A resolution from the Village of Barrington, Illinois
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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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By Bob Lee   Ride Date: August 18
2007 Geneva-On=The-Lake, OH to Erie, PA – 57 Miles

Throughout the morning, my mind was elsewhere.  Not on the bike but at home thinking of a YARD SALE For Kids and by Kids.

This flyer, produced by Zach Hennenfent, was all over town.  What a fabulous idea to have kids clean out their closets, garages, and basements in order to make their “extras” available for charity.  We are never too young to be taught the joy of giving. 

Over 40 families provided toys and bake goods for the Saturday sale at our daughter Laura’s home.  Between the sales of bake goods, a pair of Cub’s tickets and lots of toys these young entrepreneurs made $1,500, which will be donated, to A RIDE FOR 3 REASONS. 

Thank you! Thank you one and all!

By Bob Lee   August 1, 2007
Barrington, IL - 18 miles

I miss sharing pictures with you from the road.  What the last four months and 4,600 miles have taught me is there is beauty everywhere.  Sometimes it is right in our own back yard.

This morning our 10-year-old grandson, Ryan, rode his bike over to our house.  While we were walking around the yard, we followed the erratic flight of this butterfly. 

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 Dates June 16-17
La Crosse to Prairie du Chien, WI - 72 Miles

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

Sometimes it is hard to leave a nice bed not knowing what is up ahead.  I did know I had seventy miles to ride and was getting a late start because I wanted to stop by a bike store to buy a few tubes. 

As I rode across the Mississippi I looked back at the Radisson and thought how hospitable everyone was.  At times, I wish there were just more “time.”  Have you ever felt that way?  It would have been nice to explore and enjoy La Crosse some more

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 Date: May 6 - 7
Chicago to Seattle via United Airlines

“Wherever I may wander, wherever I may roam… 
"There is no place like home”   

What a true statement! I apologize for the break in the blogs, but after 2 months away it was time to touch home plate.  I had always planned a trip through Chicago —to go home to pick up camping equipment.  My new traveling partners will be a Black Diamond tent, a Marmot down sleeping bag, a neat little stove from Jetboil and a sleeping pad.  Thanks to these three companies mentioned for helping to equip me for this next leg of the journey.  I am also wearing a bracelet that I received for my birthday that says, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”

Boy, was it nice to have “home” as a destination if only for a couple of weeks. To me it is pretty in all seasons.  Anne has done a super job of managing, decorating and caring for the house and yard.