Location: Wichita, KS
So, our first couple days in Kansas were flat, featurless, hot, windy, and smelly (thank you beef industry and roadkill). I thought at first, "Kansas Sucks."
However, I'm highlighting the bad and there's plenty of good. For one thing, everyone I've met in this state is absurdly nice. I'm serious. Even the honks from passing cars are more pleasant. And the highways we've been on have had enormous shoulders -- room to roam! Keep in mind that this stretch (until today) has been our longest stretch without a day off, so some smooth, easily navigable roads are very pleasant on the ol' backside...
Also, the ride from Pratt to Wichita was actually very pretty. Lush and green. With trees, even!! One of our crew members, who is from here, rode the whole day...he's going to be hurting tomorrow, I think. Haha.
And we had an awesome friendship visit at a camp for kids with cerebral palsy. They were absolutely adorable and had a blast with them in their pool. After experiencing an 80-mile day turn into 95, all I had on my mind was napping...but when we got to the CP Ranch, the kids just had so much energy and were so excited to see us, it was easy to forget about how tired I was or how much I just wanted to curl up into a corner and snooze.
Even better: we get to come back to a really nice hotel and we have our OWN BEDS! Nice. And we have a day off tomorrow -- at least from the bikes. We have a lot planned and I think I'm going to hit the hay.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
It's hot.
Location: Lamar, CO
Today is our last day in Colorado. The scenery isn't much, but the weather is certainly throwing in its punches.
Going into Pueblo, it wasn't too unbearable. (Still really hot though; upper 90s.) Especially considering we got to stay at another hotel/motel...so real beds again after having them in both Denver (for two days) and Colorado Springs. Air conditioning is spectacular, by the way.
The ride into La Junta, however: scorching. Thankfully, it wasn't windy and we hauled butt on the bikes, frequently topping 26-28 miles per hour for fairly long stretches. I think we topped out at 104 degrees, and the gym we stayed in didn't have air conditioning. As you can imagine, it was a bit uncomfortable for this Seattle native. Playing four or five rounds of volleyball before going to bed didn't help either. I didn't get great sleep, and actually had to transfer from my air mattress to the floor because it was a degree or two cooler. One has to take what one is given though.
Oddly enough, today's ride was pretty chilly and took place under a pretty thick layer of gray clouds. And it was windy, so we had to fight that the whole time. Not so fun.
On another note, while I was doing fundraising, I was a bit discouraged to see how many people weren't willing to donate even a little bit to the cause. But out on the road, with all the people who open their homes and wallets to feed us, as well as the strangers who pull over at our crew stops to ask us about what we're doing is just really neat.
I think this is the shortest interval between posts, so there's not much -- especially since there hasn't been much programming. I have been doing a lot of sleeping though. So that's good.
Today is our last day in Colorado. The scenery isn't much, but the weather is certainly throwing in its punches.
Going into Pueblo, it wasn't too unbearable. (Still really hot though; upper 90s.) Especially considering we got to stay at another hotel/motel...so real beds again after having them in both Denver (for two days) and Colorado Springs. Air conditioning is spectacular, by the way.
The ride into La Junta, however: scorching. Thankfully, it wasn't windy and we hauled butt on the bikes, frequently topping 26-28 miles per hour for fairly long stretches. I think we topped out at 104 degrees, and the gym we stayed in didn't have air conditioning. As you can imagine, it was a bit uncomfortable for this Seattle native. Playing four or five rounds of volleyball before going to bed didn't help either. I didn't get great sleep, and actually had to transfer from my air mattress to the floor because it was a degree or two cooler. One has to take what one is given though.
Oddly enough, today's ride was pretty chilly and took place under a pretty thick layer of gray clouds. And it was windy, so we had to fight that the whole time. Not so fun.
On another note, while I was doing fundraising, I was a bit discouraged to see how many people weren't willing to donate even a little bit to the cause. But out on the road, with all the people who open their homes and wallets to feed us, as well as the strangers who pull over at our crew stops to ask us about what we're doing is just really neat.
I think this is the shortest interval between posts, so there's not much -- especially since there hasn't been much programming. I have been doing a lot of sleeping though. So that's good.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Olympians abound!
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Hey everyone! The days are all blurring together, but I think I can pick up where I left off last...
After Fort Collins (where we got to hang out with the Zeta Phi guys from CSU), we headed to another college-oriented town, Boulder, where we were greeted by more Pi Kapps, this time by the local Eta Gamma guys.
Our friendship visit in Boulder was one of the most exciting to date: we got to play wheelchair rugby (a.k.a. quad rugby) with the Denver Harlequins, a couple of whom were/are Paralympians and star in the 2005 movie, Murderball. It was so fun, they mixed us in and we got to play some scrimmages -- although I have a feeling they held back. It's brutal and full-contact for sure; at one point a chair teetered delicately on its side after being slammed into. (The chairs, by the way, run upwards of $4000!) As time ran out, we were reluctant to go, but were pleased to present the team with a grant from Push America. It's always nice to see the money that we raised go to the organizations we visit!
That visit was very humbling as well, and hit home more than the others we have had so far. Most of the athletes were quadriplegic and had varying degrees of control of their hands and arms. At the beginning we got to hear how they ended up in their wheelchairs: several car accidents, one diving into a shallow pool, cerebral palsy, and even being bucked off of a mechanical bull. Who's to say one of us is on a bicycle on day and in a Murderball chair the next? It was very sobering to realize how quickly and easily your life could be so drastically changed. Needless to say, I felt more than a bit guilty about being able to get out of the chair and walk away...but I wish them all the best as the next Games approach!
The next day in Boulder was a day off the bike, and we kicked off by a scrumptious breakfast at the Original Pancake House. Or Original House of Pancakes. Something with pancakes, which is all that really matters. And boy did I enjoy some of those fluffy, flattened treats! It was glorious.
After breakfast, we thought it would be a great idea to float Boulder Creek. Well, the weather turned out to be pretty horrible, as it rained on us intermittently. And also the "creek" turned out to be more of a raging river than I expected. I banged up my legs on countless rocks and feared for my life on a couple occasions...but hey, it was fun! I think about 30 of us went in at the beginning and 8 floated out in one piece and/or on a tube.
Despues de Boulder, we headed to good ol' Denver. It was just a hair longer than 30 miles, and we got to meet up with the North team for an intricate arrival. We double-pace lined it all from near Invesco Field to the capitol building where we had media and some of our KRG Capital sponsors. For example, the "R" in KRG is Bruce Rogers, who was the inspiration for the Journey of Hope when he cycled cross-country in 1987.
Later that day, the friendship visit was a joint one with the North team: Pedal for Pennies. It was another KRG-sponsored event in which some of the local Special Olympians cycled laps to raise money. We did some ride alongs, dinner, and ended with a bumpin' dance party. It started out pretty slow with only a few people but quickly filled up and ended up being incredibly enjoyable, especially the dancing; we did a rhumba line, Macarena, sing-alongs to the Backstreet Boys and Sweet Caroline, etc. etc.! Good times. One of the Special Olympians who was cycling earlier (Emily!) started crying because she was so happy. That was especially heartwarming. They told us that they waited all year for the "Journey of Hope boys" to come visit! I'm glad we were able help out and bring some more joy to the day.
Yesterday was a day off in Denver, and I took advantage of the downtime to sleep in the wonderful Mariott beds until 11 o'clock, then shop for some new sunglasses (I lost a pair in the swollen "Creek") and goggles for the hotel pool. (The previous night, I had started to do laps but without protection, the chlorine didn't agree with my eyeballs too much.) In an attempt to keep some upper-body tone, I lifted weights and then did some more laps. Then a nap and some reading, and bike maintenance took most of the rest of the day. Pretty chill.
Today we left Denver for Colorado Springs with some KRG and Pi Alpha ride-alongs. We fought through a heavy headwind the entire day and it was both painful and frustrating. But our spirits were lifted soon enough, as our stop was at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. They fed us amazing food, gave us a tour of the incredible facility -- and we even got to see some of our Beijing Olympians! (The women's volleyball players are absolutely GIGANTIC. I felt so insignificant as we watched them lift weights...I probably came up to most of their belly buttons. Just kidding. But almost.) It was pretty darn American, that's for sure, and darn impressive too to know that some of our country's greatest athletes had come and gone through that facility (or are training there right now!).
We're staying at Colorado College right now at really nice residence hall, and the dean, Mike Edmonds, was kind enough to provide a catered meal at his house here on campus. Beautiful campus and good food made for a nice end to the day. OH! And I almost forgot: we were on the local news here in probably our best TV spot so far, check it out at FOX21 (I don't know if they'll put the TV spot online or not?).
I'm sorry my posts are so long! I have to cram a bunch in. You can read them in chunks, that's okay. That's why you've bookmarked it...right? Anyway, we're out of Colorado in a couple days and into Kansas. I can't wait. Except I think I forgot my ruby slippers at home. (Mandatory Wizard of Oz Kansas joke.)
Hey everyone! The days are all blurring together, but I think I can pick up where I left off last...
After Fort Collins (where we got to hang out with the Zeta Phi guys from CSU), we headed to another college-oriented town, Boulder, where we were greeted by more Pi Kapps, this time by the local Eta Gamma guys.
Our friendship visit in Boulder was one of the most exciting to date: we got to play wheelchair rugby (a.k.a. quad rugby) with the Denver Harlequins, a couple of whom were/are Paralympians and star in the 2005 movie, Murderball. It was so fun, they mixed us in and we got to play some scrimmages -- although I have a feeling they held back. It's brutal and full-contact for sure; at one point a chair teetered delicately on its side after being slammed into. (The chairs, by the way, run upwards of $4000!) As time ran out, we were reluctant to go, but were pleased to present the team with a grant from Push America. It's always nice to see the money that we raised go to the organizations we visit!
That visit was very humbling as well, and hit home more than the others we have had so far. Most of the athletes were quadriplegic and had varying degrees of control of their hands and arms. At the beginning we got to hear how they ended up in their wheelchairs: several car accidents, one diving into a shallow pool, cerebral palsy, and even being bucked off of a mechanical bull. Who's to say one of us is on a bicycle on day and in a Murderball chair the next? It was very sobering to realize how quickly and easily your life could be so drastically changed. Needless to say, I felt more than a bit guilty about being able to get out of the chair and walk away...but I wish them all the best as the next Games approach!
The next day in Boulder was a day off the bike, and we kicked off by a scrumptious breakfast at the Original Pancake House. Or Original House of Pancakes. Something with pancakes, which is all that really matters. And boy did I enjoy some of those fluffy, flattened treats! It was glorious.
After breakfast, we thought it would be a great idea to float Boulder Creek. Well, the weather turned out to be pretty horrible, as it rained on us intermittently. And also the "creek" turned out to be more of a raging river than I expected. I banged up my legs on countless rocks and feared for my life on a couple occasions...but hey, it was fun! I think about 30 of us went in at the beginning and 8 floated out in one piece and/or on a tube.
Despues de Boulder, we headed to good ol' Denver. It was just a hair longer than 30 miles, and we got to meet up with the North team for an intricate arrival. We double-pace lined it all from near Invesco Field to the capitol building where we had media and some of our KRG Capital sponsors. For example, the "R" in KRG is Bruce Rogers, who was the inspiration for the Journey of Hope when he cycled cross-country in 1987.
Later that day, the friendship visit was a joint one with the North team: Pedal for Pennies. It was another KRG-sponsored event in which some of the local Special Olympians cycled laps to raise money. We did some ride alongs, dinner, and ended with a bumpin' dance party. It started out pretty slow with only a few people but quickly filled up and ended up being incredibly enjoyable, especially the dancing; we did a rhumba line, Macarena, sing-alongs to the Backstreet Boys and Sweet Caroline, etc. etc.! Good times. One of the Special Olympians who was cycling earlier (Emily!) started crying because she was so happy. That was especially heartwarming. They told us that they waited all year for the "Journey of Hope boys" to come visit! I'm glad we were able help out and bring some more joy to the day.
Yesterday was a day off in Denver, and I took advantage of the downtime to sleep in the wonderful Mariott beds until 11 o'clock, then shop for some new sunglasses (I lost a pair in the swollen "Creek") and goggles for the hotel pool. (The previous night, I had started to do laps but without protection, the chlorine didn't agree with my eyeballs too much.) In an attempt to keep some upper-body tone, I lifted weights and then did some more laps. Then a nap and some reading, and bike maintenance took most of the rest of the day. Pretty chill.
Today we left Denver for Colorado Springs with some KRG and Pi Alpha ride-alongs. We fought through a heavy headwind the entire day and it was both painful and frustrating. But our spirits were lifted soon enough, as our stop was at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. They fed us amazing food, gave us a tour of the incredible facility -- and we even got to see some of our Beijing Olympians! (The women's volleyball players are absolutely GIGANTIC. I felt so insignificant as we watched them lift weights...I probably came up to most of their belly buttons. Just kidding. But almost.) It was pretty darn American, that's for sure, and darn impressive too to know that some of our country's greatest athletes had come and gone through that facility (or are training there right now!).
We're staying at Colorado College right now at really nice residence hall, and the dean, Mike Edmonds, was kind enough to provide a catered meal at his house here on campus. Beautiful campus and good food made for a nice end to the day. OH! And I almost forgot: we were on the local news here in probably our best TV spot so far, check it out at FOX21 (I don't know if they'll put the TV spot online or not?).
I'm sorry my posts are so long! I have to cram a bunch in. You can read them in chunks, that's okay. That's why you've bookmarked it...right? Anyway, we're out of Colorado in a couple days and into Kansas. I can't wait. Except I think I forgot my ruby slippers at home. (Mandatory Wizard of Oz Kansas joke.)
Friday, July 4, 2008
Colorado!
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Whew! Finally out of Wyoming. Not that we all didn't enjoy it -- it just got a bit...bland...after a while. As the national parks faded into the distance behind us, we entered a very flat, very windy, not-very populated stretch of the state. (Basically most of it.)
And it's HOT. I'm from Seattle, and I don't do hot well. We've only hit a couple days of iffy weather -- mostly thunder/lightning storms here in the past couple days -- so that's nice. It rains differently here than in Seattle, too. Back in good ol' WA, you get the gray mist, then a drizzle, then rain. But here, it's lightning and thunder, downpour of huge raindrops for five minutes, then everything passes over. It's weird.
I haven't been in the weather that much though; I've been off the bike for a couple days (if you've been checking out the photos on the Push America website, you may have noticed). But I should be back in top condition and ready to hit the road again here in the next day or so. In the meantime, I've been helping the crew do all their duties. And for the most part...it's boring as hell.
But! I've gotten a lot of time to read and have finished five novels so far in the three weeks or so that we've been riding. They are as follows: The Art of Racing in the Rain, A Clockwork Orange, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Of Mice and Men, and State of Fear.
Yesterday, we had a friendship visit with the Arc of Laramie County. It was really fun, and for a while I was speaking with a gentleman named Jeff. Jeff has Down syndrome, and was hearing but also liked to sign. So we spent some time learning how to sign some stuff. That reminded me that I'm going to be taking American Sign Language this coming year in school, so afterwards I headed to Barnes and Noble in Cheyenne, WY to find an ASL book to get an early start. I got one, but also ended up walking by one of the random tables they have and saw George Orwell's 1984. It's on my imaginary list of books I want to read before I die, so I snatched it right up and started it today. Yay for reading! (I used to read a lot in middle/high school, but with college comes a drastic increase in other obligatory readings...i.e. textbooks. So now I'm taking advantage of this downtime!)
So we're in Colorado. And it's the Fourth of July! Happy birthday, America. I don't know if we have anything planned as far as celebrations go, but I'm sure we do. I'm kind of along for the ride so we'll see. My grandparents used to live in Colorado, and I faintly remember visiting a handful of times, and I'm excited to be back.
I hope I've been posting regularly enough for all of you! Enjoy your Fourth, read all warning labels on your pyrotechnics, and I'll catch you later.
Whew! Finally out of Wyoming. Not that we all didn't enjoy it -- it just got a bit...bland...after a while. As the national parks faded into the distance behind us, we entered a very flat, very windy, not-very populated stretch of the state. (Basically most of it.)
And it's HOT. I'm from Seattle, and I don't do hot well. We've only hit a couple days of iffy weather -- mostly thunder/lightning storms here in the past couple days -- so that's nice. It rains differently here than in Seattle, too. Back in good ol' WA, you get the gray mist, then a drizzle, then rain. But here, it's lightning and thunder, downpour of huge raindrops for five minutes, then everything passes over. It's weird.
I haven't been in the weather that much though; I've been off the bike for a couple days (if you've been checking out the photos on the Push America website, you may have noticed). But I should be back in top condition and ready to hit the road again here in the next day or so. In the meantime, I've been helping the crew do all their duties. And for the most part...it's boring as hell.
But! I've gotten a lot of time to read and have finished five novels so far in the three weeks or so that we've been riding. They are as follows: The Art of Racing in the Rain, A Clockwork Orange, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Of Mice and Men, and State of Fear.
Yesterday, we had a friendship visit with the Arc of Laramie County. It was really fun, and for a while I was speaking with a gentleman named Jeff. Jeff has Down syndrome, and was hearing but also liked to sign. So we spent some time learning how to sign some stuff. That reminded me that I'm going to be taking American Sign Language this coming year in school, so afterwards I headed to Barnes and Noble in Cheyenne, WY to find an ASL book to get an early start. I got one, but also ended up walking by one of the random tables they have and saw George Orwell's 1984. It's on my imaginary list of books I want to read before I die, so I snatched it right up and started it today. Yay for reading! (I used to read a lot in middle/high school, but with college comes a drastic increase in other obligatory readings...i.e. textbooks. So now I'm taking advantage of this downtime!)
So we're in Colorado. And it's the Fourth of July! Happy birthday, America. I don't know if we have anything planned as far as celebrations go, but I'm sure we do. I'm kind of along for the ride so we'll see. My grandparents used to live in Colorado, and I faintly remember visiting a handful of times, and I'm excited to be back.
I hope I've been posting regularly enough for all of you! Enjoy your Fourth, read all warning labels on your pyrotechnics, and I'll catch you later.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Grand Tetons and City Slickin'
Location: Shoshoni, WY
Okay, so I have to remember where I left off on my last post...Ah yes, national parks and such.
We got to cycle through Yellowstone National Park. It was pretty amazing, and I'm glad I can say I did that. I was amazed at how much wildlife there was, and how little each animal cared that there were cars and people everywhere. We saw two bald eagles, a handful of elk, countless bison (one of which decided to shuffle slowly in front of us for a good distance so that we couldn't get by), and even a wolf.
The scenery was different than I expected. Still rugged, but there is a lot of new growth from after the wildfires of 1988. So there was this weird dichotomy of new, 7 to 8-foot trees coming up between the charred, skewer-like remains of the old trees. So it looked empty, but not, all at the same time.
Probably the coolest part, obviously, is the geothermal activity at the park. We went by a bunch of thermophile-rich pools and geysers and other such oddities of nature, but didn't see Old Faithful until we drove there later that night. (The notorious geyser was somewhat of a tease -- spurting slightly for 20 minutes past its "scheduled eruption time" until blasting hundreds of feet in the air. Pretty spectacular!)
Probably the best part of the night was staying at one of the lodges in real beds. Oh, and the buffet dinner. Mmm.
However, as cool as Yellowstone was, nothing could have prepared me for the Grand Tetons. Oh. My. God. They are breathtaking. And pointy! The ride that day was short and flat (read: easy) and absolutely gorgeous. I'd say it was the best ride of the trip thus far.
But wait! There's more. We arrived in Jackson, WY and had a police escort to the town center where we were greeted and congratulated by the mayor. (We got cool Jackson pins too.) THEN we went a short distance to the Snow King Resort and spent a few hours on the alpine slide -- which is basically a 2500 foot fiberglass slide that you go down on while riding a sort of luge/sled. It was pretty fun. Okay, it was freakin' fantastic.
But we're definitely not through. After alpine slide and pizza, we departed Jackson Hole and drove west to Driggs, Idaho to stay at Twin Creek Ranch, owned by the Cushman family. Pete Cushman is a Pi Kapp alum from University of Colorado - Boulder, and rode the Journey of Hope back in 1999. He was there with a few of his buddies from the same chapter who had also cyclied JOH in the late 90's. The ranch is a slice of heaven: property bordering a national forest, three houses (all beautifully built and furnished), great food, a pool and hot tub, tons of planned activities, and real comfy beds made for an extremely spoiled Trans-Am team. We had a day off there, and I got to go horseback riding (I rode Cricket and he kept grabbin mouthfuls of lush grass almost the entire time) and canoeing, with some eating and pool-swimming in between. It was almost as tiring as a day on the bike! Our (old) Pi Kapp brothers were excellent hosts and we all had a blast. I could have stayed another week or two, easily.
After the ranch, we went to Dubois, WY which was pretty forgettable, besides the fact that our 100+ mile trip turned into a little over 60 due to construction and crappy roads. And we hit our highest (posted) elevation: 9,631 feet. We paid for the shortened trip today though: our 80 miles turned into 96 in very hot and very nondescript Wyoming countryside. It was relatively flat though, so we averaged a good speed (over 20mph compared to our usual 15-16). So now I'm here and our historian is bugging me to get the journal entry for the Push America website done, so I'm going to do that.
Okay, so I have to remember where I left off on my last post...Ah yes, national parks and such.
We got to cycle through Yellowstone National Park. It was pretty amazing, and I'm glad I can say I did that. I was amazed at how much wildlife there was, and how little each animal cared that there were cars and people everywhere. We saw two bald eagles, a handful of elk, countless bison (one of which decided to shuffle slowly in front of us for a good distance so that we couldn't get by), and even a wolf.
The scenery was different than I expected. Still rugged, but there is a lot of new growth from after the wildfires of 1988. So there was this weird dichotomy of new, 7 to 8-foot trees coming up between the charred, skewer-like remains of the old trees. So it looked empty, but not, all at the same time.
Probably the coolest part, obviously, is the geothermal activity at the park. We went by a bunch of thermophile-rich pools and geysers and other such oddities of nature, but didn't see Old Faithful until we drove there later that night. (The notorious geyser was somewhat of a tease -- spurting slightly for 20 minutes past its "scheduled eruption time" until blasting hundreds of feet in the air. Pretty spectacular!)
Probably the best part of the night was staying at one of the lodges in real beds. Oh, and the buffet dinner. Mmm.
However, as cool as Yellowstone was, nothing could have prepared me for the Grand Tetons. Oh. My. God. They are breathtaking. And pointy! The ride that day was short and flat (read: easy) and absolutely gorgeous. I'd say it was the best ride of the trip thus far.
But wait! There's more. We arrived in Jackson, WY and had a police escort to the town center where we were greeted and congratulated by the mayor. (We got cool Jackson pins too.) THEN we went a short distance to the Snow King Resort and spent a few hours on the alpine slide -- which is basically a 2500 foot fiberglass slide that you go down on while riding a sort of luge/sled. It was pretty fun. Okay, it was freakin' fantastic.
But we're definitely not through. After alpine slide and pizza, we departed Jackson Hole and drove west to Driggs, Idaho to stay at Twin Creek Ranch, owned by the Cushman family. Pete Cushman is a Pi Kapp alum from University of Colorado - Boulder, and rode the Journey of Hope back in 1999. He was there with a few of his buddies from the same chapter who had also cyclied JOH in the late 90's. The ranch is a slice of heaven: property bordering a national forest, three houses (all beautifully built and furnished), great food, a pool and hot tub, tons of planned activities, and real comfy beds made for an extremely spoiled Trans-Am team. We had a day off there, and I got to go horseback riding (I rode Cricket and he kept grabbin mouthfuls of lush grass almost the entire time) and canoeing, with some eating and pool-swimming in between. It was almost as tiring as a day on the bike! Our (old) Pi Kapp brothers were excellent hosts and we all had a blast. I could have stayed another week or two, easily.
After the ranch, we went to Dubois, WY which was pretty forgettable, besides the fact that our 100+ mile trip turned into a little over 60 due to construction and crappy roads. And we hit our highest (posted) elevation: 9,631 feet. We paid for the shortened trip today though: our 80 miles turned into 96 in very hot and very nondescript Wyoming countryside. It was relatively flat though, so we averaged a good speed (over 20mph compared to our usual 15-16). So now I'm here and our historian is bugging me to get the journal entry for the Push America website done, so I'm going to do that.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Big Sky and a National Park
Location: West Yellowstone, MT
Hey everyone! This post is going to be a bit short(er) since someone is waiting for the computer. (It's the only one with a satellite connection so it works when nobody has wifi.)
So I'm not going to bore you with how amazing the scenery is. Even though it really is. Yesterday we got a tour of Bozeman's Eagle Mount facility, which was incredible. They have recreational and therapeutic activities for people with all sorts of disabilities; from swimming to horseback riding to downhill skiing (and so much more), they have tons of programs and as many ways to get people involved no matter what their disability might entail. I was pretty impressed, and they loved what we were doing -- it was the Journey of Hope's fourth time through there. After dinner and a tour, I got to pet and feed some horses. I felt like I was twelve. (Awesome creatures, those.)
I guess what I've yet to mention is how a typical JOH day works:
I also don't have a camera with me, but we have a team historian and he's taking lots of 'em. We also have journal entries for every day on the Push America Website.
Journals (Click "Team Journal Entry" on the right):
http://pushamerica.org/events/te_itinerary.cfm?ride_code=JOH&route=Trans
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pushamerica/collections/72157604901121186/
(...the journal entries also have links to the photos from that day.)
Okay I've spent time enough. We have a day off soon (I hope) so I'll write more then. I'm sure I'll have plenty more to say about Yellowstone National Park -- we get to ride through and do some sightseeing tomorrow!! I can't wait. Well, if it means a few more hours of sleep, I can...
Hey everyone! This post is going to be a bit short(er) since someone is waiting for the computer. (It's the only one with a satellite connection so it works when nobody has wifi.)
So I'm not going to bore you with how amazing the scenery is. Even though it really is. Yesterday we got a tour of Bozeman's Eagle Mount facility, which was incredible. They have recreational and therapeutic activities for people with all sorts of disabilities; from swimming to horseback riding to downhill skiing (and so much more), they have tons of programs and as many ways to get people involved no matter what their disability might entail. I was pretty impressed, and they loved what we were doing -- it was the Journey of Hope's fourth time through there. After dinner and a tour, I got to pet and feed some horses. I felt like I was twelve. (Awesome creatures, those.)
I guess what I've yet to mention is how a typical JOH day works:
- We usually get up early, about 5:30 or 6:00, and get 30 minutes to pack up our things and get dressed.
- Then another 30 minutes is dedicated to breakfast which usually consists of off-brand cereal, an off-brand toaster pastry, half of a bagel, a splash of juice, and...if we're lucky...part of a banana. Not fancy by any means but it's loads of carbs and cheap (we don't have much of a budget I guess).
- We circle up for briefing about the day's ride where we learn about the length, terrain, checkpoints (if any).
- After that, we have Disability of the Day where someone researches a disability and tells the team about it.
- The Dedication comes next, where we name someone we've met or someone we should be thinking about when the ride gets tough. For example, one day happened to be a team member's friend's last day of chemotherapy, so we dedicated the ride to her; or also we heard about a Bob Mortimer who is cycling cross country as well -- only he is a triple-amputee and has a specialized bike which he cranks with his arm. (He was just north of us on Highway 2 the other day when a friend of his pulled up to our crew stop and we swapped stories. Kinda makes one feel lame to be bitching and moaning about how hard the ride is when one has all four limbs still!) Most often, though, it's someone we've met at a friendship visit earlier in the week.
- Then we take volunteers for the Sweeps positions. They're the two guys in the very back; they wear orange vests that say "Cyclists Ahead" on the back, and no cyclist falls behind them. Helps to denote the end of the pack.
- Then we split up into our pace lines of four or five guys and we're off! The pace lines are sent separately so we don't all get bunched up into one long mass of cyclists.
- There are crew stops about every 10 miles where we can fill up on water or grab a Clif Bar or packet of cheese crackers. It's also a good chance to rest the legs or stretch, so the days aren't as bad as they COULD be.
- If we have a long ride, or if nobody is sponsoring lunch, we have another crew-provided lunch: a sandwich (either PBJ or processed meat-and-cheese), chips, and sometimes a treat like an Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie. Or a ton of fried chicken that was leftover from a friendship visit like we've had for the past couple days. (I'll be happy not to see another piece of fried chicken until after the trip.)
- Lastly, we arrive at lodging and set up our things, get showered (we've had no warm water in our showers the past couple days...) and head out to our programmed activities, whether it be a friendship visit or a sponsored dinner. Then it's back to lodging where we have some free time to do whatever (I like to read)...then lights out and ZzZzZzZzZ...
I also don't have a camera with me, but we have a team historian and he's taking lots of 'em. We also have journal entries for every day on the Push America Website.
Journals (Click "Team Journal Entry" on the right):
http://pushamerica.org/events/te_itinerary.cfm?ride_code=JOH&route=Trans
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pushamerica/collections/72157604901121186/
(...the journal entries also have links to the photos from that day.)
Okay I've spent time enough. We have a day off soon (I hope) so I'll write more then. I'm sure I'll have plenty more to say about Yellowstone National Park -- we get to ride through and do some sightseeing tomorrow!! I can't wait. Well, if it means a few more hours of sleep, I can...
Friday, June 20, 2008
Panhandles and Hot Springs
Location: Missoula, MT
Today is our day off in Missoula, Montana. We spent a couple days in Idaho: Camp Sweyolaken in Coeur d'Alene and then Kellogg. I thought the camp was fun; some other guys were a bit taken aback by the quirky camp traditions and what not. But we had a pretty relaxing day there, or at least I did. I fell asleep reading A Clockwork Orange in front of Lake Coeur d'Alene and the setting sun. Niiice.
From Kellogg we had an 85-mile trip to Paradise, Montana. Yep. Paradise. Only that 85-mile trip turned out to be 105, much to our dismay. (It also included a few thousand feet of climbing through two passes.) But we made it through and got to stay at Quinn's Hot Spring Resort, where we enjoyed pools of different temperatures and DE-LUXE cabins with our OWN BEDS! So 105-mile soreness, plus cushy beds and climate-controlled rooms made for a very difficult wakeup the next morning.
But on a similar thread from my last post, the scenery we've seen this past few days has also been amazing. I thought Washington was as good as it was going to get, but clearly I was wrong. Lake Coeur d'Alene is amazing in its convoluted and tree-filled shorline, and Montana is just plain rugged. It's awesome; exposed rock and mountains that look like they had just been forced up at an angle just the morning before...I'm glad I get to see this on a bike going at about 16 miles per hour instead of a car going at 60+.
Side note, we're staying at Hellgate High School in Missoula. So we went from Paradise to Hellgate. Hahaha.
I'm using a crew member's computer right now (Ben Kaufman) and we're at a pretty nifty coffee shop not too far away. Missoula is actually really nice, nothing like I expected. Of course I've never been to Montana before so it's all pretty surprising. It's a beautiful town.
Speaking of beautiful: a bunch of the 21+ year-old guys went out last night and found the Iron Horse Bar and Grill (or something like that) and it was PACKED with college kids. Namely, college girls (most of whom were absolutely gorgeous). The ratio of girls to guys was through the roof in our favor. We were there to hang out with each other though (a.k.a. "bro-ing out"), but nevertheless it was refreshing to see.
So Missoula, you get high marks in my books. We had a really good friendship visit yesterday too with Opportunity Resources. I actually met a couple Washingtonians, one from Aberdeen and one from Whidbey Island, so that was cool to be able to talk to them about that and why they moved out to Montana. They had the same sentiments as me about the scenery. I guess if you've got to move out of Washington, Montana ain't a bad choice!
We're going to be moving through Yellowstone National Park in the next couple of days -- so I may regret not bringing a camera with me even more than I do now. Actually, I just remembered that I packed a digital camcorder that also takes photos...so maybe I'll toss that in my jersey pocket for this special occasion. I can't wait!
Today is our day off in Missoula, Montana. We spent a couple days in Idaho: Camp Sweyolaken in Coeur d'Alene and then Kellogg. I thought the camp was fun; some other guys were a bit taken aback by the quirky camp traditions and what not. But we had a pretty relaxing day there, or at least I did. I fell asleep reading A Clockwork Orange in front of Lake Coeur d'Alene and the setting sun. Niiice.
From Kellogg we had an 85-mile trip to Paradise, Montana. Yep. Paradise. Only that 85-mile trip turned out to be 105, much to our dismay. (It also included a few thousand feet of climbing through two passes.) But we made it through and got to stay at Quinn's Hot Spring Resort, where we enjoyed pools of different temperatures and DE-LUXE cabins with our OWN BEDS! So 105-mile soreness, plus cushy beds and climate-controlled rooms made for a very difficult wakeup the next morning.
But on a similar thread from my last post, the scenery we've seen this past few days has also been amazing. I thought Washington was as good as it was going to get, but clearly I was wrong. Lake Coeur d'Alene is amazing in its convoluted and tree-filled shorline, and Montana is just plain rugged. It's awesome; exposed rock and mountains that look like they had just been forced up at an angle just the morning before...I'm glad I get to see this on a bike going at about 16 miles per hour instead of a car going at 60+.
Side note, we're staying at Hellgate High School in Missoula. So we went from Paradise to Hellgate. Hahaha.
I'm using a crew member's computer right now (Ben Kaufman) and we're at a pretty nifty coffee shop not too far away. Missoula is actually really nice, nothing like I expected. Of course I've never been to Montana before so it's all pretty surprising. It's a beautiful town.
Speaking of beautiful: a bunch of the 21+ year-old guys went out last night and found the Iron Horse Bar and Grill (or something like that) and it was PACKED with college kids. Namely, college girls (most of whom were absolutely gorgeous). The ratio of girls to guys was through the roof in our favor. We were there to hang out with each other though (a.k.a. "bro-ing out"), but nevertheless it was refreshing to see.
So Missoula, you get high marks in my books. We had a really good friendship visit yesterday too with Opportunity Resources. I actually met a couple Washingtonians, one from Aberdeen and one from Whidbey Island, so that was cool to be able to talk to them about that and why they moved out to Montana. They had the same sentiments as me about the scenery. I guess if you've got to move out of Washington, Montana ain't a bad choice!
We're going to be moving through Yellowstone National Park in the next couple of days -- so I may regret not bringing a camera with me even more than I do now. Actually, I just remembered that I packed a digital camcorder that also takes photos...so maybe I'll toss that in my jersey pocket for this special occasion. I can't wait!
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