Day 28: Spent the morning catching up on emails and phone calls, then rolled down the street to to The Frontier and Holt County Independent for an interview and photo of the trike. Grabbed a couple of burritos on my way out of town, where I was approached by a reporter with KBRX Radio, who had been alerted I was rolling through town. That’s one thing about the “rocket trike.” It’s hard to miss. Talked with some locals there who were also against the pipeline, then did an interview with Scott Poese before heading south towards Lincoln, NE. You can hear it here: http://tinyurl.com/7od2osu.
Weather was cool and sunny with a strong tailwind to help push me along. More hawk encounters today. Pulled over to pay my respects to the remains of a hawk on the side of the road, but didn’t secure the brake on the trike. Upon hearing a car honk, I looked up and the trike had vanished. Somehow the wind had blown it all the way across the road and down into a glade on the other side. The grooves in the grass showed the smooth path it had traversed down the hill on its own. Bit of a close call, but no damage done.
Pedaling further, began entering Nebraska’s majestic Sandhills, where the Ogallala Aquifer often breaks through the surface. Rolling past these grass-stabilized dunes, I was mesmerized by their beauty, and that of the water bodies around them. The crystal-clear creeks, rivers and ponds I came upon brought back memories of the Florida Everglades. I am totally enthralled by north-central Nebraska and am more determined than ever to fight alongside my Nebraska neighbors to protect these natural treasures from greedy corporations like TransCanada.
58 miles later, rolled into Spalding, cold and tired, around dusk. Made for The Bottoms Up Bar, where Denny and Mike bought me a few beers to shake off the cold. I like this friendly little town.