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