Day 67: Washington DC

Hard to believe we made it all the way to DC. When we all woke up from our cluster of floor mats, tears already began falling, setting the tempo for the day. The church sponsored a hearty breakfast, and before we knew it we were tearing up at our last morning circle up. Addison followed circle up with one of his epic pump-up speeches, lightening the mood a bit. Words cannot describe the emotions; anxious, eager, scared, sad, surprised, and excited were common feelings. I rode the short 35 miles to stage up with my friends Wes Drilias (UW), Scotty Hamilton (CU), and Cory Carson (MSU). We were the first South paceline to meet the other two routes and Build America at our stage-up at The George Washington University. I was extremely nervous, and very excited. The police escort arrived around 10:45, and the Build America men led the massive caravan two miles to the Capitol. Behind BAM were our crew vans, and the crew was going loco hanging out of the vans, waving flags, and singing. Behind the crew was a massive double paceline of about 80 cyclists from the three JoH routes. We passed the mall and all the monuments on our way to the Capitol, making the moment very real to me. The capitol had hundreds of family and friends waiting for us, cheering as we rode in and forming a tunnel as we walked our bikes onto the lawn. As we walked our bikes up the lawn surrounded by the crowd, my friend Ethan Wicklund looked back at me, removed his glasses, and said "I think I have chain grease in my eyes," as tears streamed down his face. At that moment I lost it. We didn't even try to hold back our tears as we embraced our teammates on the lawn. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

When we arrived at the hotel, I boxed by bike up and grabbed some lunch at Union Station with my family. I then passed out in my room before getting ready for the Awards Ceremony and Reception. The reception really highlighted how impacting the Journey is. Even though our Journey is over, the impact our team left on people lives on, and the impact left on us will be life lasting. After the reception, the team celebrated throughout the hotel, it was a grand time.

The next morning, we exchanged many teary eyed "see you later's" at the team brunch. These have been the hardest goodbyes I've ever experienced, and these are some of the best friends I've ever had. God truly has blessed us all with such a life changing experience.

This summer, I rode across America on my bike with 35 of the greatest men I've ever met, touching the lives of people with disabilities along the way. This is the Journey of Hope. I've tried to describe it to you the best I can with this blog, but the truth is, I failed. All of us on the Journey agree that it's just something you can't put into words, and won't fully understand unless you've been.

God Bless

Day 66: Manassas, VA

Welcome to DC's porch! I had a great last long ride today through beautiful Virginia with two of my best friends, Ethan and Matthew, along with the two corporate pilots for KRG Capital Partners (Bruce Rogers' company). Both pilots have experience in Category-1 cycling, so we moved very quickly. They even treated us to some Starbucks at about mile 55. We arrived at an aquatic center and met up with Trans for a bit, and cleaned up there as well before heading to the church we are staying at tonight. After settling in, we headed to an all team dinner where I reunited with some fellow chapter brothers on other routes, including my big, Nick. Afterwards, we all laid our jerseys out and signed each other's. It was very surreal. Our beds are practically pushed together here at the church; going our separate ways will be tough. I can hardly believe the ride is almost over! Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and support!

Day 65: Charlottesville, VA

75 miles through beautiful Virginia back country today. It was hilly, once again, but very enjoyable with the company we had today. Today, I rode with Bruce Rogers, the man who rode the first Journey of Hope, BY HIMSELF, in 1987. He's the man that started it all. He's a very fun guy to be around, and I enjoyed the ride with him.

Upon arriving at the Arc of Charlottesville, our lodging, we had a sponsored Chipotle lunch. Afterward, I headed to the bike shop to make sure everything was in tune and was going to make it the 125 miles to DC. I even had some spare time to check out UVA with some guys. It's an incredibly impressive school. Afterwards, we tried to go see Monticello but they wanted to charge us $22 to see his house and grave so we opted not too. I think it's a shame a place as historic as that is privately owned (and I mean that in as little communist way as I can). Dinner was with the wonderful people of the Arc of Charlottesville, and was a grand time.

I'm having a very had time believing the ride is less than 48 hours from completion. The journey has been incredible, and I'm going to have a very tough time leaving my team. Here's a photo of the bike shop owner's Saint Bernard! And I just killed a black widow right next to my sleeping spot on the floor. Awesome.

Day 64: Lynchburg, VA

The hilly ride to Lynchburg went smoothly today, and the best part was the temp never reached 90 degrees. While stopping for water about halfway through the ride, a three-legged golden retriever ran out from behind a house and hopped over too us. And if you know about retrievers, you can tell when they are happy by their smiling faces and wagging tales. And this retriever was a happy retriever. He provided us with a bit of inspiration for the rest of the day. When we arrived at the high school we are staying at, we ate a sponsored lunch and had a few hours of downtime before we headed for a dinner/FV with the Arc of Lynchburg. It was filled with great food, great friends, dancing, and lots of fun.

I can't believe tomorrow is already Thursday...this week has flown by, sadly. However, I'm excited to see my family in DC.

Day 63: Danville, VA

The team crossed into its last state today! The ride was primarily rolling hills, and from I hear, is Appalachians all the way to DC. However, we are all in superb shape at this point. We rolled into Danville late this morning, and were greeted by a police escort who brought us to the Comfort Inn, who kindly donated rooms for us tonight. We immediately had a friendship visit/lunch at a local Therapeutic Recreation Center. It was awesome! We all made some new friends and enjoyed a wild dance party.

Everyone here in Danville has been more than happy to have us here; we all feel extraordinarily welcome.
To top off the night, we had a sponsored steak dinner followed by tickets to watch the local minor league team tonight, the Danville Braves. It's been a long and exciting day, but we are ready to continue our final push to DC with our ride to Lynchburg tomorrow!

Day 62: Chapel Hill, NC

Great day off/last day in North Carolina! Today was our first day off with a free morning since Tempe. It felt great to finally sleep in! We left lodging around 11 to head to the UNC Pi Kapp house where some
Duke brothers cooked us burgers and hot dogs. After lunch, we had a friendship visit with the Arc of Orange County. It was a large, very fun visit! There was ping pong, fooseball, board games, and my personal favorite, karaoke. It was a blast. Following the visit, I caught a nap at the hotel before heading off to dinner at the Pi Kapp house once again, where the some brothers from NC State brought over a Carolina-style barbecue. It was yummy; and the team enjoyed meeting guys from the other schools.

After dinner, I went with a group of guys to go see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." The movie itself was absurd, but at this point in the trip I'm just trying to spend as much time with the team as I can before we part our ways this weekend. Tomorrow, we head into our last state, Virginia. It's very weird to think about.

Day 61: Chapel Hill: NC

The team had a great first day in Chapel Hill today! The 65 mile ride was another beautiful ride of rolling hills through North Carolina. Today was different, however, we had a lot of family, friends, and chapter brothers of our North Carolina guys set out along the route cheering us on. Riding with such support is so energizing. We had a lunch arrival/small FV at the Pi Kappa Phi Chapter house at Chapel Hill. The house cook made a great lunch and the chapter/families made us all feel so welcome. They even made a massive welcome banner and had a band play for us. And they gave us some awesome t-shirts they made, too. UNC is awesome!

The hospitality here is incredible, too. We are being put up in the Sheraton just off of campus, where we had some down time before heading back to the Pi Kapp house for another delicious meal. The chef made us pork tenderloin, baked beans, slaw, and some magical southern side called sweet potato casserole. It was so nice to have a home-cooked meal.

After dinner, Mike (Roanoke), Matthew (GWU), and myself grabbed some gelato on the main campus street and ventured the massive university. After a couple of hours, we called a cab to take us back to the hotel. We were exhausted, but it's a very impressive campus. Here's a few pics of the banner/band, a sunset I thought was beautiful, and a clocktower on campus.

Day 60: High Point, NC

Rode 80 miles through beautiful eastern Appalachia today. Chad Coltrane, the CEO of Push America, joined us on our ride. I highly recommend chatting with the guy; he's truly an awesome person. Upon arriving into High Point, we had a fun, short friendship visit with the Arc of High Point to get ourselves acquainted for our dinner with them. After the short social, we headed to lodging to clean up, and for me, the bike shop to fix a back tire that was a bit wobbly. The FV/dinner was at the High Point Museum, and included a very fun scavenger hunt.

I am very excited for Chapel Hill tomorrow, and we arrive in DC exactly one week from today!

Day 59: Charlotte, NC

Solid day off here in Charlotte! The day started with a sponsored meal at Bojangles, a chicken and biscuit Mecca, followed by a morning on Lake Wylie, where I took a nap on the dock and swam around enjoying the warm water and overcast weather. As our time at the lake ended, a torrential downpour began to consume Charlotte. Unfortunately, this prevented us from being able to get to our friendship visit early this afternoon. There was hardly any visibility. Once the downpour slowed, we took a tour of the headquarters of Pi Kappa Phi and Push America. It was very interesting to see the offices of the people who run our fraternity and it's great philanthropy. They had a museum that included fraternity memorabilia from our history. They even had a room that had a school mug for every active Pi Kapp chapter in it. Inside the mugs, notes were left from past visitors of that mug's chapter who had visited headquarters. I read all of the notes in the TCU mug, and left a piece of my own. After our tour, we had a sponsored BBQ dinner at an alumnus' house, where there were many workers for Push America and the National Fraternity.

High Point, NC tomorrow! Here's a couple pics of the mugs and our fraternity's Articles of Incorporation from 1905.

Day 58: Charlotte, NC

The team cruised the 90 miles to Charlotte, the home of Pi Kappa Phi and Push America. We were greeted with a delicious chimichanga lunch on the road and a police escort to our arrival at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte. The arrival was a blast: lots of people, news cameras, and a lot of Push America staff, including CEO Chad Coltrane. He's a cool guy.

After the arrival, the Hall of Fame gave us free passes to tour around. It was a blast, they had all sorts of memorabilia, including plenty of stock cars. They also had a very fun driving simulator and a pit stop simulator, where you and two friends jacked the car, replaced a tire, and filled the car with gas. My team set the record at 9.67 seconds!

After the NASCAR fun, we headed to the Hilton in downtown Charlotte. We are being treated like royalty here. Dinner was at a local Pi Alpha's house. I had a great time playing with their golden retriever. After dinner, we had a friendship visit/dance party with the Circle of Friends here in Charlotte. It was awesome! There was a band and tons of energy surrounded the room. Afterwards, I was exhausted. Looking forward to the day off tomorrow! Here's a few photos of the border, NASCAR, and my buddy David from the FV.

Day 57: Spartanburg, SC

Hilly 85 miles today through the beautiful green terrain here in South Carolina. Upon entering Spartanburg, we had a lovely friendship visit at the Charles Lea Center. We all exchanged laughs and good conversation for a couple of hours until we had to head to Wofford College, where we set up for lodging. Later this afternoon, we had another FV with the Carolina Miracle League. We had a ball! Playing baseball with those kids never gets old. Afterwards, we had a Carolina style barbecue with the players and families. We have an early wakeup tomorrow and a very big day ahead! We stroll into Charlotte, the headquarters of Push America, and cross into North Carolina as well.

Day 56: Clemson, SC

Wonderful day today as we rode into South Carolina! We enjoyed a delicious continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn before hitting the road, and enjoyed our last miles in Georgia. At the state line was a massive lake, so naturally the team jumped in together to cool off in the 100 degree heat. We are also officially heading north now.

Lodging is at Camp Hope, a part of Clemson University. The camp serves as a summer camp haven for people with cognitive disabilities of all ages. When we arrived, we played in the lake on the water trampoline; I felt just like a camper. Also, Push America has done a great deal for this camp. Pi Kappa Phi brothers have built accessible ramps, amphitheaters, docks, and even a bell tower here at the camp while doing Push Projects. All in all, in the past 20 years, Camp Hope has benefitting from this construction plus $100,000 in grants! It's a beautiful thing to see our fundraising money at use!

Here's a couple pics a water slide Pi Kapps built here, a quote I found on camp that I love, and even some random sidewalk chalking (I promise I didn't write it).

Day 55: Athens, GA

The team had its last full day in Georgia today; and a great day it was. The 90 miles to Athens was bisected by a friendship visit at Camp Twin Lakes. I can honestly say that FV was the most fun I've had all summer. The camp itself is like any other summer; it has a pool, lake, archery, nature walk, tennis courts, arts, etc. It's also a place where kids with disabilities can come and be themselves and have a blast for a week: somewhere they don't have to explain why they may be a little bit different. Counselors toured us around the camp, and then we had lunch in the dining hall where we got to play with some of the campers and goof around and do camp things such as sing and dance and be goofy. I would love being a counselor there. No one wanted to leave when it came time to head to Athens. Forty miles later, we arrived at the Holiday Inn (we've been very fortunate to have such sensors) and cleaned up for dinner at the UGA Pi Kapp house with a special guest, Darius. If you are unfamiliar with Darius, I suggest you view the movie "Darius Goes West," or check out my post from Portales, NM. He's an absolute stud.

After dinner, some of the of-age guys went out, but a few friends and myself went to a local legendary hot dog joint called The Varsity. It wasn't too shabby. South Carolina tomorrow! Here's a couple pics of the camp.

Day 54: Atlanta, GA

Today was a busy day but I had a blast! The day started off with a team church service at a very special church called the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter. The church itself only has about 100 members, but around 70% of its members are diagnosed with some sort of disability. A lot of these people have no community outside of the church, making the church itself an incredibly tight community. It's a very special place. After the service and a lunch with the congregation, we headed to the Basement Theatre, a local improv comedy club, for a friendship visit with a local autism group. I have never been to an improv show before, but those guys were hilarious. We all laughed our butts off and had a great time, whilst making great friends. Later, we had a dinner and friendship visit at a bowling alley with the North Metro Miracle League, a local baseball league for kids with disabilities. I had a ton of fun; we bowled a couple of games, ate some pizza, and laughed around for a couple of hours. No one wanted to leave when it was time to head back. Overall it was a great day, but I'm ready to get back on the bike and head to Athens tomorrow!

Day 53: Atlanta, GA

The day began with a very solid 55 mile ride into the heart of Atlanta. Our hotel is right in the center of downtown. We saw a lot of the city on our way in, and I can honestly say Atlanta is a very nice city for the most part. We grabbed some lunch at a burger shack in Olympic Park, and then headed to the zoo for a small friendship visit. The Atlanta Zoo is very impressive. I had never seen pandas before until today, and I'm in love. They just lay around all day and eat bamboo and sleep, which is very appealing to the life of a JOH cyclist. After the zoo, we headed to an alumnus' house for a delicious sponsored feast of steaks. There were many alumni and even members of our national council. After dinner, we were connected to an alumnus who has a child with CP and started a foundation to help raise money to cure CP because of the lack of government funding for such a cause. Check out letscurecp.org

Day 52: Carollton, GA

Long and beautiful century ride through the foot hills of the Appalachians on our way to Georgia today. It was a tough ride, but I enjoyed it. Breakfast was sponsored by the UAB chapter, and put us all in a great mood to begin with today. We also received a lot of attention today as we traveled through the small towns of Alabama. Apparently, one of the news stations filming our arrival at Samford in Birmingham did a huge story on us, and lots of folks waved, cheered, and wanted to talk to us as we rode today. Now that we are so far from California, its as like our cause is gaining much more credibility. When we arrived at lodging, Carollton High School, we showered very quickly in time to make dinner and a friendship visit with the ARC of Carollton. It was very casual, allowing us acquaint ourselves with some great participants and sponsors. A few of us grabbed some McDonald's before hitting the hay, but we lost an hour crossing into the eastern time zone, causing us to rush to bed. Atlanta tomorrow!

Day 51: Birmingham, AL

Long but fun day today! The much needed day off started with a friendship visit at the Lakeshore Foundation Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, one of 11 of it's kind in the country. The facility had everything from a rock wall to an Olympic shooting range. We got to meet some pretty awesome people including 2 Female gold medalists in wheelchair basketball and sit-down volleyball from the 2008 Paralympic games in Beijing. One woman, Katie Holloway, is the only person ever to compete in a Division-1 sport as an amputee. She played basketball for Cal State, and could easily kick my butt. Anyway, the facility was hosting a disability sports camp for kids, so we had the opportunity to play all sorts of wheelchair sports and cheer them on. Immediately following that friendship visit, we had another visit/lunch at United Cerebral Palsy of Birmingham. I had a great time there, and brushed up on my Auburn cheers with a few participants. Later, we had a little free time before we headed to Moody, AL to participate in the Moody Miracle Baseball League. It was awesome! Seeing the smiles on some of those kids' faces was priceless. It was an absolute blast, and a very touching experience. Here's a few photos of the Olympic center!

Day 50, Birmingham, AL

The 60 mile ride to Birmingham proved to be the hilliest ride we've seen since Texas. Who knew there were mountains out here? Birmingham is a beautiful city though: lots of hills and lots of big, old trees. After some hard work, we were treated with subway for lunch, which was awesome. Afterward, we rode our friendship visit. It was a ton of fun; we played kickball and dodgeball, and made plenty of new friends. After the visit, we had another arrival at Samford University, where the local Pi Kapp chapter, the media, and the University's VP greeted us and let us raise the Samford Victory flag, a local tradition. By the time arrived at the Samford Athletic facility, the day was nearly gone. It was a busy one! Dinner was sponsored by a team member's parents for that member's birthday, and was an Italian feast. We just arrived back at lodging, and I'm about to pass out from exhaustion, but I had a great day. First day off in a while tomorrow!

Day 49: Tuscaloosa, AL

65 miles into Tuscaloosa went smoothly this morning. However, I did have a bee fly into my jersey (it was unzipped) and have his way with my torso around mile 15. It was rather frustrating but I finished. We arrived at the University of Alabama at around 10:30, and headed to our dorm to clean up before our friendship visit. Lunch was sponsored by Omicron Chapter alumni, and right after we had an awesome friendship visit with United Cerebral Palsy of Western Alabama. I met some great new friends, talked college football, and had my butt handed to me in checkers. All in all, it was a great time. Later, we took a tour of the Omicron Chapter House, which is right in front of the football stadium. Primetime property!

After a couple hours of rest and exploring the beautiful campus, we had dinner at the house of Tim Hebson, a member of the executive council of the national fraternity. The catfish was delicious and afterward we got to swim and hang out in his backyard for a while. When we got back, we ventured the campus a little more and realized our exhaustion was beating us. We're headed to Birmingham tomorrow! Also, here is a sad pic of some of the April 27th tornado damage. But after speaking with the locals, I can assure you that Tuscaloosa is not letting the damage slow their lives down.

Day 48: Livingston, AL

Roll Tide! We crossed into Alabama today on a nice overcast 40 mile ride. Alabama is pretty far from California. Last I checked, we've ridden nearly 3,000 miles. Anyways, the people here are beyond friendly. While stopping at a gas station to grab some okra on today's ride, I met three different people that offered some great advice and conversation, and were more than happy to have us in their beautiful state. We arrived at the University of West Alabama, our lodging, around noon and were greeted by Gamma Alpha chapter alumni and a lunch in the school cafeteria. After, we had about 5 hours of free time so a few of us ventured around town and learned just how archaic this area of the south is. The schools here are still segregated, and from observation it's because of the older white people. Not a single white kid is in a public school in this county. The white folk from around town hold poker nights and use the pot from the games to fund white kids to go to the private schools. It's pretty sad.
No matter the skin color, however, I haven't met anyone down here that isn't friendly.

Dinner was sponsored by Gamma Alpha alumni, and was a delicious plate of barbecue. I'm exhausted and full now, but here's a pic of the frogs on the state line.

Day 47: Meridian, MS

Last day in Mississippi and our second to last century ride today! It's crazy to think about. The 100 miles was great, too. We had a sponsored breakfast about 20 miles into our ride at a Pi Alpha's house. It was a delicious southern breakfast complete with biscuits, sausage, bacon, grits (yum), donuts, and fruit. It brightened our mornings; the first 70 miles were ridden completely in the rain. When the sun come out, the air was so thick I felt like I was swimming. Gotta love Mississippi!

Lodging is at the Meridian Community College. And dinner was provided by the Civitan Club here in Meridian. We were all stuffed after their pot luck feast. Afterward, a few of us went jogging out on the college's track. We even played 3 on 3 pick up basketball at an outdoor court near an apartment complex with some new friends. Their names were E, G, and Ray...and they could play some hoop. We played with them for about an hour; I could hardly understand what they were saying because of the thick accent down here but they were very friendly and we had a great time. Today was our last day in Mississippi, tomorrow we cross in to Bama! Roll Tide!

Day 46: Jackson, MS

The day started off with a rush! Our police escort out of town rolled entirely too fast. He was leading us out of town at 35 mph; I'm not sure if he wanted us there. Anyway, the ride was beautiful. I love how green the landscape is and how lost in time the towns seem. One small town called Raymond had a very historic and neat courthouse. Built by slave labor in 1857, it served as a confederate hospital during the civil war as the battles moved closer to Raymond.

We rolled into Jackson rather early, and waited for our police escort at Wal-mart. There I was challenged to take down a half gallon of chocolate milk with a teammate. I did it in 4 minutes! Cycling has given me an iron stomach. At our city hall arrival, the mayor gave us a proclamation declaring the day Push America Day in Jackson. Afterwards, we had a lunch/friendship visit at Life of Mississippi, a local organization for people with disabilities. It was a great time.

We then had a few hours of free time at the church we are staying at. Most of us slept. Later, we had a dinner sponsored by our chapter at Southern Miss.

I'm exhausted, but tomorrow we have our second to last century ride of the summer! Here are a few pics of (1) the courthouse, and (2) the chocolate milk challenge.

Day 45: Vicksburg, MS

Can't believe we are already out of Louisiana! The day started off great with a delicious sponsored breakfast that included sausage, biscuits, and even cheese grits. The ride went great, as well; it was our first flat day in a while. We rolled through mainly farmland on our way into the Mississippi Delta. Lots of pepper farms and dense, overhanging vegetation. Although there was one terrifying moment on the bike today. A live armadillo decided to jump in front of our paceline...it was one of the worst sounds I've ever heard. Three of us pummeled him at about 25 mph. Fortunately, no one was injured, and even the armadillo made it across the road (slowly). At about mile 70, however, we experienced one of the cooler moments on the trip: crossing the mighty Mississippi river. Since we stay of interstates, we had to cross on one of the railroad bridges with a single wide car lane. We all had to sign liability waivers in case we fell off. It was incredible! The river is a mile wide, one of the more incredible things I've seen. On the other side on top of a hill, was Vicksburg. After a riverside lunch, several of us cleaned up and ventured around the Vicksburg National Military Park. The park mapped out the Siege of Vicksburg by General Ulysses S. Grant and it's defense by General Pembleton. It was very interesting. Vicksburg was surrendered to the Yankees on July 4, 1863, and apparently, Vicksburg refused to celebrate the Fourth of July for nearly a hundred years afterward. The park was very cool. Later, we had a pulled pork dinner at the YMCA, our lodging for the evening. Tomorrow, we ride to Jackson! Heres a few photos of (1) the beautiful, vacant green roads we took, (2) the state line, (3) the river, (4) the Illinois Monument at the Park (Illinois troops suffered severe casualties), and (5) the USS Cairo, an ironclad ship sunk in the Mississippi during the siege but recovered in 1964.

Day 44: Monroe, LA

Slept great last night, partly because I chugged half a gallon of chocolate milk before bed. Anyways, I'm loving Louisiana! The ride today was long and very hot, but the scenery is spectacular. The foliage is dense and we passed some impressive houses. One front yard could be mistaken for Augusta National. There were some pretty brutal rolling hills that even a Colorado friend of mine called the "bastard children of the Rockies." But we are definitely in the South, we passed 87 churches on our 115 mile trek, and about 80 of those were Baptist (one Episcopal). At about mile 55 we stopped at a small Dixie Mart for some drinks and the owner immediately called the tiny town's paper and a reporter was there in 3 minutes to interview us and take our pictures. The reporter seemed so excited, it was a fun little detour. Lunch was sponsored on the road by the Pi Kapps from LA Tech, a nice change of pace! The heat index was 112 when we rolled into Monroe, and we are staying at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. We then had a fantastic friendship visit where we learned how to square dance, followed by a meal of jambalaya and some alligator dish served over rice. It was authentic and delicious. The rode nearly 10 hours and I'm exhausted but so excited to cross the Mississippi tomorrow!

Day 43: Shreveport, LA

Welcome to Louisiana! We definitely felt the humidity today on our ride; we are still in the process of adjusting to it. Lots of rolling hills and dense foliage today, and from what I hear that's what we will have all the way to DC. At around noon, we had an arrival at the Shriners Children's Hospital here. There, we ate lunch and got to hang out with some truly inspirational kids. A few friends and myself had the opportunity to hang out and play with some kids in the rehabilitation room. Those kids are the true heroes. Words cannot express the emotions that go through that room, but I can tell you that several of those kids truly inspired me and I can only hope one day that I'll be as courageous as they are.

Lodging is at the Calgary Baptist Church Family Life Center. They have been more than hospitable and brought us an Italian feast for dinner. After dinner, a few of us did a Bible study over James chapter 2 and cleaned our bikes up after. I even put the new tire that I got a great deal on today at the bike shop on. It was a messy process. Between my bike and jersey lately, the nickname "Pigpen" is beginning to stick to me.

Monroe tomorrow! Much love from LA. Here are a few pics. And by few I mean one.

Day 42: Longview, TX

Tough ride today! But most of the team finished strong. It was a long 100 miles with rolling hills and headwinds the whole way. We could really feel the humidity today as well. We have officially moved from the plains of West Texas to the dense foliage of East Texas. We also rolled through Hawkins, TX today, which, I'm sure you're already aware, was the home of Aunt Gemima. I suffered a gash in my tire at about mile 60, but somehow I patched it with a piece of small cardboard. I hope it makes it to Louisiana.

When we rolled into the Longview, we were treated with real southern hospitality. AMBUCS threw a pool party for us, and even cooked ribeyes for us. It was a great time! Afterwards, we returned to lodging, our second hotel in a row, cleaned up, and I took my Berkeley friend to have his first Chick-fil-a experience. He loved it.

The last 10 days in Texas have flown by, and boy will I miss it! The people here have been wonderful. Louisiana tomorrow! Here's a few pics of (1) a crew stop, (2) the pool party, and (3) steak!

Day 31: Terrell, TX

Getting out of Dallas was tough, but overall the team had a great day! The roads and traffic were rough at first, but once we had left the city it was smooth sailing. We finished the 55 miles by 11 this morning, and had lunch with the Lion's Club at the Episcopal Church here in Terrell (the Episcopalians have treated us very well along the way). The Lion's Club treated us with chicken fried steak and chicken, cream corn, mashed potatoes, and rolls. It was a fine display of Southern hospitality. Afterwards, we headed a block down the street for a friendship visit with some awesome little kids. It went great! We performed Kids on the Block, our puppet show that helps teach kids that disability doesn't mean inability, and gives them the opportunity to ask questions the puppet. I play Mark Riley, a new kid on the block with Cerebral Palsy. The kids and myself really enjoy it. Later, we had another friendship visit/dinner at the Terrell State Hospital. We all had some burgers, played volleyball, and met some cool new friends. Lodging tonight is a Motel 6! A bed always beats a gym floor. Tomorrow is our last full day in Texas!

Day 40: Dallas, TX

Short ride to Dallas today! It was all city riding on a Sunday morning, making it stress free and very enjoyable. We arrived at Bachman Therapeutic Center around 11, and were greeted with a wonderful lunch. After cleaning up, we had an awesome sponsored VIP tour of Cowboys Stadium! It was a blast; we saw the players locker room and even the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Locker Room! We threw the football around on the field for a bit as well. After our extensive tour of the over the top facility, we made a quick to the bike shop followed by an awesome time playing Whirlyball. Whirlyball is the strangest game ever made. It's a mixture of lacrosse, basketball, and bumper cars. You basically try to throw a wiffleball through a hoop about 10 feet up using a miniature lacrosse stick while driving a bumper car. It's so goofy but awesome. After a couple hours of that madness and pizza, sponsored by Randy Stillinger, a '96 and '98 Pi Alpha who has ridden along the past few days, we headed back to lodging exhausted after a fun filled day in Dallas. Here are a couple pictures of (1) my favorite Cowboy's Cheerleader, Stephanie, (2) the stadium, and (3) whirlyball.

Day 39: Fort Worth, TX

Our day off today was one of the more tiring days of the trip, including cycling days. Our scheduling was packed; we left lodging at 8 in the morning and didn't return until 9:30 that evening. Our day started off with a team breakfast at Ol' South that my parents sponsored. Everyone loved the meal and the excitement of ordering off a menu (most food is thrown at us buffet style). Immediately after breakfast, our team received free tickets to see the new Harry Potter movie. I'm not the biggest fan but I am familiar with the series. The movie wasn't bad, but was very predictable. After the 3 hour movie, the team hit up the stockyards. We all nosed around the western shops and I even went in one of my favorite restaurants in the world, the Love Shack. Great burger, great country atmosphere, what more could you want? After our time in the stockyards, we had a sponsored dinner at Joe T García's, a Fort Worth legend in Mexican food since 1935. The meal was sponsored by Sean Peterson, a TCU Pi Kapp from Southern California who rode Trans Route JoH in 2006. While getting to know him, I learned his new wife, who us from OKC, grew up down the street from us and babysat me frequently. Small world! Afterwards, we had a Friendship Visit with the Down Syndrome Institute of Tarrant County at an Aquatic Center. There were tons of participants, making all the pool festivities a blast for everyone. When the pool party was over, I went out to grab some food with the fam. Seeing them was a huge blessing is like putting in a new set of batteries in my life. Rolling to Dallas tomorrow! Pray for our safety, please.

Day 38: Fort Worth, TX

Busy but wonderful day today! We had an 80 mile ride into Arlington today, but I had some great incentives that kept me going. I was beyond excited to see my family! The team had an 11:30 lunch at Chipotle in Fort Worth, where many parents were waiting. Matthew Calardo, Graham McMillan, and myself all had family waiting, so we booked it. We averaged about 35 mph the last 20 miles; my legs are killing me. However, it was all worth it. Getting to see my family was such a blessing and once again informed me how thankful I should be. After lunch, we rode about 12 miles to Arlington City Hall, mostly by police escort. There, the mayor, parents, and horned frogs alike greeted us with cheers and signs. We had smoothies social, and were quickly on the road to UTA to shower up and have a quick tutorial on how wheelchair basketball is played before the South Route Team challenged the 7 time national champion UTA Movin' Mavericks. To make a long story short, we got demolished, but we all had a blast and got to see firsthand how talented they really are. It was a massacre.

Later that evening, we headed to our lodging at the PKP house at TCU. I feel so close to home! I am even staying the night in the room I'm living in next year. Day off in the Fort tomorrow, can't wait! Here's a photo of the Movin' Maverick. Try and spot the 6'10" player on their team.

Day 37: Stephenville, TX

We had a jam packed day today, zero free time. We left our Lutheran Church in Abilene after some wise words from the pastor. He told us all that God chose us to take this task, and that he will guide us when lost and lift us when tired. The ride was a tough one, 115 miles through the hottest weather since the Mojave. And to our surprise, it was rather hilly. There was no rackpoint, however, so the goal was simply to get there. At mile 65, lunch was served by Zach Schatz, Kyle Wilson, and Blair Hancock, brothers from our TCU chapter who volunteered to drive down and grill out for us. After lunch, we kept trucking until we reached Dublin, TX. There, we popped in the world's oldest Doctor Pepper bottling facility (it was tiny) to sample some soda. It was made the old fashioned way at a fountain, and was delicious. On a newfound energy from the sugar, we pushed onward to Stephenville, where we immediately got dressed for a pool party/BBQ. I was exhausted. Afterwards, we washed the vans for our arrival in the FWD area tomorrow. I'm beyond excited but need a night's rest! Heres a few pics from the day:

Day 36: Abilene, TX

Day two of the Triple Crown was completed today. What was thought to be an impossible rack point was also conquered; half of the team completed the 100 miles by the required 12:30. The ride was similar to yesterday's: lots of rolling hills and massive wind turbines. I rode with one of the best cyclists on the team today, and I can honestly say it made me a better cyclist. His name is Ethan Heine, and he's a manimal from Colorado. He really pushed me and helped me improve. Upon arrival, we had a fantastic friendship visit with the DRI, Developmental Research Incorporated. They had an awesome meal waiting for us, and I had a blast making some new friends while playing checkers, pool, ping pong, and Wii. The DRI was very impressive; it even had it's own chocolate shop that it's residents ran. The chocolate was delicious, by the way. After cleaning up at the local YMCA, we had a sponsored dinner at a local steakhouse. What a meal! My chicken fried steak was bigger than my head. Afterwards, we had a very long team meeting about safety and how the team is developing. I love all of these guys.

Tomorrow we will attempt to finish the Triple Crown on our way to Stephenville. God Bless!

Day 35: Snyder, TX

I got about 3 hours of sleep last night, due to the fact that the Tech Rec Center refused to turn their lights off for security reasons. However tired, the ride went rather quickly as we rode 100 miles up and down plateaus, oil fields, and wind farms. It's beautiful, too. One might call it God's country if it weren't for Boone Pickens. Upon our arrival, we had a friendship visit with some wonderful people of Snyder. We shared cold beverages and conversations for a couple of hours until we had to ride a few more miles to Western Texas College, our lodging (beds!!). I immediately fell asleep on the bed, and I sincerely hope I don't get bed bugs because there was a pandemic after staying at Eastern New Mexico. Dinner was provided by the Martha Ann's Women's Club of Snyder. There, the mayor informed us that one of their officers was shot and critically wounded yesterday. It is such a tragedy, especially in a small town like this. He is currently in Lubbock, and I'm sure he'd appreciate your prayers. His name is officer Chatman. After dinner, I went to Wal-Mart with some fellas and bought some eye shades so that last night never happens again. Tomorrow, we ride to Abilene for stage 2 of the Triple Crown!

Day 34: Lubbock, TX

The team had a very interesting start for today. At around 7:30 am, we were all informed that we had to leave and not return until this evening because the FFA had scheduled an all day camp today. Anyways, we didn't get the sleep we were planning on but I managed to squeeze in a couple naps today. We started off early by touring the campus and grabbing some fried chicken and an Arnold Palmer at Cane's. I also had the time to run to the bike shop to grab a new water bottle and other supplies (old one had a hole and fell in the road anyway). Lunch was sponsored by a Pi Alpha who rode in the year 2000, and afterwards we had a friendship visit at the Lubbock State Supported Living Center. We all played basketball, volleyball, tetherball, colored, and made some new friends. I met a gentleman named Kenny who I'm pretty convinced was the inspiration for the cookie monster in Sesame Street. He was a hoot; we hung out for a long time. Afterwards, I managed a phenomenal nap. Dinner was sponsored by the same PA from Tech who sponsored it lunch. Later, I ran to the mall with some guys and grabbed some more food and bought some vitamins at GNC. It's silly how much food I eat. We burn roughly 4 or 5 thousand calories a day so whatever I eat is basically just thrown into a furnace. Tomorrow, we begin the Triple Crown of the South: three days in a row of 100+miles in 100+degree heat. Keep us in your prayers. Here is a photo of Will Rogers statue here at Tech!

Day 33: Lubbock, TX

Today started off great with a hearty breakfast sponsored by the Jenny Slippers of Muleshoe. Today's 70-miler into Lubbock ended up being pretty tough due to some pretty strong crosswinds. However, spirits were high because we were completing the Gauntlet! Tomorrow will be our first day of rest since we were in Tempe. 810 miles in 9 days has taken it's toll on us. When we arrived, were had a sponsored meal at Cane's fried chicken, which was amazing. Afterward, we spent all afternoon at the Texas Tech Rec Center pool. The pool is incredible; it has everything. At one point, about 30 of us clogged up the lazy river while napping on floatations. We looked pretty goofy with our intense cycling tan lines, which I've been told take 2 years to get rid of. Later, we had a dinner at the Lubbock State Supported Living Center, which we will be returning to tomorrow for a friendship visit/lunch. And I'm very excited to sleep in tomorrow! I haven't slept past 5 since Tempe. Here's a photo of the rec pool/lazy river.

Day 32: Muleshoe, TX

It's great to finally be in Texas! On our way out of New Mexico, we stopped in a small border town called Clovis. There, a local western wear shop offered our team a discount on hats and boots. Almost all of us bought hats and we look pretty funny wearing them around. Also, we received free rides on the mechanical bull! It was pretty funny; a few guys were bucked off in only a few seconds. About ten miles later, we crossed into familiar territory, Texas! Our ride was mainly agricultural, and about 5 times after the border my paceline found itself sprinting at about 30mph because farm dogs kept viciously chasing us. We had several narrow escapes. When we arrived in Muleshoe, we were greeted at our lodging, a church family center, by the Jenny Slippers, our sponsor. They are a local women's club that sponsored our lunch and dinner. Both were excellent, but dinner was amazing...steaks! I couldn't tell you the last time I ate a steak. It was wonderful. Here are a few photos of the mechanical bull, our new hats, and the border!