Dear I4K,I think Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros put it best:"Moats and boats and waterfallsAlleyways and pay phone callsI've been everywhere with youLaugh until we think we'll dieBarefoot on a summer nightNever could be sweeter than with youAh, homeLet me go homeHome is wherever I'm with you"This summer has been the most incredible summer of my life! We have grown into one big, quirky, dysfunctional but amazing family. It's been an awesome trip, spending time with all of you biking across this great nation. We've struggled through mountains and headwinds and enjoyed it nonetheless. Every one of you is amazingly dedicated, talented, and I can't wait to hear about your continued adventures. As great as it is to be back home with family and friends, I already miss you guys and I know I'll have trouble adjusting back into normal society. Take care and stay in touch!I4K, we made it all the way :)
How the West was Won
We've finally made it into Oregon! At this point in time, we've only got California to go through (although we'll be hopping between Washington and Oregon for the next few days).Our time from South Dakota through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho was incredible. Wyoming was absolutely beautiful, and our experience climbing the 20 miles up the Big Horns was excellent. Afterwards, we enjoyed a massive downhill and an easy day into Cody, WY. My 4th of July was cut a bit short by a sudden bout of sickness, and the team decided to make Cody, WY the rest day instead of Yellowstone, and I ended up staying in Cody the day afterwards because a few of us were still not feeling well. I rode through Yellowstone the second day, and it was beautiful, if very touristy.Montana was a pleasant experience as well. We had mountains everywhere and despite some difficult climbs, the mountains, lakes and forests we passed through were beautiful. Our rest day in Missoula was excellent, starting off with a group of us that left early and raced to Missoula to catch the final game at 12:30pm.After Missoula, we headed into Idaho, which was amazing as well. The climb up through Lolo Pass was a lot of fun (despite some headwinds), and the descent continued for nearly 2 days, through almost 100 miles of winding roads following a river and forest. We got a chance to bathe in some hot springs, relax in the very refreshing river, and enjoy camping and S'mores.The Pacific Northwest has definitely not been what I was expecting. Our first day into Washington was miserable, starting off with a long climb out of Lewiston, ID, and then running into the headwinds that seem to be so prevalent in Washington. Moods didn't improve until 10 miles out of Waitsburg when we hit Dayton, WA and got some snacks and ice cream. The terrain was also not what I was expecting for Washington, we rolled through fields of wheat, rolling hills, and almost desert-like conditions.Today's ride from Waitsburg, WA to Umatilla, OR was great. Scenery changed from wheat fields and hills to giant rocky hills and the Columbia River valley to almost desert-like prairies.I'm still astounded that we'll be in Portland in 3 days and then travelling down the coast into San Francisco. This trip has been so amazing and the team so enthusiastic, fun and dedicated that I'll definitely have I4k withdrawal once I'm back at home. At the same time, I am looking forward to seeing family and friends and resuming a more 'sane' lifestyle, as weird as it will be. But first, let's ride our bicycles!
South Dakota
Our experience in Minnesota was bittersweet. The weather was rather disappointing in the mornings, it often rained all morning until lunchtime. However, after lunch it almost always cleared up and we got beautiful weather riding into town.Our ride into South Dakota was challenging since it was 97 miles in 90 degree heat. We took a pretty comfortable pace throughout, and we got into Sioux Falls around 5:00pm. Greg and I decided to ride another 3 miles to complete a century, and it was a great near-sprint through town to finish the day. After snacks and a meal from the church, Eamon and Jaime managed to get us all free dinners at Cici's. The food was delicious and in huge amounts, and the owner Neil was awesome.In Mitchell, SD we had a chance to visit a cancer clinic. We had the opportunity to see some of the equipment they use to administer radiation therapy, and it was really impressive. It's amazing how much technology goes into administering the treatment. We slept at Mitchell Christian School, in the huge gym. Mary and I were on wake-up and ended up doing it in the form of a morning announcement over the PA system.Today, we rode from Mitchell, SD to Chamberlain, SD. It was a pretty short day with a crosswind, and I had a great time riding with Jordan and Pi, aka the Riders of Brohan. We had great conversation about good fantasy novels, oldschool RPGs, and the prospect of playing D&D. After lunch in Kimball, SD, we stopped multiple times to look at a herd of buffalo running and some huge longhorn bulls. It was pretty majestic to see such huge animals running around in the fields as we were biking. We were greeted with a gorgeous downhill into town, and a view of the hills that we'll soon be going over.
The I4K leaves home
Long time no post...Since leaving the Appalachians, we've gone through the flat plains of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Homecoming in Champaign and Chicago was surreal, it was great seeing friends and family in both places. We had a very generous reception at the Alumni Center on campus, and got to interact with alumni and past riders. In Chicago, our arrival coincided with the Blackhawks celebration parade, making our Millennium Park arrival super busy.The trip has taken on a new dimension since our departure from Chicago. On the morning of our Highland Park departure, we shared our reasons for riding and what we would pledge to do on the ride. It was an incredibly moving experience and we definitely bonded over that experience. We also had a chance to meet with one of our founding fathers, Jon Schlesinger. It was nice to see his perspective on the growth of the organization, and I think we all became a bit more in tune with our cause. We are starting to focus more on the Portraits project, and we've all been trying to stop more along the way in search of portraits.Wisconsin was a surprising state, we were faced with rainy weather and lots of hills. The scenery on the routes to Madison and LaCrosse were absolutely beautiful, and some of the hills we faced were quite steep and a great challenge. I got a chance to visit an awesome co-op in LaCrosse and enjoyed some delicious mango, "squeaky" cheese curds, and other local goodies.Wisconsin was also the start of a delicious new treat for the I4K: bag milk. For those that haven't experienced it, bag milk is basically a half-gallon of milk that comes in a bag and costs only 99 cents. The regular milk is delicious, the 1.89chocolate milk is incredibly rich, and bag milk alone has taken over our rest stops and caused them to become twice as long.We arrived in Rochester, MN the other day, and we're staying at a church across the street from the Mayo Clinic. On Friday, we got a chance to tour the Hope Lodge, which is a place for cancer patients to live if they are receiving treatment and are from out of state or need to be closer to the clinic. It was a beautiful facility and is a completely free service offered by the ACS. We had a chance to interact with lots of cancer patients and their caregivers, and shared lots of great stories.My rest day was quite productive. In the morning, I did a full load of laundry and enjoyed some breakfast. Afterwards, we toured the Cancer Library and Education Center in the Mayo Clinic. A group of us went to an Indian buffet for late lunch, and then some of us went to see Toy Story 3 (excellent movie, I highly recommend it!). Finally, I settled in for the evening to clean my bike, drivetrain, and put on new bartape. I'm excited to ride tomorrow, even though we have an early wakeup and I should already be sleeping. Also, we've got a pretty high chance of thunderstorms tomorrow, but hopefully with an early departure we can outrun the storms :P
Hills
Today we arrived in Gettysburg, PA! It's pretty exciting that 60 mile days are considered our easiest days. Today was the first day of cooler weather, slight drizzles, and mostly rolling hills. We've gotten much better on the hills and we're taking them pretty well even though everyone is sore from the previous rides. I started out in the 2nd group today but unforunately Pi had two flats and we had some chains fall off during the ride. Nonetheless, we got in around 1pm, definitely the earliest arrival all trip. Once here, we split up to get lunch and ask for donations. Kyle, Pi, Max, Michell, and I ate at the Lincoln Diner, all enjoying delicious burgers, and as a team we managed a huge dinner of donated pizza, sandwiches, cookies, chips, etc. Overall, we're been eating very well on the trip so far.Exploring Gettysburg was fun, there were some cool pocket watches and other trinkets in the antique shop, and in the hat of Abe Lincoln in the town circle, we found some Oreos! So strange...Tomorrow's ride is 85 miles, and our first taste of mountains. I'm a little apprehensive, but hopefully we can make it in reasonable time :)
April Showers
I grudgingly report that this is a very accurate description of April so far...I had a chance to go on a few training rides this week, and overall they've been good learning experiences. Tuesday's 8am ride was 23 miles, starting off in mid 30 degree weather. Surprisingly, I wasn't terribly cold except for my fingers; I am thinking of investing in some full-fingered gloves. Wednesday's afternoon ride was beautiful weather except for the 20+ mph winds, which are a nuisance to say the least. It sucks when you're pedaling with all your might and only going 7mph. Luckily, very cloud has a silver lining: with a strong tailwind the ride back to campus was awesome.This morning I rushed to the post office when it opened to pick up my new Sugoi bike shorts and Camelbak insulated water bottles before setting out to Allen to meet up with the team. It was drizzling pretty hard when we left for Homer Lake, and continued to do so for the 15 miles to our destination. I was in the front group today, we made good time averaging 18mph for most of the ride there. By the time we got to Homer Lake, my shoes were completely soaked through and I was a bit chilly, but luckily my rainproof jacket performed very well and kept me really dry. Hooray for a good purchase! The ride back was a bit slower, and the sun teased us for most of the trip before Mother Nature decided to pull a late April Fools prank and hailed on us right as we were drying out. All in all, a good ride despite the elements. Now I'm just waiting for those May flowers...