Biking the Cowboy Trail across Nebraska

flickr/Ken Ratcliff

The above photo hit my Facebook newsfeed and I was entranced. Memories of summers on the farm in central Nebraska flooded back into my awareness. I followed the supplied link to a story about a wonderful rails-to-trails project, which converted an abandoned rail line into a biking and hiking trail. As of this writing, the so-called Cowboy Trail is the longest rails-to-trails conversion in the country, covering 321 miles between Chadron and Norfolk.

My initial Facebook reaction:

"This would be a great 5 or 6 day ride, culminating in my hometown of Norfolk, NE. I think I'll check out the tent and hostel accommodations along the route, and see if an end-to-end ride feasible."

As it happens, I already have plans to be near Chadron State Park in August, 2017, to observe the great solar eclipse. So naturally, I am thinking about taking a slightly longer route home, eastbound via the Cowboy Trail, with a stop in my hometown of Norfolk.

First thing I did was search for detailed maps of the trail. I found this helpful website called Bike Cowboy Trail which covers the paved portion of the trail between Valentine and Norfolk. The section between Chadron and Valentine is gravel and has fewer services and amenities at this point. The western half of the trail is suitable for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, but not for touring bikes.

The next thing I did was put the Cowboy Trail into context. The 321-mile trail cuts through the Sand Hills region of Nebraska, generally tracking Highway 20 between Chadron and Inman. Just south of Inman, Highway 20 splits off to Sioux City. At that juncture, the Cowboy Trail then follows along Highway 275 to Norfolk.

Map showing the locations of Chadron and Norfolk in context of Nebraska and surrounding states

Next I discovered an interesting tidbit about Highway 20--in particular, the portion from just east of Valentine and west past Chadron all the way to the Wyoming border. That stretch of road is known as the Buttes to Bridges Byway. 

Extending from east of Valentine (junction of Highways 83 & 20) to the Wyoming border, the Bridges to Buttes Byway journeys through diverse topography and distinctive landscapes. From rolling Sandhills through the Pine Ridge and the Nebraska National Forest onto plateaus from which you can see the Black Hills and into neighboring states, you will experience the sites, solitude and vastness that early travelers and settlers felt as they first saw this region.

That description and the photos accompanying it are compelling! So now I am looking forward to some more detailed planning, focusing on the logistics of this proposed adventure. And as I always do when I start a new project, I opened MS Excel. I copied table data from BikeCowboyTrail.com into Excel. I added rows for the towns west of Valentine. Then I used Google Maps to plot the distances between those towns. I noticed that if I selected the bicycle mode of travel in Google Maps, the elevation was provided--so I recorded elevations at all 31 towns on the trail between and including Chadron and Norfolk. The results are in the table below.

Table of Mileage and Elevation for Eastbound

There is still much more to do! I'd like to get locations and descriptions of the 221 bridges along the Cowboy Trail. I'd also like to catalog the other points of interest along the way. For example, I know that there are archaeological sites, Army outposts, pioneer homesteads, Native American sites, and of course old towns that dotted the prairie in the railroad's heyday.

This will be a grand adventure! More to follow!

"The Good Life" in Nebraska: Celebrating an Example

Todd Joseph Doane
"The Good Life"
Feb 16, 1963 - Dec 6, 2014

Life is a mystery! How is it possible that we should be allowed to inhabit human form for even a brief moment? Life is indeed precious and all too short. Those of us who yet remain must count each day a blessing and give thanks to those who have gone before. We are obviously indebted to our ancestors--we are a product of their choices. My brother Todd was a proud Son of Nebraska. Throughout his life he continually paid respect to those who had gone on before. And so it was natural for him to express his love of family by asking to have a portion of his ashes laid to rest among many of his ancestors in a family cemetery in Custer County, Nebraska. This is the story of our attempt to honor my brother's wishes and celebrate "The Good Life."

Map of Nebraska and surrounding states with Custer County highlighted

Nebraska's motto is "The Good Life." That slogan means different things to different people, but I suppose one common denominator would be the connection Nebraskans feel to the very land beneath their feet. Besides its people, the land itself is Nebraska's greatest asset. Varied geographical features reflect the surrounding states. Southern Nebraska is as flat as is its neighbor to the south. Eastern Nebraska is as fertile as its neighbor to the east. The topography of western Nebraska includes the bluffs and foothills that lead to the Rockies. Northern Nebraska is all about the badlands that it shares with its neighbor to the north. Central Nebraska is a mix of rolling hills, streams and rivers, and land that is well-suited for raising crops and grazing livestock. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln offered 160 acres to any head of household who had never taken up arms against the United States and who was willing to live on the land for at least 5 years.

My brother Todd was born in the great state of Nebraska, six generations removed from the sod-busting, corn-husking, "bug-eating" pioneers who settled Custer County over 150 years ago. He graduated from Norfolk High School with the class of 1981. He went to college in Kansas and settled in Texas to start his career and family. As his time on earth drew to a close, his heart remained with his family: this included the family he made with Vanessa, the family he joined with the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and the family of his birth and lineage.

We recognized each of these families in three separate services that each celebrated Todd's life in slightly different ways. There was a memorial service in Dallas in December for family, neighbors, and friends. There was a scattering of ashes at Marble Falls in June with the fraternity brothers. For the third service, we returned to the land of Todd's birth. Todd requested to physically rejoin generations of fore-bearers in a family plot in the corner of the Ansley cemetery, once part of the original Eggleston homestead.

Detail of Custer County showing the locations of Eggleston and Doane homesteads

Not only was Todd a native Nebraskan, but our parents were born and raised on family farms only seven miles apart from each other as the crow flies. Our mother's great-great grandfather migrated from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England via Wisconsin in 1862 with the Homestead Act and settled the town of Ansley. A couple generations later, our father's grandfather migrated--also from Wisconsin--to nearby Mason City, Nebraska. As it happens, the first Doanes in America arrived in about 1629 and, with four other families, settled the town of Eastham, Massachusetts. Todd's paternal ancestors moved from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania to Wisconsin and on to discover "The Good Life" on a 160-acre homestead in Nebraska.

Todd was in the 11th generation of Doanes in America and, via the Eggleston clan, was a 6th generation Nebraskan. These were facts about which he was justifiably proud. Few people in this turbulent modern world can claim such deep roots.

Todd had many accomplishments as a graphic artist. Among his achievements, Todd won a 2010 design competition for the Doane Family Association of America's logo.

Todd's winning design for the DFA logo is a tribute to his talent--and his love of family

In November, 2012, Todd was diagnosed with cancer--a grade IV glioblastoma multiforme tumor in his brain. Todd's brave battle with brain cancer and the tremendous outpouring of support that he garnered through his Caring Bridge site have been described elsewhere in the pages of PhilosFX. Please search for "Todd" and review the previous posts. A few selected posts are offered for your convenience.

• My brother Todd's prayer network (Nov 2012)
• More than tough enough (Feb 2014) 
• The grip (Nov 2014)

The common theme to many comments people shared about Todd on his CaringBridge site and at each of the memorial services was Todd's sterling example of love and faith. Todd was so brave and so selfless. He tried every imaginable treatment option in his battle. Ever the compliant patient, he showed discipline for the rigors of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. He continually affirmed his priories: faith and family. Through it all, he maintained his signature sense of humor and positive outlook. His example of love and grace touched many lives. Three memorial services cannot express the love that is reflected in many fond memories.

In accordance with his wishes, Todd's family made arrangements for his inurnment. On Saturday, September 26th, 2015, the church where my parents were married served as the meeting place for a service of celebration and remembrance.

In remembrance...

Then after a short ride from the church to the town cemetery, friends and family in attendance were able to see the beautiful family heritage stone Todd's parents designed. They commissioned a nearby monument maker to produce the beautiful stone.

The Family Heritage Stone is adjacent to James Ferdinand Eggleston's grave

The Family Heritage Stone sits adjacent to the final resting place of our progenitor, James Ferdinand Eggleston--the man who was born in England and migrated to America for a chance at "The Good Life" in Nebraska.

The front side of the Family Heritage Stone

The front side of the Family Heritage Stone features Todd's design for the Doane Family Association of America's logo.

The back side of the stone lists the vital information for Todd, his parents, and his siblings

There is obviously room in the plot for other members of the family, should they choose to be inurned there with Todd. Regardless, the shiny black stone shines like a mirror. Looking at the stone we see ourselves--a portrait of mortality. For me, personally, seeing not just my name but also my birthday followed by a dash and then a blank space, the message is even more plain. Someday that blank space will be carved with the date that I left this mortal coil. The stone reminds us that we will all be remembered by what we do in the space between the date on the left and the date on the right. Our whole life is "the dash" between those dates of birth and death.  Todd can be very proud of the things we all said about him when we recalled his dash.

Some additional photos show the headstones of Todd's ancestors that fill the northeast corner of the community cemetery--the corner nearest to the Eggleston homestead.

A view of the marker for James Ferdinand Eggleston

Todd's mother's father's parents, Adaline and Garfield Eggleston

Todd's mother's parents, Donna and Clarence Eggleston

A moment of reflection at the family plot. Todd's son Alex is flanked by uncles Dave and Kyle. (photo: C. Edward Eggleston)

Todd said he would be "comfortable with the people in this neighborhood."  (photo: C. Edward Eggleston)

Todd, his bride Vanessa, and their son Alex (photo: Leslie Kadane)

Todd Doane lived "The Good Life" 

and was an example to us all. 

We love you, brother

and miss you. 

Landmark on the Prairie: Shrine of the Holy Family, Gretna, Nebraska

During a recent journey by car from Omaha to Custer County, Nebraska, and back, I had occasion for a quick side trip. This is the photo journal of my brief visit at the Shrine of the Holy Family. 

The purpose of my side trip was to explore a dramatic-looking chapel plainly visible to the south side of I-80 near the town of Gretna. As I followed the gravel road leading to the chapel, I wondered what lead to the decision to build such a beautiful chapel out in the country. Was it really, as it appeared from the Interstate highway, a place of solace for weary travelers?

From the small parking lot, one walks along a path lined with flowering plants. Many bees and butterflies were enjoying the sunny day as I moved quietly by to the entrance facility.

The entrance includes a sculpture that drips water from a sky light into a circular pool. The path one takes makes a 90 degree left turn at this pool, and proceeds toward the chapel itself

A man-made stream bubbles along a path cut through the center of the stone walkway from the entrance facility to the Shrine.

The stream continues from the circular pool in the entrance, down the walkway, and then under the floor of the nave to the altar.

Between the columns are depictions of the Stations of the Cross. Wooden crosses decorate the sconce lighting fixtures.

The Holy Family Shrine is glass-walled, with supports holding up its 45-ft. tall roof.

The Holy family etched into the glass wall behind the altar is easier to see from outside.

View from exterior side chapel looking toward the main door 

Trellis roof over the peaceful exterior side chapel

A panoramic view of the Shrine of the Holy Family and the prairie near Gretna, Nebraska

The idea for the shrine was hatched in 1993, and the shrine opened in 2002. Though the chapel is quite elegant, it is not a parish church. Its sole purpose is to give interstate drivers a place to stop and pray. The entrance facility offers information about the site selection, acquisition, and development, along with information about the Catholic faith.

If the Shrine of the Holy Family looks familiar, there is good reason. Its design is very similar in shape and scale to E. Fay Jones's award-winning Thorncrown Chapel.

"Nestled in a woodland setting, Thorncrown Chapel rises forty-eight feet into the Ozark sky. This magnificent wooden structure contains 425 windows and over 6,000 square feet of glass. It sits atop over 100 tons of native stone and colored flagstone, making it blend perfectly with its setting. The chapel's simple design and majestic beauty combine to make it what critics have called "one of the finest religious spaces of modern times." Since the chapel opened in 1980, over six million people have visited this woodland sanctuary."

Euine Fay Jones (January 31, 1921 – August 31, 2004) was an American architect and designer. An apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright during his professional career, Jones is the only one of Wright's disciples to have received the AIA Gold Medal (1990), the highest honor awarded by the American Institute of Architects. His Thorncrown Chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, only 20 years after it was built, in recognition of its architectural significance. It has also received a special 25-Year Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architectsand other professional recognition.

The Holy Family Shrine was designed by BCDM Architects. To my way of thinking, it is as if the architects were paying homage to E. Fay Jones, transporting his design from the forest of Alabama to the prairie of Nebraska. More information about the design development and many high-quality photos are available HERE.

Next time you are traveling on I-80 through Nebraska, do yourself a favor and stop for a visit at the Shrine of the Holy Family.

Nebraska: The Good Life

A journey through Nebraska in four photos:

 

Corn and Storm, Storm and Straw

The Good Life

Corn

Storm

Storm

Straw