As you may know, Twitter experienced technical difficulties last week which prohibited status updates sent via text message from showing up online. As a result, my coverage of the final leg of the Ride:Well Tour suffered. With this post, I would like to complete my reporting by showing you what I tried to Tweet and what I would have told you if I could. Enjoy!
Last night I had dinner with my cousins from Leesburg: Steve, Anne, Molly and Frank. It was so fun to see them.
1:33 PM August 6th
Limp… Continue
There is only one week left on the Ride:Well Tour. Next Monday, I will be flying back to Minnesota to spend a week with family and friends. Then, 10 days after that, I will get in my car and drive back out east in time for school to start at Regent in Virginia Beach on August 24.
It's hard being in the van. I mean, it's hard being on the bike too, especially when the rain is coming down so hard one can't tell whether the bike is moving or the road is slipping out from underneath. There were day… Continue
Well, it is time for an update. I hardly know where to start as so much has transpired since my last blog post. I hope y'all have enjoyed keeping tabs with me on Facebook or Twitter. I really love hearing from you and appreciate your support, prayers, and encouragement. The trip has gone by so fast, yet it has also dragged on sometimes. Mostly, there is not much time to think about it, between biking, eating, talking with people, and trying to sleep.
Now I have time to think. Yesterday I got in… Continue
I won't deny that this trip has been hard. It has been hard physically, as I endure the pain of saddle sores and throbbing feet. It has been hard mentally, to just keep going even when it's not fun anymore. It has been hard emotionally, as this is the longest time I have been away from the people I hold dear. It has even been hard socially, for though the team is like one big happy family, sometimes I need a little "me" time. We are together almost all the time, so catering to my own demands req… Continue
Wow, I have so much to say, and I hardly know where to start. I know you all want to be filled in, so I will start by rambling a little to help me unwind. I don't have my own computer along, so I have to rely on the generosity of my friends to update the blog and check out other people's facebooks. I can tweet from my phone, so that helps with the brief updates, but I can only say a little in a few sentences!
At church on Sunday, I spoke during the service to tell the story of how I almost went… Continue
The above video was produced by a church, a group of individuals not only concerned about the global water crisis, but empowered to help it become extinct.
Did you know that just one dollar provides water for one person in Africa for a whole year?
That means the money I spend on satisfying my "thirst"---the $1.29 for a Pepsi I enjoy for 15 minutes, the $2.49 for a mocha that might last a little longer, the $3.50 for a post-workout protein shake gulped down in 110 seco… Continue
What did I get myself into? This summer I will be riding my bicycle across the United States to raise support and awareness for Blood:Water Mission, an organization that relieves the thirst of some of the poorest people in Africa. Eradicating poverty is a hard enough task, but now I'm starting to wonder whether I am up to the challenge of pedaling coast-to-coast.
I'm not a biker. It's ridiculous for me to think that I am. Biking across the country? Ha! Biking across the county is hard enough!… Continue
I wasn't sure whether to go biking today (it was kinda cold and windy) but I am so glad I did. I logged 26 miles in less than two hours and it felt SO GOOD to get out on the road. Last week I did a short ride with the local biking club, but had to run off to a meeting before we got real far. I hope to join them again soon.
Today, I rode to Parkers Prairie, a town about ten miles away. I took the back roads through farm country on the way there, so that added a few extra miles. But it was so wor… Continue
It's been an amazing week. Here are a couple things I have been thinking about...
Getting my bike (Trek 2.3). Big shout out to George Odio at Alex Bike and Fitness for "sponsoring me" with a great deal. I really appreciate the support!
I made my fundraising goal!!! An installment of $1200 was due April 15, and thanks to a number of generous donors, the sky looks brighter than it did a few days ago (metaphorically speaking). Thank you!!!
Keeping on top of school. I'm on pace to get A's, so unl… Continue
I couldn't be more content right now. Sitting in my warm office with plenty to do but not too much, I am so thankful for everything God has given me.
Yesterday, I finished preparing my fundraising letters and hoped to put them in the mail today. The blizzard we are having will make that impossible. Also impossible is time on a bike.
On Sunday Dad and I went to Erik's in St. Cloud to look at bikes, and yesterday I stopped back into the Bike and Fitness Co. in Alexandria. It looks like I'll be b… Continue
Unlike some people going on the Ride:Well Tour, I don't have a laundry-list of biking accomplishments. In fact, the farthest ride I have attempted is 20 miles. "Attempted" is the key word.
The town by which I live is on the Central Lakes Trail, a 55-mile paved railroad bed running from Fergus Falls, Minnesota to Osakis. (For those who are interested, it is connected to the Lake Wobegon Trail.) A few years ago, upon hearing about an upcoming bike race on the trail, I convinced some friends to jo… Continue
