Putting in the Miles (July 17, 2012)

As glamorous as this bike touring is, sometimes it is only about putting in the miles.  Sometimes, even though the scenery has changed from vast vistas of seemingly endless empty spaces to vast vistas of corn, soy beans and cattle, it is still mind-numbing.

Such is the case as we trudge across northern Nebraska.  It is hot ... it is tedious ... it is strangely beautiful.  But it is mind-numbing none-the-less.

Fortunately, there is a lot of road construction on this highway, which has provided us with a very smooth bike lane.  Fortunately, of late, the winds have been kind to us.  Fortunately the heat of the day does not occur until hours after we are off of the road.  Fortunately, Kim has the fortitude and persistence to find low cost, comfortable motels; ergo, I sit in a spacious air conditioned room, typing into the strong WiFi signal of a $40 a night motel ... very comfortable.

  
There is a whole lot of "nowhere" out here ... and seemingly the locals are proud of this fact.  Today's ride of 68 miles from Ainsworth to O'Neill, NE was long, but compared with rides in Wyoming, easy.  In this area, there are small towns every 10 miles or so, so there is always a short-distance goal to ride to.  Not so back in Wyoming.  We stopped in one small town, Stuart, for a short snack break.  It seemed as though the whole town was empty.  We sat in the shade of a beautiful church, but not much other than a barking dog seemed to be happening.  Don't know what people who live in these towns do, but whatever it is, they seem to do it elsewhere.

Two more days of riding to get us to Sioux City, IA.  We plan on taking a rest day in Sioux City on Friday, then head on to Sioux Center on Saturday to meet-up with the group on the "Pearl Snaps" bus (or what every they are calling themselves these days).  Pearl Snaps refers to the buttons on western shirts, which a number of the group wore several years ago.  First time I did RAGBRAI with this group, they called themselves "Slow Spokes".  Great group of friends ... I am smilingly looking forward to seeing them once again.

Heard from Mohammed and Muntasir ... they are a day ahead of us and plan on taking a rest day in Sioux City on Friday as well.  Don't know Frank and Roger's plans prior to RAGBRAI ... hope to see then in either Sioux City or Sioux Center.

Currently, life is a trudge ... but a good trudge.