Waterman/Shabbona Fire Dept Escort

Hello Illinois...

Dave & Darrell cross over the Mississippi River & into Illinois...  What a beautiful day it is...

Good-bye Wheatland... Thank you to Calamus, Dewitt & Long Mount for your escort!!

Dave & Darrell rose early and had a great breakfast of biscuits & gravy... Steph slept in a bit & Fred was working on photos & videos...

Once we all got our things together it was time to say good-bye...  We had a few extra riders today so off we went...  Our first stop was in Calamus, Iowa.  They brought a rig out to escort us as well & also had a few little gifts for us. 

We hadn't even been out of Wheatland a few miles when Darrell turned around... We had no idea what he was doing but once he got back up with Dave he handed Dave his wallet... This was the 2nd time Dave dropped it...

On the road to Dewitt, Iowa we met up with our new friend Lonny & his wife, Lisa...  Lonny is a farmer so he doesn't drive a firetruck he has farm equipment.  So what do we see coming down the road to meet us is a big old John Deere tractor...  Steph was so excited because she got to ride in the tractor with Lonny all the way to Grand Mount, Iowa...  Until we meet again - thanks for ride Lonny!!  (Unfortunately no photos were taken)...  Fred, Dave & Darrell couldn't believe the biggest grin coming from Steph after she got out of the tractor...  She LOVED it & this was a first for her the city girl that she is!

Once we got to Dewitt, Iowa we met a few more guys & our three additional riders from Wheatland stopped here but we did gain one other rider, Jeff...  Dewitt took us out through the town since there was construction going on & dropped us off in Elvira, Iowa.  This would be the end of the escort...  Since the trip began this route was the longest of escorts that we had received... Never under estimate the power of these little towns!!  Again,  Thanks to all & a special thanks to Pat who started this from the beginning...

Along the way today we met another family that had exchange students from Taiwan & Germany..  They purchased some tank tops & gave us a donation.  The gal, Jennifer, has a cousin who is a firefighter in Clinton, Iowa so we had another detour to stop & meet some more guys in the service.  It was a pleasure meeting all of you...

Wheatland, Iowa... Thank you to Pat Stewart!!

After our lunch in Cedar Rapids by the river Dave & Darrell got back on the bikes & started to head to Wheatland, Iowa.  Fred & Steph had "chores" to do, we did the laundry, the grocery shopping & found a Starbucks...  Steph said to Fred "Is this heaven?"  Fred said "Yes, Star-Bucks Heaven!"...  Then we were on our way to catch the guys in Wheatland. 



Little did Fred & Steph realize the guys were making some good time & got to Wheatland before us.  They had a warm welcome from Lowden & Wheatland with lights & sirens...  What a warm welcome they received & then when Fred & Steph showed up a rig met up with them & brought them in the town as well...  There was also the local news reporter, Katy, there to interview the guys so she could do a nice write up in the paper...  Thank you Katy!!

Virgil has served on the fire department for 45 years & is the mayor of Wheatland.  Between his brothers, son & nephews they have over 90 years of fire service...  What a great guy he is & Virgil we thank you for the your dedication to the fire service, your town & surrounding communities... 

Wheatland is a town of 700 folks & they have a great group of individuals that serve on the volunteer fire department.   They BBQ burgers & brats for us plus had homemade pies.  Once we all ate, got cleaned up they took us to their local bar that Mike owns & again a few more friends were formed...  Steph also enjoyed a new favorite drink of hers - I don't know the name but it has Jeremiah weed, lemonade & vodka - this one could be dangerous it is so delicious...  Darrell, Dave, Pat &  ? did waterski shots (4 people at once with Patron).  Then all of us together did the cherry shots that had Orange Crush & cherry liquor... These small towns really know how to party!! 

How will we ever forget Lonny & his wife, Lisa...  Plus we will never forget a song named "Alice"...  We could not leave the bar without Lonny singing the "chorus" of the song to us.  His recommendation is to go to a bar in NY & there is a bartender there named, Alice.  We believe the bar is called Steiners... Have you ever heard of this one?

We slept at the firehouse and about every 20 minutes the trains were go by... A loud whistle & then the constant song of the wheels chugging along (approximately 135 cars on this train each time)...  In the years gone by this building served as a hotel for guests that came off the train.  After that it was a brothel & feed store...  Steph just fell in love with this building & all the charachter it possess... 

We cannot end this post without thanking Pat...  You outdid yourselves for us & we are so grateful for your hospitality...  You have a wonderful family & town that you live in & serve... 

The Big Surprise

Toledo & Cedar Rapids



Toledo Iowa




Toledo, Iowa... 
This is where the guys started in the morning and as Darrell & Dave began their morning ride out they ran into these two guys (sorry forgot their names) at the gas station.  They happened to be driving a county truck & as the guys visited with them they found out they were firefighters also.  They were able to get a few patches from them... So here they are & thank you!!






A Big Thank you to Stacy to help coordinate getting Darrell, Dave & Fred into Cedar Rapids Fire Dept.  What we learned was that the Cedar Rapids Fire Dept is actually in a temporary building.  In 2008 the Missouri River crested 32' & cause the largest flood in Cedar Rapids.  The buildings were 10-12' under water.  The fire department is in the middle of planning their new station & hope to break ground 2012.


Cedar Rapids


  Brad will be retiring on Sept. 10th, 2011.  He is the guy putting the patch on from Cedar Rapids.  We wish him the best & well deserved retirement & move to Florida.

Cedar Rapids





Hometown Flooding

This leg will mark the half way point of our trip. 2600 miles logged.  It is fitting that it will be in the area of my hometown of Council Bluffs, IA. As we leave our new friends in Tekamah, NB headed for Crescent, IA via Omaha, NB and Council Bluffs, IA, most of you know, this area has been hit with excessive amounts of water from up north in snow run off and rain. It is one thing to see it on TV and another to see it in person. To hear the stories from the local communities and the fire departments as we go through and to see it in person is another story. All I kept saying to myself is look for the good in it and there is plenty. 

We made it to Omaha station 1 and KETV was waiting for us to do an interview. Then it was into the station to meet the guys and little did we know that they were preparing lunch for all of us. Nothing like firehouse spaghetti and salad. Thank you OFD!

Off to Council Bluffs with an escort from OPD to get over the Missouri River bridge and headed to CBFD headquarters. Great welcome from them and my family as we arrived. Strange that it took me 48 years to visit a station in my hometown. Thank you CBFD crew.

We arrived at Denny's Place in Crescent to a huge welcoming party. Overwhelming and a few surprise visits. A cousin and aunt drove four hours to see us for 10 minutes. Thank you Kim and Aunt Jo, luv you guys.  I also got to see Aunt Mary and my cousin Becky, who have stayed in touch through FB. We  didn't have near enough time to visit with everyone so if we didn't get a chance to speak with you, thank you for coming. Seems I spent a lot of time selling T-shirts which were a hit. Thanks for supporting B2B. On the way out on our next day we saw the Iowa side of the flooding. Farm houses in the middle of a lake, damage crops from baseball sized hail and cattle temporarily penned in smaller fields. Our prayers go out to all of you in this region. 

Iowa has been the hardest to travel through! Two lane highways with no shoulders, some not so courteous drivers and the headwinds along with humidity. Where are the mountains? They seemed easier to get through. Seems like the days are moving faster and that ground zero will be here before we know it. Cant imagine what that will be like but I know we are doing the right thing by honoring the 343 who died 10 years ago and for the family and friends that remain. 

Thank you to everyone who has been involved and keeping us going. We feel the prayers and hear the well wishes. Fred, Dave and I are very blessed!

Stay Tuned