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 Alzheimer’s. He loved the outdoors and nature and Peggie was honored to invest in the cause with her husbands bicycle. So we rode in his honor and for his wife and 18 year old daughter.
We kept a great pace and rode 60 miles by lunch time. The first 60 miles went pretty smoothly with only one small climb but the rest of the ride would prove to be an interesting challenge. The last twenty five miles turned into a road that felt like riding a jack hammer the whole time. It was mainly flat but the jarring motion of riding on the bumpy road eventually got to me. However, for whatever reason I was craving Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and milk. So I promised myself if I got through the ride I would reward myself. So at the end of the ride I stopped at a gas station and bought a king size Reese Cup and a quart of milk. Did I have any problem eating it? Absolutely not.
But we finished around 330pm and then drove to our place of residence for the night. The Wickenburg Fire Department is probably one of my favorite places on earth. They have no idea who we are but they let us use their shower, eat spaghetti with them, and even watch the Suns vs Lakers playoff game. They were inspired by our story and we were encouraged by their hospitality.
We also met a man named Rick Williams who was a fellow cyclist. One of the most caring people I have ever met. He was so sympathetic toward Tyler for losing his grandfather and gave us some great pointers for how to cycle across America. We were encouraged by his kind words and even gave him a tshirt. He also said he was going to tell his coworkers to join him in donating toward the cause. It was an inspiring ending to a great day on the journey across America.
In His Adventure,
Chaz Vittitow
