June 10, 2003 This was a tough day. Not the toughest - that honor goes to the 140 mile trip into Jefferson City, MO - but the combination of rollers and headwinds really did it to us. However, we felt great accomplishment for having made the trip from the Kansas City Airport to Council Bluffs, IA in two days while climbing 9,000 feet. There were no mechanical problems today, and no new hurts to report from the Team. We are tired, but feel good and are happy. We are in Iowa - a new state for us, and a landmark in our trip north. We haven't seen the river today except for our arrival in Council Bluffs. That is a bit of a disappointment, but we have many days to view the wonderful Missouri River! We took highway 59 out of Mound City, and stayed on it, going straight north, for about 80 miles. If the headwinds and rollers hadn't been around for company, it would have been boring. We estimate that the winds were 15-20 with gusts to 30. They were not dangerous as headwinds, but if they became hurting sidewinds, they were throwing us all over the place. The Captain had a nice case of sore shoulders and arms as result. Fortunately, the Stoker does a nice job of rubbing out the stiffness, so we can keep going. The big rigs are a lot of fun in winds like this - they really add to the excitment of the gusting winds. After 70 miles, we reached the town of Emerson, and decided to stop for a Mountain Dew. The only place that was open was a cafe that was in the process of closing. The lady running it let us in, and we joined an older man and two young ladies for a short time. They were amazed my what we are doing, and were very helpful in helping us fine-tune the rest of the route. LaValle also got a call from her Son, Lichen, while we were here. He was in Baltimore on his way to a two-month assignment as a Weapons Officer on an F-15 in the Middle East. Ron got to talk with him for a couple of minutes, and was pleased to be able to wish him good luck. After Emerson, we rode straight west for about 20 miles to Glenwood. At this point the route became interesting because we had some curves, some gentle climbing and a magnificent view of downtown Omaho and Council Bluffs as we were descending the surrounding hills. It was a wonder sight to see civilization again, as we were nearing our thee-day rest period when LaValle would see Bill, and Ron would get to see his sister, Jane, her husband, Bill Audette and his two nieces, Kelley and Lindsay. The weather was nice and warm most of the day. It was overcast at times, but the temperature stayed up, and the sun got out once in a while. It was nice not to be rained on. Ron Note from LaValle... Seeing Bill after more than thirty days was heaven!!! It was wonderful. Thank you, Bill, for making the trip to see me in Council Bluffs. Today's also the day my son flew to the Mid-East so his call in Emerson was an important one. He'll be there for two months. For those of you who don't know he's a Weapons Officer in an F-15. Bill and I are very proud of him. Be safe Captain Pursley!!!