This morning I dedicated my ride to Fern and Rachel, two lovely ladies I met when I and others helped make noodles at the senior center in Benkelman, NE. They were kind enough to show their support by venturing to the fundraising fair in honor of Rosemary the night before. Benkelman blew me away by their awesome generosity and ability to raise several thousand dollars to battle Cancer. I didn't want to leave such a lovely town. Even the send-off was made spectacular by an escort of three amazing brothers who cycled with us to the border.
Marked by a wooden sign the Colorado border was upon me sooner than I expected. It stood there in all its wooden glory embodying my notions of a rugged Colorado. The rest of the day, though, proceeded to shatter the rest of my preconceived notions of the state. Colorado was the home of the Rockies, so shouldn't it be full of endless trying hills from border-to-border? I thought so, but all I saw was a gorgeous sky meeting an endless expanse of flat ground.
Upon entering the town of Wray, a delicious meal awaited us at La Familia. The restaurant was kind enough to provide us with air-conditioning, ice tea, chips and as many burritos as we wanted. After finishing off the delicious meal with spoonfuls of honey, I was refreshed and ready to continue the journey onward. I wasn't in a hurry, though, and thoroughly enjoyed a conversation with a couple in the restaurant about Ride the Rockies, a bike trip through the Rockies that we missed by a week, and some attractions other than the Rockies themselves, such as a fishery at Stalker Pond.
In Yuma a surprise awaited us, the return of the home stays. I was adopted for the night by Dave and LuAnne who welcomed me and five other riders into their lovely home. When we drove there I was only expecting the glory of an actual bed with actual sheets, little did I know that even more exciting things awaited me. A little while later I found myself piloting a lawn mower that turned on a dime. The excitement didn't stop there. A blue tractor was at my disposal. When I embarked upon this trip I pondered what it would feel like to finally reach San Francisco knowing that I had just cycled across the country in an effort to fight cancer, what I didn't ponder was the thrill of riding a tractor. Yes, the tractor moved slowly, but you had a gigantic shovel at your disposal. To top it all off was a trip to the neighbors to see kittens and pigs. Needless to say I slept soundly at the end of the day. Having a beautiful gray tabby named Rowdy cuddling in the crook of my arm was just a tremendously welcome push into dreamland.
-Ondrej Juhasz
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