No place like home

Day 19: Columbus to Lincoln = 81 miles. There is no place like home

Robb and I left Columbus and rode mostly gravel roads to Lincoln. As we passed rivers we were amazed how full the rivers were. The rivers were flowing fast and flooding could be seen in many areas - but we were lucky to have dry roads. There were no mountains to climb in Nebraska but rolling gravel roads had some steep hills that can be very challenging. We rode the Oak Trail from Brainard to Valparaiso and stopped in Loma to view the tavern where Patrick Swayze filmed "To Wong Foo, Thank you for Everything! Julie Newmar". The tavern is now closed and is falling apart. It is hard to believe that Patrick Swayze once filmed a movie there. We then rode on the Valparaiso to have lunch. Being in Valparaiso, I felt like I was in my backyard. Valparaiso is a common location for gravel riders to stop for lunch. Just as we were about to leave Valparaiso, another Trail Angel appeared. Kevin Fox had been following my progress on Trackleaders and came out to join us on our ride to Lincoln. I felt lucky to have friends come out to support my ride. As we rode back to Lincoln the wind was starting to blow strong out of the south and I was starting to struggle. We formed a pace line with Robb up in front, followed by Kevin - with me sitting back enjoying the draft. The pace line helped me ride much faster and was more enjoyable. Kevin and I talked about a long trip he will be taking on - Robb had done this route and was able to give advice. As we arrived in Lincoln we are went our separate ways home. Once I was alone it started pouring rain. But the time I arrived home I was drenched and my bike was clean for the first time in a week. I walked in the house and Lori had fresh baked chocolate chip cookies waiting for me. I sat down to eat, and my body knew it could finally rest. It is time to get some rest - Monday I will start part 2 of the ride to Washington DC.