TDN Day 4: Ponca to West Point

73 miles. The longest day. After a break in Allen (we gotta go up a hill to get to the rest stop???) we took Hwy 35 into Wayne. Was getting quite warm. When we got to Wayne around 10:45 a.m. (which is in a valley) we stopped at the first fast food place mostly just to sit. Because lunch was wherever you landed, everyone sort of got disjointed. So you didn't know when people were leaving to head out, which strung out the riders miles apart.

And those miles were HORRIBLE. Wayne to Wisner were butt-kicking hills. Once we got to Wisner, we decided we needed beer. So we stopped at the local tavern: Rumor's, and Amy decided to start conversation with Tom, the local at the bar. He ended up buying a round. Was fun. Then headed to Beemer, stopped just for a butt break, then into West Point. We were absolutely cooked by the time we got in.

Camped in the tent at the park. Showers at the school, bussed up to that facility. The town was spotless. You could tell the community really took a lot of pride in their town. We had the banquet that night in a church basement. Was really a great time because all the riders were in one place. They announced the first timers, all the way up to a guy who had ridden 19 TDNs. WOW. The oldest was 76, the youngest 11 on a tandem with his dad.

We slept pretty well, except the bathroom facilities were pretty much nonexistent. You had to have a bottle of water for any tooth brushing you wanted to get done.