Ride Against AIDS 2010

Join the 2011 Ride Against AIDS!

2010-11-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

By Austin Keeley, Ride Against AIDS 2009 Alum and Ride Against AIDS 2011 Director

In the summer of 2009 my friend Dave Evans and I embarked on the 2nd annual Ride Against AIDS. We weren’t really sure what we were getting ourselves into, but we were eager to find out. It’s been almost a year and a half since Dave and I first shoved off from Palo Alto, CA on our cross-country journey, but it feels like just yesterday, and I can scarcely believe FACE AIDS is preparing for the 4th annual Ride Against AIDS this summer! Rider recruitment has begun (applications are available here), and I’m frequently asked, “What is the Ride actually like?” I hope this blog post gives potential riders and supporters a glimpse into the adventures of life on the road.

When I begin to think about the Ride Against AIDS, it is always the roads that come back to me first. One moment I’ll be sitting in class listening to a professor lecture on one topic or another, the next I’m in Kentucky perched on a grassy hill looking over the border into Virginia. I won’t have thought of this particular road in six months, but instantly it’s as if I’m back there. I can sense the rising sun, I can smell the morning dew on the tall blades of grass, and I can anticipate all the adventures that a new state will bring. Not a day goes by without a recollection of this sort.

I think I remember the roads so well because of all the remarkable people to which they led me. I can’t help but associate Nevada with the ever-kind Sue Sevon in her hometown of Fallon. The mountains Colorado pale in comparison to the enormity of generosity that Jack and Donna Seilheimer showed us in Pueblo. Newly weds Sam and Sherry Flaming of Hutchinson, KS are epitome of mid-West hospitality. When Dave and I first rolled into these towns we were greeted by strangers. By the time we left we knew we had made deep and lasting connections with extraordinarily kind and generous people that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

As evidenced by Sue, Jack, Donna, Sam, and Sherry, public response to the Ride was extremely supportive all across the country. The magnitude of the undertaking- “Wait, you’re seriously biking 4,000 miles this summer?”- speaks to the magnitude of the problems we face. Time after time when I told people about the Ride the response was the same: “If you’re willing to spend an entire summer biking for this cause, it must mean a lot to you. Tell me more.” Spreading awareness about the global AIDS pandemic and entering into serious, interesting conversations with people from a variety of backgrounds was perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the summer.

Finally, the Ride made me realize for the first time in a very concrete way how important students are to this movement. I witnessed firsthand how you can plant a seed in someone’s mind and watch it grow. We as students have boundless energy and an unlimited resolve to face the problems that the world faces today. Whether by spreading awareness and affecting change through political channels in the United Sates or by raising funds that directly support life-saving care in Rwanda, we are the impetus for social change in the 21st century. For me the Ride Against AIDS was an extraordinarily powerful way to get involved in an intensive, hands-on way with these issues that I care so deeply about.

Each year FACE AIDS seeks to grow and improve the Ride Against AIDS, but some things will never change. The roads may be different, but they will still call to you. The route may change, but you will still meet incredible people all over this great country. And one day we will live in world without AIDS and the need will change, but we will still be here to answer the call.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the Ride. My email is austin@faceaids.org and I’m ecstatic to talk to you about whatever questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you and encourage you to apply for a spot on the 2011 Ride Against AIDS team by December 15!

Ride Against AIDS Application: http://www.faceaids.org/rideagainstaids.html

Ride Against AIDS Finale!!

2010-08-31T14:46:00.001-07:00

With 4,474 miles biked and over $50,000 raised, the FACE AIDS 2010 Ride Against AIDS has come to a triumphant close. Sporting their stylish FACE AIDS team jerseys and huge smiles, Claire, Jason, Kirsten, Mike, Sanford, Shane, and Zane made their way into Boston, the Ride's final destination, on August 19.

As they biked their last few miles along the Charles River, they were joined by family, friends, and Partners In Health staff. When they began the ride in June, they symbolically dipped their back bike tires in the Pacific Ocean, and upon reaching the Boston Harbor last week, they marked the end of their journey by dipping their front tires in the Atlantic Ocean.

After much celebration, the team enjoyed a BBQ dinner on Thursday evening with the Partners In Health team, and were welcomed into the Partners In Health office on Friday to talk about their journey with the entire staff over a brown bag lunch.

We are so proud of these students and all that they accomplished this summer. With the funds that they raised, Partners In Health will be able to provide hundreds of thousands of people in rural Rwanda with high quality comprehensive health care. FACE AIDS will be able to provide many of these same individuals with employment and access to savings and credit, helping them to secure a stronger financial future. Moreover, through the conversations these students had with people all across the United States about social justice, global health equity, and the power of young people to make a difference, they have powerfully contributed to our mission to build a veritable movement of people committed to ending the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. To us, these seven students exemplify the leadership and dedication that is needed to change our world for the better.

This ride and the achievements of our students would not have been possible without friends like you. Thank you so much for everything that you did to support the 2010 Ride Against AIDS.

East Coast and Cupcakes!

2010-08-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

Our spirited team of seven is officially on the East Coast, with just one week remaining in their cross-country ride! Characterizing their experience over the last few days are two themes: dessert and conversation.

After leaving the Hegde family in Toledo, OH, our riders continued on to Pittsburgh, PA, where they stayed at the home of wonderfully gracious hosts Adrian and Nicole. The team was treated to great conversation and dinner on the patio, followed by dessert freshly made by the hosts' friend, one of Pittsburgh's best pastry chefs.

The riders then trekked to Delaware where they were hosted by John, a good friend of Partners In Health, and then continued on to our nation's capital.

While in Washington, D.C., they took time to see the sights and also to meet with Ronnie, mother of FACE AIDS co-founder Katie. Their delicious tapas dinner was filled with, of course, wonderful conversation about FACE AIDS' mission and the role of young people in driving social change. The next day, the team gave a presentation to the students, staff, and faculty of the Stanford In Washington House, as well as to Stanford alums in the area. They also had the chance to present at the D.C. Rotary Club.

Most importantly, rider Kirsten Pufahl made sure to take advantage of Washington, D.C.'s cupcake scene, including Hello Cupcake, Baked and Wired, and Georgetown Cupcakes.

Having enjoyed tasty desserts and great conversations with new friends, the Ride Against AIDS team is now passing through Philadelphia, staying at the church of Barbara and Elliott Waters. These lovely hosts even arranged for the team to get free bike tune ups! From Philly, they'll hit Princeton, NYC, Greenwich, Providence, and finally, Boston.

We'll be in touch again soon to announce the team's final fundraising totals (they're currently at $47,625!) and share with you their grand finale into Boston and the Partners In Health office. In the meantime, keep an eye on the team blog and rider Kirsten's blog.

Halfway There!

2010-08-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

In the time since our last Ride Against AIDS update, our team of seven crossed the halfway point of their 4,474 mile ride across America! They are currently in Toledo, OH, where they’ve enjoyed some much deserved rest with rider Shane Hegde’s family. In the coming weeks they’ll be traveling through Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Washington DC, New York, and Greenwich, before finishing their journey in Boston on August 19.

Over the last two weeks, the team saw many quiet days of rolling green hills in Iowa. They met up with Angy, a FACE AIDS member from Creighton University, and toured the state capital building in Des Moines, where they stayed at the home of Rick and Dena. A record 120 mile ride to Iowa City followed, full of country roads and wind turbines. Upon entering Illinois, the team rode to Batavia, home to the family of rider Kirsten Pufahl. A local newspaper highlighted Kirsten's journey and her stop at home. A rest day in Chicago gave all the chance to see a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.

All of the riders are safe and healthy. The only minor fiasco of the last two weeks was a frantic search for a misplaced car key, which was eventually found hiding behind a toaster.

Day 3593: "Rest" Day in Chicago

2010-07-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

Note: The gap blogs will be filled in shortly-we are experiencing technical difficulties and will be back on the air shortly.

The group split up yesterday for the rest day in Chicago. However, they all reunited, albeit in two groups, at The Friendly Confines, Wrigley Field. With help from donors, all seven members of the team were able to attend the Cubs-Cardinals game this afternoon, watching Sweet Lou's ballplayers romp the Cardinals 5-0. A day that saw Alfonso Soriano, a Lupatkin family favorite when with the Yankees, hit a home run and Albert Pujols, a Lupatkin family favorite although he made Tino Martinez obsolete, go 0-4 will truly prove to be memorable. Sitting in the bleachers, Shane, Claire, Sanford, Zane, and Jason proved to be a lively bunch, making conversation with the fans around and even the outfielders at one point. Unfortunately, although that conversation led to Marlon Byrd throwing Shane and Jason a ball after warming up, he may have become to energetic and enthused about the FACE AIDS mission; in fact, he overthrew our two matching boys and ended up hitting a clueless Zane in the end. Used mostly to holding pitchforks and other farming implements, Zane's calloused hands were no match for not-cow filled leather, as he quite literally dropped the ball, leaving Claire with an injured finger and the other riders filled with a seething, festering anger.

With "Go Cubs, Go" playing their heads, members of the team went their separate ways for dinner. Enjoying a delightful and delicious dinner at the Sullivan Household, courtesy of Tim and Sue, were Shane, Sanford, Claire, Jason, and Zane, while Mike and Kirsten head back to Batavia.

The night culminated with a 50 mile drive back to homebase in Batavia, where the team was forced to endure rough thunderstorms in the Mystery Machine. Fear not, however, as our meddling kids were able to weather the storm (get it?) and make it to the Pufahl Household in one piece.

PS An obvious many thanks to Kirsten's family for hosting the team and being as flexible as they have been.
PPS Yes, Joel, maybe they should have kept Soriano

Day 32: Life is a Highway…in the Middle of Nowhere Surrounded by Cornfields

2010-07-20T22:24:00.001-07:00

Leaving the Super 8, the bikers were bussed to Anita (10 miles away) in the Mystery Machine to begin the day where they left off. Country roads would be the choice asphalt for the day, and the scenery would be unlike anything our group had come across thus far faced.

Pushing away from Anita, the first 15 hilly miles of the trip were dotted with enormous wind turbines that would put even the Dutch windmills to shame. These skyscraping turbines helped us realize that one day we could solve the energy crisis, and dumping billions of barrels of useless oil into the Gulf of Mexico should be the first stop. Those executives at BP were brilliant!

Past the oversized fans, cornfields soon became more cornfields and the eye could only see a sea of green and yellow. Emptiness. Though this was far from any morbid emotion: mile upon mile of cornfields and farms formed the backbone of America. This was the land, the state that bred the highest average SAT scores for the last ten years. This was the real America: enormous, relentless, and oblivious that the world was becoming more and more technologically advanced.

Arriving in waves, Des Moines was introduced to us by the lovely Rick and Dena. Hearing about our ride from friends, the two willingly took in seven unshaved strangers, and gave us advice on the many sights of Des Moines. Learning from the two, our team traveled into the downtown area and was drawn closer and closer to the golden domed (extremely gaudy) state capital building. With snacks in hand, we sprawled out across the steps of the capital and watched the sun fall on the steel stalks of the city. Heading home to eat a delicious home cooked meal, our group was enthralled with the couples shared stories of their travels and college experiences (which, I might add were only a few years ago). The night of stories and laughter reminded us of summer nights back home with our friends, and as the light left the state of Iowa, we had all counted our blessings for such amazing hosts.

In talks before bed, the plan for tomorrow is to combine two days of biking and make it all the way to Iowa City. This 120 mile ride, would be the longest of our journey, and, to be honest, the odds are better for BP actually stopping the oil in the gulf than for us making this journey.

Day 31: Perfection Needs Few Words

2010-07-20T22:23:00.002-07:00

When you decide to bike across America, often times the thought of spending countless hours alone, pedaling over and over slips past the train of thought. You get caught up in the wonder and adventure, and forget that some days will simply be miserable.

On that extremely cynical note, if there ever were a ‘most boring day to blog about’ July 15th would take the cake. Yesterday’s turmoil left our professional cycling team ready for a spotless day of ridding, and the 60 miles of rolling hills through Iowa provided just that.

Upon crossing the graceful Bob Kearny pedestrian bridge spanning the Missouri River, the group rode straight into the countryside of Iowa, noting, “at least this state is greener than Nebraska?” Now this is usually the point in the blog where we make an over the top, half-truth joke about one of the riders, but, to be honest, no one had any significant issues on this day. No flats. No drama. No whining from Jason. Even Claire pedaled right on through these 5 hours of biking as if she were wearing a Livestrong bracelet and a yellow racing jersey.

Rolling into Anita, Iowa around 1p.m., our group quickly realized that the town of 900 had no campgrounds and that our mothers would kill us if we stayed at the ransacked motel located in the ‘downtown’ area. Piling into their unmarked van, the team turned west, and decided to spend the night in the already-passed city of Atlantic, Iowa (pop. 7257).

Perfect days are a blessing and a burden: they leave us with an usual sense of peace, but they lack the drama required for a memorable, ABC prime time television show. Des Moines, Iowa sat just 87 miles away from our Super 8, and with quiet souls our Brady bunch went to bed early in hopes of an early departure to the capital of Iowa.

Day 30: Chaos in the Cornhusker State

2010-07-20T22:23:00.001-07:00

With sizzling eggs and bacon draped across the table, and a lovely host serving more and more food onto our plates, it was extremely difficult to pack up and leave the Kennedy’s home in Lincoln. Mike and Jason were scheduled for Mystery Machine duties today, and as they packed the van, the rest of our star-studded team yawned at the thought of short, 45-mile bike ride to Omaha.

Now, if you haven’t picked up on the fact that we are often ill prepared for our journeys, you are either A) not reading the blogs thoroughly, or B) forgetting that we are a bunch of procrastinating, fast paced, college students. Well, that is except for Kirsten, who at 22 is just a few years away from nursing homes and discounts at the movies. Anywho, as history tells it, our 45-mile ride was actually a 90-mile ride (apparently Google maps screwed up the calculations?) and your favorite meddlesome kids had a few minor mix-ups along the way.

Leaving promptly at 9am, our first group of heroines, Kirsten, Claire, and Zane, somehow got lost in the wilderness of Nebraska’s cornfields, and wound up completely separated. Kirsten and Claire used their special, power-puff esque, telekinesis to reunite, but sadly, our favorite cowboy, Zane, was nowhere to be found. In other headlines, the dynamic duo of Sanford and Shane, which departed the Kennedy house at 10am, managed to pass by the confused threesome and rode into the outskirts of Omaha an hour before the others. With the riding team split up into three different teams, chaos was bound to transpire, and I will try to exaggerate it as much as possible to make sure that every mother begins to worry about our well being:

1. Kirsten and Claire somehow biked onto the highway and had to be picked up by the Mystery Machine
2. Zane suffered from severe dehydration in the 115 heat index day and was picked up after biking past our destination
3. Sanford accidentally biked into a pot hole and fell off his bike, adding some new marks to his jersey and skin
4. Shane was forced to ride the last 10 miles alone in hopes of carrying the face aids torch to its cauldron in Omaha

After finding diverse routes to the city, we were graciously taken in by Angy Schmidt who rehydrated us and gave to us man’s single greatest invention: air conditioning. Omaha’s famous Old Market provided the perfect location for a recuperation lunch, and after the meal, Shane decided to visit Creighton University while the others drove back to the nearby house.

Mother Nature just couldn’t let the day end smoothly, however, as the tornado sirens sounded around the downtown district as soon as the Mystery Machine pulled into the Schmidt driveway. Within minutes, the purple sky threw down buckets of sideways rain, calling Jason and Claire to run out and jump into puddles and forcing Shane to seek refuge with a Baptist Church group in the basement of the cathedral at Creighton. Amen.

After an hour, the storm began to roll its way across the Missouri River, and the worried team picked up the newly baptized Shane from his basement retreat. With heartbreak and heart attacks, the day’s excitement never stopped, and as nightfall came our entire group was ready to curl up into their sleeping bags. Tomorrow’s ride would be the beginning of the trek through Iowa, and everyone’s excitement would be left back with the wonders of the West.

Day 29: The Kennedys in Lincoln, NE

2010-07-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

Rising out of bed at the timely hour of 7 AM, For the first time in almost a week, our team had something to truly look forward to: We would finally have a true home to stay at courtesy of Walker and Diane Kennedy. Smiling joyfully at the thought of a warm bed and home-cooked meal the six riders hit the road early, planning on arriving at the Kennedy household as quickly as possible. As with most days, however, there were unpredictable obstacles on the road today.

In following with recent tradition, a direct headwind from the west provided the riders with serious speed issues, causing the 98 mile day to take longer than expected. Passing cornfields for the umpteenth day, our riders found themselves conversing on a variety of topics. From a discussion on the Branch Dravidians, triggered by passing a town called Waco, to an argument on the effectiveness of humor in conveying a point across, it has become evident that the team is simply running out of things to talk about. Hundreds of miles of corn are not exactly stimulating sights either.

The second drawback of the day? The team would finally be entering a city with a population greater than 17. The fact that the rider's presence would not affect the demographic counter on Wikipedia was proof for the entire team, including the San Franciscan and New Yorker, that Lincoln is truly a city to be reckoned with. Rolling into the arms of the welcoming Kennedys and their country club was the perfect end to the day, providing our riders with a welcome rest.

On that note, a special thanks goes out to the Lincoln Country Club and to the Taylors for joining us at dinner, providing us with valuable life advice, and simply amazing hospitality and company. After a scrumptious meal, in which we learned the secret Nebraskan style of adding butter to corn, Claire, Shane, Jason, Zane, and Kirsten chose to take a driving/walking tour of the capital. Imagine their surprise at "finding" an "open" door to the famous Memorial Stadium, home of the University of Nebraska football team. Sanford, Shane, and Jason ran some plays on the famous turf of the inferior Big Red while the others hung out around the stadium. Eventually the riders made their way to the comforts of their temporary home, Shane, Claire, and Jason ending the night with an in-depth conversation on life at Stanford and the purpose of college with their hosts.

With a medium-length ride ahead of them tomorrow to Omaha, our team hit the sack fairly early, eternally thankful for the selflessness shown by their hosts and looking forward to the, with hope sans wind, day ahead of them.

Day 28: A Snow Day with our Soccer Mom

2010-07-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

Monday’s weather forecast called for cats and dogs mixed with thunderstorms, and as the team closed their eyes on Sunday night, excitement was like that of an elementary school snow day: Homework was left unfinished, the heat was turned up, and everyone expected to have a relaxing day off. “I’m going to balance the checkbook all night since we don’t have to wake up early!” exclaimed the usually conservative Zane.

However, like many failed forecasts of the past, the rain held off and the riders were forced to pack their brown bags and go to school. “In my day, we never missed a day of school and we had to walk 10 miles to the bus stop,” reminisced the elderly Mike.

With flat roads ahead, the team wasn’t too dismayed by the surprise, taking their sweet time on their way out of the comfortable Holiday Inn. With Mike and Kirsten off to their usual early start, Claire, Sanford and Shane road out to catch them, and Jason attempted to get another five minutes of beauty sleep – unaware that he would need much more than sleep to fix his beautification issues.

Just as the riders were discussing the ease of the ride, Mother Nature had a chuckle and threw down a ferocious headwind that would surprise even Herman Melville's Captain Ahab. After 40 miles in the wind, the team took a break for lunch (offsetting their Sonic tradition with Subway) in downtown Gibbon, Nebraska. With another 40 plus miles ahead, the heavy hearts of the riders were lifted as they left Kearney and discovered that the wind had subsided.

Upon reaching Grand Island the team showered up and quickly headed out to grab some dinner. The exhausting 90 miles had taken all day, and the only thing on their minds was a scrumtrulescent meal. Pilled in the van, Momma Fish practiced her soccer mom skills and drove the team to Pizza Hut after their big ride. Handing out awards, pizza, and pop, Claire’s motherly colors shone brightest today, as she is now FACE AIDS certified to step into any PTA meeting and command charge.

Lincoln, Nebraska and a alumni home lie just under 100 miles away from our team, and after catching up with the world (and the blog) via the hotel’s internet, the team called the night early. Except for Sanford, who is still doing crunches and push-ups as I type these final words from the comforts of my bed.

Night mom.

Day 27: Hot Tubs and Vuvuzellas

2010-07-12T20:39:00.001-07:00

Sunday mornings remind Sanford of being dragged to church; They remind Shane of being dragged to the temple, Jason of being dragged to the synagogue, Zane the barn, and Claire the showers for her weekly bath. But, for the elderly, wise Kirsten and Mike, Sunday mornings represent another day to have fun before the workweek starts.

Fittingly, the five underclassmen slowly arose from their sleep in the Mystery Machine to the departure of Mike and Kirsten on the day’s 66-mile ride. The sophomores had slept in after a long night on the road, while the almost senior citizens took advantage of their days of rest and arose bright and early for the ride. In hopes to arrive in Lexington before the start of the World Cup final, the kids quickly jumped out of their bed sheets and threw on their biking gear. It took two months and a goal from Landon Donavon for soccer to become America’s national sport, but now that it was at its pinnacle in America, the boys would not miss out on the finale. With Claire, shockingly, deciding to drive the Mystery Machine, the team saddled up with a drive and determination to make the ride in three hours. Team Diversity, Sanford and Shane, pressed early in the game, trying scoring an early goal so that they could settle into the pace of the game later on. In accordance, Team Muscle Milk, Zane and Jason, sporting matching tank tops, decided to relax through the first part of the game and find a rhythm before they made any moves. Mike and Kirsten, the long time favorites, had an advantage in goal differential leading up to this final match, but with the determination of four pressing behind them, they dropped their cameras and took to each pedal with a new found determination.

Averaging more than 21 mph the entire day, the group stage was won by Sanford and Shane, as they only acquired a Green Card during their ride. The Cow’s “moos” rang louder than vuvuzellas as Zane and Jason were booed finishing up the last 10 miles in shame.

Momma Fish, had done well with her driving job, getting the tired teams a deal at the luxurious Holiday Inn Express and as soon as the teams pulled in they had Lunchables and a flat screen TV ready to go. As the always knowledgeable Jason taught the team about the sport of soccer, though he hasno idea how to play the game himself, the Spaniards scored their goal and the referee had successfully screwed the Dutch out of their trophy. Sanford, noticeably upset by the entire fiasco, stormed out of the room ranting, “Team Jacob should have made the finals! He is much cuter than those Dutchmen!”

With the game over, and Zane’s muscles finally sore, the group took a relaxation session in the hotels hot tub and pool. And, after spending hours in the water, the pruny bunch finally had more wrinkles than Claire. With pool time came an ever-growing rumble in their stomachs, and the team hopped back into the Mystery Machine in hopes of finding a local eatery for dinner.

Lexington’s relatively high percentage of Hispanic Americans (over 50% of the population) and southern environment truly made Shane feel at home. With his newly purchased cowboy hat and freshly grown mustache, Mr. Hegde led the team to San Pedros for a traditional Mexican dinner. After many a Margarita and countless Tequila shots, the group stumbled back to the Holiday Inn with Chingy fashion and headed to bed to prepare for their 77-mile day to metropolis of Grand Island, NE.

Day 26: The Land Before Time

2010-07-12T20:33:00.001-07:00

From the riders: The day began interestingly with Shane and Jason confessing to Sanford their desire to read Twilight, however lacking security in their masculinity, the pair decided against it. Shane settled to watching Lizzie Maguire reruns and Jason proceeded to consume 8 cans of Muscle Milk in attempt to compensate for even considering the idea.

And now on to the story…

Biking across America, you learn many valuable life lessons. One of which is how to maximize your dollar at tourist locations. After wasting more than enough of our cash in the carnival town that is Moab, Utah, we approached Mt. Rushmore with a new sense of direction. There was no need to pay $20 for a tour of the caves, the idea of a $50 helicopter ride sounded pointless, and it seemed unheard of to pay $30 to go to a reptile farm.

With a prudent nature imparted on us by Claire and Jason’s heritage, we left our regal hotel for another attempt at understanding the limestone faces and surrounding worshipers. With Jason’s Lincoln-esque facial hair leading us in discussion, we argued in true Stanford fashion the topics of the call to serve, citizenship, and the meaning of the stone faces. Agreeing only to disagree, our group finally pushed away from this national memorial and drove to one of another kind. Just 10 miles away from Mt. Rushmore is the Crazy Horse National Memorial and Native American National Museum. Not funded by federal money, it is truly a wonder that the monument is still under construction. The carving in the limestone of the black hills will depict Sioux chief Crazy Horse riding a, presumably crazy, horse. More interesting than Crazy Horse, however, is the next door statue called “Crazy Train.” Although ground has yet to be broken on this monolith, this next work will feature Ozzy Osborne, a real American icon. Though it is still unfinished, the “fifth face” made us rethink what it means to be American, and in following again with Jason and Claire’s heritage we chose to sit outside the park and study the work instead of paying $80 to enter.

Heading on a windy route back to North Platte, we tried to maximize our time and see as many of the sights in South Dakota as we could—despite the size of the state, this would prove fairly simple given there are only three attractions in the (cleverly named, might I add) “Mt. Rushmore State.” After our traditional Sonic lunch, we drove through Badlands National Park against Jason’s criticism. “Look, a mountain is a mountain, hills are hills, and Badlands will look exactly like Utah except it will be green instead of red.” To his dismay. however, the stone castles scattered throughout this national park were worth the drive and looked nothing like the canyons of Utah because they were green.

As children of the 90’s, this “Great Valley” reminded us of the hit animated film Land Before Time and we peered around each curve in the road with a childlike fervor only rivaled by Claire’s daily tantrums. Stopping to explore, the timid, somewhat cowardly pterodactyl Petri (named Jason in our saga) was coerced by the rough and tough triceratops Cerra (Sanford) to run across the salt flats and heard cows. With Moos louder than the roar of a T-Rex, the two frolicked through the fields as Ducky (Shane), Spike (Zane), Kirsten (to old to have a animated character name), and Little Foot (ha ha, think about the irony of Claire being named Little Foot) walked along the flats to find rocks.

Reconvening back at the car, the team traveled back into reality and began working their way back through the park. Apparently, though, the angered cows had texted some of their friends and set up a “Cattle against Jason and Shane” facebook group. However the means, word spread about the dynamic duo and after a couple miles of driving the car came to a sudden halt as it was surrounded by a heard of more than a hundred cattle. Transforming out of his Mexican state by removing the power of Zane’s cowboy hat, Shane referred back to his Hindu tradition to pray to the cows for forgiveness. With the power of the Ramayana, Shane managed to convince the cows to let the poor riders free, and they slowly marched away, leavening only hundreds of flies and a terrible stench behind them.

Determined to see a wild bison, the team ventured into the neighboring Buffalo National Park for Land Before Time IV (does anyone know why they used roman numerals in this movie? We had no all had no idea what they meant as kids). In the park, Kirsten, in true Eliza Thornberry Fashion, asked some of the local Prarie Dogs if they knew Timone from Lion King, while Zane, Sanford, and Claire all watched as Jason and Shane got in touch with their Old West Roots. In true Buffalo Bill fashion, the two got within 15 feet of the enormous Bison at the park, before the animals decided that enough was enough. Divorce and a debt ridden life flashed by Jason’s eyes as he realized that the stomping foot of the Bison could mean the end of his road. Managing to escape with only their lives, the two jumped back into the getaway vehicle and headed out of the Taft-financed national park.

In conversations with the always insightful Mr. Fisher, father to the much lesser insightful Claire Fisher, we were told to visit Wall, South Dakota on our way home. Wall is known as the “Window to the West” and is surrounded by an 80 mile radius of nothingness. In Wall, is the Wall Drug Store, made famous in the early twentieth century by providing free ice water to travelers heading west. This indoor mall/saloon/western Wal-mart provided Shane with an opportunity to acquire his own cowboy hat, gave Zane a chance to get some postcards, Jason a moment to get in touch with his Amish roots, Claire a reason to avoid eating, Kirsten a setting for more pictures, and Sanford with the realization that old is not better than new and Romeo and Juliet not as well written as Twilight.

Departing the historic mall, our exhausted bunch piled into the van one last time for the four hours left in the drive. Mother nature, desperate to teach us one last lesson before we left Dakota, provided us with a demonstration of her power as she thrust a electric lightening show miles ahead of us, a beautiful countryside sunset behind us, and a double rainbow in the rain directly in front of us. The scene was something out of a movie, as we drove on one of the loneliest roads in America through the multitude of conditions.

Day 25: Memories on the Road

2010-07-12T20:31:00.001-07:00

Thus far, we have not met a single Nebraskan who has complimented their state. During last nights dinner at a local Saloon, even the waitress exclaimed, “just turn around and go back to Colorado as fast as you can.” Not only is Nebraska the most boring state in the Union but it in fact smells the worst as well.

Smiles brimming with enthusiasm, our group arose at the Roadway Inn in Ogallala prepared to bike the 52 miles to North Platte. Farmboy Zane, used to waking up before the sun rises, was the first out the door, as Shane, Sanford, Claire, and Jason all decided to get some extra shuteye. While a sick Kirsten and Mike pushed away in the Mystery Machine, the half-asleep foursome jumped back on to highway 30 for another leg past Nebraskan cornfields, cows, and trains. The always intellectually stimulated Jason, in an attempt to perfect his short-term memory, gave names to all 163-train cars that steamed past the bunch in great American fashion.

Arriving in North Platte just in time for lunch, our tumultuous group decided to take on its biggest task yet: cleaning out the van. From mold to hitch hikers, our van was stuffed to the brim with unnecessary amenities, and the two hours spent thoroughly cleaning each nook and cranny were well spent. Most importantly, after hosing down the van, the group was able to convince Claire that she needed a wash as well – paying the car wash company an additional $20 to send Claire through the much needed foam and bubbles will absolutely prove to be worthwhile use of FACE AIDS stipend.

After sharing pizza for lunch, our group jumped in their shady, unmarked white van and began their rest day with a 6-hour drive to visit Mt. Rushmore. With Mike deciding to stay in North Platte to service his bike and catch up on his movie watching, the remaining six riders were dazzled by the emptiness of Nebraska and South Dakota. Wikipedia said that the Great Plains would be flat, but none had prepared themselves for the miles of American land that lay lifeless before their eyes. 80 miles away, the team could see the Black Hills on the horizon, and with the help of U2, the team flew through the countryside where the streets have no names. After a long day on the road, it wasn’t long before the team had ascended the evergreen covered hills and laughed past the touristy town to see the faces of four American heroes etched in stone. Sitting among almost a thousand American citizens ft. Shane in the open-air auditorium, the team truly enjoyed the presentation by Smoky the Bear. With differing views on the night, the group managed to come together in their mutual desire for a bed and some food. Posing as a boy with family in Mumbai, Shane managed to find relations with the workers at the hotels front desk and the team struck a deal for two rooms at the highly acclaimed President’s View Resort. Mind you that any “Resort” in South Dakota is still a resort in South Dakota, and in opening up the blinds in their cozy rooms, the team chuckled at the picturesque view of a stone wall five feet in front of them.

With a hectic day past them, the inspired/ confused/ frustrated/ patriotic team collapsed on their beds and dreamt of what was to come. Their rest day in South Dakota had lots of promise, and they all swore to not leave the state without first taking a glimpse at the Americas true hero: The North American Bison.

Day 24: LeBron Cements His Decision

2010-07-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

Now that we have fully recuperated from Lebron Jame’s shocking announcement on Thursday that he would be joining the Miami Heat and selling out on his hometown while renouncing the greatest city in the world at the same time, we are prepared to present you, our hungry readers with an update on our ride.

Rising from the comfort of their cramped and rough Ramada Inn beds in Sterling, the team was ready to hit the road for another 100+ mile day. The ride to Ogallala was predicted to be downhill and mostly flat; however, the reconnaissance team consisting of Shane and Jason that hit the road first brought texts of dismay. Not only would the ride be hilly, but the scenery as well would prove to be a downer. During a water break, the two were approached by a group of large, yet friendly cattle. Speaking only a few common words, specifically “moo,” the boys proceeded to start a game of tag with their new friends. As Momma Fish always says, “These things can end only with someonbody getting hurt.” The somebody in this case? The cows who ran across the highway and were massacred brutally by oncoming traffic.

Just kidding!!

No cows were harmed in the writing of this blog or on the course of this trip, save for those Jason orders for dinner and doesn’t finish.

On with our story: Kirsten was the day’s driver, chauffeuring Mike and his injured steed (read:bike). Sanford, Zane, and Claire left soon after the recon squad, catching up to the two of them as they “cowed” around. Hahahaha. Making use of a road currently closed to vehicles, the five riders continued to perfect their slipstreaming and drafting, adding in some three-man weave to the mix. Knowing they would be unable to stop running the drill until making 15 layups in a row, Shane, Jason, and Zane took over shooting duties. With a becoming-sick Sanford cheering from the bench and Claire attempting to boss the boys around as usual, our big three sunk the final shot and found a Subway waiting for them. Move over Lebron! After enjoying a fine meal, a paler and dehydrated Sanford joined Mike and Kirsten in the van to rest and the four riders head out to finish the final leg of the day’s journey.

Before they left subway, Mike and Kirsten had a very informative conversation with a local, Jesse, who has spent his entire 66 years living on the Nebraska side of the Colorado-Nebraska border. “My best advice,” he started, “get out of Nebraska as fast as you can.”

Finding his insights on life engaging and stimulating, the two finally hit the road some time later, only to come across an odd sight—a knee-deep concrete-dipped Jason. You see, the always adventurous New Yorker was so used to breaking the law, that upon biking up to a construction site, he instantaneously was compelled to push past the bright orange pylons plastered with “no trespassing.” As our aspiring Huck Finn brilliantly biked in uncharted territory, he accidentally rolled across some freshly poured cement and sank down to his knees mid-pedal. With workers screaming at him in words only Shane could understand, Jason flagged down the van and tried desperately to use whatever available water to wash his shoes and bike clean of the fast-drying construction material. Surely, Mr. Stein is sitting somewhere reading this and chuckling to himself. With the aid of a cement-mixer driver, Jason was able to hose himself down and rescue his horse. While Shane and Zane biked past and laughed at the hilarity of the image, Mike, Kirsten, and Sanford managed to stifle their giggles until it was clear that there would apparently be no permanent damage to the bike.

Although Zane and Shane’s dreams of frolicking with the cows were crushed by a necessary detour into Ogallala, the two enjoyed each others company as they discussed contemporary trends in the cowboy hat industry. Such riveting conversation truly made the ride fly by, and the two found themselves relaxing in the comfort of their rooms in Ogallala in no time. Recently showered Jason and never showered Claire, however, overshot the target by about 8 miles and were picked up by an effervescent Mike farther down the road.

Overall the day’s ride, though long and fraught with monotonous scenery provided our riders with what has so far been deemed the most entertaining of the entire trip: Jason, knee deep in cement, with no clue on whether or not he would be sealed in his bike shoes for all eternity. While the streets of New York may have prepared him for mob hits and dumps into the Hudson River, nothing would be able to compare to his feeling of stupidity after falling into that pit.

And now, the answers to the trivia questions:

1) 3792 children under the age of thirteen are estimated to be living in the USA with AIDS

2) The sarcastic paragraph was the Last one.

Somehow, nobody managed to answer these questions correctly. In fact, nobody attempted to answer them at all. With that in mind, consider the next week’s trivia questions as a provisional testing period to determine the value of trivia.

Days 22-23: Pure Bliss

2010-07-07T23:54:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, daily blog posts have not been the norm for some time now. Our visionary writers attribute this to the nature of the employment market: the truth of the matter is that Shane and Jason have become so nerve-wracked by the ongoing free agency of Lebron James that neither can sleep, eat, or, at any rate, blog. ESPN’s persistent coverage of every minor rumor regarding James’ future home has truly proven useful to our restless riders as their only sustenance.

With that in mind, please excuse potential spelling errors in the following piece of literary genius:

Waking up in the homey Stein house immediately made the team forget about its accommodations at the Ritz the night before. Well, maybe nobody will ever forget the Ritz Jacuzzi, but that doesn’t mean the team wasn’t continually amazed by the Stein’s help with all things, from breakfast to route planning and even pool lessons. Nonetheless, our riders awoke for a white water rafting trip down the world famous Clear Creek . As everyone made it groggily to the van, Zane sans cowboy hat for once, Shane sans identification papers, Claire sans makeup, Jason sans a shirt, and Sanford clearly “con” Twilight book, the team could only wonder if they would be able to ford the river without losing any oxen.

As usual, our team was more than satisfied with its rafting decision. Providing a challenge to our Stanford Rowers equitable to breaking 1:40.00 on a twenty minute erg test, the Class 3 and 4 rapids were more difficult than anything our riders had ever encountered. The trip, a lengthy 1.5 hours long, was filled with overly strenuous exercise, incredible conversation, and countless water breaks.

Those of us who had rafted before were disappointed; those who had not somewhat close-mindedly pledged never to make the mistake again. However, the entire rafting experience was not a waste—the trip was saved by the engaging talk our riders gave to the owner of the company about FACE AIDS and its microloan programs. It is true that even the roughest stone reflects some light. Thanks to excellent discussion, our rafting experience was, put simply, unforgettable.

Tuesday ended with amazing lasagna courtesy of the Steins. At the kids table sat Zane, Sanford, and Shane, a dinner party that quickly descended into chaos. When Zane refused to allow Shane to wear his cowboy hate, Shane took the oranges he brought to dinner from the plates of his tablemates. Zane ended up chasing Shane out of the house, over the fence, and across the Aurora Reservoir/Gulf, back into the undeveloped land south of the Stein household. Meanwhile, oblivious as usual was good old “Sanny” who continued to read Twilight and ponder the next location to place his smoothie cup. While Shane emigrated from the Stein’s, Jason and Claire enjoyed dinner with Mr and Mrs Stein. Wise, clever, and always witty, Mr Stein provided the lost New Yorker with directions home and advice on how to live a good life: Step 1/1 Renounce the Yankees and give up on the Knicks. As Claire tried to spirit away some lasagna so as to reverse-engineer it later, Jason simply nodded his head, ignoring every word out of Mr Stein’s mouth.

Finally, our team hit the hay, ready for its big (130 mile) ride the next day. Clearly the journey to Sterling, CO would be a wake-up call for out rested and lazy riders. Beset by tire problems and dreary skies, our riders found themselves resting on the side of the road for some time, discussing international politics, the potential for FACE AIDS expansion, and English tea. While Mike and Kirsten found their own Sacajaweas to aid them on their winding journey, the rest of the team played a round of the children’s game of GHOST. Despite Zane’s unique spelling prowess and Shane’s arguing for the acceptance of “mañana,” the game was quickly wittled down to our two contestants of the Book, Jason and Claire. Jason made short work of his cross-country rival, once more asserting New York’s dominance over San Francisco.

Eventually, the entire team made it successfully to Sterling. With high spirits after a truly rewarding, renewing, and purely amazing day, the team looks forward to the endless cornfields of Nebraska with an anxious fervor. Tomorrow, the ride to Ogallala, NE will be a mere 89 miles, providing no challenge at all for our always energized and enthusiastic team.

Belated Fourth of July Trivia: How many children under the age of 13 in the USA are estimated to be living with AIDS?

Bonus Question: One paragraph in this blog post is completely sarcastic. Can you guess which? (Hint: Replace the letter “f” in fast to find out!!!!)

Days 20 & 21: Ammmm-errr-ica

2010-07-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

Before beginning to tell the epic that has been our rest days in Denver, we would like to formally apologize to our loyal fan base. We could use the "we are biking across America and don't have internet" excuse or the "Claire grounded us" explanation, but, at the end of the day, the blogs have not been as prevalent or timely due to poor time management -Yes, I said college students with poor time management skills. We wake up, bum arround all day, and at 12 am realize that no one has written the blog yet. Our B world, our B (to the elderly: "B" is a slang term for bad, which is a slang term for "fault," so I just said "I am sorry, it is our fault").

As history has written it, the story began on July 4th, with the fantastic four being deserted in the city of Denver for three days of rest. Mike had gone back to Wyoming, Europe for his friends wedding; Kirsten discovered and stayed with Waldo in Boulder, Co; and the social queen, Claire Fisher, hung out with one of her 1,125 facebook friends in Vail, CO. Though the motherly love held inside the Kelsall home could never be replicated, Sanford, Zane, Shane, and Jason desperately tried to solace themselves with a stay at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Denver. Thanks to the group’s business sense, and an affable manager named Jason Arrington (much better dressed than our Jason), the four were graciously given two rooms for an immensely discounted price. They had slept in the deserts of Nevada, the canyons of Utah, and the mountain passes of Denver, but, to be honest, nothing has prepared them for the pillow-top beds and feather pillows of the Ritz.

In true American fashion, after showering in their own personal tubs and steam showers, the boys headed out to the Colorado Rockies baseball game against the San Francisco Giants. Realizing that they had traveled across four states, only to attend a game they could have watched back home in San Francisco, the Hardy Boys tried to make the best of their mysterious adventure. Shane wanted to solve the case as to why Americans loved Slumdog, but don’t give the Indian’s game of cricket a chance. Twilight savant, Sanford, went people watching to make sure that there were no gremlins, werewolves, vampires, or teen heartthrobs in the bleachers of the stadium. USDA certified, Nor CAL farm hand Zane Silver was fixated on the grass of the stadium and tried to determine the origin of each blade. And, most importantly, Jason attempted to stay cool in a baseball stadium that lacked the obnoxious fans, absurd amenities, and grimy walkways that he is used to in New York.

The game was a thriller and would go down in history as the longest game ever remembered in the intoxicating brewery formally known as Coors Field. Post game, the boys took naps at the hotel and ate dinner at the renowned eatery of hometown hero John Elway. Though “Elway’s” made up for its amazing food with terrible service, the night of Independence was filled with gothic nightclubs, free limo rides, and lectures on Sub-Saharan Africa from cab drivers.

As America woke up one year older, the gang laid in their ultra comfortable beds and debated prolonging their stay. In the end, the distressed bunch finally managed to get out of their beds and were forced to call the bell hop up to pack their bags and take them down to the car. Those poor kids! The group was scheduled to stay with Shane’s family friends, the Stein family, for the next two days, and with their car freshly cleaned the four headed out to Aurora, CO for their final two days of rest. Arriving at the Stein’s home, the boys thought that they had accidently driven back to the Ritz. The beautiful home lay on edge of the Aurora Reservoir, and the Rockies etch-a-sketched a perfect skyline vista from the second floor patio. Mr. and Mrs. Stein, along with their son Nate and daughter Lindsey, complimented their welcoming home with friendly humor, and Mr. Stein’s love for the Red Sox even cracked THE Jason Lupatkin. In fact, in finding out that Jason was a Yankee fan, the Massachusetts bred Stein family was kind enough to let Jason sleep outside, within their fence, so that Coyotes would not eat him at night.

Relaxing in the Stein household on the 5th was the perfect ending to the first third of our journey. The sense of home refreshed all of us - with family discussions on the couch and a mother's seasoning of love on dinner - but, most memorable, was the Stein’s overall approach to life. Four strangers, later featuring Claire, had come into their home, and within hours, they were treated as part of the family. Every amenity was offered, every bed was given, and the nature of our hosts will always stick with us. We are slowly learning that it is the people of this land that make this country special - It is families like the Mongas, Gartons, the Kelsalls, and the Steins who give everything they can to others and treat all like their kinship. FACE AIDS and nonprofits in this country have the opportunity to make a difference because of these families, and waking up each day underneath a new roof each day has reminded us that we are lucky to live in the friendly, amber waves of grain that are America.

Days 18 & 19: It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times

2010-07-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

There comes a moment in every half way to being middle aged man's life, where he realizes that, officially, his childhood is over. The door to Mr. Rogers' playhouse closes, the ferries stop taking people to Gulla Gulla Island, and you have to be on drugs to think a purple dinosaur can talk. This moment of clarity dropped the curtail on our childhood, tonight, as our group watched Toy Story 3: We laughed, we cried, and as Vanessa Carlton would say, "if I could fall into the sky, do you think time would pass me by?"

Friday's sun rose with a newfound relaxed approached to our ride: we decided that, at the end of the day, we were going to make it across this country in 67 days no matter how early, or late, we woke up in the morning. 7:30am, quickly became 10:00am, and as we waved goodbye to the Garton's Lincoln-esque cabin, our team braced themselves for the world renowned Vail Pass. Weaving up and around the brute of the Rockies, this pass is known for swallowing riders faster than when Claire inhales her daily bowl of fruit. 40 miles of climbing and 30 miles of mountain pass trails, separated our team from our destination of Keystone, CO (located beside beautiful Lake Dillon) and as we began the day's ride optimism was at an all time low.

From Jason's first wrong turn out the driveway, it was clear that the ride to Keystone would prove to be an interesting one. While Shane and Claire chose to be safe and ride together, Sanford, Zane and Jason motored ahead, hoping to outrace the rain clouds and finish the day's climb quickly. However, our three musketeers would find that their biggest obstacle on the road to Friday's destination would not be steeply ascending bike paths but a go-kart course and the Colorado River. Upon reaching the town of Copper, in the middle of Nowhere, CO, our FACE AIDS uniformed riders were approached by a family of Stanford alums. After discussing FACE AIDS and the purpose of the ride for some time, Sanford, known for his keen alertness especially on the road, noticed a track in the distance. Would our riders be able to resist the temptation of mid-day go-karting?

Obviously not. Despite talking to Arthur, the owner of the karting operation, about the ride, the boys were unable to secure their favorite cars. Zane, obviously, should have been Donkey Kong, but instead was given Peach due to his flowing locks of hair. Upon realizing that Edward from Twilight was not, and never will be, a playable character in any respectable video game, Sanford chose Wario simply because he has teeth that kind of sort of look like those of a vampire. Not really though. Finally, Jason requested the strong-willed, never-questioned Bowser, but, instead, was given the role of the lanky plumber Luigi. After seven laps on the rainbow level that everyone falls of off, Luigi used his weight advantage to navigate past a lagging Wario. With time running out, Peach dropped three banana peels with the hope of protecting her leading position. Unfortunately for our princess, a gopher from the days of "Moo Moo Farm" sprung up, decapitating the lovely Peach and allowing Luigi a well-earned victory. Realizing after returning to their actual bodies that they had no idea how to get to Keystone from Peach's Castle, the boys asked and received help from Steve and his wife Sue, experienced bikers eager to learn about the Ride Against AIDS. Following a half-hour discussion of FACE AIDS activities on the Stanford campus and their relationship to pin-making program in Africa, the "S-Couple" offered our riders advice and steered them on their way.

While shells were being fired in Copper, more interesting events occurred with our other riders. Shane suffered a flat tire immediately after finishing the uphill and was forced to bellydance his way into town to await pick up. With one leg and one tire, our heart and soul believed it wise to call the day early and live to fight another battle. One rider Shane will receive no pity from for Friday's hardships is the famous Momma Fish II. Treating the ride like a crew race, Claire pedaled and pedaled without any idea as to where she was heading. Unfortunately for the experienced stroke seat, Claire forgot that she had no coxswain to direct her: In the end, Momma Fish II wound up biking an extra 20 miles on the day, leaving her angry and ready to erg her pain away.

Sanford, Jason, and Zane were not the only members of the group to have good Fridays--Kirsten, forever an trooper, accomplished a feat unparalleled in history. Through the masses of thousands of red and white-striped clad people on the roads of Colorado, she somehow managed to do what the visually-impaired Shane has always dreamed of: she found Waldo. Apparently, Waldo travels with a companion named Bobby always and prefers to be called Wally. Reveling in her success, Kirsten found herself anxiously awaiting Saturday's ride with Wally and Bobby, so much so that she chose to hit the hay early in order to lead the charge into Denver.

The branches of the Stanford Tree did not need to extend very far to find us housing in Keystone, as Alex Kelsall, a dorm-mate of Claire and Shane, volunteered to host the group of 7 at his families winter cottage. Pulling into the beautiful home, Mike and Shane unloaded the car, and Mike was picked up by a friend to attend a wedding during the holiday weekend. For the second day in a row, the FACE AIDS team and somehow landed a beautiful home with amazing views of the surrounding mountain passes. And, as fate would have it, as Shane and Alex looked into the basin of one of these mountain passes, they saw Zane, Sanford, and Jason pull in next to the Colorado river. Instantaneously, as if Barry White was playing in the background, Shake-Weight certified user Zane Silver threw off his riding shirt and dove into the rolling Colorado River that ran next to the bike path.

Eventually, we all made it to the comfort of the Kelsall Keystone Kottage. After taking our traditional read/nap/listen to Jason three song playlist on repeat session, our group pilled into the car for a nice dinner beside Lake Dillon. Though the food was sub-par, the conversation was splendid and, in the end, at least Zane was able to give the waitress his cell phone number. Purposely forgetting the boxed food at the restaurant, your favorite riders reconvened beside the fireplace for a night of laughter and route planning.

On Saturday morning, accompanied by her newfound entourage, Kirsten lead the infamous climb up Loveland Pass by leaving thirty minutes before scheduled departure time. With this news permeating his REM cycle, Jason made a conscious decision to sleep in for two more hours. After the representative from New York was finally pulled out of bed, Claire had emailed enough nonexistent people about not important things, and Zane had finished applying his camera-friendly makeup, the three stragglers finally hit the road. These three would soon find themselves separately, attacking Loveland Pass in their own ways. While Zane rode his tamed goat up and Claire de-stressed by erg-biking, Jason jerked his way to the 11990 foot summit--the highest point on our entire ride. Ten minutes and forty photos later (You didn't think Zane would waste an opportunity, did you now?), our riders felt the chill and cruised down the mountain. Drafting and slipstreaming, the three truly felt "safety in numbers." Thirty miles of downhill later, the team was extremely close to its lodgings for the night.

While the riders actually did something of importance/meaning, Sanford and Shane pulled into the Kelsall's Denver home to stay another night with this selfless family. Hobbling out of the car, Shane was immediately swarmed by Mrs. Kelsall, an unbelievable pediatrician, who had him on a couch, taking medicine, whiling icing, and on the phone with a orthopedic doctor within 15 minutes of their arrival at the house. It was worse than the storm of Omaha Beach, as the stunned rider had been surprised by the unwavering love that Mrs.Kelsall kept deploying. Sanford took the time to explore the Kelsall House, finding a stash of Twilight memorabilia to stare at for hours.

As the two drivers relaxed, Claire, Zane and Jason found themselves drawn to the Denver Federal Center. Scoping out the buildings on the fenced-in property for an hour, the three waited until they had found weak points in the perimeter defenses to alert the Pentagon about before calling for pickup. Sitting by the side of the government property, our riders were then picked up by an unmarked white van driven by Shane and Sanford, the sight of which relieved the hundreds of federal agents surveilling our apparently-snooping riders.

After tidying up and futile attempts to force Shane to shave in order to keep our phones untapped, Mr. and Mrs. Kelsall teamed up to make the riders an amazing BBQ dinner with more fresh fruit than even the organic, our state is going to save the world even though we are broke, super green Californian riders knew what to do with. It was interesting to juxtapose this family dinner with last nights meal because not only was it cheaper, but the dusk's ambiance against our table on the Kelsall's deck was just enough to help us realize that we could finally relax. The worst of the ride is behind us. We had suffered through the lonely roads of Nevada, escaped the missionaries in Utah, and climbed the Rockies of Colorado. "It's only downhill from here," exclaimed Sanford as he pushed one more burger down out of sight.

Tomorrow, our group will split up once again, with Mike at the wedding, Kirsten heading to Boulder, Claire visiting friends in Vail, and the four lone rangers exploring the sites of downtown Denver. For now, our team has been put back in the toy chest. Andy has forgotten about us, hidden us in crates with his Beanie Babies and Lego action figures. But, it is only time (more like 2 days) before the the air of childhood will blow open the hatch and our team will reunite to ride on and finish the mission we began.

Day 18: Rolling On Into Colorado

2010-07-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

We got an early start this morning, pushing off from the hotel at 7:30. Shane, not surprisingly, decided not to join us for the day and it was great to not have another fresh face in the group! The day's route called for 48 miles of mostly uphill riding with maybe 3,000 feet of gained elevation. 25 miles in we reached an overpass. It was nice. The van met us there, we posed for some pictures with the Colorado River and headed on out.

Eight miles later we paused to take in the scenery and consider our mission. Shane stayed in the van, while we riders lamented our decision not to eat, fell into the Colorado, and took a half hour nap. When we finally got up we rode on and finished the last 25 miles or so. Ten miles later we were ten miles closer to our destination. The hills were green, but rolled all the way into Edwards (unfortunately, we ended on the uphill!).

We arrived in Edwards, CO around 12:30. It's a semi-large town, but is loaded with charm. The buildings are snowcapped and the people are friendly, especially our host Lulu Garton and her daughter Bailey. Additionally, the river that runs parallel to the town makes for a great outdoors area. The team gladly sat in the comfort of the couches of our second Garton host for a half hour or so. The conversation was enjoyable but we managed to find some topics of mutual interest that rose slightly out of the murky water of our thoughts, allowing us to all enjoy the beautiful July sun.

We just returned from a wonderful dinner, courtesy of our hosts and are enjoying a quiet evening in our amazing home, fit for the critics of Log Home Design Ideas Magazine (See 1998) that we are staying in. Tomorrow we climb 3000 feet up over Vail Pass then descend into Keystone. It's about 50 more miles and the grade is gradual, but we are going to sleep in a bit and see the 2nd of July sun that I’m told rises in the east and sets in the west.

I suppose this is officially the middle of the Rocky Mountains. Since the beginning of the trip people have been wishing us luck on the Rockies, but frankly (I could possibly eat these words) I'm not that intimidated. We just spent the past 2.5 weeks in the mountains; in Nevada it was not uncommon to do hundreds of flat miles in a day. So even though you are wondering why this is clearly plagiarized writing from last year, I think it should be very understandable that we are simply at a loss for time. Not easy, mind you, but not devastatingly difficult. Check back in a week to see if the sun's position holds true!

Today's Trivia Question: 100% of the funds raised through Face AIDS are matched by private donors and thrown behind the work of what organization? (Hint: Paul Farmer founded this organization while still a medical student). (10 points)

Day 17: A Couple's Massage

2010-06-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Rocky Mountains are like that really attractive girl from junior high school: She is beautiful, she knows she’s beautiful, and, because of that, she is going to make the developmental stage in your life a living hell.

After a day duller than a 156 game Wimbledon match, today’s uphill ride proved to be a welcome relief from the absence of excitement. Although our team has handled days much more challenging than today’s 3000 ft climb/ill-designed shoulder treads/stand still traffic, the miniscule annoyances made today’s 80 mile journey a drawn out affair.

The morning began with a beat, as Shane’s tonsils clearly still felt the after-effects of his accident and his painkillers and kept the entire team awake with his snoring. Through Shane’s air horn, our tireless riders somehow managed to wake up at 6:00 AM to begin the day. Mike and Kirsten left first, continuing in their tradition of being perhaps the only riders who truly appreciate the scenery we pass by. It seems as though the two of them always manage to point out some important landmark missed by the fitness freaks that are Zane, Sanford, and Jason (ha ha, okay… you got me… Jason is still a wana-be fitness freak). As the sun rose higher, the rest of the group managed to navigate its way out of the Mesa State College campus, putting all five riders on the road at about 7:30 AM.

Smooth sailing carried our riders through to the fifty-mile marker and Zane’s wonderful turkey and mayonnaise sandwiches stripped the championship belt off of Claire’s waste and gave him the esteemed position of “best sandwich maker.” During lunch, each rider slowly began to realize that there were splendid hotel rooms awaiting them at the Glenwood Springs Hotel (courtesy of an anonymous and very generous alum), and we all chose to push hard to the spa, cutting lunch short. Despite the repaving of the roads, all five riders arrived in Glenwood by 2:00 PM, leaving just enough time for a dip in the Hot Springs next to the hotel.

Realizing that they would not be sharing beds for the first time in over a week, Shane and Jason chose to do whatever it took to continue their budding friendship. Due to Jason’s o-so-hilarious sense of humor, the answer to this was in a couples’ hot stone massage at the Glenwood Springs Spa –it should be noted that Jason made the reservation, while Shane had no idea it was a couples message until his name card read “Shane Lupatkin.” As Sanford, Zane, Claire and the gang laughed from the pool, the two Lupatkins enjoyed one another’s company and the finest touch Colorado has to offer.

Post rub down, the A-Team reassembled to head out for a large steak dinner at Juicy Lucy's, courtesy of another very generous alum. Today’s anonymous donations to our ride really hit home as our group dressed up, ate well, and enjoyed one another’s company at our family dinner. We each bike at least 4 hours a day, and have way to much time on our hands to think about the definition of service, but it truly has been the helping hands along the way that have taught us the most about giving back.

Tomorrow, we will pedal another 4,000 ft up the Rockies to Vail, CO to stay with the Garton Family. We have a tent, we have more than enough canned food, but because of the many acts of kindness we have received so far on our journey, none of the above have been needed.

Day 16: A Sepia Day in "The Colorful State"

2010-06-29T22:41:00.001-07:00

After more than two weeks of travel, it's funny how a 40 mile cycling day can seem like a simple ride through the neighborhood to a friend's house.

Opening our eyelids at separate times, the gang formerly known as Mystery Inc. had many different plans for the morning. Kirsten and Mike woke up at 7:30 am to roll into Arches National Park to capture some final pictures of the Delicate Arch. Sanford and Zane broke into the kitchen at an undisclosed time to read the New York Times and sip coffee before work, discussing whatever the two of them talk about. Claire jumped out of bed with her newfound energy to paint her nails a very awkward teal color. And, most importantly, Shane and Jason cuddled in bed until 11:30, when Momma' Claire rolled in to tell them that they had overslept the 11:00 AM checkout time.

By 12:30 our confused and discombobulated bunch had reassembled and arranged Jason’s Muscle Milk, Sanford’s Twilight books, and all of our bikes, suitcases, and sleeping bags into the car. With just enough room to pack in some of our limbs, our car departed Moab in pursuit of the point on I-70 where Jason and Zane ended their ride on Sunday.

As hard as we can try, there is no way to beautify today to make it sound interesting. We biked an up and down 40 miles, with the last 10 along the hardly impressive Colorado River. Jason and Zane both popped their tires and needed to be picked up by Claire. Perhaps the most exciting part of the day came at the City Market when Claire rode in the children’s shopping cart and Jason mistakenly purchased toilet paper instead of paper towels.

Arriving in Grand Junction, CO around 5, we set up camp at our spacious housing at Mesa State University (a big thank you to Chuck Thomas and Stuart Kuhn for getting us two huge dorm rooms with more than enough beds) and scavenged through the van to find a cheap dinner. The Carnies in Moab had conned us out of hundreds, and for some reason, it was nice to just sit back and crack open some free canned food.

Tomorrow, with luck, will be some interesting riding as we take our first few pedals into the infamous Rocky Mountains. With 87 miles and 3000 ft uphill on the agenda, we are all hunkering down for a good nights rest before our 7:30am departure. Toodles.

*Jason insists that we start Trivia on the blog, so the 2010 FACE AIDS Ride Against Aids' first trivia question is: Name this man

Day 15: A Day of Rest?

2010-06-29T01:17:00.000-07:00

With some of this country's most beautiful national parks in our backyard, Moab, Utah proved to be the perfect oasis. We had narrowly escaped the senile drivers of Nevada and sprinted through the state of Utah in a fashion second only to the great Usain Bolt; finally, our tenacious cycling had provided us with a beautiful summer day to waste away.

With our next stop within a stones throw, we arrived in Moab on Sunday with a childlike fervor. Even Zane’s goldilocks began to bounce in the wind as we drove into town and headed toward our beautiful 5-bedroom condo that we had been graciously given to us for two nights at a discounted price. Taking advantage of the close proximity of Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, our group quickly divided for a couple hours to check out the tourism-centered town, reconvening later to watch the sunset on the enormous sandstone canyons surrounding us. Even the great Sanford Roberts felt small as our group hiked in, out, and around the towering rock structures. In true Peter Parker fashion, Jason decided that the 400 ft tall, free standing rock structures were nothing compared to his city skyscrapers, and a true Kodak moment was flashed as he ascended and perched himself high above the clouds to watch the sunset. After watching a sunset rivaled only in the Lion King, our group went to bed early in the hopes of waking up before the crack of dawn to see the sunrise. With a 4am wake up call planned, we all tucked in Saturday night looking more excited and much cuter than the kids in the Disney commercials.

As Shane took the motherly reigns from Claire, a 4am wake up call snoozed to a 4:45 breakfast bell and the smell of overcooked cinnamon rolls wafted from the kitchen, waking up Zane, Claire, and Jason. Jumping into the Mystery Machine, the group of four headed to Dead Horse Point to witness the widely acclaimed sunrise onto Canyonlands National Park. As the Stanford Rowing team knows, it takes a lot to silence Jason, and I am glad to say that the suns rays peaking over the canyons and across the Colorado River did just that.

Recovering from Shane's awful cooking (Note to group: Claire's sandwiches trump all), the riders all napped until their 9:30 death wish at Moab Skydiving. After signing away their lives, the Boys ft. Kirsten minus Mike, told each other their darkest secrets (Sanford loves Gossip Girl) and sent "I love you" texts to their mothers (Mrs.Silver: we know you did not receive one, but we did not want to ruin your birthday by telling you that your son was jumping 10,000 feet out of a airplane). Jason and Zane were the first to step up to the plane, as they felt their idolization of Vin Diesel aka XXX was enough to calm their nerves.

“You guys were up so high! You just looked like to white dots falling toward us!” exclaimed Sanford after the dynamic duo had successfully landed their parachutes.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, you and Shane looked like to little brown dots from up there?” replied an always witty Zane.

Next, Kirsten hopped into the plane and it was a true sight to see her ear-to-ear smile after she nailed a landing that would even impress Shawn Johnson. Last, but not least, Sanford and Shane strapped up for their dive. During the fall, Shane’s motion sickness got the best of him and he would proudly later place his name on the asphalt of shame with Jason for post-skydiving sickness.

Overall, the day was young and had already been quite a success as Claire and Mike had also triumphed in thrift shopping around town. After some more catnaps and a quick lunch, the A-team took off for one last hurrah at High Point Hummer, to off-road through the dunes of Moab, Utah. The ride took our team up and around rocky slopes and valleys, and, at times, only two wheels of our Costco sized vehicle were on the ground. The highlight of this tourist trap/gimmick/con came in a 45-degree ascent to the top of one of the dunes, where we parked and sat out to watch the sun go down across Arches National Park and the La Sal Mountains.

With a successful, rejuvenating rest day underneath our belts, tomorrow will bring a “short” 40-mile bike ride to Grand Junction – picking back up on the ride where Jason and Zane finished on Sunday. By Tuesday night the 2010 Face Aids Ride will have traveled across 3 states and is still awaiting its first presentation. It has been amazing to see the everyday American react to our journey, and we have been graced with many favors, beds, and meals as those we meet take hold of our mission. FACE AIDS began as a grassroots organization, and, likewise, our Ride Against Aids has taken root in our everyday interactions with the citizens of this amazing land.

Day 14: Jinkies!!

2010-06-28T00:27:00.001-07:00

It’s difficult to distinguish what’s more difficult: falling asleep in a cramped Motel 6 bed or waking up to bike sixty miles after a 100+ day. On Sunday, clearly, the latter proved to be our greatest challenge. After Saturday’s extravagant dinner at Green River’s most prestigious eatery, Burger King, our riders comfortably passed out in the freshly washed and bacteria-free linens that have become the staple of motels everywhere. Finding a love for the texture of the sandpaper bed sheeting, it was only fitting that our riders would then choose to spend an extra hour in the proverbial hay, pushing Sunday morning’s departure to a late 9:15.

Besides the sleep-in, the morning ride was somewhat uneventful. Mike, eager to make it to our unknown destination before the local bookshops closed, left about thirty minutes before the rest of the riders. Zane, Sanford, and Jason decided to ride together but, instead of drafting, chose to ride side-by-side, accomplishing nearly nothing. With Kirsten behind the wheel, Claire on her deathbed, and Shane on his drugs, the Mystery Machine took off in hot pursuit, hoping to find monsters to be unmasked.

Those who grew up with the Hanna-Barbera toons of yesteryear are apt to remember that splitting up, even in big groups, never turns out well. Attempting to catch Mike, Zane and Jason spun their wheels a la frightened Scooby and Shaggy, while Sanford, in true Velma fashion, chose to investigate the inner workings of his tires. Upon finding his glasses on the shoulder with the help of two Hells Angels, Sanford discovered the nearly-unreparable damage to his bike and let out a shriek of “Jinkies!!” to alert the rest of the group.

A leader on the road, Mike, unfortunately, does not wear an ascot nor have the keen sense of danger possessed by the flirtatious Fred. Eventually, falling victim to the same villain that felled Sanford/Velma, Mike was plagued by tire problems in the desert heat. This strange coincidence lends credence to this particular writer’s ever-present-through-childhood theory that Fred and Velma carried on an affair behind the back of the bootylicious Daphne. Regardless, Zane and Jason soon outran all the David Bowie songs ever put in an episode of Scooby Doo, forcing the Mystery Machine to come retrieve them for the night’s job. Unbeknownst to our riders, Shane, Claire, and Kirsten had set up a job for our modern Mystery Inc.ers—in the beautiful town of Moab, set between Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, lies the spooky Bowen Inn.

With some smooth talking and Daphne-esque charm, our driving team found us a home to stay at in exchange for a promise to rid the motel of its paranormal activity. Ahead of schedule by a full day, the meddling kids known as the FACE AIDS team will hopefully solve this mystery in between skydiving, ATVing, and touring the beautiful landscape by Tuesday night, when they are due in Grand Junction, CO. We can only hope that they will be successful and this quaint town of 4000 can grow back to its once bustling 4321.

Day 13: Our A-Team

2010-06-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

Today's journey was memorable for its stunning presentation of the many different hues and colors in the visible spectrum of light. Utah’s canyons provided an increasingly beautify scenery with each coming mile, and each butte and mesa contrasted wonderfully with Claire’s ever paler skin.

All was not lost, though, as the homely Miss Fisher was able to update her JDate profile with a picture of her making delicious matzoh sandwiches for her yeshiva bound boys. The day’s ride pushed our group 110 miles across Utah’s I-70 to the bustling city of Green River. Long in distance, the day was made more enjoyable by amazing acts of teamwork and unity by our FACE AIDS riders. From Claire’s cooking, to Zane’s backseat driving, and Mike’s sun-burns, we learned today that each of us possess a unique skill set which can prove useful towards maintaing our sanity throughout this summer. Today, we discovered that The 2010 FACE AIDS team is no hodge-podge of riders; rather, we are a highly selective unit, tearing our way across this land in A-team fashion.

With regard to today's biking, the climb was quite difficult as the group took on 6000 feet of elevation in the beating sun. Rewarded every so often with long, winding downhill passes through the stunning canyons of Utah, our riders felt that today was one of, if not the best days of riding. "The six miles of downhill with the perfect view of the sandstone canyons was the only thing that got me through the day," exclaimed rider Kirsten Pufahl. Originally planning to stop halfway to Green River, drive to the Grand Canyon, and drive back to our finishing point, the riders truly performed outside of themselves in making the journey a day's trek. Now a day ahead of schedule, our ambitious team considers, once more, meshing two days of riding into one as they head off for Grand Junction, CO tomorrow.

It will truly be with heavy hearts that we wave goodbye to the great state of Utah and its continuing power outtages as we enter the more difficult terrain of the Rockie Mountains and Colorado. We would like to thank our readers for giving us the motivation to write on, our supporters for fueling us mentally and emotionally each day, the Fisher family for both allowing us to mock Claire and for calling her regularly to remind her that she is loved, and the only supermarket in Salina, UT for giving us access to their large sink to fill the water cooler. Motel 6, you get no credit for your bland room designs and lack of wi-fi. Jerks.

Note: Some of you may have noticed that this blog post lacks both comedic energy and commentary about the World Cup, but after today's trials and tribulations we had no heart for either. On that note, we will now let you get back to realizing that you never cared about soccer, wondering why Furby didn't make it into Toy Story 3 (mine is still locked in my closet in hopes that he will shut up), and googling "yeshiva."

Waka Waka, this time for Africa.

Day 12: Mom, Please Bring Me Back to Salt Lake

2010-06-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to slip out of the grip of a loving mother, only to jump into a van engulfed with the sweet aroma of Claire’s black plague and rotten fruit.

The scene was the one road town of Nephi, Utah, and as Shane stepped out of his vehicle, he hoped that the land his mother had driven to was far away from the state of Arizona. Mike and Claire had parked just a few feet from his vehicle, but Shane quickly hobbled toward the vans protection in fear of an outsiders demand for his “card de verde.” You see, over the last few weeks, Shane’s face skipped the sights of a razor, and at first glace he looked like a mix between Zoro, Pedro, and Elian Gonzalez.

Anywho, as the story goes, with a wish of luck and a kiss goodbye, Mrs. Hegde drove away from the Mystery Machine unaware of the fate she had just left to her son. It had been just three days since Shane had left the group, but already the dynamic had corroded. Time seemed to tick slower than a commercial free episode of 24, and each group member was at the brink of hallucination from the nothingness of Nevada. Today’s ride, the first through Utah, provided some hope, but after looking at the following images Shane’s optimism receded faster than Sanford’s hairline.

***Viewer Discretion Advised***
While driving to the day’s destination of Salina, Utah, I flipped through Claire’s camera and came upon a grouping of 58 solo pictures taken by Zane and Jason. The following photography may be disturbing to the elderly and some small children. The pictures trace two men’s journey from normalcy, to the brink of humanity. Please use caution while scrolling through the below photo journal.

Jason and Zane begin to separate themselves from the group.

Zane sells his soul to the Sun God, Ra.

Jason can’t stand Zane having a cooler Facebook profile picture than he does.

Zane becomes Hindu

Jason’s inhumane consumption of Muscle Milk allows him to hang off the train with one arm

Zane models for Gap

Jason attempts to recreate his thug-life upbringing. And fails.

Seriously?

Pulling into Salina, the only chance Shane had to survive was to find a hotel room where he could save himself from camping with the wana-be Heath Ledger-Jake Gyllenhaal duo. And, lucky enough, the only motel in town was owned by fellow Indians who decided to give the group two rooms for free. Hours later, as the group rode into Salina, they recounted the day’s journey: Beautiful mountainsides, miserable headwinds, and constant waits for the mining towns “wide load” moving vehicles.

Now that Shane is done attempting to be a part of the ride from the comforts of the van and hotel room, we can move on to our story at hand. Although this writer is proud to have the sheer muscular strength and ability to hold himself as shown in the train photo above, serious matters must be addressed. First, we begin with a recap of today's ride: Beginning with our team's departure from Delta as a cohesive unit, we all knew that today would be a straightforward, fairly easy ride. Filled with spaced out climbing and long, enjoyable descents, today's scenic route introduced us to the scenic hills of Utah that will be our home for the next week. After splitting up for the first 40 miles of the ride, our four healthy riders (Zane, Sanford, Kirsten, and Jason) met up in the bustling town of Scipio for lunch. While Mike and an under-the-weather Claire dealt with the five year-old formerly known as Shane, our riders munched on Subway sandwiches prepared in a timely, efficient manner reminiscent of that of the Subway in Tressider Union at Stanford.

Mounting their bikes once more at approximately 2 pm, the riders spent the next two hours climbing against the wind. Finally the team reached the lovely city of Salina, truly a diamond in the rough that is Utah's open country.

Other than rest, recovery, and relaxation, the day’s highlight was a trip to Salina’s widely known and locally respected eatery: Mom’s Café. The environment of the dinner was everything homey, and the old woman that served us (Mom?) clearly drizzled some of TLC on our ribs. The restaurants scones, a local staple food, was to-die-for after submerged in “Honey Butter” (which we recommend you purchase at here).

Tomorrow’s schedule lists an 80-mile trek through southern Utah and an afternoon trip to the Grandest of all Canyons. Though it seems like rough sailing, we are all glad to have our group back on track and can’t wait to spend the next four days in the Land of Joseph Smith.

Days 9, 10, and 11: Utah, Finally.

2010-06-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Now that we are back in cellphone reception in Delta, UT, texts have been pouring in--except on Jason's phone, no one seems to care how he is faring. From the important (Parents wondering where we are), meaningful (Friends checking up on us), and plain dumb (Shane attempting to stay involved in the ride from the comforts of a bed in Salt Lake City where he didn't have to endure any hardship in the past two days), the flood of messages has run the gamut from necessary to useless.

Parents--we are fine.
Friends--we miss you too and will not be home at least until August 19th so stop asking us twelve times a day.
Shane--re-watch Slumdog, find some inspiration, and stop faking it.

Now, onto our story. After waving goodbye to Shane and his mother in Reno, our troop of six made the six hour drive to Ely, NV, to stay on on schedule. Already sick of casinos, brothels, and deserts, we arose early on Tuesday morning to make the 62 mile trek to Baker, NV. A word, for any of those interested in visiting Nevada: Don't do it. We have spent the last week as nomads along Highway 50, truly suffering on the road. Yes, Nevada Tourism Agency, we get it. It is the loneliest road in America. That fact is neither appealing nor romantic. Put simply, we are all extremely happy to have left the "Silver State" for the comfort of the "Beehive State."

Sanford for the second time on our trip was almost bitten by a snake. After attempting to do push-ups in the Nevada desert he was unpleasantly surprised by an unhappy rattle snake about 6in from his head. Words for the wise: save the push-ups for the hotel room.

Our night in Baker was anything but fun. Due to illness, most notably migraines, our numbers on the road were small yesterday, allowing those in the support vehicle to make the decision to spend the night at the Border Inn, quite literally on the border of Utah and Nevada. Although this was an amazing experience because we were given the opportunity to experience true silence, we wonder why anybody would be interested in taking an off day there. While Mike and Kirsten went to explore the nearby Lehman Caves, Sanford read Twilight shamelessly (if that's even possible), Zane and Jason tended to a wounded Claire, who apparently reminded the aggressive ranchers of Kate Barfield from Holes fame. Little did these men know that Kate Barfield and Stanley Yelnats are mere characters of fiction--nonetheless, Claire was left maimed, resting in a random motel room with the company of seven stallions (bikes).

Today, our numbers were once more whittled away by disease (Read: You have died of dysentery a la Oregon Trail), leaving only a few to make the 80 mile journey to Delta, UT. Upon arrival in this quaint town, our riders were met with the present surprise of a community center, containing showers and gymnasium as lodgings. Jason, immediately in touch with his street basketball roots, proceeded to talk up a show. Causing spectators to watch in laughter when he suggested that he should be chosen first in today's NBA Draft. Meanwhile, Claire made sandwiches and Zane purchased an authentic cowboy hat. Now, as the group prepares for dinner and MIKE'S 21st BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION (I hope you all RSVPed on Facebook), we are reflecting on the past three days, deciding on these three simple truths:

1) We never want to visit Nevada again.
2) Lynne Davis and her daughter Jazz are incredible people for providing us with food and amazing quarters for the night
3) Zane actually looks good in a cowboy hat. Impressive.

We look forward tomorrow to the return of Mr. Hegde and recovery of Mr. Stewart.

Days 7-8: And Then There Were Six...

2010-06-22T01:44:00.000-07:00

Mothers please hang up on John Walsh, and could someone please let the University of California Rowing team know that the celebration is over? We are all alive and kicking.

The last two days have flown by, and I would like to first apologize to all of our daily readers (all 2 of you) for leaving you alone throughout these unbearable 48 hours of suspense.

Sunday began with a lot of promise. Our team of bikers left the holy land in Fallon around o’dark thirty with a determination to complete the 111-mile trip before lunch. Along our route, we came across “Push America,” a group traveling from San Francisco to Washington to raise money for the American Disabilities Association. This slightly larger and less attractive group of riders (just kidding, we have Claire), had some great advice for us, and we learned a lot from their route planning and daily-ride structure.

From sand dunes to a shoe-tree, the day’s journey took us through the diverse landscape of deserts, deserts, and more deserts that is the state of Nevada. Ten miles out of the city, however, this shroud of monotony broke, and highway 50 opened up to reveal a valley bordered by snow dipped mountains and the vivacious city of Austin, Nevada. Jason led the charge into Austin, while Shane and Claire battled for the “who's the stronger girl” award, and Mike and Kirsten rode miles back continuing on their sightseeing tour. Beating Momma’ Fish to the site, Shane was just feet from the finish line when there was an accident.

Riding in the right biking lane, Shane was uprooted from his cycle when a driver crossed into the biking lane and hit him. To spare you from the heart attack, Shane is okay and, thankfully, is receiving wonderful treatment for his injuries. After being hit, he was life-flighted to Reno, Nevada so that he could visit someone who had a more official degree than the local medicine man in Austin.

Due to all of this drama, our entire group has relocated in Reno, Nevada and took a day of rest today with the Monga family, Shane’s family friends. Continuing our hospitality luck, we were taken aback by the selflessness, caring, and overall loving attitude of the Mongas--without their help and generosity, we really don't know where we would be today. As Shane recuperated, we were lucky enough to have visits from Johnny Dorsey, co-founder of Face Aids, Brenda Freiberg, the Chairman of the Board of Face Aids, and Su Hegde, esteemed mother figure of the legend that is Shane Hegde. The surprise company assisted us in hammering out the final details for our new route and helped us rediscover the motivations for our commitment to the ride.

Tomorrow, Shane will fly to Salt Lake City to stay with his grandmother and take a few days of rest while our group goes on, easily, without him. We will continue the ride on Wednesday, and tomorrow the six remaining members of the group will drive to Ely, Nevada – where we would have been if it weren’t for the Golden Girl. The plan is for Shane to meet up with the group again in Utah, and we wish him the best of luck in his recovery process.

Mr. Monga, a mechanical engineer, framed it best at dinner tonight in his final words to us, “I know you are all thankful for being in this home, but I want to thank you. You have brought life to this house. And I want you all to remember that it is the people, the humans, that matter in this world.”

(ps. Mrs. Fisher, I know that you are the real, amazingly wonderful Momma‘ Fish, but your daughter is giving you a run for your money – she even made us all sandwiches! And included a slice of love underneath the cheese)

Day 6: Egg Rolls & Google Maps

2010-06-20T00:21:00.001-07:00

Before you watch TMZ tonight, we want to set the rumors straight: Yes, the seven of us did in fact change the route for the 2010 Ride Against Aids.

Salivating for a different taste of America than last year’s riders, we chose to push the route a bit north because we felt that it would allow us to see a more diverse landscape and it would offer us more opportunities to spread the message of Face AIDS. Please click the link to the left to see our route!

As you can already tell, most of our time during this rest day in the metropolis of Fallon, Nevada was spent planning the next two months of travel. We spent over 15 hours today (and many hours over the last five days) hammering out each day of our trip and so we missed some the highlights on Fallon’s extensive wikipedia page. By far, the highlight of the day came in Claire’s duel with the Church showers to see if she could make it out of Fallon without submitting to the cleansing nature of the holy water. Sadly for our group, Claire won (Just kidding, after reading this post, Claire scurried to the sink). Other accomplishment were found academically today, as the frugal and intellectual Jason Lupatkin taught Zane about sales taxes (not every state is as asinine as California and charges 9%) and how to respond to an incompetent worker at a fast food restaurant who charges you $3.50 for some egg rolls that you did not order.

Today helped us establish a tangible goal for our summer. We can now visualize our journey ahead, and we hope to set up more presentations along our new route. If you have any contacts in the cities listed or could help us in finding a presentation in a given state, please contact us at clfisher@stanford.edu.

Well with 111 miles straight into the desert tomorrow, we have to go pack up our camelbacks, fill our water bottle, and hope that Shane can do a rain dance (all Indians can do rain dances right?). Wish us luck!

Day 5: An Oasis in Nevada

2010-06-19T00:20:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the best way to overcome claustrophobia is by biking 62 miles into the empty desert commonly known as the state of Nevada.

Our $35.99 Motel 6 room was packed to the brim with bikes and limbs as we arose this morning to attempt a stretch. Two riders had chosen to sleep in the car, but with five college students, seven bikes, and seven suitcases, the room was a tad cozier than most comfort levels. Momma’ Fish was too tired to wake everyone up with a breakfast bell this morning, so each of us woke up at separate times to contort our ways out of the room to grab a bagel from the van.

By 9:30 we were all dressed and preparing to begin the days ride to Fallon, Nevada, but drama began earlier than in an episode of Lost, when an unnamed rider from NYC lost the keys to the van. Due to this, the ride was started in waves, with Mike, Shane and Sanford leaving early, and Claire, Jason, and Zane sifting through the van to look for the keys – which obviously wound up being found in the Jason’s pants.

Throughout the day’s ride the team put miles of asphalt in-between one another, making the 62 mile trek a mostly solitary one. Thankfully, however, our riders were able to find some companionship (or relief from boredom) in their iPods. Shane, listening to Rascal Flatts, missed the irony of the situation and could not fathom why anybody would consider life a highway. Jason, the hardcore, raw, lyricist from the mean streets of the Upper East Side decided to spice up his ride with the thus far underplayed catchy jingles of Shakira. And, Sanford, the Texan who claims bird listening as one of his activities on Facebook, decided that the desert was his second home and chose to bike Route 50 in silence (Let it be noted that his decision not to use his iPod was tremendously regretted).

Fallon was the roadrunner today, and each of us was a Wiley Coyote aimlessly pedaling again and again to hunt the down the city, only to be fouled by the tricks of the sun. Each turn laid out miles of road to be covered. At times, the sun shone so bright that it was nearly impossible to tell where the road ended and the sky began. Although the trip required less than 4 hours of travel, this desert could outfox Erwin Rommel himself, and made the journey seem exponentially longer.

Once in Fallon, we refreshed ourselves with some Sonic and were taken in by the lovely staff at Epworth Methodist Church who provided us with lodging, dinner, and a warm shower. The traditional post ride group nap was longer than usual today and Shane’s pleas to go to Karaoke night at the local Saloon was democratically vetoed. Who knows though, with 5 nights left in Nevada, and Vegas only 390 miles away, anything is possible.

Parental units: be ready to check the credit card statements.

Day 4: Is This Seriously a Capital City?

2010-06-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

Grimacing from sore quads and night terrors of the Sierra Mountains, our team sleep-crawled onto our bikes and rolled out of South Lake Tahoe around 9:30 this morning - much later than Moma' Claire's breakfast bell at 6:30. We took off with the expectation that today's 30-mile ride to Carson City, Nevada would be a short trek, and from our gathered topographical readings (yes, I did just say topographical in context) we surmised that the brute of it would be downhill. With Shane ahead in the Mystery Machine, the delicate view of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains was soon washed away by a beautiful gift from Mother nature: 1000 more feet of climbing spread out over 10 miles. Pushing ourselves to scale the mountain after nearly 12 hours of climbing yesterday, the only thing ameliorating the inclines was our newly purchased "Butt Cream." Add that one to the shopping list. Seriously...

Anyway, as the story goes, the indomitable Zane was the first to claw his way up the mountain, and, surrounded by unadulterated evergreens on either side, our group pulled it together and made the climb. As amends for her punishments, Lady Luck graciously gave us downhill, no-pedal riding for the last 15 miles to Carson City. Leading the charge down the Nevada side of the Sierras was Sanford with a group all time high of 44mph. However, knowing Jason and Zane's competitive nature, someone will be injured in the near future trying to break that record, and we can only hope that Shane's Indian genes will kick in to action to aid them in a quick recovery. Jai Ho!

For those of you who have been to Carson City, which I pray is very few of you, why did you come here? This bustling capital city is home to an overpopulated 50,000 people and its virtuous, historic, capital building is a few blocks down from "Casino Fandango." Seriously Carson City? Seriously? Casino Fandango? In disbelief, our group set off to find lunch and a place to stay for the night. The New Yorker managed to use his street sense and bartering skills to get us a discounted hotel room, but the Man of the Match was given to the small (not in stature) businessman from rural Toledo, Ohio who convinced the lovely staff at The Firkin & Fox Pub to give the entire team a free meal. No alcoholic drinks we're served.

After lunch our group collapsed on top of each other and took naps in the van and on our hotel beds. The day ended with a clutch purchase of a massager at Costco (from Shane to Mom: Ok, I know it is a ridiculous purchase for the credit card, but at least I was being cost effective) and a team dinner at "The Naked Fish," a sushi restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. It is rumored that Claire Fisher purchased a "Naked Fish" sweatshirt, but there has been no confirmation on that as of yet.
.

Day 3: US Route 50

2010-06-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

Before beginning today's blog, we would like to first thank Marty Clevenger who wasn't mentioned in last night's post. Marty offered us invaluable advice on planning today's route and provided us with much needed supplies. Additionally, Al Snowdon, another friend of the Garton family, helped us find a place to stay for our night in South Lake Tahoe, and after warm showers and cozying up into our own beds we must say that we are forever grateful. Thanks!

And on to our story...

We set off this morning from the Garton household trying to think of excuses to just turn around: We were unconditionally treated like family for a night, and saying goodbye so soon made Shane reminisce on his hundreds of past relationship failures. As we left Folsom Lake, our first major stretch of biking took us bobble heading up and down Green Valley Road, parallel to US 50. A scenic and yet extremely challenge ride, Green Valley provided our rested legs with a much-needed warmup.

A challenging, yet doable climb, Green Valley Road eventually led us to the historic Pony Express Trail. With Buffalo Bill on our minds, we trekked along, sans mail bags, down the path. Pony Express was perhaps the last true fun of the day, as we were forced to carrying our bikes uphill to Route 50 and prepare, 40 miles into the day, for the toughest portion of the ride we have yet encountered. In preparation for the climb, we stopped at a rest stop along 50 for lunch and advice.

Finally, we were ready for the 50 mile trek into South Lake Tahoe. Shane and Kirsten led the climb for the first leg, a la Tour de France, but Shane was soon distracted by the awe-inspiring scenery offer from mountain men to fill his camelback with moonshine. Jason took the yellow jersey for the rest of the day, leading the pack by 20 minutes--move over Lance! Meanwhile, Zane and Claire took the time to get to know one another as they critiqued different energy products and drinks. Eventually, the entire group reached the final peak, albeit with frozen toes and nearly useless Oakleys, unable to stop the reflective glare from the sun off of the snow. Sanford, tired of the particularly un-Texan cold at the 7000ft elevation, began to descend down the beautiful but potentially dangerous path to South Lake Tahoe.

Eventually, the group reunited at the base of the mountains at a McDonald's, where Maria the Manager was surprised by the sight of seven weary bikers using the front lawn as a bed. The team soon made its way to the house, only to find Mike relaxing comfortably after his day of rest. Overall, the team cycled 94.93 miles from Folsom to South Lake Tahoe--a fine effort indeed!

Once again, special thanks to Al, Marty, the Gartons, and a wish of good health to Mike's Uncle!

Good night moon.

Day 2: Margarita Shots and Cornhole

2010-06-15T23:01:00.001-07:00

Waking up to the tantalizing shrieks of a crow outside our tent may have been the best way to put our trip in perspective: After twelve hours of biking and a seemingly impossible 100 miles completed, we still had 4347 to go.

So with heavy hearts and the thoughts of a warm breakfast cooked by mom on our minds, we saddled up and began our day’s journey to Folsom, California (45 miles away from camp). The route took us through downtown Sacramento and we crossed the Tower Bridge, taking a nice group photo while waiting for the drawbridge to fall. After enjoying a great view of the palace of efficiency that is the Capitol Building of California, we made a left turn on Front Street, passed through Old Sacramento, and found ourselves on the scenic American River Bike Path that would prove to be our home for the next 30 miles.

Following the river up through Lake Natoma, we found ourselves cruising along winding pathways and gazing into the natural American beauty that Jason only dreamed about from his bedroom window in Manhattan. The trail picked us up in Sacramento, teased us alongside happy-go-lucky teenagers rafting down the river, and spit us out just 3 miles from our day's rest stop at the Garton residence.

From 3:00pm until 6:30am, Michael & Donna Garton gave us a home -- not just a shelter, but a family. From the minute they met our team of seven strangers, we were embraced with food, our own beds, and the warm hug of a loving mother. Mr. Garton went as far as to call a friend at Bicycles Plus where we received friendly, all-encompassing service on our bruised egos and beat up bikes. Going again above and beyond, Mrs. Garton cooked the perfect dinner with enough food to outlast even Zane's appetite. Cornhole (a backyard bean bag tossing game of sorts) is the family sport of the Garton's, and even after a day of gratitude, the two Midwestern riders, Kristen and Shane, felt no shame in showing the Californian's how to really play the game. A night of laughs quickly wound down to birthday pie for Kristen (yes, we checked her birth certificate to make sure she was actually 22), magic tricks by Mike, and the dismay of the gathered family and friends in realizing that the "Margarita Shots" we packed we're simply Clif Energy Gummies and had a Tequilla content of 0%.

"We brought you into this home and love helping you all along your journey because we believe in what you are doing." As the day started with perspectives, the day ended the same. We we're just two days into our excursion, but somehow we had already taken a snapshot of the pure, innate love and beauty that resounds through this land and the citizens that call it home.

Day 1: The Garden of Eden

2010-06-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

100 miles down...4347 to go...

Travel:What a day! After dipping our tires into the Pacific Ocean, the seven of us tore off along the Pacific Coastline for an unpredictably eventful day. With family watching and Romy fretting, we biked along the scenic coast under overcast skies for a a few hours, attempted to follow scribbled directions provided to us by the ever-selfless Austin Keeley. When it became apparent that the directions were faulty (not to mention illegible) our team moved to a more modern innovation for navigational support: the iPhone. Despite an unlucky first hour that included four punctured tires (known as tubes) and a few wrong turns, the 2010 FACE AIDS Bike Team fought their way to the outskirts of downtown San Francisco by 12:00PM, and rode as fast as they could to Pier 41 to board the 12:45 ferry that would take them to Vallejo.

In the rush, however, our energetic team was accidentally split into three groups, one of four riders, a pair, and a lone wolf, all attempting to make the departure time. Granting new meaning to the seemingly archaic "trolley dodger" description from the Brooklyn of yore, Shane, Claire, Sanford, and Jason led the charge down Mission Street. Meanwhile, Kirsten and Mike chose to take a more scenic route of San Francisco, touring the city that our Stanford representatives have become familiar with in the past year. On his own was the indomitable Zane, who blazed his own path to the ferry via alleyways and rooftops. In the end, our heroes made it to the ferry with moments to spare, all reuniting on the gangway. Zane volunteered to be the afternoon's driver and he sped off in our white van known as the Mystery Machine.

After a relaxing ferry ride, we chose to bike 20 miles to Fairfield before breaking for lunch. With cows roadside and an awe-inspiring landscape to distract team navigators, we took a somewhat circuitous route to lunch, stopping on W. Texas road in Fairfield and chatting with extremely friendly locals enjoying cool refreshments. During lunch our adventurers ambitiously decided to bike all the way to their campsite in West Sacramento, a journey of 75 miles in the afternoon. Watching Zane drive away from the lunch break in the van was both sombering and exciting as we clipped in (or tried to) for the long journey ahead.

While extremely difficult and long, the afternoon ride proved to be the most rewarding of the day. Filled with intellectual discussion with the law enforcement and long, flat roads through the scenic California countryside, our team was able to take in the breathtaking beauty of the state Woody Guthrie dubbed the "Garden of Eden." Finally, with tired quads and without water, our team arrived at its campsite outside of Sacramento to the pleasing view of Zane preparing a burger dinner only fit for the likes of our Face Aids Team leader Dave Evans.

"Wait... we leave tomorrow?"

2010-06-14T03:15:00.000-07:00

At 6:45 tomorrow morning the seven of us will depart the breathtaking country club known as Stanford University and embark on our 67 day quest across the country. To be honest, we are a bit nervous and had to scramble to try to finish up the final preparations, but the car is loaded, the gas tank is full, and tomorrow our childlike excitement will force out any last jitters.

The blog will be inundated with pictures and videos to check up on over the next couple days so keep a look out!

Tomorrow is starting now....

One Last Week in Pictures

2009-09-04T01:04:00.000-07:00

Gathering with friends and family in New York City.

Posing with the crest of my high school, St. John's, just after a presentation.

As we rode into Boston, a rainbow appeared over the city.

We gave a presentation about our ride at Partners in Health the morning after we reached Boston. Here we are with Sam Ender (left) of PIH and Julie Veroff, the new Executive Director of Face AIDS.

As we sat in Dave's parents' hotel room before dinner, I watched the sun set over Boston. The ride had to end and this is the image I will hold in my head when I think of its completion.

The Ride Comes to a Close- Final Entry

2009-09-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

Endings can be such strange things. The planning and preparation that go into large events can so dominate one's time that to come to a point where all those preparations have come to realization and are no longer needed can leave a whirlwind of confusion, a sense of lost orientation.

That's sort of how the last week of the ride felt. From DC we rode a Herculean 187-miles to Philadelphia in a single day. There we rested with our good friend Michal Trope and her family. Two days later we pushed onto New York City where friends and Dave's family greeted us with open arms. Another rest day was taken there before moving onto Fairfield, CT, then Worcester, MA, and ultimately Boston.

Then that was it. It's over. As we biked along the Charles River Bike Path into the city of Boston, I couldn't help but feel home. Yet this sense of home was heightened by the last two months. Somehow I felt I knew the city, and myself, better than I had before, and that in some way it was due to each and every person we met and every place that we saw.

We celebrated our accomplishment, but inside I mourned the end of the ride. I woke on on August 14 with a pit in my stomach. The previous two months I had held a purpose: to ride and to talk and AIDS. What was I to do that Thursday morning but sit in my bed and reminisce about the greatest summer months of my life? Where could the sky ever be as clear as it was in Nevada? Where would the air ever be as fresh as in Colorado? What had driven me 4,500 miles across a continent on two wheels and some carbon fiber? And most importantly, where could I find that purpose again? I put on my clothes, hopped into my car, and headed back into Boston to try and find the answer.

That day we had a meeting with some of the workers at Partners in Health. Greeting us was also Julie Veroff, the new Executive Director of Face AIDS. After giving a brief overview of our program, Julie turned the floor over to Dave and me who spoke about the birth of the ride, what we felt we had done well (and poorly), and where to go from here. We left with new ideas, but still with the desperate loneliness that accompanies a loss that cannot be regained.

It's now been over three weeks since we rolled into the streets of Boston. Dave, Lauren, and I parted ways to spend time at our homes. A week ago I hopped on an airplane and found myself back in sunny California ready for RA training. Stanford looks different. Campus is always evolving as the university learns what works and what can be trimmed away. Staples remain, however. Roble, my freshman residence and now current place of work, looms large on West campus. Ford Center, the site of so many hours of hard work, grows dusty as the ergs wait in a corner for the day two weeks down the road when another class of Stanford oarsmen will sit down to battle their innermost demons. The Quad lurks like a sleeping giant, ready to be awakened by 6,000 eager young students. It's all still here. I already feel myself slipping into routine.

I suppose it is appropriate that the two posters I bought along the trip refuse to stay on the wall. They are perverted interpretations of divine memories that remain firmly lodged in my mind's eye. How can I take the lessons I learned this summer and bring them back with me to school? Can I avoid the fall into routine that so often encourages apathy? Where can I make a difference now that so many people have made a difference to me this summer?

The moon is shining through my window. And though the night is dark, I know that its soft light comes from the sun. And in the morning the sun will return; bright and proud and ready to shine on and fight all the problems of the day away. I hope that my ambitions to continue the fight against AIDS remain just as devout. The moon reminds us of the sun. So too I hope this period of calm reminds me of my purpose. Sometimes the end is just the beginning.

Washington DC in Photographs

2009-08-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are some profound thoughts about our nation's capital:

This is just one big metaphor. Dave and I are the lions, the helpless creature in the middle is the ride.

Dave in front of his embassy.

On the bike route approaching DC.

Trying to get huge on the bike path from Mt. Vernon to DC. I did 5 and was exhausted. Guess I need to start lifting.

What happened to the East Coast?

2009-08-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

On the Road

What exactly happened to the East Coast? Dave and I just finished weaving our ways in and out of cars on Manhattan and are sitting in our friend's, Dan Bacon, apartment in the city. I've been very tired as of late which is why the blogs have been lacking and for that I apologize.

Everyone had a great time in DC. We gave a presentation to a lot of Stanford kids at the Stanford in Washington house and then went out on the town with some people. We drove down to the waterfront and met up with Aaron Frankl and Alec Levy, our rowing teammates. It was great to see the guys and cath up with what everyone has been doing this summer.

On Wednesday we got up at 5:30 and were on the road at 6. Dave and I decided to bike from DC to Philly, originally a three day trek, in a single day. We changed up the route a little bit so that we only had 187 miles. It was a long day but my legs felt good after a rest day and I was very happy to roll into Philly.

We spent two days with the Trope family whose daughter, Michal, is one of our good friends from school. Yesterday we hung out in the city for a while and then split ways a bit. I left the group to meet up with a friend from high school, Pat Kneeland, and then go out to dinner with my Uncle and his family. It was a great to catch up with so many people I hadn't seen in a while.

Today we biked just over 100 miles from Philly to NYC. The miles were easy except for going through Newark, NJ. Bad roads, bad drivers, and a bad route. But we are now here and I'm very pleased. We're about to head out to dinner so I have to bounce, but I'll try to put up another good blog or two in the next couple of days. We're almost there!

Fact of the Day

In 20 years of life this is my first time EVER being in New York City. Worcester, my hometown, is only about 4 hours from New York. There are 3 or 4 times when concrete plans for going to the city were established and then fell through. I jokingly told my parents that I had to bike across the country to finally get here. Whouda thunk?

Trivia Contest

Today's Question: What are the 13 original colonies? (1 point a piece)

Following the North Star

2009-08-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

On the Road

Following my blog post this morning we had a great breakfast at the Ashe household, took some photos with the family, said our farewells, and drove back to our starting point for the day. It was a short day- a meager 60 miles!- and we did it in one fell swoop. Upon arriving in Fredericksburg we stopped at Olde Towne Bicycles to pick up some new tires for my bike. As a contribution to the ride the owner threw in an extra wheel which was extremely nice of him!

Dave and me with the Ashe family this morning before setting out on our ride. Notice the Face AIDS pins...spreading the word all across the country!

We're all about to go to bed and are anxious for tomorrow. We're biking to DC in the morning (around 90 miles) and giving a presentation at the Stanford in Washington House at 7:30 (the reception starts at 6:30). It's going to be great to see some of the guys on the East Coast starting with our teammates Aaron Frankl and Alec Levy in DC. Then riding up to Philly over the next couple of days. I can't believe it, but the end is in sight!

Trivia Contest

Answer to this morning's question: Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy. 10 more points to my dad who is making some noise on the leader board!

Directions: Ride to Virginia and take a left

2009-08-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

On the Road

Saturday morning we got up, dressed, and walked down to the UVA campus. On the way we stopped at Bodo's, a favorite bagel shop of students in the area. The campus was beautiful! Designed by Jefferson as his "last act of public usefulness", the designs are in the neoclassical style and are intended to remind the viewer of the architecture of the Roman Republic. This was, of course, intentional; Jefferson wanted to draw a parallel between the fledgling American Republic and the ancient Roman one.

Around 9:30 we piled into the car and drove out to Monticello, Jefferson's home. We took a tour of the marvelous mansion and learned a lot. Every detail was designed by our 3rd President and construction lasted over 40 years. Full of gadgets and books, the house reflected Jefferson's Enlightenment thinking. After the tour we walked down the hill, past Jefferson's grave, jumped back in the car, and headed back to Charlottesville for the start of our day.

Since we spend so much time touring about the area, we didn't get on the bikes until 12:30. It was our latest start of the entire summer and we had over 90 miles to ride. Despite 11 days in a row of hard biking, the miles were pretty smooth. After some rolling hills just outside of Charlottesville, the terrain flattened out and we cruised pretty easily into Ashland, just north of Richmond. Ashland/Richmond was an important location for us because it is there that our East-West maps intersect with our North-South maps. So it is time for the Great Left Hand turn and the ride now turns north!

Saturday evening we stayed with the Ashe family, some family friends of mine from back in Worcester. Their daughter, Jordan, was one of my sister's best friends before they moved down to the Richmond area in 2004. We got there late in the evening but were welcomed with food (always a pleasure!), warm showers, and good conversation.

Yesterday we slept in, ate breakfast, and then headed into Richmond to check out the town. Richmond, as described by Jordan, is "a little city that thinks it's a big one". This description seemed spot on, but I really enjoyed walking around town. While Lauren went off to shop, Dave and I wandered into the Museum of Science and down Monument Ave which commemorates people important to Virginia history. It surprised me that the first monument we came across was of the President of the Confederacy. Over our time in the South I've become fascinated with the continued devotion to the Confederacy. Everywhere there are monuments to Lee, tombs of unknown soldiers, and plaques commemorating the town's dead in the Civil War. At W&L, one of our guides suggested Confederates in the Attic as a good book to show how the spirit of the South still lives on today.

We returned to the Ashes' in the early evening and had a great pasta dinner. At night we sat around the TV and watched the Sox game, a pleasure I have not had for sometime, before reading and going to bed. Currently we are sitting around reading, writing, and watching TV while waiting for breakfast. We have a very short day today which can be used as another "recovery" day. Monday we get into DC and have another off day. If you are in the area, let us know, we'd love to see you!

Fact of the Day

There are over 1,000,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. AIDS is not a problem exclusive to the African continent. It is a very real and devastating problem in the US as well. If you are interested in AIDS in the United States, I suggest you read My Own Country by Dr. Abraham Verghese. It chronicles Dr. Verghese's life in a small town in eastern Tennessee as AIDS enters the town's population and how the community deals with it (both physically and spiritually).

Trivia Contest

Answer to Thursday's question: Martha Washington's great grand daugther married Robert E. Lee. Nate Rooks soars back into 2nd place (40 points) breaking a tie with KTO (30 points) and just behind Mrs. Evans (47 points).

Answer to Thursday's BONUS Question: Jefferson, an true "amateur" architect, designed the UVA campus. The centerpiece, the Rotunda, is a scaled down version of the Pantheon in Rome. 5 points to my Dad!

Today's Trivia Question: The first statue we came across on Monument Ave. was of the President of the Confederacy. What was his name?

Virginia is for lovers

2009-07-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

On the Road

We had quite the day today! Before hitting the road we roamed around Lexington checking out Washington and Lee University, VMI, and Stonewall Jackson's house. Once we started riding we pounded out a quick 18 miles to Vesuvius and took a quick stretch there. From Vesuvius there was a STEEP four mile, 2,000 foot climb. People say the Rockies are tough, but they don't know anything about mountains. Check back soon for my "Ode to the Appalachians".

At the top we turned onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, a highway that runs along several ridges of the Appalachians. It was a beautiful ride with beautiful scenery ("Dude it's not the Rockies, in the Rockies the views are EPIC") and the descent was smooth and easy.

At the base of the mountain we came into a little town called Afton. Afton is famous among cross-country cyclists because it is home to June Carter, the Cookie Lady! June has served cross country cyclists for over 30 years with drinks, cookies, and a place to stay in her house. She converted an entire floor into a have for cyclists. The walls are covered in memorabilia from the last three decades. I left my torn jersey, from my crash in Colorado, on the wall and signed it. It was my contribution to a little piece of history. June is quite possibly the nicest lady I have ever met and her story is incredible. She is one of those people who really reaffirms your faith in the goodness of people and the perseverance of the human spirit.

We stayed for hours talking. When 6 o'clock rolled around we had to part ways and finished the last 25 miles into Charlottesville. Currently we are staying with some friends of a friend. I went to school with Andy Madigan, a current UVA student, and he offered us his room in a house to crash in. In the morning we are going to walk around campus, check out Monticello which is a couple miles down the road, and bike all the way to Richmond. Looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight, my legs are fried! Good night all!

Fact of the Day

For every 2 people starting HIV treatment, 5 are newly infected. The rate at which the virus is spreading is alarming. Face AIDS seeks to spread education about the disease so that people can develop safe habits to protect themselves from infection. Prevention is one of our greatest allies.

Trivia Contest

Answer to yesterday's question: Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson are buried in Lexington. Lee is entombed in the church on the W&L campus while Jackson lies in a cemetery nearby. Both are clearly marked with some really cool statues. 10 points to my Dad, 0 points to KTO, but an A for effort!

Today's Trivia Question: Washington and Lee University gets its name from George Washington and Robert E. Lee. What is the family connection between these two men that serves as the basis for the college name? (10 points)

BONUS Question: Who designed the original part of the UVA campus? (5 points)

Let it rain, let it rain

2009-07-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

On the Road

As beautiful as Virginia is, the weather is not cooperating with us. When looking at the weather reports last night we learned that a big storm was making its way across our path. Oh well, that's how it has to be. This morning we got 6 miles into our ride and Dave already had two flats. Upon closer inspection it was revealed that Dave's back tire was shredded. In the interest of time (and beating the on coming storm) Lauren picked up Dave and took him to the bike store to get a new tire while I pushed on alone.

The first 30 miles were fine but when I entered a small town called Catawba the rain really started coming down. I stopped at a small store, downed a peperoni/sausage pizza, washed it down with a Mug root beer, and stepped back outside ready to brave the storm. The first couple of miles were terrible, but once I accepted that it wasn't going to start raining everything was good.

About 40 miles into the day the clouds broke and the rain passed. 10 miles later I met up with Dave and we pushed the last 50 miles into Lexington. Lexington is home to both Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. Since it was around 6 when we arrived most things were closed but Dave and I are going to get up early tomorrow and walk around town before biking to Charlottesville. It's a short day (77 miles) but there is a pretty nasty climb 20 miles in that will take a little bit of time.

Fact of the Day

With just over 10% of the world's population, sub-Saharan Africa is home to 95% of the world's AIDS orphans and 60% of all people infected by HIV. The numbers speak for themselves. This is one of our answers for "Why Africa?". Because a disproportionate amount of people are being affected with HIV in Africa compared to other places in the world.

Trivia Contest

Answer to yesterday's question: Mt. Mitchell is the largest mountain in the Appalachians. I was going to give KTO 1 point for every foot that Mt. Mitchell rose above sea level, but turns out she isn't that far behind Mrs. Evans (47 points). KTO has joined Nate Rooks in a tie for 2nd with 30 points a piece. Give it a day or two and Mrs. Evans' streak could be over.

Today's Trivia Question: What two famous Confederate generals are buried in Lexington, VA? (5 points a piece)

Presentation Announcement

On August 12 Dave and I will give a presentation about AIDS, Face AIDS, and our ride at St. John's High School starting at 7 PM. Afterwards everyone is invited back to my house for some light snacks, good conversation, and friends. If you will be in the Central Massachusetts area we would love to have to stop by! If you plan on attending, please let me know at rideagainstaids2009@gmail.com. Thanks!

Lincoln's Birthplace

2009-07-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago we passed Lincoln's birthplace in Kentucky. It was only a couple miles into our day, but we decided to stop and check it out. Here are a couple of pictures from the visit.

The Memorial Building on the park grounds.

The Memorial Building housed this log cabin. While it was not the exact cabin in which Lincoln was born (its origins are traced back to the 1840's) it was found on the grounds where the Lincolns' cabin would have stood.

Ride Against AIDS Reaches the East Coast

2009-07-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

On the Road

We are officially on the East Coast! Yesterday we crossed the Kentucky border and entered into Virginia. The riding has been very tough. Who knew the Appalachians would pose such a challenge? While the elevation doesn't rival that of the Rockies, the grades are much, much steeper and really take it out of your legs.

This photo was taken after the "Leaving Kentucky" sign and before the "Welcome to Virginia" sign. We call it the black line. You know, like state boundaries on a map.

Yesterday we stayed at a local hostel in Damascus, VA. One of the local churches had a place set up where hikers (Appalachian Trail) and cyclists could spend the night on their way through Virginia. We met some cool people and had a great time swapping stories ("What made you decide to bike across the country, you're nuts!" "Are you kidding me? You're walking it!").

We went to bed under the impression that we had only 87 miles to ride today. Upon reviewing the map this morning, however, we realized how off we were. We ended up doing 106 and climbing about 5,000 feet in the process. Surprisingly, I felt a lot better today than yesterday, but by the end my legs were wiped. Virginia is beautiful, though, and I really, really enjoy biking through the countryside.

Some of the beautiful Virginia countryside.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a rest day for us, but we've decided to push on. Our Couch Surfers feel through here so we don't have a place to stay (Mr. Evans put us up at last minute in a hotel...thanks!). Over the next couple of days we bike to Lexington, Charlottesville, and Richmond before turning north. We'll take the off day in Richmond so we can check out some of the Civil War stuff there.

Fact of the Day

60% of tuberculosis patients in South Africa are HIV-positive. It's easy to focus on one aspect of health care. But if you treat someone for AIDS while TB or malaria kills them, you are sort of missing the big picture. That's why we believe in comprehensive health care. If you need food, you get food. If you need shelter, you get shelter. If you need mosquito nets, you get mosquito nets. Partners in Health, the money who receives the funds we raise, also believes this and provide free, comprehensive health care for people living in developing countries. Check out what they do at www.pih.org

Trivia Contest

Answer to Sunday's question: The four commonwealths are Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. 12 more points to Mrs. Evans! I'm going to suspend the daily rankings until someone challenges our leader's supremacy.

Today's Trivia Question: What is the tallest Appalachian Mountain (10 points)

Sometimes you're the Louisville slugger, sometimes you're the ball

2009-07-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

On the Road

Last night your friendly RAA team was witness to the most ferocious lightning storm any of us had ever seen. It found it hard to fall asleep and even when I did it seemed I was woken up only an hour later to the sound of thunder. Overall it was not the best night of sleep.

Weather forecasts predicted rain and thunder storms in the area, so Dave and I rose before the break of dawn, broke camp, and hit the road. There was a decent climb out of Booneville and at the top we were met with a light sprinkle. After our first descent the rain picked up until it was a heavy, heavy downpour. We had another climb and descent before taking a (very) early break 18 miles into our ride at Buckhorn.

A cup of coffee later we were back on the road in the pouring rain. Once again we found ourselves climbing out of town and a steep, slippery descent followed. I gripped my brakes as tight as I could, slowly navigating the fierce corners in the pouring rain. The steep downhill grade and driving rain made for extremely dangerous conditions. At the bottom of the hill, only 20 miles into our day, we pulled into a gas station to assess the situation.

The rain was not likely to pass, in fact it was only supposed to get worse. Lightning strikes off in the distance threatened our position so we flagged Lauren down. In the car we came to a unanimous decision: we had to call it quits for the day and head to the hotel we had booked for the night. So, after only 20 miles, we drove off into the hills and have missed 70 miles.

As difficult as it is to miss miles, this decision was certainly the safest one. On our ride we saw downed trees, blind corners, and cars driving wildly. One of us was certain to wreck and it was not a chance we wanted to take.

We've spent the afternoon and the evening chilling at our hotel in Pikeville, KY. Dave and I just got back from Transformers: Rise of the Fallen. I tried to think of something witty or dry to say about this film- certainly one of the great sequels, much like The Godfather 2- but I am at a loss for words. It was....I got nothing.

Tomorrow we continue on into Virginia! East Coast here we come!

Fact of the Day

Only 23% of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are receiving the anti-retroviral therapy they need. Considering that the vast majority of HIV-infected people live in sub-Saharan Africa, very few people who need these drugs are getting them.

Trivia Contest

Answer to yesterday's Trivia: Berea was founded in 1855 and people of all backgrounds- men, women, blacks, and whites- could attend. Mind you this was 8 years before the Emancipation Proclamation and 65 years before women gained the right to vote. 5 points to my Dad for coming up with the year first and 5 points to Hailey, our friend Dave met at Berea, for answering the latter part of the question.

Today's Trivia Question: What are the four Commonwealths in the Union? (3 points a piece)

Dog Days of Summer

2009-07-25T18:38:00.001-07:00

On the Road

Whew, it's been a couple of days so I'll try to keep this as short as possible. The biking has been great. I got back on the bike yesterday and my legs are feeling good (but tired) and the cuts are holding up very nicely. I forsee no further complications, but knock on wood, I don't want to miss any more miles!

Kentucky continues to get more and more beautiful. Today we worked our way up to the base of the Appalachian mountains. They are much shorter than the Rockies or the Sierra Nevadas (our biggest peak is around 4,000 feet) but they are significantly steeper so it will make for some long days in the near future.

One of the many beautiful backroads of Kentucky.

Speaking of long days, we rode 100+ miles today. The first 50 took out a lot of both Dave and me, but we stopped in Berea and checked out the college there for a while. The wind was blowing very hard and we tried to wait it out; I'd had enough of head/cross winds from the morning.

After pushing on we tried to break up the last 55 miles into 30 and 25 miles segments. Lauren got lost in the windy roads though so we rode all the way in and met her in Booneville, KY. The rain started coming down in the last couple miles so we rode very hard and rewarded ourselves with a big dinner. I had a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, four cokes, a sirloin/egg/cheese breakfast sandwich, and a slive of peanut butter pie. I could have had more.

Nine order tickets in total for the table. Oh yeah.

Now we are cmaping out back of a Presbyterian Church in town. The church has set up a free camp ground for cyclists passing through complete with bathrooms and showers! It's a very welcome surprise at the end of a long day and should refresh us for a long day tomorrow. We're going 125 miles or so to Elkhorn City. It's longer than we originally planned but it gives us some good flexiblity for housing two days from now. Besides, go big or go home.

There's a little story that Dav insists I tell on the blog. Throughtout Kentucky it has not been uncommon to be chased by dogs for a little bit. Often they are small and just want to play, but we've had our fair share of dogs that look pretty vicious and just want to take a big chomp out of our juicy legs.

Well we were biking along this ridge this evening. Dave was leading by 5 bike lengths or so when a large (140 lbs) black dog starts to bark, chases Dave, and nips at his heels. Dave barely made it through. I froze at the start of the dog's property. It turned, barked, and started to sprint directly at my down the centerline.

I developed a theory early in the day while outrunning a German Shepard that likens biking past dogs to playing basketball. When you are on offense you have to beat your defender with your first step. If you can beat him with one step, you can turn the corner and get to the hoop. If, however, the defender reads your step and blocks your path you have nowhere to go. Well Dave beat the dog with his first step but I could not do so.

Anyways this 140 lbs, very fast, snarling dog is barreling down on me so I about faced and start booking it away from our destination. I managed to get away and the dog returned to its yard. A 5 minute sparring session ensued. I would try to sneak by, the dog would block my path and try to end my life. After a few unsuccessful attempts, the owner came out and managed to pin the dog- aptly named "Bruiser"- down. "He's all bark and no bite!" he kindly chuckled as I sped on by. I thanked him but didn't wait around for the dog to be released.

It's safe to say I am officially terrified of dogs.

Fact of the Day

For only $4 you can buy a one time drug dosage that will prevent the transfer of HIV from mother to child during pregnancy. This fact is one that really gets to me. Having grown up in a household with two, healthy parents who worked hard and provided me with the opportunities to get where I am today I am extremely thankful for the blessings in my life. Yet everyday children are born with HIV, have no access to the life saving drugs that we can produce, and die before they are 5 years old only because they were born in a 3rd world country. Yet for $4- $4!!- these kids can be given a chance at life. Ultimately, that's what we all want and $4 seems a small price to pay for the life of a child.

Trivia Contest

Answer to Wednesday's Question: I must confess that I have led my reading audience astray. As it turns out the men on the Kentucky state falg are NOT Daniel Boone and Henry Clay but symbolic figures of "the stateman" and "the pioneer". As I was corrected by Mrs. Evans she gets the 10 points and assumes the lead on our scoreboard! Has Nate Rooks gone silent? Will KTO make her comeback? Keep checking back to find out!

Today's trivia Question: In what year was Berea College founded (5 points)? Who was allowed to enroll (5 points)?

Driving 'ol Dixie Down

2009-07-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

On the Road

It rained hard last night. I awoke several times to the pounding of the rain on the top of our tent. The protective covering held fast, though, and all our team rose in the morning dry and warm. Camp was broken, and we stopped at a local restaurant for breakfast before taking the ferry- the only way across the Ohio River- to Kentucky.

As Dave pushed off from the Kentucky shore the rain still came down at a decent pace. Lauren and I drove on through the countryside and waited for Dave in a small town 40 miles down the road called Dixon. As I sat in the library reading I received a text from Lauren that Dave had arrived and pushed on another 20 miles. The clouds had broken and the sun was starting to push through.

We continued on through the beautiful countryside of Kentucky. The interlocking corn fields, bundles of hay, and green forest formed distinct patterns that resembled patchwork quilts. After another short stop in a small town Dave pushed onward before calling it a day. We drove a few miles up to Owensboro to a hotel the Evanses had reserved for us. It was a special treat after a long day of very wet biking for Dave.

For dinner we found ourselves at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Not having biked for two days I kept my plates on the small side, though it should be noted my dinner plate did not differ all that much in size from my dessert plate. Dave, however, must have had eyes bigger than his stomach. I almost had to roll him out of the car back into the hotel.

Fact of the Day

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in Zimbabwe is living with HIV. The life expectancy for men is 37. For women it is only 34. I'm currently reading a book called My Own Country about the spread of AIDS during "the plague years" in rural Tennessee. The author, infectious disease specialist Dr. Abraham Verghese, makes the observation that while some diseases target older people, AIDS is predominantly a young person's disease.

Trivia Contest

Answer to yesterday's trivia: 10 more points to Mrs. Evans! Face AIDS boasts more than 150 chapters on high school and college campuses across the country. If you are interested in starting one please send us an email at rideagainstaids2009@gmail.com or go to www.faceaids.org. It's easy to start, rewarding to participate, and important to maintain.

Today's Trivia Question: Kentucky's state flag boasts what famous pioneer? (10 points)

Standings: Nate Rooks maintains his slim lead (30 points) over Mrs Evans (25 points) and KTO/Matty Pru (20 points). Will Mrs. Evans' overtake the top spot tomorrow?

Cave in Rock, IL

2009-07-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

On the Road

We woke this morning to cloud covered skies and moderate temperatures: perfect biking weather. As Dave hit the road out of Carbondale Lauren and I stayed behind gathering our things and saying our goodbyes. Once we were on the road we cruised for 41 miles before meeting up with Dave in Simpson, IL.

The rest day made Dave's legs fresh. "Forty miles is nothing any more," he proclaimed. "I feel like I just finished my warm up!" He covered the last 42 miles, back roads that follow the gently sloping hills of southern Illinois, in no time at all. We had all arrived at our destination, Cave in Rock, by 2.

Cave in Rock is a small town that sits on the edge of the Ohio River. Main St. is usually congested with a line of 5 or 6 cars waiting to load the ferry that traverses the river and arrives on the Kentucky shore. We sat in a small cafe a few roads back from the river and ate a hearty meal before setting up camp in the state park.

The state park is divided into two parts, the campground and the town's namesake: a large cave in a large rock. We ventured down there around 5. A light rain drizzled on us as we descended the stone staircase to the river bank. The river was quiet. The cave itself is mammoth in size and has a surprisingly long history. Travelers in the area marked its existence as early as 1739, but when Lewis and Clark came across the cave in the early 19th century it had been used for some time as a hide out for thieves, murders, and counterfeiters.

Cycling is great and all, but sometimes you just need to get your lift on. Here's Dave at the entrance to Cave in Rock doing some dips.

Dave, Lauren, and I wandered around the cave for a while before meandering down to the river shore to watch a large barge struggle upstream. The rain started to pick up so we made our way back to the campsite, found some shelter, and have spent the past few hours reading away. As I type Dave and Lauren have just started a game of Yahtzee. Tensions are rising.

But an hour ago the rain was coming down quite hard. It has started to subside now and we hope it clears up a little bit for tomorrow. The ferry will take us to Kentucky tomorrow where we will ride 80 or so miles (is Dave even getting a workout anymore?) to our destination.

The state park at Cave in Rock, IL. You can see Kentucky just across the Ohio River.

Fact of the Day

39.5 million people were living with HIV in 2006. The magnitude of the virus, a virus that does not discriminate between white and black, man or woman, gay or straight, is one of the many reasons we have chosen to spend out summer spreading awareness about this disease.

Trivia Contest

Answer to this morning's question: Popeye the Sailor. Popeye's creator, Elzie Crisler Segar, was born and raised in Chester, IL a small town on the Mississippi River.

Answer to this morning's BONUS question: Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri in 1835. Once described by William Faulkner as "the father of American fiction", Mark Twain's often wrote about his homeland and the river it bordered.

Today's trivia question: This is more of a research project. Name five schools, other than Stanford, that have Face AIDS chapters. (2 points/school, 10 points max).

With two correct answers this morning, Mrs. Evans leaps onto the scoreboard with 15 points! The top of the leader board remains unchanged: Nate Rooks (30 points) is followed by a tie in 2nd place between KTO and Matty Pru (20 points a piece).

Other News

Dave recently uploaded about 100 more photos to SnapFish. If you want see all of our fun and games, click on the link on the left side of the page. There are some great ones!

M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i

2009-07-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

It's been more than a month on the road (only 3 or so weeks left!) and I feel like it's time to stitch things up a little bit. Thus, I will try to organize the blog into different sections. "On the Road" will give you a daily account of our travels, observations, and people we meet. The Trivia Contest will provide the answer to yesterday's question, pose a new one, and give leader board updates. I will also implement a new section: "Fact of the Day". The fact will pertain to Face AIDS, HIV, Partners in Health, or another aspect of our organization. Finally, (and this falls on you, my dear readers) I want to get a "Reader Feedback" page going. We've had scattered messages, comments, and suggestions from family and friends, but we would really like to hear from you some more. So if you have anything to ask, tell, or comment on, please leave us a comment (I think you need to create a user name to do so) or shoot us an email at rideagainstaids20009@gmail.com. Thanks a ton, and now onto the blog!

On the Road

It's now Tuesday morning and before we get going on the bikes this morning I've found some time to get back into the blogging world and write about the past couple of days.

Saturday was our longest day of the trip: 130+ miles! My legs were sore from getting back onto the bike the day before, but I was still so excited to finally be riding again that I was up to the challenge. It was, however, quite the challenge. Missouri has proved to be a tougher state than we anticipated. Our topography maps showed steep inclines, but the flux in elevation only ranged from 800-1400 feet. After having slaved in the mountains for the first three weeks of of this trip we didn't think too much of these hills.

Turns out we were wrong. We attributed the sharp spikes in the topography charts to a poor scale. As it was, the hills were far steeper than anything we had encountered. Each one took quite an effort, and there were plenty of them. Dave likened Missouri to one of our crew workouts: Canadian Bacon. Each hill involved a short burst of maximum effort while the other parts were more or less cruising. I agreed and also offered the image of a roller coaster.

The day brought us to Farmington, MO. We stayed with a CouchSurfer, Kelsey. She took us out to dinner- where we had massive burgers- before going back to her place to crash for the night. I had planned on writing this blog that evening, but once dinner was over I was in bed. I slept from 8:30 PM to 7 the next morning.

Sunday we rode from Farmington, MO to Carbondale, IL. 50 miles into our 90 mile day we crossed out of Missouri and into Illinois. We've crossed a lot of state borders in the past few weeks, but this one was particularly cool because the natural border between the states is the Mississippi River! I'd been looking forward to this part of the ride for a long time and it did not disappoint. The Mississippi is massive. Barges move up and down the river and kids played on the shores. We rode along the river for a ways before breaking east and continuing on or journey.

By the early afternoon we had reached Carbondale, a college town in Illinois. We met up with John, Matt, Kyle, and some of their friends. These guys were to be our hosts for the next two nights (we had planned a rest day in Carbondale). They were all swimmers/divers for SIU Carbondale and their teammates knew one of our friends on the Stanford swim team. They were awesome hosts and showed us a really good time! I hope they all come out to California sometime so we can reciprocate the hospitality.

Today we have a 90-mile day from Carbondale to Cave in Rock, IL (I kid you not, that is the name!). Cave in Rock is a small town on the Ohio River on the southeastern corner of Illinois. Tomorrow we'll cross into Kentucky which marks the end of the Midwest and our first excursion into the South. My goal over to next few days is to find some legitimate Kentucky Fried Chicken. Wish me luck!

In other news, I am off the bike again. Yesterday evening I went to the local hospital to have the stitches removed. They came out cleanly and the cuts looks good, but the doctor told me there was a decent chance the cuts could come open again with biking. This, he said, wouldn't be detrimental to my health, but would increase the recovery period and leave a larger scar. Now I'm all for big, bad scars, but with my obligations back on campus to the team, I don't think it would be fair for me to risk spending another month rehabbing my leg when a couple days off know could do the job. Of course I am terribly disappointed, but I know this is the right call and will try to be more productive with my time in the car.

Fact of the Day

AIDS deaths in sub-Saharan Africa represent 72% of AIDS deaths worldwide. One of the questions we get asked a lot on the road is "Well why focus on Africa when people are dying of AIDS here in America?" This fact helps a lot with that answer. The prevalence of the disease and the inability of people to receive the medical care they need makes Africa a place desperate for support and we hope to provide that in as big a way as we can.

Trivia Contest

Answer to Friday's Trivia: Wild Bill killed a man over a watch. Oh, the wild wild west! 10 more points to Nate Rooks who is rapidly running away with the competition.

Today's Trivia Question: Chester, IL, the first town we arrived in after crossing the Mississippi, is home to what famous cartoon character? (10 points)

BONUS Question: Missouri is the home state of American author Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He is better known by what name? (5 points)

Nate Rooks is now our leaders with 30 points. Not far behind at KTO and Matty Pru with 20 points a piece.

Back in the saddle again

2009-07-17T19:22:00.001-07:00

Dave, Lauren, and I rolled out of bed this morning refreshed, excited, and ready to hit the road. Chris Brammer, our host in Springfield, had welcomed us into his home and it was just what we all needed. The previous day we arrived in Springfield around 3 and Chris met us in the center of town. We chatted and had some snacks before he brought us to the local college where we showered while he went home.

Before going to dinner at Chris’s house we stopped at the Bass Pro Shop. For all the non-fishermen out there, Bass Pro is the quintessential outdoor shop for all things fishing. The corporation is actually based in Springfield, MO and let me tell you, the outlet is MASSIVE. I won’t begin to describe. Let your imaginations run wild with guns, fishing poles, and lots of camo.

After Bass Pro we headed over to Chris’s house for dinner. Chris and his wife, Robyn, just had their first child, Wyatt, two days ago! Tired, but happy, they welcomed us into their home and we enjoyed a great lasagne dinner with their parents, all four who were proud first-time grandparents.

Having enjoyed a great home cooked meal, it was time to head to the church where we would be sleeping. On the way I was dropped off at a local clinic and had my chest stitches removed. Needless to say I was very happy, except for the fact that it is almost healing too well and I fear that I won’t have as sweet a scar as I imagined.

Today we had an 80-mile day which was prolonged to around 90 after a “scenic tour” Dave and I chose to take….which of course means we got lost. Once we found our way we cruised on and made it all the way to Houston.

As some may know, today was my first day back on the bike in eight days! I was so pumped to finally be riding again, but let me tell you, my legs are feeling it. The past 8 days were just limited activity; I tried to do as little as physically possible! My legs are really sore and tomorrow we have our longest day of the trip: 132 miles!

It’s getting late and I can’t wait to crawl into bed so I will save my perceptions of Missouri until tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and come back tomorrow!

Answer to yesterday’s Trivia: Missouri is the “Show-Me” state. Check back tomorrow for the origin of this nickname.

Today’s Trivia Question: "Wild Bill" Hickok, a daunting figure in Old Western Lore, killed a man in Springfielf, MO in a draw over a small piece of property. What was this article over which the argument was held?

Trivia Contest Standings: Part 2

2009-07-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

The battle for the RAA Trivia Contest title rages on! The recent emergence of the player-coach Nate Rooks onto the playing field has created a three-way tie for first place. As of today the standings are:

1. Nate Rooks- 20 points

1. Matty Pru- 20 points

1. Katie O'Neil- 20 points

4. Christie Lehren- 15 points

5. The Lilley Family- 10 points

6. Sean Keeley- 9 points

With just under a month left, the game is still wide open. As usual the trivia question will be something pertaining to an event in the day or a random (and probably useless) fact that we recently learned. So keep checking back and playing the game!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The stakes in the game have just been raised! The winner will not only receive a Face AIDS DVD and a kiss from our lovely own Dave Evans, but Dave will take the lucky winner out on the town for an evening! Pictures of a potential date will soon follow.

The Midwest rolls on

2009-07-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

I seem to have already broken my promise of more posts, so I must ask for our readers' forgiveness. The days pass surprisingly quick in the support van! My days riding shotgun are almost numbered, however, so I expect to blog more frequently when I'm back on the road. There's more time to think and more things to notice when you are crawling along between 15-20 mph.

Tuesday's blog was left off with 50 miles to go. Those miles went smoothly and we gathered in Eureka, KS to camp for the evening. About a week ago some other riders, those headed towards the West Coast, informed us that we were allowed to pitch tents in city parks. So that was exactly what we did. It was a cozy little spot and we fell asleep to the sounds of a far off thunderstorm.

Yesterday was the first day that the winds died down at all. As he has been doing with these long days, Dave got up earlier and hit the road while Lauren and I broke camp. Things were going great until our first break. Just after Dave got back on the road we saw some serious storm clouds gathering in the distance. Lauren and I drove only a little ways before the rain started to fall. We turned around and got Dave in the Dave just before the biggest downpour of the trip.

With thunder and lightening all around us, the team made the executive decision to drive the 15 miles between us and Chanute in order to get some safe shelter. It is never a pleasant decision to skip any amount of miles, but we felt it was best.

In Chanute we grabbed subs in a little shop that served BIG sandwiches. Perhaps he forgot he still had to bike, but Dave ate a 12-inch sub (they serve at least 5 oz. of meat alone per 6 inch sandwiches!) and promptly slouched to the car to sleep it off. Lauren and I sat at the small round tables outside- think Parisian cafe style- reading.

The miles continued on and eventually we wound up in Pittsburgh, KS, a town on the Missouri border. There we grabbed dinner at one of the local Pizza Huts and went over to the local movie theater to catch the latest Harry Potter movie. We'd all been wanting to see a movie for several weeks now so we enjoyed sinking into those big, comfy chairs and watching some serious magic. Afterwards we pitched a tent in the local park and fell asleep.

Right now we are back on the road and 55 miles from our destination. We crossed the Missouri border about 20 miles back. The afternoon could have some great media coverage in store for us. We contacted a family, Chris and Robyn, on CouchSurfer two nights ago in Eureka hoping they could get us a place to stay. Only a few hours later we received a call from Chris who was in the hospital with his wife who had just given birth to their first child! He had heard about our ride and wanted to help get us some coverage in Springfield! Needless to say the whole team was extremely appreciative and awed at his go-get-'em attitude; becoming a father wasn't busy enough of a day for Chris, he had to get in touch with local TV and radio stations too! Can't wait to meet him, he seems like a very, very cool guy.

That's all for right now. I will do my best to get some photos up and another blog soon. My chest stitches come out today so I should be in very high spirits. Thanks for reading and come again soon!

Answer to the last trivia question: Laika, a Soviet dog, was the first animal from Earth to enter space. Nate Rooks steals all 10 points of the day!

Today's trivia Question: Florida is the Sunshine state. Massachusetts in the Bay State. California is the Golden State. What is Missouri?

Dust in the wind...

2009-07-14T10:05:00.001-07:00

The band Kansas once wrote a song called "Dust in the Wind" in which they lament human mortality, crooning: "Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind". We've only been in Kansas for a couple of days, but I venture to offer this amendment to the song: "Dust in the wind, all Kansas is is fields, dust, and headwinds".

Since we've left Colorado there had been a strong headwind blowing out of the East. As the prevailing winds generally blow from West to East, encountering the headwind has made for some very long days. Several other factors, including the long miles (100-120 a day) and the inability to draft, have made this a challenging state.

After talking with some doctors, teammates, and coaches, I decided to stay off the bike until I got the stitches in my legs removed. As disappointed as I am (believe me, nothing drives me as crazy as inactivity, so sitting in the support car as Dave bikes along is torture), I know this is the best approach to the solution. I feel bad for Dave who has to endure the winds alone, but maybe worse for Lauren who has to bear my often terrible jokes. She's been a real trooper.

Two days ago we pulled into Hutchinson, KS for a rest day. Dave was exhausted from the wind and miles; he's been a real warrior tackling some serious miles on his own. A rest day was certainly in order and we were happy to show up at the house of the CouchSurfers we would be staying with, Sam and Sherry Flaming.

Sam and Sherry lived in a house just south of Hutchinson, adjacent to a large farm. Across the road was a large green field and cows roamed next door. It struck a chord in me as reminiscent of my childhood vacations to visit my grandmother in Indiana; this was the Mid-West.

We met our hosts and sat down for dinner. Sam and Sherry are newly weds (congratulations guys!) and were such wonderful hosts. We greatly enjoyed their company and fell asleep that night happy to be in Kansas. The following day Dave, Lauren, and I went into town. After dropping off our bikes at the local shop for some maintenance, we went to the Cosmosphere, a huge space museum. Dave ran around like a kid in a candy shop (engineers, can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em), but Lauren and I had just as good a time too.

We grabbed a late Mexican lunch, picked up the bikes, and then grabbed a drink with Sam and Sherry at a local bar. Afterwards we headed home for another great dinner and a game of croquet. Even though I lost to both Sam and Sherry, I made sure to remind Dave he had lost to a cripple. He promptly reminded me how much fun he has biking. Dave 1, Austin 0.

Today we are back on the road. Dave is still braving the headwinds (c'mon Kansas! give us a break!) while Lauren and I are sitting in a nice little coffee shop in Hesston. We'll get back on the road soon and meet up with Dave in 50 miles or so. My chest stitches come out on Thursday and the leg ones on Saturday so I should be back on the bike this weekend. Until then I'll try to enjoy the passing countryside and work on my jokes. Hope everyone is having a great summer, and I PROMISE to update more frequently. Bye!

P.S. We've been on the road for one month today. Woo hoo! Less than a month to Boston, but a lot of miles between here and there.

Answer to the last Trivia Question: 31 stitches. There are 5 in my left knee, 9 in my right quad, and 17 (count 'em) on my chest. Everything is healing nicely and cleanly, so I don't foresee any more delays in my quest to get back on the bike. 10 points to KTO!

Today's Trivia Question: Before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the Soviets had dominated the Space Race. In 1957 they successfully put the first mammal into space. What type of animal was it (5 points) and what was its name (5 points)?

What goes up...

2009-07-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were prepared for our last climb of the Rockie Mountains. After leaving Howard we had 3,000 feet to climb gradually over 30 or 40 miles. It was beautiful country with the Rocky Mountains in the back ground providing a sense of completion of a major part of our ride and the downhill towards Kansas representing our next challenge.

Turns out our next challenge was closer than we expected.

A couple of miles after starting our descent Dave and I encountered a particularly tricky part of the road. We saw a sharp right hand turn whose speed limit was 25 mph. We slowed down, but even 25 was far too fast; I drifted into the left hand lane.

Immediately after this turn was an ever sharper left hand turn whose limit was 20 mph. The corner was coming up fast and Dave and I knew that even 20 mph was too fast to take it. We hit both brakes as hard as we could trying to avoid the guardrail around the corner. Dave narrowly made it. I wasn't so lucky.

Just before the turn I realized I wasn't going to make it cleanly and so began as best a defensive measure as I could. Kicking my right foot out of the pedal I tried to fend off the rail with my shoe. It work for a while until my jersey caught a metal pole sticking up out of the rail. It ripped me back, I was separated from the bike, and went clean over the rail.

Dave looked back just in time to see the crash and pulled over. I popped right back up feeling fine, waved to Dave, and let him know I was doing OK. Rather calm and not in any pain I started to look for any cuts. That's went I realized I didn't escape as cleanly as I thought. I had a long, but mostly shallow cut across the middle of my chest, a good size gash in my left knee, and a "I don't even want to look at that" slice in my right quad.

Dave came running up and started to panic when he saw my leg. I told him I was fine, the wound wasn't really bleeding so I wasn't losing a ton of blood, and we flagged down a car. A very nice family allowed me to hop in and took me on the 30 minute drive to the hospital in Canon City. They were extremely friendly and really helped me out... I don't know what we would have done without them.

Dave managed to get in touch with Lauren and they picked up the bikes and met me at the hospital. I was in good spirits, still not in any pain, but nervous that the cuts were even deeper than I thought. Long story short, the people at the hospital took great care of me (I was nervous to find out that my doctor was a Cal grad and ran the 400 for the Golden Bears! Fortunately, he didn't try to sabotage the Cardinal crew team and did tremendous work....he was really a nice guy).

After getting out of the hospital we met up with our hosts for the night, Donna, a retired middle school teacher, and Jack, a biology professor at CSU Pueblo. They were so welcoming, generous, friendly, and helpful, and we had the most wonderful evening. This morning they made us breakfast (the BEST omelet I've had in a long time) and we had some great chats. Lauren drove Dave to the start and then came back to the house to pick me up. We're on the road now but Dave has had two flats already so we think something might be wrong with his rim. We're going to pick him up and probably have to head back to Pueblo to get it checked out because there are no bike stores for a while now.

That's all I have for now. I'll be off the bike for a couple of days which is a bummer. The only thing preventing me from riding is my knee because the constant flexing would tear it open again. Oh well, I'll try to be productive with my time. Thanks for reading!

P.S. If you want photographic documentation of my injuries, leave your email as a comment or send us an email as rideagainstaids2009@gmail.com. They are pretty gruesome and we wanted to keep the blog PG (but c'mon folks, I totally won the right to brag!).

Answer to the last trivia question: The Continental Divide separated the flow of water in the country. If it flows down the East side it will eventually make it to the Atlantic. If it goes down the West, its destination is the Pacific. Matty Pru jumps back into the game with a 10 more points!

Today's Trivia Question: Today's question is more of a guessing game. How many stitches did I get in total?

Turning the Rockies into a pile of rubble

2009-07-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I'm going to keep this pretty short so I can go crash in a little bit. On the 4th of July we started in Dolores and biked up over Lizard Head Pass (10,222 feet) before descending into Telluride. Since our next day was supposed to be very long we decided to push out an extra 13 miles, all down hill, to Placerville. We then got in the cat and headed back up to Telluride for celebrations.

We met up with Brian Werner, a Couch Surfer, who graciously allowed us to stay with him. We spent all afternoon by the poolside with Brian's friends just hanging out and enjoying ourselves. The fireworks were very cool, or so I'm told. I fell asleep before the show started because I was really tired and we had a long day the next day.

In the morning we drove back to where we had stopped and got back on the bikes. The route started with a 12 mile uphill then fell 38 miles into Montrose, CO. We had a long lunch, got some supplies from Sports Authority, and got back on the road. We had two more peaks into Sapinero, but decided to push another 26 (flat) miles to Gunnison. We stayed at a campground just north of there and took our rest day the following day.

We woke up in the morning and went white water rafting with the Scenic River Tours. It was a lot of fun and at the suggestion of our guide we spent the rest of the day at a town called Crested Butte. There, we found a little coffee/book shop and spent the afternoon sitting outside, reading, and taking in the fresh mountain air. It was all very refreshing.

Today we had a 33 mile ride to Sargents, CO which is at the base of Monarch Pass. 10 miles of uphill later we were atop the Continental Divide, 11,312 feet above sea level. It is the highest point of our trip and provided a great view. The 23 miles down into Salida were the easiest of the trip... way too easy. We are about to push out another 13 miles to a campground in Howard, CO. It will make tomorrow a lot easier and there is a nice cold river to swim in! Gotta go, so see you later!

Dave and me at 11,312 feet. As always, trying to represent Stanford Crew.

Answer to the last trivia question: Partners in Health. 10 points to Christie Lehren who has grabbed a commanding control of the leader board!

Today's Trivia Question: What is the significance of the Continental Divide?

Lizard Head Pass

2009-07-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry this video is a couple of days late, but this is our Fourth of July video post. I also just want to give a shout out to Elaine Breeden. She's in Indianapolis right now at the US National Time Trials (or whatever its called). We tried to do it in the video, but the memory card ran out before we could recordit. So good luck Elaine and hope everyone had a happy 4th!

Rolling on into Colorado

2009-07-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

We got an early start this morning, pushing off from the hotel at 7:30. Mr. Kubiak joined us for the day and it was great to have another fresh face in the group! The day's route called for 82 miles of mostly flat riding with maybe 1,000 feet of gained elevation. 37 miles in we reached the Colorado border. Lauren and Mrs. Kubiak met us there, we posed for some pictures with the sign and headed on out.

Eight miles later we paused for a lunch break in Dove Creek. Mr. Kubiak immediately got back on the bike and headed out while Dave and I lamented how much we ate, fell into the Sprinter, and took a half hour nap. When we finally got up we rode on and finished the last 35 miles or so. Ten miles out we met up with Mr. Kubiak and finished the day. The hills were green, but rolled all the way into Dolores (luckily, we ended on the downhill!).

We arrived in Dolores, CO around 2:30. It's a small town, but is loaded with charm. The buildings are old but the people are friendly and the river that runs parallel to the town makes for a great outdoors area. The team gladly sat in the Dolores River for a half hour or so. The current was fast but we managed to find some rocks that rose slightly out of the water so we could enjoy the beautiful July sun.

We just returned from a wonderful dinner at the Dolores River Brewry and are enjoying a quiet evening around our motel/cabin that we are staying in. Tomorrow we climb 3K feet up over Lizard Head Pass (10,222 ft.) and then descend into Telluride. It's about 65 miles and the grade is gradual, but we are going to try to get an eraly start so we can see the 4th of July parade that goes through Telluride around midday.

I suppose this is officially the start to the Rocky Mountains. Since the beginning of the trip people have been wishing us luck on the Rockies, but frankly (I could possibly eat these words) I'm not that intimidated. We just spent the past 2.5 weeks in the mountains; in Nevada it was not uncommon to do three peaks in a day. So even though both major passes we go over are 10K+ (10,222 and 11,500) since our base is already 7,000-8,000 ft, I think it should be very doable. Not easy, mind you, but not devastatingly difficult. Check back in a week to see if my words hold true!

Answer to yesterday's Trivia: The Four Corners are formed by the state borders of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. With three correct answers, Sean Keeley is awarded 9 points. (Good work Little Man!)

Today's Trivia Question: 100% of the funds raised through Face AIDS are matched by private donors and thrown behind the work of what organization? (Hint: Paul Farmer founded this organization while still a medical student). (10 points)

Day off in Blanding, UT

2009-07-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

After forgoing our rest day in Hite, today's day of rest was a welcome relief. In the past five days we've travelled several hundred miles, climbed multiple peaks (even up over 10,000 ft!), and endured some bitter heat. A day off was just what we needed.

I planned on sleeping in but old habits die hard, so when the rays of the morning sun broke through our windows at 8:30 my slumber was over. A couple cups of coffee later I was more or less ready to face the day.

Over breakfast Dave, Lauren, and I decided to drive down to the Four Corners, just over an hour outside of Blanding. We hopped in the Sprinter and drove off. It was sort of what we expected: underwhelming, touristy, and probably not on the exact location of the Four Corners. But hey, that's what we were looking for! We took some photos (check back for Dave doing a back bend, one limb in each state. We need to stretch more) and headed back to Blanding.

The afternoon was a lazy one. The TV droned for a while as we slept, read, or did whatever else we were doing. In the evening we met up with Lauren's parents. Her father had work in New Mexico so her mother flew in and they drove up to see us. Mr. Kubiak will be joining us on tomorrow's ride which is exciting- we're always looking for new riders!

That's all I have for now. Tomorrow (knock on wood) shouldn't be a bad day. 82 miles with 1000 total feet of climbing. The weather calls for clouds so it should be cool, but we hope the rain holds off. We'll pass the border into Colorado tomorrow. The 4th will be spent in Telluride which we are very excited about. But now it's getting late and I need to hop into bed for tomorrow's ride. Thanks!

Answer to yesterday's trivia: Our names are as follow: David Andrew Evans, Lauren Emma Kubiak, and Austin William Carroll Keeley. 5 points go to Christie Lehren for getting my middle name correct!

Today's trivia question: What are the four states whose borders meet at the Four Corners? (3 points for each correct state)

Ride Against AIDS (256 photos), by Dave Evans

2009-07-02T09:06:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, we finally posted all of our photos online. Click on the link below to check them out. Enjoy!
http://www2.snapfish.com/fbshareredirect/p=13321246550673819/l=1416903020/g=1022535020/redirectURL=share/otsi=SALBBL/AlbumID=795155020/a=1022535020_1022535020/usercomments=I_xqd%20like%20to%20share%20my%20Snapfish%20photos%20with%20you.%20Once%20you%20have%20checked%20out%20my%20photos%20you%20can%20order%20prints%20and%20upload%20your%20own%20photos%20to%20share./counttext=256%20photos/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish

Trivia Contest Standings

2009-07-01T21:52:00.001-07:00

The ongoing contest for the title of Trivia Champion is very (maybe a little) too close. So far we have a three way tie for first:

The Lilley Family (10 points)
Matty Pru (10 points)
Katie O'Neill (10 points)

There's still plenty of time to get in the running for the final prize, a Face AIDS DVD and a kiss from our own David Evans (as noted before, the kiss is optional ;-) ). Keep checking back for more questions, and keep the comments coming!

Disappointment strikes but the team deals

2009-07-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

Since Dave and I began planning our route we had been looking forward to stopping at the Hite Recreation Area on Lake Powell in Utah. Our maps spoke highly of the area and the park's website showed pictures of a beautiful lake surrounded by high red mountains. As such, we scheduled one of our off days there. Yesterday we had a short 50-mile day to get to the park and we were anxious to relax by the water and enjoy ourselves.

Sadly, things did not turn out as we wanted them to. The last 10 miles or so were difficult, not because of the terrain but because of the heat. It was near 1 PM and the temperature was over 100 degrees. When we finally pulled into Hite we found the beautiful lake we expected, but the shore was bare, facilities were few and far between, the heat was blistering, and we were constantly pestered by gnats.

Trying to make the best of the situation we headed 4 miles up the road to Farley Canyon, another point of access to Lake Powell. We swam in the lake for a little over an hour and enjoyed the sun, but soon the heat got the better of us and we headed back to Hite to find some shade.

In the evening we enjoyed a small dinner in the car and then went for a swim. After wading to waist deep water I dove forward, thinking the water would get deeper. However, the water actually got slightly shallower away from the shore and I ended up scraping the sand on bottom. I came out with some scrapes on my chest and forehead. Though unsightly, the scratches are surface deep and should be gone in a week or so.

By the time we were done swimming it was dusk. Tired, we opted to forgo pitching the tent and sleep in the van for the first time. This turned out to be another terrible decision. It was hot, uncomfortable, and didn't offer as much space as we expected. We woke in the morning not very refreshed and greeted with another 100+ degree day.

The night before we had decided to push on to our next stop, Blanding, and take our rest day there. So Dave and I were back on the bikes and pedaling. It was a 75 mile ride through extreme heat and dry weather. The first 40 miles or so were a steady uphill so both us riders were pretty spent. All in all we spent 6-7 hours in the saddle because of the constant uphill and heat.

We're currently in Blanding and will be taking our rest day here tomorrow. We might take the hour car ride to the Four Corners, so I will try to get some photos of that up. Lauren's parents are driving up from Albuquerque tomorrow and are graciously putting us up in a hotel, so thank you very much! As always, thanks for reading and check back for more soon.

Answer to the last Trivia question: beehive. 10 points to Katie O'Neil!

Answer to the BONUS question: Allosaurus. (Dinosaurs are cool).

Today's Trivia Question: What are the middle names of Dave, Lauren, and Austin? (5 points a piece)

Car Ride Through the Grand Staircase

2009-06-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

This video was filmed just after we had breakfast at Kiva's Koffeehouse in Utah. We were heading back down to where we had finished the day before and wanted to share the view with you all. Hope you like it!

(Note: Sorry that the music doesn't always come through. It was being played through the car speakers but when the camera was out the window it was obscured by the wind.)

Beautiful Riding, and lots of it

2009-06-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

In the morning we drove a couple miles back up the road to Kiva’s Koffeehouse. The shop sits overlooking the staircase and serves coffee starting at 8:30. What better way to kick start the day? On the way back down to the starting point we filmed a quick video of the area that we hope to enjoy (check the newest entry). I taped Dave’s ankle, which he’d been resting and icing, and it felt good.

Dave and I at the top of the nameless 9,600 foot summit.

Today was another long day. The first 23 miles were all up hill and culminated in a 9,600 peak. From the top it was 18 miles downhill into Torrey where we broke for snacks. After some ice cream that was a little too good, our bikes were back on the road and we started pedaling. Caineville, our next stop, was 30 miles away. I was ready to put my head down and just do the work, but the Capitol Reef National Park had other plans.

As our descent from the mountain continued we plunged into the massive stone structures of the Capitol Reef National Park. Our route mirrored the Fremont River which cuts in and out of massive stone structures. Some were over 1,000 feet in height. As I zoomed along the road these monuments reminded me of massive medieval fortresses. The cast off boulders that littered the base of each looked like the remnants of a past era. Unfit for the majesty of the plateau, the boulders were thrown down, yet even in their lowliness they added a certain mystique to the overwhelming awe of the mountain from which it had fallen.

We reached Caineville around 6:15. The funny thing about Caineville is that is actually has nothing in it. With no place to sleep we were forced to move on to the next town, Hanksville, 19 miles up the road. This time there were no sites to draw my attention away from the task at hand; I put my head down, shut off my brain, and rolled into Hanksville around 7.

It’s now the late evening and we are all exhausted. Fortunately, tomorrow is only a 50 mile ride (thanks to the 19 miles we cut out from Caineville to Hanksville). We’ll be at the Hite Recreation Area next to Lake Powell for two days. The rest day is much needed, and will hopefully be filled with hiking, swimming, and kayaking. But now it’s time for a shower (we’ve been without showers for three days and smell pretty gross) and a good night’s sleep. Thanks for reading!

Not Our Greatest Day...until the end!

2009-06-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

The following day was not the best of the ride. Seven miles in Dave and I pulled over into a rest stop. Dave’s Achilles heel was hurting him a lot and had been getting progressively worse over the past four days. We concluded that rest was the best option so a phone call to Lauren brought the Sprinter to Dave and I continued on alone. The next 8 miles were pretty tough. There was a steady grade and my legs hadn’t quite recovered from the climb out of Cedar City. Eight miles in though I managed to generate some good foot speed, shifted up gears, and hit a groove all the way to the 7,777 foot summit. The rest of the 20 miles to our first meeting point were downhill or relatively flat and I cruised.

After a quick break, Lauren decided to join me on the second leg of the trip. It was supposed to be a 31-miler with a 1,500 gradual gain, so we felt pretty good for the first 8 miles. All of a sudden, we turned a corner and saw a winding road as steep as anything I’d climbed before. 1 mile (and a lot of time) later, we reached the top and rolled on down into Escalante.

Just to throw another loop into our plans, everything in Escalante was closed. With no place to stay I jumped back on my bike and started to pedal the 14 miles to the next nearest campground, a little station next to the Escalante River. This turned out to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dim day.

A small climb brought us to the an overlook of the Grand Staircase National Monument. In the 1880’s the geoligist Captain Clarence E Dutton referred to the region as “a grand staircase of sequential cliffs and terraces” and the name stuck. It is an impressive sight to behold. Mountains, valleys, canyons, cliffs, and plains all blend together making it difficult to distinguish one from the other. The colors- greens, oranges, and reds- can’t be found anywhere else in the world. After whipping my bike, probably a little too fast (sorry Mom!), around the downhill corners into the canyon I met the Sprinter at the campground.

The campground, as aforementioned, is next to the Escalante River. The river gently flows in and out of the red rock which surrounds in. Dave, Lauren, and I happily jumped in and followed the water upstream. It was a refreshing end to a long day and all our spirits were raised.

The Big Climb: Cedar City to Panguitch

2009-06-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

Once again a lack of access to the internet has forced me to lump together multiple days of riding… and what a three days to lump together! We got up around 6:30 on Saturday, packed our things, and headed over to Cedar Cycles to meet up with some local cyclists. Two days before, when getting some gear for our bikes at the shop, we were invited by some locals to join them on Saturday. They were planning on doing the same ride as us.

The invitation was very welcome. Since mapping out the trip, Dave and I referred to this mountain as “THE BIG CLIMB”. Starting around 6,000 feet, the road follows Cedar Canyon for 17 miles or so and climbs all the way up to 9,900. On our elevation charts it was a daunting figure indeed.

We got to the shop, pumped our tires, and headed over to the group gathered by the door. Waiting for us were three members of the Color Country Cycling Club: Tim, whom we’d met at the shop, Craig, and Chanda. After introductions were made we hit the road and started the climb.

To make a long story short, it was a long, difficult climb. Tim’s computer registered the grade at 16% at one point (it felt like 45% in my legs!). But what a view! About 2 miles from the top there was an overlook of Zion National Park which boasts a marvelous canyon. I glanced over my shoulder as I passed, but didn’t stop; Craig had made a big push a couple miles back and I was, unsuccessfully, trying to catch him.

At the top we gathered for some photos (Craig was long gone by this point so we have no photographic documentation on him….what a climber!). Here’s one of me, Chanda, and Tim.

Dave, Lauren, and I took a break before getting back on the road. We turned off the main road and rode up through the Cedar Breaks National Monument. I might sound like a broken record (it’s been a long day), but what a view! The climb up to there took us up to 10,400+ feet, by far our highest elevation of the trip so far. We’ve got some documention of the elevation just before the top:

Dave and I strolled about the upper edges of the canyon for 30 minutes or so before continuing onward. Thankfully, our stop was only 30 miles away, and all downhill! We coasted into Panguitch around 1:00 PM. Little did we know that serendipity would have us pass through this town of little more than 1,000 on the biggest night of the year.

Panguitch hosts an annual hot air balloon show and it so happened that it was to take place the very evening we were there. Main St. was shut down and massive balloons were brought in. As the light faded over the western hills the operators unleashed their propane tanks into the balloons, whose lights reflected off the buildings on the street. They were, essentially, gigantic lanterns providing light for the town.

Happy Birthday DAD!

2009-06-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

Some Old Photos

2009-06-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

We haven't uploaded our most recent photos yet, but I wanted to share with you a "greatest hits" of the first couple days. Here we go!

Dave and I atop Carson Pass, 8,574 feet above sea level. Dave was excited to be there.

Here we are posing with the Push America guys on the way up to Carson Pass. It's a very cool organization that raises money for people living with disabilities. This year they have over 60 guys riding and raise $500,000! Just a good group of some really cool guys.

This is in Carmichael, CA. We stayed with the Lilley family and Charlie, our teammate on the crew team, rode with us the next day. Such a great family and a wonderful evening.

This photo is the subject of lots of controversy. As you can probably see, we are on a ferry across the San Francisco Bay with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The maps we got for the ride told us to do this: it is a great symbolic way (watching at San Francisco fades away into the distance) to kick off the ride! Still some people (ahem, my sister Tess, ahem) have called this "cheating". Well the country is 2,700 miles across and we are biking 4,500 so I don't feel too bad. I think it's a really cool shot.

Here we are at the Oval just before kicking of the ride. We barely knew what we were getting ourselves into.... and we love it!

Welcome to Utah!

2009-06-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

The ride from Ely to Baker had its challenges. We encountered three peaks, and while the slope was gradual, 7+ miles of climbing even a medium grade is very tiring. Luckily the road mostly coasted into Baker, our last town in Nevada.

Baker is located five miles from the Utah border, smack in the middle of the Great Basin National Park. Overlooking the town is the massive Wheeler Peak. Standing at over 13,000 feet the mountain was the most impressive peak we've seen so far. Baker rests at 5,000 feet, but we heard there was some great hiking up near the peak. So after hopping off our bikes and into the car, we drove up to around 10,000 feet and went on a 3 mile hike.

The route we chose took us up to a grove of bristlecone pines, the oldest living beings on the planet. These trees can live up to 5,000 years old and are incredibly resilient in adverse conditions. The info tour described them as "grotesquely beautiful" and the description was certainly appropriate; these pines looked like something out of an Edgar Allen Poe poem.

We drove back down the mountain to Baker and set up camp. A meal and a couple of card games later, we turned in for the night. The next morning we rose early and broke camp. We had a busy day ahead of us! Before setting out for Milford, UT (and a time zone change!) we went over to the Lehman Caves for the 8:30, hour long tour. The Lehman Caves are a series of massive limestone structures buried in the hillside just outside of Baker. We all agreed that our favorite part of the trip was when the artificial lights were extinguished and the group was left in complete darkness. Then a candle was lit to show how the caves were viewed at the turn of the 19th century. Believe me, it was eerie. I was sad to have the lights turned back on.

The ride to Milford was tough. The part of Utah which our route took us through was barren. Some locals in Milford would later describe it as a "wasteland". A stiff headwind didn't help our efforts. Over the past two weeks I've realized that although a headwind does zap your energy, it is the loss of will that is most difficult to overcome. We broke up the ride into three segments and were happy to finally reach Milford.

Having no place to stay in Milford, we wandered around town looking for a church. We'd heard from other bikers that churches are generally welcoming to cross-country fundraisers, so we hoped to find one that would allow us to curl up in a corner for a night. What we got was even better.

At the entrance to town we spotted a steeple and headed in its direction. The door to the church was open and we filed on into the dark hallways trying to find someone. Eventually we found a group of three or so people, introduced ourselves, and made our request. Turns out we ended up addressing the Bishop Larry Barnes! The bishop was extremely accommodating and directed us to the lone hotel in town. His niece, Janet Russell, was the general manager there and would surely put us up for the evening. Ecstatic, we thanked him repeatedly and headed to the hotel.

Sure enough, Ms. Russell put us up for the evening and even put breakfast on the house for us the next morning! This is another extraordinary example of the generosity that people have shown us on this trip. Our sincere and heart felt thanks go out to both Bishop Barnes and Janet Russell for their kind support of our trip!

In the morning, after our breakfast and thanking Ms. Russell, we started out for Cedar City, UT. This was our last day before getting a rest day and with a distance on 56 miles, it shouldn't be too bad of a ride we thought. How wrong we were. The entire day we were blasted with headwinds of up to 30 mph, some rain, and general fatigue from a long week of biking. Getting a flat tire 25 miles outside of town wasn't a pleasant experience either. Needless to say, we were thrilled to finally reach town.

After a quick tune up and a few purchases at Cedar Cycles we met up with Theresa Reddy, our host for the next day and a half. We contacted Theresa through couchsurfing.com, a very cool site if you aren't familiar with it. Theresa is wonderful and we had a great time hanging out with her lat night. Today we slept in for the first time in a while and then got to doing some errands. Laundry was high on the list and I am pleased to say it is currently in the dryer (this is a major accomplishment for us). The car is also clean and Dave and Lauren are out gathering up supplies for the next couple of weeks. We'll probably grab lunch at some point and see a movie later tonight.

Tomorrow we set out for Panguitch, UT. It's a short ride (58 miles), but we hit a BIG mountain. The highest we've climbed so far was just over 8,500 but tomorrow we get all the way up to 10,500! The climb starts right as we leave Cedar City, but after getting it out of the way we should be able to zoom on down into Panguitch. Should be a fun day! Over the next 10 days we have 2 rests days: four biking days, one rest day, four more biking days, and another rest day. We're going to spend those rest days in some gorgeous national parks and we are all looking forward to some fun hiking, swimming, and kayaking!

As always, thanks for reading and I will keep updating as our access to the Internet allows. Thanks!

Answer to the last Trivia Question: Mama Katele. Mama Katele was the outspoken AIDS activist in a refugee camp inZambia that so influenced the founders of Face AIDS. Just after their return to the US, the three students received word that Mama Katele had passed away.They channelled their grief and outrage into the formation of Face AIDS and we try to continue their work today! (10 points to Matty Pru!)

Today's Trivia Question: What is the state emblem of Utah? (10 points)

BONUS QUESTION: What is the state fossil of Utah? (5 points)

Mild and green and squeaky clean

2009-06-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not blogging yesterday, but we didn't have an Internet connection so I was grounded. We left the Bob Scott Campground early and headed back into Austin to start the morning. As we were getting ready to shove off a motorcyclist stopped us and warned us to be careful as we climbed out of the town; a cyclist had been hit 4 miles up the road just moments before. Shaken, Dave and I set out and proceeded with caution.

After getting to the top of Austin Summit we slowly rolled down the back side of the mountain. About half way down we came across an ambulance and a man being attended to on the side of the road. We were told that he had been riding, a car clipped him with its mirror, and ran. The sight hit Dave and I both a little too close to home and served as a reminder that we need to be extra careful on roads with blind corners where drivers might not be paying as much attention as they should. Our thoughts go out to the injured cyclist- here's to a speedy recovery.

The rest of the day passed without much fanfare. We narrowly avoided rainfall coming down our second peak and then booked it across the valley. Ten miles to go brought a little bit of "fun". There were lightning strikes off in the distance as we approached Eureka. The clouds seemed to be pushing away from the town, but we still proceeded very carefully. With three miles to go we hit a steep hill, were blasted with a halting headwind, met some pouring rain, and were blinded with hail! Luckily, it lasted only two or three minutes and we cruised into town safely. The Best Western was our home for the evening; no campgrounds were around and with storms in the area we thought it best to find some good shelter.

Eureka is a quaint little town known as "The Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Road". After showering and enjoying the complimentary hot tub at the Best Western (SCORE!), Dave, Lauren, and I strolled around town. Eureka has a famous red brick opera house on its main street which we checked out. It was closed but in the morning we stopped by to check it out. As it was the summer solstice we hiked up to a hill behind the high school and watched the sun set. It was a surreal experience to watch the sun fade behind the mountains we had just left and to think about all the miles we had crossed. We returned to the hotel and fell into a deep, well deserved sleep.

This morning we got a good start on the way to Ely. It was a 77 mile trek with 4 peaks/passes, so it was time to bring back our climbing legs. The first three peaks were in the first 34 miles so our fresh legs managed to carry us pretty far. For those of you who have never been to Nevada, it goes a little something like this: ^_^_^_^_^_ where the carrots are mountains and the underscores are valleys. A crude diagram, I admit, but it sums up the state pretty well. After each climb we were greeted with 5-6 miles of smooth sailing down hill, 10 flat miles across the valley, and then another mountain. The predictability is nice and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.

We arrived in Ely around 4:30. With a population of 4,000, it is easily the largest town we've seen since Fallon (8,000) and is a nice breath of fresh air. Currently we are (surprise, surprise) sitting at a picnic table at our campground having a meal.

Overall the riding has been great so far. The past couple of days have reminded me of a lyric from the U2 song "Zooropa" which serves as the title for this entry. The miles have been mild since Carson's Pass, Nevada is surprisingly green, and most of the campgrounds have boasted showers! The last verse to the song also speaks to the heart of our ride, so if you will permit to get a little preachy, the lines run:

"She's gonna dream up
The world she wants to live in
She's gonna dream out loud
She's gonna dream out loud"

A lot of people ask us why we've chosen to ride across the country as a way to raise awareness. My answer has been three-fold: 1) it's a personal challenge 2) the seeming insanity of riding across the continent attracts a lot of a attention and opens up people to hearing our message and 3) taking our message out to people reaches more people than if we tried to raise awareness in our own circles.

Part of this goal is to show the people we meet that students can make a difference. All too often students can be overwhelmed the gigantic issues that we face today: global warming, nuclear proliferation, poverty, AIDS, etc. But getting involved in any way makes a significant difference. By working now we can start to form the world we want to see. For Dave, Lauren, and I, this ride is a way of "dreaming out loud" as Bono so elegantly states it. We hope it leaves that impression on others.

Answer to Saturday's trivia: Nevada. Surprise, surprise! Everyone we met in Fallon made sure to let us know this fact. Needless to say, it made me a little bit nervous! Still, it hasn't been that bad so far.

Today's Trivia Question: Face AIDS was founded in 2005 after three students came back from working in a refugee camp in Zambia. There they met a woman who was HIV positive who was one of the few outspoken advocates of HIV testing. She is the inspiration for the Face AIDS movement. What is her name?

Happy Fathers' Day!

2009-06-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

The Loneliest Road in America

2009-06-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning we awoke to a beautiful California day. Tahoe was good to us. My legs felt refreshed after a long hot tub session the night before and a good night's rest. Breakfast consisted of cereal, eggs, and OJ and we hopped into the cars to head back to Carson City to start our next leg. I rode with my uncle Bill while Dave and Lauren took the Sprinter. It was Uncle Bill that first got me interested in cycling, so I was more than pleased to have him join us on first half of the leg to Fallon.

The riding out of Carson City was easy. 35 miles disappeared in the blink of an eye and we found ourselves eating pizza at a small pizza joint in the middle of nowhere. After lunch, my uncle turned around and headed back to Carson City and Tahoe; I was sad to see him go, but excited to continue on the journey.

The last 26 miles in Fallon were just as easy, if not easier, than the first 35. We rolled into town and were greeted by Sue Sevon, our contact in the area. She had arranged for a photographer to take our picture as we rolled into town so that it would make the Friday edition of the paper.

After pictures and introductions, Sue brought us to the Wolf Center at the Epworth Methodist Church in Fallon. This was to be our home for the next two days and we settled right in, happy to have a day off and showers in the building. That evening we ate with the Fallon Daily Bread, a twice weekly food kitchen that feeds the Fallon community. Everyone was extremely welcoming and interested in our ride. We had great conversations with many of the locals including Ron Evans who made a generous contribution to our cause (thank you Ron!). We worked our way through the dishes to contribute our part and then settled in to our living space.

We spent the evening resting and watching "Top Gun". Turns out Fallon is home to a huge Naval Base and part of the filming of the movie took place there. Dave was outraged when I told him I had never seen the movie ("Austin, it's like the greatest movie of all time!") and a trip to Blockbuster was in order.

Friday, our first rest day of the trip, was an eventful and fun day! We started off with a wonderful breakfast prepared for us by Donna Strickland and her hospitality team (thank you! we loved it!!) before heading off to the KHWG radio station for our an interview with DJ Ladigo Travis. Ladigo (whose true identity shall remain hidden) interviewed us for a solid 45 minutes while letting us introduce songs ("Wish I Didn't Know" by Toby Keith was my selection) and giving us a chance to riff off each other. It was an extremely fun time and we will certainly be giving KHWG some call-in updates on our progress.

Sue took us around Fallon for the rest of the day until our meeting at 1:30 at Town Hall with Mayor Ken Tedford. In a very generous gesture, the Mayor presented us with large, gold medallions commemorating Fallon's centennial in recognition of our efforts. Dave, Lauren, and I were greatly honored and headed back to the Wolf Center with big smiles.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing (read: napping) before Sue took us out to wine tasting and dinner. All parties not of drinking age, so just me, were treated to a delicious bottle of Joe's Root Beer while everyone else sampled five very good- or so I'm told- wines. Dinner was lovely. We were joined by Sue's friend Kathie Slaughter and enjoyed a fantastic evening all around. Having said our goodbyes Dave, Lauren, and I returned to the Wolf Center for some much needed sleep.

This morning we were once again treated to a lovely breakfast courtesy of Donna Strickland and we hit the road at 8:30. For those of you unfamiliar with your Nevada geography, we are following Highway 50 across the state. In the 1950's a Life reporter famously called Highway 50 "the loneliest road in America" and with good cause! After leaving Fallon we had 115 miles ahead of us until our next town! Fortunately, Dave and I were met with a couple of good conditions. First, temperatures in Nevada are at a record low (mid 80's) so the sun was not too brutal. Secondly, we were graced with a tailwind that increased our base speed to as fast as 28 mph at times.

The prospect of riding across "the loneliest road in America" initially was not very appealing. Yet as soon as we left Fallon, all my reservations left. Simply put, Highway 50 is one of the most beautiful stretches of road I've been ever been on! The road climbs 2,400 feet from Fallon up into the mountains before tumbling back in a massive desert valley. The various types of rocks, formations, and wildlife make this road absolutely exquisite! The 115 miles when by in no time at all.

Now we are camping in a campground just east of Austin, NV and are cooking some hot dogs. The road climbs back up into the mountains after the town of Austin (Austin Pass is 7,400+ feet) so we are sitting at a picnic table staring off into the beautiful green hills of Nevada. Tomorrow we head out to Eureka, NV a 70-mile ride with some big climbs. After that we hit up Ely, NV and then spend one or two more nights in Nevada before passing into Utah.

The trip has been absolutely wonderful so far and I can barely believe a week has already passed! Before I know it, we'll be back in Boston so I'm trying to take everything in while I can. but now, there are some hot dogs calling my name so I must retire. Thanks for reading!

Answer to yesterday's Daily Trivia: The Mountain Democrat. The Lilley Family is in the lead with 10 points! Will anyone step up and challenge their lead for the Dave's affections?

Today's Daily Trivia Question: What is the most mountainous state in the continental US?

One down, fourteen to go

2009-06-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a long two days so I am going to keep this blog short. Charlie joined us as we left his house and we jumped back on the path along the American River. 10 miles in we stopped at some rope swings on Lake Natoma. Having rowed by there many times and watching enviously as kids jumpin, we felt we had to stop and partake in the fun. 45 minutes later we were dry and back on the road.

After 20 or so miles we parted ways with Charlie and continued on up into the hills. At Placerville, 2,000 feet above sea level, we met with a reporter and took some photos. We're hoping to find and post the article soon. We continued on and climbed all the way up to Cooks Station at an elevation on 5,000. With the ups and downs in the roads we climbed nearly 6,500 feet and were very happy to see Lauren and the support car.

We spent the night at Pipi Campground in El Dorado National Forest. Pitching the tent at the end of such a long day was a hassle, but was worth the effort as we all slept 10+ hours. We woke up today and headed back up the mountain. Along the way we ran into multiple cars and riders with the Push America organization. Push America is a cross-country ride that raises funds for people living with disabilities. Along the way they stop at various centers and have friendship visits. It is a fantastic organization full of wonderful guys and we were very happy to cross paths with them.

After several breaks we continued up to Carson's Pass, our first peak. It was 8,574 feet up and I was pumped to see the sign. We took some pictures before continuing on. The road dove downhill, weaving in and out of the mountains. It was a beautiful and refreshing ride. A few miles after we leveled out at 4,000 feet we crossed into Nevada, our first state border! 26 miles later we were in Carson City and done for the day.

We are currently staying in Kings Beach, CA with my extended family. All my mother's siblings and their families are renting a house up here and we are very happy to be staying with them. Tomorrow we get back on the road and head to Fallon, NV. It's only 61 miles and Friday is a rest day, so we get a chance to get our legs back under us after two days of hard climbing. Can't wait to rest (it gives me more time to blog!).

Answer to yesterday's daily trivia question: Finnegan's Wake

Today's Trivia Question: What is California's oldest, still operating newspaper?

riverrun past Charlie Lilley's...

2009-06-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

The summer after my senior year of high school I received an email from Pete Giese, the freshman rowing coach. He told me that in order to "hit the ground running" in the fall I should do 60-90 minutes a day of cardio with my heart rate in the 120-150 range. That very day I laced up my running shoes, headed out the door, and proceeded to run for 65 minutes. The next morning, upon rolling out of bed, I nearly collapsed from the searing pain in my quads. Still I got out on the road and ran for another 60 minutes, albeit much slower. Each step felt like knives were being thrust into my legs, but I stuck it out and over the course of the summer worked my way up to a solid 13 mile run.

It was with this, um, fond memory in mind that fell asleep last night. The last time I rode my bike before yesterday was May 24, ages ago! I feared I would awake with leg cramps, hobble over to my bike, ride for 65 miles, and arrive in Carmichael around midnight.

Fortunately, my legs felt great. Perhaps that is an exaggeration, but another 65 miles was certainly doable. After the best breakfast I've had in a while (2 pancakes, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and a steak) the team waved goodbye to Barbara and hit the road. The first part of our trek was smooth sailing. Dave and I weaved in and out of the California golden hills, practically alone on the country roads.

We stopped in Davis, a good 35 miles from Fairfield, and met up with Lauren for snacks from the van. After about an hour Dave and I jumped back on the bikes and headed towards Carmichael by way of Sacramento. The bike path we took ran us parallel to the I-80 and the headwind from the oncoming traffic created greatly slowed our process. The after-lunch sleepiness started to kick in and I was delighted when Sacramento finally came into view.

After crossing the American River, we picked up a bike path that goes all the way out to Folsom. The path follows the river and makes for a beautiful, car-free ride. Around 4 PM we rolled into Carmichael to the house of Charlie Lilley. Charlie is our good friend, teammate, and as of yesterday a Stanford graduate! We enjoyed a wonderful evening of food, stories, and laughs with his parents and sister, Laura, and have just sat down to relax before heading to bed.

Tomorrow is a big day in the Ride Against AIDS. The road since Palo Alto has been relatively flat but 15 miles into our ride tomorrow we hit elevation. The road rises and falls (but mostly rises) all the way up to Carson Pass which is over 8,500 feet above sea level. Tomorrow we will take try to take out between 5,000 and 7,000 of those feet. It will be, most likely, the hardest day of the summer because we haven't totally adjusted to riding yet and because it will be the most elevation we will encounter in a day.

The story with which I opened this entry was actually incomplete. As hard as the 2nd day was, the 3rd day was worse and still ranks as #3 on my list of worst physical experiences of my life (racing up Half Dome and the Petite Finals of the IRAs this year are #1 and #2, respectively). I can only hope that the 3rd day of the ride is not as bad as the 3rd day of running.

In closing, today marks the beginning of the "Ride Against AIDS Trivia Game"! I'll include various questions with point values throughout the blog. The first to answer the question correctly received the points and the overall winner at the end of the summer gets a Face AIDS DVD and a kiss from Dave. (Note: you do not have to receive the kiss if you do not want. It's totally mandatory). Daily winners will receive a Face AIDS pin. Anyways, here is the first question:

What is the title of this blog entry a reference to? (10 points) Anyone named Matt Keeley is not eligible to answer this question.

The Ride is Underway!

2009-06-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

As our dear, loving, and extensive audience is aware of, the ride started today! We met at a quarter to nine in the Oval, took some photos, and then headed out on the road. Dave and I were joined by Lauren and Dave's brother Nate for the leg up to San Francisco. We encounteredour first road bump 15 miles in when Nate was sidelined with a flat tire. A quick tube change later we were back on the road and on the way to San Francisco.

Once in the city we gathered at the Ferry Building. Dave and I bought tickets to take the ferry to Vallejo while Lauren grabbed the car and headed across the Bay. I was very excited to see the Richer family, albeit for only a few minutes, before jumping on the boat.

Now, I just want to say one word about the ferry. Some people have called it "cheating" or insinuated that we weren't really biking across the country. Initially, these naysayers got to me. Then I remembered I'm biking 4,500 miles- that's 50% more than the width of the country- in less than two months and I feel better. You know who you are.

Getting back on track, Dave, Lauren, and I lunched in the car with the food we bought at Costco. After a particularly gooey PB&J Dave and I hit the road again to Fairfield. The 30 miles went great, but the extra 5 we tacked on because we got lost weren't all that great. Still when we did find our final destination we were greeted by an extremely friendly and welcoming host. Barbara Cruz is the mother of a Stanford alum and graciously opened her home to us. We are currently chilling in her living room watching the NBA Finals (why are the Magic terrible?) after having had a delicious pasta dinner.

I'm pretty tired but am looking forward to tomorrow. We're heading to Carmichael, CA to stay with our good friend and teammate Charlie Lilley (shoutout to Charlie for graduating today. Congrats!). But right now I'm thinking about heading to bed. Thanks for reading, and come back for more tomorrow!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....

2009-06-12T10:01:00.001-07:00

In less than 48 hours, the 2009 Ride Against AIDS will be underway! Pretty crazy to think about. Dave and I are frantically throwing our things together (check that, DAVE is frantically throwing things together, I'm all packed and taking time to blog) and trying to move out of Toyon. The dorm is empty and it's always sad to see another year end.

We have our final team meeting today before we set off on Sunday morning. I know this is a recurring theme, but it's hard to believe that after 6 months of meetings here we are at the end, ready to hit the road.

Anyways, I just wanted to post some photos that just came in from the Los Altos Rotary club. That was our first speaking event way back on May 28th.

That's pretty much all I got for you right now. Give me two days and I'll have plenty to talk about ;-) See ya then!

IRA Update, New Article, and Public Safety Announcement

2009-06-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

June is upon us! That means we have less than two weeks until the start of the ride. The planning has been going on since I first contacted Face AIDS in the fall when I was spending a weekend in Dublin... I can barely believe it is actually happening!

Dave and I are currently sitting in a hotel room in Folsom, CA with our good friend and teammate Tyler Scott. The IRAs start on Thursday and we are all anxious to hit the water. We've been up here since Saturday rowing twice a day, but as all the East Coast teams arrived today its nice to see some fresh faces in boats we line up against. We're rowing only once tomorrow and then we have our heat Thursday morning.

The JV event works a little bit differently than other events. The winners of each of the three Thursday heats advance directly to the finals on Saturday. All other crews race in the three "reps" on Friday and the top boat advances. What this means is that you have to win a race to get the chance to race for the title. We're ranked #7 and are going to have to beat our seed to end up in the final. Wish us luck!

In other news, this morning I was greeted with a

text from my father alerting me to the newspaper article on our ride that appeared in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. I had a 20+ minute interview with the reporter, Steve Foskett, the other day and he did a great job portraying our ride. You can check out the article at "Ride Against AIDS" by Steve Foskett. His mention of the IRA also got us a link on the coverage of IRAs at www.row2k.com/ira!

This leads me to my final point: a public service announcement. In most of

our publicity photos and videos, Dave and I are not wearing helmets. We've received concerned feedback from our parents, friends, and other well-wishers. I would like to address this issue so as to avoid confusion.

Dave and I will certainly be wearing helmets this summer! We strongly believe in bike safety and try to take steps that will promote safety in daily riding. The reason we were photographed and filmed without helmets was purely for publicity's sake. We wanted our faces to be prominently featured in our materials so as to personalize our ride. In retrospect this was a poor decision as the magnitude of the ride speaks for itself: we don't need our faces to publicize it. All media materials were produced around the Stanford campus and we felt too comfortable with our circumstances and felt that a few minutes on a bike without a helmet would be ok. This was an incorrect assumption.

So I would like to offer an apology to those who were offended or concerned with our lack of helmets. Not wearing a helmet sends the wrong message to people that we are trying to reach. Even for short rides, such as a 5-minute photo shoot, helmets are important to promote the general safety of riders and project a positive message regarding the use of helmets. We sincerely hope this apology will be accepted and we will make a concentrated effort to ensure that any future photos of us us in motion on our bikes will feature us wearing helmets.

Thanks for reading, this has been a long update. I've got to get to writing a paper before heading to bed. Thanks for following, and make sure to check www.row2k.com/results on Saturday to find out how we did!

First Speaking Presentation

2009-05-29T11:35:00.001-07:00

It's a beautiful morning here in California and I just finished my last class for the year. What better time for a blog? Yesterday Dave, Maggie (our wonderful new ride director), and I went to the Los Altos Rotary club for our first presentation on our ride. I was a little nervous going in... there were over 100 people and I haven't spoken before that many people in a while.

It went really well though! Dave and I worked ourselves into a comfortable rhythm talking about the background of Face AIDS, the origins of the ride, and our expectations for the summer. The club was extremely welcoming and receptive to our message which was a big confidence booster on our first run through.

So if anyone from the Los Altos Rotary club ends up following this blog, thank you very much! We loved meeting you all and will hopefully come back next fall to let you know how the ride went. We appreciate the support you have given us!

In other news, the crew team leaves for Sacramento tomorrow morning. We'll be missing class next week (and some finals for some people) and get back on June 6. We've been waiting a while to get up to IRAs and are quite excited to get away from campus, focus our heads, and hit the water.

Well, I have to go pick up my laundry (laundry rooms, if you've forgotten, can be vicious places in college dorms) so I have to run. Thanks for reading, and check back next week for updates about nationals and final preparations for the ride.

Your friendly Ride Against AIDS team,

Dave and Austin

Article in the Stanford Daily

2009-05-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, we are under one month to the ride and Dave and I are pretty busy. Whether it's logistics, getting ready for the national rowing championship (we leave in 8 days), or finishing up classes (believe me, it's really hard when its 75 and sunny out....I just want to hit the beach) we are busy 24/7.

Things are still going very well. Here are a couple of updates that might interest our dedicated readership:

Housing: Through couchsurfing.com we have met some very nice people who are willing to put us up for a night as we come through their towns. So far we are set for 20 of the 60 nights, so if you have any suggestions, please let us know!
Alumni events: We are currently working with the Alumni Center to set up possible events in DC, Philly, New York, and Boston for alumni receptions. Stayed tuned for more info.
Getting inked up: No, we are not getting sweet Face AIDS tattoos (yet). But there was a very nice article on the front page of the Stanford Daily about us. Check it out: "Biking to Battle AIDS"
YouTube Video: Some friends of ours had to create a video about an organization for a class and they chose to produce one about our cause. The first version is available here: "Ride Against AIDS 2009 Video"

Things are rolling and we are pleased with the progress. Please shoot us an email at rideagainstaids2009@gmail.com if you have any questions or ideas, we love to hear new ideas. Thanks, and hope all is well!

April showers bring May flowers

2009-05-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

With just over a month to go before our journey begins, Dave and I still have a ton of work to do. But that doesn't mean we haven't been hard at work! In fact, a lot of our major objectives that we set out to accomplish in April are coming together. Here's a quick update of our new developments:

Team Car: Our coach, Craig Amerkhanian, is going to let us take one of the team vehicles this summer as our support vehicle! We are extremely thankful for his generosity and excited to get "The Sprinter" outfitted with our gear and on the road.
Team manager/driver: Dave's good friend, Lauren Kubiak, has signed our as our driver/manager. While we are on the road pedaling, Lauren will set up our meetings and perhaps give some presentations as well. She's a junior here at Stanford, an Earth Systems major, and an all-around cool girl.
Team Jerseys: Dave turned 21 last month (happy birthday!) and his parents got him a certificate for team jerseys and jackets. They are in production right now and we CANNOT wait to get them. Gonna look pretty fly if I may say so myself. We'll post pics when we get them.

Donations are still gradually rolling in and we are overwhelmed by your generosity and support. We've raised around $7,700 so far and are looking to keep the push going! Last weekend at the Cal Dual we received pledges of $500 and $1000! Those donors will remain anonymous until we get permission to use their names, but from Dave, myself, and the whole Face AIDS team, thank you so much! It means the world to us.

I've got to get back to some of my studies (you know, the things I do when I'm not rowing or planning this ride) but I hope everyone is well. Keep checking back for updates! I hope to update more and more as new developments come in. Bye!

Photo Shoot!

2009-04-27T20:41:00.001-07:00

Dave and I took some time the other day to shoot some photos of us with our bikes for promotional opportunities. This is the one that came out best. I've since chopped off my hair, but Dave is still as dashing as ever. We took this at Memorial Court, the iconic entrance to Stanford. For all my friends back east, note the palm trees and be jealous.

The Ride Looms

2009-04-26T22:51:00.000-07:00

I'm currently procrastinating on not one but two papers, so I thought it was about time for a blog update. As we come up on the month-and-a-half to go mark, Dave and I are starting to shift the focus of our efforts. While we will will maintain our push for fundraising, some logistical questions begin to present themselves and need to be addressed.

The most pressing of these issues is lodging. While we have been gifted with a large support vehicle, the thought of curling up every night in there isn't too appealing. Thus, we are starting to contact people along the route who might be willing to put us up for a night. Family, friends, friends of friends, supporters, and well wishers are all on our list. If we are coming through your town (the route will be posted shortly) and are willing to host two bikers and one driver for a night, please contact us as rideagainstaids2009@gmail.com

The other major question we are dealing with at the moment is setting up speaking arrangements. We are dedicated to make this ride about both fundraising AND education. By spreading the message of Face AIDS, we think there will be a far greater impact on various communities than two guys raising some money. So, in the coming weeks we will contact Rotary clubs, churches, high schools, and camps (really anyone who will listen to us!) about speaking opportunities. If you have any suggestions, please let us know! We are grateful for any and all tips.

Well, that's all over here. I've got to get back to essays on the outbreak of WWI and Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Check back soon!

San Diego Crew Classic- JV8

2009-04-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting a rowing picture. Last weekend we raced at the San Diego Crew Classic and Sport Graphics was there snapping some photos. I'm stroking and Dave is seven (the two guys on the left side of the photo for all the non-rowers out there) and this was taken during the Men's Collegiate Second Varsity Grand Final. We got 4th behind Cal, Washington, and Harvard.

Fundraising

2009-04-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! This is Austin here, just wanting to test out the blog and give a quick update. I can't believe how fast the year is going. The middle of April is upon us and the 15th of the month will mark the 2 month countdown to the start of the ride. Yikes! The 4,500 miles Dave and I are going to be biking this summer are becoming a little more real with each day. I should probably be on the road training instead of blogging, but oh well.

With the start of the ride looming, Dave and I are working very hard at fundraising. Our initial letter writing campaign was successful, and we are prepping another round of letters to go out real soon. Next weekend we are going to set up a booth at Redwood Shores for the Washington, Oregon St., and Wisconsin races. If you are in the area come watch us race and then learn about our ride! Not only will we drop some knowledge on you, but you'll also get to see some of the best crews in the country throwing down mano-a-mano!

We've got some other projects in the works, but I'll leave that for a later post. Thanks for checking up and please leave any comments or suggestions. We really appreciate it!

Welcome to the Ride Against AIDS blog!

2009-03-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the 2009 Ride Against AIDS blog! This summer Dave Evans and Austin Keeley, teammates on the Stanford University rowing team, will ride their bikes from Stanford, CA to Boston, MA in order to raise funds and awareness for the fight against AIDS in Africa. Together they comprise Face AIDS's 2009 Ride Against AIDS team!

In this blog Dave and Austin will give updates on the preparation for and progress of the ride as it unfurls. Having outlined their route they are currently fund raising, coordinating housing options, and identifying speaking opportunities across the country.

Please check back as the blog develops. The route, biographies about the riders, information about Face AIDS, and regular posts from the riders will soon be posted. Thank you for your interest in this cause... hope to have you reading regularly!