Charlottesville, VA

Date: 8/20/06
Mileage: 85 (57 yesterday on our way to Lexington, VA)

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$15,790.00 for Kupenda
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,436.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

Yesterday we had an extremely easy ride from Roanoke, VA to Lexington, VA. It was only 57 miles and there were not huge mountains. Weezal biked with us the whole day! That was sooo fun.

When we got to Lexington Heather and Cindy bought us a super nice hotel room. We were all ready to go to the cheapest hotel/motel in town but our friends would have none of that :)

(Stump writing his book!)

(Adam and Cindy looking at pictures from Cindy's latest trip to Africa with Kupenda)

We had a super great time hanging out with our friends and checking out the downtown area of Lexington. This morning the hotel provided a crutial buffet breakfast. This was really good for us because today we had the hardest/steepest mountain of our entire trip. Tons of other bikers that we have met on the Trans American trail have told us that Mt. Vasuvias is by far the hardest mountain on the trail.

(Cindy and Heather at ice cream brownie dessert!)

They were all right! It was a little over 4 miles long. And I don't know the exact grade of the mountain since there were no street signs to tell us what it was. Some parts were at least 15% if not higher. When we got to the top we were all completely drenched in sweat!

(Climbing the hardest mountian on the TransAmerican Trail...
Notice PhillyK and AndyK in the back on AFCMobile filming the documentary)

(At the top of the mountain PhillyK almost fell off! ...
Luckily AndyK was there to take this picture and then save his life)

On the way down the other side of the mountain we met the famous 'Cookie Lady'. Every cross country biker has met or knows about the Cookie Lady. We talked with her for about an hour and she told us some amazing stories of other bikers she has met over the 30 years she has been living there. She has a second house on the route that is completely devoted to bikers. It is like a Bike Touring museum!!! I have never seen anything like it. There were thousands of pictures, post cards, letters, newspaper clippings, and other things all related to the bikers she has met.

(Hanging out with The Cookie Lady)

(Saying good bye to The Cookie Lady...
Lauren: 'Heather do I have cookie stuck in my teeth?'
Heather: 'Oh no.. How about mine?')

After eating some cookies we made our way to Charlottesville. After dinner we said our good byes to Weezal, Lauren, Heather, and Cindy :(. I can't wait to see them again next weekend in Southern Maryland or in Ocean City, MD at our finishing ride (in two weeks)!

-Pattt

News Interview

Here is a clip from a news interview we gave while we were in Carbondale, IL. Check out the shots of us biking in the Grand Teton Mountains! That footage is from PhillyK's camera!


-Pattt

Roanoke, VA

Date: 8/18/06
Mileage: 85

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$15,790.00 for Kupenda
Donation thanks to Jake Klim (he is a fast runner)
Donation thanks to Jim Klender (amazing biker)
Donation thanks to Timothy Dunn (a friend from Hazard Kentucky)

A Hugeeeee Donation thanks to our friend Hannah Henson and her company
Thales Communications ($1,000.00)

$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,436.00 for ADA
Donation thanks to Jim Klender (amazing biker)
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

Our friend Hanna Henson who works for Thales Communications got her company to donate $1,000.00 to Kupenda for the Children! How amazing is that??? We are only like $5,000.00 away from our goal to raise the money for the boarding facility for the children in Africa now!!

Hannah is also working on setting up a guest bartending event! Soooo amazing!!

Today was an amazing day of biking! It was the perfect weather, almost like fall weather, and it was mostly all downhill.

Our friends from home are here now and we are having a great time hanging out with them. It almost feels like being at home with them here with us!

Tonight we are staying with Mark and Kim! They are amazing! Not only are all five of us in their house but also our four friends (Weezal, Lauren, Cindy, and Heather). So they hosted a total of 9 people! How nice is that?

Sorry there are no pictures today... My camera was out of batteries. I promise to have some picutres up tomorrow!

-Pattt

Wytheville, VA

Date: 8/17/06
Mileage: 60 (yay for an easy day!)

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$13,690.00 for Kupenda
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,411.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

We were so happy to have an easy day today. The mountains were not quite as steep and it was only 60 miles!!! Tomorrow will be about 85 and then on Saturday we will be hitting the steepest mountian on the Trans American Trail! I will let you know how that goes :)

Virginia is beautiful! I can't say that enough.

Tonight we are staying at a Ramada Inn in Wytheville, VA complements of PapaK (PhillyK and AndyK's dad). I am relaxing and watching TV right now and it is goood!

Tomorrow night some of our friends from home are comming to visit! Heather, Weezal, Lauren, Alex, and Cindy will be with us all weekend! It will be like a little taste of home. I can't wait.

-Pattt

Damascus, VA (The App Mtns are tough)

Date: 8/16/06
Mileage: 80 (yesterday was 90)

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$13,690.00 for Kupenda
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,411.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

We finally passed out of Kentucky and we are now in Virginia! The last bits of Kentucky were pretty crazy. There were stray dogs EVERYWHERE!! I don't know if people just don't use leashes or if the dogs were homeless but it was kinda scary. They were big dogs too. Luckily no one had any problems just a few scares with the dogs chasing us.

(Out bike gloves are falling apart and so is our bar tape...
So we just use masking tape instead!)

Virignia is beautiful! Huge mountains all around us and everything is so green. We have tons of shade with all the big trees which keeps us much cooler. The best thing is that we are only 1 state away from home!!! It has been a really long trip and we all miss our friends and family very much.

We just got an updated total of all our donations that we sent to Cindy Bauer (President of Kupenda). We are now at $13,690!! That only leaves $6,310.00 more to go to hit our goal of $20,000.00 that will build the boarding facility for the kids in Africa!

(While we were in Hazard, KY we gave a talk about diabetes to a group of senior citizens...
They were sooo nice)

Tonight we are staying at a Hostel in Damascus. So many hikers and bikers have been through this place. It is really cool!

-Pattt

Hazard, KY (Back in the Mountains!)

Date: 8/14/06
Mileage: 115

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,857.62 for Kupenda
Donation thanks to Shane and Amy Pointer (our hosts in Berea, KY)
Donation thanks to Lawrence Park United Methodist Church (and GrandmomD)
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,411.00 for ADA
Donation thanks to Shane and Amy Pointer (our hosts in Berea, KY)
Donation thanks to Jonathan Gdowik
Donation thanks to Menisa Marshall
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

Last night we said good bye to Shane and Amy! They were such amazing hosts. I felt totally at home in their house. I am going to miss them a ton!

Well the Rockies are long gone but the Appalachians have just begun! People that we have met biking across the country have told us that the Appalachians would be much harder than the Rockies and after today I would say they are right.

The Rockies were long and sloping while these mountains are short and steep. Long and sloping is very easy! Short and steep can be brutal. Still I think that we can all agree that nothing is worse than the open flatter states. With no sun protection and no hills/mountains to keep your mind occupied.

These mountains and the amazing scenery are super amazing! It makes the day go by much faster that's for sure.

Tonight we are staying at a Church in Hazard. It is a great place to sleep! Ellen and her husband took us out to an amazing Mexican feast at a local restaurant and then took us to the grocery store to buy breakfast for tomorrow!

I can't put into words the amazing hospitality we have experienced on this trip!

-Pattt

The Morning Routine!

So....

Often people ask us... "How do your prepare every morning before you start biking?" Knowing that we usually do somewhere around 90 or 110 miles a day... "Do you eat a huge breakfast? Do you have any morning routines?"

I usually try to eat a few extra carbs. I love pancakes (especially blueberry) or cereal and fruit!

(Wheaties are gooooood)

Jesse also eats a big breakfast and he usually does some stretching.

(Stump stretching out)

Adam...

Well Adam has his own unique way of preparing for a hard day of biking. I cannot really put it into words so we made this video.



The sugar in the watermelon helps to raise his sugar levels when they are low. Now you see why we must fight this battle against diabetes! As you can see... Low sugar levels is an awful awful thing :) hahaha!

Yes we are still taking donations for all of our hard work!

Help stop diabetes and help the kids in Africa!

-Pattt

Berea, KY

Date: 8/12/06
Mileage: 110

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,857.62 for Kupenda
Donation thanks to Adam's Grandmom!
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,411.00 for ADA
Donation thanks to Adam's Grandmom!
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

We said our good byes to Andrea and Ed. It was awesome staying at Ed's house in Louisville, KY. I even got to run with him on our day off. Ed is super fit!

(We will miss you Ed!)

Today was great! It was only a high of 82 degrees and it was not humid!! We really enjoyed our bike ride today.

Tonight we are going to do our yokey for Kentucky! We are staying with Amy and Shane in Berea. They made us an amazing dinner and we had banana pudding for desert!! Banana pudding is probably my favorite desert ever!!!

-Pattt

Radio Interview!!

Today in Louisville, KY we were interviewed by Pete and Kelly at WDJX 99.7FM.

Listen to it here

(In the station)

(AFC with Pete and Kelly)

-Pattt

Louisville, KY

Date: 8/10/06
Mileage: 120

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,807.62 for Kupenda
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,286.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

We woke up early at 5:30 am because we had to be in Louisville, KY at a Marriott Hotel to give a talk at a diabetes awareness discussion group. We were asked to join the MiniMed representatives and talk about Adam's MiniMed insulin pump and our trip.

The journey to Louisville was a long one. We were not sure how far it would be when we started because we were off our TransAmerican Trail maps and we had to figure out the route ourselves. Not only that but Adam's insulin pump broke in the morning so that caused us some delay. Luckily we were able to find a pharmacy to buy a few syringes so he was able to inject his insulin. He called MiniMed and they shipped him a new pump in 24hrs (so we will have it on the morning of 8/11). MiniMed is amazing! That pump has been through some tough times during this trip. It is a testament to its good design that it lasted as long as it did.

It was very hot for most of the day. When we finally got to Louisville a huge storm came through. The winds were so strong we almost fell off our bikes!

We were almost late for out talk and we didn't have time to shower but we made it! Adam talked about how he can manage his sugar levels using the pump and lots of people had questions for him! Tracy, from MiniMed bought us a hugeee dinner at the Marriott's restaurant. It was more food than we could eat so we took home lots of leftovers, perfect after a long day of biking.

(Eating a feast!)

Eddie, our host in Louisville, came and picked us up at the Marriott to take us to his place that was 10 miles away. His house is beautiful! Although we have a rest day tomorrow we have to wake up early to go to a local radio station for an interview.

-Pattt

Utica, IL

Date: 8/9/06
Mileage: 85

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,807.62 for Kupenda
Donation thanks to Bruce (a great guy we met at Subway)
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,286.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

Today was pretty easy. It was only 85 miles. We really did not want to leave Matt's awesome vacation house in Cave In Rock so we got a really late start. We did not get on the road until 1:00pm.

(Look at that sky... A storm was coming through)

We stayed for free at a volunteer fire station in Utica. There were 4 other cross country bikers there. We all exchanged stories about our adventures so far and we went to bed early since we had a long day coming up.

-Pattt

Too Many Days in the Sun

We have a lot of time on our hands while biking for 8 or more hours a day. Sometimes we take long lunch breaks and when we do .... sometimes strange things happen!

Bees attacking! Robots dancing!

This video took incredible time and effort to create... if you enjoyed it or if it made you laugh please help out by donating to Kupenda or ADA :) :)

Thank you!

-Pattt

Cave In Rock, Illinois!

Date: 8/8/06
Mileage: 95

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,787.62 for Kupenda
Donation thanks to Mark and Sue (our host family in Carbondale)
Donation thanks to Sean (our good friend from Carbondale)
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,286.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

What an amazing stay in Carbondale!! I really cannot get over how many super nice people we have met on this trip. It is sad that I might never see most of them again. Mabye one day we will have like a big reunion hahah!

(Saying good bye to Sue and Sean)

(Biking out of Carbondale with Sean)

Mark and Sue went all out to make us feel at home in their house (and the made some amazing dinners!). Sean, who is the head of a local bike club, visited us at their house. He even biked with us for the first 25 or so miles on the way out of Carbondale.

There was also a local TV station that came by the house in the morning to interview us. Here is a copy of the broadcast:
The write up
The video (the other biker in the video is Sean!)

Today was definately the most humid day of our trip yet. We were completely drenched in sweat at the end! It was ridiculous. Luckily it has only been a high of 90 degrees lately.

(Apparently there were some 'Slow Dangerous Hills' on our way out of Carbondale)

Tonight we are staying at someone's vacation house. Sean is friends with an awesome guy named Matt. Matt is letting us stay at his parent's vacation house tonight! No one is even here. They let us crash here for free and everthing! Can you imagine letting 5 guys who you met for 5 minutes stay at your house while you were not there? That is the kind of hospitality we have been experiencing lately!

We also did karaoke tonight. We called every bar within 25 miles of Cave In Rock and no one had karaoke. So we drove 10 miles to Elizabethtown, IL and found a bar that had a microphone (connected to a singing Buck) and a juke box machine. We asked them if we could jerry-rig some yokey together and we told them of our plight that we had to do it tonight or we would break our streak of doing karaoke in every state we visited. They were more than happy to let us make fools of ourselves :)

States visited: 11
States karaoked: 11
States left: 3 (ohhhhh yea!)

-Pattt

Carbondale, Illinois

Date: 8/7/06
Mileage: 95 (yesterday) 0 (today)

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,587.62 for Kupenda
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,286.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

Yesterday morning we woke up from our nice picnic tables in St. Joe State Park in Farmington, Missouri. We had a very peaceful night sleep there! The weather was perfect. We knew the day was going to be less than 100 miles and it was only a high of 90 so we took our time getting ready in the morning. It was a beautiful bike ride all the way. Much of it was in the Ozarks (really big hills).

We arrived at the house of Mark and Sue in Carbondale. They had a really good dinner ready for us! It was awesome.

This morning we woke up really early! Mark is a hot air balloon pilot and he said if we could get out of the house at 6:00 am we could go for a ride! It was awesome. There was only room for 3 people in the balloon. AndyK, Adam, and Mark went up and took some amazing pictures and videos while they were up there.

(Getting ready)

(Lifting off!)


(Bye Bye!)

When we got home we were interviewed by a local newspaper and worked on organizing some other fundraising events for when we get closer to home.

I can't wait for the nice day tomorrow! It is supposed to be a high of only 90 degrees!

-Pattt

Farmington, Missouri (I love yokey)

Date: 8/5/06
Mileage: 95

Funds Raised:(Donate Here)

$12,587.62 for Kupenda
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,286.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

At Morgan and Leslie's house we had a super amazing breakfast of blueberry waffles!!! Nothing better than a huge breakfast before a long day of biking! We went to back to Route 66 Bicycles to say our final good byes to Dan (the owner) and Morgan (our host). We had a great time in Rolla thats for sure.

(Dan and Morgan at Route 66 Bicycles)

Today's bike ride was great. It was only 95 miles and only 90 degrees, what a nice day.

When we got to farmington the first order of buisness was to find somewhere to get our karaoke on! We found a place called Wild River that had one of the best yokeys that we have been to yet. The place was packed and the yokey DJ was on his A-Game. He made sure that everyone got on stage! He switched 5 karaoke songs followed by 3 or so dance songs. He even played the electric slide. The great thing about the electric slide is that it gets everyone dancing!

(PhillyK at yokey!)

States visited: 10
States yokeyed: 10

Oh yea!

After yokey we searched high and low for a place to sleep. We were lucky to find a park that had camping and picnic tables. The camping sites cost money so we just slept on the picnic tables (for FREE!).

-Pattt

Rolla, Missouri

Date: 8/3/06
Mileage: 110

Funds Raised:(Donate Here)

$12,587.62 for Kupenda
Donation thanks to Morgan (our host in Rolla)
Donation thanks to Richard Blake
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,286.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

(Pictures comming soon...)

After a great breakfast and saying good by to Jaime and Lynn in St. Louis we headed to Rolla, Missouri. Jaime and Lynn were amazing! Everyone we stay with becomes like our family for 1 or 2 days and then we have to say good bye. It is awesome to meet people as super as Jaime and Lynn.

(Saying good bye to Lynn and Jaime from St. Louis)

Today was great! The heat finally broke. It was only a hight of 90! Biking was so much easier :)

We met with Morgan (our host in Rolla) at Route 66 Bicycles. They were excited to see us. After getting showered up they had a cookout and at least 15 other people came to visit us at the shop. Food is good and meeting people is even better.

Right now I am writing this blog from a concert that is being put on by Morgan's daughter. She organized a concert as a fundraiser for Cancer! How cool is that?! There are three really good bands at this awesome cafe place.

For those of you who don't know, I am obsessed with arm wrestling! I love to arm wrestle anyone especially if they are bigger than me. At the concert we started up a small arm wrestling competition. Nothing is better than a friendly arm wrestling match. On this trip I am still undefeated on my left arm ;)

(One of the opponents)

Tomorrow is going to be another day with a hig of only 90!!! Sooooo happy about the cooler weather!

-Pattt

St. Louis!

Date: 8/2/06
Mileage: 0

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,329.62 for Kupenda
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,286.00 for ADA
Donation thanks to Jonathan Weiss
Donation thanks to Lee Wilk
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

Today we rested, got caught up on emails, sent out some T-Shirts for those who ordered them online, and ran some errands for things we needed. For the first time in a long time I was not in terrible need of a rest day but it was still nice to have one. After our easier week of 70 or less miles a day at RAGBRAI we all feel pretty good lately.

Our goood friend Tom Keller, who we met during RAGBRAI, and who hosted us when we went through DesMoines, Iowa had this to say:

"I'm glad you didn't go to Chicago. Even when you were here I thought you needed a rest.

Isa 40:31 'But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall
run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.'

Here's hoping you wait upon the Lord for your strength."

Yea sometimes resting is good :)

-Pattt

St. Louis, Missouri!

Date: 8/1/06 (getting closer and closer to home!!!)
Mileage: 102

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,104.62 for Kupenda
Donation thanks to Jaime Lee Cocca
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,186.00 for ADA
Donation thanks to Jamie Lee Cocca, and Barb and Joe Lacey
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

Today was supposed to be 130 or more miles. At the BBQ the night before we talked to some people and they told us that it should only be around 85 miles to St. Louis. So we looked at our maps and we saw that we could take a 'short cut' to save some mileage! At this point in out trip we just want to get there the fastest way possible :)

We still woke up early at 4:30am to try to avoid as much of the heat as possible.

(The bikers woke up early while the support team slept for a couple more hours..
Look at those toesies!)

(Jesse is here fixing his first flat of the trip!!
4,500 or so miles and only 1 flat tire!
He is incredible!)

Our 'short cut' was quite short, we made it there in 95 miles, but we ended up going on some major highways to do it. Although they had sholders the last 20 or so miles were quite stressful.

We were super happy to make it to our destination at Jamie and Lynn's house in St. Louis. They even made us steaks for dinner!!!! It was one of the best dinners we have had yet.

Tonight we are going to get our karaoke for this state. We have been in Missouri a lot but we have never done yokey here yet! Tonight we have to get it done. We can't go this far and give up now.

-Pattt

Louisiana, Missouri

Date: 8/1/06 (getting closer and closer to home!!!)
Mileage: 102

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$12,004.62 for Kupenda
Donation thanks to Hannah Benjamin (a good friend of ours from UMBC)
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$9,036.00 for ADA
Donations thanks to Jack Triperinas and Robert Reid
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

(Pictures commons soon...)

Oh man today was hot! It got up to 106 degrees! But we got it done and now I am in an air conditioned library :)

We left the awesome Church we were staying at in Nauvoo at 6:30am to try to avoid the heat of the afternoon. It didn't work out too well for us because the wind was against us which slowed us down so we didn't get to Louisiana, Missouri until 3:30pm.

(After our ride I was so tired that AndyK had to perform CPR to bring me back...
He weeped the entire time...
This proves yet again that we would all be dead if not for AndyK)

We didn't have a place to stay here as of yesterday morning but we contact Reverend Randall from one of the local Churches and asked him if we could sleep in the Church basement. He was super nice and instead he bought us an awesome motel room! He is also having a barbecue, with some friends and and editor of a local newspaper, that he invited us to! It doesn't get any better.

(Hanging out with Randal - white shirt -
And some friends at the BBQ)

Amazing things just keep happening. Everyday we get more and more email from people who are excited about what we are doing :) Adam probably sends out at least 20 emails a day in response to all the people who are trying to contact him! Everyone from diabetics with questions, people we have stayed with, people we are going to stay with, media, and sponsors send emails.

-Pattt

Nauvoo, IA (hot hot hot!!)

Date: 7/31/06
Mileage: 95

Funds Raised:
(Donate Here)

$11,954.62 for Kupenda
$20,000 is the goal for Kupenda. That is the amount needed to build a boarding facility so that 30+ children, who have disabilities, will get to go to school!!! It is a chance to really make a difference in a lot of people's lives!!!

$8,936.00 for ADA
Battling diabetes is something that is close to our hearts since Adam has Type I Diabetes. AFC's mission at it's core is to raise awareness, show other diabetics that anything is possible, and to do anything to combat diabetes!

Well today certianly was hot! Tomorrow is supposed to be just as hot if not hotter. After that it should cool off a bit.

We got a early start to try to beat the heat. Luckily we got to say our goodbyes to Mike and Dee last night, it was so early we didn't want to wake them! Brent who stayed with us for the last 2 days left early also. Unfortunately he was going north/east while we were headed south/west. We will be keeping in touch with him. He is interested in the possibility of joining us on whatever adventure we will plan for next year.

(We will see you again Brent!)

The two ideas so far are:
1. Ride across America (taking a shorter/more direct route) taking fixies but fully loaded and unsupported. We don't know if anyone has ever done that before :)
2. Enter in Race Across America in the team division.

Whatever we do we will still be doing it to raise money to help others and to fight the battle against diabetes.

(Look at that R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S beard!!
Who has a beard like that when it is 100+ degrees outside??)

Tonight we are staying in Nauvoo, IA at in the basement of a local church. We are super duper grateful to have air conditioning :).

Side Note on Ocean City, MD finish:
We are setting up a fully supported finishing ride in Ocean City, MD on September 3rd. If you would like to join us we will be at Shenanigans Irish Pub on 4th Street Boardwalk! To sign up for the ride go here.

-Pattt