Today's report from my Ride for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska
Started at 7:00 am in Ogallala and finished at 12:00 noon in Benkelman.
The "Hurt/Help" Wind Scale is my way of saying "this is how much the wind hurt/helped me over the course of the day". It can Hurt me up to a -5, or help me up to a +5.
Covered 88 miles, 19.8 mph ave speed, 40.8 - max speed
Riding time - 4 hrs, 27 minutes
Wind - out of the NNW between 25-30 mph!! "Hurt/Help" Wind scale - +4.5.
The "Hurt/Help" Wind Scale is my way of saying "this is how much the wind hurt/helped me over the course of the day". It can Hurt me up to a -5, or help me up to a +5.
About today:
Today has been a marvelous day, which may come as a surprise with all the heavy rain and tornado activity going on in Nebraska as I type. I rode from Ogallala to Benkelman today, and north of Benkelman they had 2 1/2 inches of rain this afternoon alone. Here is town they've had over an inch. And through it all, I've been dry and safe as a bug in a rug!
That's because I left at 7 am and arrived here (88 miles later) a few minutes before noon! Having a 25-30 mph tailwind tends to help one ride along quite smartly. And I am soooooooo thankful to be in here and not out there! I did put my rain gear on 20 miles north of Benkelman, but never really got any significant rain on me, for which I am thankful as the temps were in the 50's today. A warm rain is one thing, but a driving rain on a very cold day is NOT pleasant.
Let me back up and share the highlight of my day. About 10 miles south of Ogallala, a pickup passed me and pulled off to the side of the road ahead of me. "What's this" I asked myself. I could not believe it when Don Moeller stepped out of his black "Moebile" truck with a big grin on his face! He is a member from Peace in Grand Island and said, "he was just out checking on me". Well, I was so deeply moved by this unexpected show of kindness that I totally forgot to snap a pic of him for my blog!! We visited a few minutes before he took off again.
As I reflected on this surprise, I had to ask myself WHY would Moe drive almost 200 miles west just to make sure I was safe and sound? I mean THAT is an incredible act of friendship! Then it occurred to me. I'm 99% certain of the reason behind this show of kindness: Connie! You see, his wife, Connie, is one of the 4 (self-proclaimed) Biker Babes who guarded me from danger for the last three days of my ride. And when she thought about me riding today without a support vehicle, she must've been so filled with concern that she sent Moe over here to check on me! Wow! This kind of care and compassion MORE than makes up for the scarf incident of two days ago! She is truly looking out for me even after returning home to GI last night.
Now, Moe (who works for Hogemeyer Seeds) DID say something about having an appointment with a customer who lived a few miles from where we met, but that is JUST what I would expect from Moe. He is a very practical guy and if he's going to drive 400 miles round trip to check on my welfare, then it makes perfect sense that he might as well check on a couple of customers while he's out in this area. That's what I like about Moe, he's always thinking. Thank you Moe and thank you Connie!!
Well, the ride part of the day was just cranking, enjoying the tailwind and hoping the rain held off until I arrived in Benkelman. Here is a pic of the top of the county courthouse in Grant. I suspect they had some wind recently as it looks like a branch hanging from the eagles neck on the top of the roof!
There was water everywhere in Imperial, along with evidence of VERY strong winds last night! There were branches and leaves everywhere around the town. Here are a couple of pics of the mess on the lawn at the courthouse.
Thank-yous for today:
That's because I left at 7 am and arrived here (88 miles later) a few minutes before noon! Having a 25-30 mph tailwind tends to help one ride along quite smartly. And I am soooooooo thankful to be in here and not out there! I did put my rain gear on 20 miles north of Benkelman, but never really got any significant rain on me, for which I am thankful as the temps were in the 50's today. A warm rain is one thing, but a driving rain on a very cold day is NOT pleasant.
Let me back up and share the highlight of my day. About 10 miles south of Ogallala, a pickup passed me and pulled off to the side of the road ahead of me. "What's this" I asked myself. I could not believe it when Don Moeller stepped out of his black "Moebile" truck with a big grin on his face! He is a member from Peace in Grand Island and said, "he was just out checking on me". Well, I was so deeply moved by this unexpected show of kindness that I totally forgot to snap a pic of him for my blog!! We visited a few minutes before he took off again.
As I reflected on this surprise, I had to ask myself WHY would Moe drive almost 200 miles west just to make sure I was safe and sound? I mean THAT is an incredible act of friendship! Then it occurred to me. I'm 99% certain of the reason behind this show of kindness: Connie! You see, his wife, Connie, is one of the 4 (self-proclaimed) Biker Babes who guarded me from danger for the last three days of my ride. And when she thought about me riding today without a support vehicle, she must've been so filled with concern that she sent Moe over here to check on me! Wow! This kind of care and compassion MORE than makes up for the scarf incident of two days ago! She is truly looking out for me even after returning home to GI last night.
Now, Moe (who works for Hogemeyer Seeds) DID say something about having an appointment with a customer who lived a few miles from where we met, but that is JUST what I would expect from Moe. He is a very practical guy and if he's going to drive 400 miles round trip to check on my welfare, then it makes perfect sense that he might as well check on a couple of customers while he's out in this area. That's what I like about Moe, he's always thinking. Thank you Moe and thank you Connie!!
 |
| branch caught on the top of the courthouse in Grant! |
There was water everywhere in Imperial, along with evidence of VERY strong winds last night! There were branches and leaves everywhere around the town. Here are a couple of pics of the mess on the lawn at the courthouse.
 |
| mess left from previous night's storm |
 |
| leaves knocked down by the wind |
 |
| VBS ain't happening in the tent tonight! |
I suspect that VBS in the tent did NOT happen tonight as this church had planned...
 |
| looking south into the valley coming into Imperial |
This is what it looked like all day. Once again, thank you Lord for protecting me from the nasty weather all over the state today!!
Thank-yous for today:
Thank you first of all to Mr. Blake Edwards for transporting my luggage/gear from Ogallala to Benkelman! Thank you sir.
Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”. A WISH…
 |
| Dallas and Kelly Watkins |
Second, my thanks also goes to Dallas and Kelly Watkins, my host home folks in Benkelman. I have had a luxurious day at their home: a shower, hamburgers for lunch, a wonderful two hour nap and then a fast computer to update my blog. I could not ask for anymore! It's been neat to visit with them. Dallas was 4 years ahead of me at Republican Valley HS and Kelly was one year ahead (I believe). She is also my cousin. Her maiden name was Reiners. And she told me that she is a big-time quilter who learned to sew from my mom, Wendy, when she was the 4-H leader for Kelly (and others)! How cool is that? Supper was delicious too. Thank you Dallas and Kelly!!
To comfort His followers and point them to the only Source of eternal life – John 14:1-14
Funny quotes for today:
“Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. The airplane simply carries a man on its back like an obedient Pegasus; it gives him no wings of his own.” - Louis J. Helle
Closing thoughts for the day:
ONE MORE DAY, then a much anticipated rest day at my parent's farm. Char is coming out there as well, and there are some wonderful folks in McCook who have organized a Pancake Feed Wednesday night as a fun/fundraiser for Make-A-Wish. I would like to encourage all of you, if you have not made a donation to MAW to consider doing so. It's a great organization, and I truly hope to fund wishes for several more children as a result of this ride. Just give it some thought, ok, perhaps a penny a mile for the rest of the ride. That would be about $10. Or a nickel, etc. Thanks for considering my invitation. If you are in the McCook area, I look forward to seeing you at the pancake feed. (-:)
Forecast for the next day:
Forecast for the next day:
mid 70's, wind out of the NW 30-35 mph. It's gonna be breezy. I'm going NE, North and East, so it will be a bit of a headwind, a bit of a cross wind and a bit of a tail wind at different times. I'm planning on an early start as it's about 100 miles, plus I lose an hour reentering Central Time Zone.
Route/Towns for the next day:
Route/Towns for the next day:
June 21 - Benkelman to Max to Stratton to Trenton to Palisade to Hays Center to
Culbertson to McCook to Indianola
