US-89. Return Trip Day 2. "Hudson Meng"

Saturday - July 16, 2016. The goal is to ride from Pierce, Nebraska to somewhere around Crawford, Nebraska after visiting the Hudson Meng bison site, which equates to about 425 miles of riding.

I then get up after 6:00 am, brake camp and head north on I-20. As I ride away I see a rainbow over the prairie and two young bulls butting heads over a pond of water.

The air is still and easy to ride in, but after 10:00 am the wind starts in again from the South. The wind continues for hours and then shifted from the North. I-20 is an easy ride and well paved.

Nebraska was the first love of my Western life. When I was 18, I went to work on the Hudson Meng Bison kill dig and quickly fell in love with the West, he clouds and their amazing size as they crossed the endless landscape for miles. I just loved the hugeness of the sky. I used to sit on a hilltop and see a train miles away cross the plains. If it was not for my love of Nebraska, then I never would have went to the University of Arizona where I continued and enhanced my appreciation for the Western landscape.

I continue on past Chadron, Nebraska and on to Crawford and head North on 15 miles of gravel roads. I am a bit reluctant to go gravel, especially gravel road in ranch lands of the badlands, but I badly wanted to see the Hudson Meng site once again. After about 10 miles of riding I get my gravel legs, and the road becomes easy. The road snakes across train tracks, buttes and ravines in the badlands.

I arrive at the Hudson Meng site and find a full rest room along with the new forest service center that houses the dig. I find 4 employees working at the site, and I was immediately taken on a tour of the facilities. Of course I had to tell them that I was there on the dig in 1974, which they love. The site was interesting and full of artifacts and information. I unearthed the largest Alberta Point to date at the site. I leave the building and I can see the trees where we used to camp in 1974. The ranger told me that a fire in 2012 had killed the trees and all the other trees in the surrounding area. The hill where I used to sit looking out over world was now covered in black dead trees. The pond where we used to swim was still there. I told the ranger what we did and she was horrified, but when you sleep in a tent, it is 100 degrees in the day and you only get a shower twice a week, then jumping in a ranch pond is no big deal.

The rangers suggest that I camp at Fort Robinson, which is just down the road from Crawford. I ride to Fort Robinson and immediately remember being there before. This is where we used to use to get our twice a week showers. Coming out of the office at the fort, there is a guy ogling my bike. Tom tells me that he also had a vstrom and he wants to know about a number of the farkles I have on the bike. I spend the next 20 minutes telling Tom about some of the more visible farkles. I think that I need to create a document with all the farkles I have and their advantages. Then, when I run into someone that is interested then I can hand them the document.

Fort Robinson was started back in about 1874 to deal with the Indians. I setup my campsite and then head back to Crawford for a dinner and beer. Yet another good meal at the bar talking to the locals. That night my campground neighbors leave out food, so they are savagely attacked by raccoons at 4:00 AM. The screens are heard, the accusations fly when they figured out what happened. for the next 2 hours their flashlights come out whenever i move in my tent.

US-89. Return Trip Day 1. "Illinois to Pierce Nebraska"

July 22, 2016.  The goal is to ride from Roscoe, Illinois to Pierce, Nebraska. About 550 miles.

I left Illinois at 6:00 am. The night before it had rained hard and the roads were still a bit wet. My plan was to go down the I-51 and meet up with the I-88. The 51 was shut down so I meandered down to around Dixon, Illinois on the 2, which I should have done in the first place.  Dixon, Illinois was the primary town Ronald Reagan grew up in.

While stopping along the Rock River to get a mid morning snack at McDonalds, an old grizzled guy, with a beard and sizeable midrange sitting in a booth tells me "That jacket looks hot, you sure you want to wear it"? I look at the guy and I can see him in my mind him sitting on a Harley with a viking horned helmet.  I respond "Where I am going, you really need a jacket like this".  I leave without further comment.

 I then get to the 88 and found out it is now a toll road. Either I forgot or never knew. But, I was not going to drop coins in from a motorcycle,  so once again I meandered using the 2 into Iowa. I finally got back to the 88 after much weaving around the countryside. In Iowa the 88 is not a toll road. I then went head down for the next 9 hours to get to Willow Creek State Park, near Pierce Nebraska. Really nothing to report during the day other than going against the wind about 95% of the time.

I pulled into willow creek park expecting it to be packed and found out that it was at best 10% full. I picked a spot next to the facilities, which was a mistake because a security light comes on when it gets dark. The humidity must have been 95% because it was just dripping off my nose all night long. No sleeping bag required.

Before going to bed, I ride into town and eat at Taylors restaurant. I have many a great conversations with the locals and other out of towners at the bar.  One fun couple at the bar challenges me with the question "Would you trust me if I told you something?"  I tell them "Yes, because you are from Nebraska".  I am not sure that was what they wanted to hear but it was the truth. I think I would have trust anyone in the restaurant that night.  It was just that kind of town.

About 4:00 AM a thunderstorm rolls in hard and rocked the tent for the next 2 hours. The tent does very well and never leaked a drop. The bike was safe and secure under its cover. A good way to ride out the storm. I felt good that I could go through any weather and make it just fine.

US-89. Intermission. "Working From Illinois"

July 16th, 2016.  Roscoe, Illinois. 

I spend almost the next 2 weeks working from Illinois. On Saturday I meet up with a former employee and my good friend Kimmie. I suggested we met in Galena Illinois, as she was coming from Iowa. We did a quick tour of US Grants former home and then went down town to grab a bite to eat in downtown Galena. 

On the way back home I take a detour to Freeport, Ill and I decide to pay my respects to past relatives. I have a hard time finding the cemetery where they all are.  I finally find the cemetery but could not find the relatives graves. This is scary considering I used to take my grandma here all the time.  

Accepting defeat, and acknowledging that I need to figure out where they are all buried,  I drive back home through downtown Freeport. Turning a corner I ran smack into “Union Dairy”.  I used to take grandma here when we came to Freeport to visit the relatives.  When grandma was younger, she use to come her here all the time.  Unfortunately the ice cream was just too rich for her on the last trip and she got sick. The dairy was celebrating their 100^th anniversary.  That means that grandma would have been 23 when they first opened. Grandma was born in 1893.

On Sunday I decide to go to Lake Geneva, WI for the mail boat ride, which I just love to take when ever I can. Unfortunately, nobody else in my family has the same feeling for the boat ride. I get to lake Geneva and find that the gale force winds are just too much for me. The mail boat is running but I was not going to be on it.  I wave goodby to the boat as it boards passengers.

I love Lake Geneva. I have been coming her since I was born. You can see pictures of me standing in the lake in my underwear eating an ice cream cone. One time as a teenager I was standing on the main street corner with Grandma and she points to a building a few feet away and says “That used to be a speak easy, and I used to go in by sliding down a coal chute". 

I just had to share the grandma story with someone, so I walked up to a man leaning against the building banging on his iPhone and tell him the story.  He loved it and smiled. Satisfied, I just walk away. 

The relatives used to come up to the pier for dances, back in the day. Not sure if dances are still going on at the pier. Love to go some time.