Day 3 of our ride takes us from Crofton to Verdigre, 42 miles or 62 miles (via Santee) for those who want to. I opted for the 42. Verdigre is the smallest town so far with a population under 600. it’s also home of Kolach Days celebration. Okay, I had to look that up on their website: Kolaches, a favorite Czech and Slovak dessert originating from Eastern Europe, are baked pastries of yeast dough with delicious fruit filling. Some fillings include prune, poppy seed, apricot, cherry, & cottage cheese.
This was not my best day. I’m pretty sure I forgot my daily meds, got overheated, dehydrated and let my blood sugar drop too low. This was our hotest day, in the mid 90’s, and no shade trees to be found anywhere along the last part of the ride. When I got to town I ate some snacks, drank 48 ounces of water, parked my trike under the shade of a building and after an hour nap in the breeze, I awoke refreshed and ready to go.
Here we are loading our bags into the truck as we do each morning. The truck then hauls and unloads our bags at the next town’s camping area.
Cycle Works out of Lincoln, NE, was our official bike shop support and were always available for tire pumps, tubes, tune ups and repairs. Their staff were super friendly and always eager to help with anything.
Pretty view of the marshy areas along the Niobrara river today.
My view of the road from the reclined position on my recumbent trike. Rarely do we have such a nice shoulder to ride on, often we are out in the street.
Designated lunch spot outside of Niobrara. I was hot and tired, not hungry, but in retrospect should have eaten something other than a granola bar. Did grab some ice cold water though.
Just like 150 years ago, the bikes are attached to the hitch-in post.
Just as I was calling it a night and crawling in my tent (only 9:00, but I was ready), I noticed these beautiful clouds up above.