Trip Complete!!!

We finally made it!  We arrived to Lubec at about 7 PM last night and crossed into Canada.  I can't believe he rode that many miles in 6 days!!  Pretty impressive stuff.  I also couldn't believe how big of a state Maine is.  It took us the entire day to get across it, unlike other days where we crossed through numerous states.  Dr. Ross put in just about 200 miles again to make the final push to our destination.   When we got to Lubec it was really foggy, and when we went to cross the bridge into Canada you could only see maybe 10 feet or so ahead of you.  It was pretty crazy.  It was also about a 15 degree difference in temperature compared to the day before in massachusetts and new hampshire.  The fog was actually kind of a mist in the air and you could feel your body getting damp from it, kinda weird.  Anyways, it was pretty crazy at the border.  For those of you who have crossed into Canada or another country know how serious it is.  They asked us a bunch of questions.  I had a bottle of root beer in the front seat and he questioned me about that.  I told him it was Maines finest.  haha.   They made us roll our windows down and asked us if there was anyone else in the car about 3 different times.  And once again, last night we drove into a smaller city in maine, and of course...No Vacancy! ugh!! So we just drove the extra 30 miles or so on our way back through Maine into Bangor to stay for the night.  We arrived to our hotel at about 10 PM and went and ate dinner, because neither of us had eaten.  Basically, we got to our hotel rooms at about 11:30, which is why there was no blog last night.  So today we are going to Portland, ME to talk to the Boys and Girls Club there.  Should be fun.  I am excited to see the kids and talk with them.  This has been such a great journey.  I will probably do another blog tonight and add some pictures of the rest of the trip, so keep checking in, because we got some pretty cool pictures that are worth viewing.  Well, off to Portland.
 Cody

Into Maine....

What a day!  We started early today once again, and had about a 20 mile ride straight into Boston just in time for early Monday morning rush hour. Going through Boston was pretty cool, and it was actually the most bike friendly city we've been through.   Though, the traffic did not help at all and we definitely made some wrong turns which made for some not so fun times.  When we get into the big cities, Dr. Ross is on a bike and usually can go faster than me in the car because I am always stuck in traffic, so he  is able to go way ahead and navigate his way out of the city and not have to sit around and wait.  We actually lost each other for a while and it took almost an hour to meet back up, but we made it out ok and were on our way north into New Hampshire. The hills definitely didn't get smaller today, they got bigger.  They have basically turned into small mountains, making riding even more difficult for Dr. Ross, and every time I see a big hill/mountain coming up I just know he is dreading it.  But he is still making amazing time somehow even with the tough terrain he has come up against.  Dr. Ross had his first lobster roll today.  Lobster rolls are a pretty popular food up here in Maine, so he wanted to give it a try, and he loved it.  I believe we took a picture of him with it, so pictures of the famous lobster roll to come...We are now in Wiscasset, Maine staying in a random hotel in the middle of nowhere, and lets just say...this place has seen better days....But either way, it's a place for us to lay our heads down for the night, and get up early for another day of riding.  Oh yah....so we went to check in at the front office of the hotel and were telling the guy working about what we were doing.  So the guy says "oh really, these two guys over here did the same thing".   And there on the wall in the office is a picture of two guys that stayed at the exact same little, tiny, run down hotel in the middle of nowhere, and they had a picture of them with their bikes at the southernmost point in Key West, FL and at the northeast most point in Lubec, Maine.  Pretty crazy!  I believe we went another 200 miles or so today.  Anyways, more tomorrow.  Thanks for tuning in!

4 States in 1 Day

So, as you can see from the title of this blog, we made it through 4 states today.  We finished up New York and then went through Connecticut, Rhode Island, and are now in Massachusetts just south of Boston.  I am not 100% sure on the mile count for today, but I am pretty sure it is somewhere around 200 miles for the day.  We are in a town called North Attleboro.  So it was a nice ride today, considering the biggest city we had to ride through was Providence, Rhode Island so that was a relief.  Dr. Ross, on the other hand, would probably agree that it was a nice ride in that regard, but once again, he had to deal with lots of rolling hills (kind of small mountains).  Riding out here isn't really something you can train for, living in Greenville, NC so it has been a bit of an adjustment for him.  All in all, nothing too crazy happened today that I can think of.  Tomorrow we ride straight through Boston....and should cross into Maine!  I can't believe we are already this far.   Dr. Ross has been putting in astronomical numbers as far as mileage goes.  Anyways, I am sure tomorrow will bring more interesting news as we continue to get closer to our destination.  See ya
Cody

Crazy and Scary, but Fun

      So first of all, sorry there was no blog yesterday.  Dr. Ross has been riding from 5:30 or so until about 8 to 8:30 PM and by the time we get settled in, showered and eat dinner, we are both ready to sleep.  Also, last night we stayed in Nottingham, PA and the only hotel in Nottingham did not have internet service.  I believe they only have one stop light there as well.  So between yesterday and today, I don't know where to start, but lets start with yesterday for the sake of being chronologically correct :)  In the morning Dr. Ross decided he wanted to ride himself into Washington DC, more specifically because there are specific bike routes that we thought would be easier for him, so I met him there.  Come to find out, it wasn't as easy as expected and he had to back track a few times due to wrong turns.  Not to mention, the one thing you will probably hear Dr. Ross talk about most, I believe, is how hilly this ride has been compared to the Key West trip.  There is hill after hill after hill after hill after.......hill..after hill...you get the picture.  Finally, late morning we met in DC at the Lincoln Memorial and took some pictures.  After DC, we headed out towards Baltimore.   This is where things got tricky.  We thought it would be a decent idea to just ride through on the not so busy highway through Baltimore.  Less traffic, less people hopefully, and a straight shot to avoid riding extra miles.  What we didn't take into account were the rough areas we would have to ride through, and how difficult it would be to navigate through a big city.  All the streets change direction and name and the traffic, no matter where you are, is terrible.    The craziest part of the Baltimore section was when we were coming up to a street Dr. Ross went up to a police officer and told him the direction we were trying to go and if we were headed in the right direction.  He said yes, but just to let us know, we were heading straight into the most dangerous part in all of Baltimore.  In fact it has a name "murderers alley".   I was thinking "ok, well lets find another route, even if it means going a little bit out of our way".   But....Dr. Ross said "Thank you" and we rode straight through it!  I'm not gonna lie, pretty scary stuff, but we made it all in one piece.  Later that evening, around 8:30 PM we arrived in Nottingham, PA and called it a day, 185 miles later.....unbelievable!

Murderers Alley

Lincoln Memorial

      Today, we made our way into the New Jersey/New York area.  This morning, Dr. Ross got up at about 5:30 as usual and head out.  Apparently, early this morning, while he was riding on Highway 1,  a State Highway Patrol officer kicked him off the highway and told him he was crazy for being on there.  Dr. Ross basically just laughed it off, and obliged by  changing course and taking a bit of a longer route on our way towards New Jersey.  The story of yesterday and today was the difficulty of riding through big cities.  We rode through Trenton and Newark, NJ as well as New York City, Manhattan, and the Bronx, New York.  We rode through some of the craziest and wildest traffic that we have ever ridden through.  Not to mention riding through the Bronx was an experience in itself.  We actually took the time to eat at Wendys for dinner in the Bronx.  haha.  My wife is probably going to kill me when we get back.  The one thing I will say is as I drive through these rougher areas I can't help but reflect and be grateful for the things that I do have.  Just when you think times are tough in your own life, you see a situation someone else has been dealt and it brings you back to a reality that helps you remember the things you've been blessed with.  So, we are now near Port Chester, NY in a small town called Rye Brook about to fall asleep in the Hilton here.   Speaking of that, I'd like to give a shot out to Richard Christensen, a guest service agent here at the Hilton in Rye Town who gave us a room when the hotel was supposed to be full and no rooms available.  He made it happen for us and we appreciate it.  We tried two other hotels in a different town that were full and we were on about an hour's journey trying to find a place to sleep for the night.  Oh yah...By the way, Dr. Ross rode 206 miles today!!!  Anyways, it is time for bed.  see ya!

First Stop....Fredericksburg, VA

So it is finally here.  Day 1 is in the books and we have arrived in Fredericksburg, Virginia 230 miles later.  Thats right, I said it, Dr. Ross rode his bike 230 MILES in one day!!!!!  On our last trip, the most he rode was about 150 or so I believe, so this was pretty incredible.  He left at about 5 AM this morning and we finished around 7:30 PM.  At dinner, he was so tired, that at the end of the meal he said that he was too tired to chew his food. haha. So this morning, on my way to meet up with Dr. Ross a vehicle in the other lane on the highway had a suitcase, a stroller and some other plastic bags fall off their roof and all over the highway.  The suitcase completely split open and stuff was flying everywhere.  It was pretty crazy! We also went straight through Richmond, Virginia which had some pretty rough sections of town, but there were also some pretty cool buildings and rivers to look at as well. Can I also mention that I am proud to say that I did not get a flat tire on the tahoe on the first day :)    (knock on wood) and Dr. Ross was fortunate not to get a flat on his bike either.  Although, I have a feeling at some point we will be replacing some type of a tire, it is inevitable.  Well, we are both pretty exhausted.  In fact, Dr. Ross is already sleeping and I am about to fall asleep with this computer in my lap so I better get to bed as well.  Anyways, thanks to all of you for your support and prayers!  We will be in touch tomorrow.

Cody

New Brunswick, Canada Here We Come!!

Hello everyone, it's Cody.  That's right, here we go again!  Dr. Ross has decided to take his bike and ride on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club of America, instead this time, to the northeastern most point of the US across the Maine border and into New Brunswick, Canada.  You would've thought the first 1200 miles to Key West would've been enough.  But then again, those of you who really know Dr. Ross probably figured it was only a matter of time before he was at it again. Our date of departure is Thursday August 9th.  We are both looking forward to a trip that will most likely be nothing short of crazy, as we will be heading into some pretty congested, urban areas which should make for some interesting riding as well as navigating.  Dr. Ross has stayed in great biking shape since the Key West trip in preparation for this one, so he should be ready to go come Thursday.  We will continue to blog throughout this trip as well, and also be sure to check out our main website at www.riding4areason.org for picture updates and to donate.  Our goal when we began "Riding 4 A Reason" was to raise a total of $100,000, and so far, we have raised around $85,000.  Our main purpose of this trip to Canada is to reach that goal, as we will be donating all of the proceeds to the clubs here in Eastern North Carolina.  Please let your friends and family in on the scoop as we try to reach our goal and in raising awareness for these kids at the B&G clubs of America.  We will be in touch soon!

REFLECTING..........

After completing the bicycle journey from greenville, nc  to key west, fl. I think back........
BY THE NUMBERS......
1200 plus.....number of miles biked in 9 days (the plus figures in 3-4 wrong turns, thanks Cody)
7.....................number of flat tires,  ( 6 on bikes, 1 on Tahoe)
3.....................number of large chocolate Frosties we had at EVERY  Wendys (2 dennis, 1 Cody)
2000.............toothbrushes given away at 9 Boys and Girls Clubs
467...............dead snakes
9...................miles away from key west when i got the last flat tire ( and didnt have my phone)
2...................number of dogs that chased me in 9 days
4....................number of dogs that chased me on my last bike ride to Robersonville
42................bridges between miami and key west
1.................number of ladies ( i use the term loosely) that fussed out Cody for photographing her house
5..................gallons of liquid Dennis drank every day to stay hydrated
85,000.......dollars raised so far to distribute to The Boys and Girls Clubs ( thanks again if you donated)
1200...........number of miles from greenville to LUBEC, MAINE  ( next trip???? to get to $100,000 for the clubs)

Playing with the numbers is fun, the ride was rewarding, but the people i ran into was the best part of the trip. It was the club directors,  the people in the small general stores ( both the employees and patrons),  those questioning my sanity in the restaurants, hotels etc., but by far the kids were the best part. Because they were the reason for the ride (get it???), Cody and I had nothing else planned each day before or after each club. Therefore we were not in a rush to get somewhere after talking to the kids about 1. academic success, 2. healthy lifestyles, 3. and character development. We stayed around afterwards to play, shoot baskets, and just hang out and talk to the kids about the fact that we had ONLY come there to see them, we had NOTHING else planned but to see them. The kids were our focus. These kids at the clubs are some of the most "at risk kids" in our country. They are at an inflection point in their life to where they end up in life is  dictated by whether they are MOST influenced by role models at the Boys and Girls Clubs or by the negative influences in their neighborhoods and peer pressure. Most of these kids do not have a male role model in the home, thus the Clubs are IT for positive male influence and thus character development. Many of these  kids parents do not have even a high school education , so the Clubs are IT for making sure that the kids are getting the academic support they need. Etc...Etc...Etc....   Were it not for the Boys and Girls Clubs these kids have NO CHANCE to succeed in this world. They will grow up to be uneducated and unemployed at best, and at worst ......in jail, OR DEAD from violence and gang related activity.

I believe that we will have succeeded in our mission ( and this was as much a mission as my trips to Kenya or Nicaragua) if just one child is influenced to become a teacher, dentist, astronaut or decides to pursue a dream they may have in the back of their mind but previously had been told that their dreams arent possible because no one in their family had EVER DONE THAT.  The Boys and Girls Club is a noble BLESSING to thousands of children who otherwise would be on the streets after school with no chance to be successful. I have been blessed by the people i met along the way and by YOU that are reading this crazy blog and supported the ride both prayerfully and financially.  I assure you that your moneys have been put to good use.........Help me get to $100,000 for this ride to distribute to the various clubs, tell your friends..... I WILL RIDE AGAIN IF NECESSARY.................MAINE????????

God Speed.........Dennis

PS   Thanks Cody

90 miles from Cuba

On Friday, May 11 ,  I arrived at the Southernmost point in the continental USA at 1 pm , (Key West FL) on schedule.  I was scheduled to talk to the 8th and last Boys and Girls Club at 3:30.  As planned, I left Islamorada in the Keys that morning at 7:30 am (that was by far the latest sleep in of the 9 day journey), most  mornings we were up at about 4:30- 5:00 am to get packed up, get bikes ready and trek to the spot where we stopped riding the day before. One of the mistakes I made in planning this was booking hotels before i left, because i wasn't able to predict where we would be each day about 4pm when we would stop pedaling and get to the club we were scheduled to be at.  Because 3-4 of the days the stopping point and the hotel were 40-50 miles away, which meant driving 40-50 miles from the club to the hotel and then 40-50 miles back to where i would start for the day (where i had stopped the previous day). What that meant was 2 or 3 less hours of rest or sleep, which proved to be paramount during those 9 days. I really only felt like going to bed after cycling 10 or so hours a day, and usually did once we got something to eat.  The mornings were usually me on the road by myself, while Cody returned to the hotel to pack up his stuff ( and mine). Then he was doing something logistical ( talking to club directors, finding bike shops to service the bikes or repair flats, writing the blog which i was excited about doing but had no energy to do at the end of the day).  In the afternoons he would travel with me , being within 10 miles or so so i could get to food, drinks in the Tahoe)  The heat was scalding. The wind was from the South (not good) all except the last day where it blew slightly in my favor, and each day in south Florida we had TORRENTIAL RAINS.   On that last Friday i left for Key West and Cody went the opposite way to head to Miami Int Airport to pick up Meg, Keehln, and Julia and then the 4 of them would head toward Key west to meet me.  They caught up with me at mile marker 9 ( 9 miles from the end). We talked for 5 minutes and then with only 9 miles to go i lightened the load giving them my water bottles, my case with the camera cell phone and maps. They rode ahead 5 miles so they could take pictures of me getting to Key West with the cool signs , beach etc.  Within 30 seconds of when they left I GOT THE 6TH FLAT OF THE TRIP.  So without a phone , i threw the bike over my shoulder and walked 2-3 miles to a gas station where i called them to come bring me the second bike (UNBELIEVABLE). just glad they were sorta close and not in Miami.  As I rode up on the Southernmost point, the 4 in the Tahoe rolled down the windows and started cheering and soon after, another 30 or so started cheering with them. As i walked up to get my picture, at the tip end of the US, i passed the few people left cheering and watched an elderly Oriental woman who was still clapping turn and ask someone (who i presumed to be her son) "Why are we clapping?" We left,  got a crab cake sandwich, then spoke to the kids at the Southernmost Boys and Girls Club in the United Staes.
I will post another ( but final ) blog at the end of this week....reflecting
Dennis......encourage your friends to donate to this ride to help me meet my financial goals for these clubs

its dennis..not cody..dont be so disappointed

it was a lonely stretch of road somewhere between New Smyrna Beach, FL and Mims, FL.  It was pouring down rain and I got a call from my cousin Hank.  He was calling to line up dinner.  We had talked about this before I left on the trip in that once I got to Cocoa Beach, FL cody and I would go out to eat with the family after i talked to the kids.  He then informed me that Aunt Anne (his wife's mother) had died.  Aunt Anne was THE person in this world that thought Dennis Ross could do no wrong and was perfect (boy was she wrong).  But we were really close and i loved making her laugh.  I know the ladies in the beauty parlor in Port St. Lucie must think that Jesus Christ lived in Greenville, NC, but that woman really loved me.  It was an unconditional love.  She was a bit hard of hearing and once blurted out "Dennis took me to Hooters for lunch today and he tied balloons to my hair"….this was as her niece was walking down the isle to get married and everyone turned around to see who had said that…or the time i had the "Fireman" come over to my house and dance for her birthday.  she always thought he was a real fireman.  She made me swear not to tell her daughters until she died…(cause she really liked it)…i told Bonnie, her daughter the other night at supper.  She just shook her head and said thats just Dennis.  There are a million of them…but the last i will tell you about is the time i short sheeted hers and Uncle Earl's bed at the hotel during their both wedding anniversary.  She got up the next morning and at breakfast said she had to sleep with her feet out of the covers bc the bed was too short…I cried for 2 straight hours and more the next day while cycling and caught myself singing the hymn "When We all get to Heaven"…I miss you Aunt Anne but I know you would rather me finish the journey for the kids than to boo hoo at your funeral.  You have ALOT of time to think when you are cycling 10 or more hours a day and although i realize it more each day, its the people that you meet and how you treat them that defines you as a person..it becomes less and less about stuff.  Its like the old man who owned the general store in Conway that begged me to come in at 315pm even though he closed at 3.  he saw me sitting and asked me to come in and eat some of his boiled peanuts while i waited for Cody to return from fixing the Tahoe tire…He just wanted to talk.  But he was as interested in me as i was in him.  We mainly talked about doing good for those less fortunate as true as the Book of Matthew states…Or the good samaritan that took Cody to get the Tahoe fixed…he replied "what kind of person would i be if left you guys here with no way to repair the tire…he was from out of town and i know we inconvenienced him..(oh yeah its Thursday today and we had our 4th flat bike tire…To be continued….The computer froze on Dr. Ross and he never was able to finish this entry so I, Cody, will finish it really quick for him…so yes, another flat tire.  In fact, we hadn't fixed the tire on the other bike either, so when dr. ross go this flat tire, we didn't had a bike to ride bc they both had to be fixed.  Luckily, we got it fixed and were able to get to our destination in pretty good time.Well, just one more day to go.. Tomorrow we arrive in Key West and the trip will be complete.  We are excited to speak to the B&G cub in Key West and I am sure Dr. Ross is ready to get those final miles finished as well.  Well, wish us luck tomorrow.  

Dr. Ross  and  Cody

200 miles left!!!

So 1000 miles down, only 200 left to go.  I can't believe he's gone this far.  We left very early once again to begin our trek today.   Florida has been a very beautiful ride for the both of us driving on the A1A, which has included seeing enormous homes and beautiful ocean views.  The trouble for us has been making sure we are on the right roads.  A lot of the roads have several different names so it is difficult to keep up with it all.  So we definitely have had a few times where we have had no idea if we were on the right road and we just prayed that we were.  To be honest, today there weren't too many crazy things that happened.  We did get the opportunity to go to the B&G club in South Miami, which was fun.  They really enjoyed the presentation and afterward Dr. Ross called into the radio station in Greenville, NC and let some of the kids talk on the radio.  They were pretty excited about that.  When we pulled up they had about 150 kids there lined up on two sides with a banner going across the middle for Dr. Ross to ride through and break, which was pretty neat.  We are now in Miami Beach and ready to get these last and final miles in to complete this trip.  Miami Beach is a pretty cool place. Crazy at night I am sure, but it is still very beautiful here.  Oh yah, and when we got to our hotel for the night, we found that Dr. Ross' tire was flat once again (third time) and guess who will be replacing that tomorrow morning...:)  Luckily we have a second bike for the time being.  Anyways, not too much else that I can think of.  I am sure tomorrow will bring some pretty exciting stuff.  Sorry this blog was so short but I am about to fall asleep on this computer right now.  It is definitely time for bed for me.  I promise there will be more to come for tomorrow.  Not having anything crazy happen to us is a very rare occasion.  Talk to you guys soon.
Cody

crazy day

Cody here.....There is so much to talk about that I really don't know where to start.  I will try my best to condense this as best as I can.  I'll just start from the morning.  This morning we got up at 5:00 and head out so Dr. Ross could begin his ride at about 5:45.  I came back to our hotel afterwards to gather our stuff, get ready for the day, and eat breakfast.  I usually try to post on the blog or upload pictures as well, but right as I was getting out of the shower my cell phone rang (about 7:15 AM) and it was Dr. Ross.  He was stranded on the side of the road with yet another flat tire.  I told him to hold tight for a couple of hours and that I needed to go get some sun at the beach, no big deal...Im just kidding...so I got everything together as fast as I could and met up with him.  I then switched out his bike and then went to go look for a bike shop to fix the tire.  I got it fixed and then caught up with Dr. Ross again. There was a hole straight through the bad tire... Later that day I found a really cool bridge with a great view of the ocean, and so I went down to the side of the bridge to get a good side view photo of Dr. Ross going over the bridge.  It was the making of a professional discovery channel photography moment for me.  So i went down to a pull off near the water on the side view of the bridge, which was pretty far from it, and waited for him to finally cross the bridge.  I then saw his bright yellow shirt going across the bridge on his bike.   So i got the camera ready to shoot and shot some of the most amazing pictures of the trip.  Once he crossed the bridge, I ran to the car and drove as fast as I could to show him these incredible pictures......Only to drive up to a blonde woman in the exact some colored outfit as Dr. Ross...Ahhhhhhh! So I drove back to the bridge and there was Dr. Ross already over the bridge on his way down.  Unbelievable!!  I was so mad at myself at the time, but it is now pretty funny when I think back.  Sometime in the afternoon Dr. Ross and I met up as we usually do every 10-20 miles or so and he said that he was hot and was going to jump in the water.  So thats what he did.  He took off his shirt, walked onto the beach, and jumped into the water. We finally arrived to the B&G club in Palm Beach at around 4:30.  This was a very big club, as we had about 220 kids there to hear Dr. Ross speak to them.   The director's name is Carl Bolden.  He is such a nice man.  And get this, for those of you that follow football, he is the father of Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Anquan Bolden.  Carl himself also played in the NFL as well.  After talking with Carl for a while, Carl said "hey, hang on a second let me get Anquan on the phone and you can say hi to him really quick"  So he called him, put him on speaker, and then Dr. Ross talked to Anquan Bolden on the phone about his trip.  He told Dr. Ross how awesome it was that he was doing this for the B&G club and commended him for doing it.  On top of that, he promised to send either an autographed jersey and picture because of our efforts.  Then Carl Bolden went on to tell us that Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears, probably the fastest player in the NFL, grew up right next to the B&G club and that he coached Devin Hester from his childhood on up in multiple sports.  He then called Devin Hester and told him what we were doing and then Dr. Ross talked to him on the phone for a while.  He too said he wanted to send him an autograph and expressed his gratitude for what we were doing.  Dr. Ross then proceeded to challenge Devin Hester to a 50 yard dash in the parking lot, in which Devin Harris just laughed at him.  What a great opportunity it was to be able to get the word out to multiple people that are well known and have many avenues in which they can help Dr. Ross in getting more people on board with "Riding 4 a Reason".   Anyways, that was soo cool.  One minute we were on the road driving a car and riding a bike and then another minute we are on speaker phone with anquan bolden and devin hester.  pretty crazy!  There was so much more that happened but not enough time to type it all.  Either way, it was a great day and a great opportunity to meet new people and to meet so many wonderful kids that have so much promise.  Well, it is now time to go to bed.  We will be in touch!
Cody

Day 6

So basically I think I have been given the responsibility of "senior blogger", as Dr. Ross is sound asleep right now and I am still awake getting things ready for the day tomorrow.  Today was another great day!  The drive along the Florida coast is awesome!  This morning Dr. Ross asked me to get the tire on his bike checked because the pressure wasn't right.  So he went ahead and left on his other bike and I went to the bike shop to see what the problem was, knowing I would have to catch up to him later and find him somewhere down the road.  Come to find out, there was a very tiny piece of glass stuck in the tire, which was slowly seeping air out. The guy at the bike shop said we are lucky we caught it early because it could've gotten worse over time and gone flat while he was riding which could be dangerous.  So I left the bike shop and went on my merry way to find him.  I drove for a about an hour or so and then received a call from Dr. Ross telling me that he went 8 miles down the wrong road.  Ok, so going the wrong direction 8 miles like in a car is pretty annoying, but going 8 miles out of the way on a bike??? not very fun...Luckily he was at least going in a southern direction.  So I went and found him (which was in the middle of nowhere by the way) and put him back where he needed to be. In all, he rode a total of 120 miles today.  Oh and did I mention.....3 hours of riding were in a rainstorm.  That man is crazy!! He refused to stop riding. One cool thing that happened later that day is I was riding along the road when I saw a nice scenic area of the beach so I got out to take pictures.  So I'm focusing in on the ocean and the sky taking pictures, and in the lens I see something pop up out of the water....It was a pod of about 8 to 10 dolphins!  I thought it was pretty crazy that I picked that little section of beach and by accident ran into some dolphins, so hopefully those pictures turned out good.  Also, there are a lot of huge beautiful homes along the coast so I decided to pull over and snap a picture of one. I decide pull over and at this house there is a lady outside pulling weeds or something in the front yard.  I roll the window down and get the camera ready out the window, and this lady starts yelling at me not to take any pictures of her house.  But....I had already snapped like 4 so I said "OK" :)  and then pulled away with 4 amazing pictures of the house..haha..you can check out the picture gallery on the website and find a picture with the lady getting ready to come yell at me.  At about 4 pm we went to the B&G club in Mims, FL.   This was such an amazing club to go visit.  We were in the projects of this particular city, but were surrounded by a beautiful group of boys and girls.  I know that Dr. Ross and I both felt very connected to this group, as they listened intently to his words about the fact that they can do anything and be anything that they want to be as long as they study hard and work hard.  This was a group of less fortunate children and I was grateful to be able to spend the time with them that we did.  This was really a great reminder of the purpose we are doing this trip.  If we can touch or change the life of just one individual, all of the hard work will be well worth it.  I know that this is definitely how Dr. Ross feels.  For dinner we met with Dr. Ross' cousin Bonnie and her family who live in the Cocoa Beach area.  It was great to meet them and talk with them.  Cocoa Beach is where we are stopped at for the night.  Well, off to bed.  Talk to guys tomorrow!
Cody

Florida!!!!!

It is Cody yet again.  Dr. Ross has been exhausted after these rides and has been basically going straight to bed upon arrival at our stops.  Yesterday he rode an incredible 150 MILES!!!!  He just kept going and going and going....We crossed the Florida border finally and are past the halfway mark for the trip.  We were pretty excited about that.  Dr. Ross' knee has been bothering him a little here and there but we just make sure he ices it when he stops for a break every now and again and it seems to be working pretty good.  We made our pit stop in St. Augustine, Florida and are now on our way down the coast on the A1A highway.  It has been a beautiful scenic route being right near the ocean on the A1A.  We started again at 4:30 AM and we finished at about 7:15 PM or so last night.  We are excited about meeting with the Boys and Girls club in Coco Beach, Florida and are scheduled to see them at 4 PM today.  You have no idea how badly I just want to pull over and jump into the ocean.  It is sitting right there just calling my name.  I will at some point, this I know.... I know Dr. Ross feels the same way considering I am in an air conditioned car and he is out there in the Sahara Desert heat.  I told him when we get to Key West that he should just ride his bike straight into the ocean.   But he declined, telling me that the salt water is bad for the bike.   But hey, it was worth the try.  Well I am off and running to our next meet up point.   One of us will be sure to blog yet again tonight or tomorrow morning.  Yesterday was probably the least craziest day.  We put in a lot of miles and everything went pretty smoothe.  We are right on schedule to where we wanted to be for the trip so far...Today should make for an interesting day with a lot to talk about when we blog next......Anyways, we will be back soon.......see ya!

Cody

Day 3

Hello everyone.  This is Cody Anderson again.  Dr. Ross was too tired last night to blog (as was I), so he asked me to give an update on how day 3 went yesterday.  We actually woke up at 4:30 AM to in order to be gone by 4:45 to get to our drop off point for Dr. Ross.  He started riding around 5:45 AM.  In the end, we ended up at our hotel at around 8:15 or so last night, so it was definitely a long day.  There were quite a few highlights from the day.  We went to the B&G club in Savannah, GA which was great!  Even though, they were delayed about an hour and a half or so, we still met some great people and got to spend some time with the kids.  We played basketball with them for a while.  Dr. Ross continued to tell me that he could "eat me up" on the basketball court.  Though, he never did agree to a 1 on 1 matchup.  I will say that he has pretty nice jump shot though.  Anyways, back to the kids....The kids loved him and were grateful to have him there and enjoyed the time spent with him.  In fact, afterwards they asked if they could watch Dr. Ross as he rode his bike across probably the biggest and steepest bridge I've ever seen.  So we put them on a bus and they followed behind Dr. Ross all the way across the enormous bridge.  Needless to say, Dr. Ross was exhausted when he got to the other side.  Apparently, the kids were a little upset at first, because they thought they were going to ride across with him, and asked where their bikes were.  We got a laugh out of that.  One of the directors (JoJo Jones) was a really great guy and, we found out later, that he broke Walter Payton's NCAA football record for most touchdowns ever a few years back.  Pretty impressive!  Also, later that day, I stopped off the road to take pictures of this swampy area.  I started talking with a group of people there, and come to find out they were from Kinston, NC.  When I told them that we were from Greenville they shouted out loud, all 6 of them, for about 10 seconds straight.  I guess you could say they were excited....  Dr. Ross had a great ride yesterday.  He rode about 130 miles i believe, which is insane considering we had a bout a 4 hour layoff in total during our time spent on behalf of the B&G club.  He is basically a machine.  Not to mention, he can eat cinnabuns and milkshakes from McDonalds and still continue riding like he just ate a nice carb-filled plate of spaghetti.  I kid you not, at around 6:15 PM he told me to have 2 large chocolate milkshakes waiting for him upon his arrival at his next stop.  Not a joke, haha.... Anyways, that is all I can think of for now.  We got up at 4:45 this morning and are back at it again.  I'm sure Dr. Ross will give some updates tonight, so stay tuned!

im baaaack

hey y'all....its dennis, dr ross, dad, son....im still alive...Cody had to fill in on the blog this morning..the last 3 days have been interesting...first i want . to thank the 50 or so friends and family that showed up wednesday for the sendoff...it was kinda cool..especially with the Boy and Girls Club kids there...the police escort out of town was nice to, as not to get killed in front of Rose High.  The ride out of Greenville  to Kenansville took longer than i thought..it was borderline dark when i got there but was pleasantly surprised when i was met by 6 lovely women and Leonard Henry..  i biked 70 miles the first day...125  thursday..and 135 today...we have spoken to the kids in Pitt Co, Myrtle Beach, and Beaufort SC..  The director of the B and G club in Savannah is bringing the kids in tomorrow and i wil speak to them at 10 am... will start biking about 545 am to get there..i am beat  it is 830 pm  and I'm going to bed...we went by a bank that said it was 94 degrees but it has to be 125 degrees on the asphalt..Keep us in your thoughts and prayers but especially the kids..Get your friends to donate so we can have more money to give away to the kids

Thanks

Day 2 (What an adventure!)

Hey guys! This is Cody Anderson. I will be blogging this morning for Dr. Ross. I am the one driving his tahoe and following him on this journey to make sure he is safe and has the things he needs along the way.  I guess you could say I am his personal assistant for the next week and a half or so. We apologize for not posting anything yesterday.  We stayed at the Mansfield plantation last night and we did not have access to the internet.  The driveway was 2 MILES LONG!!! We were in the middle of nowhere but there was beautiful scenery.  Ok, so yesterday was about as crazy as it could get.  Let me start with the morning....First off, Dr. Ross and I must've seen 50 snakes on the road, both dead and alive.  I almost ran numerous over in the tahoe.  Dr. Ross' feet are clipped into his shoes while riding and he can't life his legs up, so he was praying each time he went past a snake that it wouldn't jump and get him.  Next, we were driving down the road and a lady was texting, going aboutt 55 mph, and ended up in the ditch on the opposite side of the road along with another car.  It was a very big ditch.  I went by and everyone was ok thank goodness  Then, not too long after that, there was a vehicle carrying a riding lawnmower and it fell completely off the truck and into the middle of HWY 17 almost right in front of us.  Then finally to top things off, I was driving down the road when I suddenly heard a pop and then a loud wheezing sound.  Yep, thats right, I got a flat tire driving down the road! Talk about Ironic, considering I am the one that is supposed to be ready to get Dr. Ross' tires on his bike fixed if needed.  Luckily, thanks to two good samaritans, I was able to get a ride to a tire shop and the tire fixed up and ready to go.  We were supposed to be at the Boys and Girls club in Myrtle Beach at 4:00, and we rode in at 4:03, even after all of that chaos.  The kids loved Dr. Ross and were very happy to see that he is raising money on their behalf.  We even had a child donate $1 because he was inspired by our cause.  How awesome is that! We are now on our way to Beaufort, SC to speak to another club at 4:15 today.  By the way, Dr. Ross rode about 125 miles yesterday!  Anyways, sorry this was so long.  I tried to condense it, but there is so much to tell.  I will post some pictures, and Dr. Ross will give you un update tonight!

ITS HERE

many thanks to the donors who have given to support my mission of raising 100k for the Boys and Girls Clubs.  We have $61,000 in the bank so far. Were it not for these clubs, many and probably most of these kids would be on the streets between 3 and 6 pm every day and at the very least not getting their homework done thus falling behind academically to their peers and at the worst getting into trouble while their parents are at work. 80% of all jeuvenile crime occurs between 3 and 6pm. The national average for kids graduating from high school that start 9th grade is 67%. However 87% of kids that attend a Boys and Girls Club graduate with their class.
A BIG SHOUT OUT TO COMPUTER GEEKS...Parker and Jerry accomodated my type A personality and pulled off creating the website in record time...thanks yall
I did not ride any today. It felt really weird. I did my first club presentation to the kids and it was at our very own club in Pitt County after work today.  I threw 1200 one dollar bills up in the air in front of the kids to show what i was doing to  PAY IT FORWARD by giving that amount to each club in Pitt Co. and to each club along the way. i also donated a bike and will present to the child that in the month of May, the employees at the club determine did the most RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
Sendoff is tomorrow at 345 from my office....  come join the fun  

DENNIS

ALMOST TIME

i will be on the road in 48 hours. Only rode 10 miles today at a slow pace. Had patients today, then did radio talk show on 94.3 ( Greenville Grapevine with Jennifer Little) to promote the ride.  We put up a banner by the road in front of the office  with the website on it.  Debbie also had cards made up with the website, blogsite and how to donate on them. We passed some out to parents at work today but they are mainly for Cody and I to pass out as we run into curious people along the way. We have patients tomorrow but it will be a final packing day and time for tying up loose ends. I am doing a presentation for the kids at the Boy and Girls Club after work. Going to teach them about "paying it forward", and i will give a new bicycle to the child who shows the most promise with many "random acts of kindness" in the month of May.

5 Days to Go

THE RIDE
Last week i rode 580 miles on my road bike. With only 5 days to go its time to start letting the legs start to reenergize.  Marathoners call it tapering. Getting in shape for any athletic event occurs weeks, even months before the event; with biking, the long rides , the speed rides, the rides with groups and especially the endurance rides ( those long lonely rides by yourself for 5-7 hours) are what allow you to take on a 1200 mile challenge. One can not improve his skills, talent, speed or endurance in the week before, the only thing that can happen are injuries. So today i rode to Hamilton, a short 60 mile ride and came home and started packing, went to The Bicycle Post and got final tuning on both bikes. Tomorrow will be 30 miles, Sunday 20, Monday and Tuesday 10-15 miles, and Wednesday May 2 I leave for Key West.

THE PURPOSE
Last night many attended a big fundraiser for the 5 Pitt County Boys and Girls Clubs. Easily the highlight was  listening to Kirk Dominick give an account of how he went from the lowest part of his life to eventually becoming the national runner up for Boys and Girls Club youth of the year, but more so how the club shaped his character, values and life skills. The B and G Clubs allow disadvantaged kids that chance to make a better life for themselves by academic development, teaching healthy lifestyles and character development. Closing my orthodontic office and undertaking this physical challenge is really a fundraiser plus a chance to talk to 2000 kids at 10 different clubs between Greenville NC and Key West Florida. Please make a donation to help make a difference for these kids. Moneys will go to the Boys and Girls Club of your choice or funds will be divided up amongst the clubs.

.........more to come   Dennis

The Purpose

"Riding For a Reason" is an opportunity to raise awareness for the Boys and Girls Clubs on the east coast of the United States.  On Wednesday May 2nd, I will be leaving on my bicycle from my orthodontic office on a 1200 mile journey from Greenville, North Carolina to Key West, Florida.  My goal is to raise $100,000 to distribute to the various clubs on my route. Donations made will remain in the state from which you reside to benefit the Boys and Girls clubs locally. However, if you would like to have your donation benefit a club not on my route, you may specify that in a memo line.  I will also be doing a presentation at each club on health, nutrition, bicycle safety, and oral health.  Some of the anticipated stops along the way include:  Myrtle Beach, SC; Savannah, GA; Jacksonville, FL; Merritt Island FL; Palm Beach, FL; Miami, FL; and Key West, FL.  Please make a difference and donate to such a great cause!