It did rain overnight … and rain, but no hail, thank goodness! The temperatures were cool (about 53) and skies partly cloudy when we got up, but the guys were ready to roll by 7:15. We drove from the campground which is north of town to the trailhead in town. On the way out of the campground there was a flock of wild turkeys. 
In town, they unloaded the bikes and were on their way as the sun was coming up.
As they were leaving Valentine, they got a good shot of the Cowboy Trail map on our way to the first big trestle.
We took a picture of the trestle from Highway 20. Tobey and Phil are little tiny dots on the left hand side of the bridge!
These are their views from the trestle over the Niobrara River. The old train trestle is a quarter of a mile long and towers 150 feet above the river. 
They even got a shot of us on the highway looking up at them as I was talking to Tobey on the phone!
After taking pictures, Marcia and I drove the old Historic Bridge road hoping to drive over the Bryan Bridge. The bridge was built in 1932 and is connected in the center with a single pin. It is the only one of its kind in the United States. It is 289 feet long and has a 24-foot roadway. In 1988 the bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. We followed the road but we couldn’t find a turnoff to be able to cross the bridge. Instead, we were on a road that was behind the bridge in the picture below. Oh well, maybe next time.
From the trestle, they continued on to our stop at Arabia trailhead and the wind was at their back. 
We walked the trail for about a half mile while we waited for them to arrive. After a short break they were back on the trail. It crossed small roads in a few areas.
For the most part, the trail was good. We waited for them at Wood Lake another 10 miles down the road. Marcia and I walked all around the little town while we waited. Tobey and Phil seem to enjoy having a short break along with snacks as they ride.
When we got to Johnstown we stopped for lunch at the L-Bow Room Saloon.
The reviews online were all good, so we figured we needed to give it a try. The burgers and fries were good, and the owner, Ruth, was fun to talk with. It seems like half of her relatives live in Colorado – most in Fort Collins! 
After a rest break, the guys were ready to hit the road – until Phil discovered he had a flat tire. (his second so far!) One of the big deterrents on the Cowboy Trail are Texas sandburs. The website warns that they are unavoidable and cyclists should consider bringing several tire tubes for their ride! After Phil finished repairing his tube, the wheel remounted on his bike, they were ready to go. However, they rode on Highway 20 because they were told the next section of the trail was even worse with the sandburs!
Eleven more miles and the fellas rode into the Ainsworth’s East City Park where we are spending the night. The total miles for the day was 48.
We utilized the water and dump station and are paying $10 for the night and that includes electricity. There are two other campers here tonight, but it is very quiet.
The forecast for tomorrow is rain – 70% chance. They will be taking the highway to Long Pine and we are hoping the rain holds off in the morning because Marcia and I want to ride our bikes a little on the trail back to the Long Pine Creek trestle.
No comments:
Post a Comment