Riding Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail - Day 5

O’Neill - Atkinson - Stuart

It was eerie in the Golden Hotel lobby as I went to get our morning coffee. There was no one around and my bare footsteps echoed in the emptiness of the place. Other than the owner when we arrived, we never did see another soul roaming around.

This would be our longest day yet - 28 miles planned. We stopped in the local coffee shop for warm blueberry scones for the road. A local farmer there told us to expect bad weather. As we hit the trail, the sky to the west was dark and ominous. To the south a rainbow appeared. We dug out our rain gear and had it ready, just in case. 

We felt a few raindrops and then the sky lightened up a bit.

The trail was paved about a 1/4 mile and then it reverted to gravel. It was good in spots, deep and sandy in spots, but reasonable going most of the way. The low cloud cover was heavenly, keeping the riding cold and comfortable.

We had our first scone at 5 miles out with some leftover coffee. We were taking it steady and easy today. 28 miles seemed quite a distance for us old neophytes and we wanted to make it with minimal stress and discomfort. Short stops in five mile increments seems just right to re-energize, especially as the temperature rose to the mid-90s when the clouds disappeared. The humidity was palpable.

We stopped in the pleasant little town of Atkinson to enjoy their little picnic shelter right on the trail. Rhonda, who works at the local bank across the street, walked over just after we arrived to take her lunch break. We had a nice conversation and then, at her suggestion, used the bank’s restrooms. 

About two miles out of Atkinson, my speed decreased significantly. David asked if I was alright. I figured I was really getting tired because the trail was so hard to maneuver. I could barely pedal. I shifted to my lowest gear and made so little progress, I finally stopped. It wasn’t me after all... I had a very, very flat tire. David tried pumping it up, but no luck, it needed to be repaired or the tube replaced.

We hadn’t seen a soul on the trail in three days. As David laid out his tools and commenced repair of the flat in the middle of the trail, six bikers appeared out of nowhere. They were pleasant fellows, all friendly and more than willing to help. We really didn’t need help. We had hoped that ‘the Slime’ in the tube would take care of the problem, but it didn’t. Slime, by the way, is a neon green viscous liquid that is put into the tubes and instantly repairs leaks. David planned to investigate its failure later, but in the meantime, I pulled out a spare pre-Slimed tube from my pack and he installed it. It was a 15-minute job that took 30 with the extra help we received. No, no, no... I’m being facetious. It was really awesome that people stopped to offer help. Beyond the bikers, two motorists on the highway also stopped to offer help as well. We have found that wherever we go, worldwide, people are generous and helpful. It’s reassuring.

Back on the trail with inflated tire, we made much better time, but it was hot and oh so dusty. We finally spotted the Stuart water tower. The water towers have been a welcome sign when we’re getting close to towns and we scan the horizon for them. 

We cruised down Stuart’s main wide street. It was nearly empty of traffic. We finally came to Sisters’ House, our B&B for the night. Sisters’ House used to be the residence of the local nuns who ran St. Boniface Church and School from c. 1903-1993. We had the whole house to ourselves. No one locks doors or cars or anything here. They’re a trusting lot. The owner told us that the house was open and our room would be waiting when we arrived. We unloaded our packs, stowed our bikes on the front porch and headed to the town grocery for dinner and snack supplies.

At the checkout counter, David discovered he’d left his wallet in his pack. It was about four blocks away and with apologies, David started out the front door to run back to get it. “Oh, gosh, don’t do that! Take my car... the keys are in it… right out front. It’s too hot to run today”, said Doris, the cashier. Really, these Nebraska folks are wonderful.

Groceries paid for, we started our walk back to Sisters’ House when two cyclists stopped us asking for directions to the local park, so they could camp. We didn’t know where the park was, but told them we too were cycling the Cowboy Trail and staying at Sisters’ House. The long and short of it, they followed us home and stayed at Sisters’ House, too. We had a fine, enjoyable evening with Ben and Christine. We clicked immediately. They began their travels in Delaware in April and plan to reach the Pacific coast by end of August. Wow! We’re slackers!

Ben & Chris… and the two slackers. We plan to stay in touch with our new friends.

Trail miles: 28      Actual miles: 30   

Join us for Day 6 on the trail… after this week’s Blue View!