Hank – We had a light breakfast and some tea, finished drying our clothes, and said goodbye to Cheryl and Steve. We loved how they made us feel like we were in our own home. I played fetch with Lilo once more. She had a great time.
We started out heading east on Hwy 20 with a strong cross wind coming from the south. It gradually became more of a head wind as the road curved southeast. Our first stop was Hay Springs and we planned to eat lunch there. It took us 2-1/2 hours to cover the 20 miles there. We were happy to see the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill was open for business. I had a beer and Kathy had a Mike’s Hard Lemonade with our lunch. The next stop on the highway was Rushville. The road angled back towards the north a little so we had the cross wind again. The terrain flattened and we ripped through the 12 miles to Rushville in one hour. Just as we pulled up to the Pump and Pantry a woman standing outside the door points behind me and says, “Looks like you just beat the storm.”
Storm? What storm? I looked behind me and saw the dark gray clouds closing in. I’d been focused on the weather to my right because that’s where the wind was coming from. The rain and hail began about five minutes after we arrived. We checked the weather radar–ain’t technology wonderful?–and saw two more storms coming behind this one. We waited a little over two hours for the storms to pass. Once back on the road we covered the last 14 miles to Gordon NE in just over an hour. It felt good to watch those mile markers fly by today.
I called the Gordon City Hall while in Rushville and asked if they had a city park we could camp in. They do and that’s where we landed. We had dinner at a nearby cafe–no beer! Tomorrow we stay on Hwy 20 and ride to Cody NE.
Kathy – Another good day of riding today. We completed 49 miles today with only 800 feet of elevation. No doubt this helped with our faster riding times today. remember the bikes are loaded down so anything above 10 mph (overall time) is considered fast for us. It was another hot day in the 80’s, thankfully the hottest part of the day is when the storms rolled in so it cooled off the last part of our ride nicely. Nothing spectacular today, just seeing more of the beautiful state of Nebraska as we continue rolling along. Life is good.
I think of the burger and fries you eat and think of my cholesterol. You MUST refuel and I’d be a wreck if I didn’t know exactly where the next nourishment facility was and how trip advisor rated it cuz maybe there’s a better one nearby. M and I shared a good meal tonight at a Texas style BBQ not far from us. Hopefully we can get Susan here for the real review and then we can order and xtra side in your honor. Last weekend Tim made a fabulous brisket dinner for us on his Costco Traeger. Perhaps you could recommend a needy town where he might be needed??
We proceed w our packing and garage storage. Have had 4 inquiries as the word spreads.
My thoughts are for your continued safe adventures. And yes, I have you signed up to teach marriage communication classes. Am working on fee and lesson plan.
Much love, auntjanet
Yeah, Janet, we don’t often get more options than burgers and fries. Brisket sounds awesome. Tim’s services could be used in every Nebraska town we’ve hit. I hope your and Mike’s house hunting goes well.