Day 5 Friday, Sept 19, 2008

My day began at 5:30 am. The Wilderness Lodge in Fremont, NE was an extremely comfortable motel. At 7:30 am I ws en route to Wahoo, then to Lincoln, and if possible, Beatrice, NE.

The miles were quite had to come by. The wind factor and numerous hills, which are unseen by truckers and travelers, powered by huge engines, were extremely hard on me. There certainly was enough shoulder on which I could maneuver, but the wind (I can hear all my advisors saying, “I told you so!”) impeded my speed to an average of 10 or less miles an hour.

In Wahoo, I met an interesting couple, Weldon and Paula Hoppe. I rode up to the gas station for help with my water bottles, which had catapulted at least three times. Weldon obtained a wrench (correct size) and tightened the screws and I was good to go. I thanked them and before I knew it I was telling them my story. I invited them to coffee. They said yes and off we went to a tiny coffee shop across the street. Instead they made it their treat. I called Pam, fearing she was on the way and would miss me. She was just finishing up loading the van and about to have breakfast. We were joined by a neighbor of the Hoppe’s, and talked about teaching kids from 3 – 5, (which I love) and mountain climbing and canoeing, (which they love). They have never been to MN so I invited them to the Mall of America! Such good feelings to meet so many wonderful people. It’s folks like Erica at the Wilderness Lodge, the middle age woman and her mother we met at the Sibley (IA) Café.

A few days ago, on our way to Sibley, Gordy and I stopped at an intersection of Hwy 60 & Hwy 20. There was a hitchhiker, a handsome, wooly haired young man and his English Rotweiler dog, a pup traveling to Seattle. He had been at the intersection for about 2 hours with a sign. The night before he slept with his dog in a sleeping bag. I wonder if they have gotten to Seattle yet?

Pam called ahead for a room at a Super 8 motel. We determined that the highways near city centers are too hazardous, too cramped for space, no shoulders to ride on and are therefore a setback to the journey. I was allowed to hitch a ride in the van for 24 blocks. It was already 4:00 pm when we arrived at the Super 8 in Lincoln. Beatrice was too far to make it today. Tomorrow we shall reassign our destinations and hope the beautiful wind blows in another direction , or best of all, blows upon my back to win my confidence and keep my average speed about15mph.