Our day started at 7:30 a.m. as we left for our various locations to meet local police who volunteered their time to guide us through Wabash, Logansport, and Lafayette Indiana. Coach Dick Comar spent a lot of his evening making sure that all of the bike amenities were in their proper place. Coach has done an exceptional job of cleaning the bikes and making adjustments where necessary. We have found that a well maintained bike is a great asset for a ride like this. Eljay has also been very diligent on maintaining the proper air in the tires. There have been days where we have lost 50 out of 120 pounds in our tires. So far the riders are feeling good physically. Of course, we have some aches and pains but on the whole we are strong and ready to ride each day.

Our days ride was once again very challenging because we encountered 40 – 45 mile per hour head winds all throughout the day. There were times when we were riding that the wind was so strong that it actually tilted our bikes to the side. Eljay reported that at one time during his ride he was only able to pedal 4.6 miles an hour due to the power of the head wind. Joe DeLamielleure revised his statement from yesterday about rather playing against Mean Jo Green for 5 days in a row than biking into the head wind. Today he stated that he would rather play against Mean Joe Green and Merlin Olsen at the same time than to ride into the 40-45 mile an hour winds he faced today. I can’t imagine that the winds can get much more powerful in the days to come.

We had an exceptional experience today in Logansport Indiana. The Chief of Police for Logansport and a number of officers hosted a gathering in Logansport. In addition, four police officers joined us riding throughout the city. The Cass County Sheriff’s department and the Carroll County Sheriff’s department combined to coordinate a safe escort for us through the city. I cannot say enough about the kindness and support of all of the law enforcement officers who were truly interested in our safety. They were also very supportive of our cause to support The City of Children Orphanage in Matamoros Mexico.

In addition, I am discovering that you can see so many special things in a town when riding your bike as opposed to riding in a car. You get a much better feel for the town, the people, the culture, and uniqueness’s of the community. For example, Logansport is also the home to one of the oldest merry-go-rounds in the state of Indiana. The carousel is over 100 years old and is one of only two all-wood, hand-carved marry-go-rounds still in good working condition. I really wish we had more time to spend in the town; however, we are on a mission and can only get a general view of the beauty of the city. The one thing I will remember about Logansport is the reinforcing look in the eyes of the police officers that gave the message of their genuine support for our successfully completing the bike ride for abandoned and neglected children in Mexico. In spite of the 40 – 45 mile an hour head winds, it was another great day. We anxiously await to see what type of weather we will face tomorrow, Day # 4.

Written by John Shinsky