We are in the BUCKEYE state!

We made it to OHIO! And this weekend we are here in Springfield. We are looking forward to getting together with The Buckeye Man tomorrow before he flies out to Santa Maria to judge chickens/turkeys at the Santa Barbara County Fair. Hope all you Santa Marians get to the fair...stop by and say hello to Larry Lokai and tell him Stan sent you!

Huge historic Indiana Homes!

One thing that will stand out to us in Indiana is the HUGE, two story old homes....and the friendly people. As we traveled through the small community of Greenfied, we met the friendliest group of ladies....The Bread Ladies of The Bread Ladies Bakery & Cafe. What a fun bunch of women and can they make the food!! They loaded me up with muffins and scones to die for, which I hesitantly shared with our group. Umm....umm.

49 Days of Bicycling

Are we starting to get tired yet? Bored? Sick of each other? Who are you kidding? All of the above!!
This a.m. everyone was on different wave-lengths....but we got it together in less than 10 minutes and we were on the road again. Stan walked me to the shower at 5:15 a.m. because it was SO DARK. We have a new time zone (Eastern) and that was really 4:15!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM ADJUSTING!! Cris and I were in the rigs by 6:30 a.m. following the guys, then passing, and finally waiting for them at a truck stop 50+ miles down the road. This is definitely Indiana as I felt like I was at the Indianapolis Speedway....everyone was zooming by me and I was going 55 mph!!!

Cycling to Brazil...Brazil, Indiana!

No rain this morning so the cyclists had a good ride on I-40 out of Terre Haute and over to Brazil. They will continue this ride tomorrow as we head out to Indianapolis. Our Norcold refrigerator gave up, and we are scheduled to have a new one put in at Camping World near there. The good news is the guys haven't given up yet! Only 900 miles to go!!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Stan and Roy were biking between thunderstorms today, and we had to come to their rescue! This is June 26....where is the summer sunshine? I must say the cloud formations and their colors are beautiful. There are so many little green forests....everyone has their own! And little ponds, creeks, rivers, lakes and lots of puddles are everywhere. I loved the Illinois countryside. This afternoon we crossed over into INDIANA!! This campground is a forest....there are so many trees. On our picnic table at our site there was a little potted begonia plant...what a WELCOME! It made my day! We barbequed early, fortunately, because about an hour later the wind started whistling and blowing ....then a torrential downpour for 10 minutes!!!! Hopefully the skiis emptied tonite and it will be a good day for cycling tomorrow.

Starting Week #9

Dear Family and Friends,
It is WEEK # 9!! The guys are still pedaling....no cycling problems...although Stan did miss a step coming out of the trailor in the wee hours last week and bruised his leg a bit. He was sore for a few days, but there was no holding him back. He couldn't let Roy put any extra miles on his bike. There is no competition here....................!?
This state of Illinois is very proud of their history. They even have a State Department for the Preservation of History....I met an employee today who was working at the Lewis & Clark Museum and was being paid to talk with people regarding the replica of the Lewis and Clark fort at Camp River Dubois. She was dressed in clothes of the period and was making a woman's handbag from about 1800. The museum was very well thought out with beautiful displays...magnificently done was a full scale keelboat that Lewis and Clark used to go down the rivers. What an adventure that group had....it only took them a little over two years....our next trip!!!?????

Lots of History in Area

Crossing over to ILLINOIS!

Hello Everyone!
We have arrived in Illinois....rivers everywhere!!! BIG, BIG RIVERS!! Today we saw where the Missouri, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers all meet. We bicycled along the rivers for 16 miles and watched the tugboats move these huge barges...and then a water skiier passed by!?! Crazy! The architecture of bridges here is amazing.......love taking fotos. We have been hitting lots of humidity and downpours of rain. Stan was soaked riding yesterday. He didn't mind it in the least.

Small World!

We were really excited to meet up with Ed and Lilah Chavez, their daughter Debbie, her husband, grandchildren and friends at Tony's on Main Street in the historic district of downtown Saint Charles, MO. It was wonderful to see their familiar faces and to visit with these former Santa Maria residents. What a treat and surprise! Those grandkids are sure growing up!

Along the Missouri River!

We have been traveling through the center of Missouri, following the Missouri River. I am just amazed at the amount of water in this HUGE river...we have crossed all kinds of bridges going over it from time to time. We all have been cycling the Katy Trail yesterday and today. Cris and I have put in over 50 miles so far this week, and Roy and Stan reached 2200 miles today which is 2/3 of the way! Time is passing so quickly. We stayed in Hermann, Missouri last night at the city park...surprisingly, this is the wine capital of Missouri. The town is quaint...old, old brick buildings, tons of cottonwood trees, and the community is built on rolling hills. Stan is obsessed with the box turtles in the river along the bike path. We have also encountered a few snakes on our outings....and Stan had a stare-down with a BIG angus bull ...............Stan won!

THE KATY TRAIL

Hi All....
I must tell you about The Katy Trail. The guys started riding it a few days ago and I saw a portion of it today for the first time. It is awesome. It is a recreation biking, walking, jogging and equestrian trail that goes 225 miles across the middle of Missouri...west to east. Originally it was a railroad route between 1865 and 1915. It goes through some absolutely beautiful areas of Missouri... little towns, farms, corn fields, rivers and bridges....and no cars are allowed. Stan and Roy plan on doing the entire 225 miles. They have traveled over 2100 cycling miles.

Independent of Independence!

Hello All.....Well I had to come get my "grandma fix", so I'm in L.A. and Stan is still cycling in Missouri! I am here until Tuesday. Stan and Roy have had their hottest day of riding so far. Today they were up and riding before 6 a.m. (Well that's what he told me). Stan has taken in the Truman Museum and the Santa Fe Trail Museum as well as other historical sites. He found a CRACKER BARRELL Restaurant, and when I talked with him last he was sitting outside the restaurant in one of their many rocking chairs just "kickin' it"! Sounds like he's enjoying his independence!

We're in Independence, Missouri!

Our energy level is being ZAPPED by the humidity...the cyclist will have to get an earlier start to beat this heat. The houses here in Independence are lovely...everyone has an old Victorian two story, front porch home. While the guys were cycling in the St Joseph area this a.m. , Cris and I visited the Patee House Museum...it was a hotel and housed the riders for the Pony Express in 1860. We also saw Jesse James home. This area is so full of history.

Goodbye Kansas, Hello Missouri!

12 days to get through this beautiful and people friendly state....and as we leave we see only corn fields, CORN fields, CORN FIELDS! Over every hill for miles as far as you can see...corn........fields two inches high to fields three feet high. Today was the first time I saw sweet eating corn at the WALMART SUPER STORE...3 ears for $1. I had to buy it and try it ( not until tomorrow). I saw strawberries from SANTA MARIA there too!

The weather is warming up. We are not used to this humidity....water is pouring off our faces. THANK YOU Sernas for fixing our air conditioner...it is working perfectly. We drove over to St. Joseph, Missouri, this afternoon to our R.V. Park. We then headed down to Platte City, Missouri, to see former Righetti FFA student Colleen Walsh Gerke, the Gerke Farm/Wine Vineyard and their new addition adorable baby Addie. What a treat!

Nebraska today...Missouri tomorrow!

Dear Class,
Today we crossed over into the state of Nebraska and then came back to Kansas. Tomorrow we will be in the state of Missouri!!
I know you went on a field trip today, and I bet it was fun. Thursday is your last day at school and in first grade. Wow! We sure had a great year. I will look forward to seeing you around school next year. Make sure to stop in and say hi. Have a wonderful summer.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Rose :)

Start of Week # 7 - Marathon Day!

Well Monday was a marathon day! While biking, Stan and Roy met an interesting gentleman, Mark, "walking" from Chicago to San Francisco to raise $ for infants, children and adults with developmental problems! His goal is to make $200,000. Whatever he gets in contributions, his company will match...What an awesome endeavor!
After biking 50 miles Stan drove two and one half hours to Kansas City to take me to an endodontist for an emergency ROOT CANAL!! Yipes!! Actually it was less painful than the dentist office...and I am no longer in pain. We then drove all the way back to Marysville to our campground...got back about 9:30 p.m. Slept really good!

Stan on the Campaign Trail!

Needin' A Rest!

Happy Sunday Everyone!
A rest day was needed today after traveling over these rollin' Kansas hills and averaging 53.3 miles a day this week. We attended a communion service at St. George Parish in the itsy, bitsy community of Munden, KS. The parish priest has been in the hospital and will retire when he gets out so this community has rallied together to have weekly church services without a priest. There were about 60 parishioners. We met the Tipton's who have a family farm that grows wheat, soy and corn. They were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Their son Colin, a high school student has an FFA wheat field project. He said everyone at their high school of 170 students has to take an ag class. Debbie, his mom, services 3 school districts as a speech pathologist. We have seen so many little towns this week that seem almost abandoned...people leaving to find work elsewhere....especially the younger generation.
:) Helen

"Two Doors Down"

Hello All,
We went to Cuba tonight.......... for dinner! Stan had the BEST prime rib ever he said, which means he was HUNGRY! We arrived at the restaurant a little early ( the chef/owner wasn't back from an outing) so we went down the street to the Antique Mall. The owner there shared with us that a National Geographic photographer, Jim Richardson, had been taking pictures of the town for three decades...the community is featured in the May 2004 issue of National Geographic. The pictures are all black and whites......of life and ordinary people in an extraordinary town.
One of the waitresses, a young high school junior, worked at the grocery store on the corner and the restaurant, TWO DOORS DOWN! She was running back and forth throughout our dinner helping wherever she was needed.
According to US surveyers, we crossed over the center of the United States today....we are in Belleville, Kansas. Another interesting day.

Takin' a Break!

HALFWAY POINT!

TODAY WE ARE AT THE HALFWAY POINT! 1,650 + miles of the 3,300 mile trip! We are in Smith Center, Kansas near the Nebraska border. Last week a part of this area got hit by a savage wind and hail storm ...no one was hurt but crops were lost...I read that hail as big as golf balls came down smashing the wheat crops! In some cases the hail was 6 to 8 inches deep on the roads. Stan and Roy inspected some of the fields...the wheat is just laying down flat. And they saw a silo that had been blown over....it is so surprising how it comes through and just hits a small area. We feel lucky to be sitting in the nice warm sun outside our 5th wheel ...no wind today! If we had been here a week ago...who knows! Thanks for your prayers. Love you all.

KANSAS, KANSAS, and more KANSAS!

Hi All.....we are incountering a few technical problems here. Internet keeps going in and out and sends us the weirdest messages............and since Albuquerque, the blog will not let me post any fotos!!! There are NO HUGE CITIES in western Kansas so trying to find a computer store/"Geek Squad" is like trying to find a needle in a haystack!
All else is going well...Stan finished 1,610 miles today! Feels really good and is losing a few inches around the waist. Kansas seems like a GREAT BIG NATIONAL PARK! Everything is just SO GREEN. Everyone says that it is rare to be so green this time of year...that they have had a 5 year drought. This year they had some big snowstorms and late rains and consequently we have this GREEN STATE! Lucky us! The winds I can do without but Stan and Roy love them behind 'em....they are "breezing" through this state!
We were in the cutest little town of Oberline, KS yesterday...darling little shops. The streets are sooooooo....wide that trucks just park right in the middle of the street and unload their goods and cars park diagonally. I haven't seen that in a while in California. One very nice "Woman's" store I went in is called THE DRESSER...it is owned by 65 women in the town who initially invested $500 each and formed this shop. They volunteer to work in it and their purpose was to get upscale clothes you would find in big cities....in a town of 2,000 plus in the middle of this prairie! I was impressed!
Hope to hear from you friends out there! Love you all!
Helen

We Are Halfway There!

Dear Students,
We are in KANSAS, the middle of the United States. This state grows the most wheat in all the United States. Wheat goes to a mill where it is turned into flour, and we use flour to make bread and other things we eat. Kansas is a very beautiful state. I hope you are having a good week.
* Dear Elvis,
You are AWESOME!! I am so proud of you for having 518 points!
*Dear Angel Jose,
I am so glad you liked the stickers I sent you.
*Dear Leslie,
You are a super student to be Top Cat all year. Watch out for Elvis though.
*Hi Miguel L.,
Nicholas' birthday party must have been fun. I LOVE cupcakes too.
*Dear Dominique,
Did you buy books at the Book Fair? Keep reading.
*Hi Santos,
It sounds like you are doing great in school.
Keep up the GREAT JOB everyone!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Rose

Updated Map

The Yellow Brick Road Leads To KANSAS!

We are sitting outside our trailor on Tinman Alley...... in Garden City, Kansas. The weather was absolutely beautiful driving over...but the corn was not as high as an elephant's eye.....yet! Wait a minute.......that was "Oklahoma"! Oh dear, we are going too FAST!! We are definitely in "Heartland" America though. We saw acres of wheat fields, corn fields, cattle ranches, alfalfa crops, pig farms, big silo grain bins and green, green, green everywhere...and little farmhouses dotting the land. The road was pretty straight for us wives' first trip alone ( truck with 5th wheel and motorhome towing a car) to catch up with our bicycling husbands who started out at 7 a.m. We want to thank Tony, the 25 year veteran truck driver who got us pointing in the right direction and even gave us a few words of wisdom. .."swing out wide". People are sure nice in this big ol' world...God Bless him. Tomorrow is Sunday and a day of rest for all. Enjoy!

Caught by the Storm!

Hello All!
We made it to Oklahoma but so did the storm!! Last night about 8:00 p.m. a ferocious wind came up and rocked our trailor SO HARD I thought it might tip over and blow away!!! WOW! It was frightening to say the least. There was thunder, lightening and rain but that wasn't anything compared to that wind. After a time, it got incredibly quiet, like almost scary quiet, and it stayed that way the rest of the night! Today we have ominous clouds hanging over us with a slight wind. The guys are on their way biking to Liberal, Kansas.
Love ya', Helen

OKLAHOMA

Dear Class,
I was SO HAPPY to get your e-mails yesterday. Thank you so much!
We made it to another state. We are now in Oklahoma. Last night there was a BIG storm here. Our trailor was rocking back and forth and I was afraid. There was thunder, lightening and rain. Soon it all stopped, and it was very quiet. Then I was able to fall asleep.
I hope you have a nice day!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Rose