Mornings are cool in the summertime, before the sun comes up (6:30) in Nebraska’s Irish Capital.We wanted to make the most of the morning on our long, straight, flat road, so we were out early.  The early morning light was magical and wonderful, old growth trees stood proudly in the fields.It was still wonderfully cool, but we knew with no clouds in the sky, it would heat up quickly.  We pedaled past acres and acres of hay and wondered where it all went.  Crossed the Elkhorn River at least a half dozen times in between farms and vibrantly green fields.  By ten, we had reached where we had planned to stop for lunch and surprisingly, the temps had not gotten unbearable (low 80’s), but it was too early for eat.  Climbed a couple unexpected hills in Neligh, then continued on to the next town just seven miles down the road, which turned out to be 15 miles; but there was a place to eat, so we were happy. Fifty five miles done by 11:30, it was time for a bite to eat.  Thoroughly stuffed, we rode out into the now mid 90° temps.  In the two hours it took to get to Johnny Carson’s hometown, the temperatures (in the sun) had reached 112°.

We had several hours to chill, before we had to ride our bikes to dinner, but it was worth it.  The “challenge burger” was three real beef patties, six slices of bacon, cheese, etc. etc. and if you finish it (as if) you get a slice of Snickers Pie (delicious).  Needless to say, perfect finish for an 80 mile day.