Day 18_Mb2CbTour_Chadron, NE to Hot Springs, South Dakota

I had thought to take a day off from posting but just could not let this day pass without telling you all about today. I left Chadron this morning, at first light, looking forward to passing into yet another state. There isn't much guess work involved here. With Google Maps, Ride With GPS, and the Weather Channel App, I pretty much know what I am riding into. However, what all that connectivity and technology can not do is prepare you for the natural splendor you are about to encounter. I rode for hours through steep passes lined with giant boulders and tall pine trees until I found myself smack dab in the middle of one of the prettiest little towns I have ever seen. I could live here and would really like to see this little town in snow. Picture a meandering river running through a historic downtown. Waterfalls, ducks, blooming flowers, and ice cold Blue Moon on tap. The natural hot springs that run through this area have been known, for hundreds of years, to have magical healing properties. Native Americans migrated here to hunt and to bathe in the hot springs. As late as the early 1900's old cowboys came here to bathe in the waters and be healed from injuries sustained on cattle drives. Many healing centers were established and folks from New York and Chicago came to bathe and be healed. I've always been a skeptic, but I did dip my feet in the font, and damn if I don't feel great!!! I've taken more than a few pics hoping that you will get a feel for this beautiful place.  I'm on the road again bright and early in the AM. If the rest of the South Dakota Black Hills are anything like Hot Springs, I'm in for a great ride!!

Days 16 & 17 Mb2CB Tour - Sidney to Alliance to Chadron, NE.

Of the many things I experienced during the first 17 days of this tour, I was most affected by the trains. My route ran parallel to a BNSF train line for many hundreds of miles through Colorado and Nebraska. Living in the Hill Country, it had been awhile since I had experienced big trains up close and personal. I had a great moment when a train conductor acknowledged me one morning by blowing his whistle when he passed me. A simple thing like that can give a guy on a bicycle a big lift.  On my bicycle I not only can see trains up close, but I can feel and hear and even smell them. I've seen trains hauling coal, lumber, grain, livestock, automobiles, oil and people. Out here, where every little town has silos or stockyard, it is common to see trains loading or unloading and you see and meet train people in the dinners and taverns. I think I may have enjoyed being a train man, up front in the engine, or even back in the caboose. I wonder if it's too late.

Leaving Alliance, NE. this morning I did my first touristy thing on this tour. I took a short 5 mile detour and stopped to visit Carhenge. My friend Susan told me about this place and I'm glad I went and saw it. Carhenge is a takeoff on Stonehenge, only instead of stone structures, it's built with old cars. As a piece of folk art, it's definitely interesting and I felt it was saying something to me. I'm not sure what though, maybe that I should change the oil in my truck more often. Also, a few miles from Carhenge, I passed by the most unusual rest stop I've ever seen. There are most definitely some quirky folks around these parts.

By the end of today's ride I had left behind the now familiar scenes that define the High Plains. All of those endless and spectacular green pastures, long straight roads, farmhouses, and tiny rural towns built around giant grain silos have given way to big hills and tall pine trees. The transition from plains to forest was not subtle. The Nebraska National Forest and the Pine Ridge Area burst upon me like a sudden thunderstorm. The images from my handlebar cam cannot do justice to the scenes I witnessed from behind my bicycle today, and this is just the beginning, because Chadron, NE. is just the gateway. Tomorrow morning, at first light, I cross the White River, leave Nebraska, and enter the Badlands & Black Hills of South Dakota. Exciting stuff and I wish you could all be here with me.

Day 15-Mb2Cb Tour- Sterling, CO. to Sidney, Nebraska

Today was a scheduled day off but I biked anyway in order to put a few miles in the bank. I'm thinking I may need them if the weather and/or terrain get tougher. Having banked miles allow me do shorter runs (like today) if winds or terrain get too difficult and still stay on schedule. On this, the 15th day of the tour, I crossed from Colorado into Nebraska and stopped for the night in Sidney. Total tour mileage is 934 which puts me over the half way point. To date the tour has gone remarkably problem free. I've had no injuries, accidents, or equipment issues to deal with. With some luck the remainder of the tour will proceed just as problem free. I want to thank you all for staying with me. Your comments, which I read after biking all day, give me a tremendous lift and help me to carry on.

Day 14- Mb2Cb Tour- Anton, Co. to Sterling, Co.

As bad as yesterday was, today was great. Bright skies, wind still in my face but just 8-12mph which is not so bad, good roads, a bean and cheese burrito in Akron, and an excellent stopping point. I'm sitting in the Crest Motel in beautiful Sterling, Co. If you are ever in Sterling, be sure to to stop at the Crest. Denny, the owner, is a good carpenter and an even better host. He and his partner are remodeling this motel which was built in the 50's, and doing a great job. I feel like I'm staying at the Four Seasons, and the room is only 50 bucks. Is this a great country or what? One other thing about Sterling. There's a Mexican restaurant, Delgado's, that has been located in the basement of an old church for the past 38 years. The thing is, for those 38 years there has been no sign, no advertisement, no way of knowing that Delgado's even exists, unless you are a local or you know someone.  I know Denny, and you know me. So if you're ever in Sterling Co., after checking into the Crest, stop by Delgado's for dinner. The enchiladas are to die for.

I am in great spirits tonight as tomorrow I cross into Nebraska and go over 900 miles. Sadly, the 900 mile mark also means that the tour is half over. What am I going to do with myself when I don't have to wake up at dawn and pedal 60+ miles? Will my life ever be the same? When I used to have a real job, working as a semiconductor process engineer, the first day after returning from a vacation, I would start planning the next vacation. Maybe I should start planning the next tour. I'm curious how many of you would ever consider doing a long distance bicycle tour. Let me know.

Oh, for all of you riding the MS 150 from Houston to Austin this weekend, GOOD LUCK!!!

Day 13 Mb2Cb Tour Seibert, Co. to Somewhere on Hwy 63 Between Anton and Akron, Co.

For those of you who think cross country bicycle touring is all glitz and glamor, you should see me now. I'm hunkered down in my tent somewhere along side Colorado hwy 63. I smell like a goat, have only a half pack of skittles to eat for dinner, and it looks like rain. Today I  pedaled like mad just to make 55 miles. I don't know what I did to upset the wind god, but must have been something serious as he/she/it launched a steady 20-25mph wind at my face all day long. Tomorrow will be a better day.
On the bright side, I do have 1 bar on my Verizon tab so I should be able to publish this post. Also, thanks to the wonders of modern science and the wonderful folks at The Best Little Library in Texas (the MCL), I have just checked out 2 eBooks from our Lone Star Digital Library. That means I'll be able to read and eat skittles at least until the battery or the skittles run dry. If you haven't done so already, I really recommend you look into checking out eBooks from our digital library. Who knows, you could be stuck out on Colorado Hwy 63 one day with nothing to read.

P.S. 1 bar didn't provide enough internet connectivity so I had to publish this post 24 hours later.

Days 11 and 12- Mb2Cb Tour Springfield to Eads to Seibert, Colorado

Days 11 and 12 have come and gone and I am about 150 miles closer to Canada. I'm sitting here, beside my tent, at the Shady Grove Campground in Seibert Colorado writing this post, listening to Texas Rangers baseball and getting ready to witness a spectacular Colorado sunset. I shouldn't have to come all this way on a bicycle to enjoy a sunset. Unfortunately, life gets in the way, and unimportant little things like sunsets are pushed aside. Well at least for today, this sunset is the most important thing happening. Colorado has been good. The countryside is beautiful with endless green pastures, rolling hills, and interesting rock formations. Generally speaking the weather has cooperated, with cool mornings, warm afternoons, and clear skies. The wind, which is the most important factor in how much progress I make and how much energy I have to expend, is completely unpredictable. This morning the wind was blowing 10-15mph in my face, making life difficult. By noon the wind had shifted and was blowing me down the highway. Tomorrow promises to be tough day as the forecast is for NW winds and I'm heading NW. Nothing to do but put your head down and pedal. Have to sign off now, sun's about to set.

Mb2Cb Tour Day 10- Boise City, Ok. to Springfield, Co.

Day 10 of the Mb2Cb Tour was excellent. I left Oklahoma, entered Colorado, enjoyed great weather, a wind at my back, and a great road surface. The highlight of my day was meeting a fellow lone bicycle traveler. Sergio Aguilar passed me on the road shortly after entering Colorado. Sergio was riding a beautifully restored , circa 1950's, Peugeot bicycle, with 28" wheels!!! I think the bicycle must have been hand painted. It had a red frame with yellow and orange wheels. This was more of an art cycle than a true touring bicycle but Sergio had it loaded down and was obviously distance touring. I was zoning when he blew by me. I was so intrigued that I put the hammer down and finally was able to catch up with him and introduce myself. We road together for 5-6 miles and I was able to capture part of our conversation on my handlebar cam. Sergio and his bicycle escaped from Camaguey, Cuba on a fishing boat a few years ago. He and his bicycle came ashore in Nantucket and he's been on the road every since. His mission is to visit all 48 contiguous states on his bicycle. To date he has visited 26 states and he said he averages 125 miles a day!!  He is on his way to Missoula, Montana where he hopes to hook up with the Adventure Cycling Association folks and land a job as a bicycle tour guide, bicycle mechanic, or cook. He says he's good at all three, and I think he's probably telling me the truth. I asked him why he was doing this and he said, " because I couldn't in Cuba but I can here".  Is this a great country or what??!!!

Starlite Motel Springfield,  Colorado

Blogging at the Starlite