Deb writes:
We haven't had cell phone service for two days.
That presents a couple of problems. Most importantly,
that is how we communicate with our families and,
especially important, it is how I get pictures of Meara every day.
I am ready for this to be over so that I can go take a peek at her in person.
I apologize, but without cell phone service I can't send
any of the pictures that I've taken on my cell phone.
We have found WiFi here in the school library,
but I can't seem to get my phone to connect.
Good thing for laptops.
Since I really can't remember much of what we do or go
every day without the pics that I take along the way,
I'm going to tell you a little about the logistics of getting ourselves
and all of our gear across the state.
As you all know, we drove Cathy's Tahoe from the East coast out to Kansas.
We signed up with an outfitting company to put our tents up for us every day,
provide us with chairs to sit around the camp in and get us clean towels for showers.
We also made arrangements to pay one of their staff people to drive
Cathy's Tahoe from point A to point B each day of our trip.
Now I'm not one to wish bad fortune on anyone,
but I think it was on Tuesday when they were repaving the roads.
Anyway, one of our fellow campers had a bit of an accident that day
standing on the hot asphalt waiting for the pilot car.
His bad fortune has totally been our good fortune.
He needs a way to the next stop each night,
so we have loaded his bike into Cathy's car and he drives for us each day.
It is saving us several hundred dollars. Woooo Hooooo.
Maybe we should donate that to R4R.
Another plus is that if we need him, he is just a phone call away.
Today he met us during a repaving tour.
We rerouted ourselves onto a road called The American Way,
which was heading north as opposed to east.
That provided us relief from the heat of the pavers and
gave us a tail wind for nine miles.
Then we picked up Highway 36 to a town called Marysville where we had lunch.
It was the best meal I have had since we started the trip.
Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and green beans.
Probably around 2000 calories. No worries there.
We burn double that amount every day.
I promise to try to get you all caught up with stories & pictures
of the trip as soon as I can access my cell phone.
I just want all of you to know that though we are hot & tired,
we are also safe and very grateful to each one of you for the support
you have shown to each one of us as we have made
this journey for the dogs we all love so much.
If we did this for smaller dogs . . .
Oh, I've just heard the weather report;
the chance of rains for tonight & tomorrow are at 85%.
Things are desperately dry here on the plains of Kansas
and they need the rain terribly.
I just wish it would hold out a couple more days.
Here's to sunny skies (hopefully) tomorrow.
REPORT WHEN THE PHONES WORKED AGAIN:
Deb writes:
For the last two days we have been traveling the same route
traveled by the Pony Express all those years ago.
This trip has made us appreciate the sacrifices
made by our forefathers [and foremothers]
who settled in this part of the country.
When you think of Kansas,
I bet the first thing that comes to your mind in Kansas City.
The truth is that 77% of the state is rural.
There is a beautiful vast openness in this state.
It can also be harsh & extreme.
The heat is intense and the winds can be fierce.
I was reminded often of those ponies carrying mail & provisions.
We talked a lot about the covered wagons that ventured west
following the same trail as Lewis & Clark.
There is so much history; we have stopped
as often as possible to photograph & record our journey.
Cathy & I rode solo for a while on Thursday.
After traveling several miles through road construction,
we decided to leave the route and head north for a while
to travel a road that wasn't full of cyclists
and wasn't a one-lane highway.
Thank goodness we had our friend Richard,
who had been injured earlier in the week,
to follow us. It was one of our more peaceful days,
not having to worry about all the traffic and the other cyclists.
Taking the as the crow flies shortcut . . .
One of my favorite photos of our trip so far is this one
of Cathy & me standing in a new Kansas corn field.
As we walked into that field,
Cathy broke a stalk of corn and was so upset,
she tried to make it stand up again.
I assured her it would never be missed.
THE ROUTE IS HERE
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