Sunday, August 5, 2007

July 30 - August 1: Lusk, WY to Gordon, NE



July 30 - Loading up ... we are getting pretty efficient at this.

The main part of Lusk. They also have a beautiful old Carnegie Library made of brick and stone.

This was in Van Tassel, the very last little Wyoming spot on the map with its own claim to fame.

We are so happy to be entering Nebraska ... ­Wyoming seemed like it went on forever!

This byway follows Highway 20 about halfway across the state.

Main Street Harrison where we stopped for lunch.

The old post office which is now part of their local museum.

There were plenty of sideroads that must lead to ranches somewhere out there but we didn't see many ranch houses.

Guess this is how you find people in this part of the country.

An intriguing roadside plant ... just don't know what it is.

The high point: hard to tell unless you look both ways on the road.

One of the scenic sandstone buttes along this section.

An old forest fire area. Doesn't look like trees will be back anytime soon.

Fort Robinson was a cavalry remount station for years. It has been quite well preserved and they are recreating some of the older structures that had been lost. It is now a state park with all kinds of activities for the whole family. They even have an indoor swimming pool.

These are the some of the stables. You can actually board your horse for $10 a night. It looks like a wonderful place to ride a horse if you are so inclined.

The Trailside Museum of Natural History centers around the Columbian mammoth which is quite a bit bigger than the wooly mammoth.

Donna is just in the picture for scale.

The painting in the background shows an epic battle to the death between the 2 mammoth bulls whose bones are in the foreground.

Setting up the tent at Fort Robinson's Soldier Creek campground. Doug just thought we should have a picture of the process since we've done it so many times. The sound for today is locusts. The sound is like a high tension power line on a really hot day only more intense. The locals say they will have their first frost 6 weeks from now.

July 31 - Had a great breakfast in the Fort's cafe. This is the last picture of Donna's yellow jersey. It didn't make it under the bungees before we took off and she didn't notice when it fell off the bike ... darn it anyway! A couple of miles later we found a checkbook on the shoulder of the road. It belonged to people in Chadron and that is where we were headed. They were very happy to get it back ... a jersey is a lot easier to replace!

The buttes named in the Byway sign.

Evidence of a National Forest in the vicinity.

That is the Nebraska National Forest in the distance. Lots of trees but not much altitude.

Museum of the Fur Trade. It was very interesting and gave us time to consider our options. It was very windy by now and hot. We decided to return the 4 miles to Chadron and stay there for the night.

One of the actual fur trading outposts.

August 1 - Donna reading another historical marker sign. It is a lot easier to pull over on the bike than it seems to be when driving. Any excuse for a break!

It is a calm morning so far.

It is our hill for the day as we climb out of the valley bottom and back up to the plains. Once on top the wind really came up, this time from the northeast. It was not nearly so warm as yesterday's southeast wind and eventually we got rained on just east of Rushville. It only lasted about 10-15 minutes but the wind died down so we really didn't mind it at all.

This whole herd had some major horns. They looked mean just standing still. We also saw a flock of wild turkeys today.

Not quite the classic Tour de France picture but it's close!

We could see this grain elevator a long time before we got to Gordon, our destination for the day.

Gordon's Main Street.

Museum of the Cowboy.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Donna and Doug - To my surprise you sent us an email from Valentine, Nebraska. My aunt and uncle just moved from there in May. He was the Episcopal priest for the area but they didn't like the weather among other concerns. They have relocated to Pendleton. I am also jealous of all the cool museums you have seen. They are favorite stops for Lynn and I (not so much the kids when they were young. Rita did pass away on Tuesday this past week but her funeral will not be until August 11th. We miss you both very much. Love, Nancy and Lynn

Anonymous said...

Took time to look at all your new pictures and looked at Mapquest to see exactly where Route 20 went through lovely Ohio. You will be riding through Bellevue which is where Becky lived for almost 15 years (now she lives in Mansfield, OH). Unfortunately you will be just north of Bucyrus, my birth place. If you get a chance, be sure to sample a bratwurst in my honor! Everyone I tell about your trip says "that's awesome!"
Love, Aline

Anonymous said...

Doug and Donna, I don't know you but I found your blog a few months ago and have been checking back to track your progress, what an amazing adventure you are having!