Day 13 Sat. Sept 27, 2008

There is the pain of the ride.
There is the pleasure
The observations
The conversations
The method of the ride
The loneliness of the ride
The hope/good conclusion

When I began the ride from Utica Road, I was accompanied by 3 very successful riders, Jim Bassett, Gordie Bailey and Mindy Ahler/Olmstead. Their enthusiasm for my cause was extremely overwhelming and very highly appreciated. They assisted me in making good judgments for my future ride. Their positive moods and attitudes plus the spontaneous humor gave buoyancy to the ride and I thank them implicitly for their friendship and prayers.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always worn under shorts under my riding gear. I did the same when I prepared for the marathons, but as I have been riding, I realized I had to make adjustments to ease the terrible pain which I experienced. The last day before Gordy left Sibley, IA, I posed the question to him about my discomfort. He immediately responded. In the end I shed my seat cushion and my briefs. Now I only feel the numbness in my bottom and my hands. Less pain, better and longer ride. Hee Haw!

As I leave the Midwest, traveling (pedaling) southwest to California, the tall, green trees seem to be getting shorter and I am unable to recognize what kind of trees I’m seeing. In addition, the amount of road kill from excessive speed tells me that there are fewer and fewer animals the warmer climes of this country. I also see fewer Monarch Butterflies. Yesterday, however, I was totally surprised. I came across 2 huge deer killed off Hwy 56 between Montezuma and Copeland. The landscape was completely covered by large cattle farms. I saw only one large, wooded area, which was enclosed not too far from where I saw the dead deer. The thing that amazes me is that skunks, rabbits and other small animals were not as frequent in this area of the country, so obviously those 2 lovely animals were completely out of their regular location.

I was told by Jim and Gordie that riding across America is a very personal and pleasurable experience. And so it is! I met semi drivers, couples on the road moving to a new home, a special young man from Baltimore by the name of Antonio Deener, who is a telecommunications contractor. He travels in his truck across America working alone, searching for the best contracts in the telecommunication industry to keep his wife and four children together. Today as I was writing, Pam handed me the phone and said, “Antonio Deener would like to talk to you.” Antonio was concerned about me because he had been following our blog and I hadn’t gotten anything written for a day or two. I was overwhelmed. We talked for a long while and he promised to call again.

I have tried to keep a positive attitude about the raging wind. It can be quite useful and Kansas is taking advantage of its power. They are harnessing the wind with expensive turbines, a network of them. Personally, I am doing my best to understand how I can utilize the currents of wind that slow me down. I haven’t yet figured it out!