Exactly ^^^
50 hrs straight and level is not going to help you much.
Pick airports relatively close together but still more then 50NM so that it qualifies as XC.
ATC in the US is usually very accommodating to IFR training flights.
If you can’t find a working NDB then you can still use a VOR as such if you have an RMI or if you have an HSI with a second needle.