Thursday, July 12, 2007

Saturday, June 16, 2007

These Hills, They Just Keep A'Rollin' On

3 75+ mile days out of the last 4 through the foothills and right into the Appalachian Mountains in Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania have left the legs sore, but have rewarded all with spectacular views and fast descents. Only more to come in the next couple days as tomorrow we push 65 miles with over 7000 vertical feet of climbing. A couple pics above of the best view so far (in my humble opinion) from the top of an overpass is NY. Great day of riding with Marie (1st picture), Evan (2nd picture), Pat, and Nathan. From here it was almost 3 miles of continuous downhill into Evansville NY. Fun!






We finished the day in White Lake, NY and stayed with Pastor Dave at their summer camp cabins. I spent the night out under the stars while everyone else chose to enjoy one of the few opportunities to grab a mattress for the night. I was suprised to wake at 4:30 to find a cow from the fields below had decided to cross the fence and sample the more tender grass around the cabins. Great light in this picture before anyone else was up.




More Pictures Here!

Monday, June 11, 2007

First Two Days: Busy Busy Busy!!!

Two days, two states, and 82 miles down; plenty more to go. Lots and lots of excitement meeting everyone on the trip. Seriously cool people from all over the country. Not much time to give a rundown here, as we're setting up for dinner here at Pat Farmer's house in Agawam, MA.Here's a couple of pics from orientation and the first day on the road:



Derrick Thiel, Marie Schacht, Yours Truly
(yes, we are amazingly attractive people)


Wheel dipping ceremony
(back tire in the east, front tire in the west)


First day and already one state down!

More pictures here
and lots more to come!!!

Saturday, May 26, 2007

First Off...Thanks!

Thank you. That's what I want the first words of this little blog to be. Thanks first to everyone who has supported me with their generous donation or kind words of encouragement. Thanks to Bike and Build for putting together the amazing opportunity to make this trip. Thanks to America for, well, being there to ride across, I guess? But mostly thanks to those who have helped to sponsor me on this trip:
  • First, of course, my mom (Hi Mom!) and dad
  • Marty Richards
  • Haven Presley
  • The McRories
  • My Grandparents
  • The Birmingham Smiths
  • The Charlotte Smiths
  • The Hammans
  • The Powells
  • The Hollands
  • The Hayes
Without your support I would not have been able to make this trip a reality.

Also, a big thanks to everyone who responded so enthusiastically to my plans and encouraged me make them a reality.

It's now less than two weeks until we shove off from Providence, so look here for frequent updates about the final run-up and early pictures from the road!

Thanks Again!