2023 GART

central daylight savings time.  no more waking up at 5:30. who knew there was such a thing as an 'irish capitol of nebraska'? this is the first town in along time that actually has houses on the main street. it's funny how certain things we take for granted can become special.  like sidewalks and streetscape. although corn and soybeans are beginning to make their presence known, they are still scattered among the hay fields, range land and cattle.  this northern strip is more cattle than crops, more ranch than farm. one of the unique things in nebraska is that almost every small town has a public park where they accommodate camping, rv's and tents.  the little town of tilden, population 1,000, has a place with room for 3-4 rv's and a bunch of tents.  and it has a toilet, with a shower!  and they even provide towels!  a woman comes by once or twice a ...

morning is the nicest time to do about anything.  wonderful to sit around, drinking tea, reading news, talking.  . it's also a nice time to just be quiet and enjoy. it's the best time to ride, too.  it's still cool, sun hasn't risen very high, winds are usually lighter, traffic often lighter. so this morning. i sit and talk with steve and cheryl as long as i dare, but by 8am it's time to delay no further. time to hit the road.  the directions are simple:  go to the corner, take a left and go straight until night. after leaving chadron, it's not long before i climb out of the valley up the pine ridge.  around 500 feet total climb, but fairly gradual.  3,941 feet altitude, the last high point.  it's all downhill to the mississippi from here.   and, finally, the first cornfields.  now this is the nebraska i thought i knew. actually, it's a tease.  this is cattle country, i see a total of 4 corn fields over ...