Local legend

I've heard stories of this giant old blowout near where I live for years & finally paid it a visit. A blowout is formed in the Sandhills of Nebraska from years of wind blowing unstable, sandy soil & perhaps a few too many cows grazing & tromping the grass,think of a giant cereal bowl of sand getting an air compressor hose blown in it, this one has been taken care of over the years & the grass is now flourishing in it again

this former blowout is large enough it's easily visible on google earth, if you know where to look

this is on the south end looking back north from on top of the big dirt pillar in the next photo

this dirt pillar kind of reminded me of a miniature Chimney Rock, near Scottsbluff, NE

still rockin' the bikepacking set-up & it's working GREAT!

Dirt iceberg?

how do you like your singletrack? "I'll take mine poached, thank you very much"

now part of the local legend is that there was an old cave dug into a dirt bank in this area back in the days of prohibition hiding a working still, I don't think this would be unheard of from the stories I've heard about some of the more colorful characters in this area in those days (heck, could even happen around here today) after all, this IS the WILD WEST!

evidence perhaps?

prairie moonrise, not gonna lie folks, that line of car headlights is westbound I-80 traffic Sunday night after Thanksgiving, this place is THAT close, hard to believe that because once you're down inside the middle of it, it's peaceful & quiet, another trivial fact is that this thing is smack dab on the edge of the original Pony Express Trail according to more local legend, DANG, just when I thought I was running out of new places to explore, what's next?

Bikepackin' day trip

I've been anxious to try out a new system I'm working on for carrying my sleeping bag for some overnighters I'm planning in the future & this rough, rutty road was the perfect test!

it seems to be the ticket for not a lot of $$$, less than $30 for the compression bag & 2 straps & it rides quite stable & is out of the way of my light, amazingly my wireless computer still works despite being blocked by the bag.

this was Lake McConaughy, north of Ogallala & that is looking east back towards Kingsley Dam & the "Morning Glory" where the water goes through the dam

looking back into a bay that is filling up after several years of very low levels

looking west, thats a boat heading into the dock there on the left side

my set up thus far, Sea to Summit e Vent compression bag on the front, Jandd frame bag & Jandd seat pouch, not pictured, on my back, a Gary Fisher pack with 100 oz water bladder & plenty of room for other items

canyons, cedars & lots of water

lookout point, hard to see the horizon with the water being as smooth as glass, kind of blends in with the sky

looking west over the lake as the sun's getting ready to set, this lake is over 20 miles long & 5 miles wide when full, Nebraska's largest lake

looking down to the northwest from the top of the dam, that is Lake Ogallala

looking down to the east, the thing at the bottom is a hydropower plant

I got lucky & found a short stretch of sweet, rocky singletrack

lifestyles of the rich & famous! this is called Million Dollar Bay, I wonder why?

looking down at the rocks

another secluded bay

cruise ship of the "redneck riviera"

Cowbell continues! day two

the crowd gathering for day 2 cross action on Hooligan Hill

besides some really sweet, pimped out cross bikes

there was this SWEET rat ride cruiser

Cornbread on his way to sweet success

traffic jam in "the chute"

there's that dog again checking out what's cookin'

a little football between laps

background music compliments of CC Rider

"get it on, bang a gong, get it on"

what goes up must come down

this kind of puts the cowbells to shame!

top female Lincoln rider Sydney Brown chillin' on the hill after her race

cvo feeding the fire for more hot dog & bacon handouts

Lane back at it for his second day of racing

sportin' the bumble bee socks

get over & up it

and then down it

through the chute

he should have got extra points for stylin'

his efforts landed him in second place for day two, more loot!

MG showing more grace than a deer over that hurdle

and the only guy attempting to jump them was Nate, not quite spaced right for him to clear them both but he tried twice & it was an awesome sight to see his efforts put forth

it was all business for the elite's on this day as this was for the state championship

MG through the chute

cyclocross kicks ass & is a blast even as a spectator sport, I sure hope to be back on Hooligan Hill again next year at this time