Day 14 - ending at Wilber, NE - Following the Ponca Trail

July 28, 2024

Day 14 - ending at Wilber, NE

Day 14 - Seward, NE to Wilber, NE

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Got up at 4:20am from this comfy motel room bed, with plans to get going. There was a chance for rain in the forecast. The weather radar show patches of rain to the west, but sometimes those dissipate. I had the bike and the gear outside the motel room when I figured out that the closest patch of rain was actually going to get here soon. So I moved everything back in the room, and went to the motel's breakfast area. Other motel guests were there, and I overheard one of them say, "Now it's really coming down!" I was starting to wonder if I should stay here one more day to let the rain clear. It was only 6:30am, so I had a few hours to decide before the 10:30am check-out time. Before I was done with breakfast this half hour rain was over.

Back in my room, I worked on the report for Day 12, while checking the weather radar from time to time. The rest of the rain to the west was dissipating, so I got packed to leave.

Today's destination is Wilber, Nebraska, where there's a campground run by the American Legion Post in town.

The motel owner filled my gallon jug for me, and I was on my way with best wishes and sunshine at 9:50am. I went back into town far enough to get to Gas 'n Snaks for Gatorade. Then south on NE-15 until Izaak Walton Road. Pleasant morning riding. Only missed one turn that had me going back up a hill I'd just coasted down. At 11:57am I arrived at Mount Pleasant Cemetery north of Milford. Prairie Flower, daughter of Chief Standing Bear, is buried here.

I was going to sit down under the shade of a tree in the cemetery for my noon break. My hand squished a mulberry as I started to sit down, so I changed my mind about sitting just in time. I'd logged 8.9 miles this morning.

I rode US-6 into Milford. At the other end of town I stopped at Casey's for a pint of chocolate milk before continuing south on a surprisingly (to me) hilly road. I'd noticed a country road bridge over the Big Blue River when I was planning this trip back home. It was located only a little ways off route, so at the time I thought it was worth going out of my way to see. It really wasn't all that different or special, but the ride on the dirt road to get there was fun.

I arrived on NE-33 at the west side of Crete at 4:29pm. Went east from there to NE-103, which would get me to Wilber going south. The highway was perfectly flat and there was a shoulder to ride. But I was pushing against a south wind all the way.

Finally arrived in Wilbur at 6:08pm. I soon noticed that this town has a Czech heritage. I rode around some taking pictures, and then decided where I would eat supper: Czech'erd Flag Bar. I was amazed at how inexpensive their food items are. A cheeseburger, potato rings, and two lemonades totaled $7.75. I didn't know what potato rings are, but they're like tater tots. I got to talk to the owners. This place is new to them. They had run the bowling alley/restaurant in town. That place was so successful that they got burned out from busyness. They're hoping this new venture doesn't get as busy. But they'll certainly be busy this coming weekend, during Czech Festival.

I left downtown at 7:14pm for the American Legion Campground at the south end of town. The campground was nearly full already with campers waiting for the weekend's festival. There was also a baseball tournament going on nearby, so maybe some of the trailers were for those attending that event. The campground was divided in half, with those having generators allowed on the north side, and those needing electrical boxes on the south. Of course, I wanted an electrical box. Some sites were empty but had tags for being reserved. I parked the bike near the tank they have in this park, and walked over to get a camping fee envelope. When I got back to the bike, two couples at the next site over said where I had parked was an already-paid-for site, and I was welcome to use it tonight for free. They were holding that site for relatives who would arrive tomorrow.

Before I set up, I drank the beer they offered me, and had conversations about my trip, and life in Nebraska. I sure felt welcomed.

Once again, I forgot to change locations from my default home location when I checked the weather forecast app on my phone, so I rigged up for rainy weather camping. Basically that adds tucking the edges of my ground cloth underneath the tent, and putting a plastic bag over my front basket to protect the electrical adapters connected to the accessories battery. Not a big deal, just extra work I didn't need to do.

In bed tonight at 10:00pm, thankful the day worked out so well.

Jeff

Spent: $5 [breakfast tip] + $5 (Gatorade) + $3.09 (chocolate milk) + $7.75 plus $3 (supper) = $23.84