Team Will Blog

Almost There

Greeting from Raleigh, North Carolina.  Team four just arrived and is settling in for their final ride tomorrow.  Today we were lucky enough to cross another state border during our ride.  This time it was dropping into North Carolina from Tennessee.

We've got to get some rest before tonight's ride so I will try to update in more detail tomorrow after we finish up in Norfolk.  In the meantime, enjoy the new pictures posted to the right.

Chris M.

Team 2 - Two days to go

Team 2 checking in from the IHOP in Hickory, NC.  We will be riding today from 3-9pm (EDT) from Hickory, NC to Lexington, NC.  Yesterday was one of the best scenic rides yet for Team 2.  We were riding through the Tennessee hills (or mountains, I guess) right after a big storm passed.  Remaining in the storm's tracks were low hanging clouds that hugged the hills and settled in the valleys.  The roadway was smooth and rolling, with very little traffic.  None of us had ever been through this area before, but we all agreed that it was a very beautiful place.

Yesterday we also visited the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  The hospital is only two years old and state-of-the-art, so it was real neat to see the "emerging" trends that children's hospitals are adopting....for instance, each floor has a different theme such as a jungle or pond....instead of telling a child that they will be staying on "Floor 6", they stay on the "pond floor" and the children follow the ducks on the wall to their room.  Pretty creative stuff....

ok, time to run.  We'll be finishing in Norfolk tomorrow!

Team 2

Three States In One Day

Team four reporting in from western Kentucky.  We started our day 14 hours ago in Jefferson City, MO with a 90 mile ride through the unexpected hills along the Missouri River.  Once finished we found a Steak and Shake - our second stop there in under 12 hours and then preceded to drive from Missouri, through Illinois and into Kuttawa, Kentucky. 

We got to see the Arch in St Louis.  In fact, because of traffic delays it took us almost an hour to pass by it on the Mark McGuire (I-70) expressway.  We are also experiencing the weather that was mentioned by team 2 in the previous post.

I have also renamed team four's albums because I am not sure if the days are accurate. 

Hope everyone back home is doing well.  Your support and encouragement is much appreciated.

Chris M.

Rain Delay

As we write, Team 2 is on "rain delay" in Freeburg, IL due to severe thunderstorms moving through the area.   Unfortunately, the forecast doesn't show the weather letting up anytime soon.  We're going to sit it out for a little while and see what happens.  On the positive side, Chris and Becky (natives of Wisconsin) are enjoying the opportunity to sit through a good midwestern thunderstorm again.

In the mean time, we'll fill you in on a few more details from our ride.

• Today we visited SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital where we met some of the children in the oncology center.  Team Will thanks for children and their families for letting us visit them today.
• Last night, most of Team 2 got to experience Steak 'n Shake (one of our sponsors) for the first time.  We then stayed at the First Baptist Church in Raytown, MO.  Thanks to David at FBC for letting us stay.
• On Monday night, we were guests of Casey Broxson and Tom in Denver.  Thanks Casey and Tom for your hospitality!
• Chris and Becky are in search of cheese curds to share with the Team.  We're hoping a few bags have migrated south to Illinois. 
• Tonight we are staying with Debbie Cox and her family in St. Louis.  Debbie called me today to tell me that she made a special trip to the "little Italy" of St. Louis to get food for the Team.  I can't wait to see what she has planned!

We'll hopefully have some more pictures up soon.

Team 2

Greetings From Jefferson City, MO

Team four is getting ready to bed down for the night day in anticipation for our ride at 2am (midnight, Pacific time) across the last part of Missouri.  Looking forward to seeing the Mississippi River shortly.

But a little bit about where we are now.  If you think home prices are too high in California, you should think about the Mid West.  According to the local real estate book, you can get home with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 fireplaces, a full basement on 8 acres for only $239,900...

Team four would also like to point out that nothing goes to waste on this trip.  For proof, check out the following photograph of Matt and Steve getting their sports drinks ready today:

It's a good thing we found that pile of Gatorade at the hotel...

Team 2 Update

Team 2 has finally taken a few minutes to sit in the parking lot of some hotel and borrow their wi-fi.  We're due to ride again at 2pm (CDT) today from Lawrence, KS to Kansas City.  A few highlights from the team so far...

• Team 2 riders are doing great....each member has ridden between 250-325 miles so far.
• The toughest ride yet was Colorado, where we climbed from about 6,000 ft. to 10,600 ft. over Vail Pass.
• Yesterday, all 4 team members rode 75 miles across Kansas
• The reception at MWH in Denver was GREAT!  Good food, good people, and an overwhelming show of support.

Ok, we gotta run.  As internet access becomes more available, we will try to update more frequently.  In the mean time, check out a few pictures from the Team. 

Team 2

People Along the Way

It's been a while since team four has had access to the Internet, but the latest pictures are up.  In the last couple of days we have met some interesting people.

Pictured above are the team four riders (Matt, Van and Steve) along with Peggy and Don, a couple of fellow riders we met at the Continental Divide.  They were climbing the summit twice that day, and we began to tell them about Ride to Reach the Day.  Turns out that Peggy is a cancer survivor and they were both very supportive of what we were doing.  Hope you have had a chance to stop by Peggy, and have fun riding the Rockies...

The next two people we met live in Hays, Kentucky, the town we are staying tonight.  First we met Terri at the Best Western on Vine Street.  She was a wonderful lady who was interested in what we were doing.  She was wearing a LiveStrong bracelet, so I thought she might like a Team-Will one to go along with it.  Turns out that cancer has touched her family as well.  Here nephew lost a battle with cancer 12 years ago, but his twin sister graduated from 8th grade this month.  Here's hoping her nephew and Will have become fast friends and are rooting us on during the ride.

Next we met Sara Kay, the manager of The Hub here in Hays.  Matt had some broken spokes so we took a quick road trip to her shop to get him squared away.  She is an avid cyclist, and maybe we can talk her into next year's ride.

I also got a phone call from Robb, on of my fellow teachers at gray Avenue Middle School.  He was calling to see how we were doing and how he could be praying for us.  When I told him we were in Kansas, he passed on a funny joke.

The thing about Kansas is, if your dog runs away, you can see him for two days.  And if you stand up on a tuna can you can see him for two more days.

Well, we are half way there, and the ride is going great.  Keep coming back and keep up the prayers.

Chris M.

P.S.  Cal State Fullerton just tied it up in the seventh against Clemson in the elimination round.  Check out this post to see how this relates to Team Will.  In this unfaltering picture of me, you can see the initials RH and the number 4 on the bill of my hat.  The initials are for a family friend Randy Hardman, who was diagnosed with leukemia a couple of week ago.  The 4 is the jersey number of his son Clark, who plays for Fullerton.

Happy (Belated) Father's Day

As this is being typed, the medic van is sitting in Mack, Colorado at 5am.  The sun is coming up and it looks like it is going to be another beautiful day.  The body of this post was originally hand written almost 24 hours ago, but Internet connections have been spotty at best through much of Utah.

Remembering that this ride is about Will, and about one day finding a cure for childhood cancer, yesterday was a special day.   With so many fathers on this trip, it was hard to be away from families but we all are remembering what a worthy cause it is.

Team four has had the privilege of crossing two state lines in the past 24 hours and the entire team is looking forward to seeing Colorado, but maybe not the hills mountains...  As a driver, I was not really looking forward to Nevada and Utah, thinking that it would be similar to the drive from Sacramento to LA.  I was so wrong in that assumption.  In the last two days, we have seen some of the most beautiful sights imaginable.  From the Great Salt Flats to the plateaus of Southeastern Utah this has already been an amazing trip.  Even now, as the sun comes up, God's grace and wonder are clearly evident.

As mentioned in past posts, the team suffered its first (and hopefully only) crash.  Ryan and John are both well, and Ryan is lending tremendous moral support to team one.  Another group of folks that are worthy of much praise and thanks are the medical team.  Greg, Sonny and Anne have been with all the riders every step of the way since 6am Friday from the comfort of their VW Pop-Top.  Their endurance is equal to that of the riders and they have been a valuable asset to the trip.

A quick note on the photo albums to the right.  These are the pictures I (Chris M) have taken so far, but they are by no means the only pictures.  The lack of rider pictures is only because they don't come out too well at night.  Other teams will make up for that I am sure.  Coordinating all the pictures has proven to be a challenge, but after the ride is complete they will all be made available.

Some other observations (from team four) so far on the ride:

• Nevada has a lot of neon and casinos.
• Utah has a lot of salt.
• So far team for has counted 22 cars broken down along the highway.
• Energy drinks are a driver's best friend.
• The mullet seems to be all the rage in Salt Lake City, UT...  or at least at the breakfast diner we stopped at yesterday.
• Your comments are a source of encouragement, so keep them coming.
• If your going to hand a package of goo to a rider from a moving vehicle, let him know it ha been open or he might stick it in his back pocket.  For further details on this talk to Steve L and Matt C.

That is all for now, but please continue to pray for all involved.  Your support is truly helping.

Chris M.

Day Two Update - Team Four

A new round of pictures are up, with more coming.

Last night's ride went very well for team four, and we are getting ready to venture into the Great Salt Lake.

The support along the way has been wonderful.  People are really excited to learn about the ride and have been very encouraging.

More updates tomorrow...

Photos Are Up

Team Four is a couple of hours from our first ride, after a wonderful dinner provided by Dan, a Friend of Team Will (FTW).  We are starting in Reno at midnight and will finish up at 6:00 am in Imlay, NV.  Wish us luck. 

There is also another addition to the blog...  Check out the Day One photo album to the right of this post.  there will be more to come, dependent on Internet connectivity, also thanks to Dan.