Day 56 - Oberlin to McCook - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far

June 3, 2021

Day 56 - Oberlin to McCook

And here I thought the high plains were flat. Our net elevation for the day was -7 ft, but it sure was a bumpy profile. We worked hard to lose 7 feet!!

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It was hilly and warm, but we didn't get to enjoy the tailwind The Weather Channel predicted. We had a benign headwind most of the day. The route was only 30 miles, but there was enough climbing that we got our workout. It was another day with no stores along the way. We miss Diet Coke, tables and chairs and bathrooms, not necessarily in that order!

There was an excellent museum in Oberlin we almost missed. Kerry found it on Google Maps last night. The Decatur County Museum is located in downtown Oberlin, which has beautiful old brick streets.

The museum is a collection of 15 buildings, 13 of which were original structures moved to the site from the area.

The first building was an in-town home, with furnishing from the early 20th century.

One of the most beautiful pieces was the Wooton Desk.

This is the outside of one of the doors.

Here is a photograph of the desk in use.

There was a large display of period clothing.

Dress worn by local woman to Teddy Roosevelt's inauguration.

I really liked this Flapper dress. I'm not sure I liked the hat as well.

Another interesting fur coat - this one is buffalo.

For my quilting friends - a quilt made by a 10 year old girl.

In the general store, I took some pictures of products you may remember from your grandparents' houses.

Kerry here... My Grandfather smoked Granger pipe tobacco. Seeing the can brought back some fond memories.

Inside Oberlin's first service station, opened in 1934, we found this bike.

The one room schoolhouse operated here until 1961.

A desk very much like this one caused significant discomfort to a left handed student in 1963. I was told all year that there were no left handed desks. It's still a strong memory after almost 60 years. Anyone else have this experience?

Now we've moved into the 1950's. I was a little too young for this. Did any of you ever have your feet measured for shoes this way?

This stuff I do remember. We had air raid drills at my elementary school in the early 60's. Did any of your families have a fallout shelter?

Once we got through the "town" part of the museum, we moved out to the prairie.

Unlike the one at a previous museum, this is an authentic stage coach.

This is a sod cutter pulled by a horse or other animal.

Innovations in wheat farming on the prairie -

An implement for planting wheat between rows of corn

I couldn't figure out what this was until I found the card that had fallen down behind it. It's a vermin proof canister set for the prairie kitchen.

I think that is salt and pepper shakers, or maybe some other spices, inside the little front door

I tried to make out the name on the front, but I couldn't read all the letters.

The latest in cooking efficiency - cooking with gas.

After we left the museum, we rode back to the hotel to pickup our panniers and start the day's ride.

Mailbox at Decatur County Beef, a large feedlot just north of Oberlin. As we rode by, they were loading future McDonald's hamburgers into the trucks in the background. Not shown, there were 2 cowboys on horses herding cattle into the loading pens.

From the hotel, it was 13 miles to the Kansas-Nebraska border.

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

Nebraska has provided a wide shoulder on US 83. It was great to have our own space again.

So far, Nebraska is not as flat as Kansas. We didn't see any oil wells or wind turbines. The land is more undulating than it was farther south.

And, across the road, more Nebraska high plains

We're taking a day off tomorrow. We need to do some route planning because we've decided not to count on the Canadian border opening next month. We're going to route the rest of this tour through the US. We'll have to wait to see our Canadian friends in Florida this winter.

Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 2,261 miles (3,639 km)

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Mike ObermeyerLoved all the museums pictures. Brought back a lot of memories.
THANKS
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2 years ago

Keith A. SpanglerThe miles keep piling up....so happy for you both.
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2 years ago

Jacques CharronAlways interesting stories!
Sorry to see that you’re not coming to Canada this year…
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2 years ago