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Lutheran pastor riding through all 93 Nebraska counties for Make-a-Wish
The road from Benkelman to Trenton provided smooth sailing Tuesday for the Rev. Mike Reiners as he made his way toward McCook, via a detour through Hayes County, to a well deserved rest day, on schedule to bicycle to each of Nebraska's 93 county seats before June 30.
Smooth shoulders and mostly favorable winds allowed an average speed of 18.6 mph and a maximum speed of 46.1 mph possible.
A stop at Mac's Drive In for lunch preceded his reunion with his parents, Jim and Wendy Reiners of rural McCook, his wife, Char, who drove down from Grand Island and his Yorkie, Toby.
A steady stream of well-wishers attended a pancake feed fund raiser Wednesday for Mike's Nebraska Make-A-Wish endeavor, hosted by Southwest Nebraska wish-granters Emily Lashly and Mary Shirkey, with Boy Scout Troop No. 147 cooking the pancakes at the 4-H building on the Red Willow County Fairgrounds.
Support from the business community was visible as well, with Schmick's, Walmart, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Frenchman Valley Co-op, the Kiwanis Club and the Red Willow County Fair Board all contributing to the event.
With just 900 miles left to go on his 3,000 mile journey, Reiners has raised approximately $13,000 for Nebraska Make-A-Wish, enough to fund two wishes.
Originally setting a goal of $100,000, Reiners admitted he may have been a "little too optimistic" but he is truly grateful for the support he has received all along his route. "Whatever is raised will all go to an excellent cause."
Trim and tan, the Lutheran pastor admitted with a grin, "That first week, I didn't know a body could hurt that bad."
Strained tendons in his ankles gave him a lot of trouble early in the ride, but seem to have settled down for the most part. "Now, I'm just grinding it out."
Help has come in some unexpected ways he added, noting on his blog at http://mikes-make-a-wish-ride.blogspot.com/ that Monday's wild weather scarcely touched him as he rode from Ogallala to Benkelman. He wrote, "I did put my rain gear on 20 miles north of Benkelman, but never really got any significant rain on me, for which I am thankful as the temps were in the 50s today. A warm rain is one thing, but a driving rain on a very cold day is NOT pleasant."
Reiners has been an associate pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Grand Island for 10 years and expressed his gratitude to the congregation for allowing him to take this "extended vacation." He admitted that when he told his wife Char that he wanted to hit the road, she just smiled and nodded. The couple's two children, Greg and Megan, are grown and out of the house. Reiners said that was a definite factor in determining whether or not to ride.
"You can't just take off for a month-long ride with kids at home," he said.
Mike left Indianola, his last stop Tuesday, for Stockville, this morning. He'll cycle on to Elwood, then Lexington and end the day in Arapahoe. Reaching each county seat requires a sometimes roundabout route, he explained. The ride is scheduled to end at 6 p.m., June 30, at the Hall County Courthouse in Grand Island.
To help, donate online at the blogsite; or send a check to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska, 11926 Arbor St., No. 102, Omaha, NE 69144, designating the donation to "Mike's Make-A-Wish Ride.