Today was our hardest day yet as we rode from Gettysburg to Everett, PA. The inclines we had weren't just hills, they were mountains.Everyone is alive. Check.We ride for Mt. Pleasant in the morning. For a cyclist, it's quite strange for a town to be called both Mount and Pleasant... Can't wait for a harder day tomorrow!
Gettysburg, PA
first post!today was day 4 of the ride . . . we had some hills, and "serious climbs" are supposed to begin tomorrow. i'm not quite sure what that entails, but i think we are ready. well, we have to be ready i guess. everyone has improved so much in the last 4 days alone, and we will push through these last 2 days until our rest day on Pittsburgh! i've been riding with a lovely group of ladies - the lady pack, if you will. we've been working at pushing each other and keeping the momentum up - what would i do without my lady pack!?!i've been having some trouble with my knee - an IT band injury i had in high school is acting up again. Jeff's parents brought his beautiful, new bike today (jeff can ride again! -- he had a wipe out on a carbon fiber frame on day 2 he's putting it together right now and it's beautiful!) His mom was kind enough to take me and some other riders to walmart, and now i have icy hot and a knee brace that is supposed to put tension on my tendon to alleviate the irritation.we also found a great bike shop in gettysburg - only two blocks from the church we're staying at! what luck! i have also been having lots of back pain and this bike shop was able to put a new stem on my bike. i'm really keeping my fingers crossed that these adjustments work - 90 miles tomorrow! with some "serious climbs" :gulp: . . .wish us luck!
Purple Mountains, Majesty.
Today was a terrific day! Cool temperatures, overcast skies, energy shots, getting run off the road by houses, Nate's chain braking. Oh, and sister, brother-in-law, nephews, and niece! Boom! Yes. Today was quite great. Upon arriving in Gettysburg, Shea and myself went searching for food donations and found great success! I think we might drop the trip and become salespeople.I also got my handlebar tape replaced (ripped on the fall). Now you'll see my bike from miles away with this bright orange tape. It looks cool, though. Trust me. Here's where my day gets truly terrific. The aforementioned party (that will mentioned here: my sister, brother-in-law, two nephews, and my niece) traveled 40 minutes from Frederick, MD to Gettysburg. We went out to eat and they even bought the team some fruit! Family rules so hard. After we came back to the stayover, I brought my nephews (4, 2) and niece (6 mos) inside and they became instant celebrities (Lauren became especially excited upon seeing my niece, Norah).A more in-depth update will be coming very soon, but after yoga lead by Mary and meditation lead by Kevin, I'm exhausted.Tomorrow, we enter the mountains. It will be rough, it will be fun, and after the next 3 days, I will be more in shape than I've ever been in my whole life.Also, this team is terrific. I'ts 10:36 right now and some are sleeping but you can hear so many different conversations, so much laughter, so much bond. I feel truly fortunate to be a part of this team, because every single person has something to contribute, and I determine to learn at least one person from every person.Bonne Nuit
Pennsylvania: Origin of the LADY PACK
So we are currently on Day 4 of our ride, which means I have a lot of catching up to do!Day 1: Riding out of NYC was so much fun. We left from Central Park and even had FOX news record a short segment about the I4K. Some highlights of NYC are the following: walking past the diner in Seinfeld, visiting Ground Zero, seeing the Statue of Liberty, and walking around in Times Square and SoHo. We ended our ride in Hillsborough, NJ and stayed at the Thakkars' home. They made us a great dinner (including an I4K cake!), let us shower at their home, and even gave us breakfast. The ride to Hillsboro was kind of difficult at the end because my group just wanted to get there and get out of the heat. P.S. - I felt pretty bad ass riding through NYC.Day 2: We took off from Hillsborough and headed to Philadelphia. This ride seemed pretty long but I had a lot of fun. I definitely learned that it's worth buying some Gatorade whenever I can and just drinking it all right then and there. Our last 20 miles were on a FLAT bike trail... something we were all looking forward to because Illinois roads did not prepare us for hills or mountains. Before we got on the trail, we experienced tube demons. A few miles into the trail, there was a spider incident. Then once the trail ended, we arrived right in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The stairs in front of the museum were the same stairs that are in Rocky. So me, Ana, Jeff, and Tracey ran up the stairs air punching and Jill recorded a sweet video of us. We got to our stayover and I took my first hose shower, right outside of a church. Never thought I would have done that but I am okay with it. It was funny to watch people walking by and see the confusion in their faces. At the end of the day, I enjoyed my very first Philly cheese steak sandwich.Day 3: We left Philadelphia bright and early to get to Lancaster. This day was tough because the hills were intense and we got lost a few times, about 7 miles out of our way. Even though this day was rough with tons of hills, it was SO much fun. We had our lunch stop at an Amish farm and the family there gave us some homemade strawberry ice cream. It was probably the best ice cream I've ever had in my entire life. Then they let us pet their animals, which included 2 horses and 1 springer spaniel. We also got to pick fresh strawberries from their garden. Day 3 will forever be special because this was the day that we named our riding group "The Lady Pack." The Lady Pack is made of myself, Ana, Bridget, Diana, Jillian, Lauren, and Tracey. We stick together and kick butt. Jeff is an honorary member of the Lady Pack and I hope that he will come visit us once in a while when the super fast groups are just going too fast. Day 3 is also the day I got my first flat. It took me, Bridget, Jillian, and Jeff to change it. Ana fell asleep on the side of the road even though semi trucks were speeding past her and Diana fell asleep sitting on the guardrail. Tracey just relaxed and offered moral support. Even though we had to use a hand pump to fill my new tube with air, Jeff got it pumped up to the right PSI which is pretty awesome and VERY hard. Going up on some of the hills was pretty discouraging, but we still did it and me and Bridget survived not vomiting. Jeff is the man because he brings me up when I am feeling down and he will even ride up the hills, then ride back down them to support those who are struggling. That kind of support makes things easier and I appreciate it so much. Our stayover in Lancaster was like a hotel because we got to shower!Day 4: Jill "Moshered" me, which means that I had to plan a short team activity for all of us to do before we left on our journey to Gettysburg. So I made everyone gather around in a circle and do some power stretching. Then everyone had to give the person to the right a compliment and a hug. It was a lot of fun, got us laughing and happy, and made the beginning of my ride easier. We also did a huge group circle hug. I think we should always start our mornings with hugs. Unfortunately, on the way to Gettysburg, the Lady Pack was separated. I rode with Bridget and Jillian and we kept a great pace. We ended up being in second place until a fast group (Conor, Eamon, Steve, Greg, and Nate) passed us while we were on a water break. They were loaded up on energy shots and Jillian and I enjoyed their hyperness. Once we arrived in Gettysburg, the Lady Pack was reunited and joined by Disha and Megan for a nice lunch at a local pub. The food and service was great and worth every penny. Later in the evening, we stopped to get some ice cream and got to meet Jeff's parents and their dog Charlie. I think Charlie is the official I4K9 because he is cute and because we love dogs, but not the cocker spaniel that tried to bite mine, Bridget, and Jillian's legs off today. I still need to pass the Mosher on and I know exactly who I am going to give it to. I just need to be sneaky about it.Props to everyone on the I4K team helping me change my name back to Gabrielle. I am going to try my hardest to help Jill change her name back to Jillian.Quotes to remember: "Demons" (Bridget), "I'm gonna I4K_________________" (Ana), "Jillian likes jiggly legs" (me), "Key Lime Pie?!" (Ana), "I wish America was on a downhill slope from NYC to San Francisco" (Lauren), "I don't know where I can go to shove my hand down my shorts" (Jillian), "WHAT?!" (Tracey), "If my dog had a Facebook, I'd add him." (Me), To Sean: "We know." (Diana)THE LADY PACK IS WILD.The Lady Pack also needs to push harder so we can catch up with the other riders. Maybe after the mountains. Maybe.
Cloudy with a chance of rain
The weather for our 60 mile bike ride today was awesome. The clouds and slight mist kept us cool during our ride through the busy hills and roads. It felt great compared to the last two days in the heat. Everyone arrived in Gettysburg before 2pm so we all had some time to relax. Some went to explore Gettysburg for a little while, some did laundry so they would finally have a fresh new pair of clothes, and some went to the bike shop to fix up their bikes. Jeff's family dropped off his new bike since his last one broke a couple days ago. They also brought some great snacks/beverages to hold us over for a while. They will defientely come in handy during our 85 mile ride through the montains tomorrow. Tomorrow will be challenging. Thank goodness Illinois doesn't have hills!
Hills
Today we arrived in Gettysburg, PA! It's pretty exciting that 60 mile days are considered our easiest days. Today was the first day of cooler weather, slight drizzles, and mostly rolling hills. We've gotten much better on the hills and we're taking them pretty well even though everyone is sore from the previous rides. I started out in the 2nd group today but unforunately Pi had two flats and we had some chains fall off during the ride. Nonetheless, we got in around 1pm, definitely the earliest arrival all trip. Once here, we split up to get lunch and ask for donations. Kyle, Pi, Max, Michell, and I ate at the Lincoln Diner, all enjoying delicious burgers, and as a team we managed a huge dinner of donated pizza, sandwiches, cookies, chips, etc. Overall, we're been eating very well on the trip so far.Exploring Gettysburg was fun, there were some cool pocket watches and other trinkets in the antique shop, and in the hat of Abe Lincoln in the town circle, we found some Oreos! So strange...Tomorrow's ride is 85 miles, and our first taste of mountains. I'm a little apprehensive, but hopefully we can make it in reasonable time :)
Gettysburg 05/28
Today was a nice change from the past few days, we may have even broken the "Lady Pack's Demon Curse" (knock on wood). Weather was down to around 60 degrees instead of 90 and the ride was only 60 miles into Gettysburg... and yes I rode the entire way. The hills weren't that enjoyable but riding with my hurt knee buddy Ana and our support teammate Tracey, we made it in by 1:30. Upon our arrival, we found a delicious restaurant and decided to treat ourselves to a nutritious (and quite filling) meal. I sprung for desert first. It was amazing.Ana and I are now at "Dolly's Wash House" getting our clothes nice and clean. While handwashing is lovely, I'm really looking forward to some fantastic smelling DRY clothes... the past few days we have been hang drying over night and packing them away damp in the morning, woof.Gettysburg itself seems like a pretty cool town. I'm hoping to head out and explore in a little bit, but a nap sounds equally as satisfying. Tomorrow we hit the mountains so we shall see how that goes, a nice 60 degree overcast would be the perfect match, cross your fingers!
Hello from Gettysburg!!
Hey hey hey hey -Well, its been awhile since I've updated the blog and well, I guess its a result of adapting to the new Illini 4000 lifestyle. Things have been running fairly smoothly overall but it does kind of seem like we always have something to do. While we are super tired after spending a day on the road, we all have chores and duties to fulfill throughout the day. For example, today, once arriving to our stay-over in Gettysburg, a bunch of us went exploring the town for any food donations. My group was able to grab a $10 gift certificate to a thai restaurant! Hello one bite of Pad Thai!!Besides the chores, adapting to sleep on floors every night has its challenges but, to be serious, its really not too hard to do after bike 80 miles in 93 degree weather. Also, PB&J has become a staple part of my diet as well as motivator. Nothing is better after spending a few hours pedaling through countryside than a good ol' American native sandwhich.As far as the riding goes, its been awesome. Difficult at times but all around amazing. Flying down hills at 30mph has become a daily activity and views of rolling hills can be taken in during any part of the ride, it seems. I've only had one flat tire so far and otherwise, no bike problems or falls (knock on wood!). Other riders haven't been so lucky with a few falls and one cracked frame but as a team, I think we're doing just right.Oh, also, I had a chance to see my big sis Jenny and some friends in her new hometown of Philly just two days ago! It was awesome, we got some Ethiopian food and milkshakes which was extra tasty after a good 80 miles.Ok, well, I hope you are all well at home. Please leave comments or anything. Much love, internet people!
Short ride to Gettysburg
After two days of riding in the blazing sun, today was a nice change. It was about 60 degrees and we only ride 60 miles! The hills were hard for me, but I made it. We were a bit delayed because Pi had two flats and Kyle's chain fell off a few times.We also decided to wait and do lunch until we got to the stayover, and my group got in about 1:30 or so. This is a nice change from the past few days, though, because we've gotten in around 5. It's nice to have some down time.People are out exploring Gettysburg and looking for some food donations so I might join them in a bit!
To Lancaster, PA Strawberry Fields and feeling fine
Yesterday we rode about 80 miles through Amish country and the rolling hills of PA. Everyone we encountered was very friendly! It's fun to see how much a state can change as you get through it. PA is huge! Even though this day was almost just as hot, I think I did a better job hydrating myself, so the day was a blast.We rode about 20 miles on a flat bike trail when we left Philly which was awesome! Some of the people I was riding with and I went to this abandoned factory that had some really sweet graffiti.The hills were difficult again but I was able to get through them. Our president, Conor, did the ride last year and his words were encouraging. He told us that the first 5 days or so will be really tough, but after that everything will get easier once we're used to the schedule and everything. I kept thinking of that to get me through.Right before lunch some of us decided to stop at a strawberry stand outside a home. We had seen so many signs for freshly picked strawberries and Pi insisted so we had to stop. They were hands down the best strawberries I had ever tasted and I don't even think this is because we were cycling in the heat all day. After we had bought a few quarts, the woman running the stand went into her home and got us a bowl of powdered sugar to dip the strawberries in. om nom nom.Immediately after the strawberries, we found a nice shady spot at a house and got permission to use their lawn/gazebo to eat lunch. Then we got the best phone call ever...Sean has been driving the van for us and he was on his way to meet up with us and for some reason decided to turn our huge 12 passenger van around and got it stuck in a ditch. All of us had to turn around and go help. We were going to unload the van so that we could push it out, but a truck passed us and towed the van out.The best part happened after the van got out of the ditch. Lauren was riding in the van for the second part of the day because her knee was acting up, and after we got towed, Sean just drove away to the lunch stop! Lauren was just standing there on the side of the road with us without a bike or any way of getting there. She eventually hitched a ride with someone. Lauren made sure to make Sean feel bad, so he made her an apology sandwich with special bread. Nicee.Our stayover was awesome. We stayed in a giant First United Methodist Church with SHOWERS and ate awesome leftovers from our first stayover. I went to bed early, admiring all the battle wounds on my legs.
Hot ride to Philadelphia
Our second day of riding was a tough one. It was particularly hot out, around 93! I think we rode about 75 miles. We were introduced to hills and I did okay for awhile until the heat started getting to me. I fell twice while standing in place because it was so hot and I didn't clip out properly. I have some gnarly bruises!After lunch I felt much better and was ready to roll! We eventually arrived in Philly and rode through the city near the art museum. (That's the museum where Rocky ran up the steps)We stayed at a Methodist church that had a big room for us and after having some pizza that was donated to us by the Illinois Alumni organization in Philadelphia, some of us walked around the town to set out for a Philly Cheesesteak. We ended up going to a hilarious corner store that sold drinks from big glass fridges like a gas station, and the menu was truly a smorgasbord. Not only did the place have Philly cheesestakes, it had Chinese, Greek, Fish, etc. It was fun to chill out before going to bed.
Friendly PA!
From the second we crossed a beautiful bridge into Pennsylvania from New Jersey yesterday, I knew I loved PA. We rode across right into the FANTASTIC town of New Hope. It was so quaint and perfect with ice cream shops and fun little places to nose around. At least they seemed fun but we only had time for a bathroom break. But within the 8 minutes we were stopped there, about 7 different people walked up to us and asked what we were all about. Everyone was so interested and caring with words of support and advice. The residential roads were gorgeous with huge forests filled with little stone cottages as well as huge fun houses tucked away in the trees.Overall yesterday was pretty good! We all survived, just had some injuries and complications. Kicking off the chain of unfortunate events was Jeff’s tire getting caught along the side of the road flying down a hill sending him skidding on the road and his carbon fiber bike to be cracked. Then we had some knee injury issues, a few more falls, a flat, demons escaping from bike tubes (haha), and a few wrong turns. Oh somewhere in there was my wipe out in a confusing intersection. By this point my group was getting a little bummed by our bad luck, but then a super nice lady came running out of her minivan, first aid kit in hand, saying “I was on my way to pick up the kids from soccer practice and I saw you fell!” She was incredible and helped me fix up my scrapes. Out of a bad situation we got to see the good in the friendly people of PA. The end of the ride was 15 miles on a great bike path free of traffic so that was great!We stayed at a beautiful church last night and the Illini Alumni Association brought us pizzas and soft pretzels. That pizza tasted amazing after the 85 mile ride!Today in PA was even more beautiful than the last. We were out in the rolling hills and farms with some great views. Along with the “pretty rolling hills” came riding UP the “pretty rolling hills.” Today got more than a little rough for some of us. I remember one specific moment where I was in the middle of working my way up (what seemed to me at the time) as the biggest hill I had ever seen, crawling at 4.3 mph, with the blazing 92 degree heat beating down on me. At this moment in time I couldn’t help thinking to myself… “Why in the world am I doing this voluntarily?” Its times like that when we really have to remember who we are riding for and why we are struggling and pushing our selves our hardest to make it across the country. We eventually made it up all the hills (and some we didn’t need to go up at all…) and were quite proud of ourselves!We had a PREFECT lunch stop at a huge farm house with a barn, big shady tree, and a gazebo. The family there made FRESH HOME MADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM WITH STRAWERRYS FROM THEIR GARDEN and were nice enough to offer it to us! It. Was. Delicious. To say the least! They invited us in to pet their horses -- and their dog (who didn’t take to some of us so well). They were fantastic and so kind to let us use their yard for a good portion of the day. Just more great people we got to meet in Pennsylvania!The church we are staying at tonight is very nice. They have showers for us all, its air conditioned, we had a yummy full meal of real food, and there plenty of rooms for us all to spread out and get some sleep. Which I really should be doing!!! Tomorrow should be a slightly lighter day, only 65 miles. However I hear there are much more and much bigger hills to come as we make our way into Gettysburg. Hopefully The Lady Pack can make a few less direction mistakes and wrong turns tomorrow so we can get it before 8!Well I need to go zonk out now, but I do want to say one thing. I am SO lucky to be on this trip doing this amazing thing with all these amazing things. With the 12 hour riding days my group has had, the flats, the falls, the tough hills, and the craziness of it all it’s easy to get discouraged. But everyone in I4k is so supportive and positive. Even though we have rough moments, were all there for each other for a good laugh or pick-me-up to keep us going. We have done so much laughing in the last few days I can’t even tell you!! Everyone is so much fun and I can’t wait to spend the rest of the summer with them!Sorry this post was so long, I have to find a happy medium for length here. I’ll work on it!!Love you all and thank you so much for reading these! It really means a lot to me!
Playing Catch Up
Sorry I haven't updated in a while! Things have been hectic as usual and it's been hard to find time to update everyone. I first would like to thank everyone involved with making this trip a success so far including but not limited to all of my generous donors, my forever helpful parents, the hardest working board of directors, and everyone else that has helped in one way or another. This trip simply would not be possible without your support.The team has looked really good these first few days, even considering these are some of the hardest of the trip. Our route sends us strait to the mountains with little time to prepare and our first rest day isn't until Pittsburgh. It's hard to imagine that this physical challenge will get easier, but everyone has handled it so well. Seeing the team come together to cook the food for the entire group gave me a lot of hope for our upcoming weeks. Cooking for 27 people is far from easy on a limited budget but many individuals stepped up to help even though they didn't need to. That really means a lot after a hard day of riding when you just want to take a nap instead.Well that's all I have time for tonight, but as things begin to settle down in the upcoming days I plan to post updates more often.
5/26/2010- Philadelphia, PA. LOST!
I was hoping day 2 would fair a little bit better than the former. In fact, the day started out great. We averaged about 20 miles an hour out of Hillsbourogh. We tackled the first 25-30 miles like it was our job. Then, my knee decided to get mad at me. IT band syndrome is the name and it is not fun. I don't have it as bad as Lauren Mazurski, put to put it simply, my IT band is too tight, so it rubs against a bony prominence on my tibia. Because of this, hills and quick rotations are particularly painful. Unfortunately, the best way to alleviate the pain is rest. Rest doesn't come often during a ride across the country.My bike computer was not working well. No worries, I reinstalled it! Who knew I could learn so much about bikes. I never realized how much I worried about my pace until my computer stopped working. I am a terrible pacer without my bike computer. At least it worked enough in the ride to tell me that I was going 42.3 miles an hour down a hill.This was a rough day for the team in general because of detours, missed turns, injuries and incorrect directions. However, the group pulled it together and everything was left out on the road, preparing for another day.At the stayover, I had the pleasure of meeting an alumni, Robin, who brought us dinner after the ride. I had alot of fun leaning about her and telling her about my story. She definitely cheered up my day.No shower today, hope the team doesn't notice. Bedtime.
5/25/2010 New York, NY to Hillsbourogh, NJ. Rough Start.
Finally! Day one. 63 miles. I can do this. New York to New Jersey would be by far the most congested ride I had ever been on. I like to bike in the first group to feel physical pain. that might sound a little risque, but I think this ride will mean the most if I can experieince pain and suffering just as cancer patients do.Highlights of the ride: riding through Harlem and telling people that we were headed to San Fransisco. One man when asked "Sir, do you know where San Fransisco is?" took much longer than expected to respond, "California." We asked him why it took so long for him to answer and he laughed, "I thought you were thinking of San Fransisco street!" For the record I don't think there even is a San Fransisco street in New York. Crossing the George Washington Bridge was breathtaking. Racing cars in New Jersey. Water fight at a closed ice cream shop. Watching Eamon wipe out in the middle of a crowded road. Struggling in the last ten miles and pushing it till the end. I had never been this tired after 60 miles. Something tells me this trip is going to be harder than I expected.Our ride ended at Hillsbourogh, NJ at the Thakkar residence. Anish Thakkar founded the Illini 4000. His parents were extremely inviting and generous and cooked us possibly one of the best meals that we will see this trip. Mr. Thakkar gave a very moving speech in which I shed a tear. He talked about debt. He says that people get into debt for all sort of reasons whether it is monetary or to another person. The Illini 4000 does what the do for nothing in return. We give our hearts and energy to fighting this disease. Nothing can stop us. Next up is Philly. Hope the cheese steak is really as good as some say...
New York Rest Day 5/22/2010
This was our rest day in New York. I planned to take a ride around Manhattan this morning but woke up to 28 people trying to use one bathroom. (I'm taking videos of all our stayovers but the files are too big to upload! Sorry!) Instead of waiting for my turn and then biking, I ditched the bike ride and hit the town. Fruit in Central Park and a run under a sprinkler was all I could accomplish before I got to see my mom and sister who came to see the I4k send off. We visited Stawberry Fields in Central Park (a memorial for John Lennon). we ate some fancy burgers, stood in line for musical tickets and walked too much. Granted, it was very rewarding to be with my family before my ride.At night we visited some members of the New York alumni club. I was very happy to see that the founder of the Other Guys (the acapella group that I am a member of) was in attendance. That man is the epitome of Illini Pride. He really made the visit enjoyable for everyone. A team meeting, a tune up, writing cues (directions), packing up and a little videotaping later, I find myself in my bed saying goodnight. I was kind of stoic today. I think it is because I am anxious to ride tomorrow! And leave New York. It smells. Can't wait for Chicago!
Philadelphia, PA and Lancaster, PA
Sorry there was no blog last night, but unfortunately the church we were staying at did not have any Internet access.So on Wednesday we departed from Hillsboro on our way to Philadelphia, PA. This was our first 80+ mile day, and I was a little nervous. Although the ride was very tough (90+ degree weather and lots of rolling hills), we had some great scenery along the way. The Pennsylvania countryside is gorgeous, and we finished our ride on a 20 mile bike trail leading down Schuylkill river into the heart of downtown Philadelphia (ending at the bottom of the famous "Rocky" steps). The church we were staying at was located in "university-town", the portion of the city where all the different colleges are (UPenn, Drexel, St. Joseph's). The church was very interesting, and gave us a great big room to sleep in. As well, the U of I alumni club delivered us some pizzas, a much appreciated treat! But best of all, my friend Imani Green, who lives outside Philadelphia, came in town to visit. After hanging out at the church, us, Shea, and Steve went to get Cheese Steaks on the other side of town. It was great to hang out with her and see a friend from back home so early in the trip.The next day, we woke up at 6 am again and departed by 7 15 for Lancaster, PA. We rode the same bike trail out of town, and after detecting some errors in the directions, found our way to the hills again. Although they are still tough, I really do think we are all getting better at riding up the slopes of the Appalachian foothills. This day was really special because of the different generous people we met along our route. First, when stopping at a gas station for a break, a random man bought the entire team cold bottles of water. It was really refreshing! Then, we stopped on the side of the road at a fruit-stand outside an Amish/Mennonite family's home. These were the most delicious strawberries I have ever had. After four of us devoured a quart in about 2 minutes, we proceeded to buy two more. The lady then gave us another quart on the house, and brought out some sugar for us to dip into. It was an amazing snack. After that, when our van got stuck in the mud, a truck going down the road stopped and help us tow it out. Immediately following, another nice Amish/Mennonite family let us use their shady lawn and gazebo for a lunch stop, and they even let some of the later groups have some of their fresh homemade strawberry ice cream (from the same strawberry stand a few miles back coincidentally). And this doesn't even cover all the homes that let us stop and fill up our water bottles because it was another hot day just like the previous one. It was so uplifting to see all these strangers help us out in so many ways.Now we have arrived at out stayover for the night, a church in Lancaster, PA. The chruch is huge! They have a brand new kitchen that they let us cook dinner in, a basketball coutrt where we are keeping out bikes, and most importantly, FULL SHOWERS!!! It had only been two days, but after the heat, I really needed it! Tomorrow is a shorter day (only 61 miles), so hopefully it wont be too bad on the legs. As I said, the riding has been tough, but it seems to be getting a little easier with every passing day. Next stop, Gettysburg!
First very out of date blog- 5/22/2010 New York, NY
This past Thursday I checked in with my oncologist. In fact, I nearly forgot that I had my appointment but, regardless, I was still very excited to see my former caretakers and to hear the test results. My lab results all came back negative. No news is good news! I took this chance to ask my oncologist about his opinions on the new healthcare bill. His main concern was the amount of time medical tests and procedures for scheduling because he feels that doctors will be paid by salary and not by the amount of patients that they see. If this happens, doctors will not take forty patients if they will only get paid for ten. This will slow down the entire process of meeting with a doctor. Students contemplating going into medicine may reject that thought because of a decrease in pay.After meeting with my doctor, I went to visit with the nurses who cared for me. The main nurse that cared for me had the day off, so I left my phone number for her. I received her phone call the following day. She told me that she was retiring next week! She did not plan for it. She said it was more because of her personal health complications. I asked if she could tell me. She has breast cancer. My world turned upside down. She couldn't get breast cancer. She has been fighting this battle for other people her whole life. There is no mercy for the onset of cancer. I love her and she is forever in my prayers. It was kind of funny to comfort her with words that she used to comfort me. I hope she can find some faith in the Illini 4000's efforts and their ride across the country.Getting to New York took an entire day and then some. The train ride was 23 hours. Yikes. I think we were completely stopped for about six hours in total. This sounds frustrating until you realize the people that I was surrounded by. There were ways to pass the time. My favorite way was with Pi. Sleeping bag war. Think of medieval jousting but instead with sleeping bags and bike helmets on a train ride. Unfortunately, I lost. One thing I noticed about this year's team is the amazing focus that we have on our cause and our mission. I find motivation in my teammates as I hope they do in me.I am excited to see my mom and twin sister tomorrow and show them a little bit of New York. I hope they don't realize I will not be showered...
It's raining, it's pouring, I'm sorry for snoring.
Dear subscribers to the critically-acclaimed Eamon's Digest,Today was a great day. Lancaster, PA. It's a great small town with enough rain to flood Lancaster, PA! We beat the rain and enjoyed terrific food for dinner (Thakkar leftovers and some great garlic bread).The ride was quite enjoyable from Philadelphia to Lancaster! Rolling, picturesque hills of farmland that you'd see on a postcard or dairy carton consumed the latter half of the ride. Getting out of Philly was a bit difficult, but the hills were terrific. I forget what real hills are like, being born and raised in the Midwest. These are hills that will eat your legs. However, I also reached a new personal high speed of 40.5 mph today on one of the hills. I felt like Evil Knievel.We also passed through Amish towns. It was terrific! Everyone was so generous, helpful, and genuinely selfless. There was a bakery. That's all that needs to be said.Tomorrow is a short, sweet 60 mile ride (and it's supposed to be cooler temperatures as well!), and then I"ll be dining with my oldest sister, Julia, her husband, Jim, and my two nephews Keagan and Reilly, and my niece, Norah--all of whom I'm excited to introduce to the team.Goodnight, Moon! Gettysburg or bust!
80 Mile Ride- Take Two
Our second stab at an eighty mile ride showed much improvement upon the first. Everyone survived. Check. Most of the team reported an enjoyable ride full of rolling hills, some rain and Pennsylvania countryside filled with horse bugies, cute cows and a black baby sheep. This day proved to be a stepping stone towards climbing the rest of the mountains in the East. The ride was filled with genorosity from the Pennsylvanians. The team benefitted from homemade sweets, fresh strawberry ice cream and free barn animal petting from the local farmers. We never realized just how beautiful the Pennsylvania countryside was. Looking forward to a shorter 60 mile ride tomorrow to Gettysberg.