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!!!

State number 8....annnnddd we're in WISCOSIN

After a refreshing extra hour of sleep we started the day off with an intense 30-second bike ride and photo shoot at the Northwestern Evanston Hospital in Highland Park. We were warmly welcomed by Hania Fuschetto and Vice President Lindsey Cox before embarking on our VIP tour of the oncology center. Karen, Carole Martz, Sonya and Hania showed us around the facilities including the exam rooms, treatment rooms and the radiation clinic. We were also treated to a panel discussion featuring cancer survivors Bruce Horwitz and Angela Scarim. Dr. Matthew Adess, Carole Martz, and Stacey were also in attendance to explain details of the cancer treatment process and to answer any questions.  

After our morning tour we headed North to Lake Geneva, WI around 11 AM, 4 hours later than normal, but considering how much we learned at the hospital it was well worth the delay. As the day progressed like normal, with few directions missing and getting lost, we were nearing the Wisconsin border. However, the directions were missing a vital cue and we were lost in a subdivision when a 6^th grade boy named Matthew came to our rescue. With permission from his parents he led 17 riders and the support vehicle about ¼ of a mile to the Wisconsin border, where we parted ways because 6^th grade boys can only go so far from home, before getting caught by border or parent control.  

Back on track, we cruised the rest of the way to Lake Geneva, where we lured in by prospects of an evening swim down the street from Brad Topol’s lake house, where we are spending the night. News of a hearty chili dinner for both vegetarians and carnivores specially prepared by Andrea Clark’s mom was a strong motivation to leave the cold lake. The comforts of home and a healthy home cooked meal helped replenish our bodies and spirits for tomorrow’s ride to Madison, Wisconsin.  

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!

Hello, Goodbye

The last couple of days have been extremely packed - we got to go home and see our families, we had a chance to spend some time in the cities and of course we got to do some laundry (and bike maintenance).

After a night in the UIC dorms, we got ready for a nice Father's Day bike ride only to find that the weather was in an uncooperative mood. Luckily, it cleared in within some hours and the stop in Evanston, IL boasted good weather and high spirits. We enjoyed our time in Chicagoland and the rides in and out of town, but alas, it is time to go again. The trip is about a quarter done and the remaining three quarters promise to be exciting!

Chicago

Oh the joy of public technology! I spent an hour writing this post at the library this morning before internet explorer crashed on me causing me to lost the entire post. Now I come to you through the fingers of my sister typing as I try to recall what I wrote. The library was also anti USB devices so photos will have to wait a little longer. Please note that I don't have the ability to edit these posts so please excuse any typos or errors.

Now on to the update! We are currently in Chicago and staying at UIC in Marie Robinson Hall on West Maxwell Street.

Since my last post we have crossed into the central time zone and the great state of Illinois.

We woke up Tuesday morning in Rockville Indiana and were treated to a pancake breakfast put on by members of the memorial Presbyterian Church in Rockville. It was pouring while we were eating breakfast however it cleared up just as we were preparing to leave. From Rockville we headed to Chrisman Illinois where we were scheduled to stop at Mooney's Auto Dealership for a PR event. For those that don't know Mooney's generously donated/ lent us our fabulous support van that we are using this summer. It was an honor for us to stop and see those who helped us out. After spending some time at Mooney's Jon, Nick and Brad headed to Paris Illinois where they were guest at a Rotary event while the rest of the group pushed on to Urbana- Champaign. I rode with Fei, Takaya and Jay after leaving Chrisman. We faced some strong head winds, navigated some closed and flooded roads and changed Fei tire that insisted on being flat a few times but managed to make our way to Urbana by about 5pm. I should also mention that we stopped at Miss Becky's in Homer Illinois where she generously provided us with water and granola bars to fuel us the final 20 miles- Thank You Becky!

After the Rotary event Jon, Nick, and Brad pushed hard all afternoon to make it to Urbana-Champain in time for an event at the University of Illinois alumni center that was suppose to start at 5pm. The event at the Alumni center featured food and a number of speakers including someone from the American Cancer Society, someone from Camp Kesem, a cancer survivor and someone from UIUC who has been involved in cancer research, along with people from the UIUC alumni association. After the event Nick and Jon decided to go for a dip in the fountain behind the alumni center. This was followed by a party in the fountain when Andrea, Dana, Andrew, Matt and myself all joined in on the fun by jumping in the fountain as well (I have photos and videos of this when I obtain non fire walled internet access). After our fountain party we went back to Nicks old house to change and then Jon, Nick, Matt and I went to Papa Bells for pizza with Jeoff (our sponsor and owner of That's Rentertainment), his girlfriend Jill and I4K 2007 alumni Allison!

Both Jeff and Allison joined us for the first 20 miles of our ride on Wednesday, riding to our first water stop in Rantoul Illinois. In Rantoul we caught some rather amazing tail winds that pushed us most of the way to Chebanse making 80 miles seem ridiculously simple.

Zion Lutheran Church hosted us in Chebanse. It is the church that Jon Schlesinger's grandparents attend and the entire Schlesinger family made us feel at home during our stay in Chebanse. Providing us with an amazing dinner followed by an awesome breakfast- that included their ever so amazing overnight French toast!! From Chebanse we headed to Homewood Illinois on Thursday. We were once again greeted by amazing hospitality and generosity staying at Faith Church. We once again caught tail winds heading to Homewood and everyone arrived at the church by lunch time. Our host at the Faith Church provided us with dinner and then got up early to make us pancakes before we left- a big Thank You to them.

Our team departed Homewood on Friday morning in great inticipation of our arrival in Millennium Park where friends and family were gathering to welcome us. We met up as a group on the lake front bike path and then rode down Michigan Avenue and into Millennium Park as a group. I would estimate that there were over 30 people there to great us and it was nice to see some familiar faces even though i'm not from the Chicago area. We took some photos and ate lunch at the Bean before heading to the UIC dorms to drop our stuff off and change before going to UIC medical center. We walked from the dorms to the medical center where we met with a few pediatric oncology doctors and patients during an ice cream social. After leaving the medical center we had a brief team meeting before people went separate ways for the night. About 75% of the team is from the Chicago area so many people went home for the night. I think Jon, Nick, Andrew, Sean Lauvee (I4K 07) and myself were the only I4K affiliates in the dorms last night. The five of us met up with Anish and James, both I4K riders in 2007 and went out to dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. After dinner I took a warm shower and then went to bed as I was extremely exhausted.

Today I spent my off day eating, sleeping and battling technology! I woke up early (as in 6am) because that's the time that we usually wake up. After lying in bed for awhile I got up to write some postcards and headed to the coffee shop around the corner where I found Jon using the wireless internet access. Shawn showed up shortly after and we headed to breakfast a few blocks away. Andrew joined us there and after we were all done eating we headed to the library down the road to use (or fight with)  the internet. After leaving the library I headed back to the dorm room where I promptly fell asleep and took about an hour long nap.

At 1:30 I began trying to figure out how to get to John K's house for the picnic his father was putting on. I asked a number of different people how to get to Wheaton and after getting a different response from each person decided to call Jon myself. We determined that I needed to get on the west line at the Ogilvie Transportation Center so I made my way there only to discover that the didn't take credit/debit cards thus I need to find an ATM. After obtaining cash at the ATM the lady at the transportation center informed me that I missed the 2:40 train by 3 mins and they only ran trains every 2 hours. I tried to find a cab but after getting the "you have two heads looks" and a "do you know where your going?" I found the fairs rather ridiculously expensive and opted to go to the super market and buy myself dinner instead. I ended up buying microwaveable Chicago pizza and strawberries for a well rounded dinner! Strawberries made up for the fact that my mom refuses to mail me homemade Strawberry rhubarb pie for some reason... just kidding mom.

Tomorrow we have our ride along to Highland Park- if you are in the Chicago area come join us!

Rest day in Chicago

Yesterday was my first time to visit Millenium Park, pretty excited. And I finally got to see the famous "bean".  Lunch was pretty simple, we had a lot of family/ friends fans to welcome us in the park, it feels good to be welcomed. We visited UIC medical center, it is hard to believe that little kids are also affected by cancer.  It is sad.  I just wish our cause will help those people who needed help.  Cancer is bad, and we are not sure what caused it.  It only makes me feel better when I am able to do something about it.

I took grey hound back to champaign to visit Kevin and other friends.  Can't believe the bus is late for more than an hour, I almost lost all my patient.  I went back to Champaign at 1am and have to leave at 10:50am. I will have lunch with my sisters later today. Haven't seen them since the ride starts, they must be amazed by my cool tan line. haha ...

Sweet Home, Chicago!

We arrived in Chicago to a warm welcome from friends and family after several flats on our way to Millenium Park. We had a nice ride, and the weather cooporated for us. After a brief lunch break (which for me included some awesome ice cream, and a nice visit with my friend Jim, my Mom, and Aunt), I rode with the team to the UIC dorms. They are really nice! We each have our own room, and a comfortable looking mattress.

I'm looking forward to our rest day tomorrow, and the barbeque my Dad is hosting. I've gotta load up on those calories to prepare for the next several rides! Pictures and more to come...

Sunday, Jun 15! Ride Along Chicago - Evanston - Highland Park

Get to know the team on your bike! Join our team for a casually paced ride along the lakefront path from Evanston to Highland Park- or start in Chicago for a challenge! Don't worry- we wont leave you behind, come out and show your support!

You can join us, starting either from Chicago (leg 1), or Evanston Northwestern Hospital (leg 2):

• Leg 1: 7:45am, start in Downtown Chicago.
  Those wishing to ride with the team should meet at Millenium Park's Cloud Gate ("The Bean").
  The team will leave promptly at 8am.
  MP to Evanston: 14mi, MP to Highland Park: 28mi

• Leg 2: 9:45am, start in Evanston.
  Please meet at the Evanston Northwestern Hospital's front circle driveway
  The team will leave promptly at 10am.
  Evanston to Highland Park: 14mi

The ride finishes in Highland Park, and riders can easily take the Metra line back to Evanston or Chicago or ride back. The team will be staying at Highland Park High School on the evening of the 15th.