3rd day complete

I was awake at 5:30 AM. Due to an overnight storm, the garage was a great place to sleep. The floor was hard, so I got into the chair and slept awhile. I decided to start packing and let Jordan rest longer. At about 7:00, Jordan woke, and we quickly ate and got on the road. It was 7:45 AM when we left Monty's garage.

The temperature was 48 degrees, and we had a slight head-on breeze. We stopped just outside Ovid, Colorado, to take a break and remove some clothing. It was getting warm.

Marker just East of Ovid, Colorado

Marker just East of Ovid, Colorado

Photographing the incredible scenery outside Ovid, Colorado

We were making good time (15.1 MPH average) from Crook, Colorado, until we hit Big Springs, Nebraska. We found a grocery store in Big Springs and decided to stop and stock up.  Resting in the shade took about 30 minutes as the sun was already intense.  I was feeling worn, and Jordan was still doing OK but was feeling the challenging rides.  Then the wind really picked up.  It was at least 15 MPH, and the hills out of Big Springs were challenging.

For the first two miles out of Big Springs, we averaged 6.9 MPH.  We walked quite a bit on those long hills.  When we reached the Lincoln Highway, the temperature was over 85 degrees, and we knew we were in for a hot day. 

One State is complete!

We could make it to Ogallala, Nebraska, at approximately 2:30 PM, a distance of 62.1 miles. However, we could not find a bike shop, as we had concluded that Jordan could not pull the trailer with the smaller tires and the sheer trailer weight. We were searching for panniers to decrease the weight I had been pulling. We had contemplated whether we should continue or stay. We decided to go to Pizza Hut, fuel, and try to make a few more miles. 

We took the phone charger to Pizza Hut, and Jordan plugged his phone in to charge. He started to text, and the phone went goofy. We were both short-tempered, and he let a few prime anger words go about how Apple has lost quality control and was quite upset. We later found the outlet was the issue, and his phone was fine. One more issue averted.

3:40 PM, we left Ogallala, Nebraska, heading east on the Lincoln Highway.  The wind was pretty tough; it was closer to 20 mph from the northeast.  It was not directly in our faces, but it was challenging.  As I was pulling the trailer, Jordan would allow me to draft.  The heat increased to 95 degrees, and I was totally spent!  We stopped outside Paxton, Nebraska, where I found some shade to pass out. 

95 degrees, and Londell was totally spent!

We found a motel while I rested and found a place in Cumberland, Nebraska, about 9 miles away (Park Inn). We called and told them we could be there by 7:00 PM, and they had a room. We pushed for the next 9 miles to end the day with 93.3 miles. We were thrilled riding into town to see they had a grocery store to restock, so we rushed to check in to the hotel.

Unfortunately, we returned to find the grocery store closed at 7:00 PM. We were lucky to see the Snow White Malt and Burger shop open until 8:00 PM. We quickly ate and then went back to the hotel. We stopped to get ice, and they did not have a bathtub, but we iced as much as possible. One great thing was that the hotel had two rooms, so the snoring would bother Jordan much less!

Iced everything we could!

The day's mileage was 93.3 miles, and we are 40 miles ahead of schedule. However, if the forecast is correct—heavy winds and possible rain — we may lose that in the next three days.

The good thing is that after the 82-mile day planned for Tuesday (since we are ahead, if the wind is terrible, we may stop at 50 miles), there will be 64 miles, 68 miles, and 73 miles, followed by two 45-mile days. So, we may be able to stay on schedule, but we are both sore after an average of 96 miles for the last three days.

SUMMARY OF DAY 3:  A total of 93.3 miles and 12.9 MPH (riding time only) and a total on-bike time of 7 hours and 10 minutes.  It was just over 10 hours for the day, with a temperature range of 48 F at the start to almost 95 F at the peak.  Total ascent (according to the Garmin Connect) was 381 feet with a decent of 1,099 feet.  We had a net 615-foot decrease in elevation, going from 3,960 feet to 3,345 feet overall.

Our 10 miles splits from MapMyRide (time includes breaks, and mph is only riding time) were:

  0-10 in 0:50:28 - 14.4 mph
10-20 in 0:36:50 - 16.3 mph
20-30 in 1:03:26 - 13.7 mph
30-40 in 0:49:16 - 13.5 mph
40-50 in 1:42:25 - 10.2 mph
50-60 in 1:22:02 - 11.3 mph
60-70 in 0:43:27 - 14.4 mph
70-80 in 1:08:19 - 12.6 mph
80-90 in 1:09:00 - 11.8 mph