Homeward Bound IV

It will be strange to get on a plane tomorrow and not have to ask if the town 8 miles away has a gas station and a grain elevator. I also look forward to what happens to my legs once they get a few days rest. I imagine my mucles will freak out a bit. They already are actually, after my puny 13 miler today. Perhaps I can use this foundation for some race this fall. That's always the goal but a new school year and my desire to pick up the slack with parenting certainly competes for scheduling. I'll update a bit more after reality sets in. I've had loads of fun sharing these experiences with everyone through the internet and I hope you are looking forward to your next adventure as well.

Homeward Bound III

Turned out it had just reopened as I got there and I filled up on a lemonade and more water. Then it was only 3 to a road junction and only 9 more to Sterling. If I had spent the day counting up to 44 I would have never made it. But 7 here, a little 3 there, it's managable. I even did that on tired legs and little sleep after my sbower stall "nap". Once I heard that I had a ride offer to Denver, my feet felt more sore. My legs ached. I had planned on running 33 today to Brush, CO. I found out a flight change wasn't that expensive and decided to do a short run to finish off the trip. I ran 13 miles to Merino,CO, where I saw I had reached an elevation of 4000 feet on my way to Denver. I took that as another noteworthy accomplishment after coming from less than half that 600 miles earlier. I got lunch in a bar, a ride to Brush, and Jim, his wife Sarah and 2 of their 5 kids picked me up in their van. They treated me to Olive Garden in Denver, then dropped me off at a hotel near the airport

Homeward Bound II

Offering me a ride was a kind gesture and another example of the wonderful hospitality I'd been shown on this trip. I initially dismissed the idea as I was making good progress through Colorado already. But the miles were wearing on my body. Yesterday's 44 was a good lesson about my own capabilities. The first 15 miles of that day were terribly slow and difficult. I like towns to be about 7 miles apart. It makes for a good interval between aid stations of bars, gas stations, and dusty grocery stores. But 15 is a big chunk to bite off mentally. That would be a decent distance for anyone to run. What's interesting is that the 29 miles I ran after that 15 were comparably speaking, a piece of cake. That's because it wasn't really 29 miles. This distance running is all about mind tricks. After tbe 15 it was only 7 miles to the next rown with a cafe. Then it was only 8 more to the next town which had a bar but it might be closed because the owner likes to go to town in the afternoons.

Homeward Bound

The goal of this trip was always to cross Nebraska. I reached that goal two days ago. A secondary goal was to run the additional 241 miles of the American Discovery Trail from the NE border to Denver where the trail joins its own southern and western route. In the past 3 days I've run 75 miles of that. Not surprisingly, the miles were very similar to the stretches in Nebraska. I was impressed that I was able to pull off the 44 mile day on top of a 36 the day before. Last night I got an email from my friend Jim from Gallup in Omaha. He had been one of the 11 to meet me and run the first miles with me in Omaha. He also gave up a Sunday morning to drive 5 hours to run 17 miles with me on a long stretch near Grand Island. Today, he was planning to drive his family from Omaha to Denver. He wanted to know if I wanted a ride.

Fireworks in Ogallala w lightening

Nebraska Commercial

Group run in Omaha: $0.
Taco Tuesday at Husker Bar II: $0.
Sleeping Couches in Ashland, Grand Island, and Kearney: $0.
Sharing hot dogs with Glenn and family at Lake Mac: $0.
Pasta lunch with other Glenn in Ogallala: $0.
Awesome fireworks show:$0.
Many new friendships and an appreciation for an honest way of life: $0.
There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's incredible sponsorship. Thank you Ron at Round the Bend Steakhouse in Ashland and Tim at Ole's Big Game Steakhousein Paxton. My trek across your state was life-changing. Thanks for making it possible.

off the lake part 4

took me to my motel, then offered to buy me lunch. Sitting at Pizza Hut we each ordered a meat pasta marinara. He talked about his four sons, his 14 grand-kids and his 23 great-grand kids. He lives alone in Kansas now but you can quickly tell how much a part of his life his sons are. We talked about families, what causes their downfall, and various ways people succeed in life. 11 hours earlier I was laying on a sandy dirty shower stall floor when a sick (or drunk) camper came into a toilet stall to vomit. Fast forward to noon and I am fed, in town with a room and two new friends. Sometimes, enough is better than a feast. Happy Independence Day, when it's also okay to be dependent on others once in awhile.

off the lake part 3

easier but far more dangerous to hitch if you're female. But with that said, if in a recreation area, and there's a person with a backpack and they look like they talk with nouns AND verbs, they may be worthy of a ride. Keep your wits about you, yes. I think Kris did it right, she passed, turned around and before she opened her door, she asked what I was doing. If it doesn't add up, keep moving. Well, I was just starting to think Nebraska only had two good samaritans and I had already met both when a Buick pulled over. I'm often trying to determine if there is a breed of car that lends itself more to hitchhikers. There is not, unless you consider the state of the car or the space available, in which case, less is infinately better. I've crammed into an already full Pinto but I have yet to be taken in by a couple in a Winnebago. I leave conclusions to you. Inside the Buick was an older man, I would have guessed 72. I would have been wrong, 83. He drove me the full 20 miles into town..

off the lake part 2

to open a new restaurant which will include home-grown fresh vegetables. She drove me past her destination and left me much better than when found. Five miles of road walking put me just past Ash Hollow State Park. If I wasn't so concerned about going the remaining 30 miles to town I would have stopped in. A nice local drove me 5 miles further. At that point I could no longer see the lake, only expansive wheat fields on rolling hills. The visibility must have been 12 miles in all directions, at least.
I was still 20+ miles from Ogallala. I had been walking and standing for 4 hours after the short nit. Being able to see 12 miles ahead and knowing you still have 20 to go makes you try harder at thumbing than walking. I pulled out a $5 bilL. Holding my thumb out and pinching the bill in my fingers, I hoped drivers would see I had money and just needed a ride. Perhaps now is a good time to restate my position on hitching. I wouldn't recommend it. Kids should forget it. It's probably

Off the Lake

And now, for the exciting conclusion to the night at Haunted Lake! Okay, so maybe it wasn't really haunted. After my 3 hour cat nap on a shower curtain in the campground bathhouse, I readied my gear and headed out under dark skies at 6 am. The lake is 60 miles around and my route doesn't quite circle it but almost. Since I was going off route to Ogallala for fireworks today, and the lack of sleep, I walked the road and looked for rides. They were few and far between today. However, one of my new favorite qoutes is, "Enough is as good as a feast." After an hour of walking (and finding a current Iowa plate and a life jacket, a Suziki car pulled over after having turned around for me. It was a woman, Kris, and her dog. They were on their way for a run and decided I looked harmless enough. I was struggling this morning. Tired. Damp. Lots of miles and threat of rain. Kris was a good listener and just what I needed in that moment. What's really cool is that she's putting plans in place for a

used shower curtain as groundcloth and slept 3 hrs

good times

midnit update

11:30 PM, Lake Mccaughney campground. Borrowing an extra 8 feet of cord from a neighbor, I erected my 4 oz 5 x 8 nylon tarp using two picnic tables and two trees. Laying in my down bag on my Tyvek ground cloth, I was impressed. Then the mosquitos came. Trains are non stop. Then thunder and lightening. Tbesd trees have withstood 40+ years of storms, I'll be fine, I thought. Then the rain came. A little mist blowing in on the face. I can handle this. Then the faucet turned on and water began sheeting on the ground. Within a minute I could feel by back getting wet through the down bag. Weighing my options, I stuffed my bag, slung my pack and ran out into the rain, headed for the showerhouse. That's when I fell flat on my face. 80 yards later and soaked, I'm sitting on a two foot wide wooden shower bench under lights that won't turn off. It may be a long night.

Quote of the Day

I ran to lake McConaughy today. Met a farmer who taught me how to tell if a wheat field had been hailed on. There are small pockets in the wheat if so. Then I got a ride across the 3.5 mile dam with no shoulders and "festive" drivers. I think my ride may have been one of them. Finally, as I was running along the 22 mile lake, an SUV pulled over and a guy said, "Hey Hippie Dude."Yes, my barechested sloshy frat boy," I thought. "I could tell you were doing something crazy.. Can we give you something for your hat? Do you want to smoke a bowl with us? You should stay with us tonight. We'll feed you, do some drugs and party." "Thanks, I think I'll keep running." An hour later I had a decidedly different encounter with a family of four ouside their pop-up camper. All I had asked for was to store my pack near their camper while I went for a swim in the lake. That turned into me sitting in their lawn chair sipping a Pepsi, eating a delicious hot dog, and hearing all about his recent triathalon

Cozad, location of the 100th Meridian.. If you're into that kind of thing

A Family Vacation.. On a motorcycle? Look close for the pet crate.

I'm a sucker for horses.

Ole's Wall Art

Waves

I've had all kinds of greetings on this trip. Most from those in passing cars give a wave that can be classified into one of three categories. I call them the doorknob, the pancake, and the wait a minute. The doorknob comes from mostly older men whose hands might have done so much work in their life that the can't fully open them anymore. Doorknobbers lift a semi-opened fist and wave by gently turning their wrist. Pancakers come from an old college volleyball move. Lift your hand off the wheel and hold it out flat, palm down, fingers extended. Lastly, the wait a minute folks only lift one finger as if to indicate, hold on there a second. Oddly, very few people actually wave in the traditional sense. I try and respond with the same as they give but there's only a nanosecond to respond, so that keeps me engaged.

Bailing Hay

North Platte - 35 miles

A mentally tough day with long empty stretches to North Platte. Started off with 13 miles to Brady for a drink. Then 9 more to Maxwell for a late lunch. My ideal afternoon is an easy 9 miles but it was still 14 to the end in North Platte. Perks along the way were another tv interview on the road and meeting a transcon biker from Tucson. Google "crazy guy on a bike" to find his blog. He's 73 and the picture of health. I'm glad I made 35 miles today but I had to earn every inch of it. Luckily the wind picked up in the afternoon and a few clouds hovered over me for a welcome change. I'll post the link for the second tv interview on facebook like I did with the first one. Glad so many of you enjoyed that. Tomorrow evening at Ole's! If you're in the area, I'd love to see you there in Paxton. With the 4th coming up I had been thinking of being in Ogallala for the fireworks but it's looking like strong storms are predicted so I might just start my lap around Lake McConaughy.

meeting a transcon biker from Tucson