Early 8am start today as Ned had to leave for work and I had to get on the road. I set out on the US 20 'Bridges to Buttes' highway again, which became very quiet after not long with only a handful of cars passing every hour.
About 20 miles in I passed a sign saying I was entering the Mountain time zone. Another hour off the clock!
The sandhills continued for quite a way, with the road undulating and curving to avoid the biggest of them. Eventually I made it to 'Merriman', 30 miles short of Gordon. This was my decision point; try to get hold of a motel in Gordon, or head north to Martin, South Dakota, where there was another motel. I tried calling a few times but couldn't get through to the Gordon motels at all. It was then I heard a rumble, and I looked round to see a massive storm to the north. A couple of crashes of thunder and a huge grey block of rain falling from the sky made the decision easy: keep heading west and hope.
Not long later, I came head on with another smaller storm that there was no hiding from or going around. With the bigger scarier storm to the north closing in on me, I had to brave it. I cycled along the edge of the main storm cloud as fast as I could, and started to feel a few drops on my arms. Those drops slowly turned into rain, then heavy rain and eventually some hail!
I no longer cared that I was soaked through, that I could barely see through my cycling glasses or that my skin stung with every needle of rain, nothing puts fear into you more than being out in the open with thunder and lightening strikes less than a mile from you. I pedalled the fastest I could and prayed to be out of the storm.
Eventually the rain settled and stopped, but my legs did not. I wasn't stopping until I saw sunshine again. I was finally rewarded with safety, and the drying road ahead of me told me the storm had passed. Probably the scariest experience of my life. I turned around to look at what I had just come through and saw that the two storms had now merged and covered half the sky behind me, lightening still flashing every few seconds. Terrifying!
The final 20 miles into Gordon left me with another fear; would I be able to get a room? I tried one of the motels I'd called yesterday on the off-chance one of the wedding guests had dropped out. No such luck. I asked about the other motels too and her answer was that one was full from the wedding too and that the other wasn't open, not promising.
I then tried the 'Hacienda motel' who said they might have a room on the phone. When I arrived there was nobody in the office! After about 10 minutes waiting and wandering around looking for someone, a grotty old woman with inch long yellow fingernails walked in, told me to press the bell on the front desk (that I had already been doing!) then turned and walked out again. Incredibly rude! When she returned another 10 minutes later I pointed out that there was nobody in the office and she grumbled before throwing some paperwork at me and checking me in.
The room was dark and grotty too, but at least it was a room and at least it was cheap! After showering I walked into town to find 90% of the shops closed down or under refurbishment, and only a few beaten-up bars claiming to serve food. Pizza hut it would have to be, at least I could get pasta and some salad. The pasta came delightfully served in an aluminum foil tray, along with a slab of cheese powder dusted garlic bread.
Gordon has so far failed to impress, but at least I didn't have to cycle another 47 miles on to Chadron!
Miles today: 93.2
Total miles: 1794.4
About 20 miles in I passed a sign saying I was entering the Mountain time zone. Another hour off the clock!
The sandhills continued for quite a way, with the road undulating and curving to avoid the biggest of them. Eventually I made it to 'Merriman', 30 miles short of Gordon. This was my decision point; try to get hold of a motel in Gordon, or head north to Martin, South Dakota, where there was another motel. I tried calling a few times but couldn't get through to the Gordon motels at all. It was then I heard a rumble, and I looked round to see a massive storm to the north. A couple of crashes of thunder and a huge grey block of rain falling from the sky made the decision easy: keep heading west and hope.
Not long later, I came head on with another smaller storm that there was no hiding from or going around. With the bigger scarier storm to the north closing in on me, I had to brave it. I cycled along the edge of the main storm cloud as fast as I could, and started to feel a few drops on my arms. Those drops slowly turned into rain, then heavy rain and eventually some hail!
I no longer cared that I was soaked through, that I could barely see through my cycling glasses or that my skin stung with every needle of rain, nothing puts fear into you more than being out in the open with thunder and lightening strikes less than a mile from you. I pedalled the fastest I could and prayed to be out of the storm.
Eventually the rain settled and stopped, but my legs did not. I wasn't stopping until I saw sunshine again. I was finally rewarded with safety, and the drying road ahead of me told me the storm had passed. Probably the scariest experience of my life. I turned around to look at what I had just come through and saw that the two storms had now merged and covered half the sky behind me, lightening still flashing every few seconds. Terrifying!
The final 20 miles into Gordon left me with another fear; would I be able to get a room? I tried one of the motels I'd called yesterday on the off-chance one of the wedding guests had dropped out. No such luck. I asked about the other motels too and her answer was that one was full from the wedding too and that the other wasn't open, not promising.
I then tried the 'Hacienda motel' who said they might have a room on the phone. When I arrived there was nobody in the office! After about 10 minutes waiting and wandering around looking for someone, a grotty old woman with inch long yellow fingernails walked in, told me to press the bell on the front desk (that I had already been doing!) then turned and walked out again. Incredibly rude! When she returned another 10 minutes later I pointed out that there was nobody in the office and she grumbled before throwing some paperwork at me and checking me in.
The room was dark and grotty too, but at least it was a room and at least it was cheap! After showering I walked into town to find 90% of the shops closed down or under refurbishment, and only a few beaten-up bars claiming to serve food. Pizza hut it would have to be, at least I could get pasta and some salad. The pasta came delightfully served in an aluminum foil tray, along with a slab of cheese powder dusted garlic bread.
Gordon has so far failed to impress, but at least I didn't have to cycle another 47 miles on to Chadron!
Miles today: 93.2
Total miles: 1794.4
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