Thursday, 15Jul10, Marysville, OH
Wow, what a day! It’s started out early … I woke up at 4:00 a.m., packing and then breakfast at 5:30 and we loaded at 6:30 a.m.
105.5 miles with a 17.2 average. Today Adella rode at her own pace and I rode the 1st 50 miles with Phil, Rick, John and Kevin.
After the 1st SAG I was contacted by Channel 2 News and Channel 7 News (out of Dayton, OH) which were contacted by the Community Blood Center on behalf of Life Across America.
Tony and Wade had a lot of “well wishers” from his company at the 50 mile mark to cheer them on and even his brother and lots of friends were there. Channel 2 news showed up and interviewed Tony and took a lot of pictures of the “Ohio State Buckeyes” tail gate party that was in effect.
I was interviewed there and then rode on … a few miles up the road … Channel 7 news contacted me and Steve Baker … took some footage of myself and other ABB riders and then followed up with an interview about Giving Blood and Life Across America 2010.
In St Paris I stopped and took a picture with the Chief of Police, JR Pence, Jr., who was nice enough to talk to Rick and I for a few minutes.
From there on … I rode with Kiwi Rick for quite a while … then we were joined by Scott and we rode together to the 2nd SAG. At the 2nd SAG we were joined by Kevin … and … we rode the final 30 miles into Marysville together.
On the way into town we were running out of water so we stopped at a small store and I bought a gallon of water which I shared with George, Kevin, Scott and Rick.
When we finally cycled into Marysville … we were looking for an ice cream place … and … Scott said that God had brought him to a new ice cream store named, Farmhouse Ice Cream Parlor right on the main drag.
It is owned by Bill and Janet Howard … and … we met Cathy, and Jack while we were there. We asked if they were open and they said no not yet, however they said that their air conditioning was broken and couldn’t be fixed for a week … so they offered us free ice cream as a gesture of kindness and hospitality. Yes … we did gladly accept their ice cream!
After that we decided that if a little ice cream was good then … more would be better … so we went to the Dairy Queen to buy a milkshake. (I’m pretty sure “addicted” to DQ might be an appropriate term here.)
At the DQ we might two very nice ladies … Cathy R and Diane … who asked us why we were riding so far and in such hot weather … their question led to a discussion about the nation-wide blood drive, Life Across America 2010, and I gave them a LAA 2010 business card and thanked them for donating blood.
After Cathy left … we talked to Diane and she let us take a picture with her next to her USPS truck, she told me that her friend, Neil/Neal? had been donating blood for a long time … so I asked her to tell him “thank you” for me.
Then we rode to the Holiday Inn Express and helped unload the luggage … Adella arrived later and said she had ridden about 7 miles extra because she had made a wrong turn somewhere.
Later at the hotel I received a very nice email from Cathy R … thanking us for sharing our story with her.
ABC updates: Lots of contact now with blood centers … confirming our schedule and our stops.
- A quick note to thank Sher P and her staff … they did an amazing job to make sure that the news stations were apprised of the nation-wide blood drive Life Across America.
- We are in touch with New York Blood Center … and … everything is working out for our appearance there. (thanks Keith)
- Thanks to Jen and Abbey for all the followup phone calls and emails to the blood centers … it is much appreciated.
- I’ll talk to you later or tomorrow since we have another 102 mile day tomorrow from Marysville to Wooster.