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!

Day 31: Portales, NM

I had an awesome day today. Our 95 mile ride went rather quickly, straight through the high plains. I can honestly say I can feel myself getting stronger and becoming a better cyclist every day. We stayed on the same road the whole time and didn't even pass a gas station. The only thing we saw was a post office; welcome to Eastern New Mexico. When we arrived in Portales, we were greeted by a police escort straight to our friendship visit. There, the mayor declared July 8th, 2011 as "Journey of Hope Day" in Portales. There was even a legitimate proclamation! After that, we performed our puppet show, "New Kids on the Block," which shows the abilities of kids with disabilities and allows the kids to ask questions to a puppet they normally wouldn't be comfortable asking an adult. After our show, the mayor gave us all free passes to the public pool. It reminded me of the scene from "Caddyshack" when all the rowdy caddies take over the pool. However, there was no Baby Ruth bar. Later, we settled in at our lodging at Eastern New Mexico University. We are all excited to have beds to sleep in. Steve Smith, the father of Colorado cyclist Elliot Smith was in town and sponsored our dinner at a restaurant serving catfish, grilled chicken, and ribeyes. We were stuffed to the brim...Back at lodging, the team gathered to watch a movie called "Darius Goes West." It's about a boy from Athens, GA with Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, the most deadly genetic disease amongst children today, who travels the U.S. to show how his disability doesn't effect him from doing what he wants. He promotes all sorts of awareness along the way, let's it be known that disability does not mean inability. Darius is an inspiration to our team, and I hear we may meet him while we are in Athens.

We head into Texas tomorrow...I'm beyond excited to be back in the Lone Star State! Here's a couple pics from today of my paceline and a friend of mine at a crew stop.

Day 30: Roswell, NM

The day started off great with a sponsored breakfast with the Baptist Church in Carrizozo. Eggs, pancakes, and sausage is a little more filling than half a banana and half a bagel before a 95 mile ride. The ride went quickly, and after a couple mountain passes were in the plains surrounding Roswell. From what I here, that's the last of the mountains we roll over until the Appalachians. They are beautiful but a killer on the legs...I might miss them. When we arrived, we had a short friendship visit before heading to lodging at the Roswell high school. After we cleaned up, a few of us checked out the UFO museum here. THIS TOWN IS SO WEIRD. There is literally alien stuff at every corner. Anyways, we had a picnic with the same wonderful people we had met at our earlier friendship visit. It was a blast, we enjoyed sandwiches and good conversation, along with the entertainment of a magician. We all had a great time. Afterward, my British friend, my buddy from Roanoke, and myself went to grab some KFC and talked about our families. It was a good night. Tomorrow is our last full day in New Mexico...Texas here we come!

Day 29: Carrizozo, NM

I am starting to love New Mexico; it's a pretty underrated state. First of all, it's beautiful. Secondly, the people here are very friendly and hospitable (possibly the first signs of southern hospitality as we head east?). Our ride today went smoothly, and I passed a few interesting places. Early on, I saw a Bush/Cheney '04 billboard, gotta love it. We also rode over the Rio Grande which to be honest was a giant dust bed. However, we even rode past where the first nuclear weapon went off and where the arms race began at the Trinity Project test site. I will admit, after almost 70 years lager, the government picked a good spot. There is absolutely nothing out there! I found it very intriguing. After about 80 miles, our ride came to an end at the New Horizons Center for people with disabilities in Carrizozo. Our friendship visit went great. I met a woman named Chiquita, who was named Special Olympian of the year for her bowling and bachi ball skills. She even showed me how to make her famous french toast. She's quite the Renaissance woman. Later at the center after lunch, we were offered free massages. I missed my opportunity unfortunately because I fell asleep under a tree. We had a little free time this afternoon, so my friends Adam Cella and Mike Bankert joined me in exploring the town of 1000 people. We found a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant that offered authentic New Mexican cuisine. Green chile cheeseburgers and red chile cheese fries. The chiles here are incredible. Later, dinner was sponsored by/at the First United Methodist Church of Corrizozo. Great food, great company, what's not to love? Tomorrow we ride to Roswell. The guys are all excited because we here it's a weird place! Here's some pics of the marker at the Trinity test site and some authentic red chile cheese fries.

Day 28: Socorro, NM

Socorro, in Spanish, roughly translates to "help" or "SOS," which is very fitting for today's ride. Due to some poor scheduling, we were given the impossible task of covering 137 miles by 2:00 in time for a friendship visit. I believe that is far beyond Lance Armstrong's capabilities. And with us being amateurs who lost an hour crossing a time zone yesterday, we didn't stand much of a chance. However, we did get a solid 90 miles in, which includes our conquering of the continental divide today. Overall, it was a wild ride, and we saw tons of wildlife. We probably spotted close to 30 elk, including one our paceline almost collided with and we even witnessed a mother elk pull her baby elk (I'm not sure what they call a baby elk) out from being stuck under a barbed wire fence. We also saw a couple of antelope after we crossed the divide and moved more toward the plains. However, what topped the cake was our paceline's run in with a full grown bear at 5:45 this morning. We turned around a curve in a wooded area and noticed about 30 feet away at the tree line we were being watched. The three of us stopped in disbelief and the bear seemed just as surprised. All of us, including the bear, fled the scene terrified. It was pretty crazy. Later we passed this crazy government facility where they use hundreds of these huge satellite dishes to try to talk to aliens or something. Apparently we pass where they tested the first H-Bomb in a couple days. Gotta love the middle of nowhere! Later we had a friendship visit with the Special Olympians of Socorro. One gentleman named Royce was truly inspirational. After an auto accident in 2001, he lost use of his legs and was ridden to a motor chair. Five "miserable" years later he pushed himself to become a paratriathlete, and left the motor chair for good. In August, he will head to New York City for the Paratriathlete National Championships where he will swim 1 mile in the Hudson, bike 26 miles on his hand cranked bike, and sprint 6 miles in his wheel chair. What a stud! Dinner with the Olympians was an authentic mexican plate of enchiladas. The chiles here are incredible. We are all excited and ready to knock out the next day of the gauntlet. Here are a couple photos: the divide, and the crazy satellites.

Day 27: Reserve, NM

Wakeup this morning was at 4:30; I slept on a pew in the chapel of the church we stayed at. We were all excited to crank out our 115 mile ride, dedicated to our veterans. The ride itself was long, but extremely pretty. It started with some rolling plains, and actually turned into some legitimate mountains around mile 60. At about mile 55, we rode through a small town with everyone lined along the main street for a 4th of July Parade. It was hilarious; we rode right through where the parade was and received all sorts of cheers. Once we hit the mountains, we began some serious climbing and reached around 9,000 feet in elevation. Along the way, we saw the scars of forest fires. Acres upon acres were singed, but the saddest thing we passed was a refuge camp filled with trailer homes for the evacuees. The fire fighters are true heroes in eastern Arizona, and it could be seen on a day like today with all sorts of signs and parades thanking and recognizing them. Fortunately, we didn't run into any smoke. At around mile 88, we crossed the state border into New Mexico! Gotta love the feeling of progress. After yet more climbing, we began our descent into Reserve. There isn't a whole lot going on here, not even cell reception. We are staying in a motel, but there wasn't enough room for the whole team so some guys and I are staying in a trailer home. No friendship visit today, surprise there. No one has cell service and you can scroll through the radio and won't find a single station; we are smack dab in the middle of no where. However, we have a friendship visit tomorrow and we are all excited, it's been awhile. Here's a couple photos of (1) a beautiful lake in the mountains, (2) the state line, and (3) a horse and her colt I saw.

Day 26: Lakeside, AZ

I didn't get much sleep last night, the gym didn't have any AC and we couldn't figure out how to turn the lights off. It was quite the predicament. Come around 5am, however, I was ready to roll out. The ride was slow at first; my legs took forever to warm up after yesterday's beating. Anyways, it was a magnificent ride filled with lots of climbing. With such a change in altitude, I feel completely out of the desert. On our ride today there was an abundance of trees, grass, and even "elk crossing" signs. After rolling over a large hill, we were overcome a beautiful view of the high landscape. Jokingly, I pointed at a black angus cow and said to my redneck friend, "hey look, an elk!" He found it rather comical and another member of our paceline from Chapel Hill heard the elk call and came to check it out. The cow was literally 30 yards away and somehow my Chapel Hill friend thought I was being serious and started taking pictures of the cow, thinking it was an elk. Again, it was a black angus. We gave him a really hard time. Later, while riding through the Apache Reservation, we rode through an epic canyon. It was magnificent. We rode down the whole thing, and up several thousand feet to reach the other side. It was massive! Here a few pics. I apologize, but I feel like this post is a little disorganized. I'm in a rush to grab some sleep...4:30am wakeup for the Fourth of July!

Day 25: Globe, AZ

Tough day today, but I think we all had a great time. Today is the first day of a stretch of long mileage days in harsh conditions known as the "Gauntlet." it also happened to be the first day of the 2011 Tour de France, coincidence? It was a solid 85 miles, but conditions made it feel longer. There was a grueling headwind all day, the temperature reached about 112 by noon, and the ride involved 5,000 feet of climbing. But despite all of this misery, I loved it. The views were fantastic, and the conditions eventually just became comical. We passed through a couple mountain passes, one being called "The Top of the World Pass" (which at the top of we solicited a general store to give us free snowcones, it made my day!). When we arrived in Globe, which was once a thriving copper mining town, we were glad to be at a higher altitude where the temp was only around 105. The Lion's Club sponsored a dinner of fried chicken, pizza, and about 5 watermelons. I could probably eat watermelon everyday. No friendship visit today, unfortunately, they really brighten up my day after a long ride. Anyways, here are a couple photos of (1 and 2) a couple mountain passes, (3) the store we got free snowcones at, and (4) a small shrine/chapel on top of The Top of the World Pass.

Day 24: Tempe, Arizona

Another great day in the Grand Canyon State! There wasn't anything scheduled on our day off until 12:15, so we all got to sleep in and have a leisurely morning. It was rather comical, however, when I woke up at 7, thinking it was going to be at least 10 or 10:30, and unable to sleep anymore. We all gathered for breakfast and billiards in the common room on our hall in the dorm. At 12:15, we had a sponsored lunch of Chipotle in downtown Phoenix; it was scrumptious, however, I do miss the Qdoba by my house at home. Afterwards, we had a friendship visit at the Westward Ho, a once famous hotel built in the 20's that housed Al Capone, Marilyn Monroe, MLK, and JFK that has now been renovated into a low income high rise.
About two-thirds of the inhabitants live with a disability of some kind, so our visit consisted of making root beer floats in the lobby and conversing. My friend from George Washington, Adam, knows sign language and had a conversation with a deaf man. I stood in their conversation for probably 30 minutes infatuated, trying to decipher what was being said. I found it incredibly interesting, and even am tempted to take a class or two at TCU. It turned at the man had been turned deaf when he was 5 and a half by constant beating and abuse by his stepfather. He's 47 now, and words can't describe how happy he was when he found out one of knew how to sign. I really want to try and learn a bit of it. Later, we had a pool party/sponsored BBQ at one of the ASU apartment complexes. By the way, the girls here are beautiful; several were out at the pool. I was too tired to swim, so I sat and the shade and discussed the 4th of July with my British teammate. This is his first 4th of July to celebrate! What an oxymoron that is. Anyways, I just finished up with some bike maintenance, and am preparing for the ride tomorrow. Here are some pics of (1) the pool patio, (2) Addison, and our sized small free shirt that I'll probably give to my mother, and (3) the PKP letters on Greek row.