Day Twentynine- Done (Over 2105 miles)

August 18th-

I slept in at the campgrounds until after nine. Normally, I sleep more if I feel safe. There was a lot of confusion going on around Salina due to the construction, so I ended up getting on Interstate 70. I figured it would only be for five miles or so. I ended up liking the ride a lot more. It was safer than the roads I was on before, because I had three times as much shoulder to chose from.

I stopped at the next big town I saw, which happened to be Richfield. There was quite a few fast food restaurants and hotels directly off of the Interstate. I went inside a Taco Bell/KFC and ordered one of the degrading meals in a bowl (as if a mini trough is less convenient than a bowl). While I sat there recharging my electronics and myself, a mouse scurried across the floor. The workers there panicked in an attempt to eradicate the building of the tiny mouse. I patiently walked over to the door, opened it, made some squeaking noises, and ushered him out. He waited for me to open the other door in the same fashion. No problem. I soon realized there was no point in saving the scared mouse, as one of the workers went outside and beat it with a broom. I guess they do things differently in Utah.

I left there and stayed riding on I-70 beyond the point where I had an excuse, mostly because I was riding faster. As I was getting closer to I-15 (where I-70 ended), I started experience a high volume of mountains. As a matter of fact, I had risen to two separate, drawn-out summits; 7180 feet and 6600 feet. I was only riding up from the high four thousands, so it wasn't as bad as the Rockies. I made it to I-15 a little beat up from the climb. But, I wasn't going to let that stop me: I had more Freeway to ride on.

I was able to make it all the way to Beaver, UT without being stopped by any police. I was heading for the campgrounds in town when I got a little lost. There was a lady moving some clothes from her car into her house. I asked her if she could point me in the right direction, and she did. Actually, she called the place for me to see what their price was for a tent campsite. It was $24. I thanked her for her help, but told her I wouldn't be staying there because I refuse to pay that much for a piece of land for one night. She offered for me to stay at her pasture which was just a few blocks away. Of course, I accepted.

So, Mary Margaret showed me her land. I set up my tent and headed back to the Subway restaurant I saw about a mile back. When I got in there, not a single person was in the store. Two people outside said that they had been standing there for an hour and saw nobody inside the store. Right away I knew they worked there. I followed their directions though, and went back into the store and yelled for someone behind the counter. After a few seconds, a teenage girl came out to help me.

I typed and ate for about an hour when it became closing time. I had to get out because they were having their monthly meeting. That is why the two pranksters were outside earlier on. I grabbed my things and shuffled over to the McD's to finish writing. As soon as they closed at 11 pm, I packed my things on the bike and rode back to my "campsite."

Daily Lesson: (From picture) No trip starts out at mile 1, that comes after mile 0.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twentyeight- Done (Over 2005 miles)

August 17th-

Normally, when the clock reads 5 something, I'm not up to do anything. But, on this particular morning I was getting ready for a long day. It's rare on this trip that I am able to enjoy an early ride with the sun lighting my way, but not burning my back.

Jerry and I said goodbye as I followed his truck toward the highway. He turned right at the end of the road toward work and I turned left toward, well... work. I looked ahead at a large range of mountains that I had to somehow get through. I saw some misplaced, as I thought, windmills which were soon to be well explained. There was an intense wind tunnel created from the gap between the mountains. The ride was cold, sweaty, and difficult. I didn't realize that the canyon was so long and dangerous.

There was construction being done to the highway which resulted in no shoulder. But, I was stopped before I could make it that far. One of the construction workers had me toss my bike in the back of his truck and gave me a ride for a little over a mile to the other side of the construction site. It was just enough time to warm up before I got back out in the cold.

For those people who don't know already, canyons are formed between mountains and are not often flat. With that said, I proceeded to climb the mountainous canyon toward the summit.

I was successful with the trip through the canyon and rode on through a town which had a sports store with large sale signs everywhere. I went inside to pick up bicycle things if they had them. I only found tubes. So, I bought two of them since they were on sale.

I then made it into a town called Mt. Pleasant. I stopped at a locally owned gas station and parked my bike up against the building. I went inside and bought a corn dog, popcorn, and Arizona Grapeade. By the time I got back outside to my bike, the rear tire was as flat as the road behind me wasn't.

I wheeled the bike out behind the store where the sun wasn't searching for something to bake, and proceeded to change the tire. I stuffed one of the new tubes in and inflated it all the way. When I pulled the pump off the nozzle, the nozzle broke rendering the tire useless. So, I patched up the one I had just taken out and put it back in there. It was much better. I left Mt. Pleasant feeling that the name was deceiving.

As I continued on my quest for a hundred miles, I passed through a town called Manti; home of a gigantic Mormon Temple. I continued toward Salina, but stopped in Gunnison for water. Gunnison has a small theater that was showing a PG-13 movie at 7pm promptly. I could have waited forty minutes for the show, but kept riding into Salina to avoid a storm I saw overhead.

It was still somewhat light outside, even though the sun had set fifteen minutes earlier, but I made it to Salina. I saw an American Legion with a few cars outside, so I went in to say hello. I walked downstairs as the top floor was completely vacant. As I turned the corner, I heard one voice speaking from a room filled with people. A gentleman told me, "This is the AA meeting." I apologized for any interruption, but then thought about staying because I hadn't a drink in over a month. I ended up leaving though out of respect for the people there.

I headed for the Butch Cassidy Campground. I noticed that they only charge $5.95 for AAA members. Lucky me. When I set up my tent in the tent area, there was only one other person there. His name is Tony. Tony was on a motorcycle trip across the US and was talking to his wife on the phone. After he got off the phone we talked some more. Soon, it was time to call it a night and I settled down inside my tent. I have another long day of riding tomorrow.

Daily Lesson: The products that break the most are the ones on the best sales.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twentyseven- Done (Over 1910 miles)

August 16th-

Well, I woke up to my alarm and decided that it was still too early. I was going to reset it, but just fell back asleep instead. I woke up around 9 am (thirty minutes before breakfast was over) to a loud bang next door. The family staying in the room next to me was apparently in a hurry to get out of there. Who knows why? But, I hustled downstairs to grab some hot and cold breakfast and brought it back up to the room. I spent the next two hours writing with a shower thrown into the mix as the pictures downloaded to the webpage.

I left the hotel around 11:30 am ready to ride. I realized that the road I was heading on was being used for a bike race a week later. They put up a nice sign that read, "Bike Race August 22th." How odd! I could've sworn that it was the 22nd. Oh well, Utah. After riding along Highway 189 for about fifteen miles, I found out that there is a trail that parallels the road. I rode over to that and continued my trip a lot safer. I passed by campgrounds, parks, and even a waterfall. It was quite a trail.

I got off the trail in Provo to see how beautiful the town is. There were dozens of hang gliders floating down to earth from the mountains that protected Provo. I passed through Provo and arrived in a town called Springville. It seemed like a small town, but they have a rotary club. As a matter of fact, there was a banner hanging in the center of town that pointed me in the direction of their Annual Picnic/Car Show.

I rode eagerly toward the site where they were celebrating. I didn't know that I was heading approximately eight miles up the side of a mountain. There is a nice bike/walk path located on Canyon Road, but it didn't get rid of the incline. I made it to the picnic just as they were finishing up. However, I was welcomed just the same. I explained what I was doing and word spread quickly as people walked over to me to shake my hand. I answered the normal questions again, and met some very nice people. One of the gentlemen I met, who is a rotarian, is Jerry Bately. He invited me to stay the night at his house in town. Although I had only riden about thirtyfive miles that day, he talked me into it. Jerry told me that he and his wife (I'm ashamed to say I've forgotten her name even after asking Jerry a second time for it) both left early in the morning for work, so I could get an early start. Plus, dinner was going to be homemade. I couldn't pass that up.

We got back to their house and I examined my bike to see if it was alright. It was. I got to meet nine year old moose, who is a six pound dog. Moose was focused on my every move as I ate the chicken leftover from the picnic. It was much the same with the burger, corn, and vegetables that Jerry's wife made for all of us. But, "Moose doesn't eat people's food."

Everyone headed off to bed so I made some phone calls, unconciously watched a western called "McCabe and ??," and got ready to head to bed early. I had to be up and ready to go by 6 am. A little earlier than I'm used to, so for that at least, Jerry and his wife have my respect.

Daily Lesson: Don't be afraid to change your plans, especially if it doesn't effect anyone but you.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twentysix- Done (Over 1875 miles)

August 15th-
I woke up ready for a nice warm day. I wasn't lucky enough to get it though. About ten miles into my morning it started to rain. It was the same flavor rain as the night before; ice cold. I kept pushing forward a little disgruntled like an employee who is harrassed on a daily basis. I was fine with the cold rain, but the wind was trying to kill me. As an eighteen wheeler was barrowing toward me the wind decided to push me sideways almost into the far lane.

I realized that the odds weren't in my favor and set myself and my bike up between two short trees. I passed ten minutes in those trees. I started to realize that the storm was not going to pass by quickly and I needed to be somewhere else. So, I walked out across the road and walked my bike. I hoped that someone would stop.

Sure enough, the very next vehicle was a truck with an open bed. Bill pulled off to the side and Teresa jumped out to help me. They offered to take me into the town after the next, but as the rain cleared and my hopes rose I turned them down. They did drive me over 20 miles through the storm though. Thank God for that. I don't think my body was ready for another attack that close to the first. They dropped me off at a market in Dinosaur, CO.

I went inside and filled up my water bottles and bought myself lunch. I sat down and ate at the only table in the gas station (market) with another guy who was just passing through. The rain drizzled off and on for the next twenty minutes as people came in from the west asking, "who is on the bicycle?" Most all of them told me about the storms that were ahead on the route I was taking.

Lucky for me the guy I was sitting at the table with was heading toward Salt Lake City by way of my destination. Abdullah Rahman and I talked for a few minutes while he filled out his Powerball cards. He offered to drop me off on his way. I gratefully accepted. We rode and talked about everything from politics to religion. I don't think we argued once. It seems to me that it is possible to talk about those two topics civilly.

I didn't take many pictures of the things we passed by because I was engaged in the conversation, but it was beautiful. He dropped me off in Heber City, CO.

I walked into the Holiday Inn Express and showed them a letter my mom had given me to explain the whole situation. The lady working at the front desk, Jackie, gave me the best deal possible without a question.

I brought my bike and things up to the room and seperated out everything that was wet and dirty from the rest. I washed my clothes, wrote some things down, and got ready for bed. I set my alarm for 7 am so that I could enjoy the first rush for breakfast and get some writing done thereafter.

Daily Lesson: Just because you can't ride, doesn't mean you can't ride.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twentyfive- Done (Over 1855 miles)

August 14th-

Well, let's just say that I didn't have the best wake up. I'll leave it at that until the book. But, after I got up and going, I said goodbye to Alex and headed out.

I rode up the street until I was further out of town and came across a farmer's stand. Unfortunately, the peach that I wanted to buy cost about two dollars. I don't think it was farmers selling them. Rather, I think it was con-artists. Oh well. The peach was delicious. I rode for a little while further when I saw a cyclist behind me. I didn't know if I should slow down to let her catch up, or keep my pace. I kept my pace and she caught up anyway.

Her name is Julie. I think I called her Julia once on accident and played it off quite horribly. She isn't the type to hold something like that against a person though. She was riding from work to home, which passed through two towns. Lucky for me, they were two of the towns I was heading through that day. So, we rode. We talked. We had about thirty or so miles to occupy. We stopped in one of the towns to fuel up. She offered to buy my food, I refused, and she bought it anyway. After we made it to her town, we high fived goodbye on the bikes. That's when I went into McD's and sat out a small rainstorm.

I had to ride about 35 miles to get to the next town, so I loaded up my water bottles and was fed up (meaning I was full). I started to ride towards the storm. It got worse as I got into it. It didn't stop raining for over two hours. The temperature got down into the 40's and it hailed a little. I couldn't find anywhere to stop, so I just kept riding. My hands started to lock up because they were slowly being frozen, My arms soon followed, along with my legs. I had to stop a couple times to refuel because of the distance I had to travel. It was extremely difficult trying to open up a package with no feeling. I got back on the bike and kept riding.

I made it into the town of Mullberry. The rain had stopped, but it was still in the 40's. So, I was shivering. I asked the hotel how much it was to stay there just out of curiousity. They were charging fifty dollars. How expensive! For a town in the middle of nowhere that made no sense and a world of sense all at the same time.

I camped at their local park which allowed camping and also had hot showers. It was cheap, too. They only charge ten dollars for a site (fifteen if you are using one with electrical outlets) and two dollars for a shower. The campgrounds is where I met David and Debbie (sp?). They passed me early on in the storm when it wasn't so cold. Debbie offered me some of their homemade beef stew, which she accompanied with a banana, butterfinger bar, and ritz crackers. I couldn't turn her down, not because I was trying to be kind, but I was too weak to fight at all. My body took a little over an hour and one increasingly hot shower to recover. The beef stew helped as well.

I set up my tent at one of the sites and was ready to sleep. Right before I was done though, a dog came cowering over. I pet him a little and he started to walk away. Well, atleast that's what I thought. He actually went over to mark the corner of my tent as his territory. "Hey, hey, hey," was all I could think to say. Well, I cleaned off the pee and got ready for sleep.

I don't know if I've ever said what I do inside the tent to get ready for bed, so I'll say it now. I unroll my fleece sleeping bag diagonally in the tent because the tent is the same height as me. I take out my sweats and put them over my clothes. I take the socks I wore that day, and place them over the shoes. I set up my two water bottles next to my waist so that I can grab them for a midnight drink if I wake up. I use my towel as a pillow most of the time, unless it's hot outside, in which case I also use my sweats. I set my alarm on my phone (which will sometimes be the actual time I get up). Then, I lay there thinking about everything that happened that day and all my friends and family. That's about it.

Daily Lesson: Just because you paid for it, doesn't mean someone else won't think it's their land.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twentyfour- Done (Over 1775 miles)

August 13th-

I did wake up in the middle of the night a couple times. One time, I was so thirsty that I had to finish the last drops from my water bottle. Another time, it was so cold outside that I had to use the trusty thermal blanket. I'm not sure if I used it right, but I'm still alive, so it's all for the better.

I packed up my things in the bitter cold of 6 am in the hills (Rockies). I had no water, so breakfast wasn't a good idea. I didn't want to dry out my body with digestion. I figured I had about ten miles until I reached a place I could get water, so I rode.

The ride was still uphill, but was beautiful. I kept wondering when I was going to get some water though.

After it seemed like too long, I went over to a creek and tested the water. There was no strange smell or taste, so I took one sip to get me the rest of the way. Right after the summit of the "hill," I had to stop at a point in the road where there was construction. The construction guy said, "I brought an extra bottle of water today. You can have it." Who could ask for anything more?

They let me ride down behind the other cars going about 30 MPH into part of a valley. There is a visitors' center there which I stopped at to fill my waters. I realized I had a little glimpse of phone service, so I made some calls.

Following the phone calls, I met Kristen. She works at the Moose State Park State Recreation Visitors Center (I'm not 100% on the name still). She gave me some tips for my travel and I asked her to follow along on the trip.

I rode mostly North into a small town by the name of Walden. There wasn't much to this town, but it was a nice stop before the many empty miles I was about to travel. I got an extra water bottle and some food to eat for dinner in the middle of nowhere.

A few miles down the road I met Kurt and Krista (see picture). They took some time off to cycle around Colorado. It seemed to me that he was carrying all their stuff, but I'm sure they worked out some deal. We told eachother of what was to be expected in the other directions. Kurt gave me a pair of gloves saying, "it gets cold in the mornings, especially if you spend the night in Rabbit Ears Pass." It was that sentence which made me decide to ride faster and farther to avoid having to sleep in Rabbit Ears Pass.

Rabbit Ears Pass was a beautiful climb of up and up and up. But, like I said before, going up a mountian means you get the downhill. What a downhill it was. I flew down the hill with a top speed of 35.5 and an average of 33 MPH. The descent lasted around ten minutes as it was about 5 miles long. I would've loved to have taken some pictures, but the ride was too exhilerating to stop.

I rode into Steamboat springs which is where I asked a guy by the name of Travis a million questions about the area. He works at the Gas Station/Ski shop there. After hearing my story, he bought the food for me that I was about to buy. I gave him the blog information, so hopefully he reads my thank you!

I ate some hot, fatty food at the McD's in town and typed until they kicked me out at 11 pm. I rode over to the camp sites that Travis and Kurt had told me about and was surprised to see the $29.54 charge for camping there. I think I stayed at a hotel for cheaper than that back in Lincoln, NE. Well, I rode over to a campsite where the people were still awake and asked if I could camp in the corner of their site for the $18 cash that I had. Alex (see picture) said I could camp there for free.

The two of us stayed up until about 4 am talking. He kept offering me a beer everytime he grabbed one, but I stayed true to my goal: no alcohol on the trip. We enjoyed the campfire until we let it die out and went to bed.

Daily Lesson: Memories come in two speeds; fast and too fast.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twenty Three- Done (Over 1685 miles)

August 12th-

It was truly an early morning. I woke up to dogs barking in the trailer park which was 100 yards away from my tent. I started packing everything up when I thought to check around me to see what there was to do until Clair came back for me. Lo and behold, there was a McDonald's just three buildings away. So, I waited and ate breakfast.

When Clair got there, we put my things in the van and headed over to the bike shop; "Full Cycle." The shop didn't open until 10 am, but there was a coffee shop called "Mugs" right across the street. That is where I passed the time until the shop opened. Clair ended up coming back from his meeting very quickly, because the lady was out of office until 1 pm, even though she scheduled their meeting for 9 am. Oh well.

We sat and talked some more until the shop opened up. I went in and had my rear rim looked at and replaced within fifteen minutes. The guy who worked on it was a little abrupt (yeah, that's the word I'll use), but he got the job done. I rode it around for awhile to make sure it was better before heading into the rockies (or the hill, as the locals call it).

Clair gave me a ride up to a camping area. We said our goodbyes, and off he headed back to the meeting. As I was setting my bike up, I met two more people; Dave and Christy (sp?). We chatted for about fifteen minutes or so as I got my bike ready and relaxed by the water for a bit. They gave me some almonds that were well taken. Dave and I (see picture) came up with a good idea for a bike part. I cannot disclose the information contained within that conversation at this time.

I left from there slowly climbing the mountain. The roads were a bit dangerous, but the drivers were mostly kind enough to give me room. Along the thirty mile trek for the day, I went through a small "town" called Rustic. It was more of a tourist's stop. But, it served me quite well. I reloaded my water bottles and had lunch.

I passed many scenic areas. I took a lot of pictures.

I found my destination to be a little too far away, but heard about a nice camping area which is free just twenty miles sooner. I decided to set up tent there, and get an early start to make up the miles. The place is absolutely beautiful. Picturesque (see picture)! There are some ice capped mountains off in the distance, a huge lake, tall pines, and a free campsite. I set up for the night excited for the downhill I was about to receive.

It started to get a little chilly outside, so I got the thermal blanket that my uncle gave me ready to be used if I needed it.

Daily Lesson: Sometimes it takes longer to climb a mountain than it does to go around, but around has no downhill.

To donate, go to http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twentytwo- Done (Over 1655 miles)

August 11th-

I know how sad it must be to see that I only finished about 25 miles of riding today. I understand because it is just as sad for me. But, everything happens for a reason. Here's today's story:

Steve gave me a ride from his house in Kansas back to the corner that I saw the bar from. I thanked him for the hospitality and he asked if there was anything else he could do for me. He is a very kind man. I said no and set my bike up and he saw me off.

I felt great. I was a little tired because of the whole time change situation confusing me into thinking that I got more sleep than I actually did. I rode about five miles before a spoke broke on the rear wheel. I know this may sound exactly like the day before. Trust me, it felt like the same thing to me. But, this time the spoke was in a spot I had to pull the gears off to get to it. The only problem was that the tool I got for that almost fit my bike, but no quite. So, I had to find a shop to change it for me or to sell me a proper tool.

I rode into the next town with a little wobble. It was early so most things were just opening. I went into the subway and asked if there was a bike shop in town since the population seemed to be supportive of one. I was wrong. So, I asked for a phone (directory) book to look up the nearest bike shop. I called one 27 miles away; no longer in business. I called one about 27 miles past that one; also no longer in business. Frustrated with the lack of support for cycling, I sat on the corner with my thumb out to get to the next closest bike shop which was just over 80 miles away. How crazy!

I sat there for over an hour and a half with people either pretending to look the other way, shaking their heads "no," or waving while not realizing what a thumb in the air means. Finally, a guy pulled up in a white van with a military signals sticker on the back window. I wasn't sure if he was actually going to give me a ride or not, but he said, "I would've stopped earlier when I drove by but I had some things in the back. So, I went and dropped them off so I could give you a ride." Wow!

Well, I put my bike in the back and introduced myself to my new friend Clair (see picture). We talked for the entire ride up to the next town, which he happened to know a guy that fixes bikes at a hardware store. I learned a lot about him in the thirty minutes and he learned much about me as well. He took me into the town to see if the guy would look the bike over, and the guy (Shad) said he would. So, Clair told me that he had to drive back through on the way to Fort Collins in a few hours, and that if we couldn't fix the bike (find the tool to get the gears off), he would take me up there to the bike shop.

Shad and I worked at the bike for a few minutes and found the right tool to get the bike back to its rightful state. I repaired the spoke, put it back together, and thanked Shad for his help. I told him he could have the tool I had to fix the bike, since it didn't fit mine and served me no purpose. He ended up giving me the one that fit in an exchange.

I rode the bike across the street, bought some food from the local grocery store to eat for lunch, and headed back to Highway 34. Right as I turned onto the road, the rear tire whihc I had just repaired, locked up and wouldn't budge. Coincidentally, I asked Shad for the store number incase something happened. I called and asked if I could come back and borrow a socket wrench. He said he would come and get me and bring me back to the store so that my stuff wouldn't grow legs (not his words; mine).

He picked me up, we rode back to Hardware Hank('s), and we tried to fix it together. We took the entire wheel apart and racked our brains. He kept offering left over pieces the store had to fix what was wrong. We were close to fixing it when I got worried that it wouldn't work and I would miss the ride from Clair to a shop that specialized in problems like that one. It just so happens that Shad knew Clair, and had his phone number handy.

I called Clair and he said he would take me up there in about an hour. So, Shad and I continued the struggle. We came close to solving it when Clair got there. So, I scraped up all the spare pieces and packed them in his van in the hopes that someone in Fort Collins would be able to fix it right (unlike my way of fixing it). I thanked Shad and off Clair and I rode.

We stopped in a town to fill his gas tank and our bellies, and then continued up to Fort Collins. He said that we would find a bike shop so that I could get there in the morning when they opened. That we did. It wasn't easy, but the phone book always works. He dropped me off in a semi-vacant field without the bike and said he would be back to pick me up in the morning. So, I set up my tent and got ready for bed as usual.

Daily Lesson: Just because you know what's wrong doesn't necessarily mean you can fix it.

Please donate to show me that you support what I'm doing:

http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Twenty One- Done (Over 1630 miles)

August 10th-

I got a pleasantly late start due to an extra shower in the morning at the hotel. But, I read the map over and figured out a route that I'm allowed to ride that would only add about 250 miles to the trip. How sarcastically wonderful! I'll keep looking at that map until I can possibly figure something better out.

After writing the blogs, I hit the road wanting to make it to the Colorado border. I rode swiftly. I find it hard however to ride on Highway 34 without stopping to see the "historical markers" (see picture).

After riding for about an hour from McCook, I had a little bicycle mishap. I had to change a spoke on the bike (finally took a picture of me fixing the bike). It was pretty hot outside, but I didn't mind at all. I found comfort in the shade of trees and mosquito wings.

I saddled up again a little saddened by how late in the day it was and how few miles I rode. I was in for the best surprise of the trip though; The most amazing sunset EVER!

I stopped at a gas station soon after the sun had set so that I could refill my water bottles and get back on the road. I felt that I needed to make up some of the miles I lost during the day by riding at night. Some of the bikers (motorcycle riders) at the gas station thought I was crazy for doing the trip and even more so for riding toward the storm that was brewing the whole day. I paid no mind to their doubts. I just rode.

It was the most peaceful part of the ride, yet. I figure there were only about 6 cars that had passed me in the same direction for over two hours. I rode through on town that was closed down for the night and into another called Haigler that was looking just the same.

I saw some soda machines, so I was going to buy a water out of them and keep riding. Just as I was fishing for change, I notice that there was some "beer neon lights" on up the road. I rode over there figuring that maybe they were open and I could get some free water. Sure enough, they were open.

I went inside the bar and met four people; two of them hadn't been to the bar in about a year. Those two are Steve and Tami Workman. After chatting for about thirty minutes, I was invited back to their house to spend the night. I asked if I could get back here in the morning to continue from where I left off and Steve said he would drive me back. So, I crossed the border into Kansas with them to their home.

There was more land than anyone in Eastern New York or Southern California would know what to do with. Just beautiful. They told me about the hail storm that just hit there about a week before. Thankfully, I wasn't riding through West Nebraska at that time.

They gave me a place to sleep upstairs and with the changing time zone within the limits of their house, Steve and I synchronized our clocks. Mine changed as I walked upstairs to the living room. I planned accordingly.

Daily Lesson: In the death of a day, the sunset can be it's lasting impression. (It's never too late leave your mark.)

Please donate to help END POLIO NOW! http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Information

Please don't be worried if I don't post a lot for the next week or so. I need to ride a lot of miles in order to get where I need to be. I'll do my best to post them in towns that allow, but if I'm short on time I might not be able to. Thanks for understanding,
David

Day Twenty- Done (Over 1555 miles)

August 9th-

Well, I'm sure that you can tell by the number of miles that today was a good day for riding. The wind was at my back whispering sweet nothings in my ear all day long. The hills had all laid down for a day long nap. The sun was playing hide and seek behind the clouds. Who could ask for anything more?

I enjoyed the beautiful skies for hours as I rode an average of 15 MPH. I had promised myself that I wouldn't stop in any towns for more than a couple minutes so that I could get as far as possible. I still had enough time to let them know what I was doing though.

All the towns were small. As a matter of fact, one of the towns had a population of 80. Guess what? That didn't stop them from having a police car. I got a kick out of that.

Right as I decided not to look at the odometer/speedometer to encourage a faster pace, I saw a giant tower (see picture). Now, some of you may know that I'm afraid of heights. So, today I decided to test my fears. I hate fears. I rode over to the "tower" on a pebble and rock county road. Little did I know that the tower belonged to TV station 26. It was Sunday, so they were closed.

That never stopped a rebel like me from accomplishing my mini-goals. I was going to conquer my fear of heights. Well, I parked my bike, jumped the barbed wire fence (Don't tell anyone!), ascended the ladder to the roof, and then walked the plank to the base of the tower. I put everything but my camera down and started to climb. Rung after rung, my nerves started to poke me. My muscles grew weak from the lifting for minutes after minutes. I didn't realize how hard it was to climb a tower. I kept climbing until I thought I would be able to get a great panoramic shot with my camera. I must've been 200 rungs up, when I was satisfied. Nervously satisfied. I hope you like the picture (only one of the 8 panorama).

I carefully climbed back down, scraping both elbows just once. I saddled up and headed down the road; accomplished!

As I rode, I saw a sign for a Holiday Inn Express. I had travelled over fifty miles at that point, and the sign said the hotel was 55 miles ahead. Hmmm... "I can do that," I thought to myself. Thanks to all the people that helped me on the 131 mile day, I knew I could. So, I called my mom to see if she could get me a sweet deal at the hotel.

I rode like I stole something. I rode like I was in East Cleveland at night. I rode like I wanted to sleep in a soft bed with my own shower nearby. I rode.

As I got closer, I got in touch with my mom and she came through. She talked with Mary (correct me if I'm wrong, I was out of it), who was working the front desk, and got me the employee's rate for the night. I rode faster.

I got there a little after ten o'clock and checked into my room. I washed my laundry, ate some food, showered, studied my maps over and again, then called it a night. I had to get up early for my free breakfast and to thank Collete (the manager who wasn't going to yell at Mary for helping me out).

Daily Lesson: There are two great motivators; People and absence of people. (Not in this case, but sometimes it takes people leaving us for us to finally do something right.)

Donate to eradicate Polio at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Nineteen- Done (Over 1445 miles)

August 8th-

I woke up in Friend looking forward to another day of riding. My body was a little sore, but my tent was dry. So, I was happy.

I rode feverishly toward Sutton, which is a larger font on the map, thus I figured I could get internet access there. I was right. There happened to be a hotel on the outskirts of town that had free WiFi. How convenient! I sat there and typed while eating lunch for the better part of two hours. It was refreshing in comparison to the heat and wind that were pouring and blowing East.

After posting a couple blogs and talking to a local, I went to the gas station and filled up my water bottles in the bathroom sink (I realized it's not worth spending money on filling up my water bottles. Wasted some money early on in the trip doing that).

I headed West intending to run into a town or two between Sutton and Hastings (about 30 some miles), but no such luck. There are no gas stations on Highway 6 between those two towns. That's free information for you, that I wish I had before.

I stopped by a farm house just off the road when I saw a truck pulling out. I asked the man in the truck if I could get some water from his spicket. He said it was okay. So, I filled up my bottles and my gullet and rode on into Hastings.

I arrived there around 6 pm and the sun was blazing. I went to the local grocery store and bought about 10 lbs of food for $10. They had a lot of sales going on that day. I took the food and ate some of it outside the store.

After I was fed up, I decided to relax at a deserted building's cement loading dock for about an hour to let the sun calm down. When it did, I rode for awhile before realizing that the drivers weren't seeing me because of the low sun. I stopped off at a restaurant for a little while waiting for the sun to fall a little more. It did. I rode.

I didn't go very far because I found a school just to the West of Hastings that looked like a nice, safe place to sleep for the night. I checked the perimeter for scoundrels and found none. I set up my tent far enough away from the ant pile I distrubed when I got there. I didn't lock the bike to the tent tonight. I don't think I needed to.

(My average mile per hour for the trip so far is 11.9 MPH)

Daily Lesson: You don't miss your water 'til the well runs dry.

Donate to help eradicate Polio (and put the Polio team out of a job) at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

A gift from my brother:

Day Eighteen- Done (Over 1370 miles)

August 7th-

Yet another fun day of ups and downs. I think the Devil had too much dirty laundry, so he kept an extra washboard in Nebraska. But before I get to talking about the trip, let's start with day break.

I got up late at around 9 am because I was enjoying the bed I got to sleep in. It had been about 4 days if I recall correctly, since I had slept in a bed. I showered using up the entire bar of soap they had supplied at the motel. I was sparkling clean. I started packing up all of my stuff and decided to ride a bagless bike over to McDonald's (no, they're not paying me to mention them so many times. McD's is like Jim; they're everywhere).

I bought three sausage biscuits with the plan to eat them while I typed back at the hotel room. I typed and typed for about two hours when I realized the afternoon, and my check out time, were drawing closer. I stopped writing and put everything on the clean functional bike.

I rode down the street and checked the air pressure on my tires. The tube in the front tire was having a reflux of air into the nozzle, which resulted in a tear and flat. I laughed. At that point I realized that there was nothing good that could come of being angry. So, I went inside and filled up my water bottles and returned outside to re-tube the front tire. It took about twenty minutes in the 95° weather. The tubes were a little light, so I filled them up to about 70 PSI (recommended for my tires is 50-75psi).

I went back inside to fill my water bottle again and overheard a guy trying to talk with the attendant about towing his car. The attendant couldn't understand the guys accent, so as the guy walked outside, I asked him what his first language was. He said, "Arabic." I replied, "Jaid jdn, atklm allgat alarabia.- Very good. I speak Arabic." I helped him move his car and caught up a little on my arabic while figuring out what was wrong with his car. He used my phone to call someone to pick him up and I went inside to explain to the attendant what had happened.

As I was inside, I heard a loud bang and saw my bike wobble. I thought someone had thrown a rock at my bike. I walked outside to see that I was not so lucky. Rather, the rear tire of my bike exploded due to the weight, heat, and pressure. Yeah! I just laughed. What else could I do? I went back inside and asked the attendant, "Do you have a phone directory?" He said, "What?" To which I replied, "I mean a phone book." A lady that was standing nearby had responed to that with, "I was about to say, are you feeling a little British today?" I laughed kindly as I looked down at the book and saw it read "Phone Directory." Hmmm... Well, I looked at the bicycle shops in the area and asked Matt (the attendant) which one was closest. He pointed to one of them and I asked how to get there. He told me and off I walked for half an hour with a exploded rear tube.

I got to the amazing shop and told them I wanted two new tires and a new tube. The guy working there talked me into better tires by offering me 20% off (I would've gotten them anyway). I let them change out the parts because I figured I had done it (possibly wrong) enough times. When they had finished, I asked where the nearest post office was. I decided I was going to mail out some of my extra weight. It turns out that the closest post office was on the University of Nebraska Campus.

So, I went to school. I went down into the student center and bookstore to the post office they had downstairs. I started unpacking all of my things to see what I could do without. About twenty minutes and ten pounds later, I was ready to make some tracks. I rode west for hours confident that my new tires wouldn't let me down.

I stopped for the night in a town called Friend. So, if you were wondering on the 7th if you had a friend in Friend, you did. I set up my tent next to an old train car that was sitting patiently in the middle of Friend's park. I went to sleep beneath the stars and water tower.

Daily Lesson: Peace of mind is worth a few bucks; every time.

Donate to help eradicate Polio (and put the Polio team out of a job) at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Seventeen- Done (Over 1330 miles)

August 6th-

I just can't seem to get past that halfway mile mark. The bike is acting up all over the place. I'm getting frustrated with having to change the tubes every 40 miles due to one rocky road or misplaced piece of glass.

I woke up this morning ready to fix my tire and get going. I found a hole in the tube and patched it up quite diligently. I put the bike back together and hopped aboard rip roaring ready to go. I pedalled off and heard a slight rub. I realized that the break pad wasn't sitting properly, so I adjusted it. The rubbing sound was the break pad hitting the tire. A soft tear in the tire was the result. I rode another 2o or so feet (bet you were hoping I'd write miles... nope, just feet), when the rub had weakened the tube enough for it to deflate. A little upset that the tire I just patched had to be patched again, I just sat by the side of the road.

I went to call someone to calm me down a little, when my phone gave me this message, "your service has been suspended temporarily. You can still contact Emergency Services by dialing 911. Do not hang up if you would like to connect to customer support." I hung up. Soon I realized that I had two options: talk to 911 about how cruddy my morning started out, or call customer support to switch me back on. I opted for number two, and when the time to pay arose, I tried to pay them with my credit card. For some reason, my credit card which is paid in full (expecially for a trip like this), was no longer acceptable for them to take.

I patched the tire again.

I rode to a gas station nearby and asked where the nearest Walmart, Target, or Verizon store was. Target was closer, so there I went. I bought a new tire (not tube, actually a tire) and attempted a surgical procedure on the bike. The tire didn't fit, so I replace my worn tire (with a dollar bill folded up for support on the weak spot) and returned the largest one they had (which was too small). I tightened the nuts and bolts on the tire and hoped for the best as I asked some of the workers who were on a fifteen minute strike (or break, call it what you want) where the Verizon store was. They pointed me in a direction of the Verizon store right next to the Walmart.

I entered the Verizon store looking forward to paying my bill. The workers there scratched their heads (although they were trying to help) for over an hour when I finally gave up and called my bank. I asked Colleen at Visions Federal CU why they weren't allowing the charge. She explained that they were and that Verizon was playing a morbid game of "give us your money now." I ended up getting my routing number for a check, since I didn't have a check handy, and called the Verizon HQ back with a Electronic check payment. They accepted it! How kind of them! Thank you for making me spend over two hours struggling to give you my money! I left the store triumphantly.

I went to the Walmart and bought another tube, a wrench, and 12 oz of hope. I assumed the tires wouldn't fit (even though the box reads, "fits most 26 inch rims" just like the other one). I tightened up some parts on the bike with my new wrench and headed out at a little after one o'clock; just seven hours after I woke up to ride. I had gone about 5 miles at this point and wanted to get some miles in. I made a couple phone calls, self motivated, and rode.

I passed one place I thought was cool on the way, Linoma. Linoma has a campground area, but is also a beach/fun park (see picture). It is a place where I plan on visiting again in the future when I have less flat tires and more time.

So, I got about sixty mind-numbing miles in when I saw a McDonald's with WiFi and outlets. I stopped an wrote. I wrote like the wind. I wrote until my fingers started to bleed like I was taking tons of tylenol. Well, maybe not that last part. But, I did write until it got dark. That's when I decided to get back on the bike and ride some more.

Just as I sat on the bike, I noticed a flat. I was so sarcastically happy. There is a quaint little motel called the Starlite just a few steps from the restaurant, so I figured it was time to sleep inside and fix all of the world's problems; or maybe just mine. The lady inside ended up giving me a $5 discount, even though they don't do that there.

I plugged in all my electronic devices, took all of the bags off of the bike, took the wheel off, and went to town cleaning and fixing the bike. I was upset, but I realized being upset wasn't helping at all. So, I just laughed and continued. When I was done, I decided it wasn't time to write anymore. I just wanted to sleep.

Daily Lesson: If you don't fix it right, you're surely going to have to fix it again.

As always, feel free to spread the word and donate at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Sixteen- Done (Over 1265 miles)

August 5th-

Well, I'm over half way on days, but under half way on miles. That's alright. I'll just go with the number of days and say I'm closer than I really am. That will keep a smile on my face.

So, I woke up in time to catch the sunrise. It was beautiful. It was so beautiful, I thought it deserved a respectful moment of silence. The moment of silence lasted almost three hours as I went back to sleep until around 9.

I packed up and headed out on the road of ups and downs for over 40 miles. I got sick of the hills and was getting close to the border of Iowa and Nebraska, so I jumped on the interstate in the hopes that the police wouldn't bother me that close to the border.

I stopped at the McDonald's in a fever to post a blog or two, but there were no outlets. So, I stopped over at the TA truck stop to charge up and they had no internet. There was a younger guy who is in his twenties and regailed me with stories of travel all over the US. Most often, he didn't even pay for the travel. Whether it be hitchhiking or train jumping, he had some interesting tales. But, once I was all charged up I got back on my way.

I rode into Nebraska on Interstate 80 and took the first exit I saw for Tourist Information. They were however closed for the night. So, I just rode on into Omaha.

As it was getting darker out, I stopped at a gas station to buy a more detailed map of the state. On the map I saw a campground just twenty miles or so down the road. Off I rode.

I stopped riding every twenty minutes or so because the police were hot on my trail and I didn't want my police record in Iowa to be matched in Nebraska. When I got about two miles from the campground, my tire went flat. I didn't feel like changing it at night, so I walked the bike to the camping area and looked for a spot to camp. Quite humorously, the area was intended for RV's. There wasn't a single tent there. It was late though, so I just found an area of the park to set up and bunkered down for the night. I had plans to wake up early to avoid meeting anyone whilst in my tent.

Daily Lesson: No matter how strange or incredible what you're doing is, there's always somebody with just as interesting story.

Feel free to spread the word and/or donate at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Fifteen- Done (Over 1195 miles)

August 4th-

Today was a trail day. Well, for the most part it was. I rode along the trail that I shouldn't have been sleeping on, and passed many other cyclists. It was refreshing. I even slowed down for a few miles so I could chat with a group of older men who were riding to stay in shape. I rode until the trail ended right near a subway. How convenient! I had a footlong cold cut combo and it was a refreshing change of pace to the energy food I keep eating.


I saddled up after the meal and continued on my tour of the devil's washboard (see picture) into a town called Adair. When I went into the gas station to use the bathroom and fill my waters back up, I overheard a guy talking about a fair. His name is Larry. He told me all about the county fair which was just twelve miles down the road. The main attraction that night, country singer Danielle Peck, was due on stage in just over an hour. So, I rode as fast as I could to get there in time to see her.


I locked my bike up near where the police were working and walked around to take pictures. I noticed the sunset right as I was taking pictures of Danielle. So I stopped taking pictures of her and focused me sights elsewhere.


Just as I was taking a few more shots of Danielle (trying to get one good one), I ran into Larry. After chatting for a few, he offered to buy me dinner. I said I couldn't. He said he insisted. I gave in real quickly. He kept telling me to put more and more food on my plate.


We sat down and ate our food, as I learned about his profession. He is a farmer. He used to have swine (without the flu), but that got too unprofitable, so he sticks to corn. As we were talking, a girl came over and took our picture. Larry told me she was from the paper and told her what I was doing. She didn't seem interested at all, but who could blame her? Danielle Peck was there! She did come back and ask for my name again and where I was from.


It was getting late and I wanted to set up my tent on the campgrounds, but there were no spots. Larry talked to a couple people and found me a spot at the end of the lot where no one would bug me. We talked a little more before he headed out and I got ready for my shower. It was the only shower in the bathroom, so I rushed to avoid any angry campers.

Daily Lesson: Cows get fat because they barely move; not much different from people.

Weekly Bonus #2- The Equipment

Just to make this more fun for everyone reading, I'll break the equipment down into three categories: The bike, the gear, and the food.

The Bike is a gem. It was practically a gift from Al Sunderwurth, who by the way happens to hold a few gold medals in cycling. You'll have to ask him about it sometime if you get the chance.

There are a few special features that I think set this bike apart from most others. They are the handlebars, seat, water bottles and tires. The Handlebars are set so that I can get as many positions as possible for maximum comfort. I usually change the way I'm riding every fifteen minutes or so, or when I'm trying to avoid wind. The seat is lightweight and has a "hole" in it to allow me to be able to reproduce after the trip is over. For that, I am quite thankful. There is an interesting fact about the bike seat though; it doesn't matter what kind of seat it is, your butt will still be sore. There's nothing fancy about the water bottles, but the fact that there are two is crucial for traveling long distances. There have been many times where I was able to pass through towns instead of stopping to refill a bottle. The tires are great (even though I have to patch tires a few times) because they are hybrid tires. That means that they are made for the road and "rough terrain." That is a major plus in my book because I don't know exactly what kind of terrain I'm going to be on each day. I'm sure that I would've had to change the tubes many more times if it wasn't for the nature of the tires protecting them.

The Gear is in part from Al, and some just random ideas of stuff to bring along that I heard cyclists talking about. I have panniers (saddle bags for a bike), a tent, hammock, sleeping bag, sweats, medicine, lock, clothes, helmet, shoes.The helmet, shoes, two pairs of biking clothes, and panniers I all got from Al. The helmet has a sun blocker/rain blocker. That's a plus for riding in any weather. The shoes fit the clips on the pedals of the bike. That means that I can pull instead of pushing if I get real lazy or want to work different muscles. The biking clothes are spandex material which makes me look ubber sexy and very out of place in the mid-west. All of my gear is in the panniers on either side of the front and back wheels. People are amazed with how heavy the bike is in retrospect to how light it looks. I may have packed a few too many things. We'll see! If I use everything, then I didn't pack too much.

Now the sleeping bag and sweats are just obvious; no need to explain. Well, maybe to say the sleeping bag is fleece. I did that for compact light-weightedness. The tent is your average 5'X6' juniors tent. Now, being 6' even, it makes the diagonal sleep a little difficult. But, I make due. I used the lock a lot in the East, but have barely used it at all in the mid-West. I do lock the bike up to the tent at night while I sleep, though. It helps me to sleep better. I have not used the hammock, yet. I'm really hoping I get the chance to, or I'm afraid I'll feel like I was hauling it for no reason. I'm waiting for an area with no mosquitos to fend off, and then I'll put it up.

Now, the bulk of my weight at the start of the trip was the food. Looking back, that might not have been the best idea, because there are so many places to buy food out East along the route. But, my legs are used to it now, so when a lot of food on board is mandatory, I'll be ready for it. I have lots of snacks. Now, these aren't your normal, everyday snacks. They're more like energy foods. I have power bars, energy gels, nuts, granola, tuna, slim jims, and energy powders to put in my water. I also have some fruit snacks with vitamin C in them. I think a big part of making the trip is staying healthy. I do stop at restaurants along the way, but for the most part I eat what I carry on me.

I have actually been given gifts along the way as well, and I put those safely in a secret pocket on the bike. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the equipment for the trip. Thanks for reading and as always, feel free to spread the word and/or donate at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Day Fourteen- Done (Over 1110 miles)

August 3rd-

I woke up at 4 am for no reason. I looked outside the tent. It was peaceful. So, I went back to sleep to enjoy the next two hours of dreams. I was woken up by a loud boom and downpour just fortyfive minutes later. It poured for a long time, but I fell back asleep. I got up at 7 am and everything was dry, except for my bike. Oh well.

I rode for hours of up hill, down hill, up hill, down hill. People told me it's called "The Devil's washboard." I did have the wonderful luck of finding 80% of two cell phones along the side of the road. I saved them. I don't know why exactly. Maybe because I want to recycle the batteries that are inside them still.

I got sick, both literally and figuratively, of the hills. I decided that it was time to ride on the highway. Within ten minutes of being on the highway, a cop pulled me over and said, "You know you're not allowed to ride here, right?" I replied, "Really, because the Iowa State Webpage says that I'm allowed to ride on any roads unless otherwise posted. And there wasn't any sign when I got on." His response was, "Yeah, we don't post it anywhere, but you're not allowed to. I'm not going to give you a ticket. You just can't ride here." I was so thankful that he didn't give me a ticket. If he did, I would've sent it in to the webmaster of the Iowa State website.

It was incredibly hot out, but I continued to add the miles. I rode into a quaint town by the name of Altoona and saw a bike shop. I thought, "why not go in?"

Well, I'm glad I did. I picked up a couple cheap parts for the bike, if a repair might be needed. But, I also picked up two new friends; Mike (who worked there) and Jason (President of the Altoona Triathalon Club). Both of them gave me a free shirt one after the other. I told Jason that I'd love to come back sometime and do a triathalon with him. After I left, I got about two miles before I had to go back. I left my glasses in the bathroom while I was filling my water bottles. I thanked Mike again and followed his directions to the trail I was allowed to ride.

When I finally made it close to the trail it was already dark outside. That is probably the reason for me getting pulled over for the second time today. He let me go while giving me directions to the trail (even though I already had them).

I got over to the trail and was riding quickly through it, even though I could barely see the path. I came across a small park that looked a lot kinder than continuing on the dark trail. So, I scouted the grounds for about ten minutes to see if anyone could attack me in the depth of the night. It seemed safe enough. So, I set up my tent and bike. I waited across the field from where I was planning on sleeping for about thirty minutes, waiting to see if anyone would come by.

When no one did, I went in to sleep. Sure enough though, right before midnight another officer came by. I was sure he was going to send me on my way, but he liked my story and called in to the chief to persuade him to let me spend the night. He said, "This guys travelling across country on a bike for Polio. He's in a tent off to the side of the park. He has paperwork saying what he's doing. It seems on the up and up. Is it alright if he just camps out here for the night?" Sure enough, it was. Thanks to Officer D. Liska, I slept well that night knowing I was allowed.

Daily Lesson: When it comes to getting stopped by the Police; Third time's a charm.

And the usual: Please support the cause at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx