A day of not what I expected. I was expecting to head west fairly early, but woke up to wind, rain, and lightning. I was expecting to get a short tour of the Rainwater Basin WMD this morning. By the time the weather eased and I headed out, it was already mid-morning. The dirt road from the pavement to the Rainwater offices was damp and soft. The three miles on that road was the scariest ride I’ve had on my bike yet and I didn’t even meet Brice (and his twin brother Brad) until about 11:00. I got a pretty thorough tour of the Basin and by the time I got back on the bike to head out it was almost three o’clock. And I still didn’t have a plan. The good news is that the weather was great and the road was dry. I got as far as Broken Bow and when I saw the Arrow Hotel and the City Café I decided I’d gone far enough. A good place to sleep with good food in one spot – I’m good. And now there are thunderstorm warnings and watches, so the unexpected/unplanned might be the good answer.
My experience on the squishy dirt road also gave me a different perspective on the Sand Hills. The Sand Hills are exactly that – hills of sand covered with native prairie. My bike is a dual sport bike, but my tires are not suitable for much but hard-packed roads. Sand would be trouble even if it was dry and there’s rain in the forecast. That’s not the kind of adventure I want to jump into. As my Uncle Jack used to say “Discretion being the better part of valor…” I‘m going to have to be selective. I’m going to aim for Valentine NWR. My sources tell me most of the other sites I was considering would require pretty good treks down unpaved or barely paved roads. Valentine should have at least one good road to get me off the highway and into the prairie.
The road to Rainwater Basin WMD (on the way out!)
Heading out into the open space of the Sand Hills
In front of the Arrow Hotel in Broken Bow, NE
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