Day Twenty: Arcadia, Nebraska to Albion, Nebraska

October 1, 2022

I fell asleep pretty quickly in my tent in the park. I woke up briefly three or four times when I heard fish jumping in the river, some sort of animal screeching, and the loud horn of one of the large trucks carrying grain.

Still, that was pretty good for someone who has such trouble sleeping on the ground.

But at precisely 12:00 AM, though, I was jolted awake by a loud noise. At first, in my half-awake state, I thought raccoons were trying to get into the food bag in the pannier on my bike. I called out "Get out of here!" a few times. But as I fully awakened, I realized that the water sprinklers had come on. Given the lush green grass in the park in this very dry region, I should have thought to ask someone about the sprinkler schedule.

I got up out of the tent with some difficulty - I had put the rain fly on backwards, as usual - and waited a half hour for the sprinklers to stop. Then sprinklers in another corner of the park started. I finally decided to move my tent to the area where the first sprinklers had completed. I was concerned that the tent was perhaps directly on top of, or adjacent to, one of the other sprinklers.

I was back in the tent by 1:00, and awake at 6:30. I got everything packed up and rode the short distance to the downtown.

The grocery store from yesterday was open.

I spent some time talking to the owner, a cheerful lady about my age. She made me a couple of egg-cheese sandwiches, which were good, but, oddly enough, made with muenster cheese, and on bagels instead of biscuits.

She told me that she and her husband had bought the grocery after retiring from their railroad and medical careers and then working at the famous Boys' Town for a while.

I ate one of the sandwiches and put the other one in my pocket for the road, then took a few photos of the downtown.

Back on highway 70, which was much emptier than yesterday afternoon.

It was so, so nice riding on this cool morning.

After about 20 miles I turned into North Loup, population 297.

I went into a "Trotter's Whoa and Go" convenience store. This is a small regional chain, apparently owned by a prominent local farm family named Trotter. Or so I was told by a somebody a couple of days ago.

I purchased a Diet Pepsi, peanut butter Grandma's cookies, sat down in a booth, and indulged my habit of people-watching.

The manager at the store was a red-bearded, harried-seeming guy who complained to his assistant about various things, including the malfunctioning soda machine, and especially an annoying female customer who frequently came to the store to complain about things.

His mood visibly improved when his pink-haired, pajama-bottom-wearing lady came in, though. I lost track of the times they exchanged "I love you! I love you too!" before she finally left.

A pleasant woman about my mom's age walked up and asked about my trip, and I talked to her for a while.

After that a precocious little boy approached and asked if that was my bike outside. I had observed him ride up to the store on his own bike.

When I told I'd been traveling on my bike for about three weeks, his response was "That sounds painful!"

Ha.

Back on the road. I stopped in Scotia, population 318. I will always remember Scotia for having the most laughably unappealing town logo: "Home of the Chalk Mine."

This struck me as perhaps excessively funny. I've been on the road awhile.

It was hot and windy now. I was tired of riding, but I had miles to go before my destination, Albion.

I stopped at church in the middle of nowhere and sat in the shade by the front door.

I ate the last of the frosted strawberry Pop Tarts I'd purchased yesterday at the grocery in Arcadia. These things do not travel well on the bike, and inevitably crumble.

I was on Highway 56. It was incredibly empty. Virtually no traffic. I had a semi-headwind, which was aggravating.

I needed to get out of the sun, so I pulled into a gravel driveway that led to an abandoned house, and stood in the shade of a grain silo.

The house was creepy. I peered inside, but didn't have the nerve to actually enter.

Back on the empty road. The only vehicle I saw was a large tractor going not much faster than me.

I was completely out of water now. I made it to Cedar Rapids, population 582, and stopped in a supermarket run by a nice older couple.

After multiple sports drinks, I felt better.

More miles of the wind in my face, and I turned north for several awesome tailwind miles to Albion.

Dinner was frozen macaroni and cheese from a nearby Dollar General, heated up in the microwave, and then I went to bed at my usual early hour.

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Today's ride: 80 miles (129 km)
Total: 1,359 miles (2,187 km)

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