LIFE ACROSS AMERICA 2010

I woke up early, said my prayers, and read the scriptures … had an early breakfast after loading our luggage, and then I decided to take off by myself for a leisurely ride in the early morning hours.

Since today was another 82 mile day, I thought it would be easy and yet … I had an incredible day of cycling and finished  in 5 hours and with an 18 mph average.

The first fifteen miles I rode by myself and then I caught up with Lester and Texas John for awhile.

Then Boston’s Big John caught up with us and I asked him if it was OK for me to ride with him … a quick “yes” was sufficient and we were off to the races together.  (his average turned out to be over 20 mph average)

It was unbelievable because he was riding like he was on a “personal mission” to create his personal best, and as any  ”big man” should ride …. hard, strong, fast, never letting up,  and very consistent.

Lucky for me, I was able to hang on … to the finish.  (Thanks John for making an old man … feel young again and helping me “relive” the feeling of “being utterly exhausted” in a good way!)

Adella was riding by herself and took the time to stop at church today and partake of the sacrament. ( It was meant to be because it turned out to be a ward where one of her friends had served a mission … so everyone was really friendly to her.

After we arrived at the Quality Inn … my nephew Gary A and his wife Helen … came by for a visit and took us out to Appleby’s for a very nice lunch.  (Adella really enjoyed talking to them and wanted to know all about my childhood and some of the crazy things we used to do … she loved hearing the “war stories” from Gary about Vietnam and the Marine Corps from someone besides myself … since Gary had served there also in the USMC.

After they left … Adella took a much needed nap and we are now getting ready for route rap and dinner.

I’m still waiting to hear from Indianapolis Blood Center and find out what is planned there?  Danny said he would get back to us on Monday.

Tomorrow is going to be a shorter day … only 65 miles! (I can’t believe that I’m saying “only 65 miles” … are you kidding me?)

Tomorrow should be a lot of fun … plus the next day is a “rest day” … Whoopee!

Talk to you later.

Hi Everyone,

Another incredible 98 mile day … Wow!  (and a 16.9 mph average)

I ended up riding most of the day with Phil, Big John, Kiwi Ric, George S., and part of the time with John Nixon.(check out the pix taken on the “fly” on Facebook)

It was a beautiful ride among fields of corn at least 6 – 8 feet high. (Awesome!)

This year’s 2010 route is on the backroads of America, through some of the most beautiful areas of the countryside that you could ever want to visit.

I must admit that during yesterday’s ride there was a prevailing ”attitude” of “get off my roads” day from the drivers toward our cyclists. (Not sure why … except maybe they just don’t like cyclists riding on their beautiful roads, I guess?)

Today was a lot of fun … although very long (98 miles) with lots of turns and very tiring … yet it was fun riding with this group of cyclists because we don’t get to ride together very often. (since we usually start at different times!)

Lauren crashed today … luckily not hurt bad, just a lot of “road rash”.  Get well quick, Lauren!

I left a message for Danny at the Indianapolis Blood Center and received an email from him saying that he would get back to me later today about our stop in Indianapolis, Ind, on Monday and Tuesday.

I also received an email from Celeste  (NYCBC) asking to do a voicemail donorcast for them.  (I will be working on that over our “rest day” in Indianapolis.

A special note to Gail … “it was nice to hear that you and Anna had so much fun at Girl’s Camp this week!” (And a thank you to D.C. and Anna for driving our truck to Portsmouth … they leave in a few days.)

Adella was able to upload yesterday’s pictures until this evening … she is now working on it!

To Abbey in D.C., thanks for the email … lots of good things are happening now … an answer to your specific questions … no nothing yet.

Tomorrow is another 82 mile day … from Champaign to Crawfordsville, Ind. … then we’ll be in the “Hoosier” state.

Talk to you later today or tomorrow.

Note:

Today we rode to Springfield, Illinois … Abraham Lincoln’s hometown!  “Lincoln was born in Kentucky, grew up in Indiana and came into his own in Illinois.  There are some amazing things to learn about this complex, shrewd and wondrous man!”  (And you can do that by visiting some of the available attractions listed below:

• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, make sure you spend enough time to understand “The Journey”  (allow about 3 hours to visit this)
• Illinois Vistor Center at Union Station
• Union Square Park
• Lincoln Home National Historic Site
• Old State Capital
• Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices
• The Lincoln Tomb
• Lincoln’sNew Salem State Historic Site
• The Great Western Railroad Depot
• Lincoln’s Church
• Lincoln Ledger

These are just a few of the items that you should take time to visit if you’re ever in Springfield … it’s obvious that you won’t be able to visit them all in just one day … so prepare to spend a few days in the state capitol.

(Now back to our wonderful ride today)

Wow another 106 mile day!  With a 15.7 mph average.

Up at 0430 hrs, ate breakfast at 0600 hrs and then loading at 0700 hrs.

On the road and then at 0735 hrs did a phone interview with Jim Leach at WMAY radio … we had a lot of fun talking to him, and listening to Anna McFarland who was helping to coordinate the blood center arrangements.

Adella and I rode together early in the ride … then I hooked up with Big John for awhile and finally with Larry and Don.

Then I had to make sure we made it to the news conference at 4 p.m. at the FitClub South at 3631 South 6th St. in Springfield.

So Don and I did lots of hard riding with a fair amount of crosswinds, yet we made it on time … and … had a few moments extra to stop at the Bike Tech shop in town … where we met the owner, Bob and saw a poster about Life Across America.

At the FitClub South (manager is Geoff)  is where they held the blood drive and … they had a “mobile” donor coach open for blood donations. (see pictures on Facebook)

While we were at the news conference we met David Parsons (CEO), KathleenK, Tara M, and ? Richey all from the Central Illinois Community Blood Center. (As always, the highlight for me was meeting the blood center’s staff and the blood donors!)

Also we met Illinois State Police Trooper … Mindy Carroll (Safety Education Officer) a very nice lady, officer and a blood donor.

Eric Kirbach and his wife(is the lady Aaron and I met back in Life Across America 1996) … Eric is the Chief of Police for Divernon Police Department.

We were interviewed by two reporters, Chris from Channel 20 news, WICS-TV, www.wics.com and Steve from Channel 3 news.

Jim Nelson from the State Journal Register was also there at the news conference.

We were presented a Proclamation from the Mayor of Springfield by David Parsons … declaring today as “Life Across America 2010 Day” in Springfield.

A special “thank you” to Lee Milner and Anna McFarland from the blood center for all the hard work they did to coordinate this event and bring it to life.

On a personal “Acorn” level, I received a very special phone call from George G tonight … congratulations to him and to his family.

Well, tomorrow we ride up to Champaign, Illinois … another 96 mile day!

I’ll check in with you tomorrow.

Today was a 97 miler … luckily it didn’t rain on us, yet it was very hot and very humid.

Lots of “Missour rollers” … even to the Illinois state line … where Adella and I were able to cross the mighty Mississippi River on a ferry boat, along with some very huge trucks, we took a lot of pictures of Phil and Rick (Oklahoma) who rode across the swollen and flooded river with us.

After all the Missouri hills and rollers … our 1st 25 miles in Illinois were “flat” and under a very hot afternoon “sun”.

The first thing we did in Quincy was to check into our hotel and then ride over to the Steak and Shake for a wonderful milkshake and a steak burger.  It was awesome!

A quick update from ABC blood centers:

• I talked to Lee M(Springfield, ILL) today and he is working on setting everything up for tomorrow’s blood drive in Springfield … it is a 108 mile day for us, and we are being invited to talk to a couple of the local radio stations on the way in to town. After route rap tonight I will be talking to him again trying to firm up the exact route into Springfield. (Thanks a lot Lee for all your hard work!)
• I also talked to Sher P, (Dayton, OH) she is working hard to set up everything for Richmond, Indiana,blood drive and is working hard to co-ordinate the different media outlets they have in their area.  (Sher you are awesome!)
• Our stop in Richmond will be following our “rest day” in Indianapolis, Ind.

A special thank you “The Trek Store” in Santa Rosa, CA, and to John for helping out Freddie (a fellow cyclist) to get the parts that he needed … awesome customer service from a distance … way to go Brett’s crew!

I’ll talk to you later.

Today was another 82 mile day … with threatening rain and thunderstorms all day long … however, it seemed to hold off until we made it to the Holiday Inn Express in Kirksville.  (Later when we went out to dinner at Napoli’s … it poured and luckily we were inside.)

What a day!  We rode through an area that it called the “Thousand Hills State Park” and believe me when I tell you … they started out with Missouri “rollers” that continued to get steeper and steeper.

I again rode with Kiwi Rick from New Zealand … since we have a similar riding style … he is a good climber(by my standards) and I’m a good descender (by his standards) so it seems to work out well for both of us.

Yet I must say that by the end of today’s ride … I was not only tired and exhausted … “I felt OLD!”  (Both physically and mentally).  So tired that I took a shower then “crashed” for a 90 minute power nap … and … it was so hard to wake up for route rap and dinner!

Because of the current wet conditions … I didn’t take many pictures today.  Have you noticed that there always seems to be some kind of challenge … mountains, wind, rain, etc.? (Yet what pictures we  did take will be on Facebook)

John Hurley(from Boston area)  is a  good climber and was in  front of us on a hill and was able to take an incredible photograph of Shawn and I climbing and cresting a hill with all the “rollers” on the never ending highway behind us … (if you’ve never been to Missouri, it probably won’t mean a lot … yet, if you’ve ever ridden a bicycle through the “rollers” on Missouri highways … then this picture has “Missouri Rollers’ written all over it!)

We heard from Dan D (from Erie, PA stop) he has booked radio remote with a local radio station WCTL 106.3, and we are to call in next week.  (Thanks Dan for your “heads up”.)

We also heard from Sher P (from Dayton, OH area) and she it trying hard to make connections with ABC and FOX … looking forward to hearing more from her.(Thanks Sher!)

Also heard from Lee M (Springfield, Ill. stop) and he is working on connecting us with a couple of local radio stations … so that we can do the interviews by cell phone … along the way.  a special thanks to Lee.

Also heard from Mistie H (Augusta, GA stop) and she brought us up to date on the many things they have planned in Augusta, GA.  Too many to list here … yet, we need to say “thank you” to Mistie and her crew for all the neat things they are working on.

Also Jen checked in to let us know that NYCBC has some great events planned and have moved us to lodging in the Times Square area … a special thank you to the crew at NYCBC for their support and also to  Jen for everything she is doing to help us keep track of each of the scheduled events.

Also a special “thank you” to Shawn for riding with us today and the kind words he said to me after we finished.

An interesting sidenote is to observe how we come together as “30 complete strangers” and 30 days later we have become “family” … and it’s amazing to watch the diverse personalities come together and watch how even the very strong and fast “cyclists” are willing to kid around with the rest of us and in their own way really do care about us.

Two of our strongest riders … Phil and Ric are obviously competitive by nature … yet today were willing to stop and help a “damsel” in distress … in this case, Adella, who had a flat tire 1 mile from the hotel.  To understand this sacrifice and the compassion of this act of kindness … you need to understand that Phil is almost always “first” to the hotel.  (So to Phil … a special “thank you” award for helping Adella change a flat!)

Tomorrow the ride to Quincy, Illinois, will be another 97 mile day … with threats of thunderstorms, rain, and flooding … in fact, part of our route tomorrow will have to be changed because our scheduled “ferry ride” across the Mississippi River … is cancelled because the ferry boats are closed because the river is too high.  (So they will have to “shuttle” us across a different bridge which is not open to cyclists.)

The ABC staff have done an amazing job of helping all of us … literally “weather the storms” of a “cross country challenge” … so thank you to Michelle, Gerard, Pam, Judy and Alex!)

Talk to you tomorrow.

Whew! Another 90 mile day … with lots of Missouri rollers and lots of threatening rainstorms.

We lucked out and was hit by the rains the last 5-10 miles into town.

I rode with “Kiwi” Rick all day today … he is from New Zealand and is a very strong rider.

Adella had a fabulous ride today and made it through the whole 90 miles with no real problems … Gerard, the mechanic had to tweak her shifting at one of the SAG stops yet that seemed to cure the “jumping out of gears” for her.

Once we arrived in town … we stopped at the Dairy Queen for a snack.

Then we cleaned up both of our bikes … so we’d be ready for tomorrow’s ride of 82 miles into Kirksville, MO.

There are supposed to be “lots of rollers” tomorrow.  And maybe some more rain.

Big John Hurley … one of our strongest riders is good friends with Dan Harrigan … who rode with Aaron and I in Life Across America 1996 … (small world eh?)

Lots of “flats” today … like the one we witnessed when we were riding behind Robb on the road … his rear tire blew wide open and completely ripped the tube apart and blew the tire right off of the rim … instantly! (It sounded like a shotgun went off next to us!)

Rumor has it there is a “media blood drive” tomorrow in Kirksville, MO.,  although I haven’t heard anything about it yet?

First, I’ll have to pedal over there to see what’s happening?

Not many pix today. Talk to you later or tomorrow.

Wow! It’s a rest day and I for one … definitely can use some rest … I must be getting “old”, eh?

A little history of St. Joseph, Missouri … located on the banks of the mighty Missouri River.

• A clean concise way of describing this area is in the slogan “Where the Pony Express started and Jesse James ended.”
• Previous to that time period is the time period of July 6, 1804 … when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark did their thing as part of the “mapping” of the  Louisiana Purchase.  (so there is a lot of very rich history here, check it out at: www.lewis-clark.org )
• Then there’s the history of the Blacksnake Hills Trading Post from the era of 1826, founded by a fur trader, Joseph Robidoux.
• Several years later we come into the era of Jesse James … who moved to town in the fall of 1881 under the assumed name of Ton Howard, after most of his gang had been killed in a bank robbery up in Northfield, Minnesota.
• Jesse James was killed by “Bob” Ford and yet he was arrested and charged with murder.  The “James Home” is now a museum.
• Finally a note about the “Pony Express” which was established in 1860, many years before Jesse James, as the threat of the Civil War loomed ahead of them.
• A sad note … The Pony Express lasted just 19 months … because its founders went bankrupt, after being replaced by the 1st Transcontinental Telegraph and Railroad.
• I love the “local flavor” in which they say … “the city of St. Joseph has changed with the years, but its past has not been forgotten.”
• There are lots of attractions to be visited … so if you get a chance … stop by St. Joseph, MO., and delve into the rich history of this beautiful area.

Back to the work of the “rest day” … clean the bikes, clean the clothes, visit with my “children and grandchildren” … it doesn’t get any better than this!

To all my friends back in Santa Rosa, CA, the SRCC “Acorns” we love you and miss you friendly smiles.

To Brett G., John M., and Rand L. … thanks for your support … you are amazing!

To my family and friends at church … I say “noone said it would be easy … they just said it would be worth it!

Channel 4 News (Gary) out of Kansas City called this morning and decided they would hook up with us tomorrow morning when we start our trek to Chillicothe. (another 92 mile day!)

I’ll check in with you later. (as D.C. says “hugs and kisses”.

• Wow!  What a day!  At 12 noon … we will interviewed by Greg Miller, a reporter from Channel 3 News Press NOW, St. Joseph, MO.
• Greg emailed and said it should be on the 9 o’clock news show later this evening.
• Then this afternoon, our whole family (Paul, Katrina, Luc, Lani, Libby, Aaron, Kambrala, Lillie and Lani all went to visit a friend of ours, Warren Hurley, who is a fireman/driver for SJFD, St. Joseph Fire Department, at 2701 St. Joseph Avenue.
• It was a lot of fun and we took a lot of pictures at the fire station … check it out on Facebook …
• There must have been some mixup because I thought we were invited to attend a blood drive in St. Joseph however I must have missed our contact time.

What a great day of fun!

Today was a festive day … in spite of the rain and everything. 

Because it was the 4th of July … the birthday of our nation.  (I had a couple of small flags on my bike which managed to stay in place.)

It was a 88 mile day … with a 16.4 mph average.

And it was wet … wet … and then some more … wet!

Not many pictures today … just an overwhelming urge to get it over and done … take a shower, clean up and dry off.

A great surprise … Aaron, Kambrala, Lillie and Lucy … met us at the Drury hotel … they are staying here tonight.

After they arrived and Aaron gave me the new Shram Red cassette … Gerard (the mechanic) was able to switch out my rear cassette and put a new rear tire and tube on.  So all I have to do now is get the bike cleaned up for Tuesday and another possibly rainy day.

They ate with all of our cyclists and we were able to introduce Aaron and his family to everyone. 

We spent the evening together … visiting and remembering what it was like in 1996 when Aaron and I did it together.

Lillie and Lucy are so cute, it was fun watching them play together and with Adella.  It was fun singing my song to Lillie … Grandpa loves Lillie and watch her “rock” to the music.

In the evening, we all read scriptures together, said our prayers and said goodnight as they went up to their room.

Talk to you tomorrow.

What an incredible day! I rode all day with Adella and she was able to ride the entire 108 miles with a 13.6 mph average.  We were lucky enough to ride with Rand and his son, Will.(They were able to share our TV interview on the road with us.)

Basically we had fun today … we took a lot of pictures.   We started off the day taking a picture with Off. Shawn Herrman of the Abilene PD.

Then later we took pictures with Scott Coover, Sheriff of Morris County, Kansas … also with his Undersheriff who happened to be the Mayor of White City, Kansas … there also was a parade in town as we came through … we also talked with one of the city councilmen and a reporter/photographer named Gilbert Ash … who was from UNICEF and took a lot of pictures with us and the Sheriff.

Our SAG stop was in White City so we have some really neat photos of their monument in KATY Park to the Armed Forces members who gave their lives for our country.

Adella also had her picture taken on another horse … down on Main Street, with a local politician.

We had threatening rain clouds and a lot of cross winds and in your face winds … all day long!  (that’s 108 miles worth of wind, wow!)

We also received a call from Fox News, Channel 27, Topeka, KS, and about 10 miles away from the hotel they stopped us on highway 4 East …  and did an interview for their 6 p.m. or 10 p.m. broadcast.

After the interview … as we cycled into Topeka on our way to the Holiday Inn … it started raining hard … so we were wet by the time we made it to the hotel.(Luckily we are able to wash our wet clothes tonight.)

After we arrived at the hotel … we and several other cyclists were interviewed for an article in the Topeka Capital-Journal paper (www.cjonline.com) by staff reporter … Kevin Elliott kevin.elliott@cjonline.com, later after dinner, he also took a picture with some of us and also the ABB staff. (Michelle, Judy, Gerard, Pam and Alex)

Hopefully there is room in the article for Kevin to include many of the incredible “causes” that other cyclists are riding for while doing the cross country challenge with ABB.

On top of all that … and to add to the many surprises today … the MormonTimes articles came out, and guess what else happened?

Our family and grandchildren …Paul, Katrina, Luc, Lani, and Libby came by for a quick visit with Adella and Grandpa … we went for ice cream and took some neat pictures!

Well, that’s about it for now … tomorrow is another 88 mile day … I’m looking forward to St. Joseph, MO and a much needed “rest” day!  (Also we’re looking forward to seeing Aaron, Kambrala, Lilly and Lucy on Sunday!)

Guess what?

Before I forget it … what did Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower say about his presidency?  Don’t know? 

 No problem, let me help you out!

“The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.”  Dwight D. Eisenhower, Homecoming Speech, June 22, 1945.

Abilene became a town (or a spot on the map) way back in 1857 when the Hershey’s settled into a dugout in the banks of Mud Creek.

Abilene also became the 1st cowtown when the Kansas Pacific Railroad and Chisholm Trail crossed. 

Here is Abilene’s claim to fame … “Everything you have seen or heard about cowboys happened here first!”

The town is the home to some famous lawmen:  Tom Smith and Wild Bill Hickok …

Well, that’s my walk down history and memory lane with you … about Abilene, Kansas.

What can I say about cycling into Abilene?

What an incredible day!  It was awesome!   The “wind Gods” smiled on us and gave us the “wind beneath our wheels” and a great big tailwind!  (How about a 20.6 mph average for 64 miles into Abilene?)

Thank you for a really neat lesson in “cycling strength and power’ … taught to me by Phil (one of our most consistent, safe, and strongest riders … who put the “hammer” down and dropped me on one of the rolling hills and then he was gone … although I was able to keep him in sight until we all stopped for a picture at the ABB 1/2 way point which was marked on the highway!

Also thank you to Kiwi Rick (from New Zealand) who agreed to work with me trying to keep Phil and Gerard in sight ,,,  Rick is an awesome paceline partner … way to go, Rick!  (We were doing 28 mph together only to find out later that Phil and Gerard were crusing along at 30+ mph. Darn!”

Adella started early today with Pam and their goal was to not get caught by the ABB peloton … at least until the 1/2 point of the ABB ride. (see the Facebook photos)

After that …. and another 9 miles came an awesome SAG stop … where I was able to enjoy fresh blueberries, sweet cheeries, small cupcakes … plus all of our normal stuff to eat.

As we left the SAG … I was able to get my picture taken with a local deputy sheriff … Jab Jacquart … very friendly and willing to take a picture with us. (another tiny little guy … not!)

Once again I hooked up with Kiwi Rick … and … we had a blast .. pedaling our wee little behinds off! (It was really cool because we would turn LEFT and the wind would be in our faces for about a mile … then we would turn RIGHT and we would have a tailwind for  5 miles … no way to describle it other than, AWESOME!

I then hooked up to the cycling train of:  Big John H, Larry J., Kiwi Rick, Gerard, Pam, and Joy.

Once in Abilene we stopped at the cafe … “The Dish” … great food, friendly hostess, great decor, and lots of cyclist camaraderie!

While there … I notice a framed saying titled …

FAMILY

“Let’s be grateful for those who give us happiness, they are the charming gardners who make our soul bloom.  Marcel Proust”  (I took a picture of it because it really touched my heart!)

Then back to the hotel and now to finish the blog, go to DQ, and get ready for a new day of 108 miles tomorrow … cycling into Topeka, KS. (Channel 27 out of Topeaka may give us an interview tomorrow.)

Here’s a note from the SLC reporter Hikari about the upcoming article in Mormon Times/Deseret News:

• Hi Larry and Adella!

  Just wanted to let you know that the article on you guys will go live online tomorrow (JULY 3) at mormontimes.com
  
  Also, the print edition runs on THURSDAY (JULY 8). I will make sure to grab some and send them home for you to the address that Adella gave to me!

  I have been telling people all about you guys! I’m glad to hear that things are going well!

  -Hikari

Well, that’s about it for today … talk to you tomorrow.