Buffalo, NY - and tshirt winner!

Buffalo has been great. Nice people, delicious food, good weather (at least for now). We are staying with Karl's aunt and uncle, Robert and Leta. They have been great hosts and we're having a fun time. We stopped by the restaurant that invented buffalo wings, but here they are simply called chicken wings. It seems that most residents of Buffalo love their city and think it's the greatest place on earth. It's refreshing to visit places like this.

We had a great visit with Paul Anthon at the Erie County Home. His determination to stay productive while battling MS is truly inspirational. He has worked hard to bring computers and high-speed internet to the 580 residents of Erie County Home and is currently planning the installation of wireless internet. He teaches people to use voice recognition software and other tools that help handicapped folks access the internet. Many people appreciate his efforts and his determination was incredible. Paul is a great guy and we thank him for letting us visit.

We did a raffle drawing tonight and the winner is.....Michelle Bollinger! She answered twice so that doubled her chances. Thanks for the great answers Michelle, we're learning from the trivia as well. Let me know what size you guys need - for Rob also.

Hope everyone is doing well -

Donald

Trivia Question #4

What parts of the world have the highest incidence of Multiple Sclerosis? Feel free to include any additional information about MS distribution and demography.

Anyone who has answered correctly this week has a chance to win a free tshirt. Tonight we will pick names from a hat and announce the winner!

The Empire State

New York!! Buffalo New York to be exact is today's locale. Its the home of the Bills, the deliciously spicy wings, and Karl's aunt and uncle Lita and Robert. Interestingly, Buffalo is also one of very few cities in the U.S with a radial street pattern (think bicycle spokes!).

The last few days have been spent skirting Lake Erie through Ohio, Pennsylvania and since last evening, New York. The views have been gorgeous along the lake and the fall foliage is just beginning to come into being. Leaves are still predominately green now, but swaths of yellow and orange and a bit of red are becoming apparent. One of the cooler things we've experienced the last few days are the fields of concord grapes. Riding along we'll suddenly be overtaken by their smell so sweet and strong that it almost seems artificial, like grape Kool-Aid!

Tonight we are staying with Lita and Robert Dentan, aunt and uncle to Karl. Today Lita took us to a nice lunch here in Buffalo and was then nice enough to buy us a sampling of the area's micro brews:). The Dentans are also letting us use their showers and laundry facilities, which judging from the state of our hygiene these days might be a questionable move on their part. Nonetheless, once again the kindness and hospitality of our families and friends is something to marvel at.

We're very much looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls tomorrow and are planning on traveling through a portion of Canada to get there. The remaining mileage of our trip is quickly dwindling which leaves us all with mixed emotions. The nomadic lifestyle we've all adopted won't be easy to leave behind, but the notion of being able to sleep in a real bed is starting to seem more and more appealing.

I hope that everyone is having a great weekend, and enjoying the new trivia component to the blog. Be sure to check out question #3 below. Take care and enjoy yourselves!



-Devin

Trivia Question #3

Trivia Question #3

According to the National MS Society, how many Americans have MS? AND, approximately how many new cases are diagnosed each week?

Don't forget to check tomorrow night to see if you won a free tshirt!

Trivia Question #2

We finally made it to Pennsylvania, and we'll be in New York this afternoon. It's been raining the last three days, but thats ok...better than snow! Only about 900 miles left.

Trivia Question #2:

What town is considered the geographic center of North America?

Thanks for all the responses yesterday - don't forget to check over the weekend...even though the work week is over, the trivia will continue!

Trivia Question #1

Starting today, we will pose daily trivia questions to be answered in the comment section of the blog. Daily winners will be entered into a weekly raffle drawing for a free tshirt, and national fame of course. The weekly drawing will occur every Sunday night, to provide extra incentive to wake up and face the work week. Questions will range from MS related info to geographic trivia.

Trivia Question #1:

Multiple Sclerosis is a neurodegenerative autoimmune disease.

What part of the nueron is destroyed in Multiple Sclerosis?

Please answer in the comment section to score a free tshirt!

Vermilion, OH and Lake Erie

Last night we arrived in Vermilion, OH on the shores of Lake Erie. We are very excited because it's not just a nice lake...it's a great lake!

We had food and drinks at Rudy's, which may be the friendliest bar on this side of the Mississippi, and maybe the other side too. Everyone was very curious and excited about our trip, and people kept buying us beers. Rudy himself even gave us tshirts. We had a blast.

It rained all day today as we traveled through Cleveland. Navigating through unfamiliar cities on a bicycle is not my favorite, but we followed the lake and it wasn't too bad.

Since the trip is nearly complete we are going to make an extra effort to blog every day. And also starting tomorrow we will pose daily trivia questions and the first person to answer correctly will recieve a free tshirt...so get ready for some trivia!

Have a good evening -

Donald

Ohio, finally

A few tantalizing miles up State Line Rd. on the Indiana side of the border, then an eastward plunge straight into the heart of Ohio. Its every bike tourist's fantasy and it's what we did with our Sunday morning. Other than that, few things have seemed exceptional since our encounter with Dr. Neal Haskell the forensic entomologist; until today that is, when we had the good fortune of stumbling into Stimmel's Market in Bowling Green, OH, where Michelle and Matthew Stimmel treated us to some incredibly delicious salads and sandwiches. We didn't exactly stumble in by chance- they are actually good college friends of my girlfriend Leanna, and they are very cool and generous individuals. If you ever come to Bowling Green, you'd be a fool not to stop by their deli for lunch and browse their impressive selection of wines and craft beers. It was an oasis for us city slickers in territory relatively hostile to wholesome food and drink. They're also hosting us at their farmhouse for the evening and made us a genuine 5 star dinner, not to mention selflessly contaminating their washing machine with our 4-day chamois. They have a wolf named Kerouac, and he has inspired me to change my power animal from the Blue Jay to the domesticated wolf, despite Don's objection to self-power animal assignment. Thanks to Matt and Michelle, and we hope to cross paths with this super friendly couple in the future.

Other trip notes: Ohio is loaded with bad dudes. I mean the Kid Rock, early 90's Mustang, greasy mullet, spin your tires and smoke out the cyclists cause they're losers kind of bad dudes. These guys are bad to the bone and they're out to prove it. They see us just in time to crank the volume, depress the gas pedal an extra inch, holler somethin' nasty at us, then drive away real fast. I assure you we are impressed and scared all at once.

Special thanks to the moms who continue to supply our bellies with tasty treats and to the lovely Leanna for handling and shipping the t-shirt orders. Don't forget- tshirts@biketheusforms.org- your last chance to make people think you're a good person in '07.

Tomorrow we set sail in a rare tailwind towards Lake Erie and on to Cleveland, where Karl will challenge LeBron James to a game of horse. Seriously, does anybody know how to make this happen?

Indiana feels like home

We are currently camped out in Denver, Indiana at the public park. As usual, someone has left their wireless network open for us to use.

The last couple days have been incredibly interesting. We had a nice lunch yesterday with Mary Beth and Darlene in Rensselaer, IN. We contacted them through an MS chat forum and they drove down to meet us...and buy us lunch - that's not how this is supposed to work! But thank you very much Mary Beth and Darlene, we had a great time. Keep an eye out for the tshirts!



After lunch we began the daily discussion regarding where to camp for the night. We were sitting on the sidewalk outside the restaurant when a friendly, burly man walks up and starts talking to us. His name is Dr. Neal Haskel, a professor at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer. He invited us to his 800 acre farm down the road to camp for the night. We had no idea what was ahead of us.



It turns out Dr. Haskel is the foremost expert on Forensic Entomology in North America. Have you even wondered how people determine time of death in murder cases? Well me neither really...but it's based on the growth and development of maggots inhabiting the rotting corpse. As a human body decomposes, different species of flies inhabit the body in stages. These stages allow Dr. Haskel to determine how long a person has been dead. He showed us around his lab, farm and let Karl take a ride in the giant combine as it chopped down corn. If you're into CSI, try googling "Neal Haskel". We can't thank Neal enough - we had a great time.

"Maggot Power"

There is much more to tell about this adventure, but it's getting late and we're hoping for an 80 miler tomorrow. Be sure to check out Devin's blog below about our nice visit in Odell, Illinios. Thanks for checking in - have a great weekend!

Don

A Visit With Family

If Bike the US for MS were to have cheerleaders, Elaine Petry, my grandfather's wife would certainly be the head. Along with my grandpa Russ Petry, I'm pretty sure Elaine tells literally every person she meets (or knows) about our efforts. Through letters to her many friends, bulletins in her church newsletter, and conversations with someone as unlikely as a passing fellow patron in a restaurant, Elaine tells EVERYONE about what we are up to and is sure to pass out the pertinent literature she carries in her purse.

Russ and Elaine both being octogenarians, it is difficult for them to hop on the internet and check our status. So they regularly go to a nearby office supply store and employ the help of a nice young lady who leads them through our website and prints out updates. Their letters to us and their words of support throughout the planning stages of this trip and on have truly been inspiring to all of us.

Wednesday found Karl, Mason, Don and I in Odell, Illinois a very small farming town about ninety miles south of Chicago. We were there to meet Grandpa and Elaine who had been given a surprise trip to meet us by the mayor of their Chicago suburb River Grove. Mayor Marilynn May and her incredibly kind administrative assistant Jeanne Walsh were so appreciative of Russ and Elaine's positive involvement in their town that when Elaine brought our trip to their attention they felt compelled to charter a luxury sedan for them both to ride down and meet us as we passed near Chicago. Not only that, but River Grove's kind leader also found an anonymous donor to buy all of us lunch.

Our visit was excellent; the love, support and excitement that exuded from these two wonderful people was so apparent to all of us. For me personally, being able to spend time on this journey with two of the most important people in my life was something so positive that it's tough to put to words. My Grandpa's eyes told me instantly that he felt the same way. The unending support and love he's always shown me was thick in the air around us there in Odell, and I nor the other guys could have asked for better company.

Thanks so much to you Grandpa and Elaine for the kind cards, the tasty snacks, the fun conversation, but foremost for being such kind, caring and interested grandparents. You both are so appreciated and loved.






-Devin

The "I" State Invasion

We are now in the midst of our highly anticipated tour through the states that begin with the letter I, although the anticipation was apparently ours alone because not many people here seem to know we were coming. We assumed that dense civilization would abound here on the eastern banks of the Mississippi, but Illinois is about as rural as America gets. We've made camp for the night on the outskirts of a town called Streator, in a Super 8, next to a particularly delicious Pizza Hut. Now before you jump to conclusions and accuse us of going soft, put yourself in the shoes of poor Don, who managed to develop a rather uncomfortable reaction to poison ivy in a few rather uncomfortable locations, and needed a shower and a comfortable venue to stage his counter attack. No complaints from the rest of us, who needed showers only slightly less than Don and clean laundry just as much. I'm sure Devin's grandpa Russ and his wife Elaine will appreciate the reduction of physical offensiveness we've achieved here at the Super 8 when we meet them for lunch tomorrow.


The weather lately has been a wily beast, freezing at night then pushing triple digits the next afternoon. Head winds have been the norm but the forecast predicts a welcome change for tomorrow. Yesterday we discovered a bike trail along a canal that spanned nearly 50 miles of the route, giving us a fantastic opportunity to zone out without concern for vehicle traffic. We accepted the trail as another offering from the divine lord of cyclists, who, when one considers the unexpected discovery of a bikes-only campground last week at a crucial moment, apparently likes our blog. We arrived in town with empty bellies and wound up at the only bar in town, nodding enthusiastically to the bartender's constant inquiry of "nuther beer?" and approving the level of crispiness of each of the 3 frozen pizzas he proudly presented to us. A half gallon of cookies n' cream later, we set out to find another rogue camp site to end another day in the good life.

Also, if you want to look cool this fall, don't forget to order your official Bike the US for MS t-shirt by emailing us at tshirt@biketheusforms.org.

And yes, chocolate milk really is better in Wisconsin. I hope to have a similar renaissance with apple butter when I get to New England.

-Mason

Tri-State region

We're stopped over in Dubuque, Iowa after a couple chilly days of riding along the Mississippi. A cold front blew in and caught us off guard a bit - the temperature fell to around freezing the past two nights. God must like us though - right after the cold front blew in a Cabela's store appeared on the horizon. It was the same effect as when you grocery shop while hungry (S.W.H.) - we purchased hats and socks and gloves. It was amazing.


On Thursday we met Tom Larson of La Crosse, WI. We enjoyed a few PBRs (Tom's favorite beer) and watched the wind change from north to south on his porch, bringing with it the cold weather. Tom has had MS since 1989 but doesn't let it get him down. It wasn't too hard to find him, he was out and about on his hover-round cruising around the neighborhood. He loves that thing - he praises it and swears, "i'm not getting paid a thing to say this but...." Tom was hilarious and we had a great time.


I thought Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois were as flat as pancakes but this is not so. This portion of the tri-state area (Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois) is actually quite hilly. It is because we're in a "driftless area", an area untouched by the glaciers that formed the plains. We have been traveling along the river for a few days in the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge. It has been beautiful - the bluffs along the Mississippi are steep and covered with deciduous trees. Soon we will begin to head east towards Chicago to meet Devin's grandparents in Odell, Illinois.

Thanks to all those who have contacted us about coming through your area. We'll make as many stops as we can afford - just as long as we make it to Maine before the snow does.

Donald

Highway 61 visited...for the very first time.

We've made it out of Minnitropolis unscathed. Mason successfully navigated the restrooms at the airport not once, but twice, without being arrested for lewd acts and Devin and Donald both survived...errr...enjoyed visits from their lovely girlfriends Michelle and Kristen. Our first night out of the city was spent at Afton State Park just up the hill from the Mighty Mississippi. Got in late and three of the four of us ended up sleeping on top of picnic tables. It must have looked like some feast gone horribly wrong. I know it smelled like that at least.
Yesterday we made good time and about 60 miles and camped on the shores of Lake Pepin. Had a camp fire and a nice rest, save for the speeding midnight trains. I cooked breakfast over the fire this morning and felt a little bit like Grizzly Adams. Except I don't think he ate corn beef hash burritos.
Hit the road and have been winding our way through beautiful rural Minnesota. We've been shadowing the river and hope to camp next to it again tonight. I discussed the intricacies of catfishing with a gentleman today and hope to pull a little dinner out of the the Muddy Miss here pretty soon. It sounds as if they are a hard catch as they only eat "...pretty much anything." I hope they like zucchini. We'll check in in a bit with more details. Just didn't want anybody to think we were dead. Word-K

Leaving Minneapolis

We're getting ready to leave Minneapolis after a long and enjoyable stay. Mason had to fly to his sister's wedding in Maine, so we've been hanging out since last Wednesday. Congrats to Leslie and Jason Beck!

The Radisson on the U. of Minnesota campus has been great, although we're going to have to live like homeless bums to make it to Maine with any money whatsoever. I definitely have regrets about eating at Applebees 6 times because it was 200 ft from the room....ahhhhh... We have to get out of here and get back to eating healthy food.

Thanks to Christine Ratcliffe from the MS foundation for spreading info on our ride and hooking us up with people to meet/help along the way. Her efforts are greatly appreciated - we have a hard enough time sorting out our bikes, food, where we're going, where we're camping - it's nice to have a little help.

And also thanks to Amber at vidshadow for hooking us up with a camera and providing an entertaining way to raise money.

We're out of here. We added more photos on our page so check them out!

Donald

Minneapolis

Today we broke our commitment of staying in tents the whole time. We reached our peak of nastiness and broke down. So we're here at the Ramada in Minneapolis. It's great - AC, showers, beds, tv, free coffee, electricity. One more day of riding without doing laundry and I think we would have needed our chamois' surgically removed.

Riding through Minnesota has been nice. Tons of lakes and turkey farms. I think i'm going to purchase free range turkeys from now on. Those walmart sized enclosures smell ridiculous and I would never want to eat anything from inside.

Yesterday a dog ran out in the road so I stopped oncoming traffic. Then it ran up and bit my foot, the ungrateful bastard. So like an idiot, I chased it and yelled at it...So there! Very funny for those watching. New policy for dogs - unclip the feet and be ready for battle. I wanted to pick fights with little dogs just to redeem myself.

We are staying in Minneapolis until Monday morning and look forward to checking out the city and volunteering if possible. If anyone has any tips or info about Minneapolis please fill us in!

Donald

Pelican Rapids Minnesota

A quick update this morning from Pelican Rapids Minnesota. After the scolding I received from my mom the other day for not updating the blog, I felt I better hop to it.

We woke up this morning to an incredible view on the edge of Mill Pond in the Pelican Rapids City Park. Great facilities, huge old oak trees, an unlocked wi-fi signal, an all around beautiful spot and also home to the world's largest Pelican.



Yesterday we grudgingly left Fargo, ND / Moorhead, MN and forged for about six hours into the wind. Days like that always seem painful at first, but it doesn't take long to get lost in your mind and you soon seem to forget about the headwind. Before you know it ten, then twenty, then many more miles have melted away, along with most of the day.

Fargo/Moorhead really is a cool metro area, we all enjoyed our layover there, and were all happy to break the diet of chicken strips, greasy burgers and french fries we've been forced to eat the last couple weeks. The food options a larger city offers is something we've all missed very much. Culturally, Fargo seemed to have much more to offer than just a cute local accent (as demonstrated in the Coen Brothers movie). There are at least 3 or 4 colleges in the vicinity and thus plenty of hip young folk are interspersed with the stereotypical "ya shur you betcha" Scandinavian mid-westerners. Its really a nice mix.

Minnesota has already brought us back into the trees, though now the deciduous variety. They help by cutting the wind a bit and also providing some shade to nap under. The plains were enjoyable and beautiful in their own right, but it sure is nice to be back with our friends the trees.

We seem to have a more favorable wind this morning so I suppose we should go pedal with it. Please keep the emails and comments coming in, we really enjoy getting them. I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day Weekend, have fun and be safe.

-Devin