7/19-New Distance Record Despite the Cracks!

I didn’t plan to set a new distance record today, but that is indeed what happened! I didn’t even leave the Jefco Inn all that early.

The Ritz of Gordon…the Jefco Inn

My plan was to go to Cody, and camp in the park. It was going to be 54 miles. For the first time in awhile, the wind was relatively favorable, kind of a cross wind, slightly coming from behind. 

That’s a long straight road!

Also, there was a fair amount of trending down. At first, out of Gordon (which had a lot more going on than I thought…they even had a Subway), it was a little climbing. Not enough to initiate the Climb Pro on the Garmin, but enough to bring my speed down significantly. But worse than the climbing was…the cracks! Oh my God! Every 10 to 15 feet…bump bump!

They are so annoying! And, of course, the road is smooth, but you can’t ride out there without taking your life in your hands.

I stopped at this historical marker. 

These must be some of the Sandhills

In 30 miles, I pulled into Merriman. There was supposed to be a market there. It was closed on Sundays. So much for snack break number 1. The next town was Cody, my destination for the day. For awhile, the road was great, no cracks.

Along the way, I saw this lake. It looked inviting.

Not too many people in Cody

Cody has a store run by students. It was closed too. Not a big deal as I am carrying food. But something cold to drink would have been nice. 

I pulled into the park. It was a nice shady park. Cost was $10. They had a shower. I’ve probably been in worse. There was a fly convention going on in the restroom. Not so great. There were also a lot of flies outside the restroom convention center (maybe there was a separate convention at the picnic table). It was just noon. After I drank a bunch of water, I started to think that sitting in the park the rest of the day (of course it was quite warm) was not going to be much fun. It was another 38 miles to Valentine (a few “towns” in between, but no services). I decided I would make myself some food, and drink a ton of water, then continue on to Valentine.

Tortillas with peanut butter, Nutella, and…caramel corn!

I think I drank about 1 1/2 liters of water. I refilled both my bottles, and even put more electrolytes in the orange one. I soaked my buffs and the sleeves of my yellow shirt. I convinced myself that this was a good idea because it would only be a little further than my previous distance record, it would all be on pavement, it was trending downhill all the way to Valentine. and I still had plenty of time. The downsides were that I would be crossing into the Central Time Zone, so losing an hour, and the cracks. Yes, they were back with a vengeance! 

Back on the road, it was really warm now. The wind was still fairly favorable. I was mostly managing about 10 or 11 mph. The cracks were still very annoying. 

38 to go!

It seemed the little no-services towns were about every 10 miles. I counted down the miles. 

I finally crossed into the Centeal Time Zone.

Two time zones down, one to go!

Eventually, it was just head down and pedal! Bump bump over the cracks. It never did get better the entire way to Valentine. Finally, I could see the town!

A bit bigger town!

My plan was the Super 8. Yes, this makes 4 nights in a row sleeping indoors. If this keeps up, I might forget how to set up my tent! At least the Super 8 is just $99 (more expensive than the Jefco, but way less than the Holiday Inn in Chadron). I got here at 5:30. I did 91.8 miles! The shower was THE BEST SHOWER EVER! I got laundry going, then went in search of sustenance. There was a Subway!

Check a Nebraska Subway off the list!

I’m also now in the land of Casey’s! I picked up snacks for tomorrow. 

The best convenience store!

I have 188 miles to Norfolk, and three days to get there (assuming I get a shipping notice soon for the tire). Tomorrow I will be back on the Cowboy Trail. Giddy up…again!