STREET
SAIL ACROSS AMERICA
DAILY
LOG
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DAY 50 |
End
of the road So this is it - there isn't any more road north to sail in the US! I have crossed the United States from south to north by wind power and it's time to head for home. Streetsail Across America has exceeded my highest expectations and was the experience of a lifetime. And,of course, it was my pleasure to share every day of it with everyone. So..... why? I've had 49 days of sailing to think about it, with the best conclusion being to see if I could do it. I'd like to be remembered as the guy who figured it out and went after a cool wind-powered idea. That's it. Money - It seems like money is the only reason that people do things anymore. Financial gain is certainly not a reason I've done this, otherwise I've failed miserably! I have had plenty of help from sponsors and private donors which I will thank below. After the dust settles my total financial hit will be ~ $7,000. Not bad for the experience! Obstacles: There were many reasons not to go, certainly had I been less passionate I would have abandoned the idea for a number of good reasons: Fear - known (semi's & Streetsailing don't mix) bad weather, injury potential, etc. - unknown ...? Naysayers - there were many -you all know who you are. The negative people only fueled my drive to go. Thanks! Job - a 10 week unpaid leave of absence is hardly a career-builder. HUGE thanks to my sponsors and supporters: BioCrave : you gave me last minute support that lessened the financial sting. I believe in your product and wish to promote it- had my father not smoked he would have just turned 67 and been on hand to witness my finish. Ezzy Sails USA: thanks Tim and David for your great sails & mast. They were the engine that drove me along 2119.3 miles of countryside. They always rigged easily and dependably, and were a pleasure to sail with. (Plus they look cool!) Da Kine: Your windsurfing gear was the best. I never had any problems with any of it breaking or wearing out - thanks for everything! Globalstar: The satellite telephone was an invaluable tool that not only allowed me to share this experience with the public, but provided a margin of safety when there was potential danger. DeLorme: Your Atlas and Gazetteer series navigated me safely through the countryside with such great detail, I never had any doubt where we were. Speedtech: The wind and weather instruments came in handy for wind readings, which helped determine which sails to use. UN Clothing: Thanks for all the sportswear - it looked and fit great! Fish Outta H2O: JR, your Streetsailers are awesome! Definitely the right choice for the project and I strongly recommend to anyone interested in trying the sport to check out www.streetsailing.com. There's nothing closer to flying (legally) without leaving the ground. Also for the incredible job you've done with this website. It wouldn't be the same without your creative input. We'll ride again my friend. Individual donors: THANK YOU ALL who believed in me and the project. You helped me to make a little sailing history. I look forward to contacting you all individually to give my thanks by phone. Friends & family who were there when I was in doubt, who lent an ear to my ideas and encouraged me to go for it. Drivers: My brother George, who took his entire year's vacation to accompany me on the first leg through TX Gator - for cheering me up through all the Caddyshacking and achieving the desired effect! My wife Nathalie - for supporting my dream. Yours is next. Towers Productions: thanks for taking interest in the project. Hugo, Jeff & Doug - you guys were a blast to work with despite all the retakes and delays. Through your work we will be able to share Streetsail Across America with the public. Guestbook signers: your words of encouragement drove me to the finish. I read them late at night before retiring - carrying your words into my dreams. All the folks we met along the way: though too numerous to list individually, you know who you are. Your kindness and hospitality were the most enjoyable aspect of Streetsail Across America. If anyone else would like to contribute I wouldn't refuse. Simply send a check to: Bob Torline 4975 Del Monte Avenue, #106 San Diego, CA 92107 What's next? Streetsail Across Australia has a nice ring to it.... for now I'm going to spend a leisurely week with my wife driving back to San Diego. Mothership Commander's last words I am very pleased that Bob was able to pursue his dream, and relieved that everything went without any major incidents. Sharing a part of the journey with my husband was worth all the money we spent, and all the sacrifices. It was a great experience that I will never forget, and I'm coming home enriched by memories. I met the kindest people in the world and made new friends. This trip has been the best of all. I'd like to thank all my friends for their great support: David for getting up at 5:00 am on a Saturday morning to take me to the airport Claudia for your hospitality and your friendship Simone for helping Bob on his research for info, and giving him the idea of such an event.You are the one at the origin of this. Tania for calling me from Italy just to wish me a good trip. Steve for being there always, and keeping an eye on me when I was alone, and ...feeding me. Thanks for the restaurant. Jason & Lauri for entertaining me when Bob was away. I won't forget that night...Bats are among us.... Serge & Lulue for all your ideas of sponsoring. Holly for e-mailing me almost everyday, and being there for me. Thanks for your friendship. Rich & Lynn, Tony, Fred & Bene, Andy, Rick, Souad, Heather and her family, and all the others for believing in Bob and supporting his dream. |
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49 - Final Day June 16, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 21.5 miles Cumulative Distance: 2119.3 miles Distance to Finish: 0.0 miles Location: Maida, ND Position: Latitude 49 D 00.00 Min North Longitude: 98 D 21.89 Min West Elevation: 1557' |
America
Has Been Streetsailed Today started like all of the other 48 days of Streetsail: WIND CHECK! Nada. Uh oh. No worries - this is North Dakota, it has to blow from somewhere. The early risers of Langdon were driving by our parked morthership, slowing down to read the signs with looks of puzzlement on their faces. We had George over for a pancake breakfast before heading out to the starting point around 9:30 AM. It didn't look good, all the flags were indicating a north wind.... Uh oh. We arrived at the site and found the wind was north out there as well. Uh oh. After Hugo and Jeff filmed George and I hemming and hawing about the fickle wind maybe swinging west later.... it did! Funny how a small change in wind direction can change your entire day. We began to rig up the 5.0 just as Andy Wakefield from WDAZ TV arrived and conducted an interview - allowing the wind to rise and swing even further west. By 11:00 AM we were off sailing for the border. Being Saturday, highway 1 was fairly devoid of truck traffic, but we had a little convoy of media and well wishers slowly making its way through Langdon, causing some attention from locals on the street. Just north of Langdon the wind began to strengthen, picking up the pace. It seemed the finish line was coming sooner than I thought. The countryside out here is so green and lush, with just a few trees planted in windbreak rows. Nathalie was commanding the mothership while George rode shotgun, playing some of my favorite music out the speakers rigged outside of the mothership. It was like I had fantasized the finish - sailing fast and in control along the green countryside. Everything was going perfect until... pssssst. At first I thought I'd startled a rattlesnake in the grass, but then I thought "rattlesnakes in North Dakota?" What a time for a flat! The tread had worn so thin that just went. That's okay - Nathalie needed something to eat anyway. In a way I too was glad for the delay while I changed it - I didn't want Streetsail to end just yet. Sailing on a little farther I came over a ridge and there it was: Maida, ND with a population of six (sometimes seven), one dog and one cat. The border crossing was humorously small and unthreatening like most national borders are. There were no massing of Canadians along the border looking for a way in to the states, no guard towers, etc. As I sailed up to the checkpoint, I was told I could sail just beyond the stop and to the actual border a few meters more. Nathalie and George pulled in behind me and helped celebrate my finish - it was a sweet ending to a long voyage. America has been streetsailed. After conducting a few more interviews with WDAZ (which ran first story on the 6:00 news - thanks!) and the film crew for The Weather Channel production, it was time to pack up and have a beer! The only visible commercial building was Jack's Bar and Steakhouse, just adjacent the border and the beer was the best of the trip and seemed a fitting way to wind down. So that's it! Tomorrow I'll submit my final wrap up of Streetsail Across America - tonight is time to celebrate and relax. Thanks for following and all the support - it made a HUGE difference. Sail On! bob last news from the mothership commander I'll be brief because I drank way too much celebrating Bob's success. It was a great moment that I will never forget. The TV, the interviews, Bob passing the Canadian border, and the excitement were overwhelming. My husband is the first one who ever crossed the USA by wind power, I'm extremely proud of him. His determination, hard work, and high spirit paid off. He is a great inspiration for me because he proved that everything is possible if you believe in yourself. Now we're looking forward to going back to San Diego and see our friends. Nathalie |
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48 June 15, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 88.6 miles Cumulative Distance: 2097.8 miles Distance to Finish: 23.2 miles Location: 6 miles south of Landgon, ND Position: Latitude 48 D 41.32 Min North Longitude: 98 D 21.707 Min West Elevation: 1483' |
Final
Exam Thanks to all of you who have been wishing me wind - it came today all at once! Today was like taking the final exam in Advanced Streetsailing, applying nearly two years of planning, R&D and knowledge all in one long day. Tomorrow should be graduation. We knew it was going to be a big day - in order to increase the chances of reaching the Canadian border on June 17th we had to sail up as close as possible. I've learned that in North Dakota, the green light to the north doesn't stay on for very long, so with the westerly wind forecast we knew we had to come up with some big miles. Nathalie and I were both up early - she to work out like she always does before I put her in the cage of the mothership for most of the day, and I to prepare for all the contingencies today might bring. We drove the 9 miles out to our starting point from Cooperstown twice, since we drove away with a pair of shoes on the ground. Small delay. The wind was definitely west and brisk enough for the small 4.0 sail. Choosing sail sizes is like choosing golf clubs - it all depends on how much wind there is and what relative direction to it you plan to sail. It was great to be moving north again after being skunked yesterday! At 8:35 AM I had to stop for a live phone-in radio interview with Rob on KSDN's Aberdeen Today show, then right again on KSDO in San Diego on the Sully & Scooter Show. One of the favorite questions people seem to like to ask is what happens to me when a semi truck screams by. I like to tell them that's when I can catch some air off their shock wave. No worries about that on this Highway 1 - apart from a few cars now and then I had it pretty much to myself. The wind continued to build to the point where the 4.0 was overpowered, so Nathalie helped me change down to the 2.8, my smallest sail. How can a little sheet of plastic pull so hard? When the wind increases in strength it also becomes much more turbulent, with giant air punches attempting to violently yank the booms from my grip. In these conditions its not safe to use the harness around my waist for risk of being tossed off the board to leeward, so all I could do was hang on and try to keep my arms in their sockets. Nathalie was great at encouraging me with calm reassurances over the radio along with reports of upcoming cars. North Dakotans must all be in a hurry, since today most of them barely slowed at all while passing us. Hugo and Jeff from Towers Productions intercepted us in their rental van around midday to begin filming the final days for The Weather Channel's Atmospheres segment. It seemed ironic that they filmed my start in calm conditions and now near the finish in a gale. Even the mothership signs are blowing off, we're having to do a lot of retaping. During one of our rest breaks we were visited by Dana King from the North Dakota Highway Patrol. These guys have all been very supportive and offer loads of local info. In these conditions I was able to sail along cautiously between 12 - 15 mph. The object was to not go too fast and loose control. I had another fall onto the road when a fast-passing car momentarily distracted me, but I was okay. We were passing through Lawton, ND when a squall line made it even windier! We resumed again after a nap, focusing on getting to Langdon, which would have been a total distance of around 92 miles for the day. The wind had been clocking around northward all afternoon, and by early evening it had become so north and so light I was reduced to a crawl. Changing back to the 4.0 didn't help, and it was getting late, so it was time to just hang it up and come back tomorrow, six miles south of Langdon. Total distance for today was 88.6 miles, not bad given the conditions. The 100-mile day will have to wait until Streetsail Across ?..... Pulling into Langdon for the night it seemed like the whole town already knew who were. News travels fast out here! Tomorrow's forecast is for more NW, although less of it. 23 miles to the finish... stay tuned! bob |
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47 June 14, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 0 miles Cumulative Distance: 2009.2 miles Distance to Finish: 111.8 miles Location: Jct highway 1 and 200, 9 miles east of Cooperstown, ND Position: Latitude 47 D 26.53 Min North Longitude: 98 D 18.47 Min West Elevation: 1435' |
Patience
Is A Virtue I think I'm going to take up a sport that isn't totally dependant on something as fluky as the wind. Mother nature certainly isn't cooperating today with more northerlies and incessant rain. We've driven over to check out the nearest civilization at Cooperstown until we get a wind shift. It gave me a chance to conduct three radio call-in interviews and a local interview, as well as set up a few more. Nathalie and I were able to windowshop around and meet a few locals out and about in the rain. The break also made a good rest day, since the plan for tomorrow is to hit it very hard in the predicted strong westerlies and shoot for Langdon, about 95 miles away. It is possible if we don't stop too much or get held up by unforseen circumstances. That way Saturday's finish will be just 17 miles, wind permitting. Hugo and Jeff from Towers Productions are flying into Devils Lake this evening and driving down to rendezvous with us to cover the final days. Hope they brought their raincoats! bob |
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46 June 13, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 41.2 miles Cumulative Distance: 2009.2 miles Distance to Finish: 111.8 miles Location: Jct highway 1 and 200, 9 miles east of Cooperstown, ND Position: Latitude 47 D 26.53 Min North Longitude: 98 D 18.47 Min West Elevation: 1435' |
Fighting
The Wind North Dakota isn't going to let me pass easily.... but I knew that from my wind research. The general pattern is for SE preceding a front, followed by N afterwards. This morning we had the kind of big wind San Diego only gets but once a year if we're lucky. Only problem was, I had to beat into it! Even my smallest wedge of a sail @ 2.8 square meters was a handful as I clawed slowly along to windward, one mile at a time. The forecast had it clocking E, as it had yesterday, but instead it petered out around noon, and began to rain. Wetsuit time! After switching to the 5.0, we continued on in the rain, when we were found by reporters from the Jamestown Sun newspaper. That's been the hard part for media to drive all the way out from the major cities to the remote areas we're at. A Fargo TV news station was supposed to come out today... but we never saw them. We've had quite a few radio interview requests via email, and I'm doing my best to phone in on time. The problem is that I'm allowed 30 minutes/day on my Globalstar satellite phone, which is used mainly for sending and receiving email. There are no payphones in most of these small towns we pass through. We pulled into Hannaford for lunch, spotting a house that had a few large, peculiar signs out front, with sayings like "All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." Creepy. Wonder what their neighbors think? During our lunch break the wind had veered even more north, making sailing northward almost impossible. It is these conditions which frustrate me the most, and I would have given my left wheel to have been able to sail off in another direction. So, I was stuck again. Nap time! The wind seemed to have veered E, but after a short attempt found it was a temporary fluke. So we sat a bit longer, and while out on a run, Nathalie came back saying she thought the wind had changed.... she was right! It wasn't much, but just a few degrees makes a huge difference. I was able to sail slowly up to an intersection at walking pace where the road ran due west for six miles, which I knew would be a fast point of sail. Sure enough, I soon forgot today's frustration and burned up those six miles on one of the most enjoyable sails of the trip. Nathalie has a lot more fun too, when things are going faster and smoother. All good things come to an end, like our day at the point where the road turned north again. 41 miles isn't too bad considering the wind conditions. The forecast is for more north (hope they're wrong!) and drier. While de-rigging, we met Bob who owned the place we were parked out in front of and invited us to park in front of his house. He's 71 and just finished building this huge building by himself, hoping someday to open a restaurant here. That's his dream. My dream is to just finish this trip on Saturday! I passed the 2,000 mile mark today, which about doubles the previous record distance covered by wind power over land. Thanks to all who have signed the guestbook - I read them all today. Wow, your words of encouragement mean a lot and motivate me to fight on against the wind. Sail On! bob |
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Day 45 |
Rocketing
Northward Luck has played a very important role in this trip - and today was a perfect example with the wind being right from the NE in the morning, clocking to a strong SE by afternoon. Perfect. About the only thing not perfect with today's sailing was the rows of trees planted right along the roadside to break the wind. Where's my flamethrower when I needed it? It was bouts of speed sailing at 25 mph followed by what seemed like endless stretches of pumping with a little 4.0 sail in near calm conditions. It all worked out though, and we were able to finish nearly 70 miles north of where we started this morning, all by wind power. Our friend Duane from Forbes has been acting as our Publicity Agent, contacting all the local newspapers and Fargo TV stations which is keeping us busy. I don't mind, I want to deliver full value to my sponsors without whom I certainly wouldn't be here now. We sailed through the towns of Oakes, then Verona where we had lunch in the local park. The ride was bumpy, with the sporadic trees and other structures stirring up the wind to the point where I couldn't harness in without worrying about being lifted off my feet and pitched over the front of the board by a sudden, unanticipated gust of wind. In fact, I notched by second real fall when I failed to notice a single, bushy tree to windward. Normally, the wind pressure on the sail gives me something to lean against. That tree had my name on it and formed a wind shadow, literally sucking me towards it and into the grassy ditch as I passed through its void.... it was over in an instant. Lucky again, I was okay. My hands are beginning to suffer from the constant gripping of the booms. I can hardly form a fist in the morning, as if arthritis is setting in...maybe it is?! We're right near the town of Fargo, ND - and I want to say I haven't met a single person who talks like they did in the movie "Fargo." In fact, all the people I've met here in the Midwest have been nothing but genuine, friendly and supportive. That movie portrayed them in a bad light. During a rest stop, while Nathalie was off on a walk to the next county, a patrolman stopped to see if we were okay. He could have driven off, but instead spent 20 minutes giving me helpful information on road conditions ahead, weather and restaurant locations. This road is fairly busy, with a fair number of semi trucks heading up to catch I-94. They've been great at slowing down and passing way wide with a friendly wave. Often cars will come up on the mothership, read our "PASS WITH CARE WORLD RECORD IN PROGRESS" sign, and hang back. Nathalie always radios me that they're there, and I'll wave them to come around. Only on this road that process happens quite frequently. By 5:00 PM we sailed over the I-94 overpass, and finished the day six miles farther near Sanborn, ND. Dark clouds with streaks of rain were approaching, and we were both drained from sailing and driving. After de-rigging Nathalie and I drove into Sanborn looking for a laundromat. While still in her workout clothes, Nathalie popped in to ask for the location of one at the only building that seemed occupied - a tavern filled with all the local grain elevator workers who stopped talking and just stared at her.... so we went to the next town to find a laundromat. Currently we're parked in the Valley City municipal parking lot, waiting for another t-storm to hammer us. Tomorrow's forecast is for more NE winds - and LOTS of it at 20 - 30 mph. Looks like the little 2.8 sail will see some action. I have 153 more miles to sail in four days.... I will need some luck! Almost Famous This morning I checked the fluids in the mothership (yes, Bob wants me to do that too), and we left. I wasn't very comfortable driving on the road we took because of the traffic, and the big semi trucks we encountered many times. There was no shoulder to pull the mothership into, and Bob was having some strong wind and big problems with the evergreens along the way that were forming a wall preventing the wind to pass through. I was very tense and a bit nervous specially when I saw him going straight into the ditch. It was like a cartoon when you see the character getting smashed and getting up again. The only thing I could see was Bob's hat floating on top of the thick layer of grass that was covering the ditch ( fortunately there was grass). A second later he got up and on his board he was sailing again... Now that we are almost at the end of our journey, people realize what Bob has achieved and that he is really going to make it. They made him a local hero. The word had been spread all over North Dakota, and everywhere we go people know about us. Some take pictures along the way, and kids are asking for autographs. We don't have to call for media coverage, reporters are driving all over to find us. It is funny, and almost embarrassing because we are just regular people after all. The end is near and it's almost sad, because I'm having a very good time. |
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44 June 11, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 40.2 miles Cumulative Distance: 1898.8 miles Distance to Finish: 216.3 miles Location: 1.5 miles east of Ludden, ND Position: Latitude 46 D 00.50 Min North Longitude: 98 D 05.66 Min West Elevation: 1311' |
Any
Wind But North I knew North Dakota wouldn't be as easy wind-wise. My wind research showed that the wind could be more variable than in any other state. Now it seems like all the south wind I had coming up had slammed against the Canadian border and is rebounding back southward again. We had a quiet night at Elm Lake last night, and had a few raindrops tapping the roof in the early morning, with some heavy weather passing just north of us. I had a phone-in interview at 8:30 on our friend Rob's morning show Aberdeen Today at KSDN 930 AM. I was a surprise guest who made a "unique" topic for Rob's show. Good fun! We drove back to Forbes to start the day's sailing with most of the town residents including two great locals we met yesterday, Duane and RusselI, who were standing by to watch me rig and depart. I knew we weren't going to go far, since the wind was howling from right out of the north. Dang! I did my best to make a graceful exit, but looked more like a novice trying to pump my way out of town, stumbling over in the turbulent breezes. We pulled over just clear of town, waiting for the wind to veer enough to sail on. During this time a reporter from the Ellendale newspaper stopped by for an interview, tipped off by our friend Duane, who drove over to let her know we were coming. Again, Nathalie had her weights out and was squat thrusting all over the fields. By 12:30 PM the wind had veered enough east of north to sail somewhat. I had the little 4.0 up in the strong gusty blasts, and it was a real challenge to eek some headway to windward. I tried all the tricks too - over inflating my tires to reduce rolling resistance, fine tuning the sail for max power - even wearing streamlined clothes! At times the drag overcame thrust and I came to a standstill. It was 5 miles of this effort until I came to ND 11, running east/west. Since the wind was more north than east, I was able to make good speed to the east, which I had to do anyway to pick up ND 1, running right up to the finish at Maida. This was extreme streetsailing, with powerful gusts nearly blowing me right off the road. (JR - like the squall we sailed through in KS, but lasting all day!) Nathalie and I sailed into Ellendale, ND and did some shopping and other chores. Our friend Duane took my headset for our 2-way radios over to an electronics shop to re-solder the wires that are shorting. Without the headset we only have 1-way communication with Nathalie talking to me, and all I can do is nod in acknowledgement. Unfortunately the repair didn't remedy the problem. Duane also led us over to a park where we could take on more RV water. What a great guy - he really helped us out. The 20 or so miles from Ellendale out east to the corner of where highway 1 turns north were extremely windy and exciting. It was nice to be back on starbord tack again after spending most of the trip on port. We were both enjoying all the wildlife I was flushing out from the roadside grasses. Pheasants, grouse, ducks, etc are all accustomed to cars driving by, but the sail spooks nearly everything. So we get to see lots of wildlife in flight! A white pickup drove by, then stopped up ahead to chat. Turns out we passed a farmyard and the couple was in such a hurry to catch up to us they didn't even put their shoes on! They used to sail land yachts at over 50 mph on this same highway and had to check us out. What a fun-loving couple! Just beyond the little town of Ludden, ND was the dreaded corner where ND 1 bends from east to north.... and I was stuck. Hopefully tomorrow's wind will allow some northing. We headed back to Ludden, where the bar keep said we could park next to the old jail for the night. Come on SOUTH wind! bob News from the mothership commander My trip on board of the mothership has been very educational. I'm getting better at "feeling the wind", noticing the change of directions, the different patterns, and the effects that can cause such things. I'm learning more about the weather and how to "read the clouds" and distinguish the armless ones from those that can build up into thunder storms. I also read the brochures on how to spot tornadoes that George left for us. My tasks beside being in charge of the mothership are various. I help Bob to get started: bring the sail, unfold it, make sure he has everything, sunscreen on his face included. At the end of the day, I do the same thing but in reverse. I also do all the cooking (make sure his diet isn't based on cookies only), and the massages in the evening. Sorry guys I'm not available anymore! |
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Day 43 June 10, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 28.8 miles Cumulative Distance: 1858.6 miles Distance to Finish: 256.5 miles Location: Forbes, ND Position: Latitude 45 D 56.60 Min North Longitude: 98 D 46.94 Min West Elevation: 1534' |
Feeling
North Dakota The Bosenko family made sure we were properly nourished for the day ahead as we enjoyed a wonderful Sunday breakfast with them. Fortunately there wasn't any storm damage down here, but there was hail damage up in the area we that were going to stay. After refueling the mothership with nearly a day's wages in gas, we headed back out to the park we fled last night. Nathalie was able to get a run in while I caught up with today's journal. Wind-wise we were looking pretty good with NW blowing in behind the storms. At this point our route ran due east for nine miles before turning north again, so the sail through Leola went quite fast. It was that turn north that became tricky, since the wind was more north than west, and very light which makes it tough. We parked for a couple of hours waiting for the wind to swing back to the SE as forecast, but it never did. Rob from KSDN 930 AM radio in Aberdeen, SD stopped by to set up a phone-in radio interview with me tomorrow morning. He just happened to be driving by... The day became hot and sticky, but not much wind. I was able to pump the 18 miles to Forbes, ND which was a real challenge. Luckily the terrain out here is super-flat. The wind seems to phase in and out, so at times I can sail fairly well, but then it will veer more in front of me and die, nearly bringing me to a halt. We met a local gal in front of her place who said they watched last night's wall cloud pass right overhead, with little swirling fingers of funnels hanging down, but none made it to the ground. Creepy. They talk about these storms with such nonchalance, like they happen all the time. I'll go back to San Diego. The county road we were on was so small that there was no sign to mark the border between North and South Dakota. We knew we had passed into North Dakota when we arrived in Forbes, pop. <50. The only bar in town, the Long Branch Saloon, was closed, but the owner Rus happened to be inside defrosting a freezer and let us in for a cold beer which really hit the spot on a day like this. I decided that the day's sail was over, since the wind was still so light, so we packed up and headed for Elm Lake Resort, on a reservoir just a few miles away. We followed Rus out there because its really out in the boonies, without any signs to show which dirt road to turn down. It was almost like we arrived at the secret getaway for locals only, with families enjoying themselves on the shady shores on picnic tables. We went for a refreshing swim and had dinner at the resort's restaurant. The folks here are so friendly and warm - we were really feeling North Dakota! The sun now doesn't set until 9:30, with light lingering past 10:00, so it gets late quickly. We're parked just off the lake, with crickets chirping and peace all around. Tomorrow I'll continue to sail north approx 20 miles before turning east to catch ND 1, which runs straight up the entire state. Locals say its a great road with not much traffic, so I feel good about that. Streetsailing and semi's don't mix... bob |
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42 June 9, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 75.7 miles Cumulative Distance: 1829.8 miles Distance to Finish: 285.3 miles Location: 4 miles west of Leola, SD Position: Latitude 45 D 43.35 Min North Longitude: 99 D 01.86 Min West Elevation: 1784' |
Storm Dodgers News from the
mothership commander |
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41 June 8, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 68.9 miles Cumulative Distance: 1747.9 miles Distance to Finish: 361 miles Location: 8 miles north of Miller, SD Position: Latitude 44 D 38.94 Min North Longitude: 98 D 59.30 Min West Elevation: 1500' |
Green
Light For North Had a long, quiet morning in a farmer's barnyard lot, just outside of Kimball, where we finished last night. The wind didn't come up right away, so while Nathalie worked out, I checked over the mothership, wrote emails, etc. Nathalie cut my hair yesterday morning, since I was sporting the world's worst haircut from a barber in OK. Why do you think I'm always wearing a cap? As predicted, the wind started filling in light from the south, and I headed off on the westward road towards Kimball. This would have been impossible yesterday due to the west wind. The big 7-oh sail carried me along nicely in the slight breeze, and allowed me to pump a lot of air when needed. Sometimes Streetsailing more resembles rowing than sailing. The drawback is that the sail, mast & boom are heavy. We almost had a clean getaway from Kimball when Darla, the local newspaper editor, saw us and conducted a short interview for their paper. The wind began to build, but out of due south, making sailing due north rather slow. Sometimes it would veer to either side for awhile, allowing me to scoop it with the sail and really accelerate. This part of South Dakota is absolutely perfect for streetsailing - even better than Kansas. The few hills are slight and it's just ranchland and grass all around. Tomorrow may be the trip's 100-miler if the wind blows as expected... We pulled into a shady picnic area just off the road in Gann Valley for lunch. There are 25 residents - and we met about half of the them while resting there. Nathalie cracks me up on our rest stops. Since I'm getting all the exercise sailing and she's sitting behind the wheel, we switch so that I'm sitting and she jumps out with her weights for a few sets of lunges, squats, curls, etc. I can't blame her - it's a long day following me around at slow driving speeds. Before long the few folks that were around came out to say hi and meet us. Again, meeting people has been the best part of the entire trip. Since the wind was still blowing and we had another 40+ miles to go, we hit the road. By now the wind had veered to a more SW and strengthened, allowing higher sailing speeds. It was also more work, for I kept the big sail up all day, pushing myself faster and faster. What tires me so much is the constant concentration while sailing at high speed. I'm always looking around for clues to the wind conditions I'll encounter just a few seconds ahead, like the bending grass on the roadside, upcoming obstacles like trees or buildings that cast wind shadows. Then there's traffic to anticipate and steering around road kill and holes in the road. It's amazing how much the land causes friction of the wind. Sailing past a lake is always fun because the wind blows much harder off of it than the land. By 4:30 we'd reached Miller, SD and paraded down the main drag. I always feel a little uncomfortable going through towns and just wish to be less visible. The folks were great though, offering their best wishes for my success. Nobody even yelled out "you're crazy!." After stopping for a few groceries we hit it for the final eight miles out to the place where I should be to catch up totally on my 45-mile per day pace. If I can average 45 miles per day for the next eight days I'll be at the Canadian border on the evening of June 16! Of course, anything can still happen to sabotage that plan, but I'm going for it. It also worked out that the Lake Louise Recreation Area is just down the road, so we're camped out there, enjoying a gorgeous lake setting. EIGHT DAYS TO GO! bob Mothership news It's been a hot day for me. Driving at 10 to 15 miles/hour didn't give me enough air to cool off my feet which were getting pretty hot (too close to the engine). The day went by pretty fast and we are now in a gorgeous area, listening to the sound of birds near the lake in a cool evening. Life would be almost perfect if there were no mosquitoes. Earlier Bob found a turtle next to the campsite, and when he picked it up the poor animal got so scared that it peed on him soaking his T.shirt. Now, please excuse us, but it's time for wood ticks close inspection.... Sail on. Hi to Laury and Jason, Claudia and David, Simone and Tania |
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40 June 7, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 38.3 miles Cumulative Distance: 1679.0 miles Location: 4 miles east of Kimball, SD Position: Latitude 43 D 43.85 Min North Longitude: 98 D 51.27 Min West Elevation: 1669' |
Chasing
The Pace This Snake Creek Recreation Area is amazing, wish I could stay here a whole day to recharge my batteries. However, each day I delay adds another 45 miles of sailing later. Nathalie and I had a late start today, since the wind was light and we had the facilities to wash all the mud off the mothership, re-tape the sign for the front, and McGyver the hail damage sustained in yesterday's storm. Setting off from the east bank of the Missouri River, it was a struggle to climb out of the valley in the light airs, but there was enough with the big 7.0 sail. It's amazing how little traffic there is out here, and with a wide shoulder, the stress level stays down. Once up on the flats, we moved north again towards Academy, meeting a nice family of four kids and their mom standing out in their driveway to see us sail by. Thank goodness, for they offered some good local road knowledge that saved me from sailing another gravel road. EEK! They also offered us fresh eggs from their chickens. The road didn't run due north near Academy, and with the wind WNW I was forced to sail to the east for six miles to pick up SD 45 which will take me most of the way up through the state. Problem is, it too isn't continuous, and jogs to the west at Kimball before heading north again. I had a great sail up to that point, ripping along nicely with the 5.0 and Nathalie spinning some great CD's out the speakers facing me out the front of the mothership. This countryside is very Streetsailing friendly. Very flat and open, with just a few patches of trees. SD 45 is smooth and wide with very little truck traffic. Stopping early (4:20 PM) at that corner just east of Kimball doesn't bother me so much, since the wind forecast is for strong southerlies to begin kicking in after midnight tonight that could persist through Saturday. YES! We're still less than one day behind schedule but I'm confident I'll whittle it away in the next two days. That's another thing - experienced cruising sailors know that keeping a timetable is tough. Time is a luxury! After marking our finishing point we drove into Kimball which isn't much of a town, then decided to head to Chamberlaine, 20 miles west on the river to sightsee, shop and now we're stuck in the Laundromat. Not too exciting, I know, so we'll cut it here. Eight more days to Canada! Thanks to all who have been signing the guestbook and sending email. It's hard to respond to each one, but I do read them all! bob News from the mothership commander I started the day with a long run along the Missouri River. The sun was just rising up, and it was one of those moments when you feel in tune with mother nature. Gator, you probably understand what I mean, you would have loved it! Today was a quiet day, no major surprises. There were a lots of dead animals on the road so I was extra careful; didn't want to kill another one. Later on I decided to give the inside of the mothership a good cleaning. It needed it! Hi Mom. PS: we're still in the laundry place. Bob is struggling with the dryer machine. Nothing's working. Nathalie |
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39 June 6, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 46.5 miles Cumulative Distance: 1640.7 miles Location: Snake Creek Recreation Area, South Dakota Position: Latitude 43 D 23.24 Min North Longitude: 99 D 07.02 Min West Elevation: 1371' |
Living
a Lifetime In Just One Day I spent all my energy getting through today, I don't know how intelligible this will sound, but will do my best. Sailing cross country, each day brings on new challenges and experiences - you never know what you're going to get. Today we got alot. Our overnight spot was a quiet turnoff just next to a cemetery out in the middle of nowhere, so it was very quiet and still, save for the windchimes on a nearby gravestone. But it comforted me to know that the wind was blowing... In fact, the SE continued after a little rouge thunderstorm skirted eastward to the north of us. We were underway by 9:20 AM, after Nathalie had run for an hour along the deserted highway. It was ideal sailing, with the wind steady enough to harness in and let the miles tick off. The mileposts are my rewards - seems after pumping and sweating to get up a hill another post comes up and I mentally chalk up another mile closer to Maida. I reached the Nebraska/South Dakota border around 10:30, with a couple of old abandoned, derelict stores and a well-kept gospel church marking the spot. Four states down, two to go. The run to Burke was all dead downwind, which had shifted to S and intensified. Running downwind is always a little tough, since you can't exceed the speed the wind is blowing at. We sailed into Burke, SD around noon to feed ourselves and the mothership. I paid $1.89 for gas at 12:30, but when we returned at 3:30 it had dropped to $1.72! It will be hard to return to CA. We were followed to the town park by Mona, a reporter for the local paper. She was just driving by and saw a potential story... After lunch I noticed the NW sky filling with towering, ominous thunderheads, which were headed our way. To make things worse, the road I wanted to sail north on is closed, and the detour is gravel! I knew the oncoming storm would turn it to mud, so I tried to make it as far as possible before it hit. The storm appeared to be moving ENE and we were on the SE edge, so the strategy I learned from my brother George was to drive south away from an approaching wall cloud. Sure enough, as soon as the rain began we quickly derigged and turned tail back to Burke, about 6 miles distant. Nathalie drives the mothership like a Formula 1 car now. I was busy snapping away at the ugly appendages hanging from the approaching storm. Nathalie snugged us up under some trees in the park from whence we came just as pea-sized hail began to fall - lot's of it. One of our skylights was punctured by a few stones, so the price tag of SAA just went up. So much rain was falling we decided to head for higher ground to wait it out. Turns out that the storm actually passed south of us, dropping two tornados just four miles SW of town. There were no civil defense sirens. Hugo - you guys are wasting your time filming the storm chasers in Colorado, you should have stayed with us! It all blew over in an hour, and we went back to the spot we stopped at to continue in the mud. Dang, it really slows the wheels down and makes it twice as hard to cover the same distance. Along the way, Nathalie spotted a fawn in the road so young, that it could barely stand up! Somehow it had strayed onto the road, like roadkill waiting to happen, since locals whiz by at 60 mph. It's mother was in the tall grass just off the road, but across a barbed wire fence, baying out. As I approached the fawn just cowered to the ground, helpless. After it saw I wasn't going to hurt it, began to follow me around like a dog! I couldn't get it back in the grass without touching it, so I placed it over the fence near the mother as my good deed for the day. Finally the gravel gave way to pavement, but not before the Streetsailer and I were coated in more mud. Shortly thereafter we met Mike from Lucas, who gave us some great route tips and made a generous financial contribution to the project. Thank you, it will be put to good use! We spent much time talking to curious locals, and we never refuse the chance since we've met some fantastic folks along the way. After a few zig-zags I was poised at the top of a five mile, 6% downhill run into the Missouri River Valley and a one mile long bridge across. Getting up too much speed on the downhill is a free ride to the hospital, so the trick is to keep your speed under the max you can run, in case you have to jump off and slow yourself down. Fortunately, the wind was blowing lightly uphill, allowing my to use the sail as an air brake. At the foot of the bridge, a local gentleman and his wife offered to drive to the other side to halt oncoming traffic until I crossed the mile-long span.... which he did! Amazing. There was hardly any traffic at all, but the act was moving for me. Our goal for today was the Snake Creek Recreation Area, just west of Platte, SD. It's a gorgeous park with campsites and hot showers! Funny how after you've cleaned up and rested, you tend to forget all the bad stuff and let the good experiences linger in your memory... It feels like today we had enough experiences for a lifetime. Tomorrow's another day! We're closing in on the finish, two states away. I'd like to do some networking here with national media coverage. If anyone has connections or #'s to CNN, Good Morning America, etc. I'd love to let them know that we're about to complete the farthest wind-powered journey over land ever documented. Feel free to email me at streetsail@nethere.com with any info. Thanks! Sail On! bob News from the mothership commander What a day! Driving through the morning fog and then into an afternoon hail storm was pretty exciting and demanded a lot of concentration. We met great folks along the way. People are extremely friendly and curious. Some of them stop when Bob takes breaks along the way to ask if he crashed ( thinking he was flying that thing)!!!! Life is so different here: simple, authentic and rough. I love it. Sail on Nathalie |
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38 June 5, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 51.0 miles Cumulative Distance: 1594.2 miles Location: 17 miles N of Newport, NE Position: Latitude 42 D 50.09 Min North Longitude: 99 D 22.11 Min West Elevation: 2118' |
Timing
Is Everything Today had all the ingredients of a 100 mile day, but unfortunately, I missed the window of opportunity. Nathalie uses the early morning hours to go for a run and work out with the 40 lbs of weights I've been carrying since San Diego, while I lay dead in bed. We stopped at a service station to have the mothership's hazard light switch replaced and refill the propane tank before driving back out to our finishing point last night. During the morning hours the wind was light NW, so I used my big 7.0 to sail the final four miles north into Ainsworth. The Sheriff stopped by to chat and I had him sign our witness book. Then the reporter for the town newspaper interviewed us and snapped some shots roadside. It was after noon before we even started out of Ainsworth sailing slowly east on highway 20. By the time I hit Long Pine the wind began to clock around to the east... BAD! I was hoping to get to the turning point of Newport and catch the predicted wind shift to the SE for the long run N into South Dakota. I was able to just get into Bassett before the road bent back due east, effectively halting all progress. Luckily they had a municipal swimming pool so Nathalie and I went for a swim and wait for the wind to clock further south. Sure felt great to swim, and they even had a diving board - but my professional diving days seem like a different lifetime. Refreshed after the swim, we found that the wind had indeed veered more southerly - not much, but just enough and it also strengthened which is better to sail against than a very light headwind. This is because the forward progress of the Streetsailer doesn't change the angle of the true wind as much in a strong breeze as much as in a light breeze. Make sense? Anyway, I was able to just eek it out along the shoulder to Newport while Nathalie played bits of my favorite hard rock album from Filter over the 2-way radio we use. I needed it, since upwind sailing in a blow is a real challenge! When I finally reached the turning point of Highway 137 north in Newport around 7:30, I was laughing! The owners of a corner convenience store said I created the most excitement in Newport in 10 years by sailing in... There's around 100 people here. Let me say something about the folks out here. I was about to draw the conclusion that people became colder as I moved north from TX, but I retract that. I've met some awfully great people in each state, and today in Newport is no exception. The fun part of the day was just beginning... the SE wind was still blowing quite strong and this road was paved and vacant. The few trees in town soon gave way to some of the most scenic countryside I've seen on the entire trip. Blasting along at 20+ mph I sailed through vistas straight out of the film "Dances With Wolves." I was able to cross the Niobrara River and climb the substantial hills to the north (all rivers create valleys) during the sunset at 9:00 pm. The long daylight to sail by is another reason I favored this time of year for the trip. A nearly full moon rose over the prairie as we derigged and thought about just where we would park the mothership overnight. There's nothing out here but ranches. We settled on a turnout next to a small cemetery with a killer view. It doesn't get any better than this. It would have been nice to be in Burke, SD tonight, but we'll keep chipping away at the pace which seems to race ahead of us just out of reach each day. Finishing on schedule on June 16 will be a real challenge, but with lucky winds, it might just happen! We're going for it. Tune in tomorrow. Also, everybody go sign the guestbook if you haven't, and sign again if you have. I love reading all the great things you're sending. I'd also like to know how many folks are following along on this crazy wind-powered adventure. Thanks! bob News from the mothership I arrived 4 days ago to take the commend of the mothership. I'm in total control now. Actually it's really fun as long as I have several breaks to go for a run or a stretch. As George was telling me there is a lot to do on board: taking pictures, filming, checking the 3 mirrors, getting a glance at the GPS while putting some cool CDs, and entertaining Bob....and driving eventually. I saw a lots of cows, horses running wild when Bob approaches, wild turkeys, ducks, dears crossing the road in front of me and ...more cows. The countryside is beautiful. Sure you get a sense of freedom. Here drivers are used to doing this special greeting when they pass each other which I learned pretty quickly: you kind of raise your index up while still holding the wheel, and you try to get the "cowboy attitude". Easy! I say hi to all my friends and to my girls from the kick boxing class. Heather, be a good girl and go running. Nathalie |
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37 June 4, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 74.2 miles Cumulative Distance: 1543.2 miles Location: 4 miles south of Ainsworth, NE Position: Latitude 42 D 28.64 Min North Longitude: 99 D 52.30 Min West Elevation: 2592' |
Here's
Mud In My Eye I should have brought my wetsuit... it would have come in handy today. We had a nice night at Tomahawk Park in Broken Bow, save for all the trains that rumbled through all night. They actually shake the ground when they pass and are blasting their horns at who knows who. We drove 10 miles back out to Merna and asked at a filling station about the road leading up through Milburn and Brewster, since my map indicated it may not be paved. The local said it was paved all the way, (NOT!) making it the best option. I could have continued on the 2 NW to Dunning, then NE to Brewster, but I didn't want to beat into today's stiff easterly, and this route was more direct. Word sure travels fast in these parts. No sooner had we reached our rigging-up point, a pickup pulls in with a mom and two 11 year old boys to see me off. They were called by the gal at the filling station. The drizzle which was to fall incessently throughout the day began just as I started. Not having any fenders meant spray everywhere! The road rose and fell through lumpy, grassy terrain, and with all the gray skies and mist I felt like I could have been back in the English countryside. At least there was wind - and plenty of it. We covered the 19 miles to Milburn before noon. Soon the day's nightmare began with the pavement's end. Having come this far, it was too late to turn back so we went for it. With all the rain and drizzle it had turned soft, sinking my wheels in and greatly increasing the rolling resistance. On top of that, the wet sand on the deck became slippery, so I couldn't really hike out to power through the muck. Luckily I had brought a pair of Da Kine footstraps and installed one of them. (Sorry JR, I had to drill a hole in your deck) My San Diego beach sailing experience paid off in spades since there are a whole different set of skills to use when sailing on sand. That dirt road ran for over 16+ miles, whick took most of the afternoon to get through. To slow us down even further, the mothership wouldn't restart after a rest stop in the middle of nowhere. Flat battery due to lack of H2O. It was over 3 miles into Brewster, and just as I was preparing to set off on the Streetsailer to bring back a tow truck, we were able to flag down about the only car we saw on this road all day. Kevin, Kris and Derek saved the day by arranging the jump from their truck with cables from the house we were stopped in front of. The barbed wire and dogs kept us from going in and asking... You guys were great and I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the time and effort you saved me today. You will have good Kharma! Soon we were back on pavement in Brewster, Nebraska and I was soaking wet and covered in mud from my wheels. It was just past 5:00 and I had wanted to get to Ainsworth, another 43 miles due north. The wind was still up and there was absolutely nothing in Brewster. I thought about how JR would always say "we're here to sail" and imagined him right with me calling me a "wus" if I called it a day. We can't afford to waste the wind, so went for it. The terrain had flattened out nicely and the going was extremely fast on a broad reach. I was digging deep for the strength to continue, and Nathalie was digging deep for the strength to stay awake at the wheel. At the 10-mile mark she had a short nap to keep going. Even though I was cold, wet and extremely tired, this part of the day was the best for me. The sailing was fast and there was almost nobody else on the smooth road. It was very dark gray with a constant drizzle giving the grassy countryside a very different appearance from what I've been seeing so far. Perhaps Nathalie enjoyed it more than I, since I had to focus on the sailing. By 8:30 the wind had all but died and the sky opened up to drop more buckets of rain on us. We had sailed to within four miles of Ainsworth, which is just a few miles short of being back on schedule for a June 16th finish. Big day! With any luck we'll be in South Dakota tomorrow....? NW winds are forecast which are not good but could be sailable, depending on how much west there is. Nathalie is holding up fairly well - she's a Personal Trainer and not used to sitting so long. I think I earned some points with her for camping right next to a running track so she can run tomorrow morning before we set off.... bob |
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36 June 3, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 53.7 miles Cumulative Distance: 1469.0 miles Location: Merna, NE Position: Latitude 41 D 28.92 Min North Longitude: 99 D 45.92 Min West Elevation: 2664' |
Storms
and 200 Foot Waves Nathalie and I didn't sleep so well last night, but not for the obvious reasons... a vicious thunderstorm pounded us as predicted with fierce winds and torrents of rain, thunder and lightning. I dreaded getting up at all knowing what kind of weather I'd face since the mothership was still being buffeted by the remaining gusts. The temps have certainly fallen as I've come north, which is refreshing. After feeding the mothership with $68 of gas I sailed out from the northern city limits of Lexington in a strong easterly which became SE later in the day. (Sorry JR!) Low clouds raced westward and the light of day never seemed to change all day. My 4.0 sail worked well in the flats of the Platte River valley, but soon I was climbing into the hilly countryside on the quiet Highway 21 where the 5.0 really came in handy in pulling me up and over the 200'+ high rolling green hills. If I had seen what I was about to sail through I probably would have selected a different route - sails definitely didn't belong out here but luckily the wind made it fun. The road was very quiet and Nathalie and I caught up on life over the two way radio which was working again. Lunch was at Oconto, where the streets were totally deserted. Where is everyone? The 28 mile leg to Broken Bow was a real challenge with the road bending more eastward and the road more winding. The high hillsides were filled with grazing cattle that would all stare as we passed. Nathalie is providing excellent protection from cars coming up behind and has learned all the mothership driving tips. Our goal was Broken Bow but with the wind so favorable we pushed on to Merna, 10 miles farther. We're catching up on the pace, but still have to kick some butt tomorrow to get ahead. More easterlies are forecast so perhaps we may again approach the mythical 100 Mile Day... Would love a fast crossing into South Dakota. At the moment we're camped out at Tomahawk Park back in Broken Bow. Nathalie and I spent the evening window shopping around the town square and soaking up the small town ambience. bob |
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35 June 2, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 9.8 miles Cumulative Distance: 1415.3 miles Location: North City Limits of Lexington, NE, Position: Latitude 40 D 47.4 Min North Longitude: 99 D 44.91 Min West Elevation: 2408' |
The
Changing of the Guard What a crazy morning! Since our finishing point last night was about 8 miles south of town, I told the guys that if there was any sailable wind this morning we'd make an attempt to Streetsail into Lexington before driving 60 miles off to drop them at the North Platte airport. We had a gentle westerly breeze which set off my wind alarm, so we dashed back out to our bend in the road that stopped us last night and rigged up. Doug and Hugo had us miked up in no time for individual wrap up interviews out in the farmer's fields. I was itching to sail, but was also willing to take the time it takes to set up the right shots. It was a crisp, clear morning and the wind was calling.... or at least whispering since we didn't have enough to make it all the way into town before we had to tear down and head off for the airport. It was a good try - JR & I gliding down into the Platte River Valley which is a broad and flat. Gator was alerting us of all oncoming semis and farm trucks, while playing music out the outside speakers for us to sail by. It was a last sail for JR, ending in some frustration but capping a great week for the three of us. Time seems to pass so slowly for me with so many new experiences occurring each day - living life fully I guess. We were able to shower and pack at Doug & Hugo's motel rooms - a BIG luxury for me. The drive out to the airport had all of us reminiscing about the previous week's events - we three amigos had truly bonded. The timing was perfect - we could see the United Airlines puddle jumper on final approach and were able to intercept my wife Nathalie as she skipped across the tarmac into the terminal and my waiting arms. It was highly emotional for me to see her again after five weeks - and also to be seeing my mates off shortly afterwards on another flight to Denver. At least we were able to all have lunch together. The torch has been passed and Nathalie rose right up to the challenge by following me into and through the busy streets of Lexington. Being a Saturday afternoon, there was a fair amount of traffic, but we had scouted a route around the back side of town, avoiding the downtown area that main roads often pass through. I also avoided a gnarly overpass over the train tracks that would have backed traffic up for blocks waiting for me to cross. Fortunately I had the PERFECT wind! (JR, are you sitting?) It was SSE and strong enough to parade me through town on the 5.0. I kept it on the road, unlike JR who's quite prone to hotdog off the road because he can! I had a cop yell at me from her squad car to get off the highway... until she saw the mothership. I sailed free... The goal was only to get to the city limits in preparation for a clean getaway tomorrow morning and ease Nathalie into the picture. The forecast is for easterlies @ 10-20 mph which work well since I'm sailing due north. I'll need them too, since this part of Nebraska is not flat. It is rather folded east/west, so traveling south to north one rises and falls over each fold. Tomorrow's wind should enable that. My destination is at least out to Broken Bow, NE at 48 miles. If I arrive early enough and I have the strength I'll push on for more miles beyond. I need to make up some time lost today. Tonight we're camped out back at Lake Johnson, a beautiful wooded spot next to a large man made reservoir from which hydro is generated. The mothership is getting a much needed cleaning - Nathalie said "I can tell there were men living in here..." It's nice to have a woman's touch. bob |
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34 June 1, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 41.0 miles Cumulative Distance: 1405.5 miles Location: Lake Johnson, 10 miles south of Lexington, NE Position: Latitude 40 D 41.25 Min North Longitude: 99 D 47.73 Min West Elevation: 2606' |
Windependant Some time during the
afternoon a cold front swept over us, driving the winds straight down
from the north again and effectively halting our northward progress. Dang.
Luckily we were just coming up on Lake Johnson, a fairly sizable lake
with a swimming beach so we stopped for awhile to swim and relax. The
hope was also that the wind might swing away from north and we could continue
in to Lexington, 10 miles downhill. No such luck. So instead JR & I sailed
a 2 mile stretch of the road that bent west to east, allowing the film
crew to get a few final high speed sailing shots of the two of us. At
least we had some fun! Once we hit the bend back north all fun stopped
and we took a few wrapping shots with the film crew while the sun was
setting. All in all we put in 41 miles and we're not very far behind pace
for finishing on June 16. We headed off for Lexington and had a ton of
Chinese cuisine for a late dinner. They restaurant had just closed but
reopened for us. Very special! Tonight is a little melancholy since it's
the last one for JR and Gator who both fly out of North Platte tomorrow.
I'll be missing them both since they added their own spice to the event.
The three of us guys have a good chemistry and worked well together -
something that was absolutely crucial to smooth Streetsailing. Again it's
late - 12:30 AM and the plan for tomorrow is to wake early to see if the
wind has switched away from north so JR and I can sail the final 10 miles
into Lexington before I drive the over to the North Platte airport. I'm
especially looking forward to seeing my wife Nathalie again for the first
time in over 5 weeks. She'll become the new mothership commander for the
remainder of Streetsail Across America. Stay tuned! Guest Streetsailor
- |
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33 May 31, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 28.8 miles Cumulative Distance: 1367.5 miles Location: Hwy 283, 8 miles into Nebraska Position: Latitude 40 D 07.90 Min North Longitude: 99 D 53.63 Min West Elevation: 2328' |
We're
Not in Kansas Anymore... What a day! Things were looking very bleak at daybreak, with the wind still blowing hard from the north. There's a low pressure system sitting to our east that won't move off, bringing down all this cold air from the north. After breakfast, we drove back out to our finishing point to check the conditions... which were not good but we rigged up and finished the two mile stretch to the north with slow pumping. At that point we were able to turn east and rig our big sails for some relatively fast sailing into Norton, KS. The camera crew from Towers Productions was able to get some good footage of JR & I sailing along. It was fun to parade into Norton under sail, with Gator in the mothership watching our tails. At the very end of the run where the route turned north again, we took a little detour and sailed right through a car wash! JR's a nut. We were pretty much stuck there until the north wind abated, so we gave cameraman Doug a streetsailing lesson and headed for lunch at a wonderful organic cafe. We tried to submit the story to the Norton newspaper, but they said that they had "too much other news" and that they had people coming through town doing this all the time to cover Streetsail Across America. Heading back out the check the wind, we found the northerlies had died, leaving it "light and variable," which for us is sailable. I rigged my monster 7.0 square meter sail and hit the road, sailing due north with destination the NE border. This part of the state is more rolling than farther south, giving me plenty of hills to negotiate. I was pleased with the lack of traffic on this highway, which really helps. JR & Gator were really helping me along to finish, which I did at 7:00 PM right at the Nebraska border. YES! Three down, three to go. A thunderstorm was just overhead as I finished, so we derigged and headed towards the next town up to spend the night. As the road there was closed, we jumped out and noticed that there was some wind! Not much, but enough to sail on... so we drove right back to the border, rigged up and I sailed another 8 miles during one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen on this trip. Coming to this point gives us an option tomorrow if the wind is still north as it is forecasted to be. Then we'll head west which still works. It was 9:15 by the time I finished, just light enough to see. We had lot's more filming which took awhile and now were spending the night in Beaver City, NE. Sorry this journal is so short and plain, but it's been a very long day and I'm rather exhausted. I hope everyone is enjoying the website! bob |
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32 May 30, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 18.7 miles Cumulative Distance: 1338.7 miles Location: 5.8 miles SW of Norton, KS Position: Latitude 39 D 47.90 Min North Longitude: 100 D 00.00 Min West Elevation: 2402' |
Wicked
Wind of the North Streetsail Across America had great wind... except from the wrong direction! JR & I were poised to cross the KS/NE border, but were cruelly denied by a foul wind right from the direction we wanted to travel! Again, since we have to follow the roads, there's not much choice for changing direction to take advantage of the wind. There was an option that we did take, and that was to sail a diagonal road up to town called Norton, which was pretty much the end of the road for us since the road out of there was due north. JR & I FLEW along though in tandem through a hilly, tree filled valley, experiencing quite a few more trucks than usual. As the wind was stronger from the side today, the blast from the semi's was much stronger to the point of being scary. Suddenly standing on a skateboard in traffic felt more dangerous. Obviously these truckers have never seen something like something like this before. After 18 miles the fun stopped since the road turned sharply to the north for 4 miles, and pumping into it was out of the question. Not only would we be going so slowly, but the shoulders were soggy mud the locals call "Gumbo," which isn't too pleasant to roll off into. Sometimes it's just better to lay low and wait for the wind to switch around, which it is forecasted to do tomorrow. YES! That will allow us to sail directly up into Nebraska. So.... I marked my stopping point and we drove off to Norton for supplies and to wait for the camera crew from Towers Productions to arrive from North Platte. JR & I were able to take care of lot's of chores that really needed doing like putting the mothership's signs back up with aluminum tape, among many others. Around 7:30 PM Hugo and Doug arrived from Chicago to film for two days for a segment of The Weather Channel's Atmospheres program. It will likely air in September. Come on Sweet Wind of the South! bob |
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31 May 29, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 44.8 miles Cumulative Distance: 1320.0 miles Location: Jennings, KS Position: Latitude 39 D 40.00 Min North Longitude: 100 D 17.80 Min West Elevation: 2469 |
Never
Give Up I awoke to the patter of rain drumming softly on the roof of the mothership and rolled over to sleep some more... until the civil defense siren went off right next to us! I "hastily" sprung up from my bed on the floor of the mothership to look for cover when we realized that it only sounded once and it was exactly 7:00 AM. Being in KS in spring my mind prepared for the worst. Back to bed.... and a knock on the door. The mayor of Grainfield was delivering fresh strawberries from his own garden. Only in a place like this. After cleaning up we drove out to the edge of town to look at the wind direction and strength. In town it's hard to determine with the trees and buildings in the way. Today is the first ugly morning with low, scudding clouds and a wind howling out of the east... directly from the direction we needed to leave town. Another somber rigging session later, (and a quick Streetsailing lesson for Gator) Jean & I hit the street, pushing and pumping the mile into a veering ESE wind before catching the 23 north which allowed us to RIP north. We both had our smallest sails rigged, and today they were enough! Before long we were sailing in an all out squall with driving rain and big wind bending the grasses right over. Jean said if he was going to fall on this trip, it would have been then. It demands constant concentration with every muscle of the body responding to lightning-fast shifts in wind and road inputs. Falling at 25 mph would not be a good thing. By the time we reached Hoxie, KS after 17 miles, the wind had nearly died, leaving us badly underpowered. One of the gals we met yesterday in Grainfield asked us to stop at the Stop N Shop which had a killer deli. We were having lunch when I turned around... and there was my aunt Karen from down the road in Great Bend, KS! She and her husband Bill had tracked us down from the last website entry and drove over. What a great surprise and it was easily the highlight of the day. Unfortunately we were trying to make some distance while the wind was blowing so JR & I rigged up the big sails again and hit it, sailing another 13 miles north when the weather started to close in, with a severe thunderstorm nipping at our wheels. According the weather radio, these cells were producing tornados and where headed our way, so again we "hastily" de-rigged and drove ahead to Dresden, where we had a panoramic view of the weather approaching. I felt little like a storm chaser, watching these sinister wall clouds go tearing by just overhead, looking ready to drop funnels at any moment. There was a tornado warning for the Hoxie area, where we had just had lunch a couple of hours before. All we got was lots of lightning and rain. It hurts to be shut down by bad weather when we could be out reeling in the highway. It wasn't until 7 when the western sky appeared to lighten some, and even though the rain continued, I decided to drive back out to the end point from earlier and sail as far as I could. Swarms of frogs were hopping all over the roadway. The wind was whistling again out of the east, and I was rather apprehensive about getting back out there, but conditions were changing fast and soon the rain had tapered off. I thought I'd only be able so sail two miles at most to the intersection where the route changed east. JR decided to join me and rigged up alongside. By the time we were done rigging our smallest sails, the wind had again abated and we were in need of more sail acreage. The post-storm clouds had taken on a wavy, smooth appearance, with some amazing shapes and textures we never get in San Diego. Combined with the evening light and the fields of grain, the effect was magnificent. By the time we reached the intersection, the wind had veered, allowing us to just barely sail easterly the short distance until it turned north again. It was getting late, and the mothership's headlights were beginning to provide our light. JR & I again re-rigged our largest sails and headed on to Dresden, which was a nice surprise with the wind holding on. JR & I could have stopped right there, since it was late, the wind had dropped, and we were at a town. However, we pushed on, in the fading light and wind towards the town of Jennings laying seven miles distant. It wasn't very fast, but we were able to pull in just after 9 PM. Our perseverance paid off, we'd just turned a 30 mile day into 44.8! It's been a long day, full of events and experiences that all combined, have made the last 31 days I've been out seem like a lifetime. Tomorrow's wind forecast of north winds is not a good one, hopefully the experts will be wrong. We need to sail north! So far so good though, we're right on schedule. Stay tuned! bob |
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30 May 28, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 88.9 miles Cumulative Distance: 1275.2 miles Location: Grainfield, KS Position: Latitude 39 D 06.86 Min North Longitude: 100 D 27.91 Min West Elevation: 2781' |
Gone
With The Wind Today will be hard to top. Ever. After driving back out to the spot 10.5 miles north of Cimarron where we hightailed last night from the approaching storm we ended up sitting around with a contrary wind blowing right in our face. We found out that it was good we didn't stick around last night because there was extensive hail damage and one of the nearby giant crop sprinklers had been toppled by high winds. An RV is not a storm shelter. While waiting for the wind, a farmer and his son came by to chat, and soon his brother Leon (the local windsurfer we met yesterday) joined us. Funny how the wind always comes up when you aren't paying attention. It was a late start, but we got underway with the wind building from the SE, the PERFECT direction for sailing north. What's happening is this wind is feeding the thunderstorms building in Colorado, which in turn will drift back over this area later today... sail away! Jean was using my largest sail, at 7.0 square meters and I had the 5.0 square meters. This gives us fairly even speed between us. The road just seemed to roll easily by under our wheels as we were able to sustain 20 - 25 mph. This kept up mile after mile, hour after hour. I put two speakers outside and pointing forward on the mothership so we could enjoy the CD's that Gator was playing. Fun! We had a little lunch in the town of Dieghton, KS. We knew there was potential for putting in some major miles, so we kept pressing on, ticking off the miles. I can't get over how totally flat this part of Kansas is. There were a couple of long but gentle hills which we hardly felt with this great wind. Just outside of Gove we were stopped by the local sheriff who received a complaint about us slowing traffic. When he arrived Gator had just gone ahead with the mothership, leaving us with no warning vehicle behind us. There wasn't much traffic anyway, but he was right. He let us continue, but only with Gator back behind us. Once in Gove though, we were greeted by Lois, the Magistrate Judge and her mother who took our pics and asked us all the standard Q's. Like I said, this trip has been made extra cool by the great people we meet every day. Just 10 miles beyond was the town of Grainfield, our destination for the night. Those last 10 miles seemed to go by so fast, since by now the wind was blowing pretty hard from the SE and JR & I were really sailing in the groove. We stopped sailing right at the park on Main Street, 88.9 miles from our start this morning, putting us right on schedule again for a June 16 finish in Maida. We're both still high from that run today.... again it's hard to explain the rush it is to be whizzing along at such high speed for so long. My words cannot fully describe. The folks in Grainfield came out to see us as we set our gear down. JR gave a large group of the local kids Streetsailing lessons, handing out stickers and being the perfect PR guy. I'm so touched by their genuine enthusiasm for this project. It's one of my most vivid memories to date. Time for bed. These emails don't seem to fully depict what we're going through, but my intention is to touch on the highlights that readers might be interested in. Looks like the Nebraska border is on the horizon.... Tomorrow's wind forecast is for more of the same. Perhaps we can uncork a 100-miler? Stay tuned! bob Gator's Bit For my gal, mon amour, Stephanie De Mi Alma! We are the modern day barn stormers. We fly from town to town. Guest Streetsailor Well it's 11:30 here and I don't even know where to start. I think I'll just make it short and let the pictures speak for us. Charisse and Grami are probably waiting to get this log so they can post it and go to bed. It has been a great day and we are very very tired after such a huge leap across Kansas. The frustrations and anxiaties of the past 2 days have totally been forgotten. Today was an incredible adventure..........JR |
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29 May 27, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 33.5 miles Cumulative Distance: 1186.3 miles Location: 10.5 miles north of Cimarron, KS Position: Latitude 37 D 57.47 Min North Longitude: 100 D 21.29 Min West Elevation: 2634' |
Kansas Kalms &
Krazyness |
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28 May 26, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 23.9 miles Cumulative Distance: 1152.8 miles Location: 7.5 miles from Dorothy's house (North of Meade) Position: Latitude 37 D 25.00 Min North Longitude: 100 D 20.60 Min West Elevation: 2601' |
Seeing
Double The Plan was to drive to Liberal, KS from our nifty campground at the Lake Meade State Park to pick up Jean Rathle who is flying in from San Francisco today to join us for a week of Streetsailing fun. Just as we got going I hit the brakes and decided to sail another stretch of road that could be difficult if the wind switched to the east. That way Jean would start out on a perfectly flat and northbound stretch of roadway. The Wind Gods were smiling too, with strong southerlies to push me north. I covered the 9.4 miles in 40 minutes, and that included climbing a long, steep grade up one of the streams that cut through this area. Fun! The 30 mile drive to Liberal was fun, but we lost one of the big signs off the side of the mothership. Hard to keep on. At 11:30 I called in for the San Diego TV station KUSI's "Cybersegment." They showed the video from the website while interviewing me about the trip. JR arrived right on time, and we were three! It took us an hour to drive back to the starting point of today's sail.... and the wind had gone! It was hot and virtually calm. What? Anyway, it was a ball to sail with a second person along the road, although we had to work pretty hard to make any headway. At least it was fairly flat. Stopping in Meade we did some shopping and let Gator run. At the end of town we met Dorothy and Rex, who farmed a large area of land in this area. They'd been married 61 years and told us all about their farm. This is pretty cool. By 6:00 there was just a breath of wind, so we hit the road to try to get some miles in. Sailing late in the day is the best. Being out here in this surrounding is nearly impossible for me to articulate. And having a second person to share it with makes it even better. Gator was leapfrogging with us again, and I had him drive up another two miles and pull off for the night. JR broke his mast from pumping so hard, so the day ended there. At the moment we're pulled off on the edge of a large wheat field, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It's fairly cramped in the mothership with three of us guys and equipment, but we're managing. I would have liked to finished in Cimarron tonight, 27 miles down the road, but I think we can make it up over the next couple of days. Wind forecast is SE 10-20 tomorrow. Bring it on! bob |
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27 May 25, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 41.0 miles Cumulative Distance: 1128.9 miles Location: 10 miles south of Meade, KS Position: Latitude 37 D 06.69 Min North Longitude: 100 D 27.25 Min West Elevation: 2530' |
Out
of Oklahoma How about that - a day without wind howling from the NE! It was one of the most enjoyable days weather-wise that we've had. Gator and I took a very casual approach to today's journey. Since the wind was light and variable from multiple directions, I'd sail on ahead of him in the mothership and he'd leapfrog ahead a mile or two until I caught up. I think we found the only "flat" ground in OK between the towns of Gate and Knowles. On one of our breaks we investigated an abandoned old brick farmhouse with the roof all caving in, windows gone and interior in shambles. Beside it laid the flattened remains of a mobile home.... twistered to pieces? Later on we met Marie Matthew of Knowles, who is promoting her son's new country music CD and gave us a copy. It's called "Matthew Phillips Love in the Making." That's been the best part of this whole trip - meeting people along the way from all walks of life who take an interest in what I'm doing and I can in turn learn something about their lives in their home territory. After struggling to get west, I turned the corner onto highway 23, the road the runs virtually arrow-straight north through Kansas. There's also much less truck traffic than on the last couple of roads, making it safer and more enjoyable. The view of Kansas across the Cimarron River from a high ridge on the Oklahoma side was straight out of a Streetsailer's dream: (and what most folks would classify as dreadfully boring) land so flat that the highest point between me and the horizon is a fencepost, roads so long and straight they run off into mirages, and best of all - nearly devoid of trees! Call me a nut, but this is why I chose this route. Surfers scour the earth for the perfect wave, this is the Streetsailor's equivalent. Right before we crossed into Kansas Gator got in another 7 mile run - he's going to easily top 100 miles for the two weeks he's with me. I sailed just over eight miles north into Kansas in the early evening hours which happens to be my favorite time out here, when the heat of day fades and shadows grow long. The grazing areas for animals seem larger here than in OK, and we had whole groups of horses running alongside us in curiosity - beautiful sight! So I'm positioned fairly well to fetch JR who flies in tomorrow from SFO to join me for a week. I wanted to get him started on decent terrain - I think I found it! Tomorrow's wind forecast is ideal: SE @ 10 - 15 mph. May be the perfect wave... Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend everybody! bob Re. Gator If my blood pressure drops any lower, I might break out into health. I miss you Steph! Later, Gator |
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26 May 24, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 26.1 miles Cumulative Distance: 1087.9 miles Location: Gate, OK Position: Latitude 36 D 51.18 Min North Longitude: 100 D 03.67 Min West Elevation: 2284' |
Pinned
in the Panhandle North or West? When I researched the wind patterns for this area a year and a half ago there wasn't any indication that they would stay north this long - it's killing me! Woke up at the Sawyer's and said our good-byes, then headed off for town to do some shopping and laundry. I noticed the rear of the mothership sagging more than usual, to discover we picked up a screw in one of the four rear tires. Luckily a garage in town fixed the flat easily and reasonably. The wind was blowing since dawn, but I wanted to wait until late morning for the direction to settle. Lately it shifts around some as the day heats up. If it were coming from a general southerly direction I wouldn't be so concerned, but since I have a choice of two roads running north or west, and the wind is blowing in from the NW, its critical to find out EXACTLY which direction so I don't start down the road to discover that I can no longer sail so close to the wind. Sailing has limitations! I don't think anyone has ever encountered the situation of having to pick the best roads to sail on before. This is truly Streetsailing pioneering! It was tempting to pick the road north and hop across into Kansas, just nine miles distant. However, the wind was forecast to shift more northerly by tonight, and it was already starting to feel a little more north than west.... so I took the west road from Buffalo. It was still slow going, having to sail so close to the wind is not a fast point of sail. There were still quite a few cattle trucks and the occasional semi roaring along, but not as bad as yesterday. I gave each one the complete roadway, politely pulling off into the grass. Gator would leapfrog me in the mothership, driving ahead and waiting while I caught up. This way we didn't burn up gas and have Gator behind the wheel all day. We also seemed to be climbing all day, which the land generally does as one heads west. The terrain out here is patches of gently rolling farmland and sagebrush, with smatterings of trees along the roadside, which create wind vacuums in their lee. Bad! We rolled into Rosston, OK (pop. 56 in 18 houses) after only about 14 miles of clawing to windward for an afternoon break, since after this the road bent even more into the wind, which I wouldn't be able to sail unless the wind shifted more to the north. We pulled the mothership into the shade of an old church with nobody out in the street. Shortly a truck pulling a couple of horses pulls up in front of me, and three working cowboys pile out in full cowboy gear to unload the horses. We were actually at Victor's place, where he bought and preserved few old buildings he uses as his house and gallery for his artwork. He's a multi-talented man who created an enviable lifestyle. If you're ever in the OK panhandle, do come to Rosston and check his gallery out which is full of cowboy artwork and cool handmade furniture. We spent a couple of hours with them and Gator went for a long run. By this time I observed that the wind had indeed shifted more northerly and increased again to 20 - 25 mph and gusty. We were invited to stay the night with these guys which was very tempting but I saw opportunity to sail a few more miles before dark. So I rigged a small 4.0 meter sail and had one of the cowboys taking pictures of the Streetsailer saying that their friends would never believe it if they told them they saw a guy sailing a skateboard out here.... Going west paid off for the wind had indeed shifted more to the north, which would certainly have shut me down if I was still trying to sail on a northbound road in KS. I could sail quite easily on this stretch of WNW road. At one point I had been sailing harnessed in (using a belt around my waist to which I can hook the sail on to reduce strain on my arms) when a HUGE gust caught me coming from much farther aft than I'd been experiencing. Usually I just feather the sail into the wind and ride it out, but there was no time to react and I was carried right across the road and into the opposite ditch, falling right on the sail and breaking the boom at the gooseneck. I was fine, but it could have been much worse. This was the first time I'd been thrown like that, (most windsurfers know what this feels like!) and it's hard to guard against. Scary. We flew into the town of Gate, OK by early evening and settled in a nice park on the west side of town. I didn't cover much distance today but the important thing is that I'm very well positioned (wind permitting) to access the small road running north right through KS. I'm finding the importance of picking the right road out here. These highways are not as vacant as the ones in TX. We're also well positioned to retrieve Jean Rathle, a.k.a. "JR" from the Liberal, KS airport on Saturday afternoon. JR is the builder of my Streetsailer and this website in fact! I've invited him to sail along on a portion so we'll be sailing together through KS to North Platte, NE. This should be fun! Stay tuned. bob Re. Gator We met Devil Dirk , and his Pal, who told us about this park in Gate, OK which we stayed in, and was a perfect call. We met Victor, a cool cowboy, who has a gallery/cowboy museum/antique store, and fun place to hang out and tell lies in Rosston, O.K. (the best kept secret in O. K ) And we met Trey and his Pal, both of whom are storytellers whose stories I'm anxious to hear. We had a good day, made some time, I got to suck in the O. K. prairie on a 8 mile run, and I'm satisfied before bed. LATER GATOR |
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25 May 23, 2001 Distance Sailed Today: 35.6 miles Cumulative Distance: 1061.8 miles Location: Buffalo, OK Position: Latitude 36 D 50.76 Min North Longitude: 99 D 37.56 Min West Elevation: 1780' |
Oklahoma
Hospitality The weather here continues to be incredibly great, except for the wind direction (but that's what makes it so great!). We're still getting WNWesterlies due to a major dip in the jet stream, meaning I can't sail to the west. Unless I want to wait in Fargo, OK until the wind switches, some creative rerouting had to be done. The morning sail north out of Fargo went great with a cool wind just right out of the west. At the point I was supposed to turn west I went east instead, onto another dirt road and into a wildlife preserve. Turning north we hit the beginning point of highway 183, which didn't seem very busy and ran mostly north across the KS border. After I'd gone a few miles, it seemed every cattle truck and 18 wheeler came barreling down from both directions. There was no shoulder. There is no other route choice, so I stuck to it, pulling over for all passing traffic. To make matters worse, the wind had increased to 20-25 mph and became extremely turbulent as it flowed over the hills and trees. At times I felt like a rag doll, flailing along holding on to a sail buffeted by punishing blasts from varying directions. My arms and shoulders began to ache and l was losing control of the board. This was not safe sailing and I became quite frustrated and angry at myself for placing myself in this situation. Gator saw my worst side emerge as I eventually smashed my helmet in a fit. I'll never finish if I keep this attitude, and Gator put me back on an even wheel. That's what friends are for. Now I need another helmet. Kelly Sawyer from the Buffalo newspaper received a call about us (usually the police are called first) and drove out to get our story. From then on the day went much better. She invited us over to her house in Buffalo, OK for an interview and we spent the rest of the day relaxing and talking. We met her son Colby and daughters Rebecca and Sarah. Her husband Sid, who manages a feed lot for 35,000 cows came home and BBQ'd some of the best steak I'd ever had. Thanks again for your hospitality, it is much appreciated and came at just the right time! Tomorrow's sail depends again on the wind direction. I'm 9 miles from the Kansas border, but a little more east than I wanted, and not on the small roads I had planned. I can't just turn west off this road if the wind won't let me, so I don't have too many choices until I get up into KS and the winds swing more southerly. I had a chance to view the website tonight, thanks again to the Sawyers, and am really amazed by all the guestbook entries. Thanks to all who signed - your words give me strength. Thanks also to Jean, who put it all together. I look forward to sailing with you across Kansas in a few days. Until then its "SAIL ON!" bob re: Gator Hello to all my friends and family (Stephanie, Sweet C & Brodie., Lynda & Dennis, Kathy, Josh, Jamie, Jennifer, Kurt, Kelly, |