A resolution from the Village of Barrington, Illinois
Click image to view the official resolution document

RESOLUTION NO. 07-3551

RECOGNIZING, HONORING, AND THANKING BOB LEE
FOR HIS SUCCESSFUL "A RIDE FOR THREE REASONS"

WHEREAS, Bob Lee, a cancer survivor from Barrington, Illinois began a special journey in celebration of his 65th birthday, "A Ride for Three Reasons," a 6,500-mile fundraising bike ride across America; and

WHEREAS, "A Ride for Three Reasons" represents three causes dear to Bob Lee, the National Hospice Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the Les Turner ALS Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Bob Lee began his ride on March 27, 2007 in Jacksonville, Florida and ended it in Bar Harbor, Maine on September 7, 2007, passing through 28 states during his ride; and

WHEREAS, Bob Lee surpassed his goal of $65,000 for each of these three causes with a donation of more than $120,000 to each organization; and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Barrington, Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois, hereby honor, thank and extend its congratulations to Bob Lee for his achievement of raising awareness to the challenges faced by cancer patients and by raising much needed monies for three organizations important to him and all in the Barrington community.

Passed by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Barrington, Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois, at a regular meeting thereof, held on the 10th Day of December, 2007.

Karen Darch, Village President

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This letter has been received from the American Cancer Society:
(Click image to see in official letterhead)

Dear Bob

What a wonderful way to celebrate your life and give hope to cancer patients and survivors.  Your RIDE FOR 3 REASONS was such an inspiration.

You never gave up, even with the many "adventures" you encountered.

You reached your goal, completed your voyage and raised a great amount of, not only money, but awareness for the need for cancer research. The American Cancer Society, the foremost private provider of cancer research funding, is so grateful. Your contribution will allow us to move closer to accomplishing our mission of eradicating cancer.

Our Trustees and Board members would like to recognize your efforts personally.  Please reserve the evening of Thursday, February 21, 2008 for the Lake and NOrthwest Boards and Tuesday, March 11, 2008 for the Division Board to recognize your wonderful gift.  Details will follow.

May you continue to cycle for many, many more miles.  Your fortitude and resolve matches that of many bright researchers who have a vision that we all share.  We are making progress every single day. We can complete this journey.  We can conquer cancer!

Sincerely,

Steven M. Derks
Chief Executive Officer

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When we started A Ride For Three Reasons, our goal was to raise $65,000 for each of the three charitiy organizations.  I am happy to report that three checks have been prepared today that more than DOUBLED our original goal.

The RIDE may have been solo, but I was never really alone.  Please view the donor list to see the names of those who have "ridden" along with me. Together, we have raised a total of $390,195.00 for three good reasons.  Thanks  (Please note that we will be updating the donor list soon.) 

Here are images of the checks that we will be forwarding to each of the three organizations in the amount of $130,065.00. (Click on each image for an enlarged view.)

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By Bob Lee   Ride Date: September 8
Bar Harbor, ME

Bar Harbor is a wonderful destination —but not a convenient location from which to catch a plane.  I decided to enjoy one more day, write a few blogs, savor my journey and the beauty of Maine and enjoy dinner with Laurie and Dean.

Tomorrow morning I will take a shuttle at 9:00 am from Bar Harbor to Bangor, a bus from Bangor to Portland, a city bus from the bus station there to the airport and finally a United Airlines flight to Chicago where Anne will greet me.  See why I want a day of rest before I head out on that trek?  Riding a bike each day is pretty easy.

Do you see the windows on the third floor?  That is my room with a view down a path to the ocean.

I am glad I read the Shore Path Cottage literature.

In between phone calls and writing blogs, I did just as instructed.  I enjoyed the views,

By Bob Lee   Ride Date: September 6, 2007
Camden to Ellsworth, ME — 54 Miles

On my last visit to the Windward House, I met the owners Kristi and Jesse who were so nice to make a donation after my stay in the amount of the room charge.   They also invited me to be their guest if I returned this fall.  Well, here I was.  It was good we could get the local media to cover the story of their generosity and the RIDE. See story in Camden Herald.

The last time I stayed here I photographed tulips. It was May 23.  Now it is the dahlia season with a splash of morning glories.

By Bob Lee  Ride Date: August 22
Dunkirk, NY to Niagara Falls, Ontario

As I RIDE I enjoy good messages and this billboard had a good message about our land of opportunity —if one has ambition.

Well, I was headed in the direction of Harvard, which was ambitious for me.  Now that I have less than a 1,000 miles left to travel I am daydreaming about

By Bob Lee   Ride Date: August 14
Bowling Green to Huron, OH — 70 miles

The other day a gentleman asked how I rode in the “muck.”  I finally realized he was talking about the hot humid weather.  Well, today the temperature dropped and the humidity broke.  It was a great day to ride!  Now I had another problem.  Which bike was I to ride?  Just like ice cream, I had one of every flavor.

By Bob Lee   Ride Date: August 10
Hastings, MI to Mendon, MI –66 Miles

This morning before I started pedaling I went across the street and spent time with the Barry County Relay for Life; and, I was impressed!  This is truly a county event with most businesses and civic organizations actively involved. Hastings is a town of 7,000 and Barry County has about 60,000 people. It looks like everyone will be involved and everyone is WELCOME!

They have lots of interesting laps and a number of people have signed up to walk for 24 hours straight.

 
...

By Bob Lee   Ride Date: August 7
Racine, WI to Muskegon, MI – 30 miles

Life is a web —a web of people and relationships. 

Before we go on a Ride for the day, I will relate a very inspirational story that happened last weekend.  On Saturday our son -in-law and two neighbors did an Ironman 70.3 event in Michigan.  Ironman 70.3 is a half-distance Ironman, consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13 mile run.  I saw the three of them at the neighborhood pool on Sunday afternoon discussing the race.  Jack Keenan was one of the participants and was relating an encounter he had towards the end of the race.  Jack was wearing a Team Blazeman shirt in memory of Jon Blais who died this year from ALS.  Jon finished the 2005 Ironman and was featured in the televised coverage both in 2005 and 2006.

Earlier on Sunday morning I received an e-mail notifying me that the coverage of the 2006 Ironman event was being replayed on television that afternoon. I also sent a broadcast e-mail encouraging everyone to watch the show.  If you are not familiar with Jon Blais, please read this previous blog from May 29.  Please read the comments at

August 2, - Barrington

Today Anne and I went for a fifteen mile bike ride to test my leg and enjoy Barrington.

Our first stop was a new park in town that has an unbelieveable tree house which is accessible by wheelchairs.  What a wonderful addition to a great town.

As we rode through Barrington Hills we passed a friend’s home which reminded me of our commitment to RIDE.  The Johnson’s lost their son Joel at age 35 to cancer.  Joel was born on the 27th of December and on the 27th of each month his family decorates a tree in front of their home in his memory.

By Bob Lee   July 25, 2007
Barrington, IL

It has been wonderful being home this past week for a little R & R.  As I write this I am on a plane to Denver for a Hunter Douglas meeting where I hope to have the opportunity to do a little fundraising.   An extra treat is to visit our son, Scott, and family.
 
I know a number of you are missing the opportunity to see some pretty pictures of the RIDE since I haven’t been blogging.  I hate to get “behind” and I know some of you don’t want to see me “behind,” but sometimes we are all “behind.”

This month is the fourth anniversary of my colon cancer surgery and becoming cancer free.  As a survivor I think it is good to occasional reflect on the experience to strengthen the appreciation for life and friends.  I thought I would share with you two

By Bob Lee   Ride Date: June 22
Whitefish To Essex, MT – 47 Miles

Click picture for Google Earth views.  Use esc key to pause; ctrl+R or cmd+R to resume

Today, Heaven received a new angel while many here mourn the loss of a special friend.  This morning our neighbor and friend Janice Clarke found peace from her melanoma cancer and passed away.  Throughout the night, she was awake and aware that her family and friends were by her side.  These pictures that show her nice smile were taken at the Gratitude Reception in March when we recognized Janice for her courage and inspiration to us all.  In just three short months, we have watched Janice go from a woman of HOPE to a woman spirit to be with us now and forever.  I had talked with Janice about joining me on the RIDE.  Believe me, she is with me.

This memorial is for Janice today and her circle of friends and family.

All the pain and grief is over.
Every restless tossing passed;
I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in Heaven at last.

...

By Bob Lee   Ride Date: June 21
Eureka to Whitefish, MT –55 miles

Click picture for Google Earth views.  Use esc key to pause; ctrl+R or cmd+R to resume

Happy first day of summer.  In visiting with Casey, a reporter for the Tobacco Valley News, this morning, he discussed an article he recently wrote about our seasons.  “Spring is for new life and summer is for living”

A Ride for 3 Reasons has many messages.  On the cancer front, we are not only trying to raise money for research; but also discussing what we can do to help ourselves, our families and friends to minimize the risk of cancer. 

I enjoy taking pretty pictures, but I need to warn you that this first picture is not so pretty. However, it might leave an impression much stronger than anything I could say.
.

By Bob Lee   Ride Date: June 19
Clark Fork to Libby, MT – 67 miles

Click picture for Google Earth views.  Use esc key to pause; ctrl+R or cmd+R to resume

I met two new bikers after checking into the motel last evening.  Mark Suiters has a web site.  He and Cindy left April 1st from Virginia and rode to Oregon and now are riding back to Maine.  They have encountered 20° days and 108° days and everything in between.  When Mark reaches Maine he is going to leave his bike with a friend and walk the Appalachian Trail to Georgia. He's hoping to arrive by New Years.  Mark has walked the trail 3 times and Cindy has walked the trail 5 times. She is helping to edit a book about the Appalachian Trail.

When I ask Mike how he was able to spend so much time doing the things he enjoyed he told me about his wife.  He lost his wife about 8 years ago to cervical cancer.  After watching her battle for 5 years, he decide life is too short and has been following his passions ever since.
.

By Bob Lee   Ride Dates:  June 16-17
In Sandpoint, ID

Click picture for Google Earth views.  Use esc key to pause; ctrl+R or cmd+R to resume

Before we start our short journey across the tip of Idaho, I would like to say how impressed I have been with the beauty, cleanliness and the roads of Washington —and the friendlieness of the people there.  To me it is one of the best kept secrets and I hope to go back with Anne and bike the San Juan Islands and portions of this route again.

While still in Washington just outside of Newport, I met this woman with her horse.

I took her picture to remind me what she said.  Earlier that morning I had stayed in Newport for a couple of extra hours trying to get an interview with the local paper. I was turned down because I wasn’t “local”.  I tried explaining that the reasons for which I ride are local in every community —including Newport.  The woman with the horse told me her brother died from cancer and that cancer is all through the community.  When will the media take responsibility to help find cures for ALS and Cancer?  These diseases ARE local and hit very close to everyone’s home.  Ticked off?  Yes, but a little pedaling will clear my head.
..

By Bob Lee   Ride Date: June 14
Ione to Newport, WA - 51 Miles

Click picture to see Google Earth views of today's ride.  Use the esc key to pause; Refresh to resume (F5 key for Windows; cmd+R for Mac).

The pictures last night of the cloud display over the Pend Oreille River was from the deck of my motel room at the Riverview Inn in Ione. I had been told this is just one of two rivers that flow north.  Actually, there are many.  Does anybody know of any others?  This river flows into Canada, which is less than twenty miles away and then joins the Columbia to flow back down to the Pacific.  Yesterday, I heard about a man who swam the entire length of the Columbia to raise awareness about the water pollution. There are some amazing people.

I woke this morning thinking about some of the people I met this first week.  I met a woman whose husband was diagnosed with Parkinson Disease soon after retirement.  Her message was don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
...

By Bob Lee   Ride Dates: June 12 – 13
June 12, Republic to Colville, WA - 62 miles
June 13 Colville to Ione, WA - 43 miles

Click picture to see Google Earth views of today's ride.  Use the esc key to pause; Refresh to resume (F5 key for Windows; cmd+R for Mac).

Today was a day of ups and downs.  After riding one mile out of town the road started up towards Sherman Pass and continued for the next 17 miles.  Up, up, and up for a little over 3 hours of climbing at an average of 5 mph.  Once I reached the 5,575 foot pass, it was all downhill for twenty miles at an average of 24 mph. What a ride! Just like life.

Normally we think of “up” as good and “down” as bad.  But in the biking world we usually think of things just the opposite.  After reaching the bottom of Sherman Pass I thought of today’s RIDE as a ride through life.  Riding up hill (or going slower) allowed me to see more, hear more, think more and exercise more.  In contrast the downhill run was all a blur.  No time to think of anything but survival.  Unfortunately, I think we spend too much of life on the downhill.  Life is too short.  Try not to let it slip by so fast.

Yes, sometime we gallop through life when we should be reading the signs.

...

By Bob Lee   Ride Dates June 10 – 11  (See Google Earth Views in video below)
June 10: Twisp to Omak, WA –40 miles
June 11 Omak to Republic, WA – 64 miles

After a great breakfast and before I left the Methow Valley Inn I saw Melissa picking and arranging flowers for the confirmation service at church. 

As I said yesterday, Melissa and Terry are special people who you would like to get to know better.  I gave Melissa a hug and we talked a moment about her cancer experience.  She said a few things that gave me food for thought as I climbed Loup Loup Pass.  The first thing she said was “I don’t want to miss the lesson.”

Yes, when someone like Melissa is told she has cancer, life does change and there are lessons to be learned.  Melissa has her radiation treatments two and a half hours from home. So she stays in a cancer support center during the week and helps support and learn from others.  There are lessons to be learned through everything we do,”  Melissa said, “I want to learn from the experience.”