Friendship visits galore today!
We started our programming today at 7:30am and we weren't finished until 9:15pm!
For breakfast we dined at Independence First, an organization that supports those with disabilities and enables them to lead seemingly normal lives.
We then headed to a local school where we had two Kids on the Block performances and also colored and did other crafts with the kids attending the summer school program. Many of them come from underprivileged backgrounds and have varying behavior problems and social disabilities. It was hard to relate to them at first but as soon as they warmed up to us we all had a blast.
For lunch we ate at a local church. We also spent a couple hours having a friendship visit with the adults in their day program. We played kickball, Wii Dance and tic-tac-toe just to name a few. Kickball was my personal favorite, and the weather was gorgeous so it was pleasant to be outside.
During the afternoon we headed to the Pettit National Ice Center which is home to our Olympic training facility for ice skating. It was cool to see a flyer with Miami's synchronized skating team on it. They have won the national championship the past 9 seasons in a row and 15 out of 17 so they are no stranger to skating at Pettit. We played wheelchair ice hockey which was incredibly difficult, but also incredibly fun. It is amazing how quick we could move on the ice, but also how uncoordinated we are in wheelchairs. The individuals that played with us that are regular chair users really showed us up on the ice!
For dinner we headed to a local high school. We got the opportunity to play wheelchair floor hockey, wheelchair basketball, and beep-ball which is baseball for the visually impaired. I spent a good amount of time playing beep-ball. The ball is like a giant softball, and it makes noises so you can hear it coming. Not only is it incredibly hard to hit when you are blindfolded, but it was also hard to field, only going off of the noises of the ball to field it. The bases also beep, so to run to base you also have to listen and find the base. This game definitely helped us work on empathy and I have a much greater appreciation for being able to see and play baseball with all of my senses. It was a heck of a challenge that I would love to try again!
Finally, we wrapped up our night by saying our goodbyes and loading up all of the wheelchairs that we had used for a good amount of the day. Almost 14 hours of programming wore everyone out, and we haven't even cycled in 2 days! Tomorrow we head back into Illinois. Wisconsin has been a blast and the hospitality has been amazing!
Thank you for checking in!
Love & Honor,
Beau

Finally, a day off!

We were not required to be up until noon today! Of course none of us slept until noon because we are used to being up at 5:30am, but it was nice to loaf around and have nowhere to be and nothing to do in the morning.

For lunch we were treated by a group of moms known as the Moms of Hope. They are parents of children with disabilities and have been hosting JOH teams since 2002. The food was fantastic, they sure know how to cook up here in the land of dairy!

Following lunch we headed to a bowling alley to bowl with individuals with Spina Bifida. We bowled four games, so by the end everyone was thoroughly exhausted, but it was a really fun time. We also had pizza and nachos with a ton of different salsas. The food just kept coming today!

Dinner was hosted at the Pewaukee Yacht Club by the Davidson family. By Davidson family I mean Harley-Davidson family! They were planning to take us out on their boats, but it started to pour about an hour before we were to depart so we had to cancel the boating for the day. Dinner with them was fantastic as well. I am definitely going to gain weight in Wisconsin!

Following dinner we headed back to our lodging for a team activity and to get ready for our big day tomorrow. Tomorrow we will be having friendship visits all day. Our day will start with breakfast at 7:30am and we will be playing adaptive sports until 9:00pm. It is another day off of riding, but we will undoubtedly still be thoroughly exhausted after the day is done.

Thank you for checking my blog and please continue to pray for the health and safety of our team!
Love & Honor,
Beau

Today was another fun day.

I read with Sanjeev from FIU and Travis from GA Tech. Today's bride was 95 miles, but it was great weather toTerra's well as great road conditions so we flew right along.

After finishing our ride we quickly showered before programming for the day started. We then met Kathy, the lady who has coordinated all of our activities for the next few days in Wisconsin; she has literally planned everything!

For our friendship visit we headed to the local mall. Groups of 5 to 6 of us were paired up with an individual with a disability and we then shopped with them for the next couple hours. I was paired with a little girl named Abigail. She wasn't able to really communicate with us other than smiling and nodding, but we still had such a great time. We went to Claire's with her to look at jewelry. Next, we went to Build a Bear and built her a bear we named "Hope" for Journey of Hope. We recorded a JOH 2013 message and implanted it in the bear so every time she squeezes the paw she will hear our greeting.

After shopping we ate at the food court where I, of course, are Chinese.

Following dinner we were dismissed for the night. A small group of us decided to go see The Conjuring in theaters. This movie was terrifying. If you like to be able to sleep at night I recommend not seeing this movie.

Finally, after surviving the movie we headed to the laundromat. Kathy provided us with quarters as well as detergent so we are all taking advantage of doing our laundry.

Tomorrow is a jam packed day of friendship visits, but also a late wake up. I doubt I will be able to sleep in, but I will certainly lay on my nice air mattress bed as long as possible!

Thanks for checking in!

Love & Honor,

Beau

Out of Iowa and into Illinois. Temporarily.

Today we crossed over the Mississippi and made our way to Rockford, Illinois.

Unfortunately, right before lunch, Kevin from Iowa, went off the road into gravel, slowed to try and get back on the road and hit a rock. This shot him back onto the road in front of me which then caused me to run over him. The impact with his body stopped my bike and I did a nice tuck and roll on the pavement. Luckily tragic stopped and one of our crew vans was only a minute away. Lunch was also the end of our ride, our bikes are fine, and our cuts and bruises will heal which I am very thankful that it was not worse.

After lunch we headed to the Indoor Sports Center for our friendship visit. Many of us were made into mummies. Additionally we played a game were we had to pass a balloon from cheek to cheek only using our faces and the double sided tape on our cheeks. Furthermore, a few of our guys got pied in the face for the incentive reward they earned during their week at camp. This was a visit full of laughs!

To cap off our night we are staying at the local UAW. They treated us to a great Chinese dinner and awesome deserts. One of my fellow cyclists, Doug, works at the local Chrysler plant and got all of our accommodations set up for us in Rockford.

Tomorrow we head up to Wisconsin for a few days before we come back to Illinois.

Please pray for the safety of our team as we continue toward DC.

Love & Honor,

Beau

Today was a hot one. I rode with Alberto from Iona, and after a reroute to keep the cyclists on less traveled roads we found ourselves 100 miles later arriving at our lodging at Camp Albricht.

The ride was very hilly and the roads weren't in the best shape. Couple with 96 degree heat and 75% humidity it was a tough ride, but we made it through.

Following showering at lodging we colored pictures and danced with some of the campers before heading to our big team event.

Near the town of Sherrill is the site where the movie Field of Dreams was filmed. We got to take some swings at the ball and played a mini game on the field. Even though it was still extremely hot we all enjoyed our time at the field.

Following the Field we headed back to lodging where we dinner. There's nothing like a hearty meal of bowtie pasta, dinner rolls, corn, beans and salad.

After dinner we had a dance and friendship visit with the campers. Even though there was air conditioning in the gym everyone still worked up quite a sweat leading to us having to shower a second time after the dance. The campers all had a blast, as did all of the JOH guys. We can never Cupid Shuffle too many times!

Tomorrow we cross the Mississippi into Illinois and onto Rockford. It'll be a nice 110 miles through the heat and humidity again. Thanks for checking in!

Love & Honor,

Beau

What a fun day today was for all of us!
We had a quick 55 mile ride into Davenport, so we were done around 10:00am. I rode with Travis from GA Tech and Michael from TCU today. We kept a quick pace the whole ride, but also had a great time talking to each other along the way.
When we arrived at our lodging for the night, the Clarion Hotel, we were greeted by a very nice welcome on their business sign. As we were sitting outside waiting for our room assignments the mayor of Davenport walked out of the hotel and engaged many of us in conversation for quite some time. He even called the media to make sure that our story gets coverage as we depart tomorrow. He was a really nice man and it was awesome that he took about an hour out of his busy schedule to stand and chat with us in the heat and humidity.
After receiving our room assignments we all showered up and went to lunch at Happy Joe's. Their taco pizza was amazing, and this is coming from a guy that only eats pepperoni, and doesn't even really like pizza at all. We were sponsored by a couple of past summer event guys, and it was fun to talk with them over lunch. One of them is from Bedford, Michigan, which is right outside of Toledo so we had much to which we could relate to each other.
Following lunch we headed back to our hotel and many of us crashed. I took about a 3 hour nap, sleeping until almost dinner. This nap was much needed! The best part about this hotel is that we have our own beds! This is a first, and probably a last for us, and we are all so grateful to the Clarion for hosting us for the night.
For our friendship visit we headed to the local pool and water park and were greeted by about 100 people with disabilities and their caretakers. We had a great couple hours going down the slides, off the diving board, and just hanging out in the water. We ate a dinner of hotdogs and chips at the pool before heading back to lodging.
Once at lodging we headed to the Hardee's that is in our parking lot of our hotel. I was disappointed to see that they no longer have star shaped chicken nuggets, but my onion rings and snack wraps were a good substitute.
Tomorrow we have a 90 mile ride along the Mississippi River, and it is supposed to be in the mid-90s and humid. Please pray for our safe travels and thank you for checking in!
Love & Honor,
Beau

Only 30 miles today!
I rode with Chris from GA Tech and my chapter brother Jason. This ride took relatively no time, which was nice because of the horrible heat and humidity. Seeing as I am from Ohio I should be used to the heat and humidity, but today was extra humid I feel. I digress.
Once we arrived in Iowa City we had about an hour and half before our stage-up and police escort so we took turns putting on skits in an amphitheater before everyone fell asleep in the padded chairs.
For our arrival we had a police escort to the Old Iowa Capitol Building where we were greeted by many members of the Arc of Southeast Iowa.
For lunch we ate at one of the University of Iowa dining halls and then rode our bikes to our lodging at a local recreation center. After being out in the heat all morning many of us took the opportunity to hop in the pool at the rec center before showering and heading to the Theta Theta Pi Kapp chapter's house that two of our fellow cyclists, Kevin and David, live in.
After touring their house we came back to lodging and took naps before dinner.
For dinner we were hosted by the Arc of Southeast Iowa for pizza and popsicles. We had a great time of fellowship with them for a couple hours before heading back to lodging.
Once at lodging we were instructed about our morning wake up and logistics and then divided up into multiple groups to go out and explore Iowa City. My group headed to a local frozen yogurt shop as well as a local market where we overindulged ourselves. Little evening runs like these are where some of my best memories on the trip have been made thus far.
Tomorrow we wake up at 5:45 to head to Davenport, Iowa. It is hard to believe that in 3.5 weeks this will all be over.
Thank you for all of you love and support on my Journey of Hope.
Love & Honor,

There is not much to say about today's ride.

I rode with Alberto and Reggie both from Iona College. Today was very hot and humid but it was an overall good ride, the road conditions were pretty ideal. We did get red flagged at multiple crew stops To give the crew time to jump ahead to market our next turn. While the stops did add time to our trip, it was nice to get off the bike and take a break for a while.

When we arrived at our destination we walked over to the YMCA next door and shower before our break time. We had a few hours of break before our dinner and friendship visit and many of us fell asleep on the conference room floor. I have never slept so well and such a hard surface.

We had an awesome pork dinner at our friendship visit and dance. It was very hot and humid outside but we still had a fun time dancing with the clients of the ARC.

Following dinner we did our leadership workshop as a group. This allows us to develop our leadership skills and evaluate ourselves and eachother and grow our skills as leaders on our campuses.

Finally, we wrapped up the night by dispersing ourselves around the ARC office to set up our beds.

Tomorrow takes us to Iowa City, which is a quick 30 mile ride away.

Thank you for checking in on our progress!

Love & Honor,

Beau

Today was a blast!

We ride from Des Moines to Marshalltown, which was a very quick ride. I rode with Sanjeev from Marshalltown and my chapter brother Saurabh. The roads were smooth and the rolling hills were quite fun.

Once we arrived in Marshalltown we headed to an awesome water park for a friendship visit. A youn man named Oscar hung out with us for the afternoon as we swam, dove, and road the water slides. We even got sno kones which made the day even better.

Following the park we headed to our hotel, which staying in a hotel was a pleasant surprise for us. We also had the opportunity to do laundry, which many of us really needed to do after sweating in the humidity.

For our second friendship visit we headed to the bowling alley. To start things off at the alley, the mayor of Marshalltown, Thomas Thompson gave us a signed proclamation declaring today Journey of Hope day in Marshalltown. We then ate an awesome catered dinner and started our games of bowling.

I am terrible at bowling, and failed to break 100 either game today. The ladies we bowled with had their own balls and shoes and you could tell they meant business! After two games of bowling we were pooped and just chilled and talked until it was time for the big group photo.

Following the friendship visit we headed to the car wash to get our vans clean. The car was is always and fun time and is very entertaining as well. With 35 sets of hands the cleaning goes very quickly as well.

To cap off the night we headed out for milkshakes before our 6am wake-up tomorrow to ride 90 miles to Cedar Rapids.

Thanks for checking in!

Love & Honor,

Beau

Today was a blast! There was a lot of hype about today being a very tough ride as well as a not very fun ride. I agree with the first but disagree with the latter. I rode with Luke from Purdue today, and it was definitely one of my more enjoyable rides. We both told our life stories, each lasting about 30 miles, and before we knew it there was hardly anything left to cycle. About 30 miles in the rain poured on us, and when we finished we found out that we were the only pace line that actually got rained on, all of the others behind us only had to ride through the water. Riding through the rain was actually fun, though.
At mile 75 or so my chapter brother, Saurabh's parents were waiting for us with pizza on the side of the road. Luke and I quickly ate and were back on the bikes to finish the last 20 miles. We finished in no time, having survived the incredibly pot-hole filled roads virtually unscathed. My handlebar tape did come undone and one of my water bottle holders broke, but both were in need of being replaced anyway.
After we showered and ate lunch we headed to the bike shop where I bought new water bottle holders and handlebar tape on sale. It worked out great considering today's circumstances.
Next came a quick nap before we headed to a past Journey of Hope cyclist's house. He and his wife treated us to an awesome pulled pork sandwich dinner. Many of their friends as well as several family members of my teammates were also in attendance which made for a fun dinner. We also had gorgeous weather which made it incredibly pleasant to be outside all evening.
Following dinner we made a quick stop at the gas station and headed back to lodging. Once in lodging I replaced my handlebar tape, packed up my stuff and got ready for bed.
Tomorrow takes us further in our journey, and being over half way done is a frightening. Words cannot describe how awesome this experience has been and I will certainly be sad the day I have to say goodbye to all of my teammates and brothers in DC.
Thank you for supo