My roommate, Jon Cook, and I decided to take a nap before dinner time and, due to a scheduling change that we slept through, missed the bus. Apparently we were texted that our dinner had moved up an hour and we needed to head to the vans but I slept right through it and didn't wake up until the team was on its way back. Following that little debacle, I talked to my parents and some friends who I'll be hopefully seeing tomorrow in Longview to work out the plans and then I gave Caroline (my bike) a much-needed cleaning. Since then, I've just been enjoying having a bed and internet. What more could one want on the Journey of Hope?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Jully 22, Terrell
Today was a pretty short day to get us back into the swing of things after our biking hiatus that we took in the Dallas area. It was only sixty miles but we were in a bit of a rush because the Lions Club in Terrell was sponsoring our lunch. Lunch, cheeseburgers and ice cream, really hit the spot, as did our lodging for the night, a hotel. Texas has treated us really well as far as food and rest goes- I've only had to use my air mattress a couple of times throughout the entire state. (Though the roads could use some work...)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
July 19-21, Dallas-Fort Worth
July 19
Fort Worth, Texas
What a great day to be a Horned Frog. Today we biked into my second home, Fort Worth. So far on this trip I've felt like I haven't been biking to Washington DC; I've been biking back to TCU. I've been looking forward to returning and seeing friends and brothers and today has been a great day for it. It's not just the familiarity that's made things great though- today would've been an amazing day even if I wasn't from TCU.
I planned on having people waiting at the end of the ride to greet us as we came in, so coming into the ride I knew that I wanted to be near the front. Make fun of my competitive spirit if you want to but that's just the way it is. Now, just because I wanted to get there in a hurry doesn't neccessarily mean that I've got the firepower to do it so I asked Joey Haynes, Reid Grobe, and the Blackstock brothers, Chuck and Bobby, to ride with me because they're all great riders. They're fast and they're really good at pacelining, which is important because it helps a lot as far as conserving energy goes. Some guys can go really fast but don't always keep you with them. These guys are great to ride with because they make the ride easier.
We started off pretty quickly and I was determined to be the first group in. However, about two miles into the ride I got a flat tire. We wasted precious time hanging it and then got back on the bikes again. The start of the ride had a lot of rolling hills where momentum is an important factor so when someone gets a flat tire or loses a water bottle (which happened to Chuck about five minutes after my tire got changed), it really kills the flow of the ride. Things smoothed out a bit and then, at mile 27, Reid's chain broke, meaning he couldn't pedal any more. Bobby (the only guy I know who's as competitive as I am) made the executive decision to not stop the ride so we let Reid coast on the downhills and Bobby pushed him on the uphills for three miles until we made it to our crew stop at mile 30. We stopped and got water (it was our first stop of the day) and left Reid so we could get back on the road.
At this time we had several pacelines ahead of us and we were 30 miles into a 75 mile day. I wasn't sure if it would be possible to catch up to the front groups but we were determined to try. Some guys like to enjoy the ride and others like to push it a bit more but the Blackstock brothers and I are the only people on the Journey who actively view certain days as races. This isn't always the case, but my motto has always been "whatever gets you through the day" and if viewing the day as a race is what takes you from the start of the ride to the finish then that's all that matters. So, coming out of this crew stop, we had plenty of energy but not a lot of spare time.
We spent the rest of the ride in good conditions. It wasn't too terribly hot (all things considered), the wind didn't hinder us at all, and we had a lot more downhill than uphill to cover. We passed a group doing the Bruce Rodgers Challenge, which is where you try to do an entire ride without stopping. (They ended up not using a single crew stop but had to change a couple of flat tires. Congrats to Jeff Lehman, Todd Stacy, and Rich Alexander on their completion of the Challenge though!) We kept skipping crew stops and making up time and we were rewarded for our progress by passing several other pacelines. It was a pretty simple ride but for me it was one of the toughest of the summer. We'd be going at a certain speed in flat terrain and then all of a sudden a hill would come and we wouldn't slow down a bit. We pushed the pace in the flats, on the climbs, and on the descents. I had to draft as much as possible to conserve as much energy as possible. I spent most of my day with my tire inches from Chuck's. Whenever it was my turn to pull, it felt like I was sprinting with a 50 pound weight on my back. But I knew the other guys, even though they're better cyclists than I am, were hurting too and they were biking hard so I could see my chapter brothers as soon as possible. Knowing that kept me going. I almost burned out completely when we kicked hard and passed what I thought was the front paceline. However, I didn't see Jon Cook or Shaun Peterson (a Pi Alpha from TCU who was doing a ride-along and an absolute beast on the bike) in the group. Out of breath, I weakly tried to shout, "Where's Cook?" The group, who wasn't working nearly as hard as I felt I was, answered back that he was still ahead and my heart fell a bit. I didn't know how much I had left in me. We kept working hard though. At about mile 68, we saw the leaders ahead of us. At this point we hadn't stopped in almost 40 miles and I was gassed. As tough as it was, the guys in my paceline pulled me through it all and we somehow made it. Getting to that point felt like a dead sprint to me. I've never worked so hard in my life.
Just a couple of miles later, we made it into Fort Worth, where we were Red Flagged as we waited for the crew vans to catch up and mark our turns into the city. For me it was an extremely welcome break. Once the vans passed us, we took off again and headed into the city. It was a really cool experience to realize that I was biking roads that I've driven before but Fort Worth can also be pretty crazy. It's hard to feel completely at ease when biking through urban areas. Stoplights keep you from finding a good rhythm and we had the nagging feeling we might've taken a wrong turn at an interesting intersection. Additionally, we had to deal with a cobblestone road that was pretty rough on our bikes and joints. It wasn't the best experience of the trip but within a few miles we saw the Chipotle where lunch was being sponsored for us. I'd been expecting the chapter to be out, clapping and cheering us in; that was why I'd been so motivated to go fast. However, when I rode in, I was instead greeted by two TCU guys and little else. It turns out we'd arrived an hour and a half earlier than everyone had been told we would.
In the end, we were there to see everyone else come in and throughout the next hour and a half we saw all the Eta Chi guys arrive as well as the other riders. It wasn't exactly what I'd had in mind but it was still great to see everyone. All in all, about twenty people came out to visit and have lunch with us. I can't tell you how great it was to have so many friends out there. It made me feel rally proud to be doing what I'm doing and it was great to connect with everyone again. All in all, it was one of my favorite meals of the trip.
After lunch (which tasted amazing in addition to being a great social event), we put our bikes on the racks and drove to a posh Holiday Inn. I for one didn't really know how to react to the concept of luxury. This is only our second hotel of the entire trip, unlike the North Route, who's been "eating cake", as my teammate Jon Cook would say.
We got settled in our hotel and got to enjoy some of the amenities offered (free internet!) before heading out to the University of Texas in Arlington, where we had a wheelchair basketball game scheduled against the Movin' Mavs, who are 7-time national champions in wheelchair basketball (which puts them just a little bit out of our league). Within twenty minutes, we were down forty points and going crazy every time we somehow got lucky enough to score (or even get across half-court). Regardless of the score, we always have a great time playing. You can tell how much we love it because when it's time to make substitutions, guys run out to the chairs to play. It was great playing against such a good team and seeing the fluidity with which they played, and they were all college guys just like us so we connected with them really well.
Once dinner ended, I left the team to spend some time on campus while the rest of the team went back to the hotel for some needed rest and relaxation. I spent some time at TCU, where it was so great just to see the familiar sights and old friends and then I headed back, stopping at the airport along the way to pick up a friend who came all the way from Iowa to see the team and who'll be staying at TCU (Thank you so much for visiting, Leslie. I can't tell you how much your support is appreciated!). After that, it was finally time to enjoy that beautiful bed that Holiday Inn provided for us. I don't think anyone has ever slept as well as we do on those occasions when we get bed.
It's been a great day, one of my favorite of the trip. The ride was beautiful and Fort Worth is a great city. Tomorrow is an extremely busy day but things with the team are the great and I'm loving every minute we're spending together. When times are good like this, any challenge seems conquerable and I know that we'll arrive in Washington, DC with our entire team as one family. Days like this remind me that I am blessed beyond measure.
Spending time in the Dallas/Fort Worth area has been, for me, the highlight of the summer. Getting to Fort Worth was great and things have remained good the entire time we've been here. We were supposed to ride thirty miles yesterday and have a day off today but because of inclement weather and other circumstances, we've actually logged about three miles on our bikes in the last two days, which has been a great rest for us halfway through the trip.
Yesterday morning, we woke up and made it outside under cloudy skys. Our Dallas schedule was a pretty weird one: we were to ride three miles to Arlington in a double paceline with a police escort to do an arrival, eat breakfast, and talk to the media before getting back on the bikes and riding the rest of the thirty miles before arriving in Dallas. Once we made it to our first arrival, we listened to a proclamation from the mayor of the city of Arlington and enjoyed breakfast burritos and Krispy Kreme donuts. I got to do another TV interview, my second which was a lot of fun. Apparently it was for one of the big stations in the area so it feels good to know that I got the call. Unfortunately, it soon started to rain really badly and once lightning started striking, we knew we wouldn't be riding for awhile. When the lightning didn't let up, we racked our bikes and drove our route to Dallas, which was a disappointment but could have been a lot worse. At least we got to get on our bikes and do a little to work out the soreness in our muscles and, while I can't speak for the rest of the team, I enjoyed the nap that the drive afforded to us.
Once we got to the center in Dallas where we'd be staying and having an afternoon friendship visit, we hung out for awhile and then gathered about half a block away from the center to have an arrival for the participants, who were looking forward to seeing us ride in in our full glory and splendor. My friend Todd Stacy and I have maintained that we're all slowly going insane on this trip, and oftentimes something will happen that causes us to just look at each other with the shared understanding that we have truly lost it. Today, that time came about when we were all getting on the bikes to head off to our stage-up. All around us, guys were getting on the bikes that we'd been off of for less than 24 hours (not counting our ride earlier this morning) and zipping around on the parking lot looking like overjoyed little children. Todd and I had to note the irony that the bikes that cause us so much anguish by breaking down and by wearing us out every day suddenly became the coolest toys we could ever want for whatever reason. Maybe it was the lack of direction or destination that made us enjoy coasting around in the parking lot, nearly missing each other on passes and caroming around.
After our arrival, we performed a KOB for the participants at the center and then enjoyed lunch. This place was pretty unique in that it was both the site of our friendship visit as well as our lodging for the night so once we finished eating we moved our bikes and bags in and set up base. The afternoon was a relaxing one for us- most guys were able to sleep and relax. I did as well while I waited for Alyssa and Leslie, two of my favorite people, to come by and visit. Once they arrived I had to play the part of host, a tough task all things considered. When your own bed is an air mattress, what can you provide for anyone else?
After dinner, we all loaded into the vans and drove out to a place called Top Golf, which was set up by Matt Proctor, one of my teammates from Dallas. Top Golf is something pretty complicated to explain, but basically it involves golfing and hanging out with friends. Proctor is a business major and it shone through here. The social outing was his idea and he took care of the entire process of setting us up and getting us a discount. In addition to Leslie and Alyssa, several of my other TCU friends came out and got to meet my fellow Journey of Hopers and hang out. It was a great night. Usually on a free night like this, there'd be a split in the team, with the minors watching a movie or hanging out somewhere and the older guys hitting up the bars or finding something similar but tonight the entire team was together and having a fantastic time together. I loved seeing everyone having fun and for me it was one of my favorite nights of the trip so far.
Once we finished at Top Golf, we all drove back to lodging. We had some time to kill before curfew so a group of us walked down to the lake that the center sits on and enjoyed the night. My friend Jeff played a guitar that Alyssa brought and the rest of us simply looked out on the lake. It was a rare moment of complete tranquility in the midst of the most hectic of times.
Morning came too soon the next day. The price I've paid for all the fun I've been having is that I've been coming in right at curfew, something I'm not used to, so I haven't been getting as much sleep as I need. It's worth it though. The schedule today was full, but it was all good stuff so I have no complaints. Our afternoon friendship visit was at a water park and our sponsored dinner was at a whirlyball court, which was a lot of fun for the team. It was sponsored by some Pi Alphas from a long time ago, and they let us look at their old scrapbooks and photos, which was also a blast. The night ended with more mixing between school friends and Journey mates and I said my goodbyes to Alyssa, Leslie, and Maddie right at curfew, narrowly escaping trouble. Dallas and Fort Worth have been great to me and it's been my goal up until this point just to make it here. Now, arriving in Washington DC actually seems like a real event. I'm biking across the country. I can't believe it.
July 17-18, Snyder and Abilene
July 17
Abilene, Texas
Another day on the bike, another long ride. Today's ride was a tough one, but I rode with some of my favorite guys out here and we somehow made it to the finish. Todd Stacy is one of my favorite guys to ride with because he's relentlessly positive on the bike and always seems to have a good time on the road. We pushed it really hard because we had a rack point and making it was no certainty.
About two thirds of the way into the ride, we were told that rack point had been moved up and we had to do something along the lines of thirty miles in less than an hour and a half. Personally, I felt like throwing in the towel and grabbing some Sonic and just enjoying ourselves on the road while we waited to get racked but the other guys were determined to ride until we got racked. In the end, that ended up being the right decision because we ended up not making rack point, but the crew deemed our effort worthy of an extension and we ended up being one of the last groups to make it in. It's a really good feeling when you finish a day like this when a lot of people don't. Tough days are tough, but those days when half the team drops off are special to finish. It seems like these days are always toughest at the end. One of the things that keeps my mind off how tired I am on the road is doing math. I'm constantly calculating how much longer we have to go based on our current speed and distance left to travel, but nearly every day those numbers get skewed by the last little bit of the ride, whether by fatigue or other circumstances. Today, we rode on a farm access road so we could stay off the highway. The access road ran parallel to the highway, which was much nicer and didn't have all the stop signs the access road did, so it was hard to have to be constantly reminded that things could be better. The stop signs messed with our ability to get any momentum but we started floating them before too long because the only through traffic would be coming out of driveways. It's been funny to see which rules we have deemed unnecessary and which ones we still adhere to as we've grown more proficient on the bikes.
Lunch was a friendship visit at Disability Resources Inc., which employs people with disabilities to do a variety of tasks, including making a special barbeque sauce that we got to eat along with our brisket lunch. It was a fun friendship visit because I got to talk to a lot of the workers and managers of the business. I think the participants there were some of the most interesting I've met yet.
The ride was tough but we've been justly rewarded tonight. We were treated to catfish at Perinis Steakhouse, which is ranked as one of the top five steakhouses in the country. The chef, Tom Perini, had just won a contest on The Today Show in which his hamburgers were declared the best in America last week. We weren't served ha,burgers, but we've had so many recently that catfish was a welcome change and delicious to boot. In addition, we were served a banana pudding that was one of the best desserts I've ever had. The Texas heat was definitely a factor though. We ate outside and it's been stifling here, in some ways more uncomfortable than the 117 degree days in Arizona. It's been a good day, but I'm worn out. I've never slept better in conditions like this than I have while on this Journey, that's certain.
July 18
Stephenville, Texas
I'll let most of today's post be a guest entry by one of my closest friends on this trip, Jeff Lehman of the University of Washington, who I rode with:
"Today was definitely a test of endurance, and it proved itself to be a lot harder than I thought it would. It was day three of the so talked about Triple Crown, our three consecutive century days to move us into east Texas; the first two days didn’t prove themselves to be much at all, with day one turning out to be 80 miles instead of 95 because of some bad roads causing the whole team to rack, and day two turning out to be only 60, as I chose to be a sweep with my chapter brother Greg Brandt, eventually ending up with the two of us getting racked for time purposes. Unlike the first two days, however, this was to be a no-racking day, and the team was expected to ride all 110 miles that stood in front of us and lodging. It was also because of the first two days that Greg and I decided to push ourselves hard and make it to lodging as quickly as we could; we were joined by Josh Starr (University of Houston), Matt Proctor (Texas A&M), and Dalton Goodier (Texas Christian University). To be fitting for the grueling day we had ahead of us, we named our pace-line “Team Deathfire” and named each other Blade, Scorpio, Grim Reaper, Falco, and Thunderbolt, respectively.
The day started off well, and after about 15 miles of riding we decided to take 30 mile intervals for crew stops instead of stopping at each one (the crew stops are set up in ten mile intervals). As far as we knew, every pace-line was getting through the day fine, and I was confident that this would be a day that everyone would finish.
At mile 60 we were treated to a sponsored roadside lunch by some of the brothers at the TCU chapter. Brots, chips, watermelon, baked beans, potato salad, and ice-cold Gatorade awaited us as we were invited to relax from our bikes for a while and gorge on some good food. It was fun talking to the guys who sponsored us, as they had all been on the Journey of Hope in previous years. It was about 45 minutes later that our pace-line got back on the road to finish out the last 50 miles, something that I felt at the time wouldn’t be a problem. But the temperature suddenly increased during that time and the rolling hills we had been riding through pretty much all day began to get steeper and more frequent. Needless to say, by about mile 80 I was starting to feel the effects of dehydration. I decided to fight it and keep going, but by mile 107 I was suffering from body chills, shakiness, and an overall lack of energy. At that point, if lodging was to be any more than one mile away, I would have probably had to rack myself for dehydration; fortunately it wasn’t.
We arrived to Stephenville and went to lodging. We had to get ready for our dinner at the Scroggin’s home. They had Texas BBQ for us and some good tea while listening to a man play his acoustic guitar. The day was very good for the most part and I can not wait to roll into Fort Worth and meet some of the TCU Pi Kappa Phi brothers."
Today was an interesting day, to be sure. The ride was great early on. We were one of the first groups to get to lunch, which was a huge source of pride for me because I really wanted to show my chapter brothers that I was representing them well. The Journey, as we've been told many times, isn't about the bike, but when you're on the road, sometimes it is. Partway through the first half of the ride, a couple of my chapter brothers drove by, shouting out of the window that lunch was thirty miles up the rode. After seeing them, I was motivated to stay strong until lunch, where seeing friends from TCU was an amazing experience.
After lunch, things got rough. Everyone has those days where being on the bike feels like hell. I guess it's just impossible to have a good day every day. Anyways, today was that day for my paceline buddy Josh Starr. After lunch, he started having a tough time keeping up and so our team split up and Proctor and I rode with Josh and kept pushing him. He felt really weak and dehydrated, and the hills and heat made the going tough for us. Our reduced pace did, however, give us the opportunity to relax and talk for awhile instead of pushing the pace like we had been all day. Proctor and I have been in the same van all summer, so we can laugh and joke around with each other, but this was our chance to actually talk about ourselves and our lives. Earlier in the day, Matt made a joke about how he'd never fallen off the bike and I had. It didn't take long for karma to come back with a vengeance. As we were riding, Proctor got a little careless and his front tire rubbed my back one, causing him to lose balance. He tried to steady himself and wobbled for a second or two before he turned his bike off the road, down a three foot drop into a clump of grass. The fall was harmless and pretty comical to watch, so it was all good in the end.
About ten miles from lodging, Josh was done. He racked himself and Proctor and I reunited with Jeff and Greg and we pushed it hard over the final stretch to finish the day. Tomorrow is TCU. It's one of the things I've looked forward to all summer.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
July 16
Snyder, Texas
Not a bad start to our death run across Texas today. The wind didn't quite want to cooperate with us but it wasn't terrible and we made pretty good time. I rode with the two fastest guys on the team and almost died but it was well worth it. A lot of the groups got racked for time today but we were able to do every mile. I definitely overestimated myself today. The combination of little rest and overcoming my illness meant that I had little energy left over for riding. I was sore, tired, cramping, and ready to cry and quit- and that was during the first ten miles.
About twelve miles in I got a flat and was able to stretch out some and things were a bit better. I just had to focus really hard on everything except for how much I hurt. Bobby Blackstock, one of the aforementioned fastest guys on the team, is well known for his propensity to only stop every thirty miles or so while everyone else stops every ten. I was pretty worried about that but the other guys bailed me out pretty consistently by needing water and stuff so we never went too far. Today was the day that I thought my legs were just going to literally stop working. For awhile there, I was kind of hoping they would, just so it'd be over. This isn't the hottest it's been all trip, but I can't remember the sun ever being this oppressive. I took my helmet off at a crew stop and sweat that had been pooling literally splashed out. It was towards the end of the trip. We thought we'd been Red Flagged but we hadn't and so it didn't take long for us to get back on the bike and take off again. Days like this show me just how much I can go through. There are a few rides on this trip that I will distinctly remember, and this one isn't one of them. But I think that's what makes this so special- the fact that there are numerous days that would stick out in any other time in my life but are just normal days now. There are too many things on this trip that have made me proud of myself to count, and when all that starts to blur together, you know you've pushed yourself to your limit.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Lubbock, Texas
July 15
Lubbock, Texas
Today has been a good day, simply by virtue of being a day on the Journey of Hope. They say the worst day on the Journey is better than the best day anywhere else. It hits me at the most random times- I'm on the Journey of Hope. I'm actually doing it. I've biked halfway across the country. It's pretty crazy.
Last night was a good night. The steak dinner was fantastic, as were our hosts. Nancy, the woman who put our arrangements together, was present and it was her birthday and so we sang her Happy Birthday and then dropped to one knee and sang her "The Rose of Pi Kappa Phi". Afterwards, she stood up and talked to us. She looks frail, but she's a strong woman and it was wonderful to hear her speak. She told us to never forget what we were doing and who we're doing it for.There was a girl with Down's Syndrome named Karrie that we all had a great time talking to and Nancy said "Everywhere you go there will be another Karrie." I think it's important to realize the human element that's a part of every single stop we make and place we visit. It's easy to get caught up with the organizations and lose sight of the individuals that we see every day. That was a good reminder.
After the sponsors left, we got the chance to unwind on our own. The team's really come together and I've never laughed as much as I have during the last week or so. Also, I discovered that I'm one of the better ping pong players on the team. Again, it's the little things. While we were hanging out, Nick (our Project Manager) was setting up for our midsummer Ritual. I can't tell you what we did, but it was a great experience and I feel extremely refreshed.
The downside of Ritual is that we went to bed later than 2 and wake up was 6:30 in the morning. We were told that we didn't have to ride if we didn't feel up to it but I just can't imagine voluntarily racking myself when others are riding even though they hurt just as much as I do. So I rode. It was a tough ride and we had to deal with a crosswind and rough roads for most of the day but it ended 20 miles early because we secured an Arrival. When we do Arrivals, we all meet at a Stage-Up point, usually a couple of miles away from wherever we're heading and from there we head in in two long, snaking pacelines. Anyways, today we were supposed to just ride into lodging but all of a sudden we were informed that four different TV networks were sending out cameras to cover us, so we had to rack up twenty miles outside of Lubbock to get in on time. It was nice to finish early because it's such a break mentally to keep something left in the tank and not have to use it. Usually the last twenty miles of a day are a mental battle and not dealing with that was great.
Lunch and lodging has been provided by the Lubbock State-Supported Living Center, which is comparable to Lufkin's State School. Lunch was Pizza Hut (delicious!) and our lodging includes real beds tonight, which is great because I'm sure we're all worn out. I know I'm gonna sleep reeeaaal good tonight. Tomorrow marks the start of our Triple Crown. Wish me luck and say a prayer.
Lubbock, Texas
Today has been a good day, simply by virtue of being a day on the Journey of Hope. They say the worst day on the Journey is better than the best day anywhere else. It hits me at the most random times- I'm on the Journey of Hope. I'm actually doing it. I've biked halfway across the country. It's pretty crazy.
Last night was a good night. The steak dinner was fantastic, as were our hosts. Nancy, the woman who put our arrangements together, was present and it was her birthday and so we sang her Happy Birthday and then dropped to one knee and sang her "The Rose of Pi Kappa Phi". Afterwards, she stood up and talked to us. She looks frail, but she's a strong woman and it was wonderful to hear her speak. She told us to never forget what we were doing and who we're doing it for.There was a girl with Down's Syndrome named Karrie that we all had a great time talking to and Nancy said "Everywhere you go there will be another Karrie." I think it's important to realize the human element that's a part of every single stop we make and place we visit. It's easy to get caught up with the organizations and lose sight of the individuals that we see every day. That was a good reminder.
After the sponsors left, we got the chance to unwind on our own. The team's really come together and I've never laughed as much as I have during the last week or so. Also, I discovered that I'm one of the better ping pong players on the team. Again, it's the little things. While we were hanging out, Nick (our Project Manager) was setting up for our midsummer Ritual. I can't tell you what we did, but it was a great experience and I feel extremely refreshed.
The downside of Ritual is that we went to bed later than 2 and wake up was 6:30 in the morning. We were told that we didn't have to ride if we didn't feel up to it but I just can't imagine voluntarily racking myself when others are riding even though they hurt just as much as I do. So I rode. It was a tough ride and we had to deal with a crosswind and rough roads for most of the day but it ended 20 miles early because we secured an Arrival. When we do Arrivals, we all meet at a Stage-Up point, usually a couple of miles away from wherever we're heading and from there we head in in two long, snaking pacelines. Anyways, today we were supposed to just ride into lodging but all of a sudden we were informed that four different TV networks were sending out cameras to cover us, so we had to rack up twenty miles outside of Lubbock to get in on time. It was nice to finish early because it's such a break mentally to keep something left in the tank and not have to use it. Usually the last twenty miles of a day are a mental battle and not dealing with that was great.
Lunch and lodging has been provided by the Lubbock State-Supported Living Center, which is comparable to Lufkin's State School. Lunch was Pizza Hut (delicious!) and our lodging includes real beds tonight, which is great because I'm sure we're all worn out. I know I'm gonna sleep reeeaaal good tonight. Tomorrow marks the start of our Triple Crown. Wish me luck and say a prayer.
Welcome to Texas!
July 14
Muleshoe, Texas
What a great day to be on the Journey of Hope! It's always great to get back on the bike after a long layoff and I'd been sidelined for three days. Even better, my return coincided to our arrival to Texas, which means a lot of things. For starters, this means I'm home and getting to see friends and family soon. This also marks the halfway point for us as far as riding goes. Everyone says that things start going a lot quicker now and I can understand that: the rides will get shorter and less hilly as we get closer to DC, we spend less time in each state once we leave Texas, and we know ourselves, our bikes, and our teammates a lot better now. Because of all this, it feels like we're even farther than halfway.
We're not there yet, however. Yesterday marked the beginning of a pretty tough stretch for us. We go for about a week without a day off, one of our longest periods of the summer. There's a three day span within that we colloquially call the Triple Crown- 305 miles in three days that will bring us from Lubbock to Stephenville, which is our last stop before Fort Worth. So we'll be handling a large swath of Texas in one swoop. I guess that's the only way to do it without spending a month in the state.
At least today's ride wasn't too bad. In fact, it was a really nice one. We're pretty chronically late getting out of lodging- we try to give ourselves thirty minutes to get all our stuff outside and in the vans and another thirty minutes after that to eat, put on sunscreen, and air up our tires before we have our daily circle-up and send the first pacelines off. Dorms are especially tough for us because there's a lot less freedom of movement in the hallways so we can't ever seem to get out on time. Today, however, the first group left a mere forty-five minutes after wake-up.
The ride itself was easy for a variety of reasons. For one, I was riding with Todd Stacy and Jeff Lehman, a couple of my closest friends on the trip. Most of the mountains are behind us and today was a flat rid with a tailwind to start the day. The lane was wide so we eschewed the concept of speed and opted to ride two-wide in what we call a "conversation lane", which gives less opportunities for drafting but allows easier conversation. We rode for almost 25 miles like this, comparing the Initiation Weeks at our various schools and simply enjoying the ride. (I-Week is the week before members are officially initiated into the fraternity. It's usually a very solemn time for the chapter.)
About twenty-five miles in we were red-flagged and stopped at a place called Joe's Boot Store. It's a team tradition every year to stop at the store and do a little shopping during the ride. Every member got a free t-shirt and most people bought hats or belt buckles. I personally came away with a new cowboy hat that I'm sure will come in handy at some point in my time at TCU. A little kid kindly informed me that I was wearing my new possession backwards. It's moments like that when I wonder if everyone just laughs at our team every time we leave a town. I guess I'd laugh if a bunch of college kids came through Lufkin on bikes for some crazy cause.
After we left Clovis we biked about eight miles before we crossed the state line into Texas, a beautiful feeling to be sure. The bike "Welcome to Texas" sign was a couple miles farther and we stopped there and took pictures in our cycling jerseys and cowboy hats.
The last twenty or so miles were pretty rough because we had a crosswind that made riding harder and kept us from being able to ride efficiently or talk much. We finished without any major trouble though, which is a blessing, especially considering I ran over a piece of glass and thought I'd given myself a flat tire.
Lunch was at lodging, which was really convenient. We're staying in the youth room at a church and we were fed by a women's group called the Jennyslippers in the kitchen downstairs. Lunch was great, and the ladies were fun to spend time with and definitely made sure we got plenty of dessert. We spent our time talking about which stereotype each team member would fulfill in different generic movies, such as a war movie or The Sandlot. It's times like this that the other guys like to point out that I'm the youngest guy on the team. It's fine by me though- I'm proud to be doing Journey of Hope at a time in my life when most of the other riders were only thinking about it. And I'm also extremely fortunate to have such a great support system that's enabled me to do this.
After lunch we went to a local pool and gave a bike safety presentation to a bunch of kids. Even our Project Manager said it was weird. We hadn't even showered and so we were tired and the kids definitely didn't want their swimming interrupted by a bunch of guys in spandex talking about wearing helmets, so there wasn't a lot of chemistry there. One of the lifeguards did, however, give my friend JJ a phone number. It really is the small victories that get you through the day I suppose. Shower followed the safety presentation and we had some free time after that. They have a ping-pong table here, so we've gotten to play a lot. We're a bunch of college guys so we're always looking for new ways to compete and so this is a new outlet. This afternoon though, most of our time was dedicated to napping. On certain days, it just seems that the team unanimously decides to sleep the afternoon away. This was definitely one of those days. Tonight's dinner is supposed to be steak and potatoes, so I have to say I'm excited.
Muleshoe, Texas
What a great day to be on the Journey of Hope! It's always great to get back on the bike after a long layoff and I'd been sidelined for three days. Even better, my return coincided to our arrival to Texas, which means a lot of things. For starters, this means I'm home and getting to see friends and family soon. This also marks the halfway point for us as far as riding goes. Everyone says that things start going a lot quicker now and I can understand that: the rides will get shorter and less hilly as we get closer to DC, we spend less time in each state once we leave Texas, and we know ourselves, our bikes, and our teammates a lot better now. Because of all this, it feels like we're even farther than halfway.
We're not there yet, however. Yesterday marked the beginning of a pretty tough stretch for us. We go for about a week without a day off, one of our longest periods of the summer. There's a three day span within that we colloquially call the Triple Crown- 305 miles in three days that will bring us from Lubbock to Stephenville, which is our last stop before Fort Worth. So we'll be handling a large swath of Texas in one swoop. I guess that's the only way to do it without spending a month in the state.
At least today's ride wasn't too bad. In fact, it was a really nice one. We're pretty chronically late getting out of lodging- we try to give ourselves thirty minutes to get all our stuff outside and in the vans and another thirty minutes after that to eat, put on sunscreen, and air up our tires before we have our daily circle-up and send the first pacelines off. Dorms are especially tough for us because there's a lot less freedom of movement in the hallways so we can't ever seem to get out on time. Today, however, the first group left a mere forty-five minutes after wake-up.
The ride itself was easy for a variety of reasons. For one, I was riding with Todd Stacy and Jeff Lehman, a couple of my closest friends on the trip. Most of the mountains are behind us and today was a flat rid with a tailwind to start the day. The lane was wide so we eschewed the concept of speed and opted to ride two-wide in what we call a "conversation lane", which gives less opportunities for drafting but allows easier conversation. We rode for almost 25 miles like this, comparing the Initiation Weeks at our various schools and simply enjoying the ride. (I-Week is the week before members are officially initiated into the fraternity. It's usually a very solemn time for the chapter.)
About twenty-five miles in we were red-flagged and stopped at a place called Joe's Boot Store. It's a team tradition every year to stop at the store and do a little shopping during the ride. Every member got a free t-shirt and most people bought hats or belt buckles. I personally came away with a new cowboy hat that I'm sure will come in handy at some point in my time at TCU. A little kid kindly informed me that I was wearing my new possession backwards. It's moments like that when I wonder if everyone just laughs at our team every time we leave a town. I guess I'd laugh if a bunch of college kids came through Lufkin on bikes for some crazy cause.
After we left Clovis we biked about eight miles before we crossed the state line into Texas, a beautiful feeling to be sure. The bike "Welcome to Texas" sign was a couple miles farther and we stopped there and took pictures in our cycling jerseys and cowboy hats.
The last twenty or so miles were pretty rough because we had a crosswind that made riding harder and kept us from being able to ride efficiently or talk much. We finished without any major trouble though, which is a blessing, especially considering I ran over a piece of glass and thought I'd given myself a flat tire.
Lunch was at lodging, which was really convenient. We're staying in the youth room at a church and we were fed by a women's group called the Jennyslippers in the kitchen downstairs. Lunch was great, and the ladies were fun to spend time with and definitely made sure we got plenty of dessert. We spent our time talking about which stereotype each team member would fulfill in different generic movies, such as a war movie or The Sandlot. It's times like this that the other guys like to point out that I'm the youngest guy on the team. It's fine by me though- I'm proud to be doing Journey of Hope at a time in my life when most of the other riders were only thinking about it. And I'm also extremely fortunate to have such a great support system that's enabled me to do this.
After lunch we went to a local pool and gave a bike safety presentation to a bunch of kids. Even our Project Manager said it was weird. We hadn't even showered and so we were tired and the kids definitely didn't want their swimming interrupted by a bunch of guys in spandex talking about wearing helmets, so there wasn't a lot of chemistry there. One of the lifeguards did, however, give my friend JJ a phone number. It really is the small victories that get you through the day I suppose. Shower followed the safety presentation and we had some free time after that. They have a ping-pong table here, so we've gotten to play a lot. We're a bunch of college guys so we're always looking for new ways to compete and so this is a new outlet. This afternoon though, most of our time was dedicated to napping. On certain days, it just seems that the team unanimously decides to sleep the afternoon away. This was definitely one of those days. Tonight's dinner is supposed to be steak and potatoes, so I have to say I'm excited.
Portales, New Mexico
July 13,
Portales, New Mexico
I really wanted to ride today but I was just too exhausted. I don't feel sick anymore but my body is just worn out from fighting off the virus. In addition, there wasn't any air conditioning in the gym last night so it was really hot. I don't think anyone got their required six hours of sleep. I know I didn't. We had a 4:30 wake-up today and I finally drifted off to sleep around 1:00.
I survived wake-up and managed to keep up with the rest of the team as we all prepared to leave but once my van pulled out and started driving to our designated crew stop, I leaned back in my seat and was asleep within a minute. It probably took even less time than that.
I awoke a few hours later when the pacelines started to arrive. My van was 50 miles in so it was awhile before we started to get cyclists. The entire group was pretty close together so it didn't take too long for them all to come through. I talked with the riders and helped fill up their water bottles, but it's a lot different when you're not on the bike. It's probably for the best that I stayed off the bike today but we had another guy who was running a fever all day yesterday who fought through it and ended up riding and I really wish I could've done the same. I've gotten through every other challenge this summer. Perhaps I should've fought through this one as well. I'm not used to stepping back or easing up.
We had lunch in Portales, the usual turkey sandwich provided by the crew chief. It's a lot of fun to be around all the guys at meal times now- you can tell how close we're becoming as a team when you see us all hanging out in the rare moments we don't feel like we're under scrutiny. After lunch, the cyclists took a police escort to the courthouse, where a small crowd cheered us in. After arrival, our boys did a Kids on the Block performance and then rode to Eastern New Mexico State University, where I am as I type this. Dinner is at five and it feels good to have my appetite back. I plan on biking tomorrow; it'll be good to be back.
Portales, New Mexico
I really wanted to ride today but I was just too exhausted. I don't feel sick anymore but my body is just worn out from fighting off the virus. In addition, there wasn't any air conditioning in the gym last night so it was really hot. I don't think anyone got their required six hours of sleep. I know I didn't. We had a 4:30 wake-up today and I finally drifted off to sleep around 1:00.
I survived wake-up and managed to keep up with the rest of the team as we all prepared to leave but once my van pulled out and started driving to our designated crew stop, I leaned back in my seat and was asleep within a minute. It probably took even less time than that.
I awoke a few hours later when the pacelines started to arrive. My van was 50 miles in so it was awhile before we started to get cyclists. The entire group was pretty close together so it didn't take too long for them all to come through. I talked with the riders and helped fill up their water bottles, but it's a lot different when you're not on the bike. It's probably for the best that I stayed off the bike today but we had another guy who was running a fever all day yesterday who fought through it and ended up riding and I really wish I could've done the same. I've gotten through every other challenge this summer. Perhaps I should've fought through this one as well. I'm not used to stepping back or easing up.
We had lunch in Portales, the usual turkey sandwich provided by the crew chief. It's a lot of fun to be around all the guys at meal times now- you can tell how close we're becoming as a team when you see us all hanging out in the rare moments we don't feel like we're under scrutiny. After lunch, the cyclists took a police escort to the courthouse, where a small crowd cheered us in. After arrival, our boys did a Kids on the Block performance and then rode to Eastern New Mexico State University, where I am as I type this. Dinner is at five and it feels good to have my appetite back. I plan on biking tomorrow; it'll be good to be back.
Roswell, New Mexico
July 11
Roswell, New Mexico
I've been really sick.
A couple of nights ago I started to feel hot and feverish and had a lot of trouble getting to sleep. I was alternately hot and cold all night. Even though it was really hot in the gym where we were staying, I woke up in the morning curled up in my sleeping back, shivering. I wanted to ride that day but Nick, our Project Manager, insisted that I go to the hospital. The team's in pretty bad shape: with my addition, we had a full van of guys for the trip.
After some tests, I was diagnosed with a virus called Entranitis. Basically, my body is working really hard to flush the virus out so it's really difficult for me to retain fluids, so dehydration is compounding the fact that I have a virus. I spent a few hours in the hospital getting an IV and resting. Afterwards, all the invalids were picked up and taken to a friendship visit. I wasn't doing too great and spent most of my time in the car. We're heading to lodging now. I fully intend on sleeping as soon as I get there.
July 12
I think the worst is over with. My body is still having trouble regulating my temperature and I'm really weak but I'm not wishing I were unconscious like I have been so I'm getting better. It's tough to stay awake for more than an hour at a time. I got back to lodging at about 5 yesterday and proceeded to sleep until about 11 this morning. All in all, I've probably been asleep for 24 of the last 30 hours. It's been a rough couple of days but I'm glad I was just able to focus on fighting through it.
I'm not sure if I'll ride tomorrow or not yet. A lot of people (mother included) want me to rest but isn't this the time and the place to really try and push through everything?
Roswell, New Mexico
I've been really sick.
A couple of nights ago I started to feel hot and feverish and had a lot of trouble getting to sleep. I was alternately hot and cold all night. Even though it was really hot in the gym where we were staying, I woke up in the morning curled up in my sleeping back, shivering. I wanted to ride that day but Nick, our Project Manager, insisted that I go to the hospital. The team's in pretty bad shape: with my addition, we had a full van of guys for the trip.
After some tests, I was diagnosed with a virus called Entranitis. Basically, my body is working really hard to flush the virus out so it's really difficult for me to retain fluids, so dehydration is compounding the fact that I have a virus. I spent a few hours in the hospital getting an IV and resting. Afterwards, all the invalids were picked up and taken to a friendship visit. I wasn't doing too great and spent most of my time in the car. We're heading to lodging now. I fully intend on sleeping as soon as I get there.
July 12
I think the worst is over with. My body is still having trouble regulating my temperature and I'm really weak but I'm not wishing I were unconscious like I have been so I'm getting better. It's tough to stay awake for more than an hour at a time. I got back to lodging at about 5 yesterday and proceeded to sleep until about 11 this morning. All in all, I've probably been asleep for 24 of the last 30 hours. It's been a rough couple of days but I'm glad I was just able to focus on fighting through it.
I'm not sure if I'll ride tomorrow or not yet. A lot of people (mother included) want me to rest but isn't this the time and the place to really try and push through everything?
Sorry for the missing weeks
Hey guys, the blog skips a couple of weeks here because I don't have those written yet. I just got really busy for awhile and stopped having time to write. I've been taking notes so I'll go back and fill in these days later, but I do have everything from Roswell to today. I know I hit a low point in my last entry. Things get better though. It just took a little time to get in better shape, to get some real rest, and to heal up a bit. Also, getting out of Nevada helped a lot. Anyways, thanks to everyone for reading. I've felt your prayers all summer and I'm sure I'll continue to do so.
Indian Springs
June 24
Indian Springs, Nevada
I really hit rock bottom today.
Honestly, I'm just tired, worn out, and, for lack of a better word, done.
I pushed hard all day today and worked my very hardest and still things didn't go well and now I'm just done.
The day started off well enough. I picked up a tough paceline and worked hard all day and my paceline even finished first. It was a tough day, 75 miles. However, about a quarter of a mile away from lodging, my foot came unclipped from my pedal and I lost my balance. I crashed and landed on my left side, meaning I'm torn up on both legs. My bike was unridable but I was able to walk it in to lodging, a small victory.
Because I needed to get my bike checked out at a bike shop, I left early for Vegas early with a few other guys. The plan was to leave and drop off Jay Holly at the airport. Jay's been with us, helping us get off the ground because our original project manager wasn't able to join us this summer. As such, Nick Hoffmann, who was supposed to just be a crew member, has stepped up admirably to be our Project Manager, which means he's basically in charge of us for the time we're between San Francisco and Washington. Anyways, Jay has served as a PM before so he's been helping Nick out, but it's time for him to head home. We were supposed to drop him off at the airport in Las Vegas and then run to the bike shop before meeting up with the rest of the team for dinner. However, getting to the airport was a decidedly difficult experience. After we finally got Jay taken care of, we went to the bike shop. It was raining by the time we got there and the shop is backed up in making repairs so it wasn't a very useful trip. We did, however, all go and see the new Transformers movie, which was pretty cool. The Blackstock brothers, Charlie and Bobby, thought it was dumb but the rest of us were happy to be hanging out with civilization again.
All in all, its just been a long last couple of days. I've been tired, Nevada is boring, and falling sucks. I've hit the bottom and I'm just at a low ebb. I need a good night's sleep more than anything I think.
Indian Springs, Nevada
I really hit rock bottom today.
Honestly, I'm just tired, worn out, and, for lack of a better word, done.
I pushed hard all day today and worked my very hardest and still things didn't go well and now I'm just done.
The day started off well enough. I picked up a tough paceline and worked hard all day and my paceline even finished first. It was a tough day, 75 miles. However, about a quarter of a mile away from lodging, my foot came unclipped from my pedal and I lost my balance. I crashed and landed on my left side, meaning I'm torn up on both legs. My bike was unridable but I was able to walk it in to lodging, a small victory.
Because I needed to get my bike checked out at a bike shop, I left early for Vegas early with a few other guys. The plan was to leave and drop off Jay Holly at the airport. Jay's been with us, helping us get off the ground because our original project manager wasn't able to join us this summer. As such, Nick Hoffmann, who was supposed to just be a crew member, has stepped up admirably to be our Project Manager, which means he's basically in charge of us for the time we're between San Francisco and Washington. Anyways, Jay has served as a PM before so he's been helping Nick out, but it's time for him to head home. We were supposed to drop him off at the airport in Las Vegas and then run to the bike shop before meeting up with the rest of the team for dinner. However, getting to the airport was a decidedly difficult experience. After we finally got Jay taken care of, we went to the bike shop. It was raining by the time we got there and the shop is backed up in making repairs so it wasn't a very useful trip. We did, however, all go and see the new Transformers movie, which was pretty cool. The Blackstock brothers, Charlie and Bobby, thought it was dumb but the rest of us were happy to be hanging out with civilization again.
All in all, its just been a long last couple of days. I've been tired, Nevada is boring, and falling sucks. I've hit the bottom and I'm just at a low ebb. I need a good night's sleep more than anything I think.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Updates through the end of Nevada
6/20
I suppose everything is relative. Someone asked me if today was a long ride and, even though today would've been by far my longest ride a week ago, I said that it really wasn't. It's just a testament to how much better of a cyclist I am today when compared to coming into this trip. Today was a 55 mile jaunt from Carson City to Fallon, "The Oasis of Nevada". It's a pretty small town, which is going to be par for the course for awhile, other than Vegas and Phoenix.
Other than a couple of hills, it was a long, straight ride. I think we made one turn the entire ride. I was able to hide my competitive spirit for the day by riding with a slower paceline. Usually when I ride, I'm in a group that tries to get there as fast as possible. Today, however, I rode with some guys who enjoyed talking and singing just as much as riding. It was a fun experience, and it did a lot to break up the monotony of the ride, which was unvarying in scenery.
The challenge now is to not fall into too comfortable of a rhythm. As I get more comfortable on the bike and with the other cyclists, it would be easy to lose sight of the goals set out for this trip by myself and by Push America. I'm doing my best to remind myself daily of the amazing gift I've been given: the ability and opportunity to ride a bicycle across the country to help others. More than once I've heard the phrase "ride for those who can't" and I need to continue taking that to heart.
Tonight's friendship visit is at Fallon Industries, and we've been told its a pirate themed party. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect but it should be fun.
6/20
Today's friendship visit showed me exactly why some people keep coming back to the Journey of Hope. A couple of the guys here have done the trip multiple times and now I understand why. Our friendship visit was at Fallon Industries, which hosted a pirate party for us. When we got there, a lot of the guys were given eye patches and pirate hats and other stuff to help us assimilate into the crowd. Credit goes out to all the guys for getting into the spirit of things and not trying to be too cool for the situation.
Dinner was brisket and chicken, an amazing combination. After a long day's ride, there's little I want to do more than eat, except maybe sleep, and a well-cooked meal is the best thing I could wish for at dinner time. There was plenty to go around and we ate our fill. I ended up eating dinner with a grandmother from Fallon. She reminded me a lot of my own grandmother and she was extremely intelligent. It was from her that I learned about the huge controversy going on in Iran and about all the protests. It was nice to talk to such a smart person from the outside world. Aside from her, the only news I've been getting is from the occasional news article emailed to me by my Pops. (Thanks dad, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it)
After we ate we cleared out the tables, leaving a huge space for us to kick off a dance and karaoke party. Again, all the guys really got into it and as a result, it was a great time. Everybody got into it and acted goofy and enjoyed themselves. I spent my time dancing with my aforementioned grandmother friend and singing karaoke. Time flew by as we did the Cha-cha Slide and serenaded our Project Managers with songs. Too soon, the time came to take our customary group picture and head back home for the night. As we were standing around, preparing to take the picture, we began an impromptu rendition of "The Rose of Pi Kappa Phi", our fraternity's song. Afterwards, we started singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'". When we went back inside to get our stuff, the DJs started playing the song for us through the sound system and we all stayed for one last encore. The visit ended with everyone arm in arm, singing and drinking in the scene. I loved it.
In addition to being an incredible friendship visit, it was the last piece of programming that the north and south routes had together. Tonight's our last night, then we split off tomorrow. It's been great to have all the north route guys with us but I think things will be great once we split up too. There'll be less people to keep track of, which hopefully means less logistical nightmares and a more close-knit group. Regardless of any advantages, it'll still be tough to see half the team head in another direction. It's been really enjoyable to meet all those guys.
6/21
It took roughly all of four minute to drive through the entirety of Hawthorne, Nevada. I'm in Mineral County High School, home of the Serpents. It's a class 2-A school that serves most of the county, if that informs you to any degree of the rurality of the area. Despite its small size and dusty demeanor, I like Hawthorne. It's very relaxed place, even more so now that our team is half it's original size.
The ride today wasn't too bad. I started off in a paceline of five towards the back but another rider and I kept breaking away from the rest of the group so we just decided to go it alone. It was really cool to ride with just one other person because you really get the opportunity to get to know someone. In today's case, that someone was Sam Knoblauch, a senior from Iowa State. We hadn't really gotten the chance to talk much before so today was a good day for that. The terrain was pretty flat with enough hills to make us appreciate the downhill parts without dying on the uphills. For most of the ride we had to contend with a desert atmosphere, but about 50 miles in we came across a huge lake that we actually followed for most of the way in. At around mile 55 we stopped and had lunch with the rest of the team. After lunch we took off again. The last 20 miles were probably the hardest just because we were tired and wanted to be finished but we were moving at our slowest pace of the day. It's a lot tougher going with only two riders than with four because you're dealing with the wind more often and there's less of an opportunity to draft. However, the conversation did flow much more easily, which was nice in keeping our minds off of aching legs.
Once we got to the high school, I walked out to the football field, sat down in the stands, and called my dad to wish him a happy Father's Day. I've made a point of dedicating my ride every day to a different person. (Don't worry mom, yours is coming) Anyways, today was dedicated to Pops and I spent a lot of the ride thinking about a lot of the things he's done for me. Without him I wouldn't be here at all. Not only did he make sure I was raised to be who I am today, he has also supported me in everything I do. When all my peers and I were younger, we were all told that we could do and be whatever we wanted when we grew up. My parents actually kept me believing that all my life, even after many other parents stopped supporting their children and tried to instill reality. Thanks dad. You're an amazing man and if I ever become half the person you are then it'll be a life well lived on my account. Happy Father's Day, I love you.
After talking to my Pops, it wasn't long at all before I had my sleeping back out and I was asleep. I woke up from my nap awhile later to hear a big group of guys laughing and cracking jokes. Some of the guys have taken to comparing Hawthorne to the setting of "The Hills Have Eyes", a horror movie set in some middle American desert where a stranded family is attacked by monsters or cannibals or something of the sort. It's my sincere hope that this isn't the case here. Spending time at the school was nice. With just the south route, there's a lot less bustle and a lot more relaxation. A lot of guys spent time lounging about or writing. A few of the guys and I made up a game involving a volleyball and a basketball court called Mamba Ball (in honor of the Black Mamba, the one black van we have in our fleet. All the other vans are white. The one I ride in is called Glitter Fairy. Figures.) It's times like that that are my favorite on the road. Without internet or girls or places to go, we're reduced to a group of guys hanging out, reading, and playing sports while joking around and having a good time. I don't think I'd live my whole life like that, but it sure is nice sometimes to live life without worrying about the frivolous things. Sometimes a good book or a ball is all you need.
Dinner tonight was provided by the Elks Lodge of Hawthorne. We ate spaghetti with a dessert of ice cream, a special treat for us given that we rarely get dessert. I volunteered to give an advocacy presentation to the group, which means that after dinner I stood up and explained to our sponsors exactly what it was that we as a team stood for and what we were doing. A lot of groups know that we work with people with disabilities but they don't know how we go about it so we give the aforementioned advocacy presentations. In return, they explained to us the exact nature of the Benevolent Order of the Elks. A lot of members of the civic clubs that we attend are interested in recruiting us. Already I've learned what it takes to become an Elk, a Rotarian, and a Lion. If you're reading this and you belong to any of these organizations, know that you've got competition, so recruit hard.
After dinner, a lot of guys hung out at the lodge to play poker and pool. I headed back pretty early, carrying with me a box of MREs that was given to the team as a gift. Back at the high school we spent much of the evening playing basketball and knockout. It's a lot of fun, but I think it's funny how little foresight we have. Knowing that we have a 100 mile day tomorrow, we're all careening around the court like we'll never get to play sports ever again. Oh, the joys of being young.
The day has definitely worn me out. Still, I'm doing things now that I couldn't have dreamed of doing a month ago. One thing is for sure, though: I need to get an air mattress. It's nice to be young but even a whippersnapper like me can't sleep on these wooden floors for too much longer.
6/22
Today was supposed to be my first century ride but in the end I found something a little more exciting instead. Sure, it's cool to tell people that you rode 100 miles, but its a lot cooler to tell them you took on a semi and, even though you didn't necessarily win, you survived. The day started off pretty well with the miles flying by and everything going well enough. I rode with some different people and settled into a groove, talking with the other guys and passing time well enough. Joey Haynes, someone I'd met on facebook beforehand but hadn't really talked to much on the actual trip, joined Sam and Josh Star, a friend of mine from the University of Houston. It was a good paceline and it seemed that the ride into Tonopah would be a fairly simple one given that it was our first 100 mile day.
However, about 40 miles in we were passed by an 18-wheeler in the right-hand lane directly next to the shoulder where we were biking. Usually these trucks will slow down a bit or move over for us but when they don't it creates a brutal crosswind that can be difficult to navigate. This was one of those instances and one of the riders ahead of me, Josh, lost his balance and fell. Joey was between the two of us and swerved out of the way but as he moved I clipped his tire and was sent sprawling. My handlebars found themselves inside someone else's back tire and I hurtled past the scene, landing hard on my right side. At first I had enough adrenaline to get up and call a crew member and make sure Josh was okay. After the initial excitement wore off though, the pain started to set in. My elbow and hip were scraped up pretty badly and I landed hard on my right wrist. Moreover, my bike wheel became untrue and unridable for the remainder of the day.
While everyone else rode on, Josh and I rode into Tonopah with our project manager. Coming into town, we saw some roadwork taking place as work crews laid new tar over the roads. We looked around for a suitable detour and the only one we could find involved several uphill climbs (on the tail end of a century day) and an inordinate number of turns. We debated over which route to take, eventually settling on the alternate route.
After this, we went about looking for the Lion's Club that was supposed to be feeding us later that evening. We eventually found them after a little too much searching and were able to talk to the two men at the Lion's Den. One of them was a big nosed retired minister with a doctorate from Golden Gate University who was never wrong and had an affinity for turquoise jewelry. The other was a lean man who, in my first conversation with him, told me the following story:
For whatever reason, he can't keep his food down unless he smokes a bit of weed before he eats. One night, the police showed up at a party he was at because some girl was taking illegal prescription drugs or something; I don't know. Anyways, this guy had some weed and when the police came by, he gave it up to them, saying it was for medical reasons. When they asked him for a card or something to validate his reason, he responded by saying that he didn't have one. They threw him in jail but soon after getting there he began rapidly losing weight because he couldn't smoke before he ate. Eventually, it got to the point that they thought he was going to die in prison, so they let him out. After telling us this story, he excused himself by saying "Well, I need to go lay down some linoleum." And with that, he turned around and walked off, leaving Josh and me confused and a little nervous about the coming evening.
After settling all the questions of logistics between the team and the Lion's Club, I was set down on a street corner where I could tell the cyclists where to turn because some of the new turns needed marking. I marked the turn until everyone finished, then I was picked up and taken back to the school. I had just enough time to shower before we were told to get dressed and get in the vans. Apparently someone at the Lion's Club had graciously set us up with a tour of the Tonopah Mines, which used to be the lifeblood of the city. You know, back when it was still alive. We survived the tour and had dinner with the Lion's Club at a local park where a lot of the guys lost their dignity and ended up playing on jungle gyms and see-saws.
After dinner, we circled up outside the school and split up into two groups: those that needed to go to the general store to get medicine (this ended up being half the team because we're all sick) and those that wanted to eat at McDonald's. I was able to do both and then retreat back to the school for some well-needed rest and relaxation.
All in all, it was disappointing that I was unable to complete my first century ride, but it was a fascinating day nonetheless. Hopefully tomorrow will be better as far as riding goes. Off the bike though, I would be hard pressed to hear more interesting tales.
6/23
Nevada keeps throwing us surprises. Just when we think we've got the state figured out, we get another curveball thrown at us.
Today, just like yesterday, was simple enough at the start. It's 95 miles from Tonopah to Beatty and we did the first 60 at a blistering pace. It took us around three hours to do that 60 and we were feeling good about ourselves when we stopped for lunch. Everyone was making great time and working well together and it looked like we had definitely overestimated how tough of a ride it would be.
However, after lunch the situation took a turn for the worse. Temperatures had been rising steadily all day and after lunch we had to deal with triple-degree temperatures for the first time all summer. The high of the day was 104 degrees but it felt a lot hotter on the asphalt. In addition, we started climbing steadily after we ate. There weren't any major hills to battle, just a slow grade. In several ways, those climbs are worse than the monster hills we come across. You get much less satisfaction when besting them and the downhill segments are often much less enjoyable. The problems we were facing were doubled by the fact that we had to deal with a killer headwind, another first for us. The wind ensured that we went slower on downhills than we usually did on flats and made the entire time miserable and irritable. It was just frustrating to work so hard and feel like absolutely no progress was being made. Much of the time, I felt like I was biking through water. We did eventually make it in to Beatty, where we spent most of the afternoon napping.
Today was definitely one of the tougher days I've had so far. Not only was it physically difficult, it was mentally hard as well because I was surprised by the difficulties we faced at the end. It's much easier to face something when you expect it and prepare for it. When you're caught by surprise, it's a lot tougher to have a positive attitude and be welcoming to the challenge presented. Nevada is an interesting and, in it's own way, pretty place, but all the small towns are beginning to blend together in my mind's eye. It's time for a change of pace and Nevada really doesn't offer that.
I suppose everything is relative. Someone asked me if today was a long ride and, even though today would've been by far my longest ride a week ago, I said that it really wasn't. It's just a testament to how much better of a cyclist I am today when compared to coming into this trip. Today was a 55 mile jaunt from Carson City to Fallon, "The Oasis of Nevada". It's a pretty small town, which is going to be par for the course for awhile, other than Vegas and Phoenix.
Other than a couple of hills, it was a long, straight ride. I think we made one turn the entire ride. I was able to hide my competitive spirit for the day by riding with a slower paceline. Usually when I ride, I'm in a group that tries to get there as fast as possible. Today, however, I rode with some guys who enjoyed talking and singing just as much as riding. It was a fun experience, and it did a lot to break up the monotony of the ride, which was unvarying in scenery.
The challenge now is to not fall into too comfortable of a rhythm. As I get more comfortable on the bike and with the other cyclists, it would be easy to lose sight of the goals set out for this trip by myself and by Push America. I'm doing my best to remind myself daily of the amazing gift I've been given: the ability and opportunity to ride a bicycle across the country to help others. More than once I've heard the phrase "ride for those who can't" and I need to continue taking that to heart.
Tonight's friendship visit is at Fallon Industries, and we've been told its a pirate themed party. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect but it should be fun.
6/20
Today's friendship visit showed me exactly why some people keep coming back to the Journey of Hope. A couple of the guys here have done the trip multiple times and now I understand why. Our friendship visit was at Fallon Industries, which hosted a pirate party for us. When we got there, a lot of the guys were given eye patches and pirate hats and other stuff to help us assimilate into the crowd. Credit goes out to all the guys for getting into the spirit of things and not trying to be too cool for the situation.
Dinner was brisket and chicken, an amazing combination. After a long day's ride, there's little I want to do more than eat, except maybe sleep, and a well-cooked meal is the best thing I could wish for at dinner time. There was plenty to go around and we ate our fill. I ended up eating dinner with a grandmother from Fallon. She reminded me a lot of my own grandmother and she was extremely intelligent. It was from her that I learned about the huge controversy going on in Iran and about all the protests. It was nice to talk to such a smart person from the outside world. Aside from her, the only news I've been getting is from the occasional news article emailed to me by my Pops. (Thanks dad, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it)
After we ate we cleared out the tables, leaving a huge space for us to kick off a dance and karaoke party. Again, all the guys really got into it and as a result, it was a great time. Everybody got into it and acted goofy and enjoyed themselves. I spent my time dancing with my aforementioned grandmother friend and singing karaoke. Time flew by as we did the Cha-cha Slide and serenaded our Project Managers with songs. Too soon, the time came to take our customary group picture and head back home for the night. As we were standing around, preparing to take the picture, we began an impromptu rendition of "The Rose of Pi Kappa Phi", our fraternity's song. Afterwards, we started singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'". When we went back inside to get our stuff, the DJs started playing the song for us through the sound system and we all stayed for one last encore. The visit ended with everyone arm in arm, singing and drinking in the scene. I loved it.
In addition to being an incredible friendship visit, it was the last piece of programming that the north and south routes had together. Tonight's our last night, then we split off tomorrow. It's been great to have all the north route guys with us but I think things will be great once we split up too. There'll be less people to keep track of, which hopefully means less logistical nightmares and a more close-knit group. Regardless of any advantages, it'll still be tough to see half the team head in another direction. It's been really enjoyable to meet all those guys.
6/21
It took roughly all of four minute to drive through the entirety of Hawthorne, Nevada. I'm in Mineral County High School, home of the Serpents. It's a class 2-A school that serves most of the county, if that informs you to any degree of the rurality of the area. Despite its small size and dusty demeanor, I like Hawthorne. It's very relaxed place, even more so now that our team is half it's original size.
The ride today wasn't too bad. I started off in a paceline of five towards the back but another rider and I kept breaking away from the rest of the group so we just decided to go it alone. It was really cool to ride with just one other person because you really get the opportunity to get to know someone. In today's case, that someone was Sam Knoblauch, a senior from Iowa State. We hadn't really gotten the chance to talk much before so today was a good day for that. The terrain was pretty flat with enough hills to make us appreciate the downhill parts without dying on the uphills. For most of the ride we had to contend with a desert atmosphere, but about 50 miles in we came across a huge lake that we actually followed for most of the way in. At around mile 55 we stopped and had lunch with the rest of the team. After lunch we took off again. The last 20 miles were probably the hardest just because we were tired and wanted to be finished but we were moving at our slowest pace of the day. It's a lot tougher going with only two riders than with four because you're dealing with the wind more often and there's less of an opportunity to draft. However, the conversation did flow much more easily, which was nice in keeping our minds off of aching legs.
Once we got to the high school, I walked out to the football field, sat down in the stands, and called my dad to wish him a happy Father's Day. I've made a point of dedicating my ride every day to a different person. (Don't worry mom, yours is coming) Anyways, today was dedicated to Pops and I spent a lot of the ride thinking about a lot of the things he's done for me. Without him I wouldn't be here at all. Not only did he make sure I was raised to be who I am today, he has also supported me in everything I do. When all my peers and I were younger, we were all told that we could do and be whatever we wanted when we grew up. My parents actually kept me believing that all my life, even after many other parents stopped supporting their children and tried to instill reality. Thanks dad. You're an amazing man and if I ever become half the person you are then it'll be a life well lived on my account. Happy Father's Day, I love you.
After talking to my Pops, it wasn't long at all before I had my sleeping back out and I was asleep. I woke up from my nap awhile later to hear a big group of guys laughing and cracking jokes. Some of the guys have taken to comparing Hawthorne to the setting of "The Hills Have Eyes", a horror movie set in some middle American desert where a stranded family is attacked by monsters or cannibals or something of the sort. It's my sincere hope that this isn't the case here. Spending time at the school was nice. With just the south route, there's a lot less bustle and a lot more relaxation. A lot of guys spent time lounging about or writing. A few of the guys and I made up a game involving a volleyball and a basketball court called Mamba Ball (in honor of the Black Mamba, the one black van we have in our fleet. All the other vans are white. The one I ride in is called Glitter Fairy. Figures.) It's times like that that are my favorite on the road. Without internet or girls or places to go, we're reduced to a group of guys hanging out, reading, and playing sports while joking around and having a good time. I don't think I'd live my whole life like that, but it sure is nice sometimes to live life without worrying about the frivolous things. Sometimes a good book or a ball is all you need.
Dinner tonight was provided by the Elks Lodge of Hawthorne. We ate spaghetti with a dessert of ice cream, a special treat for us given that we rarely get dessert. I volunteered to give an advocacy presentation to the group, which means that after dinner I stood up and explained to our sponsors exactly what it was that we as a team stood for and what we were doing. A lot of groups know that we work with people with disabilities but they don't know how we go about it so we give the aforementioned advocacy presentations. In return, they explained to us the exact nature of the Benevolent Order of the Elks. A lot of members of the civic clubs that we attend are interested in recruiting us. Already I've learned what it takes to become an Elk, a Rotarian, and a Lion. If you're reading this and you belong to any of these organizations, know that you've got competition, so recruit hard.
After dinner, a lot of guys hung out at the lodge to play poker and pool. I headed back pretty early, carrying with me a box of MREs that was given to the team as a gift. Back at the high school we spent much of the evening playing basketball and knockout. It's a lot of fun, but I think it's funny how little foresight we have. Knowing that we have a 100 mile day tomorrow, we're all careening around the court like we'll never get to play sports ever again. Oh, the joys of being young.
The day has definitely worn me out. Still, I'm doing things now that I couldn't have dreamed of doing a month ago. One thing is for sure, though: I need to get an air mattress. It's nice to be young but even a whippersnapper like me can't sleep on these wooden floors for too much longer.
6/22
Today was supposed to be my first century ride but in the end I found something a little more exciting instead. Sure, it's cool to tell people that you rode 100 miles, but its a lot cooler to tell them you took on a semi and, even though you didn't necessarily win, you survived. The day started off pretty well with the miles flying by and everything going well enough. I rode with some different people and settled into a groove, talking with the other guys and passing time well enough. Joey Haynes, someone I'd met on facebook beforehand but hadn't really talked to much on the actual trip, joined Sam and Josh Star, a friend of mine from the University of Houston. It was a good paceline and it seemed that the ride into Tonopah would be a fairly simple one given that it was our first 100 mile day.
However, about 40 miles in we were passed by an 18-wheeler in the right-hand lane directly next to the shoulder where we were biking. Usually these trucks will slow down a bit or move over for us but when they don't it creates a brutal crosswind that can be difficult to navigate. This was one of those instances and one of the riders ahead of me, Josh, lost his balance and fell. Joey was between the two of us and swerved out of the way but as he moved I clipped his tire and was sent sprawling. My handlebars found themselves inside someone else's back tire and I hurtled past the scene, landing hard on my right side. At first I had enough adrenaline to get up and call a crew member and make sure Josh was okay. After the initial excitement wore off though, the pain started to set in. My elbow and hip were scraped up pretty badly and I landed hard on my right wrist. Moreover, my bike wheel became untrue and unridable for the remainder of the day.
While everyone else rode on, Josh and I rode into Tonopah with our project manager. Coming into town, we saw some roadwork taking place as work crews laid new tar over the roads. We looked around for a suitable detour and the only one we could find involved several uphill climbs (on the tail end of a century day) and an inordinate number of turns. We debated over which route to take, eventually settling on the alternate route.
After this, we went about looking for the Lion's Club that was supposed to be feeding us later that evening. We eventually found them after a little too much searching and were able to talk to the two men at the Lion's Den. One of them was a big nosed retired minister with a doctorate from Golden Gate University who was never wrong and had an affinity for turquoise jewelry. The other was a lean man who, in my first conversation with him, told me the following story:
For whatever reason, he can't keep his food down unless he smokes a bit of weed before he eats. One night, the police showed up at a party he was at because some girl was taking illegal prescription drugs or something; I don't know. Anyways, this guy had some weed and when the police came by, he gave it up to them, saying it was for medical reasons. When they asked him for a card or something to validate his reason, he responded by saying that he didn't have one. They threw him in jail but soon after getting there he began rapidly losing weight because he couldn't smoke before he ate. Eventually, it got to the point that they thought he was going to die in prison, so they let him out. After telling us this story, he excused himself by saying "Well, I need to go lay down some linoleum." And with that, he turned around and walked off, leaving Josh and me confused and a little nervous about the coming evening.
After settling all the questions of logistics between the team and the Lion's Club, I was set down on a street corner where I could tell the cyclists where to turn because some of the new turns needed marking. I marked the turn until everyone finished, then I was picked up and taken back to the school. I had just enough time to shower before we were told to get dressed and get in the vans. Apparently someone at the Lion's Club had graciously set us up with a tour of the Tonopah Mines, which used to be the lifeblood of the city. You know, back when it was still alive. We survived the tour and had dinner with the Lion's Club at a local park where a lot of the guys lost their dignity and ended up playing on jungle gyms and see-saws.
After dinner, we circled up outside the school and split up into two groups: those that needed to go to the general store to get medicine (this ended up being half the team because we're all sick) and those that wanted to eat at McDonald's. I was able to do both and then retreat back to the school for some well-needed rest and relaxation.
All in all, it was disappointing that I was unable to complete my first century ride, but it was a fascinating day nonetheless. Hopefully tomorrow will be better as far as riding goes. Off the bike though, I would be hard pressed to hear more interesting tales.
6/23
Nevada keeps throwing us surprises. Just when we think we've got the state figured out, we get another curveball thrown at us.
Today, just like yesterday, was simple enough at the start. It's 95 miles from Tonopah to Beatty and we did the first 60 at a blistering pace. It took us around three hours to do that 60 and we were feeling good about ourselves when we stopped for lunch. Everyone was making great time and working well together and it looked like we had definitely overestimated how tough of a ride it would be.
However, after lunch the situation took a turn for the worse. Temperatures had been rising steadily all day and after lunch we had to deal with triple-degree temperatures for the first time all summer. The high of the day was 104 degrees but it felt a lot hotter on the asphalt. In addition, we started climbing steadily after we ate. There weren't any major hills to battle, just a slow grade. In several ways, those climbs are worse than the monster hills we come across. You get much less satisfaction when besting them and the downhill segments are often much less enjoyable. The problems we were facing were doubled by the fact that we had to deal with a killer headwind, another first for us. The wind ensured that we went slower on downhills than we usually did on flats and made the entire time miserable and irritable. It was just frustrating to work so hard and feel like absolutely no progress was being made. Much of the time, I felt like I was biking through water. We did eventually make it in to Beatty, where we spent most of the afternoon napping.
Today was definitely one of the tougher days I've had so far. Not only was it physically difficult, it was mentally hard as well because I was surprised by the difficulties we faced at the end. It's much easier to face something when you expect it and prepare for it. When you're caught by surprise, it's a lot tougher to have a positive attitude and be welcoming to the challenge presented. Nevada is an interesting and, in it's own way, pretty place, but all the small towns are beginning to blend together in my mind's eye. It's time for a change of pace and Nevada really doesn't offer that.
Friday, June 19, 2009
First week down
Sorry its taken so long to update. Internet is pretty rare out here. I had to strike a deal with one of the crew members to get some face time with a decent connection. I've taken about 250 pictures so far so I'll put some up when I get the chance. Luckily, I've been writing every day, so here's a day by day account of the Journey of Hope thus far.
June 12
85 Pictures. 50 new friends. 2 days. 1 team.
I really don’t know where to begin here. Already, before I’ve biked a single mile, my every expectation has been far surpassed. I’m having a great time, meeting amazing people, and growing and developing as a person. And we haven’t even left San Francisco yet.
I guess I should start at the beginning. Wednesday I flew out of Houston to Phoenix and from there to San Francisco. There was a fellow team member, Reid Grobe from the University of Houston, on the flight with me. Together the two of us managed to track down some other Pi Kapps in the airport and we all got picked up and taken to Orientation by the crew. Orientation is taking place at the University of San Francisco, which has been extremely gracious to put us up for the few days we’re here.
Orientation has been a mix of skills assessments, where we learn and are tested on the different skills we’ll need on the road, such as cornering, riding in a paceline (a long single-file line that cuts drag), and changing tires. The rest of the time we’re either in meetings or hanging out with all the guys. It’s been an extremely busy time. We rarely get more than thirty minutes between being in one place and having to be in another, and that includes showering and taking care of our own business.
It’s been rough, but tonight we were rewarded with the evening off to see the city of San Francisco. I went with fellow TCU team member Scott Asher and the two of us walked to Haight and Ashbury Streets, where we played the tourist game for awhile. It was a great chance to relax, talk to a friend, and see some sights. After we went back to the dorm, we picked up some more guys and took a bus to Chinatown. There were about 15 of us in all and from that group; five of us split off and got dinner together. I had a great time eating with the guys and, for the first time, I felt like we were getting past the preliminary stages of friendship and really getting to know each other. We spent the rest of the evening in the various shops of Chinatown, trying on the funny hats and taking pictures. I’ve honestly never felt more like a tourist (and I’ve never been more okay with that). Also, we found an ivory tusk on sale for 95,000 dollars. It had a sign next to it that read “no pictures”. Naturally, I’ll be putting up pictures of it soon.
So, that was my evening. I love all the people I’ve met and time is flying by. I’m now in my room, cranking this out before I go to sleep. All that we’re lacking now is a bit of cycling.
June 13
Just got back to our dorms after our training ride. Now more than ever, I’m so excited to be biking across the Golden Gate Bridge and kicking off. I rode in a paceline with the other three guys from TCU and I thought that we did a great job. If we hadn’t been sidetracked by a couple of flats along the way, we probably would’ve been one of the fastest groups. I knew the other guys were going to be in great shape but I had no idea how I’d stack up. After today though, I think I’ve been able to prove to myself that I belong out here with the best.
We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge down to the piers after a 6 o’clock wake up and breakfast and worked for a bit more on riding in pacelines and group communication. After that, we took off on a twenty mile ride that wound through a lot of the districts surrounding the bay. It was a great ride. I had a lot of fun riding with the other TCU guys and we kept a good pace that wasn’t too brutal. I spent some time riding at the front of the paceline, taking the brunt of the wind resistance so the rest of the line can ride at the same speed with less effort. I did a pretty good job (in my mind at least) until, right when I was starting to wear out, we hit the biggest hill of the day and I, being the prideful guy that I am, decided to tackle it before I dropped off. It gassed me pretty bad but the ride wasn’t too long so it’s all good.
After the ride we hung out and had lunch on the bay. Lunch today was a crew chief lunch, which means that the crew chief, on a measly budget, provides us lunch. Today it was a single sandwich (one slice of cheese and two of meat) and a handful of pretzels. It wasn’t much but all it has to do is get us through the afternoon until dinner, which is sponsored by Gamma chapter at UC Berkley. It’s the kickoff dinner, so I’m sure it’ll be good. The afternoon is going to be taken up by the last of the orientation meetings, so it’s good to know that those are almost over.
June 13
Tomorrow is the big kick-off. I’m feeling completely ready so most of the nervousness has been replaced with excitement. I really need to be sleeping soon (wake-up is at 5:30) but, from the sounds of it, the excitement is too palpable to think about sleep. People keep popping into my room for a quick word or a frog snap. Also, we’re in the process of naming our bikes. Hopefully Caroline gets me across the country this summer. Wish me luck and say a prayer friends. Tomorrow marks the start of something special.
July 14
I've been really excited to be out on the road and now the time has finally come. Kick off today started with us biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was really cool. I blew out a tire about 30 miles into the ride and so I wasn't able to finish, which was pretty frustrating, but things could have gone a lot worse. As it is, it was a good, hard day of riding even if it did end too soon. We had an incredible friendship visit too. Every year, the Napa Little League sponsors a Challenger Division, which is like a Special Olympics little league. Their last game was today, so we were invited to tag along at their end-of-the-year party. All in all, there were several hundred people there, including us and friends and family members of the players. It really was a great experience, but I'm exhausted. Luckily we get to stay in a hotel tonight. After this its gym floors for a long time.
June 15
I am currently lying on my sleeping bag in Sutter Middle School’s gym in Sacramento, California. I didn’t have any mechanical problems like yesterday so I finished my first full ride of the Journey of Hope and I must say that it was quite an experience. After a good night’s stay in a Best Western in Napa, I woke up at six for a breakfast at Denny’s before taking off.
It didn’t take long for it to become apparent that we’d need the extra calories of that big breakfast. A few miles into the trip we left the city and hit a ridge that we’d spend the greater part of the day climbing. We had a steep climb that lasted about 3.5 miles that lasted for a half mile, followed by us hurtling down the other side. At my fastest, I hit 35 MPH today on those downhill runs, a pretty intense speed when you consider that I was on such a frail piece of machinery. This was followed by another climb, over and over. It was tough, but I really got to bond with a couple of the guys. Going at such a slow pace, we were really able to talk about some things. And we found a lot of things to keep us going. One of the three guys in my paceline (we lost one guy on one of the hills so it was only three of us for most of the day) filled us in on his mantra: “We take joy in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope”, which is Romans 5:3-4. Of course, I responded with James 1:2, “Take joy when you face trials of many kinds, my brothers.” Between that, we summoned the energy to get up the mountains. And letting fly on the bottom was great.
Also, we got to see some of the most beautiful country imaginable today. Having sights like the ones we saw helped a lot in terms of staying distracted from our burning quads. Speaking of distractions, I’ve realized that the crew members know that whatever songs we hear when we stop every ten miles or so for pit stops get stuck in our head. As such, they’ve taken to playing the most obnoxious stuff possible. I’ve had Britney Spears and bad techno running through my mind all day. Imagine trying to peddle to that. Not the best possible choices. We did manage to counteract this by singing our own songs, though. It’s just a little more difficult than you’d think while on a bike.
Once we finished in the mountains, we took a quick break and checked up on things. We did the math and realized that we’d have to set a hard pace to make rack point. We spent the rest of the day in relatively flat terrain, hauling to make it to Sacramento in time. We passed more wine country with beautiful rolling hills in the background. Lucky for us, those hills were just in the background. We ended up making rack point and coming in as the second or third paceline in. After putting our bikes up, we clapped all the other groups in and then ate lunch, which was Subway sandwiches, a great alternative to our usual crew lunches. After lunch, we gathered in two long lines and rode to the capitol building of Sacramento. While there wasn’t an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger, there were some news crews and people around to greet us. After a few words of welcome, we got back on our bikes and rode to the middle school, where I’m typing this. It’s great to have some time off to relax and catch up on writing. Unfortunately, an internet connection is a luxury out here. Hopefully I’ll find one soon so I can put this on the internet.
July 15
Tonight’s friendship visit was great. We drove out to the Southside Art Center, which is an art center for people with developmental disabilities. Some of the art that these people have created is truly astounding. My favorite was an old landscape painting that a client had taken and painted a futuristic scene over it. It was a drab background of the previous landscape with brightly colored spaceships and towers superimposed on the canvas. Since I have absolutely no artistic talent at all, it was really cool to see what these people could do. One of the focuses of Push America is the abilities of people with disabilities and I think that really exemplified that ideal.
After touring the facility we were treated to a pizza dinner by the Art Center, People First of California, and Arc of Sacramento. It was a great meal to end the day. My favorite part of the visit was a performance by the Southside Ensemble, a band made up of Southside Art Center clients. It was great to see all the guys get into it and even better to just sit back and watch those amazing people show their talents. It’s definitely been a full day. The best part is that every day is getting better. I’m living the dream right now.
July 16
The trip to Jackson today was a frustrating one for me. I finished my first full ride yesterday and really thought I was beginning to get in the proper rhythm of things and then I had to deal with several setbacks today. I volunteered to sweep today, which means that I and one other rider stick in the very back of the group and wear orange jerseys so the crew can know exactly how far along all the riders are.
Two miles into the ride, we came up on the back group dealing with a flat. We thought it was just a flat tire but it turns out it was completely blown, which means that we wasted a good fifteen minutes working at it until we realized it was a goner. After we racked the person who lost his tire, we had to hop in a crew van and drive up ten miles to the next crew stop where the other sweep and I jumped in with another paceline. We biked a hard ten miles and then we stopped at the next crew stop. From there we gave all the riders there a head start and spent some time with the crew. After awhile we left again, just the other sweep and me. We only rode about two more miles before my tire, the second one in three days, blew out. Flats are a fairly common occurrence on the road but some guys make it across the entire country on their original tires so losing two in three days was extremely frustrating, especially because my spare was in the bottom of my bag in a crew van thirty miles down the road. I was really disappointed to be done for the day after only biking about fifteen miles.
On the positive side though, I did get to spend some time with the crew. Honestly, some of my favorite guys out here are crew members. Apparently, there’s been an ‘us versus them’ mentality between crew and cyclists in the past but I haven’t seen it at all out here. They work just as hard, if not harder, than the cyclists do and they get none of the glory. They’re up earlier in the morning and later in the evening than we are and they never eat until all cyclists have. With the cycling portion of this trip, one could easily be motivated to participate for the wrong reasons: the glory, or just the physical challenge. However, with the crew members, you know it’s purely a labor of love.
I’d only been in the crew van for about twenty minutes when one of the guys I was riding with invited me to take a quick power nap. I figured I would rest for about fifteen minutes but next thing I knew I was waking up an hour and a half later to the sound of all the riders being cheered into the city. It definitely wasn’t the plan to crash like that but it was probably necessary that I got that rest. Even with that, I took a nap once we got settled into the gym. I guess I’m just more tired than I thought. Tonight we’re getting fed by the Jackson Lions Club at a place called Mel and Faye’s Diner. I’m really looking forward to it. A good meal is greatly appreciated out here and I fully expect tonight to deliver the goods.
July 17
Today was the infamous Kirkwood ride. From what I had heard, going in it sounded like it would be the hardest ride of the summer. Looking back on it now, there’s no way that we can possibly do anything as difficult as what I just finished. Today’s ride pushed me mentally and physically harder than probably anything I’ve ever done. But, having done it, I couldn’t feel better.
The day started off at 6 am with our wake up call. Breakfast was provided by the fine folks at Mel and Faye’s Diner in Jackson. We were fortunate to have such a good breakfast provided. Most dinners are sponsored and a lot of lunches are as well but almost every single day our breakfast consists of half a bagel and a banana. I guess they knew that we’d need the extra calories.
We left Jackson at 8 and began climbing almost immediately. The climbs weren’t as steep as those from a couple of days ago, but they were much longer. We started the day at 1,000 feet above sea level and within a few hours we’d climbed to 5,000. It was a steady, constant climb but I had a really good paceline and we all managed to pull each other through. One of the other TCU students, Adam Wilson, had some problems with his knee and had to compensate with his other leg for most of the ride but gritted it out and we had few problems other than that.
One of the advantages of today’s ride was that we were treated to some beautiful vistas. We ate lunch with some other groups at a scenic overlook about 5,000 feet up. It’s easy to zone out by staring at the tire in front of you but one look off to the side was often enough motivation to keep going. Lunch was short but sweet. The crew members were playing music and a lot of guys had stopped so it was a very welcome break from the monotony of slow uphill climbing.
We never adopted a particularly grueling pace, but we took short rest stops and everyone pulled consistently and evenly and we made really good time. We climbed as high as 8,000 feet before we got a break by riding downhill for a couple of miles down to 7,100 feet. After that, we had another climb ahead, this time to almost 8,500 feet. By this point in the climb we had pretty much passed through the threshold of pain and our bodies were doing everything automatically. We just got to the point where thought was more a liability than an advantage and after that the whole experience became a numb one.
At 8,500 feet, we came to the top and looked down on a huge drop. The decline lasted 14 miles and we lost about 5,000 feet in altitude. At my peak, I went over 50 miles an hour on my bike. It’s a sensation that’s a lot like skiing, except the consequence of falling is much, much greater. Once you hit a speed like that, there’s not a lot you can do for yourself in the event of a bump in the road or some other debris. To be honest, I made peace with dying on that road. I have never been more scared in my life. It was just like a roller coaster except that tiny voice in the back of your head that tells you that you’re safe is silent. I’m not sure I’ll ever go that fast again, but it was definitely worth it for the singular experience.
Once we plateaued at the bottom, we knew it was just a matter of time before we would be pulling into our lodging. The ride just didn’t seem to end though. We had a few miles of straight, flat ground during which one of the guys in my paceline said something along the lines of “Take that, Kirkwood!” Sadly, the mountain had its revenge soon enough. There’s a running joke around here that says that we spend every night at the top of the biggest hill and today was no exception. Just when we thought we had conquered the beast, one final, neverending hill loomed ahead. By then, my hands, butt, and back where completely numb. Every peddle was more of a mental battle than a physical one. But we got there, somehow, some way. The Jackson Lion’s Club drove all the way out to Markleeville and grilled out for us and every time a new group rode in they would throw a hot dog and hamburger on a bun and make sure the riders were well taken care of. Five minutes after arrival I had downed two hot dogs, two hamburgers, and a few brownies and I was off to the showers. The rest of the evening was spent cheering the rest of the guys in and relaxing with the Lions Club members who made the drive out. My group finished the ride at 6:30- a 10 and a half hour ride. Other groups lasted as late as 8 before coming in.
It was a monster day, something that truly took everything I had. After this, every other day this summer seems like a joke. As difficult as it was, I loved it and really enjoyed the challenge. It was precisely the type of day I had in mind when I signed up for this experience. Already I can see the extent to which I’ve grown by being a part of this day. I’m having the journey of a lifetime, and I can’t express how thankful I am, to my parents, my friends and family, my supporters, and to God for giving me this opportunity. I love you all, take care.
July 18
My favorite sportswriter is Bill Simmons. He's a huge Celtics fan, and he writes that some of his most poignant memories as a child were watching Larry Bird's Celtics and their championship runs. However, he didn't remember the championship teams as much as he remembered the defending champ teams. He writes that "the way you can look into the essence of a team isn't by how it wins a championship, but by how it defends that championship the next year." He discusses how Kevin McHale broke his foot but gamely continued playing on it throughout the playoffs one year in a desperate attempt to defend a title. Even though his foot and his career were never the same, McHale will tell you that he doesn't regret a single action. That was on my mind a lot today because I was interested in seeing how I would respond today after yesterday's ride. Today was forty miles long and mostly flat, which was pretty new for us.
It's been astounding to see how much better of a cyclist I am now than I was a week ago. As a group, we're much better at handling our bikes and our pacelines are much tighter. A week ago, we would be able to ride about 18 miles an hour on flat terrain. Today we averaged 22 miles per hour. When I was second in line, my tire was literally three inches off of the leader's. Admittedly, we were gunning it today and trying to finish as quickly as possible, but it was good to see that I can go much faster now than I could previously. It's also been heartening for me to see where I stand in the group. As of today, I think I could ride in the fastest paceline the South route has to offer and hang in there. Hopefully I'll just be able to keep improving with time.
June 12
85 Pictures. 50 new friends. 2 days. 1 team.
I really don’t know where to begin here. Already, before I’ve biked a single mile, my every expectation has been far surpassed. I’m having a great time, meeting amazing people, and growing and developing as a person. And we haven’t even left San Francisco yet.
I guess I should start at the beginning. Wednesday I flew out of Houston to Phoenix and from there to San Francisco. There was a fellow team member, Reid Grobe from the University of Houston, on the flight with me. Together the two of us managed to track down some other Pi Kapps in the airport and we all got picked up and taken to Orientation by the crew. Orientation is taking place at the University of San Francisco, which has been extremely gracious to put us up for the few days we’re here.
Orientation has been a mix of skills assessments, where we learn and are tested on the different skills we’ll need on the road, such as cornering, riding in a paceline (a long single-file line that cuts drag), and changing tires. The rest of the time we’re either in meetings or hanging out with all the guys. It’s been an extremely busy time. We rarely get more than thirty minutes between being in one place and having to be in another, and that includes showering and taking care of our own business.
It’s been rough, but tonight we were rewarded with the evening off to see the city of San Francisco. I went with fellow TCU team member Scott Asher and the two of us walked to Haight and Ashbury Streets, where we played the tourist game for awhile. It was a great chance to relax, talk to a friend, and see some sights. After we went back to the dorm, we picked up some more guys and took a bus to Chinatown. There were about 15 of us in all and from that group; five of us split off and got dinner together. I had a great time eating with the guys and, for the first time, I felt like we were getting past the preliminary stages of friendship and really getting to know each other. We spent the rest of the evening in the various shops of Chinatown, trying on the funny hats and taking pictures. I’ve honestly never felt more like a tourist (and I’ve never been more okay with that). Also, we found an ivory tusk on sale for 95,000 dollars. It had a sign next to it that read “no pictures”. Naturally, I’ll be putting up pictures of it soon.
So, that was my evening. I love all the people I’ve met and time is flying by. I’m now in my room, cranking this out before I go to sleep. All that we’re lacking now is a bit of cycling.
June 13
Just got back to our dorms after our training ride. Now more than ever, I’m so excited to be biking across the Golden Gate Bridge and kicking off. I rode in a paceline with the other three guys from TCU and I thought that we did a great job. If we hadn’t been sidetracked by a couple of flats along the way, we probably would’ve been one of the fastest groups. I knew the other guys were going to be in great shape but I had no idea how I’d stack up. After today though, I think I’ve been able to prove to myself that I belong out here with the best.
We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge down to the piers after a 6 o’clock wake up and breakfast and worked for a bit more on riding in pacelines and group communication. After that, we took off on a twenty mile ride that wound through a lot of the districts surrounding the bay. It was a great ride. I had a lot of fun riding with the other TCU guys and we kept a good pace that wasn’t too brutal. I spent some time riding at the front of the paceline, taking the brunt of the wind resistance so the rest of the line can ride at the same speed with less effort. I did a pretty good job (in my mind at least) until, right when I was starting to wear out, we hit the biggest hill of the day and I, being the prideful guy that I am, decided to tackle it before I dropped off. It gassed me pretty bad but the ride wasn’t too long so it’s all good.
After the ride we hung out and had lunch on the bay. Lunch today was a crew chief lunch, which means that the crew chief, on a measly budget, provides us lunch. Today it was a single sandwich (one slice of cheese and two of meat) and a handful of pretzels. It wasn’t much but all it has to do is get us through the afternoon until dinner, which is sponsored by Gamma chapter at UC Berkley. It’s the kickoff dinner, so I’m sure it’ll be good. The afternoon is going to be taken up by the last of the orientation meetings, so it’s good to know that those are almost over.
June 13
Tomorrow is the big kick-off. I’m feeling completely ready so most of the nervousness has been replaced with excitement. I really need to be sleeping soon (wake-up is at 5:30) but, from the sounds of it, the excitement is too palpable to think about sleep. People keep popping into my room for a quick word or a frog snap. Also, we’re in the process of naming our bikes. Hopefully Caroline gets me across the country this summer. Wish me luck and say a prayer friends. Tomorrow marks the start of something special.
July 14
I've been really excited to be out on the road and now the time has finally come. Kick off today started with us biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was really cool. I blew out a tire about 30 miles into the ride and so I wasn't able to finish, which was pretty frustrating, but things could have gone a lot worse. As it is, it was a good, hard day of riding even if it did end too soon. We had an incredible friendship visit too. Every year, the Napa Little League sponsors a Challenger Division, which is like a Special Olympics little league. Their last game was today, so we were invited to tag along at their end-of-the-year party. All in all, there were several hundred people there, including us and friends and family members of the players. It really was a great experience, but I'm exhausted. Luckily we get to stay in a hotel tonight. After this its gym floors for a long time.
June 15
I am currently lying on my sleeping bag in Sutter Middle School’s gym in Sacramento, California. I didn’t have any mechanical problems like yesterday so I finished my first full ride of the Journey of Hope and I must say that it was quite an experience. After a good night’s stay in a Best Western in Napa, I woke up at six for a breakfast at Denny’s before taking off.
It didn’t take long for it to become apparent that we’d need the extra calories of that big breakfast. A few miles into the trip we left the city and hit a ridge that we’d spend the greater part of the day climbing. We had a steep climb that lasted about 3.5 miles that lasted for a half mile, followed by us hurtling down the other side. At my fastest, I hit 35 MPH today on those downhill runs, a pretty intense speed when you consider that I was on such a frail piece of machinery. This was followed by another climb, over and over. It was tough, but I really got to bond with a couple of the guys. Going at such a slow pace, we were really able to talk about some things. And we found a lot of things to keep us going. One of the three guys in my paceline (we lost one guy on one of the hills so it was only three of us for most of the day) filled us in on his mantra: “We take joy in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope”, which is Romans 5:3-4. Of course, I responded with James 1:2, “Take joy when you face trials of many kinds, my brothers.” Between that, we summoned the energy to get up the mountains. And letting fly on the bottom was great.
Also, we got to see some of the most beautiful country imaginable today. Having sights like the ones we saw helped a lot in terms of staying distracted from our burning quads. Speaking of distractions, I’ve realized that the crew members know that whatever songs we hear when we stop every ten miles or so for pit stops get stuck in our head. As such, they’ve taken to playing the most obnoxious stuff possible. I’ve had Britney Spears and bad techno running through my mind all day. Imagine trying to peddle to that. Not the best possible choices. We did manage to counteract this by singing our own songs, though. It’s just a little more difficult than you’d think while on a bike.
Once we finished in the mountains, we took a quick break and checked up on things. We did the math and realized that we’d have to set a hard pace to make rack point. We spent the rest of the day in relatively flat terrain, hauling to make it to Sacramento in time. We passed more wine country with beautiful rolling hills in the background. Lucky for us, those hills were just in the background. We ended up making rack point and coming in as the second or third paceline in. After putting our bikes up, we clapped all the other groups in and then ate lunch, which was Subway sandwiches, a great alternative to our usual crew lunches. After lunch, we gathered in two long lines and rode to the capitol building of Sacramento. While there wasn’t an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger, there were some news crews and people around to greet us. After a few words of welcome, we got back on our bikes and rode to the middle school, where I’m typing this. It’s great to have some time off to relax and catch up on writing. Unfortunately, an internet connection is a luxury out here. Hopefully I’ll find one soon so I can put this on the internet.
July 15
Tonight’s friendship visit was great. We drove out to the Southside Art Center, which is an art center for people with developmental disabilities. Some of the art that these people have created is truly astounding. My favorite was an old landscape painting that a client had taken and painted a futuristic scene over it. It was a drab background of the previous landscape with brightly colored spaceships and towers superimposed on the canvas. Since I have absolutely no artistic talent at all, it was really cool to see what these people could do. One of the focuses of Push America is the abilities of people with disabilities and I think that really exemplified that ideal.
After touring the facility we were treated to a pizza dinner by the Art Center, People First of California, and Arc of Sacramento. It was a great meal to end the day. My favorite part of the visit was a performance by the Southside Ensemble, a band made up of Southside Art Center clients. It was great to see all the guys get into it and even better to just sit back and watch those amazing people show their talents. It’s definitely been a full day. The best part is that every day is getting better. I’m living the dream right now.
July 16
The trip to Jackson today was a frustrating one for me. I finished my first full ride yesterday and really thought I was beginning to get in the proper rhythm of things and then I had to deal with several setbacks today. I volunteered to sweep today, which means that I and one other rider stick in the very back of the group and wear orange jerseys so the crew can know exactly how far along all the riders are.
Two miles into the ride, we came up on the back group dealing with a flat. We thought it was just a flat tire but it turns out it was completely blown, which means that we wasted a good fifteen minutes working at it until we realized it was a goner. After we racked the person who lost his tire, we had to hop in a crew van and drive up ten miles to the next crew stop where the other sweep and I jumped in with another paceline. We biked a hard ten miles and then we stopped at the next crew stop. From there we gave all the riders there a head start and spent some time with the crew. After awhile we left again, just the other sweep and me. We only rode about two more miles before my tire, the second one in three days, blew out. Flats are a fairly common occurrence on the road but some guys make it across the entire country on their original tires so losing two in three days was extremely frustrating, especially because my spare was in the bottom of my bag in a crew van thirty miles down the road. I was really disappointed to be done for the day after only biking about fifteen miles.
On the positive side though, I did get to spend some time with the crew. Honestly, some of my favorite guys out here are crew members. Apparently, there’s been an ‘us versus them’ mentality between crew and cyclists in the past but I haven’t seen it at all out here. They work just as hard, if not harder, than the cyclists do and they get none of the glory. They’re up earlier in the morning and later in the evening than we are and they never eat until all cyclists have. With the cycling portion of this trip, one could easily be motivated to participate for the wrong reasons: the glory, or just the physical challenge. However, with the crew members, you know it’s purely a labor of love.
I’d only been in the crew van for about twenty minutes when one of the guys I was riding with invited me to take a quick power nap. I figured I would rest for about fifteen minutes but next thing I knew I was waking up an hour and a half later to the sound of all the riders being cheered into the city. It definitely wasn’t the plan to crash like that but it was probably necessary that I got that rest. Even with that, I took a nap once we got settled into the gym. I guess I’m just more tired than I thought. Tonight we’re getting fed by the Jackson Lions Club at a place called Mel and Faye’s Diner. I’m really looking forward to it. A good meal is greatly appreciated out here and I fully expect tonight to deliver the goods.
July 17
Today was the infamous Kirkwood ride. From what I had heard, going in it sounded like it would be the hardest ride of the summer. Looking back on it now, there’s no way that we can possibly do anything as difficult as what I just finished. Today’s ride pushed me mentally and physically harder than probably anything I’ve ever done. But, having done it, I couldn’t feel better.
The day started off at 6 am with our wake up call. Breakfast was provided by the fine folks at Mel and Faye’s Diner in Jackson. We were fortunate to have such a good breakfast provided. Most dinners are sponsored and a lot of lunches are as well but almost every single day our breakfast consists of half a bagel and a banana. I guess they knew that we’d need the extra calories.
We left Jackson at 8 and began climbing almost immediately. The climbs weren’t as steep as those from a couple of days ago, but they were much longer. We started the day at 1,000 feet above sea level and within a few hours we’d climbed to 5,000. It was a steady, constant climb but I had a really good paceline and we all managed to pull each other through. One of the other TCU students, Adam Wilson, had some problems with his knee and had to compensate with his other leg for most of the ride but gritted it out and we had few problems other than that.
One of the advantages of today’s ride was that we were treated to some beautiful vistas. We ate lunch with some other groups at a scenic overlook about 5,000 feet up. It’s easy to zone out by staring at the tire in front of you but one look off to the side was often enough motivation to keep going. Lunch was short but sweet. The crew members were playing music and a lot of guys had stopped so it was a very welcome break from the monotony of slow uphill climbing.
We never adopted a particularly grueling pace, but we took short rest stops and everyone pulled consistently and evenly and we made really good time. We climbed as high as 8,000 feet before we got a break by riding downhill for a couple of miles down to 7,100 feet. After that, we had another climb ahead, this time to almost 8,500 feet. By this point in the climb we had pretty much passed through the threshold of pain and our bodies were doing everything automatically. We just got to the point where thought was more a liability than an advantage and after that the whole experience became a numb one.
At 8,500 feet, we came to the top and looked down on a huge drop. The decline lasted 14 miles and we lost about 5,000 feet in altitude. At my peak, I went over 50 miles an hour on my bike. It’s a sensation that’s a lot like skiing, except the consequence of falling is much, much greater. Once you hit a speed like that, there’s not a lot you can do for yourself in the event of a bump in the road or some other debris. To be honest, I made peace with dying on that road. I have never been more scared in my life. It was just like a roller coaster except that tiny voice in the back of your head that tells you that you’re safe is silent. I’m not sure I’ll ever go that fast again, but it was definitely worth it for the singular experience.
Once we plateaued at the bottom, we knew it was just a matter of time before we would be pulling into our lodging. The ride just didn’t seem to end though. We had a few miles of straight, flat ground during which one of the guys in my paceline said something along the lines of “Take that, Kirkwood!” Sadly, the mountain had its revenge soon enough. There’s a running joke around here that says that we spend every night at the top of the biggest hill and today was no exception. Just when we thought we had conquered the beast, one final, neverending hill loomed ahead. By then, my hands, butt, and back where completely numb. Every peddle was more of a mental battle than a physical one. But we got there, somehow, some way. The Jackson Lion’s Club drove all the way out to Markleeville and grilled out for us and every time a new group rode in they would throw a hot dog and hamburger on a bun and make sure the riders were well taken care of. Five minutes after arrival I had downed two hot dogs, two hamburgers, and a few brownies and I was off to the showers. The rest of the evening was spent cheering the rest of the guys in and relaxing with the Lions Club members who made the drive out. My group finished the ride at 6:30- a 10 and a half hour ride. Other groups lasted as late as 8 before coming in.
It was a monster day, something that truly took everything I had. After this, every other day this summer seems like a joke. As difficult as it was, I loved it and really enjoyed the challenge. It was precisely the type of day I had in mind when I signed up for this experience. Already I can see the extent to which I’ve grown by being a part of this day. I’m having the journey of a lifetime, and I can’t express how thankful I am, to my parents, my friends and family, my supporters, and to God for giving me this opportunity. I love you all, take care.
July 18
My favorite sportswriter is Bill Simmons. He's a huge Celtics fan, and he writes that some of his most poignant memories as a child were watching Larry Bird's Celtics and their championship runs. However, he didn't remember the championship teams as much as he remembered the defending champ teams. He writes that "the way you can look into the essence of a team isn't by how it wins a championship, but by how it defends that championship the next year." He discusses how Kevin McHale broke his foot but gamely continued playing on it throughout the playoffs one year in a desperate attempt to defend a title. Even though his foot and his career were never the same, McHale will tell you that he doesn't regret a single action. That was on my mind a lot today because I was interested in seeing how I would respond today after yesterday's ride. Today was forty miles long and mostly flat, which was pretty new for us.
It's been astounding to see how much better of a cyclist I am now than I was a week ago. As a group, we're much better at handling our bikes and our pacelines are much tighter. A week ago, we would be able to ride about 18 miles an hour on flat terrain. Today we averaged 22 miles per hour. When I was second in line, my tire was literally three inches off of the leader's. Admittedly, we were gunning it today and trying to finish as quickly as possible, but it was good to see that I can go much faster now than I could previously. It's also been heartening for me to see where I stand in the group. As of today, I think I could ride in the fastest paceline the South route has to offer and hang in there. Hopefully I'll just be able to keep improving with time.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The night before...
So, I'm typing this from my hotel bed in good old Houston, Texas. I came down here tonight with my mom because my flight leaves at 8:10 tomorrow morning and we didn't want to have to brave the traffic. Also, I'm shipping my bike on the plane and I've got no idea how long that'll take. This last week or so has really worn me out. I've been saying my goodbyes to friends and family and at the same time trying to be as physically and mentally prepared as possible. I'm looking forward to getting some sleep on the plane tomorrow so I can hopefully hit the ground running for orientation. At this point, its rough because there's not much more I can do to prepare, but I can't start just yet. So I'm just waiting and hoping and praying that I'm ready, but I can't change anything. I just really need things to start happening to take my mind off the waiting. I'm sure tomorrow will change that.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Newspaper article
Last week I had an interview with a reporter from the Lufkin Daily New about Journey of Hope. I was hoping that I could get some extra support and publicity from the resulting story and so far it's done just that. The folks at the newspaper were great and put my article on the front page, which was great. Because of it, I've had a lot of people send in checks or write to me just to express their support, which I truly appreciate. Anyways, the article can be viewed here:
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/05/19/PUSH_America.html
I hope everyone enjoys it.
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/05/19/PUSH_America.html
I hope everyone enjoys it.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Closing in...
Hey guys, right now I'm about three weeks away from catching my plane to San Francisco and right now everything's happening about a hundred miles an hour. Both my fundraising and fitness goals are within reach but there's still a lot of work left to be done before I leave Lufkin. Right now I'm trying to squeeze an entire three month summer into a month before I have to leave, which means I'm working, training, fundraising, and catching up on all the sleep I missed out on during the school year. It's been hectic but I'm always happy when I'm busy so things have been good.
Right now the toughest part has been taking care of all the administrative stuff that has to be done. Part of that includes paperwork like turning in medical releases and whatnot and part of it involves making lots and lots of phone calls. Phone calls to the airline about shipping my bike, phone calls to friends about fundraising, phone calls to relatives about getting addresses, the list goes on. Luckily, my mom has been a huge source of help and support throughout all this. If it were up to me, I'd just hop on a bike and go, so having her around has been instrumental to me actually getting to the starting line. Hopefully I can take it from there.
Training has been going well. I've been swimming, running, and biking to stay in shape for the start of the Journey. I also try and work out with my old high school soccer team whenever possible but I've been working a lot so I haven't really had much of an opportunity. I went and lifted weights with them last Tuesday and between the workout and the heat I was just about ready to give out. It's so much more humid in Lufkin than Fort Worth that it definitely takes some getting used to.
Journey of Hope has given me something to work towards again though. In high school, every lap I ran and every weight I lifted was done with the sole purpose of bringing me one step closer to beating The Woodlands and Conroe and College Park. After soccer ended, I still did my best to stay in shape, but it's a lot harder to push yourself to the absolute limit when your only goals are staying fit and winning intramural games. I've always thrived off a challenge and Journey of Hope has given me something well worth working towards.
I guess that’s just what I have to keep telling myself. Sometimes things get difficult, during training or when all I went to do is relax and enjoy my summer but I have to make calls and send letters instead. But I suppose at the end of the day, the best thing I can do is be constantly reminded of what I'm doing this for. Thanks for reading; hopefully I'll be able to update again soon.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Welcome!
Hi everyone, thanks for visiting my Journey of Hope blog. The purpose of this is to provide updates to family, friends, and supporters on my Journey of Hope as I go about preparing for and participating in a 4,000 mile that bike ride this summer that will raise both funds and awareness for people with disabilities. The trek is a program implemented by Push America, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity's national philanthropy. During it, I will ride my bicycle from San Francisco to Washington D.C. over a two-month span along with 78 other riders from Pi Kapp chapters all across the country. Annually, the Journey of Hope raises over 500,000 dollars with each individual team member contributing to this by fundraising at least 5,ooo dollars. It is my sincere hope that by reading this you will find your life enriched and that you will either choose to contribute to my fundraising goals or, at the very least, find yourself more aware of the abilities of both those with disabilities. I've heard it said that "everyone has disabilities. The only difference is that some people wear theirs on the outside." By focusing on how alike we are as opposed to our differences, we can learn to empathize with others and, as a result, better the lives of ourselves and of our fellow humans. Again, I thank you for reading. I appreciate both your time and support. Without it, this would not be possible.
Go frogs,
Dalton
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