Day 36 August 4 Fremont Nebraska to Sioux Centre Iowa Sea to Sea 08

Day 36 August 4 Fremont Nebraska to Sioux Centre Iowa Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats
Distance 88.72 miles
Time in saddle 7.01 hours
Total ascent 1465
Current elevation
Average speed 12.6 miles per hour
Left this morning at 630 arrived at camp 245 Hank arrived just before I did with Walters SAG. He stopped at 65 miles as he found the head winds too much for the day.
Temperature today not near as hot as yesterday.

Last night was a very hot night and there were lots of train whistles all night. Hank and I slept in our tent. Tonight we are sleeping in an air-conditioned building. I think Fremont must be a main transfer point for trains as we heard their whistles every 30 seconds it seemed like. There was a continuous stream of trains. Many people slept in the arena or the Lutheran church where there was air conditioning.

Peleton meeting inside the gym at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Praise God for such generous hospitality given by complete strangers. God's church is much bigger than us.

Today we left Nebraska our sixth state and entered Iowa.

When we started out the morning the wind was coming from the northwest. Later it changed to the northeast. It looked like we would be getting rain today, as the skies were very dark and overcast. It did not sprinkle on us till we hit the Iowa border, which was 53 miles into the ride. We did get a little wet, but soon the sun was out and we dried off quickly. In fact the rain felt good, as it was warm, but not as hot as yesterday. I forgot to mention that yesterday we saw temperatures on some boards at 105 degrees in Lincoln. Today was not nearly as hot as forecast. I expect it probably was in the mid 80’s.

The countryside we biked through in Nebraska was mostly like what we had biked through on Saturday, rolling hills and fields of corn and soybeans. Again the area looked prosperous. The farm buildings looked well kept.

When we entered into Iowa the countryside here did not seem as good as Nebraska. The farm buildings were not as well maintained.
Jane Brouwer and her parents and daughter Kerri greeted Bob and Lisa Brouwer at Walter's SAG. Bob and Lisa had not seen their family since June 28th. They were happy to see each other.

Coming into the last 20 miles we again hit strong headwinds that made all of us work harder than the rest of the day. Why is it that the last 20 miles are always so hard? Joan and I stopped every 5 miles just to take pressure off our feet and butts and to get the energy to go the next 5 miles. We did make it into camp in reasonable time.

When we arrived Hank met me and we decided to sleep inside tonight. We also opted to go to the pool where there was a waterslide and nice shower. Hank and I both took the high slide. I wish I had taken my camera so I could have taken a picture of Hank zipping down the waterslide and splashing into the water. He thoroughly enjoyed the pool. It was relaxing and refreshing. We felt revitalized.

Today we had our first accident that involved a cyclists and a vehicle. Several people were riding in a pace line and a car past them, than turned right, right in front of the first cyclist. Fortunately she was not seriously hurt. Her bike did have damage, but one of the cyclists could repair it. She injured her hand and chest, but she was determined to finish today’s ride. Police were called and a report filed. The car driver was upset when another cyclists insisted on getting pertinent information for her. She did not wait for the police. Apparently the police have issued a warrant for her arrest as she left the scene of an accident that involved personal injury. Everyone is thankful that nothing more serious happened. God continues to watch over us.

Many of the cyclists are suffering from sore knees and hands. A number are unable to ride due to the pain they are having. They are feeling a little frustrated as they have trained for this ride and now are unable to ride a number of days. It is discouraging for them as a number are also young.

Tomorrow we have a shorter day going into Sioux Centre, only 61 miles. We hear there maybe severe thunder storms tonight and early tomorrow. We hope the weather forecast does not materialize. We are all still anxious about the three days following when we have 113, 113 and 100 mile days. Please pray that we will have cooler temperatures and winds on our backs. Head winds really affect everyone and makes the ride much more difficult.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. We know God is here with us and providing for us each day.


I have to remind myself the poor have difficult times much more severe than I do. When I find the ride difficult and challenging I should not complain. This is part of my journey for ending the cycle of poverty.