Day 65 - Tuesday, July 27
Chris worked us a great spot to boon-dock last night - at the local rodeo ring. Getting in early he went to town hall to ask about a place and they offered us the entire ring! After a hot day, I was able to run straight to the RV which also meant I could launch early without having any overhead to get back to a spot - perfect.
We ate well - Chris mixed some lamb with ratatouille that he made from a zucchini and tomatoes he was given and some sauce which got tossed with pasta and fresh shaved parmigiana cheese as well as a salad of farm tomatoes, red onion and vinaigrette. I was wiped and ended up passing out at 7pm while he went out on the town and explored.
We were on a mission today - the RV needed to have oil changed and a low tire pressure sensor looked and and we were able to book an 8:00am appointment in Kenesaw. That meant i would need to be prepared for the worst case of not seeing him for 25 miles and there was no services until Kearney at 30 mile so I packed extra water, calories, sun lotion and everything I needed so i could self support. I launched a little before 4:30am.
About 6 miles out of town and in the endless fields of corn I came upon a single grave belonging to Susan Haile. Her story is touching and worth reading below. From there it was a long solitary march through corn and soy towards the ultimate destination of Kearney.
I really felt the history on today’s route. Several historical markers appeared on the route which signs indicated were the Pony Express, California and Oregon Trails. The pioneers came through with the railroad and towns were born, boomed and faded away as the world changed; a constant reminder that nothing stays on top forever.
Chris met up with me around 21 miles in and it was perfect timing as the heat of the day was going to high - a heat advisory warning with 108 degree feel like temp. After a big snack, Chris headed to town to scope out places to stay and I met up 3 hours later to shower and eat out in the town.
Tomorrow is off to work on Lucky and other chores. Fingers crossed Lucky’s blood work is good enough to get treatment or else we would need to postpone again and figure out how to do it the following week. As my friend Yash explained to me, we are walking a very thin line with Lucky - on one hand the cancer will kill and on the other, the chemo which puts the cancer in remission lowers his immune system and he is always at risk for infection which can also kill. One day, one step at a time and enjoy every minute….
Thank you for your ongoing support -
Cheers,
David.
Landing spot at the rodeo ring in Kenesaw, NE
Interesting story about a woman who went west with her family
RIP
Overlooking Susan’s grave
All three trails - Pony Express, California and Oregon went this way through Kearney
One house in the middle of endless fields of corn
A town that was born during the pioneer era, boomed and ultimately disappeared into corn field
The River Platte - finally!
