Day 27/28 San Francisco, CA

On our way to San Francisco, we had to take a bit of a detour so we could get our riders on the Bartz (train) that goes under the San Fran Bay. Then we (drivers) had to take a long drive on the interstate to the San Fran Bay Bridge. I wanted pictures of the bay and the fog that was rolling in, but it was so cold. To get into San Fran you had to pay. I just didn’t understand. That’s crazy. Anyway once we were heading into town, you could look on the right and see Alcatraz (famous prison). Not sure why any prisoners would want to try and escape into the water, I just knew it was freezing. The city looked so interesting and very congested.

This day I rode as a passenger and am glad I wasn’t driving. Their lights were in the craziest place and almost ran many lights because we weren’t used to where they were. Instead of being up top and the middle, they were on the far sides, and towards the bottom. It was so strange. The streets were very STEEP and narrow.

I don’t think I’d ever live there. The houses touch each other; there is no privacy, no rooms for a car on the street. If you have a truck or BIG SUV (I don’t drive one, so I don’t care), well forget that especially in a garage. Surprisingly, Dylan was able to back up our trailer into Carlos driveway and parallel park the 15-passenger van in the street. If you’ve ever been to San Fran, you’d be shocked. It was quite the show. I still don’t know how he did it. It was AMAZING! Everything so steep, including your driveway, it just can’t be good on the brakes. It would take some getting used to. I can’t say that I enjoyed San Francisco. It was definitely interesting and if I didn’t own a car I’d probably love it. Oh yeah, it’s expensive. It wasn’t my kind of town. That night we got to eat at Troves’ Aunt and Uncle’s house since they cooked spaghetti. It was so good and they bought some fancy, yummy chocolate cake. His aunt and uncle were such great people to us. It was my favorite stop on the route. Great people! I do plan on visiting San Fran a bit longer later in my life. I don’t mind it enough to visit. J I hope to see his Aunt and Uncle. They welcomed me back anytime.

The rest of this post is going to be very difficult for me, but I know that my friends and family will stand by me. The team has stood by me and my decision. As everyone knows, I had to quit cycling in New Mexico (seems like forever ago) due to my knee giving me problems and became an official driver for one of the vehicles. As a driver, it was very demanding and stressful for me. It was even more depressing. I wasn’t going to be able to cycle with everyone and do what I signed up for. It always made me cry just thinking about it. I had decided a few days before San Francisco and after talking with my ride director, Todd that I couldn’t do it anymore. It was such a difficult and emotional decision for me. As I told Todd, I felt like I would be letting the team down and that I was quitting. He assured me that wasn’t what it looked like, that I put so much work into the team. It was nice hearing that from him, he was a great leader. Always gave encouragement and praised us for our hard work. It was great to hear that, but I still felt horrible and still needed to tell the team. Todd would have done that for me, but I needed to do it.

Once we got to Carlos’ house, our host, for 2 days in San Fran everyone pretty much dispersed for showers or town to meet up with families that came to town. I went with Troves and his family’s house, to visit and try to help with dinner. His aunt wouldn’t let me help with dinner because she said I do enough for the team during the day. I told them about my plans to leave and they understood, esp. his Aunt Renee as she had been with us the past few days. I told them I still had to tell the team, but wasn’t sure when. I was scared. About 2 hours later, the team arrived and Clay parked the van in this tiny spot. It took about 20 driving forward, backing up to get in. I don’t know how these guys do it. Everyone came in, got some drinks and headed to the rooftop looking at the city and San Fran Bay and taking pictures. We were about to head downstairs to eat, when Troves Uncle said that I had something to tell everyone (he really gave me the opportunity and really helped). I said that as most knew I was leaving tomorrow and just started crying. It was very difficult for me. Eventually I got it all out, they understood and some even mentioned that they couldn’t believe how long I’d lasted as a driver. They said there was no way they could have lasted that long. That night I got a HUGE group hug at once from everyone that was there. It really meant a lot and it was the first time that I really felt wanted and appreciated by the team, especially for what I had done for them all along the route. The rest of the night was a really good night. I felt like so much had been lifted off my shoulders. We all had a blast that night, looking at the Rockies Route’s videos on YouTube. We also have videos of ourselves individually that were made before we left. So many people looked differently; it was so funny to watch. It really was an awesome night with the team and Troves family. It will be a memory I will never forget.

I am very excited for the team and having been keeping up with them. I keep track of them daily and check their blogs. I am very proud of them and will be joining them on their arrival day in Anchorage. I will be arriving a day earlier and staying with our head host lady there. She has plans for me to go hiking with her the night before the team arrives. I will be driving one of the vans into Anchorage, so they will all have the opportunity to cycle to their destination as deserved. I am very excited and can’t wait to see them all. I will be spending that week with them. YAYYY 21 more days.

Day 24/25 Mammoth Lakes, CA

This town reminded me of the movie, "Pike's Peak". It was setup the same way, it was absolutely stunning. When we arrived the campground management informed us that there are bears and mountain lions and to use caution. That frightened me. Once we got to our campsite (in the back of the campground) we saw bear proof containers. We each had to put our toiletries, especially good smelling items, such as deodorant, shampoo, etc. and food in. My friend and I put our tents up as far away from the containers as we could. I wasn't about to be woken up by some sniffing bears.

On our day off we went to town, did laundry, and lounged in a coffee shop. That was nice, but I really wasn't feeling too well once we got to Mammoth. I felt as if I had the flu. I stopped by a doctor’s office and explained to him how I even got to Mammoth, I was a nursing student, and gave him my symptoms and my diagnoses and asked if I could borrow a thermometer. He said sure and said my diagnosis was right and to keep studying. :) I got me some medicine, walked back to the campsite. I was the only one there and was too scared to lie down in my tent, frightened that a bear would come get me. After 30 minutes, someone showed up, and I crashed.

We had our rest day here before we drove through Yosemite National Park the next day. Yosemite was beautiful and bit on the chilly side. We even saw snow, so close that we could have had a snowball fight. Not sure why we didn't. I guess from being tired. Once we got passed the park, we stopped on the side of the road and everyone unloaded their bikes and hit the road. It really got hot then; it felt like we were back in Texas. That day everyone got to go down this long, windy stretch of road. There was no shoulder and looked so dangerous. I was pulling the trailer, going 10-20 mph down the road and the brakes were burning up. It smelt so bad. I found a spot to pull over because I was scared for the riders. As soon as I pulled over, here come 2 of the fastest riders on the team. I asked them if this was safe and all they could do was smile and give thumbs up. Apparently, it was a blast! They were ready to go down it again. So I went ahead and set up the stop.

Day 22: Tonopah, NV 109 Miles

This day was very long and stressful as a driver. At Mile 60 we ran out of water and there was no water in the last 60 miles or next 49. We had to break out bottles of water and then I had to run to town at Mile 80 rest stop. It scared me, I was worried.

At Mile 60, we celebrated Troves 20th birthday. Tomorrow we will be arriving in California. I am so excited because it’s going to start getting cooler. I HATE the desert. As each day goes by it makes it more difficult to blog. You get so tired and exhausted by the end of the day. Oh yeah today I finally got phone service again after 5 days of nothing. I talked to my husband which was nice and uplifting.

Day 21: Rachel, NV 84 Miles

Once we arrived to this town you’d swear the aliens took over. Area 51 was 10 miles away and very restricted. I didn’t really know this place actually existed. I thought it was only in the movies. There were pictures hanging up in the trailer house (where we slept) of UFO’s. The café had pictures of aliens and space ships. It looked real, but I don’t know. This town was very small and unique. You could stand in the middle of the town and see every building around you. I never saw aliens. J

Pat, the host was excellent, she made us dinner and breakfast. Yummy! She even gave us food to take with us on the road. We thought watching Independence Day fit this city.

Day 20: Caliente, NV 91 Miles

This day actually went by pretty quick. Our team had a great tailwind for one 20-mile leg, some finished in 45 minutes. We also had a time zone change, so we arrived an hour earlier. Yay, an extra hour of sleep. J I’m so exhausted, I am walking zombie. You’d think from nursing school I’d be used to waking up early. By the way I can’t wait to start my second semester of Nursing. I miss school- this trip is very hard on each person. Even as a driver it’s difficult and very stressful. Especially not being able to switch out daily with the other riders or not being able to cycle.

Let me talk about what it’s like being a driver so you can how I am still part of the team, even though I am not cycling. I do miss being out there with the team. It’s very sad and depressing to watch them cycle off at each rest stop. It makes me cry, but I try to stay positive. Ok as the driver, you wake up earlier than everyone, usually 15-30 minutes. You are responsible for getting breakfast made for everyone and being ready to go before everyone else. Even though I am a permanent driver I only get up earl on my scheduled drive day (as if I am cycling) with my other teammate, Dan. It’s only fair, so I don’t wake up before the sun is up every morning. Everything else I do though. Then you must make sure the 4 jugs are filled with water and ice. Lay out endurance powder and the tire pump for everyone. Make sure there are plenty of bread, peanut butter, jelly, honey, and fruit for the day. If not, you stop and try to get it donated. You pack all 23 duffel bags, 23 sleeping bags, 23 sleeping mats, and compressions sacks into the trailer and hit the road. At about every 20 miles you setup a rest stop.

At the rest stop, you get out the table, jugs of water, endurance powder, cut fruit, and make peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and honey sandwiches. PB, honey, and granola are a favorite. Get cookies, power gels, pretzels, and chips out. Wow, we really eat healthy, lol. You keep it stocked as riders roll in. Making sandwiches takes the longest. 1 sandwich/ per person isn’t enough. Once the last rider has rolled out, you clean up, pack up the trailer, and go again. This continues every 20 miles until you reach the destination.

At destination, you unload all bags, mats, sleeping bags, and the jugs of water for everyone. If camping, you set up all 6-8 tents, I can’t remember how many. Then if dinner is not provided by the host, you fix dinner. You clean up after dinner and hands the keys off to the next drivers.

That’s a driver’s day. Oh you have to stop in towns (if possible- there was a LONG stretch in Nevada where nothing was available)after each rest stop and try to get water, ice, and fruit donated so that we don’t have to tap into our food budget. So far on Day 20 we haven’t touched the budget. You also have to deal with people being cranking and griping/complaining at you. Once everyone reaches the destination and you’re there waiting for them, it so easy for them to let everything go at you. You are the go to person pursue.

Once getting to Caliente, one of our hosts let us all shower at this 3 shower house and his neighbor did also. Aaah, it was so great and refreshing. Afterwards we had dinner waiting at a church where we slept. After dinner one of our cyclists, Ben B entertained us with some singing/dancing. It was the funniest thing ever. He should be a comedian. He is the youngest person on our route- 19 years. I am so tired and am crashing at 7 pm pacific time.

Day 17/18: Zion National Park 45 Miles

Zion NP is very beautiful. To drive through the park, you first have to go through a one miles, dark tunnel in the middle of a mountain. Then you had a series of sharp, downhill curves—probably about 20-30 miles to the campsite. I want to take a family trip here sometime. We camp here for 2 nights.

Our second day here is a rest day. I hiked to Angels Landing which is 5 miles roundtrip, with a 1500 ft climb—steep. I was climbing from the side of the cliff while hanging onto chains. It was worth the climb to the top. I’ll post a few pictures later. At one point in the climb, I rested and was literally hanging off the side of the cliff. My friends wouldn’t take a picture of it for me because I was too close to the edge. I tried to get them to get one of me hanging my head of the side, but no luck. Other than climbing, I rested and read a book.

Day 16: Kanab, UT 74 Miles

Today was difficult for the riders. It was very hot, hilly (6 % grades), and a hard headwind. As drivers we tried to make the day good for them. One driver dressed up as an Indian and it made the team laugh. At our last rest stop we let the team know that they were going to have showers, wireless internet, food at a Mexican restaurant, and only 12 miles of downhill left. You are probably thinking that is nothing, but when you are on the road and in the heat all day, that is so refreshing. They were all so happy and said we made their day.

We met Lloyd, a cancer survivor, who also is a retired pilot from the Air Force. J His life story is amazing. He is 78 years old and plans to ride with the team next year to Mammoth Lakes. He was an astronaut and was supposed to go to space, but his boss wanted him to do a more important task. So he didn’t get to go to space, but his good friend was the first person to space walk, Ed White. He was a very interesting guy and full of life.

Our host, Cowboy Ted was awesome also. He treated us so greatly. He got us the food for the Mexican Restaurant, breakfast the next morning at Best Western, and BBQ at Zion Mountain Resort—Buffalo Grill. At the grill there were live buffalo and we had buffalo burgers, yummy! I sure hope those burgers didn’t come from that herd. L He also helped get us into Zion National Park. He and his family have been so great and wonderful to us. His life story is interesting also. He fought cancer in the past and is fighting cancer still. He also has a foundation called “Cowboy Ted Foundation for Kids” where he dresses up as a cowboy and teaches kids about choosing a healthy lifestyle for themselves and introducing the to positive role models. Check out his website: www.cowboyted.com

Once we arrived to Zion National Park and even the driver there was so beautiful. It has been the most beautiful place so far, the best. It has beautiful scenery, huge mountains, and sand-stone. We have a rest day tomorrow here and will do some hiking and swimming. There is so much red/orange desert here that I’m colored in red by the end of the day.

Day 15: Page, AZ 64 Miles

This morning we woke up cooking oatmeal for breakfast. We had a teammate that had NEVER had oatmeal in his life. So I fixed him a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and granola. It was yummy! Today the team had the steepest hill to climb. They all were very worried, but did great. Our first rest stop was at a scenic viewpoint that was absolutely breathtaking. Once we got to Page that was another time zone change so we arrived at 1130 am instead of 1 pm Mountain time. We didn’t have anything planned until 6 pm so we went to Powell Lake, Glen Canyon Dam and swam. It was beautiful and very nice.

When it was dinner time, we had the biggest meals ever. It was roast beef, bread, gravy, mashed potatoes, and corn. Only 1 person finished their meal completely. It was so good though. After dinner, we just caught up on logistics, shopping, and errands.

The place that we had dinner at was at an Elks Lodge. It had a bingo board setup and some teammates had never played. In a few days I am going to setup a bingo rest stop and make it interesting. It should be fun.

Day 14: Shonto, AZ 86 Miles

Today was a good day driving—lots of good PBJ with granola. The team loved it. It was a great ride day for the cyclists also. They had a tail wind, descending hills, and pretty flat. For dinner we made spaghetti. Yummy! Today was pretty simple. We didn’t have any host or presentation opportunities; just some team time. We had so much time that we were able to reflect on the day. I had time to think about my family and husband. I really miss everyone. We also had internet, so were able to update our blogs and check our email.

Day 13: Mexican Water 85 Miles

My drive day started off easy. We each stayed at host families and met at one location for breakfast. The food was already made and prepared so I didn’t have to make breakfast, which meant more socializing with the hosts. We had the hugest breakfast burritos I’ve ever had in my life. Amazing! The crazy thing about this is the hospital made them and they were fantastic. Best hospital food I’ve ever had. Our driving started later than normal at 0930 because our hosts had plans for us all morning. It was a long, hard day for both cyclists and drivers. Finally around 8 pm everyone arrived, tents were up, and people were ordering food at this restaurant. It was a truck stop. It was my first night of camping. I love camping.

Day 12: Farmington, NM 40 Miles Odometer Reading: 436 Miles

Lastnight I joined up with the team again. My stepmother and baby sister were so great to take me to Cuba, NM to meet up. The team seemed very happy and surprised to see me. It was nice be back.

Today I woke up to a chilly monring. It was nice to not have the Texas heat burning on my back. Although it was nice I still wore my fleece lined tights (bottoms) and fleece lined arm warmers. I know "what a surprise".

The first 20 miles of the trip was hill after hill and steep. It wasn't bad. The scenery was beautiful. My knee wasn't giving me any trouble until Mile 30. By the time I made it to Mile 40 I couldn't go any further and was extremely frustrated and saddened at the same time. I missed out doing the other 60 miles. It's really difficult as a teammate cycling out the day at Mile 0 with the team and then having to ride in the vehicle the rest of the day watching my team members cycle.

I had a lot of thought to day and have decided to be an official driver for the team for the rest of the summer. It was a very tough decision, but I believe it's what's best for my knee and safety. I will still get to see the countryside, be a part of the team, and help with getting the word out about cancer. It'll just be driving. I'll still have an experience. Evenmore, I get to help spread our message and this is the priority. This decision was very difficult for me and I want my friends and family who supported me to continue to support me and my decision.

Farmington--well it surprised me!It was much larger than I had imagined. It would be the city I live in if I ever lived in NM. It had a mall, college, cancer center, and lot of other stores with a population of 50,000. It had beautiful forestry scenery. Our hosts were awesome. They had a beautiful house and a wonderful family. Their son Joesiah, age 8 (hope I spelt it right) could talk your ear off. I loved being around him because I can't remember the last time I was around a kid. Kids are wonderful and say the funniest things, haha.

The father gave us a tour of the town which was so great. Of all the towns that we have been through I can't recall a town tour. It helped Farmington shine into my eyes. It really was a beautiful city and wonderful bike trails.

The Hospitality house also were wonderful people. They provided us with the places to stay and food and gave us information about the hospital, cancer center, and what they do. They provide housing and food for cancer patients and their families while they undergo treatments. That is very special and would mean a lot to the families. It helps with so many burdens. They are wonderful people.

Day 6: Clovis, New Mexico 20 Miles Odometer Reading: 382 Miles

This morning before we left the Brown's house, we rode for the family of the lady we met at dinner lastnight. It was very sad. We were all sad to leave the Brown's also, but very happy to leave Lubbock. I believe we all hated this town, only because it was so spread out and easy to get lost in, but had wonderful people.

I only rode 20 miles this day because I couldn't take the sharp, shooting pain in my left knee. I actually left the team once we arrived in Clovis, so that I can be with my family and let my knee heal up and get checked by the doctor. Some how I have injured it while riding. It isn't sore, its just a sharp pain. For a personal family reason I left also. A friend of our family, came and got me and my dad will be picking me up tomorrow to take me back home. Once I am home, I will continue to ride, to hopefully get past the knee problem.

I want to be able to meet up with the team again, so I can finish the ride to Alaska. I am going to try and meet up next week. The team said they hope I can come back and will miss me until then. It was sad to leave, it made me cry.

Anyway this day was a border-crossing day. We all waited at the border and took photos, we didn't make it to our destination until after 8 pm. It was by the far the longest day.

Day 5: Lubbock, Texas 91 Miles Odometer Reading: 362 Miles

Wow today was quite a ride, we were all very exhausted, hungry, and very thirsty. We didn't get to Lubbock until after 5 pm and we got lost. Once we did reach our destination, we were welcomed by a wonderful and loving family, The Brown's. They took all 22 of us into their home, gave us showers, food, beds, and let us do our laundry. For dinner, we went to Gardski's Bar and Grill, what a nice place. It looks like a old, historic house. The food was great.

I'll give you a little background on the Brown's. Mr. Brown is a Pediatric Doctor. He and his wife will be leaving for Africa at the end of this summer to provide healthcare for the children there. It is very interesting and something I'd like to go do next summer if I can, but we will see. Their daughter is a physical therapist and son in the medical field also.

Today we had to riders get into a wreck with each other, not cars. One had thought he hurt his tailbone and when Doctor Brown showed up home from work, Ben (one of the wrecked riders) just pull his back pants down and said could you please look at this, I think I hurt my tail bone. It was the funniest thing because they hadn't even been introduced and he just wip his pants down. Afterwards Ben introduced himself. Ben is also the other person who got a mohawk with me. He is hilarious, he's like a little kid. I forgot to mention another funny story about him that happened in Winters. We all had our bags out in the grass at a park. He left his bag open and saw some white stuff in his bag. Anyway he scooped up a bunch of it with his hands out of his bag, thinking it was shaving cream. He figured out that it was bird poop. It was so funny.

This night ended pretty late for us all. I believe we didn't make it to bed until after 1030 pm. I was so tired the next morning. During dinner that night at Gardski's one the individuals who bought our meals sister has been fighting cancer. One of her family members (either mom or sister) died just 3 days ago from cancer and I believe her father is fighting cancer.

It is really sad to hear about the stories, but wonderful to be a part of their lives.

Day 4: Snyder, Texas 40 Miles Odometer Reading: 271 Miles

Well this day I only rode half way because my knee started hurting very badly and I couldn't cycle anymore. We rode to Snyder, Texas which was very small. We stayed at a Boys and Girls Club that we very nice and wonderful people. We were in need of sunscreen and they provided us with 2 boxes full. We also had dinner and breakfast at a local church. Man was that some good food. They also sent us home with lots of fresh fruit. Every town that we've stopped in along the way has been wonderful. They have taken great care of us. It has really helped out. It makes our next of riding and rest stops easier.

I had to give our presentation tonight at the Church. It turned out great, we had the biggest crowd, yet. It was about 30 people. Today we got in early enough so that I could be in bed at 9:30 pm, so I could catch up on some much needed sleep. Turns out I didn't really get the sleep I wanted.

In the mornings when we leave, its usually cool, especially on my head. I wish it would stay that way all day. Its been a long day and I'm out of words at the moment.

Day 3: Winters, Texas 60 Miles Odometer Reading: 231 Miles

Wow, where to start? Today was filled with an array of interesting things. First I must start out by saying we had a cross wind. It as rough until Todd (University of Texas Football player) blocked the wind for me. He's so huge, I didn't feel the wind.

When you are out riding on the bike you have a lot of quiet and lonely times to think about anything and everything. It's been so hot and the Texas heat has drove me insane. I had been thinking about cutting my hair. On the Rockies Route there is one place, I believe in Canada that almost everyone cuts their hair into mohawks or completely off. Well I wanted to have some fun with it. Not only just to do it, but to be cooler when I ride. So today when we arrived at the host house, they made my hair inot a mohawk. I laughed the whole time. I still can't stop laughing. I think I look like a boy, but everyone say's "it's awesome". (I'll post a picture later). It is so much cooler having my hair cut off.

Before all the haircut action, we arrived in Winters. One big thing that our route does is race to county, city, and state lanes. Well today I was the first to the city by almost 20 minutes. I couldn't believe it because I'm one of the slowest persons. :) I got LUCKY!! Only because 3 of the fastest riders took a wrong turn so I had a head start. Its still fair they should've paid attention. It was awesome, but caused my left knee to hurt.

While in town we had about 7 host families cook us burgers and bring us Dairy Queen blizzards and t-shirts. The Alumn weren't joking when they said we'd get fat. All these gifts and food is wonderful. Sierra has it made and everyone loves us. We will be better avid riders by the time we met up with Rockies. Our route is harder and more windy.

We were also discussing today how Sierra (us) only have a handful of camping days, while the Rockies have 20+ and in a row. When we all meet up in Whitehorse, we are going to be so lost at camping and their going to be pros.

The mayor came out and talked to us and let us know that us being there is personal. His wife is a 12 year survivor of breast cancer. It was very touching.

Day 2: Brownwood, Texas 80 Miles Odometer Reading: 171 Miles

Today we woke up at 0500 to the Texas Alum cooking us a wonderful and big breakfast. One of the alum was cooking naked in an apron. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t get over it. It’s hilarious. Once we were ready to set off for the day, we got in a huge circle, Texas Alum and us. Every person gave a ride dedication, even our host family, and it was very emotional. Some rode for loved ones that they had lost and it made us cry. Once we finished chants, the Alum showed us a chant that was common for both routes. Needless to say, it was very interesting, weird, and loud at the same time. It’s a unique experience that I am not even sure how to explain it. It’s just something you’ll have to see.

Then it was time to say good-bye to each other. Today is the day the two routes split. We are all a huge family. We have been very busy with different things throughout the organization since October. Let’s just say when it was time to say good-bye, it was so emotional I don’t want to discuss it.

We set off on our ride and the team took wrong turn. Being the slow and quiet rider I am, I shouted “WRONG WAY”, but no one heard me. They eventually caught on. I can’t believe they didn’t when they saw the mileage sign “San Antonio 136 miles”. Hello, south, we need north. I was doing pretty well on the ride, averaging 1 ½ hours of riding for every 20 miles. The ride had a tailwind and was nice until we got about 12 miles out of Brownwood. We stopped at a church that provided us with an awesome rest stop. They had sandwiches, pickles, squash, cookies, chips, everything. It will by far be the BEST rest stop on the entire trip.

After an hour or so of visiting and resting, we headed into Brownwood. 5 Miles from our destination, I couldn’t make it. I was about to vomit, burning up, and had the chills. We stopped on the side of the road for me to rest and dumped a lot of cold water on my head. I tried eating some food and drinking some liquids, but that made me even sicker. We had to call one of our drivers (fellow rider for the day) to come get me. I was so upset that I couldn’t finish. I tried really hard, but didn’t need to have a heat stroke. The heat just kills me. I am much better now and am ready to ride tomorrow.

We arrived at our destination with the fireman and the church there to greet us. Oh the Fireman truck escorted us all into town. We had a few hours to shower up before people were coming to get us and take us out to eat. We were going to be having BBQ. It’s really nice that our hosts are taking great care of us and are so awesome. They have no idea how thankful we are. It really helps us out, especially if we have a bad day.

Apparently the whole town is behind us all the way and very supportive. Its wonderful.

Day 1: Lampasas, Texas 60 Miles Odometer Reading: 91 Miles

Today we got up at 0630- that will be that last time I’ll be waking up this late. We want to be awake at 0500 or earlier so that we can be on the road around 0600-0630 to beat the heat. Once we get into the colder states, we will be able to sleep later. My husband and family came to see me off. It’s nice to have their support. When it was time to ride off for our first official day, we (Texas 4000) lined up in front. We had about 250 other riders out to support us for the ATLAS Ride (1st official day ride). When we started riding my husband and family were in front of me waving me off and it made me sad. I had tears, but remained strong.

The ride went well, except when we had a 13 mile off course turn. We had a tail wind for most of the day and I finished at 1:30. That’s not bad for myself; 5 hours of riding for 60 miles. That’s fast for me. The ride finished at a Vineyard and we had BBQ and alcohol waiting. I never had sangria until that day. They were so good, I drank 6 of them. Man they were so good. The Texas 4000 alum stayed with us all night and told horror stories from each route. Many of them are not appropriate topics to put online, but one discussed that we’d get chased by bears. Apparently it has happened in the past.

Day 0: Cedar Park, Texas 31 Miles Odometer Reading: 31 Miles

Today was our day of fame. Our day started later than usual due to LOTS of rain. We were about to have our “Send Off” party and then it just started pouring. We were ALL soaked. I just thought that if this is how our summer is going to be, then just let me know now. It was a nice party though, once the rain stopped. Lots of people took photos of us. It was non-stop footage for an hour. It felt like we were super famous and the paparazzi following us. Each rider also gave a rider dedication. I was neat to hear why each person is riding. Then after the fame and glory at campus we headed out at the sound of the horn, officially starting our ride. We then went to the state capital and then city hall for more photo ops. Afterwards we stopped by some of our sponsors: Austin Bicycle Sport Shop, Jack and Adams Bicycles, and Business Suites. Keep in mind we were riding our bicycles during all this.

Finally it was time to set off to our destination for the day, Cedar Park. It was very lovely being on the back roads, but VERY HILLY. Some of the team was saying that it kicked their butt, haha. The thing I hated most was the brutal heat. It really drains me by the end of the day. As most know I’m not a religious person, but was definitely praying to get better ALL week. I wanted to be okay to ride with my team. After riding the hills I was relieved to know that I am more than better now. I didn’t have any chest or breathing problems. So I believe I’m over my bronchitis. It really brings my spirits up. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it the first two weeks if I was still having problems.

Oh last thing; we’ve gotten lots of media coverage this week. It’s very exciting; just check us out on the local Austin stations.

Trip Summary

• June 7–August 16
• LOTS of cities in 70 days
• 43 Riders—mostly students from the University of Texas—between the ages of 18 and 26
• Two countries: the U.S. and Canada
• Two teams along two different routes: 20 Rockies Riders and 23 Coastal Riders (My team)
• Eleven states and territories for the Coastal team: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and finally, to Alaska
• Our goal is to raise over $350,000 for the American Cancer Society and MD Anderson;
  $275,000 raised to date
• Our mission is to spread hope, knowledge, and charity to the communities that welcome us along the way
• Thousands of PBJ (Peanut butter and Jelly) sandwhiches to consume
• Gallons of Accelerade to consume
• Many, too many to count.... bathroom breaks in the bushes (anyone who knows me knows that is hard for me to do- gross)
• Life-long friendships with team
• Funk combination of sweat, dirt, and no showers

Check out our website for more information...

Why I Ride

Family and Friends,


One of my friends put this on their site and I thought what a GREAT idea! I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers as each of us ride. Below is a list of survivors, lives taken by cancer, or currently have cancer. These are the people I ride for:

Rhonda Rulo (Died 2004 of Breast Cancer)
Relay for Life Family's mother (Died 2006 Breast Cancer)
Catherine McLaughlin- school advisor- Breast Cancer
Aunt Lois (Died 1998- Breast Cancer Survivor)
Uncle Chick (Died in 80's- Cancer)
June Howard-Husband's Grandmother (Died 1980-Ovarian Cancer)