Today was a much shorter route than the day before. At 57 miles, I believe this was the shortest day of the trip thus far. The shorter mileage made for a more enjoyable stop near the end of the route at Fort Robinson (a former U.S. Army fort turned State Park). However, Fort Robinson is in Nebraska and Lusk is in Wyoming, and there was only one way I planned on getting there. It felt a little awkward to be setting out for the day shortly before 8:00am; usually, 15-25 miles are already behind me at this point in the trip. This feeling soon faded and was replaced by some disappointment: eight miles of construction, a sign indicated. Both eastbound and westbound lanes were completely torn up, so it was a slow and bumpy ride for the next eight miles. Before riding through a short segment of one lane traffic, I had a pleasant conversation with a worker flagging traffic. I believe this was the third time I had chatted with a worker doing this job along the trip. Shortly after cautiously riding through the eight miles of construction, I was at the Wyoming/Nebraska border. Riding along US-20 in Nebraska was something I had been looking forward to. All the times I had driven through Nebraska on I-80 en route to Denver, I always thought I was surely missing other elements of this state. Lunch and a quick browse of the museum in Harrison, NE made for a good stop. The museum had many artifacts and historical pieces. One of which was a horsedrawn hearse that was made in Shelby, IA. I don't believe I had ever seen such a thing before in person. What was just as interesting to see was a wicker coffin beneath the horsedrawn hearse. Both of these interesting things in a small museum in Harrison: who knew? Fort Robinson was about another hour of riding across rolling hills that usually had cattle grazing. During this time, I concluded that cattle have the most unusual reactions to music. At one point this afternoon, I was listening to Joe Walsh, and I think we can all agree that his music is far from abrasive. Even his guitar sent some calves into a gallop away from the fence line. Most of the other cattle got into a standing position that resembled being defensive, fixed a gaze on the bicycle, and slowly tilted their heads as I rode by. Contrastingly, horses seemed to be entirely indifferent to me, the bicycle, and the music. Fort Robinson made for a good stop during the mid afternoon. Putting around the roads and checking out the exhibits in an air conditioned museum made for time well spent off the highway. The mammoth skeleton on display was fascinating, but the fossil of two mammoths intertwined at their tusks was an outstanding sight! According to the museum display, this is the only known fossil record of large extinct mammals locked in combat. I really had been missing other parts of Nebraska all those times driving along I-80. I pedaled three short miles down the road to Crawford and then to the city park. It was clear where I could pay to camp. However, the location of tent sites, potable water, and restrooms were all unclear. Instead, a motel room would suffice, and I think this was meant to be. After checking in, I wheeled the bike toward the motel room. I stopped and chatted with a woman about the trip. She asked if there was a purpose to the trip, and I shared that I was attempting to raise awareness and donations for pancreatic cancer research. She was surprised by this, and I was just as surprised when she shared that she had survived pancreatic cancer! This was the first person I had met that had a story to share about surviving pancreatic cancer, and I was really struck by all of this: if camping at the city park had happened instead of going to this motel, we would have likely never met. I also met her husband, and he also shared our surprise. Out of respect for their wishes, I'll refrain from naming these kind folks. The couple from the motel recommended Staab's Drive Inn for their chicken. Their recommendation along with Staab's being two blocks away made for an easy choice for dinner. While waiting for dinner, a man named Jason stuck up a conversation with me. I explained the trip, and the greater cause behind the trip. It turns out that Jason owns Staab's Drive Inn, and made a generous donation to the Lustgarten Foundation. Putting around Crawford seemed like a good way to let the great meal from Staab's settle. I picked up a few provisions for riding the next day, and headed to another local eatery that had been recommended to me by Gregg (in Casper): Dairy Sweet. Here was where I had the best tasting peanutbutter malt in my life! I would definitely be a regular here if I lived in Crawford! Today was such an enjoyable and eventful day for such a short route.
