Nebraska: Hot & Bothered & Happy With Horses
Mark & Melody Updates from Nebraska!
Mark update: Day 1 in Nebraska (Total miles: 1469)
- Hot! Hot! Hot!
- 108 degrees
- Great burgers & milkshakes (no pie today) in Chadron
- Nasty drivers
Almost at the half way point in the bike trip across America! Read more about this and other things on Mark’s blog (click here).
Melody update: Met an adorable couple this morning. Jim and Joyce Shover are hard-working farm folks from Iowa who have taken up horse camping. Never heard of that before? Neither had I. Apparently there are folks from all around the U.S. who go on road trips with their horses and camp in special campgrounds just for horses (and their owners). We found out about this because we were the only people without a horse camping in the equestrian section of Fort Robinson State Park last night. Everyone else unloaded their horses and put them in a nearby barn for the night (rented for the night for a small fee) and in the morning their owners took them out for trail rides in the area. Jim and Joyce went on a beautiful trail ride up to the buttes that surround the park and stopped by to see me when they returned and they were just glowing. What I love about these guys: they love life! They worked hard for many years, Joyce often wondering at some point if the 14-hour days of farm work would ever end. Now they get to live their dream of owning horses and traveling around the country riding them. Jim recently lost 25 pounds so he could ride a mule to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (another dream!). He said he had to be weighed to prove that he was under 200 lbs. or he couldn’t go! Married for 45 years, Jim and Joyce love dancing, riding and having fun. What makes you feel alive?
To see a short video of some of the people we have met along the way answering this question, click here. You’ll hear from folks from Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming including Cowboy Jim and 72-year-old Tatiana giving their answers. Thanks for following us on our journey! (*You can also see more pics and follow us on Facebook here).
Gotta love those Iowans!