Onward to Walla Walla, WA

The day started out great.  I had another great day to ride.  My goal for today was a 70 mile ride to Walla Walla, Wa.  My legs were a little sore but when you actually get on the bike and start seeing the scenery you forget what is hurting.  

I have to be honest, I stand at 6'5" tall but one of my biggest fears is heights.  The bridges around here are huge.  About 15 miles into my ride I had to cross one of those bridges.  I was scared to death, not because I was in danger but I was pretty high up.  I just focused on the road in front of me and talk to God the entire way.  He got me through it.  After I crossed the bridge I ran into two guys (Eric and Shawn) that were coming from Missoula, Montana.  We shared information on the routes we had to look forward to.  

Tony, my uncle has been here with me since Friday.  He has been traveling along taking pictures and video of different things.  If I stopped to take pictures of everything I wouldn't get any riding done.  He is leaving in the morning so I will have to stop and take more of them. I truly appreciated all his help.  He took a few absolutely beautiful pictures and video.  It is easy to do when you have views that are around here.

I traveled along the Columbia River for about 30 miles and it was breathtaking. Here are examples of the views I had while riding.....Amazing!

Then after a 68 mile ride I finished the day pulling into Walla Walla, WA.

The third day hump

Today my legs were a little fatigued but than can be expected. . Last night Tony, my uncle made an executive decision and decided to stay a couple more day. Since he did that and was going to be driving with me I thought I would go a little farther than I had planned. There was an 82 mile stretch of limited service and limited it was. I traveled along the Columbia River. It was absolutely amazing. The climbs again were tough but I kept telling myself, you get to the top of be mountain with one push of the pedal at a time. As I was getting closer to the top the music that Chad McKibben.gave me, started talking about reaching the mountain top. It's really  cool that when you are continually on a bike for a while you pick up little things to entertain you. I actually about fell off the bike a couple times because I wanted to dance listening to a couple of the songs on there. That is difficult to dance when you're clipped to the bike.

I spent the day thinking WOW looking at the incredible views. Overlooking the river at many different levels was impressive. It was funny because an expedition passed me and on his license plate it said WOW. I thought that is perfectly fitting.  Some of the biggest WOW moments I receive is the support of everyone. I love seeing how people are getting inspiration with something as ordinary as riding a bike. The support I receive keeps me going, so Thank you very much!

Day 2-Goodbye Portland

Sorry I'm a day late already. Yesterday, I started the day having breakfast with Cherise and Shira of the Brian Grant Foundation. They are both wonderful ladies truly making a difference.  It is an honor to be riding for Brian Grant Foundation. They are truly helping many people with the facets of Parkinson's Disease. Providing awareness and giving people dealing with Parkinson's ways to cope and continue to live a happy healthy life.

After breakfast it was time to get on my bike again and head into Washington to a small town called Lyle. The ride was absolutely beautiful. It was slow because of the ascend but when I finally reached the top I found Cape Horn.  Cape Horn had a breathtaking view. It was definitely worth the struggle to get up there.  When I got into Lyle I was a absolutely exhausted.

Stats for the day:
Mileage- 72 miles
Ascend- 3609 ft
Time- 4hrs 51min
Calories burned- 6046
Avg speed- 14.7

First day!

Day one complete! My day started with dipping my tire in the Pacific Ocean at Fort Stevens. It was overcast and looked like it could rain at anytime early but then the sun came out and turned out to be a beautiful day.  The ride was tough but the sites were beautiful. I felt strong today. I rode 70 miles and ascended 2,989 feet.  There was one hill after we ate lunch in Clatskanie that ascended 750 feet over a distance of 2.5 m iles.  I know it wont be the toughest I see but I didn't think it would ever end. I also hit a pothole that about dislocated my entire body.  It was truly an awesome day. There were views with the mountains in the background that would absolutely take your breath away.

It's time!

The idea of cycling across the country was just a thought two years ago. I shared the idea with my health classes as I gave them a sheet that I call the WOW list. I give this sheet to all of my high school and college classes. The WOW stands for WithOut Wonder. I try to make them think about something they could do or achieve that would WOW them. I make them think about things that they have wondered "what would that  be like", and then challenge them to do it. As we were going through this lesson one of the students asked, "what is something on your WOW list?" I replied that I had a few but one thing that I always wondered was,  what it would be like to travel across the country on a bicycle. I then followed it up with, " I will do it one day."  I thought back to 17 years ago when I was in high school and two teachers, Tom Anderson and Eric Krauff, set out on a journey from Georgetown, OH and went to the west coast.  At that time I didn't know but 17 years later I realized that they inspired me. 

Tomorrow I will begin my journey to inspire and help, just like those two teachers did me, by riding across the country. It has been quite a journey to get to this point by now it is time to mark off another WOW moment that I have on my list. When i make it from sea to shining sea it will be a major WOW moment that I'm sure I will never forget.  I challenge each and everyone of you to start a WOW list. Write it down and make I happen. It's time to stop making excuses of why you can't do something and start figuring out ways you can. Time is precious so use it wisely!  

Freedom Gear Cyclery

I truly can't say enough about the wonderful people at Freedom Gear Cyclery. Without their support and insight I truly don't think I could have made this entire trip possible.  Matt and Kim Brodbeck has only had Freedom Gear Cyclery open for about 6 months but the impact they are making in the community and people that they come in contact with is amazing.

As I was starting the planning for bikes I was doing a lot of research on different touring bikes. I traveled to a lot of bike shop throughout the area.  The first time I walked through the door at Freedom Gear Cyclery it was a little different than any of the others.  Matt came up to me and asked if he could help with anything and I started asking him about touring bikes.  He was very informative and about a half an hour into our conversations, he asked "So what are you doing"?  I kind of smiled a little and told him I was riding my bike across country.  Matt's eyes got a little bigger and then I told him that I was riding for the Brian Grant Foundation, Rachael's Raising Hope, and Spencer's Army.  His first response without blinking an eye was "I want to help".  Every other bike shop I went to would respond with how amazing it was or that's awesome but Matt showed his heart with his response. We continued to talk about the adventure that I was planning and Matt was telling me what they could actually do to help.  That day I was with Tony, my uncle, and we left Freedom Gear Cyclery knowing that we found the shop that could truly help with this adventure.

The last few months I have spent countless hours in Freedom Gear Cyclery and I know without a doubt I was sent there for a reason.  Matt, Kim, Fred, and the entire staff have been wonderful to me.  They have not only helped me with cycling and all the planning, they helped me along my spiritual journey.  Above the door as you leave they have a bible verse that empowers their name.

2 Corinthians 3:17

¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Matt, Kim, Fred, Little Matt, and everyone at Freedom Gear Cyclery are not only wonderful at maintenance for your bike, fitting, finding the perfect bike for your needs, or helping you plan a trip across country, they are fantastic people.  I'm happy to call Freedom Gear Cyclery my bike shop but more importantly I'm blessed to call everyone there my friends.  

 
7695 Beechmont Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45255
877.410.0772
513.686.9243

 

Kickoff a Success

The Pedaling With Purpose Awareness Across America Kickoff event was a success. The event started with a 25 mile fun ride on a portion of the National Underground Railroad trail down Old 68 in Georgetown, OH, then across the scenic Rt 52 in Ripley, OH, and then back to Georgetown on Freesoil Rd. The overcast skies in the beginning of the morning looked liked we could be riding in the rain but it held off to be perfect riding conditions. Spencer was our honary starter and he began the ride in cheerful fashion.  Sixteen riders gathered to enjoy a great morning of cycling and friendship. After the ride cyclist were treated to lunch sponsored by Subway in Mt. Orab, OH.  Each rider also left with a Pedaling With Purpose T-shirt and a sense of pride knowing that they helped three wonderful charitable causes.

After the ride, a silent auction, quarter auction, and a raffle was held.  Many volunteers devoted their time to help raise funds for the Brian Grant Foundation, Rachael's Raising Hope, and Spencer's Army. Numerous vendors were available to make the quarter auction a exciting.  It was awesome to see a community come together and many connections made.  Thank you to everyone that made the Pedaling With Purpose Awareness Across America Kickoff a success!