YIppeee!!!

I actually crossed on the old bridge

7th state line ceremony

Lisa, Ally, Bryon and Lenn

Dan H and family

L

Smile!!

Hello Everyone,

i will have to say today was an exceptionally challenging day. The saddle sores continue to get wofse even though I am wearing 2 pair of cycling shorts, but the hot foot problem has not been since I started wearing 2 pair of socks. Today was one of those days that I would rather forget. We battled horrendous headwinds the entire day, the roads were good but no shoulder and quite a bit of traffic. Oh least i forget there was some climbing too but the headwinds made the ride a battle.

For the most part, I rode along today and on days like this it makes it worse. A few folks came in ahead of me but I stopped a lot just to et a repave from the wind and saddle sores. I really don’t want this to sound like a whine but this was one of those really hard days that makes the entire effort more special.

At our first (and only) SAG, we celebrated 2000 total miles of riding in under a month with a few days off. That surpass my best previous month by about 600-700 miles. We crossed another sate line and are now in Illinois our 8th state and 7th state line ceremony. To top off my days, several friends came up from St. Louis to meet me and go out for a bite to eat: Lisa, Bryon, Lenn, Ally, Dan, Dan’s wife and son Landon. (Sorry for not remembering Dan’s wife’s name but my brain is fried today) This was a special treat and its nice to see some friends along the way. Bryon got a call from his wife that she had gone to the ER and I hope that everything is all right..

A good friend used to say, “It’s days like this that build character!” I had about all the character building that I can take today but it does give pause to reflect on why I am doing this (and blogging about it). I knew this is something that I always wanted to do because it is hard and also gave me ago opportunity to see more of the country (while reflecting on my blessings, this country and life in general). i wanted the ride to be about more than me and picked The Wounded Warrior Project as my cause. That part was an  effort to give something back to those who have already given so much. Lastly, I wanted to provide some level of inspiration for others to push the envelope and go for something special.

I know that the real worth of this ride is not the doing of it but the friendships and memories that ensue. I knew what I was getting into when I started but some days are tougher than others. A very special friend sent me this quote to ponder ,”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I have met some wonderful people on this trip. The riders are truly an amazing group and I feel humbled in their -presence by their achievements, lust for life and explorations. Every day, I learn something new about someone and am impressed all over again. However, I don’t think they are necessarily blessed with extraordinary skills but an extraordinary sense of purpose, resolve and wonder of the things around them. Yoda said “Try not, do” These folks do.

Perhaps that is the purpose of my Blog, to not just recount my adventures but to inspire others to seek out what is in their heart and push the envelope. Their is an old Chinese proverb that says “A journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step.” As Deeds used to tell me that step is by far the hardest, because now you have made a commitment. There was a time over 50 years ago that I never would have dreamed of doing this ride. I had asthma so bad that walking across a room was harder than the ride today. Over time and with allergy shots and a workout program, I got better. Not being able to do things at a young age  forever gave me an appreciation   of good health and things others may take for granted. I realize that my first step was back then when I resolved to get better. I remember seeing Abibi Bekila win the 1960 marathon, running in =his bare feet and then doing pushups after he won. I marveled that anyone could do that. Abibi was a pure runner in that it is what he did for the sheer love of it.

Onc you find your path, there will be doubters and naysayers but I think Teddy Roosevelt said it best:

“It is not the critic who counts! Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better…

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who, at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

I wanted to leave this already too long post with a couple of items :

First, a sincere heart-felt thanks for my friends for coming up to see me today. It really lifted my spirits and was a great end to a tough day!

Second, a funny: I usually go to bed later than my room mate Larry. Last night as I was turning off the lights, Larry woke up and asked me what was going on. I said that his wake up call just arrived and he was late. Larry started to get out of bed to get ready to ride. I hope that he was grateful when I told him it was 10PM and he could go back to sleep!

Tailwinds

Chuck