RunAcrossTheUSA.com

[Matt]

Good evening, everyone, from the Rome, Iowa, home of Mr. and Mrs. Krieger and their two children. After traveling 35 miles today, we arrived at the Krieger home and asked if we could pitch our tent on their country lawn. The Kriegers showed their hospitality by giving us food, water, and a place to set up our tent. Brandon and I enjoyed sandwiches and potato chips followed by Jello fruit cocktail which Mrs. Krieger provided. The Krieger children--Brandon (almost 10 yrs. old) and Breena (6 1/2 yrs. old)--helped us set up our tent. To our great joy, we also were able to take showers after a long, sweaty day on the road.

The weather was quite hot again today--115 degrees on the Strollometer--and very humid. In fact, there was a visible haze in the air. I am not sure what relative humidity means, but relatively speaking, it felt like we were swimming.

This morning we got off to a late start leaving the hotel. Once we were on the road our progress was slow because of the road conditions. Pushing the stroller on a gravel shoulder was much harder than pushing it on a paved one. However, we were still able to get 35 miles down the road today.

We stopped for a much needed break and pizza at a gas station this afternoon. While there, we talked to several nice older gentlemen. Meeting new people is definitely a highlight of my day.

Tomorrow morning we plan to walk about 12 miles to Fairfield and attend a church service.

Well, it is time to go outside to watch the fireflies in the field before I fall asleep. Good night from outside of Rome, Iowa.