Rode 73 miles today. Lots of hills but no wind and very nice weather. The highlight of today was the people we met at cafe’s, convient stores, and our host home tonight. With all of our panniers on our bicycles we attract a lot of attention and people like to talk to us about what we are doing. We met a fellow from Germany that sold his $40,000 car and all that he owned and is living on his bicycle touring the USA for three years. Very nice guy but I had to work hard to understand him. Talked to a fellow who was doing the route we are but in reverse but he is doing it in a month! He did 140 miles the day before we talked to him. Made me feel like a wimp though his packs were half what ours are because he is Hoteling it and doing all his eating in restaurants. The people who we are staying with tonight compliments of “Warm Showers” are super nice and we ate a wonderful dinner with them including ice cream! They are going to get up and fix us breakfast as well. 

Tomorrow we are doing 72 miles again and we will be riding along the Mississippi River all day and camping right on the river. The word that we got from our host is that it will be a very hilly ride. Every place a river runs into the Mississippi there is a steep down followed by a steep up, Oh joy!

Just for your information this morning I weighed 208 lbs. that is 17 lbs less than the day we started when I weighed 225 lbs. My goal is to lose 20 more lbs before the end of the trip and weigh 188 lbs, what I weighed when Patty and I got married. By the way I bought a small light portable scale and it packs nicely in one of my panniers and only weighs 2.8 lbs. I used at home for several weeks before we left comparing it to our good bathroom scales and it was right on for accuracy.

 I haven’t been getting very much studying in as was my goal because the days on the bicycle have been so long and I have been so tired in the evening, I usually just get in my normal Bible reading done with a little reading in. I have been getting in many hours of praying each day while I ride my bicycle and work at remembering each of you.

love you all. Dee