June 12, 2003 I am sitting at my sister's computer in Omaha, and LaValle and Bill are at the Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs. After spending so much time together on the bike and riding along rivers for hours at a time, it is strange that we would be in two different cities separated by a river - the grand Missouri. We both seem to be taking our resting seriously, and it will pay off. The break is welcome and nice, but we can feel the bike tugging at us. We are half way through our wonderful journey, and we are anxious to see what lies ahead as we travel up the entire length of the Missouri River. Ahead are South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Also ahead are what will be wonderful memories of a a great journey. I don't know what is ahead today for either of us, and that is a nice feeling. Our schedule is pretty rigorous, and it is nice to have someone else making some of the decisions. My sister is being a wonderful hostess, and her kids are amazing me with the stories of their many accomplishments. They are both theater oriented, and it is fun to learn about their creative exploits. Today will be a wonderful day. Ron Note from LaValle... Being in Council Bluffs for three days, I took the opportunity to tune in to the local NPR station. I certainly missed the rhythm of the NPR wavelength. Today was supposed to be a rest day but it turned into another trip to a hospital. After checking out of the Holiday Inn and into a Days Inn (the College World Series caused a hotel room crisis), we went to the local health food store for supplies for the rest of my trip. Leaving the store I tripped and fell in an open area in the sidewalk. I must have hit a piece of rebar on the side of my foot and it left a dime sized impression for quite some time. The swelling and pain was bad enough that I was triaged through emergency and x-ray in an hour and 50 minutes. So much for rest!!!