LIFE ACROSS AMERICA 2010

Wow! Another incredible project and event started …

First, I want to say a special message to all the blood donors (past, present and future) … on behalf of blood recipients everywhere!

“Thank you for letting us live!”

Also to all of you reading this post … “Giving Blood is the one GIFT that truly comes from your heart!”

Now back to catching up on my posts for the last 3 days.  (A big thank you to John Oblad (LAA webmeister) for making this possible and easy to use!  Also thank you to the Santa Rosa Trek store crew (Brett, John and the gang) for getting the Be A Hero bike together in time!  And thank you to Bryan at Auto Body and More, for painting the bike and getting it out in 4 days, you are awesome!

Thanks for Gail , family, and friends (like D.C. and Jeff) for putting up with me during the last “critical mass” stages!

Now back to the trip:

I left at 4 am on Thursday and drove from SR to Queen Creek, AZ … and … visited with Dave and Judy (dear friends through the years), spent the night then up at 3:30 a.m., and drove to a small hotel in the area of Houston, Tx, spent the night, up then next morning at 3 a.m. and drove all the way to Ft. Pierce, getting here at about 11 p.m.  Whew!  3100 miles in 3 very long driving days.

Lots of exciting scenery, little tiny gas stations, beautiful desert and mountain vistas, sunrises, sunsets, and met a few interesting people along the way!

It was pretty much a long, long drive until I left Texas and entered Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida … that’s where the fun began … I drove into the “infamous” East Coast and Southern thunderstorms and rainstorms … I’m not talking about the puny, little California rainstorms … I’m talking about the 200 miles of thunderstorms and “downpouring” rain … believe me, I drove with a “prayer in my heart” on that drive … knowing that somewhere ahead of me there had to be “clear skies … and … sure enough, there was … about 300 miles down the road.

Also I was thinking as I drove in the storms … boy, is this bike ride going to be fun, exciting and fun, or what?

Needless to say, I made it OK and I’m looking forward to church this morning (thanks to my son, Aaron, who looked up the location for me, and made a reservation for me at this Holiday Inn Express)  It’s the little acts of love like that, which make all the difference in the world, on a trip like this one.

Today I will hook up with Scott VanDuzer, founder of the VanDuzer foundation, and the “Be A Hero Bike tour” team.  I’m really looking forward to meeting Brenda, Jeff, and the kids from the Boys and Girl’s Club … Cody, Joe, Maya and Brittany.  I haven’t even met them yet, however, I can guarantee their parents one thing for sure … this trip will be a “life changer” for them and all of their friends!  Especially when they learn how important blood donations are, and, the true fact that blood donors are the real HEROES, in our society, because they save 1-3 lives, every time they donate a pint of blood!

As a blood recipient of 110 units of blood … I am eternally grateful to blood donors everywhere!

Well, that’s it for the “catch up” post!  Talk to you really soon!  (Gail, I love you!)

Adella and Amber, thank you for your support and the love you give me!

Katrina, Alex and Amy … thanks for believing in me …  love you guys!

Oops, that was supposed to be the end!

As usual, when it gets down to the wire … packing becomes more earnest. (I have to write down and check off the critical stuff that I will need.)

Everything is starting to come together. (maybe?)

My new bike is now being painted, airbrushed, clear-coated (thank you Bryan at “Auto Body and More”) and should be hand carried today over to Brett and John(head mechanic) at the Trek Store in downtown Santa Rosa, CA. John said he would have the bike  assembled by the end of today or tomorrow.

Then it’s time for the “bike fit”, with enough days left to take it out for a couple of “test rides” , to test it and see how close we are to being “right on” or how much extra “tweaking” we need to do to make it fit me perfectly? (That’s always interesting when you have an imperfect body to start with, eh?)

I’m also packing leisure and cycling clothes etc., hopefully to get it down to a couple of small bags and under 35 pounds.  (less is better, yet you don’t want to forget any of the essentials!)

I’m started to get excited and looking forward to 11Jun12 … the start date for the “Be A Hero Bike Tour”!  Although I’m still a little nervous because first, I still have to get everything organized and packed for the 3 day car ride across America to Florida.

And right now, I’m heading out the door for a 62 mile training ride today on my 2010 LAA bicycle (www.lifeacrossamerica.com )

Talk to you later.