First United Methodist Church provided a delicious breakfast of French toast, eggs, and peaches. I am always amazed when people voluntarily get up early enough to feed us. Peggy was so fun and supportive that it was hard to leave this morning. However, we did eventually hit the road.Today's ride dedication was requested by Danah Kirsh, a girl in Catherine Schmidt's sorority. Dana's aunt, Jackie Riskin, dealt with brain tumors for 18 years, had 3 surgeries, and passed away in April of 2013. She had the biggest heart in the world for all animals. She took in stray cats and made them a beautiful home. She was kind and very dedicated to her work and also had a great appreciation for nature. She searched for her inner peace and freedom in spite of her brain limitations due to her cancer, and she died peacefully in her sleep.Today was another hot one, but the road conditions were the most difficult part of today. The shoulder and most of the road were very torn up and crazy bumpy. We also encountered 2 miles of gravel. Our hands and shoulders were very thankful to be done when we got to First Lutheran Church in Orland.We were again provided a delicious dinner and got to shower, which we are always excited about.We are also having an end of the ride recap meeting tonight. It’s an opportunity to discuss what can be improved about the organization, what we liked, and an overall wrap up of the summer. It’s unbelievable to us all that the time has come to be wrapping things up. I think a lot of us are getting mentally and physically tired, but it’s hard to imagine not being with each other all the time in the future.I’m thankful to be a part of an organization that hopes to only improve in the future as well as one that allows for such strong bonds to be made. We’re awfully lucky!DR
Day 67: Mount Shasta to Redding
Today was HOT! It was 102 degrees when we finished our ride. Thankfully, we have since cooled down and are comfortably enjoying the air conditioning.We dedicated our ride to two people. Steven asked to have the ride dedicated to his aunt’s brother, Marino, who passed away from pancreatic cancer, as well as his aunt’s sister Diane who passed away from gall bladder cancer. Both of his aunts have been huge supporters of I4K!We are all feeling good about finishing today. It was challenging for many reasons. The heat always makes the ride feel more difficult and challenges us mentally. On top of that, the road we rode on today went over and through mountains, had some construction, and the shoulder was covered in debris. We had to be very mentally and physically sharp in order to keep our teammates and ourselves safe. There were many, many flat tires today, which not only slows us down but also wears on our optimism. I am proud to say that we all encouraged each other and did what we needed to do to make it to Redding. An ice cream stop at McDonald’s helped!The positive thing about today’s ride was the scenery. We rode through beautifully forested mountains and right over Lake Shasta. It was a gorgeous lake with bright blue water and a beautifully colored canyon.The other, and most important, positive part about today was the generosity we received. We are staying at the First United Methodist Church in Redding. These people know how to throw a potluck! We had so much delicious food, talked to so many kind people, and received many donations. After dinner we had a Q & A session where they just asked us about what we do, what our favorite parts of the trip have been, what our daily routine is like, etc. Their interest and patience through this was amazing! It is always so nice when people are so genuinely interested not only in our cause, but also in us as individuals. We all had great dinner conversations with the people around us.People like those we met tonight remind us of all of the good people we have met along the way. We continue to be thankful for the amazing acts of generosity we see.DR
Day 66: Klamath Falls, OR to Mt. Shasta, CA
***First, I want to make you aware of a separate post I made last night containing San Francisco Arrival Information. Please refer to it if you plan on meeting us on August 7th.Now, on to today! We are all very excited to be in California!Our ride was dedicated to Forrest Meyst, a friend of Mike, the owner of Yeti’s Lair, where we stayed last night. Forrest passed away this year from cancer, and he was a great man loved by many in Klamath Falls.We crossed into California around mile 16. We spent a lot of time there taking group and individual pictures. It was really fun to see everyone so excited, and we are all so proud of ourselves. I can’t imagine what it is going to be like actually crossing the Golden Gate Bridge!We had an amazing view of Mount Shasta almost all day. Steven described it as “Majestic.” It’s even taller than the Grand Tetons, and still has a lot of snow covering it. The mountain is visible from 100 miles away in some areas. The hills were pretty big today, and it got warm, but we all pushed through and enjoyed our route. The first half of our ride was desert, but the second half is how I imagined northern California. Tall evergreens lined the road, and it felt like we were on a bike path. It was very pretty. We also got multiple donations from strangers today, which is always humbling and exciting.We all stopped in a town called Weed after lunch. I’ll admit that we were unsure about what to expect, but it is a nice little town with a small college. We all enjoyed coffee or milkshakes as well as some air conditioning for a bit.We are staying at Hope Community Church in Mount Shasta. We got dinner donated from Say Cheese Pizza and Round Table Pizza. Always a bonus to not have to cook dinner!So far, California is treating us well!DR
San Francisco Information
The 2016 team will be arriving in San Francisco on Sunday, August 7th! We plan to arrive at the Baker Beach picnic area around 2pm. The San Francisco University of Illinois Alumni Club will be greeting us and will provide box lunches for the riders.More information about the event can be found at the link below. Supporters can order their own boxed lunches on the page as well. Please let us know if you have any questions!http://www.sfbayareaillini.org/article.html?aid=488
Day 65: Rest Day in Klamath Falls
Today has been the most restful rest day we have had so far. We all slept super well on the cushy rock climbing floor and had a leisurely morning. We made our way to Dutch Brothers Coffee and The Daily Bagel at our own pace for breakfast, and all went our separate ways from there. While Klamath Falls has a nice downtown, it isn't a very big city, so there was less pressure than usual to get out and see a ton of different things. Many people did laundry, some wandered downtown, others worked on job applications, and others really just sat on the couch. We all climbed at some point, which was a fun change in activity.Mike provided a delicious dinner again. We continue to be thankful for generous stay overs, especially on rest days. It’s hard to believe this is the last one! 6 rides left!We have greatly enjoyed our time in Oregon but are very much looking forward to crossing into California tomorrow!DR
Day 63 & 64: La Pine, Crater Lake, and Klamath Falls
What a couple of days!Catherine chose to dedicate our ride into Crater Lake to her grandmother’s husband Dan Norman. Dan passed away in 2012 after a battle with esophageal cancer. He was a huge Auburn Tigers fan and a great handyman.The ride started out really fast. We all made great time on the first 40 miles, partially because it was freezing in the morning and we were doing anything we could to get the blood pumping.We had an 11 mile climb up to the rim of Crater Lake. It was challenging, but we all agreed that we have gotten so much stronger, and that it was really the narrow shoulder and traffic that made it difficult. We saw snow on the way up, and many of us stopped to put it down our shirts to cool off a bit. It was so incredibly odd to be profusely sweating and see this patch of snow just off the road.We made it to the main lookout on the North Rim, and this is where I struggle to describe what it was like. Everyone just looked. I have never, ever seen water so blue. It’s the kind of blue that if it was a painting, and it was painted to look realistic, it would look unnatural. It was unbelievable to think that there used to be a volcano where we were standing, and that this lake just happened to form because it erupted and collapsed in on itself. It’s the deepest lake in the world, measuring over 2,000 feet at its deepest point. For this reason, the warmest it has ever been is 60 degrees at the surface. We didn’t have the chance to swim, but it would have been chilly for sure.There was also a wildfire that had been burning for three days, and the wind was blowing it over the lake. The combination of the smoke and a very dangerous shoulder caused us to have to shuttle the last 9 miles of our ride to our campsite. We had a great last night camping. We sat around the fire, talked, laughed a lot, and looked up at the stars constantly. It was astonishing to see more and more come out by the minute. We also enjoyed brief visits from Steven’s parents and Catherine Kemp’s mom and grandma.Today’s ride was dedicated to the mother of one of Sarah’s classmates. Her name is Andrea Soskel. She is a survivor of intraductile breast cancer.We cleaned up our campsite and then went to a nearby lodge for breakfast. We didn’t get on the road until 10, but it was a shorter 54 mile day today. We all wore just about every piece of warm clothing we owned to breakfast, and in the 2 hours that passed it warmed up to the point of taking it all off before starting our ride. The day went by quickly, and we all were into the stay over by 3:30.We are staying at Yeti’s Lair, a rock climbing gym in Klamath Falls. The owner, Mike, is super generous. He is providing dinner for us, bought us all coffee from the near by Dutch Brothers Coffee shop, and is doing everything he can to make sure we are comfortable.We cross the bridge in San Francisco one week from today! We are all in denial.DR
Day 62: Bend to La Pine
We had a short 30 mile ride to La Pine today, so we didn't start our ride until 8 a.m. We appreciated not packing the van in the dark, as well as the extra couple of hours of sleep.Our ride today was dedicated to Dianna, a woman we met a couple of days ago. She is a breast cancer survivor and is now battling bone cancer. We are hoping her current treatment is her cure.We stopped around mile 13 to explore Lava River Cave and the Lava Butte Volcano. Believe it or not, many of us voluntarily climbed 500 feet of an 8% grade hill to get to the top of the volcano. It provided a beautiful view of the Cascades once we got up. The caves were formed by lava tubes, and very fun to explore. The caves were so dark that a flashlight was absolutely necessary, and it was so cold down there that we could see our breath. It was a bit shocking to come back up into the super hot sunshine, but we finished up the remaining 17 miles no problem.We ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the stay over and then actually all packed in the van to go back to Bend. We wanted the chance to experience it a little more, and took advantage of the extra time in the afternoon. We then headed back to La Pine for dinner, because our hosts generously provided lasagna, casseroles, and seven pies. Yes, seven. Apple, blackberry, coconut cream pie...they were delicious.We are all very excited for Crater Lake tomorrow! Send us strong thoughts as we climb up there!There is a good chance that we will not have service tomorrow. I will update the blog when I can!DR
Day 61: Paulina to Bend
Another hot one! We had a 90 mile day into Bend. The good news is that the wind wasn't horrible today, and we didn't have quite as much climbing as yesterday. The ride was beautiful, as we had a nice view of the Cascades for much of the day. We rode into a much more populated area than we have been in in a while, and it was surprisingly stressful to be on a busy road. We have been on much busier, it was just a little difficult to readjust to traffic.We dedicated the ride today to Brett Ryan, a close family friend of Maren's who had esophageal cancer.We all arrived in Bend around 4:00 today. Alison is the food donation champion and got us all a make your own pizza from Mod Pizza. We were shocked by their generosity.Many of us are exploring Bend a bit. So far it looks like it has a very cute downtown with many stores, a few bike shops, and restaurants. There are hanging plants all down the main stretch, and it is a very bustling area.It is fun to be in a populated, energized place after being out in the middle of nowhere for so long.DR
Day 60: John Day to Paulina
Today was a hot one! We also had over 5,000 feet of climbing, but we're used to the hills by now. We were thinking about what it would be like to go back and do the first 3 days of New York now and how much easier it would be. It would certainly be very different than today, because we rode for 81 miles and didn't see a thing. No gas stations, no restaurants, nothing. We are staying at the elementary school in Paulina and the closest high school is 55 miles away. It was a pretty ride, though, and the climbs provided some great views.Our ride was dedicated to Mr. Lim, a friend of Austin's. Mr. Lim passed away last March from lung cancer. His son sent a really nice story about him and about how his family is working to carry on his memory.We are looking forward to arriving in Bend tomorrow! Rumor has it it's a pretty cool place. I know no other information, so I will report back with details tomorrow.DR
Day 59: Unity to John Day and Catch Up
We have had an eventful two days!Yesterday we rode for Steven's Aunt Roberta, who is a breast cancer survivor. She is one of the reasons Steven was drawn to I4K's cause, and she celebrated her 61st birthday and 20th year of being cancer free!Our ride began as the sun was rising. The sky was a beautiful mix of orange, blue, purple and pink. The team rode 20 miles to Vale, OR, which was a famous stop on the Oregon Trail, for our first rest stop. We then rode 20 more miles to our next rest stop, which was on the side of the road because there was nothing around. Unfortunately, Jason took a tumble between rest stops. The good news is that he is totally fine. He scraped up his elbow and knee, but doesn't have a concussion or any broken bones. We all rode 20 miles back to Vale while he went to get checked out at a clinic in Ontario because we couldn't ride forward on such a hot day without van support or service. We stayed at the gas station for 4 and a half hours and ended up shuttling the remaining 60 miles to Unity. It was a long day but we stayed positive, got a good meal at a local BBQ restaurant, and made it to Unity in time to enjoy camping. The stars were amazing last night. It was perfectly clear, and we even saw the Milky Way!This morning was not as cold as our wake up in Yellowstone. We dedicated today's 50 mile ride to Adam Hayden, who is fighting glioblastoma. We are wishing him strength and his family peace.Our ride was a pretty one though national forests. However, there was a 9 mile stretch that we could not rode though due to construction. We shuttled by group through it and then continued on. It feels like it has been a while since we have had a routine day, but such is the west. Nice and unpredictable.There were a few long uphills, but also some satisfying downhills today. We stopped for lunch in Prairie City at a very cute coffee shop called Roan Outwest Coffee and Decor. They had an "adult coloring table" with coloring books and colored pencils, as well as many comfortable chairs we all enjoyed. We ended up getting a portrait with Judy, the manager of the shop. She also introduced us to her friend Diana who immediately gave us all hugs when she learned what I4K was. She related to our cause of raising money for cancer research because she views it as what saved her. She is a breast cancer survivor and is now battling bone cancer. I always enjoy meeting people that our efforts are potentially positively affecting.After staying at the coffee shop much longer than we normally stop for lunch we finished the rest of our day. We set up our tents and enjoyed the downtown. Many of us ended up having dinner out in order to take advantage of air conditioning.Even though our days in Oregon have brought some unforeseen situations, we are still enjoying ourselves and are looking forward to the days ahead!DR
Day 57: Boise, ID to Nysse, OR
Today was a bit chaotic, but overall a good day.We dedicated today’s ride to one of Maren’s volleyball teammates, Mason Lemay. She is celebrating being free of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma for 6 months now.We left Boise a little late today, around 7:40. We knew we had a 62 mile day, and I think everyone was looking forward to a leisurely paced day. Most groups ended up stopping for coffee or breakfast at some point. It is always a good way to meet people along the way and get to see some places we wouldn’t otherwise go to. Three groups enjoyed a diner breakfast at Bob’s Sunrise Café, and two kind strangers, Mike and Wendy McGowan, paid for our breakfast. We were all shocked and so thankful when Wendy came to wish us luck on the rest of our trip and let us know that our bill was covered. I don’t know how many times I have said this, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to see all of the good there is in this world.We all reconvened at the 40 mile rest stop later in the day. Our ride was slightly downhill almost all day and there was not a lot of wind. It was the perfect day to ride. Therefore, we were making great time despite our many stops. It was at this rest stop that we learned that our scheduled stay over in Ontario accidentally double booked tonight and couldn’t accommodate our group. A giant “call every place you can find on Google” commenced. We called at least 35 churches, theaters, bowling alleys, park districts, etc. trying to find somewhere that would take us. We didn’t have a lot of luck, and it definitely didn’t help that it was Sunday. Finally, a couple in the gas station parking lot asked what we were up to and called some people they knew. We are so grateful for them because we ended up being able to stay at a church in Nysse, OR.We spent the rest of the day eating our pasta and lentils, cleaning our bikes, and relaxing.We are less than 2 miles over the Oregon border, but we are here! Looking forward to seeing more tomorrow!DR
Day 56: Rest Day in Boise
The team had a lot of fun today. We are all grateful that Shubham initiated looking into and booking whitewater rafting for all of us.We left around 8:30 and drove about 40 minutes to Banks, Idaho. It was an absolutely beautiful day. When we arrived we all checked in, and got life jackets, helmets, and paddles. The team split up into 3 rafts and all had a great time. Our instructors were very patient with us and provided a very fun, safe experience. We rafted on about 7 miles of the Pyatte River and went through 3-4 class rapids. A few fell out of our boats but everyone was good natured about it and laughed. We also had the opportunity to jump off of rocks about 25 feet up, which most of us did. I'm so thankful that we have a team that chooses to be together on our off days. I think it shows how committed we are to having a great time together and how willing we are to try new things.We got back to Boise around 3:00 and everyone spent a little bit of time doing their own thing.We had dinner donated from Noodles and Company. It was great eating a different type of pasta.Tonight we had another silly but super fun event. Similar to our Thanksgiving event, we celebrated Christmas tonight. We all drew names for a secret Santa event about a week ago, and have been trying to find presents for each other throughout our rides. We exchanged presents tonight and even played Christmas music. Presents ranged from a deck of cards that say Idaho, a pair of glasses found on the side of the road, local honey, and a massage that can be cashed in whenever. It was a very goofy, very fun event.We are looking forward to the next stretch of our ride. Oregon here we come!DR
Day 55: Glenns Ferry to Boise
This morning Lindsey suggested we dedicate our ride to Dayna Willis. She is suffering from breast cancer, and tomorrow is her 51st birthday. Since tomorrow is a rest day, we thought about her during our ride today.Today was a long one. It was windy from the start and the day just kept getting hotter and hotter. The scenery, while somewhat pretty, was monotonous. I've decided the high desert is not my place of choice. I don't want to completely discount Idaho, because I have heard that the northern part is beautiful. However, considering that we don't go north, I think it's safe to say that we are all looking forward to crossing the Oregon border on Sunday.Some positive sides of today include the fact that we stayed hydrated and positive, got to shower at a nice YMCA, and the chipotle burritos we got donated for dinner.We are looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. Let's be honest, when are we not? Tomorrow should be extra fun, though, because all 17 of us are going rafting! I'm looking forward to reporting back.DR
Day 54: Twin Falls to Glenns Ferry
We did a great job being efficient today. We had 70 miles and were all in around 2:00 today. It was important to keep moving because the temperature reached 102 degrees this afternoon. Thankfully we all did a great job of hydrating and finishing before the hottest point of the day.We also met yet another kind stranger today. Our lunch stop ended up being at the bottom of a driveway, and a few minutes in the owner of the home came riding up to us on her bicycle. Debbie had just finished her day's ride and was super excited to meet us. She allowed us all into her home to use her bathroom and took great interest in not only our mission as a team but in us as individuals. She is hoping we pass through the same route again next year so that she can host the team! It is so refreshing to meet such generous and gracious people.Our ride was dedicated to Trisha's grandpa, Robert Zacharias. Trisha is a 2012 rider and her grandpa was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 cancer earlier in the summer. He is in hospice now, and we are thinking about him and his family.After we arrived at our stay over we went to shower at the local pool. They, too, were generous and allowed us to swim for a bit. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.We were provided another delicious pasta dinner tonight, and rumor has it there are cinnamon rolls for the morning. Can't beat that!DR
Day 52: Pocatello to Rupert
Our stay over this morning provided a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, yogurt, fruit and granola. The pancakes gave us a positive start to the day because it is always nice to have a hot meal. After breakfast we got together for our ride dedication, which was requested by a previous rider. We dedicated our ride to Marie Koenig, who is battling brain cancer. Her Aunt Alice is doing the 1 million steps challenge on October 1st, which is 500 miles.Our route today was pretty nice. Some of the roads were a little bumpy, but most were generally unpopulated. It was a nice change of pace, and we really enjoyed being able to ride next to each other and talk. The terrain became very desolate today. Everything was very dry and we could see all the way to the flat horizon line. We all commented on how it felt like a desert. The positive side of that is that there was very little climbing today. It got very warm at the end, but we all got done by 2:30.We all relaxed for a bit before we got shuttled to showers. Our stay over then provided a great lasagna dinner and cake. We continue to be thankful for the hospitality we are the lucky recipients of.DR
The Wild West
It is amazing that it is day 51 of the Illini 4000's cross country trip! Within 20 days we will be in San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. I am not sure where time has gone, but here are some pictures from the past few weeks as my team and I explored the west.*Pictures are in no particular order
