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Oct 29 2009....Well the journey has ended for our brave riders!!!! They arrived in Irvine yesterday, and today headed over to the Reeve Irvine Institute. They were met by The Strong family Bill Victoria and Gwendolyn brought the guys a bottle of champagne and hung out with them for a while. Ryan and Dennis told us how they were so inspired by Gwendolyn, and so happy to see how Happy and strong she was.... Thank you so much to the Strongs for taking the trip to meet the guys!!! Also Hans Keirstead met them all and gave the guys a tour of his lab, of course im so jealous. Im so grateful that they had such a nice welcome to the end of there journey. They have done such an amazing thing and we are so honored to have met them!!!!!! They will always have a special place in my heart.Check out there amazing interview.Kcal9 interview.
Catherine.......
Oct 21 ....AZ
It was interesting going from 27 to 100 degrees in just over a week. Your whole plan of attack for the day is affected.
In Payson, (similar to Wickenburg, west of Scottsdale) it was freezing only from 4-7AM then by 1PM it's over 90. Every part of the country has different natural occurrences to worry them. A couple, for example, the flash floods and roofrats in Scottsdale.
In Scottsdale we stayed with Matt. He showed us around and gave us his mothers amazing meatloaf.
Your nose and throat get very dry riding in the desert. But there have been places to stop at least every 20 miles.
We met a Pennsylvanian who owns a gold mine out here, literally... He wouldn't give us any. A lady at the campsite gave us some food, though.
In case it isn't obvious, this is awesome.
Off to Big River soon. Colorado River on the CA border, Dennis thinks he's getting to surf.
Oct 16....check out the latest update on our boys...
Benny was a wonderful host, taking me to the Frontier for some great local NM grub. He had a bicycle with a seat on the back that allowed me to relax as he hauled me three miles each way. He is the VP of a bike advocacy group in Albuquerque which prides itself on educating cyclists and he was successful in getting a "bike boulevard," which runs through Albuquerque, approved by the city.
Here, Dennis met an old friend, Jeremy, who he had dinner with before we all met up and had lots of laughs over a couple drinks.
We're finally back in warm weather and there are some beautiful places to camp in this part of the country. This is definitely a more mountainous area than I imagined, being this far south, but fortunately Mr. Moffett's route has taken us around and through rather than over.
Show Low is our first stop in AZ. A couple nights of camping before more friends in Scottsdale.
We caught up with Charlie, who was going from Virginia to California, and also spoke to a family of three who was doing the exact opposite.
New Mexico is a treat. Melinda in Tucumcari was our second host to be working with wind turbines. She cooked us some great lentil soup and chocolate-raspberry cookies.
Oct 11, Sorry I have been slacking Sophia has been sick, but here is the Blog from the Boys....Pratt, America
First of all, having Riley ride in front of us to break the wind was a real treat. Luckily the winds haven't been terrible to ride in since then. However, we are running away from some freezing temperatures (overnight, at least) which has inspired us to get some big days in.
Unfortunately, we didn't hear back from the couch surfer in Wichita we planned to stay with in time to do so. But we did find a cheap motel with a refrigerator, which allowed us to keep jelly and milk (PB&J and Honey Nut Cherrios have become staples, not to say we don't stuff our faces with everything else in sight), although I think ice in the sink works just as well.
In Pratt we stayed with Isaac, Warren, and his brother Glen. We had some fantastic Mexican food before Dennis performed (on guitar, with cards, probably some other secret talents after I passed out), and they had a couple friends over who were playing some classic rock.
Menage a trois wine. Go get some.
Good food, good music, good drinks, and great people. Not much more you can ask for.
Cheers.
Oct 4, Here is a Blogg From the Boys in Augusta
After camping for about a week (couple nights on a trail, Chris' backyard, random patch of grass) we stayed in a hotel outside St. Louis. It was great to relax, we had some time to do some minor tune ups. We found a trail in St. Charles called the Katy Trail (I was pronouncing it catty, I seem to pronounce every town name incorrectly), and soon stumbled across a brewery/restaurant in Augusta where we found Michelle and her daughter Elizabeth who greeted us with honeysuckles. Michelle's husband Matt joined them. He brews his own beer and works at a winery. From two minuets of conversation it was clear his knowledge was far greater than any sommelier i've ever spoken to. We stayed at their place just off the trail and Dennis told an hour long story. We hid out in a motel a couple days ago when it rained like crazy, and we were greeted the next day by 40mph winds in our face. Worse than the mountains for sure. Sarah wrote the blog yesterday, obviously. I'll attempt to follow her lead and not just do these stream-of-consciousness bits anymore. Someone just said Zeppelin is playing two blocks away for ten bucks. I'm guessing a cover. Dennis is napping. Sarah, her family Kurt Laurel and Bree are all amazing. More soon.
Oct 2, Ryan and Dennis made it to St. Louis 2 days ago and took a day of rest yesterday because of the rain.....they are having a blast and are going to start heading south after this stop.
Sept 27, Ryan and Dennis have made it to Columbus Indiana, they are in great spirits, they had to change the routes thats why we havent updated in a few days, tomorrow they are heading to Bloomington Indiana.
Sept 24, Ryan and Dennis have made it to the Pennsylvania/Ohio Border. They are in good spirits and are having a blast and meeting great people along the way!!! They are taking a well deserved day of rest and then will start heading south towards Columbus, OH....
Sept 23, Ryan and Dennis have reached Pittsburgh PA, they traveled to Pitt using back roads and the surfaces were unpaved, this was a tough ride for them, last night Ryan and Dennis camped out and lost cell phone contact as it was such an isolated area. We are so glad that they made it safely to the City and hope they will be getting some good RR tonight, Always praying for a safe journey for our brave riders!!!
Sept 19, The guys left Philadelphia early yesterday morning and made it safely to Lancaster where they stopped for the night, they are having an amazing time. I cannot believe how many miles they have already traveled. Check back for their next stop.
Sept 16, Day one....Our Brave riders Ryan and Dennis have taken off this morning for their long journey across the country to help raise awareness to end SMA, We had a great send-off party yesterday where news 12, fios 1 and Fox and Friends all came down to shoot footage, Sophia was a little cranky in the am but as soon as she got in front of the camera she was all smiles ( what a ham), We had so many friends come out and a special thanks to assemblyman McKevitt for attending. I cannot say enough about how proud I am of these guys and cannot thank them enough for what they are doing to help end SMA Forever!!!!!! They are 20 miles outside of Philadelphia where they will be stopping for the night, God Bless you Ryan and Dennis and safe journey.
In Payson, (similar to Wickenburg, west of Scottsdale) it was freezing only from 4-7AM then by 1PM it's over 90. Every part of the country has different natural occurrences to worry them. A couple, for example, the flash floods and roofrats in Scottsdale.
In Scottsdale we stayed with Matt. He showed us around and gave us his mothers amazing meatloaf.
Your nose and throat get very dry riding in the desert. But there have been places to stop at least every 20 miles.
We met a Pennsylvanian who owns a gold mine out here, literally... He wouldn't give us any. A lady at the campsite gave us some food, though.
In case it isn't obvious, this is awesome.
Off to Big River soon. Colorado River on the CA border, Dennis thinks he's getting to surf.