Friday, June 7, 1996
Day 27
Burke, South Dakota to Niobrara, Nebraska
Today's Miles: 84
Cumulative Miles for the Tour: 1779
Degree of Difficulty: Easy to Medium
Terrain: Prairie Land to Slightly Rolling Hills
Find of the Day: Marshlands outside Niobrara, Nebraska
"Arguing with a woman is kinda like wrestling with a pig in the mud...after a while, you sorta get the feeling she's enjoying it." Yep, we're in Nebraska and the humor isn't exactly PC.
The roads out of Burke were in as bad a condition as they were coming in. About 5 miles up the road, we must have ridden into a new county, because things smoothed out for a while. The wind was still playing havoc, but at least it was blowing in the direction we were headed...southeast to the Nebraska border.
Big Dave Blair... taking care of business
We stopped for a quick lunch in Burke. The cafe looked new from the outside, but as we sat waiting for our orders, the place filled up with the locals. The walls were decorated with the work of a local artist who used, used tools as a canvas. Ken bought a skill saw blade that was painted with a barnyard scene.
The ride, itself, was uneventful. The sky cleared the farther we got into Nebraska, the wind a steady cross push from the northwest. The find of the day came within 10 miles of the Niobrara State Park in Nebraska.After days of dry plains land, we came upon a stretch of marshland that was filled to capacity with different kinds of birds. Mallards honked overhead. Red winged blackbirds were flitting from post to post. It was a nice greeting for our entrance into the state park.Saturday is a rest day. I'll spend the day doing laundry and looking over the bike to make sure everything is ready for Iowa next week. I've decided to bike up to Maine once we reach DC. The next week will be spent getting rid of all the stuff I haven't used since leaving Seattle a month ago. I left Massachusetts 20 years ago with a pack on my back and that looks like the way I'll return.
Bike America Tours
dblair@wtp.net
1-800-738-7271