Day 13 – The End of Summer

Today was the last day of summer (I think) and what an end it was! Today I learned about the power of attitude and how competition can motivate people. The first few days of the trip, the older guys rode many, many more miles than the young guys (as if they had something to prove). Eventually, fatigue set in, the elder riders began to yield and the young guys got to ride quite a bit. But now, the old guys have had a bit of rest and are once again ready to prove just how tough they are. Pat, Frank and Walt did 100 miles yesterday. Of course, in the spirit of competition and making sure every member of the Bucknell team got 100 miles in, Jay and I decided to ride 100 miles today, 33% more than either of us had gone before. (It’s not quite as impressive as it may sound, the most difficult part is sitting on a bike seat for five hours. But boy, that is tough.)

But the most important part of the ride for me today was Frank and Walt’s attitude. They rode 100 tough miles yesterday and we expected them to be tired. But instead they were even more excited for us than we were. Energy is infectious. We stopped every 25 miles and Frank would pour out of the van before it stopped, refilling our water and trying to give us more supplements than a vitamin shop. He offered us bananas, electrolytes (I don’t know if you can overdose on electrolytes, but I think Frank had us close), Sara’s special trail mix and Gu (a paste loaded with carbohydrates, sugar and bad taste that Jay and I tried only once before swearing off Gu forever. Woof.) By the end of the ride, Walt was outside of the van dancing and singing along to the Isley Brothers. Any other 75-year-old would probably have been sound asleep in the passenger seat, instead of cheering his teammates on.

A competitive spirit is a wonderful gift. It can push you to new heights that you would have never imagined possible unless someone else had challenged you to improve yourself. If the other Bucknellians had not ridden 100 tough miles, Jay and I probably would not have pushed ourselves quite so far. Instead, we would have been content to hang out in the van and pump out Frank’s favorite “tunes” (“We gotta have our tunes, baby!”), like Ben Lee’s “Catch My Disease” (which has become Frank’s theme song and he likes to yell out “That’s the way I like it!” when going up hills. You should download it right now.) But now we have the satisfaction of having successfully pushed ourselves past our previous limits. And while 100 miles on a bike isn’t a big deal, it did mean something special to our Bucknell team that every member of our team completed a 100 mile day.  

During the ride, I looked at Jay’s get-up and called him “Mini-Frank” because he had borrowed his helmet, sunglasses, jersey, bike shorts, gloves, bike and shoes from Frank. The only thing he had of his own were his socks. Then I looked at myself. My helmet was my own. So were my socks. But I borrowed a bike and shoes from Augustyn (thank you), a water bottle from Patty (only because Kosa had borrowed mine, but thank you still), gloves from Frank (thank you for the gloves and thank you for the opportunity just to use the gloves!), a jersey from Danni (thank you, I’ll wash it eventually), shorts from JT (thank you). So many people have had to give up a small part of their time or possessions to be a part of this trip. And each gift may seem insignificant, but in the end, they have added up to an incredible experience that I cannot adequately compensate anyone for.

It’s amazing how much small gifts can mean to someone. A few days ago, I wrote about my cousin Chris’s oldest son Finn, and how he treasures his Bucknell hat. It’s also incredible how things are passed on from generation to generation. Growing up, one of my prized possessions were my authentic Indiana University basketball practice shorts (I was number 54). The shorts were about nine sizes too big when my cousin Chris gave them to me in second grade. Now they are too small, but I wear them anyways. Chris gave me shorts that I will treasure forever and I gave Finn a hat that he could not wear more. And now Doc, Frank, Jay, Patty and I are seeing how certain traits and tendencies are shared among generations of Bucknellians. We are all energetic, fun-loving people, as evidenced by our interactions in our van.

Safety is very important on this trip. Everytime I drive the van, I think about how long our 4-way flashers are on each day. And I wonder when the bulbs will burn out. I don’t think I have ever seen 4-way flashers on longer except for when Dev was late for class and his car would spent the entire day in the 15-minute parking space. But I am thankful for his tardiness because his car was always handy for a ride home after class.

I keep notes of every day of the trip on a yellow piece of paper. I want to remember every detail of this experience. My favorite part of my trip to Greece two summers ago (another incredible opportunity that gave me so much - S’agapo, Goldy) was the diary they made us keep. Unfortunately for this blog, I usually leave that notebook in the van or in the hotel room, so I write about whatever is on the top of my head at the time. Our chances to write are few and far between, and I always feel like I forget to mention important things or people in my blog. There is so much to update you on with this trip and it is tough to sort the pertinent stuff that you want to read from the stuff that is only pertinent to my personal thoughts and feelings. Blogs are fun to read, but they are tough to write, so congrats to BK and Patty, who update their blogs regularly with relevant thoughts and fluid narration, a goal that has escaped me so far on this trip.

In other news, Indiana was probably the friendliest state we have passed through thus far, cheers the Hoosier State for that. We passed by Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman Technical Institute and I realized how much I enjoy the atmosphere of college campuses. Especially open, green campuses. Everything is so energetic, so exciting, it pulls you in. I wonder how I ever made it out of Lewisburg. In other big news, Mom and Pops are coming to London, Ohio tomorrow to hang out with everyone. Let me know if you have anything you’d like me to tell them. 

Day 11 – Bucknell is Very Popular Among Six Year Olds in St. Louis

Bucknell has a very strong brand image among six year olds in St. Louis. After our ride today I drove to St. Louis to see my cousin Chris and his family. His oldest son Finn has an orange Bucknell hat he has worn just about everyday for the last three years. He just started kindergarten and the biggest negotiation to send Finn off to school was convincing him to remove his Bucknell hat for a few hours everyday. The orange and has accumulated dirt and stains and has faded a few shades and so that the few “clean” areas look peach. The button on the top of the hat is missing and the brim is torn to reveal the black plastic that gives the hat its shape. It looks like the hat might disintegrate right on top of Finn’s head.

But whenever he is asked what Bucknell is, Finn is stumped. He doesn’t know what Bucknell is, he just knows his Bucknell hat is lucky. His younger brother Rory has the same hat, but is a few years behind on breaking it in. Hopefully he’ll get the same mileage out of his Bucknell hat. So when Bucknell has a dramatic increase in applications from the St. Louis area in about 12 years, they’ll know whom to thank (or is it “who to thank”? I need Frank’s wife Sara to check my grammar right now).

Last night was a great night. We had dinner with several Bucknellians in Kansas and once again got to hang out with our fraternity brother Andy’s (VP OIPS to us) parents. We shared some stories he probably didn’t want us sharing, but everyone had some good laughs at Andy’s expense. Frank’s fraternity brother Ron put the dinner together (thank you) and we tried to pry some stories out of him about Frank’s college antics. But Ron wouldn’t give in. So either Frank was boring in college (highly doubtful) or Ron is a good friend to spare his friend. Maybe we’ll get some stories next time. I still want another version of how Frank got the nickname “Dr. Booty”.

It was a little strange being in two large cities the past two nights. We have spent so much time in rural areas without seeing so much as a two-story building or even a traffic light for miles and miles, it is overwhelming to bounce around hectic cities. The trip has reminded everyone how relaxing it can be to escape a city, even if only for a few hours on a bike. I’ll have to remember to find time to get away while we are in DC.

Speaking/thinking about DC, just wanted to say we love and miss everyone there. Goldy, since we can’t seem to have phones handy at the same time ever, I feel you at least deserve a mention in the blog. So tag, you’re it, give us a call that we probably won’t answer because I haven’t yet mastered the art of biking and talking on the phone, S’agapo, bro. By the way, Gracie texted us and said she wants to be a shark for Halloween.

Jenna, I was thinking of you today while Frank and I were drafting off each other. I once saw coverage of a NASCAR race and they showed a clip with colored clouds indicating where the “clean” air was when one car drafted off another. How does that graphic work? I was trying to imagine what colors the air around Frank would be while we were “running hot”. Also, thank you, because without your comment to Walt, I would not be a part of this trip. We all owe you big time.

Other quick hello; Iggy, I know your bike trip to raise money for MS is coming up, so good luck with the training and I hope your ride is as enjoyable as ours has been.

Other big news for today. We did it! We reached our goal and raised $1 million for scholarships! And in only 10 days! Thank you to everyone who donated. Let’s keep it up and get to $2 million.

Quick thank you to Swindy for the call on behalf of the Student Calling Program. I appreciated your invitation to Homecoming and I most certainly will be attending. We thought about you all the time in Kansas.

Day 9 – Kansas – Flatter Than A Wall

At first glance, Kansas does not strike you as the most visually appealing state. I had pictured roads lined with green pastures and giant sunflowers (Kansas is the Sunflower State, after all). Not quite. Colorado was beautiful. The Rocky Mountains always loomed ahead on the horizon, a reminder of the challenge to come. In Kansas, there is nothing on the horizon. Not even a tree. But whenever you do see a tree, it is bent toward the north and looks ready to topple over because of the tremendous, ever-present wind in Kansas. It looks like the trees all have scoliosis.

Kansas is a different sort of beauty. For being next-door neighbors, the scenery in the two states couldn’t be much more different. It is much more serene than Colorado. Looking up at the mountains in Colorado was exhilarating, anticipating the struggle up the mountains and the thrill of the descent (Doc’s specialty). Kansas is relaxing and dependable. You always know what you’re going to get with Kansas. Though the serenity was broken up by the Gray County Wind Energy Center. There are enough wind turbines there to supply electricity for 330,000 houses. Or at least I think that’s what I read. Bill Nye the Science Guy would be proud of Gray County.

We have tried to make it a point to explore local restaurants for dinner. We try to avoid chains because you can try those anywhere. Saturdays and Sundays we try to stick to sports bars and catch up on our fall football fix. So in Kansas, we wanted something you can only get in Kansas. What comes to mind for you? Last night, we ventured to the Peppercorn (which, unbeknownst to us, is actually a local chain) and just about everyone ordered the biggest steak on the menu as we split a few pitchers of beer. We met some Kansans at dinner and they taught us about pheasant hunting and milo. Dave and Tim also gave us a great tip on the best breakfast in Dodge City. And let me tell you, the Golden Pancake House did not disappoint. And even better, it is not a chain.

We like to take the recommendations of locals whenever we explore food in a town. La Veta, CO is at base of the Cuchara Pass (the nicest of the three) and one of my favorite towns on the trip. Near lunch we rode up the main (and perhaps only) street in town and asked people on the street where we should eat for lunch. Obviously we took the advice of the girls we passed over the middle-aged men with a dog. But, the Main Street Diner was a real knockout.

This trip has exposed how ignorant Jay and I are on bikes. The bike we are using has turned out to be a bit small for me, and checking out the pictures you can see how poorly Jay squeezes onto the bike. We are slightly different heights, so every time we switch riders, we have to adjust the height of the seat. But we don’t really know how high the seat should be. I usually measure from the tips of my fingers to a distance that seems reasonable above my wrist for my seat height. Any bike riding hints would be greatly appreciated.

Now to something that I need another opinion about; Jay and Patty were watching “Coming to America” while I was in the shower the other night and they decided I look like Arsenio Hall. I’m not so sure. Maybe Jake and put pictures up of me and Arsenio side by side and you the people can compare and comment. I’m pushing for Jake to add more fun interactive things to the website. I want polls and games. If Sakofs looks like Paul Giamatti, who do the rest of our friends look like? I want some suggestions and discussion.

Day 7 – Colorado is as Beautiful as Doc is Crazy

We have completed two of our toughest days of the trip since I last wrote in this blog! Our love for the state of Colorado has only increased, especially climbing up the Cuchara Pass today. The group has agreed by unanimous decision that the Cuchara Pass will be the most beautiful part of the entire trip. Colorado is wonderful. Micah, you gotta show us around your state sometime soon.

We spend most of our time talking and singing and asking silly questions in the van. My favorite question of the day came yesterday – if you had a steamroller and could steamroll one object, what would you pick and why? (feel free to use this on the next Orientation application). I decided I would get a tube of toothpaste and squeeze from the bottom up to get every last bit of toothpaste out. Patty said he would steamroll a field of bananas. Everyone else just sort of ignored the question. What would you steamroll?

To everyone who has been calling/sending us text messages/leaving comments on our blog – please keep it up, we love it! Sorry if we don’t get the chance to respond to everyone individually, we have no concept of time on this trip. We are either awake and riding, awake and eating or asleep. I thought it was Thursday for most of today. Hearing from everyone at school gets us so excited to come back. We miss it and are jealous. Sometimes I wish we could just fast forward through the trip and get back to Bucknell. But then I think about how fortunate we are to be a part of this ten man group exploring the entire country.

I don’t think that I can really appreciate what is happening right now. Every time we pass something noteworthy, I say to myself “I can’t wait to come back here and do this again”. I think Patty, Jay and myself are taking for granted just how special this opportunity is. We assume will come back and do this again. But it took most the riders on this trip 60+ years to have one crack at this. I think we need some time after the ride to step back and realize how lucky we are.

I think the same can be said about our Bucknell experience. You don’t realize how special it is until you don’t have it anymore.

Our hotel tonight has a gorgeous view of the mountains we just crossed. I think we are going to grab a drink, sit outside and look at the mountains and hang out. I can’t think of anything in the world right now that could be better than reflecting on a great day with good company.

Day 5 – We Dig Durango

We’ve only been here a few hours, but Colorado is already my favorite state of the trip. The terrain is gorgeous and everyone is very friendly. All I can think about is hiking and exploring and climbing things with Micah, who painted his room downtown to resemble the green and white Colorado license plate. We met up with a fellow ’07 Bucknellian Emily Johnson (who we had never met before tonight) and she showed us around a few typical Durangotang (that’s what Durango’s inhabitants call themselves) hangouts. Everyone we met had a good story to tell. If anybody has any more good spots in Colorado for us to check out, please let us know. I wish we could hang out in Colorado for a few days. But we have to push on toward Atlantic City! I’m glad we have two more nights in Colorado, though we might change our opinion of the state after we tackle the Continental Divide tomorrow.

I have enjoyed every moment of our stay in the Centennial State. I had one of my favorites rides of the trip today in Colorado. I was a bit sluggish in the morning and my afternoon ride in Colorado reenergized me and changed my perspective. Energy is infectious. One person’s attitude can quickly spread to the rest of the group. I wasn’t myself this morning and I think it spread to Patty and the rest of the group. My ride gave me some time to think about all the positive things that are happening right now. Thankfully, I was back to my normal self after a little bike ride reflection. Maybe it was the mule on the side of the road that almost started to race me that jumped me back to reality. I don’t think I’ve ever been more terrified on my bike than when that mule turned and started to run with me.

As great as riding through the country and experiencing everything on your bike is, it gets boring and lonely after a while. The van is where everything happens. It’s where you really get to know the other riders. Everyone is laughing and joking and carrying on in the van. Our van has such great chemistry that even when I am feeling great on the bike, I want to get back to the van so I don’t miss any jokes or stories. I especially like the close of the day. The past two days have featured descents into our destinations. Pat, Jay and I let Walt and Frank cruise down the final stretch so we can have a “recent alumni van”. Jay plays all the music he worries might offend Walt and Frank. Everyone’s adrenaline is pumping as we are all excited to finish the day and explore our destination city.

I forgot to mention the most important news of the day yesterday. Jay is now riding! Frank had an extra pair of shoes for Jay and he is borrowing my bike (which I borrowed from Augustyn) and my helmet (which is all mine). I think Jay really needed the opportunity to ride. He had been a bit frustrated trying to obtain auto insurance and riding was an unexpected boost that made him as happy as he’s been on the trip. Hope it continues.

Our next two days are slated to be two of the toughest days of the trip. I’ll let you know how they turn out if I have enough energy left. I’m can’t wait to see more of Colorado tomorrow, though I have a feeling I’ll be back here sometime in the not-so-distant future.

Day 4 – We’ve Got a Good Thing Goin’

Last night we had an alumni event for both Universities in Phoenix. On the way down I predicted it would be a great opportunity to make some new friends and eat little shrimps. I was right about the new friends part. We met some very funny alums from both institutions and were promised sandwiches in Scottsdale and books on the power of optimism from a Bucknellian. It was also nice to see some recent Bucknellian alums when K-Chen, Erin and Josh strolled in late. But the best part of the day (and perhaps the trip so far) was the ride back. It is about 150 mile drive from the event in Phoenix to our hotel in Flagstaff, so the ride gave us plenty of time for mischief. Our van had Jake and Walt up front, Jay and Patty in the middle and Jesse and myself in the way back. Our trip was filled with laughing and singing and Jay making portraits using the Paint program on his computer. It was a sign that our group is coming together. We made fun of each other and made jokes we probably wouldn’t have made on Day 1 or Day 2. Nothing like a long car ride to bring people together.

Right now we are sitting in a motel room in Keyanta, AZ updating this very website. I hope you guys can appreciate the long hours that Jesse, Jake and Jay put in to make this site look so sleek. OK, so Jesse doesn’t put in such long hard hours – he’s asleep right now. Dev, Jake has Photoshop abilities that would make your jaw drop.

I have been in a very happy and grateful and thankful mood lately. This trip is such a wonderful opportunity. I spend some time each day wondering what I would be doing if I wasn’t cruising along on my bike or goofing around in the van. I would probably still be sitting next to Jay, but we would be sitting in front of computers, frustrated with job stuff. Patty would be out for a run and then looking for a new part time job. Instead we all joke around and get Frank “all pumped up” for his next ride and listen to Walt tell stories.

We have no concept of time on this trip. Either we are riding and in the van or we are about to go to sleep. And I think now it is time for sleep.

Day Three – Arizona is Hot

It’s about 7 am and we are in the Bucknell van (Frank, Walt, Jay and myself) on the way to breakfast to pick up the route in Prescott, AZ. I’m not exactly sure what the word “craggy” means, but it’s the word that comes to mind when we roll through Arizona.

I got up a bit before 6 this morning and started knocking on doors to wake everyone else up. When I got to Walt’s door he was standing in the doorway in his biking outfit, pacing back and forth, ready to go. He had probably been there since 4:30 AM. I don’t know if you have gotten a sense of Walt’s personality from his blog and profile, but he is completely nuts. 112% crazy. Frank likes to compare Walt to a caged animal, and I think that’s about right. All he wants to do is ride and ride and ride. And take pictures. In fact, a photo op might be the only way to get Walt off his bike. That or a lasso.

I want to describe what is going on inside the van for y’all. Frank is driving and Walt is sitting shotgun in our sleek and stylish white 2007 Dodge Caravan with a gray interior. Jay and I are in captain’s chairs in the second row. Patty is missing, as he has been commandeered to help drive the Penn van (I drew the assignment yesterday and wore every article of Bucknell clothing I had so I wouldn’t feel quite so much like a traitor). In between Frank and Walt is a camera and assorted accessories, the RAAM directions so we only get a little lost, some chain lube, Jay’s computer pouch (his almost dead computer is in my lap), a mostly eaten container of trail mix, a towel, Jay’s iPod and associated electronics, a walkie-talkie that doesn’t work and a five gallon water jug filled up fresh from the shower this morning. In between Jay and me is a blue bag of unknown contents and Walt’s Camelbak. In the back, we’ve got several suitcases and duffel bags, mostly filled with Bucknell paraphenelia and some crates with bike equipment stuffed in them. Our van is actually pretty clean right now.

We pull over pretty frequently to take pictures, especially here in Arizona. Right now Walt is leaning over a guide rail on a big ol’ mountain trying to capture yet another Pulitzer-quality shot.

A roadrunner dashed across the road in front of the van yesterday and I wish we had taken a picture. The Looney Tunes cartoons are very misleading. I had always pictured a roadrunner as something that looked kindof like a smiling ostrich that said “Meep-meep” and vanished, leaving a cloud of dust and a frustrated and injured coyote behind. The other van saw a coyote, they claim Wil E. Coyote was too small in the cartoon. But you knew he had to be strong, think about the Acme rockets he was able to strap to his back and rollerskate after the roadrunner. What a creative and persistent dude the Coyote was!

Anyways, Jay made a nine hour playlist for the trip and researched the songs to be sure that he included music that was popular during Frank’s time in college. But Frank doesn’t seem to notice when the Beatles come on. Instead, he seems to really enjoy Regina Spektor (too bad he wasn’t in Lewisburg this summer) and Tom Petty’s “Free-Fallin’”. Frank breaks out in song frequently and keeps the entire group loose and laughing.

OK, I gotta give Jay his computer back so he can write those wonderful recaps you like to read on the home page of the web site. Sorry I haven’t written anything about the time we spent bouncing around LA or Day 1 or 2 yet. I’ll try to get to it later.

BUCKNELL!!!!!

HOLY MACARONI! It feels so good to be back home! Why did I ever have to leave this place? Under the guise that we didn’t trust any bike shops in DC, Patty and I came up to Lewisburg last Thursday to drop our bikes off for one last tune-up. I think we spent the last half hour of the ride to Lewisburg shaking with excitement and giant smiles plastered to our faces. The first person we saw when we arrived on campus was our nutritionist for the bike trip, Mayo. He’s doing a “victory lap” and staying a fifth year to grab his Masters degree. We’re very jealous of him, but he made up for it by always sautéing veggies and keeping us hydrated.

As much as we wanted to be at school for Bid Night to welcome all the new guys to the fraternity, it just wouldn’t have felt right, so we went to Hoboken, New Jersey to stay with fellow Bucknell ’07 alums Dan and Rick. We got to see a laundry list of Bucknellians, from dinner with our defending co-rec intramural soccer teammates Julie and Candra to meeting up with older fraternity brothers Fried, Doctor, Kevin, Doremus, Clouser, Stu, Manny and Brengel.

We spent Saturday wandering through NYC. As interesting as New York is, I’m glad we picked DC. We accidentally went through Times Square looking for a good deli, and now I know what ants in an ant farm feel like. On the plus side, I had Jamba Juice for the first time, and if I see one during the bike trip, I’m probably going to have to pull off the road and get another Jamba Juice. The stuff is good.

We went up to Springfield, Mass on Sunday to spend a little time with Mama O’Malley before we depart. We also hung out with Patty’s uncle (and my amigo) Uncle Beady who may be the most fun person in the world. He made us some infamous Beady Bombs and told stories that are probably mostly true. But he can make anyone laugh.

We got back into Lewisburg Tuesday around lunch time. I don’t know any words to adequately describe how it feels to be back at Bucknell, but they gave us these blogs, so I feel obligated to try. There is always something to do and someone to see, I am more busy now than I was second semester of senior year. I have this very excited feeling in my chest, so happy to be back with my friends and so anxious to go see everyone else. I think I feel similar to the Grinch at the end of the movie, when his heart grows three sizes and he lifts the sleigh with the stolen Christmas presents. I usually have a big goofy grin on my face, but it feels three sizes bigger back at school. Someone asked us what we would do when the ride got tough, and just knowing that we en route to Bucknell will get us through whatever we encounter. We would ride Fisher-Price tricycles from the Himalayas just to come back to Bucknell.

It’s strange the way people greet us know when they see us walking around campus for the first time. There are two greetings we get: one is from people who know about the bike trip and know we are back and they yell and jump excitedly and run over to say hi. The second group of people squints at us from afar, not sure if it is really us, gives a discreet wave just in case it’s not us and then eventually realizes it is us, gets excited and jumps up in down and then asks, “wait, what are you guys doing here?” I like watching the facial expressions of the second group going from quizzical and unsure to excited and then to confused.

OK, I would love to tell y’all more about everything we’ve done and how much we are enjoying Bucknell, but we want to go walk around and see more people so we can have even more to tell you about later. This is great. This is so wonderful. I’m still quivering with excitement.

Home Sweet Home!

So I am finally all moved into our new home in D.C.! I got here last Saturday and things have been crazy ever since. Everyone is here and our place is really starting to come together. Patty and I have gone for some great rides and explored D.C. on our bikes. Yesterday we cruised around the Mall after our ride. But I think the trail to Mount Vernon is my favorite ride, it has some exceptional scenery.

Patty, Jeff, Jay and I spent last week coaching baseball and soccer with some crazy eight-year-olds at a summer camp in Maryland. Unfortunately, there was low enrollment for this week, so we were laid off from our coaching gigs. But the kids were a blast and I think I might keep working with the camp a bit when we get back from our bike ride.

And the ride keeps getting better and better! Frank sent out an email looking for another driver and it took all of four nanoseconds to convince Jay to come with us across the country! Our house might be a bit lonely for a month, now that half of it will be on the road for all of September.

With the start of the ride approaching, I am reminded how much I miss Bucknell. Everyday we think of something else that we are missing. A few weeks ago, it was Orientation. Last night, Surf and Turf dinner at the Fraternity. I am excited we scheduled our flight out of Harrisburg so we can spend a few days in Lewisburg before the trip. But there is so much to do and so many people to see I wish we had more time in Lewisburg! Thinking about how much I miss Bucknell already reaffirms how important our ultimate goal is; riding across the country is phenomenal, but raising money for others to have those same yearnings to return to Bucknell is even better.

One Month To Go!

Four weeks from right now, Pat and I will be on an airplane to LA! I love airplane flights, they are a great opportunity to make a new friend. I like looking out the window, all the while thinking that something this big and heavy should never be this far above the clouds. I am always excited to be a part of that gravity-defying miracle of flight.

But let’s get back to this blog’s primary mode of transportation, the bike. I have been at home in Ohio for a bit, riding and exploring places nearby I didn’t even know existed (hello, Turkeyfoot Island). I feel pretty ignorant on my hometown geography, so I’ve had to grab an atlas to brush up. Today I tried to ride up to Firestone Country Club in Akron, the site of last weekend’s PGA golf tournament. But there was some construction, I must have missed a sign, and I ended up taking a scenic tour of Akron. I never found Firestone Country Club, but I did find Firestone Stadium. Good thing we’ll have GPS in the support vans for the bike race!

I’m not sure why I set out to find a golf course. I passed two other courses on my way to look for Firestone. I don’t even like golf. I don’t think I have the patience for it. I would like golf better if you gave me a 6-iron, a pocket full of balls and nobody in front of me. That way I could just whack the ball and chase it.

Last weekend was a busy weekend for Northeast Ohio. In addition to the golf tournament, we also hosted the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions. The Friday of Hall of Fame Weekend is my favorite day of the year in Ohio. It starts with a croquet tournament in my friend Barnsey’s backyard. Friends and family from all over participate and somehow, it’s always sunny and beautiful outside. It is probably the only time any of us ever play croquet, and we usually have to make up the rules we aren’t sure about. Croquet quickly gives way to other lawn games and general mayhem including wiffle ball and throwing water balloons. After a quick bite to eat, it’s over to Grandma and Grandpa Lindy’s (they’re not really my grandparents, but I have declared myself a member of their family). Even more friends and family gather than were present at Barnsey’s house (Grandma and Grandpa Lindy’s actual grandson). I think ¼ of Canton passes through Grandma and Grandpa Lindy’s every year on the first Friday of August. We play cards, tell stories, catch up with old friends and maybe have a few beers. We play basketball and hockey, we toss around a football and invent games with a tennis ball. (You can never be bored if you have a tennis ball around. Or an atlas.) The end goal is to stay up all night until the Hall of Fame parade starts on Saturday morning. I didn’t quite make it. Actually, I wasn’t even close. It was a rather anticlimactic close to the best day of the year in Northeast Ohio.

As much as I like riding around Ohio and investigating new places, cycling is always more fun whenever someone else is around. Back in Lewisburg, it was nice to ride with Patty, even if most of our rides consisted of me frantically toiling just to keep up. But since I have been solo on all my rides back home, I feel lucky I have an active imagination. I spent about twenty minutes wondering if my friend Devin’s middle name was really “James”. That would mean is first, middle and last names all have five letters, which reminded me of the Domino’s 5-5-5 pizza deal so popular in Lewisburg. It turns out his middle name really is James.

Sometimes I find myself singing song choruses over and over because those are the only words I know. Or I make up the verses. I usually like my lyrics better. Today’s songs of the day were “Wish You Well” by Bernard Fanning (a good sunny day song, thanks for introducing it to me, Buckle) and “Prince Ali” from Aladdin (no idea how that got stuck in my head).

As much as I am enjoying my time at home, I am getting restless and excited to move into our house in DC. Jeff, Jay and Patty are already moved in and listening to their stories of fun and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots only makes my restlessness worse. Matt and I will be moved in soon enough, but even then our house will not be complete until our dog Gracie (who is a whiz with cell phones) joins us at Labor Day. (And then Patty and I leave for the bike race!)

But now, I have to go pack up. I am heading to Pittsburgh tonight to help my sister pack up her things before she studies abroad to Switzerland. We’ll be crashing at Grandma O’s (my real grandma, this time) apartment. Be back home in time for a good ride tomorrow.