Lakes to Mountains Tour

The Hectic Week Continues

Thurs May 8: Norfolk to Columbus NE: 51 miles; mid-60s, cool breeze; 11:40-4:00.
First item on the agenda: juggle my schedule to squeeze in the middle school. Reiche Elementary expected me at 9:15, but it was south of town en route to Columbus. Thankfully, Bob Hastings let me push that appointment back to 10:30, so I surprised Julie Wisch with a phone call. Since a few teachers there had been reading excerpts from my book to their classes, they eagerly scheduled my spontaneous assembly. When Brandon saw me at the school, he quickly came up and thanked me for coming by.
Reiche ES was a country school three miles from town. When 10:30 rolled around, all 30 kids there dragged their chairs into the gym to hear me. One boy (Justis) seemed particularly fascinated by my narrative; when I opened it up for questions, he asked one after the other, his hand almost constantly up. When I handed him a free book at the end of the assembly, he couldn't believe it. "For me? I get to keep this? WOW!"
I now faced a short-mileage day (another 44 miles) to my home for the night outside Columbus. Unfortunately, the wind had shifted to come from the east as I headed south. That chill wind and the overcast skies kept my energy level low, and I plodded through the rolling hills along US51. When I stopped for lunch in Madison, one customer asked me if I was biking for a cause. I explained about the litter walk and speeches, and he handed me $5 for my next meal.
I reached my destination at 4:00, with Bob and Judy both still at work. They'd left the front door unlocked and a note telling me which bedroom they'd given me. I stepped inside and immediately felt underdressed. The stylish furniture and the artwork beat the beejayzus out of any motel room. When I saw the massive four-poster bed and the paintings and carvings of elephants in my room, I felt like a British lord in colonial India.
Judy Trautwein showed up around 5:00 to officially welcome me to town. She then drove me to the library, where they had scheduled a potluck prior to my talk. Seven people attended the meal, including one man who hoped to bike tour following his impending retirement, and another man already making those plans. He arrived on a brand new Surly touring bike. (I had never even heard of Surly until Frank and Jerry told me they made the best bikes for touring.) He had the bike tricked out with $500 worth of matching front and rear panniers, handlebar bag, and canvas tent/sleeping bag cover. The other fellow and I checked out his equipment, and the bike did impress me.
Fifteen people eventually arrived for my talk, and they peppered me with questions for some time. When the meeting finally broke up, Judy drove me past their house to show me the way to Lakeview High tomorrow. Then we came back to the house, where Judy, Bob, and I enjoyed a glass of wine and conversation for a few minutes before calling it another (late) night.

posted by Glen @ 7:00 PM