Onwards & Downwards to Omaha!

By the wonders of science & technology, I've motoportaged to Pierre, SD. I'm gunna hit the reverse button on the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Headed South to the Big O!

Wonderful Whites of Wisconsin

A bird in the hand is worth two Mountain Lions at an awesome campsite...


Actually an old saying much like this is one must be heeded during a bicycle tour especially when services are few and far between like in this area of the world. You have to take what you can when you can. There are times though when you must be stupid and/or have a little faith. Sometimes you are rewarded. After a long day of riding on my first day on the Mickleson Trail I was coming close to Hill City where I had planned to find a campsite. On my map there were two Forest Service campgrounds that I needed to choose from. After about 6 hours of riding I arrived at the Oreville Site which was just off of the Trail. Perfect right? Well, I got into the campground and found out it was $19 a night. Sheesh! It looked like most of their customers were the RV types. (They should have a different rate for lowly tent campers!!!)
I decided to try my luck at the next site: Willow Creek. On the map it looked to be only 6 miles away but those 6 miles were off the trail to the East. No big deal. At least I'm farther North. So I started on the spur. It was a nice downhill and pretty quickly it turned into a LONG downhill and I started to get a little lump in my throat about having to climb back out the next morning. About 3 miles later I got down into the Willow Creek Valley. To the Left was a huge KOA campground, complete with restaurant, truckstop and strip club. OK maybe not but pretty close. A little farther down on the right was the Willow Creek HORSE CAMP. What the hell is a horse camp? Well a site is $66 a night with full facilities and trails for your horses.  Great!!!  F*CK!!

What to do? Well the entrance to Willow Creek is also the Trailhead for Black Elk Wilderness so I decided to do some backcountry camping. You can camp anywhere in the National Forest as long as you are 100 feet from any trail and you register. I registered, rode in and found a perfect spot next to Willow Creek which had a nice shower sized waterfall. I got my tent all set up and my sleeping stuff ready as the sun was quickly getting lower in the sky. I then decided to cool off and take a nice shower in the cool mountain fountain. On my way down to the falls about 20 feet from my tent there was a muddy patch. I looked down, curious as to what else has been wandering around here. I saw these:

Mountain Lion print about 6" in diameter

Smaller, possibly mountain lion cub prints

Very quickly a fear came over me and all kinds of what ifs. It didn't take long though and I was quickly rolling up my tent and bedroll! What the hell was I going to do? I wasn't going to be SPAM for some big cat and kittens and I wasn't going to pay $50 for a damn KOA. UGH! I got all packed up and went back to the horse camp, hoping that the "camp host" would allow me bed down there somewhere. Turns out the "host" was just a camper, Sid White and his wife and grandchildren from Wisconsin. They were the only ones out there and had their five horses with them. Sid was a delight. He had been around horses his whole life and was now retired, travelling the country with his grandkids and riding. This very welcoming man and his family welcomed me in as their guest. I'm sure they could see the desperation in my eyes. His grandkids were very curious about this grungy guy riding an overloaded bike. The camping area was pretty large so I allowed them their privacy and camped a ways off. The funny thing though is that all the area was open grazing for the horses.  I was right in the middle.


Willow Creek Horse Camp from Delan Lonowski on Vimeo.

They invited me for dinner that night. Their hospitality was just amazing. Don't know if I'd do the same, hope I would though. They were about the best folks you could meet.

Highlights from the Mickelson Trail, SD

When you come to the Black Hills be sure to bring your bicycle. No matter your skill level you won't find a better ride. The Mickelson Trail runs nearly the entirity of the Hills from North to South and because it is a retired Burlington Northern rail route it is fairly easy on the legs. It takes you through some of the most beautiful parts of the Black Hills and at a fair pace. All together from Edgemont to Deadwood it is 109 miles.  There are towns and rests evenly spaced throughout, and the scenery is awesome.

Mickleson Trailhead at Pringle, SD

Riding North on the Mickleson Trail near Pringle, South Dakota from Delan Lonowski on Vimeo.

First day on the George Mickleson Trail

Say Hi Bill from Delan Lonowski on Vimeo.

Riding with my uncle Bill near Hill City, South Dakota

Untitled from Delan Lonowski on Vimeo.

Tunnel B on the Mickleson Trail near the Mystic Trailhead. All together there are 4 of these tunnels along the trail.

View on the trail near Mystic Trailhead

Sunday afternoon jam session at the Moonshine Gulch Saloon, Rochford, SD. A great stop on the trail for lunch, beer and tunes.  Why yes, I did hear some banjo music in them thar hills! ha

Last Day in the Black Hills

Harney Peak from below. This picture was taken on my way down to Willow Creek Horse Camp, where I camped. I had to climb out the next morning. It was a tough, but wonderful, two mile climb!

On top of Harney Peak

Look out tower on top of Harney

Been tough getting here on the blog as of late. I'll try to get a few things up today. I've been hanging out with my Aunt Marj and Uncle Bill here in Rapid City and they have been taking real good care of me.  Actually I've been sleeping quite a bit. Feels good! Yesterday my aunt and I climbed to the top of Harney Peak, the tallest point in South Dakota. It was a great hike but wiped me out last night. My aunt kicked my butt on the climb!

I've been off the road now for only two days but it feels like for ever that I've been on the bike. I'm ready to get going again. It's really tempting to go on to the west. These Hills are intoxicating! The thought crossed my mind to go on to Wyoming and then down the Divide to Denver and take the train home, but money's running low as is time. It'll have to be another trip.  Next I will start out from Pierre, SD and find my way home to Omaha through all the Missouri River flooding. It' will be very interesting getting a perspective of the River all the way up the line. That is if I can get close enough.  It has been crazy seeing all that water bombard Omaha and folks like Hamburg, Iowans to the South have it even worse. It sounds as though the water is beginning to recede, but the damage will remain for quite some time. Amy's Stepdad, Jim, and his family are experiencing significant and long-lasting damage to their farm just North of Omaha. The River is literally flowing strong through their fields and the vast stands of forest on their land will likely be devastated.  Luckily they haven't lost their homes on the property.

It's gunna be tough going gettin' back home. I'll probably be going against the wind most of the way.  We'll see how it goes, I might roll into O-town crying :).  I'm going to get some other stuff up on here so stay tuned...

Sittin @ the top of Harney Peak, highest point in South Dakota!

Ev'rybody's Doin' the Turn Around!

In Hill City, SD. Goin to ride this 'last' day with my uncle Bill from Rapid. We're going North from here to Rochford, which is touted as a beautiful stretch of the Mickleson. Its all been beautiful so far. If you ever get a chance... I say 'last' because I drop down outta the 'wilderness' today and head for Rapid, my turn around. It's kinda sad in a way cause i feel Im just hitting a stride...

...both mentally & physically. It may leave me hungry to do this again, which is inevitable. On of the best experiences of my life. Now my mom, aunt, uncle & I are goin to spend a couple o days hangin', and hopefully some good blog updating. Next time I'm bringin a l'il computer! Bye for now.

Howdy folks, from the Mickleson Trail just north of Custer, SD! This is an old Burlington Northern route that traverses a good portion of the BHs, north to south. Beautiful scenery and a very relaxed ride. Ill camp up by Hill City tonight.

Campin tonight at Elk Mountain

Campin tonight at Elk Mountain near Wind Cave Nat'l Park. Hills are beautiful and, man, they're kickin my butt!

I Done Run for the Hills

The Hills are in sight!

First good view of the Hills coming North on US 385

And I'm In, can' quite believe it

Met up with Tim from NYC again in Hot Springs

More to Come...

Crossing into the Hinterlands. Oh wait that's where I just came from..

Two Night Appearance

Hey hey, whatdayaknow Dave from Seattle is still here in Chadron. Met up with him today at the Library. He's trying like mad to get his videos edited and posted on Youtube. For those who missed it in my post down below click here for his channel. There's some great stuff on there.

I thought I'd do a quick photo dump of Chadron stuff and maybe tell a quick story or two:

Riding through forest service land at the Pine Ridge Forest near Chadron...twas HOT.

Hiking through Chadron State Park

Chadron State Park

Chadron State Park

Chadron State Park One of the Best!

Had probably the best day I've ever had on a bicycle. Felt like I could ride all day & I pretty much did despite the heat. Left Gordon late this morn but had a nice ride to Hay Springs. BTW if ur ever in Rushville stop at the museum! Lots of history. From HS I went straight west over gravel. I have to admit it got a li'l freaky bein so far from water. An oasis appeared, Pine Ridge Nat'l Forest...

...with a little hunting I found a trailhead and dropped into the forest, with Bob in tow. for some trail riding. Rough stuff but exilerating. At this point it was 105F but I found another gear & I still had quite a bit of H2O. Just a great biking day & I hope it inspires yall to get on a bike or whatever gets you goin. Pix to come tomorrow. Thanks for watchin!

Medal of honor winner...

The BOB trailer wins the medal for outstanding service in the line of dooty today. And to think I almost left im behind!

Entering Pine Ridge country...pure bliss even @ 100F! Bout 10 miles south of Chadron on Table rd.

The Long Road

Heading to Gordon this morning, 5 am

Wow, I don't know where to begin. It has been a while since I've been in wired civilization and so much has happened that I fear I won't be able to recap with good enthusiasm, especially since my enthusiasm is waning overall [read: IT'S DAMN HOT OUT HERE]. It was 71F when I left this morning and 103F when I arrived in Gordon at 12:30. The heat and a nagging knee problem is making me worry about the longevity of this trip. Glad I'm in a motel tonight!

I think for the most part I'll highlight and share pictures.

I got to see something this morning on my ride that was I really couldn't believe was happening. About a quartermile at most, from the highway, along the side of a sandhill bluff, I noticed two objects darting up and down the hill. I then realized this was a life or death chase and the only thing that had the kind of size & agility I witnessed would be a mountain lion and what appeared to be a smaller deer or antelope. The frightening part was the speed and the agility. Put it this way; those hills are steep and there was no decernable change in velocity between going up the hill and down. I have witnessed deer in flight mode but this was insane speed, up and down the hills, then over in a brief puff of dust, dissappearing into the grass below. There is no way I could outrun such a creature even going downhill on the bike. I'm glad it was off in the distance!


Tim on the Left and Dave on the right as we leave for Gordon (I didn't make it)
Sorry forgot to get pics of their mugs :(

I spent the last two days in Cody, Ne. The first day I was there I met Dave from Seattle showed up and turns out he was staying there as well. About two hours later Tim from New York City showed up and we had a little crew going on. We proceeded to hang for the rest of the evening having dinner and a few beers at the Husker Hub, a fine eating establishment in Cody. Dave is an avid youtuber and be sure to check out his channel. He even does a little interview with Tim & I. Dave is retired from the military and is out riding his bike around the country. He's currently in his 11th month, with around 8000 miles and is currently making his way back home. Our other traveller was Tim. Tim is a film archivist in NYC and was allowed to have a generous amount of time away for a this bike tour. He's currently headed for the west coast. I felt for him a bit cause he's vegan and travelling though cattle country. Needless to say his meals were much abbreviated. Wish he could've gone to Pepe's in Lincoln!! Shoulda seen if you'd deliver Pepe!! I did depart with them the next day but about 10 miles into the journey I discovered I left my cell phone on the charge post back in Cody! BUMMER! Because of a strong headwind, that meant for me another night's stay in good ol' Cody and a farewell to my new friends. That turned out good though because in the afternoon about 8 cycletourists showed up to have lunch at the Hub. We visited for quite a while. They had seen Dave and Tim so they knew all about my story. They were all from Iowa and doing a little extra touring heading up to Ragrbrai in Iowa. They were crossing Nebraska and then Iowa. Lucky them they had a tail wind! The left and headed out for Valentine.

Entrance into McKelvie Forest

Dinner at Steer Creek - Prepped some Nopales (prickly pear) that I "harvested"

Come and get it!!! Fried up the nopales in olive oil and adobo seasoning. It was delicious.

Steer Creek Campground

Probably my favorite place to camp so far has been the Steer Creek campground at the Samuel McKelvie National Forest just northwest of Merritt Reservoir. As you can see in the picture almost 80% of the forest's lands are not actually forested. It is mainly sandhill rangeland; beautiful and barron. The other 20% though is like an oasis of pine in the otherwise desertlike region. This is where Steer Creek is located. It is a very secluded spot, very peaceful. There is a nice bit of hiking around the campground through the forested hills.

From Heaven to Hell to Heaven...

 Backing up a few days here...Leaving Wood Lake, Ne, which is where I camped after Long Pine, I decided to take the roads less travelled to Merritt Reservoir. I headed west out on ranch roads. I had things mapped out pretty good and was looking at about 36 miles of backroads. The first road I hopped onto was the Ainsworth Canal service road. It was very rough but the scenery was just to die for. I sent that text to the blog saying it was training for Gravel Worlds which it was. I spent about 2 hours riding along the canal crossing cattle gates and windmills. About halfway through I had a decision to make. Continue on the Canal Road or take off on the ranch roads east. Turned out to be a bit of a torture session. All was fine for a while until one of the roads I found out from a confused-to-see-a-bicycle-out- here-rancher, was mostly gone and mostly deep sand. There began a hellish detour that ended with more like 55 miles for the day when I arrived at Merritt Reservoir. Temperatures were getting close to 100. By the Grace of God, hint hint, there was a Christian retreat going on at Merritt. I met up first with Tom and Deanna, both of Omaha, and I think they saw how terrible I looked and took pity on me! The nice folks along with the others there made me feel at home and fed me up nicely with bbq'd chicken and brisket with all the fixins. I'm truly grateful for that and it was really a life saver because I didn't have much energy left to set up camp and cook. All in all I didn't enjoy Merritt that much. Too many Speedboats and Winnibagos. I originally planned on staying two days there but decided to take the short trip over to Steer Creek the next day.

Wow! Just saw a mountain lion chase down a deer!

500 Miles! Just west of Gordon.

Niobrara River on the way to Cody.

Out in the boonies! Actually

Out in the boonies! Actually staying @ Steer Creek Camp, Mckelvie Nat'l Forest near Merritt Reservoir.

Training for Gravel Worlds along the Ainsworth Canal in Cherry County!

Ain't Pullin' Your Long Pine; It's AINSWORTH!!!

Long Pine Bridge on the Cowboy Trail over Pine Creek

Hi folks, live from Ainsworth Public Library. It's been a tough couple o' days. Pretty wet and forecast has more of the same tonight. Last night and this morning I've been struggling with being overwhelmed with my task at hand. I suppose it's normal, just tryin to stay off the MAD HIGHWAY!!! Outlook was better though when I passed over the Pine Creek bridge on the Cowboy Trail. Just awesome. Really lifted my waning spirits. It is beautiful country up here. I love it; the harshness, the solitude and the openness.
This morning I had a surreal moment riding by a large herd of Angus cattle. They were all mooing a very very unnerving tune and I stopped to listen - unnerving it was crazy, it literally sounded like a John Coltrane meditation. I then saw why. Two "Cattle Drive" Peterbuilts were billowing their stacks over the hill.

I hit 300 miles just outside of Ainsworth. Felt good.

Layin high & dry this evening in Long Pine, along Hwy 20. I've never been up this way before. Beautiful country. Longest day so far at 63 miles. Had a lot of help from a good tailwind. The landscape has changed. All of a sudden I'm riding in pine-laden canyonland. A welcomed change. Short day tomorrow ending up in Wood Lake.

Top o' the Evenin to Ya from Ireland!! (well as close as I can come in Nebraska)

First Bridge Out

Nothing better than jumpin in a river when it's 90F out!!

Starlight Drive In theatre in Neligh...On of the last remaining in the country.
They were showing Cars 2 or 5 or whatever.



2nd Bridge out



Hello all, first off wish you were here. kinda gets lonely out here. Had a great time in Norfolk. My parents met up with me and put me up in a motel for the night. It felt great. They saw me off Sunday morning at the Cowboy Trail trailhead. The trailhead really felt like a jumping off point. This is my first long trip on a bike and, well, you never know what's going to happen. really for the most part it seems much like going on a car trip except it take much longer to get there. It is the getting there that's important though. It's the things and the people that you experience along the way that make the trip. You really get to experience your surroundings which can be a blessing but is also a curse. An example is today: I stopped in Inman, a tiny little town just 8 miles from O'Neill. NOBODY stops in Inman but something told me to. On my way in I saw an old lady hanging about an old storefront. At first I just rode around town a bit but then I decided to go talk to her.  Turns out she owned the store and I asked her if she had any candy bars. She said "Yes, but they're 75 cents; th'were 50 for the longest time." I said "I'll take one, I need the fuel." She invited me in her store and we proceeded to chat for a good half an hour and I could tell she was just tickled to have someone new to chat with. Turns out she was married in Loup City in 1936. I mentioned my family was from there but she didn't know them. It was a neat experience and I'm finding that on this journey I really need to listen to that inner voice; like the one yesterday that told me to go jump in a river...OH IT FELT SO GOOD!!! Made the day.

Hey thanks for reading this y'all. One negative note...boo to the cowboy trail website. They said it's all open but it's not. I've got a muddy bike to prove it!! Followed hwy 275 most of the way to O'Neill

Ridem Cowboy! - Started the trail today

Ridin out a hellish storm here at a park in Neligh. Initial wind gust was about 60 mph! 'bout blew me & my tent away. Had a good day on the bike, swam in the Elkhorn & met a cool family from Canada. They're bike touring all around No. & Central America. You can check 'em out at www.pedalpoweredfamily.com They're ridin out the storm in Elgin tonight.

Alfalfa & Axle Grease -- Next stop Norfolk

Street running though Pilger

This road kill seems a little fishy, no?

Alfalfa field looking SE towards the Elkhorn...Just west of Pilger

I love the smells of the country and they always jar memories for me. I must say I've been truly blessed with no alergies to speak of. Riding though these small towns and gravel roads reminds me of the farm of Albert & Margrite Schwaderer, my grandparents. They lived just north of Loup City, Nebraska. Directly to the south was an alfalfa field that, in the summertime, infused the air around the farm with that sweet distinctive smell. To the north of their house was grandpa's machine shop. Grandpa's main occupation was as a road maintenance and excavating contractor. He moved dirt and did it very well by accounts I've heard. All I ever knew was that he was fun to be around, he had a great smile and next to the machine shop parked a beast of a machine called a road grader that was a veritable jungle gym. Many a visit was spent climbing on the yellow behemoth. The machine was intensely huge when you're 7 years old, with tires twice as tall as you.  It wreaked an equally sweet smell of diesel fuel and, you guessed it axle grease. Amazing what comes to mind riding your bike!
After a day of big hills and big wind I'm pooped. Only went 30 miles but it felt like much more. With gratitude I'm sitting in a motel room with a/c, clean clothes and company! My folks rendezvous'd with me here. It's good to see them. Tomorrow with heavy weather in the forecast I may stay here a day and chill before I begin the journey down the Cowboy Trail. I'm excited to check it out!

Technical Difficulties...this is from yesterday


 
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Elkhorn River from Wisner City Park

  

Currently residing in Paradise: Wisner City Park is beautiful, right on the Elkhorn River, stiff south breeze keepin the skeeters away, free camping & best of all pay showers! Rode 51 miles 2day, pretty much all gravel...the shower was almost orgasmic! If your ever up here be sure to stop at Wisner.

On the Road!

Big D leavin' the Big O

Elk City Courthouse



Winslow City Park Daybreak

 Live from Winslow! If you wanna come hang, I'm in the city park. Rode 45 miles; mix of gravel & pavement. Was crazy tryin' to leave today. I decided, last minute & with much angst, to bring the trailer. It adds about 20 lbs. but lets me spread my stuff out more. Well, got a few good pix today (will do a photo dump on Sat.). I was rushed, not leavin Omaha 'til 2pm. Next couple days will be chill.