A Pretty Full Day in Valentine, Nebraska

I took this photo of a deer in the Valentine Natural Wildlife Refuge. The Wildlife Refuge is located about 15 miles south of Valentine on Route 83. I saw amazing birds, turtles, wild turkeys and deer.


I took a 10-mile bicycle ride on the Cowboy Trail bike trail that runs through the Sandhills. It was 88 degrees and very hot in the sun but the view from the bike path was astonishing. I took photographs of the sandhills and wildflowers along the bike path.


The sky was a beautiful blue with only a few white puffy clouds. It was a perfect day in Valentine, Nebraska...until...

My car battery died! The Ford Edge rental car battery died right on Main Street in Valentine, Nebraska. Luckily, people here are really friendly and helpful and in no time I had a jump and the good advice to go the Tehrani Ford Dealership in town as they were open on Saturday. I walked in, told them my story and the first thing they did was to offer me a slice of homemade banana creme pie! As it was a bit early in the day for me I declined the offer. However, their hospitality and friendliness made me feel so right at home that I relaxed and felt I was in good hands. And I was. They ran tests, found that the battery had a bad cell, replaced it and didn't charge me anything because the car was still under warranty! I was amazed. The owner and another fellow talked with me while the others worked on my car, told me about life in Valentine, trips they had taken. I found myself really enjoying their company. They were extremely interested in my trip and gave me great advice about places to visit in the area.

I left feeling very confident that my car would make it to Arizona and felt happy to have met such nice people. I kept thinking of the different type of treatment one would receive if a car battery happened to die in Flatbush, Brooklyn, for example. When I got to a place with an Internet connection I bought two Junior's Strawberry Cheesecakes and had them delivered to Tehrani Motors. If you're ever stranded in Nebraska, sit back and enjoy a slice of banana creme pie and good conversation and be thankful that places like this still exist.

I captured these ducks flying near a windmill in the Valentine Wildlife Refuge. This area of Nebraska is a bird lover's paradise. I bought a book of Nebraska birds at the magnificent Plains Trading company book store at 269 Main Street in Valentine.

This book store has an outstanding collection of books about the Plains and the West. I spent some time talking with the owner and she reviewed my collection of books purchased with excellent commentary. It's worth a trip to Valentine just to browse in this fantastic book store.

Closeup of wildflower taken along Cowboy Trail bike path.


Kayakers on the Niabrara River floating downstream at a pretty good clip.


View of the Niabrara River from Smith Falls State Park.


The Niabrara River near Valentine, Nebraska.


Sign along Route 12, Scenic Byway, the Outlaw Trail.


People jumping into the waterfall at Smith Falls State Park. It was 88 degrees and pretty hot in the sun.


View from my bicycle on the Cowboy Trail bike path. This hiking, biking and equestrian trail will eventually stretch 321 miles across Nebraska from Norfolk to Chadron.


View of the Nebraska Sandhills from the Cowboy Trail bike path.


Very high bridge near Valentine on the Cowboy Trail bike path. This is the longest bridge on the Cowboy Trail and is an impressive 1/4-mile long and 170 feet above the Niabrara River.


Closeup of a wildflower bud I took along the Cowboy Trail bike path.