July 30, 2008

Today when we started it was as hot as when i was dumping water over my head yesterday. we did another 50 miles to medina, OH. From here we will stay in a state park on the lake west of Geneva. we will then ride to the White turkey and stay there resting up for the ride into town saturday. I can't wait to get home and tell you all about the trip and enjoy a nice rid einto town with all of you!

July 29, 2008

Today the weather was on our side again. Although we got a late start it was still overcast and not too hot. As the day went on it did get extremely warm and humid. After 30 miles I was dumping one water bottle over my head and drinking the other. We ended our day with 50 miles accomplished and were staying at a campground in Clyde, OH. The campground was nice but the showers were not anymore sophisticated than the lake. The water was freezing and the stalls were, well, dirty.

OK ESN:0-7374258

We've made it to our destination and are safe in one piece! For other updatescheck out cyclingforacure.blogspot.com
ESN:0-7374258
Latitude:41.2238
Longitude:-83.025
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/30/2008 00:26:58 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=41.2238,-83.025&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

ENTRANCE INTO ERIE!!!

Saturday August 2nd will be our entrance ride into Erie. The ride will begin at 9 am at the white turkey in Conneaut, OH. This will make for a 25-30 mile ride into Perry Sqaure. For those of you who don't know the White Turkey is a little drive through on route 20 just a few miles into conneaut on the right hand side. If anyone wishes to join the ride for a shorter distance we will be traveling in route 5. Our destination being Perry Square in downtown Erie for those who want to welcome us in but are not able to ride in. We should be arriving in town between 12 & 1pm. I can't wait for saturday and I hope to see everyone there!!

July 28,2008

today was a great day for riding It was overcast and not to hot. We had a 52 mile bike ride from New Bremen, OH to Kenton, OH. We didn't have any problems today accept one patch of road construction. Karen did add another fall to her list but she blames it on the truck that she was stopping for. We are almost home and will be there this saturday. We have about 250 miles to go and can't wait to get home.

July 26, 2008

Hey everyone,

Today was a stressful day. A hot hilly ride with very little berm to ride. We rode from Lexington, KY to Hillsboro, OH. After reaching Hillsboro and finding that all camping and motels were full we had one other option and that was to drive to Karen's sister which was west of where we were. Backtracking west? Yes, We did go west but are still the same distance from Erie as we would have been. The hour drive was well worth the publicity and donations. Within an hour of being there everyone at the house had made a contribution and were prepared to share our story with others. I want everyone to know that we will be arriving in Erie on Saturday August 2nd, 2008. We are inviting anyone and everyone to join the ride into Erie. It should be quite a fun ride and an experience coming into town. People from all over are planning to see us into town and we would love for you to join us. details as to where and when the ride will begin should be posted by Tuesday afternoon so that you can make your plans. I hope that everyone will come out in some way whether it be on a bike or just to welcome us into town. Monday i should have more information as to what the plans are for saturday. Thanks so much for all your support, I hope to see you saturday!

OK ESN:0-7374258

We've made it to our destination and are safe in one piece! For other updatescheck out cyclingforacure.blogspot.com
ESN:0-7374258
Latitude:38.1857
Longitude:-84.2884
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/26/2008 16:39:42 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.1857,-84.2884&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

July 23-24

hey everyone yesterday was a good day! We had my bike repaired in the morning in evansville, IN and then spent some time updating the site and responding to emails. we rode a short ride of 30 miles to a campground in hoosier national forest. it was one of the best campsites yet. it was in the woods and separated from others.

Today wasn't as nice as yesterday. It's was a little warmer but the humidity was a lot lower. We are in Frankfort, KY where we will be meeting with staff from Asbury College. This will be an opportunity to spread the word and reach another wide group of people through the schools website and newspaper. I hope to have some more pictures posted either tonight or tomorrow morning. We will be visiting Daniel Boone's burial site tonight so i should have some pictures of that too! Also if anyone reading this rides, Illinois and Indiana have been nothing but rolling hills all the way through into Kentucky. The thighs are burning but we are doing it. Thanks again for all your support!

July 22, 2008

Today we headed out east across Illinois from St. Louis, MO. We had 110 miles to cover and the temperature was just right! We made great time covering 30 miles in two and a half hours. After a great lunch at wendy's in Centralia we continued on. Karen was hoping to hit her 50 mile day. About 4 miles into our afternoon ride we came to some road construction. The road was torn up to be repaved and it was like riding rumbled strips on the side of the road. After 3 miles of riding this i had looked back to check on Karen when i hit some loose gravel that came out into the road a few feet. I lost control and fell right into the road in front of a large truck that was coming behind me. If he had not been able to swerve this story would be a bad one. I just want to say a big thank you to all of you who are praying for our safety. Laci said I used all of the prayers up when I fell on the road and the truck missed me. So keep praying for our safety through the rest of our trip. The fall, however, did not hurt my body as much as it did my bike. We continued to ride through rolling hills and after about 52 miles i realized my bike was not operating properly. When we reached laci at 56 miles I attempted to repair what i thought was the problem. I was not successful in my attempt so we began a search for the closest bike shop. The only bike shop that seemed to still be in business was kind of way south from the route we were traveling. So we started to drive south and camped in a state park on the Western border of Indiana. Hoping to get the bike repaired in the morning we went to bed to rest up for the next long day ahead.

Here are a few pictures... from being in the mountains in California, forests in nevada and then of course a picture of Las Vegas and the surrounding desert and another from the car when passing through one of the national parks.

July 19-20

Well the journey has become challenging. Yes, the hills were hard and it was hot across the desert but i don't think anything hits harder than the humidity. The past few days have been harder than some mountains, today it was 105 and very humid. I said to laci and Karen that i think I sweat more in the past two days than Randy and i did all the way across the west. Everyday we make progress whether it be through raising awareness or funds for the Foundation but there are those days when i think about how much of a struggle the heat can be. When i have those thoughts i think to myself that no matter how hard the struggle it doesn't compare to the struggle of those I am riding for. I thank you all for your support and as we get closer to home a look forward to seeing you all! We ended our day east of St. Louis, MO today but i can't yet tell you where we will be tomorrow because i have not yet picked up an Illinois state map. Pictures are coming(please comment on them).

July 17-18

Hey everyone,

From what I hear there is a lot going on back there with the Kanzius research. I hope that my pictures were sufficient for now, there are more coming i promise! The past two days have been long, hot, and tiring but we're getting along and covering ground. We will make it to Kansas City today, July 19th. From there we will be heading to St. Louis and then its north toward home. Can't wait to see everyone and tell you all about our trip. I will be posting another blog along with some pictures this evening for you all to comment on. Thanks again for all your support! Also check out www.kaniuscancerresearch.com

Here a few picture from the beginning of the trip. I know everyone has been looking forward to these. Laci has been reminding me too. She finally did it for me. haha. (She will be putting more on with future posts as well) Enjoy!







P.s. Check out the UPDATED links section for our newspaper articles :-)

July 16, 2008

Today we began our ride when it was somewhat cool but humid because of the rain the night before. From the start the ride wasn't all that great. The wind blew all day right at our faces 15-20mph. We rode from eads to tribune with Jerry and Lori. We stopped at Karen's Kitchen for lunch and then went next store to the drug store for a shake. We had chocolate, peanut butter, banana milkshakes that were amazing. After our shakes we parted ways with Jerry and Lori and continued on to Scott City. The AC in the truck is currently not operating. Tomorrow we are going to try and head east on 96 as far as possibly but we have to wait for the truck to be repaired in the morning. We hope to make it to Ness City or Rush Center. Pictures are on their way, I hope you like them!

July 15, 2008

Pueblo to eads...It wasn't a bad ride today but it did get warm kind of early in the day and then we rode all the way into a storm. It was a great day. We were back with Jerry and Lori and had a 60 mile ride. Jerry and I wanted to ride 20 more miles to town but Lori informed us that we were not stronger than mother nature. So, we all piled in the truck and had to watch the storm happen around us. When we got to town we found a small motel and a restaurant. Since there was only one place to eat we didn't have much of a choice. While eating dinner the storm hit town, HARD! All the locals came in for dinner hootin' and hollerin' because it was the first rain they had seen in a long time. Dinner was great after a long day and we headed to bed to go into another long flat day of riding.

OK ESN:0-7374258

We've made it to our destination and are safe in one piece! For other updatescheck out cyclingforacure.blogspot.com
ESN:0-7374258
Latitude:38.2143
Longitude:-103.7582
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/15/2008 18:54:59 (GMT)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.2143,-103.7582&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

July 14, 2008

Today we got back on the bikes and began heading home, kind of. We back tracked a little bit to catch up with jerry and lori and ride a few more days with them before we start going our separate ways. This small journey was to our benefit since when we arrived at the bike shop in Pueblo we were met by a newspaper reporter and her photographer. This is going to be our third article since the trip began and that is great. We are going to be having dinner with jerry and lori and kind of celebrating the journey so far. in two days we will probably separate from each other and only have contact through the Internet. Jerry and Lori have been great to travel with and have been very supportive of our cause. More pictures will come soon as will a defined itinerary of the rest of the journey home.

Thank you...

I just wanted to say a special thank you to all of you who are following the trip on the site. It would be greatly appreciated that if you are reading about the trip you drop us a comment. We only hear by word of mouth that people are reading and few leave comments. The trip is going well and we are getting ready to continue the journey back home starting tomorrow June 14, 2008 from peublo, CO. Later today I will let you know a little more about the places we will be going through and when we'll be in those places. I hear Ron from Georgia has been following the site along with many others so please leave us comments to let us know you're there.

Karen's Challenge!

A special HI to all my friends who have been reading Zach's website!
Watching Zach and Randy ride up the mountains and riding 80 miles a day, I've determined they are both "well oiled machines". Zach is like "the Hulk" on a bike! Randy is the Engine that won't give up! It is so inspiring to see them biking across hot,hilly,rainy,cold,narrow,and busy roads with trucks,rv's,and cars whizzing past them as they ride on for Cancer Research! At the end of the day, the are hot, sweaty,have aching backs and shoulders, and are HUNGRY! I am SO PROUD of them and what they are doing! I have ridden 90 miles so far...Yay Karen! And they thought I couldnt do it :)

My Challenge is to all of you who have been reading along on the blogsite...My friends at Erie Home Health Care (yes,I got my treatment in Denver), Beulah Beach friends and ASBURY ALUMNI, Erie First Christian Academy, My coffee drinking buddies at Panera Bread, Pennbriar exercise friends, and Yes....Hamot Medical Center !!!
As we have been riding, we often think, we sure hope this is all worth it! Zach and Randy just biked 1200 miles for the John Kanzius Cancer Foundation. Have YOU donated to this worthy cause yet??? Have YOU told any friends or family about this trip and asked THEM to donate???

We have met some amazing people during our trip and have been able to share our story with them and they in turn, have donated $$$ to the research. A receptionist at the Luxor in Vegas, who's father has cancer, a husband and wife at a campsite who lost their 14 year old son to cancer, a lady who worked at a gas station in Nevada, and a young lady who we met in the lobby of a hotel, and a "harley couple" who's motorcyle had broken down and we offered them a ride! All these people offered us support and encouragement to keep going! We thank you soooooooo much!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!! I am challenging everyone who reads this to send in a donation and help support the foundation and give us encouragement to continue to bike to Erie, Pa. ANY AMOUNT WILL HELP! WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU!
THANK YOU...THANK YOU....THANK YOU....

The guys are "chomping at the bit " (my old horse language that I miss...) for me to get moving and get outside. Another beautiful, sunny, day for us to enjoy all that God has created for us ! Love to you all....Karen

July 9, 2008- Telluride to montrose

Today was a wonderful day once the sun came out. Our ride began with a long decent though and it was shaded and 42 degrees. all of us were frozen by the time we hit the first place to stop for breakfast. Randy and Jerry both ordered 1 pancake. The pancake was like 14 inches in diameter and a 1/2" thick. It was like 4 pancakes in one. After this we had a 13 mile climb up to 8990ft and from there we had a nice 6-8 miles downhill into our lunch spot. After lunch we had 26 miles to go and it was hot. The ride was supposed to be flat and it was but there was a 15-20mph headwind. After the ride we started heading towards denver where Randy will be flying out of friday. We will be meeting with multiple groups here in denver and hope for this to be the most promising and beneficial state that we will be traveling through. Thank you for all your support. Pictures are coming i promise!

OK ESN:0-7374258

We've made it to our destination and are safe in one piece! For other updatescheck out cyclingforacure.blogspot.com
ESN:0-7374258
Latitude:38.5546
Longitude:-106.9283
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/10/2008 04:19:20 (GMT)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.5546,-106.9283&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

July 7, 2008

Hey everyone,

Yesterday was kind of a rough day but it was once again a beautiful one. It was a later start because a few people from the campground we were staying at were going to ride part way up the mountain. At 7am we started our 46 mile uphill journey. the climb was so gradual that it almost felt like flats. although the ride was fairly easy i was not feeling well. I woke up sick to my stomach with a headache. There was no way i wasn't climbing that mountain. when i was about 5 miles from the top it began to storm and was 47 degrees outside. I refused to get into the car i had to ride through it. Randy was behind me a few miles and waiting it out and fixing his flat. after riding 4 miles through the rain and cold i was soaked and frozen to the bone. Already feeling sick and now wrapped in a blanking shaking i was not gonna be able to make that last mile to the top. So after randy caught up we went to the top and took pictures at 10,222 feet. After arriving to our destination we got showers and went to dinner with jerry and lori.

OK ESN:0-7374258

We've made it to our destination and are safe in one piece! For other updatescheck out cyclingforacure.blogspot.com
ESN:0-7374258
Latitude:37.4741
Longitude:-108.4527
Nearest Location: Hay Camp Mesa, Dolores, CO, US
Distance: 2 km(s)
Time:07/07/2008 02:25:56 (GMT)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.4741,-108.4527&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

July 6, 2008

Today we still got an early start after our long ride yesterday and we traveled another 84 miles from Blanding, UT to Dolores, CO. Today wasn't necessarily a bad ride but it was kind of difficult. I was kind of tired and the whole day consisted of small hills but it was up and down all day. the temperature was ok but did get hot toward the last 13 miles. Overall we climbed a total of 3600 vertical feet. Im feeling alright but i'm ready for bed. we have a 10,000 ft. mountain to climb up tomorrow which will be another 75 miles and then we can head downhill. I look forward to telling you about tomorrow because i should be talking to some people here at the campground in the morning about the trip!

July 5, 2008

Today we traveled from Torrey, UT to Blanding, UT and rode 96 miles. It was a long day but one of the most beautiful rides we've had so far. A lot of it was downhill but through a very beautiful canyon that was previously inhabited by indians. It was loaded with trees and there was even a real river. Most rivers and creeks we've seen have been dried up without a drop of water. We are still traveling with Jerry and Lori and things are good. Although the ride is good it has been difficult trying to raise donations for the foundations due to the small populations. Colorado to Erie, PA should bring some media and attention due to larger populations but I am asking that everyone pass on the blog site to everyone they know. Tell them what we are doing and encourage them to help in some way. It has been difficult to travel across hot barren desserts without service and not get much response. Just keeps us in your prayers as randy leaves friday for Erie.

OK ESN:0-7374258

We've made it to our destination and are safe in one piece! For other updatescheck out cyclingforacure.blogspot.com
ESN:0-7374258
Latitude:38.3142
Longitude:-111.3884
Nearest Location: Torrey, United States
Distance: 3 km(s)
Time:07/05/2008 03:10:49 (GMT)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.3142,-111.3884&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

July 4, 2008

hey all,

Today was kind of a short ride before we head into a few days of no service in Utah. We are in Torrey, UT and had somewhat of a short day, mostly downhill. we have a 75-100 mile day tomorrow and then a 50-75 mile day sunday. I am kind of sad because to me the 4th of July is like Christmas! It is so dry out here that they cannot have fireworks. We have caught up to jerry and lori and will be having dinner with them this evening and continuing our ride with them tomorrow. Thanks for all your support! people are very receptive to what we have to say and we are hoping to make some big stops through colorado and the rest of the way home but the journey has definitely been through Nevada and Utah. Its hot and there's nothing. Utah is much prettier though. there are more trees in a five foot sqaure than in the whole state of Nevada. I will leave another post later this evening.

OK ESN:0-7374258

We've made it to our destination and are safe in one piece! For other updatescheck out cyclingforacure.blogspot.com
ESN:0-7374258
Latitude:38.1528
Longitude:-111.3329
Nearest Location: Grover, United States
Distance: 8 km(s)
Time:07/04/2008 18:27:12 (GMT)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.1528,-111.3329&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7374258

We've made it to our destination and are safe in one piece! For other updatescheck out cyclingforacure.blogspot.com
ESN:0-7374258
Latitude:37.6559
Longitude:-111.8378
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/03/2008 22:52:43 (GMT)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.6559,-111.8378&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

June 29th- Another long day

well, after our early waking and a 10 mile ride into the next small town we found a gas station. Randy loved this place, they had just brought out fresh made home made cinnamon roles (Randy ate TWO). after talking with the folks there were were informed that we had another 50 miles at least until service, this meant 15 miles up the mountain and then another 15 into what was nothing more than an abandoned ghost town to most but great shade to us. At this point we were in Utah and since Utah is mainly a mormon state everything is closed on sundays. 17 miles to go to the next town running a little low on water and what we did have was hot we were looking forward to the gas station that was to be there. After driving almost all the way through the town we stopped at a house where a nice young man told us the gas station was closed but offered us cold water and a place to rest. We took the water and decided to rest under the pavillion near the house. After our little nap the boy came out and brought us apples. It was nice, rest, fruit, and the peace of mind that our support vehicle was close. 56 miles traveled and rest taken we continued on. the next town was only 5 miles away and as soon as we rode up they had closed, locking the door. After 5 minutes of trying to get the soda machine to take our dollar bills a gentleman outside went through the back and got the shop owner to sell us some cold beverages. When we returned to our bikes our rescue was there. It was great to see laci, karen, and poppa. Not only cuz they missed us but because that meant we got through the desert and now we can ride with a lot less weight. Well that all for now!

June 28, 2008 - Ah!

Hey Everyone,

Today Randy and I got an early start to beat the heat and start our journey off the adventure cycling route hoping for a flatter ride with more services. Well, We started early but, didn't really beat the heat! seems like the earlier we start the earlier the sun comes up. After 26 miles we came to a stop called majors station, this was just like a bar/motel/restaurant. They are all over (well ever so many hundred miles). after this 26 miles start we found out that the town we were headed for was actually 75 more miles away. We rode 108 miles against the wind on one of the hottest days we've hit riding. We made it into town after dark with no idea where we were going to stay. we rode past what looked worse than going to jail and then stubled upon a place that didnt look great but was! It was the last place in town with a room and it was something not to be judged by its cover. We were exhausted and it was too late to get food so with no supper we went to bed after an oatmeal raisin cookie and a soda. Tough day...