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.

Today is a planned short ride (or “day off” by someone’s standards), so we splurged for a real hotel and slept in.  Even with a glorious late morning start,  the overcast had kept the temperatures cool yet humid; unfamiliar from the past four weeks.  Rain was not in the forecast, but the sky told a different story.  For miles we watched the rain and lighting off our shoulder and enjoyed the overcast and flat road, but not the wind in our face.  Just short of our halfway mark for the day, we rolled into Stanton and consulted Bob on our route from here.  He confirmed our suspicions; we were headed for a gravel road.  Bob offered to put our bikes in his horse trailer parked across the street and take us wherever we wanted to go, but we declined.  As much as we had really liked the flat route we had chosen the night before, the looks of the long stretch of gravel was not appealing.  So we climbed up and out of the pretty Elkhorn Valley and back to the hilly route we had tried so hard to avoid.   The hills gave us a good workoutpassed plenty of healthy corps; we were definitely in Huskers country (corn is ten feet tall).  The new route was filled with trucks and pretty golden butterflies; a very interesting contrast.  Happy to be off the busy road and checked in by two.

We had to bike into town for dinner, but after only 38 miles for the day, we still had legs left.  We say goodnight with two sayings we saw this afternoon, make sure to read below the beer logo.

 We are doing our best!

Thunder clapped as we left our room for breakfast at the truck stop across the parking lot.  It had been raining and rumbling since the wee hours of the morning and we kept waiting for it to give up.  The thunder stopped, but the rain did not; headed out into the rain, anyway and immediately had a one mile climb.  The rain sputtered to a stop after about an hour, but the hills were one after another after another.  Despite the non-stop roller coaster on a shoulder-less road, it was a beautiful day to ride.  Birds were singing and the crickets chirping in the overcast, low sixty degree temperatures.  The rolling hills on either side of the road were more enjoyable than the rolling road in front of us.  The fly-downs were fun, but each and every time we would have an excruciatingly slow climb to the top of the next hill.  At mile 37, we finally found a place to rest our tired legs and get a bite to eat.  We would have liked to stay a while, but the fireplace was not going and they had the air-conditioning down to 65°.  The girls in the restaurant promised it was a flat ride to the town we were staying, after we climbed the metal bridge over the Missouri River.  The bridge was narrow with no shoulder and it was all we could do to keep our bikes steady on the grated track, so no pictures of the river.  Our drop into Iowa was like a different planet from the lush crop filled hills just one mile behind us.  It was indeed flat, but the wind had kicked up to 15 mph and was blowing directly in our face.  We struggled to keep an 8 mph pace as we pushed past the pretty Lewis & Clark State Park.  Arriving too early to check-in, we collapsed in the lobby chairs and rested for an hour.

We keep thinking we are getting closer to civilization, until we start searching for a restaurant that serves real food, beer and wine.  Not there yet, but the fried pickles were good and one of us stocked up on energy for tomorrow.While I held out for a peanut butter and chocolate Blizzard; if you can’t have wine have ice cream (preferably both)!!

We checked out this morning to the same temperature and wind as we checked in with yesterday afternoon (70° wind in our face).  Legs were sore from the hill assault of yesterday, so today’s nine mile warm up on flat road was helpful.We crossed the Little Sioux River and several others that all looked identical.  Pretty farms emerged and then we began our climbing in the Loess Hills.These beautiful hills started off rolling then got a bit more aggressive.  Though not the 18% grades that we struggled with yesterday, they were much longer with the same effect on the legs.  It was another enjoyable morning to ride, however,as much a credit to the overcast, cool temperatures as it was to the landscape.  After 23 miles of up and down climbing, we reached the top of our last hill then had a wonderful one mile fly down to our mid-ride refreshment stop.  The last 17 miles we rode the Lincoln Highway, a straight, flat road paralleling a busy railroad  and flanking hills.  In passing a huge ethanol plant, we realized all the corn we’d seen was not going to market, but to the pump.

Our historic pre-war highway motel offered an unexpected and pleasant surprise.  Not only was the beautiful star of the 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life” born in Denison, the hotel had a room dedicated to Donna Reed.  Our other treat was the farmer’s truck across the street overflowing with fresh goodies; our choice, amazing cantaloupe!  And for dinner, a well deserved and much anticipated good glass of winea perfectly cooked steak dinner (unseen is beef barley soup, ham & bean soup and salad) finished with Pat’s surprise!  Fifty miles never felt so good.

The hazy sun was our eastward beacon, steaming the evening moisture off the fields. Since crossing the Missouri River three days ago, the humidity has been significantly higher and this morning was no exception; 70° felt warm with 94% humidity.   Tracks on one side and hills on the other, resumed from yesterday, but today we enjoyed a newly paved shoulder, we did not have to share with a rumble strip.  Up to this point, Iowa has the worst roads, but the traffic, especially tractor trailers, have been very respectful of our limited space.

We had a flat road for the first twelve wonderful miles.  As we approached the crest of our first hill, the wind met our shoulder and carried us over.  The forecast had been for a southeast blow, but instead it was southwest.  Not knowing if or when it might change, we flew up and down the easy (relative to the last few days) rolling hills.  This wind direction also brought clouds, shielding the sun and creating a foggy look on the horizon; we felt like a ghost ship riding the road.  We made the best of the cool temps, slight tail wind and the few things along the way that made us laugh (maybe we are a bit crazy)!

A southerly turn in our course quickly slowed our pace as the wind made us notice.  We also lost our nice shoulder and the place we thought we were stopping for refreshments and rest, did not exist.  With nowhere to really stop, we pulled out a couple snacks and forged on.  After a few miles the road thankfully, resumed it’s east direction; our tired legs needed the wind.  The day remained so overcast, this barnreally stood out.  By noon we reached our destination, but we were so hungry and tired, we biked right past the hotel to find food; great solution.  In four and a half hours of biking, we had taken only a total of 15 minutes of rest, so we stayed a bit.  By the time we left to backtrack to our hotel the day was still cool (80°) and the wind had picked up, but it was time to stop for the day.

According to the map, we would have to bike in town for dinner, but a casino across the street had opened just three weeks ago (not yet on Google radar).  There were a lot of kinks they still needed to work out, but the Mac ‘n Cheese was ridiculous…..at least a pound of cheese (and bacon and ham) in this plate.  Just what the doctor ordered after 57 miles.

The ghost ships sailed under cover of morn’ to pillage and plunder all that lay in their wake.

Not exactly, but it’s what it felt like when we left this morning in humidity so thick you could see it (much less, slice it).  It also felt like we were sailing on the flat road with a good wind at our back.

 Stopped at an extensive monument to America’s First Coast to Coast Highway,that we had been on and off of for days.  The history lesson was interesting, but we were ready to be off the noisy highway with traffic flying by; this was rectified by a turn on to a country road.  The engine noise was replaced with quiet, the scenery improvedand we still saw a bit of history.  The Hickory Grove School was built in 1889 and continued in service until 1956.

We pedaled through Hometown(s) USA.  It was like going back in time ,when children played on swings and got wagon rides.  We were enjoying this wind assisted, flat road when the pavement seemed to drop away.  Quickly, we remembered seeing this dip to the Des Moines Riveron the map.  The two mile drop and one mile climb was a nice change of pace and scenery, just so long as it did not continue.  We pedaled passed this rock in the middle of a field and into Mamie Eisenhower’s birthplace of Boone, another darling town.

 By noon, we reached the edge of our stop for the night.  Flat road and wind at our back, it is one of those days we would have loved to have gone further, but the weekend Always poses problems for finding a place to stay and this weekend was no exception.  Stopped for lunch, then pedaled past the beautiul campus of Iowa State University to our hotel.  Not only did our stay for the night offer guest laundry, but barely 15 steps away was a Mexican restaurant; time to try our luck at a pitcher of margaritas.  So where is the challenge?  Night, night!

Ainsworth, Nebraska to Ames, Iowa

381 Miles