Trek Against Breast Cancer - Our Blog

Pictures will Follow

2007-08-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

We plan to keep our website open for comments, donations & pictures & hope to have pictures posted soon. We have technical problems in posting our pictures. Will try our best to post some if possible. Larry & Lucille have hard copies of all pictures so you're welcome to see those meanwhile.

Last Thoughts

2007-08-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

We are grateful & excited to have been able to make this trip across our beautiful country. It would not have been possible without amazing support.. Our deep thanks to John & Theresa for being incredibly supportive of our desire to make this dream come true. We also appreciate Michael, Gina, Willie, Sam & Stefanie for their enthusium & support. Gina, thanks also to you & Jason for all the hard work on the successful fundraiser. Both families of parents, brothers & sisters, their spouses, nieces & nephews & cousins also supported us all the way. Our friends stayed in close touch & we felt that you were all riding with us. We also appreciate all your prayers that kept us safe. Our thanks to John for being our blogman & made it possible for us to stay in touch with everyone & to David for setting up our website. We appreciate all our generous sponsors who made it possible to raise over $20,000 to help fight breast cancer. You are truly making a difference in so many lives. Our thanks also to ST Bikes for the tremendous discount in helping us geting the bike ready. Our trip was made special by so many people. On the way to Wash. we stayed with Don & Bonnie in Fort Jones, Ca. We were welcomed in Anacortes by Jane, Keith in Sandpoint, Idaho, Melissa & Darcy & Mary & Tasha in Minn. & Augusto & Melina in Depew, NY. Thank you for opening your home & hearts to us & for all the offers of help along the way. You have given us cherished memories. God bless you all - you have touched our hearts.

Blog comments

2007-08-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

Ken - congratulations on your retirement - you earned it & deserve the best
Jeff - the Wisc cheese was a good idea, didn't help the blisters, but tasted great
John - no the blisters weren't there either
Janice - I like the idea of the Giants ball cap, Larry doesn't, but he's not writing
Ruth - thanks for giving us inspiration by example
Maureen - as always, thanks for the laughs
Ya-Ya sisters - you are truly sisters & are much appreciated
Debbie - thanks for all the support
To all others - you made our day every time that you took the time to write - can't tell you how much it helped us & meant to us - thanks so much!!!

Some Places to Return to

2007-08-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

Glacier Park, Montana
3 Corners, Iowa where 3 states meet at the oldest bar in Iowa
New Vienna & Luxenburg, Iowa
Republic, Wash., a historic Western town

Favorite States

2007-08-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

Cleanest - #1 Iowa, 2nd Minnesota, 3rd Indiana
Dirtiest - #1 Montana, 2nd Ohio
Friendliest - #1 Minnesota, 2nd Iowa
Most Dangerous - #1 Ohio, 2nd Montana
Most Patriotic - 4 way tie - Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois & Indiana
Best Food - New York
Most Exciting - New York
Most Beautiful - #1 Washington, 2nd Iowa. 3rd Western Montana

Our Regrets

2007-08-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

Didn't thank a returning Marine vet in Ohio for serving our country. That we didn't eat at Tony's Pizza in Rebublic, Wash. Not putting a wounded deer out of it's misery.

Some Things We Learned

2007-08-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

Going up takes 10x longer than down. Fireflies are fun to watch. Ice ponds look different in the summer. Most grocery stores sell bait. Lake Erie freezes in the winter. We will never run out of corn or soy. The Mississippi River is only 9ft deep in Minnesota. The heartland of America is red, white & blue. Water towers announce the upcoming towns. It's ok to consume 5,000 calories a day if you pedal 8 hrs. Ice cream blizzards are a required food group. Driving slower makes more sense & can save lives & you see more. There are way too many white crosses along our roads. Our legs quaify as lethal weapons. The Minnesota state bird is a mosquito. 10,000 lakes = trillions of mosquitoes. Glacier Park, Montana is incredibly beautiful. Being awake is not required to ride a bike. 9,000 miles of riding on a mens seat doesn't mean it will continue to work. There are no toilet seat covers after Calif. until New York.

2007-08-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Tues., 8/21/07 We originally planned to rent a van to drive into Manhattan. Pedaling in NYC was testing our luck to stay safe. We decided on taking Amtrak to Penn station & ship our bike home. It was a relaxing way to travel.

2007-08-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

8/19 & 8/20 Last day to pedal - we left Silver Creek, NY in cool weather. Rain was predicted, but we were again lucky to pedal our last 40 miles dry. We stopped in Laackwanna for lunch & saw their beautiful Lady of Victory church. We received a warm welcome in Depew by Larry's friend, Gil's in-laws, Augusto & Melina. It was like celebrating the end of our ride with family. They were so good to us & we really enjoyed their hospitality. We had a fabulous dinner follwed a few hours later by great pizza & buffalo wings from the real deal in Buffalo. They are worth a trip to Buffalo. We stayed Sun. & Mon. nights & on Monday Larry & Augusto took the bike & trailer apart & boxed them for shipping. Seeing them boxed was a real visual that the trek was complete.

The End?......I Think Not

2007-08-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

8/23/07 - - Dear friends and family...sorry for the silence. It was with no small amount of joy and "high fives" that Larry and I entered Buffalo and made our way into Manhattan. Please bear with us as I will be posting a wrap-up ("reflections") BLOG once I collect my thoughts and arrive back in San Jose. We fly out tomorrow and arrive tomorrow night - - stay tuned.

2007-08-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

8/18/07 - - We stopped in Erie for breakfast and met Greg. He would love to plan a cross country bicycle trip - - as we chatted, he gave us local info on Erie. Today we had breakfast in Pennsylvania and lunch in New York. It was very exhilarating to finally see the "Welcome To New York" sign. We met Katherine at the state line going the other way into PA. She is bicycling alone and is planning about a 3,000 mile trek into Oregon. Also, at state line we met Dave and Peggy from Philadelphia. They took our pictures and donated to the foundation. As we arrived in Silver Creek, New York, we met sisters Pat and Barbara who are 10 and 2 year breast cancer survivors respectively. They were inspirational....put a lump in my throat.

"F Bombs Drop In Ohio...

2007-08-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

8/17/07 - - Ohio beats Montana which had previously held the record. When we were near Ashtabula, Ohio, we were grazed by a speeding car who deliberately came into our Bike Lane. Larry did an amazing job of just keeping our bike under control. It was our closest encounter......anything closer and one could not call it an encounter. We miss our farmlands - - cities have more drivers on their cell phones and too wrapped up in their own agenda's to extend one ounce of courtesy. We were excited to see the "Welcome To Pennsylvania" sign. We had breakfast in Ohio and lunch in PA. We decided to stay west of Erie in order to avoid the Friday night traffic in the city. We pedalled to a campground and were told the winds were too strong for beach camping. One of their employees, Tim, took us in his golf cart to find a spot away from the beach but all were taken. He spoke to the owner, Brian, who let us camp near a billboard behind a boat. It was great because we used the aft deck of the boat for our kitchen. We enjoyed fresh picked, local corn and tomatoes with dinner. On the route we passed by many acres of grapes and hope to try their wine sometime.

2007-08-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

8/16/07 - - Up and on the road early. We stopped in Perry, Ohio which is considered a "little New England" where we met Beth and Dave and had lunch together. It was nice to meet them and they supported our cause. We stopped at the Perry Fire Department and chatted with their mechanics and used the bathroom. Fire stations are making great rest stops. As we were riding we were joined by a Harley rider and we wished we could have ridden together a little longer.....real nice guy. Our cornfields have been replaced by Dunkin Donut Shops - - a clear sign we closing in on the East Coast. The days are fun and flying by. We stayed in Geneva-On-The-Lake which is right on Lake Erie and looks like a Santa Cruz beach town.

2007-08-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

8/15/07 - - When getting ready to leave Bay Village we met Derrick and enjoyed talking with him. He was very supportive of our ride. We headed towards Cleveland and stayed on route until we got to an industrial area and got lost. We stopped at a Cleveland Fire Department station for directions. They invited us in for sodas, water, Internet use...anything else they could do for us. We were near Jacobs Field Baseball Stadium but we meant to be near our landmark the Cleveland Browns Football stadium. Anyway, the "Fire Guys" got us back on track. Soon we rode past the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Downtown Cleveland was a challenge and Larry did a great job of managing it. We were happy to get out of Cleveland with our skins - - very stressful. We rode along a bike trail along Lake Erie and passed a Blue Angel's plane parked along the lake. Along the way, we met a fellow named DeForest. He was going to get on a bus with his bike but when he saw us, he jumped on his bike and caught up with us. It was a pleasure to have him join us for awhile as he helped guide us to the best route out of the area. DeForest also gave us a donation for the fund. We rode into Wickcliffe and spotted Dominics restaurant which opened in 1939 and decided we wanted some pasta so stopped in. There we met "Big Mick" and Ben. Mick didn't serve pasta so he recommended another Italian restaurant which was great. Ben was also fun to talk with and he took our card so he could promote our cause to some of the 11,000 employees of his company. We decided to get a room this time around and we opened the door to bring in the bike and found there was no bathroom in the room. We went to the office to complain and the lady said "just close your door and you will find it behind the door". Sure enough......I guess we were tired.

2007-08-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

8/14/07 - - We decided to ride a shorter day so that we would stay west of Cleveland at night which was only about 60 miles away. Since it was a shorter day, our GPS told us the Rutherford B. Hayes House and Presidential Museum was only 2 blocks off our route.....we said "lets take the tour" - worthwhile. After a late start, we met Dan and Laurie doing a cross country on their bicycles. They left a month ahead of us but are spending more time in each area. We had seen their comments in the guest register at the Community Center in Monroesville. Their handle is "Crazy Guys on a Bike". It was fun talking with them and we met them again in the next town and had lunch together. Our leisurely day changed when I realized I didn't add up the miles from one of the map pages and we actually had an 80 mile day. We pedalled like crazy fools and got to Bay Village at 9:00 PM. We ordered a Pizza because we were too tired to go anywhere else. Then........"crash city".
NOTE: We did enjoy riding along Lake Erie.

2007-08-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

8/13/07 - - We started out the day with flat tire #9 as we tried to pull out. On the way out of Napolean we went by the Campbell Soup world headquarters. We took pictures of the water tower with the Campbell Soup logo on it. There is also a 3-story can of Tomato Soup there. We stopped in a bicycle shop in Bowling Green to buy more tire tubes, sunglasses for Larry to keep the bugs out of his eyes and a woman's bike seat for me - - what a concept. So far, it's much more comfortable than a man's seat......goodbye blisters? We stayed the night in Fremont, Ohio, near the Sandusky River.

2007-08-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

8/12/07 - - It was nice to cook a full breakfast at the Community Center before we left. 4 miles later we crossed into Ohio. We stopped to take a picture at the "Welcome To Ohio" sign and a young Marine veteran stopped and offered to take a picture of both of us at the sign. He also shared some local information about hunting and cooking turtles. As we tried to cross the bridge into Napolean, Ohio for the night we were stopped by the annual town parade. Even though we are 12' long, they didn't think we were a float so we had to wait for the parade to finish. It was a simple parade but the people supported it as though it were the Macy's New York Thanksgiving Day Parade. We stayed in Napolean and had a great Mexican dinner there - - go figure.

2007-08-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

8/11/07 - - As we began to leave Wabash we were stopped by a man named David who came out of his office when he saw us. He offered us cold drinks and tipped us off to a short cut where we could get out of town while avoiding traffic......nice guy. As we approach each of these small towns we see their water tower with the town name painted on it and there is almost always a cemetary alongside the road. Some of these towns are so small that there are more people in the cemetary than are living in the town. These cemetaries are incredibly well maintained and there are flowers all throughout. We pulled over in Monroeville to spend the night. We met a man named Warren who is a volunteer at their Community Center and he unlocked it for us and said we could stay the night. Air-conditioning, showers, washer/dryer and cots. It was like being welcomed by the whole town. He told us only bicyclists are allowed to stay overnight here and he has had cyclists from 47 states and 16 countries.

2007-08-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

8/10/07 - - We only pedalled 6 miles before it was time to stop for breakfast. We met such nice folks at a diner that we got to chatting and didn't leave until noon. Ooops -- then we had to pedal our brains out to recoup some time. We stopped for ice cream at Royal Center and met a woman who was so excited about our ride that she contacted the local newspaper and did an interview. If it gets published she will send it to us. Indiana is a very bicycle friendly state and the people are very friendly and easy going. We stayed in Wabash and celebrated 2,500 miles with all you can eat pork ribs. Now, I better understand what "pork bellies" are...

2007-08-10T23:57:00.000-07:00

8/9/07 - - Up and in the saddle early...it's clear and cooler. We took Country Road 2400 - - but somewhere along the way it was mismarked and we got off our route. We stopped at a Post Office for directions. An elderly couple who came in after us met us on the road in their car. They turned on their hazard lights and had us follow them into Iroquois which is where we wanted to go in the first place. They even led us to the best place in town for lunch.....which was the Iroquois Inn of course. Excellent - - has been there since the 19th century. The nutritionist tells us we need to put away 5,000 calories per day on this ride.......oh, darn. We crossed into Indiana on a country road. There were no welcome signs but it still felt great. This is our 10th state. We got into Monrovia @ 9:00 PM.
Flat tire count = 8.

2007-08-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

8/8/07 - - Storm was predicted again today but it turned out to be a good riding day except for the humidity. After about 77 miles, we pedalled into the town of
Ashkum, Illinois, where there was no place to stay. Our map said to go to the State Police - - which we did and they called the Mayor of the town who met us at the City Park and unlocked the door to the bathroom for us and said we could camp in the Park. We rode over to a store to get some supplies for dinner and met another biker - a man named Carl. Carl has been on the road for two months now fulfilling a 30 year dream to navigate the US by bicycle. He is recovering from quadruple bypass heart surgery and is thrilled to be able to make his dream come true. Carl put his tent next to ours. At about 3:30 AM the threatened storm came on like she was sorry she was late. We all jumped up and quickly moved our tents and gear over to a snack bar area which had an overhang.......then tried to get back to sleep.

Tar Popping Day.......

2007-08-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

8/7/07 - - It was so hot as we pedalled on blacktop (tar) roads.....and we kept hearing these "popping" sounds. We couldn't figure what in the world.....until it dawned on us that the intense heat had raised bubbles on the tar surface and we were popping them with our tires. So now, we've got gooey, sticky tar on our tires - - so guess what that means? Correct....we picked up every small pebble, twig or bottle cap known to man. Now, another use for the name "Fat Tire". The weather forecast for today was for thunder, lightening, high winds and heavy rain. We had our rain gear ready but never needed it. Soon, we crossed over the Illinois River and decided to stay the night in Wenona. Our trip has 126 map pages and we just finished # 100......hard to believe.

2007-08-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

8/7/07 - - We're off early and pedal past mile after mile of cornfields and soybeans. We have seen these fields (plus wheat and hogs) throughout Minnesota, Iowa and now Illinois. We must feed the world. Great news - - today was redemption day. Larry bought two new baseball caps, one with a Mossy Oak cammo pattern and the other a cammo with the words "Got Beer".
So, it was really lucky that the old cap was lost after all. Most of the homes we see along the way are older, huge and homey......kind of like the Waltons should live there. It is unusual to see a home without an actual flagpole in the front yard flying our flag. Also, we have seen many POW MIA flags flying. It's good to see that veterans continue to be remembered. We ran out of gas about the time we entered Kakanee....so, stayed here for the night.

2007-08-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

8/5/07 - - Although closed on Sunday's, Julia did open her UPS store and gave us the package from Larry's wife Theresa. The package contained a chain, tire tubes and goodies. The day is incredibly hot and humid. We pushed on and eventually crossed the Mississippi (again), this time into Illinois. We were "done" by 7:00 PM. There was not store around so we had salami and crackers from Theresa, some potatoes and made some smores from Gina. Our biggest issue of the day was that Larry lost his Oakland A's baseball cap somewhere about 20 miles back. For those of you who know Larry, you know this is HUGE. Oh well, at least he finally got to see some fireflies.

2007-08-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

8/4/07 - - The day started cool and overcast with showers. Actually, a great day for riding. We set our goal to reach the town of Muscatine which would put us almost on the border of Illinois. We finally arrived at 7:00PM. A re-supply package is waiting for us at the UPS store. Unfortunately, they are closed on Sunday so we called our good friends Val and Bill who own a store in Mesa, Arizona. They called the owner of the Muscatine store, Julia, who offered to go open the store and hand off the package if we would give her a call tomorrow when we are ready. That is so helpful - - otherwise, we lose a day. We appreciate such good friends and the help from strangers we have encountered.
Forgot to mention that at our last stop prior to arriving in Muscatine, we met an 80 year old gentleman who lives alone on 400 acres......invited us to stay at his home for the night but we had to decline as we were still 20 miles from Muscatine, so needed to push on.

2007-08-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

8/3/07 - - We hit the trail early and left Gutenburg - pedalled through Luxemburg, then on through New Vienna. After these three very European towns we pedalled into Dyersville where the film "Field Of Dreams" was filmed. Nice town.....very Americana. We pedalled into Cascade and once we discovered there was no place to camp there, we asked a woman who we met if there was a place nearby. She stated there was not, but her husband is on the Board of Directors for the "American Sportsman" who just happen to own several acres which they use for hunting, camping, etc. She said for us to go there and give them her name and tell them she invited us to stay there. After about 10 miles we found the place...very pretty spot by the water. Once we gave the name of the woman to attendant, we were welcomed with open arms. As we were setting up camp we met Don and Agnes and Danny and Juanita who came from Wisconsin for a family reunion. They were barbecuing for their group and insisted we have dinner with them which we happily accepted. Then, in the AM, they also made us a great breakfast before we pulled out. They are great people - - (heck, I wonder if we can attend their reunion next year?).

2007-08-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

8/2/07 - - We made our own route again to reduce mileage and stay on the river. You can imagine how hilly Iowa is when we got a reading of 51.2 mph going downhill. The "Stoker's" blisters are screaming so I walked about a mile while Larry rode the bike alone. Naturally, he couldn't wait to grab the camera and take a picture of me walking. When I got back on the bike, I asked Larry where the map was and he said it must have come out of the bag when he got the camera. So, he had to pedal back downhill and find - - then pedal back uphill. We pedalled into McGregor and stopped for lunch. Very picturesque little town.
Iowa and Minnesota are certainly red, white and blue states. Most people have American flags on a flagpole and "Support Our Troops" ribbons displayed. However, the temperature is 97 degrees and the humidity is horrible. We are stopping in Gutenburg for dinner and camp.

2007-08-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

8/1/07 - - We loved riding along the Mississippi so we altered our route and stayed on Hwy 61. After awhile we realized that Hwy 61 merges into Interstate 90. Well, that wouldn't work - - no bike lanes and we do not go 65 mph, so we had to get off and talk to locals. Local folks gave us an alternative bicycle route again along the river where we arrived in New Albin, Iowa about 6:00 PM. Since the town of Harpers Ferry was only about 14 more miles, we decided to head there - but due to hills did not arrive there until a little after 8:00PM. There was no place to stay and nowhere to eat so we camped in the City Park and ate sausage sticks, chicken jerky, cheese and bread for a "good night" picnic.

2007-08-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

7/31/07 - - Up and out early - - rode through Kellogg, population, 400 souls. Of course, there is a cereal processing plant here. Continued riding along the mighty Mississippi. Minnesota is so far my favorite state for bicycling because the drivers are so courteous of cyclists and our lanes are well marked.
Larry shaved his head - - first time on the trip. When he took off his helmet, he had the weirdest tan lines due to the crosshatch of the helmet. I couldn't resit it and took a picture of his head to send back to his co-workers. Stayed in Winona for our last night in Minnesota.

2007-07-31T21:17:00.000-07:00

7/30/07 - - We reluctantly left Mary's where we enjoyed her gracious hospitality. It's time to put some miles behind us in this second half. Pedalling past cornfield after cornfield (U S should never run out of corn). We pedalled alongside of the Mississippi River and eventually stopped in Afton for lunch. We entered Wisconsin only to take a bridge across the River back into Minnesota. I didn't really like that bridge because there were no bicycle lanes and yet allot of traffic going at high speeds. The trouble with the way that is set up is if you should need to "bail", you WILL get wet. We arrived in Red Wing (home of Red Wing Shoes) about 8:00 PM. We must be getting used to farm country because we did a double-take when we saw our first traffic light in a couple of weeks. We covered about 77 miles today.

2007-07-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

7/29/07 - - We slept in today and this gave Larry a chance to repair the rear tire. Larry said the problem was I ate two hamburgers....I told him "no, as the stoker, I had to 'carry him' for a time and I put too much pressure on the rear hub". Today we received a package from my daughter and a re-supply from John. Larry's wife Theresa has also sent a package which we will pick up a few towns down the road. We took a ride and Larry dragged me into Cabella's (it's a hunting / outdoor mega store) where he was like a kid on his first trip to Disneyland.
Larry says: Eat your heart out Brian...
We returned to Mary's who had cooked a wonderful pot roast dinner. Today was our first true R & R (non-pedalling) day of the trip.

2007-07-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

7/28/07 - - Off again at daybreak. We get alot of thumbs up from trucks and motorcycles as they see us pedalling and read our "Trek Aginst Breast Cancer" sign on the trailer. When Larry sees the motorcycles pass he says "real men ride Trek's". Oh, by the way for those of you who are asking about our feet - - I should tell you the blisters ARE NOT on our feet.....guess again. As we entered the Twin Cities we realized that we were still far from John's sister Mary's home in Woodbury....plus, it was hard to get there from here without dodging many cars and trucks so we called Mary. She was kind enough to come pick us up and all our gear and bring us back to her place where we spent the night and the following day. Mary is a Registered Nurse whose daughter Tasha (Dr. Tasha), lives with her. Tasha is completing her residency in the same hospital where Mary works.

2007-07-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

7/27/07 - - It's a beautiful morning - - started out early. After about 3-hours we came upon the town of Sobieski so decided to stop for coffee. We went into Herbies bar (these smaller towns have the tavern, ice cream shop and restaurant all in one). Sobieski is a quaint Polish town 92 years old and the towns oldest resident, also 92 years old, was in the bar having a beer. The owner and staff were so hospitable - shook our hands - made fresh coffee - made us a fresh fruit plate - and gave us some Sobieski beer Koozies (sp?) as a souvenir....wouldn't take a dime. Really genuinely nice folks.
Pedalled a few more hours and stopped for ice cream...again, at a tavern. On the way inside we met a cowboy (who obviously had already been inside for awhile) - and he asked what we were doing and after we explained, he looked at Larry and said, "son, you've got more time than sense". After telling us we were old, he looked at the water tube from my camelback pack and asked if I was on oxygen. It was all I could do to keep a straight face. After I explained what it was and how it worked.......he thought for a minute and then said, "ya know, that'd be a great contraption for beer, I think I'll get one of those". We pedalled on passing Sunflower fields and pig farms. I like the Sunflower fields best (duh). Time to call it a day.....we did 82 miles today - - pretty decent.

2007-07-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

7/26/07 - - Started pedalling around 7:00 AM. We had rain and thunder for a short time. Soon, the day turned nice and it seemed like every town we came upon had just had rain before we got there and the town's we had just left got rain after we left...so, good karma.
We had a nice tailwind and the road almost to ourselves - - very quiet and peaceful today. We made some good distance...about 80 miles, and finished the day in Long Prarie. To those of you who were worrying about us and said some prayers, they must have helped because today's dog attack consisted of one Cocker Spaniel....and he couldn't catch us because he was wagging his tail.
NOTE: Wew want to let you know that Larry and I really enjoy reading your comments on our BLOG page (having them read to us). They pump us up and make us smile...

2007-07-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

7/25/07 - - Up and off early again. One thing about the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"...that means there must be a gazillion mosquitoes - - and the love me. I swear they must have 6" teeth. The local's say it's because we are new meat in town. Benadryl and Motrin are our constant companion's.

2007-07-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

7/24/07 - - Early AM brought rain, thunder and lightening. Pedalled in poncho's
'till noon. The rain departed and sun came out but brought cooler temperatures - - which means it got down into the 80's. We pedalled until 8:00 PM, ate, made camp and crashed.

2007-07-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

7/22 & 7/23 - - While travelling today, we me a couple, Kika and Joyce who live in Indiana. They offered their home for an overnighter should our route take us there......nice folks. Later, during a stop at a market, we asked a woman (Melissa) advice about camping in the area. She gave us information about a campground with no showers......then, she said "why don't you come to my house and shower". She lives on a farm nearby with her husband Darcy and 6 children. We took her up on it and wound up being invited to stay for supper (yes, it's called supper - - not dinner) and stay overnight. Even though we had just met them, they gave us the feeling they all (kids too) wanted us to stay over. It was a pleasure getting to know them a little and we've met other quite friendly people in Minnesota. As we pedal along we notice lot's of road kill.....here's our list so far......many deer, five turtles, a black crow, an owl, fox, skunk, racoon, coyote's, snakes, lizards, lots of frogs and prarie dogs. So far, we haven't had the urge to break out the saute' pan and garlic.

2007-07-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

7/20 & 7/21/07 - - Combining two days in one blog. We are covering good mileage but that means pedalling 10 hours per day. Mostly flat, uneventful country where we are.

2007-07-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

7/20/07 - - Again started early - - 6:00 AM. Very calm out - made over 100 mles today. Settled in camp just in time for a spectacular lightening show with thunder, hail and rain........then, it disappeared as quickly as it swooped in. We should be in North uld be

2007-07-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

7/19/07 - - Broke camp and started early - - crazy wind..small twister. Wind calmed down in the PM. Stopped at a Tavern for dinner. Sort of a casino type tavern. Played the poker machine and won enough for dinner ($22.00). Slept hard.

2007-07-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

7/18/07 - - Departed Browning - alot of broken bottles and trash around. We had another flat tire due to broken bottles - then another and another. Never seen so much glass......even a hypodermic needle. Facing strong headwinds - - which is odd since the "book" on this area is westerly wind = 98% if the time. Not on this day. Still a couple of hundred miles of wheatfields ahead of us.

2007-07-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

7/17/07 - - What a day! Began at 5:00 AM. Erik loves to ride bicycle - - I have blisters on top of blisters so Erik rode the next 16 miles for me. Bonnie and I met Larry and Erik at the Center on top with the gear......Erik did a great job. We said goodbye to Erik and Bonnie.....I'm back in the saddle just in time for an incredible downhill @ 44 mph. Had a great lunch at Rising Sun in Glacier. The locals tell us it's pretty downhill from here to Browning. I don't consider two 5,300' ridges...."downhill"......particularly on blisters. We were hoping to make Cutback by nightfall - - most advice told us not to stay in Browning but to stay in Cutback. Soon, the scenery turned ugly, the sky became black......thunder claps off in the distance and wind in our face. A swarm of wasps attacked us (The Benadryl Tabs do work folks) and about the time we thought we were too tired to pedal much more, a pack of wild dogs started chasing us. We pushed ourselves into Browning and immediately got a flat tire. Pushed the bike to the grocery store where we paid $31.00 for some rubber chicken wings, cheese crackers and grapes. No safe place to camp - - pushed our bike another 1/2 mile to a motel where we ate, changed the tire and flopped......11:00 PM.
NOTE: If it sounds like we were a little down - - I'm sure you'd rather hear the real deal than for me to try to put a "Spin" on stuff. Also, thanks to the great comments in our BLOG from family, friends and other supporters we are staying "up" and continue to be greatful for your support.

2007-07-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

7/16/07 - - We're up and at it early again. It's a beautiful ride along Lake MacDonald on the way to the famous "Road To The Sun" , the Crown of The Continent. We only did part of the road as the next segment is closed to cyclists between 11:00 and 4:00 due to heavy traffic. By 4:00 it was too late to climb so we camped at Avalanche Creek. In the evening we took the tram to Logan Park Visitors Center to take a look. We met a great couple from Minnesota - Erik and Bonnie. Really enjoyed chatting with them...

2007-07-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

7/15/07 - - We got an early start about 6:00 AM and pedalled until 7:00 PM. At one point during the day Larry fell asleep.....but to his credit, he never stopped pedalling. We pulled over the first chance we had to get some coffee. While I was getting the coffee, Larry was sitting on the side of the road and a stranger came up and gave him $5.00 because he said it looked like he could use some coffee. We continued on and logged about 75 miles and mde it to the entrance of Glacier National Park where we camped. Throughout the day we saw the inspiring - yet daunting, Continental Divide looming closer and closer......neither one of us had to say a word - - just took a deep breath and said to ourselves, "OK, we'll just take 'em as they come".

2007-07-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

7/14/07- - We're off - 107 degrees today - every day sets a new record.
Took Ruth's advice to take alternate route to see Moose and Bears. All we saw were inchworms, ants, butterflies and a million mosquitoes who viewed us as the enemy. We met some great folks again. One couple passed us in their car and made a U-turn, came back and gave us ice water and Gatorade. We made camp....not sure the name anymore - the heat you know.

2007-07-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

7/13/07- - We pushed off early because again we are over 100 degrees. We rode alongside the Cabinet Mountains. We continued pedalling until 8:00 PM as we needed to make some distance. We camped at Libby Dam. This campground had no shower but we got lucky and met a woman named Ruth who offered her shower in her home. After a "camp dinner" we washed dishes and clothes in the Pipe Creek River and turned in - - tired.

2007-07-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

7/12/07- - We enjoyed a great visit with Keith but needed to say goodbye (thank you Keith) , and pushed off from Sand Point and began another day of 100+ degrees. Fortunately, the pedalling today was pretty non-agressive......mostly rolling hills, less intense.

Goodbye Idaho - - Hello Montana. By early afternoon we crossed into Montana. Talk about from the "sublime to the ridiculous". We crossed the little panhandle of Idaho in a day and a half and entered into a state which is 900 miles across. Oh boy, you'll be reading about Montana for awhile. It seems odd that a state this large has only 1,000,000 people living in it. If early impressions count, this does look like beautiful country. We made camp for the night at Bull Lake.

2007-07-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

7/11/07 - - Sorry for the gap between postings. My husband John is our point man in San Jose and he has been in Salt Lake City for a time...plus, there were a couple of days where we had no cell service. We did leave Washington and crossed into Idaho. There we met good friend Keith in Sand Point. Keith was most hospitable - - cooked us a gourmet meal AND a real bed for the night. While here we received two packages -- Larry's family sent one and John sent one. These were basically a re-supply of needed items...bike parts, Orzo, beef jerkey, nuts, energy bars - - lot's of good stuff. Plus, John sent a black vinyl sign with bright pink block lettering which reads, "Breast Cancer Ride - - New York City Or Bust". Larry attached that to the street side of the trailer and it has already paid dividends as people have stopped us and asked to donate to the charity. We have met so many good, supportive people on our trip - - big smiles, offering water, snacks, place to spend the night (heck, we've got three offers in Minnesota already)....thumbs up all around.

2007-07-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

07/10/07 - - Pend Oreille River...today followed the river for about 40 miles of beautiful country. Stopped for lunch by the river and finished up in Newport where we will make camp. Tomorrow, it's "up and at 'em" and hope to be entering Idaho by mid-day...

2007-07-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

7/09/07 - - We left this morning for our ascent of the last mountain the state of Washington, at only 3400' it looked like a molehill - - WRONG. Once reaching
the top there was still 30 miles of roller coaster hills before you dropped back down again. Stopped at Crystal Falls and took some pix. Hope to have some downloaded and added to the BLOG soon. We made camp at Thomas Lake..

2007-07-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

7/08/07 - - Early AM - - Another Pass...
Now we begin Sherman Pass, the highest pass in the state of Washington (@ 5600') and this also may be a '2-dayer' ...not sure. As we leave the Town of Republic we look back and see this quaint, charming little town framed by tall trees, blue sky and white clouds and we now know where the expression "just like a postcard" came from. After Sherman Pass, don't ask - - I don't want to know. The way I'm wired, I need to concentrate on what is in front of me......if I get too far ahead of myself it can be overwhelming - - I mean, "Continental Divide", "Rockies"?.......puleeze, one thing at a time. Fortunately, Larry does look ahead and I know we are @ 150 miles from Sand Point Idaho...
Well, we did do it in a day after all......now, we find ourselves in Kettle Falls where were going to eat and crash - - we're done.

2007-07-08T11:52:00.002-07:00

7/08/07 - - The Town of Republic...
We finished this pass and wound up on the town of Republic last night. While finishing the pass two bicyclists stopped while we were resting alongside the road and asked, "how did you guys get here?" When we told them we pedaled up over the pass they looked at our 12' long rig and said, "man, you guys have big Kahonnies" - - not sure what that meant but they gave us a thumbs up so I guess that was good. (Hawaiian maybe?) Republic is a charming little western / pioneer type town the people are quite friendly - - their pace is slow (as is the case with allot of these towns compared to we NorCal folks). We stopped at a diner and had some real food - - Chicken Enchillada, rice and our first fresh greens since we left home...great!

2007-07-08T11:52:00.001-07:00

7/07/07 - - Blackout Day.....No cell service - - too high.

2007-07-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

7/06/07 - - Ooops......Flat Tire.
Yes, it was a 2-day trek - - of course we were slowed somewhat by intense heat and a flat tire. As we had the bike upside down repairing the tire, one woman stopped by and offered help......and cold water - - nice. We saw very few people today as most sane people wouldn't be backpacking or biking in 105 degrees. Now, we are at the base of our next pass...Wauconda Pass - - she's 5,000' plus. The little town of Wauconda is like in a time warp from the 60's.

2007-07-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

7/05/07 - - More Passes...
Today we continued to press on over the Cascades. Tonasket pass appears to be a '2-dayer' so will update you more tomorrow.

The "Trek Against Breast Cancer" Journey...

2007-07-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

7/01/07
The Good Samaritan Sponsor - - After two days of driving from Nor Cal to Anacortes, Washington, Larry and I arrived in Anacortes and went directly to the home of Jane who was gracious in following us to the Bellingham airport to return the donated (by Hertz)Van, and then drive us back to her home. There she opened her lovely home and hosted a wonderful dinner and put us up for the night. Jane signed up to host us sight unseen, months ago, and couldn't have been more gracious and giving...what a send off.

7/02/07
The Journey Begins - - We left Jane's and the blue Pacific and headed due east toward Baker Lake. We stopped and had lunch and continued on to Marble Mount where we camped for the night - - 5 bucks - - shower - - $.25 washing machines. We made 75 miles today but that is deceiving as it was mostly rolling, small hills - - nothing real tough. As we looked up from the campsite we noticed very tall mountains directly in front of us......so, we knew what we were in for tomorrow....begin the Cascades.

7/03/07 - - Blackout day.....no cell phone service - - too high.

7/04/07 - - Tonight we are at a KOA in Winthrop. In the past two days we pulled a couple of passes - - Rainy Pass @ 4,700' and Washington Pass @ 5,200'. You go up, then down, then up, etc. We got lucky to have cell phone service tonight because we are "down". It looks like we've got to pull 3 more mountains in this range so it is doubtful that I will be able to call in my journal tomorrow.....we'll see. There is allot of this strange white stuff around.....oh, that's right it is SNOW. Actually, the snow is melting fast. There are many natural springs and waterfalls around - - this is beautiful country. Today it was 95 degrees and we would grab some ice cold water and pour it over ourselves.....then purify it and pour it into our camelbacks.
So far Washington is very bicycle friendly - - good, well marked bike lanes. Tomorrow we start out with Louploup Mountain @ 5,000'.
As for last night (7/03/07), after we had lunch at gorgeous Diablo Lake, we continued on and were in the middle of a climb when night fell and we pulled over behind a group of rocks and trees and made camp....we were sooo tired.

Sin NiteClub Event - 5/15/07

2007-07-02T21:28:00.001-07:00

Thanks again to everyone that attended the Sin NiteClub event!!

Here are some great photos from that evening:

Larry Ratto and Lucille David, tandem riders

Gina David, the Sin NiteClub Event fundraiser

with Larry Ratto and Lucille David

Gina David, fundraiser

Jason Meadows, MC

Lucille David, riders

San Diego Charger offensive lineman, Kris Dielman with

f0otball signed to auction winner, Greg Ausley (on right)

Jason Meadows, MC

Kris Dielman with signed jersey winners,
Becky and Jeremy Jackson