We still ride west...

last night was bittersweet.

first: we celebrated the completion of our first official century. (some people have already riden 100+ miles on this trip, but usually because of poor directions or over-ambition). but the bad news was that our dear friend molly pederson returned to us from the hospital - broken collarbone, torn ligament and no bike riding for 4-6 weeks. she took a spill over her handlebars after hitting a rock and managed to tuck and roll into the ditch, but not without consequence.

second: we were excited to hear that our ride today would be shorter - almost ten miles shorter (a total of 59 miles)! unfortunately, that makes tomorrow's ride 130 miles. yes. 130. into colorado springs, a gain of 2,000 feet from la junta.

so we celebrate when we can, and we persevere through the rest.

we are really excited to get to colorado springs tomorrow because we've got family and friends to celebrate with! eric's sister, liz, and my friends, dave, greg, and mike will welcome us to the beautiful city of colorado springs and stay the night to share stories and hugs. and a new belgium brew, or two. maybe this will help us realize what we're doing and what we've already accomplished. some days it seems so unreal... biking over 2,000 miles in five weeks?! wow. these last 1,000 miles have flown...

i wish i could end this post with a funny story, but as you have all experienced at one time or another, some stories are only funny the moment they happen or if the listener knows the people involved. so i will spare you a long, mediocre story and instead thank everyone who has written and called - it has been nice to hear from everyone while we've been on the road. please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare to climb some big mountains, starting tomorrow!

pura vida,
molly

ps - i've learned on this trip that camping is not as glamorous when 30 people are involved. cooking, cleaning, tenting, packing in the morning, etc. i've been inspired to go on a small group backpacking trip to reignite my love for camping! you in?!

Welcome to COLORFUL COLORADO!

It feels more real than ever today, this whole biking across the country thing...I think the reason might be that we're now in Colorado (a mountainy state, and I know that mountainy isn't a word, but that's what everyone says that Colorado is), and although Eastern CO is flat as a board, just like the rest of the Great Plains, it FEELS west. We'll be here for 10 days, climbing the Rockies, taking a day off in Colorado Springs (when Andrew will rejoin us, we'll celebrate two riders' birthdays, AND get visits from my little sister and some of Molly's very best friends), and doing a little construction in Durango. It should be a challenging, but rewarding and exciting leg of the trip.

Today was a great ride--101 miles from Garden City, Kansas to Lamar, Colorado. Molly and I both felt really strong today, and swore we could have ridden 30 miles more (though, now that I'm rested a bit and showered up, you couldn't get me back on a bike today). Tonight, we'll enjoy carpeting and all the fixings (dinner AND breakfast) at the United Methodist Church of Lamar. Also, we have an extra hour today, because we crossed into the Mountain Time Zone, so although we were in the saddle for about 5 hours (which is a really good pace), we got here sooner than expected. Nice.

It's hard to believe that this trip is six weeks over tomorrow. Time passes so fast, it's almost alarming. Even though today was a century day, and we rode a long time and a long way, after it was over, I kind of looked around and thought to myself, "done already?" I think that as I ride into San Diego, I'm going to feel like things just got started...I still remember faces and names from our first hosts. Maryville, TN doesn't seem that long ago. And, we practically rocketed through Oklahoma and Kansas. I look at a map and really can't grasp what we've done so far. There's only three more states to ride through (six, if you count all four corners), and in only three weeks, San Diego. Crazy. I'm just starting to like biking, too.

I'll keep this short today, because I'm also responsible for our group journal tonight, but I can say this: I've had ups and downs throughout the trip, and even wondered if I'd be glad it was over when it's over--but, no matter how many emotions I've had, good or bad, I will be telling and celebrating this story and experience for a long time. Thanks to anyone reading for sharing in it with me. More to come, and pictures soon--I promise.

Have a cold one for Molly and I--or three or ten. I miss Madison bars most of all. Just kidding.

Take good care, all.
E

Good News!

The first, and most important news for today's blog is in regards to our fellow rider, Andrew Martin. He's coming back!! He is currently securing a bike and helmet (from Greenville, NC) and buying a plane ticket to meet us in Colorado Springs on July 7! Can't wait to have you back, friend!

We really enjoyed the state of Oklahoma - the long, rolling hills, overcast skies, hospitality, and neverending land. It seemed as if we could ride forever and keep coming over hills to see more of the same. But it was beautiful! And we would have been wrong, because we left Oklahoma yesterday and entered Kansas. Much like we would have expected, we have seen a lot of flat land, hay fields and way less cows. There were a few interested things about today to keep us intrigued. First, some of us rode through Greensburg - the city where, only a few weeks ago, a tornado touched down and devastated the community. Not only was the tornado fierce and unyielding, but it leveled the town. The force of the storm required a number off the charts to describe it. Next, a few riders visited a town that has a sign designating it as the central point of the U.S. - equidistant from New York and Los Angeles. For the rest of us, who didn't take the opportunity to see those special places, we stopped and took pictures with hay bales. That's right. They're all over the country. But we stopped in Kansas to take pictures with them.

Well, the computer lab is closing NOW so i must cut this off.
We hope everyone is enjoying the summer and that we'll hear from you soon!

Pura vida!
Molly

OK in Oklahoma!

I've noticed a few interesting things about this trip--first of all, the United States is BIG and HILLY. Per the BIG, we've gone nearly 1800 miles, and we're just halfway there in mileage. Per the HILLY, we had two flat days in the coastal plains of Carolina, and what I would call one flat day today in Oklahoma; other than that, there are elevation changes galore. Would you believe that tomorrow, from OK to Kansas, we will gain 900 feet of elevation? I sure wouldn't. But, that's the land, and that's what we're doing--biking over it. Anyone who ever thought this trip would be a breeze is wrong.

The second thing I've noticed is how darn hospitable these folks across the country are--especially now, here in OK when we need a good feeding and rest before the Rockies. Molly and I said over dinner that it may have been the best meal yet (and we have had some incredible meals--Swan Quarter, Belhaven, Chapel Hill, Bartlesville, Grove, and the list goes on--also, I still say that the BEST thing I've eaten is fried Catfish on day one in Swan Quarter). Green Bean Caserole, Corn Bread Caserole and muffins, great BBQ, salads, and cake for dessert...woah. Good stuff. And, it's been this way all through OK--truly a refreshing place to be for us. Though, my weight loss of ten pounds is on the fence because of these meals. Oh well--I wasn't small when I left, why would I want to be upon my return? Life is good.

It's difficult to see and hear about the damage being caused by the flooding here right now--19 days of rain in a row, just before the wheat harvest...the Pastor here in Cherokee said that until 2 weeks ago, the wheat harvest was looking to be the best ever--now, the crops are nearly destroyed...we rode past houses that were flooded today, and the fields beside these homes looked like lakes, not wheat fields. We complain about the rain as riders because we're cold and wet--but it's not doing nearly as much damage to us as it has to the farmers in this state...something to think about as we ride on tomorrow into Kansas, our sixth state on the trip.

Our rides for the next six days should be tougher than usual--tomorrow is nearly 90 miles, and we should have two centuries after that--one into Lamar, CO, and one into our rest stop at Colorado Springs. After that day, we begin the rough part of our Rockies passage. We're not certain, but Molly and I talked with a woman who thinks we'll be taking the Monarch Pass, which connects Ouray to Durango, and happens to be the highest pass in the Rocky Mountains. So, we already made this highest pass in the Appalachians, and now the rockies? Again, I'll say that if anyone here thought this would be easy, they were wrong.

I must say, though, that Molly and I are more than up for the challenge. I can't speak for her, but I'm suprised how well my body has held up so far, and I'm amazed that, although it has tested me greatly, I've had the patience to ride so much. The bike is something I'm slowly getting used to, and it feel better and easier each day to ride. So that's good, right?

Quick note about Andrew Martin, our fallen biker--he's not too sure yet as to what he is going to do--he wants to ride, and all of us want him back. The doctors need to give him the ok though--if nothing else, we'd love to see him with the van, or on the beach in San Diego.

That should do it for now--sorry for the quick post, but it's bedtime, and like I said, 90 miles tomorrow. Goodnight, and take good care everyone.

Eric
The group is doing well--our systems of operation are smoothing out quite a bit

OOOOOOOOOOOOOK-LAHOMA! Where the blah blah blah...

Well, here we are! Our fifth state, Oklahoma. Our rides have been great so far--nice rolling hills, great scenery (Northeast OK is know as 'Green Country'), and some incredible hospitality when we get home for the night (home is what I now call our next destination, but each place is, of course, nothing to my real home).

Our first town in Oklahoma was called Grove, and sat about 10 miles from the Missouri Border. We stayed at a Methodist church, and were fed by the congregation, attended a youth worship service, and chatted with a great lady named Melanie. Melanie had some incredibble stories to share. For example, she married her husband of 23 years only three weeks and 4 days after they met. Wow. She has lived or visited 6 of 7 continents (her two sons have, as well). She has, from what I understand, spent 6 of the last 12 months living in Australia. And she still manages to find time for a job. She's a great host, as was the entire community in Grove--we can't thank them enough.

After Grove, we had an 80 mile ride into Bartlesville, where we currently are. We're at another church, and the folks here (Thanks Ms. Georgia!) have prepared wonderful meals and showed wonderful hospitality. Also, they put us up for two days, and we had a nice day off today. Molly and I both made it the the YMCA and refreshed ourselves--the pool, hottub, steamroom, and sauna cleared us right up. We needed it, too--Kim had a 23rd birrthday last night, and a local joint called Vern's Tavern did us right--shuffleboard, pool, and a great jukebox full of classic tunes. Also, we drank beer. Which Molly and I like to do from time to time.

Tomorrow, we head off to Ponca City, our first of 8 straight ride days. This stretch sill put us into Colorado, and a day off in Co. Springs, where my wonderful sister will join us! I must admit, I'm a bit nervous about this part of the trip--a lot of miles lay ahead, including our first planned century into Lamar. I have no doubt, though, that we'll make it through and ride on pat the Rockies.

Hope all is well with everyone, and we'll get some pictures up as soon as we can. Molly and I spent about an hour uploading stuff, but when we tried to publish them onto the blog, POOF! they were gone. I got frustrated, decided to write a ittle diddy and make the 9:30 curfew. My apologies again. I'm a failure at this blog stuff. The one at the top should keep you pumped for more. And prove that we are actually in OK, and about halfway done with this thing. I can't wait to get that California air in my (thinning) hair.


Best, Cheers, and Love,
Eric

More pictures...

Ladies climbing!



We stopped to "enjoy a rest in a corn field" which happened to be across the street from a Humane Society building. When the ladies working there asked if they could offer us anything we asked if we could play with their animals. So we stopped for about 45 minutes to play!



The scariest state line, ever. We were on an old steel bridge that had about four feet of give - left and right, up and down. We were standing over the Mississippi River.



Missouri - it has a special place in Eric's heart!



Our second state line of the day - we just passed through Missouri briefly.

Apologies upfront.

Friends--it's been too long since we've posted anything. But, as you can see, I've just put up some doozies, so try to make sense of them and enjoy. We are now in Grove, Oklahoma, and have a day off Friday--I promise you all another great post and pictures then!

Take good care, amd make it a good day!
Eric