Last night was extremely clear, so a few brave souls, including myself, slept outside. We hoped to see our first glimpses of the aurora borealis. This was not to be, oh well. We woke to the sun raising and we started our day the same as always.
It was to be a long ride today, and we were to have heat to spare. As we rode we went trough one small town after another, and made it to Kadoka, SD. The team regrouped and had an early lunch. After a few stops we had to ask ourselves a question, ’to go to the badlands or not?’
A small contingent when to our stay over location of Wall, SD. The rest added on the twenty extra miles and rode the badlands. It was amazing; the painted hills were striking against the prairie. The alien landscapes rising from the floor of the valley thousands of feet high. We were able to talk to some people at the visitor centre and at the scenic out looks. Some of these people we would run in to later today at our next stop.
WALL DRUG!!! The free ice water, the five cent coffee, homemade doughnuts. All good, I thought for a tourist trap that the prices would have been way higher then they where. We all got some ice cream and hung out for a bit. Mr. Matt Cilick made pizza for dinner tonight, it was divine. After dinner we walked over to the Drug (wall drug) for some more refreshments. Our stay over location is located behind Wall Drug, a prime local for us.
Well this has been Stephe Kamykowski, catch ya’ on the flip side.
Hello July!
At approximately 7:30 am this morning, the Illini 4000 Bike America Team said goodbye to Wall, SD and Wall Drug and hello to the month of July with an easy 55-mile ride to Rapid City, SD. With the sun shining and a light tailwind, the team cruised from waterstop to waterstop, gliding past hayfields, long-abandoned homesteads, herds of Angus Cattle, and last but not least, the self-proclaimed “World’s Smallest Biker Bar.” (This last institution is but one of the many businesses created throughout the state to cater to the wants and “needs” of the 60,000+ motorcyclists who attend the annual Bike Week Rally in Sturgis, SD.) Afraid of how our motorcyclist “cousins” might respond to our spandex uniforms, we waited outside and enjoyed a classic meal of good ol’ fashioned lunch of peanut butter and jelly.
In a matter of no time, the entire team reached Rapid City, the second most populous city (pop. 59,607) in South Dakota and the gateway to Mt. Rushmore National Monument. After several days in small towns and open land, several members of the team were delighted to see a few reminders of life back home in Illinois, including Dairy Queen—conveniently located directly behind our stayover location, Bethlehem Lutheran Church! To make things even more exciting, the team was greeted with 20 coupons for free kid’s sized Blizzards upon our arrival at the DQ! A big thank you to George Larson of the American Cancer Society of Western South Dakota for procuring these delicious and rejuvenating treats. (George also brought over a big jar of Kosher pickles; several members of the team found these pickles to be equally rejuvenating in their own briny way.)
With an off-day on the horizon, here’s a glimpse at how we may spend our time in Rapid City: sleeping in (until 8:00 am!), enjoying a pancake breakfast (cooked by the I4K rider leaders/directors), attempting to get free showers at the local public pool (we really need ‘em!), exploring the town, and preparing our bicycles for the Wyoming roads that will ride on Monday!
**A big thank you to the folks at the family-owned People’s Market in Kadoka, SD for donating a gift certificate to our team. Your support helps us increase our donations to the American Cancer Society and Camp Kesem UIUC! Thank you!
**If YOU would like to express your support for the Illini 4000 Bike America Team or a particular rider, you may send care packages, perfumed-soaked love letters, or homemade chocolate chip cookies to the following address:
General Delivery
[Rider Name]
1301 Stampede Ave
Cody, WY 82414
Please note that your package MUST arrive in Cody no later than July 8th (the day we pass through Cody, WY). In the event that you are mailing a gift to the team at-large, feel free to send the package or letter care of Jonathan Schlesinger (Co-Director). Jonathan promises to not eat all of the cookies that you send. Please email Jonathan – jschles2@gmail.com -- if you have any questions about general delivery, his favor type of cookies, or his ongoing search for employment.
Rolling through South Dakota
Hello from Wall, SD. In the past few days we have seen a little of everything. From windy rainy days to sunny hot days with rolling hills that seem to roll on forever.
Friday PM - Members of Ben's family provided us with dinner on our rest day in Mitchell. They made some of the most amazing veggie/bean burgers that I've ever had to go along with Spaghetti. Dessert topped it all as they had cake (to celebrate Ben's belated birthday!) and homemade Rhubarb Pie!!! (which I must add, Ben helped make and tasted very much like my mother's rhubarb pie).
Saturday - For me Saturday's ride was one of the hardest of the summer. I new it was going to be a challenging day as soon as I stepped outside to take my sleeping bag and pad to the van as I was greeted by a fierce wind that was coming from the direction in which we were riding. I rode with Xixi, Yiming, Amy, Fei, Jon S, Nick and Takaya and we formed a dynamic double paceline that we rotated in a counter clockwise rotation for the entire day. Toward the end of the day we ran into a fast moving rain storm that hit us just as we were leaving the last rest stop. Thankfully we were able to grab our rain jackets from the van to partially protect us however with the rain coming down as hard as it was we still got rather soaked. After the rain let up the sun came out and the winds seemed to calm a bit as we approached Chamberlain. (Note when I say a bit I mean calmer than the 30 mph winds we were riding into for most of the day.) When we arrived it Chamberlain we dropped our bikes at the church and then walked next door where we enjoyed ice cream sundees as a reward for a long and windy 80 mile day on the bike. Jon, Nick and myself then biked back up the hill that we had descended down entering town and headed to the high school where they were holding a relay for life event. It was nice to meet people who are also working to help in the fight against cancer as well as many survivors. They had us go up into the press box of the football field where they were playing music and announcing and tell a little about our organization and ourselves. Afterward we met their "Relay Angel" took some photos and walked a lap with her. Overall it was a very positive experience and I encourage anyone who might want to help in the fight against cancer to check out Relay for Life events in their area.
Sunday - On Sunday we rode from Chamberlain to Murdo a distance of about 73 miles. The ride was very "plain" in that there was not much to look at other than rolling grass hills that seemed to roll on for miles on end. We saw some cows here and there along with horses and other animals that you might expect to see in parts of the west/South Dakota along with a turtle which we rescued from the middle of the road and pointed to safety alongside the grassy bank. When we reached Murdo Connie and Andrea made another amazing dinner which we all followed with a trip to the Dairy Shack for ice cream!
Monday - TODAY! Today's ride was 90 miles and included a change in time as we are now in mountain time! The morning seemed to fly by as we reached mile 42 and lunch right around 11 am. From lunch we continued on another 20 miles until reaching the turn for Badlands National Park. A group of about nine riders decided to brave the conditions and take the Badlands loop through the park while the majority of the rest of the group went to the entrance and turned around to head back to I-90 which we followed to Wall. My back has been a bit sore the past few days so I rode up to the entrance and decided that it looked much like the parts of Utah which I spent a week cycling through last summer and joined up with Jay and Yiming to head back to Wall. We got some pretty awesome tailwinds once we got on 90 and flew to Wall in no time with the wind pushing us the majority of the way. It was a welcome change from the headwinds we saw two days ago. Once we reached wall we changed and headed to the highly anticipated Wall Drug. We have been seeing signs for Wall Drug since Minnesota and the frequency has increased in the past few days to the point that while riding today it seemed as if there were signs every miles if not more often. Yiming and I each got 5 cent coffee and I also bought a homemade maple frosted doughnut and some flavored toffee.
Man! I hit the Wall, SD
Today began with all of the riders thinking the ride would total around 95 miles. Due to some fortuitous construction, we were able to trim about 5 miles from the total by taking the highway for part of the trip. But, there is much that transpired between our arrival at about 90 miles, and the outset of our ride.
The weather to start off the day was slightly chilly, but we weren't confronted by the expected headwind. The hills and landscape provided for enjoyable and beautiful riding-as we approached Wall, we were beginning to see signs of the Badlands, located to the Southwest of Wall. In fact, we were able to ride to the entrance and take a photo with some beautiful bluffs in the background, which was a wonderful opportunity for us.
After we finished taking our photo at the entrance to the park, we headed back for Wall via I-90. My group consisting of Matt, Ben, Praveen and myself elected to ride on the interstate instead of through the park, saving some time and mileage. We ended up riding in echelon form, exchanging the lead every 5 miles or so, pushing 23 miles per hour for the last 20 miles. We were flying! Even though we hadn't traveled toward the park, we still enjoyed some beautiful scenery to our left side. Upon arrival in Wall, we went to the Lutheran Church which is providing our shelter, and spoke with the minister. We then went to Wall's most famous attraction, Wall Drug. This is a curious piece of Americana, and provided several hours of entertainment for us. Not only do they have a shopping mall, chapel, fudge shop, camping and outfitting store, and ice cream bar, but they also have a classic art gallery with some beautiful oil paintings depicting scenery from the wild west.
Dinner calls-Matt and Jay made some delicious pizzas. Until next time, John
Grassland.
Shortly after a cheery breakfast of Mini Spooners our team said goodbye to Chamberlain, SD and rolled over the Missouri River and into the great American West. The miles that followed were marked by small towns, few people, scant wildlife, and even fewer plants -- spare the incomprehensibly wide-expanses of grass that stretch to the horizon in all directions. This is a landscape that is difficult for many of us to ride through; many of us actually prefer a landscape of concrete, steel, and glass to this “nothingness.” Others, however, find solace in the openness, admire the shades of green grass running up and down the hillsides, or enjoy the sight of a mother deer bounding across the road with her two fawns. Whether or not one falls in love with this place, one must respect its subtle beauty and place in American life.
Upon arrival at our destination, Messiah Lutheran Church of Murdo, SD (pop. 600*), several members of our team made a pilgrimage to the hippest place in Jones County, the Dairy Bar, for a refreshing post-ride recovery snack. Illini 4000 riders, it should be noted, have a remarkable penchant for homing in on the nearest ice cream shop and even more remarkable ability to consume large quantities of ice cream. For better or for worse, several members of our team consumed 2 or 3 different ice cream concoctions from the Dairy Bar today! (Parents: rest assured, the team is eating very well. Our resident chef, Connie Ger, prepared a delicious and nutritious meal of lentils and fried rice for dinner tonight).
Here’s a quick look at what’s in store tomorrow: 95 miles to Wall, SD; a stop at the world famous Wall Drug; an extra hour – the beginning of Mountain Time! It should be a great ride!
***The Illini 4000 would like to send out a special thank you to Betty and Dean of Murdo for opening up their home to several members of our team. We can’t tell you how great it felt to take a shower and sip a cold glass of homemade lemonade. We wouldn’t be able to do this ride if it wasn’t for people like you!
*Don’t trust the population sign at the entrance to town – it hasn’t been updated since the last Census. That said, the population would probably exceed 641 – as the sign indicates – if the Census takers had included all of the friendly cats and dogs that live here.
F.Y.I:
“The grassland of the American West are created by the Rocky Mountains and by the costal mountain ranges of California and the Pacific Northwest. The mountains impose rain shadows downstream of the prevailing westerlies, because the warm air along the wind-ward side of the mountains wrings moisture out of the passing weather systems. This makes the aridity that makes the treeless plains.”
~ Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics, and Promise of the American Prairie by Bruce Manning.
(The author of this journal receives no commission for the sales of this book.)
Time, is on my side.
Today, June 27th 2008, is a momentous day for the Illini 4000 as we are now 36 days into our 72 day journey. As of noon today, we are no longer heading into the proverbial woods but are instead on our way out.
While this is a great accomplishment and a major milestone for our team, today does not seem to possess any distinct emotional element that sets it apart from the previous 35. This was surprising to me at first, as I imagine it would be for anyone tracking our progress from the outside world. However, I've come to realize that the reason this temporal milestone seems insignificant is due to how this trip has altered my perception of time. On the one hand, our nomadic lifestyle means everyday is filled with new experiences, new people, and new places, and as a result each day seems longer than a normal day. For instance, it feels like years have passed since we departed from Central Park over a month ago. Looking back on the trip is like looking back over a lifetime. Leaving new york was like learning how to walk, we were unsure, unstable, and inexperienced. Passing through the Eastern US, we grew as a team, we found our footing, and we developed our own personality. And now here we are, mature, ready and confident, drawing from our experience to take us further into the unknown. This 36 day check point is somewhat like a midlife crisis...maybe we'll all buy flashy new red bikes and dye our hair.
On the other hand, our schedule demands that we maintain a routine and follow a procedure in order to accomplish what is necessary within the allotted time frame. Thus time does not seem to pass linearly but rather cyclically. So in some sense, it is rewarding to have reached the half way mark, but at the same time every day seems something completely separate and distinct from the previous day making a half way day somewhat irrelevant. Not that this is bad. Here on the road, time is not a factor. Dates are insignificant, the days of the week are trivial, and hours are unimportant. It is a welcome escape, and the ultimate liberation.
Over Half way
Greetings from Mitchell South Dakota. I know I haven't blogged in a while, but I did do the team journal for 3 days. Anyway, today was the half-way point for days spent on the trip. Its hard to believe, but the trip is half over, and so is the summer. We are also somewhat over the half way point for mileage. I don't now the exact distance, but it is over 2100 miles. Tomorrow we ride into Chamberlain. I have been told the wind is generally at about 40 mph out of the west. I hope thats wrong, but i won't know until tomorrow.
Matt
Corn Day, SD + PHOTOS!
Hello! Today we are enjoying a rest day in Mitchell, SD home of the famous corn palace and a library with a fast un-firewalled internet connection!
Yesterday was my turn to drive the support van. I stopped a couple grocery stores on my way out of Sioux Falls picking up a few food donations before catching up with the team about 22 miles down the road for the first water stop of the day. The weather was rainy at times in the morning before finally clearing up right around lunch time. It feels so different to drive after riding everyday as things seem to go by so fast when in the car - I'm excited to be back on the bike tomorrow! When we arrived in Mitchell a group went out looking for dinner donations and were rather successful. They got us a sampling of Chinese food and pizza from a local cafe in town. It's amazing how generous people are when united by a common cause!
Today has been a rather busy day thus far. We were up early for a tour of the Avera Queen of Peace Cancer Center. The entire team took a tour of the center while also getting to talk with the nurses and a doctor from the center. After leaving the center I went to the post office to pick up some General Delivery mail before heading back to the school (where we are staying) where I participated in a portrait project interview with someone we had just met at the center. I'm currently sitting here uploading photos, working on team stuff, blogging and trying to catch up on email all at the same time!
I have to say congratulations to my twin cousins Catherine and Michelle who graduate from high school today - have an awesome summer and hopefully I'll see you in August before you leave for college!
corn palace!
Mitchell, SD is a perfect place for a rest day! After much anticipation, we finally got to see the infamous corn palace. I wasn't expecting to see very much in south dakota, but prospects of going to the Wall Drug (free ice water, 5 cent coffee...) are surprisingly motivational. After all the beautiful scenery and swimming lakes/pools/rivers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, I wasn't sure I would be very enthusiastic about riding, but thankfully I was wrong, there's so much more to look forward to.
The last couple of days Andrea and I have been on cooking duty which has been a really fun experience for me. Preparing food for 20 people who are all very hungry is a daunting task, but we've been getting better at estimating how much people can eat! Last night the school we are staying at didn't have a kitchen, but luckily the people of Mitchell were so generous to us and provided gourmet hand tossed pizzas and some chinese food.
I can't believe this is already the halfway point in our ride (time-wise). This trip has been an incredible experience so far, I can't wait for what will come in the next month!! And hopefully, I'll start blogging more frequently!
The Palace is made of Corn
South Dakota...land of the only Corn Palace in the world, stretches of road that you can see for miles, crazy thunderstorms (many with amazing lightening shows), friendly people and time to think. Traveling through this state I have met many bicyclists (thus far Sioux Falls and Mitchell) and I am now begining to realize the immense population of avid cyclists.
It also surprises me the number of bicycle activities many of the states in the continental US are hosting. From the famous RAGBRAI in Iowa, Tour de Kota in South Dakota (just held June 8th), and rides through Durango and the mountains of Colorado, to shorter rides such as Bike the Drive in Chicago, it seems that bicycling is booming. It's about time.
Through less dependence on gasoline and a great form of exercise, the benefits of bicycling are immense. While visiting the Avera Queen of Peace Hospital today in Mitchell, SD, I gained a better perspective on the issues of health and also the importance of smaller hospitals in more remote areas.
The Avera Hospital was a great experience to see how such a dedicated, progressive team of people work hard to give the best treatment to cancer patients, no matter the size of their town or surrounding area. Although South Dakota has just over 780,000 people (total), people everywhere, everyday are diagnosed with cancer. It is important to have a good hospital in the smallest most remote areas, as well as larger more populated regions.
Not only do the progressive hospital teams work hard to obtain the best equipment, it also helps people in less fortunate areas, such as South America. By this, I mean that the "old" equipment (normally just a few years old due to new technology) is sold to other hospitals in other countries, such as Brazil. In turn, this helps people in other countries receive better treatment as well as improving their quality of life. Our progressive approach and the research not only impacts people in the US, but across the world.
People across this country are just as dedicated from the small towns in South Dakota to the large cities of New York City and Chicago. Cancer doesn't discriminate, but can help be prevented by healthy living.
We need to work together across this country to unite in the fight.
"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results."
-Anon
Mitchell SD
We've had an exciting past couple of days! The team rode through a wind farm on our way out of Minnesota, and furthermore, we were able to see some wind turbine blades in transit on the highway as they passed us by. The terrain has been moderately hilly, which provides some nice work for our legs.
Though the good weather has been intermittent, we're riding really well as a team, so things are rolling smoothly. I'm looking forward to progressing further toward Seattle tomorrow!
The rest day has been really nice. The people of Mitchell have been very generous in donating food to us, and we've enjoyed the hospitality of the local South Dakotans. The corn palace located here was a little bit of a disappointment, but is nonetheless entertaining-it provides a justification for the arbitrary stuff that people do to attract tourists. Though I'm sad not to have enjoyed the corn palace in my home town as a child, I'm glad I get to see the various murals the artists have built into the side of the building. I can't wait to see all the other fun and kitchy things South Dakota has to offer!
Cows, cows, and more cows
Today is a wonderful rest day in Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the only Corn Palace in the world, as we are often reminded. Everyone in South Dakota seems to enjoy telling us about its few claims to fame. Yesterday we left Sioux Falls after an early morning thunderstorm which left menacing clouds all around. We biked through rain with heavy lightning in the distance but luckily the afternoon showed us blue skies. It was a nice, calm ride, the most exciting part being the herds and herds of cows we passed. One huge herd of cows all turned and stared at us as we passed and then all began to run with us. Connie said she had never seen cows move so fast! Apparently cows aren't as lazy as one might think here in South Dakota. Another herd of cows was bathing in a pond! They all stood in the water and simply watched us bike along. We passed another cow which stood on a mound of dirt, appearing to rule the cow kingdom.
Later, after arriving to Mitchell, we received many donations of delicious food and hospitality. We were able to relax last night, sleep in a bit this morning and then we visited the Avera Cancer Center. We were given a tour of the center and the chance to ask questions to the staff and a cancer survivor. The rest of the day is free with plenty of time to roam the Corn Palace!
Dancing Around the Minne-Kota-Wa Pole.
We woke up at 5:30am with a long day ahead and a questionable weather forecast. After a breakfast of cereal and milk we were out the door and on our bikes before 7am. Praveen drove today and waited for the grocery stores to open in Marshall Minnesota where he did an awesome job getting donations of food.
The morning was very flat and windy however it was also nice and cool. We rode through an area of wind turbines that lined the land for as far as we could see. At around mile 60 we stopped for lunch of PB&J and cheetos on the side of the road. From lunch we continued on to about mile 80 where we were about two miles from the Iowa border.
Nick, John S., Andrew, Stephe, Rachel and myself decided that we would go check out the tristate park where the three states meet. Doing this involved about a four mile detour, two miles of which were on a sand/dirt road. When we reached the marker we took photos by it before dancing around it yelling the states we were in as we circled (Nick has a video of this which I will try to get and post).
From the landmark it was about 16 miles to the Zion Lutheran Church where we are spending the night. When we arrived we found that the pastor had generously gotten us ten pizzas for dinner which were very delicious.
Tomorrow it's off to Mitchell South Dakota and the Corn Palace!!! Total mileage for today 100.39 miles!
Minne-Kota-Wa!
Hello from a new state -- South Dakota! We had an early wake-up this morning to bike our second longest ride of the summer so far, 95 miles from Marshall, Minnesota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We faced a strong headwind early this morning, in one of the windiest regions of the country, but luckily we were able to sail through the afternoon. We had a "macho" water stop in the town of Manley, population 16, the smallest town we've seen yet. A small group decided to take a short detour to visit tristate park the point at which iowa, minnesota, and south dakota intersect where they did a joyful jig around the midwestern trifecta's monument. New scenery of note today -- fields with rock formations, pink roads and gravel, and windmills. we rode in through the city of Sioux Falls and arrived this afternoon at Zion Lutheran Church and a generously donated pizza dinner, yum!
Summer is coming!
Hello. This is really quick post because I only have 10 min to use internet. We are doing really well and enjoy riding! Now, I am pretty sure that Illini4000 is one of the best way to see real America! I meet many kind people, qute animal , beautiful sunset and so on. ( but I hate wild dog) We still have 2000 miles to go but the rest of the trip will past really fast. I wanna see everything because I only have 1 month to stay in the U.S.
2000 MILES!!!
Today, we are officially halfway done with our trip, which is pretty exciting. Minnesota has been a pretty awesome state so far with some nice scenery and lots of generous people. We had a fantastic time in Rochester at the Mayo clinic. A few of us were able to take a brief tour of the place and talked with the lady at the Cancer Education Center there. In addition to the Mayo clinic, a random stranger a few of the riders met at a local coffee shop invited us over for dinner on our rest day. Justin and his friends were extremely hospitable. They cooked us dinner with deserts, sparkling wine, and topped it off with s'mores. All of us had a great time at Justin's house just talking and enjoying the great summer night. It will definitely be an experience I go back to when I feel down in the future.
Our next state is going to be South Dakota, which is exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time since we don't know what to expect from this state. So far all we know is that the towns are going to be small and farther apart from each other. We may also have to ride on the interstate highway for an extended period of time and camp for the first time since the trip started. Other than that, everyone is excited for the Corn Palace, Mt. Rushmore, and all the other crazy and exciting things we are gonna see out west!
The only thing I am hoping for right now for our next town is shower. I havnt taken a shower in five days and I'm beginning to smell. I may be able to go on two more days without showering, but after that I'm gonna have to start knocking on people's doors for shower.
COULD IT BE??
Could The Illini 4000 possibly have already halfway lived up to their name? Today, Amy hit the fabled 2,000 mile mark on her odometer, as have a few others in the past few days, so I think it's safe to say that we're just about halfway there! Today was a great ride out of New Ulm, plenty flat and not too much headwind at all. We're spending out last night in Minnesota in the town of Marshall before leaving tomorrow for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the biggest city we'll have been in since Madison! Another state down, six more to go! (South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington!) I think the terrain is going to start changing from here on out...
So close to 2000 miles!
That's right, tomorrow we should hit 2000 miles marking about half the length of this trip! The second 1000 miles went by a lot faster than the first 1000 so I wonder how the second 2000 will go.
We are in New Ulm, MN right now, a small German town although I haven't yet noticed anything that looks particularly German. The past few days have been some of the best rides we've had. We've also met some extremely nice people recently, more than willing to stop on the road and get out of their car when something looks wrong, offer us free coffee, and more bread, bagels, and pastries than we could possibly consume before they go bad donated from Panera. Someone at a coffee shop we were invited into for free coffee in Rochester noticed us there and offered to cook a dinner for the entire team the next night on our rest day. The generosity seems to never end in these parts of the country. It's unbelievable. Today while I used the bathroom at a pizza place, 2 women asked me what we were doing and offered their house for the night equipped with a hot tub (unfortunately we weren't staying in that town, we had only stopped there for lunch) and gave a donation.
The rides have been great lately, particularly the ride out of La Crosse, WI on our way to Rochester. The first 15 miles of that ride were my favorite part of the summer. We woke up extra early that day in order to get to Mayo Clinic on time (which ended up falling through) and crossed the Mississippi River into Minnesota, then rode up a big hill as the sun was rising. We stayed on top of the hill for a while, riding through curving rodes through farms with a beautiful, changing view. The downhill was extraordinary, even for me being afraid of going downhill. The view was incredible. Some riders rode back up the hill to ride down a second, and even a third time. We rode through intense fog which we had seen from the top of the hill and then were on a bike trail which was also incredible for about 15 miles. The only bad thing about the trail was that the pavement was covered in mud for much of it, causing our bikes and our bodies to become covered in mud as well. I became even more muddy when my bike skidded and I fell into the mud, causing my entire left side of my body as well as my face and jersey to be covered in mud. I also got a little scratched up which become worse later in the day when I fell on my left side again because I crashed into Andrea after she stopped suddenly to pick up plastic monkeys on the road. Both falls were a lot more funny than harmful. It seems that on my favorite days of riding, I get in accidents. My other favorite riding day was day 2 when a car hit me. Strange how that happens...
I don't have much more time to use the internet but those were some of the highlights since I last wrote. Wish me luck as we finish the first half of our ride and begin the second half!
New Ulm, Minnesota
Hello from New Ulm, Minnesota! I am sitting at the public library and yet again the computer is firewalled to prevent me from uploading photos - so no photos, but do know that I currently have about 400 to upload down the road!!
Yesterday we rode into Owatonna arriving rather early and eating lunch at Lake Kohlmier. About half of the team also went swimming in the lake. After lunch a group of us stuck around and went out in the canoes and kayaks after the people at the lake offered to let us use them for free! Andrea and Connie put some of our current massive bread stock to use and made a wonderful dinner of soup, bread and humus.
Today we rode from Owatonna, MN to New Ulm. The most exciting part of the day for me was visiting a bike shop in Mankato. The guy there fixed my bike so the chain no longer skips when I go up hills or just get on it!!! It's extremely nice to ride and not have my chain skipping all the time and it didn't skip all afternoon! We ate lunch in the parking lot outside the bike shop before continuing onto New Ulm. There were no winds today so the afternoon went rather fast and we managed to push out about 30 miles in what seemed like no time. We are in Mitchell, South Dakota in three days some I'm hoping for fast un-firewalled internet access there.
Happy One Month Anniversary Illini 4000!
After our day off in Rochester, and scoring sooooo much Panera bread its ridiculous, our group traveled to Owatonna (pronounced Ooo- ahhh--tonnahhh). With a short 45 mile ride and eating lunch at a lake, we were able to relax the rest of the afternoon, or at least most of us.
When we got to the church we were staying at I started to help clean out our van, because it was ridiculously dirty. XiXi and I took the car, spontaneously I might add, to find a vaccuum to clean out the built up dirt in the car. After driving and calling gas stations for 30 minutes, we finally found one that had a vaccuum. Who knew that it would be so hard to find a vaccuum? After cleaning the car, I then went to Walmart to buy grocery's for dinner, and then helped Connie prepare an awesome lentil, vegetable soup with homemade hummus and bread. After eating more Panera donation desserts, I knew that it was time for bed, because sleeping less than 6 hours a night takes a toll on the body and mind when riding 70+ miles the next day.
After waking up to another beautiful Minnesota morning, we were on our way to New Ulm, MN. However, before we left I had to give a Mosher speech.
For those who don't know what the Mosher is, here is a short introduction. Last year on the ride, someone picked up this ski pass in Telluride, CO of Eric Mosher. After passing this card around, more or less sneaking it into the back pockets of another rider, and you are caught with the Mosher card when breakfast is called that morning, you are responsible for giving a Mosher speech. The speech can consist of anything you want from why you are doing the ride to replaying funny messages on your phone from other riders, to a celebration dance with the whole team and their bicycles around you.
Basically, the Mosher is a way to start the morning immediately before the ride. Today, was the first day I got stuck with the Mosher. Andrew is the only other person that hasn't done the Mosher, therefore, I have outlasted 18 other people. Anyways, my Mosher today was pretty much thought up on the spot.
Today I talked about why I did this trip. I said I wanted to do this trip to help inspire others, learn about myself, and meet new people. Individual inspiration and motivation keeps people going and working hard on this trip. From tackling big hills, to tough head winds, rerouting continuously, we all find some days more difficult than others. While riding we also find time to think about our life, where we are going, what we want to do, how we want to get to the next phase of our life (whichever that may be), and sing songs to keep ourselves occupied on the ride. Some days are longer than others, just as in everyday life, and some days we have more opportunity for self-reflection. I have found that no matter where you are and what you do, reflecting on our actions and motivations can help drive a person to make themselves better.
Personally, from doing the Mosher, which I have dreaded (and still do), I found that although there are things in life that I may not want to do or realize, it was silly to stay blind to something that is in front of you the whole time. I knew that the Mosher was coming, but I didn't want to realize it. Only when it is thrown in my face I then had to deal with it. As we progress day by day from one point to the next we don't realize these life lessons, but looking into the future and the past realizing that we just had our one month anniversary makes you realize that time passes by so quickly. So take sometime to realize the important and fun things in life, but don't stay blinded to the obvious facts in life.