Spirit of Adventure

Assistant Ride Leader's Log. Bike Date 42.15-07-04.22:45The past several days have all gone by in a blur of excitement and exhaustion. As we rode through Iowa and Nebraska on some of our longest days of Illini 4000, it was a strange blend of familiar flat land and unfamiliar large town spacing. We've completed 2 centuries and several 90 mile days since Rochester.Riding into Denver was a really cool experience. We started seeing the Rocky Mountains that morning after coming over a ridge and kept approaching those sleeping giants. Despite some bike path confusion as we rolled into Denver, everything ran smoothly.During our 2 rest days in Denver, I had the privilege of getting to go to Vail to see my family. My mom flew in to pick me up the night we arrived in Denver and I met up with my Aunt Stephanie and cousin Katie that night. Over the couple of days, I got to see my Uncle Bob and cousin Grant. I also had the pleasure of meeting the Womacks, some of my extended family. It was great spending those two days enjoying the beautiful weather, catching up with family, getting to know my newly met family, sleeping, and even riding bikes. I was so lucky to be able to spend that time with everyone and I really want to thank them for hosting me those couple days.Our first ride on fresh legs was a 6,400 foot climb from Denver, over Squaw Pass, and down to Idaho Springs. The idea of climbing a mountain was quite daunting, but my group and I learned through out the day that such a continuous climb simply just required perseverance. We stopped several times for both water and great conversations with people that were also out enjoying Squaw Pass, but we made it to the top after a slow 40 miles of climbing. Yesterday seemed to capture the essence of Illini 4000: you set out to tackle something you've never tried before, but take the time to appreciate the people and sights around you as you do it.Today I spent my first Fourth of July away from my family. It was really strange, but I also felt that I have a greater appreciation for the size and diversity of this country in terms of both geography and culture. My group and I hiked an additional 1,000 feet during our lunch stop in order to go play in some snow that hadn't melted yet. Definitely a first for me to play in snow in July. I was fortunate enough to catch a couple fireworks just before going to bed, which was an added bonus to a great day.From here, it seems like the rest of the trip is about to fly by. I intend to make a point of taking in as much as possible, because I know I'll blink and we will be in San Francisco.

Day 42: Such Great Heights

Start/End: Denver/Idaho Springs, COMileage: 59.8 +Weather: Pretty good! Sunny and warm, but as we climbed it was a lot cooler and even rained a little, but not too much.Denver. It has been a great couple of rest days that I think were very well deserved. The team did a variety of things while in Denver, including visiting family and friends in the area, visiting the botanical gardens, going out to eat, hiking and of course a little bit of bike riding. Additionally, we spent time in the mile-high city acclimating our bodies to altitude.This morning we woke up ready to tackle a new day, with new heights and new challenges ahead. The mountains that we saw from 70 miles out from Denver? We would start crossing them today, something that most members of our team have not had experience with. With some excitement and maybe a little bit of hesitation, we prepared for the day.Today our ride was dedicated to the father-in-law of someone whom we had met while in Palmyra, NY. The man who told us the story of his father in law had mentioned that this ride dedication would be very special. His father in law had lost his battle with cancer so today we remember him.We rolled out this morning in groups of 3 or 4 so that we had a better chance of staying close together during the climbing. Leaving Denver was really not too difficult. We are realizing that most drivers in Colorado are very friendly to cyclists. It has just been awesome to ride here, because in addition to the friendly motorists, many of the roads have great bike lanes and/or shoulders for us to ride in. So all in all, loving Colorado so far!Today's ride was a big one, during which we would climb about 6,400 feet. We would literally be climbing a mountain. After leaving Denver, we entered into the Red Rocks State Park. There was a gradual incline that was not too bad at all, but there were beautiful rock formations all around us. It was really remarkable. But that was nowhere near what was still to come in our day.We passed through Evergreen, CO, which seemed like a nice mountain town with plenty of shops. It was hopping during this holiday weekend. Despite all of the traffic, there were still very kind drivers who were very courteous to cyclists. Speaking of cyclists, there were so many cyclists out on the mountains and most of them were very friendly. After passing many groups, some would ask us what we were all about. There were a lot of really friendly people who were glad to see us and hear about our organization. After Everygreen, we began our climb which would last several miles and take much longer than we were used to biking. There were switchbacks and very steep parts, but as we got further along, we got on a road that was not as steep and this was very nice. During the steeper portions, sometimes we might be cycling 4 mph, which is ridiculously slow (or so it seems if you were cycling on flat land), but it really was as fast as we could go at points and was definitely challenging.It was all worth it though, and not as hard as it may seem because when you are surrounded by beautiful mountains with great pine trees or the aspen trees, well known throughout the Rockies for their glimmering nature, it is not hard to get distracted. As we climbed higher and were able to see further, we saw mountains that still had a decent amount of snow cover on them. It was a magnificent experience to reach the top. There was the view but there was also just a huge sense of accomplishment. We are so thrilled that everyone who rode today made it to the top in great time. It is crazy to think of where we started as cyclists and how far we have come in terms of our physical and emotional strength.After reaching the summit, for most of us, the ride was literally all downhill from there. All except for Sean, Kevin and Diego who took up the challenge of climbing Mt. Evans, reaching 12,500 ft. What an awesome accomplishment to do that after the rest of the climbing! They had a lot of fun and enjoyed some really awesome views.During the day, some groups saw some crazy wildlife, including seeing a yak and a baby bear. Thankfully we did not see a momma bear anywhere... Most groups were not as fortunate, which others are probably just fine without seeing them.It was cool to come into Idaho Springs through their main road. There were lots of shops and it had a very western feel to it. In addition to the shops, there were several restaurants, including Beaujo's Pizza, who generously donated some gift cards, which we used to order some pizza t compliment our pasta and lentils at dinnertime. Thank you so much for your generosity! The pizza was amazing. There were tons of places to go river rafting and along our ride to our stayover, we actually saw several river rafting tours! Looked fun, but most of us were definitely very tired at the end of the day.Today was fun and it was just so beautiful. Looking forward to tomorrow's ride and of course a good nights sleep before that.-LAH

Day 39: The Last Day of a Long Stretch

Start/End: Ft. Morgan/Denver, COMileage: 99.7+Weather: Another hot day... Greetings from Denver! Over the past 11 days, our team has biked 916 miles from Rochester, MN to Denver, CO, climbing up to the city which is a mile above sea level! It has been a long haul, but at the end of the day, we are excited to have 2 days off in order to allow our muscles some well deserved time off. We want to thank the United Methodist Church in Ft. Morgan for hosting us this past night. We are very grateful for their generosity in allowing us to stay at their facilities. We also would like to thank the local Pizza Hut and Arby's for generously donating some food for the team's dinner last night. It was a great meal and we are so appreciative of their support of our organization.As we do with many of our longer days this summer, we left our stayover an hour ahead of schedule in order to avoid some of the afternoon heat. We all got up pretty quickly and were ready to go, likely because of the excitement of reaching Denver. Today, our ride was dedicated to Jack, a friend of one of our riders who passed away when he was just 1 8 years old. At 11, he was diagnosed with a type of brain cancer and fought the cancer for 7 years winning that battle. Unfortunately, though, he passed due to some complications from treatment. So today, our ride is for Jack.It was really nice starting our day early as it took several hours for it to heat up. The morning started off very calm and serene as we passed through more farmland that was, well, very similar to the land we have been passing for several days now: a lot of wheat and some corn being grown. Not too far out of Ft. Morgan, there were not many communities that we passed through. One of our cues warned us that we would not encounter a gas station for 40 miles. There were few houses and just beautiful rolling hills. Not far into the ride, we began to look further west. There was a point in my riding group that it dawned on us that the weird-looking clouds ahead of us to the west were in fact not clouds, but snow covered mountains. Those, were the Rocky Mountains. This was both exciting and a little bit nervous for us, knowing that we would soon be climbing some of these mountains along the ride. I have never been to the Rocky Mountains myself, so it was a very awe-inspiring moment.I don't think we had any great wildlife experiences today, although right before we got to our lunch stop, we did encounter a 3 foot snake on the road which had met its end. That was really gross, but now we know to look out for giant snakes (ew). As the day grew on, it got hotter but we had spaced our rest stops to ensure that no one ran out of water and that we were all properly hydrated. It is interesting, especially for MidWesterners, because the air here is very dry and you cannot necessarily tell that you are sweating since it evaporates so quickly. Once we were about 20 miles out from Denver, you could start to see the skyline and we used bike trails to work our way closer. We followed a lot of the South Platte River, which was pretty high. Because of recent rains, the path even had a detour due to high waters. Oh! I nearly forgot, but we did come across a very small prairie dog colony along the trail! They are so cute, but watch where you step because you certainly do not want to fall in one of their holes!Once we got into Denver, our route took up right by the stadium where the Denver Broncos play and close to the city. It is a very nice looking city that I know the team is excited to explore over the next few days. We arrived at our awesome stayover which is hosting us for the next 3 nights and 2 days. We are so thankful for their generosity in opening up their facilities for us. For dinner, the church provided some awesome pizza, chicken, fruit and some great desserts. It was very appreciated, especially as some of us took some scenic routes, extending the mileage of our journey. It was a long day of riding and a long stretch of riding for the whole team which was handled very well. It will be nice to be off our bikes for a few days, though some of us may be riding them a little bit over the next few days (we certainly wouldn't want to forget how to!). I will be providing an update likely on Thursday evening and let you know what we have been up to over these rest days, but for now, resting is what I am going to do with my teammates. Well, that and eating. :)-LAH

Day 38: Another Warm Day, Getting Closer to the Mountains

Start/End: Wray/Ft. Morgan, CoMileage: 87+Weather: Very warm, more clouds than yesterdayToday we woke up at the the WRAC in Wray, CO to some great pump-up music to start out our day. We had some great space that we could use for the night and morning. The staff were so friendly to our group and we had the opportunity to shower as well as have our laundry done for us. We woke up to our laundry all being very neatly folded and arranged so that we could easily find out clothes, even our socks were paired! It was great. Sometimes the little things really make a big difference :) We are also so thankful that the rec center not only let us stay at their facility, but also gave each of us an energy bar in the morning.Today's ride was dedicated to a woman, Jean, who is from Washington, IL. This community, including Jean, was impacted by a tornado a few years ago which destroyed many houses. Now after getting back to "normal", she finds herself fighting a new battle against Hodgkins Lymphoma. So today we ride for her and her fight with cancer.The ride started out a little bit windier than we expected, but as we rode out of Wray, we got to see some really cool rock, plateau formations that shaped the horizon. We also saw that to the south of us, there were some pretty dark clouds, that were thankfully moving away from us. We even got to see a rainbow! This was all helpful when it came to distracting us from the wind, encouraging us to move on.As the day went on, though, the wind calmed and the clouds stayed pretty consistent for a while, providing a good amount of shade for the ride. This helped the temperature stay down throughout the day. Colorado was a lot flatter and arid on this side of the state than expected. There were some occasional hills and an unnoticeable incline most of the day, but I am not even sure we have seen the Rockies in the distance. That will surely change tomorrow as we ride into Denver!It was another enjoyable day with nothing too exciting which happened. We did notice that there were some gecko/lizard things along the road which scurried off rather quickly as soon as we came along on our bikes. There were also some cacti growing in the cracks on the road....so we were sure to avoid those as to not get flat tires. Some groups were not as fortunate, though, as some groups learned about picking the thorns out of tires after getting flats on multiple bikes at the same tire.We are very excited for dinner, which has generously been donated by Arby's and Pizza Hut. We will be having roast beef sandwiches and pizza, which are some of my favorites, so I am sure the team will not go hungry.Tomorrow we have another long day into Denver so we will be waking up an hour early, but we are very excited because our last rest day was 10 days ago.....can you believe it? After tomorrow, we will have biked for 11 days with no time off. Wow.Also, again I thank you so much for your patience with blog posting being a little bit behind this week. It has been a long week.-LAH

Day 37: Three States, One Day

Start/End: McCook, NE/Wray, COMileage: 94+Weather: Hot.Today we woke up at the YMCA in McCook, NE ready for a really nice day. It was tough to leave the soft floor covered with mats that we could sleep on, but eventually we all got on our way, packing our bags and eating oatmeal and biscuits for breakfast. It was a very solid breakfast for our long day ahead. Thank you so much to the YMCA who has generously allowed us to stay at their facility!Today, we dedicated our ride to a special young lady who lived in a nearby town which we passed yesterday. Her name is Olivia and she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She recently was granted her wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation which was to go on a shopping spree for princess dolls and then she will be visiting Disney World to be treated just like the princess she is. We are so thankful to have met folks who know Olivia and her story and are honored to ride for her today.We continued our journey today through very arid land with plenty of grazing cattle. It was really interesting throughout the day because at several times, the cows that were grazing would start running toward us or along the fence to keep up with us. It was very fun to see them do this! Along those lines, our first first rest stop was at a historical marker which was a memorial for the Old Texas Ogallala Trail, which was used for cattle driving from Texas to Ogallala, NE.Our journey is starting to feel very western and rugged the further west we go. We encountered so many beautiful fields of wheat which were photo worthy (leading to several people stopping for pictures). Additionally, in some of the more flatter areas, the sky just seemed so big! There were some beautiful lakes, that were home to recreational areas and activities. Other than that, civilization was far and few in between. I think the team has been surprised that, even though we are out here, towns, even little ones, are not too far away. In previous Illini 4000 trips, our routes have not always been this way.For lunch, we stopped in Benkelman, NE which boasted to be the birthplace of Ward Bond, an actor and singer. He played Bert in "It's a Wonderful Life", but was in many other films and TV series throughout the 1930's-1950's. Seemed like a nice town, and everyone we met while at lunch was super friendly.The rest of the ride was really nice. We were still riding along a railroad track and waved at several trains receiving a friendly reply, including waving at an Amtrak train likely making its way to Denver. It was exciting because we could even see some passengers waving at us. This was a lot of fun and helped distract us from the fact that we were biking and it was over 90 F and we were in the sun with very little relief from any type of shade. There were also some beautiful wild sunflowers along the side of the road which were quite friendly, as if greeting us.About 75 miles in, we had the opportunity to go less than a mile off-course to visit Kansas, so why not? Many of us crossed another state off the list, jumped back into central time zone and then back into mountain times we crossed back into Nebraska. Not long after that, we also crossed into Colorado! This was just so exciting, though a little intimidated as we know we will soon be doing a lot of climbing.Riding into Wray, CO, we were a little surprised to find ourselves over 3500 feet of elevation above sea level! So I guess we have been gradually climbing for a while, but thankfully not having too many noticeable hills. We were pretty excited to arrive at the WRAC, where we were kindly greeted and made away of the showers and hot tub facilities available. After a hot day, a hot tub may not seem awesome,Mobutu it is very nice for our muscles to recover. And showers? Well they are just really nice.So that is just another day in the life of Illini 4000. It was a long day, but there is this great feeling of accomplishment among the team and everyone, though tired, is feeling pretty great at the end of it all. Relieved that tomorrow's ride will be shorter...-LAH

Day 36: Last Full Day in the Friendliest State

Start/End: Holdrege/McCook, NEMileage: 73.7+Weather: Warm, some nice cloudsThere is something about Nebraska and fireworks, and I am not sure what it is but it has been fun to go outside at night and be able to watch fireworks in the towns we stay in. Many of us live in Illinois and are only able to watch fireworks on holidays or on Lake Michigan in Chicago. Before long, though, the fireworks cease and we went to bed last night.When we woke up in McCook, we awoke to a kitchen that was bustling with some energetic members of the St. Elizabeth Episcopal Church were preparing an amazing breakfast for us once we awoke and had all of our things packed for the day. We had homemade casseroles with eggs, tomatoes, spinach, bacon and other great ingredients, homemade grits, biscuits and gravy and even bacon. They had so much food prepared for us and it was amazing and tasted really good. It was also nice because it was something that we had not had for a breakfast yet! We cannot thank you enough for your generosity in hosting us this past night, arranging showers, and setting up some really awesome meals.Today was a shorter ride which was nice, so many groups took it easy and we're sure not to rush. We were going through an incredibly scenic part of the country that was just beautiful to look at as we rode. The road was good and the drivers were very nice. This has made riding through Nebraska pretty awesome. We found a wheat field that was photogenic and took some pictures. It is funny, because many of us coming from Illinois are u enthused by corn fields, but give us a wheat field and the photos start.Partway through the ride, it was exciting because one group met a Dutch photographer who was riding a motorcycle around the country in a giant loop in order to take portraits of people she met for a project. The group got to meet her and she did a portrait of one of our awesome teammates, and it was fun. She had a very professional setup. It was interesting to look at the differences of our bikes and our portraits project, but it was fun to meet her!All in all, it was a good day, but then we arrived in McCook. We were staying at the YMCA, and we had access to shower and do laundry and that was all quite wonderful. After dinner, the team had a variety of fun activities planned for the evening. Many teammates went to Mac's Drive In, and while we could not drive in, we went inside and sat at these awesome booths from which we placed our order by picking up a phone and pressing a button. It was so cool and the food was delicious. Other group members went to go see a movie in celebration of a teammate's recent birthday. Many laughs were to be had.Such a good day! But at the end of it all, we were all pretty tired and lights went out before our typical lights out time... It was nice to have a short ride and be able to do other things in the evening along with riding during the day. Some longer rides are coming up the next few days, but I know we can do it!-LAH

Halfway There

We're a little over halfway through this bike ride, and today I thought I'd give y'all an update on things.Illini 4000 has been for me so far an instigator of important mental processes that should've begun a long time ago. As some of you may know, I injured myself very early on in this ride, leaving me off my bicycle for a good 5 weeks. I've never been this seriously injured before and it's been something new to deal with. But being unable to ride my bike and participate in the main part of this organization forced me to look at things from a new perspective, to serve my team rather than myself, and to work on waking up with a positive attitude everyday. When I first got this injury I thought: "this could have happened to any one of us, why me?" Now I've realized, "why not?"I've also in the past had too big of an ego to accept any kind of help. But this summer I've been forced to accept help, because I've needed it.Finally, I've begun to realize that the first step in having others accept you for who you are is accepting yourself.So this summer has been so far an exercise in selflessness, positivity, and acceptance.Also, with seeing this country I've realized how huge, diverse, and beautiful every part of it is. We've taken the back roads everywhere. I was surprised by how much I LOVED Nebraska, the people and the terrain.I've also firmly decided that I've made the right turn in heading towards veterinary medicine as a future career. I know for a fact that I want to work with animals every day, whether that means I work with wildlife or large livestock. Why has Illini 4000 helped me make this decision? Because my interactions with different kinds of animals have been some of my happiest and most eye-opening moments this summer. I realized that animals play a huge role in humans' lives (and vice versa); I want to make those roles positive and beneficial to both sides.So yeah I ranted but this is what Illini 4000 has been for me so far.

Day 36: A Quick Update

I am going to apologize for theLackluster blog posting for today, but I wanted to let everyone know that we safely made it to McCook, NE today! It was a very good day and I definitely have things to share about the day, but it has been a very long day and we have a pretty long day ahead of us tomorrow as we cross into Colorado. We are very excited to start to see the mountains soon. I promise to update the blog as soon as possible, though I am not sure of our internet access to,or row. Regardless in a few days or less, we will have you all updated on the ride! Thanks for following and happy trails!-LAH

Day 35: Flat Tires and Then Some

Start/End: Grand Island/Holdrege, NEMileage: 70.7+Weather: Cloudy with sprinkles in the morning, warm and sunny in the afternoonToday we started our day at the Salvation Army Community Church which had generously allowed us to stay at their facility and use cots to sleep on. It was amazing to sleep on them. We were also provided a great breakfast consisting of oatmeal, toast, some donuts and juice/milk. It was a bigger than usual breakfast, but it was a great replenishment from yesterday.We rolled out a little later than usual, but we knew that would be ok since we "only" had about 70 miles. It is so strange to think that yesterday we did 40 miles more than what we did today, and that is just mind blowing. Our morning was definitely more eventful than we would have wanted in terms of riders getting flat tires. Strangely, the team total for flat tires was 9 flats. This is ridiculously high and was just a lot of bad luck. The shoulder/road that we were on was not too bad but had some occasional holes and rocks which likely caused some of the issues. The morning also brought some on and off drizzled rain and was cool, but it was refreshing.It has been amazing the last few days to see all of the freight train traffic through Nebraska. The train conductors are often very friendly and wave at us! But watching all of the coal and other materials that are shipped via freight train is just incredible. Also, trains are loud....This morning our first rest stop in Shelton was a very nice stop. We met several amazing people who were very supportive our our cause. We met some survivors and even learned that there was a program in Shelton that helps provide gas cards to anyone who needs to travel long distances to receive chemotherapy treatment or surgery. Additionally, we met a local reporter who took a picture of the group and spoke to some riders. They were very excited that we were passing through their town, so that was super cool.The rest of the day was very nice. When we stopped for lunch, the clouds parted and it warmed up and the sun came out. We met a few more folks who were enthusiastic about the cause. Many riders also discovered a local pizza place in Kearney that reportedly had some of the best pizza. Leaving the town, we just had about 30 miles left and we caught a tailwind a lot of the way, which meant we just had a very quick rest of the day. We had an optional rest stop midway through that way to refill water and take a break. It was fun getting to see the tall grasses that had grown between the road and the fields that was just rolling like waves on the ocean in the wind. It was beautiful to watch how the light caught the grass at different angles.Arriving at our stayover was great. We have a nice, cool area to sleep and spread out. Additionally, the church partnered with a church in the neighboring town of Funk to provide an amazing selection of casseroles and pasta dishes, in addition to watermelon. It felt nice eating dinner on real plates.... Sometimes this summer it is nice to appreciate the small things! Oh. Also because we got in so early, most people took some really long naps, still recovering a little from yesterday. I didn't realize that I was so tired! We also had access to showers at the local pool arranged by our awesome stayover, so thank you!Apart from the flat tires, it was a good day and we are all in pretty good spirits. Looking forward to our next rest day which is still a while away, but we are sticking together. I am sure it will be an early night to go to bed for most of us as we will get up and do this all again tomorrow!-LAH

Day 34: Easy Breeze

Start/End: Norfolk/Grand Island, NEMileage: 110.7Weather: Cool and cloudy morning, hot afternoon (84 F)If you have followed our journey throughout this summer, you will see that we have not had the best luck with weather, including yesterday. However, today could not have been more perfect because on this, our longest day of the ride for the summer, we had a tailwind for nearly the entire ride. It was amazing and the day, and our bikes, just flew by.This morning we started our day an hour early, as agreed upon by the team for our longer days in order to allow us to finish the day a little bit sooner. We had an amazing breakfast consisting of breakfast Danishes, donuts, and watermelon. It was so delicious and we are thankful for the McCarty family for generously donating all of this food. We are also so thankful to the First Christian Church of Norfolk, NE for allowing us to start at their facility. We all slept well and were very comfortable and are just very grateful for their kindness.As we prepared to leave the stayover, we went outside and noted the morning fog. It had already begun clearing, but it was pretty cool looking. As usual during our morning meeting, we dedicated today's ride to a rider's aunt who passed away about a year ago from cancer. It is just so astonishing how close cancer has impacted the lives of this group of 28 riders.After that, we had our riding groups and set off for the day. Leaving Norfolk was a little interesting, because at 6 AM, it was actually quite busy, likely because third shift at many of the factories had recently gotten off shift. We got to ride on Johnny Carson Way- I am wondering if this was his hometown, but there were signs for a Johnny Carson Museum that would be pretty interesting to visit on another trip.Within the first 5 miles, we encountered what would be our last stoplight for about 80 miles. This never occurred to us at the time, but I know when our group came across e stoplight at mile 85ish, we really couldn't recall if we had seen a stoplight during the day or not and proceeded to debate this.As I mentioned, we had the longest ride day in miles today, but we were just so fortunate to have a strong tailwind that helped us along our route. My group, which was taking it a little more "easy", averaged about 16.7 mph, while others pushed more throughout the ride, averaging much more. This is just a relatively fast pace to maintain for an extended period, especially for a century plus some day. We mostly stayed on US or state highways for the day, meaning that we had pretty good road conditions, and often a very large shoulder with rumble strips separating us from traffic.It was a very refreshing day, as we also got to terrain that is what we anticipated from Nebraska. It was mostly flat with a few very gradual hills. It was beautiful. We planned our rest stops throughout the day so that we could stop at a gas station, but between these, there was not much, except an expanse of crops and sometimes some cattle. We saw some mature wheat fields that were just so golden and flowing in the wind. Additionally we saw some our first Sandhills, which are apparently a distinguishable feature from space, but likely further southwest in the state.When we arrived at the stayover tonight, we found out that we would be provided dinner and had the opportunity to use the showers at the local YMCA. The showers were phenomenal! The walk to them also probably helped stretch us out... Dinner was also really great. We had a tuna casserole, peas and carrots, bread, yoghurt, pineapple/orange mix, and a generous brownie. I know that several of us really appreciated having this home style cooked meal with fruit and veggies. The facility also gave us some great snacks of chips, popcorn and candy, which were awesome treats. Thank you so much! We are also thankful to Fazolis, Red Lobster and Papa Johns for donating food for the team for future days, or a late night snack, as I know that pizza is being heated up as I blog. You honestly would be surprised at the amount of food we consume on this journey....Anyhow. Tonight we are thankful to have cots to sleep on, so we are all set up for a very good night's rest. I still cannot believe all of the generosity we experience from strangers and are just so thankful because this trip could not be what it is without the amazing folks who have provided us food and a place to stay. Thank you so much for anyone who has supported us in any way!-LAH

Day 33: The Good Life in Nebraska

Start/End: Sioux City, IA/ Norfolk, NEMileage: 81+Weather: Well, we'll get to that.Today we were woken up with some cool music- it has been a great new trend to our morning routine. We have rotating chores, one being wake up. For several days and certain chore partners, they have embraced the idea of playing good music to wake us up. I am pretty sure this is much more preferred than just turning on the lights....Today, our ride was dedicated to a rider's grandpa, who battled three different types of cancer throughout his life, beating two of them. Our rider was motivated to do this ride to honor her grandpa's fight against cancer.We left Iowa this morning, but not without some groups getting a little turned around, while others stopped at a farmers market. Either way, we all made it safely across the Missouri River to Nebraska, home of one of the latest additions to the Big 12 conference. Before long, we had turned onto NE-35W, the road we would be on for at least 70 miles for the day. The team is definitively split on whether more or less cues to turn are better. Before our first rest stop, we travelled on a very flat flood plain, but then approached some winding roads that took us up and around some hills most comfortably.As we continued on our route, we became aware of some approaching adverse weather conditions. There was a lot of communication about potential locations along the route and were advised to take shelter in the event of lightning or any situations which riders felt unsafe. Fortunately, we all found shelter which we were able to hang out for the long while that the storm took to pass. There was lightning, plenty of rain, and one group even saw some hail! We are so thankful to the businesses that allowed us to use their facilities to take shelter.Once that was over, we resumed a rather lovely day that resembled yesterday much more than expected. Hill after hill with more beautiful scenery. The winds died down as the afternoon pressed on, making our final ride into our stayover location a little easier.Once we arrived at our stayover, we had an amazing pasta dinner provided by Napoli's Italian Restaurant in Norfolk. Additionally we had some great discount opportunities from HyVee East and West in Norfolk for our team to be able to restock, as well as cases of water. Additionally we had the opportunity to use the showers at the YMCA in Norfolk and Grand Island. We thankfully smell much better :) We are very thankful for all of the support that this amazing town has shown us. It really continues to blow my mind the kindness we encounter along this route.Also, it is amazing to see friends and family of the riders who stop by to say hello. Today we got to meet some great family members who were generous in providing amazing food, but also just the opportunity to hang out and learning about how cancer has impacted their life. Oh- and we can't forget the visiting time with puppies.I think we will all sleep well tonight after today, which was just a little longer than we anticipated. This is good because tomorrow will be a longer day, starting an hour early so than we can conquer 112 miles! So with that, I will close....but I will recommend that you check out some of our social media, because yesterday Sioux City's local news station did a segment on Illini 4000 which features some of our awesome riders! This can be found off of our Facebook page. Additionally, we do have lots of pictures on our Instagram which we hope you enjoy!-LAH

Day 32: Hill After Hill

Start/End: Storm Lake/Sioux City, IAMileage: 65.6+Weather: Remarkably calm and cool for a changeStorm Lake was a great place to stay. We are so thankful to those at the church who made our visit more enjoyable, including the pastor and his family. Not only did they take our laundry last night and return it this morning, but they also arrived at the church very early to prepare an amazing breakfast with the fluffy eat pancakes that I have ever had. They were amazing and seemingly never ending. Thank you so much for making our stay in Storm Lake at the United Methodist Church a great, memorable experience.I had a few things that I left out accidentally yesterday from the blog. The wonderful woman who allowed us to eat lunch on her yard was Mavis Loving. Thank you so much! She also brought up that last weekend was the annual marathon to Marathon (Iowa), which was another small town we passed through. So if you are looking to recreate some of our route, this route starts in Storm Lake!After eating an amazing breakfast, we were off again onto the route, but not before doing a ride dedication. Today's ride was dedicated to Jim Noffsinger, who is a retired teacher and coach who has greatly impacted one of our riders. He is currently battling stage 4 metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. This is just a difficult fight to fight and we wish the best for him during treatment and beyond.As I mentioned above, there was relatively no wind and it was, at times, a little chilly outside. As the day continued on, neither of these really changed! It never felt too hot, thanks to the abundance of clouds, despite that the sun was quite bright, and the winds never really slowed us down. For a westward journey, this was a fun day. In additional to the lack of wind, we just had these rolling hills, which I have talked about a lot, but for most of the day today, we had pretty big hills that were steep and longer and just seemingly never ending. As soon as we got over one, another would be hiding ride behind it, or they would be stacked. We learned a lot about our own methods to climbing hills as well as group climbing.Today was also one of the first days that we have experienced that we did not encounter a new city every 10-20 miles. We only passed a few towns, many of itch did not even have a gas station or convenient store. Fun fact,me did pass through the coldest spot in Iowa today, which in 1912 recorded a temperature of -47 F. Washta, IA had that claim to fame on their town sign- I am glad I was not there in 1912! Brrrr...Today we made it to Sioux City, IA, our last stop in Iowa. We are grateful for the amazing food donation that we received from Chipotle today for dinner. It is definitely a great meal to prepare us for another ride tomorrow. Additionally, many of us got to do a portrait of a rider's mom, which was a little tough to hear how closely cancer impacted a family of a friend so near and dear to us. It just another reason to keep going, keep fighting against cancer on all fronts.I am a little sad to leave Iowa tomorrow, because we have just experienced such kindness and generosity from people we have met, and gotten to experience such a beautiful countryside. Here's hoping to smooth roads and calm winds in Nebraska as we continue tomorrow!-LAH

Day 31: Weather Delays and Hot Sunshine

Start/End: Emmetsburg/Storm Lake, IAMileage: 59.5+Weather: during the ride,warm and quite windyToday we were awakened by the sounds of thunder and rain. We woke up and got our bags packed, but we knew that we would have delay due to the storms, so many of us went back to bed until the storms passed. This was a nice sleep in, but sometimes getting out of sync with the schedule is tough. When the rain and thunderstorms finally subsided, we got rolling around 9:30 AM. We are so thankful to Bethany Lutheran Church for not only letting us stay the night, but also hang out in the morning and wait for the weather to pass.Today, our ride was dedicated to one of the wonderful women that participated in our portraits project the previous evening. She fought esophageal cancer and 3 years ago today, she was deemed to be cancer free. This is very exciting and we are happy for her victory over cancer, and hope that we see other success stories like this. Cases like this are why we do what we do.Getting back on the road was nice, knowing that it would be a shorter day, even if we left late. Before long, we began to notice the strong winds on the road, which slowed us down, but we fought through it. We went through the rolling hills of Iowa, passing through small towns, like Mallard, IA, a town which claim to be a town of "friendly ducks". As the day pressed on, the sun continued to get stronger and hotter, and the winds did not let up. We were delighted to stop for lunch, though, at a house along the route that generously allowed us to have our typical lunch on their front yard, even brining out picnic blankets. It was great to sit in the shade and enjoy the company of new friends.When we finally rolled into Storm Lake, we were greeted by the pastor who showed us where we would be staying. He generously brought many of us to a local water park which was just so much fun. There were diving boards and slides, and it was refreshing to be in the cool water. Afterwards, we returned to the church where we were generously provided pizza and ice cream for dinner and dessert. It was a great way to wrap up the day. We have played ping pong, fooseball and pool, just having an overall great time. Before we know it, it will be time to hit the hay and be back to it in the morning! Tomorrow will be our last full day in Iowa....the mountains are getting closer!-LAH

Day 30: The Joy of a Short Ride Day

Start/End: Lake Mills/Emetsburg, IAMileage: 75.5+2+Weather: Sunny, warm, slight windToday. What a morning. We are so grateful to the Winnebago Lutheran Church in Lake Mills, IA. We woke up and were served an amazing breakfast consisting of homemade French toast, sausage links, fruit, juice/milk/coffee. It was a wonderfully prepared breakfast and was just such a great change from our typically oatmeal. As we prepared to get ready, we said goodbye to Cooper the dog and some wonderful kittens we met during our visit. They even joined us for the team picture!Today we dedicated the ride to the Robinson family, friends of a rider. Several years back, the father was diagnosed with a type of stomach cancer which he is still battling. Shortly after his diagnosis, their daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Sadly she lost her battle with leukemia and now he brother is fighting a similar battle with leukemia. I cannot even try to imagine the pain this family has experienced, but today's rides became one for a story of a family impacted by cancer that I will not forget.Our ride today was set out to be about 75 miles, mostly along U.S. Route 18. We rolled out of the church through hills still softened by the mist settled in the valleys. There were dear, turkeys and pheasants out enjoying their morning stroll not bothering anyone. As the day grew on, we began to experience more and more traffic. We were told that a popular weekend getaway location was along that route, but we persisted as we normally do being sure to be courteous in sharing the roadway with vehicles. The day was going by pretty quickly due to a lack of winds, but some groups were moving around 17-18 mph on average. At lunch time, we stopped at a gas station where we had several opportunities to talk to people who were traveling about the organization and what we stood for. We are so thankful to those who took the time to get to learn about our organization and share a little about how cancer has impacted them.Once we got back on the road, we took a break from route 18, taking some less populated back roads with less traffic, and a rather nice hill to climb. I guess I always thought that Iowa was as flat as Illinois. So far, that is absolutely not the case. Iowa has quite a lot of beautiful rolling hills, but they are fun!We arrived at our stayover location, for almost all groups by 3 PM, which is a lot earlier than many of the previous days. It is amazing what you can do with extra time before our lights out! Many of us walked down the street to visit Five Island Lake and swim a little bit. Afterwards, riders were shuttled to a local wellness center (workout facility), which the church had coordinated with to allow us to shower at. This was very much so appreciated. Some of us were able to wash some of our clothes and leave them to dry in the sunshine (they smell so good!). We finally finished watching the movie, The Incredibles, played some games and just whatever. Some teammates are doing planks and other core exercises right now.The church we are staying at tonight was so great in providing us a dinner of meat lasagna, cheese ravioli, garlic bread, fruit, and some different types of dessert. It was fantastic and well liked all around. After dinner, some members of the congregation we also wanting to give a portrait about their experience with how cancer has impacted their life. Several riders got to participate in the portraits to hear their story. We are so glad that they wanted to share their experiences.It has been a very satisfying day and I am glad that we have access to wifi, because my phone is still having trouble getting service, especially a data connection. Some riders are struggling to get any service. So if you have unanswered text messages, hang tight. Many of us just do not have coverage! In fact, it seems to be something known by other cell phone companies who have strategically placed billboards about how their company has service in the "middle of anywhere". Anyhow, enough of that. Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there and I hope everyone enjoyed the longest day of sunlight! I know the team sure did.-LAH

Day 29: Through Strong Winds, We Press On

Start/End: Rochester, MN/Lake Mills, IAMileage: 95.8+Weather: Cloudy, windy, and afternoon clearing with a hot sunWe made it to another state line crossing, despite some of today's weather related challenges. Last night after reviewing the weather, it seemed as if we left an hour early, we could in fact avoid some strong weather headed in our direction,but as we woke up, it became apparent that would not be the case. As the van was being loaded, lightning was spotted and so we post-phoned our departure time. So with that, we ate breakfast and then just hung out. Most of us returned back to sleeping on couches and chairs- really whatever we found comfortable until we rolled out an hour after we typically depart. Tough morning, but we did avoid some strong weather and did not even go through rain!We are so thankful to the Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN that has allowed us to use their space for the last 2 days. It was a great space for us to spread out and be comfortable. Additionally there were some pretty awesome showers, which are always appreciated, not only by the riders, but also the folks we visit on the rest day (yesterday at the Mayo Clinic).As we prepared to roll out, we dedicated today's ride to a rider's Uncle Chuck, who as a child had fought a type of bone cancer. While we are happy to call him a survivor, he did in fact lose his leg while facing cancer, which was probably difficult growing up.Heading out of Rochester was pretty uneventful despite the late departure. We did get a chance to ride on the Laura Ingalls Highway for a brief time, which, for me was pretty exciting as I grew up reading her books. But before long, we turned into the wind. For most of the morning we either had a headwind or a crosswinds, which are much better than a headwind, but still challenging. I am very proud of how well all of the groups faired in these winds which were steady around 20 mph. After our first snack break,the sky got very dark and cloudy and I thought we might encounter more weather, but it did not evolve into anything. Later in the afternoon, the winds did calm and the sun came out and it was just a whole lot brighter, and hotter. Luckily we were already halfway done with the ride, though. As we reached the end of our visit to Minnesota, one of the riders mentioned that for being the state with more than 10,000 lakes, we did not expect to see me all, but we had only seen about 4..... We did see a few more before crossing into Iowa, but that was a pretty interesting, valid statement.We arrived a little later than usual at our stay over and were warmly welcomed by the pastor and his family who had generously prepared a delicious meal of sloppy joe sandwiches, cut up vegetables and fruit and had cold water and soda ready for us. This was not expected at all, but I know the team was very excited about a warm, delicious meal. Thank you so much!Some riders, after arriving, decided that 95.8 miles was just too close to doing a century (100 miles), so before dinner while waiting on other groups to ride, went out and captured a few more miles. I guess it really does take a certain kind of "crazy" to do Illini 4000, but it is so exciting to watch members of the team who are so new to road cycling, get so excited and not shy away from doing more.Well, with all of the excitement of today and the longness of it, I am happily going to go to sleep so that I, as well as the rest of the team, are well rested for another great day tomorrow!-LAH

Day 29: Hello Iowa!

Incident free and almost half way there. Due to WiFi related issues, the usual blog post will be a day or so late. But, everyone is happy to report that they arrived safely in Lake Mills, IA. And, to those keeping up with the blog posts, a quick thank you. Support from people like you is what makes a ride like this possible.

Eye of the Storm

Assistant Ride Leader's Log. Bike Date 28.15-06-20.6:49After an early wake up in an attempt to beat the storms coming to Rochester, MN, we have found ourselves in the eye of the storm. We are still waiting at our stay over until it is safe for us to embark on another day of adventure. It's really fascinating how quickly weather can change and develop. It definitely makes me appreciate that we have some atmospheric science people on the team.Being in Rochester again is really bittersweet. I'm sure I will always remember it as the last place I saw my grandfather before he passed away. However, I now also some new happy memories here with a group of people on a mission to do something he would support 110%.Yesterday we had the chance to visit the Mayo Clinic here in Rochester and it was really interesting to hear what was going on there. The first part of our tour was very focused on the ways that Mayo is trying to improve the experience of patients. They had some cool ideas, but, as an engineer, I was hoping to learn a bit more about the scientific innovations. The tour ended in a cancer learning center which I quickly saw as a valuable resource. The focus was on serving anyone who walked in by trying to help them understand and learn more about cancer so they could deal with it, or help a loved one deal with it. They also focused a lot on stress management, relaxation, and empowering the patient and family to face this all head on.Hopefully the storm passes before I fall back asleep.

Day 28: A Day in Rochester, MN

Rest days never seem long enough, but at the same time, too long. Many of the riders just miss being on the bike...but other than that we did in fact enjoy our time in Rochester for our third official rest day.We started off the day spending some time at the Mayo Clinic, visiting their Center For Innovation and their Cancer Center. The Center for Innovation was fascinating to see how the clinic was using Human Centered Design to improve the way that healthcare is delivered to the patient. This can be done many different ways, but all of them involve talking to a lot of patients to evaluate their experience through the medical system. This is the only Center for Innovation that is actually located within a clinic, so that was super unique. Next we got to see the Cancer Center, which was a great resource for cancer patients, their friends and families, and anyone seeking to learn about cancer. There is literature about different diagnosis, treatment options, as well as ways to talk to children/family about cancer, as well as methods to get through treatments. In addition to that, there is a nurse on staff who can help answer questions. Also in the center is an American Cancer Society navigator who is available to connect patients to the proper resources through ACS, such as Hope Lodges, like the one we visited in Rochester, NY. Even moreso, the center offers many classes that address the emotional part of cancer by providing meditation, yoga and stress management classes. It was truly a great resource. We are so thankful for the staff at Mayo Clinic who took the time to show us their awesome facilities.After this, we pretty much had the day to ourselves to do whatever we needed or wanted to do. Many of us went to see a movie, while some hung out at a coffee shop, got some great food throughout the day, visited bike shops to pick up any needed items and really whatever else.It was a nice day, but tomorrow we have another long day with an early wake up again, but we do cross a state line, so we are pretty excited! So goodnight from Rochester, MN!-LAH

Day 27: Venturing Into The Real West

Start/End: La Crosse, WI/Rochester, MNMileage: 83+Weather: Windy and HotToday we got to "sleep in" after yesterday's long day so that we could leave at our usual time of 7 AM. We are so thankful for the amazing hospitality that the First Presbyterian Church of La Crosse showed us during our short stay. We were very excited to have the pastor of the church join us at the beginning of the ride. He has competed in numerous Ironman competitions, so certainly knew his way around road cycling. He also knew his way around the town and the group riding with him actually got to see and learn more about La Crosse, which was pretty awesome.Before we get too far into that, though, today's ride was dedicated to a rider's relative who passed away from breast cancer. She was an awesome lady who is very dearly missed.Despite the fact that we were near the Mississippi River last night, we actually travelled north through Wisconsin before crossing over the river. Many groups, as usual,moot some fun state line crossing pictures. It is always great to cross a state line because you feel accomplished, like you are actually going somewhere. So that was fun. Additionally, many groups have made it a point to stop at local farm stands, getting honey, fresh fruit, or of course some ice cream. Today we passed quite a few, and I know that some of these great local items were bought- something you may not be able to do if traveling by interstate!Looking at the altitude map of today's ride proved to look scarier than it actually was, which is a great realization as we go into the west and face longer climbs. But we had 2 very good climbs with about 6% grade. It doesn't sound like much, but a grade like that over a long distance can be challenging. I am glad to report, thought,Mehta the group admirably attacked the hills working our way up onto the plateau which are the high plains.The group I was in got to see quite an amazing sight with a beautiful bald eagle flying with it's baby quite close to roadway, though high. It was a beautiful, especially after crossing the Mississippi River. It just seemed so American. The baby eagle seemed to being doing pretty well with flying, probably a lot better than some of us when we were first riding our bikes.... I heard another group got to see a baby deer and a doe as well. Such great timing on seeing these young animals!The group was pretty excited to arrive in Rochester, MN today because we get another rest day tomorrow. After all of the hills I have been telling you about, I know my muscles could use a little bit of a break. A lot of the group had the opportunity tonight to visit a street festival, where there was food, live music and some craft sales. It seemed like fun, but was slowing down when many of us arrived after dinner and a team meeting, but should you find yourself in Rochester, may want to check it out! Getting some much needed rest now...tomorrow we get to sleep in until 7:45! Woohoo!-LAH

Day 26: An Early Morning, Pleasant Evening on the River

Start/End: Wisconsin Dells/La Crosse, WIMileage: 93+Weather: Beautiful!It gives me so much joy to report that today that we had great weather! If you have been keeping up with our adventures, you will know that has just not always been the case. Anyhow, I will get started by saying a huge thank you to St. Cecilia's Church in Wisconsin Dells for allowing us to use their space. We were able to spread out in different rooms, allowing some slightly different "lights out" times. We cannot express how important it is to this trip that we just have so many kind people who are gracious enough to let us use their facilities.Today's ride, a long one, was dedicated to a family friend of a rider who has been battling a rare form of brain cancer. While experimental treatments have seemed to be working OK, it is still very hard even for basic motor functions at time, which have required speech and physical therapy. This can be very difficult for a family, but especially the patient.Unlike most days, today we started our ride at 6 AM, instead of the regular 7 AM start because of the high mileage and potential forecast of some thunderstorms. This is not totally a-typical for the team, but in the end, a lot of folks really enjoyed the early start (definitely not something you would expect to hear from college students), but ending before it gets very hot and windier is nice.All in all, we just had a beautiful day for biking, and I think I may have said that about yesterday too, but it just was. Along the route, we got a nice taste of a little bit of climbing, like we may experience in Colorado on a much smaller scale. Additionally we had some more practice on downhills, which seem easier, but they can actually prove to be challenging, in making sure we can safely slow down and be aware of any road hazards. We also got to see a lot of baby animals along the way which were all pretty cute diversions from the riding. We saw baby cows, horses, goats and sheep. It is always interesting to learn which teammates dislike certain animals and to learn why. Gives us something to talk about on the route!We had the chance to go through Amish country, like what we had passed through further roast. It was interesting to see the difference in the muscle build of the animals that were used to help work the land instead of farm equipment that many of us are more used to. The one challenge going through Amish country is being very alert for manure on the road, as the horses and carts/buggies do use he roads and that is just not something you would like to have on your bike!Arriving into La Crosse, we were welcomed by some pretty amazing friends of Illini 4000. When a few of us visited a local bike shop, there were fellow Illini (and Blackhawks fans) among the staff. At the church, we were warmly received and not only given access to showers at a local YMCA, but we were also shuttled to a church member's private home for a cookout/pool party/kayak adventure. When we arrived, the food had already been prepared and there was just so much food available, that we all we quite full by the end of it. Many of us used the pool and even tried out kayaking on the Mississippi River's main channel! Fortunately, there was not a lot of boat traffic at that time. We are so thankful to this family and their friends for making our stay in La Crosse amazing.Hopefully from all of this, you will understand why I was so tired last night and wasn't able to post this sooner. Had a great day, though.-LAH