At the start of this day, we knew it would be a long one. We both were going to break our records of miles on a bike in a day. We woke up fresh and ready to go at least 59 miles!!! Let talk about the Cowboy Trail Atkinson to Neligh.
Our sit bones were very tired and sore by this time in the trip because of the very bumpy trail. We were still having a wonderful time even though the trial was not what we had imagined. From our research, we thought that the trail would have been closer to the Katy Trail. We found this not to be the case. Some parts were similar to the Katy; however, many more parts were very soggy and very loose gravel. We say this a lot, but we want to make sure other people do not make our same mistake. RIDE THIS TRAIL WITH WIDE THICK TIRES!!!
This trail is also known to flatten a lot of tires. There are these little goatheads thorns, like a bur. They are small and will easily get stuck to your tire. If you have thinner wall tires, you may be changing your tires more often because of them. So make sure you have some thick heavy-duty tires. We use Continental Plus Tires, and Eric was the only one to get a flat, and that was the day after we finished riding. He did have a slow leak for the last two days, but the tubes held!!!
O’Neil
We rode into O’Neil, the most Irish town in Nebraska. They are known for their St Patty’s Day festival, and we hope to return there one day to experience it for ourselves. Off of a local’s advice, we went to get coffee at the Douglas Street Coffee Co. They had amazing coffee and beer!!! We would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick break!!! Taking time to ride through the small town is great. It can also provide a needed rest for your sit bones because you will likely be riding on pavement, although not guaranteed.
Inman
Later in the day, we found the cleanest porta-potty we have ever been in!!! In a small town called Inman, I am sure that it had been put there recently because of how fresh and clean it was!!! This was a great little town that we had so much fun riding around to see what they had. On our way out of Inman, we found a very slow-going part of the trail and struggled to find a grove for a short time.
Neligh
The Cowboy Trail had a Detour into Neligh, which was a rode ride. There was a very nice shoulder for us to ride on, and most cars gave us a wide birth as they were passing us. It is never fun to have a car going 60 mph by you less than 3 feet away!!! We arrived at camp and were very excited to celebrate our longest day together at 62. We then went out later to restock our beer and got 2 more miles, making our longest day on a bike 64 miles!!!
The Cowboy Trail provides some challenges as well as some beautiful sights. Biking thought the small town really lets you see them through different eyes. If you were in a car, you would most likely speed right by. But when you are biking though, each town provides a great resting place and short break!!!
Make sure to check out the other parts of the Cowboy Trail so you can see the full experiences. This was Atkinson to Neligh. Check out Part 1- Valentine to Ainsworth to Atkison and Part 2 – Neligh to Norfolk.