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!