Let me get a couple of things out of the way quickly: pie number 25 yesterday was of the pumpkin variety. I am done with pie for a long time. I am still open to a good corn on the cob, though. I don’t feel I have thanked enough people enough. Chris in Ottumwa was a [...]
First, I want to start with some clarifications from yesterday’s blog. Yes, I am still of sound mind. And, the last 35 miles yesterday were not bad. Second, I have written waivers from the kid in the last picture. Now that the formalities are out of the way, it is time to introduce you to [...]
“When the lightning lightninged and the thunder thundered, the old men would sidle up to me and say, ‘Do you know what that is kid?’ And I would say, ‘Yes. That’s Rip Van Winkle bowling with the little people.’ And the old guys would laugh like loons and say, ‘No, you idiot. That’s thunder!!’” (Jack [...]
A couple of days ago, I decided that it wasn’t a good idea to mention each of the host families, in order to protect the innocent. I will break my rule one time to mention that if I move to Indianola, Iowa, I hope I get adopted by Elodie and Sandy Opstad. Before describing today’s [...]
Continue reading about The Hip Bone is Connected to the Pork Chop
“The sea was angry that day, My Friend. Kind of like an old man sending back soup at a deli.” George Costanza in “Seinfeld. I suppose the weather wasn’t THAT bad. The day started out a raw again. Rain, cold and wind. Most people were suited up in rain jackets and since this was another [...]
Today (Monday) was harder in several ways than yesterday. The ride was longer (about 77 miles on the odometer), steeper climb (about 5,000 feet of climbing, instead of yesterday’s 3,700), and it rained for most of the afternoon. But, don’t cry for me, Argentina, or any other foreign countries. I have a Cry America policy. [...]
The day started off beautifully, as the fog filled the valley behind our hosts’ home. We drove to the start, which for us was the Nebraska side of the Missouri River. Here Mitch and I get ready to cross the bridge to … Iowa. After about seven miles we stopped for breakfast at Farm Boys. Great [...]
I have a feeling I’m not in Kansas anymore. Of course, I never was. I made it to Iowa after my plane was delayed getting out of Washington, DC. I had to sprint (still less than 8 mph) to make my connection at O’Hare for Cedar Rapids. For those of you who know Iowa geography [...]
I hope Lance Armstrong doesn’t mind me sharing the title of his book for this blog entry. After all, he and I have a few things in common. For example, we will be riding our bikes on the same day and in the same easterly direction. Alas, I was never a competitive cyclist. And, Darryle [...]
This is me and my girlfriend, Carla, in Berkeley, circa 1970, with my first 10 speed. The bike weighed more than her. Because of the wind resistance caused by my hair, and the weight of the bike, top speed was about 8 mph. This is me many years later, belying the [...]
