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Health & Fitness

The Best Laid Plans

Experiencing America from three feet up brings many eye opening discoveries and reflections as we work our way back to Long Island.

As the saying goes, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray” or, for the Robert Burns purists among you “gang a gley”. The original plan was for Amy and I to blog here on a weekly basis to keep everyone updated on our Ride Across America to raise money for Sunrise Day Camp. However, the reality of traveling on the road, often times in places without cell or WiFi connections, have made that goal extremely difficult. Add to that the fact that I often find myself on the bike for twelve hours a day just to stay on schedule and I’m often too exhausted to set pen to paper - or in this case, key strokes to computer.

We managed to post opposite views of the very first day but since then we have been far too silent. As of today we are in Farmington, MO and we are just a bit over 2,000 miles of our 3,700 journey. We’re still on schedule to return to Sunrise Day Camp on August 24th and we’re still hoping that through our efforts people will feel generous and make a donation to the camp. I say “we” now because my 13-year-old daughter Sarah has now joined in the cycling endeavor. Although she is not able to cycle 115+ mile days like her slightly deranged father, she does manage to cycle 17 to 30 miles with me depending on the terrain.

But now we find ourselves slightly more than halfway through our journey and here are some of the things we have experienced and/or learned on our trip;

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What we've experienced - Cycling in 115 degree heat through the deserts of California and Arizona. Being caught in the monsoons of Southwestern Colorado. Cycling along the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and fifteen miles through the Mesa Verde National Park. Seeing double rainbows (and Amy and the family managed to drive through one where it touched down on the road) from the top of Mesa Verde as the rains came sweeping through. The exhilaration of crossing Wolf Creek Pass - climbing from 7,800 feet to 10, 800 feet in the space of eight miles. The kindness and generosity of strangers as folks have reached into their pocketbooks and wallets and have given us donations to Sunrise after hearing of our journey and about the camp. The joy of reconnecting with old friends for both Amy (with her friend Matthew) and Gene (with his friend Carolyn) and how no matter how long and far you are separated how true friendship can endure. Suffering through the winds of Kansas when they blow right in your face for 70 miles. Experiencing Sarah’s very first sunrise while riding along the road behind her. Seeing the effects of man’s encroachment on the habitats of animals as we have kept a “Flattened Fauna” (i.e., “road kill”) log of what I see on the side of the road each day. Seeing first hand the devastation in Joplin, MO as Sarah visited the city to give them the $800 check for trees that she earned selling lemonade at the local parades.

What we've learned -  Learning first hand the despair of neglecting “local knowledge”. Learning first hand what happens when you listen to local knowledge. How a stern word and a squirt from the water bottle can deter dogs who are chasing you when you ride your bike. How sometimes the stern word and squirt won’t help so you have to sprint. How easy it is to buy pepper spray at your local Walmart in Missouri (not to mention guns and ammo). How weird it is that in the Midwest convenience stores you can find eight different gun magazines (the reading kind, not the ones you put in semi automatic weapons) but none on healthy eating. How folks can be amazingly generous as we have had so many nights of lodging dedicated to us in our journeys, it has really helped to stretch our sponsorship dollars even further.

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It seems an exhausting list of things that we’ve experienced and learned in our first 1,850 miles, but to be honest, its only the tip of the iceberg. This journey has touched my soul in so many ways and has changed me forever. I may not be any smarter when I get back but from all of the lonely hours I have spent on my bike I have thought about many things. I won’t bore you here with all of my thoughts (though you can read my personal blog to catch a few of them) but what I have seen both of people and places has really made me rethink a lot of my own values.

I know its not possible or practical, but I truly wish everyone in the country could take it upon themselves to travel the length (and/or breadth) of our country and really experience what other parts of the country do. In New York right now its hot, but it is nothing compared to the drought that is going through the Southwest and Midwest in which everyone lives with one eye to the sky in the hopes of rain and the other eye nervously peering for signs of fire that have devastated way too much property in these areas. Everything is so bone dry. While we were in Colorado a man told me of how they had just had a recent fire that was caused when a bird hit a transformer on a pole and burst into flames. It killed the bird but as the bird’s fiery body hit the dry grass it caused a brush fire that burned a considerable amount of property before it was put out - all from the accident of an errant bird.

We often forget about the other foloks who make up this amazing country of ours and we may not always agree with them but they are our countrymen and they share a lot of the same values - no matter what they’re political followings.

I have also found that folks (at least 96% of those we’ve come into contact with) are incredibly generous and friendly and often go out of their way to ask us if there is a way they can help us either in general or with our Connor’s Army mission. I just hope I can hold onto this goodness for the rest of my days. I’m glad my children are along to share parts of the ride with me and to see first hand some of the goodness this country has to offer to us - a poor group of travelers on a mission to help others less fortunate than us.

Stay well and I hope to send more from the road,

For a different perspective of our journey, read Amy’s blog atwww.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com or my blog at www.connorsarmy.blogspot.com.

You can also find out more about our mission to help the children of Sunrise at www.connorsarmy.org.

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