58.3 miles; 4 hours and 56 minutes in the saddle. This does not add up to a blistering pace, but in my defense, there was a big headwind! I'm just happy to have made it to Stratton and still be feeling pretty good. And I'm feeling especially good because I'm showered and sitting in an air-conditioned motel room. All for the sake of the blog, of course (luckily, there is wi-fi here! I think it might be a neighbor's, but who cares--I'm using it!). Has nothing to do with being eaten alive by mosquitoes down at the town picnic shelter whilst contemplating cleaning up under the icy water of the park spigot...or maybe we should just skip that, put up the tent and dive into it...but then we'll be sweaty, dirty, and sticky in a tent, trying to sleep with the day's grime all over us...and then where should we put the tent? That grass looks pretty lush. In park-camping parlance, that means there is a distinct possibility that it is watered with sprinklers, which will no doubt start up about 2 a.m., soaking you and your tent. One time Beater Bob inadvertently put his tent up right next to spigot, which then sprang to action while he was sleeping, spraying him right through the door!
Okay, motel is sounding pretty good! Maybe I'm just getting old, but I don't care about maintaining my die-hard camper persona anymore. A warm shower and good night's sleep beckon.
So Mark and I pedal through town...a once-promising overnight destination with pool and bar, but of course the pool is closed because it's 9 p.m., and woe to us, also the bar (as in, gone out of business)...and find the diminutive Stratton Motel, which has a sign saying "Call Karin if you need a room" at such-and-such number. Mark and I call and then swat mosquitoes as we wait for her to come. Luckily, there is one room available, though she explains that she's taken over this motel business from her mom, and really she and her sister are supposed to be doing it together, but her sister really isn't doing much and it was her sister that was supposed to clean the room, but last time it wasn't very clean..."Heh, what she thinks of as clean..." her voice trailed off. "Well, here you are, number 6" she says, handing us a key.
We enter with some trepidation, but the room is fine, though we notice too late there are no towels. Oh well, we all have our own (for those park spigot occasions). Al is joining us in the room; Toby and Lauree are already tenting in the other picnic shelter; Ohio Mike and Jim have ridden on to Trenton (another 12 miles) which has a guaranteed open bar; Bob, Noelle, and Mike were still deciding what to do when we left.
So here I am, and there's our cast of characters. All with an Iowa connection, but coming from many different parts of the country now: Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Kentucky, and of course, Iowa. We've biked together in various formations for about 20 years...hard to believe so much time has gone by, but hey! we've still got it! and now it's parked its butt in a motel.
So a quick run-down of the day:
We watched a little of the Tour de France at breakfast in Wray, then assembled for the traditional starting-off group photo and got on the road at the crack of 11. Missing from this photo, by the way, are Kentucky Jim and Mike Hajdu, who bolted out of town uncharacteristically early.
It's almost impossible to get our whole group together. Like herding cats.Anyway, not one tenth of a mile later, Mark had a flat tire. He doesn't look too upset, though, does he? At least we were still in town and had a nice shady tree to sit under to fix it.
We headed down the road...it was pretty flat and had a nice shoulder (highway 34). 
9 miles later we were in Nebraska, but hey--now we can tell people we biked from COLORADO, when we get to Ragbrai. Definitely sounds more impressive.
I picked up a sunflower along the way, to put in the bud vase Lauree gave me last year.
First stop, Haigler, Nebraska, where we had a warm welcome from Shawna at Jake's Place. It was a potato-y lunch of French fries and potato salad.
On the good side, Kentucky Jim got a nice new hairdo, courtesy of Noelle.
On the bad side, Ohio Mike discovered he had a flat tire.
Leaving Haigler, we stopped to read a historical marker about the "Texas Trail Canyon." See, our trip is both fun and educational.
A tree-lined gravel road beckoned a little later, and we had a nice rest and snack. I debuted my Sling-Light chair, which was GREAT. But best of all, Toby shared his amazing beans and rice with Mike and Mark and me...really, Mark said it was the best thing he'd eaten on the trip. Too bad he didn't bring enough for every day. :-)
On to Benkelman, population 1,006. 
Some enterprising youngsters were "realizing their potential" by selling cherry Kool-Aid and watermelon. Remind me never to drink Kool-Aid again, no matter how cute the sellers. It is disgusting.We assembled for another group picture in Benkelman...actually at the request of one of the local gals, but I took advantage and handed her my camera, too. You might notice there were 10 people on the roster, and hmm, only 7 people in this photo.
Present this time is Mike Hajdu...missing are Ohio Mike, Kentucky Jim, and Tricky Al. From left to right: Hajdu, Bob Weiss, Mark, Toby, Lauree, and me...and Noelle on the trike.Wait, now here are Tricky Al (far left) and Ohio Mike (far right)...but where are Toby, Lauree, and Kentucky Jim?
Herding cats, people. This was the best we could do. Turns out Jim was at the grocery store during all of this, so we never would have found him.Headed out of Benkelman for Stratton, with threats of nearby storms. Didn't get rained on, arrived at picnic shelter, and you know the rest.
More tomorrow, or as wi-fi permits!
P.S Mark had another flat as we pulled into Stratton...flat tire count for the group for the day: 3. Other troubles: my fender bolt fell out and brakes were rubbing. Thanks to Hajdu for an extra bolt and nut and washer, and Bob for handy advice and tools.
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