On the Farm

The dogs started barking furiously when they saw us turn into the long driveway leading up to the Ahrens house. It was a 20 mile ride through cornfields to get here from Fremont. Along the way we stopped at a fruit stand to buy a couple of peaches, which were from Missouri and couldn't compare with the Palisade peaches we get every year from Steve. Laura and I were just talking about going into the small gears for a big hill coming up when all of a sudden we noticed the sign for Rosemary Lane, which leads up the rock driveway to the house. Debbie heard the commotion and led us to the garage where we put big O to bed. Keith is a long distance trucker and happened to be out driving in western Nebraska, where we have spent the last week. It's been two years since we've been here, this being the girlhood home of Nic's friend Rachael, who now lives in Washington DC. There are pictures of a young (and beautiful) Rachael around reminding us that we will stop in to see her when we arrive on the east coast. I have been craving Mexican, so the three of us went out to lunch at Fernando's for food and margaritas. Then on to a wine tasting establishment for the rest of the afternoon.

Keith returned in time for Debbie's specialty, a delicious spaghetti dinner, and that was followed by a tequila tasting session. Tonight we are going down to Omaha to look around at some of the history and then camp out. We'll drive back tomorrow and get back on the bike to ride into Iowa for the start of RAGBRAI. Keith and Debbie have been so great-what Nebraska hospitality! The animals are fun to be around too. Laura is loving all the cats.

Looks like we are somewhat over halfway across the country now. After all the miles on Big O, about 2000, it is working perfectly. The computer is still broken, but Angletech has sent us a new one in exchange which will be delivered to us in Iowa. The tires are wearing out, which is no surprise, so we will change both in Iowa. We have had 10 or 11 flats. They seem to come in bunches, like every other bad break. We carry three extra tubes, all of which have numerous patches. When we have a flat on the road, we just put on a good tube and go, patching the puncture later where I can find a pool of water to locate the hole. I usually put as much air as I can into the tire, then CO2 the rest of the way to try to get 90lbs of pressure. If there is low air pressure the bike feels really mushy with so much weight, and it's much harder to keep up any kind of speed. Up the hills we keep about 6-9 mph, then we hit the crest and I start changing gears immediately so we can still pedal. Usually we hit 26-30mph on the way down a hill, coasting the last 2/3 of it, before starting up the next one, changing gears rapidly. I take much pleasure in resting the buns of steel on the way down.

Laura has not had any nagging issues since the back pain was resolved back in Idaho. She just pedals away, able to read, talk on the phone, check the map, mess with the I-pods, even once weaving a corn bracelet as we roll. I can feel every twitch from the back, and it messes with the steering just a little or sometimes a lot, so I hardly dare let go of the handlebars. She doesn't squirm around much, but when she does Big O squirms with her. My left knee was sore for awhile, and it makes you think that it could really ruin the trip if you can't pedal right. Overall the bike is really comfortable, and when we get to our daily destination we are not sore at all. I get off and immediately forget about my sore ass. Walking does not use my behind like pushing that bike, but sitting down sometimes feels like my weight is on the ends of a couple of two by fours. I'm not sure why, but pulling that big yellow box and the bike around challenges my cheeks. We haven't weighed the bike plus box yet, estimates are around 70lbs. As a weight loss program, I can recommend our lifestyle. I have legs like Foghorn Leghorn and six pack abs like you see on tv ads for the ab master. You could actually grate cheese on my stomach. Laura has gone to doing pushups in the morning for upper body work, I just steer for my workout. We eat like mad whenever we get a chance, usually following the meal with pie or ice cream. Salad bars are a treat when we can find them, especially the all you can eat variety.

So much for conditions on the road, as I sit here all activity is aimed at our camping excursion tonight in Omaha, so I had better wrap up. Then I can offer assistance as the others wrap up all the preparation. Probably no blog for a day or two as internet access may be a problem, and for the next week on RAGBRAI I foresee some issues also. But since this is a kind of log for the trip I'll do what I can. Oh yeah, we forgot two animals we've seen-donkeys and mules.