June 9 2007

More THF sponsors - Cyn, myself, Charlie, and Lisa. Thanks for the laughs!

Charlie protecting his baby:)

Notice the shirt...I guess we can still be friends...

My new friend, Charlie, who must have e.s.p and brought us all Starbucks coffee.

June 9 Westlake, Ohio - Peak'n Peak Ski & Golf Resort, New York 126 miles

After a great breakfast and trailer signing with Charlie and company, he escorted the team into Cleveland before parting ways.

Whatever happened to Pennsylvania? The riders woke up in Ohio this morning, rode through a small corner of Pa. and before they knew i were in New York.

Along the way, our dirty van needed and wash something fierce when a group of cheerleaders was hosting a fundraiser car wash. See photo for the very photogenetic and cute cheerleaders.

Thanks for the donation CAMBAUS, Ohio! (Cleveland bike club)

The ride along the lake and up to Peak'n Peak is beautiful and when we arrive, there are two big hotel rooms at the resort waiting for tired bodies. Brad Gravink and his son, Graham, join us for dinner and sponsor our evening. Graham is a 17 year old who also loves to bike and is talented in many other sports. He is an amazing young man who will, before long, ease his way into the hearts of everyone he meets. Thanks for signing our van and for being excited about our adventure.

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June 8, 2007

June 8 Clyde, Ohio - Westlake, Ohio 35 miles

Attention readers: thanks for your patience while we fall begind on the blog. Sometimes the internet is hard to come by but we appreciate your interest and support! Please stay with us. Also, May 24th and May 25 has been recently added to the blog. Hope you enjoy!

A short, sort-of rest day for the guys. We can't pass up Sandusky, whose claim to fame is Cedar Point Amusment Park (a must-come-back-to) and the setting for the movie Tommy Boy with Chris Farley. That's gonna leave a mark...

In the black and white photo is a young man interested in the foundation. He is getting on his way to the gym by way of bike. Gotta love the enthusiasm.

We are still following Lake Erie along the windy, coastal towns.

Ok, on to more important topics - The Moosehead Saloon. That's what we're talking about. It's a rough life. We all have the pleasure of hanging with the cool kids...Charlie Hicks and his wife Cyn, Paula & Tom, Greg & Lisa, John and Steve. All of them bikers of the sort and outdoor enthusiasts. To prove my point here, Tom has through-hiked the Appalacian Trail. Being another fan of the hilarious author Bill Bryson, we hit it off quite well. At the Moosehead, we were forced to drink the local tap and eat some of the best food ever. Of course the team looks forward to trying the local foods (and beverages) in which case tonight would be the Lake Erie Perch. Yum!

It's easy to share stories when you are amongst very talented and ambitous people. It was too tempting to stay out with the locals until the wee hours but tomorrow is looking like another long day.

Charlie and Cyn, thanks for your generous donation, the hotel rooms, dinner, great company and friends, and most importantly, for doing our laundry!!!

It's hard to leave a community like this, even only after one evening. The team was a part of something special for the night.

June 7, 2007

June 7 Defiance, Ohio - Clyde, Ohio 92 miles

A very hot and muggy 94 degrees. Outside of Defiance, the team cycles along the Maumee river and through some great little town along it's path. There are finally some turns in the road and the landscape is shades by trees. Dick took this photo of his new friend, the tree, and was thankful for it's refuge from the sun.

On a short bike path, Dick met a genuine man on his bicycle. Marve is keeping his diabetes under control by biking and he seems quite content doing so. He is fond of his community and the bike trails along the river. We would all have to agree. He is kind enough to invite us for lunch and as much as we wanted to hear stories of himself and the area, we had to get back on the road. See photo of Marve! Keep up the biking!

There are just too many wonderful people we have met along the way to mention them all on our website...a man and his dog giving directions was another good hearted one of the bunch- he was excited for us and dreams of biking across country himself when he retires. Everybody has a story. These stories are heart what turns a trip into a journey - really listening to the people you meet in life.

I must mention Kathy McNeilly, at the Red Roof Inns. She was most helful, sweet, caring of our sick rider, and was thrilled to sign our trailer. Once again, so many great people in the world that we are fortunate to meet. So Kathy, thank you for everything!!

June 6, 2007

June 6 Wabash, Indiana - Defiance, Ohio 112 miles

Long day-great weather

At one point on the back road ride today, Dick saw a camo truck when his mind began playing tricks on him. At first, he envisioned a squadron of militia practicing in the woods. Just as soon as he got himself all worked up about these scary thoughts, the sounds of machine gun went off -or so he thought...it was actually the noise of a jackhammer from a nearby home. Enough to replace the pacemaker for sure!

We are staying with Mark Schwab's Mom tonight - Mark and Dick had riddern together last year in MS Global in Italy. Thanks for being a part of another MS ride this year Mark!

May 25, 2007

May 25, 2007 Pierre – Chamberlain

Today we can have the right to complain about headwinds and just be sure we don’t compare our complaints to those of the Expedition. In this same area, the Corps was fighting off mosquitos the size of black flies, Indians, black bear, and fierce storms.

A few rain drops and a breeze (30 mph headwind) feels good. I was honored to ride in the headwind today for the first 20 miles to stretch my legs before getting back to driving. The guys battle it out for most of the day as we follow the Missouri.

Thank you to the Best Western in Chamberlain for a sponsored evening and for the warm beer at the local cafe.