GREETINGS FROM HAMPTON, IOWA!

Hey folks! I'm not dead! It has been difficult at times to say the least. But, we've done three days and about 220-230 miles. We're technically halfway across the state but in terms of the actual route, we'll hit halfway tomorrow.

We finally made it to Rock Rapids, which is about 20 miles from S.D. and 10 miles from Minn. late Saturday. Jim and Andrew slept on top of the RV... that was interesting. We thought we'd wake up at 6:30 on Sunday to start... well those plans got foiled by the early riders by our RV and the people yelling BREAKFAST!

The first day was alright... what made it most tough was the wind. From the south and we were riding directly into the south. Blake and Jon finished first, Jim and I came in about an hour later. I think I'm the only one who's making this a social event... I've met riders from everywhere and of all shapes and sizes. On Day 2, I met a guy named John Myers, a photographer from Rochester, NY who's on his 15th ride. He rode with me for many miles and even bought my lunch at "Pastafari."

One of the most interesting things are the team names. There's cheesy ones, serious ones, and obscene ones, haha. Team "Dairy Air" from Wisconsin; Team "Achin' Knee" from Ankeny, IA and Team Darel... they just call each other Darel instead of their real names.

The towns have been great... quaint and historic and lively and full of great food. There was "Lei over in Laurens," "Holiday in Humboldt" and "Relax in Rolfe" to name a few. There is church cooking everywhere along with all sorts of sandwiches, sweet corn, smoothies, etc. Also, along the way, many homes have setup places for shade, water, some food, and yes, water and beer slides (Blake did it, not me!). The people are incredibly hospitable, like Ms. Monahans who lives in Humboldt and allowed us to shower at her place.

I'm sunburned like you wouldn't believe. My butt hurts even more! I don't know how they ride on those seats for so long... no wonder the racers go so fast. My left knee knows its being overused and gets sore towards the end of each day, but I drug up on Aleve, ice it up and walk it off. I know I have to finish.

I'm going to attach some pictures to show you what's happened along the way. Thank you for all the great comments and support. This is tough but fun and I only hope I can finish in one piece!