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.