My Legs Hurt

The End

2008-05-30T15:58:00.002-04:00

I can't believe the ride is finished. About two days ago we reached Bethany Beach. The last couple days at the beach and DC were fun. Rebecca & Ed came out and rode for a while on the W&OD with us. Then Jill, Fernando and my family met us at the beach. It was an amazing experience where I got to meet some great people. I'm in the process of readjusting to non-ride life. Its much more fun to get up each morning and ride your bike than pay bills and do laundry. Thanks everyone for your support.

West Virginia

2008-05-22T23:46:00.003-04:00

I can't believe we're already in West Virginia - back in the mountains.

The rest of the time in Columbus/Ohio was fun. Its kind of funny, once we hit Columbus, I felt like we were done, but there was still ~600 miles left. Even though the hills are back, are days are much more relaxed then they were when we first started. People tend to take more time and enjoy the ride - that might also be because it doesn't hurt like it did in the beginning.

New function on my camera, the multishot - having the best ice cream I've had all trip.

The poverty lecture team right before Van left to graduate/get married.

Yes, there really is a town with this name.

Into Columbus

2008-05-17T19:35:00.003-04:00

We made it into Columbus today. Another point that always seemed so far off, but is already here.

Today's ride was an easy 75 miles with a great tailwind. Dave & Anuj's family brought lunch - I overate a bunch of Indian food which was great (except for how it felt when I was riding).

We saw these guys on the path today - greatest recumbents I've seen.

Longest Day

2008-05-17T09:04:00.004-04:00

Enjoying some watermelon b/c it was such a nice day.

We didn't make it to 150 miles yesterday, but we did make it to the border of Ohio at 114 miles. We had to be somewhere at 6pm, so they started taking people off the route at 3:30. I was near the front, so we were able to make it to the border where they were taking everyone off just before the sweep got there. 114 miles is our longest day yet, so I'm happy that I was able to finish it.

Pig roast at Joe's sister's house.

Yesterday was really nice. A full day where it didn't rain at all. Doesn't happen too often. I love days where the weather is nice. Those are the days where its fun to get on the bike, and I enjoy the trip.
Kel and I showing off our nice Euro mullets while having a break of espresso and candy cigs.

Bloomington

2008-05-15T22:49:00.002-04:00

It rained again today.

I was on support, so I didn't get wet at first, but then I ended up helping with flats, loading gear, etc. Its a lot more fun to be wet when you're not wearing jeans. My team had three presentations today. Two were this morning to the elementary school where we slept last night (local TV came and filmed Katie talking).

Van and I then presented at Indiana Univ this evening. After, the other veggies and I found the closest thing to a Whole Foods and stocked up on veg products. We're staying in apts at the university. Tomorrow we have 150 miles. My guess is that everyone is going to be swept.

Indiana

2008-05-14T20:38:00.004-04:00

I can't believe how fast the ride is going now - we're in Indiana. I think my favorite thing about getting into Indiana - their sign says "Lincoln's Boyhood Home," an obvious jab at Illinois that loves its connection to him.

The school that we're staying at today is great - they've made posters and signs and the kids all made us place mats.

I love these signs - many of the towns have these when you enter - ads, telling you how wholesome the towns are.

Today's ride was pretty nice. 90 miles & rain, but it was pretty flat.

The Arch & Illinois

2008-05-13T22:38:00.002-04:00

We had yet another day of rain. It was so nice when yesterday's weather was beautiful. It gets hard getting on the bike every day when its raining. We waited for a while (us in the gym above) for the lightening to pass in St. Louis. When it didn't, we had to drive to our lunch spot where day riders were waiting for us. It cleared up in the afternoon and we were able to ride the last 50 miles of the day. One more state - we're in Illinois for only 2 days.
One of the day riders today had a new way to scare away dogs (which there were a lot of in rural, Southern Illinois). He carries a mini-revolver and shoots blanks to scare the dogs away. Its different, but it works.

The Most Underrated State, Missouri

2008-05-12T22:37:00.002-04:00

I've decided that Missouri gets a bad rap. I have really liked the state. Its much more populated than I thought, with many small, fun towns. It is also very green with nice rolling hills. St. Louis is also much nicer than I thought it would be. We're staying at the Wash U Medical Center.
Today was a short and easy ride. We did get lost for the 3rd time in 3 days. Here Anuj is getting directions from a local farmer. My favorite part of the whole thing was when the guy came over to us and asked "Hey, don't you all have a GPS?" Not at all the response I was expecting.

Greenery and trees are a nice change. We had an event at a local high school for a college bound program. The students were a lot of fun. As a gift they gave us a book of essays that they had written.

I forgot to write about this yesterday - Dogs - especially for Christina and Tracey. I had my second big dog charge yesterday. I was riding along and saw a large dog running at the riders in front of me. When he didn't get them, he turned to me. I thought I was going to have issues, but when he ran toward me, I squirted my water bottle in his face and that calmed him down.

Jeff City

2008-05-10T21:41:00.006-04:00

First off, Happy Mother's Day Mom and all the other mothers out there. Today we went from Jefferson City to Washington.

It was a pretty easy day. 75 miles with a tailwind. It started off cold and rainy, but the tailwind made it quick and easy.

One of the rest stops was at a winery where we took a tour and had a tasting. Billy, the guy on the left in the picture above was a lot of fun and full of trivia.
Tomorrow we go to St. Louis - It will be our last day in MO, which has been much nicer and more built up than I thought it would be.

I was on support yesterday, and it turned out to be kind of a rough day. There was no sign on the road where we needed to turn off and we got lost on the way out of town and the riders had to start the day with about 8 miles in the wrong way. I felt pretty bad about it. Then there was a detour that added another 16 or so miles to the route because a new bridge was being built. This picture is from about a week ago. We were in the middle of nowhere and we got stopped by this construction worker. It was pretty funny.

Misery, MO

2008-05-09T23:22:00.004-04:00

The new Kem - without beard and without Borat.
The way the day started, I thought Missouri was going to be horrible. It was rainy, hilly and windy - but the day turned out pretty nice in the end. We rode 104 miles. We were talking today about how fun it is that we ride centuries like its any other day. I've been impressed with Missouri so far - its a lot more built up than I thought it was going to be.

Our day in Kansas City went well. The event at the medical school had a good turn out with interesting speakers and involved students. Carissa got us hooked up with free tickets to the Royals vs Orioles game which was a lot of fun. One of the foul balls hit the seat in front of me. I'd be lying if I said I tried to catch it - more of the opposite, I was trying my best to make sure that I didn't get in the ball's way.
I sported my new haircut -
Cut by Kel and styled by Samara.

Kansas, Not as Advertised

2008-05-08T00:15:00.002-04:00

We had a short talk at the Mennonite church this morning. I spoke with some of the members after the presentation and asked a bunch of questions about their church. Everyone was in plain clothes and it sounds like the church has basically gone mainstream - there are a few individual churches that have broken away and stuck to the more traditional dress, etc. I also learned that the Amish were a break away group from the Mennonites.

We had our last day of riding in Kansas today - and of course, it rained, and we got pretty muddy.
Only 8 of us finished the entire ride because of traffic and rain coming into Kansas City. It was really hilly coming into the city - lots of unexpected climbs. We did get tracked by the NBC helicopter for the evening news which we then later saw which was pretty cool. We're staying at the KU medical center and have an event here tomorrow. The room we're staying in is tiny and smells like people that have been biking in the rain for days.

Why does Kansas hate me?

2008-05-06T23:23:00.003-04:00

Every day Kansas has given us a new challenge. At first we had the wind. Then the rain. Today we had over 10 miles of chopped up/stripped road. That's a long time to rattle. I guess all the shaking made my bike computer cables loose. It caught on my pedal and got yanked out. 90 miles can be a while without an odometer.

I like this part of Kansas much more. It looks a little like Bukoba/Uganda and what I would imagine Ireland to look like. Fun, rolling hills.

We're staying in a Mennonite church in Topeka. Topeka looks kind of how you would expect it, maybe smaller.

Kel gave me a haircut. I'll post a picture once I have one.

RAIN

2008-05-05T19:30:00.005-04:00

Kansas weather has not been good to us. After a few days of crazy winds, we had our first day of rain today. It started just after we left Lyons. Light, and then constant. It was actually pretty nice to ride in. My biggest complaint was that I had just cleaned my bike last night. Plus, I was riding with Erin who loved being in the rain, so that kept me happy about the ride.

This is a picture of Dave filling water bottles at the first rest stop. After I waited in the van, it was freezing to go back out into the rain. We only lasted a couple of miles though until they pulled us off the road because of lightening. We went and waited out the rest of the thunder/lightening in the town of Lindsborg, which considers itself Little Sweden. It was kind of like Helen in North Georgia.

We dried out for a little in a local church and had some coffee and pastries in town before heading back into the rain which let up after a couple of miles. It was still wet, but not too bad. This part of Kansas is not flat as advertised. Rolling hills actually, but nothing bad. Most of the afternoon was dry - we made it to the school where we are staying in Herington just before it started to rain again. The people at the school where we are staying are really nice and have pointed out the tornado shelters for us.

On Support

2008-05-04T22:51:00.003-04:00

I was on support for today's ride. It was about 100 miles in Western Kansas. In one of the first towns we went through, Katie and I pulled over to cheer on the riders. Once I pulled over I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that there was a cop behind me. After getting nervous, it turns out the cop was just checking to make sure I was ok because I had my hazards on and had pulled over. Then we talked about the ride and he was super nice and welcoming. Right after that, this guy with 4 dogs pulled over and was also very nice. Turns out he has a bed and breakfast in that town for cyclists. He had Katie and I come over to see his brand new puppies and meet his wife. If I had been closer to home, I would have taken one of them with me.

Yesterday's break at a donut shop that had run out of donuts.
Hanging out after the ride in the Ness City gym.
At our first rest stop today we ended up stopping at the same spot that the Patriot Guard Riders were meeting up. They are a huge group of motorcyclists that go to the funerals of fallen service men to support the families and block out the protests of WBC and Rev. Phelps. "Reverend" Phelps likes to show up at the funerals to celebrate their deaths because he believes that God killed the service men because they support a country where gays are not persecuted. Phelps was the same guy in NYC that used celebrate the deaths of NYFD and NYPD for the same reasons. Turns out his church is based in Topeka.
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo Eve, our support group made a pinta and had an Oreo lick off at dinner. Fun times in Lyons, KS.

Ness City, KS

2008-05-03T20:02:00.002-04:00

So, Kansas is still flat.

There are a lot of smells here - motly of farming and something to do with grain I guess. We've seen a lot of fields and a couple of cow farms. I spent all of today in pace lines which made it easier in the wind and helped pass the time. We went about 80 miles today.

Kansas Wind

2008-05-02T17:11:00.002-04:00

I forgot to mention yesterday how flat Easter Colorado is. Lots of nothing for a long time, but for some reason there are a lot of fences. Not really sure what they are keeping in or out.
My favorite part of yesterday was when a giant tumbleweed got caught in my tire while riding. This is actually from today when yet another tumbleweed got caught.
We entered Kansas today about 40some miles into our day, but we ended up not riding. There were crazy winds which really picked up during our lunch break. The rest of today's ride was called off because of the potential danger of riding in such high winds. And when I say winds, I mean serious winds that almost knock you over when standing still. Maybe the only time I've felt such winds are in hurricane type storms.
When we got to the town of Leoti, KS where we are staying we went to the Museum of the Great Plains. They had this list of rules for teachers from 1915 - thought all you teachers would appreciate this.

Denver

2008-05-02T01:00:00.002-04:00

Denver has been fun. Fernando came out and picked me up along the ride yesterday. We had Thai yesterday and a good brunch this morning. Yes, food at a table and not cooked for 23 is exciting.

We met up with George this morning. He is a friend/student from Tanzania that just moved here to Denver three months ago. We took him out for some Greek food so that he could experience a different kind of American restaurant. It was nice to see him and meet his kids. It was also great to catch up.
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After hanging out for the day yesterday, Fernando left me back with the team this morning. It was good to see him and hang out for the day. The weather was crazy today. When we left Denver this morning there was a crazy snow storm. Then we got to Eastern Colorado where we were giving a presentation. When we arrived it was hot. When we finished, a crazy wind storm had started and the wind continued for the rest of the day. It was a lot of work to keep riding into the wind.
Chris and Maryanne in the van trying to wait out the wind storm, but the end never came so we biked through it.

Continental Divide

2008-04-28T22:48:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was more climbing, but another good day in the Rockies.
Today we crossed the continental divide – I was on support so I didn’t actually ride. There were great views and it was a pretty steep climb. We set up lunch at the top of the mountain. While we were having lunch, a snow plow ran into one of our parked vans (which was in a parking lot). Kind of complicated the day – everyone had been so happy because they had finished such a major climb and then that happened. I'm told that if I follow the water, its all downhill from here.
Trying out a video - Kem racing toward the top.

1000+

2008-04-27T00:02:00.005-04:00

From yesterday - pictures of Telluride, and yes, some riders ran into Katie Holmes at a coffee shop.

Today I noticed on my odometer that I’ve gone over 1000 miles so far on this trip. Its crazy how fast it seems to be going.

As I ride every day, I think about all the things that I want to write on here – and compose great little stories in my head, but once I sit at the computer, I forget everything that I wanted to say.

After a day off in Telluride, we were back to climbing a little in the Rockies. Today the mountains actually looked like what I had expected in the Rockies. When we started the day I had ice on my bike seat and it took a while for my second water bottle to melt from the bikes being left outside over night.

Today’s climb wasn’t too bad. There were amazing views. The road up snaked along an overfull spring river which makes climbing so much easier. I actually think that I like climbing mountains better than coming off them. I’m able to look around and enjoy the view. Going down the mountain you have to worry about potholes and crosswinds.

Even though a large part of today was flat, we had to deal with a lot of headwinds. Pace lines totally saved me today. Its so much easier than trying to fight the wind myself.

The Rockies

2008-04-24T18:56:00.001-04:00

Today was another amazing day. We climbed up into the Rockies and have arrived at Telluride. The climb actually wasn’t too bad. We made it up to 10,222 feet before coming down a little to Telluride. On the way up, we traced a river that was overflowing with water from the melting snow that was all around. Great views of the river, mountains, pines/aspen and snow. We thankfully had a tailwind on the way up which made it an easier day than many last week even though there was so much climbing.

It was snowing a little bit around dinner time.

Colorado!

2008-04-23T22:17:00.010-04:00

Today we entered Colorado. Tomorrow we start the Rockies.

The day went pretty well. Not too long and the wind wasn’t too bad. We’re staying in the town of Dolores, CO. A really nice town at the base of the Rockies. We’re staying in the High School gym and the local Catholic Church made us dinner. During the dinner, Van and I gave a talk about poverty and health. It seemed to go over well – the members of the church are really active in local poverty issues.

Random fact – tumbleweed is an invasive plant brought over from Russia.

Downtown Dolores
Samara, Steph and Jen at Karaoke in Monticello, UT.

Cory and Kel in the gym where we're staying.

Monticello, UT

2008-04-22T22:13:00.004-04:00

The dust storm from two days ago (I'm in there somewhere - Linc hung back and took a picture).

Lunch stop (actually from yesterday).
Riders coming into the first rest stop today.

Yesterday was horrendous. It was supposed to be a 72 mile day and it ended up being a 98 mile day. It was arid, hilly, and windy, so it took a while. We all ended up running out of water and a lot of people got sagged. I think it made a lot of people very unhappy – probably one of the more intense moments of the trip. But, when we finished, we were at Natural Bridges park, so we were able to get around and see the park a little. We camped out and the stars were great.

Today was a much better day – and not just because I was on the support crew. The ride was only 65 miles and we went through a couple of nice small towns. We’re staying at a Catholic church in Monticello, UT. They made us an amazing dinner of flat tacos. It was very nice after our past two nights of camping and throwing together meals.

Hanksville

2008-04-22T22:03:00.004-04:00

Leaving Boulder, going up through the aspen.
On the other side of the mountain - mesas.
Random moonscape. I have no idea how cows graze here.
Random house in the middle of nowhere.

Another beautiful day in Utah. We started with a climb to almost 10,000 again just outside the town of Boulder, UT. Then it was mostly downhill which was nice. It was freezing up top the mountain and then it stayed cool most of the day. It was great to see all the different changes in terrain, plants, etc throughout the day. The first mountain had streams, aspen and tons of pine, but as we came down, it turned more into desert and mesas with tons of great colored dunes and formations. We also went through Capital Reef park which was beautiful – although the park ranger was not so cool. He fined us for having an event in the park without a permit. Kind of bizarre. Utah has rules for everything. We had some crazy wind for about half the day. There were points where we were riding at 45 degree angles into the wind and where the wind pushed me over a lane. We also had some crazy headwinds where I would pedal as hard as possible and go about 4 or 5 mph. We’re camping out tonight in Hanksville which is in the middle of nowhere with great surroundings.

Boulder

2008-04-22T21:35:00.003-04:00

Utah is beautiful – every cyclist needs to ride through this state. Today was another great day. There were some climbs, but even though they are higher than other climbs we’ve done, they just seem easier. I think the beautiful surroundings help out a bunch. The downhills are great too. Gradual downhills that seem to last forever, but not too steep so that I don’t have to ride the breaks.
Getting energy from the petrified wood.
We had lunch at the petrified forest. It was cool to see, but not what I was expecting. The lake and the view was much nicer. It was good to get out and hike a little – use some different muscles. We’ve also been passing through a lot of fun small towns.

After lunch, some of us got stuck in the middle of a dust storm. It was crazy. We were riding leaning over because of the wind and there was dirt everywhere. My right eye was closed and my left one was barely open. Tumbleweed was everywhere. It was actually pretty funny because there was so much of it flying around. I got a little piece trapped in my brakes.

We met two Germans that are riding their bikes from Miami to San Francisco. Their bikes were so heavy, loaded down with all their gear. Right after that we came across the first coffee shop that we have seen in hundreds of miles. I stopped in and got an espresso with an amazing view.

The top of our second major climb of the day was kind of like a roller coaster. Very high up and it dropped off on both sides. I rode in the middle of the lane – especially with the wind howling.
Cory having espresso with the best view of any coffee shop I know. 14% grade climb = steep
Tonight we’re staying in home stays in the town of Boulder, UT. It’s a great little town with really nice people. The vegetarians are all staying with Mike who works for the parks department and who sets up the home stays. He’s got a great place with tons of land and animals. He built the house himself and is kind of making it a stand alone sustainable place to live. We had a great meal and then watched O Brother, Where Art Thou.

The house where we stayed.

Great Day

2008-04-18T23:22:00.004-04:00

Today was such a great day - probably my favorite. We rode 92 miles and climbed a mountain with a peak of 9910 feet. It was a long and slow climb, but not too tough. It was very beautiful - don't have any pictures because i didn't want to stop but the support team got some. Part of the climb went through a bit of a canyon type thing with little mountain streams along the road. there was tons of snow, but this time I was dressed properly.

At the top.

The way down was great too. Lots of downhills, but not too many of the steep ones that make me feel like my bike is going to fall out from under me. Part of the path took us through Red Canyon which was really nice.

Van in Red Canyon.

We then took a detour and saw Bryce Canyon which was really fun. Met some Italians there.
Linc at Bryce Canyon.

Cedar City

2008-04-17T13:39:00.003-04:00

Entering Utah & Leaving Nevada

We’ve now left the desert and have headed into the cold. The two days of riding after Vegas were pretty easy. There were climbs, but we had a tail wind which makes things so much easier. The last ten miles into Panaca were rough though because of strong cross winds.

The terrain has been changing. We saw our first trees in a while two days ago. We’re now in Cedar City at the base of some mountains. Yesterday I was on support, so avoided the sudden drop in temperature. The riders were freezing. We tried to get them as many clothes as possible, but most people had their gear packed in the trailer.

Yesterday morning Van and I gave a presentation on Poverty and Health at Lincoln County High School. The whole school came – about 180 students. It was a pretty good group, and I think most of them were interested. We tried to make it as interactive as possible to try and keep people’s attention. I was a little stressed prepping it, but I’m glad to have finally given the presentation so that I don’t have to worry about giving it for the first time any more.

Linc arrived yesterday – he flew into Cedar City and then rode his bike out to meet us on the route.

Linc & Samara at a local bar in Cedar City.

The place where we stayed in Cedar City - an Episcopal Church where people were really rude.

Maryanne going downhill (above) & Chris going downhill (below).

Easy Desert

2008-04-14T22:08:00.004-04:00

A better day in the desert. The sun was intense, but there was no major climbing and the wind was mostly at our back. We left Vegas this morning and about 74 miles later we arrived around 2ish to give a talk at the high school in Alamo where we are staying. The students seemed interested and many asked questions after the talk. Maryanne cooked a great dinner in the home ec room and then we went into town for dessert. Some in our group went to local springs to swim, but I stayed back to work with a group of four that will be giving a presentation on Poverty and Health in 2 days.

Nate giving a presentation at the High School in Alamo, NV

We're sleeping in the hallway outside the gym

Things this country has too much of: Deserts, Wind & Mountains

2008-04-13T17:13:00.007-04:00

So I'm finally in Vegas and have access to electricity. The past three days have been intense.

Day 5: CrewI was on the support crew for our longest day so far - 108 miles through the desert on Route 66. Not a bad day to crew because the sun was intense and the roads were practically gravel. I'm surprised that the state of California even has those roads still open - they were in bad shape. Katie and I drove the sweep can and set up lunch. Cheering everyone on and helping out was much more fun and work than I expected. We spent the night camping at this great spot in the desert.

'Bagdad Cafe' in the middle of nowhere on Route 66Kel & Joe on Rt 66

DQ in the middle of nowhere - they donated

25 ice creams for our lunch stop - looks like

I'll have to force myself to contine to eat Blizzards

to support DQ.

One of the many abandoned places

along Route 66.Katie & Seth helping with a flat.

Random shoe tree near Amboy in the middle of nowhere.

Katie taking pictures in the desert.

An abandoned school along Route 66. There really wasn't much along the whole 108 miles.

Sun setting as we set up camp.

Day 6: 90ish miles in the desert with a climb at the end.
I could feel myself cooking in the desert as we went through the Mojave and Death Valley. The climb at the end of the day was not fun. We had a great camping spot though - it had a natural springs bath. We had lunch at Baker Jr/Sr High School where Jen gave a great talk to the school (of about 200 people). They had great questions about our riding. I got cheers from the crowd for having ridden my bike longer than anyone else in the group - 9 yrs. Yes, I’m old. The students came out to talk to us and see us off. It seemed like a good experience for both side.

Jamie preping for the wind, sun & sand.

Ride prep - there were a lot of trains crossing the emptiness. Its cold in the morning - we layer and take off gear as we go along.

Baker, CA - Home of the 'World's Largest Thermometer (in the background), just outside Death Valley

Day 7: Into Nevada
So I’m a bit upset with the state of Nevada – they had no welcome sign on the tiny road that we were on. All that work, and no sign as a reward - but the roads got better. We did about 74 miles to get to Red Rock outside Las Vegas. We had a crazy climb to get to lunch (which was around mile 55). There was so much wind that even when going downhill I had to pedal. The climb was so long that the downhill lasted about 10 miles. At the end we had an optional 14 mile loop around Red Rock park. The majority of us decided to relax in the shade.

We went out last night along The Strip. We started with all you can eat Sushi/Asian. Don’t think that restaurant knew what hit it. We can all pack away a lot of food at the end of a ride. We then walked around a little and played some games at the Bellagio. I expected to be wowed by Vegas but have been a bit under whelmed by it. I’m glad that I got a chance to see it, but I don’t foresee too many return trips. I’d rather go back to San Diego. I won $40 at Bellagio but then spent $20 of that at South Point. South Point was a lot more fun because they had $1 tables which means you can play for a long time. I watched one guy at my table go through $12,000. Craziness.

Today we are just hanging out in Vegas to rest. Ashley's family hooked us up with a time share. Its a great chance to do some laundry and reorganize.

Kel, Josh & Ash at Red Rock after the ride.

A group of us at Red Rock after the ride.

Out in Vegas - outside the Bellagio.

Nice and Easy

2008-04-10T00:05:00.004-04:00

Today was so much easier. About 45 miles in the flat Mojave Desert. It was very windy and we worked on pace lines (where you cycle one behind the other so that the person in front cuts the wind resistance for everyone else). The desert is desolate and beautiful in its own way. Lots of litter around the towns though. We ate a late lunch at a fun 50's diner and then stopped by a 'ghost town' where this woman told Ashley and I all about the history of the place. Pretty interesting to learn about the boom time. We are staying at the Barstow Community College and we gave a short talk earlier this evening. Went to the grocery store with Katie to prep for tomorrow (we're on support crew tomorrow). The local grocery store at night in the middle of the desert was an experience. I'm seeing a part of California I never knew existed. Need to go set up everything for tomorrow. I'll try and upload some pictures later, but might not have internet/power for a while b/c we're camping tomorrow.

Lunch at the 50s Diner

Ashley having a shoot out in the Ghost Town

Talk at Barstow Community College

Brutal

2008-04-09T11:09:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was brutal. Basically all uphill – and they were mountains. There was no prep for this in Atlanta. We basically climbed two big mountains. After the first, which was supposed to have been our only, we had a little detour which ended up sending us up an even higher mountain.

Myself and Katie in the 1st set
of mountains.

At first we thought it was going to only be a 400ft climb. Christian dubbed it the Hill of Broken Hope because we kept turning corners expecting it to be over, but it kept going. We ended up going into the clouds and snow.

Coming down from the Hill of
Broken Hope.

We passed the mile high mark with 7 miles of climbing left. Not sure how high we were at the top. I thought I was cold until I started the 10 mile downhill on the other side (where a coyote crossed my path). After the first mountain I left my gear in the van because we were supposed to have been in the desert. We never made it to our destination – it ended up getting dark so the people in the front picked a spot to stop. The rest of us got in the vans to try and warm up. I was freezing. I had no idea that there were major mountains and ski resorts right outside LA. I also didn’t know that you could ride 50 miles outside LA and be in the middle of nowhere. I slept really well last night on the floor of a Catholic Church in Hesperia. Today is supposed to be easier – only 50 miles and relatively flat.

Resting at the Mile High Cafe

Day 2 LA Event

2008-04-07T23:31:00.001-04:00

The team with Dr Jones at USC

I had really not been too excited to get up early this morning – especially when it was the first time that I’ve slept in a bed in a week - to pick up our speaker, but it turned out really well. Ashley and I hit almost no traffic on the way out to the airport and we didn’t get lost.

Ashley with Eveleen Jones

Eveleen Jones has a really interesting background and I thought she gave a good rallying talk at USC. She also didn’t care when we missed the same Freeway entrance four times on our trip back to the airport. We had a little less luck with the traffic and the Garmin in the afternoon. We took Dr. Jones to breakfast in Hollywood, so I got to see the sign and a couple of blocks of Sunset Blvd.

Doc from MSF talking to USC med students

Seth won the half bagel award today, for being a good rider that looks out for others.

NBC in LA did a couple of spots on the ride today. And as we rode through LA people would call out that they saw us on the news.
We hung out with our host family a while this evening – they gave us dinner and we watched the second half of the basketball game. They’ve been great. Their kids go to Loyola High School – I plugged JVI.

I’m going to go enjoy this bed before our 90 mile uphill climb tomorrow (and before the internet cuts out again.)

Day One

2008-04-07T22:30:00.003-04:00

Today was the official first day of the ride. We started off by dipping our rear tires in the Pacific Ocean.

We then rode 80 miles to a beach near Los Angeles. It was a nice ride – very scenic, overlooking the Pacific for most of the ride. Rolling hills mostly. We got lost/turned around for a brief part because of a large 5K in the middle of our route.

I like San Diego drivers much more than LA drivers – the more North we went, the worse they became. We stopped in Laguna Beach for a talk & lunch. We were met by people from the Laguna Beach Community Clinic – one of the few clinics for the underserved for many miles around. They gave us a tour of their facility, which was a pretty nice set up. We had dinner at the beach and are now staying with families in Altadena. There are three riders staying where I am. The family was really nice – we’re staying in their guest house. I finally have a chance to do laundry – its been needed for a while. I wash out my jersey/bib every day, but everything else needed a wash.

Being in the OC has me looking out for Brandon, Andrea and Dillon. At points it seems like I walked onto the set. Walking around the streets at dinner was great people watching.

Ok, I have to go to the airport at 6am with another rider to pick up our guest speaker for our event tomorrow. Early, but not as bad as the riders that have to be at NBC at 4am. Then again, some get to sleep in.

Last Day in San Diego

2008-04-05T21:41:00.002-04:00

Today is our last day in San Diego. We went for another practice ride along the Pacific Coast Highway and have gotten our bikes and gear ready. We take off tomorrow morning at 7am - about 80 miles to LA.

We’ve been spoiled by Laurie and the JCC, so its going to be hard to switch over to living out of our bags.

The Big Climb

2008-04-04T00:25:00.002-04:00

Today, a group of us rode up Mt. Soledad. http://www.virtuallajolla.com/mt_soledad.htm It’s a 1.5 mile, 10% average grade (one sign said 15%) climb to get to the top. Basically, we went up a right triangle – except side B, not the hypotenuse. Great view at the top.

San Diego - Days 1 & 2

2008-04-02T19:54:00.000-04:00

I love San Diego – bike lanes everywhere. We’re here until April 6th, prepping for the ride & events as well as getting in some last minute training.

We did our first rides as a group today. This morning we rode to a senior citizens center a couple of towns up the coast for a talk and lunch. I was riding caboose and the back of the group got separated – we went about 5 miles out of the way – an auspicious start. It was a great ride though – along the Pacific Coast Highway.

After lunch we did some hill training, biking loops on a big hill along the coast.

We’re staying in the San Diego JCC for the week. They’ve been great to us – gotten all kinds of meals donated for us and given us a room to use for the week.

Thank You

2008-03-27T23:59:00.001-04:00

I am almost all packed and want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone that has been so supportive with this ride, both financially and emotionally. Everyone has been great. If you haven’t gotten a thank you note from me yet – you will, once I have a list of addresses. And in case your favorite holiday food wasn’t already Tofurky, it should be – they sent a nice care package of products when I wrote and told them about the ride.

My First

2008-03-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

Its about a week before I start my ride. I've got a list of things to do, so of course I've decided to start a blog instead of doing anything on my list. But I figure its the best way to keep in touch with people during the ride.