*SAT Jul 19* Today was a 10-mile ride to the Solar Barn, built in the path of the proposed KXL pipeline. We waited until 9 AM for Nebraskans planning to join us. Once they arrived we departed. Izzy decided to ride a bike with me. Doug, who just arrived yesterday, volunteered to drive the Gear truck. We may have a permanent Gear truck driver. Izzy and I rode 10 miles of gravel. There was a strong south wind and most of the traffic was coming toward us. The wind blew the dust off into the field. If there had been no wind it would have been a good idea to wear a facemask. We got there mid-morning, near Bradshaw, NE. Lunch was planned for noon but the Marchers were behind schedule. I marched back to meet them. When the Marchers arrived at the point 1 mile before the Solar Barn, the Nebraskans organized to stop the KXL pipeline <boldnebraska.org/actions>, greeted them. They made a brief presentation and Ed responded for the March with a greeting and a brief presentation. Then we all marched the last mile to the Solar Barn. Lunch was out on the table so people helped themselves. There were approximately 50 Nebraskan visitors. After lunch they gave some presentations. The one that was most powerful to me was Dave Domina, dave@davedomina.com. He’s running for Senate from NE. He listed the reasons why TransCanada has failed, and is failing to build adequate pipelines. He identified the dangers to NE: aquifer; crops; drinking water; wildlife, etc. He also suggested that we rescind the subsidies that the petroleum/fossil fuel industry is getting and transfer them to the renewable energy industry. That’s something he hopes to get done when he is elected to office. We need more legislators to do the same! Then a Native American gave a presentation. There was a spot on the grounds identified as the Peace Garden. After the presentations we greeted the presenters and paid our respects to the newly established Peace Garden. We had put our musical instruments out hoping that we would have an opportunity for the Climate Justice Gypsy Band to play. The schedule was full and we didn’t have an opportunity to play. Dinner arrived in a school bus made into a café/kitchen. They had 4 dinner options, took orders through the window, and served the crowd. There was an evening program that was scheduled to go past sundown, but our campsite was a mile and ½ away. I rode to the campsite, took a shower, did laundry and got my sleeping gear set up. [image: Inline image 1] Here's a picture of the Solar Barn. Peace, David [image: Inline image 1]
