Carnegie, PA

I am currently sitting in Carnegie Free Library in Carnegie, Pennsylvania typing my own blog for the first time since DC. My sister Kim has been updating it the past few days but with a short 30 mile day today I've found internet access at the local library and have photos uploading while I type!!

We spent last night in Murrysville, PA where the Calvary Lutheran Church provided us with an amazing meal. One of the members of the church then went out after dinner and bought us breakfast food for this morning ensuring we left energized for our ride today!

While we have not gotten the get-up-get-out practice down to an hour just yet we are getting closer and closer. Today we were up at 6am and had our bags packed around 6:45. Compared to many of our recent rides I felt today was rather easy although the fact that it was only 30 miles probably had some effect. Today was also the first day in about a week that my legs felt fresh on the bike so I'm hoping that means I'm getting stronger! We did not take a water break today as Amy and Jay needed to visit a bike shop and we were riding through areas where we could get water if needed so after a few stops here and there the group I was riding with arrived in Carnegie a little after noon. The church where we are staying has continued the streak of generosity and will be providing us with dinner tonight and breakfast in the morning. It's really amazing to see complete strangers go out of their way to help us doing everything from opening their churches and places of worship for us to sleep to providing us with meals and opening their homes for us to shower. I can't seem to say thank you enough for all that everyone has done in just over one week on the road.

Yesterday while I was waiting for dinner to begin I got a phone call from a Denise Richardson a staff writer at The Daily Star (my hometown newspaper). The story she wrote can be seen here however it was a question she asked me while on the phone that got me thinking. I can't remember just how she asked it but she asked me something about what this experience has taught me about cancer. In a way I really didn't know how to answer the question as I have a hard time putting the experience as a whole into words. When we meet people that have been affected by cancer and hear their stories day after day it’s a truly eye opening experience. It makes me realize that some of the things that seemed so hard in life really are not that hard after all. The one thing that I seem to find in common with many that we talk to is hope. They are all fighting the disease the only way they know how and they all seem to have faith that they will beat it! They are who I ride for and for the hope that soon doctors will find a cure so that even the toughest cancers will be beatable!

Woman pedaling for a cure

Woman pedaling for a cure
The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY - June 2, 2008

By Denise Richardson
Staff Writer

Sandra Moxley said sometimes the burning in her legs and the inclines of the hills are so intense that she wants to get off of her bicycle and walk. But thoughts of the challenges faced by cancer patients, she said, refocus her determination and ``keep pushing."...<more>

25 mile rest day

Hello we are currently in Murrysville, PA after a short 25 mile ride this morning. Because of the days short mileage we got to sleep in an extra hour this morning waking up at 7am instead of 6am. The United Methodist Church in Mt. Pleasant donated cereal and English muffins for breakfast and after packing up we were on the road around 8:30am. The ride today was rater uneventful- so short that we didn’t even take a water stop. I rode with team out of state again plus Matt and after thinking we were lost about 17 miles into the ride we found our way and arrived in Murrysville around 11:15am. The ride included some hills including one very steep climb about 20 miles in however other then that it was pretty easy.

When we arrived at Calvary Lutheran Church in Murrysville they were in the middle of their Sunday service so the majority of us waited outside playing games on the grass until they finished. I spent the afternoon catching up on things, writing thank you letters, drying my wet laundry from yesterday and journaling.

The Calvary Lutheran Church generously provided us with an amazing buffet dinner that included hot dogs, salads, stuffed shells, chicken, fruit and much more. They then shuttled us to different houses to take showers before returning to the church for the night.

I’m not sure where we are headed tomorrow but its west of Pittsburgh. We will be riding on our off day in order to break up what would have been an extremely long day on Tuesday.

I have been having my sister update my blog the past few days so if you have sent me an email in the past week I have not read it. I will get back to you next time I have access to a computer. I will also try to add pictures to my photo album next time I have computer access.

Wet, windy, wet, sunshine

This morning we woke at 6am and enjoyed a filling breakfast of cereal, danish, fruit and coffee provided by the United Methodist Church in Everett. We were on the road by 7:30am and were greeted by our first rain and thundershowers less then 5 miles into the ride. At around 10 miles we rolled into a little town where we sought shelter and snacks at the General Dollar while waiting for the storm to pass. I purchased my first box of pop tarts of the summer for a dollar and Connie and I used plastic bags to make water proof shirts to keep dry. I spent the morning riding with the out of state crew that consisted of Andrew, Stephe and myself. After the thunder stopped we continued on to our first water stop of the day around mile 30. The first 30 miles consisted of some small rolling hills but nothing major. The hills seemed to grow significantly after mile 30 until lunch in Somerset at mile 50. The sun broke through the clouds as we were eating our PB&J sandwiches outside of the CVS in Somerset allowing us to dry off a little bit before heading back out on the road for the final 30 miles.

Connie and Dana joined our group for the afternoon which consisted of hills, rain and sun. My legs were feeling rather tight after lunch but were 100% better then yesterday when I was tired the whole day. Near the end of the ride as we were going down a steep and long hill the rain picked up along with the wind blowing so hard that it felt like hail hitting our faces. Around 6:30pm the group I was riding with pulled into Mt. Pleasant and was greeted with a warm dinner of Spaghetti, salad, and bread at the United Methodist Church. They topped it off with cookies, brownies and ice cream for dessert - a perfect meal after a long wet day on the bike. We finished the day covering 80 miles in just under 7 and a half hours. It was definitely a long wet day on the bike.

A long day in the hills...

Hello from Everett PA. Today we biked from Boonsboro MD to Everett PA a distance of over 85 miles. Today’s ride consisted of many hills, as we have now hit the Appalachians Mountains. We departed Boonsboro shortly after 7:30am this morning after packing up and eating breakfast. At around 40 miles we stopped for lunch and a swim in the lake at Cowans Gap State Park. The hills seemed to intensify after lunch growing longer and steeper. About 16 miles after departing Cowans Gap State Park we stopped for a water break and fed the horses and ponies on the side of the road. We then continued to climb capturing many great views as we made our way through the mountains. With about 10 miles left in the day we stopped at McDonalds for ice cream sundaes to refuel ourselves for the final leg. We are currently staying at the Everett United Methodist Church where they fixed us dinner of lasagna, scalloped potatoes, beans and salad along with pie for dessert. Tomorrow we head to Mt. Pleasant on another 80 plus mile day that’s sure to be full of many more hills and possibly our first rainy day of the trip.

Photos and DC

Hello! I am currently coming to you from Catholic University in Washington D.C. where my sister's kind friend Tori is letting me use her computer resources. Today is our first off day of the journey and we are using it to catch up on things and rest our legs for the hills that await us in the coming days.

This morning we took a tour of Walter Reed Army Medical Center visiting the Comprehensive Breast Center. It was an amazing opportunity for our team and I think we all took a lot away from it. After our tour we visited with an U. of Illinois alumni who was receiving a treatment at the center. It was another experience that reminded me why I'm doing this ride and that I will remember in the weeks ahead.

Yesterday we rode into D.C. following the paths that run through Rock Creek Park. After riding on many busy roads during our first few days it was a nice break and the trees and scenery made for a beautiful ride. The end of the ride yesterday made up for the first part of the day when things got off to a rather shaky start. About a mile after leaving the Frisby House in Baltimore, Dana and I both fell on a rather bumpy stretch of street. We are both fine and escaped with just a few scrapes however I broke one of the cables on my bike which I need to get repaired if I want to ride in any gear other than granny gear (where it is currently stuck!).

I know this is short but I will try to add more later. Before I sign off I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Gehres and the members of the Salem United Methodist Church in Newark, Delaware for putting us up for the night and feeding us during our stop in Newark. Though I'd never met them before the Gehres married my parents 29 years ago and when they heard we were going to be stopping in Newark offered to help out. The generosity of their church was amazing from the food to connecting us with someone to let us take showers at the local YMCA - so Thank You, Salem UMC!

Finally - I've uploaded some of my photos to my Picasa Web Album and they can be viewed by clicking the photo album link on the right side of my profile. More will be added next time I get non-firewalled internet access!

On the road again...

Hello from Hillsborough, NJ! We have completed one day of riding putting in over 70 miles today after a number of missed turns and detours. We departed Central Park in New York City around 8am this morning crossing over the George Washington Bridge and into New Jersey. The majority of today’s riding was stop and go traffic with many lights, pot holes and missed turns. The group I was riding with managed to find the lunch stop around 2pm and then later had a nice holdover snack of pizza when the kind owners of Maria's Pizza & Restaurant offered us a free pie at a stop mid afternoon.

We arrived in Hillsboro around 5:45 pm where we are spending the night at Anish's home. His parents fixed us a wonderful dinner followed by cake.

Tomorrow we head to Philadelphia a distance of between 50 and 60 miles. Others are waiting to use the computer so I won’t post them right now but hopefully within a few days I'll have photos posted in my photo album.

Thank You!

Thank You Erick Mosher!

Part II - 2008!

When I arrived in San Diego last summer I had no plans of riding this summer however here I am about to set out another journey in just two days. The next 24 hours are going to be crazy as I rush around getting things done before I leave. Thank you to all who have supported us and the cause we ride for. This summer we will not be using blogger to update our team blogs however I may copy my entries over to hear as well so I can include photos, video, etc.

Speaking of San Diego, I want to congratulate the Nation Run team as they are just a few days from completing their four month run across the nation! Congratulations on living your dream!

T-7 Days!

It’s hard to believe that in just seven days we will be meeting in NYC to begin this summer’s journey. Between work, training and other stuff this past month has been absolutely crazy and I’m really looking forward to taking life at a slower pace, meeting new people and hitting the road for our cause. Training has been going alright and despite a slight twitch of the knee about a week ago I’m feeling great and ready for a change in scenery!

For anyone in the Oneonta area, I will be speaking about my experience as a member of The Illini 4000 (both last summer and as I prepare for this summer) at the Davenport United Methodist Church this coming Sunday at a brunch following church services - all are welcome to attend!

Thanks to everyone who has continued to donate – it’s still not too late!