Day 12 - ending at Seward, NE - Following the Ponca Trail

July 26, 2024

Day 12 - ending at Seward, NE

Day 12 - Columbus, NE to Seward, NE

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Woke up 4:55am. My destination for today is Seward, Nebraska - a longer day for me at 56 miles. I decided I needed to pack up and go. I'd also decided that I'd get a motel room this evening, then take the next day off to catch up on journaling at the motel.

Because I went off-route at the end of the day yesterday, I missed one of the spots where I think the Ponca Tribe camped, about one and a quarter miles north of here. So the first part of today would be going in the wrong direction to get a picture. This is by Shell Creek at the location I believe they crossed over the next day.

I left Loup Campground at 6:54am and arrived at Shell Creek at 7:11am using the paved road north. Turned around and was back on a trail next to the campground at 7:28am. I had Columbus to get through next on my way southeast. The bike path I was on is the Bob Lake Trail, later it was the Robert White Trail. This made getting into the north side of town easy. Though at one bicycle trail intersection I was quite confused and had to use Google Maps to show me the way to my chosen restaurant for breakfast: Stack-n-Steak.

They happened to seat me at the restaurant next to an outlet, so that worked out well for charging the phone. After breakfast I headed south on US-81. Picked up two bottles of Gatorade at the Ace Hardware as I passed. Crossed over railroad tracks, the Loup River, then the Platte River. I was south of town now, and turned off the highway onto 44 Road to get to D Road to the east. I had 12 miles ahead of me on D Road going south.

D Road is a gravel road with lots of gravel, which made bicycling difficult. But it certainly was flat. I listened to KKOT, 93.5 MHz Columbus as I made my slow way along.

I was almost to highway NE-64 when noon arrived: 19.8 miles. Two fellows in an ATV pulled up and we talked for a while. One guy asked, "Can't you bicycle on the highway?" I explained why I was on gravel roads. They wished me well. I continued south on D Road, though turning onto the paved highway I was at was awfully tempting. At 12:24pm I noticed an uphill ahead indicating I was leaving the Platte River Valley. At the top of the hill is a cemetery which provided a good view of the valley where I'd been. There was one tree in the cemetery, so I grabbed my water bottle and took a sit-down break, sitting in the shade enjoying the south breeze.

The gravel on the roads had improved, and I was making better progress. Rising City was ahead, maybe half a mile out of my way to the east, but I went through there to get to the gas station in town. I arrived at RC Pitstop at 2:25pm. I got new ice for my now empty thermos and two bottles of Gatorade to replace the ones I'd already drank. Then I had lunch at one of the tables in the store. Four men about my age sat at a table next to me. It was interesting listening to them on what they've been doing today. One fellow had been fighting a problem with a new farm field sprinkler system that could be controlled with an app on his phone. The problem sounded like it had to do with the power feed to the electric pump.

I left the gas station at 2:58pm, heading back west to get to Spur 12E going south. There'd been road construction here, and signs cautioned about loose gravel on this paved road, but it wasn't a problem for me. Much better than loose gravel on a gravel road.

At 4:02pm I passed through Surprise, Nebraska. I turned east there onto a gravel road. After a mile or so I decided I should be on a road farther south. There was a questionable looking dirt road that Google Maps indicated went through. I gave it a try. I don't think a car could get through, but it was no problem with the bicycle. Dirt roads tend to work better for me than gravel roads, and this one worked well. The bridge on this half-closed road is over the Big Blue River, the next river I'll be following for a while.

Ulysses was the next town I needed to get to, and I was there at 5:43pm. I left that town on the wrong road, but figured out a way to get to my next picture location without backtracking. There are more hills than I expected in this area, so I had to workout.

Staplehurst was next. There was quite an uphill to get into town, then an equal downhill through town. That put me by railroad tracks, which usually follow flat terrain. However, the roads I used didn't stay close to the railroad tracks, so I was back in the hills.

I was finally getting close to Seward. Just one more picture location for today, next to Lincoln Creek. There was another great dirt road to an old bridge that crossed the creek. The sun had nearly set, but there was enough light for some pictures. US-34 was close. I rode into Seward on that highway with my safety vest on and lights flashing.

There were a few opportunities for pictures on my way through town to my motel choice: East Hills Inns & Suites. I found the Jimmy John's drive-thru interesting. It looks like the ground floor of a two-story building is missing, and that's where the drive-thru is.

I arrived at the motel at 9:42pm, and was warmly welcomed by the owner. This is definitely one of the nicer motels I've stayed at - roomy and spotless. I had the bicycle in room 31 at 9:49pm. The rest of the evening chores would be get a shower and get to bed. I was done before midnight, barely (at 11:55pm). Now I just need to figure out which pillow I want to use.

Jeff

Spent: $13.91 plus $4 (breakfast) + $6.38 (Gatorade) + $16.03 (lunch) + $102.15 plus $5 (motel room) = $147.47