Day 11

It's been a little while since my last post, but a lot has happened in the past 6 days. On day 6, or day 2 of cycling, we had our hardest day. 120+ mikes up and around 2 mountain passes (Cayuse and White Pass) and a total of 13 hours on the saddle. It was one of the, if not the most challenging day of exercise I have ever done in my life. Between hills that never ended, freezing winds, being over-heated, physical and mental exhaustion, and the total milage, I pushed myself to my breaking point. I arrived at lodging barley conscious, but was greeted with hugs, high fives, and the cutest little boy cheering us in. Although the ride was tough and intense it also had breathtaking views. Giant archaic trees, massive lakes, rivers, and waterfalls all surrounded us as we rode. This was a day I will never forget.

After conquering day 2 the other days were no comparison; that's not to say they weren't challenging or easy. The hardest aspect we had to adapt to is the constant cycling. It's not the one 100 mile day that kills the team, it's the fatigue yon the legs after three 60 mile days. After week one it was obvious the team felt the fatigue, I know I felt it.

Other than adjusting to the long cycling days the journey is lots of fun! The friendship visits are the best part of the trip so far! A typical friendship visit involves the entire team going to a local non-profit organization that supports people with disabilities in some way. They always feed us and then meet the team. Essentially, we eat, meet and then play with the members of the non-profit. If this is what the summer is going to be like for the rest of the journey then I'm in for an amazing time!

I'm still working on a way to upload pictures. If I can't figure it out on .the iPad soon enough I'll just borrow someones laptop and do it. Thanks for the patience!

Location:Spokane, WA

Day 5

First day on the road! After 4 days of orientation which consisted of going over safety procedures, practice rides, and daily routines we started the journey. Seattle was beautiful city to see. Despite what people say about the weather, I loved it. Overcast and misty in the morning and then sunny and amazing in the afternoon. This is somewhere I can see my self living one day!

We had our kickoff breakfast this morning with friends and family at a park. The breakfast was huge: bagels, sausage, omelet casserole, cooked potatoes, fruit, and coffee. Coffee might be the one thing that I'm going to crave the most during this trip. I think I'm already going through withdrawal due to all of the irregular twitching.

Riding through Seattle was a little scary at times due to the heavy traffic and wet roads, but once we got out of the city we saw the gorgeous country side. Overall, I felt confident riding today. I didn't have any issues with fatigue or bike maintenance. Tomorrow is going to be a much tougher day though since we are riding 125 miles around AND UP a mountain.

Enmuclaw is a nice little town just outside Seattle. As soon as we rode into the town we were greeted with a scenic view of mountains and forest. Now it's time to hit the showers and go to our second friendship visit.

I'm trying to find a good app to post my pictures onto, but until then bare with the lack of pictures. Another issue is the amount of Internet service I'll have access to,but I'll make it work. I'm keeping all of you in my heart and thanks again for sending me on this amazing journey!

Signing off.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Enmuclaw

Journey of Hope blog

Hey everyone, after many months of hard work I finally made it to Seattle to finally start the Journey of Hope! To recap for those who may not know on what the Journey of hope is. I and 26 other pi kappa phi brothers will be cycling from Seattle to Washington DC to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities. While we cycle from city to city we will be visiting local organizations that support people with disabilities. During these events we will be participating in empathy dinners, preforming puppet shows, and getting to know the people we meet. I'll be posting pictures and posts when I can throughout the trip in an effort to share this event with everyone. A special thanks to all of my sponsors and supporters for getting me to Seattle; I couldn't have had made it here without you!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad