Resting in Central City
2 bags of feed, a salt block and a patch of grass they couldn’t eat in a week. The mules are holed up in Central City, Nebraska, enjoying 2 days off after 2 weeks of almost uninterrupted walking.
Getting to Central City
The last days, as we’ve ridden west across Nebraska, the land has been steadily rising. One farmer I visited with said it gained 7 feet per mile. It’s starting to feel more and more like we’re out West, or at least at the western edge of the mid-West.
This morning we left Hordville and made our way via the back roads to the Platte River. This will be the last major river we cross for some time. While I will miss the flowing waters traveling through increasingly dryer country, I won’t miss the bridge crossings.
Fortunately, crossing the Platte today involved no drama. No police escort. No hopping off halfway across to lead a balky mule. I was riding Brick. It was her first bridge crossing and, aside from shying at the expansion joints, she gave me no cause to fire her.
Thanks
- Bomgaars ag supply of Central City: for donating 2 sacks of feed to our journey
- Bomgaars employees Dusty Ericksen, Karla Jensen and Theresa Johns
- Brad Wells: for helping me find a place to give the mules 2 days off
- Merrick County Fairgrounds: for giving mules Brick, Cracker and me a place to unwind for 2 days
- Sherry: the Pumpkin Spice horse treats
The Road Ahead
The mules and I plan to spend the next 2 days here at the Merrick County Fairground. Then it’s off toward Loup City to visit Trent Loos who I visited 11 years ago on my “Lost Sea Expedition” wagon voyage across America. The last time I visited Trent we raked hay together. You can see those photos – and listen to Trent’s views on horse power versus mechanization – right here.
It’s been a much appreciated luxury to travel these straight roads with wide shoulders. Finally I can even walk the mules up the road without worrying about getting mown down by a logging truck. The perfect pace at which to absorb this wonderful land and its people.
The land is sure changing…you aren’t in the mountains of NC anymore. From curvy to straight, from steep to flat and what’s with all the sky showing? I love watching the progression of the mules walking through an ever changing landscape. Lucky the people have stayed unwaveringly friendly and kind.