LIFE ACROSS AMERICA 2010

Hi Everyone,

Today was an 84 mile ride to Chamberlain, SD. (a beautiful river town)

Lots of small climbs with 3 major climbs!

By the time we got to the hotel, it was 97 degrees outside!

I had a chance to race a “train” today. (check out the pix!)

Also I was able to stop at the 1/2 way spot and take a pic! (Can you believe we are 1/2 of the way to 3,630 miles… or … 25 day out of the 50 days trip?)

Yesterday’s ride and today’s ride were two of the hardest rides for me. (Yet I’m still here and still spreading the awareness of the need for a safe, available blood supply! Also thanking every donor I visit with!)

We’re riding to Mitchell, SD, tomorrow and there I will attend a blood drive with UBS! (They are really gone out of their way to get the word out about Life Across America!

I must say I did a lot of praying … as I always do when I’m climbing! (It’s a little different, because these prayers are in earnest, they are prayers of gratitude for being alive and able to bear my testimony of Jesus!)

It was a good day and tomorrow is only a 70 mile ride! (I can’t believe that I would ever say “only a 70 mile climb!)

Thanks for your interest.

Larry F.

Check out today’s pix at: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-10-08%20–%20Chamberlain%20SD/

Hi everyone,

 Today was a 117 mile ride from Wall, SD to Pierre, SD.  Lots and lots of “rollers”, yet, the weather was beautiful and the wind was forgiving!

Once I got into Pierre, I met with Sherry from UBS (United Blood Services) she took me over to the blood drive after we met with the local newspaper reporter, then we were interviewed by two radio stations. (KCCR, radio 1240 at: news@todayskcc.com  and KG-FX AM 1060 at: news@dakotaradiogroup.com )

So a special thanks to the reporters and the radio personalities … they are really helping to get the word out on the local blood drives!

We then visited the blood drive and I was able to personally say “thank you” to many of the blood donors who were there giving blood!

It was so neat because many of them have been giving blood for years … and … they are always giving blood for someone “out there” whom they’ve never met … however … when I talk to them and let them know that I am one of those blood recipients “out there” who has come forward to say “thank you” … it seems like each one of them say … “I’ve never been thanked before by a recipient!”

So each time … I make a connection with them and let them know how special they are … because it was donors like them that saved my life!

Sorry … I’m am unable to upload the pix from today’s ride and blood drives because I’m having server problems! (I’ll try to upload them tomorrow night!)

Whoopee! I was able to make it work and get the pix uploaded! 

Check them out at: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-09-08%20–%20Pierre%20SD/

Larry F. 

Hi everyone,

Last night at 10:00 p.m., Shad Olsen, the news anchor for KOTATV, Channel 4 news, in Rapid City, SD, did a story about Life Across America, a 2 min 16 sec piece, check it out at: www.kotatv.com (Man Turns Accident Into a Story of Inspiration!)

Lots of rollers today!  Threat of thunderstorms when we woke up, yet by the time we started, some cyclists “mighty faith” had turned the threat into sunshine and even given us a tailwind for part of the 58 mile ride!

I didn’t take a lot of pix on the ride today … I just wanted to make it to Wall, SD.

So when I arrived into town, I checked into the Econo-Lodge, and then rode my bike over to the Wall Drugs main street in town for a blackberry milkshake and a buffalo burger and fries! Mmmm, good!

It’s quite a unique little town with a western feel about it, even had hitch’ posts downtown for your horse!

I want to thank Deborah DeLotto from Andover Products who is sending me some Co-Flex to Sioux Falls, SD, to wrap my feet, ankles, and calves for the rest of the trip!  Thank you so much!

Well, that about wraps it up!

Thanks to everyone for your interest!

Larry F.

Check out the pix at: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-08-08%20–%20Wall%20SD/

Hi everyone,

 It was a beautiful very scenic day.  If you don’t believe me, look at the pix.

However, there was a lot of climbing … almost 6000 feet of it!

We were escorted into town by UBS escort vehicles and they took us to the blood drive at Scheel’s bike shop and they received about 50 pints of blood!

We were interviewed by Shad Olsen (news anchor) from KOTA-TV (www.kotatv.com ) Channel 4 news

So it was a great day!

Larry F.

Check out the pix at: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-07-07%20–%20Rapid%20City%20SD/

Hi everyone,

Sorry I have written a long post and then the server went down before I could save it and I lost it! I will now to try recreate it!

It was a great day to day … a day of 91.5 miles from Lusk, WY to Hot Springs, SD … with a stop at the state line “sign”.

We had some climbing and a pretty strong head wind throughout the day, yet it finished with an incredible descent into Hot Springs! (I’ve never found a “downhill” that I didn’t like!)

As I was pedaling through the beautiful state of Wyoming and then on to South Dakota today, I realized what an incredibly beautiful country we live in!  I also remembered the words to our song, “America, the Beautiful” and I realized how much our forefathers loved this country (the USA), they loved it so much their were willing to die for it and to preserve our liberties and freedoms that we so much enjoy today!

I also wanted to say to my family how much I love them, what an inspiration they are to me, and how much I love seeing them and hearing my grandchildren … call me up … and say the awesome words … “Hi, Gam-pa!”  You are amazing children with incredible talents, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives!

 I would also like to “thank” the amazing cyclists that I’m riding across this country with, they are each a “giant” in their own field … and … are not only impressive cyclists, yet, they are impressive human beings with compassion and love for their fellow man!  I’ve watched many of them reach out to help their fellow cyclists in a time of need and do it without any reservation!

 Most of all, I want to say thank you to my savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me a 2nd chance at life, and the opportunity to watch my children and grand-children to grow up!

And because of that, I never need to be reminded of how lucky I am that we live in a beautiful country with liberties and freedoms and a SAFE blood supply for all of those who need it!  We have compassionate comrades who are willing to roll up their sleeves and donate blood, platelets, plasma and whatever else that is needed!  I am lucky to be the recipient of such love and compassion!  And yet on this trip, I have seen a very similar attitude daily!

I love that old expression which says … I am lucky to be with the right people, going the right direction, at the right time!

I truly believe that each of us has been brought together on this trip for a specific reason, even though, we may not know it at this time! (This is not to say that everything and everyone has been perfect … because … as we all know, there is “opposition in all things”, yet it’s the journey that perfects us, along with the memories that we create together!

Thank you to all of you for being a part of “Life Across America 2008″!

Larry F.

Check out the pix from today and last night at: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-06-08%20–%20Hot%20Springs%20SD/

Hi everyone,

Today was another awesome day, it started out in Casper with the temperature at about 69 degrees.

It was a 106 mile day and part of the day was a tailwind, although that changed in the afternoon.

I would like to say thank you to Sgt Ron C. of the Douglas PD and his crew who were able to take the time to give us an escort through downtown Douglas and through some pretty rough construction areas.

They also took us over to Jack-o-lope Park and took some pretty cool pix of me, showing what would happen to me, if I ever offended a Jack-o-lope.

Several of the cyclists were there and we were able to take some pix with the Douglas officers and their police cars as they escorted us with lights and flashers on.  (Thanks Ron and the gang, you’re the best!)

Later in the day it became hotter and hotter and the water stops became far and few in between.

Also there was a really bad accident on the road we were traveling on, which completely shut down both sides of the road for about 3 hours! (Which meant the sag wagons were slowed down doing their jobs, yet, everyone survived and was safe.)

I saw a lot of trains today, especially a long, long train pulling empty “coal bin” cars … at least 130 cars!

I rode in from the last sag with a faster group of cyclists than I normal ride with and was able to stay with them because our Pennsylvania cyclist was leading the line and kept the pace close to 18 mph!

Once we arrived at the hotel, the Covered Wagon, they had lemonade, ice water and warm chocolate chip cookies for us!

After rap, we went to dinner and then back to the hotel, where I met up with Kim O’Brien, a reporter for the Lusk Herald, who took a picture and took some comments about Life Across America and said it would be the paper tomorrow!  (Thank You … Kim!) or you can check it out on their website at: www.luskherald.com

That’s about it for now.  It’s time for bed already! (because we have a 90 plus miles ride tomorrow, supposedly with a 25 mph headwind!)  I sure hope not!

Larry F.

Check out the pix at: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-05-08%20–%20Lusk%20WY/

It’s hard to believe that it’s the 4th of July already!

Today, is a relaxing day … a day of washing clothes, cleaning the bike, eating a nice breakfast, re-sorting our luggage to make it look smaller and weigh less!(that’s always hard to do!)

Catch up on phone calls, re-working the blog, etc.

Then, if there’s time I would like to do some sightseeing and  tonight watch the fireworks from the Ramada Plaza. (the fireworks are being shot off up on the hill behind the hotel, so we should have a ringside seat to the fireworks display!)

Thank God … my roommate was able to recover quickly from his “ordeal” and now he’s pretty much back to normal … although he’s not going to ride on Saturday to Lush, WY with us!

As I sit here reflecting and contemplating my life and the many stages of it … there are many things I am thankful for:  my family, my friends, my life experiences(the good, the bad, and the ugly), the challenges that I’ve gone through and “survived”, and my belief and testimony of Jesus Christ!

It’s been an amazing “life” so far and I can only hope that my contacts throughout it … will continue to leave a lasting “postive” impression on those with whom I’ve shared my “accident story”.

One thing I’ve learned on this trip so far is … most people say that “seeing is believing”, yet, I’ve learned in my life and specifically on this Life Across America journey is … the “believing is seeing” … if, you can “believe it”, then you will see it happen in your life! (whatever your challenge is, there is always “hope, which springs eternal … if … you have the “faith” to believe it will happen!)

I also have a new perspecive of the saying “endure to the end” … each day we get up with a set goal in mind, a route map in hand, clear directions of what “pitfalls” to avoid, with sag wagons to help us along the way with food and water, and …. yet …. we still have to get on the bicycle and pedal (over and over again) until we get there!

Then we wake up again the next day and do it all over again!

One of our cyclists Mr. T … gave a verse out of Eclessiastes at dinner last night where he stated King Solomon feelings about how sometimes we can “do it alone”(yet, it’s much harder!), we can stand as two (back to back) and can conquer our challenges … or … we can have 3-4 together (as in a rope with 3 or more strands twisted together, which is unbreakable!)

Well, that is what this bicycle trip is all about, some days you are riding alone!(you can do it by yourself, however, it is much harder!)

Or you can ride with two cyclists together.(switching off and giving the other cyclist a chance to rest!)

Yet, when you have 3 or more cyclists who are working together … then it really begins to be “fun” and the synergy created becomes more than the whole!

This whole experience created by “Life Across America” and “America By Bicycle” has shown me what our family and social lives can and should be like!

When we all pull together and reach out to help each other get to our goals … then the resulting “joy of life” is really in the “journey” and not just getting to a “destination”!

To all my friends, family, and especially to each of America’s and Canada’s “donors” (which are just a small part of the world’s “donors”), I want to say “thank you” for donating blood, platelets, plasma, and other blood products!

And to once again, emphatically state … “Giving Blood Saves Lives” … of which my accident story is a living example of the compassion and goodness of 110 anonymous donors! 

Also a special “thank you” to each of our local blood center employees … the CEO’s, the doctors, the technicians (each one of the many blood center workers) who come to work every day (working day in and day out without much recognition) … you are an amazing, compassionate, caring group of human beings! 

Thank you for my life!

Larry F.

I’ll upload the pix later today, so check them out at: no pix today, sorry!

P.S. Today I pre-entered all the dates up to the end of the ride … unfortunately, I didn’t expect it to make it harder on the viewer … yet, it is, sorry about that!

What you’ll have to do now … is … once 5Aug08 entry appears, slide down to the bottom of the entry and click on previous entries … until you get to the current date and the current entry!

I’m putting this explanation in on the 5Aug08 entry!

Larry F.

Whoopee, we made it to Casper, WY, and the wind Gods were kind to us today!  (A tail wind for most of the 120 miles!)

I had a radio interview with Brian Scott, on KTWO/KWYY, GAPWEST Broadcasting, a local Casper talk show at about 8:30 a.m. this morning! (What a nice guy!)

It was a very long day, yet, a very rewarding day for each of us. (One of the best things for all of us is that tomorrow is a “rest day”!

Some of our cyclists are leaving after today and some of joining us. (Since this day concluded our 2nd leg of our long journey to New Hampshire!

Today I received a phone call inviting me to visit with the staff and donors at United Blood Services in Casper, Wyoming.

So when I rode my bicycle directly to the blood center, it was quite a surprise for them and for the donors. (check out the pix, it should be obvious that we all had quite a bit of fun!)  Thanks for the OJ and water!

The phone calls and e emails are starting to come in about “Life Across America 2008″ and I’ve been invited to stop in Douglas, Wyoming to see their famous Jack-o-lope park and meet with the local Douglas PD!

 I had a great day!  And I would like my roommate (PM) to know that we were all praying for his quick recovery and are looking forward to seeing him back on the bike in a couple of days!

Also to share my testimony of Jesus Christ and how grateful I am to be able to say “thank you” to each donor that I meet along this trip, I want each of the donors to know how special they are and how much good they do for others when they make the decision to donate blood or platelets! (Thank you to Susan Dunn and Pat Sherwood for the many times they have donated platelets!) (see pix)

Larry F. (Don’t forget to check out the pix at: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-03-08%20–%20Casper%20WY/

What an incredible day!  Dubois to Riverton, WY!  84 miles… counting the bike ride to breakfast and back!

Today was mostly downhill, with an occasional “roller” hill thrown in, plus some headwinds!

I rode the first 30 miles by myself, since everyone had already left breakfast.

It was a good day for me and later on I hooked up with some other riders and we rode a “paceline” together for over 50 miles!

Working out the pix, check them out at:

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-02-08%20–%20Riverton%20WY/

Larry F.

Another incredible 88 mile day from Jackson to Dubois.

Lots of climbing, lots of downhills, with some headwinds.

The morning started out pretty chilly, yet, warmed up quite a bit just as soon as we started climbing.

The downhill from the mountain peak to Dubois was very enjoyable and a lot of fun.

The uphills are not usually fun, yet, have to be done to enjoy the descents.

Today was the first time I’ve ever been in a “cottonwood storm” where the cottonwood trees shed their blossoms! (It looked like a snow storm of cottonwood “white” blossoms floating around!

I’m trying to upload the pix from today, yet, server availability limits how much can be done.

Check out the pix at:

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/larryjfr/Life%20Across%20America%202008/07-01-08%20–%20Dubois%20WY/

(The best way to view the pix is by clicking on “view all” and then looking at them on the “slideshow”, that way you’ll be able to view them with a larger picture and see the captions easier!)

Larry F.