Packing for Maine

Today, my parents and I are heading north to begin our journey to Maine. I'm telling people I tricked them into taking a vacation so they could drive my north, but my sister will be joining us on Wednesday, so they really are taking a vacation!  Since it's a 12 hour drive and I am working remotely tomorrow, we are breaking the trip up into a couple of days. We will stay at our family farm tonight in Harrisburg, PA and then drive as far north as we can Monday night, maybe getting into the Hartford, CT area. We will drive the rest of the way Tuesday to Bar Harbor. I'm excited to be one of the first people in the US to see the sunrise Wednesday morning as Bar Harbor is the first place the sunrise can be seen in the US. Then, the excitement will begin with Orientation at noon on Wednesday and off we'll go Thursday after a ceremonial rear tire dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

It's complicated to pack camping gear, cycling gear, off bike clothes, toiletries, and rain gear for this trip into a 30" duffel bag; all of it, including my tent.  Luckily, I can take a separate grocery bag with my food.  It's been done year after year, but it seems more complicated for me this year because rain and cold temps are in the forecast for the start and then hot weather at the end. I suppose I'm mostly worried about being cold at night. I have everything laid out and I know it'll all fit, somehow perfectly, but I'm always wondering if I'll need more. Following the suggested packing list is always a smart choice. Even with all my travels over the years, I always seem to find myself trying to over, but it always works itself out in the end. Well, I guess I should get to it!

Here's a sneak peak at the section of the route I'll be participating in, starting on Thursday morning.

If you would like to donate to Bike the US for MS, please do so through my page:

http://biketheusforms.org/cyclists/detail.asp?cid=727

Check back soon for more posts!

Donation Dinner for MS

Last night, some very good friends, Brian and Emily, hosted a wonderful Donation Dinner in honor of Bike the US for MS. Each month this year, Brian and Emily are hosting a Donation Dinner in honor of a selected charity.  They work seemingly tirelessly for days leading up to the dinner and invite their closest friends to share in the meal, as long as each person contributes a minimum of $10 to the selected charity.  This month, they selected Bike the US For MS as their charity for the Donation Dinner. 

Brian and Emily prepared a deliciously grand Mediterranean meal with proper mezze of hummus, eggplant puree, chickpea fritters, chorizo, haloumi, veggies and pita.  The main course was a fabulous spanikopita and concertina squid.  The meal was rounded out with the most amazing panna cotta that was topped with mango and raspberries in rose water.  

The wine was flowing and the conversation was full of laughter and good stories.  To allow for 14 dinner guests, Brian and Emily set up their tables outside.  We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather, too. With lights strung out to the street over the dinner table, we spent all evening outside in the gentle breeze and comfortable temperatures. 

Thank you so much to Brian and Emily for their generosity and hospitality in hosting this fabulous fundraising event!  And great thanks to all of the guests for their generous donations, as well as to those who donated, but could not attend the dinner!  

The Bike the US for MS Donation Dinner was a HUGE success, raising approximately $300 for the charity!  I hope all of the donors understand how grateful I am and how grateful the recipients of these funds will be.  


Only 18 days to go before we start pedaling on the Northern Tier 2015 Bike the US for MS tour. Check back soon for more stories and trip updates!

My cyclist page: http://www.biketheusforms.org/cyclists/detail.asp?cid=727

Prepping for NoTier 2015

Where has the year gone?

Really. Someone tell me.  I can look at my Christmas card where I marked off all the cities I went to in the past 365 days.  Or I can try to explain the soul-searching trans-formative journey I’ve been on (how much time do you have?)  Or I can try to describe all the ways my job has changed in the past year (get ready for a nap!).  These things all have vague beginnings and ends, but nothing truly coincides with a year, other than the changing on the seasons and crossing off days on a calendar… which I didn’t do, so it’s no wonder I feel this way!

What I do know is that it’s that time of year again…oh, the suspense!... this is a time when cyclists are trying to toughen up the skin padding their sit bones, tune up their bikes to the key of Bicycle by Queen, air out their dank camping gear from the summer before, and, most importantly, fundraise, fundraise, fundraise for a great cause!  Bike the US for MS raises funds not only for research, but also to improve the lives of those living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) through service projects, clinic donations, and even material donations (such as a modified mini-van to help getting around town a little bit easier). 

Making sure I know how to set up my tent... and now I have a guest room. :)

I had the honor to ride a week with the 2014 TransAmerica group one year ago.  It changed my life in so many ways.  Personally, this cause helps to feed my insatiable hunger to aide my fellow man, but also builds my confidence as a road cyclist.  Commuting every day to work via bike in traffic used to really scare me, but now I ride my bike like it’s my trusty Mustang horse.  She knows me and I know her.  Yes, I believe all bikes are probably female.  I couldn’t say how they reproduce, though…. *Ahem* Anyway, in addition to the physical and mental strength the Bike the US for MS charity ride gave me last year, it also built lasting relationships among other cyclists, but more importantly, it introduced me to a whole new community of wonderful people living with MS.  It’s a disease that’s more common and debilitating than you might think.  Though I had met very few people with MS prior to this experience, my connections to others and this community deepened profoundly. Connections that I hope to never lose.

The ride I am participating in this year will be the Northern Tier route, which runs from Bar Harbor, Maine (yes, pronounced Bah Hah-Bah) to Seattle, Washington over the course of 69 days.  I can only take the time to participate in the first leg of the trip that goes from the start to Middlebury, Vermont, through the very hilly White Mountains of New Hampshire.  After last year’s steamy trek up Afton Mountain in Virginia, I feel that I can take any mountain.  I just need to keep doing my long rides and I’ll make it through, surely with some dirt in my teeth and perhaps wrestle a few bears along the way.  

Ready to ride!

Seriously, though, I couldn’t be more excited to meet new people and see new places, all while riding for a great cause.  As much as I am thankful that your funds allowed me to participate in the charity event last year, I am even more grateful that you chose to support complete strangers who are in need.  It’s a constant reminder to me to live every day in gratitude and to never take the blessing of good health for granted.  I am humbled and honored to ride for those living with Multiple Sclerosis.  

If you would like to support those who benefit from Bike the US for MS, please visit my cyclist page: http://biketheusforms.org/cyclists/detail.asp?cid=727

Check back soon for updates as I get ready for the trip!  Orientation in on May 27 and I begin riding on May 28^th.  Yeehaw!

Sunday, My Last Day with the Group

Oh, it's finally come to this.  My final post (maybe!) about my week of riding in Virginia with Bike the US for MS TransAm 2014.  It's sad to think this was my final ride ever with the group, but for now, my journey has come to a close.  Sunday morning, I met up with other alumni riders, including Bret, to ride with the group out of town from Blackburg to Christiansburg along the Huckleberry Trail.  It was an early rise because the group and vans were departing at 8:00AM as they have a very long, 80-mile day ahead of them.  When I showed up in my cycling gear, nearly every single person lit up and asked if I had changed my mind and was staying to ride further on the trip.  That felt so good to know everyone wanted me to stay, but yet made me so sad that I had to say goodbye.  Don showed up at 6:30AM to make yummy egg, cheese, and soy-sauge breakfast sandwiches for everyone before they head out of town.  My, what an awesome host Don is!  Blacksburg is one of the most fun stops of the trip, just for the great hospitality that Don provided.  We took one last group photo together and then headed on down the road. 

It was a mere 7 mile journey to Christiansburg, but I wanted it to last forever. (well, maybe not forever, because my bum would hurt quite a bit after forever)  We arrived at a mall in Christiansburg where the Huckleberry Trail came to an end.  Everyone cycled over to me and I hopped off my bike to give hugs all around.  Even a few selfie photos were taken!  I took it all in one last time and knew I'd never be with this same group of people again in my life (unless I can sneak off to Colorado in a few weeks... hmm...), so it was a bittersweet moment.

After 25 or so goodbyes, I rode back to Blacksburg with the other alumni and we just took it slow as if we were out of a Sunday joyride.  I'll be honest: I hadn't ridden that slow all week and it was driving me crazy! Ha! It was fun to now be part of the alumni group, though.  Dave, another alumni rider, dropped back with me for a minute to say, "It's hard leaving everyone in Blacksburg, isn't it?"  He had ridden the same route as me in 2013 and found it equally as difficult to say goodbye to his group as they rode out of Blacksburg, as well.  Luckily, it was a pleasant day to enjoy an easy ride.

On the drive home, I pointed out to Bret every place I'd been along I-81 that week and reminisced about the hill climbs and how I felt on the trip.  Since he had already done the trip two times before, he kindly let me ramble on, even though he had been there-done that before.  Maybe it was nice for him to be able to reminisce about his own trips again, too.

Upon arriving home, I felt very melancholy and quite blue, which is why it took me so long to write this post.  I'm proud of my accomplishment and so happy I decided to do this trip.  But having to look back already and say goodbye is the part that makes me sad.  Most people thought I was crazy for calling it a vacation, but if you know how much I like to be social, outdoors, active, and exploring, then you know this was the perfect trip for me.

Tragedy for a Fellow Cyclist

I wanted to pass along some sad news about a fellow cyclist, not from Bike the US for MS, but from 4KforCancer who are riding from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR to raise awareness and funds for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  Jamie Roberts was riding in that group was died while changing a tire on the side of the road in rural Kentucky.  Drivers, please, please watch out for cyclists while you drive.  And, cyclists, please always ride safely and remember that it can be very hard for cars to see you.  My heart goes out to the 4KforCancer group and the loved ones of Jamie.  Here's a news report from the Baltimore Sun.

All the best to my fellow Bike the US for MS cyclists - please ride with caution. Thinking of you all.

Go Ride a Bike!

This experience is something you can do at any age, whether in between college grades,  just finishing college, taking a vacation with a partner, starting a new chapter in your career, starting retirement, or just taking some time to find YOU again. You also don't have to be super fit, just enough that you could do 50 miles in one day. No one is really trained for this type of physical feat. There are too many variables: weather, elevation, comfort on your bike, physical fitness, diet, mood, bike repairs, whatever else. If you're like me and was freaking out days before the trip, saying, "I have no business being on a bike,  nevermind riding 360 miles across Virginia!", then I just have to say you're wrong and you can do it. I knew and still know squat about bicycles, and I luckily had one solid mountain ride on Skyline before the trip, but I look back embarrassed and ashamed at how afraid I was. All I want to do now is be on my bike. Sounds silly and obsessive, but I'm still riding the high of the experience - months later. I know I won't ever have that exact same experience, but I now have the confidence to take my bike new places and make new experiences that can be just as awesome. Get out there and do something physical for yourself. You'll feel good. Ride on!

Blacksburg Service Project

I know you've probably moved on with your lives, but I wanted to selfishly take a week from the trip before writing my wrap-up posts. I just wanted some time to reflect and miss my friends and still savor the emotions of such a neat journey.  I can't even imagine how the other riders feel now having been riding for 2 weeks. We're all friends on Facebook now, so I get to follow pictures and fun posts. I'm still signed up for the Twitter messages, as well, so I know they're near Lexington, KY... or at least they were last night,  so add 60 more miles!

Last Saturday, we all met up for breakfast in Blacksburg at a well known vegetarian restaurant called Gillie's.  The food was A-MAZ-ING. Bret had kindly driven back down to pick me up in Blacksburg, but it was also a fun chance for him to revisit his old stomping grounds and see Don and other Bike the US for MS alumni. I rarely visited Virginia Tech when I was in school at JMU, so it was fun to get to know the area a bit better. It's a lot smaller than I remember. For the service project, we broke into two groups. One group helped wash windows and set up for a yard sale and the group I was in helped with massive gardening chores. The husband had gathered lots of gardening tools and all of the supplies, so all we had to do was roll up our sleeves and get to it. We raked out a trench and lined it with tree branches to make a walkway through the yard. We raked leaves all over the yard and planted flowers and ferns. The biggest part of the project was building a planter and planting an herb garden that was nearly as long as the front of the house, which is something his wife, who has MS, has always wanted. They provided a delicious homemade lunch for us that was probably the best meal we had all week! He also is a photographer and let us all take some of the nice photo greeting cards he had made. They were very grateful for the yard work and we were happy to be able to help out for a few hours. 

The group spent the rest of their afternoon doing laundry and grocery shopping before heading south and west on Sunday, only a few days before they hit a new state - Kentucky! 

In the evening, Don and Cassie hosted an awesome bbq at their house.  We got to meet Don's parents, which was great. He started Bike the US for MS since his mother has MS, so it was really nice to meet his inspiration. I can also tell where he gets his laid back attitude and sense of humor from. One of the route leaders, Claire, had put together a first week video (which I posted in my previous blog), so it was fun to relive everything together as a group. It was the last time we would truly all be together before the segment riders left and the others carried on. I made a super awkward speech in between mouthfuls of s'more bites. I think the group understood how much it meant to me to share this experience with such a great group of people and we all had a better understanding of what we were riding for.