Day 68 - Guernsey to Glendo - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far

June 15, 2021

Day 68 - Guernsey to Glendo

The wrong side of the tracks

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Forecast for high temperature > 100 = early start, early finish. That plan worked out well today. We were on the road before 7:30 and in Glendo before 11:30.

It was a good ride today, even with more climbing than we've been doing. The highest grade we encountered was 6%, but we spent a lot of time going up 3-5% hills. It doesn't sound like a big climb, but on a loaded recumbent tandem, one feels the effort! We had wonderful scenery to keep us entertained while we worked.

Our motel was right on the North Platte River, so we started the day by climbing up out of the river valley into the bluffs.

One of the few level stretches of road in the first four miles.

We were in Guernsey yesterday, but missed going out to the sites mentioned here.

The first fifteen miles of our route were due west. We soon sighted the Rockies in the distance.

The only stop we had today was at a rest area where we turned north onto I-25. We took a long break and talked with several people.

Information about a Black homesteader community

One of the couples we spoke with was Carol and Nate. They have recently retired and are on the way from their former home in Colorado Springs to their new retirement home in Sand Point, Idaho. We really enjoyed talking with them.

Nate and Carol - best wishes for a joyful retirement!

Leaving the rest area, we had a choice of riding up I-25 to Glendo or taking a local road which more or less paralleled the interstate. We chose to do some of both. The first two miles of I-25 had a very rough shoulder, so we got off on the local road. After about ten miles, it diverged from the interstate and was a three mile longer route. We decided to get back on I-25. The shoulder was wide, clean and smooth, so we stayed on it into Glendo.

Kerry here... A lot of the day looked like this. On one climb we reached an elevation of 5003' - the highest elevation we've ever been on a bike. However, that record is not set to last very long:-)

We managed to average a blazing 11 MPH today and got to Glendo around 11:15. We would have been in our room before 12:30 had we not chosen a restaurant on the wrong side of the tracks for lunch. Micke's Family Restaurant, as were all the restaurants in town, was across the railroad tracks from our motel. We had a very good lunch and were ready to check in and have a long lazy afternoon watching trains go by and playing on our tablets. Just before we were ready to leave, a train came to a stop, completely blocking access to the other side of town. (Actually, the other side of town consists only of the gas station/convenience store and our motel.)

No one crossed the road for a long time. Don't be surprised that there were only three vehicles waiting. We saw some turn around and the population of Glendo is only about 250 people.

We waited for what seemed like a very long time before the train moved on. Locals dining there told us the train was not supposed to block the town for more than twenty minutes, but this was more like forty five minutes. It seemed like a very long wait as we were pretty tired and wanted to get in our room.

But, of course, it all ended well. We're in a decent little motel with everything we need and the manager has been very nice.

Looking to the left from our room, we see the coal trains going by. The train traffic is steady.

Kerry here with FUN FACTS... The reason the train traffic is steady is that we are almost due south of Gillette, WY and the Powder River Basin. The PRB accounts for over 40% of U.S. coal production. In 2020, the mines produced 230 million tons of coal and an average of 50 to 70 trains per day deliver that coal to power plants in 27 states.

Looking to the right, we have a great view

Unfortunately, the window in our room overlooks the gas station, so we have to walk into the parking lot for these views. At 102 degrees, we won't be venturing out much!

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 2,630 miles (4,233 km)

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