Day 50 July 11th Cowboy Four

Ainsworth NE to Valentine NE 50 miles (2,221)

Today's post could be titled Cowboy True or Thorns? - What Thorns?.

This is Scott and Diane, recent retirees from Arkansas. This is their first big trip after retiring. I came across them as they were riding 24 miles each way from Valentine east to Wood Lake and back.

Today was the perfect day to complete my journey along the Cowboy Trail. I stayed Cowboy True on the trail the entire way - and it was fantastic! The surface of crushed rock was good, there were no detours, the weather was perfect, and the scenery was stunning:





Just outside of my overnight destination in Valentine, Nebraska, I came to the crown jewel of the Cowboy Trail - a trestle bridge that soars 150 feet above the Niobrara River:
Staying on the trail the entire way required a lot of energy. About 3 miles outside of Valentine I ran out of water. Here is a picture of me trying to suck every last drop out of my hydration pack:
The people in this white SUV were kind enough to give me some water:

I took advantage of this selfie station at the end of the Cowboy Trail just like I did at the beginning of the trail 4 days ago.

I began the day by riding about 10 miles to Johnstown, Nebraska. Here I stopped to attend the worship service at the United Methodist Church:
I arrived quite early for the service so I found a picnic table where I wrote a birthday postcard to my wife, Laura:
If you've ever been away from your spouse for more than 2 months, then you may have some idea of how much I miss Laura.

Note: yesterday was the first day of the m360 ride that I usually do with friends down the coast of California. Every year we raise funds for a non-profit organization. This year m360 is riding for mental health and suicide prevention. One of the riders is sending me pictures of the coasters on the m360 ride. Here is today's and yesterday's entries:

Comments

  1. Capt HawkJuly 14, 2021 at 7:21 PM

    Ready to climb soon?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Angie RJuly 17, 2021 at 4:08 PM

    …and some wild life slithers out from the tall grasses.
    We missed you on our M360 journey, Rolff. Disappointing that we also did not meet any European cyclists on the road this year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robert AJuly 17, 2021 at 5:22 PM

    We missed you on M360! That’s my Starbucks’ drink on the left....🚴‍♂️🙂

    ReplyDelete
  4. Scott MJuly 27, 2021 at 7:48 AM

    Hi from Diane and Scott! It was a pleasure meeting you on the Cowboy Trail and getting to talk with you about your trip. Looks like we just missed you in Burlington, WY while we were visiting family that lives there. They have good pizza at Burlington Place :) Wishing you blessings and safe travels as you continue on your adventure.

    ReplyDelete

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