A 10 AM wakeup!!!! That is the latest wake up we have had all summer! We went to the local Arc for lunch and got to play a ton of games with the clients. I played connect 4, bocce ball, and table hockey with the clients. After the visit a ton of us went to the zoo. It was a huge zoo and completely free and open to the public. We went to Whitey’s parents house for a pool party and dinner. I had three full servings of food. It seems like I can honestly eat anything I want and just keep eating! We have our 2nd longest ride of the trip tomorrow so I called it an early night.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
St. Louis, MO
July 24th
We had a nice short 65-mile ride into St. Louis. The county police escorted us for 19 miles to the city limits and then the city police took over and brought us to a huge park where we had lunch. I got to see Tracey today for the first time in 2 months so that was pretty exciting! We had lunch and then arrived right in front of the Arc in Kaiser Plaza. Right before stage up I checked my tires and one was completely flat. I had to change the tire quick only to find that the other tube had a hole. So I had to change 2 tubes in less than 10 minutes just to be able to ride in. At the arrival we had 2 proclamations presented to us. The city declared July 24th 2009 Push America day in St. Louis! We had an amazing dinner at a local alumnus’ house and they treated us like kings. We had more homemade food than we could handle!
Union, MO
July 23rd
Today was one of the most difficult rides of the trip so far. We rode 105 miles and throughout the day had about 4800 feet of climbing. The climbing was some of the steepest slopes we have seen all trip. I was in the saddle for over 6 hours and over 8 hours on the road. I hit a max speed of 48 mph today and was over 45 mph at least 10 times during the ride. We had dinner at a local restaurant and then Drayton’s family sponsored us to go to Diary Queen for desert. I called it an early night because I was dead tired after the ride today.
Columbia, MO
July 22nd
Today I swept with Bobby at the back of the pack. It was a very long and hilly day! Who knew that Missouri was not flat? In the middle of the ride we had to walk our bikes across a newly paved bridge, and by newly paved I mean that the steam-roller was working right next to us as we rode over it! We got in pretty early from the ride and had time to shower and nap. We went to a Pi Alphas for dinner and got to hear about his experiences on the team and how things have changed over time.
Bike Trouble
July 21st
Today was tough day on the bike for me. At mile 18 my chain snapped and luckily didn’t get caught in my rear wheel on its way off my bike. I could have totaled my bike if it would have got caught! I had to rack for 30 miles to re-rivet my chain together and get it on the bike. I biked a total of 62 out of the 92 miles for the day and it was the first time I was off the bike for a mechanical problem. Once I got back on the bike, it was on-and-off rain for the rest of the day. I scouted the route for the next day when I got in and then went to the bike shop to get my chain fixed. That night, a couple local sponsored had done a full hog roast for us and we had some of the best pulled pork that I have ever had in my life!
Day off in Olathe
July 20th
We had a jam-packed day of programming on our day off in Olathe. We started with a made-to-order omelet breakfast followed by a tour of the Deaf Cultural Center. I learned a couple really neat things about deaf history. First of all, the first football huddle was started at the Kansas School for the Deaf when opposing teams would hire interpreters to steal the signs of the other teams. Also, baseball signs originated on the Yankees when they had a pitcher who was mute and deaf and the manager required his entire team to learn simple sign language. We had the amazing opportunity to visit Tim’s house. Tim was in a diving accident, which left him as a quadriplegic. We had the chance to see his home and the technology that he has that has increased the quality of his life significantly. Without the ability to move anything below his neck, he is able to surf the web, write emails, completely control his movements in his chair using his mouth, and control all electronics in his home. It was very amazing and inspirational to meet him and see how positive he was about his life! We had a friendship visit with a local pre-school that serves people with disabilities. I worked in a classroom for autistic children under 5 years old. It was the youngest group we have worked with so far on the trip and it was really interesting to see the work they do with the children even before grade school begins. That night we got to go to the Royals game. We were supposed to get on field recognition and have great seats but unfortunately the game was completely rained out.
Olathe, KS
July 19th
Another hilly ride through the center of Kansas ended in Olathe which is a suburb of Kansas City. We were surprised with Chipotle for lunch which was amazing! We had a police escort into the Heritage Center with a warm welcome from the city and the Counsel for People with Disabilities. We explored the living museum which is the only current full running stagecoach stop on the Santa Fe Trail. Olathe is a top 10 ranked community for people with disabilities to live. The mayor of Olathe declared July 19th, 2009 as Push America Day! The community has really hooked us up for our stay here! We are staying at the Kansas School for the Deaf and all of us get our own beds! They treated us to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and I got one of the juiciest steaks I have had in a long time. It was an amazing dinner! They have a huge day planned for us tomorrow on our day off so I called it an early night and made sure to catch up on some sleep.
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