045: Day 56 June 3: Atlantic to Underwood. 39.5 miles today 1845.5 in total (119.4m)

We were slow this morning.I wanted to finish yesterday's blog and also put in a call to USCIS to see what can be done to progress my Green Card application. This is still stuck with the biometrics appointment and I have not yet received a revised appointment date since January 2021. Please keep this in your prayers, as I must now wait for somebody of the USCIS-office to call me in the next 14 days to arrange a time. With the cycling I may miss this call and I am asking that you pray that the call will come through where I shall receive it and where I can answer it safely.

We liked this sculpture within the show grounds close to where we camped. 

Today was probably the toughest day we had so far. We were still able to complete close to 40 miles, but that was due to utter perseverance. We had a southwester in our faces the whole day. It was blowing at 10-20 miles an hour with much stronger gusts in between. The slow speed started as we left Atlantic up to Underwood.

We passed this remembrance sign for a plane crash during the Second World War. Just look at the flag. The propellors were singing in the wind.

After about 20 miles of this suffering - our average speed dropped by about 25% over the day, we reached the next town, Hancock IA. We were desperately looking for a pop or two (Coke preferably) but there are no shops in town. A friendly person outside the Post Office directed us to the office of the Scoular Company, as they had a pop-vending machine. Two very friendly workers assisted us and we left with two room temperature pops (vending machine is out of order) and two bottles of frozen water.Thanks to all who assisted us.

We walked acroos the street to the Hancock Memorial Park for a rest and something to eat for lunch.

I was too tired to sit up straight and even ate food while lying down - a big "No" when we grew up.

We left Hancock and passed this beautiful view of the Nishnabotna River.

The afternoon consisted of pedaling downhill and pushing uphill about 30-40% of the hills. The wind was relentless.

Christine took some barn-photos.

And this interesting tree. We have not seen these before.

I was very happy in this photo, as I felt the wind in my back. Unfor

tunately I pointed my bike in the wrong direction and had to turn around.

When we passed through Bently, a kind lady told us of the Subway and the store about three miles on. This is next to an I-80-interchange. As we cycled closer, we saw the Motel with a laundry and immediately stopped to check into a room. Our clothes are now clean and we had a good supper at Subway. 

We also looked at our route ahead and decided to cut out Lincoln, Nebraska and take a shorter route to Norfolk, Nebraska, the start of the Cowboy Trail.