Day 29: The Kennedys in Lincoln, NE

Rising out of bed at the timely hour of 7 AM, For the first time in almost a week, our team had something to truly look forward to: We would finally have a true home to stay at courtesy of Walker and Diane Kennedy. Smiling joyfully at the thought of a warm bed and home-cooked meal the six riders hit the road early, planning on arriving at the Kennedy household as quickly as possible. As with most days, however, there were unpredictable obstacles on the road today.

In following with recent tradition, a direct headwind from the west provided the riders with serious speed issues, causing the 98 mile day to take longer than expected. Passing cornfields for the umpteenth day, our riders found themselves conversing on a variety of topics. From a discussion on the Branch Dravidians, triggered by passing a town called Waco, to an argument on the effectiveness of humor in conveying a point across, it has become evident that the team is simply running out of things to talk about. Hundreds of miles of corn are not exactly stimulating sights either.

The second drawback of the day? The team would finally be entering a city with a population greater than 17. The fact that the rider's presence would not affect the demographic counter on Wikipedia was proof for the entire team, including the San Franciscan and New Yorker, that Lincoln is truly a city to be reckoned with. Rolling into the arms of the welcoming Kennedys and their country club was the perfect end to the day, providing our riders with a welcome rest.

On that note, a special thanks goes out to the Lincoln Country Club and to the Taylors for joining us at dinner, providing us with valuable life advice, and simply amazing hospitality and company. After a scrumptious meal, in which we learned the secret Nebraskan style of adding butter to corn, Claire, Shane, Jason, Zane, and Kirsten chose to take a driving/walking tour of the capital. Imagine their surprise at "finding" an "open" door to the famous Memorial Stadium, home of the University of Nebraska football team. Sanford, Shane, and Jason ran some plays on the famous turf of the inferior Big Red while the others hung out around the stadium. Eventually the riders made their way to the comforts of their temporary home, Shane, Claire, and Jason ending the night with an in-depth conversation on life at Stanford and the purpose of college with their hosts.

With a medium-length ride ahead of them tomorrow to Omaha, our team hit the sack fairly early, eternally thankful for the selflessness shown by their hosts and looking forward to the, with hope sans wind, day ahead of them.