Notes From The Tent: Day 6 - It’s Only Ten More Miles

 Day six has come to a close here at BRAN. It was a good day on the gravel route. I think it came out at 58 miles. 

Starting in Wayne in the morning, it seemed that even having the benefit of staying in Pork Belly Adventures bunk did not get me out riding faster. Michael said to me later in the day that he kind of preferred the more laid back attitude of gravel riders who seemed to be content to roll with the relaxed pace instead of the more strict “get out early- arrive early road group. 

We made our departure later than normal by stopping at the HIS Bakery where we had breakfast. It was delicious and I highly recommend the place  

Anyway, the gravel was found and ground. South of Wayne the roads were well packed, fast, and fun. The days course was front loaded with climbs so we were cranking up steeps and blasting down hills all morning  

Eventually we would near the town of Pender. Going East here and the gravel was getting a little loose and deep making finding a line a little more difficult. But it wasn’t bad. Jayme had an idea that we could go North a mile and cut off this final four miles of gravel to Pender.  He suggested an MMR dirt road which we agreed would be fun. Then it was pavement into Pender and my hope for a stop for rest  

Once in town there was some debate within the four man group concerning whether we should eat there or go ten more miles to Bancroft . Nothing was open downtown so eventually the group comprised on going to a local C-Store called “Cubbies” 

I got my rest and hot dog with a Diet Coke. Then it was off to Bancroft where we hoped to find better fare ten miles away  

Well, Bancroft was kind of a bust. There really wasn’t anything going on there  Michael said, “Well, we could go ten more miles to Lyons.”

Okay, what’s up with this “ten more miles “ thing?   I made a joke out of it, as if the guys were stringing me along. But in the end, ten more miles was what we had to do   So we did it  

Lyons, Nebraska.  It looked little different than the previous two villages. We once again were left with no open options and were debating our situation when a young Latino man stuck his head out of the door of the Mexican restaurant we were standing in front of and he spoke to us.

He offered us to come inside, sit, and cool down out from under the relentless Sun. It had started off cool, but now it was above ninety degrees  

Once inside we found they had ice cream, sherbet, and cold drinks available. So we picked out our selections and sat down to relax and enjoy our treats  

In fact, my mango sherbet and strawberry Mexican soda hit the spot. It was just what I needed to carry on  

Only this time it was seven miles to the finish in Oakland Nebraska  

This would be the last evening the four of us would be together. Saturday BRAN ends at noon and we all go our separate ways  Matt Steele, Jayme Frye, and Michael Kolakowski have become quick friends of mine and I felt we all enjoyed each other’s company over the past several days  

We ate at a local bar where the staff was clearly overwhelmed. We were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t order off the menu, but prime rib, baked potato, and vegetables make for a worthy substitute. 

One more short day to go and this gig is over  

Look for one more “Notes From The Tent” Saturday and then next week will be a BRAN photo dump with a few special posts  

As always, thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! 

Notes From The Tent: (But It Is Not A Tent!)

 Today was Day 5, Crofton to Wayne Nebraska. I’m writing to you dear readers from the comfortable cabin in Pork Belly Adventures trailer converted to a “bunk house” of sorts. There are five of these trailers being pulled across Nebraska and each has four spaces which can sleep up to four individuals each.

And they have AIR CONDITIONING! 

A few of the BRAN staff got to access one bunkhouse when a client could not use the whole week  Those BRAN guys offered me a chance to try it out tonight  Yes. It is better than being in a tent! 

Now, on to other things  Today’s ride was unique for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was an entirely gravel route which went through a couple small villages. There was pavement there, of course, but the vast majority of the roads were gravel. 

Secondly, the scenery changed from the big, rolling prairie vistas to the big, rolling row crop vistas! This looks like the Nebraska I know from gravel events  

I guess it was also a day to mark for visiting a dairy farm and massive Northwest winds which pushed us Southward to Wayne  

The dairy farm capped off a dreary, wet, morning of 23 miles where we got rained on for about twenty minutes. It is a family dairy farm belonging to the Burbach family. They let us sample their milk choices and tour their little processing plant. Plus we got to see baby cows! 

Then a cold front came through while we were there at the farm and the skies cleared out. The big Northwest winds which pushed took over and we were sailing down the roads. Well, until the roads pointed up, and down, and up, and rinse and repeat! 

The “grid” of gravel roads was coming back as we went further South. The gravel was very loose, small, like playground gravel, and it was hard to find “The Good Line”. 

We stopped in a town named Coleridge and we ate at Rodeos Bar and Grill which was excellent  

Then we rolled on. There was a minimum maintenance road on route with an out of commission bridge over a small creek  There a man met us on an ATV vehicle named Steve who told us a bit of the history of the immediate area. You don’t get adventure and history like this riding pavement. It was cool  

The rest of the afternoon was a big stretch South into Wayne over roller after roller. Nearly 50 miles again today  

I met my brother from another mother, MG and we hooked up with Jacquie Phelan and ate at a local Mexican restaurant. The conversation was deep and varied  

Tomorrow is another 55 miles. A day of mostly gravel from Wayne to a town named Oakland  It should be a good one, but you never know until you get out there  

More soon 

Notes From The Tent: Day 4

 A short day on tap after a sag ride and overheating the day before. But before I get to the ride into Crofton, I have to tell the story of Tuesday night. 

It started out well enough with steak dinner at the local Czech Hall, an old theater/dance hall which, for the small size of this village, was huge. It probably could easily hold a thousand people. 

During the dinner word started circulating that we may have to abandon the campground to take shelter in one of three buildings in the village. We’d have to pull up stakes, pack everything up, and wait to see if anything would come of the severe weather threat.

Fortunately for us the powers that be decided to allow us to make our own call. I and many others decided to stay in the campground. The storms came, but it was a garden variety Mid-West thunderstorm and besides a bout with hard rain and a few gusts of wind, it was more than manageable. 

Before the storm Jacquie Phelan and Michael from the BRAN staff hung out and we chatted by my tent. Jacquie doesn’t sleep in tents unless she has to, apparently. Anyway, she asked me if things got bad, could she sleep in my tent. I mean, it sounds weird, but I said “Sure”!  I’d rather she be safe and dry, right? 

But it didn’t come to that and the people she was with got her taken care of. 

Anyway….  

Due to the rain Michael announced in the morning that gravel was off the menu because he wasn’t interested in a mud fest.  BRAN kind of took it on the chin last year because of a day on the gravel route with some stretches of mud. 

So, out of caution he made the call. Now I had a little over 40 miles on pavement to get to Crofton. I wasn’t too disappointed. 

I got to ride through Niobrara and see the site where 31 years ago I and two others stopped and through a series of minor miracles were able to continue a cycling tour. 

Then I got to see the same roads between Niobrara and Crofton we rode back then. I will say now a LOT has changed and I had forgotten even more things. 

And I hit 46.8mph on a long downhill coming into town. That was fun

Crofton is- so far- the best town we’ve stayed in. Big welcome into town. Lots of food choices within a short distance of the campground. Nice set up too. 

Going to eat spaghetti tonight and- hopefully- drift off to sleep and Day 5 of BRAN where I have been promised we will do the gravel route and stop at a dairy farm to pet cows. 

Stay tuned. 

Notes From The Tent: Day 3 (It Got Real)

Another headwind day with above 90 degree temperatures and lots of long climbs made for a full sag wagon. I know, I was on it. 

The night before the ride I just could not get into deep sleep. Not sure why at the time but I would guess the two high exertion days ahead of today contributed to that. 

Jacquie Phelan is a character, as we would say in the Mid-West. That just means she doesn’t look at the world in quite the same fashion as most of us do. This is good. It knocks one off their comfortable spot. And if you are a kind person who cares about others, the World, and how it feels we are in a burning spaceship , well then you stop to think. You know, exercise the brain. 

I didn’t get along with my Dad growing up, but once in a while he’d have a nugget worth grabbing ahold of. He used to say ,”Ya know, you should engage the brain BEFORE you engage the mouth.”  He used the phrase as a sort of put-down, but I figured out what really was going on. 

Anyway, people like Jacquie are flown into your life for a reason, and it ain’t about hero worship or romancing the old daze. It is about thinking outside of your self and what you see as every day, thoughtless living. I mean, the Western World wastes a lot of food, we all know this. But would we ever actually be moved to do anything about it? Jacquie described herself as a “professional dumpster diver”. That’s some bold thinking, and actions motivated by a crisis most of us ignore. 

Anyway, hot wind, hills, and overexertion are a recipe for a quick burn out by Guitar Ted. And I could feel the matches being struck right out of Spencer. 

I didn’t make it far, but I survived.  Plus I got a horse and wagon ride around town. 

By the way, the dew was incredible at Spencer so all my gear was soaking wet   This made setting up in Verdigre a chore as I had to dry everything out first before setting up. 

I guess 25-35mph winds and heat are good for something. 

More soon. 

Notes From The Tent: Day 3(?) Loosing Track Of Time

 I’m not sure if I am posting images or not from my phone. So, I apologize but this will just be text today. 

What a difference a day makes. Today was overcast, cool, and featured an all-day long tailwind. Riding the pavement bits was super-easy. 

Gravel was split up into three sections. It was fun. Maybe not super-scenic but far different than Iowa. Big ranches, lots of grass, and funny shaped hills dominated the landscape. It’s a big, empty feeling area which is full of song birds and cattle. Very peaceful. 

The last bit of gravel was challenging with a few big, long climbs. Again, very different from Iowa where our climbs get steeper at the top. Here the steep part is in the middle of the climb and the climbs are longer for sure. 

Got in 75 miles  I haven’t ridden that far since last year  

Got to the campground in Spencer  Got settled in and was looking for the showers when I noted an okde woman  she was slender, about 5’8”, and looked as though she was looking for something or someone  she turned to me and asked if I knew where the showers were  

That’s when her face suddenly brought me to attention  The unique eyewear, her voice, and I knew it had to be Jacquie Phelan, but was it really?  Why on Earth would she be on the BRAN ride  

Well, as it turned out, it WAS her! 

More soon… 

Notes From The Tent: Day 1

Day one of BRAN, leaving Valentine and going to Springview. Route: 57 miles. 

I hooked up with Michael and Jeremy from BRAN. Jeremy did the gravel route and was assisted by Michael   We are some awesome breakfast burritos at the same church we had our evening meal at on Saturday. Leaving town I noted my GPS was giving me directions a bit off from the other two guys. Keep that in mind for later. 

Gravel roads can vary a lot from place to place. This area is no different. Sand is dominant here, but there is a clayish base as well. It had rained recently around Valentine so this helped out the roads tremendously. 

This area is beautiful. Especially around the Niobrara River, where today’s image is from. That bridge lead us to a spanker of a climb. Oh my!  Long, steep, and really long. I had to walk the upper third of it. 

Did I say the climb was long? All the climbs are long out here. 

Okay, so that climb did something else too. I lost touch with Michael and Jeremy. I rolled out back on the highway and there was an outfitters store named Sparks which my GPS told me to turn North to find. Well, a mile down the road I stopped and went back to where I turned off. Then it showed Sparks was almost right in front of me down a short side road. And it was there. Okay…. 

Leaving Sparks the GPS literally had me riding circles around the store in a seemingly endless loop. I bailed and headed East on Highway 12 as this was the paved route. 

Two miles down the road the GPS has me turn right on gravel. I knew there was a “part two” to the gravel route. Alright!  Back on track..,,.

Nope! Two miles into a brutal headwind and the next turn came up going backwards to the general course direction. Back to Sparks Road and the store! 

I was pissed. Back to Highway 12 and I was sticking to that road. Now the wind was 25-35mph and the road went South directly into that wind at a couple of miles at a crack at least twice. The crosswinds were hard to deal with going East. I had to pedal everything up AND down hill. 

Brutal! 

On to tomorrow… 

BRAN Gravel: Notes From The Tent 1

 Hello from Valentine, Nebraska. Due to technicalities with Google, this post will not have images. My apologies. 

The trip from Arlington, Nebraska took 5 and a half hours including an hour long stop in O’Neil for lunch. 

It was interesting listening to all the conversations going on in the bus I was on, one of three touring busses filled with cyclists. 

One gentleman was on his first BRAN after not having ridden for many years. He sounded as though he was essentially coming straight off the couch to do this ride. His bike - a 1984 Bike Nashbar bike with 27” wheels. The man sitting next to him said he rides 200 - 300 miles a week and races triathlons. 

Talk about night and day! 

Another note: I’ve heard at least three different conversations about gravel events and bikes. I will just say that gravel is grossly misunderstood by the average cyclist. 

Big ride to the smallest town on the route tomorrow. More soon… 

BRAN Gravel: The Load Out

Friday I drove out to Arlington, Nebraska. A small city on the Northern edge of the Omaha Nebraska metro area. It is a town of 1,300 folks, so not a real large town. It will be representative of most of the towns and villages I see for the upcoming week. 

In fact, it will be the fourth largest town on the route. Only Valentine, the starting town (2,633), Wayne, a college town (5,973), and Oakland, (1,369), are larger than Arlington. 

Yes, we will be hitting some remote, not very populated areas. On Day 2 we will be passing through Keya Paha County with a population of 792 people. The smallest overnight town is the first one out of Valentine, Springview, with a total population of 238 folks. (Note: My numbers are Googled and may be off by a few souls here or there)

Things will start out feeling quite remote, I have no doubt. I've been out in Southern South Dakota on a bicycle across that state and the terrain and overall feel should be somewhat similar in Northern Nebraska. I'm especially excited to cross a few villages and roads I was on previously in Northeastern Nebraska between Crofton and Niobrara. It has been just over 30 years since I've been there, so maybe things are so different I will not recognize the places. But it will be very interesting to me, nonetheless, because of my previous passage through the area by bicycle. 

Someone asked me the other day who I was going on this trip with. I said "Nobody". I realize not everyone can do what I am about to do, so please understand I recognize my ability due to who I am. No blind eyes here. But on the flip side, yeah, it has crossed my mind that I probably won't know anyone on this trip.....at the beginning. I'm sure this will change throughout the week, or at least I hope it will. That will be part of the adventure, and I will be excited to see how it plays out. 

This week may be a bit chaotic on the blog compared to the normal postings. My plan is to do daily "Updates From The Tent". These will be short thoughts and reactions to the day I experienced. I'll likely post these in the evenings when we have signal and WiFi available. Or.....maybe not!! You have already read how we will be in very remote areas. I cannot promise anything solid, but I'll do my best to communicate. 

Likewise, any comments left on the blog this week may or may not get a reply right away. Circumstances will dictate when and where I will be able to do this. I would expect at least a couple full-blog reports during the week and possibly more if I can manage this. 

There should be a lot of social media stuff from me. Check Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and possibly X. My handle on the Meta platforms is g.ted.productions. I'll be using the #BRANgravel hashtag if you want to search that. 

That's it for now. Thanks for following along!