June 17. 2011

Today's report from my Ride

Started at 5:15 am and finished at 3:15 pm.

Covered 126 miles, don't know ave speed or max speed

Riding time - don't know for sure.

Feet of elevation climbed - don't know

Wind - out of the WNW. On the "Hurt/Help" Wind scale, today was a +1.0.

The "Hurt/Help" Wind Scale is my way of saying "this is how much the wind hurt/helped me over the course of the day". It can Hurt me up to a -5, or help me up to a +5.

About today:

I left very early today hoping to get to Harrison (50 miles west of Chadron) before the wind got really strong.  Didn't work.  I was cycling for 2 hours before my sag drivers caught up to me.  By then I could only go about 10 mph.  So, I had them drive me to Harrison and I biked back at about 30 mph!! 

passed a cool butte!

looking ahead to Crow Butte

       

buttes on north side of Crawford

my finger pointing to where the sender broke off

Well, on the way back, I crossed some of those carved out grooves at the edge of the roads to buzz people if they wonder out over them.  The second time I "bumped" over them, I lost my sender unit from my fork!!  I was going about 30-35 mph and heard a tiny "click".  Unfortunately it  broke off my fork.  Remember, this is one of the things for which I bought a new battery just yesterday!!  So, my sending unit, and it's new battery are laying in a ditch about 5 miles east of Harrison.  )-:)  Now my computer read zero as it could no longer receive information!  This was especially sad because about 8 miles west of Fort Robinson there is a hill that drops (going east) from 4600 ft of elevation to 3900 ft of elevation in about 4.5 miles!  WOW!  With a downhill like that and a 30 mph tailwind, I KNOW I topped 50 mph!  No way to prove it though.  Ah well.  Here is a picture down into that valley looking east from a scenic overlook:

pictures NEVER do the scene justice!

Looking east into a valley that's 700 ft down to the floor. 

On the way through Fort Robinson,  I snapped these two pics.  Fort Rob is a SUPER cool place to visit!

Fort Robinson

Fort Robinson

About 3 miles west of Fort Rob

      Well, at this we drove back to Harrison, and then I started a 56 miles stretch on HWY 29 from Harrison to Mitchell (a sign in Harrison warned that there were no services for 56 miles).  This was some VERY open country!

click it bigger and look at highway on horizon over 20 miles away...

Lots of empty countryside!!

       

Just for you Char!  They were beautiful.

Into the Niobrara River valley and
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument 

The road that never ended!!

          

FINALLY, the Platte River valley on the horizon!!
Almost to Mitchell, NE.

Scotts Bluff National Monument

 
Thank-yous for today:



First, many thanks to my Biker Babes!  They are (from l. to r.), Donna Carlson, Diane Meier, Lorry Dinkelman and
      Connie Moeller, all from Grand Island.  They are my support team today and tomorrow. 
Thank you ladies, and COOL shirts!

Next thanks goes to my host family tonight, Lonnie and Janet Miller.  And not only for a place to stay but for treating all of us to Mexican food at Ole's restaurant!  That was very kind of you.  Janet and Elaine Steinbeck's (in GI) are sisters.   

Lonnie and Janet Miller

Sonnys Bike Shop

And finally, a HUGE thanks goes to J.R. Brester of Sonnys Bike Shop!  He took in my bike very late this afternoon and put on a new computer as well as cleaned/lubed my chain and adjusted things so my shifting would be more smooth.  (He only charged me for parts, no labor!)  Your generosity and kindness are deeply appreciated!!

J.R. Brester

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

    For us to recognize our own sin and be willing to forgive others – John 8:1-11

Quote of the Day: 
“Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle.” - Helen Keller

Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self—reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. - Susan B. Anthony

When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day's sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay's call, ice melting and so on. This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead. I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity. But I am mentally far away from civilization. The world is breaking someone else's heart. - Diane Ackerman

Closing thoughts for the day: 

I'm tired and need to go to bed!  That's all the thoughts I have at the moment...
Forecast for the next day:

Pleasant temps, WSW and SW wind.  So, it will hurt me more than help me.  We'll see how strong it actually ends up being. 

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 18 - Gering to Melbeta to McGrew to Bridgeport to Harrisburg to Kimball