Day 4 - September 25

 Everything is so green! I know it sounds funny to be amazed by that, especially because I grew up in the midwest, but having been in the desert for years now you can begin to forget. I love my home in Las Vegas and find the colors of the mountains and surrounding areas to be gorgeous but here it is all rolling hills and green everywhere around me which is equally beautiful. 

Speaking of rolling hills, I think the entire state of Missouri is made of them. Riding, driving, however you get across them it is like a roller coaster. The temperature was a bit lower today which was nice though there was definitely an increase in windspeed. None of that mattered though, we couldn't stop staring at the scenery around us. Being in the more rural parts of the state a lot of the areas we go through look similar but we did get to go through the Route 66 State Park and it was breath-taking. We followed a scenic loop and even took a couple minutes to check out the visitor center where I got to tell the man at the front desk about my ride and he asked me to sign the guest book and give a short description of what I was doing so he could tell others about us. 

As we made our way further along we passed the World's Largest Rocker and I was able to not only get a picture with the rocker and my bike but also a group shot of me and my bike with a group of motorcyclists who are also touring Route 66. They are from Australia but had heard of the Run For The Wall motorcycle trip my husband takes that helped inspire my ride. It was fun and we all laughed about bikes and bikes on Route 66.

The end of the day was peaceful as we came into Waynesville, MO. There was a huge hill leading down to my final stop and my mom joked I should ride back up it and to the hotel since it was only a couple miles away. We decided not to try that though and instead got settled in then grabbed some dinner. We have been trying to check out new places or Route 66 spots but we went for Cracker Barrel because it just sounded too good to pass up. After that we went to the pool / fitness center for some stretching and swimming before passing out for the night.

If you want to see the pictures and videos shared from the trip you can check out the Facebook page Ride 22 on 66 and for more information on the ride and the charities you can see the Ride 22 on 66 tab of my website www.writingforces.com.

Day 3 - September 24th

 We got a late start. Loading was complicated, I felt like I couldn't eat because my stomach was upset, we went over the beginning of the route before I took off which took awhile so I was almost an hour late getting on the road. It was frustrating but we managed to get going. As the miles rolled by, my mood improved. 

Today was a lot of bike paths which, for safety reasons was wonderful, more complications for my chase driver. We spent far too long scanning the route on the phone to figure out where the path would end and she could meet up with me again. I would have finished at least an hour sooner if we could have gotten that part down quicker. But regardless of the prep time, once I got on the paths they were beautiful. I saw a ton of butterflies, including my dad's favorite, the monarch. Every time one flew near me I smiled. It was like having him right there with me. Most probably don't know but in a very real way my dad is on the trip with me. I believe he is watching out for me but I also carry a small memorial urn with some of his ashes in the bag on the top tube of my bike. He takes every ride with me.

I saw a snake, flocks of birds, even a deer grazing in a field. My mom also saw a few deer along the road she was driving while I was on one of the paths. We managed to meet up and tell each other about what we saw at the end of each path then began riding again. We had lunch in Edwardsville, IL in a charming pub where food for both of us cost less than $10. After that we quickly returned to the path and I was off again. Although before I mounted the bike we had a lovely gentleman come talk to us about the ride and my mom was able to hand him a postcard with information about what I am doing.

As I made my way along the second part of that cycleway I came around a corner and looked out over the trees. Rising above them, off in the distance, was the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I was almost across the state line. With a renewed energy I pushed on and soon there was only one major hinderance to St. Louis, my massive fear of bridges over water and the McKinley Bridge that spans the Mississippi River. I took several deep breaths and rode on. When I reached the tresses at the center of the bridge there was a section off to the side for walkers and riders and I made it to the middle and tried to stop, put my bike up against a railing to get a picture with the skyline in the background but my phone was overheating from being in the sun for too long and the camera wouldn't work. Shaking from fear I got back on and finished riding across to the other side. 

Once I was off the bridge and up a hill at a gas station I had to stop for a moment to get myself back under control. When I regained my composure I climbed back on the bike and made my way to my mom at my next rest stop where I grabbed a snack and enjoyed the shade. The last two stops of the day were not far but the sun was setting and as I headed directly west a couple drivers nearly ran into me because my bright yellow jersey is nearly impossible to see with the sun in their eyes. I posted the pictures of our adventures and am excited for more to come.

Day 2 - September 23rd

 Today was a long day. My route took me from Chenoa, IL to Litchfield, IL. We passed today through cities like Normal and Bloomington, and I would like to personally thank the wonderful men who run Wilson Cycle in Bloomington. I noticed that the back bike rack was leaning slightly and stopped in to see if they had any in stock or any ideas that could help. They never tried to sell us anything, instead they came right outside, got down on the ground and started tightening bolts and looking at what could be the issue. They were able to secure it and make a recommendation in case I chose to upgrade the rack at some point and it wasn't even what they sold, just what they thought would work best for us. Before we left the son took a picture with me and one of the car with the logo and gofundme QR code on it to post to the Facebook page for the store and promote the ride.

We also met some wonderful people along the route in Elkhart where a group of men eating lunch asked about the ride and one had seen it on a sister station to one in Las Vegas and was able to answer why I was riding before I could. He said he had seen me on a station that turned out to be the local WB affiliate. I was flattered any of them had heard of me and two even came outside to check out the bikes before I took off riding.

We had another brief navigation error but thanks to a lovely woman who came out of a nearby office, we got directions to a bike path for me to ride and moved on. Everyone we have met has been incredibly nice and helpful. 

We had dinner at the final stop on my route sheet and it is the place I will start from tomorrow morning, the Artiston Cafe. It has been around since 1924 and predates Route 66. The food was delicious making it a perfect end to the day. Late in the afternoon we ran into a lot of rain so I finished my ride wet and cold and unfortunately popped a tire on the bike I was riding at the time but thanks to the foresight of my husband I have back up bikes, and my mom's quick response to come switch them out for me got me back on the road quickly. When we got settled into the room I worked on repairing the blown tire and I admit, I was struggling, There were a few tears and some major moments of doubt but words of encouragement from my husband telling me to just do what I could helped me refocus and fix it making me feel very accomplished. I know it seems silly but it was a big deal for me. 

Tomorrow we head for Pacific, MO and will already be through the first state on our trek. If you see the bright yellow jersey or the blue car with the stickers and magnets about the ride, feel free to say hi and take a picture with us. We always love to meet new friends.

Day 1 - September 22nd

 Today would have been my dad's 70th birthday. He has been gone for 15 years this year (the anniversary for that happens during the ride as well). I was sure that was the thing that would make me cry as I set off on my journey. It was quite a day from getting up at 4:30am and getting to Buckingham Fountain in time for my 7am step off to finally resting in our hotel in Normal, IL. We are exhausted but happy.

We had a number of short lived moments from navigation on my phone acting up but then coming through and getting me to all of my destinations to the radios we use for communication not being turned up high enough at first so even though we were ultimately able to connect we had to laugh at the obvious solution. But as we reached every new rest stop or meal location we got better and faster at preparing for the stop and the restart. The lunch restaurant we went to was adorable and we met a very sweet man at the Gemini Giant in Wilmington. He actually played a role in our day twice.

While I intend to be brief, we are kind of tired from the day, there is a story I have to share. My chase car was ahead of me, heading to our next rendezvous spot when I got stopped up by a red light. I was waiting for it to turn when a man in the truck next to me yelled out, "Oh my God, it's you!" 

I was completely taken aback. I asked him if he was sure I was the person he thought he knew and he said yes. It turns out he knew about my ride because his ex wife lives in Las Vegas, like I do, and saw me on the news. When she heard I was riding in honor of those battling and lost to PTSD she shared the news story with him. His brother was a veteran who struggled and lost his battle earlier this year. He knew the ride started today and made a couple stops in the area, including the Gemini Giant where he encountered the nice man mentioned previously. When he found out he just missed us he set off trying to find us. He thanked me for what I was doing and told me about his brother and how he knew about the ride. I wish he had been able to get out of the vehicle, I would have given him the wristband I always wear with the name of the ride on it. 

He did stay behind me for about a mile after we left the light because there were areas of that road with no shoulder so he stayed close and waved other vehicles around to protect me while riding in the street. I got to my mom and told her to hold up because I had to share the story. It was heartwarming through and through and I am honored to be able to represent people so loved. 

I was protected a few times as I rode. The man I just shared about, my mom of course as she kept me safe all day, and at one point I had to ride through a long construction area on a very narrow shoulder. There were a number of semis and a school bus that pushed past me but toward the end, when it may have been becoming clear how stressed I was going through that section, another school bus who had just watched a semi get by me, stayed behind and kept all other cars traveling the single lane back behind it so I could get clear. I am speechless at the amount of support I has been shown and cannot wait to get back out on the road!

The Final Countdown

 Now that the song is stuck in your head, I can tell you about a very quick moving but slow paced day. I planned to get up at 5:30 this morning to get a good, hard workout in then grab breakfast from the free buffet offered by the hotel. After that there were a number of last minute tasks planned such as laundry, double checking the tires on the car, putting some items back in the car and staging the remaining stuff in the room for easy exit in the morning. We also needed to charge everything and practice with my bike computer to make sure the routes would load correctly. But just like the train plan yesterday, things went awry.

I woke up this morning just after 2am with a screaming migraine. My head felt swollen and even the tiniest crack of moonlight coming in through the curtains felt like a stab into my brain. I took some medication and went back to bed but when the alarm went off at 5:30 I was not capable of getting up. If it had been an official day of the ride I would have forced myself but because I knew I could rest I stayed in bed and buried my face in the pillows. When my mom got up to get food I was still too nauseous to eat. There was only ten minutes left of the buffet when I was finally able to get up and go grab a little something. Once I ate and took a second dose of the medicine I began to feel a little better. But several productive hours I hoped to have were now gone for good.

I still managed to get a workout in, charge everything up, load what I could and stage the rest. The car has been checked out and gassed up. We are now in bed hoping for sleep because that 4:30am alarm is going to come way too fast. I am shaking with nerves for tomorrow but I am also looking forward to putting this long time planning into action. I will be sharing pictures when I have meal breaks and finish for the day but I may be quieter on social media and these updates will probably be shorter like this one once I am riding and in the zone each day. Thank you to everyone that has been following me and seeing our adventure so far. The real journey begins in less that 12 hours. See you on the other side!

Mission: Tourist

 One of the things I promised my mom as a thank you for everything she has done and will be doing to help me on this ride was that we would have a fun tourist day in Chicago before we left. We had it all planned out. We found the closest train station to the hotel and confirmed there was a parking lot next to the station. We checked the maps online to see how far of a walk it would be between each stop of the day. I also reached out to a wonderful high school friend who lives in the city to confirm lunch plans. We were ready.

But, as we all know, best laid plans and all. We ate breakfast and got some waters in a backpack to help stay hydrated since it was supposed to be hot and humid. The weather lived up to expectations and the water did it's job but there were definitely bumps in the road. We got in the car and made the slow two mile trek to the train station and its accompanying parking lot. There were spaces but they were reserved for monthly customers only. There was nowhere else close to park so we decided we would have to drive into the city but figured it would be a chance to check out the parking area we planned to use on Thursday near the fountain. 

It should have taken us fifty-four minutes if the maps had been correct but because of heavier than expected traffic on side streets, a parking lot of a highway, and more construction than should have been possible in such a short distance, it took us over and hour and a half to get to the parking garage. Then we had to keep circling down to lower levels in the underground spot in order to find a place to park. We finally did on the bottom level and I was slightly apprehensive about leaving the car there. It was a popular spot though and there were security cameras so we set off for our first stop of the day. 

Once back on street level we made our way along Michigan Ave. passing sights we would return to later. It still took us close to half an hour to make the walk to the dock where we boarded a river boat for a ninety minute architecture tour along the Chicago river. It was very informative and our guide was great. He was funny and even had a literary reference thrown into the trip. We enjoyed ourselves and I made sure we got a picture with him as we got off the ship. I definitely got pictures of a number of the buildings we saw and heard about which I will be posting on the Facebook page for the ride. It was extremely warm on the top deck of the ship but that offered the best view so we sat and sweated it out, praying for clouds or buildings to give us a break from the sun. I am truly happy we remembered sunscreen this morning.

After we left the boat we had almost and hour until we met my friend for lunch and with only a half mile to cover we knew we had some time to kill. Right on the corner where we got off the boat we found a Ghirardelli store. The chocolate would have melted and neither of us wanted ice cream with lunch coming shortly but the building was air conditioned and my mom found a fun Halloween themed bag to get as a souvenir. 

Lunch was a breakfast and lunch spot nearby where we spent time with a friend I haven't seen in probably close to twenty years. She is an incredible person though, and for those who have read my blog before, she is the one who created Affirmation Of Life Day and has been a huge inspiration to me with her strength and resolve. I am thrilled we got to see her and enjoy catching up a little today. She made sure we knew where we were going when we left the restaurant then she returned to work and we set off on the next part of our tourist adventure. 

Our next destination was my favorite place in the entire city, Millennium Park. I adore The Bean, or Cloud Gate as it is officially named, and I love The Crown Fountain, or as I call it the face towers. If you are following me on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok you have seen the video I made while there. It is just a purely happy place and reminder of being a child to me. It didn't exist when I was that small but I always feel a young child energy when I get to go check it out. We stayed with parks after that and made our way to Grant Park with a quick run across the street at Michigan and Adams for a picture with the beginning of Route 66 sign, and got pictures of Buckingham Fountain. That is where I will be beginning my ride Thursday morning.

After leaving the fountain we walked along the lake, making our way to Shedd Aquarium. We were able to check out dozens of exhibits with different kinds of fish, turtles, insects, and reptiles from all around the world. She loved the beluga whales, dolphins, and we tried to see the otters but their habitat was being worked on so they were elsewhere. We scanned the offerings at the gift shop and she purchased a fun souvenir before we headed back outside. It had already rained and was threatening to again. I hoped we would make it the slightly over one mile walk back to the parking garage before the sky really opened up but the rolling thunder and strobes of lightning told me our chances weren't good. It did sprinkle some on us as we made our way back along the lake and past the fountain but it wasn't anything hard. Just as I thought we would make it, it began to come down much harder, soaking several parts of me as we searched for the nearly hidden stairway back into the parking garage.

We ducked inside and smiled as the heat of the stairwell embraced us. We descended to the bottom level to find my car ready and waiting where we had left it nearly nine hours earlier. After dropping our bags in the back I jumped in the car and we climbed back up to street level. We hit rush hour traffic for the second time today but thankfully Google maps recognized a faster route and pulled me off the highway, getting us back to our hotel in one third the time it took to get into to town this morning. We ate and showered the day away and are now preparing for an early night to make sure we are energized tomorrow for the last day of preparation before our very early rise on Thursday.

As always if you would like more information about the ride you can check out my website www.writingforces.com where there are links to my route sheets as well as to the gofundme for the charities. You can also follow along on the Ride 22 On 66 page on Facebook to see the pictures, videos, and progress reports we share as we make our way each day.

Mission: Recon

 Six o'clock came way too early today after a fitful night sleep. I tossed and turned, woke up several times, and felt disoriented from a series of odd and stress filled dreams. The bed was comfortable, the room is homey, I just couldn't calm my mind enough to rest. I knew today would be a challenge and it lived up to that idea quite well.

We are staying currently at a Holiday Inn Express so we get to indulge in the free breakfast buffet each morning. I am grateful for that because it allows us to save on our daily food budget. We also packed snacks to have as lunch, another money saver, before we hit the road. Our first stop was in Chicago. It took almost forty-five minutes to reach our destination of Buckingham Fountain which will be where I start riding from in just a couple days. I sat in awe briefly as we slowly cruised past and smiled to myself as I pictured taking off with such a beautiful sight as my background. We weren't able to check out the start of the ride because I was supposed to be on a bike trail. I told my mom we would have to check that part out online when we got back. 

We reached what will be my first rest stop at Imperial Oak Brewing about a half hour after we left the fountain. It was a quiet and scenic place along a small river. Right across the water from the patio was the start of the bike trail I planned to take toward my second stop. However when we got to the entrance we found out the entire path is under construction and completely closed. I was devastated because there is no other legal bike path right in that area. but my mom suggested we could load the bike and take it to the second stop where I would resume riding. I agreed eventually though I am struggling with already feeling like I am failing. She keeps telling me that this is something beyond my control and I am still pushing through to ride every bit of every mile available to me.

When we got to the second stop, Dick's Towing, we saw a small wooden box filled with bricks and a sign stating they were from the original Route 66. We took pictures standing on them of course, and a few of the cars displayed by the original building. The business it still there but now located next door in a much larger facility. From there we traced the route to Silver Dollar Restaurant where we will be stopping for lunch and then drove on to the Gemini Giant. The statue was very cool and we took a picture in front of a sign saying Route 66. 

Unfortunately while in the gift shop I was met with a very terse woman whose attitude and curtness got to me. She asked me, rudely, why I was doing my ride and when I said for charity she dismissed me saying there were other ways to give back. She is absolutely entitled to her opinion, and I know my lack of restful sleep and stress played a large role, but I snapped and had to walk out before I said something I would regret. She made me feel stupid for attempting this journey and I broke down for a few minutes and cried. I am glad I didn't say or do anything in front of her because she has a right to feel and say what she wants, it was just too much for me in the moment.

As we left there I was having a little trouble with Google Maps and it all felt overwhelming. Thankfully my mom was a calming force and we started talking about funny memories and plans for the ride to make me smile again. We made our way to Dwight, Il where I was supposed to visit a now defunct hot dog stand but it no longer exists even as a landmark so we had to modify my rest stop point. We moved on to Pontiac, Il and the Fiesta Motel also making a brief stop at the Route 66 museum and getting the Route 66 passport my mom picked up stamped. With one final stop we were thrilled by our progress. We drove to Chenoa, Il in search of an old mural but time had faded and washed it away so we changed my final stopping point to a pretty gazebo across the street.

I am proud of the ability to think on our feet and know it will be a handy attribute as we get through the next 3 weeks on the bike. There are so many things I am looking forward to and several things I am beyond stressed over. I appreciate everyone that has reached out to show support on social media such as the ride Facebook page Ride 22 On 66 and through my website www.writingforces.com as well as those who have checked out the gofundme link on the Facebook page and donated to the charities. Everything you have done is making it possible for me to show these organizations just how meaningful they are.