September 10, 2021 - Gordon to Cody, Nebraska

We had an early night which was a good thing. At 5:00 this morning, the trash truck was picking up barrel after barrel across the street from the park where we were staying! It was noisy! We went back to sleep, but we did hear the Willow Tree Festival folks setting up the tents for vendors before 6:30.

By 7:30, the guys were ready to go.

Not far out of town they spotted the historical marker for the Lone Willow tree which this festival is all about!

They rode on the trail for a while until it came to an abrupt halt! A gate indicating it was the end of the line. They were able to go through the gate, but had to walk their bikes up and down a culvert to get out to the highway.

The road started off with rolling hills – we are in the sandhills of Nebraska, after all.

Soon, those hills were quite steep and the wind was coming at them about 15mph. Tobey said they even had to pedal to go downhill!

We stopped in Merriman for an early lunch and rest stop. It’s a tiny town with not much to offer except for a small city park off the main road.

It was another 24 miles to Cody and they told us to go ahead and they would meet us there. We stopped 12 miles down the road because the wind was so strong and the hills steeper and the temperature was about 94. We thought they needed a break! We stopped at the top of the hill and they were happy to see us.

After a short break they continued on to Cody, Nebraska. They rode 55.1 miles and had 1326’ elevation gain and 1702’ loss. That is a lot of up and down!

We are staying by the city park in Cody tonight.

Marcia and I walked up to the top of the hill and were treated to a field of beautiful wildflowers and a lovely sunset.


Tomorrow – Valentine!

September 9, 2021 - Chadron to Gordon, NE

The wind started to blow last night and we kept hearing a thumping sound outside the RV so at 10:30 pm Tobey went out to see what was going on. One of our mud flaps had lost a screw and it was thumping against the RV. He took a tennis shoe out and wedged it against the flap to keep it quiet until morning when he could fix it. Because we were having breakfast with Phil’s friend, we were getting up at 6:30 so it was a short night. This happened to us when Tobey was doing his cross-country ride a couple years ago, so we fortunately had a couple extra screws and Tobey was able to fix it!

The guys rode from the RVs to Helen’s Pancake and Steak House where we had breakfast. It was fun meeting Doke, Phil’s friend, but our waitress must have taken a crabby pill. It’s a good thing the food was good – and Doke treated, so that was nice, too!

They were off and pedaling by 8:30 and Marcia and I headed down the road three miles to the Museum of the Fur Trade. They boast being the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to the fur trade era. It is located on the site of a trading post that was operated by the American Fur Company from 1837 to 1876. It was originally called the Bordeaux Trading Post.

The station was once attacked by Crow warriors and set on fire. Some friendly Sioux Indians came to the rescue and drove off the attacking Crow. This was the original trading post.

The building below was a storage building.

Inside the museum were great displays of furs and Indian artifacts, as well as a short video about the fur trade and the area.



We enjoyed the museum but soon headed out to meet the guys for their first break. They attempted riding on the Cowboy Trail but it isn’t is good condition close to Hay Springs and they got back onto the highway until this afternoon!

The Bridges to Buttes is a section of Highway 20 which is part of the Nebraska Byways highways. It has a wide shoulder and was much easier to ride on than the Cowboy Trail.

Marcia and I took a short detour into Hay Springs because there were two Heritage Centers listed in the western Nebraska travel guide. One was a storefront on the Main Street which was closed. The second was in the 1884 Methodist Church pictured below, but it was closed too.

From Hay Springs they guys wanted us to go 15 miles where we would stop for lunch. We waited at a wide pull off on the highway for them to arrive. This herd of cattle was going through an underpass on the road and they were not impressed with my cow impressions!

The guys arrived and we decided to continue another four miles into Rushville where we had lunch and a rest stop at the city park. After an hour rest break, the fellows were on their bikes and we stopped to check out the Sheridan County Historical Society. Guess what? It was closed, also! We walked around the buildings and peeked in the windows. So many of the things close on Labor Day for the season!

Just outside of Rushville, they were back on the Cowboy Trail and heading on their way to Gordon!

There were benches along the trail and you can see they are set on sections of rails.

From Rushville eastward, the trail got better, although they said there were sections that was still pretty loose gravel.

There were markers along the way showing the mileage.

Near Clinton there was also a bridge dedicated to a young man in the area who passed away.

And before we knew it, we were in Gordon parked next to the city park, waiting for their arrival. The trail went by the silos coming into town.

We checked in with the city clerk to make sure we were parked in the right place. She let us know they would be setting up for the Willow Tree Festival so there could be activity starting as early as 6:30 tomorrow morning! We won’t be here Saturday, but it sounds like it is a big event. It is named for a real willow tree that still lives on the banks of Antelope Creek near the Sheridan County Fair Grounds in Gordon. The Lone Willow was for many years a meeting place for all of the early residents of the area, including cowboys, settlers, fur traders, and Native Americans. They have a stage set up for live entertainment and activities.
We all took a short bike ride around town before dinner, then played a game of Skip-Bo, which Marcia won.

Today’s ride was 48.7 miles and temperatures were up in the 90s. Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter, so they are hoping to get started by 7:30 am, so goodnight!

September 8, 2021 - Harrison to Chadron, NE

The Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad reached this area in 1886. An unincorporated townsite named Bowen was platted and designated the county seat of Sioux County. On June 20, 1887, the name was changed from Bowen to Harrison and was incorporated on April 7, 1888. A school, county courthouse, and church were soon built, but until a well could be dug, water had to be hauled five miles by wagon from Sow Belly Canyon.

The Homestead Act of 1904 caused a rapid influx of settlers and Harrison grew to a peak population of 500 in 1940. After WWII, larger farms and ranches, mechanization and improved transportation actually led to a loss of population. In 2020 Harrison had a population of 215 residents. We enjoyed our stay in this friendly little community.

After overnighting in Harrison, the guys were up and on the road about 8 this morning.
 

We traveled along Highway 20 with its rolling hills. The road didn’t have much traffic which was nice for the guys.

Not far from Harrison is a historical marker indicating the entrance to Butte Country. There are numerous historical and geographical landmarks from the period of the Indian Wars. Many battles between the Sioux and Crow Indians, as well as pioneers, soldiers, and cattlemen, took place in this area.
They spotted some antelope as they were riding.

At one of the scenic overlooks we enjoyed the views.

We continued on to Fort Robinson where we would meet Tobey and Phil for their first rest stop after riding 24 miles. Before they arrived, we got our park permits then Marcia rode with me and we took the Smiley Canyon Drive. We have been to Fort Robinson several times, but it was the first time I have driven this road. We saw a herd of bison not far from the start.

The views of the buttes were great!

As we went along the drive, we stopped at a marker which talked about the Boy Scouts helping to replant the area after a fire which took place in 1989. Tobey and I, along with our son Tyler, helped with some of those plantings while Tyler was in Scouts between 1995-1999!
The Smiley Canyon Drive isn’t very long, but we enjoyed seeing it before heading back to the Fort Robinson Lodge to wait for the guys. After the guys arrived and had a short break they were off again! From Fort Robinson to Crawford they were on a trail.

It isn’t far, but they got to see wild turkeys on their ride. We saw some along the road but could not get a picture! Another 15 miles down the road we stopped for lunch and an hour rest break before their final 12 miles into Chadron. It’s amazing how motivated they looked as they set out on the last leg of today’s journey!
They even had on matching shirts today!

They arrived at the Walmart where we are staying tonight about 2:30 pm after riding 50 miles.

After dinner tonight we played a game of 3-13 and Phil was the big winner. Congratulations, Phil!! We are having breakfast out with a friend of Phil’s at 7:00 am before starting out again. It will be an early bedtime for all of us tonight!

September 7, 2021 - Fort Collins to Harrison, Nebraska

Today was Day Zero of Tobey’s bike ride across Nebraska. I will tell you how it came to get its name later …

As we were having breakfast before taking off, our “resident deer” and her two babies came to say goodbye and wish us safe travels. I hope they don’t eat all of the lilac bushes before we get back!

On the road, we met up with our friends, Phil and Marcia, in Cheyenne as we made our way north to start the guy’s journey on The Cowboy Trail across Nebraska.

The Cowboy Trail is a rails to trails route in northern Nebraska. It occupies an abandoned Chicago and Northern Railway corridor. Because it isn’t completed, they will be riding part of the trip along Highway 20.

We stopped for lunch in Torrington, Wyoming then took Road 47 north to Van Tassel. According to Google maps, it was supposed to be faster than going through Lusk, Wyoming. Google isn’t always right. We were cruising along when we saw a sign saying the pavement ends … and it did! This washboard gravel road became our “express” route to Van Tassel.

This sign seemed a bit unnecessary, but we heeded its warning.
 

Tobey cruised along between 10-15mph for over an hour!
Driving that slow did give us an opportunity to see several trains going by and this cool concrete block fence.

And sitting on the fence was one of the many hawks in the area.

Further down the road another one was perched on a power line.

We finally arrived at Van Tassel and were able to turn onto Highway 20 – paved!!! It was only a few miles down the road before we stopped and unloaded the bikes so the guys could begin their journey. Tobey is determined to ride from border to border since he said he was going to bicycle across Nebraska!

Marcia and I went ahead to Harrison to the city park which offers free camping spots (but there is a donation box which was utilized by both of us) for two RVs. Lucky for us, both were open! There are even hookups for electricity and water!

Shortly after parking the guys arrived having ridden 8.9 miles! When we talked to Tyler, he said this was Day Zero since less than 10 miles doesn’t really count!

We unloaded our bikes and the four of us rode through town and discovered they have a great museum. The docent took us through five of the buildings and told us all about the history of the area.

The displays were all so well done with most of the items donated by local families.

The post office building was moved from down the street to this location and now houses the historical post office, as well as a barber shop and general mercantile.

The school house was moved from twelve miles away to this location and is still used for events. The fourth and fifth graders will be having a history day at the school this Friday where their classes that day will be held.

What fun! The blue and white building was built in 1905 by the sheriff. It housed his family and the town’s switchboard when telephones came to the area. His wife and daughters were the operators.


In the last building were several more current displays including quilts from the 1930s.

We spent about 1-1/2 hours enjoying the Sioux County Historical Society museum. While we did leave a donation, the museum is FREE! What a great find.

Back to the RVs, we fixed dinner then played a rousing game of Sequence. Marcia and I beat the guys two games to one.

Tomorrow starts the “real” ride for the guys so we are off to bed.