Kearney, NE

I made it to Kearney, Nebraska today, a distance of 93 miles. It's
the longest I've ever pedaled a bike. It wasn't all that brutal, it
was just long. Special thanks to Sirius satellite radio, especially
Classic Rewind and NPR. My butt and back and legs and feet are sore.
I'm not completely spent though. It wasn't as bad as the legendarily
awful Downieville, California 5000 foot hill climb I did with Michael
in 2001, although that was particularly tough as I was sweating Jack
Daniels the whole time.

I took US 30 all the way. The American Discovery Trail maps suggest
taking backwoods country roads, but I've found that they often don't
go in the direction you want to go, nor are they paved. Riding
through crushed gravel or dirt/sand is tedious and tough on the tires.
However, US 30 has become a lot busier the further east I travel. I
was fairly miserable most of the day, concentrating more on my
rearview mirror than the view around me. Tonight I'm going to look at
the map and see if there are any alternate routes. I may trade some
speed for a more relaxing ride. I would have to give up riding next
to the Union Pacific, which has been fun. I think all the train
conductors along this stretch must know me by now as they all wave and
sometimes give me a short blast of their horn.

Kearney seems all right. It smells of cattle, has wide streets, and
has the requisite grain elevator by the railroad. It also is the home
of a particularly mangy hotel where I happen to be staying at the
moment. The blanket seemed to be woven of other people's hair, so I
managed to locate another from the office. I don't think any
trick-or-treaters will be showing up here. At least there is a
Mexican restaurant nearby that is OK. I thought about taking a taxi
to the movie theater to see Appaloosa but that's a lot of effort.
I'll just study my maps and watch a creature feature on the TV.

I guess I'm only about 130 miles from Lincoln so I ought to be there
in two days. Jared's family and friends live there so I'll stay with
somebody. It was promised that I would be taken to eat some beef.
Thankfully they taste better than they smell.

north platte, ne

i made it to north platte, ne today, a distance of 83 miles. saw a
lot of the same. farms. grain elevator every 15 miles or so.
following the union pacific rr which is pretty busy. so that's cool
to look at. it was warm out and the winds were friendly. can't
believe this weather. in vail this time of year warm temps are a
drag. but i couldn't ask for better. my legs are pretty torched
tonight. kearney is 93 miles down the road but i can't guarantee
making it that far. we'll see.

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Old sugar beet factory

Wed/Thurs pics

Bike TV - PB & J

I dunno if this vid will work, but in it, I eat a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Riveting.

laissez les bons temps rouler

Made it to Julesberg, CO this afternoon. It was about 60 miles and
felt great. Finally I had tires that held air and were properly
inflated. The road was smooth and the winds were friendly. Followed
the Union Pacific railroad tracks, although there wasn't much train
traffic. I passed a lot of farms with cattle and various crops. Lots
of trucks went by with beets. I guess the beets go to a sugar
factory.

I stopped to buy a can of chew at a tiny store in Iliff, CO
(population approx. 12). When I told the folks there what I was up
to, they just nodded like that was normal. I'm pretty sure they were
hiding disbelief. A lot of drivers pass by staring out the window
like I came from Mars. Kids are plastered to the back window of vans,
checking me out.

I've been really glad about everybody's traffic manners. People
always give me plenty of room even when there's not much shoulder. I
got a couple friendly honks from truckers. The best by far was the
wave I got from some Harley guys. They gave me the down-low
outstreched arm biker wave. I smiled about that for awhile.

Tomorrow I'm going to try for a good 90 miler, which is do-able if I
can get out of here decently early and have good roads and wind.

holding

thanks for the well wishes all. amazing what a few words will do to
morale. i'll depart sterling as soon as i get my replacement gear out
here. can say i've seen most of this town. lots of trains carrying
coal. some cool old buildings from railroad days gone by. an
enormous post office that must've been built with the idea that this
town would be the next denver. eager to get back on the road. looks
pretty desolate out to the east. hopefully there's a radio station.

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ok i recant

OK, scratch all that. I mean, what self-respecting intrepid tourer would quit because of a lost wallet? Maybe a broken leg, but not a lost driver's license. As I was thinking the preceding thought, a good Samaritan farmer type dude called. Said he found my wallet in the street. I guess I owe karma now.

last straw

More woe has befallen me. I have now lost my wallet. I thought I'd cruise around town today to see the sights of Sterling. I went to the museum, the community college, and generally just rode around to see what was up. I stopped to get some food at the grocery, reached in my pocket...and nothing. I figure I didn't zip my pocket and it fell out while riding my bike. Easy to do since I'm all reclined while riding.

I rode around town trying to retrace my route, until it got dark. I looked in all the gutters and asked at the library. Nothing. So... I'm stuck with no ID and no cash. I guess I could get the bank to reissue a card and send it to me. But not having an ID really cramps things. If I need to get a hotel or something... Ugh. Really despairing.

So I think I'm going to have to cancel this thing. I've asked Jane to come pick me up from Denver. After planning this thing for months, I am now kind of up against the wall. I guess I'll go back home and find something else to do. Curses, literally.

Well, things have turned a little... slow. Tried to get out of town this morning but was unable. First, I my tires have thorns in them. I try to pull them out with pliers but they break off in the rubber. I need new tires; I have some old dried up ones but they are backups only. I also need a Presta valve adapter as I seem to have lost mine while changing a flat. So I am running at half pressure, which is slow and hard on the rim. My hand pump only inflates to 35psi, and the handle broke off that attaches it to the valve. There is no bike shop in Sterling. So I went to Wal Mart this morning. I bought a hand pump and some tubes. I took the hand pump outside to use it and it immediately exploded.

I have now ordered all the parts via mail. Due to the parts being esoteric and Sterling being a small town, it will take 2 days to get here. I won't be able to leave... until Thursday morning.

At first I was pretty depressed about it, but then I realized that it's all part of travel and I should just take it as a learning experience. It's not as if I have a job to go back to right now. The only thing bumming me out is that this nice weather is ticking past. When the bad weather comes, I have a feeling it's pretty extreme out in the plains.

There isn't a ton to do in Sterling, but it's not all bad. I already checked out the Overland Trail Museum. It's suprisingly pretty amazing. Then I came over to the community college where the grumpy librarian (aren't they all?) grudgingly let me use the Internet terminal. I haven't seen a movie in awhile so I guess I'll do that tonight and tomorrow night. Then maybe over to the rec center to go swimming or something.

So I'm basically trying to turn this from feeling like I'm in the Donner Party to taking a minor detour on the route. One thing is for sure, I did need a bit of a rest after yesterday.

relaxing

Finally decided to send a note via keyboard to send another note. Was
typing on my phone to send the other blog entries. It's difficult.
But now I guess I don't have much more to say except that I'm basking
in the luxurious glory of the Colonial Motel in Sterling. After a
long day, it's wonderful. Beats hanging out in the tent. I'll camp
tomorrow night. Gets down to the 20s so it's a little chilly in the
morning.

Can't say that I observed a whole bunch today, seeing as I was
concentrating on keeping the bike on the road. There's not too much
time for stopping since daylight is short and I have to get somewhere.
I did see lots of cows, farms, and, umm, farm related things like
horses and trucks. Hopefully tomorrow will bring friendly winds and
easier travel.

Sterling - windy day

well i regret once again the lack of pictures. long brutal day today,
esp the last 35 miles or so which had me going into a fierce headwind.
could hardly keep the bike upright. hard to wax philosophical in such
conditions but i thought a bit about why i wanted to do this trip. i
wanted to see the plains, experience a little of what oregon trail
emigrants must have seen. -continued


i guess what i learned today is that it gets windy out here. i
suppose today's landscape is a lot different than theirs. no barb
wire, gas wells, or cattle back then. tomorrow i'm going to get to
julesberg. need a bike shop desperately. 5 flats in 2 days. my
tires are shredded from thorns. fixing flats is tedious on this bike.
physically tired-ish but ought to be ok if i can keep pumping in
calories and water. 60 miles to julesberg tomorrow. daylight is
precious, gotta start early. fingers crossed, tailwind and no flats!

--
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jackson lake state park

made it here after a long day. had to go into greeley to get tubes.
they're a little small but i hope they work. may mail order some to
be picked up at a post office en route. staying at a deserted state
park campground in the middle of nowhere. kind of surreal.
everything's pretty brown in preparation for winter. guess i could
have done this in the spring. aside from aesthetics, another downside
is that the days are short. on a positive note'.. continued

as i was saying, and in the meantime spilling tea on my pillow, was
that everyone is very nice around here, if a little befuddled by my
rig. lots of waves, lots of room on the road. i hope to make it to
at least Sterling tomorrow if not beyond. the Neb border will have to
wait until another day. lots of land out here. wow. am i really
going to do this? i promise more pics tomorrow. i'll stop by a
library or find some wireless.

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Ft. Lupton

made it to ft lupton this evening. no wireless. slow start due to
getting lost in denver suburbs. also i double flatted while
bushwhacking through thorn patch. need to stop by bike shop in greeley
to get more tubes for w nebraska where they may not have any 20
inchers. bike rides like a dream and i feel good. type more when i
have a real keyboard.

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All set!

I'm finally headed out. Sunny skies and temps up into the 70s in the plains this weekend. Driving down to Denver tonight then hitting the bike path in the morning. I hope to spend tomorrow night outside Greeley.

Bike tv

If you're interested in what I'm bringing along on this trip, here is a list. I'd like to shave weight, but I can't think of anything to leave out right now. I'll probably be at the post office soon, mailing stuff home.

Bike
Rans Stratus
Windwrap fairing
Schwalbe Marathon tires
Angletech/Planet Bike fenders
Angletech Techwind seat bag and side panniers
Arkel RT-60 underseat panniers
Dinotte taillight -- super duper bright
Cateye taillight -- hey, gotta be seen
BeSeenWear flag -- ditto
Trek LED front light
ClimMitts
Liberally applied reflective tape
2 bladder bags, 2 water bottles (with duct tape and electrical tape wrapped around them)

Shelter
Sierra Designs Sirius 2 tent
Pacific Outdoor Insul-Mat
Mountain Hard Wear Clouds Rest 5 degree down sleeping bag
Small emergency space blanket
Slumberjack camp pillow

Food
Jetboil stove
4 deheydrated pouch meals -- hope to find a grocery
Peanut butter (Jif Extra Crunchy) & jelly (Grape) & bread
Tea (chamomile and blueberry), coffee (Folger's crystals), Splenda
Plastic fork and knife
Iodine tablets
Fold-up sink
Lighter

Tools
Spare brake and derailleur cables
Pump & patch kit
3 innertubes
2 tires (different sizes)
Chain break tool
Gerber multitool
Allen wrench multitool
Some twine
3 Hefty bags
Headlamp
Chain oil

Personal
Sunblock and lip balm
Toilet paper
Deodorant/toothbrush/toothpaste/floss
Small towel
Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap
Copenhagen Long Cut
First aid: tape, pads, gauze, Aleve, moleskin, Band-Aids
Hand sanitizer

Entertainment
Sirius Stiletto satellite radio + extra batteries and charger
HP iPaq Pocket PC w/ GPS / wireless + batteries + charger
Think Outside foldable bluetooth keyboard
Digital camera

audiobooks on sim cards:
Patrick O'Brien, Aubrey-Maturin (Master & Commander) complete series
Martin Dugard, Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone
Stephen Ambrose, Undaunted Courage
Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy complete series
Mortenson and Relin, Three Cups of Tea

Clothes
Sidi Dominator bike shoes
Lightweight walking around hiking shoes
3 pairs ski socks
Neoprene booties
Pearl Izumi thermal bike tights
Alpine Designs convertible zip-off pants
Synthetic base layer tights and shirt
Arm warmers / knee warmers
Synthetic North Face button-up shirt
Windstopper softshell jacket
Windstopper vest
Mountain Hard Wear shell
Sherpa hat
Balaclava
Helmet w/ cover
Winter work gloves
Glove liners
Sunglasses
2 cotton t-shirts, several boxers
Baseball cap

Maps
DeLorme Gazetteer sections from Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana
City bike maps of Omaha, Lincoln, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities

man, that's a lot of crap.

A lot of people have been asking me if I'm bringing a weapon on this trip. No joke. The bicycle forums are full of people who say that they never leave home without their machete/Taser/Glock/Mace. Thinking about it, I can't really see myself getting into a knife/gun fight. And I'm hoping that reports of roving meth-heads in Iowa are exaggerated. Hopefully I won't get overrun like in a zombie movie.

Me trying to get my fenders to line up right -- notice my roomy work/cook/sleep/shower space --

Well, I've come up with a departure date. I'm thinking about Monday, Oct. 27. I'll miss the last couple of days of my summer firefighting job but it's been pretty dull lately anyway. Plus, the sooner I take off, the sooner I can get back to start working on the ski mountain.

Hopefully the weather will be OK. I'm ignoring all the doom-filled predictions people are giving me about the weather. It's been nice here and I'm hoping reasonably cool fall temps will prevail. Better to ride across Nebraska when it's cold rather than when it's sweltering.

I got the bike a few days ago. I took it around the parking lot a few times and it was fun, although I couldn't really steer it very well. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can learn to ride it. It's raining and snowing this weekend in Vail though, so I probably won't take it out for a few more days.