Photo 1. Inside the Depot Restaurant in Ainsworth.

Photo 2. Old railroad grade turned into walk/bicycle path in Ainsworth with approaching storm.

Started from: Ainsworth, NE
Ended at: Ainsworth, NE
Staying at: Comfort Inn, Ainsworth, NE 69210 [tel. 402-387-1050 Rm 103]

Distance traveled so far: 411.5 km (255.7 mi)

Last Modified on 6/10/99 at 19:31:03

Day's Narrative: I got up as usual about 5:30 this morning and immediately turned on the weather channel. There was a line of severe storms stalled along a front right over O'Neill, NE -- our next stop. Rain along that line of storms was about one inch per hour. This is not the type of rain one wants to bicycle in. I went to breakfast at the restaurant across the street, hoping I would notice some indication of how the weather might develop after breakfast.

It was the same after breakfast. So I waited until 9:00 AM. Still no change -- except that strong thunderstorms were being predicted for most of Nebraska for the afternoon and evening. Had there been an alternative place to stop besides O'Neill perhaps I could have ridden part way there then skipped O'Neill the next day, but there wasn't. After O'Neill the only large town is Norfolk 74 miles away. So at 9:30 I made the decision to spend another night in Ainsworth. It's kind of like being in Chicago and not being able to fly to St. Louis because you can't land there.

It's rained all today. Connie and I decided to drive to O'Neill and check out the small towns along the way. All the small towns have stores, even Emmet (pop. 70). The rain started about 10 miles outside of Ainsworth. By the time we got back it was raining in Ainsworth too. It was definitely a bad day to bicycle.

We had dinner tonight at the Depot Restaurant in Ainsworth (Photo 1). They have good fried chicken.

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© Ray & Connie Poore, 1998