Day 30- Hot Springs to Crawford, NE- 70 miles

I am finally here. 

Today's ride was definitely one of the most beautiful thus far. In fact, I would venture to say it was second only to Washington Pass. Buttes, rocky bluffs, grassland, a good dose of hills, a big blue sky, and puffy white clouds. It might have helped that I was riding towards a huge bluff that I recognized, and towards people that I love and missed dearly, but nonetheless, the scenery was starkly beautiful. 

Nobody for miles and miles

Roadside lunch break, where I ate way too much trail mix and topped it off with a granola bar. Ugh.

Happy day!

I swear, upon crossing the South Dakota/Nebraska border, the temperature shot up about 5 degrees, and crawled up another 5 degrees over the next hour or so. I downed all the water I could, but still ended up with a headache. Right when I thought I was going to collapse with a heat stroke, the sight of the Crawford Cemetery pushed me up the last little hill and into the booming metropolis of Crawford. Home, sweet home. Rolled into Staab's where I treated myself to an ice cream cone- not an Ione cone, but a frosty treat nonetheless- and waited there for Kim, who picked me and my bike up so I wouldn't have to pedal the last 7 dusty miles.

I am so. happy. to be here amongst familiarity for a while, with no territory to cover, no bike to strain against (although Trevor is threatening me with a ride up the hill)... Life is good.