Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Syracuse, NY
Greetings from Syracuse. This is Tom and I will kick things off with Murph batting cleanup. We are writing this entry from the home of the Nels'. Sarah Nels is our event coordinator from ACP and her parents were kind enough to open up their home to us last night. When we got there they had an amazing spread of lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and brownies with ice cream (Murph's fave). We also got to sample George Nels' homemade hot peppers which were lights out. I think he was secretly upset when we went through three jars of them. We had a few beers and gathered around the television for the 11pm news. We had done a TV interview earlier in the evening from the road and were featured on the show. It was an absolute riot to see ourselves on the TV screen. At some point you should be able to locate the footage on the Syracuse CBS 5 website at www.wtvh.com. This morning we got up and I cooked us breakfast while the George and Jeanette went off to work. We had venison sausage and cheddar omelettes with english muffins and coffee. The Nels' are amazing people and we truly enjoyed their company and their food.
Some highlights from the trip include:
Our 168 mile bomb into Manitowoc, WI where we picked up the ferry to Ludington, MI. This enabled us to remain bike free on the 3rd and 4th of July. We spent 10 hours on the saddle and were delerious by the end of it. When dusk hit it felt like we were experiencing some rain drops. They kept coming faster and faster and we realized that it was not rain but it was bugs.
We picked up another day by doing three consecutive 110+ mile days of riding so that we could make it back for the Baseball Tavern party at 1pm on this Saturday July 15th.
We saw Niagara falls. I was the only one who had seen the falls before so it was a nice experience for the rest of the guys.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Niagara Falls
Hello from the Falls. This is Kevin writing from a Canadian library. The other night we wound up finding a place to stay at around 12am. The bartender went called most all of her friends and her friend Frank (who likes visitors from outof town) took us in. One of the locals put our bikes in the back of his truck and carted us over there. Frank was outside his double-wide trailer with three friends and a campire and enough supplies to keep Murph up to 3am roasting sausages over the fire. Sull and myself slept in a tent and Mike and Murph crashed on his couches. Some side notes I have been voted most hazardous rider by the team. Not a day goes by that I don't run atleast one person off the road or T-bone Sully or Murph, how they stay up is beyond me. However it was Mike who took the big fall at 16mph, after clipping Murph's back tire, going over the handle bars and skidding on the gravel, while Sull and myself manuevered to not him over. We hit a random driving range to kill s0me time, but our hands are so numb from the riding that we could barely hold onto the club. Instead I threw up a ball and connected with a baseball swing, which snapped the club and sent the head well over the 100 yard marker. The sites and experiences have been amazing and is hard to think that only 6 more days remain. Anyone who reads this better be at the Baseball Tavern at 1pm Saturday the 15th for the coming home party. I would like to thank two people that have gotten me throught the trip, my nutritionist Ryan Farrell, and my personal trainer Tom Maregni. Julie I'll be home soon and miss you greatly.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Port Burwell, Ontario
We are in a bar right now in Canada...midnight...no place to sleep tonight. We are working on it. We will elaborate when we can. Itinerary is updated (scroll down). We'll be back in a week. More to come. God help us.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Some Pictures
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Coast to Coast Cycle to Cure MS
Coast to Coast Cycle to Cure MS
Happy 4th everyone. This is Mike deciding to give this thing a try while Sull is taking care of some bike mechanical work so we can get an early start in the morning. We've made it back into Eastern Standard Time and the state of Wisconsin was quick work. We left Marshfield, WI on the morning of the 2nd and already had a 110 mile day in front of us. About midway through the day we collectively decided that wasn't enough and we wanted an extra rest day on the 3rd and 4th. After we did 110 we raced the clock for the ferry we had to catch at 12:30 AM to get across Lake Michigan. In total we did 170 miles in one day while being on the saddle for just under 10 hours and just made it in time to the ferry! It was an incredibly long and grueling day testing us physically and mentally as we emptied our tanks in the last 20 miles or so. We rode in the pitch black with nothing but Sull's rear flashing light to stop people from cleaning us out from behind while we were catching bugs in the face from the front. It was an amazing feeling to get on the boat and have a few refreshing pints of Sunset Wheat beer and get a short nap in before our 2 days off. Our time on the opposite shore was spent in Ludington, MI where we passed a good deal of our couple days off enjoying beverages and playing shuffle board like a bunch of old men down at the beautiful beach on the lake. The lakes really are great. It looks like you're watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean they are so enormous. We take off tomorrow morning with high hopes of being home on the Sunday the 16th of July. We're going to ride for 12 days straight and hopefully meet all you guys for a nice arrival celebration which the details for are being ironed out in the next couple days. Thats just about all we got for now. I want to thank Linda from the Badger Motel for doing our laundry and taking care of us like she was our own. I also want to thank the Sullivan family for getting us our Clif Bar stuff out to us and making sure we're always doing well. We truly appreciate the support we are getting from everyone back home. It's very nice to know that people care about what we are doing. Take care and we'll see you all very soon!
Happy 4th everyone. This is Mike deciding to give this thing a try while Sull is taking care of some bike mechanical work so we can get an early start in the morning. We've made it back into Eastern Standard Time and the state of Wisconsin was quick work. We left Marshfield, WI on the morning of the 2nd and already had a 110 mile day in front of us. About midway through the day we collectively decided that wasn't enough and we wanted an extra rest day on the 3rd and 4th. After we did 110 we raced the clock for the ferry we had to catch at 12:30 AM to get across Lake Michigan. In total we did 170 miles in one day while being on the saddle for just under 10 hours and just made it in time to the ferry! It was an incredibly long and grueling day testing us physically and mentally as we emptied our tanks in the last 20 miles or so. We rode in the pitch black with nothing but Sull's rear flashing light to stop people from cleaning us out from behind while we were catching bugs in the face from the front. It was an amazing feeling to get on the boat and have a few refreshing pints of Sunset Wheat beer and get a short nap in before our 2 days off. Our time on the opposite shore was spent in Ludington, MI where we passed a good deal of our couple days off enjoying beverages and playing shuffle board like a bunch of old men down at the beautiful beach on the lake. The lakes really are great. It looks like you're watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean they are so enormous. We take off tomorrow morning with high hopes of being home on the Sunday the 16th of July. We're going to ride for 12 days straight and hopefully meet all you guys for a nice arrival celebration which the details for are being ironed out in the next couple days. Thats just about all we got for now. I want to thank Linda from the Badger Motel for doing our laundry and taking care of us like she was our own. I also want to thank the Sullivan family for getting us our Clif Bar stuff out to us and making sure we're always doing well. We truly appreciate the support we are getting from everyone back home. It's very nice to know that people care about what we are doing. Take care and we'll see you all very soon!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
Hey all, Murph here again. Today, we put another state behind us on our journey back home as we crossed into Wisconsin. Minnesota is just a mile to our west as we lay down tonight in St. Croix Falls, and we are all thankful to have put it behind us. Minnesota was not our favorite state thus far as there was not a whole lot to see other than corn fields and a few of those 10,000 lakes (I think we took about 3 pictures in MN). We also had to do quite a bit of improvised navigation to get through the state since we got kicked off of the interstate immediately upon crossing the border from North Dakota. We did however appreciate the flat terrain in Minnesota as it was by far the flattest overall state thus far.
The last few days have been trying, both mentally and physically. It has been very hot and the roads haven't been very smooth. For some inexplicable and frustrating reason, the wind seemed to smash us in the face regardless of whether we were traveling north, south, or east (we try not to travel west for obvious reasons). These variables were only made worse by the fact that we had to pull out the road atlas every 10 miles to make sure were still going the right way.
Some of the highlights from MN:
-- A trip to the hotel lounge in Fergus Falls to "have a beer and play some pool" at 6:00 pm after a day of riding seemed innocent enough at the time. Sull and Mike did just that. However, Kev and I got a little carried away drinking with the locals and stumbled into the hotel room at 2:00 am before an 80 mile ride to Long Prairie that began later that morning. Ouch.
-- MN takes the cake for 'dog chases' thus far. We were chased by dogs of all different shapes and sizes as we tended to ride through more residential areas because we strayed from the interstate. We had around 5 or 6 good ones each day. These things come flying out of nowhere at full speed, and if you are not ready...they WILL get you. We laugh hysterically everytime as we pedal for our lives collectively, but nothing is funnier than when a dog singles one of us out while the others sit back and relax and watch. Mike had a Miniature Doberman (weighed about 6 lbs) chase him 100 yards down the road while Kev, Sull, and I cheered the little guy on to latch on to an ankle. (Mike was legit scared too)
--Kev ate a "Jiffy Burger" today for lunch (a cheeseburger smothered in peanut butter and onions)...wicked gross concept, but somehow it was the only meal this whole trip that he didn't complain about.
-- We saw our first squirrel of the trip. Definitely a sign that we are getting closer to home.
Thats about all I got right now. We are all exhausted from 80+ miles in 90 degree heat today. Not to mention that Wisconsin greeted us with one of the steepest hills we have climbed all trip for our last 2 miles of the day. We want to thank Mrs. Sullivan for paying for our hotel room tonight. We were looking at another night of uncomfortable camping in a sketchy spot again had she not come to our rescue. Thanks again, Mama Sull.
Thats all for me. Kev is hovering over my shoulder so I will let him weigh in. Take care, and thanks for checking up on us.
***Hey, it's Kevin. I really want to thank Pete and Jodi Callahan for putting us up for a couple nights in Moorhead, MN earlier this week. That hotel was amazing. There were 6 pillows on each bed which meant I could smother Murph and his snoring with one pillow and still have a few to spare. The guys all agreed that was the best hotel that we have stayed at and that it felt like we were on vacation for a day. Thanks again, and I will see you when we get back.
The last few days have been trying, both mentally and physically. It has been very hot and the roads haven't been very smooth. For some inexplicable and frustrating reason, the wind seemed to smash us in the face regardless of whether we were traveling north, south, or east (we try not to travel west for obvious reasons). These variables were only made worse by the fact that we had to pull out the road atlas every 10 miles to make sure were still going the right way.
Some of the highlights from MN:
-- A trip to the hotel lounge in Fergus Falls to "have a beer and play some pool" at 6:00 pm after a day of riding seemed innocent enough at the time. Sull and Mike did just that. However, Kev and I got a little carried away drinking with the locals and stumbled into the hotel room at 2:00 am before an 80 mile ride to Long Prairie that began later that morning. Ouch.
-- MN takes the cake for 'dog chases' thus far. We were chased by dogs of all different shapes and sizes as we tended to ride through more residential areas because we strayed from the interstate. We had around 5 or 6 good ones each day. These things come flying out of nowhere at full speed, and if you are not ready...they WILL get you. We laugh hysterically everytime as we pedal for our lives collectively, but nothing is funnier than when a dog singles one of us out while the others sit back and relax and watch. Mike had a Miniature Doberman (weighed about 6 lbs) chase him 100 yards down the road while Kev, Sull, and I cheered the little guy on to latch on to an ankle. (Mike was legit scared too)
--Kev ate a "Jiffy Burger" today for lunch (a cheeseburger smothered in peanut butter and onions)...wicked gross concept, but somehow it was the only meal this whole trip that he didn't complain about.
-- We saw our first squirrel of the trip. Definitely a sign that we are getting closer to home.
Thats about all I got right now. We are all exhausted from 80+ miles in 90 degree heat today. Not to mention that Wisconsin greeted us with one of the steepest hills we have climbed all trip for our last 2 miles of the day. We want to thank Mrs. Sullivan for paying for our hotel room tonight. We were looking at another night of uncomfortable camping in a sketchy spot again had she not come to our rescue. Thanks again, Mama Sull.
Thats all for me. Kev is hovering over my shoulder so I will let him weigh in. Take care, and thanks for checking up on us.
***Hey, it's Kevin. I really want to thank Pete and Jodi Callahan for putting us up for a couple nights in Moorhead, MN earlier this week. That hotel was amazing. There were 6 pillows on each bed which meant I could smother Murph and his snoring with one pillow and still have a few to spare. The guys all agreed that was the best hotel that we have stayed at and that it felt like we were on vacation for a day. Thanks again, and I will see you when we get back.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Pictures
Hell0 everybody,
Tommy sent me these pictures from the beginning of their trip and asked if I would post them.
http://community.webshots.com/user/CoasttoCoastCycletoCureMS
Enjoy!
Anita
Tommy sent me these pictures from the beginning of their trip and asked if I would post them.
http://community.webshots.com/user/CoasttoCoastCycletoCureMS
Enjoy!
Anita
Trip Itinerary
Hey Everyone, this is Murph. This is my first shot at a post on this thing so bear with me here. I have had a few requests from friends back home to make myself heard on this thing so here we go...
This trip has been absolutely amazing. We have seen this country in a way that few people will ever see unless they take on a journey like this one. I feel very priveledged to have seen the sights that I have seen and to have met the people that we have met along the way. Many people from home have asked me where we have been and where we are going next so I used a little bit of my day off to put together a trip itinerary. We are in Moorhead, Minnesota which is just a couple miles east of Fargo, North Dakota (the half-way point of the trip) so I figured this would be the best time to do this since I now know what kind of daily mile coverage we are capable of. Here are our stops with the daily miles travelled to get to them (All stops and mileages up to Moorhead are accurate. Not too sure what happens after that but here is what we are planning on):
DEPARTURE DATE: JUNE 6th
WASHINGTON
North Bend 43 miles
Ellensburg 85
Moses Lake 71
Spokane 111
IDAHO
Sandpoint 70
MONTANA
Thompson falls 87
Missoula 101
(Rest day: June 13th)
Lincoln 78
Great Falls 89
Stanford 70
Winnett 100
Jordan 76
Circle 66
NORTH DAKOTA
Beach 88
Dickinson 63
Mandan 94
Jamestown 116
MINNESOTA
Moorhead 102
(Rest day: June 25th)
Fergus Falls 62
Long Prairie 82
Milaca 84
WISCONSIN
St. Croix Falls 83
Chippeawa Falls 68
Marshfield 77
Manitowoc 168
(Rest day: July 3rd and 4th)
MICHIGAN
Ludington (ferry from Manitowoc)
Clare 90
Caro 86
Marine City 100
ONTARIO
Port Burwell 117
NEW YORK
Niagra Falls 118
Rochester 80
Syracuse 92
Albany
MASSACHUSETTS
Greenfield 81
Boston 90 = PARTYING WICKED HARD WITH ALL OF YOU!!!
**Keep an eye out for updates on our arrival date in Boston. We hope to have someone back home organize a bash to celebrate the completion of the journey. We are working on this and will let you know. In the meantime, spread the word about our ride and our cause. We would love to see an increase in donations the next time we get to a computer
( www.expansion.acceleratedcure.org/coasttocoast ) We appreciate all your support and keep the comments coming.
Oh one more thing...yesterday was absolutely absurd. Sully and I agreed yesterday that no story that we could tell would ever do that experience justice. It was friggin' bananas.
This trip has been absolutely amazing. We have seen this country in a way that few people will ever see unless they take on a journey like this one. I feel very priveledged to have seen the sights that I have seen and to have met the people that we have met along the way. Many people from home have asked me where we have been and where we are going next so I used a little bit of my day off to put together a trip itinerary. We are in Moorhead, Minnesota which is just a couple miles east of Fargo, North Dakota (the half-way point of the trip) so I figured this would be the best time to do this since I now know what kind of daily mile coverage we are capable of. Here are our stops with the daily miles travelled to get to them (All stops and mileages up to Moorhead are accurate. Not too sure what happens after that but here is what we are planning on):
DEPARTURE DATE: JUNE 6th
WASHINGTON
North Bend 43 miles
Ellensburg 85
Moses Lake 71
Spokane 111
IDAHO
Sandpoint 70
MONTANA
Thompson falls 87
Missoula 101
(Rest day: June 13th)
Lincoln 78
Great Falls 89
Stanford 70
Winnett 100
Jordan 76
Circle 66
NORTH DAKOTA
Beach 88
Dickinson 63
Mandan 94
Jamestown 116
MINNESOTA
Moorhead 102
(Rest day: June 25th)
Fergus Falls 62
Long Prairie 82
Milaca 84
WISCONSIN
St. Croix Falls 83
Chippeawa Falls 68
Marshfield 77
Manitowoc 168
(Rest day: July 3rd and 4th)
MICHIGAN
Ludington (ferry from Manitowoc)
Clare 90
Caro 86
Marine City 100
ONTARIO
Port Burwell 117
NEW YORK
Niagra Falls 118
Rochester 80
Syracuse 92
Albany
MASSACHUSETTS
Greenfield 81
Boston 90 = PARTYING WICKED HARD WITH ALL OF YOU!!!
**Keep an eye out for updates on our arrival date in Boston. We hope to have someone back home organize a bash to celebrate the completion of the journey. We are working on this and will let you know. In the meantime, spread the word about our ride and our cause. We would love to see an increase in donations the next time we get to a computer
( www.expansion.acceleratedcure.org/coasttocoast ) We appreciate all your support and keep the comments coming.
Oh one more thing...yesterday was absolutely absurd. Sully and I agreed yesterday that no story that we could tell would ever do that experience justice. It was friggin' bananas.
Moorhead, Minnesota
Greetings from Minnesota! Today is our rest day which we have spent doing some tan line maintenance. We are going to head to a local bike shop and pick up some spare parts. Yesterday we rode over 100 miles again. It is becoming routine and we are churning the pedals comfortably around 17-19 mph's for the better part of the day. Yesterday was crazy. Let me tell you about it.
We rode 50 miles to get lunch in Tower City, North Dakota. We had a pretty healthy lunch of grilled chicken sandwiches. It is damn near impossible to eat well out here because everything is fried and covered in gravy. "Its like putting piss in your gas tank," as Coach Rice would say. As we finished up lunch we went outside to check our tire pressure and get ready to mount the steel ponies for 50 plus more miles into Minnesota. As we were putting our helmets on we looked west and saw a fierce looking black cloud looming and it looked as if it were headed our way. Just then, a lightning show took place probably 15 miles west. Without a word Kevin jumped on his bike and took off headed east, apparently he hates lightning. We could see that the storm was getting closer and we had a decision to make. We could wait the storm our for an hour or so....or we could try to outrun it. Since we have no knowledge of how fast storms move and we were feeling pretty fresh, we decided to try to get ahead of this thing. Bad idea.
Kev was long gone down I-94 and already out of sight. Mike, Ryan, and myself took off after him. When we went down the on ramp we started to get hit by some of the biggest rain drops we had ever seen and the storm headed east, hot on our tracks. We stood up and started hammering our pedals. We quickly got up to 22mph and mantained it as the storm got closer. Lightning began to touch down close by and we could see rain moving at us from the left and right, huge sheets of cold rain were heading our way. A crash of thunder hits and we know its game time. When we needed the road conditions to be at their best and it was just the opposite. However, there was road construction on 94 headed west in the opposite direction and the road was closed for the next 11 miles. Muprh made the call to ride on the other side of the highway and it was not long before we were baling off our bikes at 20 miles an hour and sprinting across the median grass toward the other side of the highway. Construction signs were in the middle of the highway so we got back on our bikes and slalomed our way around and had clear open highway for the next 11 miles, with the storm hot on our tracks. With the storm fast approaching, the old 'fight or flight' chemicals started to kick in. We were ripping up the highway trying to avoid the mayhem that was behind us. At one point a truck pulled over in front of us and a woman got out screaming, "Huge storm headed this way!" Murph waved her off and we were gone. I looked at my bike computer as the wind shifted and was at our back and Mike, Murph, and I were churning at 34 miles an hour for about 30 minutes straight. Just as it looked as if we were in the clear, we hit some warm air, which weather and climate major at Salem State, Kevin Welch, informed us later is the precise recipe for hail. We started to get pelted with marble sized hail. It was pinging off of our bikes and heltmets and stinging our bare skin. Mike was about 100 yards in front of Murph with me about 100 back of Murph bringing up the rear. The hail really started to pick up as we maintained our crazy pace. Then we really got screwed. Murph's rear tire went flat and Mike (who was carrying our go-to pump was out of earshot). Murph and I got stranded on the side of the road for three hours as we unsuccessfully tried to fix his situation. We were frozen to the core, soaking wet, and shivering. Mike had caught Kev and they made it to the hotel the last 10-12 miles in about 20 minutes, while Murph and I froze. We would have been out there longer had it not been for an amazing couple named Brett and Laurie. They picked us up and drove us the short distance to Moorhead. Murph and I plan to make up the 10 miles, don't worry. They were amazing people and we are forever grateful. But that was yesterday and today it is 80 and sunny, much better than it is back home. We hit the road tommorow for one of our shorter days, and are expecting to see Sull Sr. possibly in Wisconsin. Look for future news as plans for our coming back party/fundraiser become available. Thanks for following along with us. Sorry about the long post. You wouldnt believe what we have been through. Would have paid anything to have yesterday on film.
We rode 50 miles to get lunch in Tower City, North Dakota. We had a pretty healthy lunch of grilled chicken sandwiches. It is damn near impossible to eat well out here because everything is fried and covered in gravy. "Its like putting piss in your gas tank," as Coach Rice would say. As we finished up lunch we went outside to check our tire pressure and get ready to mount the steel ponies for 50 plus more miles into Minnesota. As we were putting our helmets on we looked west and saw a fierce looking black cloud looming and it looked as if it were headed our way. Just then, a lightning show took place probably 15 miles west. Without a word Kevin jumped on his bike and took off headed east, apparently he hates lightning. We could see that the storm was getting closer and we had a decision to make. We could wait the storm our for an hour or so....or we could try to outrun it. Since we have no knowledge of how fast storms move and we were feeling pretty fresh, we decided to try to get ahead of this thing. Bad idea.
Kev was long gone down I-94 and already out of sight. Mike, Ryan, and myself took off after him. When we went down the on ramp we started to get hit by some of the biggest rain drops we had ever seen and the storm headed east, hot on our tracks. We stood up and started hammering our pedals. We quickly got up to 22mph and mantained it as the storm got closer. Lightning began to touch down close by and we could see rain moving at us from the left and right, huge sheets of cold rain were heading our way. A crash of thunder hits and we know its game time. When we needed the road conditions to be at their best and it was just the opposite. However, there was road construction on 94 headed west in the opposite direction and the road was closed for the next 11 miles. Muprh made the call to ride on the other side of the highway and it was not long before we were baling off our bikes at 20 miles an hour and sprinting across the median grass toward the other side of the highway. Construction signs were in the middle of the highway so we got back on our bikes and slalomed our way around and had clear open highway for the next 11 miles, with the storm hot on our tracks. With the storm fast approaching, the old 'fight or flight' chemicals started to kick in. We were ripping up the highway trying to avoid the mayhem that was behind us. At one point a truck pulled over in front of us and a woman got out screaming, "Huge storm headed this way!" Murph waved her off and we were gone. I looked at my bike computer as the wind shifted and was at our back and Mike, Murph, and I were churning at 34 miles an hour for about 30 minutes straight. Just as it looked as if we were in the clear, we hit some warm air, which weather and climate major at Salem State, Kevin Welch, informed us later is the precise recipe for hail. We started to get pelted with marble sized hail. It was pinging off of our bikes and heltmets and stinging our bare skin. Mike was about 100 yards in front of Murph with me about 100 back of Murph bringing up the rear. The hail really started to pick up as we maintained our crazy pace. Then we really got screwed. Murph's rear tire went flat and Mike (who was carrying our go-to pump was out of earshot). Murph and I got stranded on the side of the road for three hours as we unsuccessfully tried to fix his situation. We were frozen to the core, soaking wet, and shivering. Mike had caught Kev and they made it to the hotel the last 10-12 miles in about 20 minutes, while Murph and I froze. We would have been out there longer had it not been for an amazing couple named Brett and Laurie. They picked us up and drove us the short distance to Moorhead. Murph and I plan to make up the 10 miles, don't worry. They were amazing people and we are forever grateful. But that was yesterday and today it is 80 and sunny, much better than it is back home. We hit the road tommorow for one of our shorter days, and are expecting to see Sull Sr. possibly in Wisconsin. Look for future news as plans for our coming back party/fundraiser become available. Thanks for following along with us. Sorry about the long post. You wouldnt believe what we have been through. Would have paid anything to have yesterday on film.
