Regarding Niobrara, Chapter 2

Niobrara kept pulling Eddie in. It became a destination for him and he grew to think of it as a second home. He told me that he didn't quite understand why he felt so comfortable there - whether it was the people, the beautiful scenery, it's strange history or all of this and more.

So, The Two Rivers became a hang out of sorts. He told his friends, he held TeamStrange events there, he stopped in whenever he found himself within a few hundred miles of the place. And soon it became a destination for a lot of long distance riders.

TeamStrange, with Eddie in the lead, had adopted the town holding riding events with Niobrara as the hub - "Two Wheels to Niobrara", "A Night In Niobrara", "Return to Niobrara", and Butt Lite IIII started & finished there.

And Niobrara welcomed him and TeamStrange with open arms. In one event, Eddie and his friends challenged the town to a softball game. The town's team kicked their asses. And in the name of sportsmanship the Strangers responded with water balloons for the winners.


Niobrara is remote by any standard. It sits along the con flux of the Missouri and Niobrara rivers in the northeast corner of Nebraska. Across the Missouri is South Dakota. It is flanked on each side by Indian reservation land, the Ponca and the Santee (more on this later). The closest WalMart is 40 miles away in Yankton, SD. The nearest interstate is over 90 miles away in Sioux City, IA.

From the back door of The Two Rivers you can see for miles with only a few buildings to mar the view. It is unspoiled by commercial development. It has a car dealership, a convenience store, a grocery store, 3 restaurants, 2 motels and 3 saloons. The Two Rivers accounts for the one each of the last three categories. It is home to a beautiful state park and is a haven for hunters of all kinds.

Eddie and the Strangers had also adopted Arlene. She became a bit of a celebrity in their world. Eddie became very protective of her and along with other Strangers took care of her as best they could.

It was Butt Lite IIII in August 2006 when I got to visit Niobrara for the first time. Eddie had described it vividly and I understood that he truly loved this place. I immediately fell in love too. For me, it was the scenery and the people. And, just like Eddie, I was drawn to The Two Rivers. We were captivated by the place.

It was now under a different owner. The Swanson's had sold it to several members of the Kelley family. By 2006, Pat Kelley was left to run the place by himself. This one-legged, former riverboat captain didn't have much to say. His gruff manner just added to the ambiance of the place.

What started out as an informal event that Eddie held on June 14, 2008 labeled "Strange Saturday" (the Saturday after Friday the 13th) dramatically changed our lives.