"Living in dreams of yesterday, we find ourselves still dreaming of impossible future conquests." - Charles A. Lindbergh Once upon a time, an exchange student from S.Korea had a tour of East Coast of The U.S.. Out of all great attractions, there was one place he really wanted to visit in Washington DC. However, the tour schedule was mixed up and he had to postpone this opportunity 'til later days.That exchange student is me, and the place I really wanted to visit was Air and Space Museum at Smithonian Institute.I chose my major because of this one great film; October Sky. Based on Homer Hickam's "Rocket Boys", a non-fiction self portrait of a young boy who formed a group of his friends to build a rocket in late 1950s, October Sky changed my life dream into a different course. since the moon is already pioneered, my next destination is Mars, not just for an unmanned spacecraft and rover, but for human beings.Air and Space Museum, therefore, was a 'Must-Go' place for me, and I finally got it off of my bucket list after 9 years of waiting. All my space heroes were brought closer to me, Lindbergh's Spirit of St.Louis was waiting for me, and F-51 Mustang, one of the most accomplished propeller fighter in the history of Air Warfare and the first fighter plane Republic of Korea Air Force used during Korean War, simply told me how hard it is to defend freedom and protect one nation and its people.When I switched my major from Mechanical Engineering to Aerospace Engineering, lots of people told me I am being silly. As an international student, the opportunity is nearly close to zero in Aerospace Engineering industry when it comes to an internship or a job. S.Korea's aerospace technology is not quite there yet to provide a fundamental base to compete in international level, meaning the job opportunity is limited compared to other engineering fields, especially compared to Electrical/Electronic Engineering. Therefore, in practical perspective, I chose the path that is so narrow that almost nobody is willing to take.However, I didn't change my mind. Since high school exchange program I always have been dreaming of going to space. If there is no path possibly available, I thought I would be one creating that path. I truly believe if one believes in something, God will do the rest for you as long as your heart is truthfully oriented to the pureness of your dream. I4K confirms that personal statement. After all, tomorrow is another day, and each day it happens no matter how hard it is for us to finish.Thanks to my family supporting my no matter what I am currently working on and dreaming of.
Forever west
Greetings and happy Fourth of July from Gillette, Wyoming! I am writing this blog during a thunderstorm. This is the first year I have not seen fireworks on the Fourth of July, due to the storms canceling Gillette's show. However, the past week or so has been beyond amazing, so I am not complaining one bit!A few days ago we rode through the Badlands! Words cannot describe the beauty witnessed on this day. We had a shorter mileage to ride, which was perfect. It allowed us to take ample time to climb around on the badlands and explore! I've always loved being fully surrounded by nature. It reminds me of how small we really are! Here is a picture Jordan took of me hanging out, I'm the small dot in the middle!
A few days later we biked through the Black Hills! Boy, was that a long day! We stopped for coffee really early which was a great start to the morning. Then, at a visitor information center, we met a man named Neville who told us his story of battling cancer three times! It was super inspirational and we loved getting to know him. We continued the day with another stop for ice cream and snacks, and then biked up to see Mount Rushmore! Some of us have decided it should really be called mountain Rushmore because of how long it took us to get up there. What a way to get those legs moving! We took some team pictures and fully embraced the monument before moving on. We also ran into Neville and his wife again! That was a great surprise. Here is a picture Jacqueline helped take where Catherine, Jordan, Shun, and I try our best to replicate the monument.
The rest of the day included more climbing but also some amazing descents through the black hills. We also entered Wyoming! (The welcome to Wyoming sign said "Forever West," hence the name of this blog post.)Today was the Fourth of July and we had a wonderful day. I pulled out all of my patriotic clothing for the ride! We sang songs about America and even were treated to an amazing cookout by our stayover hosts and First United Methodist Church in Gillette, Wyoming. The past few days have been amazing and I can't wait to see what the next few will bring as we begin to climb through the bighorns!
We are in Wyoming!
The past few days coming out of South Dakota and entering Wyoming have been unbelievable, both unbelievably beautiful and unbelievably hard. We had a great event day in Rapid City spent at our first campsite. It was certainly a 5 star campsite that came equipped with laundry services, showers, wifi, and a pool! Camping was surprisingly really great. Rapid City was certainly eventful, and the team really had a chance to bond while camping and reflecting on the trip so far.We woke up early, packed the tent and headed out, embarking on our journey into the Black Hills. This ride was undoubtedly one of our hardest days yet. We climbed over mountains to get to Mount Rushmore. I was in awe of the climbs and the beautiful sites along the way up. The hills were hard to climb, but arriving at the top to see Mount Rushmore was amazing and made me forget about the whole climb. I am so glad I got to spend the day before Independence Day at a national monument reflecting on my cross-country journey. The ride was difficult and long, but I felt really accomplished at the end, being able to put one of the hardest rides of the trip behind me.
Happy Fourth of July from Wyoming!
The team was really excited for today’s ride. We had been anxiously preparing for quite a few days for the patriotic ride. We were all decked out in American flag apparel for the 80-mile ride from Newcastle to Gillette. Some memorable outfits were American flag thrift store vests and striped bandanas. Although the route had minimal climbing compared to yesterday, the hot Wyoming sun proved to be a different sort of mountain to overcome.Our hard work through the heat paid off and all the teams made it to the stay over pretty early, where we found cold refreshments waiting. Tonight we are staying at First United Methodist Church. Some of the church members were kind enough to cook us up an awesomely American BBQ - complete with burgers, kabobs, and desserts galore. After dinner, we took some time to relax and unwind until about 10:00pm, at which time we went to watch the local fireworks show. It was an Independence Day we will never forget!We would like to give a special thanks to the First United Methodist Church for hosting us for yet another year. We appreciate your generosity and support!
Mount Rushmore!
Everyone said that the hills/mountains in the West wouldn't be that bad because we would be very strong by the time we reached them. Not trying to degrade our strength, but today's climb to Mt. Rushmore was very challenging. The elevation change and heat dried out our mouths and made us more out of breath than we remembered. When these hills loomed in front of us, we thought of our ride dedication. We dedicated our 83 mile ride with 4000 feet of elevation change to Randy Smith. We learned about Randy in a portrait that we took yesterday. Being at Mt. Rushmore the day before Independence Day was exciting. We met and talked to many other travelers and even Illinois alumni! When we were riding on the mountain, we saw a huge area of dead forest which was eaten by some harmful beetles. One of the forests we went through was destroyed by a wild fire. However, the scenery of South Dakota is still one of our favorites. In the evening, we rode into Wyoming, being impressed with the great harmony of sun shine and bright green carpet of grasses.Today, while at the Big Thunder Gold Mine, we met Esther, a breast cancer survivor. Esther was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer three years ago. She underwent a mastectomy of her left breast and removed several lymph nodes from that area, and is currently undergoing drug therapy. She visits the doctor twice a year, but has shown no signs of cancer since her treatment. Esther also lost her brother to pancreatic cancer and her sister to breast cancer. “Cancer gave me a more positive outlook. We’ve had more family get together since then, and that is what I wanted. I get to live a few more years and see more of my family. And that makes me happy.” She also gave some parting advice. “Stay positive. Don’t think bad things like ‘Oh I’m gonna die.’ I did a couple of ties, but it’s not gonna help or work out. Look forward to the future and be positive.”
Rapid City Event Day
After 10 days of riding, today was finally an event day in Rapid City. Rapid City is a very beautiful place! The downtown has many unique shops, such as a handsome chocolate factory and a nice bike shop. We started our day off with a portrait of a retired paramedic we encountered at McDonald's. Ed has lost family members to cancer and has battled skin cancer for many years. He stressed the importance of taking preventative measures like using sunscreen and getting tested. It's these unexpected interactions that remind us of why we ride!Then we headed to our campsite. Tonight is some of our team members' first time camping! During the day, riders took care of much needed maintenance on their bikes and enjoyed the cool water of the campground's pool. The weather is perfect: no rain and the temperature has dropped! Rebekah's mom donated sub sandwiches for us to eat for dinner! We'd like to extend a big thank you to her for reminding us that there are other foods out there besides pasta! Before the sun set, we met a remarkable man named Eric smith. He is a Marine who lost his brother to cancer last year. Eric's brother, Randy, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and fought it for 5 years. He compared his brother's battle to his military experience. You always need to attack it and never give up. He emphasized the importance of family and explained to us that his brother is still with him everyday. The portrait meant a lot to the riders that were able to sit in on it and it was a great way to close the day.
So Much South Dakota
South Dakota is a place I have been hearing about for the past 4 years from a great friend of mine, Gina Althoff. I never expected I would have the opportunity to spend a week and bike the length of the state and truly enjoy it for what it is worth.Upon my arrival in Sioux Falls, Gina’s family was patiently awaiting my arrival. They treated me with the kindest hospitality I could have ever asked for. They offered to wash the whole teams’ jerseys which was needed for sure! They opened up their house for me to shower and cooked me an incredible dinner. I even got to meet the infamous family dog, Dancer, that I have been hearing about for years!That night, I got to see the Great Sioux Falls, which were so beautiful. The next morning, we made our way into Mitchel, South Dakota, claim to fame – the Corn Palace. Every town has to have some claim to fame …Next came Chamberlain, SD, a beautiful town nesting on the Missouri River. We spent time splashing around in the cool river and hanging in the sand after our great dinner, provided by the church. A few friends and I sat on the river watching the sunset and then walked home via the Main Street.After Chamberlain, we went to the state capitol of South Dakota, Pierre. The ride started out with incredible picturesque down hills – absolutely breathtaking headwinds were absolutely awful and the ride was long, but we made it. We got a lot of free food in Pierre … and that is really about all that happened – great, nonetheless.From Pierre, we took off on a 95 mile ride to our smallest destination yet, Kadoka. It was a long, but enjoyable day. We were glad to find the cute little stayover in the town.Our trip from Kadoka to Wall was probably our best day yet in South Dakota, and maybe even the whole trip. It was certainly like nothing I have ever seen before. We met so many people; it was great, even some from the Chicagoland area. People are so supportive and interested in what we are doing. Our motive to keep on riding was the Wall Drug, a convenient drug store souvenir shop that is advertised for miles on I-90. I spent a lot of time and money in there …We are now in Rapid City, and we have an event day tomorrow, and after that, we will be making our way through the Black Hills and seeing Mount Rushmore.All of my rides in South Dakota have been amazing and so memorable, challenging, but worth every mile. I love South Dakota, definitely one of my favorite states I have rode through. It smells a lot better than Minnesota did. The people are great and are happy to share intense stories and pride in their state.
I4K Runs on 5 Cent Wall Drug Coffee!
Today's ride was a comparatively short distance of 55 miles from Wall, SD to Rapid City, SD, but we had several interesting things on the way. We dropped by Wall Drug to have several cups of 5 cents coffee and awesome homemade donuts, which made us completely awake. We also rode on Interstate 90 for the first time. Surprisingly, it wasn't that busy, and we enjoyed biking on one of the largest highways. Also, we bumped into another cross-country bike group. They are a group of 8 high school students cycling to raise funds for Ride 2 Recovery, which is an organization that helps returning soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder. They are doing things differently from us by biking from the west coast to the east coast. Today's weather was great with no headwinds. Everyone raced to the stayover to prepare for the prom tonight...Yes,we have an I4K prom tonight! We had an awesome dinner of sloppy joe's provided by our wonderful hosts, the Open Bible Christian Center. After 9 days of cycling, we are ready for the event day tomorrow!
Reflections on Wisconsin
I was pleasantly surprised by my time spent riding through Wisconsin. We started out in Lake Geneva, where we stayed right on the lake at a past rider’s house. The main street leading up to the lakehouse was beautiful. I certainly wish I had more time to spend shopping along the main street. Many of us watched the sunset over the lake after a long day of riding. I got to sleep in a bed and it was great.After Lake Geneva, we headed up to Madison, where the the University of Wisconsin is. Madison is definitely one of my favorite cities we have traveled through so far. We rode in on some bike trails along the lakes looking upon the beautiful Capitol Building and stopped at an awesome bike shop.The following days in Wisconsin, we stopped in Reedsburg and LaCrosse. The rides were mostly through farms and rolling green areas. As a team, we started playing a game called the cow game with lots of churches and cemeteries. It kept our mind off of the long rides. We were really impressed by all of the incredible bike trails, picturesque scenes of farms and rolling hills, great weather aside from some showers, and kind people.I also had the opportunity to see family in LaCrosse and kayak the Mississippi River, which was quite difficult! I am glad I am biking all summer, rather than kayaking, like my friend, Sam. Overall, Wisconsin was awesome!
Rockin' the Badlands
We conquered the Badlands today! It was a short ride, and we took many breaks to hike up rock formations and enjoy the scenic outlooks. Most of us have never been to this part of South Dakota which made the day that much more exciting. We have some very daring team members that took the risk of climbing up rocks to get some awesome pictures. The downhills were amazing, but were then followed by some steep uphills. All the passing drivers were supportive, and we even had some cheering us along as we climbed out of the Badlands.We were able to talk to many people today about our ride and met numerous travelers from the Midwest and, more specifically, the Chicagoland area. Even though the team didn’t want to leave the national park, we eagerly looked forward to arriving in Wall to experience Wall Drug. Wall Drug did not disappoint. Team members enjoyed ice cream, pie, buffalo burgers, and more. It was a fantastic day to one of the coolest days of the summer so far! Thank you St. Patrick's Church for hosting us tonight!
Western Time
The team had a 96 mile day today from Pierre to Kadoka. Before starting the ride, Matt Soltys dedicated our ride to Debbie Holden, a family friend, who passed away from ovarian cancer. Everyone kept her in mind during our long day of riding. The beautiful weather and scenery made the day go by quickly and was a fun ride for the team. We were also lucky enough to have tailwinds for part of the day which, was a nice change from yesterday’s weather. Along the ride, the team stopped in Murdo, SD where many of us stopped for ice cream and snacks.While taking a break at a gas station, we met Yolanda Campbell. Yolanda has had several family members diagnosed with various cancers including breast, lung, thyroid, pancreatic, and prostate. Many of her family members were not diagnosed until the cancer had progressed to stage four, and they died soon after. The death that hit her the hardest was her Uncle Jonny. “He was like a second father to me. I was so upset when he died. But Uncle Jonny also knew how to live. He would take off and go traveling around. That’s how I want to live my life. You don’t know how much time you have, so you need to do everything you can.” She also spoke about her fear of getting cancer. “Don’t be a chicken like me; get yourself checked. I don’t want to, because I’m so afraid that they’re gonna tell me that I’m gonna die. But you need to get yourself checked.”Before we hit Kadoka, some riders stopped at the 1880’s Town, a collection of antique buildings that were preserved and moved to create a western town. Once we finally hit Kadoka, the time zone switched to mountain time, giving us an extra hour of sleep. Aside from the time zone, it has become more and more clear that we are in the west with the sprawling fields of grass, distant mountains, and long distances between towns. We can’t wait to see what else the west has in store for us. We also have to thank the Presbyterian Church in Kadoka for hosting our team!
Where The Wind Blows
Today we started our 83 mile ride in Chamberlain, SD. We faced pretty strong headwinds for most of the day, which made it a tough ride for the team. Many of the riders were surprised at all of the open space along the route today. There was one stretch of road that did not have any towns or stores for about 47 miles. The scenery in South Dakota along the route was very pretty though and helped the teams push through and finish the ride to Pierre. We were also lucky enough to receive many food donations from restaurants in Pierre. We’d like to thank Arby’s, Hardees, and China Buffet for their hospitality and generosity. The team has a long day of 96 miles tomorrow, which means an early bed time for many of us.
"Let us never take our gifts for granted"
It’s so hard to believe that we’re already in South Dakota! Today, Day 34, marked the halfway point of our journey. We’ve gotten into a routine of wake up, eat, cycle, eat, laugh, cycle, eat, cycle, eat, shower (sometimes), sleep. Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture—we are actually cycling across the country right now, which is kind of insane when you think about it! It’s good to refocus on that fact. Each day is filled with beautiful sights, incredible people, profound conversations, and tons of memories. Pictures are great reminders of the trip, but you really have to live in the moment and enjoy everything as it happens, ya know?I had a fantastic English teacher during my junior year of high school. Her name was S. Kathy Christenson, and she was remarkable. She was a sailor, a snowboarder, a poet, and so much more. Mrs. Christenson started each class by reading a poem. We didn’t have to analyze it or pick it apart—she just wanted us to absorb it, reflect upon it, and then begin our class. She was so full of life. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2011 and fought valiantly, but lost her battle in November 2011. After her death, her family discovered a poem that she had written but never shared.“Were There But One Sunrise”
S. Kathy Christenson
Were there but one sunrise a year,
who would not go out to look?
Who would not be filled with awe?
Who would not cry out in wonder and gratitude?
Were love to touch the hungry heart only now and then,
we might understand its value,
And guard it as now we do a precious stone
--whose worth is so much less than Love’s.
But we are surrounded by wonders.
We take ourselves—body and mind, our lives,
our opportunities for happiness, for granted.
Each fresh wonder, every unexpected gift
becomes for us nothing more than our expected due.
Surely, we think, the sun will rise, as in a million mornings past.
So let us remember to be thankful.
Let us never take our gifts for granted.
I recently dedicated a ride to Mrs. Christenson and I read this poem, because I believe it’s a perfect reminder to enjoy every moment of this cross-country trip and our lives in general. Go see the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. Dance like crazy during Heather’s moshers. Talk to everyone you meet. Herd some cattle in Minnesota. Eat ice cream multiple times per day. Stop by that little thrift shop. Skip rocks in Devil’s Lake. Have awesome conversations with your teammates. Many people aren't able to experience all of the things we are doing on this trip. So as cliche as it sounds, we have to try to not to take all of this for granted. I am having the time of my life right now, and I can’t wait to see what the second half of the summer will bring!
Halfway There!
This morning, we celebrated the halfway point of our trip, our 34th day of riding, just shy of 2,000 miles. As a team, we sang “Livin’ on a Prayer” to stress how good it feels to be “halfway there”. Though the morning presented us with a bit of rain coming out of Mitchell, South Dakota, the weather soon cleared up, and we enjoyed a nice day with lots of sun and a nice breeze. While eating lunch in Kimball, SD, many of us stopped at a great ice cream shop called Frosty King. We relaxed in the shade and enjoyed some ice cream cones and cyclones. While at the ice cream shop, we also happened to meet the former owner of the Frosty King who remembers previous riders stopping in for ice cream every summer. We arrived in Chamberlain, SD after riding a picturesque downhill into the town center. Much of the team headed to the local thrift store to stock up on clothing for our upcoming team prom. Finally, we enjoyed a great meal at our stay over graciously provided by the Zion Lutheran Church. After dinner, the riders ended their night by heading over to the river to take a quick swim before bed.
It's been a while..
It’s been over two weeks since my last blog post, and there isn’t enough time in my day after biking to recap it all in great detail. That being said, I will try harder to be a better blogger the last half of the ride. Now for my sporadic 22 day run-down:Columbus, OH: On the eve of our event day, we went bowling at the sketchiest bowling alley I have ever been to. I bowled a 131 (pretty dang good, I’d say) which instantly made this bowling alley one of my all-time favorites. The next day, a bunch of us went out to breakfast together and then cleaned our bikes (fantastic team bonding). The ride out of Columbus was my first century! Those 104 miles passed quickly with Kara, Cannella, Catherine, and Peter by my side.Indianapolis, IN: One of my best friends from high school (Brianna!) came and visited me. It was good to see her and catch up over dinner before having to return to the stayover. Our stayover had a turf football field in its backyard. This was an awesome perk, but after playing soccer, my ACL-repaired knee hurt for the first time all summer. It’s back to being pain free now, don’t worry (and I scored a goal, so it was all worth it).Champaign, IL: Riding into Champaign was very weird for many of us because we took a route that we often took during our training rides this spring semester. The familiar-ness gave my group déjà vu but helped us gauge how much longer it would be until we returned to our alma mater. I loved rolling up to the Alice Campbell Alumni Center and seeing my friends there to greet our team. (Special shout out to : David, Merril, Meridith, Neha, Julie, Linsey, Jackie, Charles, Brianna, and my mom!!) I was also able to head over to Grainger and help my little brother Logan register for classes for his freshman year! That night I was able to see more of ‘my gang’ that I had been missing (Molly, Alan, Hovey, and Becks). This day was a rush of excitement, and I knew these next couple of days in Illinois would be just as amazing.Clifton, IL: “My Hometown”- My family (mom, dad, Logan, Madison, and Grandma & Grandpa Orr) brought some food for the team, ate dinner with us, and bought me a delicious smores blizzard. (This day was my bud Robbie’s birthday. He and another hometown friend, Kim drove through a crazy storm to catch up with me!) Later that night, Catherine and I SaranWrap-ed Aash’s bike. It was fun to watch him unwrap it the next morning, and he has finally admitted that we were clever and that it was a good prank.Chicago, IL: We rolled to Millennium Park where many of the team’s family and friends were waiting. Even though I’m not from the Chicagoland area, I still had a few friends there to welcome me- Jess, Amy, and Steph! I stayed with Steph that night in Chicago and then went home the next day. I was picked up in Chicago by Kim and Kari, and then we picked up another friend flying in from LA—Megan! I loved being home this weekend, especially because it was my brother’s graduation party, and I was able to spend lots of time with my hometown friends, Sarah and Kim.(sorry for all the naming, but I’m just so thankful I was able to see so many of my friends and family these past few weeks)Madison, WI: We were fed by the UofI Alumni Club of Madison, and one of the members was actually best friend’s with my old principal’s son! (Mr. Pankey’s son, for those of you who know him) The food was amazing as always when provided by our stayovers. That night we went to the Union Terrace and hungout by the lake. The beautiful sunset and relaxing atmosphere of the University of Wisconsin campus made us all wonder if we made the right choice by attending U of I.Rochester, MN: I had been to Rochester previously with my Grandpa Orr on one of his cancer treatment visits. Our team toured the same parts of the building that I was able to see with my grandpa which was pretty neat. It was great to see one of the ‘meccas’ of cancer treatment and research shown by a current chemo nurse and cancer education specialist.Overall the rides have been fine, some days better than others. Recently we haven’t had the best of weather, but it’s awesome to have the ‘nothing can stop us’ mentality and blaze right through the rain and wind. I have a new pair of shorts that are about three inches shorter than my others, so hopefully my tanlines will get a little better. Another recent development is our team’s ability to get donations from Great Harvest Bread Co (2nd time now). I love bread and PB&J, but these past few days with rich, hearty bread have made my lunch stops even better.One last thing: I got my first two flats... simultaneously! I hit a rock with my bike and received a pinch flat in both tires. Now that's luck.
A full day at Mitchell, SD
We left Sioux Falls and headed towards Mitchell, SD. It was a 77 mile ride. We were hosted by the Avera Queen of Peace Cancer Center when we arrived in the city to learn more about patient support services. In anticipation of the strong headwinds on the way to our next stop, we started the day slightly earlier with a 5:30am wake up. Today we battled rolling hills and the scorching sun, keeping our rest stops to rehydrate and reenergise with some snacks as short as possible in order to get to the Cancer Center on time as scheduled.At the Avera Queen of Peace Cancer Center, we were showed the radiation therapy room and the chemotherapy suite. The staff at the cancer center showed us the various protocol patients would have to go through for their treatment. The presentation was very helpful in helping us understand what cancer patients go through while undergoing treatment, and we greatly appreciate Avera Queen of Peace Cancer Center's help in making the presentation possible. After that, some of the riders went out to see Mitchell's World's Only Corn Palace. We got to see a video and tour of the Corn Palace and how it changed over the years. It apparently takes 100 acres of corn to redecorate the Corn Palace, which happens once every year! The riders then ended the night with some souvenirs and, of course, some popcorn from the attraction.
Seeing things slowly
Greetings from South Dakota!!!! I cannot believe we have already made it this far and are nearly halfway done with our journey. This is our fourteenth state we have biked in, which blows my mind.One of the things I've been loving so much is the fact that while traveling on bicycle, everything is slower. If there is a little shop you'd love to stop in or an interesting road sign, pulling off to check it out or snap a picture is so easy. You also have the chance to actually notice these things. In cars, we're so limited and so fast. There's not enough time to fully take in everything around you. On a bike, it's different. And I love that.Two days ago, the ride into Jackson, Minnesota, was one of the most eventful days yet! In the morning, the whole team stopped at a gas station. One of the riders was speaking with a local, and we ended up getting interviewed for the radio! They interviewed people in pairs and are going to broadcast different bits every day for about a week!Next we stopped at a huge statue of the Jolly Green Giant! (Think green beans and corn niblets)
After snapping some pictures, we were chatting with the lady inside the visitors center. She shared with us that her husband had died of cancer, and agreed to do a portrait. Wow! It was an amazing story.Later that day we stopped at Bicycle Shoppe, a great bike store in Fairmount, MN. The owner recognized our group from previous years and was so welcoming! He bought us all tacos (delicious!) and even let us take out his canoe. Only a few of us actually took him up on it, but Jacqueline and I had an amazing time. We also conducted a portrait there and we're interviewed for a local paper!
We ended up getting into the stayover much later than normal, but everything during the day was worth it! I'll try my best to keep up with posts regarding updates everything in South Dakota!
Go West, Young Riders
We started out our day with donuts donated from Casey's General Store close to our stayover. After that, we went over our usual morning routine of going through the Mosher, where the rider who gets 'tagged' to do the Mosher has to get the team to do something or perform for the team. One of our riders, Elyssa, showed us a game where we had to start out with a coin which represents the "stake" we have in the game. The game uses a dice which decides where each person's coin goes. Three sides of the dice has a dot, which is a safe spot, and the other three sides are marked R,L,C which represents right, left and center where you would have to give up your coin and throw it to the center of the circle. The winner of the game is the one who has the only remaining coin in the game and wins the pool of money in the center. This game is actually a really good way to pool together money for coffee to reenergize us on our rides. Kara won the game in the end!The ride today was longer than our usual rides. It has become apparent to us as we move to the west that the states are getting less and less populated and harder and harder to find rest stops where we can get food other than the team supplies. Luckily, we were helped by some strangers along the way which made the day a lot more bearable. While we were at our lunch at a gas station, a kind stranger generously donated $200 to our team. Also along the way, we passed through Manley, a town that has a population of only 16 people. We stopped there for our last rest stop of the day. It had a gas station and an auto repair shop and that was basically the whole town. This is why we love biking across America, you get to see the diverse towns and meet these incredibly generous and kind people along our journey. We finally got to our stayover in Sioux Falls at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. We are very grateful for their generosity in allowing us to stay at their place for tonight, and are looking forward to exploring the rest of South Dakota! Yesterday, while at the Jolly Green Giant, we met Thelma Frerichs in Blue Earth, Minnesota. Thelma lost her husband 19 years ago to multiple myeloma. He was diagnosed when he was 55, and underwent weekly dialysis treatments at the Mayo Clinic. He passed away after three years. His sister had multiple myeloma and passed away shortly after she started treatment at the age of 48. Thelma’s daughter is currently fighting bladder cancer and has already had three surgeries to remove cancerous tissue, with a possibility of undergoing chemo treatment if more cancerous tissue is found.Thelma took time off work throughout the day to care for her husband instead of putting him in a nursing home. “I wanted to do it. I wanted him to be home. He felt more comfortable there. And he wasn’t in a lot of pain; it was in his bone marrow. Towards the end he couldn’t walk and was in a hospital bed in our room.” She received support from her family and her church “Everyone was really kind to us. When you live in a smaller community, everybody is. You get lots more support because you know a lot more people. Even the doctors and nurses were kind. And then the American Cancer Society gave us gas money for our trip to Rochester, which was a great help, because it would have been expensive otherwise. Our church is another thing that helped. We both went to church, so that gave us a lot of support. I always thought that, as I was going through this, that He won’t give you more than you can handle. I thought that the whole time, and that really helped. And I still think that.”
Jolly Green Fun
Nine more days. That seems to be the mantra of the team as we progress to the halfway point of our journey. Those nine days are what separate us from our next event day in Rapid City and a promise of sleeping in just a bit longer. The sunny, breezy weather that greeted us with open arms last week has all but vanished, and every morning for the last couple of days we’ve been followed by booming thunder clouds and howling winds. As we left Albert Lea this morning, we couldn’t even see the sun, but we could clearly see that a storm was brewing on the horizon. Luckily, the first 20 miles flew by and we raced along tail winds to our first unorthodox stop at the Jolly Green Giant. Yes, THAT Jolly Green Giant. You’ve seen him in your local supermarket providing only the best frozen vegetables and we met his likeness in all his 60 foot glory.With the threat of being drenched still looming, we sought shelter at a local Kwik Trip where we not only relived the sweet, glorious taste of 1600 calorie bagged milk, but were also featured on a local radio show “Welcome Travelers”. Several riders were interviewed and had an opportunity to explain our journey and what we rode for. Surprisingly enough, even though the clouds over our heads were as black as night, we did not receive a downpour. As we cautiously rode to our next rest stop, we kept hoping that the rain would not grace our presence. Our last a final stop landed us at an I4K favorite: Larry’s Bike Shoppe, 25 miles from our stayover. We were not only treated to tacos and bike advice, but we also gathered an interesting portrait. With our stomachs full and the sun starting to peak through the clouds, we finally arrived at our stayover fashionably late, but more importantly, dry. Tomorrow proves to be one of the more challenging days of the trip as we’ll exceed 90 miles and enter South Dakota, but our donated potluck generously provided by Burger King, Dairy Queen, and New China will surely help us on our journey.
Tailwinds from Chicago
I spent the past 25 days counting down the miles until reaching my home city of Chicago. It came down to about 1,200 miles between New York City and Chicago – where family, friends, familiarity, and best of all, flat lands awaited. I’ve seen NYC, DC, Philly, and many other cities, but nothing compared to the feeling I had while riding along the lakeshore looking northward on the picturesque skyline of Chicago. I am so fortunate to call this place my home.It was great to be home and to see family and friends. Talking with people really reinforced why I am taking this journey across the country. I am humbled by all of the love and support I have received, and this is what will carry me forward. My time in Chicago, the people who went out of their way to see me or to be at Millennium Park for my arrival or at the the picnic will be the force behind my pedal strokes.Thank you to everyone on the SRM leadership team at Aon for coming to support me as I rolled into your backyard, Millennium Park. Your support means a great deal to me.Thank you, especially to Kimi, Karen, and Kathi and Mary Keller, who have been my biggest cheerleaders!! Thanks Kimi for riding with me into Chicago – it truly meant so much to me!Thanks Gina Althoff for your endless support and for riding alongside me last week through Chicago. You continue to teach me so much on and off the road and I would never be where I am today if it weren’t for you … that said only because you are the one who taught me how to properly use my gears.My city, the Windy City, and all of my supporters there (as well as everywhere) will be my constant tailwind pushing me across this country, and I will be forever grateful.