Night of the Lepus....uh, Killer Bunny

There are many things I enjoy in life.  Long walks on the beach (or anywhere for that matter) with my beaugtiful wife, deep-fried cinnamon rolls the size of your head, the laughter of my children, The Princess Bride (and Star Trek, Star Wars, The Big Bang Theory) and Monty Python.  That being said, it will come as no surprise to those of you who know me that I recently had a Monty Python day of sorts.

I have now been in the process of gathering bicycles and restoring them in order to sell and give all of the proceeds to Sunrise Day Camp.  I call this project ReCycle for Sunrise and its the latest fundraising effort of Connor's Army.  As much as my beautiful wife Amy likes to take romantic walks on the beach with me, she's not too keen on my riding across the country again anytime soon.  So I've been converting my corner of the basement (meine kleine mannhöhle) into my bike repair workshop so I can fix the bicycles that have been so graciously donated to our cause.  Some I find on the road and others have been given to me by friends or family (thanks be to Joan!).  In working on them I often find myself feeling a bit like F.G. Superman in the sketch below;



Of course, I don't always change clothing before I get to work but you get the idea.  I've lost track of how many bicycles I've sold in the last two years (the project really started before the Ride Across America) but I know we've made over $2,000 from the sale of these bicycles alone.  I don't sell them for very much, basically for about half of what a comparable bike would go for on Craig's List.  I clean them all up, lube them up, replace any parts that need to be replaced, and true the wheels if they need to be trued.  I then look for a comparable bike and then print out a sign and place it on my front lawn here on Main Street in Northport during the weekends.  I've even had people come by and say they've heard about me and were wondering if I had a particular type of bike.  Word of mouth can be a powerful marketing tool I guess.

But aside from Bicycle Repairman, there is another connection I had last Sunday with my Monty Python side.  To really understand this Pythonesque moment, I need to give you a little background.   Way back in the day, although not completely "old school"(which from the graphic below you can see is a bit behind the front haunches but not all the way to the mid spine), I had a summer job with my friend Ed Trevorrow.

 

We worked for the German Civil Corps of Engineers which was attached to the military base at Katterbach, Germany.  Our summer job was basically to cut all the grass in the area below;

 

 

It really wasn't such a bad gig since we had self-propelled mowers for most of the work (every now and then we had to use sling blades) and for the first part of the summer we got to ride behind them on these trailer seats until someone decided it was too dangerous for fifteen-year-old kids to be doing that and they took them away.  It was also funny as hell because the four of us would show up about 8:00 every morning but we would never roll out until 8:30.  It would always take us 30 minutes to get there and then our German supervisor would have to take a break at 10:00 which would last half an hour.  We would work until 12:00 and then head back for lunch which would take an hour.  It would then take us about half an hour to get back to wherever we had left off.  We'd work until about 2:30 when he would have another half hour break and then finish up about 4:00.  It wasn't until half way through that we learned these "breaks" basically consisted of all the civil service employees meeting back at the garage to drink a beer or two.  I guess civil service can be the same everywhere.

 

So it was usually up to me, Ed and the other two summer hires to do most of the grass cutting.  One day while out cutting grass we came across a couple of baby rabbits.  Now, we were curious as any teenage boy might be and we wanted to gete a closer look.  Big mistake!!!!!  As we edged closer to get a look at the "herd" (yes, that is actually the technical term for a group of rabbits) big mama bunny decided we were a threat and came right at us.  Did you know they make a hissing sound when threatened?  And they do have a crazed look in their eye when they attack.  Now this was probably the summer of 1979 but since I had been in Germany since 1976 (and Augusta, GA before that) I had not really seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  It wasn't until years later that I saw the movie and realized that the "killer rabbit" was probably just a mama bunny protecting her young ones;

  

Of course, blasting it to bejeezus with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch was probably a bit extreme.  This experience left a lasting impression of me and I've always equated the most protective act of a mother for her children with this mother rabbit's actions.  Needless to say we backed off and went to cut another section of the field.

This event also tied into another childhood memory of mine.  When my father was stationed at Fort Ord, CA we used to go to the drive-in movies quite a bit, to the UA Marina Auto Movie in Monterrey as a matter of fact.  It used to be something we did almost once a month and I remember seeing quite a few movies there.  I remember The Black Scorpion, The Blob and one that stuck with me for years, The Night of the Lepus.  What's that you ask?  Well, here's the trailer;



Go ahead.  I can feel your shudders of terror out there in cyber space.  But hey, for a seven-year-old it was pretty scary exciting stuff.  I had a great time but I have to admit it was a long time before I would touch a bunny.  And Easter would just freak me out.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't suffer from Leporiphobia I just happen to have a healthy respect for what these animals are capable of doing if you get them riled.  Which brings me to Sunday night.

It had been a wonderful day playing with the kids and enjoying National Ice Cream day.  We had home made pancakes and vanilla ice cream for breakfast.  We went to Baskin-Robbins for lunch and for dinner we had ice cream sundaes.  A little before dinner we noticed we had a rabbit in out back yard.  Now we had noticed this rabbit about a few times in the past but hadn't thought anything of it but this time the rabbit stayed and even came up fairly close to the kids.  It was a bit brazen in fact.  When it came time to move the bicycles off the front lawn and into the shed the rabbit didn't hop off like one would think.  No, it decided to lie down under the swing set and take a little siesta while I moved the bikes around not ten feet away from it.  The kids thought this was all fantabulous and we even got a few great pictures of our bunny pal.  Here he is placidly planning his next foray;

 

And here he is making an incursion into enemy lines to test the preparedness of our defenses;



 

 

Ultimately the entire family was delighted by our new lagomorphian friend.  He stuck around for quite some time and then moved to the front yard when the real fun began.  You see, I didn't want to scare him off but I did need to take out the garbage and move the car to the drive way.  But I was convinced he (or perhaps she?) would run off as soon as I got onto the walk.  So I kept checking every fifteen minutes or so which amused my wife to no end.  She started teasing me that I was afraid of the bunny.  Of course I reminded her of the killer lagomorph of Pythonian fame which only served to amuse her more.  But I didnt' want to scare the bunny!  I was enjoying the fact that we have a wild animal that is so at ease in our yard and I don't want to scare it off.  Of course the glint in its eye didn't help;

Beatrix Potter my henie, that thing is mocking us!

In any event I finally had to give in and move the garbage out to the curb and move the car to the drive way.  The bunny did move to the other side of the front yard but it did stay in the yard.  I guess it's not afraid of me lobbing the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch at it.  I'm just glad it didn't morph into this Pooka;

 

Now that one I may need to lob a grenade at, or maybe just pummel with a baseball bat.  It's enough to give you leporiphobia.  Of course, it would all be easier if like Raj, I were the King of the Rabbits;

 

 

 

Stay well my friends and I'll see you on the road!

What A Difference A Year Makes

(Now where did I leave that Mallet?)

So a year ago on January 9, 2012 I wrote about the trials and tribulations I had just faced and how I was just beginning to crawl out of one of the lowest points of my personal life.  I entitled the entry "Finding My Sanity" and it primarily detailed how I was finally being able to make sense of my life after being personally attacked by a parent as a result of the casting of Beauty and the Beast all of which I chronicled here. 

Although I waxed rather optimistically in that January 9 posting, the truth was that her vindictive actions caused much more damage to our efforts to raise money for Sunrise Day Camp than I at that time anticipated.  Because of this parent's actions I wasn't able to talk about the Connor's Army Ride Across America to students, parents or even my colleagues at school until the very end.  I wasn't allowed to share this momentous undertaking with those people that I spend the most time of my life with (well aside from my own family) and it really caused a schism between myself and many members of the club.  A schism that I fear still survives in small amounts to this day.  I still get feelings that certain of that young ladie's friends who have yet to graduate are still viewing me with the same distrust, anger and ill will - the seeds of which were sown by this young lady and her mother.  And I have to say, of all the casting decisions I have ever made, this one has made in my life this one has made me the most sad because of the long term effects it had on the club and on the life of innocent children who could have been helped.

This all comes about as a result of the fact that we have recently cast the latest SHS musical and once again there are students whose lives have been affected and who are angry at me because of casting decisions I have made.  I wish I could say that I gotten used to it but I don't think I ever will.  However, a friend of mine who is retired from the High School directing game told me that he used to describe the casting process by using the analogy of putting together a puzzle.  There are many beautiful pieces, each of them completely unique unto itself and many are capable of matching up with other pieces.  However, its only when you get the right combination of pieces in the right spots that you can truly see the beauty of the complete picture.  Keeping that image in my head has helped me to keep my sanity this time.  Even thought I may find myself less patient with the kids now than I used to be, and much more ready to tell them to just shut up and either do it or don't I have learned.  This year has taught me that I need to continue to be true to myself and stop pussyfooting around those who didnt' get cast the way they wanted to be.  I can't rearrange the puzzle just becuase one piece wants to be in a different place.  So the year has made a difference.

Another difference is that the event that was once a dream has actually happened.   Every since I started the Connor's Army organization with the help of my wife Amy one of the main goals in the back of my mind was to ride across America to raise money to help the cancer community.  After working at Sunrise Day Camp three summers ago I knew that my effort to do so would best serve those kids.  The original time frame (Summer 2011) didn't work out because I waited to long to try and get sponsors and to get my logistics together.  After a second summer of working at Sunrise I knew beyond a doubt that my efforts would go to good use at the camp and I vowed that even if I had to do it alone and unsupported, summer 2012 would be the year it happened.

It wasn't easy to plan and to be honest without my wife's superior planning skills it never would have happened.  It was her logistics, her booking skills and her patience that made it possible.  Add to that the complete support of my three children (who also rode along) and we were committed (some would argue we should have been) to the plan.  After 74 days away from home and more than 6,000 miles of round trip travel, we arrived at the grounds of Sunrise on August 24th to the welcome of friends, family, staffers and campers.  We made some amazing memories along the way and I am so grateful to my family for making this possible.  Not only my immediate family but my sisters, brothers-in-law, nephews, nieces, parents, and my ACT family.  Their love  and support (and in some cases sponsorships - thank you Laura) made our journey possible and in the process (when you add in Sarah's coming of age celebration) helped us to raise $25,000 for Sunrise - enough for four campers.  It was only half of our original dream but it will still make a huge difference.

It didn't come without a cost of sorts.  The first thing we learned is sometimes no good deed goes unpunished as we chronicled in a post at the end of August.  It seems our house sitter left us in worse state than we left and it took us a long time (not to mention quite a bit of money) to dig ourselves out of the complications his staying here caused.

The other cost came in the fact I wasn't able to join the Northport Fire Department, at least initially.  I went for the interview last May and it all seemed to be very, very promising.  However, at the end of the interview with all of the chiefs they asked me if I had any questions.  I let them know our plans for the summer, why I was doing it and asked if that would be a problem.  They all agreed that I would lose too much training time and I would end up coming in as the new guy that nobody knew.  I have to admit I was a bit crushed.  Every since we moved to Northport I've seen the ambulance going by our house and I would see the bicycle EMT's at all the parades and village events.  I've always wanted to be a part of that and give back to my community but I had to wait until the kids were older and I had finished my Master's in School District Leadership.  Originally I had hoped to join last December, get my training done and be a certified EMT before we left for the cross country trip.  But alas it was not to be.  I worred and fretted that perhaps I had lost my window of opportunity and wouldn't get the chance to join.

But lo and behold, I called them when we came back and to make a short story short - I was sworn in to the Northport Fire Department on December 6th, 2012!!!!!!

Since then I've been able to go out on about 40 calls and I make it my goal to try to learn a new piece of knowledge or skill set for each call I go out on.  So far I've been successful in that goal and I'm enjoying it so much.  I'm still in the honeymoon stage in that whenever my beeper goes off Amy and the kids still say "Bye Daddy!"  I know that it won't last much longer but for now I'm glad I'm helping my community.  I've already spoken to officers in the department and I'm DEFINITELY going to be part of the bike squad starting this spring as I don't have to be certified to work on the bike squad - I just have to go on calls with someone who is.  Next goal is to become a certified EMT!!!!  All in due time!

So, its been a busy year and I haven't touched on EVERYTHING that's happened in our busy lives but that's the majority of what's been going on with me and the family and Connor's Army.  I have lots of goals this year, and one of them is to reinvent our mission for Connor's Army - any suggestions out there?????  Perhaps I should revisit the idea I had last year to combine two of my passions and create a Connor's Army Bicycle Ballet Troupe;



Stay well (and thirsty) my friends and I'll see you on the road!



How Do I Spell Gratitude?

(Sprinting his way in the opposite direction of the deep fryer)

In NYC today (only a short bicycle jaunt from my hometown of Northport) they are holding the 13th Annual Cranksgiving Ride.  It's an event that I've always wanted to do but we have our annual holiday gathering at Mark and Laura's in Verona, NJ and its an amazing time for us all to be together and appreciate our amazing family.  So we're currently watching the parade on television and then we'll head out in the car for the great trek to the kingdom of New Jersey.  Yes, we do have to deal with the New Jersey traffic but at least this time I'm not doing it on a bicycle!

One of our traditions (which we in the Connor household have been doing on a daily basis for years) is to go around the tables and say one thing that we are grateful for in the last year.  To be honest, there are so many things I am grateful for this year that I can't limit it to just one so I decided to create this little acronym instead;

T - Three thousand, seven-hundred and thirteen miles without major mechanical issues and with only one minor accident.  The only mechanical was really just a flat tire (on one of the most grueling days of the ride) and the only accident was when Sarah ran into me on the way to Floyd, VA.  But there could have been so many instances where things could have gone horribly wrong but they didn't.  And for that I am grateful.
H - Healthy children.  Spending 44 days in the saddle this summer riding for children who are battling cancer made me so much more appreciative of the fact that my children are completely healthy and (I hope) happy.  Even when they annoy me, I am grateful for the fact that I do have them here TO annoy the @#$#@ out of me sometimes!  I am truly grateful that they are in my life.
A - All the people who supported us, sponsored us, followed us, and read this blog.  I truly could not have made it through all of those long difficult days without you.  Knowing you all believed in me and that you were pushing for me was sometimes the only thing that kept me from tossing my bike on the side of the road and calling it a day.
N - New experiences and memories that I have had over the last year with my family.  As difficult as it was to coexist in a small confined space (i.e., minivan, hotel rooms, Kozy Kabins, etc.) I really felt as if I grew closer to my family instead of away.  With them I traveled to places I have wanted to visit since I was a kid (The Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Colorado) and now I have these incredible memories of seeing my children and my wife discover the beauty that is this country.
K - Kozy Kabins, Kansans, Krispy Kreme Donuts and all other things that started with "K" that we got to experience this summer.  And yes, I know that I'm dwelling a lot over what happened this summer but it truly was a life changing experience not only for myself but for my children as well.  I think they really got the chance to see what this amazing country is all about and all the diversity that it holds.
S - Sunrises with Sarah, Sunsets with the family.  I think one of the things that I will remember the most about this summer was being with Sarah as she watched her very first sunrise.  We were on our bicycles heading to Pittsburgh, KS at something like 5:45 in the morning and I had the unbridled joy of watching her watch the sunrise from behind.  Her comments and little squeals of joy (in between the occasional puffing and heavy breathing) as she witnessed her first ever sunrise were magical.  And since this followed only about a week or so after the entire family had experienced the sunset over the Western rim of the Grand Canyon, we were in solar display heaven!  Memories like this are ones that I will take with me to my dying day and I hope they are ones the kids will remember forever.
G - Gas in the tank.  One of the hardest things about this summer's journey was the concern about gas prices.  We were very lucky in that we never hit the out-of-control gas prices that were originally forcast for the summer so we always had gas in the tank.  Well, except for that one brief period of time when Amy thought she would run out on the way to Charlottesville.  But more importantly, gas and oil prices have stayed low on Long Island which has been a big help as we are all struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  We recently started a gas rationing program here on the Island and it has helped alleviate the lines and the craziness.  People are actually beginning to be civil again to one another.  So this grateful is for gas!
I - In the moment.  One of the things that I was able to do this summer is live in the moment - something I've been striving to do for a very long time.  It was so much easier to do it when I was young but as I've grown oldere and have accumulated more responsibilites and cares (sort of like my mental and emotional saddlebags) I've forgotten to just live for the now and enjoy every moment.  This summer my children reminded me to do that.  As I experienced America through their eyes I saw how important it is for me to get back to the idea of just allowing myself to experience the here and now thoroughly.  I hope I can continue this important lesson.
V - Veni, Vidi, Vici  This summer I learned a lot about myself and I learned I CAN survive any challenge that I undertake.  It may not always have the ending that I dream about (*cough, cough* $50,000 raised for Sunrise) but I can do it.  This summer I came to some very desolate and inhospitable places in our country's landscape and I saw the challenges I had to face and yet I conquered them.  I am extremely grateful for the lessons this jounrey taught me.  Not only about myself but about my amazing wife and my incredible children.  I have always appreciated them and how blessed I am to have them in my life but because of what they helped me do and how they gave of themselves to help me reach this goal I appreciate them so much more.  I know that seems impossible but its true.  My greatest wish is to try to keep reminding myself every day of how they support me and love me, even when we make each other nuts.
I - Ice Cream!!!!!!! I know this seems like a silly thing to be grateful for but ice cream has tied our family together over the past year.  From making huge sundaes to celebrate the New Year (or the Connormonster we made when the power went out) to Amy's end of summer birthday party bash, ice cream bonds our family together.  Whether we're making our own or venturing down into Northport to see if they have any new flavors, we always enjoy it together.  And this summer the adventures we shared while looking for the perfect ice cream experience were numerous but to me, any time I could share the ice cream with my incredible family was the perfect ice cream experience.
N - New people who have come into our life and those with whom we've manage to reconnect with this year.  Our friends, old and new, have helped us weather some difficult times this year both emotionally and physically.  I am so incredibly grateful for all of these people who are in our lives and who have helped us maintain our sanity and our optimisim about the good of people in the world.
G - Gas in the tank.  One of the nicest things that has been said about me as a rider happened shortly after I came back from the summer.  I was riding with the AA crew of the Huntington Bicycle Club and I was having a good ride.  I was in shape I was pulling at times but I wasn't the fastest guy out there.  That's when my friend Michael Foresto said one of the nicest things that anyone has ever said about me, "He doesn't have a big engine but he's got a lot of gas in the tank!"  And that pretty much epitomizes my whole life.  I'm not flashy, I'm not the fastest, and I'm not necessarily the best.  But I can AND WILL keep going.  I found that to be true this summer and I think its been true my entire life.  I will keep going no matter what and I can keep going.  There are far too many people that I can help to give up now.

So the journey is done but the battle is not won.  I don't know yet what Connor's Army will do in the future but I know that it will be somehow related to helping the cancer community in any way that I can.  For to me, the best way to show my gratitude for the bounty that has been bestowed on me is to give back - in whatever way I can.

Stay well my friends, and I'll see you on the road!

Now What? Part Deux

(I'm thinking....I'm thinking...I'm thinking)

It has now been two weeks since we returned from our Ride Across America and the big question I keep getting from people is "so, what are you going to do now?"  For almost two weeks I haven't really been able to contemplate that question as we are still busy trying to dig ourselves out of the mess left by our oh-so-accommodating house sitter.  It has really proven to be much more of a monumental task than what I reported last week as we're still trying to clean it all up.

But as I am able to start thinking about the answer to that question, the biggest worry to me is the feeling that we are already beginning to lose what we worked so hard to accomplish.  I'm not talking about the miles that were cycled.  Instead, its about the closeness that our family was able to experience as we traversed the length of America (twice!).  Although it got to be hectic and wearing at times, we did manage to live in a small coccoon of family togetherness where, aside from those we met in our journeys, we were the only ones who inhabited our little world.  Amy and I were able to see sides of our children we didn't know existed and yes, it was true that they did have a tendency to get on each others' nerves (and ours) out of shear boredom, we also found the times when they could be so loving and giving to each other (and to us) and we found times to really talk about things that were important to them and to us. 

But now that school is back in session our lives are slowly sliding into the old routine we had before we left.  Its frightening and saddening all at the same time.  Frightening because it means the summer truly is over and we have to get back to the daily grind of all the things that we normally do then getting up and starting it all over again.  Through it all, I'm smart (and metaccognative) enough to know that its just the nature of real life and that our summer on the road was a gift.

But the saddening part is losing that daily connection with the family.  The challenge now (and I guess the first "now what" answer) is to find ways to keep that connection.  How do we find the time to still make those "pit stops" we enjoyed (and which taught us so much) and be able to encourage the curiosity of our three little ones?  How do we still find the time to wonder at the world around us and take those moments to "smell the roses"?

My sister-in-law Laura was able to make the transition from performer to a very successful life coach and indeed was one of our sponsors for our cross country ride.  Indeed the title of one of her books and websites is "Now What Coaching" and the subtitle is "It's not WHAT you do, but WHO you get to be."  I didn't really understand that subtitle until we took our journey.

Yes, we did something that many cyclists only dream of.  We (and I mean that in the sense of my family and I) did that this summer.  Although my children (and Amy) didn't ride every mile of the route with me, they were just as instrumental in the journey as I was.  Without their support I could never had finished some of those 100+ mile days.  Days that were necessary just to be able to finish the ride on schedule.  There were days that just riding behind my children (especially Sarah) inspired me to keep on going and reminded me why I ride in the first place.  And without the love that I saw in my wife's eyes every time she stopped the van that she hates so much just to refuel me and make sure I was alright, I never would have had the spirit to finish what I started.  And the family that came up with our own little version of the Food Network show "Chopped" in which I give them all three or four random ingredients and they have to tell me what they will make with them and how - the family game that keeps on going!

So yes, we did this amazing thing but its who we have become as a family that is the most important.  The closeness (some might say enforced) that we attained is something I truly want to hold on to.  For in our journey I think we found our family again, who we are supposed to be.

So the answer to the question "now what" may simply be holding on to who we found along the journey.  The family that laughs together and shares rides together and plays our little version of "Chopped" together.  Despite the demands of school, shows, sports, music, etc., etc., etc., my goal is to keep this family, I like them and they have brought out the very best that is in me.

Did we raise $50,000?  No.  Did we even raise our revised goal of $25,000?  No.  Did we touch lives.  I like to think so.  Did we find something more precious and important than money?  Definitely.  My greatest hope is that we never lose that.  Sarah mentioned at one point that she would like to do this journey again.   I told her that maybe when she graduates college she and I can take this journey ourselves.  However, it will have to be self supported as Amy has made it abundantly clear she's not going!

But still I ride.  Every day I find more and more of my friends, family and colleagues who are fighting this horrible disease.  Connor's Army started as a way to help the cancer community using my passion for cycling.  I will continue that mission in any way I can.  So, if you're out there in cyberspace and you're reading this blog entry, drop me a line and tell me what's next.  I'm open for ideas!

But for now I want to share with you a song I heard by a country artist named Paul Brandt (crossing through middle America I listened to a lot of country) that really expressses what I'm feeling right now and what I hope I can continue to hold on to;



Stay well my friends, and I'll see you on the road!

To get another perspective of our journey check out Amy's blog at www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com

It's not too late to still donate!  Go to www.connorsarmy.org to find out how!

No Good Deed.........

There is a philosphophy that you can be one of two kinds of people and there is no in-between.  You can be either an optimist and join groups like Optimist International while listening to songs like "Optimistic" by Radiohead;



or you can be a pessimist and move to Greece while spending your time listening to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 while drowning your sorrows in pints of Guinness Ben and Jerry's.



Now it is well documented that I am fairly mostly Irish in my lineage and some would say demeanor.  As it so happens, I have a magnet on my refrigerator that states, "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him through temporary periods of joy" and my wife would pretty much agree.  In the past I have had a great tendency to look at the negative and always think the worse outcome possible is going to happen.  For instance, during much of the Ride Across America I was convinced I would either be hit by a truck/car/RV or be viciously attacked by some rabid (or at least REALLY angry) stray dog.  It would often preoccupy my thoughts so much that I would be physically exhausted and stressed by the end of the day.

I'm glad to say that neither happened.  I actually did have to spray a few dogs (read my previous posts) but I didn't get bitten and all was well.  And I didn't really have any close car/truck/RV calls until twenty miles from the end - when I reached Manhassat!

But while I rode for sometimes 10 and 12 hours a day on the bike this summer I had the chance to do a lot of contemplating of many different things and one of them was my outlook on life. 

I saw a lot of people who were going through hard times.  Coal miners who were out of work and not likely to get any in the near future.  Women in their 50's who had been laid off from their jobs and were now working in convenience stores because that was the only job available.  Farmers who had to make the choice between watering their crops or watering their livestock.  The town of Joplin, MO which is still struggling to recover after the tornadoes of last year.  A young couple in Southern Virginia who are stuggling to work multiple jobs and pay the medical bills to help their 8-year-old battle neuroblastoma.

It made me realize that no matter how things get here in Northport, I can't complain.  I have a good job that I love to do.  I have an amazing wife that loves me and supports me (even in my mad quixotic pursuits).  I have children who are healthy, bright and loving.  And I have a beautiful home that we love.  I have a lot to be grateful for and a lot to be optimistic about.

And herein lies the problem.  My family and I spent the summer trying to do something to make the world a little better for other - the children and their families.  One of the major hurdles we had to cross was to find someone to watch our cat Lily (you can read about her in Amy's Blog entry).  We finally found someone we could trust and we left for our journey secure in the knowledge that our home and cat would be well taken care of.  However, only a few days into her house sitting for us the young lady was bitten by something while sleeping in our bed.  She and her parents were very nervous (I guess with all the horror stories of bed bugs it's understandable) and she said she couldn't sleep over any more but she would be willing to come by during the day and take care of Lily.  Since we really needed someone here at night we starting sending out the word to find someone to replace her.

My mother-in-law had an acquaintance approach her and said her son was recently let go from his job and was going through a divorce and although he was staying with her, he stays up late at night and he's not loud but it keeps her awake and was wondering if maybe he could stay at our place for the summer and look after Lilly.  Joan met with him and said he seemed quiet and nice.  I think she said he might have been a little odd but okay.  We were relieved!  Thanks to Joan and her Mahjong Mafia we were able to get a replacement house sitter from 3,000 miles away.

The fact that we could never get in touch with him (he didn't have a phone or a computer or a job) should have been our first clue.  The only way we seemed to be able to get in touch with him was through Joan.  Since we couldn't get in touch with him we didn't get our mail when we needed it, we didn't really know how Lilly or the house were doing.  Every now and then we'd get an e-mail saying Lilly was doing okay.

So finally with a little more than a week to go we asked Joan to check in on things.  That's when she told us the house was a wreck.  Well, maybe not a wreck but it was filthy.  To make a VERY long story short, the garbage hadn't been taken out in weeks.  Well, it made it to the side of the house but not to the curb.  His children apparently had been staying at the house (children we knew nothing about, if we had we would have said, "Fine, but here are the things we would like them not to touch) and ALL of the beds and bedrooms were a mess.  The rugs were filthy and the kitchen was extremely dirty.  Aaaaaaannnndddd, apparently he had run out of garbage bags for the kitchen trash can but didn't buy any so he was just dumping it in the trash can and then dumping it outside.  When Joan went to throw something away fruit flies went everywhere!

So we were now officially freaked out!  We spent the last week of our journey not sleeping and worrying about what condition our home would be in.  Our house sitter - let's call him Joe A. - had told us that he was going on a week's vacation (a vacation that kept getting put off because his car was in the shop and he didn't have the money to get it out yet) and would be back the Monday before we returned home.  After discussing it with Joan we decided that we would tell him we were having the place cleaned and that others would look after the place when he returned so he didn't have to stay until we got home on Friday. 

Yes, we were getting the placed cleaned - by my in-laws.  They are truly saintly people and if ever we have been more grateful to anyone I can't remember when it possibly could have been.  So Joe A. gathered his things and our friends Carla and Rita took care of Lilly until Joan and Mort could take over.  My in-laws cleaned everything.  My father-in-law fixed the broken fans that he could (there was one beyond repair), scrubbed the kitchen trash can, took all the garbage out to the curb and took all the recycling to his recycling center.

My sainted mother-in-law did something she rarely does at home - cleaned!  Of course I'm kidding (since I know Joan will read this!), but she took care of getting as much of our home back in order as she could, making beds, cleaning floors, scrubbing, etc.  On top of that she slept in our home so Lilly would have company.  All above and beyond the call of duty!!!!

We rode in and finished our journey, had dinner and then we tried tackling some of the mess before we went to bed.  We didn't really get far and we decided to put it off until Saturday. 

And that's when the FUN began.

We knew we had a mess to clean up but we started discovering things.  Ground up candy in the floor, candy between the floorboards, crunched up potato chips in the seat and couch cushions, spilled jello shots in the freezer (yes, that's right - using our children's medecine cups)!  "Okay," we thought, "maybe he had a party and forgot about them".  And then we started noticing the odd things.

8 bags of frozen corn.  I love corn as much as the next person but 8 bags?????

ALLLLLLL of our food was gone.  Okay, not ALL but ALMOST every scrap of food we had left in the refrigerator, the freezer, and the pantry was gone.

Our neighbor Kathleen told us about the rats.  Apparently a problem that we have never had in the nine years we have lived here has surfaced - rats in the yard.  Our neighbor loves her bird feeder and told us Saturday morning that she hadn't been able to feed them because rats showed up about two weeks ago.  Her landlord put a rat trap out back but she wasn't sure it was working.

And then Amy saw a rat!  While she was in the kitchen she saw a rat run into the drainage pipe built into our retaining wall.  It came out and then ran into another pipe further down the wall.  Now we are used to the chipmunks doing that but rats are another thing.  So I immediately went down into the basement to look for signs of rats down there.  If they were in the house that would be VERY bad!

And I found the plastic bag.

Since the cedar closet was right next to where all the piles of trash had been I started my search there.  Right in the middle of the floor was a plastic bag.  "What the hell is this?????"  So I looked inside and I found and empty gallon container from a cheap brand of vodka.  Hmmmmmmm.  So I went upstairs and I asked Amy, "Were you saving this for some sort of project for the kids?"  Since she replied in the negative we could only assume one thing - Joe had been hiding empty alchohol bottles in the basement.  Back down I went to see if I could find any more.  No such luck.

Now when we had gotten home on Friday we had noticed an empty wine bottle in the recycling.  Apparently it had been on the counter so Joan or Mort put it in the recycling after Mort had already taken everything away.  But now we began to be curious so we looked in the area of the pantry where we kept our alchoholic beverages.  As far as we could tell the wine was all there but there we noticed the tequila bottle (which had been about half full, left over from the chili party last December) had only about an eighth of an inch left.  And then we noticed that two pint bottles of gin which were extra bottles I had left over after giving show gifts for Thoroughly Modern Millie were still on the shelf but empty!  And as we perused more of the shelf space we made a chilling discovery and we had to ask ourselves;



And then by simple deduction we started to put it all together from all the behavior and we thought we had the answer, perhaps Joe A. drinks a little - at least all of OUR stuff.  Its not that we are big consumers of hard alchohol but when we see five bottles of it gone plus an empty bottle in the basement and all the leftover jello shots (yes, we finally tasted a bit of one and it was VERY potent) we began to think that maybe he drinks A LOT.  It is sort of the only answer we can think of for all of the behaviorisms that were being reported to us.

And we cursed the spider that bit Claire!

So this week has been one of trying to clean up the mess that Joe has left us.  I spent all of Saturday cleaning the refrigerator (which was disgusting but made easier by the fact that it and the freezer were EMPTY) and the microwave (in which something was cooked and apparently exploded in a Mythbusters type experiment).  Amy, the kids and I spent the next two days cleaning floors (Sarah even got down on her hands and knees with a straightened out paper clip to clean non pariels out of the floor boards).  I spent an entire day on the bathrooms while Amy scoured the pantry and repapered (which once again was easy since there was no food).  I went to Home Depot and got plugs to block up the entrances of all the weep holes (the drains in our retaining wall).  Sadly, it would mean that the boys' sleepover would have to be indoors instead of in a tent as they so badly wanted.

We also had estimates from three exterminators who confirmed our suspicions that the rats were MOST likely drawn to our yard by the accumulation of garbage - a veritable smorgasborg right next to our house. We found out it would be about $750 to get rid of them by using bait traps for a year.  At least they confirmed my observation that there were no rats in the basement or the shed.

And we started tallying up the costs of our house sitter from hell.  Between food eaten, alchohol consumed, fans broken, trash cans needing to be replaced, light pulls needing to be replaced, various other broken items and the cost of the exterminating - a bit over $1500! 

And we began thinking, NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED, AND we cursed the spider that bit Claire!

But we had to count our blessings.  We were home and it was still standing and after some diligent extermination our rat issue will be gone!  Our fridge and freezer are cleaner than they have been in years and we've been able to do the spring cleaning that we forgot to do (in the spring).  Our family is healthy, we made it back in one piece, the van is still running and our cat is thriving and happy to see us.  Life is good.

One of the wonderful things about the summer was watching the summer Olympics on television (when we weren't watching Chopped, Cupcake Wars, or Food Star) and the closing ceremony allowed me to introduce my children to one of my favorite songs from a Monty Python movie.  However, instead of the version we all saw at the Olympic closing, I choose to share with you dear readers the original and remind us all to look at the glass half full and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life";



And so we clean, I get to do some more riding this week and we get to spend a little more time bonding as a family before school begins again - and that is the glass being half full!

Stay well and I'll see you on the road!

Manhattan to Northport - Now What?

Total Miles Ridden Today - 60.77  Average Miles Per Hour - 15.7

The tears had been coming off and on since I started crossing the George Washington Bridge, and no it wasn't because I was heading East and the sun was in my eyes.  When I looked South and saw the Freedom Tower and the rest of the Manhattan skyline I knew I was only 60 miles away from a journey that started ten weeks and almost 3700 miles ago.  The realization that I might actually do this, the gratitude I was feeling for my family who suffered with me through this journey, and the knowledge that something that had consumed me for almost a year would soon be finished all rushed together to hit me with a Tsunami of emotion.  This tidal wave of emotion would ebb and flow all day long, sometimes hitting me harder than I ever imagined it would.

As I crossed the bridge my family drove slowly in the right hand lane with Sarah in the front seat filming my progress across the bridge for the documentary Phil will be putting together of our journey.  Of course, I don't think they captured the moment I missjudged one of the sharp little bends around the support girders and hit that steel beam.  Ouch!!!!  I have a really nice red gash on my back.  Not too deep but enough to remind me of the perils of not paying attention. 

Before I knew it I was on Broadway and 177th Street heading South!!!  IT WAS SO FREAKING COOL!!!!!!!!  You see, when I lived in Manhattan I never owned a bicycle.  I did rollerblade down Broadway on my way from midtown to Goldman Sachs in the mornings but its not quite the same as rolling through the streets at 20 mph and actually rolling through the red lights (ala Kevin Bacon in Quicksilver, or Joseph Gordon Levitt in Premium Rush), I felt like such a scofflaw. 

To be honest, I crossed the GWB at 6:30 because I thought it would take me an hour and a half to get down to the WPIX Channel 11 studios on east 42nd Street.  I made sure to take video at key stops along the way, Upper Manhattan, Barnard College, Columbus Circle, Times Square among others. 

Before I knew it I was at the studios and getting prepared to be the Friday Forecaster!!!!  My family joined me shortly after I arrived and the children immediately discovered in the Green Room an electronic Monopoly set - they set themselves right to the task of playing in their usual cutthroat style!

I was soon wired up and ushered in to meet Linda Church for my blocking and directions as Friday Forecaster.  We were sitting there all relaxed and prepared for to go on at 8:45 when we were told there was breaking news and we had to go on in two - good thing I can handle a little improv!!!  We were a little rushed for time but it came out great as you can see here.  It got the name of Sunrise Day Camp out on everyone's minds and hopefully it may have generated a donation or two.

And then it was time to hit the road for the final push into Long Island.  In my brain dead state (read yesterday's blog and you'll see why I was completlely groggy and bleary-eyed upon waking up this morning) I had forgotten my Garmin Edge in the hotel so Amy and the kids had to go back and get it after filming me crossing the bridge.  They then had left it down in the van which was on East 23rd so I had to go down and retrieve it before heading across the Queensborough Bridge.  By now we were into rush hour and the cycling commuter match race was on.  I'm sorry, I couldn't resist spanking a few of these commuters on their home turf as I breezed by them heading uptown - I was on a mission to get home and could not afford to take any prisoners!

Of course, once I crossed the QBB my Google Maps directions were useless as was my Garmin.  Too much detail to deal with and I was too brain dead.  So I hopped into a local bike shop and got a copy of the official NYC bike map.  That turned out to be a blessing since now I had a safe bike route through Queens and Flushing.  I connected with Northern Boulevard/25A and I knew I was on my way - 40 miles to go!!!!!  I managed to get through Douglaston unscathed into Nassau County - and here is where the fun began.

Now I have cycled across the country in all types of terrain and on all types of road surfaces with all types of traffic.  I was nervous and frightened in New Jersey but it was nothing compared with what faced me once I hit the Great Neck/Manhassat area.  It was as if I was wearing a sign on the back of my jersey that said "I DARE You To Hit Me!!!!" since I was closely buzzed (as in closer than THREE feet) about six times and almost right hooked once.  The only thought in my head was "really, I survive 3680 miles only to get killed now?!?".

Eventually I found the blessed relief I was looking for - Brookville Road!  I knew I was only 20 miles from Sunrise at this point and the tears began flowing again.  Suddenly I had new energy and the 3% steady inclined felt as if I were going downhill.  I KNOW THESE ROADS!!!!!  This is my turf now, roads I have ridden in the Gold Coast and with the Huntington Bicycle Club.  And then I made the left onto Muttontown Road - almost to Syosset!!!!  Before I knew it I was there on Cold Springs Harbor Road heading for Stillwell Lane.

And the tears continued to flow.  I was in familiar territory, roads I commuted and trained on so many, many times.  As I sped down Stillwell Lane I could barely see for the tears of joy and gratitude streaming down my face.  I was going to do it!!  After years of talking about it, soliciting sponsors, hoping and praying for donations, working so hard to try to help the kids of Sunrise, I was actually going to finish this!

I crossed over into Plainview and headed up Hartman Hill Road and once again I thought of Amy Hartman and how we always try to connect when she's in Manhattan and still have yet to do so.  I do so want to make that happen.

And then I was passing down Sweet Hollow Road, this was my uber long commute route and I knew every twist and turn coming up.  And during all of this time I'm constantly trying to ride and talk on my cell phone with my mother-in-law who had called earlier and told me the folks from Channel 12 News were trying to catch me so they could get some footage of me riding on the road.  It was only when I called Amy that I found out they were with her at our rendezvous point.  Now the time trialing began!  I had to get there, I was running late and people were waiting on me - I HATE to keep people waiting!

There was one last hill to conquer - the one that heads up Bagatelle Road to the LIE Service Road.  It's short, its steep and it has always been a pain in my butt when I train.  This time I cursed my way up the hill - cursing cancer the entire short, punchy way - "come on you BITCH, you want a piece of me?!?! - Take this, and THIS!!!"  and I punched my way up the hill and over the LIE!  I headed down the hill on the other side and there they were, my family!!!!!  And waiting with them were the crew from Channel 12 News!  I pulled over, put my bike away and started to cry again as I hugged my beautiful and long suffering wife.  My wife who made this entire thing possible.  Because of her all I had to do was focus on getting up and pedaling every day.  Because of her I wasn't slowly dessicating in a ditch in Arizona somewhere.  Becuase of her I still had some of my sanity left.

So after hugging her (and crying some more) I was wired up by the Channel 12 cameraman so he could get all the audio of me crossing the finish line.  The kids and I then lined up and the Channel 12 van rode in front of us to get footage as we rode the last two miles to the camp.  As usual I was herding cats on a bike, telling Sarah to speed up and William to slow down and sit down (for some reason he likes to ride standing up, even with the padded shorts) but as we neared the finish line Sarah told me to take the lead.  As I rounded the corner to where everyone was I started crying again and saw a banner stretched across the drive that said "Finish Line" (courtesy of my mother-in-law I think).  And what were the words that came out of my mouth that were captured on the Channel 12 broadcast?  "What happens if I crash?", ah words for posterity!

And then when I finally stopped my bike, turned around and saw who was there, you guessed it - I started crying even more.  Tears of joy, tears of gratitude, tears of exhaustion (mental, physical, emotional), and tears of sadness that this was over.  There were friends old and new, family, students (my ACT family - I love them), Sunrise staff, Sunrise Campers and parents, and media.  It was a bit overwhelming to say the least.

I was incredibly grateful that my sister-in-law Laura and brother-in-law Mark were there because I know how difficult it was arranging crazy schedules for them.  I was (and am still) so incredibly grateful and humbled that they believed enough in me to make this a priority in their busy lives.  I am so thankful to Amy, Leah, Emily and Deanna for not only being at the camp but also for making this little homecoming possible to be held at the campgrounds.  And I was overwhelmed by the love shown to me by my ACT family and friends.  After 3713 miles in the saddle, it was a blessing to have all of these people there.

After saying a few words of thanks and hugging everyone I could find, the media had questions and interviews for us.  Again, something I had to thank my wife for setting up.  She sent out press releases constantly and they finally fell on fruitful ground!  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not thankful of the publicity for my own sake.  I really didn't do any of this so that people would look at me or read about me and say, "what an amazing person he is, he is so wonderful, he is a great person" or any other such thing.  To me, and especially in this economy, its all about getting people aware and hoping that folks will step forward and make donations to Sunrise.  As of right now we're still $5,000 short of what we realistically hoped we could raise in this journey and we're really at a loss to figure out how to raise those funds.

Now I hate to be cynical but it seems that because its not one of my own children suffering from cancer we can't seem to get people to give.  My ACTers (past and present) raised so much through charity fundraisers, various groups at SHS also chipped in and many family and friends have donated but it just doesn't seem to be "sexy" enough for others to give.  We've met incredibly generous strangers on the road who have dipped into their pockets and handed us 20 or 30 dollars on the spot and said things like, "I just lost my father to cancer and I know what this is about, give this to the kids" and other similar comments.  Yet despite the press, the facebook posts and other social media people seem that they couldn't be bothered.  I know the economy is difficult but these kids (and their families) REALLY need this.  Its not a luxury, its a summer that can really mean THE difference to these families and their children.  I just wish I knew a way to appeal to the right audience.

And then there was Gina Mayer.  She was one of the campers that was there at the event.  At the end, after most of the interviews were done her mother Katherine brought her over and Gina handed me an envelope.  Katherine told me, "it was all Gina's idea".  I thanked and hugged her and honestly thought it was a thank you letter.  It wasn't until later on when I opened the envelope and discovered money inside that once again I lost it and the tears flowed down my face.  Here was a little girl who had been battling this disease, whose family was a recipient of the mission of this camp, and yet she felt that it was important for she herself to make a contribution.  If only the rest of the world who has read and seen my story could react the same way.

After we said our final goodbyes and loaded the kids' bikes back on the car, there was one final thing to do - I had to ride the water's edge at the end of Bergen Avenue in Babylon to dip my front wheel in the Atlantic ocean.  The journey started 64 days ago with us all dipping our rear wheels in the Pacific and with only eight miles to the ocean I couldn't walk away without doing it.  It wouldn't be coast to coast otherwise.

We arrived at what Google maps said was a clear access only to find there was no access to the water.  A restaurant near by had a floating dock so we started to take our bikes there when we were told it was a private dock and we needed to move our bikes.  We then explained what we had done (and the kids started handing out brochures) and that we just wanted to dip the front wheels in the Atlantic to finish the job.  They relented and were very supportive (an incredulous) about what we had done.  We dipped our wheels, chronicled it for Phil, thanked the folks and reloaded ALL the bikes onto the van for the very last time!

Time for food!  We drove back to Northport, still marveling at the surreal feel of it all and the odd sense of loss I think we all felt that this was now really over.  We enjoyed a great dinner at Sweet Mama's (one of our favorite restaurants) and headed home.  Only to be met with a nightmare of a mess.  We had been warned but the reality was something completely different.  But that will be fodder for another post!

For now, we are home, we are safe and we are grateful for everyone who has helped us make this possible!

And today's report;

FFR - 3 possums, 1 Beaver (On Long Island of All Places!), 10 birds of indeterminate species, 8 UFO's
RRL - Curiously, nothing out of the ordinary - I would have expected more from the middle of Manhattan.

Stay well and I'll see you on the road (this time on Long Island)!


For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com//
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/





The Penultimate Ride - Fear and Leaving in Fort Lee!

 

Miles Ridden Today - 118.3  Average Miles Per Hour - 15.6

 

Last night I couldn't sleep.  I was dreading the ride that was to come today and what kept playing over and over in my mind is an image of my bicycle looking like the tangles mess above after my being hit by some crazed New Jersey motorist.  On the best of days driving in New Jersey makes me leery, now add in the fact that I was going to be amongst these semi-professional demoltion racers in an unarmored state made me feel a little like this;

 



(Is it just me, or is there a breeze in here?)



That's a naked armadillo for those of you not up on your zoology!  I also didn't want to become another statistic of my own Flattened Fauna Report.  At the very least, I felt I should wear a big sign on my back that simply said;

 



But in the end my sleeplessness and worry was for naught.  Except for the 15 miles through the Camden area (Philajersia to those of you who don't know your Geography of the Garden State) I didn't feel too threatened from the traffic.  It's funny in all the years Angela and Per have lived in Swedesboro I have always said, "I need to bring my bike and ride the roads down here" and now that I finally get to I ride in the area where I'm scared to death. 

 

Of course, added to the sheer terror of riding during morning rush hour in Camden, NJ on a twenty pound piece of metal was the fact that I had a serious mechanical malfunction in Cinnaminson, NJ.  The short version is the connecting link for my 9-speed chain popped off and the spare I had in my saddlebag didn't fit as it was for a 10-speed!  Oy Vey!!!!  Fortunately, Amy hadn't passed me yet so I called her, told her where I was (the Cinnaminson Animal Hospital Parking Lot) and sat down to wait.  My shining savior arrived, I put on one of the used ones from one of my chain replacements, dug out another spare (just to be sure) and got on my way.  Only to be met by the fact that my gears were now so misaligned that my chain got caught between the cassette and my spokes - a potential dangerous situation in traffic.  I pulled over and Amy just happened to pass me for the second time.  She pulled over, I put the bike up on the rack and made my adjustments.  Finally I was off again and it was the last time I would see the family until Fort Lee!

 

The rest of the ride until Newark was pretty much a blur - literally!  I looked down and realized that my average speed from Swedesboro to Newark was 17.0!!!  AFTER 86 MILES!!!!!  I'm sorry but that was pretty damn good!  And as I looked down I knew why.  Today I was riding for Talia, one of our cancers who is once again battling her neuroblastoma.  As I rode today I constantly saw her face in my mind's eye and it drove me to pedal faster and harder hoping that every pedal stroke would send out to the universe some positive energy that she so desperately needs!  So every time I felt as if I was flagging I would think of Talia and pedal harder! 

 

Eventually I arrived in Newark and once again I was frightened for my life but in a different way.  I have heard stories of the crime issues in Newark for years and here I was riding along some of the most neglected streets in the city - while wearing spandex!  I'm pretty sure I was the only lycra clad individual many of the residents have seen rolling through their fair domain and maybe the last.  I truly had no idea where I was so I stopped at a hot dog vending cart and bought a Diet Coke.  While drinking my Coke I asked the vendor for directions.  The nice man, his name is Paul, actually set me straight and told me the way I wanted to go would most likely see me smooshed.  He gave me directions, made sure I wrote them down and after a nice conversation about sports, the evils of diet soda, his nephew the cross country skier, road bikes, old Peugots, his son and a few other items I thanked him and headed off on my way.  Before I knew it I was indeed across the Passaic River and into Jersey City - only 20 miles to go!!!!!

 

I finally hit John F. Kennedy Boulevard and headed north.  My first real taste of urban cycling and IT WAS AWESOME!!!!  It makes me truly excited for tomorrow to ride across the GWB into Manhattan.  Along the way I saw some girls selling lemonade for Alex's Lemonade Stand and that made me stop.  I mean c'mon, you know how I am about fighting Childhood cancer and to support that and get some lemonade to boot?  And since my own daughter is such a lemonade mogul, I decided to sample the competition.  The three young ladies, Brianna, Brittany and Madison were being supported by Madison's mother Nacy (I hope I spelled that right) and as we chatted I shared with them my family's mission for Sunrise.  We exchanged information and talked about how its up to all of us to do what we can to help those who are the hardest hit by this disease - the children.  Once again, I thanked these folks for the conversation and the kind words and with Talia's face once more in my mind, I headed my bike north for the last ten miles.

 

And before you know it, I was here in Fort Lee!  I had spent some time in my youth living in Edgewater, NJ so I knew the environs well but I wasn't prepared for how much it had changed or how busy the traffic was when you're on a bicycle!  Getting around all of those shiny metal boxes rushing to be the first across the GWB I barely made it to the exit ramp unscathed.  God was surely with me!!!! 

 

I pulled into the parking lot of the Best Western (with a pursuing car hot on my tail at 32 mph) and gave it a once over - no mini van!!!  I had beaten the family to Fort Lee.  Now in all fairness, they had gone to Verona, NJ to visit my sister-in-law, niece and nephews but still - I WON!!!!

 

And that was my day of suvival on the roads of New Jersey.  Not as bad as I had feared but I think I still sprouted a few new grey hairs nonetheless.  And since the family down the hall was keeping me up I decided to write this blog instead.  I now have to try to get three and a half hours of sleep before we have to get up and cross the GWB before rush hour tomorrow since I have to be in midtown Manhattan by 8:00 in the morning.  Why God, why?  Because yours truly will be the guest weather person for WPIX Channel 11 News in the morning!!!!!!!!  It was all due to a connection made by my sister-in-law Laura and I cannot thank her enough for the opportunity to bring this message of Sunrise and all it does to the greater metropolitan area! 

 

I just hope they have something to cover the huge bags that will be under my eyes!!!!

 

 

And today's report;

FFR - 6 raccoons, 1 possums, 1 Beaver (I kid you not!), 10 birds of indeterminate species, 8 UFO's
RRL - 3 pairs of work gloves, a trowel for spreading on plaster, a CD with Aaron Copeland music on it (don't know if it works yet)

Stay well and I'll update more from the road!


For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com//
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/



 

Climbing Every Mountain to Charlottesville



(Doe, a deer, a female deer!!!!!)

Miles Ridden Today - 81.01  Average Miles Per Hour - 12.58

I will admit I have been dreading today's ride for days.  It has been haunting me for days.  You see, normally I don't take much credence anymore in the horizontal profile printed on the back of the Adventure Cycling Association maps.  When I first started the Ride Across America I believed in them religiously and they did seem fairly accurate at first.  And then I came to that stretch where they either didn't really reveal all the big climbs that were really there, or they seemed to show climbs to be much steeper than they actually turned out to be.

However, the climb that would hit me from Vesuvius, VA to the Blue Ridge Parkway seemed to be a monster.  Not since Wolf Creek Pass, CO has there been a profile like this.  Everywhere I researched the agreement seemed to be this climb would be a monster.  I heard stories of Eastbound cyclists giving away their possessions to Westbound cyclists just to lighten the load they would have to carry up this mountain.  The profile seemed to indicate a rise of 1700 feet in the space of 3 miles and lots of switchbacks.  And it didn't help when I heard from a few local cyclists in Lexington that it would be a killer. I got an early bed time and I made sure to eat a good breakfast to give me some energy.  Because of the climbs, Sarah would not be joining me today for the beginning.  We were hoping she could join me after the descent from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

But I also had some serious motivation to ride today.  Since we have a rest day tomorrow in Charlottesville, VA and we're going to visit Monticello, today would be the last day I would be riding for the campers of Sunrise Day Camp.  Don't get me wrong, I will still be riding for the campers and hoping to raise more money for the camp, but today is the last day that I will be riding for a specific group - or rather groups.  Today I would be riding for the Boys and Girls of Leadership, the CIT's, and the staff!  So with images of the faces of so many of these campers and counselors running through my head, I mounted up and headed out.

After an initial flat that lulled me into false complacency the hills began - a steady 2% that went on for ten miles leading into Vesuvius.  I turned right to head up the hill and immediately tackled a 15% rise!  Ugghhhh!  I stopped at the parking lot of a local church to collect my wits when a woman stopped and asked me if I needed help.  I had really been hoping for a gas station to refill with water but she told me that was five miles away.  However, there was a place just down the road called Gerties Country Store that was open and they served hot food!  There was the ticket.  Turns out it is a place where cyclists usually stop and even camp out in the back!  I had an egg and bacon sandwich (with mayonnaise, yum!), some coffee and refilled my water bottles - NOW I was ready to tackle the beast.

I won't go into the mundane details of the next hour and a half here except to say I am Irish and as my wife can attest, I have a stubborn streak as wide as the Irish Sea!  I was determined not to do two things - 1) stop until I reached the top and 2) walk my bike at all up the hill.  That only meant one thing - I was going to have to keep pedaling!!!!  And I did.  I kept pedaling and I kept thinking of the kids of Sunrise and every time I came around another switchback to see the mountain still climbing before me I just dug down deeper and I thought of another face of someone for whom I was riding.

Eventually I reached the top, totally covered in sweat, totally wiped and with half empty water -  but I had reached the top without stopping.  Being such a big musiacl theatre geek, all I could see in my head was Julie Andrews dancing in the Alps as the song "Climb Every Mountain" spun through my head.  So, since no one was around excecpt the wildlife, I starting singing at the top of my lungs.  Sorry, the video was destroyed on the grounds I looked totally stupid!  But I did manage this one instead;

Eventually it was time to push on.  I knew there would be more climbs today but the big one that I had been dreading for days was done done.  I headed out onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I'd been hearing and reading about this magical route for years and how amazing the ride was, despite the constant up and downs.  Since I had the advantage over my fully laden bretheren and sisteren I decided to have a go at it.  Its amazing to find yourself pedaling and look out to the side and see that you're cycling above the clouds like this;

  I guess that's why they feel the need to put up signs like this one;

(Wheeeeeeeeeeee - splat!)

But eventually the family caught up with me, replenished my supplies and since it looked like rain decided Sarah would not ride today.  They went on ahead to prepare the way of the room in Charlottesville and I put the pedal back to the metal and cranked onward.

Eventually, I arrived not too worse for wear and extremely happy with the prospect that I have now finished the last of the major climbs I'll be doing in the Ride Across America.  It's heartening but also sad at the saem time.  I'm so excited to see everyone at Sunrise Day Camp on Friday, August 24th but I'm starting to feel sad that I won't be seeing much more from my three foot high perch.  Its been a journey, I've met some incredible folks and if it will help the kids of Sunrise (or others like Elijah Dalton) then I have indeed done what God intended.

And one last note, as I was doing a little mechanical work on the bikes outside in the parking lot of the English Inn this evening a couple starting talking to me about the Ride Across America and what we were doing.  It turns out that they are retired High School teachers and they felt so touched by what Sarah and I are doing that tthey made a donation on the spot to Sunrise.  So my thanks to George and Dorothy Lilly of Grosse Pointe, MI and to all the others we have met along the way who have made spontaneous donations - we will forever be in your debt!  Thank you for helping us inch just a little higher up the mountain!

And today's report;

Flattened Fauna Record - 2 deer, 6 raccoons,46 possums, 2 turtles, 10 birds of indeterminate species, 1 fox, 1 cat, 6 UFO's
Random Refuse Log - 3 half full bags of dog food (I'm starting to see a pattern here!)

Stay well and I'll update more from the road!


For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com//
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/

Living Every Moment of the Ride to Lexington

In Lexington, VA there is a cemetery that contains the tomb of one of the most brilliant generals of the Civil War.  Whether his cause was "right" or "just" is immaterial - the bottom line is that General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was one of the most intelligent and gifted military strategists of his or any other age.  I only know this because it is contained in what my wife likes to call my "font of useless knowledge".  As I rolled into Lexington, KY today imagine my delight at riding right past his tomb and the cemetery that bears his name.  I also rode right through the middle of the Virginia Military Institute campus only moments later.  For a former Civil War "enthusiast" it was a moment of heaven.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not one of those that likes to display the "Stars and Bars" (read my earlier blog posts about the "Bubbas" of Eastern Missouri) and I don't think we should go back to the tumultuous times that caused more American bloodshed than any other conflict our nation has endured.  However, as a young man growing up in Georgia and later Texas, I was fascinated by what driving forces would cause a nation to rend itself apart pitting father against son and brother against brother.  I read the book The Killer Angels a few years back and while it gave brilliant insight into the most famous of all the battles that horrible conflict, it didn't really shed much light on the rest of the story.  But what constantly stands out is the brilliance, gallantry, honor and commitment of men such as Stonewall Jackson.  Whether he agreed with the politicians or not, he was a consummate professional and brilliant at what he did.

Another person who I feel is utterly brilliant is my wife Amy.  While she might not see it in herself, she is one of the most intelligent, witty and insightful people I know.  I constantly find myself reflecting on what moment of sheer insanity must have gone through her head when she agreed to become my wife. How could someone so magnificently intelligent have made such a tactical blunder?  But I'm glad she did for without her this Ride Across America could never have happened.  Like a brilliant general she organized this trip, planned the logistics and made sure Connor's Army has continued to be provisioned throughout this campaign.  Today she made one of her many brilliantly insightful comments that was so natural and made so much sense because it was so obvious.  But it took Amy's perspective to see it clearly and her voicing of this simple truism made it all coalesce and brought me to tears - but more on that later.

Yesterday found us relaxing in Floyd, VA at the home of Jack and Ginny Russel.  Two transplanted New Yorkers who are very close and dear friends of Amy's parents and whom Amy has known almost her entire life.  They opened their home(s) to us as well as their pool and the children were in heaven.  They also have two adorable dogs that gave William quite the fix and perhaps we won't hear "can we get a dog" for a while.  They took care of us, fed us, allowed us to do laundry and made us feel as if we were part of their family for a brief 40 hour span.  It was heaven and just what we have needed after so many days on the road.  Of course, to get there I had to endure 114 miles of grueling climbing to get there.  'But the amazing dinner of clam fritters, corn on the cob and cucumber salad more than made up for it!

My day off saw me driving up to Blacksburg to replace my cycling shoes that were damaged as a result of my accident and also doing some much needed maintenance on Pearl.  The folks at East Coasters Bike Shop were incredibly helpful and made sure I got a great deal on a pair of Shimano M087 mountain bike shoes.  If you're ever riding the TransAm and find yourself in the Christiansburgh area needing bike work or supplies, go there!

Today dawned earlier than I had wanted it to.  It has been getting more and more difficult to get myself out of bed and on the road in the mornings.  All I really want to do is sleep for about twenty hours as my body is slowly breaking down from all of these 100+ mile rides.  Today was to be another one of those rides.

But today I had two things motivating me to get going - the first was I was riding for the Sea Boys and Girls of Sunrise Day Camp.  These are the eighth graders of the camp and they are the same age as my daughter Sarah.  Usually Sarah joins me for the first 20 or so miles of my ride (well, she has since eastern Colorado) but today was going to be a brutal start as the ride started with over three hundred feet of elevation in the first 3/4 mile.  She's still recovering from the mountain she climbed out of Damascus so we agreed she would join me after I got the major climbing done for the day.  It was a shame she didn't start with me because only thirty minutes into the ride I hit the 3,000 mile mark for this cross country journey!!!!  I would have loved to have shared this with her as she has been with me for so many momentous events on this ride (including my only crash to date).

But I was riding for my beloved Sunrisers so I told myself to suck it up and get going!  But there was another reason for me to push harder today.  At 2:00 I was to meet an eight-year-old boy who is battling cancer.  He has neuroblastoma and we had set up a meeting through a member of the local press to meet with him at the Troutville Town Park today.  I had to really try to push hard as it was 64 miles away from Floyd and I wanted to make sure I was there on time.

However, when the family joined me in Catawba (which is where Sarah would be riding with me) I had already had to stop twice for mechanical problems and I was beat - emotionally, physically, mentally, mechanically, ecumenically.  I sat down on the ground and told my wife that I wasn't sure I could go on - today, tomorrow, at all.  I was really that beat.  It has been getting harder and harder to push up these hills and to get out of bed in the morning.  But I looked up at Sarah who was decked out in her cycling clothes and in the process of making me a peanut butter and honey sandwich and I knew I had to go on.  There were kids her age depending on me - and a little boy only twenty miles away who wanted to meet me.  So I did the mechanical repair, prepped Sarah's bike and off we went.  And it was a joy!  Riding behind my daughter reminded me to enjoy the ride and to experience every moment of it for what it was.

Before I knew it we were in Troutville, we had found the park, and we met the lady who had set up the meeting for us.  After answering some questions and giving her some of our story Amy and the boys showed up and as we all chatted Elijah and his family arrived.  We really didn't know what to expect with Elijah or what he was interested in but last night Amy and I created what William called a "goody box".  I took the boxy my new shoes had come in and we placed inside a Sunrise Day Camp water bottle, t-shirt, wrist band and one of my (new and unused) cycling jerseys which I had signed.  William added to that one of the Home Depot wood kits that Jack had given him as he left this morning. As I gave the box to Elijah I asked him if he liked to ride his bike.  He opened up the box and looked at the jersey and I leaned down and told him, "I know this doesn't fit you now, but you WILL get better and you'll get bigger and you can wear it when you ride your bike."  And I know he will.

Elijah and his young brother Mason are two amazing little boys, much like my own two children.  There parents are two young people in their late twenties who are struggling to meet the costs of the expenses for Elijah's treatment and they are doing there best in an economy that is less than perfect. For them, a camp like Sunrise would be the perfect way for them to make sure their little boys can have a summer like other children.  And that's where our talk turned to as the afternoon wore on - how this little corner of Virginia, which has had its own rash of children suddenly fighting this heinous disease, could use a place like Sunrise, a place where children could go and just be kids.  A place where they could play with others like themselves and so they could network and create a supportive community.  I told them I would help them get in touch with Michele Vernon, the Executive Director of the Sunrise Camps and from there who knows.

And this is when Amy leaned over to me and said, "even if you don't raise another dollar from your ride, if your being here and talking about Sunrise can help get them motivated to start a camp like that here, then you will have done something very special for these kids."   And the waterworks came!  Don't get me wrong, I would still love to raise the funds to send more children to Sunrise.  I think unless you have experienced the indefatigable joy those children exude you can't know what it means to get there.  I hope I can reach at least half of my goal.  And yet, across the country I have talked to folks about how incredible Sunrise is and I've handed out brochures and I've talked to papers.  And maybe, just maybe, if another place can be created where kids fighting this deadly disease can go to feel safe and where the parents can send them without worrying about one more thing to pay for, then maybe I have found the reason for all of this.  The reason for the 115+ heat, the 110+ mile days, the long climbs, the crashes, the mechanicals, the exhaustion, being chased by dogs and forced off of the road by land yachts pulling SUV's.  All that will become worth it.

In the play Our Town, Emily asks the Stage Manager, "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?"  To which he replies, "No.  Poets and saints maybe...they do some."  Well, I'm not a poet and I'm not a saint but one thing I do vow to do is to live every moment of the next 600 miles.  I owe it to the kids of Sunrise and to the Elijahs of the world.

And today's report;

FFR - 2 deer, 4 raccoons, 6 possums, 2 turtles, 8 birds of indeterminate species, 8 UFO's
RRL - 1 bag of dog food (really?  feed those animals!), 1 small Swiss Army knife - the kind that goes on a key ring (I appropriated it and added it to the other tools from the journey).

Stay well and I'll update more from the road!


For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com//
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/