The wind really picked up after the sun went down last night and I kept hoping it would die down. But it just kept increasing, and what I thought was a good spot quickly became unbearable with the wind so high. I put it off till I tried to go to sleep and ultimately decided I had to move. So I grabbed all my stuff and hauled it down into a little gully and well protected from the south wind. It was flat enough, and mostly calm other than a gust of turbulent wind every 10 seconds. I slept off and on but it was very fitful. Strangely the wind died down a bit just before sunrise and it was not too bad for the ride down southeast to Hay Springs. I decided to head through town and just jump on the highway because going through the exposed hills of the National Forest would be extremely difficult heading south. Oh well, at least I did camp there once. There was a gradual uphill most of the way through patches of pine forest. I had avoided a flat so far and had plenty of water and food so I decided to keep going to Rushville. The old railroad line that paralleled the highway had looked overgrown and still had the rails, that is, until I passed Hay Springs. It looked like it was rideable so I jumped on. Still worried about flats but curious, I decided to give it a try. It had a bit of weeds, but the gravel was in pretty good shape. The bridges had no decking, just the original crossties. It was slightly sketchy riding and some were rotten a bit so I walked those, making sure to stay right above the beam. But there were really nice metal mile markers, and a few no vehicles signs at crossings so it was pretty official if unfinished. The Cowboy Trail, early! I resolved to get to Rushville but the trail got softer and more rough. Still though there were several fresh bike tracks, and I kept at it. Once I got to the city limits the trail surface improved greatly to red fine pea gravel. Bridges were nice and there was a little covered area by the trail. I had thought the trail officially started way out in Valentine but they're making progress! I got a snack and ate it at the park. After a bit of deliberation, I decided to check if a room was available in the next town once I got there. I rolled to Gordon on the trail, and the surface stayed the same although the gravel was a bit thick. I checked in to a nice little hotel for an actual full day off. It's super hot and windy today and it's going to be really windy and rainy tomorrow, and I really could use the rest, and it's cheap!