September 2010
1 post
September 11th,
Final Day
It has been almost two months now since I have written anything regarding the Fijis Across America bike trip for Alzheimer’s. I have blogged about everyday of the trip except for the last day. So now that I have had plenty of time to meditate on the trip and see some of the effects it has had on people I am prepared to write my final entry of my journey.
On the day of the ride...
July 2010
13 posts
July 15th 2010, Mountpellier, VA - Chickahominy...
Day 50
We woke up in the house of Fiji brother, Oz, and got ready for our second to last day of riding. We enjoyed some bagels and also some leftover apple cobbler from the Dutch Oven. Breakfast of Champions.
We began our ride where we had left off the day before. We were on a little more of a tight schedule because we had to be at the Dominion Energy headquarters by 1030 in Richmond, VA for...
July 14th 2010, Charlottesville, VA - Montpellier,...
Day 49
We woke up in the UVA Fiji house and got ready for a day full of media. The day begun at 615 in front of the Rotunda on UVA’s grounds with a interview and photo shoot. Tyler did a great job in his interview and we all enjoyed being on tv since it was a live shoot. We then went back to the house to enjoy some Bodo’s bagels (which are awesome) and Tyler and Jordan went to do a...
July 13th 2010, Lexington, VA - Charlottesville,...
Day 48
After a great night sleep (I only had to throw a pillow at Dana in the bed across the room once while he was snoring) we woke up early to start riding. We enjoyed some eggs, bacon, and cinnamon rolls at the hotel. The skies were cloudy and there was a 40% chance of thunderstorms, but we knew we had to ride on.
Today was the day of the last big climb up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. We...
July 12th 2010, Blacksburg, VA - Lexington, VA
Day 47
Following our rest day in Blacksburg, VA we were ready to finish the last 5 days of the ride. We were able to stay in a townhouse of a Fiji grad brother (special thanks to Henry) and were able to receive a tour of the campus of Virginia Tech from brother Dana Hesse. We enjoyed our time in Blacksburg and felt well rested for the remainder of the ride.
This day of riding would turn out to...
July 10th 2010, Rural Retreat, VA - Blacksburg, VA
Day 45
We woke up early at the camp site and even Dana, who said he had not camped in almost 20 years, joined us in camping. We got ready quickly knowing that today would be much easier than the past couple in regards to the amount of climbing and the distance was a little shorter. Dana experienced the peanut butter bagel breakfast that we have enjoyed so many times and we got started with our...
July 9th 2010, Rosedale, VA - Rural Retreat, VA
Day 44
After a good nights rest we prepared for another day of long riding and lots of climbing. Virginia is turning out to be one of the most beautiful states we have gone through. The mountain air is refreshing, the rolling hills rival the horse farms of Kentucky, and since it is the last state of our journey I am also full of a little more joy.
We climbed some more hills and rode through...
July 8th 2010, Buckingham, KY - Rosedale, VA
Day 43
The group woke up on this foggy Eastern Kentucky morning to with some anxiousness for the great trials ahead. This would prove to be one of our toughest days as we rode into the heart of the Appalachian mountains and would also cross into our final state.
We got off to a little of a late start as we woke up in the First Baptist church we were staying in. As we prepared by loading our...
July 7th 2010, Buckhorn, KY – Buckingham, KY
Day 42
I never knew that some of these parts of Kentucky ever existed. We rode straight into the Appalachian Mountains and the eastern part of Kentucky and I saw some places in my own home state that I never knew about.
After waking up in the bunkhouse Wade’s grandfather so graciously arranged for us, special thanks to Jack Haga and his wife DeLane, we embraced our ride for the day with 79 miles...
July 6th 2010, Berea, KY – Buckhorn, KY
Day 41
We were blessed again today to have another rider join us for the first stretch of our ride. Kristi Lunceford, mother of friend and fraternity brother Malcolm Lunceford, rode the first 15 miles of our ride with us. Little did any of us know, it would turn out to be one of the more difficult 15 mile sections. However, Kristi was a real champ and finished the 15 miles with us and...
July 5th, Springfield, KY - Berea, KY
Day 40
Today’s ride seemed very relaxed as we are still adjusting to getting back into the swing of riding in our regular routine. I woke up this morning and my alarm clock read 645 am. I thought I had overslept my fellow riders but it turned out they were all sound asleep. We started our ride around 9 am and rode in honor of Katie Ferrell’s great grandfather. His story was very...
July 4th, Elizabethtown, KY - Springfield, KY
Day 39
Happy 4th of July. It is awesome to think that so many years ago in 1776 we claimed freedom as a country. I am proud to be an American and to experience the freedom of my country, but I am most proud to have the freedom we are able to experience through Christ. God has given us the ultimate freedom that we have been crucified with Christ and no longer live but Christ lives in us and we...
July 2nd and 3rd, Rest Days in Etown and Kentucky
Day 37 and 38
The first day of rest turned out to be very successful and enjoyable. We hosted a fundraiser in Etown at the Best Buy parking lot. We had about 70 people come in and out to visit and enter for a chance to win some prizes. It was great to see some people such as fraternity brothers, family members, and friends. My good friend Eric Lutz’s grandfather lives in Etown and he...
July 1st, McDaniels, KY - Elizabethtown, KY
Day 36
Today was our big day of coming home to our family, friends, and supporters. We woke up at the Rough River lake house and got ready for the great day of riding triumphantly into Etown. We first said goodbye to the other two cyclists that also stayed at the cabin (special thanks to David, the boss of Radcliff Electric). They were traveling to Sand Diego and had started in Berea, KY 10...
June 30th, Beech Grove, KY - McDaniels, KY
Day 35
Today was a real breath of fresh air. We left the Paulsen’s house after a wonderful donut breakfast and started another beautiful day of riding in wonderful weather. We rode the first 38 miles and then were met by Norma Henry. Norma is one of our groupies and has been following our progress as we go cross country. She told of us of her story of overcoming Cancer through...
June 29th, Elizabethtown, IL - Beech Grove, KY
Day 34
There really is no place like my old Kentucky Home. Not even ten miles in to our ride this day we took a ferry across the Ohio River and made it into the most beautiful state of Kentucky. You could tell in the first town we went through, Marion, that we were going to enjoy our home state. It was very classic and homey and we met some very friendly people.
The ride was hilly but we were...
June 28th, Murfreesboro, IL – Elizabethtown, IL
Day 33
Today’s ride ended up well but the first 50 miles really seemed to drag on. Before we reached our first water fill up spot, I was already having some issues. My chain had fallen off a couple times, the kleat of my shoe got loose so Wade had to undue my Velcro shoes to get me off my bike, and I had a flat back tire. I was feeling a little down and out as I was walking my bike to the stop...
June 27th, Farmington, MO – Murfreesboro, IL
Day 32
We left Al’s Place, the local bike hostel, and we said goodbye to our new friend that we made while staying there. His name was Andy and he was from Virginia. He was traveling alone and was on the same path as us. I had a lot of respect for him because he was my age and was doing all of this trip alone. While I think I could do it, I much rather enjoy traveling with all the guys and...
June 2010
25 posts
June 25th, Eminence, MO - Farmington, MO
Day 31
Another morning of waking up sweating in the hot weather. And while this morning was tougher than others as I had lost many of belongings and was very tired, God’s strength seems to surpass all understanding. But, it is funny how bad things sometimes happen in threes.
While these things are pretty trivial in comparison to the hardships people face, I had to laugh at the first 25...
June 24th, Hartville, MO - Eminence, MO
Day 30
After sleeping in the front lawn of the courthouse we woke up to find the weather was still hot and muggy and I was still sweating in my tent. It was pretty miserable but helps get you out of the bed at 5 am because you don’t want to be hot anymore. We said farewell to our friend Mike who was heading west and started our ride.
The hills were very steep to start off the ride. ...
June 23rd, 2010, Ash Grove, MO – Hartville, MO
Day 29
Our ride today would turn out to be a little change of pace. We started at our normal hour after sweating the whole night through camping in the nasty humidity of Missouri. However, after 46 miles we decided to take a break from the heat and visit the nearby town of Springfield, MO.
We first traveled to Missouri State University where the local Fijis provided us with lunch and some...
June 22nd, 2010, Girard, KS – Ash Grove, MO
Day 28
After staying with the town mayor we woke up early to start our ride. The days we cross over into another state are always exciting because we are just getting that much closer to our goal of reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
As we began to leave Kansas we could notice a difference in the terrain. It was not so flat and we realized we had not had the opportunity to even use our break as we...
June 21, 2010, Toronto, KS – Girard, KS
Day 27
We woke up to the beautiful scene of fog over the Toronto Lake, it reminded me of fishing at Kentucky Lake with my dad and cousins. Though it was early we were ready to get up because lying in the humid weather was miserable.
Today’s ride was dedicated to the desk clerk at the Hampton Inn we stayed at in Wichita, KS. She was getting married in a month and her father has...
June 20, 2010, Cassoday, KS – Toronto, KS
Day 26
Following our rest day we had an easier day with only 60 miles of riding. Being father’s day we dedicated the days ride to all those men those who have had their fathers been affected by Alzheimer’s. We all made sure to call our dad’s that morning and even had a time before we prayed where we each stated what our father has taught us in our young lives and what we respect about them. ...
Nickerson, KS – Cassoday, KS
Day 25
This particular ride was really pretty simple but we had a great stay in the First United Methodist Church the night before. We woke up and cooked some oatmeal and had our favorite, peanut butter and bagels. We made sure to clean everything and even through down a couple more slam dunks to warm up our bodies before getting on the bike. We truly had a lot of fun today.
We were on a tight...
June 17th, Rush Center, KS - Nickerson, KS
Day 24
Today we rode in honor of Alice Polakoff from Sacremento. Alice’s mother has Alzheimer’s and is still alive but has suffered in the past few years. Her mother has experienced some awesome things like traveling to Europe and cycling in France and even cycling the Great Wall of China. So we rode in her honor, and trust me we put plenty of effort into the days ride.
The first...
June 16th, Scott City, KS - Rush Center, KS
Day 23
On this day we woke up to our first spell of bad weather. A thunderous storm in Scott City woke us up at 5 am with lightning strikes and big ol fat rain crashing against the windows. However, we had a wonderful breakfast ahead of us and were ready to take on anything. We used the leftover sausage from the spaghetti the Jury’s made us the night before and cooked up some sausage...
June 15th, Eads, Co - Scott City, KS
Day 22
I was very encouraged and motivated to ride today as we rode in honor of someone very special to me. Rowe Hamilton, family friend and father of one of my best friends, was affected by Alzheimer’s through his mother, Katie Hamilton. We rode in honor of his family and Katie today. I never met Katie but if she brought up a man like Daddy Rowe then she had to be special. Love you...
June 14th, La Junta, CO - Eads, CO
Day 21
I returned from my time at home back to the journey across America. The wedding went beautifully and I had a great time being a part of it. I was happy to see my close pal, Eric, and Jessica finally tie the knot. I had several great memories of Eric growing up and getting to know Jess in my time at WKU. I know their desire to seek Christ first and the fact they simply enjoy one another...
June 9th, Fort Garland, CO - La Junta, CO
Today’s ride was one of our most challenging. 123 miles of rolling hills and cross/head winds that were enough to drive you crazy. The winds felt like someone was constantly slapping you in the face. But, eventually I just had to get mad at the wind and yell at it like Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump when he is in the middle of the hurricane.
Though the ride was difficult it proved to be...
June 8th, South Fork, CO - Fort Garland, CO
Day 15,
Last night we were able to stay in a cabin in South Fork, CO. Special thanks again to Bill Hebb for being so kind to us as we travel on our journey. The day began with a wonderful pancake breakfast made by Justin Cave. We got started around 730am and were ready to tackle the 73 mile day.
The day turned out to be pretty flat with some beautiful mountains in the horizon, so we did our...
June 7th, Pagosa Springs, CO - South Fork, CO
Day 14
This was our hardest ride of the year, on paper. We have 12 miles uphill with an average of an 8% grade. We were anxious and excited to take on this challenge of cycling uphill and battling the altitude of ascending to 11,000 feet.
We began our ride with a dedication to Tyler’s friend Beth who works at the Gatton Academy in WKU. Her grandfather was diagnosed with...
June 5th, Mancos, CO - Pagosa Springs, CO
Day 12
This was our 8th day of riding straight without a rest day but our next one was scheduled for Pagosa Springs so we were all looking forward to resting. We left the church early in the morning and headed for Pagosa Springs. The day proved to pretty challenging for several reasons. We were very tired from the several days of riding in a row but also there were a lot of hills throughout...
June 4th, Bluff, UT - Mancos, CO
Day 11
This day was truly remarkable. We rode through Monument Valley on our way to cross into Colorado. Some of the rock formations were remarkable. There was even a rock called the Mexican hat in which a large rock was sitting on a smaller round rock on the top of a cliff. How it got there I have no idea but we do know that the monument valley area used to be an ocean bottom so maybe...
June 3rd, Kayenta, AZ - Bluff, UT
Day 10,
We finally were going to cross out of Arizona today. Our destination for the night was Bluff, UT and we were all very excited to ride. On our way to Bluff, Justin and myself saw several people running on the road with a torch in their hand. After passing a few riders we stopped to talk to a few of them. We spoke with a woman from the Czech Republic, a woman from Great Britain, and a...
June 2nd, Tuba City, AZ - Kayenta, AZ
Day 9
We were all getting pretty tired of Arizona as we begun our ride but we knew that in a couple days we would be crossing over to the next state. On the ride we had some slight climbing but nothing we had not seen before.
We had an 83 mile day and as we pulled into Kayenta, AZ we realized we had not confirmed a place to stay at this point. However, we had talked to a small church about a...
June 1st, Flagstaff, AZ - Tuba City, AZ
Day 8,
This was a memorable day of the trip. After a very difficult past two days coming from Wickenburg and Prescott Valley to summit some very high mountains, we had a much more restful day that was mainly flat. We were fortunate enough to sleep in a hotel the night before, thank you Mom and Dad, and were refreshed by sleeping in a bed instead of the ground.
The ride was pretty plain as and...
May 31st, Prescott Valley, AZ - Flagstaff, AZ
Day 7,
To celebrate Memorial Day we decided to face one of our toughest days of the ride. We were riding from a valley to one of the highest elevation cities in Arizona. We had a good preparation for the ride with stretching, a prayer, and a dedication.
We rode the first 50 miles of the ride with some tough hills but some beautiful sights as we rode into the Arizona town of Sedona. Sedona is...
May 30th, Congress, AZ - Prescott Valley, AZ
Day 6,
This ride had been long anticipated for us. We had been told by all the men at the fire station that the ride we were approaching would be a scenic but difficult one. It was called Yarnell Hill (look it up on youtube if you dare) and we could see it in the distance before our ride even began. But, we knew that one way or another we had to make it up so we decided to tackle the hill...
May 2010
11 posts
May 29, 2010, Bouse, AZ - Congress, AZ
Day 5,
We were all ready to ride after our day of rest. Our legs were ready to go, but our butts were still a little tender from the saddle. But, we had an 85 mile day ahead of us and we were riding for the husband of Peggie Young. Peggie is from Reno, Nevada and actually gave us the bicycle of her husband who used to love to ride but passed away two years ago after suffering with...
May 28, 2010 - 1st rest day Salome, AZ
Day 4,
We took our first rest day at Sheffler’s motel in Salome, AZ. It was pretty run down but was perfect for us because it was cheap and we had beds to sleep in. Plus, there was a really good Mexican restaurant/pool bar called the Cactus Bar and Cafe that we would enjoy a couple times.
The morning of our rest day we woke up around 9am, which was a very nice change compared to the past...
May 27, 2010, Palo Verde, CA - Bouse, AZ
Day 3,
We seem to be getting into a nice routine of things. We began our ride with some stretching, prayer, and a dedication to an Alzheimer’s victim. This day we dedicated it to the grandfather of one of my old teachers, Kerstin Edberg. Tyler had received a message from Kerstin who told her story of watching her grandfather dwindle away in his final years. It was very heart wrenching...
May 26, 2010, Borrego Springs, CA - Palo Verde, CA
Day 2,
After camping at the Palm Canyon camp ground in Borrego Springs, we woke up early and went through our routine of breaking down camp and preparing for the trip. This was our second day and would be the longest mileage of our whole trip. The trip was schedule for 128 miles of riding. Only a few of us had ever done a ride of 100 miles (termed century day in cycling terms), but we were...
May 25, Oceanside, CA - Borrego Springs, CA
Our day began with dipping our back wheels into the Pacific Ocean. We all we very excited to begin despite the fact it was 6am and was a little chilly. We tried to capture the moment as much as possible by taking pictures and each taking a small stone from the Pacific to carry to Virginia. I was also blessed to have my parents and sister Ryan there to share the moment and see the group off. We...
May 24th, Inspiring Day before Ride Begins
Day 5, Studio City, CA
Today we traveled almost three hours to an event in Sherman Oaks. Neise of our good friend and fraternity brother, Bob Anderegg, helped organize an event for us to speak at Leeza’s Place. Here we were able to interact with Alzheimer patients and those who have been somehow affected by the disease.
In our time here we somewhat refound what the ride across America...
May 23rd, Surfs Up
Day 4- Oceanside, CA
Today our wonderful host took us surfing at the beaches of Oceanside. Other than Jordan Minton, none of us had any idea what we were doing, even as we tried to squeeze into our wet suits. But, the day was a success as we embraced the freezing water and attempted to surf.
Following the day of surfing we traveled 30 minutes to a bike shop near San Diego. On our day of...
May 22nd, Tour De California in Los Angeles
Day 3 Los Angeles, Ca
On Day 3 of our time in California, we traveled to Los Angeles to watch the time trial race of the the Tour De California. In this race were champion cyclists such as Levi Leiphimer, Michael Rogers, and even Lance Armstrong were racing in this and we were all very excited to see some professionals in one of our favorite sports. I even got to see a professional bike of the...
May 21st, Amp Up Ride for Cycling Across America
Day 2- Oceanside, CA
The day began with everyone waking up at different times. We had been tired from our travels, especially those who traveled from Kentucky in the support vehicle. We had been doing some planning the night before and wanted to take this day to prepare ourselves logistically and physically for our trip across the country. Some of the riders called ahead to the places we were...
May 20th, Arriving to California
Day 1-
530 am Thursday morning came early as I left for the airport with my parents to fly out to San Diego. I met my little brother in the fraternity, Justin Cave, at the airport and we were both smiling from ear to ear. We both knew the journey we were preparing to embark upon. We talked as we sat in the Dallas Airport after our first flight. We spoke of the magnificent sites we would see,...
