Topeka, KS

July 18th

We had a great ride today of 65 miles. The ride reminded me a lot of my rides at Purdue. There were a few rolling hills and a ton of corn which is very similar to the areas that we would ride by the Wabash River. We have been extremely fortunate for our weather so far in the trip. Usually this time of the year the highs in Kansas are in the 100’s but today the high was in the low 80’s. We had a great arrival into TARC which is a center that serves people with disabilies. They were holding a community carnival for us which consisted of a band, carnival games, and a ton of food. We stayed there all afternoon and had a BBQ with the staff for dinner. We had room donated by the Ramada for the night! I called it an early night and attempted to catch up on some sleep.

Emporia, KS

July 17th

I had one of my best days on the bike today! It was long 106 mile ride through continuous rolling hills. The common conception that Kansas is flat is by no means true. We had a great pace-line today which made the time go by really fast. I also had some trouble with my bike computer so I never knew how fast we were going or how much time we had left, I just kept peddling until I was told to stop. We stopped at mile 80 for a great sit-down lunch in Cottonwood Falls. It was touch sitting down and eating a full meal and still having to bike 25 miles but we knocked it out in just over an hour. We stayed at the community center tonight and each of us got a professional massage! It was amazing! The Kiwanis Club sponsored a great pot-luck feast which definitely filled us up.
I did a full overall cleaning of the bike today. It takes about an hour to get everything cleaned and put back together. I took the chain off and soaked it in a solution to remove all of the grease. Then I cleaned all of the gears, breaks, and wheels. Not only that I changed the rear tire which was still the stock tire. It had about 3500 miles on it which is pushing the limits. After putting everything back together I finished by applying a light lubricant to the chain and rode around the block a couple of times to make sure everything was aligned. It feels like you are riding a brand new bike after you clean it and lubricant and it definitely adds years to the life of the bike!

Wichita, KS Day Off

July 16th

We had a day off in Wichita today which was amazing after 8 straight days of cycling. We had an amazing sponsored breakfast with any breakfast food you could think of, hot and cold! We went straight from breakfast to our friendship visit with Rainbow United. They offer a summer camp for kids with disabilities during the day. We were privileged to hear their camp choir sing for us and we got to get on stage with them and sing a song together. I had the opportunity to hang out with a little girl named Elizabeth. It was her birthday and she was turning 9. Elizabeth had muscular dystrophy and was confined to a walker. It was amazing how much she could do even though she didn’t have the strength in her legs compared to many of her classmates. She swam in the Special Olympics and ran the 100 meter dash. She was one of the most positive kids I have ever met even though she had to overcome so many challenges every single day that many of us take for granted. Since it was her birthday, we had all of the guys surround her on one knee and sing Happy Birthday to her. She loved it! We had some time off and I took a much needed nap. For dinner we met with the board of directors for an organization that helps people with all disabilities live independently. I called it an early night, 100+ miles tomorrow.

Wichita, KS

July 15th

Today was the first day that my pace-line didn’t meet rack point. Rack points are assigned during the day to make sure that we can make our scheduled events on time. We biked 75 of the 82 miles today. It was kind of frustrating having to rack but it is a good reminder of what the trip is really about. It isn’t about the bike; it is about the countless people that we impact across the country. The ride was very difficult because we had a constant 15 mph head wind during the entire day. I had a pretty funny fall today as well! When we roll into a crew stop we are supposed to roll a couple feet off the road so that if you tip over you will be away from the road. Well of course I follow all directions and I rolled off the road a couple feet and to my surprise it was right into some mud. Conveniently, my tire stopped immediately and I didn’t have time to clip out. It was a nice slow motion tip to the right and I felt like it took about 30 seconds to hit the ground. It was really funny!
We had lunch today with Arrowhead United at the Home Town Buffet. After eating with the clients we went to the YMCA to play some adaptive games with them! We had corn hole, washers, bowling, and basketball to play with the clients. Dinner was sponsored at the Alley which is very similar to the Dave and Busters. We had a ton of pizza and then went bowling. It was a nice change of pace for all of the guys to hang out as a team!

Pratt, KS

July 14th

Pratt, KS was our home for the day after a long 77 mile ride. For the first half of the day we had pretty strong wind that was hitting us on the left shoulder. About half was through the ride we took a turn and the tough head wind turned into a very generous tail wind which made the second half of the ride fly by! From what we have been hearing “If you don’t like the weather in Kansas then just wait a few minutes because it will change.” We had another friendship visit with Arrowhead West for lunch. We got to play pool, air hockey, and do karaoke with the clients. We were sponsored by the Archers Association for dinner which was a complete steak dinner! We each had our own steak with every single side dish you could think of. We also got the chance to try out some of the bows on their range and their moving targets. It was bright and sunny and within minutes a huge thunder storm rolled in. I guess the advise was correct about the weather changing!

Dodge City, KS

July 13^th

Dodge City, KS

50 miles seems like nothing now that we have been on the bike for over a month. It was a very quick and easy ride today into Dodge City. We had our first of three visits with Arrowhead West, an organization that serves people of all ages with developmental disabilities. A fellow teammate, Trevor, and I hung out all afternoon with a client named Kelvin. He was amazing to talk to and was so happy that we were there to spend time with him. We ended up splitting the cost of a Journey of Hope t-shirt for him and he had a grin from ear-to-ear. We stayed at the Community College which had an air conditioned gym! I would take air conditioning over a real bed any day of the trip! We visited the Boot Hill living museum for dinner. Dodge City was the center for the cattle industry in 1900’s and the museum was created to preserve what the city was like at that time. We had an amazing home cooked meal followed by a show that explained how life was in Dodge City. It was very interesting to learn about the industry and see how much the cattle industry has evolved over the years. I cleaned the bike up a bit and then went to bed.

Garden City, KS

July 12, 2009

Today marks so many milestones for the 2009 Journey of Hope team! Not only did we ride into a new state and a new time zone, but we have hit the 2,000 mile mark!

Today's route was about 105 miles into Garden City, KS. We are now allowed to ride 6 men in a paceline instead of 4, which allows us to go faster. We averaged over 23 mph on the bike today and we finished before lunch.

We rolled into a local pool where media was waiting for us. After the normal activities, we had time to relax at the pool. The team headed to lodging at a local Comfort Inn, which was really nice! This evening we enjoyed dinner at Golden Corral Buffet and went to see a movie to finish the night off. It was another great day on Journey of Hope!

Lamar, CO

July 11, 2009

As far as riding went, today was an easy route. The trek was only 60 miles including some hills and little elevation change. We completed the ride in just over three hours. This was the last day in Colorado! I hope to be back to visit sometime soon!

The crew members decided to bring a whole new element to our daily challenges. I must first tell you that the temperature today was 110 degrees! Despite this ridiculous heat, we enjoyed the challenges that the crew members gave us. Several pacelines tried to finish two liters and gallons of milk that were left over from the friendship visit. We finished a two liter of soda and some milk which made for an interesting 20 mile ride into town. Our stomachs were feeling it by the time we reached Lamar!

We enjoyed some free time this afternoon at the swimming pool. Dinner tonight was provided by a local family who prepared a wonderful meal. This marks the half-way point of the Journey. I can't believe how fast it is going!

La Junta, CO

July 10, 2009

Today we decided to wake up at 5 am instead of our scheduled wake up of 6 am. We enjoyed Pueblo breakfast burritos provided by a Pi Alpha from Colorado State University. The ride was great as we averaged over 21 mph and finished 63 miles before 10 am. This was one of our fastest days on the trip so far! Once arriving into La Junta, we had plenty of free time to enjoy afternoon naps, play volleyball, and take time to relax. Tonights dinner was provided by the Lion's Club who were very welcoming and excited to have us. The Lion's Club does great things to help people with visual impairments. Tonight we went to a local bowling alley to celebrate Andrew's 21st b-day. We also enjoyed a cake provided by our project manager. The team vote this evening was to push wakeup back to 6 am tomorrow since we only have a 60 mile ride to Lamar, CO! Yay!

Pueblo, CO

July 9, 2009

Today we left from Denver and headed to Pueblo, CO which was a nice, easy ride. The first 20 miles a hand cyclist joined the team and rode with us. He was incredible.Once arriving in Pueblo, we enjoyed some delicious food at the saloon. I was very lucky on today's ride. I had a flat on the road while going 25mph down a hill. I hit a rock and it punctured my tire in less than a second. My front tire was immediately down and my handlebars dropped a decent amount. A front tire blowout can be very dangerous and I am thankful that I was able to keep control. This type of flat tire is very rare, but I was able to fix it and get back on the road.

I spent the afternoon cleaning my bike and chain. This evening we went to dinner at a local pizza place with the Arc of Pueblo. We enjoyed visiting with the individuals. Tonight we had another sign language group meeting and learned the entire alphabet. I can now tell someone my name in sign language. Before heading to bed, we ventured into town to get some ice cream.

Colorado Springs, CO

June 8, 2009

Today's ride from Denver to Colorado Springs was one of the hardest rides the team has experienced. It was extremely hot! The ride was approximately 91 miles and we had a rack point of 73 miles by noon. There was a 2000 ft. climb and a strong head wind on today's route as well. We made it to our police escort by 12:30 pm. The police escort was very neat today as they escorted us for 8 miles taking us to our final destination of the Olympic Traninig Center.

When we met up with the police escort, we were also joined by Alison, a four-time Olympian who competes in skiing and cycling paralympics. Alison's leg was amputated above her knee and she has a special bike that allows her to clip her leg into a fixed clip on the bike frame. She pedals with one leg, and let me tell you she could definately keep up with us!

The Olympic Training Center was a great experience and a special part of the trip. We enjoyed a buffett lunch at their facility cafeteria followed by an interesting tour of the building. The team had the privilage of meeting Lopez Lumar, a USA track & field Olympian who carried the flag at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Lopez was one of the last "Lost Boys" of Sudan who was split from his family at a young age during the war. When he was living in Sudan, he would run for miles and miles as a coping mechanism to keep his mind off of being hungry. As Lopez was starving, he was training his body for distance running and endurance. Lopez then won an essay contest which sent him to America as the prize. He gained his US Citizenship in 2007. Lopez was voted on by all of the US Olympic athletes to carry the flag in the 2008 Beijing games. He competes in the 1500m run. We also had the opportunity to meet the triathlon athlete who was ranked #1 in the world in 2006.

After our visit to the training center, we headed over to the University of Colorado and arrived at our lodging which was an old building converted into a dorm. The dean of the University sponsored our dinner and I enjoyed meeting him. Today was a long day and we are all ready to hit the sack!

Day off in Denver, CO

July 7, 2009

Today we enjoyed a day out of the saddle in Denver, CO. This morning we enjoyed a delicious warm breakfast provided by the Thacker family! It was amazing! Lunch was provided by a Pi Alpha who made wonderful handmade hamburgers, by far the best of the trip. I enjoyed some free time in the city today to relax. I decided to buy the Tour de France guide today so I could start reading about how the race works; it seems very interesting and I am excited to learn more about it. For dinner, we enjoyed a friendship visit playing softball with a special Olympics team. It was really neat.

After returning to our lodging, I was one of the two cyclists who was instructed to go and scout the route for tomorrow. I will take time to explain this task in my blog today...

Each evening, two cyclists and a crew member load into a van to drive the first 15 to 20 miles of the next days ride. This will allow us to check up on road conditions and make sure that the turns are marked correctly as well as decide where the crew stops should be. During circle up the following morning, we report what we found on our scout. This allows us to be ready for the beginning of the ride in the morning. After circle up, our project manager leaves in his vehicle to drive ahead and scout the rest of the route. He can then report this information back to the crew members who provide us with details at our crew stops.

Denver, CO

July 6, 2009

Today was a quick 30 mile ride from Boulder, CO to Denver, CO. We started early this morning so that we could make it to Invesco field, the home field of the Denver Broncos, by 8:30 am. Upon arrival, we had time to relax while we waited for the North Journey of Hope team to arrive. They were riding from Empire and had a 50 mile trek, so they didn't get in until 10 am. At Invesco field, we took a tour of the facility, played catch and pass on the field, and enjoyed seeing the scoreboards lit up with "Welcome Journey of Hope." We enjoyed a sponsored lunch of Chipotle by several Pi Alphas as we visited with the North team. The burritos tasted amazing, but it made for a tough ride into the city.

Our next destination was the capital building in downtown Denver. Our team, along with the North team, was escorted by police on motorcycles through the city. It was a really neat sight to see as over 50 cyclists breezed into the city with police escorts never having to stop at a single stop light. Today was one of my favorite arrivals so far. The city of Denver really made us feel welcome! At the capital building, we were greeted by media and special guests. The governor declared it "Push America Day" in the state of Colorado! We also had the opportunity to meet fellow Pi Kappa Phi member, Bruce Rogers. Bruce is the man who made this all possible and started the Journey of Hope when he rode by himself in 1987.

The afternoon was filled with free time and the chance to relax and enjoy our hotel. At 5 pm we went to a very unique friendship visit called "Peddle for Pennies." Individuals with disabilities were riding their bikes around a lake with us to raise money for the Special Olympics. David and I had the opportunity to ride with a developmentally disabled young lady named Lori. Lori was a hand cyclist who was able to ride 4 laps with us. This was a record for her as she has never been able to do more than 3 laps around the lake. It was a great experience and a really special moment for us.



After a great dinner with the athletes, we hosted a party for them and enjoyed singing and dancing for the rest of the night!

Catching Up

July 5th
We had a day off in Boulder today! I got to catch up on some much needed sleep! The team enjoyed brunch at the Original Pancake House which makes 5 egg omlets! After brunch, we drove to the top of the Flat Iron Mountains for a beautiful view of the entire valley. We had a great friendship visit where we played softball, volleyball, and basketball with the clients. I met an enthusiastic young man named Matt who has played special olympic basketball for the past 10 years. We played a friendly game of 2-on-2 basketball. Unfortunately, Matt and James beat Joe and I. If you have ever played basketball with me though, you are probably not surprised I lost! Overall, it was a nice relaxing day in Boulder!

July 4th
Happy Birthday America! Today also marks the beginning of the Tour de France which the team is following. The actual format of the race is very interesting and I am trying to learn more about each stage throughout the summer. We had a short ride today of 50 miles into Boulder. I rode with a Pi Alpha, a member who has completed the Journey of Hope in the past. Lunch was provided to us at the chapter house at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We had the afternoon off to explore the town, and then headed back to the chapter house for dinner. We went on the roof of the chapter house for the most amazing view of the fireworks being shot from Folson Field. On our way to lodging, David and I stopped at a place called "Spud Brothers." It was the most amazing thing ever. They took hand-cut french fries and literally put anything you can think of on them! It was a wonderful snack before bed!

July 3rd
Today's ride was a nice break! It was practically all downhill for 65 miles. I was a sweep today with James (meaning that we were the last two riders and our job was to make sure no one made it behind the two of us). We rode into Fort Collins and the Pi Kappa Phi house at Colorado University. In the afternoon we had an adaptive friendship visit where we played adaptive games with the clients. Fort Collins is a really nice city with a great center town area. They are also the home of the New Belguim Brewery (Fat Tire).

July 2nd
My legs were very sore from yesterdays 126 mile ride! Today's ride was about 75 miles and very hilly into Cheyenne. We had an amazing lunch sponsored by the Cattlewoman's society. The lunch was at the longest opperating Herferd Cattle farm in the country. It was really neat to walk around and see how cattle are raised. We had an Arc friendship visit and had the opportunity to play volleyball with some of the clients.

Wheatland, WY

July 1, 2009

Today marked the longest day of the entire Journey...126 miles! That's right...the team cycled 126 miles today! What an accomplishment! Surprisingly, I feel excellent!

We woke up this morning at 5 am and after completing our morning rituals, we were ready to tackle the long trek ahead of us. We left our lodging at about 6 am and started the ride into the hills. However, within the first 10 miles of the trip, we missed a turn and lost about 3 miles. Once we realized that we were heading the wrong way, we were able to regroup and get back on track.

My paceline averaged about 19 mph today on the bike, which is fast compared to what we normally ride. The ride was all up and down as we adventured through hills and quickly learned that this century ride would not grace us with any flat land. We stopped for a crew lunch at about 60 miles, our halfway point for the day. The team was racked for 3 miles of the ride in the afternoon due to a gravel road that we couldn't attempt to ride over. But don't worry, we still managed to ride 126 miles today because we rode 3 extra miles this morning when we missed our turn. We arrived at our lodging site at 5 pm this evening and we enjoyed another dinner prepared by the Cattlewomen's Association. It was amazing and great to fill up our stomachs after a long trip! I am heading to bed early tonight to give my body a rest and prepare for another 100 mile ride tomorrow.

Day Off in Casper, WY

June 30, 2009

Today we had the day off in Casper, WY and it was amazing with a 10:15 am wake up! This was the latest wake up we will have the entire journey! The team enjoyed lunch at the Boys and Girls Club in Casper where we performed the "Kids on the Block" puppet show. I was the character "Brenda" in the puppet routine. "Brenda" is a girl who talks to her friend "Ronaldo" who is blind. The puppet show teaches children how to interact with peers who have disabilities. We strive to highlight the individuals abilities instead of disabilities. After performing the puppet show, we took a bike ride with the kids through the park. We taught them about bicycle safety.

This afternoon I went and got my hair cut at a local barber shop that only had one chair. The shop was a cowboy theme and the barber was decked out in cowboy gear from a cowboy hat to cowboy boots!

For dinner we met with the Arc of Casper County for another friendship visit. We interacted with adults and children who had disabilities. We enjoyed playing kickball, wiffle ball, and taking pictures.

Tonight, a group of us started to learn sign language. We decided to buy a sign language book a couple of days ago and we are working on learning the basic signs so that we can communicate with the individuals at our friendship visits who are deaf. I am looking forward to learning this unique communication as the trip progresses.

Casper, WY

June 29, 2009

Today's ride was 102 miles from Shoshoni to Casper, WY. Thankfully, we didn't experience the cold temperatures like we have been so the ride turned out to be decent. The scenery was extremely boring and repetitive today. We didn't see a tree until 20 miles in to the ride. Some of the locals we met called our cycling today the "longest 100 miles in America." There was one exciting portion of the ride today...we rode past the Texas 4k group that is cycling from Austin, TX to Alaska for cancer research. They are associated with the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It was great to meet fellow cyclists working toward advocating a great cause similar to our journey.

We arrived into Casper earlier than we had planned, so we were able to take naps before starting our nightly activities. After cleaning up for dinner, we enjoyed a great meal provided by the Kiwanis club. We are taking advantage of getting to stay up late since we have a day off tomorrow and a late wake up call!

Shoshoni, WY

June 28, 2009

The journey from Dubois to Shoshoni was approximately 102 miles long today. It was a slightly boring ride due to the fact that there was not much to see in the part of Wyoming we were cycling in. However, the day began quickly with some assistance from a strong tail wind through our descent helping us average 21 mph instead of the typical 16-18 mph pace. My paceline finished the ride quickly because we were lucky enough to avoid flats. Our 3-man paceline rode ahead of everyone for the entire ride since many cyclists were delayed fixing their flat tires. Along the ride, we passed through a town with a Taco Bell and joked about stopping for a bite to eat. We were the first group to roll up to the crew stop at mile 90 and we were greeted with a nice surprise. A crew member had bought burritos for me, James, and Max. We enjoyed our 1/2 pound burrito treat at the crew stop, but as we hit the road we started to ask ourselves why we ate those before we finished riding. The last 10 miles of the journey was rough as we tried to survive with heavy stomachs from the treat. We decided not to tell the rest of the team about the burritos for a few days.

Our lodging is at a Senior Citizen Center in the small town of Shoshoni, WY. There are less than 900 people living here. We enjoyed the afternoon napping, taking a trip to the local malt shop, and relaxing on our air mattresses. Our dinner this evening was sponsored by the cooks at the Shoshoni senior center. We spent the night playing pool, practicing "Kids on the Block" puppet show, and writing in our journals before "lights out."

Tomorrow will be another "century" ride as we travel from the mountains through the desert into the city of Casper, WY. Then we will have a day off in Casper to let our bodies recover and enjoy two friendship visits. So far we have ridden in four states: Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Dubois, WY

June 27, 2009

Back to normal today with a 5 am wake up call, breakfast, and circle up to start the day off. It was an extremely foggy morning at 6 am as we hit the road in about 40 degree temperatures. At the initial point in our journey, we could see no more than 200 feet in front of us. We had a 30 mile uphill ride departing Jackson followed by a 20 mile, 3,000 vertical ft. climb. Today's scheduled route was going to take us to the highest point and hardest climb of the entire trip. Unfortunately, at the halfway point of our climb (about 8,7oo ft) we were racked due to construction ahead. The project manager had assessed the remainder of the climb and he broke the news to us at our crew chief roadside lunch stop. After our project manager saw how disappointed the team was, he decided to let us ride the last half mile of the climb to hit the peak elevation of over 9,600 feet. I was very dissapointed that I couldn't ride the entire climb today, but I know that it was due to unexpected road conditions.

The rest of the ride was refreshing with a fabulous decent on freshly paved roads and a tail wind to assist us. We finished the last 25 miles in less than an hour as we continue to make great timing and enjoy afternoon downhill cycling! Over the entire day's ride, we crossed the Continental Divide three times. I felt great on the bike today since I was able to recover on the day off in Jackson.

We rode into the town of Dubois which rests at about 7,000 feet and contains a population of approximately 962 people. Tonight's dinner was provided by the Cattle Women's Association. We spent time visiting and eating great food. The team is heading to bed early tonight so we can be well rested for the next two days consisting of 100 or more mile rides and friendship visits.
Please bear with me as I may get slightly behind on my blog posts with the busy schedule ahead. I will be sure to catch you all up by the end of the week. Thanks again for supporting me and following my Journey of Hope blog!

Day Off in Jackson, WY

June 26, 2009

Today we had a much needed rest from the saddle. The team started the morning with a great breakfast before our adventures of white water rafting. The river was ice cold so we bundled up in wet suits to protect ourselves from the freezing splashes. The white water rafting adventure was a blast! Riding the rapids was a thrill and it was a nice activity for the morning free-time.

After lunch, we had another fun adventure planned! The team went alpine sledding on concrete. The thrill of riding sleds down a concrete luge was unreal! Six of the team members turned into dare devils and took the sledding a bit too far. They fell off of their sleds and they are suffering from some cuts and scrapes. We also got to jump on a bungee cord trampoline. I had a great time turning triple back flips in the air.

This evening we enjoyed exploring town, eating pizza, and going to bed early for a good nights rest.