The American Cancer Society Baltimore Hope Lodge is a safe, comfortable place where cancer patients receiving treatment in the city can stay for free.  YACS groups and 4K ride teams cook dinner for these patients and their family members once a week.  Please RSVP ahead of time on the YACS Facebook page to ensure we have an accurate volunteer head count.  Contact Emma Moody with questions or concerns (emma@ulmanfund.org).  Our upcoming Hope Lodge dates are:

• 2/15: YACS College Park
• 2/22: Team Portland
• 3/1: UCF Team Fight
• 3/7: Team Seattle
• 3/15: Team San Francisco
• 3/21: ALL VOLUNTEERS WELCOME!
• 3/29: UCF Team Fight
• 4/4: YACS Johns Hopkins
• 4/12: YACS UMBC
• 4/18: YACS Towson
• 4/26: YACS College Park
• 5/2: Team San Francisco
• 5/10: Team Seattle
• 5/16: Team Portland
• 5/24: UCF Team Fight
• 5/29: All 4K 2012 ride teams, with riders from the Illini 4000

Team Fight is the triathlon and road race training team of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  Joining Team Fight is a great way to fundraise for the UCF and raise awareness for young adult cancer issues.  Team Fight also offers great ways to get involved beyond fundraising, including as a race day volunteer!  Our race day volunteers help set up the Team Fight tent, hand out water at a water stop along the course, and cheer on our Team Fight athletes.  Please contact Katrina, at katrina@ulmanfund.org or Michelle, at michelle@ulmanfund.org if you are interested in helping out during the following races:

• Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon, Saturday, March 17, Washington D.C.
• Sole of the City 10K, April 21, Baltimore, MD
• Iron Girl Half Marathon and 5K, April 29, Columbia, MD

Light One Little Candle is a reading program at the University of Maryland Medical Center Greenebaum Cancer Center.  Volunteers will encourage patients receiving treatment to read with their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc.  This is a great opportunity for direct patient interaction, but space is limited.  Please contact Emma Moody if you are interested in being a Light One Little Candle volunteer, at emma@ulmanfund.org.

YACS B’more is a community of young professionals in the Baltimore area that are engaged in the fight against cancer through service and support.  We seek to provide these individuals with networking opportunities with other cancer survivors, support groups for young people facing cancer, and volunteer opportunities for everyone looking to get involved.  Our next event will be a Leap Day Happy Hour, on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at Magerk’s Pub in Federal Hill.  Come to get energized about the fight against cancer and to hear more about the support and service opportunities offered by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  Please RSVP on our Facebook page today!

Brinner!

Bri’ish Pub Night!

http://www.facebook.com/events/249415551790583/

Combination of Organizations With a Shared Mission to

Activate Young Adults in the Fight Against Cancer

Baltimore, Maryland – November 28, 2011 - The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCFYA)today announced the merger with 4K for Cancer (4K), an organization with a shared vision to empower and activate young adults in the fight against cancer.

4K for Cancer began as the Hopkins 4K for cancer in 2001 when a group of undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University combined their desire to fight cancer with a goal to cycle 4,000 miles across the country. Each year, the organization coordinates a team of college students to cycle across the country while raising money and awareness for the fight against cancer.

4K for Cancer grew to become a stand-alone non-profit organization in 2008, and teamed up with UCFYA in 2011. The merger announced today will provide 4K for Cancer with the infrastructure and support necessary for growth, while leveraging the relationships both organizations have fostered with volunteers, donors, and strategic partners.

“UCFYA and 4K for Cancer are stronger as one and we’re excited to welcome such an extraordinary organization,” said UCFYA Executive Director Brock Yetso. “We share common values and a mission to support young adults with cancer by providing a platform for awareness and engagement through sport. We are humbled to have this partnership and believe the next chapter of the Ulman Cancer Fund and 4K will bring many successes that we are both anticipating – and those we can’t even predict yet!”

According to 4K for Cancer Board of Directors Chairman and Founder Ryan Hanley, the merger unites two organizations that have similar histories, and an extraordinary base of supporters. Both organizations were founded on a college campus and have grown around the shared motivations of helping young adults and communities impacted by cancer.

“Our goal for the merger is to continue to empower our riders and alumni to make a positive impact in the cancer community, while improving the support that they receive to do so,” Hanley said. “By teaming up with UCF, we will gain much needed infrastructure support while staying focused on our core mission.”

For UCFYA, the addition of 4K for Cancer will enhance its ability to activate more people in the fight against cancer while using sport as a platform to raise substantial revenue to support the growth of UCFYA Patient Navigation Programs at cancer centers across the country. Over the next several weeks, 4K for Cancer will move one employee over to the UCFYA staff and four Directors over to the UCFYA Board of Directors. The merger is scheduled to be finalized with the State of Maryland in early January.

About Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults:

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF), founded in 1997, is the national leader in providing specialized support for young adults affected by cancer. With nearly 70,000 young adults diagnosed every year, our organization helps young people fight the disease and navigate treatment by providing access to information, support groups, and other specialized programs. UCF Patient Navigation Programs have set a national standard and can be accessed remotely or through onsite Patient Navigators at a growing number of hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region. UCF is a founding member of the LIVESTRONGTM Young Adult Alliance and a national pioneer in developing innovative approaches in cancer support. UCF enhances lives by supporting, educating and connecting young adults, and their loved ones, affected by cancer. For more information, please visit,www.ulmancancerfund.org.

About 4K for Cancer:

The 4K for Cancer is dedicated to empowering young adults in uniting communities across the country in the fight against cancer through community service and support. 4K for Cancer began as the Hopkins 4K for Cancer in 2001 when a group of undergraduate students at the Johns Hopkins University decided to combine their desire to fight against cancer with their dream of cycling across the country. Founded by Ryan Hanley in the memory of his father who passed away from cancer, the 4K set off on the first 4,000-mile journeys from Baltimore to San Francisco in the summer of 2002.  The founding team included Jenn Hardy, Leah Blom, Kelly Hewitt and Brent Bass. Since its beginnings, 4K has rasied over $1Million to support the cancer fight in Baltimore, MD and communities across the country.

By Janene Holzberg, Special to The Baltimore Sun
5:48 p.m. EST, December 1, 2011

Original Article

Ryan Hanley spent the summer before he turned 18 thinking about organizing a transcontinental bike ride to raise money for cancer. When he entered the Johns Hopkins University, he set about selling the idea and recruiting classmates and friends to ride 4,000 miles.

The maiden effort that he had dubbed 4K for Cancer — which raised $80,000 in 2002 in memory of Hanley’s father, who had died of cancer when Hanley was 13 — operated under the university’s auspices for five years before becoming an independent nonprofit organization.

Now, 4K for Cancer is merging with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, a Columbia-based advocacy and support organization.

Founded in 1997 by three-time cancer survivor Doug Ulman, brother of County Executive Ken Ulman, the UCF is one of only a dozen nonprofit organizations in the country that focus solely on young adult patients and their families, said Brock Yetso, executive director.

“This merger will make each of our organizations stronger,” said Yetso, whose mother died four weeks after she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2000. “Society is recognizing that cancer is the No. 1 killer of our population and getting on the bandwagon.”

The missions and personal experiences of the two staffs are so complementary that they seemed destined to align, he said. Cancer turned most of their lives upside-down in one way or another, and motivated them to re-evaluate their priorities.

“There were 70,000 young adults diagnosed with cancer across the country last year — eight times the number of children,” he said, quoting statistics from the National Cancer Institute. “While there are well-funded organizations that advocate for kids and those that advocate for older adults, there are not a lot in between.”

Merging the UCF’s focus on connecting, educating and supporting young adults with cancer with 4K’s appeal to college students who want to join in the fight will help the UCF achieve the success of other age-specific campaigns, Yetso said.

“Our business model was already based on collaboration and partnerships,” he said. “We’re all about not reinventing the wheel.”

While 4K will retain its identity, staff, programming and website, it will become a program under the umbrella of the UCF, said Brian Satola, assistant director. The 4K staff has already moved into the UCF’s Baltimore office; the UCF’s Howard County office is located on Stevens Forest Road.

“We give them a lot of credit for putting egos aside and seeing the larger picture,” said Satola, whose sister faced leukemia as a child and is a two-time cancer survivor. “This merger will enable us to leverage more resources and have a greater impact. It was a question of taking something great and making it even greater.”

Jessica Protasio, a children’s instructor and research specialist at the Savage branch of the Howard County Library, said she’s “doing great” since her liver transplant in March. But it was the support she received from the UCF during a series of setbacks leading up to her surgery that made all the difference, she said.

And Protasio has been through a lot. An appendectomy was canceled last summer while she was waiting to be taken to the operating room so hospital physicians could further examine her liver. Testing revealed a tumor.

Months later, she awoke from anesthesia after a scheduled liver resection, in which only cancerous parts of the liver are removed, to learn that procedure was stopped when surgeons discovered her cancer had spread. A transplant became her only option as she became very ill.

“When I came out of appointments and my patient navigator was waiting for me … that just meant so much,” she recalled.

UCF patient navigators stationed in several area hospitals offer educational guidance and emotional support to 2,000 clients a year, Yetso said. “We’re there to hold their hands up to a point, but we also empower them to handle their treatment,” he explained.

UCF employees have provided everything from transportation to shoulders to cry on, Protasio said, even hooking her up with a “cancer buddy” who’d had a similar type of cancer and understood what she was going through.

As if that wasn’t enough, Protasio now participates in UCF events, which include walks, runs and triathlons. Soon 4K for Cancer’s cycling fundraisers will be added to that mix.

“I’ve learned that it’s exciting to help people and be part of the community of we, instead of the community of me,” she said. “This is an amazing organization.”

Dr. Susan Moriarty, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente in Columbia, said her practice has helped fund UCF events and looks forward to the possibilities the merger will bring.

“Young adults with cancer are not in the news a lot, but this is a critical group and merging with another group that involves college students is brilliant,” she said.

Yetso couldn’t agree more.

“We’ve each been able to build an army of supporters using sports,” he said of the two organizations.

“But the Ulman Fund wasn’t immune to the economic downturn these last three years. With a 50 to 70 percent dip in donations, we were begging people to attend events, and we had to lay off three employees,” he said.

“The old way wasn’t working, and we’re becoming more innovative,” Yetso said. “The key is working with people who can help us do our job better.”

On behalf of the Ulman Cancer Fund and the rest of the 4K for Cancer staff, I would like to announce that registration for the 2012 ride will be opening and available to all accepted riders on Wednesday November 16th. We apologize for the delay and hope everyone is able to navigate the page well.

Please check in for future updates and news as we implement new systems to make the 4K a more rewarding experience for everyone involved.

Thank you,

Stephen Hersey

Interim 4K for Cancer Program Coordinator,
Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults

It’s that time of year again….the radio stations are playing “Jingle Bells,” the mall is decorated with twinkling lights, and red and green M&M’s are flying off the shelves – it must be time for the holidays!  On local university campuses, YACS groups are working on brightening the holidays for Maryland families affected by cancer.  This is the third year that The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults has held a gift drive for young adult cancer patients and their families, but the first year that the university community will be involved.

Undergoing cancer treatment is physically, emotionally, and financially draining.  Often, the majority of family income is devoted to paying for critical healthcare expenses.  Families are forced to make difficult decisions on how to spend limited funds.  This year, our Patient Navigators, student volunteers, and other local oncology contacts will aggregat the “wish lists” of cancer patients and their families.  Based on the responses from these forms, “wishes” will be distributed to those wanting to donate to the Gift Drive (starting Monday, November 28).  Gifts will be collected – unwrapped, and with the recipient information attached – until Wednesday, December 14.  Gift delivery will take place during the week of December 19-23.

If you want to help out with the Gift Drive, head to your school’s next YACS meeting, or contact Emma or Laura: Emma@ulmanfund.org / Laura@ulmanfund.org.  For more information, check out www.ulmancancerfund.org/giftdrive.

For more holiday cheer, come to the YACS B’More Holiday Happy Hour and Sweater Party!  It will take place at Mother’s Federal Hill Grille on Wednesday, December 14 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.  We’ll be continuing to collect gift and monetary donations during the Happy Hour.  Be sure to come dressed in your most fantastically ugly holiday sweater for a chance to win some awesome prizes!  To RSVP, please visit www.ulmancancerfund.org/holidayhappyhour.

We will be creating a menu, shopping for food, and cooking dinner for these awesome Hope Lodge residents! Please RSVP if you plan on attending!

This year, they’re raising funds and awareness for feminine cancers. Their goal is to raise $1,000 for Cancer Schmancer, actress Fran Drescher’s movement dedicated to ensuring that all women’s cancers be diagnosed while in Stage 1, the most curable stage.

We enjoyed 2 days off in Cedar City to take a detour (by car at least) to the Grand Canyon. The mini road trip was fun, I kept “resting my eyes” as a true grandma does. We got to the Grand Canyon, enjoyed a small picnic at the North Rim welcome center and then hit some of the highlights with short drives and walks to look out points. Being there really made me want to just hike to the bottom and camp (though obviously I’m completely unprepared for that, but someday I’ll do it again-I had hiked to the bottom of the south rim with my Aunt, Uncle and cousins a whole decade ago) Next time I want to hike rim to rim or just spend time exploring because that’s the only way to get the best appreciation for the canyon, removing yourself from all the tourists. It was still a great time, and yet another look and the wonders of the world, of  the country. The best part was a small group, myself, Jess, Alana, and Phoebe were staying overnight to camp! We had to drive out of the park to do so because its such a busy time of year, but it was nice to camp in a small group. I prefer it. Not that I don’t love you all and camping as a group of 27, but camping as a group of 5 is the way to go. We could actually cook a meal in a decent amount of time and its just more personal. How camping should be, being one with nature and having closer experience with each other. All in all it was a fun trip, but of course we couldn’t help thinking, “I wonder what everyone else is doing.” It was weird being apart from everyone. Gave me a glimpse into what life without the 4K will be like.

Day 53: Bryce Canyon City, UT to Cedar City, UT

Today goes out to the Devine Twins, Agnes & Rosemary.

They are my paternal Great Aunts. My great Aunt Rosemary died a few months after I was born, herself having a long battle with cancer constantly spreading and shifting from breast to lung to brain to bone cancer. My Great Aunt Agnes has ALS and was diagnosed in 2000. Since then she has been a fighter and always positive. I’ve never met someone with such a wonderful outlook on life and who always spreads so much joy. All of the Maryknoll sisters in NY tell us when we visit that she is the life of the party there-I believe it. Part of the day turned into an individual day, again due to the climbing. We did stop just before the climb for some ice cream-of course. Is there a better way to get climbing energy! I also got some airheads, and in it was a card with very wise words from Kung Fu Panda, “If you have inner peace, you will be outer strong!” Perfect words to have in my head before a long climb.

I enjoyed it though, going at my own pace and know eventually-not sure when-but eventually I’d get to the top. That’s the best mentality to have. Too often I forget it. But really just keep moving however fast or slow you can go, and you’ll get there. The thing is to never give up. Before the descent, I took my first poop outside (not in my lifetime, but for this trip). Sorry if that’s too much information, but seriously I biked 52 days across the country and managed to not have to go #2 (without a bathroom being around) until now. I think that’s pretty awesome. But pooping outside is nothing new to me, I camp etc so I’m practically an expert The descent after a long day’s climb was wonderful, as it always is. The wind was in my face and the rest of the ride into Cedar City was just perfect.  We had a delicious pasta dinner cooked by the local Catholic community and after getting reenergized with tons of carbs a group of us went to take on the Cedar City night life and rocked some Karaoke.

Today went out to Bob “Chaos” and his wife, Patricia, whom he lost to breast cancer in May 2010.I also want to thank the entire Cedar City community where in fact so many are affected by cancer as there is a large generation called the “downwinders” who have cancer in this location. Downwinders are those who were down wind of the test sites in NV back in the day and the wind carried harmful chemicals.

Chaos is a member of the Cedar City Community. The Cedar City Community was absolutely wonderful to us. The ride today was fairly straightforward. I rode with Maria, Justin, and Ganesh, as team “Can’t stop, won’t stop, we don’t need no water stops.” This was partially because between the four of us we missed the most water stops (goes back to the record breaking day). We missed one today due to missing a turn. It ended up being one of the few times missing a turn paid off because we avoided the road stricken with crickets.We also passed through a town called Minersville, naturally I had to stop and take a picture.

We arrived at our host fairly early and were able to enjoy the local pool where we split up and tested our skills at pool basketball. It was clear pretty soon that we are not basketball players but it was still so much fun.

Day 57: Milford, UT to Baker, NV I met Ann at the Grand Canyon gift shop and was chatting with her and learned that she lost her father, Harold to cancer. She also told me that her niece lost her 22 month old baby to cancer. I couldn’t imagine losing my father and life was cut entirely too short for the 22 month old, Eden. Today goes out for Ann, Harold and Eden.

We have definitely reached the desert. The ride today was terribly hot, the sun was constantly beating down on us, and shade did not exist. Today began the “4K fun” series where each day in Nevada has a theme. Today was 4K trivia where each person submitted 5 fun facts about themselves and each group had to determine which fact belonged with which person. At each water stop we were given 5 new facts to ponder for the next 15-20 miles. It was a great way to learn random things about the other riders and it definitely kept the ride more interesting.  My group was Adam, Megan, Alana, and Lisa.

We won the regular round, but lost in the bonus round because unfortunately the two teams that correctly answered the bonus question had heard the stories before. While beautiful and scenic in its own way, the ride initially was mundane. We would gradually climb for about 10 miles, reach a summit of around 6,400 feet (which pales in comparison to our 12,183 foot summit), descend for about 10 miles and then repeat for 3 total summits. The rest of the ride was pleasant with either a slight decline or flat with a tailwind. And then at the VERY end of the day, we crossed into NEVADA and stayed at the Border Inn campground which literally was right across the street from the Nevada sign.

Day 58: Baker, NV to Ely, NV Today went out  to Lindsay Lawley who Laura Stidham made her donation in honor of. The 4K fun day was trivia day and I rode with Ganesh, Maria, Ilana and Vanessa (Team Sugar Daddy). We were definitely the best scavenger hunt group and we clearly weren’t in a rush to get to the host because I think we showed up 4 hours after everyone (partially due to the 4 flats the group had). We built the tallest rock tower and created wonderful bike and dance videos. We probably found every piece of road kill along the way too. This was a day where it truly was about the journey and not the destination. We had so much fun.

Day 59: DAY OFF Ely, NV Today we had a very low key day off in Ely, NV. It was nice to spend most of the day in a bed (we had a hotel host!) Ely United Methodist Church also provided us with a great dinner.

Day 60: Ely, NV to Eureka, NV Today went out to Beverly, a member of the Ely community.

Today began our long stretches on Route 50 which is “the loneliest road” I’d say this stretch is not the loneliest. I rode today with team Bare Naked Ladies: Phoebe, Alana, Bunny, Vanessa, and Lisa. NBD

Day 61: Eureka, NV to Austin, NV Today goes out to Cindy and her mom, Cecile. Cindy opened up her community with outstretched arms for us all. Last night was one of the best dinners we had and this morning Cindy’s words were so touching. We could really see how we were impacting people we met. Cindy told us, “I don’t even know you, but I love you.” These words were so warm and sincere. Cindy’s mom will be returning home in a week, to peacefull pass around familiarity after her long battle with cancer. Our thoughts are with the entire family.

Today’s 4K fun day was alter ego day where we all had someone else to pretend to be on the 4K. I rode with Omar (Jess), and Zac (Vanessa). It was interesting to see what trademarks people had. The ride was, brown mostly but still beautiful. There was a long climb just before Austin that seemed to go on forever and than a tricky descent with tight switchbacks. We had to be careful not to miss our final turn or we’d be climbing back up. Austin is an interesting town, which is FULL of hills and not small ones either.

Day 62: Austin, NV to Fallon, NV Today went out to William Daviero who my friend Phil made his dedication in honor of. It was a century day. Unfortunately this was my first century of the ride that I’m missed because I’m a van driver. But van driving today turned out to be a difficult task. People are guaranteed to get spread out on century and other long days, making it hard to support the front and the back. Today was definitely a rode of nothing. Heat radiated from the rode and I was sweating so much without even riding. I felt for everyone out there. The worst part was that I had little to offer since there wasn’t anything along the way to get food. I did manage to stop at Midway which had a small diner/gas station filled with post cards saying I survived Highway 50 or I survived Midway just to give you an idea on the type of area we were in. I managed to have some frozen sourdough donated from the station. While I couldn’t get it to everyone at this stop, they had freshly baked sourdough by the next stop as I baked it on the side of the road (yes, that’s how hot it was out there!). Also along this road we passed the “famous” shoe tree. Needless to say, I was happy to reach the host and know everyone made it especially when 4 riders were still out when a crazy desert storm began.

This ride has taught me so much about living life to the fullest, every day. It’s something I hope I can keep in my heart and daily actions as much as possible after the ride. But those 32 Hokies who’s lives were taken too soon, too suddenly and unexpectedly and cruelly already knew about living life to the fullest.  Today was team Leg Leader Day (Pants, Phoebe, Basit, myself, Ganesh, & Zac). All 6 leg leaders rode together, so we could ride to Cali as one group since we got everyone here The first part of the ride, Fallon to Carson City was speedy. We made cycling look pretty, pace lining, turning together. In Carson City, we waited for everyone so we could begin one of our last climbs together. While waiting, we all passed out in Starbucks. I mean I was face down on the floor. That’s one thing about the 4K, you sleep anywhere on anything and you don’t even care if people will give you funny looks. The climb today was really tough and I climbed most of it with Phoebe. I love biking with Phoebe, we have similar climbing, biking, pacing styles. I’m so glad she was with me because towards the end it was getting rough and some headwinds picked up. We did finally make it and again were hugged and high-fived by everyone already there. We all waited for everyone before beginning the descent into California. At the top we danced around the parking lot, froze a bit with the passing rain storm, and overall were just completely elated and elevated.

The descent was beautiful with amazing views of Lake Tahoe to the right. It was another one of those days where after the descent, the hills were rolling but so exhausting because of the climb earlier in the day. Eventually I made it to our other waiting point…CALIFORNIA! The sign for California was disappointing (compared to the other state signs) but incredible at the same time. We did it, we biked here, we biked to California! Absolutely crazy. And again, we waited as a team. Everyone in the area was just looking at the cluster of us, probably wondering why the in the world we were so excited. We circled up and screamed out our team cheer, blocked the roads to take countless pictures. We were ecstatic, we were one.

I met Keith freshman year at Virginia Tech. He was a great person and his personal motto was living life to the fullest, which he did until August 1, 2006 when he died from an unexpected head injury. I know thinking of him will help me get up the tough climb we have at the start of the day, and just the entire day in general. Today’s ride is 130 miles! It was a new record for everyone and the best part was EVERYONE made it . I rode with Megan, Basit, and Justin. It was fitting to ride with Basit and Justin on our century plus day as I rode my first century back in Kentucky with them. We barely made it to 100 miles back then and now we crushed 130 it’s rewarding to see the progress we’ve all made on this trip. The day started with a tough climb which was fairly short climb but around 8-12% grade and each switchback elevated us a significant distance. The climb was worth it though as we were rewarded with one of the best descents of the trip.

Today went out to Grandpas. It went out to my paternal grandfather who had bone and lung cancer and passed away before he and my mom met. It went out to my maternal grandfather who suffered from diabetes and heart issues and passed away just weeks after I was born. I wish I had met them, I heard they were great men and I wonder what it would have been like to have Grandpas. I’m sure it would have been wonderful since both my grandmothers were amazing women. It also goes out to everyone else’s grandpas and of course, “Grandpa” Tom on the ride.

I rode with Jess, Phoebe, and Kaitlin as team “Grapes of Rosé.” I was a Rosé, Jess was Cabernet Sauvignon, Phoebe was Merlot, and Kaitlin was Riesling. The day was supposed to be an easy, flat 55 mile day. We cruised through the early part, not worried about the destination only the journey. At our water stop around mile 40 (which was a fabulous cheese and cracker water stop to get us ready for Napa), we were told we were going to be rerouted (of course!) and that we had to bike an extra 15 miles AND go over a mountain. 4K O.K. At this point we shouldn’t be surprised. The news of course annoyed people, since we only had 15 flat miles to go and wanted to stop along the way at some vineyards. Expect the unexpected. The best part of this reroute was that it was beautiful. Unlike our original route where I’m certain the scenery would pale in comparison. We cycled along the backroads that winded through vineyards.

The climb was tough, but nothing we couldn’t handle. I took my time getting to the top. Jess and I sang the whole way up (mostly repeating the lines of Summer Lovin’ and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough that we knew) which made for an easy going and enjoyable climb.

NAPA! What a beautiful place! Today we spent the early part of the day wandering around downtown Napa and enjoying brunch. Later we went to the Artesa vineyard which was absolutely breathtaking.

It took me back to Tuscany a bit, only Tuscany was cooler since we were in a castle. Regardless, the views around the main building were astonishing. Though I’m considered “grandma Rose” I’m still a bit young to have the palate for true tasting. It is something that is developed over time and years of practice. I look forward to practicing and another trip to Napa (maybe when I have more dough) and another trip to Italy of course.  Regardless, the wine was delicious and I know I’m still a bigger fan of the reds though a cool Riesling has its place in the summertime. The reserve Pinot Nior was definitely my favorite, but the Cab Sav gave it a good run for its money. After enjoying tasting at the winery we travelled downtown Napa for another round of tastings at TASTE. While not a winery, this place provided numerous options. We further expanded our palates while enjoying a meal at restaurant featuring types of South American street food. While isolation and solitude along much of our western route were beautiful and profound in their own way, the culinary options were a welcomed experience.

Today was the second to last riding day. One we took at a leisurely pace. One we tried to enjoy with our group as much as possible. My last riding group, “The Final Countdown” was Alana, Phoebe, Omar, and Nick Pantaleo.

I’d say it was a pretty solid group for the last day. Phoebe helped delay the ride  with a flat, which was actually welcomed in my opinion. I wasn’t in a rush for the day to end as it only brought us closer to the final day which I wasn’t sure I was ready for. Once off the bike path, we were deeper into civilization aka traffic than we had been in a while. We pissed off California drivers  when we forgot that things such as traffic laws exist (maybe we were in Nevada too long), but still we didn’t care. As is tradition, there was an unexpected climb during the end. I didn’t mind, it was another thing that made the day go just a bit slower.  The riding day concluded with a pit stop at a Mexican restaurant for some celebratory Margs just before reaching the host.

Tonight we had our final pow wow. The comments have changed so much from the first pow wow and these few hours really made me realize that I was going to miss this group of people a lot. It also made me realize, that I have to keep finding my adventures, I can’t let life get stale.

The other thing that kept the day from being 100% perfect was the fact that the ride was over. I know this end only means new beginnings, new opportunities, chances to see where these wonderful people go, opportunities to stay in touch, travel, perhaps even plan another epic bike ride. But the past 70 days were incredible, wonderful, indescribable experiences, a journey full of challenges and accomplishments (and a journey I made without getting a single flat!). Life was truly elevated on this final day, the high, the adrenaline, the pure happiness during that 11 mile ride, crossing the Golden Gate bridge, and running into the Pacific Ocean.

We did everything TOGETHER that day, a sign of how far we’ve come, how much we bonded. The water was so cold, but I felt like we could have spent forever in it, in one big group hug, letting all the emotions of the trip flow through. So I’m going to stop here, all I can say is this journey was amazing. I cannot possibly describe it so others will understand. Actually, other people will never fully understand, and that’s okay. I hold this special bond with 26 individuals on what the 2011 4K for Cancer to San Francisco really means and will cherish each memory and look forward to days we can reunite and reflect, smile and laugh.

And of course, my mom and sister greeted me in costume

I’m sitting here, in my empty apartment in Denver just barely one week after our arrival in San Francisco. A week ago at this moment we were having our final pow wow. It feels like it was years ago. It feels like it was a decade ago that I biked across the country. Maybe the realization of it all still hasn’t fully happened. All I know is that I’m terribly missing the 4K already. In a week’s time, I flew back to Philly, drove to Wilmington, had a welcome back/departure dinner all in one, and began the 1800+ mile drive out to Denver with my parents. The drive took us THREE days (granted I was in somewhat of a pinch to get out here for the moving truck and work). It took us from May 29 to July 3 to go from Baltimore to Boulder. The drive was just not the same. Other points in time I would have found it fun and exciting to drive across the country, and maybe even in the future. But doing so immediately after biking across the country was just not exciting. I didn’t have any thrill from completing a twelve hour day (750 miles in the car) or eight hour day driving as I did on the bike. The quote by Ernest Hemmingway is so true, “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country the best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you and you and you have no such accurate remembrance of the country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” The only way to see the country is on a bike. I saw all the signs (or most of them anyway). I saw the people who adopted sections of highway and what or who they dedicated it to. I saw random historical markers that I never knew existed. I saw a lot more roadkill. I saw everything it seemed. When you are biking, you see the land, you feel the land, you feel the sun, wind, rain. You feel the people. I never spent so much time in a gas station or spent so much money at a gas station on something other than gas than when I was on the 4K. But a gas station was a treat, it was ice cream, it was a chance to walk in there in our chamois and jerseys and tell our story and ask for ice and water. This trip made me realize how much good there is in the world. How kind people are and how willing they are to help out some strangers.  I just want to say thank you to all. Many of the people who helped might never see this, but thank you, thank you, thank you for reaching out. I also want to say 4K team San Fran I love you and miss you already. I miss all of you, your hugs, laughs, tears, smiles, jokes, just everything. And thank all of you for making this summer unforgettable. Hope it’s not too long til we meet again (cough come to Denver cough)!

And now that I’m finally posting this 41 days after and not just a week later, I feel exactly the same. I miss everyone just as much, if not more. I already miss biking 12 hours a day.

After sweating all night in that hot house, and saying good bye to Kevin Costner – the dog that was chained to the tree in the yard – we left for Capitol Reef. This day was for my roommate at Hopkins, Rob. He’s on the 4K ride to Seattle, but, today was his last day. He had to leave to start his job in NYC. At this point, I couldn’t even imagine leaving the 4K, and especially my 4K family. I’d talked to him the night before and he was so positive about it even though I know he was crushed. I would probably be bawling if I were him, but he said he just realizes how lucky he is to have had the opportunity to come this far and see so much and experience the things he did. Today would be a long day, but thinking about Rob and how I’m lucky to experience this day at all is what got me through it. I rode with Taylor and Ganesh as team Justice League! I was the green lantern because of my helmet. The scenery changed drastically throughout the day. In the morning huge piles of boulders surrounded the road. There was no plant or animal life anywhere. Though we did see a huge cow skeleton. We passed some stretches of sand, like the deserts you see people wandering around lost in movies. Around this point we passed a man riding his horse. We learned that he was horseback riding across the country! He’d been gone for over a year. Later we went through some plateaus that were flat and very skinny at the top but very wide at the bottom. I was struck with how if I were to come back years from now, these plateaus would look different because they’re clearly deteriorating from the top down. The state that I’m seeing the country in isn’t going to stay this way forever, it’s constantly changing and I feel fortunate to see it the way it is now. Toward the end of the plateau region, it started getting really windy. Like, Kansas windy. It was miserable. Ganesh was really struggling with the wind/heat combination and kept falling far behind us. I was grateful for Taylor riding in front of me, blocking the worst of the wind from me. We were SO close to the last water stop and I was dying to get there, when up ahead I saw the steepest hill ever and my heart just sank. As we approached it, it looked vertical! After getting beaten down by the wind so much, it was the last thing I wanted to see. But what choice did I have? I just bent my head down and started climbing. It was such a steep hill and such a slow climb, I felt like I was going to flip over backwards. But of course that wouldn’t happen and I finally made it and descended to the water stop. Taylor and I just threw our bikes down and climbed in the air-conditioned van where we found 6 others fast asleep in there. We stayed at that water stop forever, just dreading the last 20 miles. But the last 20 weren’t nearly as bad. We entered the National Park at the end and it was beautiful. Capitol Reef is full of huge red rocks and cliffs that when you look closer aren’t just red, but full of swirling colors. We camped that night in the park. It had been a 95 mile day. There weren’t any showers so some people just hosed themselves off or used baby wipes, but Lisa, Emilie, Phoebe and I bathed in the river! It was freezing! And the river was red so we came out with red sediment all over us, but it was much better than nothing. And I felt very at-one with nature. We deemed ourselves the ladies of the lake. Even though it was a river. We spent the evening picking apricots and cooking spaghetti (with difficulty). While I was eating, someone’s face appeared right next to mine, so I turned, and there was… my sister Emily! I knew my parents and Emily were in the area that night but I thought I wasn’t going to see them until the morning. It was indescribable seeing them after all this time. That night, after eating not nearly enough, I went to bed in my tent with my wind-whipped face and red sediment in my hair feeling fuller than I had in a long time.

The next morning my family came to see me again, and they joined us for the morning circle. I dedicated the day to the rest of my housemates, Michelle, Emily, Matt, and Laura. They all donated to me and supported me so much before the trip. Matt’s mom donated in honor of Matt’s grandfather, Vincent Panico who died of lung cancer about 8 years ago. She said of him “he usually worked at least 2 jobs so that his wife and family of 5 children could have a good house. Whenever he and Matt’s Grandmom came to visit us from Delaware, his first thought was “what can I do with the kids?” I loved that about him.” Laura’s donation was in honor of her grandfather who is miraculously cancer free after battling for 3 years! She also donated in honor of Scott Grissom, her family member who has three inoperable tumors on his spine. I knew I would need to be thinking of all of them today because today we would be climbing a mountain! Yup, the mountains did not end with the Rockies. My group was the last group to leave the campground. My family took some pictures of us biking out of the National Park. I loved seeing them smiling and waving as I went by. In the first 20 miles before we hit the mountain, I could tell my group was feeling slow today, but I was feeling great! Maybe it was the rush from seeing my family, but I was feeling speedy and unstoppable. So Justin (who was also going fast) and I broke off from the rest of the group. I was alone most of the time going up the mountain because climbing is something you just do at your own pace. I actually passed a bunch of people and stopped only a few times to take a picture of the view of the colorful valley below. I was amazed when I reached the top that it had felt so easy! It was about 15 miles of climbing with a few rolling hills as we wound around and up the mountain, but I just did it no problem. Alanna, who was driving the support van, commented that when she passed me, I was flying! Some days on the 4k you feel horrible and slow and every pedal stroke is a struggle, and other days, you wake up feeling speedy and invincible. This just happened to be one of those days. We all lingered at the summit for a while, and we were soon joined by three other cross-country cyclists. We’d actually seen them in passing the day before. This is the second group of 3 we’d run into. The others we met in Virginia, and then again in the Rockies.

After the climb, we had a descent, which wasn’t completely a descent; there were some tough climbs thrown in there too. Then came the fun part. The Grand Staircase! This was the real descent. 14% grade! I’m not a huge thrill seeker or anything, but I loved the feeling of flying down that mountain. Of course I wasn’t reckless about it, I was constantly on my breaks and felt perfectly safe, but it still got my adrenaline going and I had another one of those “I can’t believe I’m really doing this!” moments. On both sides of the road I was looking down on endless sandy hills and canyonlands. I never even knew places like this existed. The rest of the day is a blur. We had another big climb that I was completely not expecting. It wound up this big sand-colored mountain. I was definitely feeling it this time, but I kept up with Justin and finally we reached the top. This descent was also incredible, and straight too so I didn’t squeeze my breaks at all, just let gravity carry me. And then, suddenly, it was completely flat. By now the sky was heavy with rain clouds. We stopped about 3 miles from the campsite at a convenience store/gas station that gave us free dinner. By the time the rain stopped and Justin and I headed to the campsite, the sun was setting. The sky was a beautiful post-rain pink and the land stretched out all around us. It was so peaceful. We talked about our families and if we would continue biking after the trip is over. After it’s over! It’s so weird to think that end is near. It’s exciting and sad all at the same time. For nearly 2 months we’ve practically breathed biking, thinking of nothing else. The real world seems so far away. We got to the campsite and had to find our way around in the dark. When I was in the shower line I met some bikers from another group called Bike the US for MS. We compared the places we’ve been and the differences between our rides. Their purpose is to raise funds and awareness for MS, and they had riders of all ages. Even up to age 60! I thought that was pretty amazing.

The next morning all those mountains caught up to me. Especially since I had pushed so hard yesterday. With the first pedal stroke, I knew it would be one of those slow, painful days. I dedicated the day to my friend Alex’s grandmother, Frieda Hunstad, who recently passed away from cancer after a very long, tough battle. Thankfully, the ride was short, only 50 miles. I rode with my fellow Ladies of the Lake. All of us were struggling through each mile, but we kept ourselves laughing by telling stories and being ridiculous. It was a very hot day and we were hoping the terrain would continue to be flat, but after about 20 miles, we weren’t so lucky. At the second water stop I was sitting in the air-conditioned van when Meg opened the door and said “I think there’s a little Schram behind the van.” My family surprised me again! Although I have to admit it was kind of strange seeing them at a water stop since, as I’ve mentioned, 4K life and real life seem like completely different worlds. The last 10 miles felt like 50 miles, but my family drove by us with a sign in the window that Emily had made that said ‘4K OK!’ It was so adorable and it made me so happy. I should explain that ‘4K OK” is a phrase we’ve coined to describe everything that is acceptable to do on the 4K that wouldn’t exactly pass in the real world. Sleeping on the gravel? 4K OK. Eating 4 desserts in one sitting? 4K OK. Peeing on the side of the road? 4K OK. We were camping again that night near Bryce Canyon National Park. I stayed with my family in their hotel though because for the next 4 days they ‘kidnapped’ me to join them on their vacation! We went to Bryce Canyon, The Grand Canyon, and Zion. I only missed one day of biking because we were scheduled to have 3 days off in order to see the National Parks. When you’re in this part of the country, you got to take some time off to enjoy the natural beauty. And boy is it incredible. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

And I just want to be doing this:

It is ridiculous. So basically, I am an addict and the 4K is my crack. I thought that running the half marathon might help with these withdrawal issues. So far, its just a lot of running. So I don’t know how well that’ll work out.

Also, not helping with my nostalgia issuez: I volunteered to make the San Fran promo video. So, I have to spend even more time looking at pictures and stuff and basically listening to “Save me, San Francisco” on repeat. Makes me sadsies.

Also, my #nostalgiaproblemz are leading me to some #jealousyproblemz because I was just on twitter and saw on the @4kforcancer page that a couple people had just been accepted to the 2012 ride and they are #soexcited. On the one hand I wanna say holyyyy crap you are going to have the time of your life. And on the other hand I wanna say that should be me and step off my ride, yo. Obviously, that second one is the kind of thing that I should just keep to myself.

In other news, if you haven’t heard, I now have a puppy. Say hello to Snoopy:

Isn’t he cute?!?!?? Yes, I’m aware his fluffy paws look stupid. But, he’s adorable! 4K mascot much?

Anyway, I’m very excited to have a reason to blog again. Soooo yeah.

I officially have 16.5 days until the running festival… better get running.

I just started my Saturday off by hearing the voices of a dozen or so teammates, taking a shower – despite the slow hot water and pool of water, I kept gratefully thinking “it’s 4K OK” -  put on my large helmet and biked off to a cafe to hydrate. I could say that it’s surprising how little my life has changed since this summer but who am I kidding…

Daily life is quite different.  I’m no longer sleeping on church pews. Yes, I’ve moved to Vietnam. I’m sleeping on clashing brightly colored bedding sprinkled with “love you” written on them. The voices of my teammates were over Skype coming from Baltimore on a Friday night – a night I have already lived – and the streets I biked on included Tống Duy Tân, Thợ Nhuộm, and Hai Bà Trưng. Nonetheless, Mahony still gave me bike advice over Skype:

Me: Mike, what do I do about rusted screws?
Mike: Nothing, unless…are they near the derailleur?
Me: I don’t have a derailleur.
Mike: Perfect, don’t worry.

Mr. Al, Taylor’s grandpa, commented on Taylor’s last blog saying: “I do hope that each member at some point scribes out their thoughts for their own benefit.” I just heard the line, “And I can still see the California sun in your hair,” from Bonne Sommerville’s song “Winding Road.”  Indeed, it’s time to listen to Mr. Al’s – Team San Fran ’11′s number 1 fan’s - advice and write this before that sun in my hair goes away. I do think that this blog will be a bit scattered but I hope that it is able to tie my thoughts together. As Mr. Al suggested, this blog is for me. I “publish” it for those interested but in no way expect anyone to get through it.

Taylor mentioned in her blog that she thought the 4K would make her into “some kind of changed person,” but that it didn’t. Instead, she learned some important life lessons and that the 4K, rather than resulting in an epiphany, will continue to shape her in the future. I agree. As shown by the beginning of this blog, I constantly do think about the 4K. How long this will continue is up to the future, but making sure I remember the lessons I learned this summer is up to me. This means that I need to reflect on thoughts during a time in my life that I thought I was having no thoughts. (I think that last sentence makes sense?)

No thoughts? I wondered before the trip began what you think about when you are on a bike for hours and hours day after day. In all honesty, most of the time my mind was blank, and every so often I would try to figure out how much longer to the next water stop. Sure, I had other occasional thoughts: I thought about the person I was riding for in order to inspire me during those low times, thought about attempting to pace when I was leading, reflected on relationships in my life, tried to figure out if I was lost, had occasional storytelling time, sung Summer Nights and Barbie Girl… but definitely nothing profound.

However, low and behold within this, what seemed to be, mindless days on the road were many bits and pieces of evidence to support statements, many of which are life lessons, that many of us have been told in various forms from authors, philosophers, businessmen, etc.

My first physical "step."

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Lao-tzu

I actually think the first step of this journey may have happened years ago. I had been thinking of being a part of the 4K for years. One of my closest friends, Mohammad, had bravely done the trek after his freshman year. In December of that year, I flew from Baltimore to San Francisco to visit my grandpa and say goodbye. Not only was he the youngest, strongest, and last of my grandparents to be diagnosed with cancer, but him and I had a special relationship that I don’t think anyone even in my family, including myself, can adequately describe. I remember that visit to Mill Valley, CA vividly: his final words to me (Me: I have to go Him: That’s terrible, but justifiable) and me – at a lose for words, unable to tell him that I love him, leaving that building with my aunt. On the way out, she simply said, “He was a great grandpa, wasn’t he?” (I blogged about him and that final day here).

My ride was dedicated to all four of my biological grandparents.

“There is a voice inside of you that whispers all day long, I feel this is right for me, I know that this is wrong. No teacher, preacher, parent, friend or wise man can decide what’s right for you-just listen to the voice that speaks inside.” – Shel Silverstein

That following summer I remember thinking in a parking lot that the best way to cope and honor my crazy grandpa’s death – while having a more meaningful summer than I currently was – would be to sign up for the 4K. It wasn’t until the third summer of photo stalking that that urge finally crossed the line. On August 1st of last year I applied. But over the next few months I still debated with my self on whether I would actually deposit. My mother warned me of mountains and my lack of biking experience. That so many of my teammates instantly plunged into the 70 day adventure and into leadership positions is a sign of their personality, strength and dedication to the cause. As for me, though, it took some reassuring from the 4K family that I’d survive the journey despite my absence from any physical activity. Knowing that I was riding for an absolutely crazy group of four grandparents in the end made my decision-making process smoother. But, wow, on reflection, I realized I shouldn’t have contemplated for so long. I should have gone with that feeling, that “inner voice,” however slight it was, to do this.

Exhausted me showing my grandma our long cue sheet on May 29th. The next time I would see her would be in August carrying my helmet into her apartment.

“And I would walk 500 more, just to be that man to walks a thousand miles to fall down at your door.” - The Proclaimers

The morning after depositing, I woke up to donations. It was then that I realized how tied to this endeavor I now was. I would eventually be riding for 85 people and their loved ones. Throughout the coming months I would look at my bike – aka WALL-E – and question if that was really what was supposed to get me back to grandmother’s house. Not yet on the road, there was no turning back or second guessing. I’d get to grandmother’s house in Mill Valley. As that same Sommerville song says, “I’ve been searching for a long time, still have hope I’m going to find my way home.”

“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.” – Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond

OK, maybe I already revoke an earlier statement. There was a second first step and that was on May 29th. The 4K put me in mindsets that have never been so strong. One morning at the beginning of the trip, I remember thinking that the repetitive nature that my life had become must, in some way, slightly mimic the lives of those in military service, prison, or slavery. I eventually convinced myself that my life most resembled Stanley’s in the book Holes by Louis Sacher (“the only way you can go is up”). Little did I know that come the Rockies, that’s what our cue card would say.

On day one, I…um… fell asleep on my bike. A series of unfortunate events made me have my first all nighter in Baltimore the night before the 4K.  That day I later met up with Justin and we worked our way through the cue card. I fought hard yet took another nap, during the first powwow. On day two, “Team Backwards Helmet,” got through the Route 1 detour. I stood there with Marci and Emilie contemplating if this route was really “4K, OK.”  I think the answer was no but that we didn’t really have an alternative. We got off our bikes and walked through a terribly congested construction zone. That night was the famous “Station 13″ night. I remember taking a shower in the fire station and thinking that maybe I should keep track of all the random places I’d sleep and shower in. Over the loud speaker, an ambulance was being sent to the church to get one of our riders checked out as he was suffering from heat exhaustion. On the fourth day, that heat wave was shinning brightly on us. I lost the person I was trying to ride with. I followed the cue card to an intersection, let the support van know, and waited for five others. We’d form Team Chateau; the only team to make it through the day.

Indeed, the first step, or rather first week, was difficult for Team San Fran. But somehow, I was surviving the days, taking strong first stops, which I later learned at our leg one powwow was helping others push through their days, a domino effect of sorts.

The truth is this is a photo taken when we were leaving Virginia. I didn't even see the sign when we entered.

“The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain

How I made it through those days, I have no idea. As a child I always feared the NJ summers; I always stayed away from soccer camp. I’d often remind myself of my grandpa and the donor that I had carefully selected to ride for that day. “Eighty five people,” I’d say to myself, ”out ‘there’ donated out of their pockets for you to do this, most of them inspired by someone who had no choice but to wake up and drag themselves to continue to fight cancer.”

When people are suffering from cancer, or any slump, I often think they break down their challenge into smaller pieces, like days. Somehow it becomes more manageable that way. Knowing that I had 70 days of this trip – and that alums had told me that the days ahead, mainly Utah, would not be fun biking days  – I took each day as they came. An approach strategy that would not last into July when we begun to savor biking together. Please don’t think that I thought my daily life was similar to a prisoners or cancer patients. I was fortunate. With pizza donations, how could I not be satisfied? But my mentality, I think, does have some interesting similarities to those who are stuck in a dilemma.

Little did I know but I was taking Mark Twain’s advice. Early on, it really felt like a daily battle. I would text my parents that I had survived another day. I remember the days so distinctively, yet this mindset would change…

I was literally hugging the Kentucky sign upon arrival. So happy for Team San Fran to be done biking through Virginia.

“Men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own.” - Seneca

No joke that come Kentucky all I could think of doing was hugging the state sign, so happy that our team’s encounter with Virginia had passed. Minutes after the descent into Kentucky, I had gone into complete culture shock. Were areas of my ‘motherland’ really this poor? Over and over again I was shocked at how states and small town America matched up with how I envisioned them, mainly made from the news that I had read about them.

Yes, there really was tornado damage. Yes, there really was one too many fried chicken donations. Yes, NASCAR seemed everywhere. Yes, confederate flags were hung high. Downtown areas had begun to look run down yet our encounters with people continued to be inspirational and at some points humorous. It was on our way to Mammoth Cave that I remember meeting some locals at the bar who told us we had gone insane and to be careful “out there.” I was beginning to feel like I had entered a scene from a Wild West film. Our encounters with dogs on the other hand, not so much; I am still terrified of dogs, of being chased while biking.

I also think it’s worth knowing the Church’s place in all of this. Church communities throughout the country continuously welcomed us into their houses of worship despite our group’s religious diversity. I was truly grateful for this. The blessings we received in the morning from members of these churches were heartwarming to say the least. I think the most inspirational people we met in these communities were Father Ricky and the story of the Dziewa family in Farmington, MO and Cindy and the story of her mother, Cecile, in Eureka, NV. Sharing cancer stories further unified us with the communities we crossed paths with.

Additionally, it was obvious that many people found support from these communities, often the emotional support to deal with their cancer stories. Knowing that these communities exist is something I should always keep in mind for who knows what is in my life’s future.

Growing up I was always fascinated hearing about troops and explorers moving hundreds upon hundreds of miles on foot. Somehow this comforted me and made me think that I wasn’t completely crazy. I wonder if these trekkers, after seeing more of their own country, had similar feelings to my own. Simply put, I grew more patriotic. A bike tour like this was so heavily-threaded with hospitality and generosity that may only be possible in the United States. I fell in love from sea to shining sea.

“Cancer begins and ends with people. In the midst of scientific abstraction, it is sometimes possible to forget this one basic fact.” - June Goodfield

Illinois came and went.  However, I did squeeze in a day dedicated to my dad in his home state, we got our one and only “rain out,” and manage to go through Popeye’s hometown of Chester, IL before crossing the Mississippi and really entering the west. When this state sign picture was taken, I was riding with Tom and Nick Pucci. I can’t even begin to explain how rewarding it was for me (and the rest of Team San Fran) to ride with two determined cancer survivors.

They added a personal touch to the ride. I dedicated my support driving days to Tom, mainly because he would always go above expectations when he drove, in a way that set the bar high for others. He was our shining star after all. I got through a hard day of climbing into Escalante with Pucci’s name autographed on my calf. At our powwows, they both would remind us to be grateful for this ride, have fun (aka ‘rallying’ according to Pucci), and to go off the beaten path. Both of them became older brother figures to me; they’d inspire, tease, and look after me…when I got sick.

“It is true that no one can harm the person who wears armor. But no one can help him either.” – Kristin Hunter

I reached my “low” in Licking, Missouri. We had back to back Ozark centuries that I was dying to pull through. Our team was hurting though. Megan took the first of the two centuries off, Tom and Basit stopped after the first water stop, and each pedal stroke was hurting. My digestive system felt off and a muscle was pulled. Ganesh admitted that I was pathetically biking, literally pushed my bike, and we exchanged stories in an attempt to get my mind off the ride. I had decided that I would suck it up if only one thing was bothering me but come two issues is when I would conclude that my body was telling me, “Please, no more.” That next day I could hear my body. Kitch impressively managed to rush a group of us to the hotel we were staying at and of the 24 next hours, I slept for 20.

From my perspective, it was here that the team realized that none of us were superhuman. The reason why we had support vans was so that we could ask for help, to take off our armor (or, rather, spandex) when needed. I was told once that two things I could work on in general are asking for help and having more confidence. This trip helped me approve both of these things. It was here when I realized how despite my own reluctance in asking for help, and my fear of a negative response, asking for help can be one of the easiest solutions to problems.

Team GB entering GB (about to get "pancaked" with expired pancake mix) on what was our longest day yet

“Don’t complain, just work harder.” – Randy Pausch

OK, fine, we definitely did complain about the wind in Kansas but not without working harder. We spent 12 days circling Kansas and were glad to escape. But when we escaped it was as a much stronger team both mentally and physically. It was a team that was open arms about biking across country. I was put on Cipro (look it up if you really want to know) on the day of our second powwow. This begins my theory of being cursed on powwow days.  But we all learned in Kansas that complaining won’t get us very far. I think what I learned in Kansas is to be proactive. If you’re feeling sick, try to do something.  These days weren’t great, they weren’t the worst or hardest, but we all made the most of them. And we worked hard to go to go to Sonic day after day. Kansas is what made Colorado so amazing for everyone on the team. And for that, we should be somewhat thankful for our tour of Kansas.

“This could really be a good life, a good, good life. Oh yeah, good, good life, good life, oh, this is.” - One Republic

I vividly remember biking into the campgrounds we stayed at just beyond this Nebraska state sign. It was small town America at its finest. We biked through a lovely bike trail, ate dinner with a Relay of Life team, made smores, talked on the phone with friends, and fell asleep with one of my “4K roommates,” Caity, under the stars. The simple pleasures in life were surrounding me. I didn’t need to be told; I was living a life that many were jealous of. The opportunity to spend day after day outside is one that, by observation, more and more people do not have in the US. We were fortunate this summer. The One Republic  lyrics change in the melody from saying that this “could” be the good life to saying that it “is.” At the time, I thought the way we were living in Nebraska could have been the good life but, upon reflection, it actually is a good life.

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” – Rachel Carson

I’ve been frequently asked what the best state to bike through was. There is without a doubt only one answer: Colorado. Oddly enough, I knew that Colorado was going to be special from having looked at one too many obesity maps of the US. Colorado has the lowest rate in the 50 states. A theory is that everyone who lives there loves being athletic in the outdoors. There were two times when I was holding back tears because of the overwhelming beauty: the Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon. I couldn’t help but think of the above Rachel Carson quote at the time. Nature is powerful. Being able to stare out at in nature and realize that there is so much more to life beyond your own life really does make one less willing to destruct. I’ll have to keep this in mind when I plan my next trip. Now that I am living in a capital city with a constant honking, I may need to remind myself that a weekend out in nature may be what I need to remind myself of the beauty in all of our lives that we often overlook.

Team Mesa took the day off that day to visit a cancer center

“Dear Jessica, Keep going and keep trying! You can do it! Don’t give up! Don’t give up at all! Keep going! You can do it!!!!!!!!! Keep going! - Olivia Beer, student in Ms. Klos’s class

The joys of Colorado had to end. On our day off in Moab, a group of Harry Potter fans decided to jump the border back to Colorado and go see a midnight screening of the newest and last movie. We ended the next short day of riding at one of the most unique hosts, a community house. To make the story short: I lost my appetite, we had the beginning of leg three powwow, and I ran in and out of the bathroom throwing up. I had feared Utah since the beginning of the trip. Two years ago all of the team besides Kate and Zach, the alumni rider on our team, had gotten ill and it all started at that same community house. That night, Tom, Nick, and Ganesh all helped get me through the night. But as anyone knows, there’s not much one can do in a situation like this. I tried to remain positive and not get caught up in the present pain.

Come the morning, with little sleep and appetite, the “bug” seemed to have passed but I was no doubt weak. I overheard Tom say that I wouldn’t be biking that day. Little did he know just how crazy my grandpa I was riding for was. Nor did he know my personal rule to resist biking if there was only one “minor” health issue. The community house was on Clark Street, my grandpa’s last name. I took this as a sign, reminded myself of the people I was riding for, considered how I would rather be outside and ill than inside and decided to get through a near century in the closest thing to a desert.

I asked Zach to ride with me that day. Zach was known to ask to ride with me on “harder days.” I pushed him and that day he and Omar, who also asked to ride with me, would push me. Before the first water stop, I managed to get three flat tires including the team’s only “double flat.” Our team was renamed Team Too Fun. This was either a sign that I shouldn’t be riding or that someone was testing my own personal strength. I took it as the later.

The 4K has a very hard ride schedule. Because it is a team charity ride, it is set up in a way that doesn’t allow personal breaks during those times that one might if riding in a smaller group or individually. However, because of that nature of the ride, personal strength is  made up for by the strength of others and their cancer stories.

In Kansas, each of us received notes from children in Alanna’s mom’s class. The letter of mine is cited above and is now serving as the most inspirational bookmark I’ve ever owned. People wanted me to get through that ride in Utah and I knew it. Just two days earlier I had received a letter from my brother and his girlfriend also telling me not to give up. I would think of these letters often.

I strategically picked out the donors I was riding for each day. On a century in Kansas, we were told to pick the donor that we hadn’t ridden for that inspires us the most; I rode for Dr. Taylor, Dr. Lawrence’s dedication, both who have played an incredible role in public health at Johns Hopkins. Oh I could go on and on about the people I rode for and the people that they dedicated their donation to…

I rode for Olivia Beer, the child who wrote that letter, the people we met throughout the trip that we’d end up dedicating our days to, my biggest donor, the Wasserman’s, early on… rode for Val, a donor and a cancer fighter, multiple times, rode for my old babysitter Brenda into Colorado… rode into California for my cousin Josh… rode into Davis for the Kraus’s… rode the day I was sick in Kansas for my WHO supervisor Maya…rode our first day of Rocky climbing for Mohammad… rode on scavenger hunt day for the Wolffs…rode on my “tan line day” for Mike…rode for Val in Kansas… rode into Boulder for Admissions_Daniel… rode for the Kluhspies after the birth of the first grandchildren for the family… rode out of Davis for the Lyons’… rode into Mill Valley for the Clark’s… I could go on and on hundred times.. These people in total donated $5,230 to get me through my personal struggle in honor of those people who never even were able to take a break from their personal struggle with cancer. Of course I was going to bike across the country with a minor health problem.

Thank you, all of you for the support you provided me when I needed it.

The four of us camped just outside of the Grand Canyon's north rim. Here's our artistic interpretation of the Grand Canyon - I'm supposed to be the flooded Colorado River.

“An old man near death called his sons together to give them some advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his oldest son: “Break it.” The son tried and tried, but with all his strength, he could not break the bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. “Untie the bundle,” said the father, “and each of you take one stick.” When they had done so, he said to them:”Now, try to break your stick.” Each stick was easily broken. “You see my meaning,” said their father.” – Aesop’s Fable

Team San Fran, played the same role in helping me get through hard days and also making me have the best summer of my life as those people in my external network that I just discussed. As a ‘bundle of sticks’ we were mighty strong and had a ton of fun. Would any of us have biked across the country individually? No. We came across impressive people in the US in much smaller groups of friends biking, walking, and riding across country for various causes. The 27 of us needed the fire of the team to keep us going. All of us had our personal highs and lows at different times and had points where team support was necessary.

Because of this, there was no bigger celebration than days when we all completed the day of riding. Trail Ridge Road demonstrated the drive that we had to make sure we all got through as a bundle of sticks. We waited together at the top of the climb. In the back of my mind, I sat there for hours thinking about Tom’s lungs and other people’s various pains. I knew everyone could get through the climb but that it would be tough. It was a joyous occasion to see everyone finish the climb, and the next day to celebrate as the support van drivers from the day before, Caity and Adam, did the ride. Waiting at the top of climbs to cheer others on became almost traditional for San Fran. That same teamwork was even shown to me on days off, in Arizona/Nevada, a group got me from the Grand Canyon National Park to join other teammates at Arches National Park. I was beyond impressed by how much of a team we had become. I’m not even going to describe this in any more detail because this is the one thing that I don’t think I can really put into words.

Our reenactment of the movie The Hangover. I'm proposing, Meg has a baby, Maria is passed out, and Caity is a tiger.

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

I think Team San Fran’s “Nevada Days” serve as the best representation of how wonderful of a group dynamic Team San Fran had. Simply put, Highway 50 had nothing on us. Highway 50 is known as the loneliest road in the US but between our planned alter ego, trivia, and scavenger hunt days, the road was nothing but lonely. Omar acted as me one day. He wore my trademark jersey, constantly said “beautiful,” and went vegetarian.  Although it didn’t look like it, we all knew that crossing into Pacific Time meant that the finish line was within distance. Perhaps because of this, I made a conscious decision to make sure that my riding teams were with people that I hadn’t had enough time to ride with and was reminded of how there were just not enough riding days to spend enough time with each teammate.

Sure, there were slight quarrels – to be expected when you spend so much time together – but overall anyone who saw our team at the end could sense a team vibe that we gave off. We liked each other. Our days off were spent together. We were not sick of each other by the end, as shown by how my state sign photos go from individual shots to team efforts.

I will admit that I had a bad first impression. After orientation I had anxiety on how this team was going to pull it off. I was jealous of Team Seattle for having people that I knew yet wanted to become friends with on their team. Team San Fran was a group of strangers. The 26 others on this team proved me wrong. I can already tell that many of these team members have tons of personal value to add as part of my closest support network. We all shared a milestone in our lives together yet know each other in a way completely different than our closest friends and family. We would not have become friends if it wasn’t for this trip. I guess you really don’t know whether you’ll get along with someone until you travel with them.

Thank you to each and every member of Team San Fran:  Alanna, Bunny, Caity, Emilie, Kitch, Luna, Lisa, Marci, Grandma Rosemary, Maria, Megan, Meg,  Phoebe,  Taylor, Vanessa,  Alex, Adam, Basit, Ganesh, Justin, Omar, Pants, Pucci, Nick, Tom, and Zach.

Team CACA bringing in California in our newly purchased thrift store one-piece bathing suits.

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it is on your plate.” – Thornton Wilder

I was blown away by the number of communities who had put together potlucks for us and number of food venues from chain restaurants to mom and pop restaurants that donated food. That combined with guilt-free ice cream purchases (the best pre-climb food) and thrift store purchases were top reasons why this summer was great.

The team I rode into Colorado (COCO) with reunited for our arrival into California (CACA) outfitted in one-piece bathing suits and sunglasses. I think all of us reverted back to our childhood days this summer or maybe were simply, like the quote says, enjoying the ice cream while it was on our plates. The last days were joyous: seeing my step-grandpa’s statue of the Pony Express in Sacramento, biking from my undergraduate campus to my parents’s in Davis, kayaking in Tahoe, and wine tasting after singing Summer Nights with Rosemary into Napa. Knowing that these were our final days together, I think all of us knew what we needed to do at the time: live and enjoy the moments of the best summer of our lives.

Celebrate.

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” -Oprah Winfrey

One of the greatest things my mom has taught me is to praise and celebrate those little accomplishments that you have in life. There are plants in my backyard in New Jersey which were a result of getting an internship, my mom graduating, etc. Sometimes it may seem that getting through the work week is an accomplishment in itself, if that’s the case, then reward yourself come Friday. Life can be a struggle. Because of this, similarly to the beginning of this blog about breaking up tasks into smaller pieces, rewarding your self for accomplishing those little pieces is necessary for mental sanity.

The thing about the 4K is that there was a goal and we told ourselves that every single riding day; it was in our cheer itself: “Where are we going? San Francisco.” How would anyone know we completed our goal? We’d be splashing around in ice cold water and boxing up our bikes. Because of this, come August 6^th it was not a surprise that we were surrounded by loved ones and popping bottles of champagne. It also is no surprise that my mom, who surprise visited me, was one of the helpers in making sure we all had a bottle in our hands. We had made it to San Francisco. After 70 days on the road, of course there was reason to celebrate.

In my current field of work, public health, like many others, it’s sometimes hard to have those concrete accomplishments. Sure, I am now able to say I biked across the United States. It’s a feat and a great conversation starter. But there is so much in my life that will seem like feats for me personally that are worth celebrating that others may not even noitse. I was so glad this summer to be recognized for what I did, to have the support of so many, yet this is not always the case in life.

The point is that I don’t plan to bike across a country anytime soon. Actually, I take that back, Vietnam may be on my list. Nevertheless, being able to take the 4K and relate it to other challenges in my life takes a bit of abstract thinking and knowing when I’ll know that point to celebrate is important for me.

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” - Steve Jobs

And with that, I think that you can tell I definitely accomplished my goal of having stories to tell my grandchildren one day. If you’re able to do the 4K and have any slight desire to, apply.  Otherwise, move on to something else wonderful even if it’s something that seems rather crazy like being a part of getting condoms in the hands of clients of Vietnamese sex workers (my current job project), then by all means go ahead. Or, well, at least that’s what I tell myself right now.

Today went out to Erika Bury who my donor, friend, former lacrosse teammate Katie Berkel made her donation in honor of. The day started off a little rough mostly due to the previous day’s ride. But it was yet another beautiful day. I rode the day with Zac, Megan and Maria.

There was a stretch of about 20 miles where we absolutely killed it. I felt like were in a bike race and actually could pull off looking like road bikers! We came upon a lovely Bed and Breakfast off the side of the road that served the world’s only Bullberry Jam. Native to the area and apparently that area only. At the bed and breakfast the owner served us up some toast and delicious jam. Again it was another one of those random stops where we met someone who had their own cancer story and he had numerous family members who had, passed from, or are currently battling cancer.  That’s the thing about this ride, I knew before I started that so many people are affected by this terrible disease but riding across and hearing stories from strangers first hand just really puts a face to all the numbers. Naturally, as per 4K tradition, there was a beastly hill (mostly due to pure exhaustion) on our way into Bryce Canyon, but no worries-we conquered it. We conquer all.

Bryce Canyon is beautiful! I never knew this area existed before, so I’m happy this journey brought me here. Bryce Canyon is almost like an inside-out cave. Large formations that look like stalagmites fill a large canyon. The reds and oranges of the rocks are breathtaking. I cannot fathom how these wondrous places form, all I can say is each place leaves me in awe. America is truly beautiful and has so much to offer, so many places for adventure, so many places to explore.

• A panel of 4K for Cancer alumni to answer any and all of your questions about biking across the country for cancer awareness and support
• Information about all that the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults has to offer for young adults affected by cancer at your university, including Patient Navigation, college scholarships, and more!
• The opportunity to sign up for different community service dates: If you want to cook dinner at the Baltimore Hope Lodge, visit local cancer centers, or volunteer with our Patient Navigator, now is the time to sign up!
• Information about joining Team Fight, the triathlon and marathon training program of the UCF.  Train for free with triathlon/running coaches, be a part of a supportive and passionate team of athletes, raise money for the UCF, and spread awareness of young adult cancer issues!
• Free pizza!!

Can’t make the first meeting?  No sweat!  All of our events are posted on our Facebook page, where you can RSVP and confirm your attendance.  Stay tuned for more information about upcoming meetings at UMBC and University of Maryland!  Can’t find YACS at your university?  Contact Emma (emma.moody@4kforcancer.org) or Laura (laura@ulmanfund.org) to start up a group today!

In other news, tomorrow is our first visit to the Baltimore Hope Lodge!  We’ll be cooking a fall-tastic meal for cancer patients receiving treatment far from their homes.  It’s an incredible experience, and an awesome way to give back.  We have a few more spots open for tomorrow’s visit, so please RSVP today if you’re interested in attending.  Just by cooking and serving a delicious dinner, you can give “HOPE” to those in the fight of their lives!

We will serve free pizza, go over YACS community service and student support, and hear from alumni from the 4K for Cancer!

You’ll be able to ask questions about the 2012 4K for Cancer rides across the country and sign up for community service events at the meeting, so please make sure you RSVP today!

The fair takes place at the Decker College Center. We hope to see you there!

Stop by, spread the word, and learn more!

We will serve free pizza, go over YACS community service and student support, and hear from alumni from the 4K for Cancer!

You’ll be able to sign up for community service events at the meeting, so please make sure you RSVP today!

In regards to YACS, last week we met with patient navigator, Elizabeth, from the Ulman Cancer Fund who gave us some amazing service projects for YACS to work on this year.  Events include: delivering books to cancer patients to read with their family, putting together informational packets to give to new cancer patients, organizing a book drive, and cooking dinner at the Baltimore Hope Lodge.  We are really excited to start participating in these great service projects!

Thanks to Meg for putting together this wonderful 2011 Team San Fran video!

Thanks to Rosemary for putting together this amazing video of the 2011 Team Seattle ride!

Today was a big day, we knew it from the start, so I dedicated the day to my big sister, Monica.

Monica, one of my donors and biggest supporters of everything I do, has been a wonderful sister to me. We’ve grown so close over the years, particularly from when I began applying to colleges 8 years ago. My group today was Phoebe and Speedy Meg. Early in the day, there was a long climb to the summit of 9,600 feet.

It was a rough 40 miles, but we were promised a nice downhill. Our team name was “Can’t stop, won’t stop, just get to the top.” After a mile of beginning our descent, there was an uphill! At least it wasn’t long, but just unexpected. However, the rest of the day was not a breeze, but rather filled with several long and steep climbs. We climbed into Escalante Grand Staircase where the views were unreal. I didn’t even know this place existed before, but it was gorgeous and pictures don’t do it justice-like many of the views we have on our ride.

At the top, there was a sign showing the 14% grade descent we would embark on. The descent felt much like a roller coaster, sometimes a cliff on each side where I’d have to take the middle of the road. I’ve come a long way because I wasn’t terrified, my hands didn’t hurt from gripping the brakes. Of course I used them to slow down around some of the dangerous curves, but I was able to enjoy the views and wind in my face during the descent and the adrenaline rush. Today ended up much more difficult than I anticipated and it was a never ending ride it seemed. We ran into a fellow cross country biker we met in KY who was riding on his own, but now was with two more companions he met along the way. Again I couldn’t imagine doing some of these climbs with all that stuff!

The good part was despite what seemed like a constant beat down of steep climbs that came out of nowhere, today was one of my more positive days. All the way up, I was able to cheer on every person who was in my sight and of course a general GO 4K! For some reason I had enough air in my lungs to climb well and cheer. We finally reached our “host” another campground after a really long detour at yet another gas station where we all stuffed our faces! Unfortunately, tonight I had to settle for a tent instead of under the stars.  I’ve successfully managed to sleep outside every camping night until now, but it had rained and I wasn’t sure if it would stay dry through the night. We also were at the same campsite as the Bike the US for MS group. The campground did have a lovely view though

If you missed the Involvement Fair last night, “Like” YACS Baltimore on Facebook,  join the YACS Towson group, or visit www.4KforCancer.org to find out more!

YACS at Involvement Night

How am I supposed to express what the 4K meant to me? What it meant to all of us? And what it still means?

All I know is that now that I’m back at school I keep having the same conversation over and over and over and over again.

Friend/Acquaintance: How was your bike ride thing?!

Me: It was awesome! I had such an amazing time.

And that is usually the end of the conversation. Which is kind of depressing because that so does not do it justice at all. But, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say in that two second conversation that would actually encompass what the 4K was. There’s really nothing. How am I supposed to describe how good it feels to roll up to the host at the end of the day? Or what it was like to tell someone about what you were doing and why and have them tell you about how their mother/sister/brother/father/cousin/friend was battling cancer and that what you were doing meant so much to them? I did find this quotation that I think is the best summation of what it felt like to ride your bike for so many miles a day:

When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day’s sensations:  bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay’s call, ice melting and so on.  This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead.  I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity.  But I am mentally far away from civilization.  The world is breaking someone else’s heart.  ~Diane Ackerman

But even that only scratches the surface.

This summer, we biked through deserts. We got chased by dogs. We slept on the floor and thought it was the most comfortable place in the world. We stood atop mountains, above rainbows. We saw snow in July. We had strangers open their doors to us as if we were old friends. We ate watermelon. (Did you know that it’s full of vitamins?) We laughed. We laughed when we were sad, we laughed when we were hurting, we laughed because we had volunteered for this and we were biking our way up the fifth mountain of the day because we chose to be there, we laughed because we knew that even though it sucked so hard the next water stop was always just around the corner. We cried. We cried when we were happy, we cried when we were biking into the wind and felt like we would never make it anywhere, we cried when we saw that glorious Golden Gate sitting right in front of us as if someone had built just as a final monument to what we had done, like it was there just for us.

But still, just saying what we did doesn’t really do it either.

It’s not even really about what we did, but what it taught us. We learned that no matter how bad something hurts, it’s not gonna kill you. And no matter how bad you’re hurting, there’s someone out there who’s hurting worse. We learned that on some days 50 miles feels like 1,000, and on others 100 miles feels like 10. We learned that sometimes home is as simple as a sleeping bag and that a shower can be the greatest reward at the end of any day. We learned that writing someone’s name on your leg might seem simple, but to that person it can mean the world. We learned that getting up a mountain would never mean as much without someone waiting at the top for you and that, contrary to popular belief, cycling is a team sport.

I can show people pictures, and tell them how much fun I had, and tell them stories and try to show them what the 4K was, but it’s just hard to describe what it really is. The 4K changed everything, and at the same time it changed nothing at all. I’m not a different person. If anything, I think I’m more confident in who I am now than I ever was before. But, the world, or at least the country, is kind of a different place for me now. I’ll never be able to walk around the harbor and look at it the same way again, or if I go to Colorado seeing those Rockies will mean so much more to me now. National forests will always give me that feeling of dread in my stomach because they inevitably mean mountains and crunchy peanut butter will always have a special place in my heart.

Often, I like to refer to things as “game-changers.” For instance, when I got my iphone? Gamechanger.

So, how was the 4K? Gamechanger. (On a whole different level than the iphone… which says a lot.)

And, yaknow, it’s weird but even though it’s a much later wake-up, getting up in the morning to go to class still sucks so much more than getting up to bike for the day.

I miss the 4K. I miss waking up to those 26 people every morning and doing our cheer and getting on my bike. But now, I’m just waiting to see what my next adventure is going to be. Where is this crazy life going to take me next? I have no idea. I’m pretty psyched to find out though.

Sadly, I guess this is my last blog post. I started this all out as “Meg does the 4K” and I don’t think I can really keep that up now because “Meg did the 4K” just isn’t really a good title… I enjoyed blogging. For those of you that stuck with my crazy rantings from the beginning, thanks, I hope I provided a little entertainment. And to all of those that donated, read my blog, sent me packages, thought of me along the way, I can not thank you enough. I could not have made it without the support of all of you. (Especially you, Mom and Dad). I don’t know who’s actually going to be reading this, so as Cindy in Eureka, NV told us “I don’t know all of you, but I love you.”

xoxo,

Meg

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

Check out the YACS Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/YACS

YACS currently has groups at:
* Johns Hopkins University
https://www.facebook.com/groups/yacsjohnshopkins/
* UMBC - https://www.facebook.com/groups/yacsumbc/
* Towson University
https://www.facebook.com/groups/yacstowson/

My name is Emma Moody and I am the Volunteer Maryland Coordinator for the 4K for Cancer.  The other Volunteer Maryland Coordinator, Laura Scruggs, and I will be working with students to help facilitate YACS as it grows around Baltimore.  Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in getting involved with YACS on campus!

Emma Moody   –   emma.moody@4kforcancer.org

We still have a limited number of 5K, Half and Full spots available.

Visit http://4kforcancer.org/join-the-journey/baltimore-running-festival/ to register.

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the day before we rode into san francisco we had a barbecue at stinson beach for all of our friends and family.  the drive out to the beach was insane; the roads were super windy and surrounded by cliffs that dropped into the water.  it was really foggy but the views through the haze were absolutely incredible, befor then i had only seen scenes like that in pictures.  it was really cool to meet everyone’s family at the barbecue.  everyone talks about their family a lot so it was awesome to finally be names to the people i’ve heard about so much.  and of course it was awesome to finally be reunited with my own family.  i am so lucky to have had such an incredible support system back on the east coast during my journey… so many of my family members wanted to greet me in california that i basically had a small entourage in tow.  my mom, dad, sister, three grandparents, and uncle all traveled to california for my arrival.

later that night, we went back to where we were staying in mill valley for our last night together.  we had our last “pow wow” and we all shared our favorite memories and what we were going to take away from the trip.  i think what everyone commented on the most was what an incredible group dynamic we had.  i’m obviously biased, but i really can’t imagine a 4K group that got along better than we did.  although we were a big group of 27 people, we were so close knit.  there were really no cliques or splits into smaller groups; everyone hung out with everyone else and we had virtually no drama or fighting.  i honestly don’t know how we got so lucky.  the stars must have aligned and brought us all together or something because we were an absolutely amazing group.  i just can’t express how awesome we were.  we are all so different, but somehow all of our personalities worked together and meshed so well.  we were certainly a motley group but i wouldn’t have had it any other way.

the morning of our last day was an absolute blur.  only ten miles separated us from our final destination.  we invited our parents to our last dedication circle.  we decided that instead of having one big circle the team would be in one circle and then our friends and family would make a circle around us, which is funny because that’s the way it always was.  not literally of course but everyday along the journey we would dedicate to our families and loved ones and at the same time they were supporting us from afar- reading our blogs, helping us with food along the way, sending care packages, listening to us complain when we called them after a long day.  we were always surrounded by them in spirit so it was cool to end the ride with them actually encircling us.

after we wrapped up our dedications, we set off for the golden gate.  we rode out of mill valley, through sausalito and then we stopped at the scenic overlook before crossing the bridge to take pictures.  it was foggy, windy and freezing but that definitely didn’t put a damper on the mood or excitement.  the question i’ve been asked since i finished the 4K is “what was it like to cross the golden gate?”  and to be honest the answer is pretty terrible.  in my head, i imagined this incredible moment of being able to look out over the water and being totally overwhelmed with what i had just achieved.  but unfortunately the walkway on the other side of the bridge was closed because of construction so there was only one pathway for both directions of traffic for both cyclists and pedestrians.  so in reality, everyone’s focus was on trying not to collide with other bikers and tourists walking across the bridge.  but i managed to make it across the bridge without careening into any crazy tourists.

we headed to crissy beach where all of our friends and family were waiting for us.  after 70 days and all the craziness that this journey took, we finally dipped our front tires into the pacific ocean.  then, we all jumped into the ocean which was maybe the most exhilarating thing i’ve ever done.  it was such an insane moment of togetherness for our team.  i think all of our parents looked at us like, “aren’t you so cold?” “why would you ever jump into the freezing cold ocean?”  but it wasn’t like that for any of us.  i didn’t matter that the water was freezing; we made it, we were all together and that was all that mattered.

and then all of the sudden it was over, and it kind of hit me like a ton of bricks.  i wouldn’t have to wake up the next morning before the sun, pack up my stuff and get on my bike.  the team had a banquet that night at a restaurant in fisherman’s wharf, so we all knew we would see each other in a little while after we left the beach.  but i think we all knew that it wouldn’t be the same after we walked off that beach; leaving the beach marked the end of a long journey and all of us going our separate ways.

when i first signed up for the 4K i thought that by the end of the 4,000 miles i would be some kind of changed person, like i would have some kind of epiphany or self-discovery.  but i realize now that that mentality is an immature expectation and doesn’t really do the trip justice.  to be honest, i’m still the same person i was before i left.  that’s not to say that i wasn’t changed at all by my experiences, i’ve definitely learned some important lessons about friendship, living life to the fullest, and being grateful for everyday i have.  but i can’t say that i “found” myself or i’ve profoundly changed.  i think that rather than inciting some major, sudden change, the 4K will continue to shape me in the coming weeks, months and years.  i think i’m only beginning to wrap my head around what we accomplished, and i feel like the best is yet to come in terms of how i can learn and grow i reaction to my experiences this summer.  i found a quote by henry david thoreau the other day that said, “‎”one must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.”  i’m definitely going to try to keep my experiences in my awareness as my life moves away from the 4K.

so what have i been up to since the 4k ended?  well first i was in california for a week with my family which was really, really amazing.  it was a nice opportunity for some quality time with my family and explore ca.  then last saturday night i flew into baltimore because i need to start work at my new job on monday.  so i never got to go home to new jersey which was weird and kind of hectic (hence why i said my life has been a whirlwind!).  i’m working as a research assistant at the Kennedy Krieger Institute which is an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and focuses on working with children with developmental disabilities.  i just started in my department on wednesday and i really like it so far.  it has been a big adjustment between starting a new job, moving into a new place, trying to meet new friends and getting acclimated to a completely new city.  in general it’s difficult going from living in what i like the call the “4K bubble” to going back to the “real world.”  first of all, it’s difficult to stop stuffing my face all the time, i can’t really justify it anymore by saying that i’m exercising at least eight hours a day.  but the hardest transition has been to go from being surrounded by people who became my family for over two months to being on my own in a city where i don’t really know very many people yet.  that’s definitely been super difficult for me but luckily it’s not easy to stay in touch with my 4K family through texting, facebook and phone calls.

i have to end by thanking everyone who has given me so much support along the way.  when i was away, i don’t think i realized how many people were following me and cheering me on from back home.  my family started telling me how their friends and coworkers were all following me on the website and it really blew me away.  just another instance of not really understanding that magnitude of what you’re doing.  so thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the love.  whether you donated, responded to one of my blog posts, listened to me talk endlessly when i called you to catch up, sent me an encouraging text, sent me a care package, gave me someone to dedicate a day to or anything else please know that you are the reason i made it to san francisco.  seriously, i would have never made it alone and you were such an essential part of my journey.

until my next adventure….

love, love, love,

taylor xoxo

The next day we entered Utah! It was a century day and it was really, really hot. I dedicated my ride to my donor David Dennis and his good friend and colleague, Norm Ezell, who passed away from cancer in May, 2010. Some bizarre things happened during the ride. We entered Utah near the beginning of the ride and the road we were on was surrounded by these plateaus that looked purple in the distance. About halfway through the day we passed what looked like a ghost town, only spookier. Because not only were there a bunch of broken down houses and junk all over the place, there were cars parked all over too. And the models spanned several decades. It looked as if some kind of nuclear disaster had caused the people to suddenly evacuate or something. It was just very strange and creepy. Obviously we couldn’t help but explore… I was so sure we would find skeletons, but we didn’t. As we got closer and closer to those rock plateaus, a huge storm started brewing. Our route had us heading straight for it! I have never been in a storm quite like this one. We were basically in an open desert so the sky was massive all around us, and I could see the wall of storm clouds headed for us. The lightning was insane! Rosemary, Vanessa, and I took shelter under a bridge, while some others found an awning of a house. It felt like an apocalypse. When the storm was right over us, the thunder was so loud I thought it would make me go deaf. The thing is though, it was scary, but in a thrilling sort of way. So I was actually just full of excitement the whole time as we huddled together under that bridge. Finally we saw a sliver of blue sky and before long the storm had passed. From then on the scenery around us was unreal. We started off biking through a canyon, then we reached the plateaus and rock formations that were off in the distance earlier. Sometimes I would look around and just think “this is crazy! Look at what I’m surrounded by right now!” I will never cease to be amazed by the natural beauty. That day into Moab was about 102 miles and it felt very, very long, but it was actually one of the better days of the trip.

We had a day off in Moab the next day so we went to Arches National Park. I’ve apparently been there when I was six. In fact I lost my first tooth there! So of course that’s all I remember about that time. This time, we hiked up to Delicate Arch. Looking at the arch, I can see why it’s so famous. It was beautiful, and we also saw the moon rise over the canyon behind the arch. That night a group of us went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter! It was super nerdy of us, and it also meant that we got about 2 hours of sleep because we were biking the next day, but of course it was well worth it.

That day was the end of leg 2. In our reflection of it, we all talked about how leg 1 had been torturously difficult, but leg 2 was just … fun. Of course it had its challenges; I mean, we biked over the Rockies! But these challenges were different. We faced them with a certain confidence because we’d already experienced so much hardship, We thrived off the knowledge that we could do anything we set our minds to. I think that’s what the 4K is all about – getting through the tough challenge so that you can fully appreciate the victory.

And finally as is tradition, here are some more fun facts that we learned from leg 2:

1)    Our country is BEAUTIFUL

2)    Mountains really can be purple. And red and white and green…

3)    When you’re going fast down a mountain and a bug flies into you, it feels like getting punched by a 4-year-old.

4)    July snowball fights are the best kind of snowball fights.

5)    There really ain’t no mountain high enough to keep us from biking over it.

The next day we had a day off in Glenwood Springs and we went white water rafting! The rapids only got up to level three so it wasn’t dangerous or anything, just a lot of fun. We started off in the Crystal River, then the Raging Fork, and finally the Colorado River. The water temperatures were freezing and of course we all looked really attractive in our wetsuits. I absolutely hate cold water so I sat in the back where I was least likely to get splashed.

The next day we headed to Paonia. I dedicated this day to my donor Betsy and her dedication to her aunt Jeanette and her aunt’s second husband, Joe. Both lost their battles with cancer in 2010. In Betsy’s words, her aunt was “a very dear, sweet woman who dedicated much of her life to serving others.” The start of the ride was surprisingly cold, but pleasant because it was flat and we were on a bike path. But, we could see we were headed straight for mountains. So you know what that means. In my group was Zac, Phoebe, and Ganesh, so we called ourselves team leg leaders plus one. (And I was the plus one of course). After the first water break we passed a huge waterfall so we stopped for a while to explore. We climbed up to a few different spots and were soon joined by other groups as well. At the end of the 20 miles was a big steep climb. It wasn’t very long – just 3 miles – but it felt a lot longer because of how steep it was. Still I couldn’t help comparing it to Hater’s Gap in the Appalachians which was also 3 miles but 100 times worse because we just weren’t as strong as we are now. I felt pretty good going up and again we had a beautiful view! The water stop was at the summit, so it was nice to get there and know that all we had left was the descent. And it was probably the best descent of the trip so far. It was steep and best of all, straight! So we went flying. I got over 40 mph which I was pretty excited about, but some of the guys got up to 48 mph! The rest of the day was all downhill or flat so we really enjoyed it and just soaked up the scenery. We were the first group to reach our host, Paonia Methodist Church. When we got there, we met our new best friend and biggest fan, Kyler! He’s the grandson of the pastor and he came just to see us because he loved last year’s riders so much. He was adorable and so excited to be there with us. As was the rest of the community! They’ve been hosting the 4K all 10 years and they gave us such a warm welcome. The pastor was wearing 4K t-shirts from past years. We also met a Hokpins alum who lives in Paonia now! He lost his wife to cancer years ago. I’ll never forget Paonia and how much they made us feel at home.

Yet the last night of the trip, the night before we biked in Portland, I remember sitting down in the church we were staying at in St. Helen’s to try and write what I wanted to be my “final” blog post. David walked in not too long after I had pulled my computer out from my over-stuffed backpack and encouraged me and the other 4Kers who had escaped into cyber-world to put down our computers and to enjoy the last night with the team.

I couldn’t have been more relieved to hear David say that. I had been staring at my blank computer screen wondering how I could write everything I wanted to say. How I could put into words how much I would miss my 4K family. How I could describe the amazing generosity we had experienced across the country. How I could sufficiently thank every person who has supported me and my 4K team along our journey. How I could explain that despite biking over 85 miles everyday for the past 70 days (minus the weeks I was injured…oh how long ago that feels now!), I’ve never felt so energized in my entire life.

When I shut my laptop, all that I had written was “Go 4K, Go 4K, Go.” It seems these words, words I have chanted every day this summer during our daily morning cheer, have become engrained into my mind. When I couldn’t think of anything else as I biked, as I slowly climbed the mountain after mountain it seemed we came across the last few weeks of the trip, these words would pop into my head. I would chant them under my breath. My heart beating to the sound of the chant.

Nothing was more amazing than chanting these words, no sorry, SCREAMING these words on the top of my lungs, with my arms around my fellow 4K riders as we stood in Pioneer Square the next morning in Portland. Knowing there were crowds of people around us staring, but being so completely in 4K world that it didn’t matter. The energy we had standing in that circle I believe would be enough to power any vehicle across the country.

That morning, before we set out for our 30 mile (so short!) ride into Portland, I remember calling home. I didn’t know how to feel, how to deal with the fact that we were ending. I was feeling down and then feeling down about the fact that I was feeling so down—I had been waiting all summer for this day and now it was here! I should be more excited!

My 4K summer should have taught me a few things. One: how you feel in the morning is never how you will feel in a couple of hours. There is nothing like having 25 wonderful, dedicated, energetic and excited people around you to wake you up and make you excited to live life that day. There is nothing like getting up and getting right onto your bike to give you a jolt of energy.

Two: It is not about the destination, but the journey to get there (I know.. a little corny, but please bare with me…the last few days away from 4K have put me in a nostalgic state of mind). This trip was not about getting to Portland. It was not about day 70, but every day and every mile it took to get to day 70. I found that the hardest days I had biking were the days I spent looking at my odometer and checking how many miles we had left until we reached our destination city. Surprisingly, they were often the shorter days. On these days, the goal was to get there and to get there quickly so we could take care of other things we needed to do. My favorite days were the long ones when we would mentally prepare ourselves for a long day of riding. I knew there were many more miles ahead, so why check what mile we were on? I spent time talking with my fellow riders, thinking about what I want to do after I graduate, quickly switching the topic when that became to scary to think about, thinking about my friends and family at home and how wonderful their support is, contemplating how the universe came to be, thinking about every person we have met along our journey and thinking about the individuals for whom we were riding that day. Where we were going and how long it would take to get there didn’t matter.

And as soon as I got onto my bike that morning, my mood shifted. As we paired up to caravan into Portland, as we shouted “Go 4K, Go 4K, Go” biking through the residential neighborhoods on our way downtown, as we road together, smiling, laughing, shouting, and pedaling hard, I couldn’t help but think “this is unbelievable.” I had never felt so alive before.

During our closing ceremony in St. Stephen’s Church in Portland, we each had the opportunity to share some final thoughts. It was a wonderful chance to let out a few of the millions of emotions spiraling through our bodies. I told my fellow 4K riders that when I found out that I could rejoin the 4K after falling, it was like receiving the most amazing gift in the world. Having the chance to spend the summer with my fellow riders, to experience the incredible generosity that we encountered across the country, and to live with purpose and passion every single day… I wish that everyone could experience the joy I experienced this summer.

I told my fellow riders that when I’m feeling down or alone, my mom always tells me that she’s there for me, she likes to say she’s in my “sangha,” meaning she’s on my team, she’s there cheering me on. I told them that for the rest of my life, every one of my 4K teammates will be in my “sangha” and I will be in each one of their’s. I will think of them when I am telling myself “I cannot” and I will hear their resounding shout: “yes, you can!” I will think of Lubas cheering Bianca up the hill. I will think of Steve riding next to me as I struggled up the windy mountains of Wyoming, talking to me and keeping me distracted. I will think of Nate always offering to carry my bag. I will think of Brian smiling and taking beautiful photos the last few weeks of the trip as he bravely rejoined the trip after falling. I will think of Nancy sitting in the hospital with me when I fell. Luke smiling, making a sarcastic comment, and giving me a “pound-it.” Val talking to me about the meaning of happiness on the side of the road as we change a tire. I will think of the way Bilqis smiles and the way it makes me want to smile, too. Brandon’s ability to make an impromptu speech and speak with such sincerity and conviction. The way Arvind has taught me to take life one moment at a time and not to worry about the future…

This list is in no way exhaustive. There are too many wonderful memories to list. In the ceremony, I shared with each rider what about them I will always carry with me. I hope that each rider knows I meant every word of what I said!

The 4K motto is “Cycle. Inspire. Unite.” I spent a lot of time staring at this motto on the back of the jersey or t-shirt of the rider in front of me…As I read this over once again, I realize that for me, the most powerful word in the motto is “unite.” There is nothing in this world more amazing and more powerful than feeling the support and love of the people around you. Than going to sleep next to your closest friends and waking up next to them day in and day out. Than knowing there is always someone in front of you waiting for you and always someone behind you to support you if you fall behind. Than meeting someone by the side of the road and then being invited to their house that night for a huge barbeque dinner (thank you, David and Jane of Eugene, Oregon for doing just that!). Than coming into a community you’ve never been to before and receiving a warm welcome, even being welcomed into the homes of complete strangers (a huge thank you to Pastor Jerry and the Tillamook, OR community who redefined “warm welcome” for us). Than telling someone that you will be dedicating your day to their lost loved one and seeing a smile break through their tears.

Thank you, 4K, for teaching me what it means to feel loved and support and for letting me love and support others so deeply.

1. At first I was dreading the end of the 4K because it was the best 10 weeks of my life. Every single day was an adventure. The people we met and inspired, the beautiful landscapes we saw, the exhilaration after climbing a mountain, the camaraderie with my teammates – everything was amazing. But then I realized that I was more excited for the future; the 4K has given each of us the strength and confidence to do literally whatever we want. The day after climbing the Rockies, we were at a cafe and on the wall there was a quote that said, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” We all have that attitude now that we’ve biked across the country. Hell, we’ve had that attitude since the very beginning of this adventure. But now we feel it in our hearts – we can do anything. Don’t call me naive. I biked across the country on no training. DON’T say I can’t do what I want.

2. I have 26 new family members. They have each left a permanent mark on my heart and have inspired me in their own ways. I try to explain to people certain feelings I’ve had on the 4K, but nobody really gets it. My teammates are the only ones that have shared these feelings with me. They understand without needing me to explain.

3. I was flipping through a magazine in Napa, CA. On the cover was a man with a cigar and tuxedo looking all distinguished and wealthy. I hated the expression in his eyes. He was proud of his wealth and success, but in a self-important way. Then I found an article on shining your shoes. Horrible. Who reads stuff like that? I had the horrible realization that many, many people are shallow. I had been living in the 4K bubble with 26 amazing people who are the complete opposite of shallow, so I’d forgotten that there are people whose only goal is to make money. I realized how my values had changed on the 4K: I value the people in my life, and the fulfillment my heart finds in the things I do. I found so much fulfillment in pushing my limits every day and inspiring the people we met along the way. Thank you 4K.

I would like to thank everyone who supported us monetarily or emotionally throughout this journey of a lifetime. I had the opportunity to see the Midwest as well as the Old West of America, and it was splendid! Perhaps in the future I may see moving out to the Midwest as more of a possibility hahaha. I really enjoyed seeing the simple lifestyles that those people lived in, in contrast to our multifaceted lives as residents of Maryland.

Although biking was tough the first few weeks, the group pulled together and strengthened to the point where we were hitting 28 mph in some areas. My group one day completed 20 miles in under 54 minutes, which is pretty fast on a bike. (Basit/Ganesh/Zach)

As we went on we learned that the bike ride was more than an adventure: it was an opportunity to learn about the rest of America and also about the cancer patients everywhere. Anywhere we turned, we saw cancer evoked response from anyone present. It affects everyone, and no one is resilient to its eventful grasp. We spoke to patients, toured cancer facilities, and learned how the disease is more of a life-changer than anything else. Patients in the Midwest would have to drive over an hour to go to cancer treatment facilities.

We dedicated our days to our donors and family, thanking them/ thinking of them in our times of need whilst climbing mountains and biking through the worst atmospheres teeming with bugs and heat.

However, in the end we knew that we had just biked across the country, “biked across the @#%@# country”, as some of my peers would put it. It was more than the destination, it was the journey that mattered the most. 27 bikers, brotherhood runs deeper than friendship. I was glad that my team was so close!

Thank you everyone once again.

-Omar Bukhari

Cities/Towns I would consider living in:

1. Boulder, Colorado.

2. Marion, VA.

3. Austin, NV.

I laughed, I cried, I peed outside. I learned to ignore sore muscles and butt pain. I camped in an actual tent. I took a hose shower. I learned that cell phones don’t work in a lot of the country and how to pack a large amount of stuff into a very small space. I hula danced and took helmet-pillow naps. I learned to despise the wind and sing into it when all I wanted to do was cry. I was reminded that people can be extremely kind and will go above and beyond what you expect from someone you will never see again. I learned that highways can be extremely lonely, but never when you want them to be. I learned just how slow 20 miles can seem and just what it means to do something from sun up to sun down. I learned how to drive a tractor and listened to corn grow. I met people who really taught me what it is to be a fighter and that a cancer diagnosis isn’t the end of the world. I saw how beautiful this country is and learned why some people don’t leave their small towns in favor of the big city. I learned that mountains can be even more calming and serene than the ocean and that I can actually do anything.

But most importantly I fell in love with 26 amazing, hilarious, infuriating, fascinating, generous, surprising, caring, inspiring people. 26 people who will always have my back and will always be up for another adventure. 26 people who are all a little bit crazy but have the biggest hearts you’ll ever find. 26 people who embraced life and who will hopefully always feel invincible.

It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey and I hope this journey never ends.

We finally poked around, did some last minute shirt signing, ate a little breakfast and joined our family outside for a last dedication circle. It was strange having other people there while we did our morning routine for the last time, but it was nice that some of the bags were taken ahead of time so it was that much less to have to pack in the vans

The dedication circle was full of love for the San Fran 4k and for all of the support we had in family making efforts to be there, be it physically or in spirit, everyone was there. My dedication went to the seed in all of us. There has been a seed of altruism and service in every single person that has been involved with the 4k. It is now all of our choices in what we do with this seed. I hope that we all continue to be the difference and get involved as much as we can. We all have a duty o jurist and grow our seed and one day, when it is our day to have our last breath, we all would have made a difference. I believe that if we all put in just this small amount of effort we can breed an increase in positive energy and hope. This is my prayer.

After dedications Basit gave a wonderful speech. He metaphored the terrain with our encounters, with our events and with our memories. It was very beautiful and Basit if you read this I am serious. Email me a copy! But after that we did our cheer. It was so wonderful how close the circle was. We have never physically been that close, but every day on this trip we seemed to get tighter and stronger. Wow we have an amazing group.

We left the Scout hall in Mill Valley, our last host and headed for the bridge. After the emotion of the circle up I did not feel anything on the ride. I just kept telling myself stay focused and remember. This is the end of something great and the beginning of something even more beautiful.

We had to stay single file for the majority of the ride but that was so great. I tried to stay near the middle/back to see this fantastic group of people. So straight, so perfect, and so memorable. The air was chilly and that could not have been more appropriate. As we approached the Golden Gate Bridge there were a couple of small climbs and my legs felt like jello. I almost wanted to get off my bike to make it last a little longer. I would have walked those 10 miles to make it last longer. I am going to miss this so much.

But as tradition, after a few hurdles to climb the bridge was in sight. It was so special to see all the smiling faces and all the pictures taken at Vista Point. My Aunt margie that passed away 2 years ago immediately came to mind at first site and how final this all was. My first dedication was to Margie who lived and worked here, who passed away, I am here.
We continued onto the bridge where it was tough bc of all the pedestrians. An elderly lady collapsed just as I went by her and I immediately stopped. I thought she had something serious go on by the way she fell, but she had fallen from a crack in the concrete. I thought I was about to start CPR and what a dramatic ending that would have been. I elevated her arm to help slow the bleeding, while Adam prepared with band aids applied one. Man I am going to miss seeing Adam every day.

We continued on remaining causious and ready to clip out while enjoying the view of Alcatrez. Wow. This brought us down to the end of the bridge where we waited for the remaining riders to stay together.
We continued on in a tranquil fashion to Chrissy beach where cheers met us. Our famy was there stocked with champagne to celebrate and what a moment. The sand never felt so good as when I was surrounded by those 26 people.

We lined up and then raised our bikes for photos with the bridge in the background before we all plunged into the icey bay. It was so cold a first but we all circled up and it was so warm after that. I really believe that the content feeling of warmth from the group was somehing more. Something that will never go away and will slays be there to fall back on.
We circled up one final time for our cheer and slipped on our alum bracelets. Wow. After we all grabbed a bottle of champagne, popped the cork, and took a toasted drink. What a beautiful moment of celebration. Not soon after we sang Tom his 27th birthday song and gave another toast. The team slot began to dissolve into their family, but not forever. We will always be a team.

The family members present enjoyed a glass of celebration and then began helping with packing. I left with Jim with my bike, a duffle, and a backpack. All of my belongings the past 70 days. It really reminds you how little a person actually needs. On the way to Jims house I could not help but talk about all the special moments of the trip and how muh this really taught me about team work. Mr. Al really lit the match with his enthusiasm about the deeper meaning of the trip. It cannot be put in a spreadsheet, or equation, and to a certain extent even words. This trip has brought a greater understanding of life and people. I am so thankful to have this gift going into the future.

I saw the home that Jim and Margie made before heading to the shower. It was nice to have a bed and shower. The luxuries but we got ready for dinner and headed back to the city. On the way in I saw the van with Maria and her parents and Rosemary. That was a I could see but I got so excited. I could not wait to see them again. It is like I can’t stand being away from these wonderful people.

When Jim and I got parking we headed into Boudin Bistro and Bakery for dinner with everyone. Jim was great and got a couple of glasses if wine to celebrate and it was so bitter sweet. I am going to miss all these people so much. We sat with bunny and her family and I enjoyed the chicken with sale, green beans and desert. Bunny gave a toast at the end of he dinner and I knew it was coming. The goodbyes were near and I almost wanted to leave without a scene. To say good-bye, no. Just a see you later.

The first person I came to was Marci. She has been such an unbelievable player on this trip and she has made such a positive impact on me. Thank you Marc

Next I slowly began to make my way around the room, jess, Ganesh, milk bologna, o man. I would write a book to each of you on here but I guess that is what my warm and fuzzy is for. Meg I am Giotto send you the other 10 I have to write so make sure you get them out! Thanks so mich for taking that responsibility.

When I was heading out of the restaurant after hugging Adam 5 times, I saw I missed a couple people. Basit, Alex, Taylor and Alanna were sitting at another table and I am so glad I got a chance to hug them one last time.

After heading out I went back to my uncle’s house very happy and sad at the same time. I am such a fortunate person and I am ready for the next phase of my life. Thank you 4k and God bless!

Roll on!
Megan

Love and best wishes,

Alex

What does San Francisco mean?

In these past few days as the end of our trip grew more and more imminent, and the trip was coming palpably to a close, I asked myself: What does San Francisco mean?

Is it just the end? Our final goal, our last bridge to cross, leading us seraphically to the edge of America. Is this just us fulfilling our young adventurous ideal, running out of land to explore, diving into the waters, celebratory, as the cold sand dissipates to the frigid pacific blue. Or is it not more?

The more I thought the more I found myself painting San Francisco with the massive entireness of the trip. Soon, in my mind, the Golden Gate was not only a sullen orange, but also sun splashed gold like the warm, wind blown Kansas wheat, heavy, ghastly green like the eastern Kentucky Appalachians,  mucky brown and gray like the mighty Mississippi, brilliantly tan and white in layers like the Grand Staircase in Utah, perfectly golden like the patterned hills of Napa. San Francisco is all the beautiful country we’ve seen; this great continent that has been such a treat to all our eyes and the landscapes that reached down into our hearts and wrenched emotions of such intensity as yet we hadn’t felt. But still, San Francisco is more.

San Francisco isn’t only a foggy city of strangers speckled with family and friends awaiting us as we ride proudly in.  No, San Francisco is home to special few denizens, for we carry all those we met with us, all those who helped us, and the many we helped. Dive into the waters knowing we lived Al Dzieawa’s dream in cycling across America, and that we made his family and Father Ricky proud, know that the firefighters at station13 will feel their warmth and hospitality helped carry us through to this momentous day, that Bub and the people of Cave in Rock believe more strongly with each pedal we push that we hold promise for the future of America, that the tears that Cindy shed for Cecile were also tears of joy for our cause and for the smile we brought her old mother through our actions and words, to Cindy that’s the best thing we could’ve given her ,that we are faithfully fulfilling Rockstar Shirley’s advice, that all those innumerable, innumerable people, who are so unpronounceablely important, that told us with nothing but sincerity in their eyes that they were cancer survivors and they appreciated what we were doing (and soon to be what we have done) rested happily that night for our efforts. More personally, we carry the legacy and life of all those we dedicated our individual rides to as we dive into the blue expanse. Even still, San Francisco is more

San Francisco is us, it’s all we’ve done and all we’ve been. It’s how hard we’ve pushed ourselves, it’s how many times we’ve quit, it’s how many times we’ve fought till the end. It’s all the tears and the joy, it’s all the Sip and Spins, and morning cheers. It’s the meaningful dedications that made us cry. San Francisco is the sunrise that pushed us forward, away from most of our homes in the east. San Francisco is the sunset over the mountains prodding us coyly to chase it further west until we could chase it no more, and we’ve done it. We’ve fucking done it. There’s no more land, the sun’s leading us west one last time. One time over the bridge, and into the fabled blue pacific.

To many, on day one San Francisco was ethereal, nothing more than a dream that hadn’t yet cemented into reality; too distant to be true. But now, on old Frisco’s footsteps, it feels as alive and vibrant as ever. San Francisco is teeming with the reality of this trip, that we actually biked across America, that we did something good, that we uplifted those we met and fostered hope and inspiration in those we set out to fight for, cancer patients, everyone. San Francisco is teeming with the reality of us, and I have to say, I love all of you, each and every one with all that I am and for all that you’ll ever be. Nothing and no one can take this away from us, but we must understand we were only part of this journey. That the journey was greater than us and we’ve yet to know the good we’ve done. We have to smile, and smile big at how fortunate we were to meet all the people we met, to have known such generosity, to have stumbled unsure into a vastness of love. So many times we’ve been humbled y the generosity of the good-hearted people we met, and it was just us following our route and the journey taking us into their homes. As for now I’m just wallowing, trying to take it all in, and I’m damn blessed to be doing it with you guys.

Now I’m rambling, but at its heart, San Francisco is the most meaningful thing we’ve done so far. San Francisco is more than me and you and the end of our journey; it’s everything, and that’s good because we still have everything ahead of us.

As always please feel free to donate! This has been great, thanks to my fellow riders!

Also on a happy note I am mono free and am feeling much better! Off to San Fran!

We had a fun night last night and got to sleep in this morning. I headed down to the whole foods store with Adam, Omar, Justin and Maria and had some coffee. When we walked by a bike shop they gave us some bile boxes to help with sending them home. Only need 20 more

When we got back the true chaos started trying to get everything done for the BBQ. We also had to go through the tents and other 4k property. Annoying but a necessity for a trip like this. Organizing this many people is not easy. By Meg and a couple other people did the shopping and we packed up the vans to head to Stinsin beach.

The beach was so much fun and wow was the drive in beautiful. A little rough bc the road was so windy, but so much fun looking at the water. Meeting all of the family members was so cool. When I saw them in Baltimore I did not really know what was going on, but now after hearing stories about peoples family, I felt like I knew all of them. Being around all of that positive energy was so awesome and I will never forget it. My Uncle came and he was able to meet more people as well. I am so glad that I have been able to share my experiences with so many people and inspire.

We took some team pics at the beach and after we cleaned up and the families headed out we headed back to the host. Again the motion sickness was brought on after that ride. Definitely not easy, but we made it back safe.

Most of us laid down when we got to the host to let our bellies settle and wait for Zach to have our final pow wow. Caity made team CDs where everyone threw in a song which was a great idea. Emily made awards to capture some unique characteristics that we voted on for the individuals. Everyone got at least one and that brought on more laughing one of my awards were most likely to succeed. Very nice to sing praises tonight.

We all went around the circle and gave some final thoughts about the trip. Wow. Tomorrow is the last day. The comradery and willingness to stay in touch is something I really hope works out. We have such a special group here and I am so thankful for that. There were lots of tears, laughing and reflection on this trip of a lifetime.

I opened up with how this trip has taught me to let things come and go with the flow. I am so thankful for this increase in patience. Also how thankful I am for all the individuals on this trip. I need addresses to send Christmas cards! But I brought back the theme of the 4k and talked about the cycle, inspire and unite. Of course we all peddled our way here and the inspiration throughout the trip has rung loud and clear. Wih all the people we have met, family of riders, and riders themselves, this trip has been so inspirational. The final element of unity was shown perfectly at the cookout this evening. Thousands of people have been brought together by this ride and people will continue to be brought together. We all have thousands of shoulders to lean on and people who understand and are willing to do anything to help.

This trip has been such a blessing and it will be an honor to finish the ride together tomorrow.

Roll on!
Megan

In true Team Seattle form, we started our morning a little late. Rolling out at 10:50 am instead of 10:30 am. It continued in true Team Seattle fashion with the Queen Anne Hill and a flat tire 3 miles outside of Pike Place Market.

But the 7 mile day ended in true 4K fashion when Team Seattle, the original Team Seattle, rolled into Pike St. and 1st as a 26 member caravan. We turned the corner and saw a huge crowd of people standing on the corner of Pike St. and 1st Avenue cheering us on and holding signs because we had made it. After 68 days of ups and downs, of tears and smiles, and of uniting and dispersing, Team Seattle had rallied and now we had done it. We had arrived. We were there. Because after whatever crap the day, the week or the month brings, Team Seattle always ends on a high note. ALWAYS.

As we turned the corner into the Market, I couldn’t help but smile and cry. Because encapsulated in that moment was the 68 days of friendships, of bike grease, and above all of rallying. Team Seattle had done it. We had paved the way and what had seemed like an endless to-do list had found its conclusion. And I could say that I was part of the team that stuck it out. That persevered and had found its reward. I was part of a family.

The slow clap began for the last time, slowly quickening.
Where are we from?
BALTIMORE
Where are we going?
SEATTLE
Who are we?
4K

Here is to you, Team Seattle.
Becca Mathias. Rosemary Mallonee. Dara Male. Eric Grammond. Ali Samadpour. Abo Raum. Alex Hinch. Emma Moody. Graham McClurg. Michael Nightwing McNair. Nicole Lunardi. Kate Barry. Lizzy Malone. Sarah Grant. Rebecca McGivney. Colette Szabo-Long. Liz Kaplan. Stephen Watts. David Panks. Rhiannon Desideri. Lauren Boyd. Elan Hourticolon- Retzler. Katie Marie Osborne. Vanessa Ward. Rob Keleher. and Cousin Alex.

Thank you for believing in me. For supporting me. And for loving me.

———

My mom and dad left Maryland two weeks ago, and drove out west following a good bit of the route we biked. Tomorrow they are meeting up with the team for our last community dinner in St. Helen’s! Growing up, my mom and I would watch Gilmore Girls and sing along to the theme song, the Carole King tune, Where You Lead (I like that youtube version because her daughter is singing backup vocals). I’ve thought about the lyrics a couple of times during the ride and the feelings of love and support that well up have helped me get through.

When you’re out on the road, feeling lonely and so cold, all you have to do is call my name, and I’ll be there on the next train.

I never needed to call to say “come rescue me,” but it has definitely been nice to know along the way that my parents would be meeting me in Portland to take me home. It didn’t take much to convince them to drive out west. I remember saying, “I wish the route took us through Mount Rushmore and the Badlands” and my mom saying “why don’t we come get you, and we can see them on the way home?”  On Saturday they’ll be driving into Portland with us to the closing ceremony in Pioneer Square.

Loving you the way that I do, I know we’re going to make it through. And I will go to the ends of the earth, cause darling, to me that’s what you’re worth.

Tomorrow I’ll have MOM and DAD written on my two calves. The two of them are my rocks , inspiration and joy. I can’t wait to see them! My ride tomorrow will also be for all those moms and dads of my 4K teammates, the moms and dads who’ve fed or housed or encouraged us along the way, and all the moms and dads who are absent because of cancer. Awesome parents are awesome! And I’m glad to have two extra-super-awesome ones to call my own.

Oh, and as a side note, WE MADE IT TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN TODAY!!!!!

At the first of many breathtaking overlooks!

The coast from Tillamook to Cannon Beach was spectacular. We had tons of fun running into the water at Cannon Beach, dipping our bikes in the ocean, doing our cheer, jumping around in the sand to stay warm and generally celebrating! Many more pictures are to come. I dedicated my day to the spirited 9 and 12 year-old  brothers of the family I stayed with last night in Tillamook. Aidan and Devin lost their father just 7 months ago to cancer. He’d battled for five years. Their mom and grandmom were also wonderful women and I had a blast visiting with them last night! I also dedicated my ride today to my brothers, Reza and Elias, who have jumped into the freezing cold Atlantic ocean with me at the strike of midnight on new years a number of times, and have generally taught me to partake in shenanigans.

You never know how it’s all going to turn out. But that’s okay. Just as long as we’re together, we can find a way.

So close to San Francisco. Biked into mill valley today and could see the skyline across the bay. Only 10 miles away. People in cars started to roll down there windows and congratulate us, because there is no question that we have done it and made it to San Fran, only the bridge left to conquer. Get excited, I am.

We were finally truly back in civilization too. A bit of a shock to the system. Traffic lights, cars, houses, multiple houses in the same place. It was no longer acceptable to pee outside but also not necessary as there were gas stations, everywhere!

The rest of day was spent heading west to San Francisco, which is always a good feeling. The end was close now, a fact we were reminded of when we saw the freeway sign to San Francisco and people were happy to push hard knowing it was our last big day of riding, it couldn’t after all be too easy to get to San Fran or everyone would do it.

Along the way we had a fantastic cheerleading team in Maria’s family. Her dad having cooked us an awesome dinner the night before was smiling at us half way up the mountain and provided us with a great water stop alongside his co-workers at mile 100.

The end of the day was longer than expected but it was only fitting as I had dedicated the day to my grandad who has definitely taught me the value of  doing things the right way over the easy way even if it does take longer.

I woke up today (at 4.30am) rolled over to look at Kaitlin and whispered, in my loudest whisper, “we’re going to California today!”

An epic day was in the making. At mile 60 we hit Carson City, it was hot and we’d left rural Nevada behind. The urbanization of the East Coast had returned only it was sunnier, the women were blonder and the roads were wider.

We weren’t in California yet though. We had a mountain in between us, quite literally, a tough 10 mile climb and the following descent.

I was joined in my climb by Grandma Rose. We struggled together, aching legs, sore bums and all as we wound through and up the Sierra Nevadas. Nevada sat behind us overcast, California out of sight in front. But 2000ft and a dust storm later we reached the summits. One of the most jovial summits of 4k and despite the rain there was singing, dancing, high fives and hugs. California waited just round the corner… I turned to Lisa before my descent and said what I’d been waiting to say the whole trip “I’ll see you in California” and then Bunny walked up to me and cried. It was an emotional moment.

The descent was pretty awesome but a little too much pedaling was perhaps required. The lake unfolded in front of you with the sun shining off its beaten silver surface and the snow capped mountains rose behind it. And then we were riding through the streets of Lake Tahoe and into California.

Everyone waited on the street corner of the state line, in front of a Nevada casino, as we arrived one by one from the descent. Then many photos were taken.

The day was dedicated to my cousin Layla and best friend Healy both great supporters if mine and full of sunshine.

This morning Jim joined the dedication circle as well as 2 men from the community. My dedication went to Oasis Life Church. They have given so much support in this cause and I am excited to get home and talk about some of my experiences!

The next thing on the agenda was driving to the host and unpacking the van. The Scout Hall was a great accommodation and had prepared a dinner for us. I unpacked the van and had to head back to bring a tire to Tom. He was having a hard time with his so I found them to bring a spare. I then headed to a car wash after cleaning out the whole van. Let’s just say there was quite a bit of junk but not a worry. Cody kept me company on the phone while I did it Fifteena is nice and sparkly now

I met up with Nancy, Meg’s mom, and she took me to a Mexican place a lot of the riders stopped at for a bite. When we headed back there was a dinner and showers to be shuttled to. We went to the YMCA about 20 min away.

Now we have to see what the night holds. We made it!

Roll on!
Megan

Our second day in the Rockies was the day of Trail Ridge. Trail Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park is the highest paved road in the U.S. with the elevation 12,183 feet! Unfortunately for me, it was my scheduled van driving day. Driving the support vans is something we all do and it’s obviously a very important job, but I admit I was pretty bummed about driving the van on this particular day. Trail Ridge is the highlight of the trip! It’s a 25 mile climb up the mountain with gorgeous views around every turn. All day I watched my teammates bike up the mountain from the van window and I could see their looks of determination and feelings of accomplishment. I wanted so badly to be doing it with them. The view on the way up was unbelievable at every turn, but seeing it out the van window just wasn’t the same. Seeing them all reach the top was bittersweet… I was proud that everyone had made it, but hearing them discuss how amazing it felt to reach the top after hours of struggle was just too much for me. I wouldn’t be able to say that I biked up the highest paved road… it’s one of the greatest challenges of the trip and I didn’t overcome it. I actually started making plans for how I could come back next year as an alumni rider to do this day. (It’s a common thing to do…in fact we had an alumni rider with us). BUT it turned out that my plan-making wasn’t necessary. My team discussed it decided that Adam (the other support van driver) and I should have the chance to do this day as well because it’s something that no one should have to miss. We already knew that the next day was only 45 miles so the other riders would really only need one of the 2 vans supporting, so the other van would support us biking Trail Ridge!

I was so excited and relieved when they told me and I went to bed feeling eager for the next day. I woke up in the morning full of excitement and anticipation. Even though this day is supposed to be the hardest day of the trip, there was no doubt in my mind that I would kill it out there. I dedicated the ride to my team because they gave me this incredible opportunity. The day took on a whole different meaning for me because it was a day that I thought I wouldn’t have the chance to have. Adam would be biking it too and Justin decided that he wanted to do it for a second day in a row! (Keep in mind that Justin likes to do crazy things, like bike 80 miles standing up out of the saddle).

So the three of us packed all of our stuff into the mini van and Emilie drove us back to the beginning of the trail. I remember every detail of the climb. It was breathtakingly beautiful the whole way up. I can’t even describe it in words, so be sure to look at the pictures I included. Since I had already driven the trail, i knew what to expect. The three of us stuck together the whole time. We stopped at all the scenic overlook spots to soak up the view. The first half was filled with views of sprawling green mountains and valleys. There was a huge rock structure at the first stop that we climbed up to get an even better view. As we kept going up the mountain, there were a few waterfalls – the result of melting snow from the top. Before long we started seeing snow next to us on the trail. Snow right next to me in July! We reached the halfway point – a popular spot for cars to stop – and it had in my opinion, the best view. We took a pretty long water break here, but left in a hurry when it started to rain. There is a sign next to the road at about this point warning of crazy weather conditions. The day before, the bikers went through some intense rain when they got up this high. For us, it was intense wind. And let me tell you, biking up a mountain with the wind rushing past you in all directions is not the easiest thing to do. And it almost ruined the highlight of the day: standing on the 4K rock. Every year it is tradition for each rider to take a picture on what has been named “the 4K rock”. It’s a flat-topped pile of rocks off to the side of the trail and behind it is a backdrop of huge snowy mountains.

So, when we get to the rock, we each lift our bike over our head and take a picture. This was a really big moment for me because it’s such a great tradition and it makes you feel almost invincible standing up there surrounded by all those mountains. BUT the wind was so strong that standing on the rock, let alone lifting my bike overhead without being blown off the rock, was almost impossible. But I was determined to do it because this was one of the things I was most looking forward to and I was NOT about to let the wind stop me. I probably tried for about 15 minutes to hold it up for long enough for Emilie to take the picture and by some miracle, I finally succeeded! From there on, the weather got even crazier and it was getting really cold. The green scenery was entirely replaced by huge snowy peaks. We also saw some elk. They were so close we could have reached out and touched them. My legs were tired and my breathing was labored, but I was so full of adrenaline and anticipation of what it would feel like to reach the top that it didn’t matter. And then, after hours of climbing the moment we’d been looking forward to all day finally came. We reached the summit! 12,183 feet! I literally felt on top of the world. There isn’t a sign there because if there was, there would be a huge traffic jam of cars because people would get out to take a picture, but we took our own victory pictures anyway. But we couldn’t linger very long because to the right we could see a HUGE storm rolling in. It was completely black, the clouds were blocking the mountains from our view. So we hurried to the visitors’ center and got there just as it started hailing… the largest hail I’ve ever seen.

Walking into the center felt AMAZING. I felt exactly how everyone else on my team looked yesterday. I really can’t even put it into words. We got some food and hot chocolate and waited out the storm. I bought an “I made it to the top!” shirt… it’s probably my new favorite shirt because it represents one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. Once the storm passed, we made our descent down the mountain, It was about 20 miles of switchbacks and it was pretty cold going down at first, but it felt great. We also passed the continental divide! After the descent there was about 15 miles of flat road before reaching the end of the National Park. When I was about 5 miles away, it started pouring. But even though I was soaking wet and cold, I didn’t care one bit. When all three of us reached the van, we drove to Kremmling, where the rest of our team had biked to. As soon as we pulled into the church, everyone came rushing out cheering for us! It was probably my favorite moment of the entire trip. Every single one of them gave me and Adam a hug and I became so overwhelmed with happiness, it was all i could do to keep myself from crying. I will never forget this day.

I decided to get some stuff done this morning like mail away package home and do a final load of laundry on the road. It was nice getting out and seeing what was around Napa a little on the way to the post office and laundromat. My Uncle Jim called and he came to spend some time here since it is so close to his house. It is crazy how far we have come. It blows my mind every time I think about it.

When Jim got here we headed toward Sonoma Valley to drive through all the vineyards. It was so cool how they rolled with the hills and then we got to the redwoods. I have never seen them in real life and that was so cool. We went up on some private property belonging to people in jims family and he showed me a redwood that had the largest trunk I have ever seen in real life. Crazy.

We continued on to a restaurant called the Tides in bodica bay. It was where The Birds was filmed and it was really beautiful. We saw seals go by in the water which was really neat. we both enjoyed a crab salad and I had the salt water taffy after.

We headed back on the road and headed toward the coastline. The sand is so different from the east and the rocks in the water are very unique. When I finally walked down to the water and put my feet in I could not believe it. I was standing in the Pacific. How cool. And I rode a bike here.

We headed back toward Napa and walked around grabbing a drink and quesedilla. It was nice to have a slow day in such a beautiful place.

Now we are looking forward to a short day tomorrow and I have my last drive day. So exciting.

Roll on!
Megan

1. Whether it’s the flu or cancer being sick really sucks
2. Being sick is inconvenient
3. Being sick makes biking difficult

After spending one sleepless night vomiting outside a youth ministry house in Corvallis I had thought that whatever bug I had would pass. Three days later I’m still feeling under the weather. My first thought after getting sick was: this just isn’t fair. The second after saying that I realized that it is never fair that anyone gets sick. All my wonderful donors and everyone who I have met and dedicated rides to has been touched by cancer or some other sickness. People should not have to be in pain. Understanding that had made everything we are biking for even more meaningful. I also really want to thank Brian and Lubas who stayed up with me all night to make sure I was alright. Being sick is scary and having them there with me even though we all desperately needed sleep was incredible.

As this trip winds to a close (we arrive in Portland tomorrow) I realize more and more everyday what a blessing it has been. I have learned so much and will miss everyone on he team terribly. Hopefully my blood work comes back clean so I can bike into Portland with everyone tomorrow feeling good!

As Bilqis said early in the trip its all about the joys and the struggles.

The circle today did not have any visitors but we were on the ball counting off and not messing up the cheer. This is a rare occurrence. My dedication today goes to lab 133. This is the lab that Cody works in at Eastman Chemical company. They are always asking about the ride and providing support back at home. I am so happy Cody likes his work and his group. Here is to you 133!

It was 5 of our job to support the community today and have some community service in Sacramento. Adam, Caity, Ilana, Maria and I headed to the cancer facility and got a small tour and information on what they are about. It is tough in hospitals bc they do not have us on file for shots and things like that so we could not do too much. It was still fun to go and tell a community about our mission.

After leaving the hospital we went to historic Sacramento and walked around. It was really fun going in the shops and it was right along where the train used to run. We also saw the golden bridge which was fun.

After that we headed back to Davis and walked around heir downtown area with all the little shops. It was nice to see the communities we biked through closer today. We headed on to napa and found the host where we unloaded the van and Maria’s mother and Aunt brought is pizza from Zachary’s. The pizza was so good. I had the spinach. After dinner I could not help but take a nap from still being tired from the weekend and long ride tomorrow. We are heading to Downtown joes in a little to see where the night leads us

Roll on!
Megan

I’m working to say this but there really is no other way… THANK YOU.

As this trip began I figured I’d blog stuff so people could get an idea of what we were up to; I only figured the moderators would ever really read it. I write things a lot but no one ever reads it so I had no real intent to have more than a handful of people in the organization reading what I wrote, but how I was wrong. The comments you all have left me really helped me through this trip in ways you can never imagine! Knowing that people were actually interested in what we were doing and what I had to say made it all worth it. I could surely drag this out for ages on end but there is no need; the message is clear… Thank you all for everything you have done.

Today I dedicated to Sheila Watson. She is a dear friend to a friend and donor of mine, Ginger. Sheila is battling cancer and I always hear from Ginger how strong and inspirational Sheila is as a person and that is so special. Ginger’s dedication was in honor of Sheila. Today is for you Sheila!

We started off knowing how long it was going to be, but excited about getting further into California and to start descending. The climb early was tough with a 12% grade, but what is nice about those is that they are usually not as long. This was oddly enough almost and enjoyable climb, it may have been bc we knew it would be the last significant climb. At one point we had to cross traffic to more switchbacks and Uncle Jim and Maria’s father were there waiting to make sure it went smoothly. We reached the top and Jim was there to greet and we waited for the majority of the team to make it up before heading down. Jim had a story from his youth of that exact location we reached. It is crazy how life is a circle and you come back to things and places you don’t expect. I think we were at about 7200 feet and we were going to sea level wow

As we began descending we encountered a lot of construction and very very small shoulders. An RV passed me at one point and I swear if I put my elbow out I would have hit it. But that was the worst of it and it was really fun having a gradual descent. As in for the next 30 miles Jim met me at a couple places onyx way down and that was cool.
The further we went down the warmer it got and the pines slowly began to go away. They were replaced with vineyards and various fruit trees and plants. We could definitely tell we were in California

We had a water stop in a town called Placerville that was so cool. There were all kinds of little shops and places to eat. With the scenery before and the town it was a really neat area. We went through Folsom, as in reference to Johnny Cash, and the. Entered the bike route. It was so nice riding on that away from traffic and having a windy road along the river that fluctuated elevation quite frequently. I thought it was really fun having a different kind of road to ride on.
After dealing with some mixed up directions after leaving Sacramento, we finally made it to the host in Davis 128.17 miles later. Rosemary and I were saying how that would be the longest ride of our lives

We went to the pool and took a shower before having an amazing dinner from the Mercurios. They have been so awesome and wow the food was great. Hummus, bread with olive oil, salad with avocado, steak slices, plums, grapes…wow. It was so good.

But man I am pretty spent so calling it an early night. Volunteering tomorrow!

Roll on!
Megan

My group today was Arvind and Steve. We later acquired Jason.

In 1955 there was an earthquake that knocked a mountain over, blocking the river. As a result a lake formed, called Earthquake lake. We rode by it and it was quite a site seeing a collapsed mountain. Just goes to show that even mountains can be moved.

We passed through some western towns that you see in the movies. Swing open gates, and stores all made of wood. Nevada City and Virginia City were their names and they were previously mining towns. There were millions in gold and especially in the hills and streams of Alder Gulch. As we biked by we saw many tall piles of rock on both sides of the road, mines still in operation today.

Today was also the day that we experienced our first tailwind. I reached speeds over 40 mph on flat ground!

And unfortunately there were bad things that happened. Brian had to be taken to a hospital in Idaho. He is doing well now. While worrying about Brian we struggled up a mountain with terrible 15 mph head winds. The strong sun and some of the hottest weather we have had in a long time did not help.

It was a long day.

After getting into the host most of the team went to a local BBQ while the vegetarians went in search of some noodles. After a heaping bowl of ramen Bilqis, Arvind, Lubas and I went to find frozen yogurt. We happened upon the most exciting fro yo spot in town and along with having amazing yogurt (and eight different flavors of Mochi!) they also had Just Dance. Needless to say we took to the dance floor. Our repertoire included that’s not my name, d.a.n.c.e and the Jackson five. After such a long day on the bike I could not have asked for a better evening.

I hear the rooster and that means it’s time to start the day.

Much love,
Val

I honestly don’t even really have any words for what this feels like.

Some pretty awesome things have happened since my last blog post. These awesome things did not include the entire state of Nevada, which I was not a fan of.

On Saturday we biked into California. It was spectacular. We had to bike up a mountain on our way into Lake Tahoe and when I got to the top everyone was there cheering and there were high fives and hugs and basically a dance party on the top of the mountain. And then the descent into Lake Tahoe was absolutely breath taking. It was one of the most spectacular feelings to come down the mountain around the lake and know that California was right there, that I could actually see it and was about to be there.

Today, we biked 130 miles, our longest day of the trip. I wouldn’t even really say it was hard, it was just really long. It’s pretty amazing how far we’ve come. Not even just literal distance, but physically and mentally. On the first day of this trip we had to bike like 55 miles and it took all day and I thought it was hell. Now I can bike 130 miles in a day. There are no words.

Only 3 biking days left… Let the crying begin.

The people of Ely in the form of the Elk club, Lions club and a local church provided us with great food. Including some amazing peanut m and m cookies. I rode out of Ely in the memory of my god mother’s friend Bridget.

In Eureka we once again were provided with great food by the pool after a day of some girl bonding. Cindy did a lot for us. It was touching to hear about her Mum’s story and they will both be in my thoughts till I reach SF.

Austin is a small but fascinating town. With a high school of 23 people and no real grocery store. I dedicated my day out Austin, to Rusty the son of the woman who cooked us dinner, and who as a child was one of the first to receive chemotherapy, when it was still experimental.

Fallon was 110 miles away and the next town on highway 50, our favorite road. It was also the next town from Austin and was a particularly hot ride (around 100) full of nothing much but more hills and valleys. The food at the end and the a night of AC however saved the day. Along with the promise of reaching California.

This morning started with a late wake up about 7 which felt really nice. I had a couple more hours before Jim would be here so I decided to try and sleep a little longer. When I got up there was a neat arts and crafts thing across the street so I walked over while waiting for Jim. He picked me up and we went for coffee after chatting a little we headed to the Gondola to really get a good view of Tahoe. We made it just in time bc there were lightening storm watches in which they ended up shutting it down an hour later. We were able to ride up and see the area. Let me tell you this was one of the prettiest views I have ever seen. Heavenly is the perfect name. This place is absolutely amazing. It was very special to share the ride with Jim bc of my main dedication for this ride to my Aunt Margie. Tahoe is the last place she skied before her death from cancer a couple of years ago. Jim is the person I wanted to share this experience with bc she was the love of his life. I am so blessed to have had this experience and again been a person to help understand and relate to with a cancer story. I say Thank you.

After they shut down the lift we went on a ride around the lake. One of the highlights was Emerald bay. It had a waterfall and small island and the rock structures with the trees were so beautiful. We continued around to where the 1960 winter olympics were held and that kind of thing is always neat to see. Next we had lunch where the river rafting ended at a cool little outdoor burger place. My inner fat kid came out with the double cheeseburger and fries, and a toast to California next we headed on to some more views of the lake and to a point on the North side that Reno and Carson City could been seen clearly. I went around the whole lake thanks to Jim. Very special.

We went and got another cup of coffee and checked out some photos before he took me back to get ready for dinner at Harrahs. Good thing my mom mailed me that dress Dinner was amazing and seeing the sunset over the lake from above was gorgeous. I am such a lucky person. I have so much gratitude toward all the people that have supported this trip in a phone call, dinner, a package, a donation, or a thank you. It all means so much and I will never forget it.
Now for our longest day yet, 122 miles tomorrow. Better hit the hay
Roll on!
Megan

This was the bottom of the mountain and we were the last group to leave the water stop. We biked up the mountain and went down the 20 mile downhill so fast that we were the first group to make it to that water stop. From there, we formed a peloton and biked the 33 miles into Hamilton at 25 mph. But with a lovely lunch stop in the middle thanks to Mo, Valerie and Natalie.

Needless to say, the day went on forever, with us finally getting into Wisdom 11 hours later at 6 pm…

Huge loving thanks to Valerie! I was so frustrated, tired, angry and upset, but every time I saw her that day she would cheer me up. She brought me a handful of grapes before they all ran out, filled my water and cheered when she passed us in the van. Her and Nate did a wonderful job in the water van that day and did not get to sleep until 1:30 am. They picked up Brian and Chris Young from the hospital in Idaho, making it the longest and worst day for the water van ever.

And thank God we did. =)

I was able to make it to Church that evening, drank a 5 dollar 32 oz espresso milkshake, and I had a wonderful conversation with my grandmother, Babcia Henia.

The day started off well packing up in Fallon. We had a couple community members join our dedication circle and my dedication for this monumental day goes to Layla, Lori, and Hunter. These are my nieces and nephew. I am so happy to have them in my life and to watch them grow. I am very lucky with my family and the beautiful people that I have in my life. My hope is that the 3 of them have no fear in going after their dreams. We can all impact others and accomplish so much by having no fear. I love those 3 and I am very proud to be their Aunt

The ride was a slow one with all of the butt issues going on this many miles is not always very nice on the body. But we kept plugging away into Carson City before the climb up Spooner. It was a very hot day and the wind really got bad by the afternoon. This was one of the tougher days on the trip for me. I knew what was ahead and Tahoe kept me motivated. My uncle Jim met me at the summit and the team all had hugs to celebrate before the decent into the city. What an amazing feeling. We were about to be in California.

We came down and all met up at the state sign to take lots of pictures. It was such an amazing feeling to say I rode my bike this far. We can do anything. After the photo shoot I went to the church to get my stuff and went and took a shower before dinner at the Riva grill with Jim. I had a California Cobb salad in celebration the view at the restaurant right on the water was beautiful. The night crept in and after dinner we went over to Harrahs to check out the casinos. I have never seen something like that and wow. That is a lot of energy. How much fun.

After a long day I was ready for bed but not before I celebrate with the team a little down the street Now off to bed to really see Tahoe tomorrow!
Roll on!
Megan

I thought of my childhood friend Sam, and how I found out her Father passed….I was in Wildwood at the time, it was August and I was going into my freshman year of high school. I received a phone call from Sam, she told me, and I didn’t know what to say or think. I just remember profusely telling her I was sorry and that I would immediately come home.

I thought “What the Hell?” I know some people, even family members that really don’t believe in a God because of moments like these. It’s moments like these that makes you doubt this higher being.

Then there was the thought that his father must has waited for him to come home and see him. And it’s moments like those that make you realize how strong a human being can be, and the connection we have to each other.

The night proceeded to get darker, Nate was going home the next day because he also found out that day his grandmother had died because she had lost her battle to breast cancer. He would return in a few days.

One day, and two deaths due to cancer within a group of 25 random people who are bike riding across the country to fight cancer. There are no coincidences in life, just wake up calls and this situation is all too real. On this ride we dedicate our days to different people each day. There is no need for me to re-dedicate my days, I could easily fill up my legs with different people each day. Either by just encountering people in the streets of the towns we visit or further reaching out to my friends and family at home.

Forget the statistics- I have grown up thinking cancer is like the new “old age” because I know more older generations dying due to cancer than just peacefully with grace and age, and it’s become normal to hear someone’s grandmother or grandfather had cancer, or has it. Well, as I get older, it’s becoming progressively more normal to hear my friend’s parents have cancer. Or, that my friends don’t have a father or mother because of cancer. Better yet, there was a 2-year-old girl in D.C. diagnosed with cancer recently. Very simply: That’s messed up.

I remember awaking in my tent to a car, lights, and a cool breeze, some muffled laughs and talks- It was the boys coming back from dropping off Brian. I was delirious still- confused as to why they were rolling into the house around 6am. I went back to sleep for another hour.

Woke up. Took a look around… time to get ready so I can sit and blog? Well I tried at the time. I think I was still playing catch up with the blogs. (Look at me now, I am 9 days away from being done and I am trying to catch up as much as possible. ) – Anyways, I went to this really cool bicycle, 2^nd handbook, and coffee shop (TRIFECTA!). There was a couch with my name on it there. Furthermore, it was before noon and I saw they had a real espresso machine-“One cappuccino please?” Yes, that’s right- I ordered a cappuccino, it made me feel civilized.

The rest of the day was simply blogging, working, post card writing, and I went back down to Boulder to pick up my bicycle ($160 in repairs!). The drive back to Fort Collins was a peaceful one; it was beautiful to see the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains, the houses on the mountain slowly started to light up. I looked at them imagining a family sitting around to watch a TV, or making a big dinner. Oh how I missed home. Yet at the same time I loved that moment of driving in the car and listening to some great music with Chris Lubas. We had a great jam session in the car of just listening and singing to great music with the windows down. A wonderful summer night drive.

Our group was the fastest group: Chris Lipinski, Clayton Lively and Steve Hersey. We all made it up the mountain very fast! It was about a ten mile climb.

Riding down the other side of the mountain, it started to hail. And hail hitting you at 30-40 mph hurts soo much! We could not look up without hurting our eyes and getting pelted in the face. Eventually it softened into rain as we made it to the bottom of the mountain. The green scenery and mountains were gorgeous and then I put on the jets. For the next 19 miles of flats and hills, I average around 25 mph even in the rain. Chris was chasing after me but ended up being two minutes behind, yelling angrily “LUBAS! LUBAS!” because he could not catch up.

Everyone was so cold from the rain, and cold temperature on the mountain. Chris Young, Nancy, Luke and I tried to go out and get a hot dinner. But there are very little restaurants in Saratoga and we did not have a kitchen. The Valley grocery store gave us half off and we bought eggs and cooked them on a tin heated with coals.

And the story of “Young Man” was born.

We arrived at our host, it was a friend of Brandon’s and she welcomed us into her home. Which turned into a modern day Animal House. There was a couch on the porch (someone slept there), three couches in the living room (all taken to sleep on), The living room floor, two tents outside, two bedrooms that fit 2 people each. Then Jenna called in a favor and got us another house to sleep in that some people stayed as well. To be honest, I loved our vagabond ways. I don’t necessarily go to an animal house college, and this ride has given me that college experience that I do not have, and let me tell you- two months is enough. When riders arrived you could feel the upbeat spirit, it was Fourth of July, it’s the summer, and we were in Fort Collins known for breweries and fireworks. Grrr those Red Coats! Yay Independence! Forth of July!

We reached the pacific ocean a few days agao. Technically it was just an inlet but seeing the water was extremely emotional all the same. I truly knew that I was going to finish this trip not matter what but realistically I knew the obstacles that could present themselves and get in my way and I never once thought I was invincible. I do think I am sometimes. I made it though and, yes, I teared up knowing that I did this. This trip was one of my greatest desires to complete, just to see what I am capable of and what my limits are. Personally I don’t want to set any limits and I don’t necessarily know if I’ve found any yet haha. It was amazing to take my shoes off and walk into the water, dip my bike into the inlet and lift it over my head (something I had been working on since the last time I attempted to do that…dropped the bike on my head after a mountain climb : ) )

It’s just amazing that today is August 1 and that in 3 days I will be seeing my dad in Seattle and getting ready to fly out with him on Saturday. There is so much right now that I am looking forward to seeing (and eating..cough cough STEAK cough cough) at home, things that I have taken for granted for most of my life. I am also looking forward to maintaining contact with the people I connected to on this trip and keeping those friendships with me.

It has been a hard journey at times, especially now. It’s the end and everyone is eager to get home to normal life (might I throw in there what exactly is normal?) but David C. who managed to come see us made a good point. Our commitment to this ride is like marriage: at first we all agree with each other and get along and find that thrill in something new and exciting. As time goes on we start to find flaws and things that we don’t necessarily agree with or like and are presented with a challenge, even question why we’re still doing this. When we signed up for the 4k, we agreed to commit ourselves to each other, the team and the mission and we can’t loose that just because we are starting to “check out.” We are not breaking up, and we need to see this through until the big ride into Seattle and leave on a positive note in order to keep the relationships we have built. Like a marriage, we will not always be happy or get along or agree, but in working together to compromise and sort out our differences we will essentnially build a stronger bond. We need to see that we all did this together and we will share this experience for the rest of our lives. I am so happy that I was able to complete this trip, inspire so many people that I met along the way and can honestly say that I want to stay in touch with the friends I have made here.

I also want to say thank you to all who have been supportive of me and made this trip a reality and hope that those who I have dedicated my rides to know that every mile was for them, to encourage them to keep on going.  I could not have done this alone.

Jen and David inside the teepee at Camp Mak-A-Dream

After our off day in Missoula, we all drove out to Camp Mak-A-Dream, an hour east of town, to visit the camp while it is in session. It was an incredible facility, and Jen, our host and guide was a delight. As of this year, the camp has served over 5,000 children, young adults, and adults who have gone through cancer treatment or been closely affected by cancer. For one week, they get to play games, sing songs, ride horses, do the ropes course, and generally get to enjoy themselves like kids should. There were some awesome stories of campers who have returned throughout the years as volunteers and camp leaders.

Clearwater National Forest

After returning to Missoula, we cycled in the afternoon the 35 miles to Lolo Hot Springs, our shortest day of riding on the trip. We spent the evening playing frisbee, setting up our campsite, and taking advantage of the Hot Spring pools! The next day’s ride to Kooskia was long, but the route along stayed by the river the entire day and was absolutely gorgeous. We had a community dinner that evening with a few touching moments.  When the Kooskia First Presbyterian Church, where we stayed that night, remodeled a couple of years ago they decided to add two showers to the facility, with people just like us in mind!

Anywhere you sat down underneath the tree, you were within arms' reach of a couple dozen apricots

The next day’s ride from Kooskia to Riggins had a couple tough climbs, with an enormous downhill as a payoff. The luchstop that day was my favorite of the last two months. We stopped at Skookumchuck state park, right on the side of the highway.

We tried to catch falling apricots from the tree at Skookumchuck Recreation Area

There was a beach where we all jumped into the river to cool off from the heat of the day (it was our first truly hot day in many weeks), there were picnic tables in the shade, there were fountains to fill our empty water bottles, and best of all- there was an apricot tree literally raining fresh apricots!! Miraculously, Brian and Nate, who were driving the lunch van, drove by and saw us, and delivered lunch to them not long after we arrived (a very fortunate occurence, as we were all entirely out of cell phone range, and didn’t know how we were going to convey the message to them that we’d all stopped there). We spent three hours splashing in the water, playing frisbee with the locals, laying in the shade, and stuffing ourselves with fresh apricots. It was like a dream.

For our challenging 110 mile ride from Cambridge, Idaho to Baker City, Oregon, I dedicated my day to 6 of my friends from University of Delaware. They all donated when I was fundraising, inspire me in many ways, and have families who have been affected by cancer in one way or another. (Em, you are written on there also, to the left of Gina!). It made the climbs more bearable (or at least more interesting) to think about the mental and physical challenges that each of you have taken on, and how you have persevered. We rode into and out of Hell’s Canyon that day, and by the beautiful Brownlee Reservoir, which separates Idaho and Oregon. All six of these people are also water lovers, dabbling with sailing, water skiing and other water adventures, which made it particularly fitting when I looked on with longing as a few ski boats passed on the reservoir.

We biked here!

Crossing into Oregon was monumental and exciting! It didn’t seem real. We reminisced about how we freaked out when we reached the Ohio border almost two months ago. Now we’re here, at our last state line, and though we don’t feel much different, I know that we have changed a bit. I could see it in the way we hopped back on our bikes and climbed up the next hill, no problem, or how we fixed a flat a few miles down while taking a break at a gas station and sharing our mission with a few passing folks. We also made it through the 80 more miles we had to ride without too much problem, and we interacted with our awesome hosts in Baker City with ease. I’m proud of our ride and I’m looking forward to finishing out our last week strong and unified, leaving a positive enduring impression in our own minds and those we’ve met along the way.

We have our last off day in Bend today, and tonight we’re heading over to the Ronald McDonald House here to serve dinner to the families staying there!

WY–Day 43: Jeffery City, WY

Day 44: Lander, WY

Day 45: Dubois, WY

Day 46: Jackson Hole & Rest

Due to time constraint and the basic fact that, as beautiful as Wyoming is, there aren’t that many moments that pop in my mind within each place we went through days 42-45 that are worth giving each place it’s own post. So here is a post that compiles Rawlins, Jeffery City, Lander, and Dubois.

For starters lets talk about Wyoming. There are more animals in this state then people, as opposed to New Jersey where there are more humans than animals… this was a culture shock to me because in New Jersey we have animals and humans and when in doubt the people act like animals too. This was the beginning of a mental lull for me. My home sickness seed had been planted, and it was being watered, especially when we went to Jeffery City population 25. This is not a Joke.

Jeffery City once upon a time was a huge Uranium mining ‘boom town’, and then it all died when the US sold the mines to USSR. However, the contract should be up soon, and Jeffery City should be back in action. Interestingly enough, it will be back in action to the dismay of the people that live there. This was hard for me to understand, to see people actually like the fact there was only 25 of them there. Yet, I myself have trouble to change that is forced upon me, or the ones I have no control over, so I can understand after living so long with such a small town mentality, that the thought of more people moving into “Your Town” could be a hard thing to adjust to. None the less, the host was very welcoming there. Note:  There was no showers so we took  “sink showers” which is basically washing yourself down in the bathroom with a rag. I have no problem with this, but it Jeffrey City it was FREEZING- NUMBING actually. We watched the Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on a projector in the gym of the church, it was kind of cool watching Wizard of Oz there because when you went outside, it was like a storm very similar to the one Dorothy Went through- including the desolate atmosphere with the big sky that swallows you. It was too similar. I needed to go to sleep. And that I did.

Dubois, was REFRESHING! The ride to the Dubois was a little rough around the edges, I remember I just was not feeling it that day. However, I made it there and it was wonderful! We went Square Dancing! I had the greatest partner, he was an older man originally from up state New York but, after a visit to the west with his wife they moved to Dubois and never looked back. I square danced with him and his family (you need 8 people in a square). And let me say I think I did a great job! I wore my thrift store 26 dollar cowboy boots and danced until I sweat.

The next day was JACKSON HOLE! Thoughts on Jackson Hole, well the Tetons are beautiful, and riding next to them was surreal. Yes, Jackson Hole is beautiful but very touristy, I thought I was in the western part of Disney world the way the town is structured along with all the foreigners that worked in every store. I wouldn’t call it civilization; I would call it a theme park trying to be civilization. Beautiful, just over sold. However, the experience there was awesome. We stayed at the Episcopal Church there and they had a youth room with a big TV, Couches, and a plethora of movies. It was so great to just sit there and watch movies, eat ice cream and relax (on our off day there). Don’t Panic! I did not waste my whole day doing that; I just did it towards the evening. I ventured through the streets of Jackson, littered with over priced outdoor stores, coffee shops, and antique stores.  Oh Jackson, it’s in a hole, that means we had to get out of the hole the next day… on to Yellowstone

I couldn’t wait to start this day. “Day 2 Bianca” would have cried before even seeing the mountain-but, this was “Day 40 Bianca,” she wanted to get to the top of that mountain. I reached out to my friends and family for support before I started the day. The overwhelming response of text messages, e-mails, calls, and messages on facebook pulled me through. I know I am an advocate of action speaking louder than words, but words have their weight and on this day they weighed a ton. I could not stop biking, I had too many people rooting for me, too many people who believed I could do it, stopping was not an option.

The first 20 miles were flat. It was the most stressful flat I have ever encountered. There was a vast land of fields around us and ahead of us on that one road were the mountains. Which one was I going to climb? It was a cloudy day, cold, I was so anxious to bike, to push.

This was my mind:

Riding to those mountains was like in the Lord of the Rings The Return of the King (3), the last scene when the horses are running to Mordor, towards that evil tower eye sitting in the sinister mountains. I kept pretending that I was in a modern day version of it. I needed to prevail, get to the top, finish.  By no means am I the fastest rider, I am usually last, especially on climbs, but I get there…. maybe that is why I compare myself to the underdog characters like Frodo and Sam, or Rudy, they might be the last but, they have heart. You have to have heart.  – Yeah, you have to have heart. That’s it. That is the key. You can be the fastest biker, the strongest person, but with those talents if you don’t have heart, then well, it’s a waste isn’t it? Heart is what fuels the mind and body to keep pushing when those entities have been exhausted. The passion in the eyes of a person who puts heart in their task, is quite unmistakable. You can see the hunger they have to accomplish their mission, their stubborn will to keep going. It is a fantastic feeling when you are in a terribly challenging situation and your heart won’t let you stop. That is what happened to me going up that mountain.

I put myself in a low gear, braced myself, and wouldn’t stop. This may be inappropriate in a way, but what the hell- for some reason beyond my sane comprehension I thought of my mother and father waiting for me at the top of the hill, in perfect harmony. When this thought came into my mind I started to cry. All of my years having divorced parents and not once did I ever even try to imagine them standing next to each other without being bothered by the others presence. Oh what a great thought! What an impossibly ridiculous apparition I formulated in my mind. This is how I knew my mind was wearing down as my climb continued. I thought to myself “I must be crazy, I wonder if it’s the altitude.”

On to the next thought- Uncle George, Aunt Chikkie, Aunt Lisa, Aunt Terri, Cara, John, Carol, Vicky, Bobby, they are all at Aunt Chikkies house and I am there too, we are all having dinner and small talk and oh how I miss them! I tried to imagine what my Uncle George’s face would look like when I told him I made it to the top, I couldn’t. I could only think of all the smart ass remarks he could possibly say, or how he always says “Chikkaayy could you get me….. (fill in the blank)” I missed that. I continued to think of my family, Allison, Christina, Robby, Scotty, Jimmy, Isabella, Dad, my Uncles and my Aunt Elaine. “Robby, you there? He is around the corner Bianca, go to the next switch back, he is there, Robby I know you are there” I was talking to myself halfway through the mountain, I started to see snow around me…  After this my mind was the repetitive thought of “Deep Breathe In- and then I would say in a a release of breathe-“ I love you I love you I love you.” It was a low whisper, a release of the inhale. I was talking to everyone when I said this because I wanted everyone to know that I did love them. Nonina, my grandmother, I would tell her “ti voglio bene” I thought of Pavorotti, making cookies, cleaning up the garden, driving with her. Memories kept flashing in my mind.  I kept saying I love you, there was something comforting about it. It was even more comforting knowing that I would write this all down for all to read, so they would know that I thought of them on this ride, on this mental and physical battle.

I thought of Holy Angels, Bri, Sam, Brielle, Kat Palazzato, Amanda, Appollonia, Serafina. Oh how I thought of Serafina! After I diminished the thought of my parents harmoniously waiting I replaced it with my best friend Serafina waiting at the top. I couldn’t wait to get to her. “SERA! I am coming you impatient son of a bitch” yup. I said that aloud, because if she was waiting there, she would be impatient for sure.

There was also a point where I tried to get myself really mad, so it could fuel me. I thought of lost friends, those who have wronged me, those who have left me or scorned me and yeah, it got me mad. And then there was the biggest smile across my face…. Because all of those people well, suck. I couldn’t care less at that point, and even now, about what the hell happened because I just biked my ass from Baltimore to Cheyenne, soon to be Saratoga Wyoming- then onto PORTLAND! I wasn’t going to stop there and I am never going to stop doing what I am doing, or being me. So at that moment I decided they were no longer worth thinking about, worth even giving them a moment on my mountain. Finito.

Just as I made the last turn I looked up a saw a figure jumping up and down at the top. It was Chey, although at the time I pretended it was Serafina. I couldn’t believe I made it. I couldn’t believe it was the top…. I thought… I thought there would be more? Wow that wasn’t so bad… I mean don’t get me wrong, it was painful, but hell I thought it would be a lot worse. I suppose in the end, it was all in my head.. as usual.

Another thing that this trip gave me was a positive attitude, or learning how to deal with my against and turn into a positive quickly. Also- I have thought about this a lot and I have realized I am one of those crazy american italians… the ones that I make fun of. Being away from all of them, has made me more into one. My emotions are on my sleeve: I am happy, I am sad, I am mad, I am dancing, singing, and everyone knows it.  My life is an opera.

Furthermore, I am reading a book by Beppe Severgnini, a native Italian who has a knack for whittly pointing out the inner workings of the Italian mind. The book is called “La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind.” The more I read it the more I can’t stop laughing and comparing myself and my family to it (especially my aunt natalie and my Nonina, along with Vilma). There is this one sections called the “psychology of the stoplight” that I cannot get out of my mind because it is so spot on. Severgnini describes how Italians have rules that are relative, they are not simply “the law.” For example, Severgnini describes-

“When Italians see a stoplight, their brain percieves no prohibition (Red! Stop! Do not pass!). Instead they see a stimulus. OK, then. What kind of red is it? A pedestrians about this early. That means it’s a negotiable read; it’s a ‘not-quite red.’ So we can go. Or is it a red at an intersection? What kind of intersection? You can see what’s coming here, and the raid is clear. So it’s not a red, it’s an ‘almost red,’ a ‘relative red.’ What do we do? We think about it for a bit and then we go.”

I do not do this with red lights, but I do this with everything else. Everything is Relative, this rule I learned from Ally in highschool. I may have always followed it, but not being in denial about my mental state made my life easier.

Sometimes in the morning when I ride I pass by houses and I think of my Father’s home in Asbury. How I would wake up in the morning sit on the couch and watch cartoons as my dad makes some sort of shake, Charlie Ray comes in with a dozen bagels- even though there are still left overs from the day before…. bagels and locks are made and then Peppino, JP’s dog comes out with a shrilling yell, the morning lullaby has been stabbed with the bark of this 10 inch dog. However, I miss it.

Staying in their Home made me feel like I was home. It is a hard feeling to describe- how much you appreciate staying in one place as opposed to living out of a bag. It was like for a moment the bike ride stopped and everything was at peace. Julia and I had the greatest conversations with Randy, everything from bonding about divorced parents, to celebrity gossip, thoughts and feelings about the trip. It was like talking with one of my Aunts from back home. My Aunts are all characters and within each of their personalities there is something I would like to take a piece of, and just like my Aunts, I wanted to take a piece of Randy’s personality. She had lived a full life, and she keeps living it. She has her own interests and business- in this way she is independent and at the same time she is with Kit, a man whose life according to Randy has been more than adventurous but also humble and giving, her relationship with him is co-dependent when it comes to support. Their relationship to me was perfect. Different interests and up-bringing but they respect their differences and their foundation is based on the underlying basic beliefs they share. I loved being at their home and in their presence. That night after dinner Kit came home with ice cream for Julia and I… it was awesome. You would think on this trip that I would be in shape or lost weight, but since I always make it a point to have ice cream in every town I visit, this is not the case… haha.

The next morning Randy and Kit left Julia and I a donation for ourselves, it was instructed that it was for us to use to treat ourselves in Boulder and to have fun. So.. (I’ll get to this).. when I was in Boulder I bought an awesome t-shirt from a thrift store with a donkey on it and some post cards to send home. Thank You Randy and Kit for giving me a family away from family, even if it was only for one night.

We also saw cows, lots of cows because there were feeding farms. This is where they have cows for endless miles in a confined area and they feed them until they are fat enough to ship off and make it to your dinner plate. Blunt? Yes. True? Yes. You read about the treatment of cows and such all the time in the books and documentaries and the crazy vegans, but when you pass on a bicycle through these feeding farms you are sickened because you just past all this beautiful vast land of grass and then you seen this endless dirt pinned area of cows and an unfortunate stench. I wanted to get off my bike and cut down the fence and have the cows storm the open range. I kept screaming “FREE WILLY!” granted, they were cows and not killer wales, but they have the same black and white color…

Moral of this post:

The age of a person is not an accurate scale of their strength. It is their spirit that determines the person they are, and their spirit is fostered by the village that supports them. Abby, has a village like none other. Paralleling my experience to hers, I can say that my team is my village and as a result I have been able to come this far. Cheers to Abby, Cheers to her village.

* This money was actually put towards the work on my bicycle – It was discovered that I completely bent the frame.

Today my dedication involves 3 people, appropriate for such a big day. The first 2 are a couple, Steve and Penny and the other is Stefanie. Steve is fighting colon cancer and Penny is his wife doing all she can to help him battle. It is never just the person with the illness who is fighting. Stefanie Worked with my older sister Jennifer and she beat breast cancer. She really showed her determination and kept living through her treatment by working and continuing her life. A true inspiration!

We knew today would be tough so Tom, Vanessa and I headed out right when we finished the cheer. I love the early morning smell out here. It reminds me a lot of visiting my parents when we were young in Michigan and the way that the morning and evenings there smelled. We really kicked up our speed a notch and covered 70 miles before noon. Soon after that stop we had a bump in the road when Tom had a little tumble. As he said just lost focus for a second, hit my bike tire, and was on the ground. He ended up just having some bumps and bruises but finished the day strong. Tom and I did well working together with the strong wind today. It got very hot and tough in the afternoon.

Upon arriving to the host, I was in desperate need to do laundry. I went down to Cea and got all clean. Man probably only one more wash on the road. Crazy.

Our host had a wonderful dinner with salad, chicken, veggie burgers, fruit and pasta. It was such a good summer post ride meal. Really amazing. I had some long conversations on the phone today. All kinds of planning to do. I just need to try and stay in the moment.

Now after a long day another tough one is tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing my Uncle Jim in Tahoe.

Roll on!

Megan

Riding into Benklemen was a hard, long, windy and hot. We had a water stop almost every ten miles. This day is blurred to me because of the heat. I just remember the thought of “keep peddling.” Yes it was flat but the heat and the endless roads, roads where all you see is more road. There is no city to set your eye on as a goal, just more roads, more corn, more land, and more sky. The only thing that denotes human existence are the telephone lines and the road- and the occasional car.

Funny Moment: When coming into Benkleman, Brain missed the HUGE sign that said “Welcome to Benkleman” and kept peddling on the road. Chris Lipinski and Arvin had to rush up to him to get him to turn around..oh Brian.

In Arapahoe we had host families and I was fortunate enough to stay with Carol Jean. An older woman, who reminded me of a mixture of my Aunt Natalie and Gran (Mary Lou). Aunt Natalie in a way because Carol Jean was very active and still kept up her farm (Aunt Natalie has her victory garden and is a great swimmer!) and like Gran because she made ice tea the same way- heating up a pot and then chilling it in the refrigerator. Let me say a few things about the Farm- IT WAS HUGE, IT WAS PITCH BLACK AT NIGHT, and It had cows! It was a great experience. Ally, Jenna, and I stayed at the farm, it was about 15 minutes outside of town.

Funny Moment:

When we were getting together with our hosts Carol Jean comes up to us and says: “Hey girls, you will be staying with me out in the country..” Ally and I looked at each other at this moment and Ally proceeded to say to me “I thought this was the country… (referring to the town of Arapahoe)”- we were wrong, that was NOT the country at all compared to the 15 minute drive to the farm.

In the morning Carol Jean made us Waffles! I then proceeded to spend the day in the Library securing hosts in Montana and Wyoming. It was a very productive day. I like sitting down and getting work done. I am in my element when I am trying to attain a host or food donations. I came from a family of entrepreneurs and business people, I think of them and their ways and just go for it. I really really love the prospect of winning over a stranger. I have learned this about myself on this journey.

At the library I made great friends with the people there and even ordered lunch with them, it was not your typical quiet library, it was more like the place some of the people come and sit and talk about the little things in town, it was great.

As I was coming down a small “bump” of a hill and peddling to get ready for the next hill ahead I was speaking with ally next to me and as I turned my head to look in front of me I saw Katie slow down, as to stop and pull a little to the left, – Ally being to my left also swerved to the left around Katie and I swerved to her right. When I came around her I thought I was clear to keep pushing, but- there was Arvind completely stopped on the side of the road next to another rider (I can’t remember). There was no stopping me from going into him. All I can remember is his face, even that I can barely describe. The next thing I remember is the blow and then the gravel. My helmet slide in front of my face down covering my forehead down and pressed against my nose. I felt the gravel pushing against my helmet. I could not tell you where my legs or arms were but I knew I was off my bike sliding on my head. When I finally came to a full stop I remember opening my eyes and looking down ahead of me, peoples feet were running towards me, they were off their bikes. The immediate response I had was crying, someone was holding my hand, the first thing I heard was “Bianca, don’t worry you still look good, there is only a small scratch!” I thought for a second my Aunt Lisa was there because I couldn’t believe the first thing someone said to me my face was okay- actually if she was there she would have already been calling a plastic surgeon for the scratch on my chin. I literally said “I don’t care about my face, Where is ally?” Ally, was in front of me holding my hand and explained to be “We thought your face was ripped off with that fall Bianca, your face looks surprisingly good.” Yes, she is an honest one. After she said that she checked my teeth, nothing was noticeably chipped, however I did chip a really small piece of one my bottom teeth, it’s just a little more jagged than before. Steve, the director of my ride came over -” Bianca I am checking you for a concussion, I am going to need to touch your face”- the story behind this is the fact (thanks to Aunt Lisa) I really don’t like it when people touch my face, because you do not know where their hands have been and your face is bionafied personal space, it’s the first thing people see and gain -a shallow- but real first impression: you do not want people touching it. Needless to say I really did not care if he touched my face at that point. The result was No Concussion, yup no surprise there. If I was able to be whitty enough to think about my Aunt Lisa while people were discussing my face I would hope that I would forget about that during a concussion.

The Ambulance showed up and they patched up my arm, face, and fingers. I refused to be driven via ambulance to the hospital and instead just went in one of our support vans. Nate and Alex were driving the water van that day and they immediately came to take me. Ally was right behind me making sure I was going to the Hospital, whether I wanted to go or not she was making sure I got there. Any questions, concerns, or things that needed to be said- Ally said them for me. When I was in the car I was crying because I wanted to be back on the ride.

Me: I just really want to be riding, I should have rode.

Ally: Yeah you are right, your so weak.

Me: ALLY! What the hell?

Ally: Well if you are going to say ridiculous things so am I.

This is Ally Gilmartin.

When we got to the hospital, it was empty. I know you think I am joking. But seriously, it was empty. We came through the emergency room doors to find the front desk was closed? It was like a movie. We walked down the third hallway and finally found some people…. Obviously I was their numero uno patient- because I was arguably their only patient. This was the first time I ever had to go to the hospital. The nurses were great, the doctor as well (they called him in from the town). I got x-rays and a scan of my head (so cool)- nothing was wrong! Well, physically nothing was wrong but I am sure a psychologist would argue differently…..

In sum this was the damage (starting from my head down to my toes)

-headache, and sore spots on my head (sore near the forehead and the lower back of my skull near my ears)

-muscle spasms in my neck-shoulders (this was the following day)

-Face: my nose was a little swollen and bruised (as if my nose didn’t look Italian enough…) with a little scrape (very small). On the right side of my face on my chin there was a circular open wound scrape, nothing deep but noticeable. I have been applying neo-sporen everyday- it’s looking good.

- left arm: scraped near the elbow with huge raised bruise, forearm was bruised as well

-right arm: on the upper part of my arm there was deep tissue bruising which made it hard to lift things with that arm for a little

* really it was my arms that hurt the most after the fall. I was very very lucky to have my helmet on, and that it slide forward protecting my face. Further more I was wearing my rain jacket which was scraped up as well, if I had not been wearing it I would probably have had more scrapes on my chest, stomach, and arms.

After all of this I get to say that I had a really badass fall. I also want to give a shout out to Arvin, the rider that I hit that day and whose wheel I killed. He was not hurt thankfully and he was a really great sport about me crashing into him. Many people could have been really mad about it, but he was not, he just rolled with the punches and I thank him for his support and attitude.

“Glenda the Good Witch” – We were in Kansas, so we made Wizard of Oz references.

“Lions, and Tigers, and Bears Oh My!”

“Shake it”- dance off challenge

“Jelly?”- long story

“you can do anything you put your mind to”

“Whip it, Whip it good”-musical lyric

“Moo (arrow towards cows)”

At the end of the day we cleaned out the van, showered, got new oil in the car, and sat down to a great dinner thanks to the Annunciation Catholic Church in Frankfort. The company was great and so were the Hamburgers, especially the ones marinated in French Soup.

The ride into Lawrence was literally a bumpy one. There was about 30 miles of gravel to push across. However, I enjoyed this because not only was the road practically deserted, it allowed our groups to ride together. So it was just the whole lot of us (the majority) just riding through the gravel. There was the occasional dog chasing us down…. (there are lots of dogs in Kansas.) However, we got through it. I dedicated this day to Aaron Owens. Aaron was a friend of the life guard at the community pool in Paola, he was recently diagnosed with Lung Cancer at the age of 22. I honestly know nothing about him, aside from his diagnoses. However, I know I will probably always think about him, similarly how I always think of Brian, the son of Coralee (in Penn) who passed away at the age of 30. On this trip, I have met many people who are generally older that are diagnosed with cancer, but cancer is creeping up on the youth. In fact it already has- that is why there are organizations like the Ulman Cancer Fund to help that generation gap that is usually looked over when people think of cancer. I would like to give Aaron a good look in the eye and tell him, everything is going to be okay- that he should take everything one day at a time. I cannot stress the power of focusing on ONE thing at a time.

The Arrival:

Lawrence, Kansas can be best described as the “blue dot” in a red state. The streets are filled with vegan sandwich shops, crystal & herbal medicine shops, thrift stores, and the occasional stranger shaking maracas for money…

That being said, it is a beautiful town in Kansas that is full of life.  The minute I got to the host I put my bike away and just walked on to the main street (Massachusetts street) found the first thrift store and played dress up. I was channeling the movie “Pretty Woman.” Coming from the NY/NJ area, thrift stores are the new Betsy Johnson- they are expensive despite the fact  the cloths look crazy. However, in Kansas they are much more realistic about what the prices should be, since the cloths have already been worn. For example I bought a pair of leather cowboy boots for $26.00 and then jean shorts and a t-shirt for $12.00 total. I guarantee if that store was in New York, things would have been different.

We stayed at Trinty Episcopal church where Pastor Rob was very hospitable to us. So much so that he brought movies for us to watch on the projector downstairs. So that night we watched Harry Potter! As the movie ended though, people had already fallen asleep and that means the symphony of snoring began.

There are a few people on this trip who like to snore. There is Brandon, Clayton, Steve, Brain, and occasionally Chris Lubas. It was recently suggested that their locations of sleep should be announced so people can properly place themselves away from their musical sleeping ensemble. I agreed with the statement but at the same time, similar to how I have gotten used to climbing hills, I have gotten used to their symphony of sleeping.

When we hit the entrance to the Teton National Park, we split into smaller groups to account for the increased traffic in the park and started riding in beside mountains covered with forests and lakes that stretched on for miles. Lots of great photo opportunities as we went on and we all stopped many times before lunch to take advantage of those.

At the lunch break, we had the option of riding through a “dangerous” section with traffic and limited guardrails or getting shuttled 30 miles past that section. The park rangers had OK’d us riding through, so a couple of groups went for it. I decided to shuttle and went in the first group with Jenna and Ashley. As soon as we sat down in the van, I succumbed to the air conditioning and fell right asleep. When I woke up, the water van told us they just took us up a mountain and so we had 21 miles of downhill followed by flats left. Great news.

We ride up about a half mile and…find a sizable uphill waiting for us. Well, maybe we had just a bit of mountain left to climb. An hour later, we had been steadily climbing hills that didn’t seem to have any matching downhills. We’re in the process of climbing yet another hill when the water van pulls up to us and motions to stop. They say: “You guys have been going the wrong way!” We ask: “When’d we miss a turn?” Their reply: “Right when we dropped you off, about 10 miles back. You guys didn’t have to climb these mountains. Get in the van, you guys deserve it.” I guess we made up for the distance and uphills we skipped by shuttling.

An hour and half later, we were back at where we started. This time, we took the turn and enjoyed 21 miles of downhills followed by flats with a bump every now and then. Much better. When I got there, I felt like taking a quick nap, so I hopped in the back of the 15-passenger van. Apparently, people were leaving for the showers, so when I woke up, I found myself 30 minutes away from our campsite with none of my stuff, laying in the back of a van. Said oh well and went back to sleep. The next time I woke up, I was back at camp. Everything turned out ok. Not only that, our dinner crew had already prepared rice, beans, and chicken skewers marinated in Italian dressing. We followed that up with some smores and then went to sleep.

Woke up the next morning to the coldness of camping outside. Embraced the rest day and tried to sleep in. When I decided I couldn’t take the cold anymore, I got up and checked my watch. 9:30 AM. Eh, that’s late enough. A couple of people were heading to the diner for hot breakfasts and ice cream, so I tagged along. Had a cinnamon roll and a scoop of ice cream. A couple of people were leaving to go bike Yellowstone, but I was still hungry, so I stayed with Ally and Ashley who were going to a cafeteria for lunch.

The van said they’d be back in an hour, so we grabbed some sandwiches and checked out the gift store. An hour later, the van was nowhere to be found and we had no cell phone service. Cool…just a couple miles to walk back to camp in an unknown direction. So we waited a little longer. And waited. After we decided that we didn’t want to spend the whole day sitting outside the Yellowstone cafeteria, we started walking. Fortunately, there were signs back to camp. Along the way, Ally decided to come up with a buffalo song, which she used to lure a buffalo out of the forest. Next, she managed to find an elk and bring that out. All we had left to find were wolves and bears. I’m happy to say we didn’t encounter any of those. After walking an unspecified number of miles, the minivan happened to pass us on the road. Hopped in and asked for a ride to the nearest source of water.

We ended up at the general store next to the boathouse so Ally, Ashley, Mo, Valerie, Julia, and I rented a motorboat and went for a ride around Yellowstone Lake. It was a nice refreshing ride, quite reminiscent of my days in crew. When we got back to camp, all the people who’d gone biking were still out, so we started on dinner. Those of us who were there took the supplies we had (green peppers, potatoes, carrots, and ground beef) and started up a fire, took some aluminum foil, and started grilling. We had a good time and the food turned out alright. Everyone else ended up getting back around 9 so that was when dinner happened. A pretty good day enjoying the outdoors.

The second half of the day didn’t have too many surprises either, and when I say surprises, I mean water stops. Luckily, everyone in our group had a camelbak and thus no problems with water, but some people were definitely riding the hate train about not having a break. Getting through the last stretch was hard, but the best thing about the ride to a rest day location is knowing that you don’t just have one night to sleep, you have a night to sleep and a whole day to explore the city (or sleep more).

We stayed at the Grand Ave United Methodist Church right in the middle of Kansas City. We first went to the Hope Lodge in Kansas City (unfortunately, our last Hope Lodge for this trip) where we prepared a dinner of pasta with marinated chicken and veggies. I ate dinner with a woman named Tracy and her family. Tracy was originally from a part of Kansas around 50 miles north of Kansas City and came down to be treated for leukemia. I was glad to hear that her treatment was going well and to see how supportive her entire family was, including her mother who was also staying there to support her. We talked about her son, who had just been at a golf tournament earlier in the day, and how they were going to celebrate later that night with some ice cream. Tracy also asked about what high school I went to and we found out that her college roommate actually went to the same school as me. Small world, huh? I told Tracy that I would dedicate my ride the day after the rest day to her and the best for her treatment.

Also at the Hope Lodge, I had fun solving a 1,000 piece puzzle of the D.C. cherry blossom festival with a couple other patients. It’s been a long time since I did one of those, but it was a lot of fun. We also met Leroy, a really cool guy who shared his personal stash of chicken sandwiches with some of us and showed us cool card tricks. After we left, it was also Ashley’s birthday that night, so most of the people on our ride came together to give her a great night around Kansas City.

On our rest day, we all started out by going to the library and putting a solid 2.5 hours into catching up on blogging. A couple of us biked up to a coffee shop called Happy Gillis to pick up some breakfast first and we had some great homemade  food. The Kansas City Library is a beautiful place, around five stories tall with a movie vault on the ground floor and a life-size chess game on the roof. Of course, we played a round of “speed” chess before we went out to explore the city.

Our first destination was the City Market, a pretty quiet collection of shops filled with all kinds of delicacies. I stopped by a tea shop and picked up a cup of bubble tea. Other people went to an Italian deli where they were selling sandwiches with fresh deli meat and fresh mozzarella balls. From the bite I had of Chris L.’s sandwich, it was delicious. I would’ve gone and bought another one for myself, but knowing that our host was providing us with chicken and rice tacos made me hold back. I still kinda wish I had gone and had a mozzarella ball though. Before we left, Brian spotted a local produce market where they were selling boxes of mangoes for $5 each. Such a good deal. We couldn’t resist, so we got a box with about 16 mangoes.

After dinner, a couple of us really wanted to explore more of the city and get some good photos, so we biked deeper into the city, eventually hitting the World War I memorial. I’ve got some pictures of that which I’ll put on facebook eventually. Had a lot of fun in Kansas City, even if it is a bit smaller of a city than the big metropolitan cities we have on the east coast.

The riding that day wasn’t too difficult physically—we traveled downhill almost the entire way from Lolo Hot Springs to Kooskia, pedaling at a steady pace of 18 or 19mph. Once again, however, I found myself getting stuck in a negative mental space. I couldn’t stop from looking at my odometer to see how many more miles I had, I couldn’t help but focus on whether the person behind me was getting too close—was I pedaling too slow? When I saw a small hill, I would brace myself, tell myself I needed to pedal harder, pedal harder, no pedal harder! It’s funny what our minds can do, how relative everything is… Any other day those small hills would have been nothing.

When I could feel myself getting stuck in these negative, demanding mental spaces, I tried to step back. To think about my friends and family members at home. To think about everyone who donated to my fund. To think about why I was doing this. To remember that it is not how fast or how hard I pedal that matters. No, what is more important is that I take the time to enjoy every second of every ride, to enjoy the thrill of being alive and healthy. To carry the spirit of those who have fought or are currently battling cancer—to take it one moment at a time, one pedal at a time.

And so I began to look around me, to take everything in that I could. I stared at the gorgeous pine trees lining the river canyon we were riding through (we were following the same trail that Lewis and Clark took—amazing!). I began to notice how many different shades of green there were. How the green was even made of other colors depending on the light—blue, purple, yellow, brown. I began to think about the fact that people hundreds of years ago had stared at these very same trees. Incredible! A few days ago, Bilqis shared with me something she had read on the side of the road about Lewis and his journey. She told me that before Lewis died, he wrote in his journal that he had come to the realization that all that mattered in life was to find joy and happiness in every day. I thought about this as I followed Lewis’ very same path into Kooskia. And I found that with my mind focused on things other than biking, my pace quickened and the miles went by without me even noticing. It was like I had found some secret haven in my own mind and I was so excited to have found it.

At dinner in Kooskia that night, I met a woman from the congregation named Rose. Rose was born with cerebral palsy and was told that she would not likely live past 28. She sat next to me that night, healthy and with a smile on her face—she is over 60 years old. Over dinner she told me that 15 years ago she also battled brain cancer, undergoing radiation therapy in Spokane, Washington. She recently underwent another surgery. All the time that I talked to her, I could not help but be amazed by her incredibly strong, bright spirit. Rose told us her story with a smile on her face, telling me how lucky she was to be healthy and alive today, how amazed she was by what we were doing and how grateful she was for our efforts. She woke up early the next morning to join us for our dedication circle, even bringing us homemade jam and a jar of peanut butter for our breakfast.

I put Rose’s name on my calves the next morning and was thinking of her as we started up the major climb up to Grangeville, ID on our way out of Kooskia. When the demanding voice in my head started to tell me to go faster, to push harder, when I began to check the mileage and think about how much more I had to climb, I thought of Rose. I thought of the fact that Rose is unable to walk, confined to a wheelchair. I thought of how much she would cherish even being able to use her legs to bike at all—regardless of how fast or how hard she went. I thought of her encouraging words and knew she would not care how fast I went up the hill. She would be proud of us all and she would want us to enjoy every second of the ride.

I am so glad to have met Rose. For the rest of the trip, I will think of her and her smile when I need to be reminded to find joy in the small moments.

The toughest part would have to be just dealing with the day to day stuff away from the team. We’re so close to California, and I feel like I’m missing out on some good experiences.

Despite all of this, we’ve had a memorable couple of days. We spent Wednesday in Eureka, Nevada. We had an amazing dinner hosted by Cindy Adams and other members of the community. It was the best tasting meal I’ve had in recent memory. The next morning we had amazing breakfast burritos at a little restaurant called The Pony Expresso. Cindy arrived and gave me some colorful gauze wrap, which was nice because I was always running low on it.

The circle-up in the morning was one of the most emotional on the trip thus far. Earlier we learned that Cindy’s mother Cecile was battling cancer, and we wrote her letters of encouragement that she could look over and know that we were thinking about her during her fight. When Cindy accepted the letters, she began to cry, and she shared more about her mother and her fight. It took me a moment to realize that I was tearing up, as were others. I composed myself until the circle was over, but it was hard when I overheard Cindy talk about how hard it will be to lose her mother. I love my mom more than anything, and being gone for so long, I miss her like crazy. I can’t fathom life without her.

Cindy was very brave when she spoke about her mother, and the kindness that she showed towards us really demonstrates how well Cecile has raised her. Cindy said Cecile will come home August 5th, and on the 6th she is eager to show her the news of our arrival in San Fran. When I get back on the bike in the next few days, I plan to ride for Cecile.

This moment came at an interesting time for me. Not riding has made me feel a little detached from everyone, even though everyone is being wonderful- always checking up on me, not minding my naked butt in the bathroom as I redress my scrapes, etc. Also, it’s tough to be so close to California and have to deal with these desolate stretches between towns in Nevada. All this resulted in a loss of focus. However, hearing Cindy speak really touched me, and reminded me what this trip is all about. She ended with the line, “I don’t know you, but I love you.” For her honesty and her kindness, we love you too Cindy.

Much love,
Val

Every year campers get to make a tile to hang up in the art room.

4k’ers inside the huge teepee that the camp has.

After our visit to the camp, we had a short 30 mile ride to Lolo Hot Springs that I dedicated to all the kids at the camp. I was inspired by the happiness and joy I saw in their faces even though they are currently struggling with cancer. I want to have that same positive attitude as I continue my challenging trek to Portland.

After breakfast we circled up and the owner of the diner Corvin and another community member that set up the 2 meals in Eureka for us, Cindy, joined us. Her mother is battling cancer and will return home next week to celebrate the remainder of her time with her loved ones. Cindy really brought a special gift to us today with her emotion and love she showed. She told us to do all we can and that she does not know us but she loves us. The emotion in her voice and her words of inspiration just drew the emotion out of me. This morning was a strong reminder of what we are doing and again how we are relating to people. We were a group of people just at the right time for her to show there are so many people supporting people like her, trying to make a difference. I am so glad we could be there for her to give her a little light in this very dark time. I hope this light can help celebrate her mothers life a little more and show thanks.

Today my dedication goes out to Doug. He is the brother of Marv Ennis, a very dear friend to our family and was just recently diagnosed with cancer. Doug has also rode a bike across the country and has shown support in our journey. Again cancer does not discriminate and other than the medicine, people just need love and understanding. It is a scary battle and every day I have learned a little more how much that really means. We are praying for you Doug.

The ride today was not bad to start out. It was much of the same with small climbs and valleys, with one big 10 mile climb at the end. The weather was pretty good all day with sunshine and the mountains were very beautiful in the distance. It was very entertaining at water stops to see the impersonations of each other. That is a fun thing about this group. We can poke fun and have a good time and people do not get upset. Definitely a positive with a group this large.

We made it to the host at the Austin Baptist church and it is a very small town. The showers are at the pool across the street and we have a dinner at the host of lasagna. Tonight we may even watch a group movie other than that I plan to study and then maybe start some warm and fuzzys. These are letters we are writing to each other to read when the trip is over. Just common experiences and thanks to fellow riders. It will be very fun to write, as well as to read letters to me from the 26 other riders. Until tomorrows 110 day!

Roll on!
Megan