June 29, 2011

Today's report from my Ride for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska

Started at 7:30 am in Nebraska City and finished at 5:30 pm in Lincoln.

Covered 99 miles, 14.6 mph ave speed, 33.9 - max speed

Riding time - 6 hrs, 44 minutes

Wind - out of the SE, so helped us the first half of the day and kind of hurt us the last half. 

"Hurt/Help" Wind scale - +1.0.

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:



Cool sign!!



Megan, Mike, Damon and Steve



Today was another super day, although it was very hot and tough towards the end.  It was a nice morning when we left Nebraska City.  We had a 10-15 mph SE wind which pushed us all the way up to Omaha!  Sweet!  I say WE because there were two guys who rode with me all day: Damon Wagner and Steve Barr.  These two guys are my heros!!!!  They let me sit in their slipstream ALL day, especially from Omaha to Lincoln when the SE wind hit us from the side.  I used to change diapers for my sag driver when she was a little bitty kid.  Megan Reiners (my daughter) drove her car for us all day.  It has a REALLY awesome, cool sign on top that she and her friend, Fed, made!  Thank you!!!! 



When we arrived in Plattsmouth we went downtown to take a picture of the REALLY cool courthouse.  Check it out on the county history page.  Just to the east of downtown is flooding that was mind-boggling to look at!  Normally in these pictures, one would not see any water.  The river was not visible from that spot under normal circumswtances!  Wow!!



more flooding



still more flooding





flooding just east of downtown Plattsmouth

Just north of Plattsmouth was about 5 miles of nasty construction, etc in part to flooding.  The water was right up to the road in the first picture.  The other picture is of several houses completely surrounded by water.  And they probably will be for several more weeks. 



flooding almost up to the road



water surrounding these houses



Rather than risk our lives riding these five brutal, nasty miles we got a ride from Greg, a friend of Damon's.  Keep in mind that the traffic on Hwy 75 is crazy busy.  About 90% of the people on that Hwy would normally be on I-29.  So, they are upset to be on Hwy 75 in the first place.  Riding those 5 miles on a narrow Hwy filled with angry, in-a-hurry people would'be been suicidal!  So, it was really nice to ride in the pickup!! 



Thanks Greg!!!

Going into and through Omaha was QUITE an experience!  It took over 2 hours but was a pretty cool experience.  We went into downtown and then out of town on S 24th St, a really cool Latino part of the city.  This was a VERY different experience than riding through Mullen or Benkelman or Harrison!  Here are pictures. 



South 24th St



South 24th St

 



Cool!!



finally, we can see downtown!!





Neat downtown boulevard

Going into and through Omaha was QUITE an experience!  It took over 2 hours but was a pretty cool experience.  We went into downtown and then out of town on S 24th St, a really cool Latino part of the city.  This was a VERY different experience than riding through Mullen or Benkelman or Harrison!  Here are pictures. 



cool looking pottery store on S 24th



doesn't look like much, but that's the blow out.



We had quite a time with flats today!  Steve had not had a flat tire in over 3000 miles.  He had two of them today.  The second one was a staple, like from a stapler you would use on paper!  It doesn't take much.  Damon had a flat and I had my back tire blow out.  Four flats in one day!  My blow out was not a surprise.  I noticed I could see the fiber threads in sevearl places where the rubber was worn away.  I was trying to decide whether to put on a new tire tonight or try to make it through the ride tomorrow.  Well, the decision was made for me in one sharp pop!  That means I wore out two back tires on this trip.  Usually I get 2500 miles out of a back tire.  For some reason it took two tires to get 2700 miles.  Hmmm...  Suckers are not cheap either! 

sign at my host home!

It was a long, HOT ride from Omaha to Gretna and then to Lincoln on Hwy 6.  Went by three signs as we came into Lincoln.  They said 90, 94 and 95 degrees.  Tomorrow's going to be even hotter!  Here's the sign waiting for me at my brother and sister-in-laws house.  (-:)





 After a quick shower, we went to a fun/fundraiser down at Mama's Dream Bakery and Deli on 19th and "Q".  Cool place!!  Here are some of the folks who were there.

Kiley and her daughter

Kiley Thiele, from MAW office in Omaha



Suzanne Cain, co-organizer of this event





Denise Schrader and Mama Pat DeBaere (co-owners with one other lady of Mama's Dream Bakery and Deli)



 

other folks who were there including Paul Seibert





Thank-yous for today:

Thank you also to my host home folks, Kevin and Irene Reiners, my brother and sister-in-law.  I really appreciate your hospitality!  Kevin, and his daughter Sydney (my niece), are also going to sag for me tomorrow with my daughter Megan. 

Irene and Kevin

A little goodie Irene bought for me. 
Of course I shared it with everyone!



Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

     For us to share the Gospel news about Jesus with others – Matthew 28:16-20

Quote of the Day:

To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. Might as well be playing Tiddly-Winks. - Scott Martin

Closing thoughts for the day: 

Well, it's hard to believe that tomorrow is my last day of riding.  It's been an unbelievable experience in so many ways, people, scenery, experiences, etc.  I'm very glad I did it.  I'm also glad I'm almost done doing it!  I just want to be home with Char again, working at Peace and going about normal, everyday life.  One more day though. 

I start out tomorrow with an interveiw on KFRX (106.3) with Matt McKay (Matt in the Morning) at 7:00 am.  There are some folks who are going to ride with me along the way.  Plus there are folks who will be waiting in Hampton and Aurora, etc.  Then they'll be a few folks at the courthouse when I reach GI at 6:00 pm.  Don't know what all is going to happen, but I look forward to celebrating the conclusion of this journey with my friends and family.  

I have been honored to ride for several MAW children and their families.  As I shared with the folks at the event tonight, I truly do strive to live by the motto, "Give more than I receive and never receive without giving thanks".  That's what Jesus did for us, gave His life for us on the Cross to pay for our sins.  That is unconditional love and in a very real way, this is what people have been giving to me this entire month (host families, sag drivers, event organizers, etc)!  And that's what I have had the honor of doing for others as well, showing them the love that Jesus shows to us.  It's that taking what we've been given and using it to bless others, and then having it come back and bless us that is one of the more rewarding experiences in life.  Well, I'm too tired to make a whole lot of sense, so I'll ponder this tomorrow and perhaps write some additional stuff in a day or two.  Thanks for listening.  Blessings to all of you!!  Mike

Forecast for the next day:

Mostly sunny, south wind up to 20+ mph, and temp up to 102 (feels like 106) degrees.  Yowza!!

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 30 - Lincoln to Seward to Tamora to Utica to Waco to York to Bradshaw to 

                             Hampton to Aurora to Grand Island (and HOME!)         









June 28, 2011

Today's report from my Ride for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska

Started at 6:45 am in Tecumseh and finished at 4:15 pm in Nebraska City.

Covered 115 miles, 14.1 mph ave speed, 33.7 - max speed

Riding time - 8 hrs, 5 minutes

Wind - pretty much a non-factor today. 

"Hurt/Help" Wind scale - +0.0.

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:

hill after hill after hill after hill after...



Today was spectacular!  Virtually no wind, upper 70's, sunny, wow!  The only "con" was all the hills.  Now, I enjoy hills, but 18,000 of them in one day is a bit much for even me.  As I was going down then up then down then up, I tried to remember why I disliked the area around GI being so flat.  Hmm....  If God grabbed the north edge of our state, and pulled until eastern of Nebraska was flat, I bet we'd cover up about half of South Dakota!  It DOES make for some beautiful country though.

Another thing I really noticed today was all the lightening bugs!  Have you seen how many there are in the evenings?  Wow!  Well, they don't go to bed and sleep all day.  They're still around, and for some reason, they enjoy landing on sweaty cyclists!  Every time I would stop, two or three would land on me.  Even when I was riding, they would stick to me and mooch a lift.  They don't hurt.  They just kind of tickle and annoy the heck out of you.  It's like, "Stop touching me!!  Go away!  Don't land on me!!"  At one stop, I ate a banana.  As I lifted the last bite to my mouth, there was a lightening bug, just standing on my banana looking at me.  ARGG!  I explained to him that for future reference this was not a good idea.  "If I had ingested you it would not have been a pleasant experience for either one of us!"  I hope I got through to him.  After I sent him on his way and finished my banana bite, it occurred to me I made the assumption that lightening bug feet don't have any deadly germs on them.  All I can say is so far so good....



that would be cool to see



Pawnee City, home town of Larry the Cable Guy!



As I neared Pawnee City, I saw this sign.  There must be some Mennonites living in the area.  It would be cool to see a horse and buggy going down the highway.  Then as I entered Pawnee City, I HAD to take this pic!  PC's most recent claim to fame is being the birthplace of Dan Whitney, aka Larry the Cable Guy.

Doug, Shirley, Tom and Mike

Prior to today, I had not seen any other cyclists on the road.  Today I saw eight of them!  I passed two ladies (they were going pretty slow) and met two guys going the opposite direction on Hwy 75.  There was NO stopping and visiting as Hwy 75 is CRAZY busy with traffic.  Most of the traffic is what would be on Interstate 29 if it were not under water.  I met the other four cyclists on Hwy 8, along a very nice, calm stretch of road between Pawnee City and Falls City.  They were from Lawrence, KS, doing a self-supported ride up into SE Nebraska and then back home.  They were really enjoying the nice road, beautiful scenery and gorgeous day.  They were Doug and Shirley Hitt, Tom Mersmann and Mike Yoder.  Thanks for visiting with me!  I hope the rest of your trip goes well.



Todd and Mike



Susan, Zach, Todd and Blair

Just north of Auburn, I was joined by Todd Benton, a friend who used to live in GI, but now lives in Nebraska City.  In fact, they are my host family tonight.  He rode the last 18 or so miles with me and it was a TON of fun to have someone to visit with!  I stayed with him, his wife Susan, and children Blair and Zach, in Nebraska City. 

A gift bag/care package waiting for me in my room! 
Thank you Susan.  (-:)



Thank-yous for today:

Other thank yous today are once again to Doug and Carolyn Wetzel who sagged for me today and yesterday.  Their care was humbling, especially when I mentioned yesterday that I was hungry for a turkey sandwich, figuring on one from Subway at the next big town.   Well, Doug promptly gave me HIS turkey sandwich that he had brought for his own lunch!  And then today, he gave me their last two pieces of pizza!  THAT is going WAY above and beyond the call of duty for a sag driver!!!!!!  Thank you my friends. 


Thank you also to Megan Reiners, my daughter, who is going to sag for me the final two days of my ride.  It will be SOOO cool to have you as part of my ride adventure.  I also appreciate one of her friends, Damon Wagner and one of his friends (both of whom I will meet for the first time tomorrow morning) who are taking vacation from work and riding with me tomorrow.  They will guide me safely and efficiently through the maze known as Omaha all the way to Lincoln.  I DEEEEEEEPLY appreciate this!  It's gonna be a great day. 

PS - Hey, if you get a chance to watch "The Adjustment Bureau", a movie starring Matt Damon, it's worth watching.  In a fascinating way it deals with the big topic of Free Will, and the question of who is really in control of our lives, God or we ourselves.  Pretty thought-provoking.  Check it out sometime. 

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

     For you to have life in His Name – John 20:30-31

Quote of the Day:

“The hardest part of raising a child is teaching them to ride bicycles. A shaky child on a bicycle for the first time needs both support and freedom. The realization that this is what the child will always need, can hit hard.”  - Sloan Wilson

Closing thoughts for the day: 

Hard to believe this adventure is almost over.  I DO hope that enough donations come in to fully fund Izzie's wish, or perhaps even a fourth child's wish.  But, I will be grateful for whatEVER comes in.  There is a fun/fundraiser event tomorrow night in Lincoln which I really look forward to.  I appreciate Suzanne Cain, Paul Siebert and others for organizing it.  Talk with you tomorrow! 

Forecast for the next day:

VERY nice!  Sunny, mid-80's, with a SSE wind which will either help us or be a non-factor from the side.  Couldn't ask for much better.  (-:)

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 29 - Nebraska City to Union to Murray to Plattsmouth to Omaha to Papillion to 
                             Gretna to Ashland to Greenwood to Waverly to Lincoln  

June 27, 2011

Today's report from my Ride for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska

Started at 7:15 am in Fairbury and finished at 3:00 pm in Tecumseh.

Covered 97 miles, 14.2 mph ave speed, 29.7 - max speed

Riding time - 6 hrs, 51 minutes

Wind - Hurt at the beginning of the day, helped a lot in the middle and hit from the side for the last 32 miles. 

"Hurt/Help" Wind scale - +1.0.

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:

looking into the Swan Creek valley from the turn to Tobias

Today was great!!  I had a bit of a headwind going north out of Fairbury, but it wasn't bad.  Then later that same north wind really helped me!  Before turning east on Hwy 41, I went past the turns to Daykin, Western and Tobias.  I was a pastor at Zion Lutheran Church and School just outside of Tobias from 1992 - 1999.  LOTS of good friends in the area.  I hope you are all doing well.  (-:)

 

Wilber - Czech Capital USA

      Arriving in Wilber is a little like going back in time.  They claim to be the Czech Capital of the USA.  As you drive down mainstreet you hear polka music being played over loudspeakers.  It's different, that's for sure.










Well, the rest of the day took me through Beatrice, and then east to Tecumseh.  I enjoyed riding today, which I did not really enjoy the last two.  It was a good day.  

Thank-yous for today:

Doug and Carolyn

     Thank yous are in order for my sag drivers today and tomorrow, Doug and Carolyn Wetzel, friends from Grand Island.  They are a LOT of fun!  I really appreciate your help.   

Marsha and John Diener

roast beef, potatoes and carrots!!!!

      Thank you also to my host family in Tecumseh, Pastor John 
      and Marsha Diener.  John is from Michigan and has the Michigan fight song as his ring tone (you'd enjoy visiting with him Jason!).  In spite of this challenging trait, I still enjoyed his company.  

    Marsha is originally from Kenesaw.  Her maiden name was Kimle.  She fixed a scrumptious supper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  When she lifted the lid off the skillet (with a dramatic flair that would've made a French chef proud) I nearly fainted!  I was instantly transported back to my childhood, to Sundays and my Mom making roast beef, potatoes, carrots and gravy.  I received to important phone calls while we ate.  The first was from Kiley at MAW in Omaha.  When it vibrated, I looked at it, said "Naww!" and kept chewing.  The second phone call was from Char, my wife.  I looked at it, said "Naww!" and kept chewing.  I stopped at three helpings because I didn't want to make a pig of myself.  Thank you Marsha!!  Ice cream is to follow as we watch the movie "Adjustment Bureau" with Matt Damon.

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

     To make eternal life possible – Luke 24:1-18

Quote of the Day:
“The bicycle is a curious vehicle.  Its passenger is its engine.” - John Howard

 “When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn’t work that way.  So I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.” - John Howard

Closing thoughts for the day: 

Lots of hills and a few more miles tomorrow.  Warmer temps.  Hmmm....  I think it will go well though.  Staying with good friends tomorrow night, Todd and Susan Benton, who live west of Nebraska City. They used to live in GI and worship at Peace.  I look forward to seeing them again!! 



Forecast for the next day:

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 28 - Tecumseh to Pawnee City to Salem to Falls City toward Verdon to Hwy 67

(north) to Hwy 136 to Auburn to Julian to Nebraska City

June 26, 2011

Today's report from my Ride for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska

Started at 8:00 am in Hastings and finished at 3:30 pm in Hebron.

Covered 66 miles, 13.6 mph ave speed, 25.6 - max speed

Riding time - 4 hrs, 52 minutes

Wind - Hurt at the beginning of the day, helped when I rode 28 miles of the route "backwards", and then hurt a bit the rest of the day. 
"Hurt/Help" Wind scale - -1.0.

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:

Well folks, I think my body is getting tired.  This is the second day in a row that I literally pushed to the very last mile I could do before dropping.  When you keep panting even though you're not riding hard, when everything hurts after 2 revolutions and you have to coast for another rest, when the thought of the last 21 miles from Hebron to Fairbury makes you feel sick to your stomach, it's probably time to quit early for the day.  

I can understand it yesterday.  It was very hot and I covered 130 miles.  But today was not hot and yet after 66 miles I was absolutely, completely cooked.  Hmmm...  I told Char that very seldom have I ever ridden so long that I absolutely have reached the last mile I can do, but that has happened two days in a row.  The only two days in this entire month as a matter of fact.  So, I don't know what to expect tomorrow.  But, all I can do it get up, get on, get going and see what happens.

Things started downhill from the moment I left Hastings (even though it's level around there!).  I headed east into a 25 mph ESE wind and for the first 18 miles I averaged 10.4 mph.  That's about as exciting as getting a tooth pulled.  Then my knight in a brown Chevy pickup showed up (Emil) and he drove me to Geneva so I could ride the 28 miles back to Clay Center and then up to Hwy 6 with the wind.  Much more enjoyable!  By the time I reached Hwy 6 though the wind was down to about 10 mph out of the SE.  So, when I rode from Geneva south to Hebron, the wind from the SE wasn't nearly as bad.  Plus, the traffic going by helped break a lot of it, but still my strength just faded away and was gone by Hebron.  So, Emil picked me up, stuffed me in the truck and took me to Fairbury. 

Gloria, Mike and Bill

There were several bright spots though.  When I reached Hwy 6, Bill and Gloria Schlauchter (friends from GI) were visiting with Emil and waiting for me.  They had three pieces of meat lovers pizza and two cinnamon breadsticks from Valentinos!!  Now, if THAT doesn't revive the flagging spirits of a tired cyclist NOTHING will!  (-:)  Man, oh man did they taste delicious!  Thank you for thinking of me!! 

Mike and Kevin

     Also, as I neared the end of the day another friend from GI stopped by to say hi, Kevin Wiersig.  He was just out for a road trip and wanted to see how I was doing.  I was five miles from Hebron, so I was frank with him and said, "Not very good".  (The smile on my face was very forced.)  But, it was really cool that he took the time to drive out to say hi.  It gave me some much needed encouragement!!  Thank you Kevin.

Chuck and Brenda

My host family is awesome!  Chuck and Brenda Schmidt have been friends for over 20 years.  Chuck is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairbury.  Brenda is a teacher and also works part time at church.  They are a delightful, very interesting couple to visit with.  Supper was delicious and I am right at home in their home.  Great feeling!  Thank you for your hospitality. 

bike, pickup, Emil and Kevin

     And finally, thank you Emil (Stichka) for sagging me the last two days.  You have the dubious distinction of seeing me at my nadir!!  The two "worst" days of the ride for me and you lived through them with me.  Thank you for your support and your patience as I labored slowly down the road!  Slowly cresting a rise and seeing your 1994 Chevy sitting beside the road always filled me with hope!  (-:)  

      I deeply appreciate your help and your friendship.   

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

     To grant forgiveness by paying for our sins on the Cross – Luke 23:44-49

Quote of the Day:

“Consider a man riding a bicycle.  Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move.  We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it.  That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things.” - William Golding

Closing thoughts for the day: 

Another couple of friends are sagging for me the next two days, Doug and Carolyn Wetzel.  Doug was my sag driver about 6 years ago when I wanted to see how far I could ride in a 24 hour period.  He drove me out to western NE, drove 24 hours straight while I rode, then drove me home from Arnold where I ended up.  I was impressed!!!  So, he's an old pro who won't need any training.  (-:)  

I'm hoping that a good night's sleep tonight will refill my tank to be able to cover all 90 miles tomorrow.  However things go though, I have God's promise of a new day filled with His blessings to me so that I can be a blessing to others.  And when it's all said and done, that's all I need to know.  Talk with you tomorrow from Tecumseh. 

Forecast for the next day:

A straight north wind up to 15 mph (weird!).  I'll go north first while it's a big calmer so that will help.  Temps won't be too bad. 

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 27 - Fairbury to Western to Wilber to Clatonia to Beatrice to Filley to Orchard

to Tecumseh

June 25, 2011

Today's report from my Ride for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska

Started at 5:15 am in Kearney and finished at 5:30 pm in Clay Center.

Covered 130 miles, 13.8 mph ave speed, 30.4 - max speed

Riding time - 9 hrs, 21 minutes

Wind - Hurt at the beginning of the day and never really helped at all. 
"Hurt/Help" Wind scale - -1.5.

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 started with lots of bangs, flashes and dripping water.  I was going to leave at 4:00 am, but there was thunder, lightening and rain going on outside.  What to do?  Well, let's pour another bowl of Cheerios and think about it.  After some more thinking, the box of Cheerios was empty.  Now what?  Let's nap on the couch for 30 minutes and see if it lets up.  After 15 minutes, my phone rings and it's Emil Stichka, my sag driver, calling from the front driveway!  Really??  You drove from GI and got here at 5:00 am??

Cory and Mike

Well, now there was no choice but to start.  Fortunately, the worst of it was past and things went ok.  It's just hard to start in the dark when it's raining, thundering and lightening!  Emil brought along my secret weapon for the day: Cory "Quick start and keep it going" Schutte!  This friend and riding buddy from GI gave up his Saturday for the sole purpose of coming out and pulling for me (riding in front to reduce wind resistance for me) for over 50 miles!  To have someone care enough about me to do that is quite humbling.  He spent his energy to help me save mine, and I am deeply grateful, especially since the wind REALLY hurt us on the run south to Franklin.  It was out of the SE at 15-25 mph.  Ouch!  Once we turned east it died down and wasn't so bad.  Thank you Cory!!!

Cory pulling for Mike

 

A beautiful sight!!  Cory between me and the wind!

Some friends met us along the way.  Don and Lewellyn Peterson, from Smith Center, KS, met us in Franklin.  I had the privilege of performing their wedding ceremony earlier this year.

Rick, Kay and Jared

Then just west of Red Cloud, who should show up but Rick and Kay Rathje and their son Jared!  They "were just out for a drive" to see if they could find me.  (-:)  They live not too far north of there, SW of Hastings and are members at Peace Lutheran Church in GI, where I am a pastor. 





The run east and then north to Nelson, and then further north to Clay Center was tough.  It grew very hot and humid.  The wind was a little bit against me, and it just sapped my strength.  I shudder to think what would've become of me without the help that Cory gave me earlier in the day!  To make a long day short, I struggled into Clay Center and called it a day.  I do not think I could've gone one single mile further!!!  So, tomorrow, I will ride from Hastings back to Clay Center and then east to Geneva.  We went ahead and took a picture of the courthouse in Hastings.  There were some really neat courthouses today.  I hope you take a look at them and the county histories on that page of my blog.

Josh getting ready to lead worship the next morning.

My host for tonight was Josh Davis, one of the pastor's at Faith Lutheran Church.  Josh is from Michigan originally and has served at FLC for 10 months.  He graduated from the seminary in St. Louis.  He was a VERY gracious and helpful host.  He and I are in total agreement that mint chip ice cream and Oreo cookies are meant to be eaten together!
We had a nice visit during supper, then I laid down at 7:45 for a "brief nap" before updating my blog.  I woke up at 10:45!!  Wow was I tired!!  So, this update is really late tonight.  Sorry to keep you waiting. 


Thank-yous for today:

To Cory, and Emil (I'll get a picture of him tomorrow), and the Petersons and the Rathjes and Josh!

Bible verses dealing with Jesus and “wishes”.  A WISH…

    To grant eternal life in Heaven – Luke 23:32-43

Quote of the Day: 

“If we all, mountain bikers, cyclists, multinational companies, Jo Public, respected the land like old civilizations we wouldn’t get so many punctures (flat tires).  They are earth’s revenge.” - Jo Burt

Closing thoughts for the day: 
Very long day!  Glad tomorrow is more reasonable (only 97 miles!). 

Forecast for the next day:

Argg!  My gas tank is empty and I was hoping for a bit of help from the wind, but not going to happen.  From the SE (which just happens to be the direction I'm going all day long), temps in the upper 70's to low 80's and high humidity.  Ah well, a long, slow grind it out day...

Route/Towns for the next day:

June 26 - Hastings to Clay Center to Geneva to Strang to Bruning to Belvidere to

Hebron to Gilead to Gladstone to Fairbury