Kim played good samaritan on the route again today as she stopped and gave food and water to a rider, loaded down with panniers and fighting the headwind. His name is Niall Williams, an 18 year old from Iowa. He is riding to raise money for clean drinking water for children. He told us that he was trying to make the trip without spending money on lodging. He must be doing a lot of "stealth camping". Do you remember what you were doing when you were 18? I know what I was doing....living comfortably in Frank and Joyce's home. It makes me wonder why some people are so determined to make a difference and live outside of what is comfortable. If you would like to read his story or donate to his cause, his website is: www.pedal4people.webs.com.
We had a new rider with us today as Kyle's brother, Alex, joined us for the morning ride. He admitted that he was not in the greatest shape, so he rode 40+ miles with us to start the day. Rather than going too far on his first day and being to sore to ride with us tomorrow, he cut off early while he was still feeling good. For his first day with us, he did a great job. Maybe the other brother will meet us in Kentucky and do the same. I almost kept a straight face as I typed that.
We made an attempt to remedy the no camping situation, by ordering another tent. We called the store that I order all of my backpacking gear from and set it up to be shipped to a post office that we will be passing by in a couple of days. To do this, we needed the address of the post office, and since we were on the road, in the middle of nowhere, we needed help. A huge thank you goes out to Sheri Beard for supplying us with the needed address. In 2 days we should have all the tents we need....and be ready for the great outdoors once again.
Speaking of tent ordering, Kim was a machine today. Throughout the day, she took care of all of the following: water/food support for 4 bikers, securing the tent and shipping, and setting up all of the logistics for a complete windshield replacement. (Did you know that trucks carrying rocks are not responsible for busting out your windshield? They are not....it says so on the back of their truck.) She was a real trooper out there today!!! The kids were glad that she had so much to do today. If she had not been so busy, Kim, Sherry, and the kids were heading to the Barbed Wire Museum in La Crosse. I guess there is a museum for everything.
Tonight, the whole gang is in Hutchinson, Kansas in a hotel. We had to go off route by about 20 miles to get here, because of the limited lodging possibilities on route. I have no idea when this weather will break....I hope soon. I want to get back to camping and spending less money.
I am not sure where we will end up tomorrow. We will probably make the call on the road. The heat and wind will make all the difference in what we do. I hope everyone is having a good summer. Until tomorrow......
