Minor issues and Day 8 complete!

  Last night, we arrived at the campground in Windham, Nebraska, and found it empty. That seems strange on a holiday weekend. We set up our tents and prepared to go to sleep. We quickly realized why this campground was so empty. It was immediately next to a railroad track, and a train ran at least every hour. 

The train was near an intersection, blowing its whistle four or five times every time it crossed the road. The rumbling was so intense that we could feel the ground shake throughout the night. Jordan thought my snoring shook the ground, but it was the train. 

We woke at approximately 6:00 AM, and the bugs were atrocious. We quickly packed up as soon as possible to get on the road before 7:00 AM.

Early Morning and Londell Packed up while Jordan had much-needed rest...

Lighted tent meant Yahtzee; Jordan finally won the series!

The planned ride today was approximately 60 miles but very hilly.  Of course, what goes up must come down.  We made good time because we could go up the hill at a relatively good pace (often walking), and downhill, we could reach 25-30 miles an hour regularly. In addition, WE HAD A SIDE WIND and not a headwind.  We managed a 13.5 mph average.

Londell on the road to Iowa

Londell walking up a small hill - The walk gave a needed break.

We did not push hard since we knew this was a shorter day. We took a few breaks to see the sights (well, there were a few). We stopped at a fuel station on the Indian reservation, where more liquor was sold than gas or water. Many who stopped looked at us as if we were freaks. 

A little sample of the scenery in Nebraska

Can he open his eyes?

Will my dad make it? 

We finally reached South Sioux City, Nebraska, at about 1:00 PM.  We went to the Knights Inn, where we reserved a room.  The person at the desk, quite unfriendly, told us the reservation was for last night, and we had already been charged, and they needed the room.  This was really upsetting, especially since I had asked the person several times about the reservation for Saturday night.  She had very poor English, and I was concerned about an error. This could be a blessing as the place was really a dump.  We rode approximately four additional miles, which put us in Iowa.

Happy to leave Nebraska!

We found a reasonable Holiday Inn in a much better location. It's been nice to continue onward and get another 20 or so miles in today, but there is only one place to stay closer than 60 miles from Sioux City. We also needed the rest. 

Jordan is actually keeping quite strong; only the butt and the hands are an issue.  However, I am very fatigued and need an easy day. Is it enough of a break to get me through the rest of the ride?  Over the past three days, I wanted to call for a ride several times. This is the most difficult challenge I ever recall attempting.  I have right hip pain and lost feeling in both little fingers.  The hands are so fatigued it is hard to shift the bike. 

We were both hungry and ate at Chili's and walked downtown. The place was a ghost town, with nothing open, few cars, and even fewer people. This is the eighth day in a row for riding, and we have completed 651.2 of the planned 910 miles. That is 81.4 miles a day.

Jordan did find a reason to like Sioux City, Iowa.

We had planned this trip to take as little as 10 days (94 miles a day) if all the conditions were excellent and could extend to 16 days (58 miles per day) for poor conditions.  The plan was to complete the trip in 13 days (71 miles a day), and we are one full day ahead of plan. 

The plan is for over 60 miles tomorrow, followed by three 70-mile days to end the ride. Wow, it would be nice to be done in 12 days...

SUMMARY OF DAY 8:  A total of 64.6 miles and 13.1 MPH (riding time only) and a total on-bike time of 4 hours and 54 minutes.  It was just 6 hours and 38 minutes for the day, with a temperature range of 53 F to almost 82 F.  Total ascent (according to Garmin Connect) was 1,301 feet, with a descent of 1,385 feet. SO IT WAS HILLY! We had a net elevation decrease of 329 feet, going from 1,174 feet to 845 feet overall.

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

0-10 in 0:50:24 - 13.3 mph
10-20 in 0:52:23 - 11.8 mph
20-30 in 1:03:25 - 12.7 mph
30-40 in 1:11:55 - 12.7 mph
40-50 in 0:45:04 - 16.4 mph
50-60 in 0:49:55 - 15.0 mph
Last 4.6 in 1:05:10 - 9.3 mph