Reflections from a 4489.6-mile journey: from NYC (over mountains, beyond mountains) to the City by the Bay

                  (Note: A PDF file of this post can be downloaded by clicking Blandry_i4k_reflections or at this link https://archive.illini4000.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Blandry_i4k_reflections.pdf ) Hello Everyone,I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support, words of encouragement, positive thoughts, good vibes, and prayers that you sent my way as well as to the entire team throughout our 71-day trek across the nation. Although now it feels very surreal, straight out of a dream. The photos and the portraits are seemingly the only tangible proof that reminds me of this summer's journey.  Click here for album of selected images and videos taken along the trip.  Full website to the selected images and videos is below: https://plus.google.com/photos/105748354359203799591/albums/6050265609439281665?sort=1 This journey was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Without a doubt it was the most difficult undertaking I have attempted to this point in my life.  Prior to one year ago, I would never have fathomed in my wildest dreams to attempt--let alone complete--this epic journey.  Unbeknownst to me during the ride, but now apparent in retrospect, is that the ride was nothing short of a paradigm shift in my life. With such an impact, I thought it best to take time and reflect back on this extraordinary event. The following is my feeble attempt to collect my reflections regarding the journey.Rider, rider glowing bright in the daylight: I consider myself lucky and blessed to have had the opportunity to help contribute to what I had hoped to be the ultimate purpose for the ride: that the team and I in our bright orange jerseys could be glowing beacons of hope and inspiration to everyone we encountered. From the many emails and blog comments that I received from dear old friends, as well as new encounters such as the following, it seemed that my ultimate hope was being realized:

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"Wow... these video portraits are incredibly powerful! You are really capturing an important chronicle of the human face of what cancer has done. I just love these vignettes you have shared with me... the backdrops, the ambient noises, the simplicity mixed with the depth of each of these dear souls is really, really touching. I am very grateful to you and to the whole Illini team for what you are doing." -M.P.

"My husband and I first want to say congratulations on completing such a huge undertaking. I am sure it must have been a difficult ride, but your purpose was so rewarding. We met you in La Pine, OR. (suburb of Bend). Your team was taking shelter from the rain in McDonald's. Since it was raining and the roads were ugly, my husband and I decided to stop for a cup of coffee. (We were driving a 1929 Model A Ford from Washington state to southern California - our home). You were speaking to some folks at another table about your group/trip and I overheard. I mentioned to you that in October 2012, we lost our 41 year old daughter, Lisa, to rectal cancer. You asked if I could do a portrait project, but I was way too emotional to speak at that moment. I thank you for adding me to your group e-mail list so that we were able to follow along on your daily route and we really enjoyed reading "A day in the life of an Illini 4000 rider". Thank you and your group again for this ride dedication and I hope one day the cure will be found for cancers of all types." -S.J."WOW… I am blown away at the dedication you guys have for this amazing ride. Thank you Blake for why you ride!! We have been following the ride, keeping up with blogs, and photos etc.  VERY INSPIRING!!  Keep it up. Stay safe!!" - P.S."Suck it up Blake, ride through that.  Its just water dude!" -B.B. "WOW.....you are looking good.  Stay on course" -J.P.

"Dang dude!  You are almost in Portland!!!  It is impressive all you guys have covered already.  Steady pace.  Great job.  We have been following your progress." -J.A.

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As the ride was serving as a vehicle to spread hope for others, I constantly found myself digging ever deeper to put every ounce of my energy into helping maintain the brightness of our beacons throughout the ride (being the Portraits Coordinator on the ride further strengthened my motivation). Rarely did I stop to think of how the ride was becoming my own vehicle for internal change through all the difficulties and adversities that were encountered. Looking back, the ride will forever serve as a constant reminder as to the countless daily battles that people are fighting against cancer and other illnesses, which often have no clear finish lines in sight and still people manage to press on. These souls are the true inspiration for which we as riders were seeking out, bringing their stories into the limelight, and helping to form a connected web of support that can help others encountering similar difficult situations.

Riding a year-long emotional roller coaster: There is a simple yet powerful quote that I came to more fully understand and appreciate; "I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person." ― Walt Whitman, Song of Myself. Without a doubt, this ride was indeed my way of becoming a wounded person on all levels: physical, emotional, and mental. On the physical side, I am not an avid cyclist let alone a very athletic person in general. I had nothing to prove to myself about putting 4000+ miles under my belt. The pre-ride training that occurred from Oct. 2013 to May 2014 was quite interesting. I distinctly remember that running was my least favorite activity--that is until I did the first training ride which was 30-miles in March 2014 after which my body was utterly sore and muscles completely drained of energy (I think I had mild case of hypoglycemia). I thought it was utterly impossible for someone to bike 75 miles a day let alone repeating that day after day. This physical effort was further compounded by emotional and mental demands. Those that know me well would say that I am kindhearted and can often easily empathize with others. This was slightly problematic, since I never had a dry eye conducting the portraits and could feel an emotional connection between each of the people telling their stories which lingered in my mind long after the interview (and will forever be imprinted in my mind). Furthermore, I would start thinking meta-cognitively about the interview.  For example, I was always blown away that total strangers were trusting and sharing their personal stories with me (and the team), Could I do the same thing?;  How would I cope will all the pain they have been through?; Would I be able to handle the situation as graceful, positive, and inspirational or would I become jaded? It really started to put life in perspective. While hearing story after story as the ride progressed, my emotions would be highly impacted , but with each new story that I heard, I found that my compassion grew. It wasn't that I was less compassionate to the prior story, but I guess it is akin to having a second child, you never love the first one less, your heart grows to love both fully.

Funny thing is that just when I thought I was at my physical limit and emotional energy was at the lowest and I could not continue anymore, there would always be something that would occur. These occurrences could be as simple as the next 20-mile rest stop unexpectedly occurring (It is amazing how much taking just a 15-min break off of the bike can do.) Other times, after fighting strong headwinds pretty much all day, the winds would change direction or the roads would change direction so that we had tailwinds which greatly changed the amount of effort required. Sometimes road conditions would slope downward in grade after having been mostly uphill or random people would cheer us on by the road side or beep their horns in support. The simple random act of these encouraging sounds really impacted all of us and continually sustained us. On special occasions, when at my absolute limits, butterflies or ladybugs would land on my arms or legs; my heart would immediately swell up and tears would quietly stream behind the privacy and protection of my dark sunglasses, quickly evaporating as they trickled down to my sun-kissed cheeks, allowing them to be unbeknownst to anyone. (If you are not familiar with the symbolic interpretation of when a butterflies lands on you click here and for ladybugs click here). The emotional roller coaster of highs and lows was constant throughout the journey; there was never a day that tears were not shed or large smiles had. Through it all I pushed, because this was exactly what I had signed up for and I wouldn't have had it any other way. The frequent change of emotions help me to truly appreciate all the complexities in life and to taste the sweeter side of life all the more.Furthermore, I used to consider myself a fairly tenacious person requiring little to no outside motivation, especially when it came to academic/professional pursuits (especially obtaining my PhD). However, for the first time in my life, I finally know how it feels to need the support of others to get through a difficult ordeal and it will forever deepen my sense to support others in their endeavors. Experience is often a wonderful yet painful teacher, which helps one truly understand and empathize with the concepts that we always knew and valued from the theoretical sense. Just like when we were children we did not always heed our parents advice and we ended up learning it the hard way.On living too small: It is commonly said that "human beings are creatures of habit" and it is often easy for us to fall victim to our habits as we become entrenched in our daily grind. Thus, at times, we all have a tendency to live smaller than we are meant to live. We spend our time toiling for the next exam, promotion, deadline, paper, project, or idea. While this laser focus is often required to complete the task at hand, we must remember to take time, stop, breath, and enjoy the journey as much as the projected destination. It is incredibly rewarding to make one's dreams a reality; however, these dreams will always be bars that are persistently increasing and changing. Once one goal is realized there will always be another bar to set and achieve. This is great as it constantly drives us, but to lose one's self in the pursuit as we are constantly tweaking and "trying to control" all the factors in life to get us through or to that next level, we end up unintentionally limiting our view of the world. It happens so gradually that we are often unaware that it has occurred and family, friends, or new situations (which are more often unpleasant than not) help shake things up for us and provide us with opportunities to expand our view of the world if we so choose. Eureka! B-Landry-ness!: On a final note, to be honest, being more than 10 years senior than every rider on the team was quite a concern for me. Could I physically keep up with them? Would I be able to relate to them or would I be the odd man out? As the ride progressed and I became affectionately referred to as "Papa Blake", many of my fears were mitigated. Being with this lively, intelligent, high-spirited, heart-felt, and dedicated group of younger people in conjunction with hearing countless stories from those impacted by cancer helped me to renew my inner-self, my "B-Landry-ness" (for lack of better wording). As previously mentioned, my perspective on life had narrowed. I am grateful for ALL the feelings of this year-long emotional roller coaster, and would not have wanted it any other way. The pain and heartache felt allowed the joyful times to be that much sweeter. Despite the enormous amount of pain and suffering we encountered, it seems that we always encountered more joy, inspiration, encouragement, and hope than I ever expected. Having a cancer diagnosis is extremely difficult but I was always blown away about how the proper perspective in conjunction with key prior experiences (either personal or learned via others) allowed people to make lemonade out of life's lemons.The one thing that I have learned is that no one is immune from life; we are all fighting our own internal struggles, whatever it maybe. The barista who always seems to be smiling while taking orders and serving coffee, to even your closest friends who seem to have the perfect life. The key is to open up to those that truly care about you and let them help you share the load. While it is often very difficult for us to be open and vulnerable to the people closest to us, the need of feeling connected to others is a fundamental human trait that we should not fight especially in difficult times when we need support more than ever. May the portraits that the team collected this year be a constant reminder that one is not alone during these difficult times, and may the interviews serve to help inspire, comfort, and provide wisdom to those that are in need of a little direction (which we all need at some point). Remember that this journey of 4489.6 miles began with a single pedal stroke despite the end being ever so distant and impossible to achieve. While we do not get to choose the hand we are dealt, we can control how we play the hand, and that can make all the difference in someone else's world as well as in your own world.Sincerely,BlakeP.S. Just because the 2014 ride has ended, I want everyone to know that I am still continuing to "fight cancer on two wheels" as a member of the Portraits Project committee. This academic year I will be helping to process all the videos we collected on the ride and get the edited versions on the www.portraitsproject.org website to be shared with the world. Also, if you would like to share your story or know of someone that would like to share a story or provide words of wisdom, advice, comments, inspiration, or encouragement, I (or anyone on the team) would be honored to listen regardless if it is recorded or not.

In the near future, I will be sending out links to some of the unedited videos. If they resonate with you please let met me know.

Hoisting up the bike after 4489.6 miles

 

The End

After 71 days it’s all come to an end. I'm not sure it's real, though. This could all be just an elaborate hoax and I'll be called tomorrow morning at 6:15 and be asked why my bag isn't out at the van yet. On the final ride day, my group talked about what we're going to miss and what we're not going to miss. We know for a fact that we will not miss sitting on that saddle in pain every day, various food items like lentils or oatmeal, not always having a bathroom to use whenever you need it, or being self-conscious that the entire team can hear you wheezing as you climb a mountain. But when we started talking about things we are going to miss, I think we all realized it was totally worth it. The feeling of accomplishment you get after climbing another mountain or completing a 113 mile day is incredible. Sitting around the campfire with your teammates singing Story of My Life, or enjoying a chocolate milk at a gas station after a long day of riding are the kind of things that you don't really think you're going to miss. I'm going to miss the biking, despite what I may have said every morning for the last couple weeks, complaining that I did not want to be on my bike ever again.What really makes the things I'm going miss, though, are the people. I rode with some pretty great people, and we were able to all end this ride together. When I thought I couldn't ride another mile, or wanted to start crying when we turned the curve and the road kept going up, I knew that my teammates were there going through the same pain I was going through. I didn't need their words to encourage me, just knowing that if they can make it through, I would be able to too, was enough for me. It's hard to look back on a certain day and say it was the worst, because even when you're dealing with ridiculous headwinds heading into Cheyenne and don't want to talk to anyone you’re riding with, a tumbleweed will roll by and get stuck on your wheel and make you remember that you’re not on this trip to have an easy bike ride every day, and even when things go wrong, there is always one thing that happens that makes it worth the struggle. And even if your team wasn't enough to keep you going for a day, the people we interacted with at the stayovers encourage you enough to keep you going for days. I felt like nothing more than a kid riding a bike, but they treated us as so much more, and reminded us that we are not just riding around for fun. The kindness we received from people was incredible. I don’t know why people would let twenty smelly cyclists get close to them, much less stay in their church or home.  And the strangers we met along the way, like Robin and Tammy Brown, who opened their garage to let us in during a hailstorm before they even knew who we were or what we were doing, I will always remember. The kindness we were shown was absolutely incredible.The portraits we were able to collect along the ride came from people of many different walks of life, but there always seemed to be a message of hope. The trip took on a new meaning when the night before the ride began in New York I got a call from my mom, telling me that my Grandpa had just been diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly the ride was much more personal, and the fight became more real. It wasn’t until week five that it became a very real possibility that he wouldn’t live until the end of the trip, and I realized that I would never see him again. The last time I saw him he was the same old Grandpa; a little slower, a little more forgetful, but out the bustle of a family gathering, he’d never shy away from a witty comment that reminded me how awesome of a guy he was. But in those seven weeks he was slowly taken away, and I wasn’t there to experience any of it. In that time cancer took over. As much as it sucked to not be there with him and family, I heard the stories of his family and friends coming together to celebrate the life of such an incredible man. When a community is built strong enough, nothing can tear it down. Although cancer took him away from this life, he lives on in so many ways, and was able to inspire me to ride every day.

My prayers on this trip ranged from “please let me not fall off my bike at this stop sign” to “please help me get up these mountains” to “please let me be able to sleep through the incessant snoring that comes with sleeping in a room with 19 other people”. It’s been quite the experience, and somehow we all made it, even with the snoring. You reach a point where you know you can wake up everyone morning and climb those mountains. But it’s not whether or not you can physically do it, it’s whether or not you want to. You don’t walk away from something because that’s the easy or convenient thing to do. Sure, there are hard days to overcome, and a simple call to the van saying you’re hurt or tired would make things pretty easy. But that’s not the point. The point is to fight. There were lots of times where I wanted to give up, but to accomplish things in life you have to push, and you have to put the effort in and try. I’m grateful to all those people that helped us along the way, and all my teammates for pushing me to the end. I won’t remember every day of riding, but I’ll remember the challenges and how I was able to push through. And I’ll remember the good times with my team. The campfires and the sing-alongs, the jokes and the van rides. The amazing views and the excitement of going to a new place every day, and stopping on the side of the road to take team selfies at almost any sign on the side of the road. So thanks to my teammates, everyone who supported me, and every single person I met along the way. There were no regrets with this summer, and I’d do it again every time. It was all worth it. And now it’s time to keep fighting.

Fin.

Day 71. We awoke to music, and donuts bought by Walder because Shiqi got her bag out by 6:15. Breakfast was pretty much a freefrawl of bread, jelly, oatmeal, and other random food from the van. Graham, our treasurer, drove the van today so that all the riders were able to cross the finish line. The last pre-ride team meeting was held, and we brought it in for a team cheer. Rather than dedicating the ride to one specific individual today, we all reflected upon those for whom we ride. So many lives; so many reasons to ride a bicycle from sea to shining sea. So we set off for the last 21 miles of I4K, the supposed "hardest day ever" (that's a joke) involving ridiculous amounts of steep climbing. As it turns out, there were a few climbs, but it was all nothing compared with the crazy adrenaline running through the air.At last the bridge appeared, a red structure looming over the edge of a hill. We rode through the hilly city Sausalito, then reached the scenic overlook on the north side of the bridge. It's a surreal mix of feelings: melancholy and joy. Disbelief and awe. Exuberant teammates jumped around, hugging, and photos abounded. Alex Massey, our stuffed corgi mascot, nearly fell to his death in the bay below, but was recused. Several hundred photos later, we were rolling again. We made our way to the west sidewalk of the bridge, albeit getting lost along the way. Then the team rode across the bridge, in one very long pace line, reaching the south end to find a great receiving party. There ahead were many family and friends, signs celebrating our arrival, and cheering. Anne led the way across the bridge and promptly burst into tears along with a few of the rest of us, crying and laughing all at once.The celebration there was brief, and we descended a huge hill to Baker Beach. There we ceremoniously dipped our front wheels in the Pacific Ocean. Arthur threw a rock he had hit into the ocean, and we all cheered. Following the Baker Beach photo shoot, we carried/dragged our bikes through the deep sand... Now they were covered in sandy saltwater and the brakes were a bit janky. We rode back up the hill a few miles to greet our loved ones at Crissy Field. Additional confusion ensued concerning where on the large field to meet, but we all ended up in the same place. The Bay Area Alumni Club generously provided riders with Jimmy John's boxed lunches. After lingering for extended good-byes, the van was unloaded and we disassembled our bikes for a trip back to Illinois. Incredibly, all 20 bicycles fit with enough room for 3 van drivers.This team is amazing. We all now go our separate ways. Some riders will stay one or two nights at the stayover. Some are hanging with family or friends. Many of us graduated and have to move on to the real world, while others have semesters to come at the University of Illinois. Whatever may come in the future, we are united in our struggles and triumphs. We are forever a team, and this is who we are:Here is a summary of the 2014 Illini 4000 Trek Bike America Team, by the numbers (may involve minor estimation):- 4 mountain ranges crossed- 6 viewings of Pitch Perfect- 16 states- 20 riders & bicycles- 28 McDonalds- 30 portraits of people we met and were touched by their stories- 31.6 miles of climbing- 70 tubes- 71 days- 155 DQ Blizzards consumed- $472 saved at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market- 800+ pb&j sandwiches- 4489.6 miles- countless lives impacted, and people for whom we rodeI4K Records set:- Longest distance travelled in one day: 113 miles- Highest elevation reached: 10,276 feet- Longest distance travelled in four days consecutively: 371.7 miles- Most climbing in one day: 7,600 feetAlso, I'd like to conclude with a summary of inside jokes and hilarious experiences, also known as the rules of I4K. The team requested I put them on this blog post.1. There's always another hill.2. The stayover is always on the top of a hill.3. Sycamore Street is evil.4. Flush early, flush often.5. Man up.6. Groundhogs come in twos.7. Deserts are hot.8. If you say there's a lake, there must be a lake or you get 3 slaps.9. Anything that has the word 'pleasant' in its name isn't.10. If you drove any part of the day, you're not allowed to complain about that day.11. No self-fulfilling prophecies.12. Closing your eyes makes it so that you cannot be seen by: bears, mosquitos, dinosaurs, wind, fires, 12%+ grades, and volcanoes*13. Never read the rider contract.14. Pedal faster if you hear music.15. Food must not be wasted. Someone will eat it!16. No Drake-inspired rules.17. Follow the rules.* or youth pastorsThank you so much to the fabulous readers and supporters of our team. Thank you to everyone who helped us along the way! We could have never done it without you. Please remember that you can still donate to our cause online until the end of August - now that you can see we've actually accomplished the goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean! It's an incredible feeling to have spent the entire summer this way, and it's a summer none of us will ever forget. I4K out; until next summer!

Day 70

Ten weeks ago, we set out upon an epic journey. We left Central Park with intentions of reaching the Golden Gate Bridge. Then we stopped at In-N-Out Burger. For the last real ride day, David Walder's parents bought us all lunch, and it was fabulous to not eat peanut butter and jelly! In the blissful ignorance of not caring about time, we stayed awhile at the restaurant. It had finally warmed up when the sun came out for the second half of the ride, which was a bit hillier, but nothing we can't conquer after the past 2.5 months. We rode along with a cycling race today, which was weird. In past ride days, we've ridden in the opposite direction, but riding with the racers was really racy riding.Anne dedicated the ride to several family friends who had cancer. We arrived in San Anselmo early today, at the First Presbyterian Church. Marissa's parents bought us Thai food for dinner, and it was fabulous to not eat spaghetti and lentils. We also had showers and laundry at the stayover. There was a final meeting, which lasted awhile, but we brought up some very worthwhile ideas for future improvements of the organization.So, tomorrow we are riding to San Francisco. This is it... The bridge. Here are the We are going to be crossing the Golden Gate Bridge by 10:00, then the team will go to Baker Beach for photos at the Pacific Ocean. The reception party will be at West Bluff Amphitheater picnic area of Crissy Field. Our team will arrive at 11:00 at the field. The parking lot is at the west end of Mason Street. If you are planning to join us in this celebration, you can find out more here.

Day 69

Happy first day of August! We can't believe we've made it this far and summer is coming to a close! Eric dedicated the ride to Alex, a 5-year-old boy who won a four year fight against leukemia. We met him and his mom at Crater Lake National Park while making peanut butter and jelly, and both have become strongly involved with cancer support and research locally during their own battle with cancer.We are on the home stretch! Today is our last almost-century. But not a century; only 95 miles, with 4,400 feet of climbing. Around mile 75, we realized we were 100 miles away from San Francisco. We had some fun today, stopping at every rest stop for the full "fast food crawl" experience. This included Jack in the Box, a new restaurant for many of us. The ride was also through wine country, and we rode by many vineyards and wineries. Instead of grass, California has cacti and blackberry bushes, both of which are not too nice to bike tires. Today was long and extraordinarily hot, peaking at 104 degrees. Remember when we were freezing this morning and had to wear warmers?Tonight we got in late to Healdsburg, at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, which has a very steep uphill driveway. Then Connor's parents bought the team pizza: half of a Little Caesars pizza per rider!

The Story of A Story

I found the following blog post on my iPad. I wrote it before leaving home and never got around to posting it. Enjoy :)--“Everyone has a story.”This simple four-word phrase is the driving force behind Illini 4000's Portraits Project. Journalists use the phrase as a call to interview as many people as possible, and writers borrow it to explore new characters.And from this phrase comes a few great examples of capturing these stories:Louis “Studs” Terkel. In the 1970s, Terkel wrote “Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.” The book included interviews with everyday people from janitors and foremen to policemen and photographers. During World War II, he compiled interviews with people involved in the war effort to produce “The Good War.” And finally, by the time he was close to his own death, he explored mortality with doctors, morticians, mothers, etc. in a book called, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Studs Terkel was incredible in that he was a good writer, but more importantly, he was a great listener. In 2010, the Library of Congress announced its plan to digitally preserve over 7000 tape recordings of Terkel’s work. The Library called his work, "a remarkably rich history of the ideas and perspectives of both common and influential people living in the second half of the 20th century.” Humans of New York. Every day, 29-year old Brandon Stanton photographs strangers in New York. After taking their photos, Brandon learns more about them and posts these pictures and interviews on his Facebook page “Humans of New York.” With over 2.8 million likes, the page has been a catalyst for this type of everyday documentation. My high school yearbook even started “You Don’t Know the Half of It” to profile new students about once a week. What I love is that his work explores the idea that outside of our lives, our fears, our hopes and dreams, there are other people with their own lives and fears and hopes and dreams living their lives too. Stanton states, “My favorite compliment is that I photograph things that other people walk by everyday and don’t notice. But I photograph them and make them beautiful."And I think that’s the power of we do in Illini 4000. We aren’t just biking across the country to be dramatically athletic. Biking gives us the power to slow down and speak to whoever we want. As the Portraits Project States, we’re biking across the country in order to document the American Cancer Experience. As Studs Terkel and Brandon Stanton have no doubt learned and shown in their work, there is no singular “experience.” Everyone experiences cancer—whether it’s a victory, a loss, or somewhere in between—differently. There are countless people to talk to, different towns, states, and situations. What I hope to find at the end of the summer is that we’ve done what we can to add powerful voices to the Portraits Project. I want there to be stories that make you feel every emotion: laugh, cry, maybe laugh-cry, and hopefully change the way you think about your own life. 

Day 68

Happy I4Halloween and New Year's Eve! This morning we awoke in the last day of team camping. Kevin dedicated the ride out of Humboldt Redwoods State Park to his aunt, Luz. The first time cancer affected his life was when she was diagnosed ten years ago. Kevin is actually leaving tomorrow to go to the wedding of his cousin, the daughter of Luz.We rode out via the Avenue of the Giants, and alternated between redwood forests and sunny clearings all day. The redwood forests are such a sacred place, with incredible trees reaching up to ridiculous heights. They also tend to have winding roads without a shoulder. Apparently we climbed 6,000 feet, but the climbing was well-distributed throughout the day, with plenty of descending too. Towards the end of the day, we noticed helicopters carrying water towards a plume of smoke on a mountain. Soon, we were able to smell and see the smoke coming from the forest fire, and this resulted in several later groups being shuttled to the stayover.We are in this adorable hobbit-home dome of a church, called Community Christian Church. Upon arriving in Laytonville, California, we had shell-shaped pasta (not spaghetti!) and hot dogs for dinner. We ended the evening with a movie and popcorn.

Day 67

Leaving Forest Glen, we dedicated our day's ride to Blake's best friend, Cassie, whose has been having a difficult time since her father has been battling a terminal form of brain cancer (see Day 9 dedication) from last April. Her bubbly, fun-loving, free-spirited personality was one that can warm the soul of most anyone she encounters. In addition, may all children that have been thrust to be apart of their parents fight with cancer find inner-peace, strength, and unconditional love and hope to help weather the storm that lies ahead, and may the portraits that we collect along our ride (www.portraitsproject.org) let them know they are not alone in the fight.Today's warm-up was a 2,100-ft climb for the first seven miles. There was a lot of descending, too, down ridiculously steep hairpin turns. At these severe grades, even letting go of the brakes at all would result in flying at 40 mph, when the signs would instruct 10 mph... And we clung to our brakes in spite of the rough road. We descended to an elevation of 120 feet, the lowest we have been since before Nebraska. Around the halfway point, the trees suddenly grew taller and wider. We found ourselves in the magical land of the redwood forests. Throughout the ride, we passed by thousands of wild blackberry bushes, and we enjoyed the free food along the way. We took a lot of rest stops before and after entering the redwood forest. We left the Inner Northern California Coastal Range, and arrived in the land of the giants. On the Avenue of the Giants, we stopped at some very cool trees, including a 20-ft hollow stump we dubbed the "hot tub" and a fallen tree which had a hollow center to crawl through and roots to climb.Finally we arrived at Burlington Campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. There were showers, which was a good thing after climbing around those awesome trees. We got groceries: Blake provided s'mores (one chocolate bar per rider!) and Walder and Connor got hotdogs. This is our last camping day, and one of the most beautiful places we've stayed this whole trip.

Day 66

Happy Day 66! Today is the day we've all been waiting for dreading thinking about for many weeks. First United Methodist Church made us scrambled eggs and muffins for breakfast. There was watermelon and juice, too. We snapped a group photo, then headed out. It was already hot at 7am in Redding, California. One group stayed behind to record a portrait of Gayle who has been battling pancreatic cancer, and today's ride was dedicated to her.We spent most of our time on two steep, winding roads. There were 7,600 feet of climbing today, the single day record for I4K. As we braked around sharp curves on steep downhills, we admired the beautiful scenery, including a burned section of forest. The forest fire area was eerie, a land in grayscale, white with ash and black with tree skeletons. For several miles we rode through the burn from 2008, which looked and smelled as recent as though it had just happened. We stopped for lunch in Platina. The ranger station graciously donated ice and water to refill our coolers. During the lunch stop, one group met Fr. Martin (Russian Orthodox Priest) whose daughter, Julvina, is fighting Ewing's sarcoma, and he shared his story as a portrait with the group.It was a very hard day, but at last 70 miles was done and we found ourselves at the Forest Glen Campground in Trinity-Shasta National Forests. Forest Glen is a town of 22, and we doubled the population by camping. There is a small river here, and we bathed in it. Dinner was spaghetti and hotdogs. Tomorrow is our last day of camping! Oh, and also, today was the last day of I4K because there is a common saying that the "last 5 don't count."

Day 65

It may have started off a bit chilly, but today was one of the hottest days we have ever ridden in. Topping out at 105 degrees, apparently that's pretty average for Redding. Before leaving Mount Shasta this morning, we dedicated the ride to Sue Mejer, a friend of Grace's grandmother, Jan. Sue goes to the same church as Jan and has had two bouts with cancer and treatments. Jan has kept Sue and Grace's mother on the church's prayer list, and also has made displays and presentations about what the Illini 4000 team is doing to fight cancer.Today we descended into Redding, the northernmost city in the Sacramento Valley. Our starting elevation was 3,500 ft and we ended at 500 ft. Because of this, there was a lot of downhill, yet still 3,300 ft of climbing. We started the day off with a ridiculous little winding forest road that was extraordinarily steep and full of holes and random gravel patches. It was actually a bit of a relief when we got to the interstate I-5, which has a very wide shoulder. This is the road we spent the most time on today, including a patch of smooth newly-constructed road that wasn't even open to cars yet. It was a beautiful ride, with mountains all around the roadside dotted with blackberry bushes and fruit trees.Upon arriving at First United Methodist Church, we were welcomed by Peggy, who kindly offered to buy the team footlong sandwiches, chips, and, most importantly, cookies from Subway! We are blown away by this church's generosity. It is so great to be accepted with open arms... And food. Then, dripping with sweat, we drove the van in a few trips to the Shasta Family YMCA for free showers. Perhaps as we left in the several-minute van drive, we returned to the church just as sweaty as we had left. There was also a trip to the bike shop, and time to hand-wash clothing, which dried instantaneously in the dry heat. Around 6:00, a reporter from a local newspaper came and interviewed and photographed our team. Then, the church provided a potluck dinner. Community and church members came to meet us. It was exciting to talk to so many people interested in our cause. Blake gave a presentation about the Illini 4000, including the "What People Do" trailer and a recent portrait. There was another trip to Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, while some riders rode to see a glass bridge at dusk.

Day 64

We are in California! Yesterday for our last full day in Oregon, we stayed at The Ledge, an outdoor shop with a rock climbing gym called The Yeti's Lair. It is a really cool place to hang out and quite possibly the stayover in which we had the most fun. We were able to climb and get gear rentals for free during the two days we spent in Klamath Falls. It was a really chill rest day, seeing as it was also our last. We all got to sleep in on the squishy floor mats, and then we went about exploring the city. Fortunately, it was Saturday, so we could go to the farmers market. There we found lots of tasty treats, fruits, and vegetables. A few people we met also donated to our cause. The rest of the day, we explored, visited Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, and did team laundry. Then it was time for the I4Kristmas Secret Santa gift exchange! The gifts were primarily hilarious and also sometimes useful. Happy Boxing Day!This morning, we got up at 5:45 for the first time in a long while. It helped to have a playlist of songs about California going to remind us of the fun to come. Breakfast was milk and cereal, a tasty treat compared with the oatmeal we typically eat. Mike, the owner of The Yeti's Lair, dedicated today's ride to his friend Craig, who passed away last week from lung cancer. He also has several other friends and family who are currently battling cancer. Then we biked to and took a group photo at Dutch Brothers, a coffee place down the block we visited many times while in Klamath Falls. Mike kindly bought us all coffee for the duration of our stay, and Dutch Brothers provided a discount for him too. Then we left our final Oregon stayover and headed towards the California border.Several days ago, halfway though the ride day, the hazy outline of a snow-capped mountain appeared among the bluish foothills. The mountain appeared far away, but little did we know it was over 100 miles away. Today, Mount Shasta was our North Star. As we approached the 14,180-foot high peak, we rolled into California at mile 17. What an amazing feeling, to finally be in our 16th and final state! Emotions were running high as we entered an extraordinarily gorgeous state, the one in which we will finally reach the Pacific Ocean.The ride was beautiful today. It involved 3,000 feet of climbing, and also a whole lot of long descents as well. We approached the mountain, then skirted it - thank goodness the road doesn't go over the mountain! Despite being 82 miles, time passed quickly with the scenery. We stopped for food in the town of Weed and ended the day in Mount Shasta, CA. We are now at Hope Community Church. Dinner was bow-tie pasta, and our favorite: lentils, which we haven't had since Bend.BY THE WAY we hit 4,000 miles today!!!We have been featured in the Bend TV news channel! Click here to see it.

DEATH BY CAT FOOD

"That'll be four dollars"I sat down with my overprice frosted flakes (of corn) across from a man with a baseball cap, a motor freight company T-shirt, and jeans. Not paying much mind to each other, I poured my milk and ate my cereal in relative silence, listening to the conversations of Amtrak workers also in the lounge car."This guy knows how to make up time", one of them said. That's good to know considering this ride is a long one as it is. Apparently the same conductor made up a five hour delay.Finishing my still overpriced Kellogg's breakfast, I looked around the outdated interior of this so-called lounge. Nothing was falling apart, that I could tell. It all just looked in need of a modernization.Then I heard a somewhat raspy voice from across the table."You heading all the way to New York? Albany?""No, all the way to the city.""You from there?""I'm actually from the Chicagoland area heading to New York to start a bike ride across the country with a team of nineteen others to raise money for cancer research."A minute passes."You travel much?""Yeah, I'm a cross country truck driver, well, was. Now I just pick up trucks. Been on this train since 8:30 yesterday morning."And I though I had a long ride."It's a good job though. They pay for all of my travel and food expenses. I clock in for twenty one dollars an hour from then until when I bring their truck back. Sometimes they need repairs, sometimes not. But never take a truck with a load. That's government stuff, and a good way to get yourself shot, quick. I'll only take it if it's just the cab."Another couple of minutes pass. He pulls out his phone then slides it my way. On the flip phone screen is a picture of a truck that had hit the legs of a bridge. Written under it were the simple words: this happened."Closed the highway for six hours. The entire truck was split down the center. 65 miles per hour. His side ran into the pillars. Couldn't even get an autopsy. Everything on his side of the engine compartment was slammed his way, not to mention the load of cat food he was carrying in the trailer that was still hurling at the pilar at 65.""What a way to go. Death by cat food."I sat there for longer than I realized, staring at the sights that Ohio has to offer, or rather, the lack thereof. Then with a smile and a nod, I was on my way back to my seat with my team.

Day 62

Merry I4Kristmas! Today's ride was dedicated to friends of Walder's mother. Bevin is currently in hospice care for breast cancer, and her husband Rich has been with her every step of the way. It was a perfect day to sleep in because we had a short ride day. We woke up at 7:45, which was wonderful.The ride was 55 miles, mostly downhill then flat, into Klamath Falls. Here we are in Klamath Falls, after our last full ride day in Oregon. We are at a rock climbing gym called The Ledge! They were very welcoming to us, and friends of the gym baked us chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. This place has a shower, and the floor is made of crash pads (basically mattresses) for us to crash on tonight. Some I4K alumni sent us a package of letters! It was a complete surprise to us riders to receive personalized letters from the previous riders, and was encouraging. We went out to dinner at various places including The Creamery. It's a good night to explore everything Klamath Falls has to offer. Tomorrow is our last rest day, so there will be no Day 63 blog.

Day 61

There is no cell service, so this blog has been posted a day late.It was frigid when we woke up at 7:15. We slept in to somewhat avoid the cold, although it was in the 40s as we rolled out of the tents. Somehow we avoided freezing to death, and had a special treat for breakfast - milk and cereal! We ate standing in the sun, laundry room, or van to keep warm. The cold weather quickly abated as we rolled out and had to take off all the warm clothes we had never yet worn on the trip. Today we rode in memory of Mitchel Christensen, whose mother, Sophia Georgio, we had the pleasure of meeting back in Hazelton, ID on day 51 of our ride. Today would have been Mitchel's golden birthday. Since he was 8 1/2 months old he had been battling neuroblastoma while always maintaining an extremely positive attitude which was contagious to everyone he encountered.Today was the best day ever. We rode to Crater Lake National Park, which was only 64 miles! The first part was on the same road as yesterday (US-97) with a tailwind, then we turned at mile 28 onto a road that went on seemingly forever. It was the road that climbed up to the park. We ended up climbing a long distance at a relatively forgiving grade, and it was totally worth it for the view of Crater Lake. This lake is completely indescribable. It is the cleanest, bluest lake that we've ever seen. And it is a volcano inside another volcano, which is totally rad. We hiked up to a lookout and looked out upon the beautiful landscape, for miles upon miles. We could almost see California, and feel the excitement of final days to come. We are in Oregon for longer than any other state.After climbing a lot, we descended on a road with many steep drop-offs and switchbacks. We finally arrived at Mazama Campground, where we pitched tents at the campsites... After a fiasco of not knowing which sites were ours. We ate hotdogs, danced the night away, and toasted the marshmallows Marissa and Christy bought for the team!

Day 60

Today's ride is dedicated to several people Blake met last night at the First United Methodist Church. Bob's sister, Marilyn, passed away from lung cancer in 2003. We also are riding for Janet's friends Sherri, a 12-year survivor of lung cancer; and Barbara, who recently was declared to be in remission from lung cancer.It was cold when we woke up, and the temperature got down to 54 deg over the course of the day. It rained a lot today. Then it rained some more. But when we first got on the Dalles-California Highway after meandering (we most certainly didn't get lost) through the city of Bend, we had enough climbing to warm us up a bit. During the first rest stop, we brought up the idea of stopping in the town of Crescent to camp. Earlier we were unsuccessful in finding a stayover, so we had planned to ride out of our way to Crescent Lake. A giddy energy filled our group as we considered the possibility of cutting 24 miles off of today's planned 71-mile ride. So Connor drove the van to Crescent in search of a campsite, and we rode on to the town of La Pine, where we hunkered down at McDonalds.After breakfast ended and we had begun ordering from the lunch menu, news came. "Campsite confirmed; showers included," declared Walder. A tumultuous uproar of cheers exploded from our group; we had just won the Super Bowl it seemed. We waited awhile for the rain to end, but it didn't. The Best Western hotel invited us into their lobby, so we relaxed there for another long while.Finally after many hours of chilling, we got back on the road and headed to Crescent, where we pitched our tents at Crescent RV Park. We got in so early that there was a lot of time to explore the small community. The Mohawk Restaurant was the dinner joint of choice for most of the team, but spaghetti was made as well. We are freezing out here, so we plan to sleep in a bit to avoid the cold tomorrow.

Day 59

Last night water fell from the sky. This stuff called rain is something we haven't seen in several weeks. Then at 1am, we awoke to a horrific sound, one similar to that of a high school fire alarm. Apparently when someone walked down the hallway at night, a security alarm was triggered. For many long minutes, the small gymnasium was filled with the piercing noise, until it ran out. Then at the 5:45 wake-up, the sound repeated itself until a school staff member came and disarmed the alarm. We chowed down on oatmeal for breakfast, then brought our bikes out of the Paulina School. Paulina is an unincorporated community of 136 people, and the tiniest place we've stayed in. They treated us very well and we enjoyed the stay. We dedicated the ride today to a rider's aunt who passed away from cancer.The first part of the 90-mile ride was a lot of descending. We ended up at a little place called Post. Although it had no cross street, there was a general store. We got food and snacks there, then moved onto a long climb to a summit. Descending, we found ourselves returned to civilization in Prineville. Tastee Treet was the lunch joint of choice, having burgers, fries, and, most importantly, milkshakes.Then, as we rode through mountainous foresty desert to Bend, storms were brewing in the distance. At that point, tube-pocalypse 2.0 occurred, with nearly half the team getting flats. Still we carried on, with one group stopping to find shelter from the ominous thunder and lightning. A nice couple let this group into their home and kindly let them wait out the storm.We arrived at First United Methodist Church, which has showers! Bend is a cool city, and it's actually (intentionally or not) the place where our route bends, going south rather than west from here onward.

When It All Comes Together

Why do bad things happen?  Why does human life have to be so fragile?  Sometimes the bad news in life can be so disheartening.  And it's in times of grief and loss that we have to remember the victories too.  Yesterday I rode for my mom's coworker and friend, who is a survivor of ovarian cancer.  I also found out towards the end of the ride that a classmate I knew from high school died in a drunk driving accident.  As I found out the awful news, all I could do was simply carry on riding my bicycle.  I prayed for the family and friends affected by the deaths of these young people, and spent some time processing the loss, considering all that they had meant to various people in my life.  In this short time on earth, we all have limited opportunities to impact others, and Mihir brought joy and fun to the lives of many.Whenever I fall into the mindset that I'm just on this trip to have fun, something pulls me back to reestablish the necessary perspective.  For instance, we normally have an "event day" once a week, but don't really do anything but rest and hang out.  I am incredibly grateful to Ryan for coordinating a real event day with the Saint Alphonsus Hospital.  We toured around the hospital, meeting patients and doctors.  More details can be seen on the team blog for Day 54, which has so many medical details in it because I took notes at the hospital and was really interested by all the equipment used.The time at the hospital was an emotional one for me, particularly the infusion (chemo) room.  While my mom was receiving treatment (poisonous drugs) for her cancer, I was in school.  I felt that I could never be there for her, but rather far away in Champaign-Urbana.  It was a trying time for our family.  My mom was strong, and she would tell me how she was doing from afar... germs cannot be spread through a phone call.  My dad always brought her to chemo at Northwestern Hospital.  She described the room to me: a nice view, and a comfortable chair, but she had suite mates, and they were often the same people each of the 6 times she went in.  Seeing Saint Alphonsus' room was an actual picture of the verbal picture my mom had painted earlier.  I think it's a very hard place to be, to come in and receive the drugs which make patients so sick.  All this I thought, despite the positive atmosphere throughout the hospital.I realized at that point that cancer is multifaceted emotionally and physically.  At the hospital, we met an incredible variety of caregivers: infusion and radiation nurses, physicians, oncologists, nutritionists, social workers, pharmacists, and many more.  People need each other in cancer times more than other times in life.  And cancer is a charged word.  To some people cancer brings back memories of fear and pain; for others it means conquering an enemy.  For such a dynamic grouping of diseases, there are millions of people in the world who strive to make a difference by helping these people.  A number of the professions I learned about at the hospital sounded interesting to me, and I have begun to doubt my absolute confidence in my career goals.  It's good to keep my options open.  I know that no matter what I do, God will give me the opportunity to help others.Finally, a few comments on the state of the ride:- I am SO pleased to be back in mountains and forest... if I haven't made that clear enough through the team blog.- I have a new chain and cassette (the gears in the back), and I got them for free through Trek Care Plus!- My left arm is having shooting pains from my wrist, through my elbow and up to my shoulder.  Not sure why; just dealing with it using a wrist brace for now.- I love cycling, but home is starting to sound like a good idea!

Day 58

We woke up after camping in John Day, Oregon.  Ryan dedicated the ride today to his aunt, Christine, who passed away from her battle with aggravated cellular lymphoma.We re-entered the desert today after passing through the Malheur National Forest.  We were sad to leave the beautiful shade of the trees, but some clouds covered us for the rest of the day.  Early on, we encountered some other cyclists traveling across the United States.  Esther Tacke and Warren Sanders have been touring various countries for 4 years.  Their blog can be found here.  They too were riding from John Day to the tiny town of Paulina, to avoid the forest fires in Ochoco National Forest - the place where our campsite burned down.We climbed a lot today, over the course of the 81-mile day.  Upon arriving at Kurt's General Store, we got the keys to Paulina School, home of the Buckaroos.  We are grateful to the town for hosting us so last-minute.

Day 57

Today's ride is dedicated to Grace's mother's coworker and friend, Barb, who is a survivor of ovarian cancer. She has been an advocate for cancer support and a great help to Grace's family.Today was a day of many gears. We finally left the desert and found a forest - the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Baker City to John Day, Oregon was quite similar to day 5 in that there were 3 steep mountains to climb, this time in the Blue Mountains rather than the Appalachians. Before the first mountain, we stopped at the Snack Shack of the Union Creek Campground. The people there were kind to us and many of us bought a second breakfast. Then we began climbing. Several mountains later, we turned off the main road and found a beautiful sign: ice cream.At Austin House Café & Country Store, we met Lynn who is a survivor of stomach cancer. He was a cowboy and he is glad to still be breathing. Thankful for life, every day is a good day. We also met Cindy, a missionary who is a survivor of ovarian cancer. The people we heard from today are so brave because they put their trust in God. Also at the café, all of us ended up getting delicious lunch and ice cream for desert. It was a nice break from peanut butter and jelly, especially on a difficult day.After we had climbed and descended 3 mountains of ~1,000 feet each, we found a cool covered wagon photo-op. Then unfortunately the rest of the ride was less downhill than expected and had a huge headwind. But a pleasant surprise met us in John Day. We planned to camp at Clyde Holliday State Park, but there was room at the county fairgrounds. That cut 7 miles off our ride; actually 14 because we would have had to backtrack tomorrow morning.Once all the groups were in, we used the $75 of McDonald's gift cards donated by Connor's family to get dinner for the team. It was a fun field trip, with the entire team in the van and then eating McDoubles, McChickens, and fries. Fortunately, Oregon has no sales tax, so we ended up cutting a good deal from the dollar menu. We sometimes talk about what we miss most from home, and the top ones on the list besides friends and family are normal food and a bed. For the time being, we are simply content to eat whatever food comes our way that has enough calories to replenish the thousands spent daily. Tomorrow we go to Paulina, a small town south of Ochoco National Forest.

Day 56

We left Canada today... Just kidding, this Ontario is in Oregon. We dedicated the ride to Josh's aunt, Ellie, who passed away from cancer several years ago. During the ride, we also met someone who is actually from Canada. The couple we spoke with are from southern Ontario and road tripping in the US. The man told us about how his brother passed away from colon cancer and also the many people he had cared for during their battles with cancer. He was grateful for his opportunity to take care of family and friends going through the disease.Do you remember when it used to be cold at the beginning of I4K? It rained sometimes and we were quite chilly up in those Appalachia Mountains. Well, those days are something of the past. Today we faced large hills, heat, and headwinds, for 80 miles. We climbed out of Treasure Valley, from desert to more desert. Today we entered the Pacific Time Zone. We also departed from the Snake River at the Farewell Bend. This is where the Oregon Trail pioneers left the river too. We rode on I-84 for the final time today, but will return briefly to an interstate when we reach California. Traveling through the only town, Huntington, we met the gas station attendant who pumps gas because it is illegal to pump your own gas in this state. There's also no tax on food here. We saw the Blue Mountains, which are snow-capped. It's been awhile since we have seen snow. Snow is made of water... Something that was lacking today. We actually ran out of water towards the day's end and ride groups had to go to random houses to request the good old H2O.We are now in Baker City at St. Francis Catholic Church. The school has a gym which we've taken over. There are also showers here! Several trips to Dairy Queen and grocery stores later, we ended up having an early bed time because of the time change. We're really excited to camp tomorrow for the first time in 9 days because we have new tents.