LIFE ACROSS AMERICA 2010

Today was my father’s birthday … even though he passed away a few years ago … I still think of him and wanted to say “Happy Birthday” … because he taught me so many good things by his example: integrity, your word is your bond, and no matter whatever happens … never ever give up … and … “it’s not how many times you get knocked down that is important … it’s how many times you get back up!

And each one of those attributes … are applicable to this year’s “Life Across America 2010″ ride!  (Whoopee, only Manchester and Portsmouth left to go … it’s a nice feeling … to be so close to finishing another successful tour!

Blood Fact:  “Approximately  1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood.”  (Think about it … it is really important to encourage your family and friends to give blood … 1 in 7 may need it!)

Today was an awesome day!  I think most of it was because it DID NOT RAIN!  Yes, I rode 80 miles from Latham, NY, to Brattleboro, VT, and had to climb two mountain passes … yet … it was one of those days where I knew it was going to be a good day, no matter what happened!

Kiwi Rick (my New Zealand climbing mate was “supercharged” today and I was amazed as he kicked in the “afterburners” while we were climbing … he found a “gear” that worked for him and just kept pounding it … until I couldn’t see him anymore!  And even a max48 mph downhill and a 35 mph average on the two downhills couldn’t reel him back in. (Congrats Kiwi … you were awesome today and you deserve the 1st floor accomodations for such a fantastic effort!  Your “roomie” Don will be pleased!)

My game plan today was to ride at my climbing pace, enjoy God’s beauty, and do my best to finish with a reasonable average for the day and I was happy with a 15 mph average for today!

Adella just got in and she said it has started to rain … yet, she didn’t get “wet” and boy was she happy!

Tomorrow is Brattleboro to Manchester … approx. 86 miles miles and more climbing … but who cares … only 2 days left … I’m starting to have “flashbacks” of very cautious optimism … which will lead to “all-out” cheers of “Whoopee, Yippee, and I’m so happy!” (Once we finish the ride!)

Nice dinner tonight … steak, green beans, mashed potatoes, and ice cream with hot fudge.  (I ate with Don and Sue tonight)

Everyone is getting ready for tomorrow’s last big ride … 86 miles and then the good-bye party in Manchester tomorrow night.

I received a call that Gail and Amber are already in Manchester and very curious as to what time we’ll be arriving at the hotel? (not sure yet.)

Lots of very cool “things” are happening behind the scenes … tell you about it tomorrow.

Blood fact:  “Only 37 % of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood and (less than 10 %) do it annually”

Wow!  It was another incredible day for riding in NY today … we had a 30% chance of rain and we definitely got that right away … we started out in a cloudy mist … which lead to a heavier mist … and … finally to a nice steady rain … throughout the day.

So another 77 miles in the rain … I personally am getting tired of feeling like a drowned rat!

The Erie canal was awesome with a lot of history behind it and the bike path next to it was very smooth and a lot of fun to ride on.

We had a lot of fun today … in spite of the rain … and we had time to take some pictures to share with you.

Once we checked in … Paul was picked up by Karen and went home.  He later returned to pick up Adella and I up and drive us  to his house and treat us to a great home cooked meal.  (It was a great dinner of cold cucumber garlic soup,  pork chops, peanut sauce spaghetti, green beans fresh from his garden,  orange juice and for dessert … homemade vanilla ice cream and strawberry & raspberry sorbet)

What an incredible treat!  (Thank you to Paul and Karen!)  It was nice meeting their family … Emily, Jonathon, and Bernadine while we were there.

After we came back to the hotel … the ABB cyclists were having the “t-shirt swap” and it was fun watching all of the “shenigans” that were happening in order to get their chosen t-shirt … or … one lone jersey! (Now that’s a different story all by itself.)

Now it’s time to go to bed, get some sleep and get up at 5:00 a.m. … and get ready to do it all again … from Latham, NY, to Brattleboro, VT.

Talk to you later.

First things first!   Here’s a Blood Fact for your enjoyment: 

•  ”Someone Needs blood every 2 seconds”

Now let’s talk about the 79 mile bike ride today from Liverpool to Little Falls, NY.

What can I say that would get your attention?  

It rained and then it rained some more … and … then it rained a whole lot more!

We started out in the rain … we rode in the rain … and we finished the ride in the rain!

Therefore … it was a very RAINY day!

In fact, it was raining so hard that I didn’t take any pictures today … so hopefully some of the “ABB staff” in the vans …were able to take some pix, to show you how rainy it really was.

Now this evening will be spent “drying out” the cycling shoes, the gloves and the very wet and soaked cycling clothes.

However looking on the really positive side of a day like this is … the really good news was that Rick and Linda’s outside “by the pool” dinner last night was … dry!

Now we only have 4 riding days left, Sat, Sun, Mon, and Tuesday … I sure hope they are “dry” days.

Tonight we are staying at the Knights Inn and we had a nice dinner.

Before dinner, Adella was practicing on the piano in the Banquet room and I asked her to play … “Where Have All the Dreamers Gone?” by Deanna Edwards … we sang it together and it was a lot of fun to listen to Adella play and then to be able to sing with her.

Later after dinner, Larry Johnson played piano for us and also Gerard played piano … so it was a very relaxing time to finish off a very rainy, wet, intense day of cycling!

Blood Fact for today: 43,000 pints:  (amount of donated blood used eachday in the U.S. and Canada)

It was an awesome day for us, Adella rode with me and with my good friend, Paul Maher, from Albany, NY, we had a lot of fun together.

Another 69.5 miles closer to our final goal … Portsmouth, NH.

It was a great day for riding … a nice tailwind for most of the day … riding with good friends and family … and then it happened!

A flat from a piece of wire … Paul and Adella stopped with me to hold the bike while I fixed the flat …  Michelle came by in the SAG van and helped us out with a real pump to pump it back up to 120 psi.

Then back on the road and the three of us had a good ride together into Liverpool.  We stopped at a local ice cream drive- for a milk shake and a bite to eat.

I was having some personal issues today with my left knee … from a slip in the bathtub last night in the hotel room when the towel rack I was holding onto for leverage collapsed … yet, today everything seemed to work out (for the better) as the knee loosened and warmed up … we’ll see how it goes tomorrow after “icing it down” this afternoon?

This evening we went to an awesome dinner put on my Robb’s brother who lives in the Syracuse area … it was celestial … at a beautiful home in the surburbs … All we can say is … “thank you” for your hospitality! (check out the photos on Facebook)

Only 5 cycling days left in Phase 1.

I’m receiving lots of ABC member email for the “blood events” that are being promoted in: Amarillo, TX, Greenville, S.C., Pensacola, FL., plus many more … I want to say “thank you” to each of the blood centers for their incredible staff and donors!

Talk to you later.

Today was an interesting day … the rain finally caught up with us and we rode in the rain for about 20 miles!  At the SAG stop I had the opportunity to meet of the the NY State Police’s finest … Trooper David Overhoff … he was nice enough to talk to us and take a “photo op” with us … as usual our greeting to each other was … “be safe, out there!”

It was a 95 mile day and even with the rain … I still managed a 17.8 mph average.   Most of the time I rode with Kiwi Rick … because my “energy tank” was on empty for most of the day.  After the 2nd SAG stop … I started feeling better and I tried to ride with the “fast bunch” but I just didn’t have it today … they dropped me like a hot potatoe … on one of the many, many hills we had to climb today … almost 4,000 feet of climb and then add in the “rain” … well … what an incredible riding day … then the rain cleared!

Blood Fact:  More than 4,5 million patients need blood transfusions each in the U.S. and Canada.

Wow! Another great cycling day … with 87 miles of beautiful riding weather after some early morning scares of rain and thunderstorms!

Today I was fortunate enough to once again ride with my buddy, Paul Maher, who was a “roomie” and rode with me and 65 other cyclists on the ABB Northern Tier ride in 2008.

Yes, it’s true … Paul is still as strong as ever and a great climber … I started out with Phil and Rick (OK) and it wasn’t too long before he caught up with us … it was a 19 mph average day for me and I couldn’t have done it without Paul’s help … we had a blast and it was just like old times … switching on and off and doing our best not to bonk!

I can’t believe we are in NY already (check out the NY state line pictures).  Once we cycled into Hamburg, we stopped for a chocolate and strawberry milkshake … I decided Paul deserved a break today … so I bought him a shake.

Later we went to the Comfort Inn, settled in and then Paul’s niece, a licensed massage therapist, came to the hotel and gave massages to the cyclists who decided to “sign up” … well, Adella and I decided we deserved a massage after 3297 miles … and … it was great!

Then Alex(my son) and his close friend, Leslie came to the hotel and visited with us for about 2 hours … we did our best to introduce them to most of our cycling buddies.

It was great to see everyone and we are looking forward to another 94 miler tomorrow from Hamburg to Canandiagua, NY.

We’ll let you know how it goes!  Only 7 days to go until Portsmouth, NH … but who’s counting?

A beautiful morning … lots of promises of rain … yet, since it’s a REST DAY … and we’re inside … no worries, mate!

A good night’s rest, plenty of sleep, and then I showered and walked down to partake of the hotel’s breakfast …

Now I’m back in the room, cleaning the bike and getting ready for our attendance at the blood drive today.

In reflection, it’s hard to believe we are already in Pennsylvania … it seems like only yesterday we were in St. Joseph, MO, visiting with the grandbabies, and Salt Lake City seems like “years ago” … and San Francisco is just a “hazy” memory.

Wow!  We are down to only 8 riding days left in Phase 1 … I’m really looking forward to the fun-filled, action-packed daily rides we have left in ABB’s bag of cycling tricks.

Our little cycling community has “molted” into an extended family and soon it will be just a faded memory of incredible people, amazing personalities, compassion understanding and service oriented folks who happen to be “cyclists” and love the “open road” on a great bicycle with the sun in your face, the wind at your backs and thousands of miles of open highway to conquer.

If you’ve never cycled on a long distance tour … you should try it sometime … it will change your life … because of the “real-time” experiences you will experience … there will be “hills” that will kick your butt, and downhills that will take your breath away.  Yet, you will be surrounded by “nature” and the majestic beauty of the land as the pedal your way across the great country of America.

It’s not the bike, it’s not the open highway, it’s not the scenery … it’s the “people” … yes, it’s the people you ride with (the characteristics and personalities of each one that you will never forget) … it’s also the “people”, the “locals” that you meet along the way … they are the “glue” that hold America together … each local community have their own personal heroes … those local folks who have given their all … to build that community and are trying to do everything in their power to serve God, their country, and their fellowman.

After all is said and done … it’s the individuals and their personalities that leave an everlasting “impression” on your soul … and … that alone is worth it … worth all the adversities, the challenges, and the “ups and downs” of the cross country challenge. A chance to win the prize, the prize of being able to say … “I did it … I never quit,  and I have the pictures and the memories to prove it!”  Wow!  What a positive impact it will make on you, on your relationships, and it will change your life forever!

And that doesn’t even take into consideration all the incredible “blood donors” that I’ve had the opportunity to meet and to personally shake their hands and say “thank you”  … in an effort to let them know without a shadow of a doubt, that “Giving Blood, Saves Lives!”  To give them a real life example of what they have always known in their hearts … “that they are giving blood for someone out there, somewhere, who sometime will need a second chance at life!”  

So once again … thank you to all the donors I’ve met, and to all the donors that I will yet meet, on this nation-wide blood drive this summer as “Life Across America 2010″ drives from city to city to take the opportunity of meeting some of the most compassionate, generous, giving people in America.  Donors …you are amazing!

What an incredible day in the Erie County Blood Bank … we had a blast!  There were so many “donors” to greet and thank … it was really an honor and a privilege to say hi to all of you:  Mary Walters, Jerru Kowalski, Jill Gryskevicz, Kristen Currier and her amazing children (Mason, Jackson and Elizabeth), Gina and Simone Welsch, Jane Maybir and Mitch Miller, Roy Luke (DJ from WCTL 106.3), Bonnie Rafferty … and the Rafferty clan of Coury, Carl, David and Chris Bowersox … who all came out to donate in support of Henry Rafferty who was injured in a severe auto accident a week and a half ago and has used 19+ units so far.

Also there to donate was: Dan Heher, John Dubeck, Samantha Helsley and Paul Ditrick (a 55 gallon donor who was donating apheresis today)

Thank you to the “lab”  staff who took the time out of their busy day to take pictures with us:  Debby, Ann, Paula, Diane, Christine, Pam, and Dan.

Check out the photos of Facebook … and if you don’t already know it was a great day and we are so grateful to the Erie, PA., for the overwhelming support for Henry Rafferty.  (to Bonnie and Henry … hang in there … we are praying for your healthy and speedy recovery, to the donors … you continue to amaze me with your compassion and giving spirits.

Tomorrow we ride from Erie to Hamburg, NY … talk to you then!

What a day!  103 miles from Youngstown, OH to Erie, PA., ending with a 17.5 mph average … and I burned approximately 5900 calories … a great diet plan … eat all you want and still lose weight … sounds like a good deal to me!

It was really beautiful country and cycling with some incredible people and great cyclists … it’s hard to believe that we are in Pennsylvania already.

I want to say “thank you” to Shawn … his quick thinking kept both of us upright and safe … thanks buddy!

To my cycling buddy, Kiwi Rick (New Zealand), you are one amazing competitor … I honestly don’t know how you keep that “smiley face”  upright on those hills, especially when your heart is jumping out of your chest and your legs are feeling wooden!

Tomorrow is a REST DAY and we will be staying at the Day’s Inn … cleaning the clothes and the bicycles … and … getting ready for an incredible day tomorrow with Dan D and the Community Blood Bank of NW PA & West NY … they have some amazing things planned and an incredible blood drive in the works at a local hospital. (We’ll let you know how it goes!)

Thanks to Dan and the staff at CBB of NW PA and WNY!  Talk to you tomorrow.

Another incredible day!  93 miles at a 16.5 mph average … not an easy ride … lot of rollers and hills … yet the toughest part of the day was the very “ROUGH” roads we were riding on … oops, I’m not supposed to complain about Ohio’s roads.

I rode with several cyclists today at various times … I chased and caught up with Phil, Wild Thing Rob, Oklahoma Rick, and Kevin for awhile,  yet with so many hills and Rob in one of those “nobody can catch me” moods … they dropped me on the hills after a few miles and I ended up riding with Robb(Boston) and Lester(CA) for most of the day, yet, we seemed to be staying close behind them … then once safely into town we stopped at the “Dairy Cream” for a milkshake.  Ummm Goood!

At the hotel I had the opportunity to spread the word about Life Across America with Jim Bowser, videographer for WKBN27 1st News, FOX youngstown, 33myYTV, WYTV, www.wkbn.ccom, www.foxyoungstown.com

And later we talked to Pat Conley and Janet Rogers, reporters from 21WFMJ (NBC) … a special “thank you” to Janet who is a blood donor!

Tomorrow we will be riding from Youngstown, OH to Erie, PA … 104 miles.

I’m tired … talk to you later.

Another great riding day … although another 104 miles and lots of rollers with some 15% hills.

All I did today was concentrate on making it to each SAG stop … 1st one at 30 miles and the 2nd one at 75 miles and then bringing it home … the average was a little better today … 17.5 mph.

I rode with Phil, Rick, John, Kevin, and Joy until the 2nd SAG stop and then the hills took over and were relentless.

I am tired now and I think I’ll go to bed early … since we have another 90 miler tomorrow from Wooster to Youngstown.

Talk to you later or tomorrow.