Clipping and Gluing Maps Together
When dinosaurs roamed the earth, we sent for county maps and glued them together.
Iowa Bike Trip
When Kathy and I met at age 18, she told me she loved to dance and ride bikes. For our 4th anniversary (1973), we bought matching Schwinn Varsity bikes, quite nice bikes. A few days later, on Labor Day, we left at sunrise and rode to my parents in Sterling for the cookout. Arrived by 12:30. 85 miles. Young and dumb. No training, which was fine. But no food and no water. We stopped at farm houses and drank from the hose. By current standards, those bikes were tanks. But we had fun and loved it.
On Saturdays, we regularly rode to New Glarus, had an ice cream cone, and rode back. Round trip: 95 miles.
So it wasn't so crazy that we got the idea of riding to Huron, South Dakota (where Kathy was born) to see her Grandma and join up with Kathy's family. With no experience, we headed west in June, 1978. Directly into the strong west wind. Very novice. We had 6 days and needed to cover 100 miles a day. Kathy's knees wouldn't take it. First night: McGregor, Iowa, on the Mississippi River. Second night: New Hampton, Iowa. Third night: Mason City, Iowa. 200 miles. Only 3 days left, we abandoned plans. Kathy's family picked us up on their way to Huron. One of the most fun trips we ever had. We reminisced countless times about buying 2 dozen of the best pastries ever in some small Iowa town.
Starting Out, Blanchardville
Carol had a friend in Blanchardville. Dad Vegter and Carol drove us to their house where we had a hardy breakfast and rode off directly into the relentless west wind.
