Feature story: Several Decorah residents have returned from a trip to Kyrgyzstan

There aren't many people in Decorah who know where the country of Kyrgyzstan is located.  But several Decorah residents have returned from visiting Kyrgyzstan, not just to see the sights, but to take part in a 1,700 kilometer long bike ride.

Ward Budweg and Jeff Freidhof didn't finish the bike ride--only 50 of the 150 bike riders who started did finish--but they enjoyed being what Ward calls "knowledge tourists" after Jeff Freidhof got sick and they were joined by Ward Budweg's wife, Jacky, on a tour of the country.

Budweg and Freidhof faced spartan accommodations when they started the bike ride, sleeping out in the open and using streams for water supplies.  On the second day of the ride, they traveled just six miles at an elevation 13,000 feet above sea level, a slow pace which Budweg says was caused by "not enough oxygen."

The route of the 1,700 kilometer ride went over 10,000 feet altitude 12 times, according to Budweg.  "It was just really miserable," he told members of the Decorah Rotary Club on Tuesday.  But after dropping out of the race and relaxing for a few days, they were able to ride 1,000 of the 1,700 kilometers on the original route.

Ward Budweg told Rotary Club members on Tuesday he likes to take on challenges such as the bike ride through Kyrgyzstan "because I still can."