August 8 2009 - Cleveland - Niles

Today was the race of the vans!

Each van had its own pace line today and we all raced to our arrival point as quickly as possible. We didn’t really race, but we tried to get to Niles as quickly as possible and my van (Van 5) came in 2nd place!

When we got to the final destination we made an arrival at the local Saturn Dealership. They were kind enough to host our team for lunch and refreshments. While there, I was selected to give a TV interview for the local news channel. It was fun to give an interview and practice before hopefully making another appearance in Pittsburgh!

After our arrival we rode to our lodging and friendship visit which was at a local school for children with disabilities. When the clients began to arrive everyone started to get excited because they knew that this might be our last dance of the summer and we needed to go out with a BANG! The dance was a lot of fun and after the clients left we had about 30 minutes of free time before making our way to dinner at Olive Garden.

Dinner was really fun and relaxing. The owner of the Olive Garden in Niles actually ran into the team a few years ago in Nevada and was so thrilled with the idea that he has been hosting the team since. After dinner, we all came back to lodging and played basketball for a few hours. I have to say that basketball is not one of my strong suits, but I actually felt relatively capable by the end of the evening!

It’s late and we have an 80 mile ride into my home town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania tomorrow!

August 7 2009 - Cleveland

Today was one of the last days that the team could sleep in!

We made sure to take full advantage of the off day by getting up around 8:45 am. We all made our way to breakfast, which was kindly hosted by the hospital. It consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and pancakes. While we were eating, we listened to a presentation about the hospital and the various parts which specialized in children with disabilities. The most memorable part of the day was when Jamie, a past client, spoke about her experience.

She was a healthy freshman high school student who played on the varsity basketball team, until the day of her accident. While training with the team she collapsed and lost all muscle function within her body. She was quickly rushed to the hospital where she was put into a medically induced coma to prevent further brain damage. When she came out of the coma, she was only able to blink her eyes. The doctors told her that she had a blood clot in her spine which damaged her muscle function and that she would most likely never walk again. Fortunately, through intense physical therapy she made an amazing recovery. She is able to walk and play sports, but with some difficulty in speaking. It is amazing to think about the impact that the hospital had on her life and it was great to know that our fundraising is going to improve the quality of life for people like Jamie.

After listening to Jamie speak, we were given tours around the facility and then hosted for lunch in the courtyard. At lunch, we met some more of the children in the hospital as well as some of the people who work in the facilities. At the conclusion of lunch, our team put together a presentation about bicycle safety as well as a KOB puppet show.

When the puppet show was over, the team got ready for dinner and I made my way to my dad’s house in Medina, Ohio. I was able to spend the evening with some family and return back to lodging in time for bed.

Tomorrow we make our way to Niles, Ohio!

August 6 2009 - Sandusky - Cleveland

Today we made our way into another big city: Cleveland, Ohio!

The 60 mile ride went by very quickly because the route was next to Lake Erie the entire way. There were beautiful views and homes all the way into the city, and we were all excited to see the skyscrapers of another big city on our trip.

We were supposed to have a big arrival at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but there was some confusion in the process, so we ended up riding there and just spending some time in the exhibits. When I came into the city I was greeted by family which was really nice. My dad and siblings came and spent an hour with me before I had to return back to lodging.
Our lodging was at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital in a somewhat questionable part of the city. When we arrived at the hospital we were greeted by some of the children with disabilities. We got to meet a few before showering and getting ready for a sponsored dinner in one of the city parks.

Dinner was really relaxing tonight because there was no programming at all. I played Euchre, wiffleball, and football while waiting for dinner to be prepared. Our evening was hosted by Jim Carlevick who is a past JOH cyclist and one of the men who was instrumental in creating the Journey of Hope as it is now. It was another fantastic meal and when it concluded I went out for another bite to eat with my dad and step mom. They returned me back to lodging in time to get to bed.

Tomorrow we have a free day in the city!

August 5 2009 - Toledo - Sandusky

Today was an absolute blast!

We left our lodging bright and early so that we could make it to Sandusky for our arrival at Double S Industries. Unfortunately, there was a tremendous amount of construction along the way so we had to rack our bikes almost all the way to Sandusky. We ended up having a 20 mile ride into town which made the day a little easier on us. Andy Hall (GT) and I volunteered to sweep today so when we made our arrival into Double S Industries, we were at the front of the double pace line.

As soon as we arrived, everyone was extremely friendly. They hosted us for lunch and an exciting friendship visit. While there, I played sponge tag, cornhole, and Frisbee. The afternoon was great, but the evening was even more fun because the whole team had the opportunity to go to Cedar Point and ride the roller coasters. The group that I was with rode the wicked twister, power tower, millennium force, and the raptor. When we left we were all bummed that we didn’t make it to every coaster, but we will definitely remember how much fun we had at Cedar Point.

It’s very late and I need to get some rest before our big ride into Cleveland, Ohio tomorrow!

August 4 2009 - Ann Arbor - Toledo

Welcome to Ohio!

We made our way out of Ann Arbor this morning with another new addition to the cycling team. One of our crew members, Evan Culp (USC Upstate), did a ride along with the team today. It was especially exciting since he is my van driver. Since we all knew that Evan was going to ride along with us today, our entire van wanted to ride together in a “Van 5 pace line”
We had a blast on the bike and Evan did very well for not having cycled at all. Unfortunately, we needed to go 60 miles today, but only made it 50 due to another arrival commitment. Our group, along with 2 other pace lines were racked up to our arrival point at the University of Toledo.

The arrival was absolutely magnificent! The mayor’s office, the university provost, and the chapter brothers of Pi Kappa Phi were all there to greet us into a new city. Each of our hosts shared some thoughts about our ride and then we had a sponsored lunch. The lunch was great because our hosts setup a projector with pictures from the ride. In addition, we all had the opportunity to sign a canvas poster of the country for our University of Toledo hosts.

After we finished up with lunch, half of our group went to a friendship visit at the Recreation Center for the University of Toledo. We played basketball with some clients at the recreation center and then made our way back to the University of Toledo dorms to shower and get ready for dinner. While my group was at the recreation center, the other half of the team was putting on a KOB for some children on campus. After they finished up we all met for dinner.

Dinner was hosted at Outback by a past JOH cyclist. Each meal included a steak, chicken, potato, salad, blooming onion, and bread. It was definitely a meal fit for a king! After dinner finished up, I met with my Grandma and Uncle to get some ice cream and catch up. When I returned home, I went to bed and got ready for the big day to Sandusky, Ohio and Cedar Point.

August 3 2009 - Lansing - Ann Arbor

On our way to the land of the Wolverines! (Michigan)

To add to the excitement of the ride, we had one of the team member’s dad ride along with us on the way to Ann Arbor. Jim Rampton’s (Elon) dad wanted to make the journey to his home in Ann Arbor with us today on his bike. Unfortunately for Mr. Rampton, today was a tough day with a strong headwind for most of the ride. As such, a few of the groups were unable to make it all the way today due to a shortage of time. Two of the groups that were unable to make it all the way today were Mr. Rampton’s group and the sweeps, which I happened to be a part of today. Since we were crunched for time, we were racked up to our arrival point. We had our arrival at Probility which is a physical therapy center. At Probility, the riders were able to get 10 minute massages and enjoy a sponsored dinner from Qdoba. I wasn’t able to partake in the massages because the line was too long and we needed to get showered and ready for dinner at Jim Rampton’s home (Elon).

I left Probility and went to Jim’s house to shower and setup for dinner. Jim’s family was kind enough to sponsor the team and put us all up in their home for tonight. After showering, we made our way to our friendship visit at a Traumatic Brain Injury center. The center was very nice and even included a professional swimming pool for therapeutic purposes. After checking out the center, we went to dinner at a local community center where we had music, board games, and general conversation. It was especially fun, because the party was pirate themed. I wore my eye patch and played “Guess Who” with my friend Jennifer.

After our friendship visit was over, we made our way back to the Rampton’s for free time. I went out with the guys to walk around the town of Ann Arbor. While fall classes hadn’t begun, there were still a lot of people out and about. We all made our way back around 11 pm and got ready for our big day into a new state tomorrow!

August 2 2009 - Kalamazaoo - Lansing

Today was so much fun!

We made our way from Kalamazoo to Lansing today. It was a great cycling day and we were the lead group until we were about 5 miles away from lodging. We stopped because there were no more vans to mark the turns ahead and so we had to sit and wait for some of the slower groups to catch up to us and the back vans could come forward. We were waiting for about 20 minutes when we were finally able to continue ahead. At this point, Dan Brown (Georgia Tech) grabbed his bike and realized that his tire was flat. Since we had to change the flat, we ended up falling back into the middle of the pack. After we changed the flat, we made it 1 more mile before Dan got another flat, pushing us all the way back to the last group. It was hilarious that we went from the first group to the last group only 4 miles from lodging.

We were warmly welcomed when we arrived at lodging. Upon arriving, we met “The moms and dads of Lansing.” The moms and dads of Lansing is a group of neighbors who all offer up their homes to house our team for the night. We all sat down to lunch and got to know each other. After lunch, we all received goodie bags and T-shirts from the sponsors. The T-shirt was really unique and was something that we hadn’t received from any of the sponsors in the past. Afterwards, we received our sleeping arrangements. All of van 5, my van, slept at Karen and Grady’s home. While there, we had some free time to do laundry and get ready for dinner.

Dinner was once again sponsored by the families and was in the neighborhood park. In addition to the families and the JOH team, we were also with volunteers from “Paws with a Cause.” “Paws with a Cause” is an organization of volunteers who raise assistance dogs for people with disabilities. I know that many of the riders were intrigued by the organization and had interest in volunteering in the future. After dinner finished up, Evan Culp (USC Upstate), Bryan Janzing (WSU) and I had a wheel chair race around the block. It was very difficult but I came out victorious after a long hard fought battle!

We had free time after dinner and our van had a slumber party in the living room and watched a movie (Alien vs. Predator) which was terribly awesome. It’s time to get some rest and get ready for our ride to Ann Arbor tomorrow!

August 1 2009 - South Bend - Kalamazoo

Another new state today: Michigan!

Today we rode out of South Bend and made our way to Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was a fairly laid back day today without any programming. We arrived in town early and had an hour of free time to relax before staging up for our arrival. When it was time to go, we rode to Western Michigan University and met with the newly founded Pi Kappa Phi chapter. Lunch was hosted by Qdoba and was exactly what we needed after our long ride today.

After lunch, we made our way to lodging which was at a YMCA camp outside of town. We had some free time when we made it to lodging so I made sure to take a nap and catch up on some sleep. I woke up and made my way to dinner. Dinner was sponsored by a past JOH rider’s family and the food was great; especially the deviled eggs which we haven’t had yet on the trip.

After dinner, we had our team meeting and then I watched a movie with the brothers.

Tomorrow we make our way to Lansing, Michigan which is the capital of the state!

July 31 2009 - Chicago - South Bend

Welcome to Indiana!

This morning we made our way out of the city of Chicago and headed east. We had a few minor mix ups in the morning which ended up costing us valuable time on the road. The first problem occurred when our bike path dead ended causing us to make a phone call to get rerouted. We had another hold up when there was a fork in the road and one of the groups went the wrong direction. None of the setbacks were a big deal, but we only ended up riding 70 miles before being racked for time.

We racked up so that we could make our KOB at the local children’s museum at 3:30 p.m. The KOB was probably the best of the entire summer! The kids and team members were laughing throughout the entire performance.

We went off to dinner sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and then went to the University of Notre Dame campus. It was extremely beautiful and the seeing the “Touchdown Jesus” was definitely a highlight of the visit. I’m off to bed, we have another 90 mile ride tomorrow!

July 30 2009 - Chicago

We didn’t cycle a mile today but I am still exhausted from all of the activities!

We woke up at 8:00 am so that we could get some breakfast and start our day in the city. After breakfast, Jimmy and I took the bus to the Natural History Museum. We only had a few hours to roam the museum so we spent most of our time in the famous Dinosaur exhibit. Chicago’s natural history museum is home to the most complete T-Rex skeleton in the world. After spending some time in the museum, we walked across the street to look at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears!

Next, we made our way north for lunch. Since we were near the famous Hancock Building, we decided to make the trek up to the top after lunch. The views were absolutely breathtaking but more importantly, we also had an accompanying audio tour which gave us the entire history of the city. When we finished at the top of the tower, we took North America’s fastest elevator back down to the ground level.

The next stop on the tour was to Navy Pier to check out the famous Ferris wheel. Then we moved to Millennium Park to check out the “Silver Bean.” After we were done touring the city, we made our way to dinner to have some famous Chicago Style Deep Dish. The pizza did live up to the expectations and hit the spot nicely for the evening. I wanted to continue to explore the city, but I really needed to update my blog and pictures so I made my way back to the hotel to do so.

Tomorrow we have a 95 mile day to South Bend!

July 29 2009 - Glenview - Chicago

We made our way into the big city today!

The ride was 30 miles, but it flew by very quickly with all of the exciting sights and sounds. Our first stop of the day was for lunch and a friendship visit on the north side of Chicago. While there, we received a tour of the facilities and got to meet a lot of amazing people. The sno cones that were provided during lunch, were definitely a memorable treat.

Once we finished up with lunch, our police escorts arrived to guide us the last few miles into the city. The police rolled up to the friendship visit on ATVs and stunned the team. It was the first time that we had ever been guided by 4 wheelers through any city. We followed the police as they shut down the traffic lights, and we were really excited as we made our way by Wrigley Park only minutes before the game started. I will definitely remember rolling by all of the fans decked out in their Cubs attire. Once we entered the city center we had to bob through traffic in order to make it to our lodging at the Palmer House Hotel. When we arrived at our hotel we were all blown away at how luxurious it was. We then found out the history and importance of the hotel within the city of Chicago, which made us feel even more fortunate for being allowed to stay there.

We moved our bikes into storage and got ready to explore the city. The first thing that I did was go to Millennium Park which was only a few blocks from the hotel. I traveled around the park with Jim Rampton (Elon) and Dan Brown (GT). We made sure to visit the outdoor theater, BP Bridge, and fountains. It was definitely one of the nicest parks that I have ever been in. We continued to Grant Park and took note of where President Obama delivered his acceptance speech. In addition, we had some funnel cake and sat by the Yacht Club. We then needed to travel back to the hotel in order to get ready for dinner. Our dinner was provided by some Pi Alpha brothers at a local real estate firms office. The office was great because there was a TV, darts, ping pong, and pool to play. I unfortunately lost at ping pong and then spent the rest of the evening chatting with former JOH rider, John Pierce (Drake).

After dinner we were let loose for free time in the city. I decided to go to ESPN Zone with Jimmy Vaeth, Ray Feuga (Cornell), Travis Alsop (Indiana State), Ryan Grumble (Louisiana Tech), and Ross Gruenky (GW). We played some video games and then I made my way back to the hotel to wish Ali a happy birthday and get some rest before the big day in Chicago tomorrow.

July 28 2009 - Milwaukee - Glenview

Today was an easy day on the bike as we moved from the Milwaukee suburbs to the Chicago suburbs!

We quickly made our way to Glenview so that we could make it to our Vaeth family sponsored meal. The lunch provided by Bob and Joy Vaeth was amazing and consisted of cheeseburgers with lots of extras and milkshakes. After lunch, I went to the library to catch up on journal entries and pictures, but was unable to catch up completely due to a time crunch. Seth Klondar, a past JOH cyclist, provided a fantastic dinner and presentation about translating our experiences on the bike into a resume builder. The presentation was helpful and sparked some thoughts in my head. I realized that I need to make sure that I write down some specific experiences from the trip that I felt helped me grow as a person.

After dinner, we had our mid-summer ritual in which we reflected on the summer thus far and refocused ourselves for the last few weeks of the trip. I was happy that we had our ritual because I needed to make sure that I am making the most of my experience and not looking too far ahead towards the end. It was a busy night and I need to get some rest for our big ride into the city of Chicago tomorrow!

July 27 2009 - Milwaukee

Another great day in the city of Milwaukee!

We were able to sleep in again this morning before leaving for our friendship visit at a local school. We put on a KOB for the elementary kids and then spent the rest of the morning playing four square. Afterwards, we left for our lunch at an Easter Seals Camp. We had Subway sandwiches and spent time with those with disabilities. While at the park, we had the opportunity to play with therapeutic dogs. We would take turns giving the dog commands and then praising them after we were successful.

We left the camp around 2:30 pm for an exciting game of wheelchair ice hockey. Wheel chair ice hockey is basically the same as regular hockey, but the game is played in regular sport wheelchairs and with shorter sticks. The game is very difficult because you have trouble stopping and maneuvering on the ice. I have to say that of all of the wheel chair sports, I was the best at wheel chair ice hockey. I had a great time and also scored on one occasion. Our JOH team played against the local athletes and the game ended in a tie. One of the star players for the opposing team was Gabi, who was a young girl with spina bifida. She was a ball of energy and was certainly one of the most memorable athletes in Milwaukee.

After hockey was over we went to a local mall to spend time with a group of young girls with disabilities. The purpose of the visit was to teach the young girls acceptable social behavior and to have a great time. Part of the visit was to complete a scavenger hunt throughout the mall and ask local sales people for various things. The exercise was great for teaching the girls how to interact with others. When we were finished with the hunt, we also completed accessibility surveys for 3 stores in the building. Ultimately, we found that Sephora was the most accommodating to those with disabilities.

After we were done with our visit we spent the rest of the evening in Barnes & Noble and returned to lodging.

July 26 2009 - Waukesha - Milwaukee

Today will be remembered as the sports day on the trip!

We had the opportunity to sleep in until 7:30 am this morning which was fantastic! Once we were packed up and ready, we had a fabulous sponsored breakfast from Kathy, the representative from Independence First who is organizing our days in Milwaukee, and her friends. The breakfast was delicious and included ham, egg, and cheese casserole, fresh fruit, muffins, juice, and French toast. After thanking our sponsors for the meal, we ran some errands with the 2 hours of free time that we had. I went to the bike shop with some of the guys to buy brake pads, adjust my derailleur, and purchase cleats for my shoes. It was a successful trip except I was unable to find some bike tape for my handlebars.

Our afternoon began with an arrival into a local park, where we were warmly greeted by Kathy and many others. We were then given a hosted lunch and let loose with many kids for sports activities. I was lucky enough to secure a wheel chair so that I could participate in wheel chair tennis. I must say that it was one of the most difficult sports when your mobility is limited. I then went inside to play Goal Ball, which is a game for the visually impaired. The basic premise is that the game is 3 on 3 with each team occupying a given space on one side of the gymnasium. Each team takes turns rolling the ball across the gym floor in an attempt to sneak it past the other team. The ball has bells inside so that you can hear it as it rolling towards you. In our case, we had on ski goggles with black tape around them so that we couldn’t see anything. It was an extremely challenging game which entertained me for quite some time. After playing several games of Goal Ball we had to head back to lodging for setup and dinner.

The nourishing sponsored dinner was provided by Qdoba Mexican grill. Our post dinner activities consisted of fishing and free time. The fishing didn’t work out too well because the moss growth on top of the pond was too thick to get the lure to pass through. As such, my fishing experience lasted about 5 casts and then I had to call it a night. I spent my free time tonight doing laundry and catching up on bike maintenance . It was a low key night, but I really enjoyed our Laundromat experience. We were in a Latin American area of town and so we walked up and down the strip shopping in various foreign food shops. I purchased some foreign desserts (cocoa wafers, fruit flavored soda, sesame pistachio sticks) and then made my way back to lodging with clean clothes.

Tomorrow we have a lot to do so I need to get some rest!

July 25 2009 - Rockford - Waukesha

Welcome to Wisconsin, famous for cheese and bratwurst!

Today was a fantastic day on the bike! The weather was sunny and cool for the most of the day and the roads were in better shape than the last few days. The ride was also exciting because we made our way into another new state! When we hit the border we all took our customary pictures then hoped back on the road. We needed to cycle quickly because we were given a rack point of 80 miles by 12 pm (5.5 hours of riding). As the ride progressed we were slightly concerned that we wouldn’t make it all the way because of time, but as we rolled into mile marker 80 we were 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

We then had an arrival to another Camp Easter Seal, for a picnic hosted by Independence First, which is an organization that benefits people with all types of disabilities. During the picnic, we played ladderball, Frisbee, and danced. We also had the opportunity to meet many of the assistants who are working regularly for Independence First. Once the picnic had concluded, we made our way to lodging to setup before dinner.

We were all looking forward to a great meal after the long ride, but we were blown away with the amazing experience that we had tonight. The parents of a former JOH rider (Brian Davidson) were kind enough to host our team for dinner, jet skiing, and s’mores at their house on Pewaukee Lake. The experience was exactly what the team needed after 12 days without a break. When we concluded for the evening we all made our way back to lodging to rest up for the short ride of 14 miles to Milwaukee tomorrow.

July 24 2009 - Dubuque - Rockford

Another day and another new state!

Early into our ride, we crossed over the mighty Mississippi and into the Land of Lincoln (Illinois). While it was exciting to be in a new state, the ride was disappointing because we only ended up riding 65 miles of the 110 miles that we were scheduled to do. The reason that we were unable to make it the whole way was because the road we were on (US 20) changed its traffic laws recently, outlawing cyclists on the road. Most of us weren’t that upset with the decision because the road was in bad shape and had a lot of traffic.

When we arrived in Rockford, we had an official arrival at the local Saturn dealership, where the sponsors provided snacks and drinks for the team. In addition, the owner of the dealership was also kind enough to pay for our hotel stay and dinner at the local Italian restaurant, Gerry’s.

There wasn’t any friendship visit tonight, but we did have an interesting evening with a tornado warning and severe thunderstorms battering the area. We are hoping for some great weather tomorrow as we travel 95 miles to Waukesha, Wisconsin!

July 23 2009 - Davenport - Dubuque

We headed back into the hills again today!

It was a gorgeous day as we rode through the farms and I made sure to snap a few photos to capture the beauty of the land. It was also a nice change of pace to be out of the rain and in the sun! As we made our way towards the Mississippi River, we began to encounter the bluffs and some larger rolling hills. The 90 mile ride wasn’t too terribly taxing until we had a 3 mile climb into lodging at the end of the day.

At around mile 80, we rode into the city of Dubuque. It was fun to ride through the town because part of Ali’s family is from that area and I have also had the opportunity to visit Dubuque on two occasions. The biggest reason that I was excited however, is because it is the town where Ali and I will be hosting our wedding reception!

When we entered Camp Albrecht Acres, our lodging for the night, we were warmly welcomed by the campers! We set up our bags and sat down to lunch before leaving for a team excursion to the Field of Dreams. The trip to the Field of Dreams was a lot of fun! We spent our time, playing baseball on the field, running through the corn, and buying up souvenirs. When we had our fill of baseball for the day we headed back to camp for dinner.

I actually skipped dinner for the evening so that I would have the opportunity to spend time with Ali’s family who lives outside of Dubuque. When her grandparents arrived at camp, I found out that Ali’s great grandmother actually had a bench in her name on the grounds of the campus. We found the bench and spent the next hour catching up. Unfortunately, we only had an hour to chat because I had to be ready for a dance at 7:00 pm.

The dance was a unique experience because the camp had an extensive wardrobe. All of us dressed up in the most ridiculous clothes possible so that we could dance the next 2 hours away!

After the dance ended, Ali, her brother, and her cousin made the trek back to the camp to visit again. It was a lot of driving and I really appreciated the opportunity to see her and her family before heading out of the great state of Iowa tomorrow.

July 22 2009 - Iowa City - Davenport

Another rain soaked day in the state of Iowa!

We left Iowa City this morning and made our way 60 miles to Davenport through the pouring rain and fog. The fog was so thick in the morning that we had to stop riding 20 miles into the ride for safety purposes. After a 30 minute wait, the fog began to clear and we made our way back onto the road to complete the remainder of the ride.

When we arrived in Davenport, we setup lodging at our hotel and rested for a couple of hours! Afterwards, we got ready for the evening friendship visit at a nearby pool. While at the visit, I spent most of my time playing croquet and bean bags with Tim. I was pretty exhausted from the long day so I didn’t actually end up hopping in the pool, but I had a blast playing various field games.

After the friendship visit was over we headed back to lodging and got ready for the big day ahead to Dubuque!

July 21 2009 - Cedar Rapids - Iowa City

The ride was only 27 miles, but it seemed a 10,000!

When we woke up this morning, it had already begun to rain. We thought that it would shortly subside, but the rain continued throughout the entire ride, and came down torrentially at times. When we arrived into City Park in Iowa City we prepared for our arrival to the Old Capitol Building. It was still raining, but it was fun to ride up to the Old Capitol Building with a group of individuals cheering us on.

The arrival procedures consisted of speakers from the community and university which were given in the Old Capitol building. The old capitol building is actually a museum today which caused an awkward situation when we arrived. Since we were soaking wet, the museum curator told us that we weren’t allowed to enter on account of the $250,000 worth of carpeting. After some persuasion, we were allowed to enter the building in our bare feet to continue with the preceding ceremony.

Afterwards we went to our lodging at the Iowa House Hotel. We had some terrific warm showers and then went to the Theta Theta house for a sponsored lunch consisting of subway sandwiches and chips. After lunch we had some free time in which Ali and I grabbed some hot and sour soup and crab rangoons for a snack. Dinner was another sponsored meal from the Youth Empowerment program at City Park. While there, I ran into Carson Hammer, a Virginia Tech Alumni who had recently moved to Iowa for work. We chatted about the chapter and exchanged fun stories before departing back to lodging. The rest of evening was left free so Ali and I watched a movie.

Tomorrow we will be riding 60 miles to Davenport, Iowa!

July 20 2009 - Marshalltown - Cedar Rapids

Today we rode into the city of 5 seasons, Cedar Rapids

The weather was nice and cool and the ride went by quickly as we made our way into town. When we arrived, we were greeted by participants at the Arc of Cedar Rapids. We then made our way across the street to the YMCA where we showered and got ready for our friendship visit in the evening.

The friendship visit was at the Arc where there where tons of board games and video games to play. I played polar bear bowling with two girls for a bit before shifting over to monopoly. I was beaten badly in both games, but I had a great time! After the friendship visit was over, we had a fantastic meal and then had the rest of the evening free.

Ali and I had a second dinner where we celebrated her passing her nursing boards! It was great to spend time together so that we could finally catch up.

Tomorrow we have short ride into Iowa City!

July 19 2009 - Marshalltown - Cedar Rapids

Today was the best day of the entire trip!

My pace line started out in the middle of the pack today and remained there until we were about 20 miles from Marshalltown. At that point, Joe Borghoff told me that he wanted me to be the first rider into Marshalltown. He cycled as fast as he could up front for 10 miles and then allowed me to lead the last 10 miles. We managed to pass the lead group a couple miles from Marshalltown and make it into town first!

When we arrived into Marshalltown, we went straight to Saint Henry’s Catholic Church where Ali, her mom, and her aunt Tracy were hosting a fantastic meal for the team. We had two amazing pasta dishes, corn on the cob, garlic bread, cookies, and banana bars. It was the best lunch of the summer! After lunch, we headed to lodging at Marshalltown Community College where we were staying on the gym floor.

We were fortunate enough to have a fantastic friendship visit at the Totem Bowl this evening where we spent our evening dancing and bowling the night away. Ali and her friend Allison were nice enough to come to our friendship visit and participate with all of us!

When we were done bowling we returned to lodging and had some free time. Ali, Joe Borghoff, Jimmy Vaeth, and I had some legendary Taco Johns and then returned back to lodging.

I have had a smile on my face all day thanks to a fantastic time with Ali!

July 18 2009 - Winterset - Des Moines

We made it into Des Moines today after a nice short ride!

The ride was rolling hills like the rest of the days in Iowa but today we were fortunate enough to have a nice tailwind. Ross, one of our crew members, rode along today for the ride which was extremely exciting. He had never been on a road bike before and he was cycling along fine until mile 30, when he started getting really exhausted. He then needed to stop every 1 mile to take a break. It made his day very long, but we were all very proud of him when he finished the ride.

Our lodging was at an Easter Seals Camp a few miles outside of Des Moines. Once we showered and had dinner at the camp, we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and cleaning off our bikes. I am going to head to bed early today because tomorrow is a big day! We are going to make our way to Marshalltown, Iowa and I will finally be able to see my wonderful fiancée Ali!

July 17 2009 - Griswold - Wintereset

A beautiful day in the state of Iowa!

We left Griswold this morning around 7 am and everyone completed the 65 mile trip by 11:30 a.m, which is extremely fast. Most of the teams were averaging around 20 mph thanks in large part to the tailwind for the last 20 miles of the trip. When we arrived, I was able to do some miscellaneous items such as washing clothes and seeing John Wayne’s birthplace.

Afterwards we headed back to lodging for some walking tacos. For those of you who don’t know, a walking taco is a Doritos bag with the top cut off filled with ground beef, cheese, lettuce, salsa, and Doritos. The meal was fantastic and afterwards we laid down for a much needed nap!

After napping for a few hours we went to the local Lutheran Church for a sponsored dinner from the Winterset Rotary club. The meal consisted of lasagna, garlic bread, and salad and was a nice change of pace from the regular barbeque. The last bit of the evening was spent catching up on blogs and bicycle maintenance. Tomorrow we head to Des Moines, which is 1 day closer to Marshalltown and seeing my beautiful Fiancee Ali:)

July 16 2009 - Omaha - Griswold

Welcome to IOWA! (Home of the most beautiful woman in the world – my fiancee, Alison)

The ride was supposed to be a short 50 miles, but we had to be rerouted due to construction, extending the ride to 70 miles. This didn’t seem to be any real problem until the thunderstorms kicked in around mile 56 and the torrential rain began. We were able to ride for a couple of miles before the crew chief made the call to pull everyone off of the road and wait for the visibility to improve. We sat in the vans for 10 minutes before getting back out onto the road again. The worst part of the whole ordeal was getting back on the road because were soaking wet and the temperature dropped dramatically after the storm passed. We hit one more bout of rain for the last 6 miles, but we made it into lodging safe and sound.

When we arrived we found that our lodging was the retreat center for Creighton University.. We basically had a large cabin out in the middle of nowhere to ourselves! We all setup for the evening and spent a couple of hours napping. We were roused around 3:45 pm and we made our way to our sponsored dinner at the rock quarry in Macedonia, Iowa. It was an absolute blast as we played volleyball, cards, and went swimming in the water. The food and friends were great tonight including 2 alumni from Iowa State University who told us about their experiences with the Journey of Hope and how it has impacted their lives. We were sad to head back to lodging, but we have another full day ahead tomorrow.

July 15 2009 - Lincoln - Omaha

Today was another extremely busy day so I’m going to keep the entry short!

We made it into the great city of Omaha, Nebraska today after what was supposed to be a 50 mile bike ride. Unfortunately, we had some difficulty getting out of the city and so we were only able to ride 42 miles before being racked to our arrival point which was the Saturn of Omaha Dealership. While the arrival wasn’t as exciting with our bikes on top of the vans, we still enjoyed a wonderful sponsored lunch from the folks at Saturn.

We had to eat quickly and get to showers so that we could make our 2:00 pm friendship visit and KOB in Council Bluffs, IA. We spent a few hours with MOSAIC in Council Bluffs before returning back to Nebraska for a dinner/dance/swim party. Our evening dinner party included Luau music and decorations for everyone. We had a fantastic time tonight, but now I must return to bed to catch up on some much needed rest.

Tomorrow we enter IOWA!!!!!!

July 14 2009 - Grand Island - Lincoln

We were back on the bike today for another 100 mile cruise into the big city of Lincoln!

The ride was relatively normal with very little excitement along the way (other than road kill and corn). When we arrived in the city, we found out that we were staying at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house. It was strange to stay in another fraternity’s house, but the gentlemen of Beta Theta Pi were very welcoming and friendly. The reason that we were staying at their house is that there isn’t a Pi Kapp house at Nebraska currently. Fortunately, the newly colonized chapter should be up and running for future North Route teams.

Arriving into the city was made better by the copious amounts of candy, snacks, and cookies provided by one of the cyclists families. We hustled to shower up before leaving for a dinner sponsored by the Saratoma club, which is a local service organization specializing in helping those with visual and auditory impairments.

We were on a tight schedule tonight because we needed to leave for another big dance! The dance was a blast and I’m pretty sure that I’m going to be absolutely exhausted for tomorrow’s ride! Fortunately it’s only going to be 50 miles into Omaha!

See you then!

July 13 - Grand Island

We made sure to wake up early today so that we could accomplish everything on our busy schedule!

We started off the morning with a sponsored breakfast at Arby’s including breakfast sandwiches and French toast. We then made our way to two friendship visits to spend time with kids with disabilities.

The first visit was at a local school, where I was paired up with a young boy named Connor. Connor has autism and absolutely loves the movie Shrek. I was told to try and help him learn some of the words on his flash cards, but I was able to convince the teacher to let us draw Shrek characters instead. We had a blast trying to draw the characters and we soon made our way outside for free time. Connor and I played on the swings and playground set until we were absolutely exhausted! As I was leaving Connor said goodbye to me. While this might not seem like a big deal, the teacher said that it was a big step for him and that she had never seen him act as happy as he was today. It was definitely one of the moments from the trip that I will certainly remember.

We had to leave the school to make it to the park for our next friendship visit. We spent the early afternoon playing Frisbee and climbing a rock wall with kids with disabilities. It was great to be outside and enjoying the beautiful day while we played games. While we were at the park, Tammy explained to us the history of the park and how JOH impacted its creation and development.

Push America was instrumental in securing some of the playground equipment as well as supplying the manpower (Pi Kapps) to build it. In addition, there is a tree dedicated to one of the brothers who rode through last year and recently lost his life. It was moving to see the impact that Pi Kappa Phi and Push America has had on the lives of those in Grand Island and especially in the history of the park.

Next, we went back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation time. I was able to cram in a couple hours of sleep before having to go to the bike shop for some new tires.
Dinner was provided by the Grand Island women and was located back at the same park. We had a friendship visit and Kids on the Block show to accompany dinner and recreation. When we left dinner we all thought that our fun in Grand Island was done, but there was one more surprise in store. Tammy, Sue, and Andrea put together a slideshow of pictures from past trips as well as our own so that we could see the progression of JOH in Grand Island. It was extremely moving to watch all of the pictures, and when the show was over we all said our goodbyes to the friends that we had made.

Tomorrow is another 100 mile and I need a rest day!

July 12 2009 - Minden - Grand Island

After an arduous day yesterday, we had an easy 50 miles into Grand Island, Nebraska today!

We arrived into Grand Island in the early afternoon and prepared for our arrival into the city. We had a police escort to the Holiday Inn where we were warmly welcomed by many supporters of the Journey of Hope. In addition to the many supporters, we were also greeted with a proclamation from the Mayor proclaiming today as “Push America Day” in the city of Grand Island. We also had the chance to meet 3 of the most loyal supporters of the Journey of Hope; Andrea, Sue, Tammy. They have been supporting the ride for around 20 years and every year they take care of everything for the entire 2 days!

Our time in Grand Island came with a few surprises, the first of which was that we would be staying in the Holiday Inn for the next 2 days!. In addition we also had ice cold slushes from Sonic waiting for us the moment that we arrived. At this point, I already knew that this was going to be an unbelievable 2 days.

After showering, we made our way to Tammy’s house for steaks, video games, and trampoline jumping. The afternoon was spent getting to know the 3 women who have made the Grand Island visit the most legendary on JOH. They told us about their children who have disabilities and the amazing way that our efforts have touched their lives.

After spending a couple of hours at Tammy’s house we went to the hospital to visit one of Sue’s foster daughters Milly. Milly was 14 months old and extremely cute! She was in the hospital because she had a bacterial infection which needed severe medical treatment. We gave her some balloons and a card and said our goodbyes so that we could make our way to dinner and dancing with local residents.

The dinner and dancing was at the local Elks club and was the perfect ending to another great night on the trip. Afterwards, we made our way back to the Holiday Inn to relax for the rest of the evening.

July 11 2009 - McCook - Minden

I will take the mountains back!

Today we had to change time zones to central which means that at 5:30 am when we woke up it felt like 4:30 am. As such, we started the morning in darkness as shown in the picture above. In addition to the early start we also had a 25 mph head wind today for all 95 miles! Cycling today was like riding uphill for 95 miles without the enjoyment of ever having a downhill. Fortunately, our group was not plagued with flat tires so we were able to be the first group to finish.

Once we arrived at lodging at Minden High School we all took hot showers and put on our team tuxedos (red Push America T-shirt and khaki shorts). We had a fantastic sponsored meal provided by Pizza Hut including cinnamon rolls for desert!

While today was extremely taxing on the body, we are fortunate enough to have a few hours for relaxation which I am going to spend catching up on blog entries and reading. Tomorrow we are going to Grand Island, Nebraska for a legendary 2 days.

See you then!

July 10 2009 - Wray - McCook

3 states in 1 day!

Today we were scheduled to cycle from Colorado into Nebraska, but we made a 3 mile detour so that we could walk across the state line into Kansas!
The ride was another 95 mile day through the plains with numerous cattle farms and corn fields.

When we arrived at lodging at the local Methodist church we were all very worn out. A much needed power nap was in order before dinner! Our wonderful pepperoni lasagna was provided by local church sponsors and the rest of the evening was spent playing Euchre and relaxing.

Tomorrow is another 95 mile day through the plains of Nebraska!

July 9 - Fort Morgan - Wray

I believe that we are going to be facing wind for the next few weeks through the Midwest plain states. Today was no exception as we made our way 87 miles to Wray, Colorado.

It was not an extremely exciting scenery day, but I will say that I have never seen so many cattle farms in my life! At one farm there had to have been 5,000 – 10,000 cows crammed into a couple acre lot. As you can imagine, the smell wasn’t the most pleasant, but the problem was made worse by the many cattle semi-trucks that passed every few minutes.

When we arrived in Wray, we were warmly welcomed at the WRAC (Wray Rehabilitation Activities Center). The facilities were absolutely fantastic with warm showers and an amazing meal. Many of the cyclists stuffed themselves so much that they literally felt sick to their stomachs. After dinner we put on a KOB for some children in the gymnasium. The guys did a great job with their acting and role playing. Once again, we are all exhausted so we are making it an early night to bed.

Tomorrow is another 95 mile day into the great state of Nebraska!

July 8 - Denver - Fort Morgan

Today was one of those days where we couldn’t get a break! We started off the morning by leaving the city as the 1st pace line. When we made it to 48th street we made our first turn onto York Street. Our group continued progressing down York Street until we were finally back at 8th street (the same one we left from). At this point we realized that a mistake may have been made and so we called our project manager, Grant. He said that there had been a mix up and we would need to rack back to the 1st turn. When we got back to the 1st turn we found out that there were 2 York streets within a few miles of each other and we had taken the wrong one.

Once we were back on the right track, we only made it a few miles before the wind kicked up over the plains making the ride much more difficult. To further complicate things our pace line of 6 people had 7 flat tires throughout the ride! I had 2 flat tires myself which was ironic because I had never had a flat tire before.

July 7 2009 - Denver

My hair is officially cut now! While this might not seem like that big of a deal, we have not had ANY free time to do some of the simple maintenance items. Also, it was really important that I got my haircut now because I am going to be seeing my beautiful fiancée soon and she loves my hair the best about 1 week after its been cut. `

After getting my hair cut, the team made their way to Dave Fishel’s (one of the cyclists) house for a sponsored lunch. All of the guys got to relax at their house and play pool, ping pong, and poker. Unfortunately, we had a tight schedule today so we couldn’t stay too long and play games.

Next, we went to the Craig Medical Center where we spent the afternoon working with quadriplegic athletes. The group was divided into two and the first group received a full tour of the facilities, while the second group played wheel chair rugby (Murderball). The facilities were absolutely spectacular and included an outdoor obstacle course for learning how to operate a wheel chair, a full gym for athletic events, and several interactive therapeutic machines.

The most fun part of the day, however, was playing murderball with the Denver Harlequins. Two of the athletes were members of the 2008 Gold Medal Team in Beijing which meant that when the JOH team faced off against the Harlequins it was an absolute blowout! We all had a great time, but we once again had to continue our busy day by leaving for a sponsored dinner.

The dinner was sponsored by the Tanabe family (Our Project Managers family). The food was absolutely spectacular with steaks and baked potatoes! The meal was just what we needed before another 100 mile ride tomorrow to Fort Morgan, Colorado.

Goodnight!

July 6 2009 - Empire - Denver

Today was the absolute best day of the trip!

The morning started off extremely chilly as we made our way through the end of the Rocky Mountains and into the plains of eastern Colorado. As we peaked over the last mountain, we were taken away by spectacular views at Lookout Mountain (Check out the Picture Link to the right). The last descent into Golden, Colorado was so much fun as we had a 3 mile downhill through switchbacks and tight curves. When we arrived into Golden we rode by the Coors factory and smelled the amazing aroma of beer being brewed.

We continued cycling through the suburbs and stopped at Invesco Field (Denver Broncos) where we met up with the TransAmerica Route Team. We had the incredible opportunity to walk out on the field as the big screen read “Welcome Journey of Hope.” After we snapped pictures, we started our arrival procedures to the Capitol Building in downtown. We had all 70 cyclists ride together to Downtown with a police escort. The police shut down the highway into town as we rode through, which created significant attention for our event. We arrived to a sizeable crowd in the city center who were eager to ask questions and find out more about the Journey of Hope. I had the opportunity to talk to some families from all across the country and share information with them about our incredible Journey.

After a few hours downtown, we made our way to lodging. We were all so excited because we would be staying in a hotel for the next 2 days. It has been such a long time since we have had the luxury of hot showers and clean sheets!

Next, we went to a park in the city for the annual Pedal for Pennies Event. Pedal for Pennies is an event sponsored by the Special Olympics and Push America where athletes and JOH cyclists ride laps around a 1 mile loop. As a helper, I kept track of the number of laps for my team which included Emily, Evan (JOH), and Adam (JOH). I was extremely pleased when our team finished 2nd overall with 9 laps! After the cycling was completed, we had a really fun dance with the athletes. I would have to say that my favorite songs of the night were the Cuban shuffle and Shout!

Tomorrow is our day off and mission #1 is to find a place to get my haircut!

July 5 2009 - Breckenridge - Empire

We reached our highest point on the ride today!

While it was only a 40 mile ride, we had one of the most difficult climbs to the peak of Loveland Pass (~12,000 ft.) When we reached the summit, we all took amazing photos of the snowcapped mountains! Afterwards, we enjoyed one of the best downhill sections of the trip. We were able to cruise at 45 mph down the sides of the mountain until finally reaching Empire, Colorado.

After 40 miles of riding we made our way to our lodging at Rocky Mountain Village Camp. We had a few hours to nap and relax before our dinner and friendship visit with the campers. When we sat down for dinner I was paired up with the Ponderosa Lodge. The counselors for the “Pondo” lodge were lots of fun to meet and after eating we made our way to the outdoor theater for skits and songs.

Our skit was a spoof of the Little Shop of Horrors. According to our script, there were too many campers and so we decided to feed them to the plant so that we could shrink our numbers in the Pondo Lodge. Sadly, I played one of the campers who was eaten. After we finished our skit we spent an hour or so singing hilarious camp songs. The evening came to a close with a final song and we made our way back to lodging to rest up for the next day to Denver, Colorado.

July 4 2009 - Steamboat Springs - Breckenridge

Happy Birthday America!

Something equally exciting, however, is that I completed my first century ride today (Over 100 miles)! Our ride from Steamboat, Colorado to Breckenridge, Colorado was absolutely beautiful. In my opinion, it was the most beautiful ride so far on the trip. We had a steep climb to start off the morning, but it was followed by a nice long downhill stretch in which we could recover. After the initial climb, the scenery was green pastures amongst the rolling hills. If you would like to see some of the pictures just check out the link on the right.

When we completed the day, we noticed that we were staying at an amazing place for lodging! The Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center was on the side of the mountain next to the ski slopes and a beautiful lake. Not only was the placement crucial, but the accommodations inside were absolutely great. Almost all of the riders got their own bed with clean sheets and towels provided (a great luxury).

For dinner, we made our way to the Country Boy Mine where we received a tour and amazing BBQ. Bruce Rogers’ Family sponsored the dinner and tours for the team. (Bruce Rogers’ company, KRG Capital, is the largest sponsor of the entire trip) – He also was the founder of the event over 20 years ago.

To finish off the day, we made our way down to the town to watch the fireworks and celebrate the 4th. I have to admit that they weren’t as great as Pittsburgh’s fireworks show but it was definitely entertaining. After an eventful day, we made our way back to lodging to get some rest.

Tomorrow we head to Empire Colorado!

July 3 2009 - Craig - Steamboat Springs

Today was the easiest cycling day of the trip! We started out our morning at 5am in order to make our sponsored lunch by 11:30 am. As it turned out, the ride only took around 2.5 hours and so we were able to have an abundance of free time in the morning. When we all arrived into Steamboat Springs we made our way to the hot springs.

It was absolutely fantastic to swim in the warm pools and relax our muscles in the hot tub areas. I decided to leave the hot springs early so that I could walk around the town with Jimmy. We walked around to some of the stores and I picked up some new bike gloves. In addition we got to visit F.M Light and Sons leather and cowboy store! (Backstory on F.M Light and Sons)

{Starting at the border of Colorado (over 150 miles ago) our cycling group began to see signs for the store. The signs come up about every 5 miles and so we have been making jokes about how awesome the store must be.}

As it turns out, we arrived at F.M Light and Sons on an anniversary of one of their Stetson Reps. The store owner’s family and others were there to celebrate with cake and banjo music. Jimmy and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit since we there was so much build up surrounding the store.

We also had a great friendship visit lunch when I spent most of my time getting to know Disco Debbie. Disco Debbie got her name because she loves to disco dance. She graced us with her moves and we all clapped along. The visit was lots of fun, but we needed to return to lodging in order to prepare for dinner.

Dinner was just what we needed for our 110 mile ride tomorrow. We had unlimited beef, pork, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, bread and baked beans. We all ate like kings and returned home to rest up for our big day tomorrow into Breckenridge, Colorado!

July 2 2009 - Dinosaur - Craig

I have officially completed the longest bike ride of my life today! We started off the morning bright and early out of Dinosaur, Colorado. We were told in the morning that we would have a very tight “rack point” today. Rack point is a mile marker that you must pass by a certain time in order to continue the ride into town. Today we had 6 hours to go 80 miles, which is a very aggressive goal when you consider the amount of stops that need to be made.

My pace line and I were moving at a very quick pace through the rolling climbs in order to make it. As it turns out we made the rack point by 5 minutes and we were the 2nd of 5 groups. Since we made the rack point, we were able to ride the full 90 miles into Craig.

When we made it to Craig we had an official arrival into the Boys and Girls Club. We spent the afternoon playing Frisbee and Football with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club. We ended the afternoon by putting on a Kids on The Block show which was so much fun. In the evening, we had a friendship visit dinner at one of the local parks.

Tomorrow we have a nice short ride into Steamboat Springs. See you then!

July 1 2009 - Duchesne - Dinosaur

The easiest bike ride of the trip!

Today we woke up and started the day as we normally do. However, as we were getting ready to embark on our 100 mile trek, our project manager informed us that there was really bad construction ahead. As such, we had to rack everyone into the vans for 90 miles! Once we were out of the construction we all hoped back on our bikes for our 10 mile jaunt into the town of Dinosaur, Colorado.

The town was really interesting because everything is themed for Dinosaurs. There are dinosaur named restaurants, stores, and even dinosaur models. Our dinner was hosted tonight by the local Baptist Church and our lodging was located at “Dinosaur School.”
While we all enjoyed our short ride today, I know that we are all excited to get back on our bikes for a real ride tomorrow!

June 30 2009 - Park City - Duchesne

Today was another great day on the bike!

We started off the morning with a fantastic crew chief breakfast consisting of our usual cereal, bagel, and juice. Immediately following breakfast, we departed from Park City, Utah and quickly merged on US 40 towards our final destination of Duchesne, Utah. The first section of the road was a busy 4 lane highway, but eventually turned into a less traveled 2 lane road for the remainder of the day.

The ride was similar to past days with several short climbs and mountain passes. The scenery became breathtaking when we reached the first summit and saw a large reservoir lake with rolling green hills and snow capped mountains in the background. After riding the ridgeline of the mountains, we quickly descended into a hot, arid climate with limited scenery. The end of the ride of was fun, however, because as we entered the town we saw Starvation Lake on the left which was very beautiful.

As it turns out, we had the opportunity to boat on Starvation Lake today. The Duchesne County Chamber of Commerce hosted our team this afternoon by renting out boats and taking the team tubing and boating. While the tubing seemed extremely exciting, I was much too worn out from a long ride so I spent a couple of hours floating on the lake. The Chamber of Commerce was also kind enough to provide the team with drinks and information about the area.

After spending the afternoon in the lake, we returned back to town for a sponsored meal from the local Lions Club, including the mayor! The company was pleasurable and the food was absolutely amazing. In my opinion, it was the best meal of the entire trip! After dinner, we returned back to lodging at Duchesne High School for some much needed rest before our long ride tomorrow.

June 29 2009 - Salt Lake City - Park City

Into the mountains we go! While today was a relatively short ride (27 miles), it still proved to be quite difficult. The most challenging part was a 6 mile climb while cycling on I-80. The hill was relatively steep and there was a lot of traffic zooming by us. Once we reached Park City, Utah we noticed that we were going to be staying in AMAZING lodging for the evening. We had the pleasure of marble countertops and Jacuzzi tubs in our condominiums! I have added some pictures of the inside of the rooms.

As ironic as it may seem, we actually returned back to the Salt Lake City area for our evening friendship visit. We spent our evening at Camp Kostopulos which is a facility for people with disabilities. We got to meet the participants of the camp and practice for their weekly skit. This week their skit would be a mix between dragons, mimes, and horses. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stay long enough to see how the whole plan would work out, but I am confident that it would have been extremely entertaining.

After dinner we returned back to lodging for some much needed rest! Tomorrow we have 90 miles through the Wasatch Mountain Range!

June 28 2009 - Salt Lake City

This morning got off to a great start with a late sleep in. For the first time on the entire trip I was able to sleep in until 9:30 am. After waking up, we made some quick runs to the bike shop and grocery store for necessities. We made sure to arrive back before 11:30 am so that we could make our way to Park City, Utah for a friendship visit.

We arrived at the National Abilities Center in Park City, Utah where we were warmly welcomed by the staff and participants. The center was by far the nicest of any of the places we have been. The athletes who spend time there in the summer have access to rock climbing walls, high ropes courses, horseback riding, and cycling.

While we were there, we had the opportunity to spend time with a group of individuals who were visually impaired. I spent most of my time hanging out with my new friend Paul who was a young boy. One particular moment that sticks out from my time with him occurred after I got him a CapriSun drink. At first, I wanted to put the straw in the pouch for him, but I wanted to recognize his abilities so I did not do anything. It was astounding because he got his straw into the drink faster than I could. I’m really enjoying the opportunity to spend time interacting with people with disabilities because I am learning so many new things every day.

Tomorrow we leave Salt Lake City, Utah and head for Park City, Utah (27 miles – Uphill)!

June 27 2009 - Payson - Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City! Today was another fun arrival into a big city. We hit some bad construction so everyone was only able to ride 25 miles before being racked into the city. Once we were there, we had lunch and prepared for our staged arrival into the Saturn Dealership in downtown Salt Lake City. A staged arrival is when we ride in a double pace line (or 2 people wide) into a city. An arrival is a lot of fun because there are usually people and press waiting for you. In this case we had the friendly staff of the Saturn Dealership provide food and beverages while some local media took video for the news.

Once we were completed at the Saturn Dealership, we went to Raging Waters Amusement Park for a friendship visit. It was a blast because we were able to ride the water slides with our new friends.

The rest of the evening was low key as me and 5 other riders did some much needed laundry. Tomorrow we have another great friendship visit planned for our free day. See you then!

June 26 2009 Delta - Payson

Today was a rough day on the bike! My upper knee began to flare up again and so I was only able to ride 10 miles before racking myself. While I was disappointed that I couldn’t finish the day, I was excited that I could spend some time with the crew and take some great pictures. We arrived into Payson, Utah to find that it was by far the largest town that we have been in since Sacramento, California. As such, we were able to do bike shop runs, and some trips to the local Wal-Mart for necessity items.

We didn’t have any programming or sponsored meals this evening so the brothers and I went to the local Mexican Restaurant for one of the cyclist’s 21st birthday. We had a decent meal and then split up into 2 different groups. One group stayed out at the karaoke bar and the other (including me) went out to the movie theater to see the opening of Transformers 2. When we reached the theater we realized that everyone in Payson had the same idea so we weren’t able to gain entrance to the theater. Since we were all so excited about the movie we decided to look up the next closest theater. We hoped back in the cars and drove 15 miles towards Salt Lake City to the next there in Provo, Utah. When we arrived, we found that everyone in Provo also wanted to see Transformers 2 and so it was also sold out. Tired and defeated, we settled for ice cream cones on the return trip to lodging.

I won’t be riding tomorrow because I will be resting my knee for another 2 days. Look for some great pictures of Salt Lake City, Utah though!

June 25 2009 Baker - Delta

Utah…….”it looks kind of like…..Nevada?”

As we made our way into a new state, many of us took the opportunity to look around and make the observation that western Utah looks the same as eastern Nevada. None the less, today was an extremely interesting day. As we made our way to mile 30, we dropped into an extreme desert where there was absolutely no vegetation and the temperature sky rocketed. The wind started to pick up and the conditions started to deteriorate. We reached mile marker 50 and realized that a large storm was brewing in the distance. As we stopped for a break, we took notice that the storm was actually a dust storm coming straight for us. We were worried that visibility would be lowered, but as we got back on the bike a 40 mph tailwind kicked up and began to propel us at 35 mph down the road. We had 35 miles to go when the storm lowered visibility to the point where it became unsafe for the riders. As such, the crew chief racked all of the riders and we rode the rest of the way in the crew vans. While we were bummed that we didn’t finish the ride, we knew that the crew chief had made the right decision.

The rest of the evening was relatively low key and we spent the rest of our free time resting up for the big day tomorrow!

June 24 2009 Ely - Baker

The best day (and last day) in the state of Nevada! We made an 80 mile ride today through the mountains to Baker, Nevada. We scaled 2 mountain passes over 1000 vertical feet on our way into Baker. The challenge of the day was the fluctuating temperature. The morning started out around 40 degrees and slowly warmed to a scorching 100 degrees by the end of the ride. While it didn’t seem to be an issue at first, as the temperature slowly rose and the amount of water and clothing needed to be constantly adjusted to fit the weather.

As we crested over the 2nd pass, we had an absolutely breathtaking view of the Great Basin National Forest. While our 2nd peak was around 7200 feet, there were snow-capped mountains which exceeded 13,000 feet very nearby.

Once we arrived in the town of Baker, we set up our lodging for the evening and got ready for a world class tour of the Lehman Caves. While I have had the opportunity to visit Mammoth Caves before, Lehman Caves were absolutely breathtaking. There were numerous types of rock formations and caverns within the underground area.

After we returned from the Caves, we were hosted by the local community for dinner. It was amazing to talk to two locals and find out that they are from Put-in-Bay, Ohio and Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It was ironic because Mount Lebanon is 5 minutes from my home and Put-in-Bay is where I spent many summers on Lake Erie.
The last hours of the evening were then spent catching up with my blog and pictures so that everyone could enjoy my Journey! Tomorrow will be our first day into the state of Utah!

June 23 2009 - Eureka - Ely

Another day in the great state of Nevada! Today the cycling team traveled 80 miles from Eureka to the city of Ely (pronounced El-ee). Unfortunately, I was only able to complete 30 miles of the 80 mile trip due to slight knee pain. I think that the knee pain stemmed from 3 long days of riding after being sick and taking some time off from riding. My muscles have been extremely fatigued the last few days and so I thought it would be wise not to push my knee too hard this early into the trip. After riding the rest of the route in the van, our team was hosted by the Ely County High School Student Council for a fantastic dinner of hamburgers, salad, and watermelon.

While it was tough to take myself off of the bike today, I am confident that it was the right decision for me in the long term. I am hoping to ride tomorrow morning as we depart from Ely and go to the small town of Baker, Nevada (population 65). The ride will be about 65 miles spanning over 2 mountain passes.

June 22 2009 - Austin - Eureka

The word of the day is: WINDY!

Today we cycled from the town of Austin to Eureka covering 70 miles of terrain in some of the worst wind of the trip. For a 20 mile stretch the wind was howling at ~25 mph in our face, making the ride incredibly difficult! None the less, our whole team made it every mile with the exception of one of the cyclists, Jim, who has stitches in his knee. The terrain has remained fairly constant with large mountain passes followed by long open valleys.

We did not have any friendship visits today, but we had a fantastic lunch hosted by DJ’s Diner and another great pasta dinner hosted by the Lions Club of Eureka. It’s going to be an early night tonight because I am exhausted!

Tomorrow we have an 80 mile ride spanning 4 large mountain passes. See you then!

June 21 2009 - Fallon - Austin

Tough day today! We had to make the trip from Fallon to Austin, Nevada in around 7 hours. The total mileage was 115 miles but I was only able to make it to mile 80. Since it was only my 2nd day on the bike, I was fighting some muscle fatigue from the before. I’m really excited for tomorrow however because we have a 75 mile ride which I plan on finishing. We didn’t have any friendship visits tonight, but we did receive a fantastic sponsored dinner from some very nice people of Austin.

June 20 2009 - Carson City - Fallon

My first day on the bike today! We left from Carson City, Nevada at 8 am and departed for Fallon, Nevada. We rode 65 miles through the desert and arrived at Numa Elementary School for lodging.

After a quick break, we left for Fallon Industries for an incredible friendship visit.
The visit was by far the most exciting of the trip. We were warmly welcomed and while there, we had karaoke and dancing for several hours. I sat and talked with Barbara and Vicky (mother and daughter) for a long time. It was really great to interact with them and hear what life is like here in Fallon. Like many others in the town, they aren’t originally from the area, but rather moved from a larger city, Los Angeles. They said that they like the slower pace and friendly people of the area. Even though there isn’t a lot here, I’m looking forward to meeting the people from the smaller towns.
Tomorrow we will be riding 110 miles to Austin, Nevada – I can’t wait for another great day on the bike!
**. A fun fact about Fallon, Nevada is that is the home of Top Gun Pilot Training

June 19, 2009 - Carson City

A free day in Carson City! Well….not really. Today was still a busy day with a lot to do. The morning consisted of lunch at the Golden Nugget Casino and a friendship visit to the Children’s Museum. While at the Musuem we had the opportunity to interact with local children and put on another Kids on the Block (KOB) presentation. The excitement for the rest of the day consisted of catching up with blog and doing some much needed laundry!
Tomorrow is my first day on the bike and we will be doing a 65 mile ride to Fallon, NV. I’m so excited for my first ride! I will keep you guys updated as soon as we have internet access again.

June 18, 2009 - Markleeville to Carson City

The riders did an easy 40 mile cruise into Carson City, Nevada today. After a long and difficult day yesterday the relatively easy ride was welcoming to the weary riders. When we arrived in Carson City, the riders were escorted through the city by the city policeman.
Once we had arrived in Carson City, we had a friendship visit with the local Boys and Girls Club. While there, we had the chance to play with the kids as well as put on a puppet show known as “Kids on the Block” (KOB). The KOB puppet show is put on by the cyclists and goes through several roles where puppets with disabilities interact with other puppets. The purpose of the KOB puppet show, is to teach young kids that people with disabilities can do almost everything that a normal kid can do. The kids were really receptive and asked a lot of great questions.
After our friendship visit was over, many of the cyclists ran errands and enjoyed some much needed free time. Tomorrow will be free day in Carson City!

June 17 2009 - Jackson to Markleeville

Today was an absolutely fantastic day! We started off the morning with a full breakfast provided by a Mel and Faye’s diner, who have been supporting the Journey of Hope for 22 years. We departed from Jackson, California around 7 am and spent the entire day ascending into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The riders traveled over 85 miles and climbed over 7000 vertical feet on their journey to Markleeville, California. Almost all of the riders were able to make it the whole way, but a few did succumb to health issues throughout the day. I have taken a lot of great pictures of the rivers and mountains which I will be posted on website to be named soon.
Unfortunately, I was unable to ride today but I am expecting to make my first start in a few days on our way out of Carson City, Nevada!