Day 42 July 3rd Going Bobbin'

Council Bluffs IA to Papillion NE  36 miles (1,837)

Today's highlight was going to be the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge. But then I went to the Omaha Farmers Market and came across this:

This is artist, musician and magician Alvin sketching a picture of a young lady, Kiki, at the Omaha Farmers Market.

I planned a short ride day today because I knew I was going through an urban area with a bridge. My experience solo touring has taught me that urban areas and I don't get along well. But, urban areas with bridges REALLY don't like me. So when I safely came across the farmers market just 10 miles shy of my overnight destination, I decided I had plenty of time to just hang out. I spent a considerable amount of time with Alvin. He is quite a colorful character with lots of interesting information and opinions. He also said a few things that I found quote worthy. While sketching Kiki, he gave her this advice: "Be sure you stay on the right side of Father Time and Mother Nature." And, "Don't get gravity mad."

After completing his sketch of Kiki, he asked if I would watch his musical instruments while he grabbed something to eat from one of the booths. Here is a picture of his violin and cello:

Both are made of brass. Alvin told me, "The devil gave me a brass fiddle because he was all out of gold."

Here is Alvin's sketch of me (note that he included my bicycle rear view mirror which, for all intents and purposes, has become permanently affixed to my glasses):

Are my feet really that big or is it just the angle of the camera?

Earlier in the day, I left my warm showers hosts and headed toward Papillion Nebraska:

I had heard a lot about the Bob Carey Pedestrian Bridge over the Missouri River and was excited as I approached it. Here are some pictures of the bridge as well as an explanation of today's blog title "Going Bobbin' ":

Some friendly Iowans (are there any other kind?) I met on the bridge.

After leaving the farmers market, I met Katherine and Mary Beth at a local restaurant. They were near the end of their bicycle tour from Seattle to Omaha / St Louis. They were with a group of six ladies whose husbands took turns providing support. Mary Beth was riding an ebike. They were very encouraging and expressed respect for my solo self-supported approach.

Just before leaving my warm showers host this morning we were talking about a variety of things, including the fact that I hadn't had a flat tire. I knocked on his wooden cabinets to make sure we didn't jinx me. Guess what? Knocking on wood does NOT work. The picture above shows where I staged to repair my flat front tire. I was blessed to be near a park bench where I could spread out my tools and tube for easy access. I am glad it was the front tire and not the rear tire.

After replacing the tube, I took the final trails to my next overnight: