Reply to THANKS TO FOLKS ALONG THE COWBOY TRAIL

My wife and I stayed, slept, visited, ate from Norfolk to Valentine during middle of July. We had to make some adjustments due to heat and thunderstorms, but that was the worse. The best are the folks of the Trail-- friendly, accommodating, and helpful. The Lodging and motels were clean and up to date --service excellent. The local restaurants were clean and the food/service excellent. We had a wonderful vacation- beautiful scenery only surpassed by the wonderful folks of the Trail.
More later

Thanks for the good information. Sounds like you had a very good experience and we are looking forward to the same. We will be riding and ferrying our vehicle along with us.

I'd started a thread above, but thought I'd drop you a note as well. We are going to ride the trail from Valentine to Inman on Labor Day week. I thought I'd ask, "were there any areas you'd avoid and take the highway? A bit of concern for flats etc from thorns. What bikes did you ride? My friend is going to ride her Cannondale Adventure 4 Hybrid with 700x35 tires and I am gong to ride my GT Grade Gravel bike with 700x35 tires. Would love to hear from you about things to do and how your trip went. Thanks, Steve

We did Norfolk to Neligh, then picked up our SUV and did individual biking around Neligh and Valentine after that. We had extreme heat in July and less riding time than we had figured and I had some health issues so the riding bikes were cut short a bit.
1. Bikes - we had Specialized 21 Speeds; tires were 700x38- we wished that we had gravel or mountain tire; we were first timers to this; we practiced on paved roads at 12 to 14 mph and ended on the trail at 6 to 9 mph; we were passed by those with mountain or gravel tires with ease. We thought a mountain tire would have helped this --otherwise we enjoyed it.
2. Thorns- at the start of the trail at Norfolk they warn of Texas burs or Goatheads. We saw them in fields but didn't encounter them. The Valentine Locals watch the thorns East of the Niobrara Bridge to about Wood Lake or Johnstown(?). (read up on the internet about them as they can be a problem for flats.)
From Valentine to the bridge is ok and would recommend the ride (great view!).
3. Flats: We didn't have any! It was recommended (RAY) to put a liner in the tires to help prevent flats and we did. It definitely helped. Also get Triple A they have a pickup and deliver destination policy for bike flats. We stopped at the Norfolk branch and got the 800 number to call if needed; they have reps along the way.
4. The lodging along the way is very accommodating to bikers. Our primary was Country Inn-Norfolk; Deluxe-Neligh; Niobrara Lodge-Valentine; great places- let us store our bikes in safe/secure places; very helpful. Also had contacts in Ainsworth, Stuart, Atkinson, and O'Neill and believed they were accommodating as well if we wanted to stay there.
5. EATS- Valentine: Coach Light for Lunch; Peppermill for steaks---a great eating experience; others were great as well along the way.
6. Things to do: Tubing on the Niobrara- went 9:30 am to about 1PM -it was great! Would do it again. Niobrara bridge near Valentine- a must to see and behold; visit with locals along the way-great people. Views are good for the biking from Valentine to Inman. There a lot of town museums along the way. Pick your towns and research them for labor day events.