Sailing in the breeze at 14-1/2 mph

Good morning from Omaha!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

Yesterday was simply the best. While leaving the Tekamah library I happened to strike a conversation with Joyce, head librarian. She was excited to learn about my trip and offered words of encouragement. When you think of an ideal and perfect librarian, picture Joyce.

On the road things were moving quickly. With a superb tailwind, the bicycle was moving close to fifteen miles per hour. This was a far cry from the previous six days. I relished the speed and sunshine and just kept booking.

Stopping in Blair, NE I happened to meet Jim Realph (pronounced Ralph just with a tricky spelling). Guess what, Jim is the current mayor of this fine city (pop 8000) and his enthusiasm spilled into our conversation. Blair has lots of significant industrial operations including a new ethanol plant and a major investment by Cargill. The streets are nicely maintained and people were very friendly. The city is just thirty minutes to Omaha's airport and is well prepared for future development. Good job, Mr. Mayor. (Jim was a former high school football coach, teacher, and still farms a little.)

While fueling the bike (food for Dennis), I talked to Roy who had an older pick-up and a beautiful
white lab named "Brutte". As Roy drove off with Brutte in the open bed I couldn't help thinking about how wonderful this day was.

Then, after several days without any way of uploading images from my phone to this blog, I found a Sprint Store in a few miles from my destination. Justin, a sales rep greeted me at the door and asked, how can I help you today? He proceeded to spend the next ninety minutes working on my Treo 700wx. Eventually, with the help of Sprint's national tech service he was able to get it working. Thanks to Justin, I am now able to immediately upload images in real time. I will try to catch up all the backlog over the next several days. Justin, you are a model of superior customer service. Thanks!

I arrived at the Gunderson's and spent an enjoyable evening reconnecting with our old friends.
We celebrated Greta's birthday (11), and just had a great time. Nick, Angelique, Greta, Eva,
and Tommy, are such a fun family. Love is alive in America!
Neighbors Matt, and Angie, who also have three children dropped by to say hello. They had just relocated back to Omaha after four years in Chicago. Matt, go for that new Lemond Bicycle.
You will really enjoy it.

It's Saturday about 8:10 am and Nick is preparing to bicycle with me for 15 or 20 miles.
Sunny with a projected high of 76. No wind.

Have a great day.

Next stop: Milford, NE (West of Lincoln)