I delivered the Williston Herald in a small western ND town for five years starting at age 10. I think I started with 33 customers and peaked near 45. It was 3+ miles of gravel streets, putting the papers inside the screen doors, sometimes fighting dogs to get to the door. It was lots of stopping and starting with the bike. It was the last bike I had with a kickstand, but it was necessary. Winters were on foot, and out on the prairie, the wind sure blew. Clothing wasn't as hi-tech as it is these days. Fingers and feet were always hard to keep warm. Red's Bar was one of the customers, and no one cared that a 10 year old walked in every day to drop the paper on the bar.

My brother took over the route for a couple of years when I outgrew it. The report is that we were the last kids to deliver via bikes and that was back in the '70s. The kids have been driven around ever since...