Pastor Doug Nolt and I catching up in Uniontown
What an awesome day for the team!
We started the day off early with a sponsored breakfast at Chick-fil-a. Dino Taylor was gracious enough to sponsor the breakfast for the entire team and it really got us off on the right foot.
After Chik-fil-a we departed for Uniontown, PA. I rode with Mike from Maryland and Reggie from Iona. We stopped very minimally along the trip so we ended up first. After seeing flats for the last month we encountered a large hill that was a 14% grade, the largest we have seen on the trip. Dino followed the team in his truck and was at every crew stop handing out snacks and drinks as well as providing some great encouragement up the huge hill by blaring music along the side of us.
Everyone made it into lodging at Uniontown YMCA in great time, all before lunch. After I put my bike away I was able to visit with Doug Nolt, my childhood pastor who moved to Pennsylvania about four years ago. It was great to see him and catch up for about an hour before lunch. Our lunch was sponsored by the King family whose son rode last year. We had Italian sausage, chicken fingers, veggie trays, fruit, and some phenomenal chocolate and vanilla cake. We all indulged a little too much, but were incredibly grateful for the awesome food.
After lunch the team showered up and got ready for our team activity. A cyclist from last year, Andy King, treated the entire team to whitewater rafting in Ohiopyle. For most of the team this was a first time experience. The 4-hour trip vent about 7 miles, and the team took many spills. One such instance was when the team approached “Dimple rock” (which is notorious for spilling rafts) and spilled my raft, send myself and my teammates into the rushing water. The teammates that spilled out were retrieved once they were carried through the rapids and to an area of calm water. Riding the rapids was the most exhilarating but also most terrifying experience of my life. Getting sucked under water, jutting into rocks, and tossed back and forth was incredibly fun and scary, but we all made it out safely with minor bumps and bruises.
The rafting ended with the team all in one piece and we then headed to our sponsored dinner. A local man named Tony hosted us at the K of C. He first heard about Journey of Hope 16 years ago in a television ad and he has been sponsoring the teams as they pass through Uniontown ever since. A woman named Patty helped Tony serve us. She made us delicious brownies and rice-krispies to accompany the meal of rigatoni, meatballs, salad, and bread and butter. The meal was phenomenal and it was awesome to hear about the local history from Tony and Patty that they have learned on walks they take every week. Making a connection with sponsors has made the trip much more enjoyable and educational.
To finish off the night the team headed back to the YMCA to get ready for bed. Only a few days left of riding until DC means the team needs as much rest as possible to make every ride count and give it our all.
Love & Honor,
Beau
We started the day off early with a sponsored breakfast at Chick-fil-a. Dino Taylor was gracious enough to sponsor the breakfast for the entire team and it really got us off on the right foot.
After Chik-fil-a we departed for Uniontown, PA. I rode with Mike from Maryland and Reggie from Iona. We stopped very minimally along the trip so we ended up first. After seeing flats for the last month we encountered a large hill that was a 14% grade, the largest we have seen on the trip. Dino followed the team in his truck and was at every crew stop handing out snacks and drinks as well as providing some great encouragement up the huge hill by blaring music along the side of us.
Everyone made it into lodging at Uniontown YMCA in great time, all before lunch. After I put my bike away I was able to visit with Doug Nolt, my childhood pastor who moved to Pennsylvania about four years ago. It was great to see him and catch up for about an hour before lunch. Our lunch was sponsored by the King family whose son rode last year. We had Italian sausage, chicken fingers, veggie trays, fruit, and some phenomenal chocolate and vanilla cake. We all indulged a little too much, but were incredibly grateful for the awesome food.
After lunch the team showered up and got ready for our team activity. A cyclist from last year, Andy King, treated the entire team to whitewater rafting in Ohiopyle. For most of the team this was a first time experience. The 4-hour trip vent about 7 miles, and the team took many spills. One such instance was when the team approached “Dimple rock” (which is notorious for spilling rafts) and spilled my raft, send myself and my teammates into the rushing water. The teammates that spilled out were retrieved once they were carried through the rapids and to an area of calm water. Riding the rapids was the most exhilarating but also most terrifying experience of my life. Getting sucked under water, jutting into rocks, and tossed back and forth was incredibly fun and scary, but we all made it out safely with minor bumps and bruises.
The rafting ended with the team all in one piece and we then headed to our sponsored dinner. A local man named Tony hosted us at the K of C. He first heard about Journey of Hope 16 years ago in a television ad and he has been sponsoring the teams as they pass through Uniontown ever since. A woman named Patty helped Tony serve us. She made us delicious brownies and rice-krispies to accompany the meal of rigatoni, meatballs, salad, and bread and butter. The meal was phenomenal and it was awesome to hear about the local history from Tony and Patty that they have learned on walks they take every week. Making a connection with sponsors has made the trip much more enjoyable and educational.
To finish off the night the team headed back to the YMCA to get ready for bed. Only a few days left of riding until DC means the team needs as much rest as possible to make every ride count and give it our all.
Love & Honor,
Beau
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