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!
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!
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)!
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)
I haven't really been posting on my non-ride days during this journey mainly because I've been using those days to try and recover from some of the long rides I've been putting in. In the last two weeks I've done way too many 100+ rides and my body has started rebelling. I wake up in the morning and everything just hurts. Not a sharp, jabbing "I WILL hurt you if you get on that bike" but rather a dull, throbbing "You ARE going to get on that bike but I'm going to make it hell for you" kind of pain. Its all centered in my lower back and legs and it just serves to remind me that 3700 miles is a long way to go.
All this is just to say that I have a lot of partial and half finished blogs that I WILL at some point complete and post - most likely next week. But for now I wanted to just give a synopsis of the last few days and share my fears about tomorrow.
The last few days have been glorious and brutal at the same time. Some VERY long days in the saddle but it has all been in the name of trying to finish this quest in the time allotted. We need to get home. I can see in myself how I have become short tempered and prone to bouts of despondency, mostly off of the bike. While on the bike all I can do is keep pedaling and pedaling. There is no more zip left in my legs for climbing because they just ache all the time. It seems every since the day of climbs from Damascus to Floyd my legs have just never recovered. I somehow managed to get up the wall from Vesuvius - mainly because I had the images of my Sunrise Leadership/CIT and Staff in my head to give me strength. But every since then I just can't power climb like I used to. My body is just worn out.
But what really has had me irritable and sleepless for the last few nights is the prospect of riding 2/3 of the length of New Jersey in a single day. At 6:00 tomorrow morning I will roll out from my sister's house in Swedesboro, NJ with the goal of reaching Fort Lee before it gets too dark for me to see anything!
Now I've ridden blind before (one of my yet to be completed blog entries talks about how I had to find my way to Fredericksburg) but never to this extent and for this long of a ride. There was the section from Cameron, AZ to Four Corners where I was off the map but then once we hit Colorado I was good. Now I'm trusting to the interpretations of Google Maps, the New Jersey DOT map and dumb luck to get me through some of the most congested roadways in the country if not the world.
I'm very nervous. I've made it 3500 miles thus far unscathed (well, except for the accident I had where Sarah knocked me off my bike at 18 mph - again, part of another blog that has yet to be completed) and I would love to finish my last 200 miles that way. I'm scheduled to be the guest weather person on WPIX Channel 11 News on Friday morning where I'll get to talk about Sunrise and the incredible work they've done there - I just hope I don't do it in a cast!
So, this is not a pity party for Connor - it's basically a plea to all of you out there who have been following my journey please say a prayer, offer sacrifices, send positive energy, chant a mantra - whatever it is that you do in your own spiritual practice - that I will make it safe and unharmed over the 130 miles I must travel tomorrow. If you tune in to Channel 11 on Friday at 8:45 in the morning and you see me there, you'll know your prayers were answered!
And if you haven't responded yet to our invitation to join us at Sunrise Day Camp between 12:00 and 2:00 on Friday (yes, after the broadcast) consider this another invite - please join us to celebrate a safe return and hopefully making a difference for the kids of Sunrise!!!!!
And one last piece of news that I would like to share. Throughout this ride I have ridden for various Sunrise groups and for some individuals, including Elijah Dalton, the young man I met in Virginia. However, tomorrow I will be riding for one very special young lady. Talia is a young girl whose face has stuck with me throughout the years. She is always bubbly and vivacious and always willing to embrace life. She has been battling cancer since she was seven years old and although she had been winning her battle, I just found out that her cancer has come back rather aggressively. She is an amazing young lady and tomorrow I will be riding for her. Every turn of my pedals, every hill I have to go up, every scary descent and every mile I pound out will be in the hopes that she gets better - in the hopes that someone will read this post and donate so that children like Talia can have the joy of Sunrise Day Camp - in the hopes that together we can make a difference in their lives.
But for now I'm going to go for a ride with my son William. Every since he wasn't able to do the extra four miles that Sarah and James did on the Mount Vernon Trail he has been upset that he wouldn't be able to finish his 100 miles. So he and I are going to ride to Grandma and Grandpa Connor's new house here in Swedesboro, NJ and make sure that he gets his extra four miles to make him even with James. He's a trooper and he wants to do his part for Sunrise. With inspiration like that, maybe I CAN make it to Ft. Lee tomorrow after all - just remind myself that William would never want me to give up.
There is no daily report since I didn't really ride today but since this is New Jersey, I'm sure I'll have lots tomorrow!!!!!
Stay well and I will (hopefully) update more from the road!!!!!
