes for a challenging workout.

I spent the night in Ewing at a little motel where I cleaned my bicycle and dried my clothes. I also emptied my hydration pack and hung it to dry:

I walked to dinner and on my way back to the motel I came across these:

Turns out the Savidge Brothers of Ewing, NE successfully flew an airplane a few weeks after the Wright brothers did it in Kitty Hawk, NC. 

Including my time in The Branding Iron Bar and Grill, I was 9 hours on the Cowboy Trail. I did not see one other cyclist. I guess they were all too smart to ride in the rain🤓.