There are no words

It as been over a week since we have completed out journey and I am still finding it difficult to put in words how I feel. I am still traveling around so Internet access is of course very limited. I will put up a much longer recap of everything once things finally settle down a bit. But in short, the trip was truly a life changing experience, I was able to see and do things I never though were possible and all for a great cause. I am honestly tearing up a bit as I write this so I will just leave you all with this picture of a few of us at the end.

Almost there...

So here we are. 30 miles out from our final destination of San Diego. We got our first far off view of the Pacific today and it was quite exciting. We have come so far and gone through so many obstacles to get here. The last couple of days have been particularly hard for our group. Tomorrow it all comes to a glorious end. Stay tuned for a solid recap to come.

Yet another quick update

Hey all,
So sadly this leg of the trip does not allow for much time on the Internet so the blog posts are still going to be few and far between. We have journeyed through much of Arizona and it has been a very interesting experience. The first part was through the northern region in many different Indian reservations. Much of this land was very desolate but had some beautiful canyons and rock formations.

We then traveled into the Grand Canyon. It was easily the most impressive and awe inspiring scenery that we have come across. The pictures you see of it simply do not do it justice. I only wish we had more time to spend in it, to go hiking and exploring. I am already making plans to come back again.

We are currently in Prescott AZ and have just finished up our final build days. We have only 7 more ride days till our final destination of San Diego. It is mind blowing to think of everything we have done and how far we have come. I am ready for a break but I know already that I don't want such an amazing trip to end.

On a tragic note, one of our Riders had to leave our trip yesterday. She sustained an injury in the Rockies and an infection has spread prompting medical care. She should be fine but it was horribly heartbreaking for her and for us to have to leave the trip so close to the end. Jackie if you are reading this, we miss you already and wish you a quick recovery. We can't wait to see you in San Diego.

Quick Update

Not much time these days to post but hopefully in the next few days I will add more. We are pretty much out of the Rockies right now and it is safe to say that it was an amazing experience. The views were just incredible and my riding ability has really improved. I have really come into my own as a rider and have become not to shabby at climbing these mountains. Colorado is a very beautiful state and I am excited to see what AZ has to offer. We are entering the final portions of the trip and every one is starting to get excited and sad for the end and San Diego.

Recap of the past 9 days

It has been awhile since I have typed but Internet access has been limited. I will try and sum up the past days but it is hard to remember that far back due to the over stimulation we get day to day. The human mind just can quite remember all of that.

June 14th

Today we went through the Ozarks and they were the easiest climb yet. Mostly due to the fact that we have been biking for about a month so far. It got pretty rainy at the end but it was nice to continue to see a more exciting side of AK.

June 15th
Today we left AK, quickly dipped into MI and went into OK. This morning started with lots of bad luck for me and many hiccups along the way. The day improved greatly though throughout the day and crossing the 2 state lines was a nice touch.

June 16th
This day started off with me getting two flats during the ride which really set me back. I had a problem with one of my spokes and I had to switch to an older wheel which is a lot more susceptible to flats. All in all it was a good ride but was very hot towards the end. The church in Bartlesville OK we stayed at was very deluxe and we got very good treatment. We even had welcome in the sign. That night we went out and did some group blowing together which was a lot of fun.

June 17th
We had a day off in Bartlesville OK today and most of it was spent relaxing. A couple of us went down town to check out the city. It was a lot bigger than I at first realized and there was a lot to see. The later 1/2 of the day I went to see the movie UP (which I highly recommend) and the end was capped off with a church picnic which were were invited to attend.

June 18th
Today was the first day of our 8 day stretch of riding and it was my best day yet. The OK scenery was very beautiful and a real treat to ride through. I was very surprised with all OK and how the rolling hills and plains looked. We took a detour to go to a local water park which was a lot of fun. It was small but the whole group being together made it very enjoyable.

June 19th
This day was one of our tougher days but was another good riding day for me. We had intense winds all day long. Some were so strong we had to lean our bikes at a 45 degree angle to brace against the wind. It was very challenging but for the most part I was able to keep up with our top riders and pace line with them. It was a hard day but I was very proud and happy by the end of it.

June 20th

Today was another solid day of riding. We left OK for KS today which at first looked very similar. We then traveled through the rain and into the Gypsum Hills. These hills were extraordinary to look at and really made you feel like you were out west. We camped this night under a very massive starry sky in what was in most people's minds one of our best nights yet.

June 21st

In day 4 of 8 of our longest stretch was yet again another strong ride day for myself. I was cruising along most of the day and led the group for awhile. I got a little tired towards the end but was still one of the first to get to our host sight. I also saw KS go for hilly to the very flat KS that I had expected, complete with many wheat and corn fields.


June 22nd

Which finally brings us to today. We had a shorter day (only 57 miles) and so it was decided that we should do a scavenger hunt. At first I wasn't really feeling it but it ended up being a lot of fun and got to have many stories that I will be sure to share with you all soon. We got to meet many locals along the way and see sights we probably would have missed if we were just riding.

If you have made it this far thanks for reading all of that. I will try to be more up to date in the future. We have about 300 miles to cover in the next 3 days and we cross into CO tomorrow. Until then.

Arkansas

Well we made it to good old Arkansas. After crossing the mighty Mississippi river we hit some crazy flat lands. The head winds were rough and I was told got up to about 15 mph or so but I am not really sure. The roads were also brutal as there were many cracks and pot holes to be found. One very instant change that was notice is the people in AK were very cycling friendly and seemed to welcome us quite a bit. This first day in AK was really rough for me and had some frustrations given the conditions.

The next day we road into Littlerock AK and while most of the ride was the same as yesterday the ending was quite spectacular. We came through a nice park and then over the largest pedestrian bridge to cross over the AK river. It was very beautiful and a nice change of pace from the AK flat lands. The Littlerock cycling club invited us to their annual picnic and it was nice to talk to a bunch of other cyclists. Overall I was very impressed with Littlerock and would like to come back to see more of it.

Today we had our first scheduled Century (100 miles). I had to run sweep today which means you and another rider stay at the back of the back to make sure no one gets lost or left behind. It was a hard, long day but by the last 20 miles I felt the strongest on a bike that I have all trip. It was great to come in strong and get lots of praise from the whole group for doing sweep on such a long day. I feel good now but we have about 1100 more miles to do over the next 2 weeks so we shall see what tomorrow will hold.

Memphis TN

Well we are finally in Memphis TN. After 7 straight days of riding we are able to enjoy a day off. We traveled over some very beautiful countryside. There were lots of dogs in TN, lots of dogs. I have become quite good and the quick burst of speed while yelling to quickly escape any rough dog situations that arise.

We stayed at two national guard bases during the stretch. It was nice to change up the host site and get to talk to some different types of people. We did some site seeing around TN and went to an underground cavern as a group. It was very quaint and made more enjoyable by having everyone there. Towards the end of the 7 day stretch the body and mind were beginning to get pretty tired so ti will be interesting to see how I hold up with the rest of the journey.

We road into Memphis yesterday and went out on the town. First we went to a minor league baseball game then hit up some blues clubs and bars. It was very cool to talk to all the different people out about what we are doing and why. We even got a lot of people to clap for us after we left one bar.

We have had a lot of people spend time in the van recently for either injuries or for breaking rules. Apparently on about 5 people on last years trip were able to bike every mile of the trip. It has been interesting watch the group dynamics change and get tested over the course of this trip and we are not even half way done, there should be plenty of drama to come.

We ride into AK tomorrow and cross the Mississippi river. It should be an exciting but very tough day. Tn has flow by time wise and I am wondering if the other states will do the same.