Hello Everyone,

Today was a rest day and it seemed to come at an opportune time. This morning, Herm, Alan, Michael and I rode our bikes into town for a real breakfast . I had french toast and bacon. Seems like two years ago, there were many opportunities for french toast but this time, I have not seen it since LA. After breakfast, I rode back to the hotel and cleaned my bike.

Later on, I met Alan, Barry, Pierre, Tim, Ross and we returned to downtown for a view of the boyhood home of President Eisenhower and his Presidential Museum and library. The boyhood home of President Eisenhower stands in the exact same place as it was when Ike left. They moved the streets and undoubtedly, the surrounding homes and the rest of the grounds house the museum, library, chapel and gardens. For the second time, I stood on his porch and tried ti imagine the thoughts of a young Eisenhower. The home is not very large and is on “the wrong side of the tracks” as the more affluent lived on the other side of town. The president’s parents raised a very successful group of children ( all of whom were accomplished besides Ike) and Stuart remarked perhaps they put the tracks in the wrong place. The tour lady seemed to like this thought and I wondered if perhaps it may be incorporated into future tours.

Much of the Museum is devoted to WWII and the tenure of DDE in the WH. There is a lot of memorabilia on the war and historical artifacts including weaponry, uniforms, documents, historical timelines, photographs, news reels and items of the period. One thing struck me quite profoundly. It was a small exhibit of D-Day rifles, knives , helmets and other items that washed up on Normandy each in 1969. I imagine that it lied buried under sand in the sea until a storm washed it ashore. The helmet was riddled with bullet holes. Many soldiers persisted before they even reached the beach. Some downed under the weight of their own equipment and others were cut down by machine gun fire .

Afterwards, Allan persuaded us to have lunch at a little diner he found close by. It was a delicious lunch and most of us returned to the hotel for a nap before dinner. Unfortunately, i slept through the dinner bell so I walked to a nearby Subway. I missed having dinner worth my friends, but I probably needed the extra sleep. It seems to be getting a lot warmer and just walking around takes quite a bit of energy.

The lady who drove us around quite bait is from the Abilene Chamber of Commerce. Her name is Glenda and see sounds just like Cathy Bates of movie fame. She asked us all were we are from and I said “Misery” which is apparently how most Kansas natives pronounce Missouri. It was good battered ribbing and the others seemed to enjoy our interstate rivalry.

For my old A.G. Edward’s friends, I was walking around downtown and came across a Benjamin F. Edwards branch. I thought about stopping in to say “hi”, but missed the opportunity. Glad to see that Tad and company are doing well!

I didn’t take many pictures today but will pass along a few that i did take. Tomorrow is looking to be a long day as it is over 100 miles and 6000 feet of climbing.

Tailwinds Chuck