The Ultimate Man Day in Jackson, WY

June 25, 2009

Today was my favorite day of the trip so far! Unfortunately, we were racked for the first 31 miles of the day due to Yellowstone Park regulations and construction. We hit the road right at the beginning of the Teton Mountains and spent the entire day riding along the base of the range. We had a police escort into Jackson, WY and were privileged to ride in with Brendan, a special Olympic skier. We ended our amazing ride in the town square and were greeted by many special Olympians, which was set up by Jill Quinlan.

After our arrival, we were racked to Twin Creeks Ranch for the night. The amazing lodging and meals were provided by Eta Gamma Pi Alphas Peter Cushman, Kevin Graff, Jay Holley, and Eron Ashley. The range was a man’s paradise also known as "mantastic". We had a huge lunch when we got there and then had the opportunity to shoot skeet, hit golf balls, horseback ride, fly fish, swim, or relax in the hot tub. We grilled out for dinner and then spent the rest of the night hanging out around a camp fire. It was the second night in a row that we got to sleep in real beds too! What a treat!

Many of us received mail and gift packages today as well and I would like to thank everyone on behalf of the team for the constant support we are receiving from our family and friends!

West Thumb, WY

June 24, 2008
So I just realized that I have failed to give you all a glimpse of what a typical morning is like for the Trans Am Journey of Hope team. I am going to take this opportunity to give you an idea of what we do each morning before rolling out on our bikes. A 5 am wake up call has become second nature and any chance we have to sleep in until 6 am is a big treat! It’s hard to imagine that I would complain about waking up at 8 am everyday at college. After we wake up, the team has approximately ½ hour to get dressed, load our bags into the car, and get our bikes outside and prepped for the ride. Following the prep period, we have 15 minute to eat our breakfast which traditionally consists of ½ banana, ½ bagel, and a bowl of cereal. At this point the team has been up for 45 minutes and we head outside for “circle up.” This portion of the morning is led by the project manager. The team stands in a circle to discuss daily road conditions, weather conditions, the distance of that day’s route, and the expected elevation. He also takes time to brief us on the sponsors for the daily activities, meals, and lodging. We are informed on what to expect of the friendship visit as well. The project manager gives us a brief overview of what the next two days of the journey will be like. Each team member takes turns presenting a “disability of the day.” This is the time during “circle up” where one member will present something to the group on a disability that they were assigned to research the night before. (Last week, I informed the team about Muscular Dystrophy) If any team member leaves something in the van or at lodging, they must dance in the middle of the circle to receive it back from the project manager. We then discuss if we would like to dedicate our ride that day to anyone. I particularly enjoy this part of the morning because it helps us remember that we are doing this for a purpose and not just to cycle. The June 20 ride was dedicated to David Feltner, a fellow Omega Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi brother who is finishing chemo treatments with his second battle of cancer. Today’s ride was dedicated to Tracey’s (my girlfriend) grandma, Bonnie Ross, who played a role in starting special education classes at Tipton School Corporation in Indiana. Her oldest daughter is mentally retarded and she feels very passionate about the mission of Push America. At the conclusion of “circle up” we say a prayer and roll out on our bikes.

Today’s ride was outstanding! It was another cold morning with the trek beginning at about 33 degrees. We crossed into Yellowstone National Park within the first mile of the ride. Five miles into the ride, we were greeted by a huge herd of buffalo! We crossed into Wyoming and the sun started to rise and warm things up slightly. After the first couple of hours, we were able to shed off our extra gear of leg warmers, jackets, and ear covers. The journey took us across the Continental Divide two times and we rode up 8,400 feet at our highest point. After a 56 mile ride, we arrived at our lodging. The team is staying at a hotel tonight inside the park. That’s right….we get beds tonight! We spent the afternoon exploring the park, enjoying the hot springs, and making a trip to see Old Faithful. This evening we enjoyed a buffet spaghetti dinner, it was some much needed carbs to reboot! I had the pleasure of spending the remaining of the night with my Uncle Greg, Aunt Kas, and Cousin Nick. It was so great to see familiar faces after being on the road for more than two weeks. They are vacationing out West and stopped through the park to visit and meet up with me. I would love to spend more time in Yellowstone National Park, but unfortunately we will be riding to another city tomorrow. I hope to come back someday and visit.

Today was a milestone as I looked at my odometer at the completion of the route and it read 1,002 miles. We have ridden more than 1,000 miles of our 4,440-mile journey! All in all, today was very enjoyable spending time with the buffalos, taking pictures of geysers, and being joined by my family. Good Night!

West Yellowstone, MT

June 23, 2008
Today marks the fourteenth day of cycling. We started the morning with a 5 am wake up, followed by breakfast, and then off on our bikes for a 90-mile ride. The initial 70 miles of today’s ride was an uphill climb reaching 3,000 feet. After stopping for yet another delicious crew lunch, the remainder of the ride was fairly easy. The pace line experienced a strong head wind, but we managed to finish well before the rest of the team. My pace line arrived into West Yellowstone City at about 2:30 pm and we relaxed and chilled out as we waited for the rest of the group. Today’s ride was very scenic as we rode slightly into Yellowstone National Park. I am looking forward to the days ahead as we plan to venture further into the park.

This afternoon we set up at our lodging location, the local high school, and then showered before adventuring into the city for dinner. Our free night was spent enjoying dinner at a local pizza shop and doing the weekly cleaning of the team vans.

Bozeman, MT

June 22, 2009

After waking up at 5am this morning and enjoying a hearty breakfast, the team hit the road for a long day of cycling. Today was our first real "century" ride. The journey this morning started with a temperature of only 45 degrees, lots of rain, and plenty of clouds. Myself and Shane, one of my teammates from Truman State, were the last two cyclists to start the ride today. We were the "sweeps" for today's ride, which means we rode behind the rest of the cyclists and made sure no one was left behind. Shane and I followed up the pack in a two-man paceline decked out in our lovely orange vests that read "Cyclists Ahead." Due to the weather, I also wore my leg warmers, jacket, and footies to try and stay warm.

The first climb was a 3 mile ride to the top of the mountain. Once we reached about 2,000 feet up, it was only 34 degrees outside. This made it very challenging to keep our muscles warm and in shape to ride. However, today is the best I have felt on the bike the entire trip. My legs were doing well for a majority of the ride and I am pleased with how I feel tonight. After we reached the top of the mountain, we were able to ride downhill for sometime at about 40 mph. We were surrounded by snow capped mountains in every direction and the scenery was truly breathtaking.

Our next climb was a bit of a challenge. We rode into the hardest head wind I have ever experienced. This was very difficult for Shane and I because we were in a 2-person paceline instead of the normal 4-person paceline. We finally made it to lunch and stopped for a quick sandwhich and to visit with the crew. After lunch, the ride continued through a valley, so the wind wasn't as fierce. Early in the ride, I received another flat tire on my rear wheel again. I quickly changed the tube and made it about another 50 miles into the ride before I got yet another flat tire. I tried to ride this one out and tonight I ended up changing the entire tire. Today's journey was 107 miles of beautiful scenery through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. This was by the far the neatest ride we have experienced the entire trip. The weather conditions made it challenging though as we experienced rain and freezing temperatures.

Tonight we ate dinner and had a friendship visit with Eagle Mount, an organization that teaches people with disabilities to ski, ride horses, and hand cycle. This organization has a great cause and it was interesting to interact with the individuals. At the end of the visit we had the opportunity to try the hand cycling bike. Let me tell you, it is a lot harder than it looks. Well I am off to bed now because we have another long ride tomorrow.

**I posted more pictures below in some of my old posts.....check them out!**

Butte, MT

June 21, 2009

We woke up early this morning to rain and very cold weather. After a breakfast prepared by our amazing crew, we left the lodging at 6am for our 65 mile ride. Before the team hit the road, we made a quick stop at the local candy store. The owner of the store opened it early for us so we could stop in for a visit before we left town. He was very excited to have the JOH team visiting and he provided us with plenty of free samples. The candy shop produces 500 lbs. of candy per day and they don't distribute any of it, it all stays in their store. As you can imagine, the shop was a true sight to see. I think that it put Willy Wonka's candy factory to shame. My personal favorite was his famous chocolate fudge. It was amazing. The early morning sugar gave us a boost of energy for the long day ahead.

We started today's ride with rain and extremely cold weather. Luckily, as we climbed, the weather let up slightly. We were challengedwith a 2,000 feet climb. It was a difficult ride, but well worth it. Once we reached the top of the mountain, there was a beautiful waterfall and wonderful scenery as we looked down into the valley. I encountered my first flat tire today, but I was able to use the supplies that I had with me to fix the tire and get back on the road. For some reason, I was extra sore on the bike today, so I am thankful that we arrived into Butte, MT before noon. Our lodging is being provided by the local YMCA, so we spent much of the afternoon relaxing in their pool.

This evening we had a friendship visit with BSW, an organization that assists disabled people in learning how to live independently. After our dinner, I spent some of my time cleaning my bike and giving it a quick tune-up. Some of the team took a trip to Wal-Mart to get some things we need before we head off to the next city.

Missoula, Montana

June 18, 2009

Today we woke up at 5 am and we were on the road by 6:15 am. It was a very busy morning for the team. We had to ride 85 miles before noon or we would get racked to make it on time to our scheduled lunch with Adventure Cycling at 1 pm. We cycled on the interestate today, which was challenging. Montana is one of three states in the country that allows cyclists on their interstates. There was a significant amount of construction on our route, so we had to pay careful attention to the road. It was a real rush when semi-trucks would drive past our bikes going 70 mph.

After an intense morning, we made it to our team meeting area by noon and organized into two pacelines to ride into the city. It was great meeting the people from Adventure Cycling. Adventure Cycling organizes cycling routes for individuals across the country and around the world. Their hospitality was wonderful and at the end of the visit they gave our team stickers that said "I Ride Therefore, I Transam." We all placed the stickers on our bikes.

After meeting with Adventure Cycling, we departed for Hellgate Highschool, our lodging site. Tonight we had a very special friendship visit. We visited a home with eight residents. They could not talk much, so we communicated with yes and no questions. This was a challenging visit, but it was really rewarding. The caretaker told us that the residents look forward to the JOH team stopping each year and it is like Christmas to them. The residents loved having people visit. We ate wonderful pork ribs for dinner. After dinner we visited a local ice cream shop and headed back to the school to relax. Tomorrow is a day off!

June 19, 2009

Waking up at 9:30 am was amazing this morning! The team has enjoyed some time to relax today. I did laundry this morning and then made some phone calls to catch up with friends and family. This afternoon we visited a local pizza parlor and then checked out some other local hang-outs. We went to see the new movie "Hangover." Tonight we had dinner provided by a Pi Alpha (a Pi Kappa Phi member who has completed the Journey of Hope). We ate dinner and played volleyball at a local park before heading back to the school for the night. Tomorrow we are off to visit Philipsburg, MT.

Great trail ride and the toughest day so far

June 16th

We had a great day on the 16th! We had a late start in the morning as we helped the camp that we were staying at unload their next food order. We were originally scheduled to ride 45 miles but our project manager had scouted a better route but it was 85 miles. We rode on a beautiful bike path and met a ton of people who had seen us on the Spokane news the day before. On the trail I saw a bald eagle and 4 moose (I don't know the correct plural of moose). The picture below is the first one that we saw. We ended in Kellogg, ID for our last night in the state and we went out for some really good pizza.

We stayed at the local high school and I got some more use out of the air mattress.

June 17th

Today was the toughest day by far. We had to climb two mountain passes before lunch. I would honestly say it was the hardest physical thing that I have ever done. Everyone got up both passes and hit some pretty good speeds on the way down. The ride today was supposed to be a total of 105 miles but we all got racked about 20 miles out because of lightning. We drove into our lodging at Quinn's hot springs which is amazing. We get to sleep in beds, have real showers, and TV. Also, they have a pool that they pump water from the hot springs below into. It felt really good after the ride today. We are all really tired and hitting bed early tonight because we have a 100+ mile ride tomorrow that we have to get done by noon...

The picture below is at the top of

the second pass... by far the hardest climb we have had so far.

Catching Up!

I want to apologize to all my faithful blog followers for not posting something the last couple of days. It has been very busy and we have limited internet connections. Read ahead and I will fill you in on what has been going on since I last posted an update...

June 12, 2009

Today we were able to sleep in until 6:30 am! We had a short 70 mile ride into Coulee City, WA. The ride was less extreme than yesterday's adventure through Steven's Pass. Today we encountered a 7-mile climb and a 3-mile climb at 7% grades.

Today's scenery started as deserts and canyons and by the end of the journey we were riding through arid, rolling hills. I enjoy the time we spend cyclying because it is great to bond with my fellow teammates. We use the hours on the bike to play games, talk, and learn about each other. We arrived in the small town of Coulee City this afternoon, there is a population of only 200 people. The team will be staying at the local high school. We enjoyed the afternoon off by spending our time relaxing and swimming in a nearby lake. Dinner was amazing tonight! I devoured the beef sandwiches and baked beans provided by the Cattlewomen's Association. The ladies were very entertaining and it was a pleasure to visit with them. It was very humurous at dinner because the local newspaper sent a photographer to take pictures of our team. The photographer was also the reporter and owner of the newspaper. This town is so small that it only takes one individual to run the enitre paper! This evening the team enjoyed a trip to the local icecream parlor, that was also a gas station, liquor store, bait shop, and restaurant. That is what you call "one stop convenience!"

June 13, 2009

Today marked our first "century" ride, which is 100 miles. However, we actually ended up riding only 97 miles. The team woke up early and rode a quick 5 1/2 hours to Spokane, WA. We made really good timing and arrived 1 1/2 hours earlier than we had planned. Today's cycling included rolling hills and plenty of wheat fields. Once again, my paceline enjoyed playing games while cycling. We were police escorted into Spokane. The team enjoyed dinner at Theta Iota chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at Washington State. It was comical when we were eating dinner outside and they forgot to tell us that the lawn sprinklers turned on at 7:30pm every evening. This made for a very interesting meal. We had the evening off and we spent time bonding as a team.

June 14, 2009

Today was our first day off so we slept in until 9:30 a.m. This was some much needed rest! We took part in an amazing frienship visit! Our team attended the Family Fun Day for individuals with Muscular Dystrophy. There was a carnival and lots of fun activities for the kids and families. A young boy named Thomas spray painted my hair orange, pink, and white. This was a sight to see! I played a game against my teammate Robby where we had to dig for three cherries that were burried in pudding without using our hands. Once we found the cherries, we had to get three marshmallows from a bowl of cheerios. In the end, our faces were covered and the kids loved it. I won the competition and left the visit with colored hair and food stuck all over me. We performed the "Kids on the Block" puppet show as well and this was very successful. The team enjoyed the night off. We caught up on some laundry, ate a great chicken dinner, and played four-square for the rest of the evening. It was very relaxing!

Below is a picture of Robby and I during our game at the MD family fun day.

June 15, 2009

And now I finally have you all caught up to today. We were only supposed to ride 35 miles, but this turned into 55 miles because of some very confusing bike trails. We crossed into a new state today! We arrived a little late at Camp Sweyolakan in Cour d' Alene, ID. The team was greeted by a patoon boat. We loaded our bodies, bags, and bikes onto the boad to cross the lake to get to camp. As we arrived, we were greeted by the traditional camp song. (it is tradition to be sung in and out of this camp) After lunch, we had the rest of the afternoon to explore camp. The team played at the lake on the water trampoline and the blob. There are no kids at camp yet, just counselors. Tonight will be very interesting. We are sleeping in a structure that is eight walls and four of them are completely open and exposed to the wilderness. I am pretty sure that a tent would provide more coverage than this hut. It should be an interesting night, so be sure to read tomorrow's blog to see how I survived my night in the wild........

Steven's Pass

Today was tough. We started the 70 mile ride with a 4,000 foot climb over the Cascade Mountains through Steven's Pass. I practically sat for 2 hours going 6-7 miles an hour for 17 miles up a 7% grade. We don't have anything like that in Indiana. At the top (4061 feet) it was about 30 degrees with snow on the top of the road. I think it is the first time ever where I have felt like I have been in a tropical rainforest (west of the Cascades), in the snow (at the top), and in an arid valley (east of the Cascades) in a single day. Today's ride boasted by far some of the most beautiful senery that I have ever seen. We followed the Columbia River down the entire desent. The best part of the day was the downhill. Reaching a 40 mph max, we coasted for the last 50 miles of the ride.



Tonight we had a great friendship visit with about 60 members of the community. We had a great grill out and played softball and soccer with them. I met some very neat people and a couple special olympic medalists. Overall it was a very rewarding day. I climbed my bike over my first mountain and had the chance to interact with some great people at the friendship visit. About time to hit the air mattress... another good climb tomorrow.


This picture gives you an idea of the grade that we had to go up for 2 hours today... and yes... that is snow on the left side of the picture.

I survived the first day!

We have officially started the 2009 Journey of Hope! We woke up at 5:30 am this morning to depart for the kick-off breakfast. After months and months of training, I was anxious to get on my bike and start the trip! A few families and friends of my fellow teammates joined in to see the team off on our journey. We left Seattle at 8 am and rode 75 miles to Skykomish, WA. We were on the rode for approximately 8 hours; however, we were only cycling for about four hours or so. We spent time eating lunch and stopping at crew stops. The ride was amazing! It was so beautiful. I felt pretty good on the ride today. I struggled a bit going up a large hill after lunch because I was not stretched out enough for the intense climb.

We arrived in the small town of Skykomish this afternoon. When I say small, I mean about a population of 250 people! It is a beautiful place. The town sits in a valley between mountains. Our lodging is being provided by the local high school. It's not quite a hotel, but after the long ride anything will be nice, even my sleeping bag on the gym floor! Tonight is a community get together at the high school, so we are going to hang out with the townies and play some sand volleyball.

I am off to shower now and get ready to head to dinner at Buca di Beppo. This is the second night we have had the privilege of eating big pasta dinners and the carbs really come in handy for our long rides.

So I must share one last thing with you before I sign off for the night: Last night, I joined the rest of the team, and I shaved my legs. I know you are probably thinking that I am crazy, but it is highly recommended for cyclists. If a cyclist falls, they receive road rash. It is very painful to get road rash and have hair on your legs. Therefore, I took one for the team, lost a bit of my manhood, and now I have smooth legs.

On today's blog, I have posted a picture of my team. They are a great bunch of guys. I will try to post more pictures on my blog as the journey continues. The second picture is of myself and David Stinnette, my fraternity brother, training partner, and Journey of Hope teammate. It is nice to have a friend on the cross-country trek.

Friendship Visit and Practice Ride

This is a good picture of me and Paul, the very fun and enthusiastic 8 year old that I got the pleasure of meeting at our last friendship visit.

Today was our our practice ride! We had great weather, about 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We hear from the locals that we should not expect that much longer. We had a great 25 mile ride around a beautiful lake with many hills and a lot of construction to practice around. I was the one of the two "sweeps" for the ride today meaning that we were the last 2 cyclists to make sure that no one got behind us. After our trip we had the opportunity to ride in a velodrome (a cycling track). Our cycling coach took us on the track and taught us how to ride on it. It was a ton of fun to be on the track and you can really get going after a couple laps. We get a great dinner tonight from Bucca De Beppo to get us ready for our kickoff and 75 mile ride tomorrow.

Policies and Procedures

June 7, 2009

Today we woke up at 7 am, which is actually sleeping in compared to the rest of the summer. We headed to REI, a large sporting goods store similar to a Dick's Sporting Goods. REI donated conference rooms for us to hold our meetings in. We met about team goals, Push America advocacy and marketing, safety management plans, and policies and procedures. There are tons of policies and procedures for our trip! They will keep us very uniformed and professional throughout the journey.

This evening we met with the Arc of King County for our first official friendship visit and dinner. It was really special to visit with individuals with disabilities. I spent the entire evening playing with a young boy named "Paul." Paul was attached to my side throughout the event and was sad when I had to leave. We played games and ran around together. Tonight was really special for me and I enjoyed experiencing the true meaning behind the "Journey of Hope." I am looking forward to our other frienship visits along the trip.

We returned to our hotel and learned the "Kids on the Block" puppet show that we will be performing in different cities. This puppet show was designed to teach children how to interact with other children who have disabilities. It was a great bonding experience for our team.

Two more days until I am off on my bike! Good night!

Arrival in Seattle

June 6, 2009

Today has been an exciting, but very long day. I left Indianapolis at 7am this morning for my first official day of "Journey of Hope." I was greeted at the Seattle airport by some of the crew members. We grabbed lunch and then headed to our hotel. I was eager to unpack my bike and make sure that it survived the long plane ride. I spent my free time this afternoon putting it together and then relaxed a bit.

We received our cycling jerseys today. They are navy blue and white with the words abilities, teamwork, empathy, and integrity on the front. The Pi Kappa Phi star shield is also on the chest of the jersey. After receiving my uniform, everything is starting to become more of a reality...in a few days, we will begin a cross-country journey! I am anxious to get on my bike and start riding.

Based on what I have seen so far, Seattle is a really neat city! Our hotel is right across from the needle. It has been fun meeting the 20 other cyclists and 6 crew members that will be on the TransAmerica route this summer. I can already tell that this will be a great adventure and I am looking forward to spending more time with these guys.

This evening we visited the University of Washington Alpha Delta Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. After dinner, we visited with the chapter members before heading back to our hotel. I am really tired from traveling today, but I get to sleep in until 7am tomorrow. (Compared to the rest of the journey, 7am is now considered sleeping in!)

Thanks for following my blog. I will keep you all posted on the progress of my trip!

Last Day at Home

Today is the last day at home.... I don't know if this whole thing has sunk in yet.  I fly out tomorrow morning at 7 am from Indianapolis to Seattle.   From there we will have 4 days of training before we hit the road on June 10th.   

Thinking about what I am about to begin blows my mind.  We (and I say we because it does include me) need to remember what the trip is about.  Sure it is a cycling trip across the country but the real point is to raise awareness for people with disabilities.  So if you ever find yourself talking about the trip please remember what Push America's mission is: To build leaders of tomorrow by serving people with disabilities today. 

I can't tell you how excited I am to begin this journey.  Thank you again to EVERYONE who has helped me to get to this point!  Seattle... Here I come!