Riding Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail - Days 6 - 7
/Day 6 - Stuart - Newport - Bassett
Each day we seem to notice lots of a particular critter(s). Some days it’s been bunnies and squirrels. Some days, it’s dragonflies and butterflies or red-winged blackbirds. Today we saw two dead badgers, three garter snakes (I accidentally ran over one!), a gopher snake already flattened and beaucoup frogs... yup, frogs hopping across the trail.
We saw lots of garter snakes today that slithered quickly across the trail as we rode by. The gopher snake above was pre-flattened when we came upon him.
We left Ben & Chris at Sisters’ House and hit the trail, a 22 mile day ahead of us. It was a quick 1/4 mile back on the path which was rough gravel and weed-ridden. The temps were cool to start, but soon the heat and humidity caught up with us. There was some cloud cover for awhile, but more often than not we had long stretches of blazing sun with no tree shade in sight.
We stopped at about 10 miles out in the tiny town of Newport at the Newport Pool Hall for our first break. A very tiny house housed a pool table, A/C, soda machine, cold water and all sorts of snacks... all on the honor system. An unlocked cash drawer was available to make change. Outside, a picnic table and chairs were available to rest under the shade of a couple of large cottonwood trees. A fine little oasis! Ben and Chris caught up to us here, but took off 15 minutes after arriving with 35-40 more miles ahead of them to negotiate.
The Newport Pool Hall… what a find!
Everything at the Newport Pool Hall was on the honor system… even making change.
Chris demonstrated her pool playing prowess. “Signs of a MISSPENT youth”, she said.
Back on the trail, we were both lost in thought when we spotted Ben & Chris stopped just ahead of us. Ben totes a small trailer behind him and it had a flat tire. Goat’s head thorns aka puncture vines are a continual curse on this trail (and many others). Ben needed no help, though we offered, so we left them on the trail to make their repairs.
Goat’s head aka puncture vine
These little thorns cause lots of problems on the trail
A few more miles down the trail and we turned onto the main street of Bassett. The Bassett Lodge is also considered an historic hotel although I took umbrage at that classification since it was built the same year as I was born. Hmmm! We were staying at the lodge for the night and glad to be done with the day. It was sweltering outside and our room, though very basic, provided a welcome respite. The adjoining Range Cafe made a perfect place for lunch and appeared to be a favorite place among the locals as well. Everyone nodded or said hi as we entered and sat.
The ‘historic’ Bassett Lodge
About 20 minutes after our arrival, Ben and Chris showed up and we lunched together. David gave Ben an extra tube patch before they headed out. They were only halfway through their riding day. As for us, we headed back to the cool of our room and took a nap, watched a little TV, wrote and read for awhile and hit the sack early. The heat saps the energy out of you.
Trail miles: 22 Actual miles: 22.5
Day 7 - Bassett - Long Pine - Ainsworth
A shorter ride was planned today, but, oh, what a tough day it was. We really worked hard. We heard thunder and lightning during the night and early morning and hoped it would clear by the time we wanted to leave. With only 17 miles to ride, we opted to enjoy a light breakfast at the Range Cafe before heading out. We were allowed to leave our bikes in the hotel lobby and maneuvered them out the front door and loaded them up out on the sidewalk. Everyone is used to Cowboy Trail riders evidently, because they always figure out a place for us to leave our bikes at night so they’ll be safe.
We were on the trail by 0830. The rain had thankfully stopped and cooled the temperatures considerably. It was in the mid-60s when we set out and it would never even reach 80F by the end of the day. Such a pleasant change from the past few days. I can’t explain why, but I still get butterflies in my stomach each morning when we set out. Angst, maybe? I’m not sure, but the butterflies are there until we’re on the trail for a few minutes and then disappear almost immediately.
The trail usually parallels US-20, but sometimes wanders off a bit through grazing land. The cows all moo in welcome as we pass.
The trail was damp and muddy in sections with a few puddles to negotiate. There seemed to be a constant uphill grade with which to contend. It’s a train grade trail, so never more than 2-3%, but even a small uphill grade for miles is tiring. The biggest issue today, however, was not a muddy trail nor a grade. No, it was the wind. A 20-25+ mph headwind blew constantly. It blew us and battered us and pushed us around. It never let up for a moment and it exhausted us. We took more breather breaks today then any other day since we’ve been on the trail.
Then there was the detour... a big detour up a steep gravel hill. David made it to the top with effort, and I hiked-a-bike up the hill, still breathing hard by the time I reached the top. The ride down was lovely, then another hill up (not so lovely, but I made it) and then... whew! We stopped in Long Pine at a pleasant little park for lunch. The Bunkhouse was next door with a sign reading ‘Open for the Season’. We just had to investigate. Roxie met us inside and explained the town ran this little bunkhouse, previously used by rail workers. It offered single, clean rooms with a toilet and shower and a single bed and access to a common kitchen for $35/night. Not a bad deal!
The trestle bridge at Long Pine was long and high and offered great views of the river valley below.
We stopped at a highway underpass for a break. There were swallows everywhere... hundreds of them, darting around, their nests all hanging precariously from the underside of the bridge. A short way up the trail we were inundated with dragonflies... big guys. One bounced off my helmet and another smacked me on the cheek. Ouch!
Hundreds of swallows darted around us as we stopped for a break at an underpass.
At the Ainsworth town line, the gravel road changed to pavement. What a reprieve as we seemed to glide the remaining mile or so and arrived at the Rodeway Inn, our day’s destination. We’re not usually keen on Rodeway Inns, but this one was an unexpected pleasure. The rooms were large and modern with micros and a fridge and a comfy king bed one could die for. It was close to restaurants and a grocery which was convenient for hungry riders. Our room was on the first floor and plenty large enough to accommodate our bikes which we wheeled down the corridor right into our room. The day was a challenging one, but the evening made up for it all.
Trail miles: 17 Actual miles: 19
We’ve still got a a couple more days to go to complete the Cowboy Trail. Join us next time for Days 8 & 9 and hopefully a successful finish to our cycling adventure.