Bobby's Journey of Hope

The boys of summer: Washington D.C.

2009-08-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

The night before I left Elon once and for all, I spent some quality time with some of my closest fellow graduates. With the realization that the best four years of our life had run its course, we found it appropriate to blast some of the most depressing songs in our music arsenal about saying goodbye, while sharing some memories and leftover beer. Sounds pretty awful I’m sure, but it was strangely therapeutic. Well, I was unexpectedly woken up by another “DJ Depressing” mix by none other than Mike Keough on the final morning of the Journey. All the emotion I thought I might somehow suppress on this day I had awaited for so long began to creep out slowly (the first song to choke me up: “Goodbye to You” by Michelle Branch… embarrassing). And then it all began to move quickly – the final morning meeting and prayer, the final sponsor photo, the final proclamation of “Let’s ride bikes!” Before I knew it, we were on the road.

Of all days for things to go wrong… this had to be the most inconvenient! Luckily my bike went unharmed, but the TransAm team was stricken with countless flat ties, red lights and even a chain snapped in half as we neared our final destination. With time ticking away from our required appearance at the stage up site at George Washington University, we began to shred through the city once we got within its borders (this may or may not have been fueled by a sighting of the South team a few blocks behind us). Probably not our safest course of action, but we were acting on pure adrenaline and I’d have it no other way. After our team arrived at stage up in an unscripted double pace line, we fulfilled our various photo requirements (and plenty of not required, somewhat inappropriate ones as well). Then, as we so often did, the TransAm boys circled up.

Realizing our time together would come to a close a mere three miles away, the majority of the team was fighting back tears as we stood shoulder to shoulder with the men who had defined the most incredible summer of our lives. I was most definitely included in this contingent, especially when our project manager Jeremy, a man who has been through so much in recent years and been a fantastic role model for our team, spoke to us. “There has never been a better team than you guys right here,” he said with intention. “You all have changed my life.” After making a consorted effort to hug each of my teammates, we assembled the final, 100-plus man pace line. I had the unbelievable opportunity of being one of two men to lead the entire pack. I cannot claim any credit for this as my fellow Eloner Robby was the top fundraiser for the event (raking in around $13,000) and chose me to ride alongside him to the finish line.

With understandable butterflies in my stomach, it was time to begin the three mile procession to the Capitol Building. Words cannot do justice to how it felt to be there in that moment with the rowdy crewmembers hanging out of the van directly in front of me, my fellow cyclists in tow, and countless curious tourists snapping away at their cameras as we screamed “Feel the Hope!” through the streets of D.C. I will say that it had to be the quickest three miles of all time! Pretty soon we were on the Mall and familiar faces cheering and holding up signs began to pop up. We hopped off our bikes and began walking up to the lawn and there was my family and my friends and this moment I’d long played out in my head felt completely surreal. After the initial ceremony, I was cut loose to feel the love from everyone in attendance (and even feel the water my mom ceremoniously dumped on my head). It will undoubtedly go down as one of the best and most bittersweet days of my life.

By the time the following day rolled around my trusty bike was all packed up, goodbyes had been said (sometimes more than once), and a celebration worthy of 4,000 miles had most certainly taken place. En route to my hotel, I passed through the Capitol. In comparison to the day before, the lawn seemed empty and lifeless. I tried to conjure up everything in my mind all into one – the people, the places, the lessons learned, and the unbelievable strides I made since that grueling first day. It didn’t work. It became more clear to me than ever that the Journey of Hope and all that it meant was going to take some time to process. If and when I’m ever able to sum it all up neatly, I hope I am continuing to live the Hope as best I can. I am so thankful for everyone and everything that made it possible.

In closing, some wise words I came across at a bike shop along the way:

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein

Amen.

Can you feel the love tonight?

2009-08-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Fredericksburg, VA - This ride was initially supposed to be about 50 miles, but it was decided that 20 miles would be tacked on for a safer, more scenic route. With two days left, it was hard to argue the logic. The day went relatively smoothly, with the exception of a randomly-placed mega hill where my chain opted to fall off at the least opportune moment! In another particularly random occurrence, midway through the ride we came across an “Elon Baptist Church,” which Robby and I felt a duty to take a photo by.

After settling into the familiar high school gym setup, we found ourselves en route to our final friendship visit. A weird feeling to say the least, but we were determined to make it one of the best. From the onset, I found myself talking with a guy named Donnie. He was there with his mother (a board member of the local ARC organization), and was dressed nicely with a tie featuring musical notes. He spoke with me about his love of singing and a statewide award he won for his craft in high school. Donnie entertained the crowd with three songs (including the Elton John song that's the title of this post) that night and was met with a standing O. He set the stage well for our last hurrah in the crazy dance party department. It was a perfect friendship visit to go out on, and (for once) I felt a ping of sadness when I heard Jeremy instruct us to “make sure this place is spotless” before we left.

That night we began a final bonding activity in which we sat in a circle and had a chance to speak about everyone in the group and offer up compliments mixed in with a bit of roasting. Based on the spinning of the water bottle, I was actually first up. I was a bit nervous, but it turned out to be really touching to hear what everyone had to say. You get a chance to hear how you were truly perceived by your team and I got the impression that they saw me as a funny, confident guy who had grown both on and off the bike during the summer. It was an important activity for us but, by the time our eyes were struggling to stay open, we decided to postpone the remainder for the following night.

Manassas, VA – This was basically considered our last official team ride for the summer, as the procession to D.C. was sure to be anything but ordinary. We decided to really mix it up and switch who we rode with at every crew stop. I was all about the idea and enjoyed the chance to have nearly every cyclist alongside me at one point or another. Some last minute challenges were unsurprisingly involved also, with McDonald’s double cheeseburgers making an appearance as we all kicked back at a way-too-long crew stop at a grassy area outside of Manassas. As we rolled into lodging at an enormous aquatics center, it was an unusual feeling because it was evident that our next lodging would be at a hotel in D.C.

That evening we met up with all of the Push teams at a D.C. area church to have dinner/debrief on the eve of our arrival. It was great to once again see the North boys and even to give them a little grief about the staggering 9-mile ride they had to look forward to in the morning (we were still 35 miles outside of D.C.). That night, after applying our much-anticipated and absurdly awesome red, white and blue team handlebar tape, we finished up the previous night’s activity outside on the lawn with some cigars in tow. We got to bed much later than usual, which was quite alright by us as we assembled a man-love circle of air mattresses. I didn’t think it would be possible to sleep, but somehow I managed.

Borrrrrn in the USA

2009-08-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Farmville, VA – Our final century ride! I sincerely never thought this would be a milestone that would bum me out, but in a way it did. The ride was solid, with some scenic farmland thrown in the mix (probably implied by the name of our destination… check out our hay barrel picture below). There was also some role reversal going on, as our project manager Jeremy (a two-time rider from 1998 and 2001) spent the day as a cyclist and fellow Elon rider Robby Knelson tried his hand at crew chief – a position he is interested in for next year’s North route. Robby really nailed it with the meals, so I endorse him! After soaking up the east coast humidity I’ve apparently been oblivious to for so long, we arrived in town. That night we had a friendship visit at a center that employs people with disabilities and, while I enjoyed speaking with the individuals there, we were treated as “guests of honor” at our own table which was a bit awkward and not our style.

After the previous day’s shopping, it was time for our team “Secret Santa” exchange. I drew Colin Johnson, a rising junior at George Mason, as my person. In accordance with the gag gift clause, I bought him an “I Heart Music” wall plaque (based on his much, uh, scrutinized DJing abilities) and a McLovin driver’s license keychain (a reference to the movie “Superbad”) so he could ideally join the overage crowd in our celebratory D.C. festivities. I received gifts from Moff, who provided me with my casual summer addiction of Cherry Twizzler Bites as well as “diva” paraphernalia. The “diva club” is a group of us who will often assume whiny alter egos for the sake of comedy. There were a variety of other gifts presented, including (seriously) a live mouse given to future-veterinarian Cubby. Later in the evening, we had a chance to hang out at JT’s school, Longwood University, and I defeated my Isaac Polonco in a certain game Elon students tend to excel at. He wasn’t very happy… but at least he can brush up on his skills when he transfers there this Fall!

Richmond, VA – While I realize they are separated by many miles, Richmond and D.C. are fairly synonymous in my mind based on my travels up and down the east coast. I could not believe this city was now upon us. Adding to the looming feeling was the presence of staff from Push America nationals, as well as Bruce Rodgers and other Pi Alphas, who were in town for the annual three-day JOH alumni ride along to experience life on the road once again. Our friendship visit for the day was slightly out of the ordinary in a few ways. It took place at a preschool which did not primarily cater to children with disabilities. Therefore, our purpose was to spread advocacy as these children would no doubt encounter peers with disabilities in the years to come. Despite a crowd that was likely too young to fully understand our message, we performed our “Kids on the Block” puppet show. This school clearly had a vested interest in the Journey of Hope, as evidenced by a large map in the main foyer that has been tracking our progress, but we were all surprised to learn they had taken the initiative to raise $2,500 for our cause. This was something we had not seen happen all summer, so we were very appreciative.

After giving my bike Phoebe her most in-depth clean of the summer, I joined the majority of the group at a karaoke bar for the evening. I must say this place won my official Karaoke Crown of the Journey of Hope, as the performances and characters on stage just got more and more entertaining (among them the very Amurrrican “Born in the USA” by Kevin and James, and “Friends in Low Places” by Schmidt and I). With so much going on in preparation for the big day, this was essentially our last night out as a team and it was exactly what it should have been.

I love climbing, yessss I do!

2009-08-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Blacksburg, VA – So, is there a school in Blacksburg or something? I kid. Let’s just say the three Virginia Tech guys have really been building this place up for some time now. The ride has had some build up of its own as one of the most intense of the summer – a century plus with lots of climbing in Appalachian territory. The hype did not disappoint! My legs really started feeling it midway through the ride, coincidentally right around the Virginia state sign (which happened to be positioned on a pretty fast downhill). Realizing we had whizzed by the sign about a mile back, about half of my pace line wanted to cycle back to take a photo. Needless to say, I was not one of them. Similar to my old sport of wrestling, so much of the kind of cycling we do is mental and I was not in the best of states at that point in the day with 50 miles of hills in front of me. I wish I could have a recording of my internal monologue… it was all over the place! Despite some regrettable immaturity on my part, we thankfully ended up cycling back to our final state sign. As the day continued, we all became increasingly determined to avoid the day’s “rack point” for pulling bikes off the road. We wanted to finish what we started and found motivation from within and even through some good old fashioned singing (“I love climbing, yes I do! I love climbing how ‘bout you?”).

After what I would arguably rank as the second hardest ride of the summer, we arrived at Virginia Tech and had little time to spare before we were involved in a presentation at a festival in town. At the presentation, I bumped into Paul Schifano, a chapter brother at Elon who transferred to VT senior year to finish out his engineering degree. It was great to see a familiar face – it hadn’t dawned on me that he might be in town. We were treated to a tour of Tech’s beautiful campus by our teammate Matt Schmidt, which included a stop at the memorial for the April 16, 2007 shooting. That day’s ride was dedicated to the victims of 4/16, so it was fitting and powerful to see.

After some serious gluttony at an enormous campus dining hall, we went on the town to “Top of the Stairs,” a bar that Schmidt used to work at. Everyone sampled the bar’s supposed specialty, “The Rail,” and I took it upon myself to make some new friends. I bumped into a wedding party and actually had a very solid conversation with a female animal cop who gave me advice about the next five years of my life. It was way more legit than it sounds!

Roanoke, VA – The morning of the Roanoke ride, a strange thing happened. We slept in! Wheels didn’t start rolling until the unheard-of hour of 10:30. This was attributed to the short ride ahead (40 miles) and the check-in time with our hotel. The day was also somewhat of a ride along fest, with new appearances by crewmembers Terry and Moff (the latter of which did not adjust to the cycling world quite so well) and fellow Eloner Paul Schifano, who is most likely going to be a TransAmerica 2010 member. The three Elon boys had a nice, primarily downhill day on the bike, which was a welcome change of pace from the Blacksburg ride. We also played the backyard game “S-P-U-D” at one crew stop, which was as awesome as you’d expect.

Once in Roanoke, we were greeted by a very attractive **** Four Star **** hotel (see below)! I reported directly to my bed and woke up to head to a Friendship Visit for children with down syndrome at a facility that hosts moon bounce parties. We may or may not have had more fun than the kids at some points. My personal favorite was an obstacle course that I can somewhat proudly claim to remain undefeated on. I also enjoyed inconspicuously sneaking seconds and thirds of pizza at dinner with my partner-in-crime Trevor Brink. The following day we had off. It included a shopping trip to buy gifts for an end-of-trip “Secret Santa” exchange among the team. While the gifts we bought each other were basically jokes (more on those later), it really started dawning on me how seriously things were winding down.

Life is old there, older than the trees: West Virginia

2009-08-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Huntington, WV – When I first started this ride, West Virginia seemed like it would be the point in the trip when the end would start feeling real. As it turns out, not so far from the truth. However, for the first part of the day’s ride my focus was less on how far we’d come and more on the crazy amount of rain! It was coming down heavy and I was shivering with the best of them. Riding in the rain can actually be kind of fun… it adds a whole “epic” feeling to the day. Adding to the fun was the addition of some new games into the pace line rotation. For the first game, we each took turns sharing a fact we thought nobody in the pace line would know about us. Since we’ve been together 24/7 for over two months, this was harder than it sounds. I most certainly whipped out my two go-to random facts: a) that I was once offered the role of the male lead in a short film about puberty and b) that I was “slimed” by a traveling Nickelodeon show as a kid. The second game involved changing lyrics of well-known songs to relate to some of the more funny moments of the JOH. This was right up my alley, as my partner in lyrical creativity Kelly Nealon could likely attest.

Songs played a pretty central role in this ride, as the John Denver West Virginia ode “Country Roads” was bellowed out many times after crossing into the state. After arriving at a very nice hotel in Huntington, WV (sadly not NY, where my mom’s side of the family lived for many years), we had a friendship visit that evening. I primarily chatted with a married couple about the disability organization they represented, while trying not to fixate on a very up-close-and-personal camera man from a local news station.

Charleston, WV – Another city with an alter ego I’m more familiar with (the Mecca of Charleston, SC of course)! This ride was pretty casual, until a straight up beastly hill emerged just prior to arriving at our lunch friendship visit. It tends to happen, I guess. The FV took place at a children’s therapy center that offers services to families that typically cannot afford the necessary treatments for their son or daughter. There were plenty of cute kids around, including Aiden, who loved knocking down the water bottle towers I kept putting in front of him. Most of the kids had supportive families present (both siblings and parents), and it was really cool to observe these strong interactions and bonds. Strangely enough, what I’ll probably remember most from that visit is a hyper energized game of Hot Potato I somehow got involved in. After arriving at our community center lodging, I eagerly took a nap once I completed a critical thorough clean on my bike. I woke up for our activity for the night, a minor league baseball game sponsored by a local Pi Alpha, in a groggy funk. Luckily, the event surpassed my expectations and included an all-you-can-eat ballpark buffet, a peculiar Michael Jackson tribute and our group singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on the jumbo screen.

Beckley, WV – This was one of the most perfect rides of the trip – somewhat challenging, with consistently beautiful scenery to take in (see picture). It probably goes without saying, but taking a moment to pause at a stream in the mountains is about as peaceful as it gets. I finally understood why the state’s motto is “Wild and Wonderful” and what exactly Mr. Denver was talking about in his famous song.

From nature to… NASCAR! Well, not exactly. That night we headed off to a local racetrack to check out the spectacle. At the risk of sounding condescending (which I don’t mean to!), it was exactly what you would expect. I was amped to get a chance to walk around the “pit” area and check out all the cars up close. Some of the most shabby-looking vehicles actually ended up tearing it up in the races. All things considered, spectator sports don’t get much more American (or “Am-urrr-ican” as we sometimes say) than this and it was a fitting capstone to our time in West Virginia!

Rallying, Rain and Retaliation: Kentucky

2009-08-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

Lexington, KY - Upon waking up for our ride to Lexington, I felt unusually tired. Because of this, I teamed up with some other cyclists that felt similarly to form “Team Slow” for the day. In actuality, we stayed more or less on pace with everyone… but the intent was there. When I envisioned Lexington in my head, I guess I expected to find a city with an “old South” vibe along the lines of Charleston. While this did not turn out to be the case, Lexington definitely had its nice areas – including outskirts primarily dominated by sprawling horse farms. We stayed at a church annex in town (with bunk beds!) and had a friendship visit that night with CAKY, Community Alternatives Kentucky. While I had a number of solid conversations that night (including one with a quirky and fun woman named Toni, and another with a man with a particular penchant for singing “Hound dog” by Elvis), there were some clients that were nonverbal or unreceptive. These situations can always be challenging, but I’ve found that when I put in time I can often establish a connection – even if it’s simply through a smile or nod.

For our second day in Lexington, we had a first for the team… a rally! We joined members of the Lexington disabled community at a downtown park to take part in their “Stay Out Late” demonstration. The issue at hand centered on restricted access to public transportation and facilities past 8:00 pm and reflected a growing desire for social fulfillment. I enjoyed speaking with the people involved in the rally, as well as working diligently as a “honking coordinator” to incite responses from traffic. This was definitely the least angry rally imaginable, and I think the team will always remember the abundant use of the word “Yaaaay” by the organizer, Bruce. Bruce runs a facility for people with disabilities and demonstrated artistic ability called “Latitudes” and we visited there for lunch. One of the women there, Beverly Baker (pic below), is actually a renowned artist who has had shows in both New York and Paris. It was cool to be in the presence of such an unassuming talent and her story is inspiring to say the least!

After running into some Eloners at a sponsored dinner that evening (including Coleman, one of our new members this spring), I was able to spend more quality Phoenix time with my friend Charissa. She is an AZD who was born and raised in Lexington and I was excited to be able to visit her house and hang out with her husband, Mark, and baby daughter, Kennedy. They are currently living with Charissa’s family, so their home feels like an episode of “Full House.” Kennedy will most definitely grow up with a lot of love and laughter around.

Morehead, KY - The next morning not only brought ominous clouds, but also an attack on my beloved bike, Phoebe. In what I suspect was an act of retaliation following a certain tire deflation on my part, I found both my tires deflated and my handlebars messed with. I was admittedly quite cranky, but did what had to be done to remedy the situation. As it turned out, my work was in vein since the weather got so bad we were unable to ride due to persistent thunder and lightning. This was a first for our route and, after a morning of vegging out and watching movies with teammates, it was weird riding in a van to our next city. Morehead was not a super eventful stop, except maybe for Drayton Perkins… long story, but it did include victorious games of “Sorry” with a partner at a friendship visit and trivia at Buffalo Wild Wings in which Team Rondo (named for our trusty Kia) proved fairly unstoppable. Ah, the joy of such minor accomplishments. On to West Virginia!

Ohio on bike = No ticket, hilarity

2009-08-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

Oxford, OH - Had a pleasant day on the bike heading into Ohio, which holds the distinction of the only state on our route (sans VA and DC) that I have previously visited. To be honest, my only real associations with the state are Cedar Point and a certain regrettable speeding ticket while driving Jim Rampton’s giant plum mobile back from Michigan. Oh well, time for new ones. After a day on the bike that included a ride along from crewmember JT (an avid smoker who surpassed everyone’s expectations on the bike) and a questionable Amp energy drink shotgun challenge, we arrived in the cool college town of Oxford, home to Miami of Ohio. We received a warm reception at the local chapter house (which was coincidentally in its last night of Pi Kapp operation), and settled into our home for the night - an on campus wooden lodge. While unloading my bike accessories, I noticed a few of us had been approached by a group of tourists. It turns out they were from China, a country I have had the great fortune to visit, and wanted to take pictures with us! The strange thing was, they had no idea we were cross country cyclists and, well, actually the whole thing was pretty strange. That night we checked out the movie “Funny People” (which was pretty “eh”) and were even a bit late for curfew. As my teammate Isaac Polanco would say, “Scandalous!”

Cincinnati, OH – Hands down one of the most hilarious cycling experiences of the trip. This may or may not be correlated to it being the shortest ride of the summer… who knows. What I do know is that the ride along of Trevor “Tink” Brink, a crewmember who has quickly become one of my favorite people, made the day. I was in Tink’s pace line for the day and he took the ride on like a champ. There were a few struggles with hills in there (including what could be a straight up priceless prolonged final ascent into lunch), but that’s to be expected. Flattering picture of Tink post-ride below!

That afternoon we were visited by a pick-up wheelchair football team. The team was composed of some cool guys (including a slam poet who performed some of his colorful work for us) and they were happy to get us involved. I’ve previously played wheelchair basketball, and I actually found football a lot easier. It was a blast to maneuver around and play and I was glad to get to witness this kind of action, since we unfortunately had a visit with a “murderball” type team cancelled earlier in the summer. Maybe that was a good thing, who knows! That night we all went to check out a Reds vs. Rockies game that failed to hold my attention. I did, however, make sure to waste money on an overpriced soft pretzel/soda combo because, after all, that’s what a ball game is all about.

I get knocked down, but I get up again: Indiana

2009-08-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

Terre Haute – It was onto another state for the TransAm team, yet sadly once again no state sign to be found based on our route. Our three stops in Indiana all involved accommodations in and around state university campuses. The first was Indiana State and we were fortunate enough to have lodging at the beautiful (and historically restored) home of one of the school’s deans. After fortunately snagging a bed and partaking in one of our routine Walmart runs, I was on to a friendship visit at the interestingly-named organization Happiness Bag. It turns out there could not have been a more fitting name, as the joy and enthusiasm of the clients there was contagious. Another top notch dance party ensued. We were all bummed when it was time to go, but the truly awesome neon shirt parting gifts we received made us feel a bit better.

I forgot to mention earlier about the injury of my teammate (and big bro in the secret Pi Epsilon society… long story) David Stinnette, which took place following an unfortunate fall in Colorado. He ended up significantly damaging his shoulder and, despite attempts to stick it out as a crewmember for several days, he had to make the tough choice of returning home to Indiana to take some time to heal. While away from the team, he has been sending us text messages featuring encouraging words and biblical passages to keep us pedaling. He is a standup guy and we were all very excited when he rejoined the team for the stretch in his home state!

Bloomington- I was having a solid day on the bike on the way to the home of Indiana University, until only a few miles outside of our friendship visit arrival. I was leading my pace line at the time, cruising downhill on a relatively busy road. We were approaching a right turn lane and so, in order to continue heading straight, it was my job to navigate us from the shoulder back into the middle lane on the road. The problem was that there was a “lip” of about two inches that existed between the shoulder and the road. In a regrettable split second decision, I decided to attempt to cross the lip. My back tire got caught and immediately set my bike off balance. While I was told I nearly regained control, I ultimately wiped out in the lane. Luckily, no one in my pace line collided into me and they were able to signal to traffic. I hopped up almost instantly after my fall and ran to the shoulder. My adrenaline was off the charts and all I seemed able to do was apologize and continuously ask my teammates if I had done anything wrong. I calmed down by taking a seat and waiting for the nearest crew van to come check on us. I was fortunate, not only to have an incredible support system with me, but to have simply walked away scraped up in what was clearly a best-case-scenario outcome.

After choosing to finish the brief remainder of the ride, I was feeling a bit shaken up at our friendship visit. While I wanted to be “into it,” it was hard to fake. I was glad to have my friend Terry to take “mom walks” around the facility and help me clear my head. When lodging time came around, we headed to the Indiana U PKP chapter house. This house is straight up beastly and holds the distinction of being the largest in the country. In an interesting coincidence, next door was an equally huge Alpha Xi Delta house – the sorority I was the sweetheart for my senior year at Elon. I obviously had to snap a pic to show the ladies. For dinner we were treated to a sit-down steak meal hosted by Phil Summers, prominent alumni on the national level. An excellent close to a (literally) shaky day for yours truly.

Indianapolis – Time to head to “Nap Town” (although I could have sworn that distinction belongs to Annapolis, MD… hmmm)! I would describe the beginning of our ride as rainforest-esque, which I understand sounds strange. Anyhow, we were basically engulfed by beautiful trees and I was all about it. This soon changed however and we were thrust onto what was arguably the worst road we have seen all summer. Congratulations Indy! I was kind of a mess when this situation came around because the incessant debris and, yes, crazy road “lips” constantly reminded me of the prior day’s big fall. After toning down the freak out, I was happy to see the conditions clear up. This ride kicked off the tradition of crew “ride alongs,” in which crew members took on the role of a cyclist for the day. My pace line enjoyed the privilege of messing with our crew chief Drayton as he rode along with us, but as a cyclist on last year’s South route he more than held his own (stories on some of the more humorous ride alongs to come).

Once in the city we arrived at lodging at IUPUI (pronounced, seriously, “oo-ee-poo-ee”), which is basically a fusion of Indiana and Perdue. Our two-day stint in town brought some excellent sponsored meals, including one at the home of legendary pool boy David Stinnette. We all learned a game there called Kupps (??), which hails from Germany and basically involves knocking over wooden blocks. I enjoyed it, but was assured by an older gentleman there that the game really ought to be played with beer. Touche. We did end up going out on the town that night, but to be honest I’m pretttty sure what I’m saw of the Indy nightlife is not for me.

Our friendship visit on our off day was structured nicely, and we were able to interact with local clients in a variety of different specialty rooms – including a music room and an “art Olympics” room. Two of my favorite interactions from that day included playing bean bag toss with a really friendly blind man named Adam and listening to one of the clients play me some of Barry Manilow’s greatest hits on a record player. It just goes to show that you can never exactly know what to expect on any given JOH day!

Meet Me in St. Louis

2009-07-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

The ride into St. Louis, MO was a bit more complicated than a typical city arrival. In fact, we had not one but two different police escorts leading us into the city. I won’t lie – it’s a pretty cool feeling blowing through red lights in a unified double pace line when riding into a metropolitan area. Once in the city, we were treated to lunch by my teammate Whitey’s mom (he is a St. Louis native) at a local golf course. We were introduced to the St. Louis specialty of toasted ravioli (yess) and later in the city had the chance to sample another local specialty, Gooey Butter cake. As a picky eater in the realm of desserts, I was thrilled to finally find a cake to be passionate about. Riding into lodging at the nicest hotel of the summer, we caught our first glimpse of the St. Louis Gateway Arch. It’s supposed to represent the “Gateway to the West,” but in our case I guess East is more applicable.

The next day, we had a friendship visit with two local organizations. In addition to some of the games that have been reoccurring at these types of events (Connect Four, Jenga, bowling), we were also given the option of playing badminton. Badminton and the Hoppey name are quite synonymous, so I was excited to hit back and forth with some of the clients there. I spent our free afternoon walking through the city park (one of the coolest and most interactive of its kind I’ve ever witnessed… see goofiness below) and checking out the arch up close. Sadly, time did not allow for us to head to the top, but we got just close enough to marvel at its structure and take some obligatory artsy pictures. St. Louis is a heck of a city and definitely made up for all of the hills that brought us there!

Leaving St. Louis was a bit chaotic. There was concern for riding through a “bad part of town,” but I wasn’t too fazed (former Detroiter here!). After getting out of the city, we crossed the Mississippi River on a bridge. This same bridge also marked the transition into Illinois and sent us on our way via Route 66. It was so cool to get the double whammy in terms of iconic American sites. After completing our second longest ride of the summer into Effingham, IL (116 miles… nbd), we were invited into the home of a professional couple involved in local disability awareness. We found out these two got married after ten days of knowing each other, which was a fun fact in itself. We also found out some troubling news about Illinois and its statewide stance on disabilities. The state ranks 51^st in terms of funding in this area, a fact I did not expect to hear. Hopefully inspirational people like the ones we met will be able to make the necessary strides to right this wrong.

The hills are aliiiiiive: Missouri Pt 1

2009-07-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Sedalia – Our team has been extraordinarily lucky in terms of weather this summer. Therefore, it was probably Karma that we faced a great deal of rain on our century ride out of the state of Kansas. While this could easily have put the “miz” in Missouri, the warm weather made it not so bad after all. What was more challenging than the rain was navigating some of the roads en route to Sedalia. One stretch of construction (typically something we would rack for if need be) featured a large number of treacherous holes, which were often unavoidable. I ended up being the only one in my pace line to avoid getting a flat tire, something I did not complain about. When we arrived at lodging, we showered up at the local pool down the street. There was a great deal of gravel to contend with and, being without my sandals, I somehow convinced Moff to give me a piggy back ride. Our crew is too good to us. That night we enjoyed a pig roast on-site (we were told our meal was less than 24 hours deceased) and hosted a friendship visit. We were excited to have lots of clients attend and the event featured ice cream, door prizes, dancing and a hula hoop contest. I have reaffirmed that hula hooping is not one of my finer points!

Columbia – Not too much stands out about this day, to be honest (except Missouri’s love of hills, but we’ll get there tomorrow). However, I can report that a few of us received some generous free food at a local McDonalds after they learned what we were doing. Snack wraps (introduced to me by Tim Graham during our oh-so-classy spring break in Clearwater, FL two years ago) have been among my consistent cravings this summer and so I most certainly indulged. Compelling update, I know.

Union – Remember how I described the “rolling hills” style of Kansas? Well, Missouri takes things to a whole ‘nother level and no day personified this more than this 105 mile ride. About 20 miles in this became evident as the terrain started becoming more and more like a roller coaster. The downhills were such an incredible rush - I even hit 40 mph on one, which is pretty significant considering my low weight. The uphill’s were certainly challenging, and became so relentless that it actually became comical. More than any other day in recent memory, this ride showed how much progress I’ve made since this whole thing began. In my post-ride state (sprawled out on my trusty blow up air mattress), I felt proud of finishing the day strong and in relatively high spirits. That night while driving around town in pursuit of ice cream and “fourth meal” (I’m going to try to limit my rants about food from here on out… I swear), I found myself once again singing along at the top of my lungs to some great songs with some great people. Not a care in the world. It’s moments like these that I don’t think I’ll fully be able to appreciate until all is said and done.

Rolling with the K Crew: Kansas Pt 3

2009-07-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Topeka – This was another one of the quintessential “rolling hills” rides, and all of the climbing definitely worked up an appetite for the cyclists. In addition to indulging in our usual Cliff Bar products, we were greeted with a surprise roadside challenge toward the end of the ride: fried chicken! Probably not very Lance Armstrong approved, but we went for it. We had a fairly large arrival in Topeka and it was great to see the turnout. After spending some quality time at a carnival hosted by a local disabilities organization called TARC, we checked into our hotel. This one was particularly nice and reminded me of the infamous Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY which my cousins and I remember fondly. I stayed there for my Grandpa’s wedding and it had a very outdoor-while-indoor feel. I wanted to get the most bang for my buck with a comfortable bed to sleep in, so I packed it in relatively early.

Olathe – I’ll go ahead and give this town the award for most surprisingly awesome stop along the way. Some highlights:

- A living history museum visit that included my first stint in a stagecoach. That must be some sort of rite of passage…

- Lodging at the Kansas School for the Deaf. We had the chance to tour a Deaf Cultural Museum next door and it was very eye opening. We each received a takeaway card with the sign language alphabet and I'm making good progress so far!

- A trip to Mark Cameron’s home. Mark (who hooked up our entire stay in the greater Kansas City region) was disabled in an accident a few years back, and has a home that has truly astounding technological capabilities that allow him to move around and lead a productive life. On a sidenote, he even has that famous lamp from “A Christmas Story” that he can turn on simply by saying “Fragile” (pronounced “Frag-ee-lay” in accordance with the movie). Read about his story: http://teamcameron.org.

- An awesome friendship visit with a local therapeutic learning center for children with disabilities. I got to spend time in a classroom and at recess with the kids there and it was one of my favorite parts of the Journey so far. I particularly clicked with a young guy named Colin (the redhead pictured below). He had such an incredible and fun loving vibe and I can tell he’s going to really thrive in life.

- Promotions for a Narnia exhibit in Union Station in Kansas City. While I was saddened that the exhibit was closed, my excitement at simply being in its presence should require no further explanation!

- A trip to the Kansas City Royals Stadium. Not my team of choice, but we did get to spend some serious quality time playing games in the press room with the quirky “K Crew” staff. Actually, that’s all we did. The game was cancelled, but we still managed to score some time on the field (where we were originally supposed to be recognized prior to the game). I also happened to bump into Gregg Davis and Will Warihay (’07 brothers from my chapter), who are currently visiting different stadiums throughout the country. It was great to see them… small world!

All in this Together: Kansas Pt 2

2009-07-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

Wichita – I was excited to check out Wichita, as it is one of two cities in Kansas I had heard of prior to the Journey and I was told it featured some excellent friendship visits. After racing against time to beat the “rack point” for the morning, my pace line arrived in the city and prepared for lunch and games with a local disabilities organization. I sat next to an older man named David, who has got to be the biggest character I’ve met this whole summer. He has a very distinctive twang and a self-deprecating sense of humor and it was a pleasure getting to know him (a picture of David and my teammate Chris Thomson is below). That night we were treated by a local Pi Alpha’s family to pizza/bowling at one of the swankier bowling establishments I’ve ever seen. We only played one game, sooo I attribute my score of 90 to simply warming up.

The following day we stayed in town and had the chance to visit with an organization called “Rainbows united.” In a very pleasant surprise, all the kids at the center kicked off our visit with a choir showcase. They sang “O Happy Day,” “As Long as You Love Me” (one of the finer Backstreet Boys hits... see video below) and invited everyone on stage to sing “We’re All in this Together” from High School Musical. I was in the minority in terms of having some lyrical knowledge of the song, but I am okay with that. After a welcome that was right up my alley, we had a somewhat chaotic lunch in which whip cream attacks took a central role. This friendship visit was a blast and will unquestionably stick out as one of the more memorable ones of the summer.

Later in the day we met with a disabilities advocacy organization who told us, among other things, about the fantastic program “Lose the Training Wheels.” This is a national program which operates as a week-long camp designed to help children with disabilities learn how to operate a bicycle independently and boost their self confidence in the process. During the dinner I was sitting next to a woman who I assumed was simply a shy, potentially uninterested staff member. Admittedly out of boredom, I eventually struck up a conversation with her and learned that she was a client with special needs named Tara. We had a really great talk and it reinforced the idea of never judging a book by its cover.

Emporia – A long day of riding (in this case 107 miles), can be more manageable with the presence of a funny group of people in your pace line. On this day, my group included Max and Kevin, two teammates who have long declared their intention to lose some weight on the trip. However, their attempts at “dieting” in the face of endless buffets and Olympic serving sizes have been more comical than effective. Eager to share their unique approach, I encouraged them to write a diet book. They have taken to the idea and I enjoyed listening to them share ideas about book content throughout the ride. What was not so funny was my luck on the bike that day. I had three flats (my first incidents since day two) and eventually had to rack a mere two miles from lodging. In addition to having to purchase a new tire, I had some bike maintenance issues to attend to (including an embarrassingly dirty chain). When it comes to taking care of my bike, I often find myself having to ask for assistance from my teammates which can be frustrating for me. I hate burdening other people to help me with things… something I recognize I need to be more open to. In light of the stress I was feeling on this particular day, maybe it was a sign that an organization in town provided us all with massages at lodging. I usually am too uptight to fully enjoy a massage, but this was definitely an exception. A chance to simply relax (and put everything in the right perspective) can go a long way.

Cyclists of the Corn: Kansas Pt 1

2009-07-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Garden City – While the arrival at the “Welcome to Kansas” sign did not bring quite the elation of its Colorado counterpart, I was still ready to tackle our sixth state. It was a long 105 miles into Garden City (including a “scenic overlook” simply composed of a large herd of cattle), and we definitely began to get a sense for the Kansas landscape – lots of fields, wind and hills. Anyone who claims Kansas is flat has not traveled it on bike! Our efforts paid off at our arrival point with what is allegedly the largest free admission pool in the world – who knew?? The staff there was a little on the intense side, but it was definitely refreshing. We spent our night enjoying a sponsored and fairly out of control all-you-can-eat meal at the local Golden Corral, followed by checking out the new Sasha Baron Cohen movie “Bruno.” After the discomfort/shock of the majority of the movie faded away, we were left with a lot of excellent one liners to put into the daily rotation.

Dodge City –“Get the Heck into Dodge” is the slogan for this town (get it?) and that’s precisely what we did. We were greeted by an organization called Arrowhead, who we were scheduled to visit with in three different cities. I did all I could to be at 100 percent at the visit, but I was undeniably exhausted and at one point had one of my infamous “neck snap” sleep episodes. I was much more awake later in the day, which was good because we had the chance to visit a historical Old West town (think Williamsburg style) which featured a mock gun fight, working shops and an old fashioned saloon show with can can dancers. A lot of it was hokey, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We were treated to all of our perks in Dodge by the grandmother of a Pi Alpha (who uses Facebook!) and her enthusiasm really made the day.

Pratt – The ride to Pratt was the first time in Kansas I made the call to head out into the corn fields at a crew stop. They are so simple, but fun to wander around in and a great place for a pace line photo op (see below). I = easily amused. We had our second visit with Arrowhead while in town and this one was a blast. We received a very enthusiastic welcome with signs and an eager group of clients (one girl acted like we were a certified boy band rolling into town!). One thing that made this friendship visit so enjoyable was the presence of a karaoke machine. My love for karaoke knows no bounds, but in this case it was a privilege to be able to sing along with the great people we met. I even got involved in a group rendition of “Before He Cheats” by my girl Carrie, because I’m a pretty huge fan as most people (and my former roommates) can attest. That night we were blown away to be treated to steaks at a local archery ranch. It was my first time using a bow and arrow and, once I got the hang of it, I loved it! I even surprised myself by hitting a moving target while in a group “shoot off.” I felt like Robin Hood for a split second and what better way to top off a great day?

I accept the physical challenge: The end of Colorado :(

2009-07-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

Pueblo, CO – This town was a pleasant surprise. But all in all, a typical JOH day in July: lotsa heat, lotsa food. The ride also included the recently established “Pushup Challenge.” In an effort to maintain some tone in the upper body (rather than pure leg domination), many of us have begun a ritual of doing 20 – 25 pushups at each crew stop along our route (typically set up every 10 miles). This prevents any post-ride excuses of being “too tired” and also serves as a public display of us acting like tools on the highways of America.

La Junta, CO – Singlehandedly the most leisurely day on the bike to date! We did 70 miles by 9:45 am, so we were also ridiculously productive! About 5 miles or so outside of lodging, many of the cyclists took part in the “Hot Sauce” challenge (the challenge thing will become a theme), in which small cup portions of spicy liquids were consumed following an enthusiastic cheers of “ La Junnnnnnta!” I am a wuss and thus abstained. After holding the first meeting of the “Won Ton Club” during the day (an enthusiastic small group of Chinese food seekers), we spent the night celebrating Andrew Moffetts 21^st birthday at a local bowling alley in an effort to accommodate the whole team. He kept it classier than most people I’ve seen on their transition to legality and everyone had fun, despite being in arguably the most bug-filled town in the union. Final advice: if you ever come into contact with a beverage by the name of “Chelada”… head straight for the hills.

Lamar , CO –Today we headed to our last town in Colorado. Sad to be on the brink of leaving our favorite state, we spiced up the ride with some roadside challenges. Shocking, I know. I took part in the 2-liter Pepsi relay challenge… fitting for an admitted soda addict like myself. Somehow, it did not do the harm to my system it undeniably should have. Following arrival, everyone claimed their spot on the wrestling mats of the local high school gymnasium (where some of us former wrestlers eagerly began facing off), showered up and scarfed down lunch. Most of the team spent the afternoon at the local pool, which included a pretty sizable water slide. In true JOH fashion, we made a competition out of it! David Stinnette ended up nabbing the title of fastest slider with an impressive time of 9.77 seconds.

After much of the team took part in the customary late afternoon nap, we all headed off to dinner at Mary Minor’s house. Mary’s family and friends were gracious enough to provide us with a bona fide buffet of homemade Mexican food and I continued my summer of expanding my food horizons (chocolate and peanut butter are still a no-go… sorry haters). Well fed and coming to terms with the realization that our journey is now over halfway done, we are ready to get a good night sleep before heading into our sixth state in the morning – Kansas.

Reunited and it feels so good

2009-07-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Waking up the morning of our Denver ride, I was giddy… pure and simple. Not only was I energized to spend two days in a city I had heard so many positive things about, but I was also about to reunite with the three Elon boys on the North team route. Our teams happened to converge in the city at the same time and we were set to come together at Invesco Field, the home of the Denver Broncos. Since we had a shorter ride that day, we had some time to kill before the Northerners arrived. When Sam, Jim and Scotty came rolling in, it felt surreal. It was great to see nothing had changed (including Mr. Rampton’s lovable awkwardness) and we began swapping stories of our respective summers on the road. In a very cool surprise, the two teams were given access to walk onto the stadium field (my first time on legitimate NFL turf) to take pictures and witness the massive “Welcome Journey of Hope” sign that greeted us.

Following a formal arrival ceremony at the capitol building, North and TransAm met up again later that night for an event called “Pedal for Pennies.” The fundraiser was organized by Special Olympics Colorado and featured people with disabilities cycling around a track with Push America partners. It was inspiring to see how thrilled these individuals were each time they rounded a turn to the cheering crowd and there was at least one guy who was definitely speedy enough to hang with the JOH! After the cycling, everyone convened for dinner and we were treated to a speech by one of the athletes, Emily, who explained how much the support meant to her. What happened next was nothing short of awesome. A full-on dance party popped off! A few of the hits: “YMCA,” “Shout,” “I Want it that Way” (serenaded by all the guys to two of the female athletes) and, yes, “Man I Feel Like a Woman.” Definitely a candidate for best friendship visit evvvver.

Another Denver highlight: seeing my fellow Eloners and newfound Denver residents Mike Purcell, Kelsey Edwards, Liz Jazinski and Caroline Crouch. My first familiar faces (minus the North boys) in a long time! They picked a great city and I look forward to returning sooner rather than later.

After a bona fide vacation in JOH world (two off days, two light rides), we had to get back in the business of headed toward the east coast. This meant our earliest wakeup yet (4:45… yikes) and a 90 mile ride to Colorado Springs. On this day we had the pleasure of riding with Bruce Rogers, the man who began the Journey of Hope in 1987 and remains the event’s biggest sponsor through his company KRG Capital. I unfortunately did not get to speak with him much one-on-one, but it was awesome to simply be in the presence of the person who started it all.

The ride turned out to be a bit on the harder side, partially because our legs had gotten accustomed to forgoing daily abuse. When it came time for the 8 mile police escort into town (very long for us), we were told that the remainder of the ride was “all downhill.” Note to anyone ever considering taking this on: never never ever believe that phrase!! Regardless of the discrepancy, we arrived at the national Olympic Training Center on time to an enthusiastic crowd (many there for hometown boy James Frederick). Outline of the day at the OTC: mervings galore in the athlete cafeteria, a chance to meet Lopez Lomong (a former lost boy of Sudan who was selected to carry the American flag at the 2008 games in Beijing!), the former triathlon of the world and a four-time para olympian in cycling and skiing named Allison, who cycled into town with us. We also toured the center’s incredible facilities and everything was just ridiculous in the best possible way. We spent the night in lodging at Colorado College in… beds! A blessing and a curse (the whole waking up element), but always appreciated.

^ Lomong and I

Colorful Colorado!

2009-07-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

COLORADO. I kid you not that I nearly wept tears of joy when we arrived at the (strangely plain-colored) “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign. I think my team was in general agreement. Wyoming had its moments, but it was long. So very long.

Our first stop was Fort Collins, where Colorado State is located. After stopping by the Colorado chapter house for a welcome lunch (which included a trip down “The Plunge” – the blowup waterslide in their front yard), we had a relatively low key friendship visit at lodging and then set out to explore the city. Fort Collins has the kind of authentic “college town” I didn’t really experience at Elon, and I was very impressed with everything. With a college town comes college activities, so we ended up visiting the New Belgium Brewery. In addition to making the famous “Fat Tire” brew, this place also lets you mail out signature postcards free of charge. Needless to say, many of you will be receiving them! The night ended (as so many do), with a quality karaoke party among brothers.

Since this was to be a week of leisure in JOH world, the next day was an easy 45 miler to Boulder. I instantly liked this town and when I came across the Boulder chapter house (a legitimate frat castle one might say... see below), I liked it even more. The students of Boulder had clearly been enjoying the Fourth of July all day, but rather than joining them right away many of us went downtown to get a feel for the city. My impression was that this was a clean and hip place to reside, with a large population of street performers thrown into the mix. I will forever regret not taking my camera out, because we came across the most flexible (Jamaican!) man I’ve ever seen in my life. He could fit himself inside this tiny little box and I was basically flabbergasted. Later that night we had a chance to hang out with a bunch of past/present Boulder students (so cool… I really like Colorado people) and see some quality fireworks at their stadium. It’s an understatement to say that we lucked out with our location to celebrate the holiday!