Today we had a rest day in Rochester, Mn. I know that Rochester isn't in our original list of stops, but we came because of Mayo clinic. Redeemer Lutheran was nice enough to allow us to sleep in their building for two days despite having a wedding, a funeral, and a church service. Because it was a rest day, we were able to sleep in. When people woke up, they mostly wandered off, and continued on their own all day. Several people visited bike stores, a Chipotle, and a Panera Bread. For dinner, we all went to somebody's house. They had offered us dinner after some team members met them in a coffee shop. We then got a massive food donation from a Panera. Overall, Rochester is the friendliest place I can remember visiting.
Rochster, MN
The last few days have been awesome! Wisconsin has provided some of the best riding yet, and Minnesota (in particular the Mississippi valley) is beautiful. Some of the cool things that have happened include Paul's hospitality in Lacrosse-he, his wife and his community provide nice meals for us, and Paul joined us for the ride-out toward Rochester this morning.
We were also able to celebrate Ben's birthday today in style, thanks to the coop in town. They provided us with some cake mix, and other supplies for our meal. I have been very impressed with the generosity of the people we've met in all of the communities we've stayed at!
This is a shot of the bridge we took over the Mississippi. The ride was gorgeous, in spite of the early departure. We pressed on and rode strong through many of the surprising hills in MN, and in spite of my two flats I had in one day! The weather was great for our ride, and the terrain was enjoyable to tour through. Unfortunately, our projected tour of the Mayo clinic was cancelled. We made the best of it by clearing out the slushy machines at the BP in Chester on our way into town. We took our time for the remaining distance; Brad, Praveen, Jay and Ben enjoyed a game of Chinese poker at the picnic bench outside of the gas station.
This evening's dinner was amazing. Connie and Andrea prepared the vegetarian meal, and Dana baked Ben's cake. We all had generous, healthy helpings, and look forward to our rest day here in Rochester!
Until next time,
John
Minnesota
OK quick post. Came to Minnesota, crossed the Mississippi, cycled through some hills and found a Panera Bread. Connie and Andrea cooked (they switched cooking duty for cooler duty with Fei and I) which was good for all parties considered.
Pictures:
Mayo Clinic:
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Today was probably one of the worst days of my life, I killed a squral, and I feel so bad all I want to do is, cry. It got in the way of my tire I swerved, he/she swerved and my tire collided with it’s neck. I struggled for a few minuets and than it died, and nothing I do will bring it back. I never thought that my reckless behavior could contribute to the death of an innocent animal. I wish I could have baled out. I don’t deserve to ever feel happy ever again. This makes me the biggest hypocrite ever considering I’m a vegan who thinks non-violence is the highest form of morality. Well anyway I am writing out of sadness not rationality right now. Diner was good and we saw the mayo clinic. And there was some nice scenery on the way in and I hate myself right now
Reedsburg
Today was a beautiful ride through the Wisconsin countryside. We enjoyed traveling through the dairy heartland of the U.S., and the terrain provided for some great aesthetics. We also bore witness to some of the less pleasant side effects of the flooding-our support vehicle was out of commission for much of the day due to detours, and we had to walk our bikes through a wiped-out roadway (See the team photos!). This provided for added adventure, and make nice memories for our trip, but our heart goes out for all those families in Wisconsin seriously affected by the flooding.We had lunch near the 60 mile mark, near the peak of a long climb. The lead group left lunch feeling great, and took off at pace toward Reedsburg. We stopped for some delicious bagged milk (sealed in plastic bags instead of bottles), which tasted amazingly fresh. We had a long, relaxing stop at the Kwik Trip, and arrived at the church to a nice reception.Ben and I were responsible for the meal today (Thanks to Drew Webster for his awesome support of the team in Fitchburg yesterday!). We re-heated some leftover pasta dishes, and prepared some beans for protein. I'm looking forward to burning the meal off tomorrow, and then some! We'll be in Lacrosse...stay tuned!
I have internet!
Hello again. Today I'm writing from Reedsburg Wisconsin.
Since the last time I wrote, a lot has happened. We had several gorgeous days in Illinois with strong tailwinds, and we had a rest day in Chicago. We also had a ride along on father's day, and a hospital visit the next day. Now we are busy moving through Wisconsin,which has many more hills than I thought.
On a side note, if you are ever in Wisconin near LaCrosse, look for bags of fresh milk. Its still pasturized and everything, but it's fresher, and it tastes better.
Matt
Dairy time
Today we biked from Fitchburg, WI (a suburb of Madison) to Reedsburg, WI. The trail started with a nice stretch through an arboretum, then continued past the university. The roads got rocky for a while, but then smoothed out. The riding was very scenic and the temperatures were ideal. Many people commented that it was one of their favorite riding days. Our fearless leader, Jon Schlesinger, said "In 9 years of cycling, this was my favorite ride."
At the end of our ride, Matt, John and I stopped at a gas station. Since we're in Wisconsin, we went ahead and bought a bag of milk. Delicious!
Almost forgot about the broken road we came across:
Flat Illinois into hilly Wisconsin
I just wrote a long blog and it all somehow deleted before I could submit it, so I'll try again!
Riding into Chicago on Friday was fun, despite many flats from glass on the road. It was great to arrive at Millenium Park and be greeted by so many people! Thanks Dad, Jenny, Granny, Papa, Mary and Mr. Schindler for coming. It was wonderful to see you there and know that so many people support this trip!
I thoroughly enjoyed my day off in Chicago by relaxing at home with Ewan, minimizing the time spent working on my bike as much as possible, eating lots of delicious food (thanks Mom), and sleeping. It was hard to leave on Sunday. Reaching Chicago was an important and celebratory landmark of our trip and in a some ways seemed like the end of the trip while leading up to it. However, we were about one third of the way through in Chicago and the hardest parts are yet to come.
A couple parts of the last couple days stand out, such as reaching Wisconsin and almost immediately finding ourselves on hills. It has actually been really nice to be on hills again, as these don't compare to what we've done already. It was nice to work hard to climb after days of being pushed along by the wind, and the downhills aren't nearly as scary as before. The roads we've been on are mostly low-traffic and smooth which helps a lot.
When we were close to the Wisconsin border, the entire team except for about 3 people reached a dead end which didn't match up with our cues. We were unsure where to go, but luckily there was a 6th grade boy named Matthew there who was eager to show us the way. He got on his mountian bike, went home to get his helmet, and then led all 17 of us plus the van with its hazard flashers on down a busy street. We held up lots of traffic as we were going about 4 mph. Soon he reached as far as he was allowed to bike, so then he pointed us in the right direction. It was a funny situation, especially after being frustrated by biking on a busy road full of potholes.
That night we arrived at Lake Geneva and all jumped in the lake! It was cold but fun to swim around and then take warm showers and eat delicious food at Brad's lake house. Thanks so much Mr. and Mrs. Topol and Andrea's mom for the hospitality! It was amazing.
Yesterday's ride was pretty nice but longer than expected because of missing a turn and a lack of mileage on the cues. Today's ride was mostly really nice with some challenging hills. After leaving Madison, we rode on smooth roads through farms and passed through many small towns, some of them Amish. My group had a scare near the end when some type of insect, over an inch long, flew into Sany's ear. It was so far in we couldn't see it, but she could feel it beating against her ear drum. We weren't sure what to do, but finally decided to drip some water in there which caused it to crawl out. It was a crazy situation which I hope never happens again. However now we'll know what to do if it does happen again!
Hopefully this blog wors this time...
back with the team
i find it strange and a bit offsetting that i can't view or edit my older posts, which is why i'm reluctant about using the official website instead of something else to blog. however, at the request of my dear mother, i've decided to post an update. i'd also like to take this chance to say that my personal blogger is not associated with and does not reflect the views or opinions of the illini 4000.
so, that being said - we're currently in reedsburg, wisconsin (population 9000). i took a few days off in chicago to take care of some personal business and rejoined the team last night in madison. and it's great to be back! spending time with my family was wonderful but i'm ready to start the "second leg" of the trip and make our way north before heading into south dakota. we met a nice group of people today that were doing a day ride and one woman mentioned that she had done a cross country trip some years back from oregon to maine! she had plenty of route advice to give us but i can't say i'm really the person to go to about that. two more days of riding and it's another rest day!
JUNE IS DAIRY MONTH!!
What a perfect day for bicycles!! And merry-go-rounds (rustic, homemade, tire swing-bench)!!Today was 75 degrees and sunny, with winding country roads, very few potholes and limited traffic. We rode from Fitchburg to Reedsburg under clear blue skies and just a few obstacles. Go to the photo gallery to see images of the obstacle course we encountered. Unfortunately, all of the news we heard about the flooding turned out to be true. County road PF was completely washed out and collapsed due to the immense amount of rain. Despite missing sections of road, the ride was spectacular. For many of the riders, today was one of their favorites.As we passed through the small town (pop. <100) of Denzer, a few of the groups coincidentally all stopped at this rustic merry go round. Go to the photo gallery to see images of this adventure.We were so close to Reedsburg when a few riders stopped abruptly. It's not uncommon to wind up with a few bugs in your mouth or maybe one in your eye. but a bug in your ear?? Sandra Moxley had the luck today to find out what it's like to have a bug in your ear... Fortunately, we were able to remove the bug, and no damage was done to Sandy's ear.After we all made it to Reedsburg, we had a filling dinner prepared by John and Ben, with live music performed by John while we ate. Following daily traditions, a large group of us walked to the local ice cream shop for a homemade treat, a perfect way to celebrate Dairy Month!
Can I have a slice of cheese with that order?
Wisconsin!!! Or Wisco as I like to call it. Just outside of Madison we are staying the night in Fitchburg. Coming from Lake Geneva last night we were able to get in early today and have a good rest. Since I haven't blogged in a while, these last few days have been extremely busy.
To start off, Chicago. Sweet home Chicago. It was wonderful seeing the city again, screaming ILL-INI down Michigan Avenue as pedestrians and motorists took interest. As we arrived at the bean with our amazing fans, we were promtly told by Millenium Park security to not ride on our bikes, however that didn't stop us from a great entrance into Chicago. From there we went to the UIC medical center where we were able to talk to a few of the doctors and nurses that specialize in pediatric oncology. It was very interesting to talk to one of the nurses, in depth, about what she does and how she copes with childhood cancer. The best way she described it was that although we lose 1 in 5 children, who have cancer, we save 4. It gives you hope and a better statistical odds than not surviving.
With a day off in Chicago the following day, I took a trip home to clean up, wash my clothes (which is always helpful when it has been several days), and to sleep in a bed. Odd as it may seem, I was so used to sleeping on the ground, the bed was almost too soft....almost.
Arriving back at the UIC dorms on Saturday night after a relaxing day off, we prepared for our ride along to Highland Park the next day. Excited to have other people to ride with, family and friends, the day seemed to be well planned out...except for the weather. Nasty storms blew through the city, several of us have amazing pictures of the crazy clouds we saw, and as we hid in alcoves across from Millenium Park, where the ride started, the rain and hail finally seemed to lighten after half an hour or so. Although still sprinkling we all continued and met everyone who was to be joining us on the ride along. Thankful for great company and a good sense of humor about the rain and mud, we took our trip to Highland Park.
Recently, the most exciting part of the trip has been the oncology visits we had at various hospitals. Evanston Northwestern Hospital in Highland Park, however, treated us to a VIP behind the scenes tour. Photographed with Livestrong bracelets and treated to a great tour, I was able to see how people receive and cope with cancer. Seeing patients receive chemotherapy and radiation was a new experience, one that I don't think I will ever forget. Seeing people push through the pain, with loved ones beside them, we were continuously thanked for what we are doing. These people who deal with the pain and suffering are the reason for our trip. They inspire us, with their positive attitudes and outlooks to continue on. I know that without the efforts and strife of these cancer patients to take part in clinical trials, we look forward to the future to cure cancer.
From an inspirational tour, and a wonderful discussion with a panel of doctors and survivors, we trekked on towards Lake Geneva, WI. Although arriving late, most of us jumped in Lake Geneva for an evening swim, bike shorts and all. From Lake Geneva, we have been back on a regular schedule of waking up at 6 and traveling on towards our next destination.
Through the new rolling hills of Wisco I realized that there are reasons to push ourselves. There are reasons to change and reasons to explore other opportunities. A reaction for one person may be different for another, but that is normal. Taking on a summer of riding a bike may seem crazy to some, but perfectly normal to others. Life doesn't have all the answers for why people act the way they do, or why we act the way we do. It is okay, however, to wonder and to imagine what could be, but also to work towards these ideas if that is what is truly important to you.
"...I want to make the most out of each day. I want to explore and find passion for each day. I want to inpire others to perservere in the worst of times, because we mend. Our hearts and bodies and souls can mend. It just takes time." - June 15, 2008
Madison, WI
Today we arrived in a town not too far away from Madison, WI. We stayed at Brad's lake house yesterday in Geneva, which was tons of fun. We all got to sleep on beds and had great chili from Andrea's mom. Yesterday, however, also marked the end to flat lands as we started seeing more and more rolling hills. Wiconsin turned out to be much more fun to ride through than Illinois even though the roads were filled with potholes and gravel. As we leave the midwest, we are all excited/nervous with anticipation for the less populated states in the west, such as Montana and South Dekota. We are expected to camp more and have less access to things like shower and internet.
Today, one of the riders from last year came over and took us all to dinner at Noodles. Noodles Company generously gave us a big discount on our meals and free fountain drinks. We ended the dinner with a chili sause eating competition, which left a few people in pain including myself. Our next state is going to be Minnesoda, which should be tons of fun.
Wisconsin
Hello from Fitchburg, Wisconsin! Since my last post we have crossed into our 10th state and are currently just south of Madison. The team departed Highland Park yesterday morning and headed to Evanston Northwestern Healthcare for a tour, breakfast and a sit down panel with some doctors, nurses and cancer survivors. It was extremely informative and well worth the delay in the riding schedule! At about 11am we departed the hospital to begin our 60+ mile ride to Lake Geneva, WI. The first part of the day consisted of riding on bike paths before we took to the open back roads for the second half of the ride. Around 2pm well pulled over to the side of the road and enjoyed bagels for lunch. I need to note that I opened up my rhubarb pie for eating and a few of us made rhubarb pie bagel sandwiches! After lunch as we were approaching the Wisconsin State line we got lost but thankfully out of nowhere a 10-year old named Matthew appeared on a bicycle and after getting his mother's approval and his helmet rode us about 1/2 a mile down the road and pointed us in the right direction. Matthew if your reading this - YOU SAVED THE DAY! When we arrived at Brad's lake house the majority of us went for a quick swim in Lake Geneva before another amazing dinner prepared by Brad's mother and father and Andrea's mom. This was followed by Smore's!
Today began bright and early with a pancake/french toast breakfast prepared by Brad's parents. After a few photos we were on our way ready for a short 60+ mile day that turned into a 77 mile day!! I'm not sure if it was the weather or maybe I'm just allergic to the state of Wisconsin because I was extremely tired all day. We stopped somewhere around mile 50 for lunch on the side of the road where I had peanut butter and jelly with Moxley cookies in the middle. (While my mom won't send pie in the mail she has sent the team cookies!) After lunch the hills seemed to become more and more frequent and I was extremely happy to see the church by the time we reached mile 77. My bag seems to have grown a bit in the past few days after receiving a box that my parents sent me and while I'm waiting to find a post office to send it home it's become an art to fit it all in. One of the extra things in my bag was handlebar tape so after arriving today I gave my bike a facelift and I now have boring black tape on the handlebars as I have removed the dirty light blue tape that kept insisting that it fall off. I then took a short nap only to wake up to a cameo appearance by the one and only Drew Webster (I4K '07)! Drew and noodles & company treated the entire team to dinner which was amazing - a BIG thank you to both Drew and noodle & company! Drew also told me that he has peanut butter ice cream in the freezer for us here at the church - Drew you Rock!!! I have to mention that Praveen is letting me use his laptop to update this and some photos so Praveen you rock too!
I have too many photos to upload them all to my album right now (hopefully I'll find a library on our next rest day to catch up on that) so here are a few from the past few days. There are a few new pictures in the album but there are many more to come!
Ride-a-long with 2007 I4K alum. (Nick, Anish, Jon, Sean, Sandy, Keith)
2008 Team at the Bean in Chicago
Me and my Ice Cream Art in Highland Park
WI
We are already in Wisconsin. Last couple of days was awesome for me. I could meet a lot of family of team members while we were in Illinois. I won't forget all of these meetings. Especially, Connie's family invited me to the home dinner and John Kollinski family invited me to BBQ party. Because of them , I really enjoyed rest day. Thank you.
Badgerland
We rode into Madison, WI today. The weather was cold for the morning and heated up during the day. There were more hills than I expected but it was a shorter day. At least we have some down time to catch our breath. It seems like too many days we ride in and don't have that much free time. Of course this is to be expected for the milage we put in most days. We stayed at my parent's lake house in Lake Geneva yesterday which turned out pretty well. Most of us took a jump into the lake and had a good time. My clothes are still wet but they are sun-drying so everything should be good for tomorrow. I guess that I've been a little absent in my blogging but most times there is only one computer and usually i just want to play a game of hearts and go to bed. I would like to say something a little more deep than just our daily routine.I joined this ride because initially because I though that biking across the country was pretty badass. And it is, but there is this cause all behind our riding and daily schedule. Our donations to our charities and spreading awareness is what this ride is all about. But just like one of our riders said I felt like it was the extra bonus that comes with this group. I did this ride to do something great and give purpose to myself. Before this ride I had never had a personal experience with cancer. Several family members have had things but I have been very sheltered. Cancer to me was this big black cloud that hurt and killed people. By participating in this ride I was doing something good against this big thing that was bad. As I have rode almost 1500 miles I am beginning to understand the American cancer experience. I cannot begin to tell you what it is like to meet the people that I have met along this journey. As a large group of youngsters biking in matching jerseys we are a naturally curious item. I have been approached countless times by anyone who is wondering what we are doing. It is incredible how many individuals have opened up to me after I tell them about our ride. I met a woman in PA after we stopped for lunch and she told me about her sister that she had lost to rectal cancer in January. There was another woman sheltering with us in a gas station during a lightning storm who had been diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks earlier. A librarian in Carnegie started to come to tears when talking about one of her friends who had lost her fight. There have been many more incredible people that I have met along the way. All of the hospital visits that we have made are changing what we thought we knew about cancer. 15% of positive mammograms will appear negative, 80% of positive mammograms will be negative and usually require an expensive biopsy. The pediatric cancer cure rate is 80%. The cancer survival rate for ages 15-30 hasn't risen at all in 30 years. I have definitely changed over this last month and hope to continue to see the American cancer portrait in the coming weeks.
Illinois - Wisco
Wisco is a little bit hilly but we can handle it. I rode with Brad and Steve for the most of the time. At the beginning I felt really good but the last 10 miles became so annoying. (They needed to slow down) haha. It took us so long to figure out where is CR-MM.
Jon S told us to watch out for TIC. 6-feet wired bug.
Church is nice. I got showered, washed my dirty clothes. It was actually a good day. I built up a lot confidence because I realized how strong I became. Thanks to the hills in Penn.
Jon S can literally fall asleep anywhere. I can totally imagine him walking in the room and all of sudden fell on the floor and fall in asleep. Jon K slept like a mummy - hands crossed over his chest.
Here, there, everywhere
My last blog was a long time ago, so I'll try to make up some ground here in reverse chronological order. We just entered Wisconsin and it's hillier than I thought it would be. A lot of the roads are in worse than poor condition, but they got better as we came into the suburbs of Madison. Before this, we rode into Lake Geneva where we had a stayover at Brad Topol's place. His parents were amazing hosts and had great food for vegetarians and carnivores alike. The vegetarian chile was exceptionally fantastic: there were beans, tofu bits and lots of seasoning. We jumped into the lake which might have been a mistake since my clothes haven't dried, but I don't regret it - the swim was fun. We had some trouble with directions and our route, but a hero came to the rescue. We met a 14-year-old who took the lead and took us to the border of Wisconsin, at which point he turned back because he wasn't allowed to progress any further. Below is a picture of our young hero:
Before that we spent time in Chicago, which went by really quickly. Some of the old riders decided to join us for the fun. Before that we were in a number of towns, including Champaign. That was a nice opportunity to drop things off which were unnecessary. Having a small pack makes all the difference on a trip like this.
Indiana was surprisingly a nice time and we got alot of support from the communities there, in the form of meals, laundry and sleeping places. Ohio was really good to us too, especially the stay at the Eriksons'.
In Fitchburg!
We just arrived south of Madison, in Fitchburg. The last several days have been a real treat! When we passed through Chicago, we ran into a powerful storm on the way out, and this delayed our ride-along out of the city. The rest of the day was enjoyable, and the weather cleared up for us. My mom joined us at Evanston Northwestern Hospital in Evanston, and we rode up to Highland Park with the other guests. Some of the residual rain from the storms left our bikes and back really dirty, but we had a great time!
We arrived in Highland Park to a great welcome from the Ludmer and Schlessinger families. We enjoyed snacks and showers, and I hung around waiting to enjoy some Michael's Red Hots for dinner with my Dad, Cathy, Michael, and Nell. The food was delicious and high-cal, so I was prepared to drive the van the yesterday, and fatten up for riding today. I could tell it really helped on the ride today-we are way ahead of the other groups. Praveen, Ben, Matt and I kept up a strong pace into Madison.
Yesterday was really enjoyable once I finished driving into Lake Geneva. We went for a swim a few blocks away from the Topol family's house after stopping in for some tasty snacks, and the water was much warmer than the water in Lake Michigan. We enjoyed some warm showers, and slept well in preparation for today's ride. Connie whupped Ben and I both in chess. We had a great time at the Topol family's house, and are looking forward to spending the evening in Madison/Fitchburg!
Ben's birthday is in 3 days.
We woke up this morning to a brisk Wisconsin breeze, but it turned out to be a beautiful day for riding. As we rode further into Wisconin, the terrain changed from flat flat lands to rolling hills. It's incredible to see the land change so dramatically over just one day of riding! Looking back at the past three weeks, its amazing to think we've already rode through the east coast, Appalachian mountains and midwest plains (and cornfields).
Instead of staying in Madison, we wrapped up a 70 mile day in Fitchburg at the Christ Memorial Church. We were also priveleged to meet (or reunite) with an 2007 Illini 4000 rider, DREW WEBSTER!! He treated the entire team to a dinner at Noodle's and Company, which was a short bike ride away. It was great to hear about last years ride from an experienced rider. Also, it looks like having ice cream is becoming a nightly ritual for the team. Thank you Drew!!!
Highland Park, Rhubarb Pie and Ice Cream.
Hello we are currently in Highland Park Illinois spending the night at Highland Park High School. We woke up this morning and departed the dorms at UIC at about 7:15am after a quick breakfast. The weather quickly took a turn for the worse and by the time we reached Michigan Avenue the skies had darkened and we could see storms approaching. I was ridding at the back of the pack and as the rain and lightning began we quickly sought shelter heading down into one of the parking garages. After awhile we met up with the other half of the team and waited on the sidewalk under the store awnings until the storms let up.
Today was the ride along from Millennium Park to Highland Park. When the storms let up we all headed over to the Bean to meet up with our fans and guests. From the Bean we rode about 18 miles to Evanston where we all met up at Northwestern University Medical Center. While waiting there John K's mom approached me about my blog and scared me a bit when she said that I needed to be careful what I wrote it in. I quickly tried to recall what I may have written wrong only to hear her say that she had read my blog from the night before and had a strawberry Rhubarb pie with her (to fill people in my father grows Rhubarb in his garden and mom makes strawberry rhubarb pie in May and June when the rhubarb is fresh. I have been joking with her since I left that I wanted her to send me a pie however she doesn't think that it would keep in the mail.) That said I was completely shocked when Johns mom pulled out a strawberry rhubarb pie- Thanks!
In Evanston we ate lunch and got on a bike path that took us to Highland park. We had three I4K alum ride with us today as Sean, Keith and Anish all rode with us at least part of the way. Nic and Jon S's families provided us with snacks when we rolled into Highland Park and helped to arrange dinner donated by a local pizza Italian restaurant. A group of us went swimming in the ever so cold waters of Lake Michigan before dinner. It was extremely cold but felt refreshing. After dinner they had ice cream with all the works for us. I will post pictures of my ice cream creation when I get internet access. We finished the night by watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off while eating popcorn. Tomorrow it is on to Wisconsin.
Happy Fathers Day and Happy Birthday Dad!