I woke up this morning singing, “Away from home again…” to the tune of “On The Road Again.”   Well, it is always sad to give a last hug to Anne until I see her again.  We are both excited to share the adventures that lie ahead…   A number of people have commented on the flower pictures in our yard.  All the credit goes to the gardener – the mother of my children, the grandmother of my grandchildren and my wife of 42 years.

I even had an escort out of town.  Laura took a break from her busy schedule to join me on the first day ride of 60 miles to Racine, WI.  She is a great companion, strong rider and a wonderful daughter.

I think I will take a break (or give you a break) and have Laura blog for a moment. 

By Laura Lee
This is my second opportunity to ride with my Dad and to experience small snippets of his “life on the road.” The difference between us is that tomorrow I will ride sixty miles and arrive home to a refreshing shower and my own bed.  My Dad will continue on his way to complete the remaining 1,900 miles of the Ride.

I share the same question with many of you – “How do you get up day after day and face the physical and emotional challenges of this ride?”  The answer is easy. . .  he is inspired and motivated by people like Aimee and Jim Chamernik.  Aimee is a 37-year-old mother of three living with ALS.  Although Aimee is dying of ALS, she is the perfect model for LIVING.  My Dad and I spent a couple of hours with Aimee and her family today in Grays Lake.  The scene was not unlike many households with young children – 3 children making cookies with mom and sneaking “tastes” and chocolate chips any chance they got.  The kids will sell the “cookies for a cure” at the Grayslake Farmer’s Market to raise funds for ALS research.

Aimee’s home is one of the most “kid-friendly” homes I have ever seen.  There are toys, books, board games, maps on the wall, boxes of photos from the kids’ childhood, etc. It is so clear that kids, family and being together are their top priority. Not too long ago Aimee was playing hide and seek at the park, reading stories with interesting voices, splashing in the pool, etc.  She assumed that she would always have those luxuries – not so. She reminds us to live, to enjoy and to cherish. Aimee has touched so many with her “model for living.”  She told me the story of a young mother who heard Aimee’s story.  That night, the mother sat down with her kids – she chose the long book over the short one, she read with animation rather than boredom, and she set aside the nightly chores to “just be” with her children.  My dad has written other blogs concerning Aimee, but I thought you would enjoy reading this article: The New Face of ALS. And visit Aimee's web site, too.We said good-bye to Aimee, Nick, Emily and Zachary. Having tasted and tested the cookies, their sale should go well!

This afternoon we rounded the corner and arrived on the Racine Lakefront Bike Path.  People were quickly grabbing their cell phones and rushing to the edge of the cliff.  Can you believe what we saw???

Unfortunately we had to bike on before we learned the end of this adventure.  The pieces to the puzzle were all intriguing – pick-up truck plowing through a guard rail and flying over the cliff, unharmed passengers, driver being interrogated by the police, the passenger quickly leaving in another truck with a flat screen TV and other electronics, and a high speed police chase.  What do you think happened?!?

(Read this account of the story from the Racine Journal-Times)

Thanks, Laura.

Aren’t you glad Laura isn’t writing all the blogs.  She leaves you hanging just like that truck.  The day was slipping us by and I told Jeff Raddatz, Director of Sales at the Radisson in Racine that we would be there around 5:30. Jeff and his staff were there to greet us as we walked in.

In the past 45 days I have stayed at Radisson Hotels in Fargo, ND, La Crosse, WI and now Racine. The generosity and hospitality at each location has been unbelievable. Jeff not only gave us a room, but a gift basket and had a flyer on the counter to help promote the RIDE.  He also sent press releases to the local media.

After dinner overlooking the harbor...

We commented it was a banner day and a fun one to share.  Tonight we have received interesting e-mails from two people we have met on the RIDE today. What an interesting web is being spun.

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