sorry I haven't posted in a while, but my computer broke, and I haven't had the best access to the internet since.
The Journey of Hope is going amazing, and the end is now in sight. It's certainly bittersweet to be this close to the end. If you want to read about how the team is doing since I wont' be updating much more until after the trip when I have good internet access you should visit http://www.pushamerica.org/events/te_journal.cfm?ridecode=JOH&route=Trans to read the team's journal. There also links to pictures there!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Day 40: Olathe to Sedalia
Today was supposed to be ninety miles, but about 20 miles into the ride we found out that it was going to more like 100. Today we crossed into my home state of Missouri. We got a police escort out of Olather (they really did treat us great). Missouri has gotten quite the reputation for bad roads and rude people. Within the first 10 miles of getting into Missouri someone started threatening Ryan Dixon. This guy pulled into a quicktrip where we were having a crew stop, and our crew guy went over to him when he came out of the store and told him if he threatens the cyclists again, he was going to call the cops. The guy lost it and caused quite a scene cussing at us and yelling at us for using the roads and not paying taxes. One guy told us to kick his ass and that he didn’t understand “Share the road.” Needless to say, we didn’t start a fight.
Although the day got off to a bad start, the rest of the day was great. A storm was brewing most of the day, and we had a terrible headwind through some rolling hills, but for the most part we kept a great pace. Ryan Shippy’s dad—who is from Centerview Missouri—provided us lunch. It was some really good fresh fruit and sandwiches.
After lunch we still had over 30 miles left, so we got on the bike and cranked it out. The total for the day was 107 miles. When we got to lodging there was a messues ready to give messages, that one of our sponsors arranged. It was great. Dinner was also really good. We ate a prize winning hog from the Benton county fair for dinner. It was BBQed by a guy who does competitions, and it was the best BBQ of the trip. There were some people with disabilities there, and it was great to have a dinner with good company.
After dinner the team went to get ice cream. We went to a place called Spoons, and just like in Shoshoni WY we walked into the place an helped the deal with 28 straight orders. I learned to make concretes, and the girls working there didn’t really know what to do with themselves. It was pretty funny, and I walked away with some free ice cream for helping an a T-shirt. So far Missouri is out performing people’s expectations, and it’s nice to know my home state isn’t letting people down.
Although the day got off to a bad start, the rest of the day was great. A storm was brewing most of the day, and we had a terrible headwind through some rolling hills, but for the most part we kept a great pace. Ryan Shippy’s dad—who is from Centerview Missouri—provided us lunch. It was some really good fresh fruit and sandwiches.
After lunch we still had over 30 miles left, so we got on the bike and cranked it out. The total for the day was 107 miles. When we got to lodging there was a messues ready to give messages, that one of our sponsors arranged. It was great. Dinner was also really good. We ate a prize winning hog from the Benton county fair for dinner. It was BBQed by a guy who does competitions, and it was the best BBQ of the trip. There were some people with disabilities there, and it was great to have a dinner with good company.
After dinner the team went to get ice cream. We went to a place called Spoons, and just like in Shoshoni WY we walked into the place an helped the deal with 28 straight orders. I learned to make concretes, and the girls working there didn’t really know what to do with themselves. It was pretty funny, and I walked away with some free ice cream for helping an a T-shirt. So far Missouri is out performing people’s expectations, and it’s nice to know my home state isn’t letting people down.
Day 39: Day off in Olathe
We woke up today for an 8:00 breakfast. Breakfast was cooked by some nice ladies from the Kansas School of the Deaf and some people from the city of Olathe. Today was jammed packed with friendship visits, and our first was at a place called Batheseda. This was a place with housing and complete supervision over the clients. Pretty much all of the people with disabilities we interacted with were very non-functional, so the friendship visit was tough. I am glad Ashley was able to come out and see what the Journey of Hope is all about.
Our second friendship visit was at a sheltered workshop. We all played BINGO for an hour or so. I played with a lady named Janice and also met a guy named Matt who was a huge chiefs fan. It was fun.
For our third friendship visit, we went to Mark Cameron’s house. Mark Cameron is on the Olathe board for people with disabilities, and is a quadriplegic. He is completely paralyzed from the neck down, and he invited us over to his house to see the equipment he uses to overcome his disability. It was really cool to see someone with a disability who has overcome so much adversary to be pretty much independent.
For dinner we went to Texas Roadhouse. It was delicious. Some of our guys even got to line dance a little bit. It was really fun.
Our second friendship visit was at a sheltered workshop. We all played BINGO for an hour or so. I played with a lady named Janice and also met a guy named Matt who was a huge chiefs fan. It was fun.
For our third friendship visit, we went to Mark Cameron’s house. Mark Cameron is on the Olathe board for people with disabilities, and is a quadriplegic. He is completely paralyzed from the neck down, and he invited us over to his house to see the equipment he uses to overcome his disability. It was really cool to see someone with a disability who has overcome so much adversary to be pretty much independent.
For dinner we went to Texas Roadhouse. It was delicious. Some of our guys even got to line dance a little bit. It was really fun.
Day 38: Topeka to Olathe
Today’s ride wasn’t too bad. We had a tail wind, and it was a bit shorter than expected. However, we did climb about 75 yards at 18% grade, and some pretty large hills. The idea that Kansas is flat is a complete myth. One of Stephen Sanger’s sponsors rode along today. He was probably the best ride along we’ve had so far.
We made a pit stop in Lawrence Kansas, and stopped by the KU Pi Kapp house. It was a lot of fun. When we got back in the bike, we pushed it to get to Olathe in time. We did a huge arrival at the Mahaffie Stagecoach farm and stop. My mom, Gina, and Ashley were there, so it was really great. The city of Olathe really rolled out the red carpet for us, and treated us great. We had lunch at arrival and then rode to lodging about a mile away.
We are staying ath the Kansas School for the Deaf for the next two nights. It’s awesome. We have our own beds, and two people to a shower. It’s as nice or nicer than a hotel room. For dinner we went to the Wulf’s house. They treated the team to a steak dinner. Tomorrow we have a few different friendship visits, and I already know Olathe will be one of the best stops of the trip.
We made a pit stop in Lawrence Kansas, and stopped by the KU Pi Kapp house. It was a lot of fun. When we got back in the bike, we pushed it to get to Olathe in time. We did a huge arrival at the Mahaffie Stagecoach farm and stop. My mom, Gina, and Ashley were there, so it was really great. The city of Olathe really rolled out the red carpet for us, and treated us great. We had lunch at arrival and then rode to lodging about a mile away.
We are staying ath the Kansas School for the Deaf for the next two nights. It’s awesome. We have our own beds, and two people to a shower. It’s as nice or nicer than a hotel room. For dinner we went to the Wulf’s house. They treated the team to a steak dinner. Tomorrow we have a few different friendship visits, and I already know Olathe will be one of the best stops of the trip.
Day 37: Witchita to Topeka
Today we left our cozy beds for Topeka. I was really well rested, and the ride was great. Frankly it was rather uneventful. We did and arrival at the Topeka ARC. There was media there, and we were on the news tonight.
We had to drive over to the local YMCA for showers. It wasn’t the most convienent thing ever, but we did what we had to do to get clean. When we got back there was a “block party” being put on by the ARC, aand we hung out there for a little bit. I met a guy named nate who was really excited to ride his mountain bike. I’m not sure what his disability was, but I think it was Autism.
After that I took a nap until dinner. We had dinner at the ARC, and then we jumped into the vans and went to a football game. It was the American Profesional Football League. Essentially it’s a minor league Arena Football league. Our team did the coin toss, and we stuck around for the first half of the game. It was entertaining, but it wasn’t edge of your seat fun so we didn’t stick around for the full game. By coincidence, the kid I had met earlier, Nate, was there, so we hung out with him a little bit, and he was really excited to see the team again. That was pretty cool. Tomorrow we head for Olathe, and I’m really excited.
We had to drive over to the local YMCA for showers. It wasn’t the most convienent thing ever, but we did what we had to do to get clean. When we got back there was a “block party” being put on by the ARC, aand we hung out there for a little bit. I met a guy named nate who was really excited to ride his mountain bike. I’m not sure what his disability was, but I think it was Autism.
After that I took a nap until dinner. We had dinner at the ARC, and then we jumped into the vans and went to a football game. It was the American Profesional Football League. Essentially it’s a minor league Arena Football league. Our team did the coin toss, and we stuck around for the first half of the game. It was entertaining, but it wasn’t edge of your seat fun so we didn’t stick around for the full game. By coincidence, the kid I had met earlier, Nate, was there, so we hung out with him a little bit, and he was really excited to see the team again. That was pretty cool. Tomorrow we head for Olathe, and I’m really excited.
Day 36: Day off in Wichita
Today we slept in until 8:15, and then went to the Artesinger’s house for breakfast. Their son is a KU alumni and did the Journey of Hope a couple of years ago. Breakfast was great, and we watched the tour de France live. It was awesome. I never thought I would get so excited by a bike race, but today’s stage had a great ending. The Columbia team won for the day, which was sweet.
Immediately after leaving the Artesinger’s we went to Rainbows United INC to have lunch and a friendship visit. Rainbows United INC’s motto is “Giving potential to life” and they work with children with all types of disabilities. When we got there, there was a camp going on and the camper’s in the choir put on a show for us. The sound system they were using was purchased with a grant the Journey of Hope team gave them which was awesome. The sound system allows the choir to travel, and yesterday they performed at city hall. That was really awesome.
I spent most of the day with a kid named Brandon. At lunch we had strawberry shortcake and spray whip cream. Our team started spraying it in our mouths, and soon we got the campers and administration doing it. It was great. After lunch we sang some songs, and sort of ran things for a bit. We presented Rainbows United with a grant, and loaded up the vans and left.
When we got back to the hotel, I was exhausted. I took a two hour nap to get ready for our friendship visit. The nap felt great, but when we arrived at the Indpendent Living Center, we found another friendship visit that wasn’t really a friendship visit. It was disappointing and awkward. After dinner we had a team meeting to discuss the upcoming week. I’m excited to see friends and family.
Immediately after leaving the Artesinger’s we went to Rainbows United INC to have lunch and a friendship visit. Rainbows United INC’s motto is “Giving potential to life” and they work with children with all types of disabilities. When we got there, there was a camp going on and the camper’s in the choir put on a show for us. The sound system they were using was purchased with a grant the Journey of Hope team gave them which was awesome. The sound system allows the choir to travel, and yesterday they performed at city hall. That was really awesome.
I spent most of the day with a kid named Brandon. At lunch we had strawberry shortcake and spray whip cream. Our team started spraying it in our mouths, and soon we got the campers and administration doing it. It was great. After lunch we sang some songs, and sort of ran things for a bit. We presented Rainbows United with a grant, and loaded up the vans and left.
When we got back to the hotel, I was exhausted. I took a two hour nap to get ready for our friendship visit. The nap felt great, but when we arrived at the Indpendent Living Center, we found another friendship visit that wasn’t really a friendship visit. It was disappointing and awkward. After dinner we had a team meeting to discuss the upcoming week. I’m excited to see friends and family.
Day 35: Pratt to Witchita
Today one of our crew guys, Alex Rosel, did a ride along. Although he struggled a little bit, he rode every mile, and it was really cool to see a crew guy ride 93 miles into his home town. We had another ride along for the first 17 miles. A guy named Dan saw us ride in and asked if he could ride with us. We explained what we were doing, and told him it was $100 a day for riding along (this is standard for people who haven’t done the trip before). By the end of the day he had fundraised $350 for the Journey of Hope, and we were thrilled to have him along with us. What was also really cool was that he had a disability, and did not have full functionality in his leg. Once again, it was great to focus on a person’s abilities rather than their disabilities. We had a cross wind or a head wind all day, and I can say for sure, that the team is looking forward to having a headwind when we turn north to Emporia in a few days.
For lunch we pulled over at mile 70 and our crew chiefs knocked on the door of someone’s house to see if we could use their driveway. The lady who owned the house was so impressed by what we were doing, she let us into her back yard for some shade picnic tables. She also provided us with fresh tomatoes from her garden for our lunch. It was awesome, and I was once again amazed by the friendliness of random people we’ve met along the way.
We did a very small arrival at the hotel we are staying at for the next two nights. It’s extremely nice to have our OWN beds for two nights, and we were thankful for the alumni who set it up.
For dinner we went to the CP ranch in El Dorado, KS, and had dinner and a friendship visit with the campers. Almost all the campers had Cerebral Palsy, and they were all between the ages of 6 and 21 so it was a lot of fun. After dinner we went swimming with the kids and it was a blast.
For lunch we pulled over at mile 70 and our crew chiefs knocked on the door of someone’s house to see if we could use their driveway. The lady who owned the house was so impressed by what we were doing, she let us into her back yard for some shade picnic tables. She also provided us with fresh tomatoes from her garden for our lunch. It was awesome, and I was once again amazed by the friendliness of random people we’ve met along the way.
We did a very small arrival at the hotel we are staying at for the next two nights. It’s extremely nice to have our OWN beds for two nights, and we were thankful for the alumni who set it up.
For dinner we went to the CP ranch in El Dorado, KS, and had dinner and a friendship visit with the campers. Almost all the campers had Cerebral Palsy, and they were all between the ages of 6 and 21 so it was a lot of fun. After dinner we went swimming with the kids and it was a blast.
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