Day 15-Thompson Falls to Missoula MT

We rode 105 miles today from Thompson Falls to Missoula Montana. I rode with Jake and Dylan but Dylan racked at about 40 miles because of terrible knee pain that was building since we started. We were expecting to see a lot of wildlife, some big horn sheep, deer and elk but I didn't se anything! One pace line had a deer running parallel to the road with them behind some trees, I was very jealous. But as usual the views keep getting better, we took a highway that followed a river, I believe the clark fork river, for a long time, it was an incredible sight. At one point we were coming through a pass between two steep hill sides and as we turned the corner I could tell the view was opening up and once we got around it there was a gorgeous lake and snow capped mountains in the distance, my jaw dropped. Our route snaked through the small mountains around the area until we got to about 70 miles in when we had to climb up and over to get to Missoula, it was a long steady climb but they are always worth it for the downhill on the other side, even though for a short section we had about a foot and a half of shoulder to ride on between rumble strips and gravel. Every day the riding becomes easier and easier, when I was training I remember being shocked by the idea of riding every day, doing 100+ mile days, being on the road for 10 - 13 hours, it is getting to the point where it feels natural, we just get on the bike and go. Fun fact about the ride, Jake got his first flat ever 10 miles away from lodging.

We all passed our rack point at 95 miles by 2 like it was no big deal which is great that people are already starting to pick up the pace. However we had 5 guys racked today from sickness or injury, it has become a small problem, guys racking themselves because they are tired or hurting and not wanting to push through. We had a team meeting to address which felt like the citrew telling us we sucked but after that the cyclist met to really talk about how we felt about this issue and clear the air and help each other. There are a few guys that felt like they had a day or two that they could have kept riding but other than that, people have been racking themselves for only serious pain that they can't cycle through without further injury. What I made clear was that I would rather ride for as long as possible with the entire pace line and team and end up getting racked because we aren't moving fast enough than have someone in my pace line rack because they felt like they were holding back the line from making rack point if they were tired or sore. That was a big reason for a few people racking so I hope the team culture will change to that kind of mindset that every second with each other is more important than riding every mile. People definitely understand now that they need to push themselves harder though and with some long rides coming up it will really put us all to the test as a team, I'm excited for it.

Our friendship visit was special Olympics Montana, we got to meet a bunch of people that played a ton of sports like basketball, bowling, and running. I ate dinner and hung out a guy Tak who was a big seahawks fan, he was telling me about the draft and how much money those guys make. While I was talking to him another teammate TJ was talking almost the whole visit with his mom. After we got back to lodging Tak and his mom came by unannounced because they wanted to give TJ a mug that Tak had made, it had a couple paintings he had done around the outside. TJ was really amazed and told us about what they were talking about the whole time. Tak's mom is actually not blood related to him but lived in Japan and made 30 trips to and from Montana in a 10 year span to visit Tak who has down syndrome and was being physically abused in a foster home program but in those 10 years they could not put the guy behind bars because of Tak's down syndrome and him not being able to come forward and not having the same treatment in a court. Eventually the guy was fired from his position and she was able to get Tak out and adopt him. It took years of therapy but you would never know this if she hadn't said anything. It was really hard to hear about how the justice system just couldn't handle this situation. Now TJ said the thought of becoming a disability lawyer has crossed his mind, he was already planning to go to law school.

In the evening we took some naps and then headed down the street to go explore downtown and visit the local bars and breweries. The first place we went to that was recommended to us was Tamaracks which was a really cool brewery, we got some great stouts and IPAs and finished off the night at Walking Mustache a delicious restaurant and our server happened to be from the same area of Georgia as two of the guys on the team.

Day 14-Sandpoint ID to Thompson Falls MT

Today was a great day on the bike. We rode 90 miles from Sandpoint ID and crossed the state border into Montana to reach our destination of Thompson Falls. Ever mile of the ride was full of amazing scenery, gorgeous mountains covered in dense forest and on some the peaks were still a little white with snow. The beginning of the ride was along a lake that formed from a melting glacier during the ice age, the mechanic at the bike shop suggested we read the info sign at one of the turn outs to lear more. Apparently in the ice age this lake was originally a 3,500 ft tall glacial Dam that rose 2,400 ft above the current lake level, it was insane to imagine what that looked like as we followed the road along the edge if the lake foe a while. I rode with Scott and Brian (aka Bott) who I have not had the chance to ride with yet. Because i was racked for bike problems yesterday I was feeling great but the two of them were feeling the aches and soreness from the day before so I was pulling for easily a majority of the ride but it went by so quick. Our rack point was 80 by 1 but we crushed it no problem, my bike computer ran out of battery so I was flying blind on speed and distance, we stopped at a crew stop at mile 70 and I was in disbelief we were at 70 miles already, i thought the crew was messing with us. We ended up getting to lodging by 2:30ish Mountain time which was only 30 min passed pur rack time because of the time change which is very confusing and we got 2 more time changes ahead of us.

We are staying at the high school in town and because of an event in the gym we are just sleeping in the hallways which is kind of entertaining, just seeing a school hallway full of bags and blow up mattresses but a floor is a floor so we are just fine. Before our programming since we had extra time we went down to actually check out Thompson Falls which is not a waterfall anymore but a big damn, it was a beautiful view of the river and surrounding mountains from the dam overlook. Our friendship visit was also in the high school, the Chamber of Commerce and the committee on special needs came, it was very low key, we had a few individuals come as well as their moms. They were all on a Special Olympics team together and a good one too, lots of medals to brag about in track and throwing events, it was awesome. The mom of the guy, Justin, who I spent a lot of time talking with had no idea about the Journey of Hope and they have cone through here for 10 years apparently, when she was thanking us for what we were doing she got very emotional it meant so much to her and it gave me the shivers just to see that, I gave her a card so she can check out the push america site and buy a shirt because she wanted one so bad and I hope she will read my blog too. Her son Justin shared a similar situation as our friend Bobby from Sandpoint, Justin fell 200ft in a climbing accident and was dead for a while and then left in a comma, doctors told her to pull the plug but she refused and she was able to get her son back and was so thankful for that. Justin was a joy though, loves superman and we never learned exactly why because he kept it a secret but he was all smiles the whole time.

After dinner a few of us walked to "downtown" Thompson Falls which is a strip of a couple dozen shops on a street just to relax and grab a milk shake but we all need to rest up for the 105 miles and an epic climb tomorrow. Also looking forward to tomorrow to see some big horn sheep. However these sheep pose an interesting safety concern because they are known to be around the road and get in the way and try to ram cars, well bikes have just a bit less protection from big horn sheep so we are waiting to see what the crew has planned for a little extra safety precautions for us in that area, nonetheless I am excited to see some more wildlw, we so a bunch of deer around town today.

Day 13-Twin Falls to Sandpoint ID

Well, this one started off very interesting. We took off from lodging at about 7am and no more than a mile out I took a fall and had to put my bike up on the rack for the rest of the ride. What happened was we were coming up on the pace line ahead of us to pass them, we were maybe 10ft back and out of no where one of the guys in the other pace line ahead of us fell so we had to hit the brakes quick but I was riding in the middle of my line and the guy behind me couldn't slow fast enough and started rubbing tires with me and fell left taking me down with him. I almost saved myself too but couldn't stay up. Only got some scrapes from the fall but my back wheel was a little out of alignment, enough that I shouldn't ride on it another 40 miles. We were able to take it to Greasy Fingers Bike Shop in Sandpoint to get it trued before the friendship visit so I can ride tomorrow, luckily the fix is pretty cheap. The ride looked amazing though I wish I could have rode for it but I hear tomorrow will be even better riding into Montana.

Because my bike was at the shop I missed riding into our friendship visit with Panhandle Special Needs but it was fun waving from the van too I guess. It is the first time a JOH route has been to this organization and they were really excited to have us. One of the major programs this organization is proud of is their work training programs to prepare people to work in the community, in Idaho and other states these programs are under fire from groups so they really urged that we support and spread awareness for these programs along with our ride. We ate lunch and then had a dance party and celebrated a couple birthdays of two of their members Bill 50 and Missy 41, they were glad to have so many people there to celebrate with especially Missy and her friend who liked talking to all the guys! They also had some amazing artwork displayed in the activity center where we were and I found out it was all done by their members, they have some very talented artists, they sell a lot of them and use them to make a calendar every year. Before we left, another member Bobby called us over to huddle up, he used to play football, he told us he didn't always have a "handicap", he has only had one for 2 years since a football accident and that what we are doing meant so much to him and that he was going to get better so that he could do the ride, he had a couple guys on the brink of tears including myself, he was so positive and such a funny guy during our visit, just joking around with us playing Uno for a bit before dancing. The impact this ride has on people like Bobby is incredible and he will definitely be remembered by all the guys this year and will help motivate us to push ourselves every day.

Dinner was sponsored by Cafe Trinity which is right on the water, gorgeous view, but very small meal so we went to explore downtown. This town is so small and so awesome, beautiful everywhere, one guy said the town is "too honest", one of our guys left his water bottle in town and someone returned it to the athletic center where we are staying. While exploring we found this really cool bridge/pier type deal that has a bunch of shops. The pier was full of local candy and trinket shops including a non-profit arts and crafts and toy store with a all natural fruit smoothie bar. The lady working there was so nice and let us sample a bunch of things and made some delicious drinks for a few of us.

Our lodging tonight is also so great, it is an athletic club and they are not very busy so we have free access to all the amenities including pool, spa, steam room, weight room, and most importantly a hydro massage!! It is amazing, my back and shoulders have been starting to hurt a little so it was perfect timing. Tonight we are headed to a local bar and grill to check out some local brews and word on the street is they have some of the best food in town too.

Tomorrow we have a 90 mile day and we are crossing into Montana, wooohooo another state down! We also cross back into the corner of Idaho after Montana for just a couple days again.

Day 12-Spokane WA to Twin Lakes ID

Some additions to yesterday's post. Yesterday was the other Sam's birthday and the day before was Alex's so we went to a bar near lodging and hung out for a bit and played some pool, it was great to finally drink with all the guys and celebrate the birthdays and belated birthdays (including mine) with everyone

Today we finally left Washington and made it over to Idaho, our first state border of the trip!! We had a very short ride from Spokane to Twin Lakes Idaho, just 32 miles in total and very easy terrain, it was over before we knew it which was a very weird feeling after so many 80+ mile days. But it was an awesome ride still, I rode with Evan and Jeff who was having ankle pain so we were not pushing the speed too much but we really didn't need to, we were showered and eating crew chief lunch by 11 at lodging.

We are staying at camp Twinlow tonight which is awesome cuz I miss summer camps and being here reminds me a lot of Camp Orkila. This camp is on a beautiful lake and after lunch a bunch of us walked down to the dock and just laid down and took a nap, it was the perfect temperature with just a little cooling breeze. We had a lot of free time since we don't have a frienship visit here so a couple vans went to go search for a hike that one of the staff told us about but we never ended up finding the hike we just kept driving up forest roads going up this mountain and ended up finding a great view to hang out at and walked around down some trails that didn't end up being trails, they all ended after 100ft or so. It was a beautiful area, I have never seen much of Idaho so I wasenjoying the drive and the walk. I can't believe that I have this opportunity, I know I am doing this to benefit people with disabilities and spread awareness but this is also an incredible trip, 27 Pi Kappa Phi brothers making their way across the country all summer just having a blast, I love it. So many adventures yet to come.

This evening was another leadership development meeting about our values and how they benefit us as leaders. The most important value to me is happiness/optimism. I think the attitude a person has can change the outcome or perception of an outcome of any situation. I have thought about this many times but the last couple years have been a couple of the happiest years of my life. It isn't because everything is going my way and I am getting everything I want but I have just been able to remain in this positive mindset about anything going on and always looking towards the good things around me and letting all the negativity just bounce off me. I think this mindset is beneficial to me as a leader because it can change the attitude of those around you and keep a group from falling apart after a tough time.

Following our leadership development we had our weekly bike maintenance and deep clean, I thought this was going to be a really annoying thing but I very much enjoy it. I am finally learning how to keep my bike in good working condition and clean all the dirt and grim off to keep it performing like it was brand new. I am excited to see how it feels freshly spruced up for the ride tomorrow, although it is another short one, 35 or 40 miles I believe. I am looking forward to an amazing bridge we get to ride on tomorrow though, I heard it is a beautiful mile long bridge, should be quite fun, I hope I get a chance to step off the bike to take a few pictures on the bridge or borrow a GoPro to snap some for you all.

Day 11-Spokane, day off the bike

Spokane is very interesting, specifically the area we are staying. Last night we had some banging on the gym doors that open to the parking lot, then later on we heard a car peeling out in the parking lot joy riding or something and a bit later an employee with salvation came and asked wif we heard anything outside so we let him k ow and he told us there were cops outside and there was a shooting nearby, pretty scary, we made sure all the doors were locked tight before going to sleep, we also had an employee staying in the building with us who double checked the other doors around the building so we wee perfectly safe. I also forgot to mention that when we arrived there was a funeral happening across the hall from the gyms we were staying in and we had to walk down the hall to get to the bathrooms, they also had to wheel the casket through the gym we were staying in, we all stood in respect when they came through and they were very nice and let us finish off the left over food from the reception. Just a couple weird stories to add to the books for the summer. Speaking of books, one of the guys is going to start a team memoir that we can all contribute stories too, the working title is Saddle Sores, Tan Lines and Brotherhood it should turn out to be very entertaining, the more memories we can write down and photograph the better.

So I specify day off the bike and not day off because we are still out here keeping busy. We woke up at 8 and headed to The Arc of Spokane for breakfast and friendship visit. Of course my mom has connections there so I met the executive director and special events director and talked to them for a while about the Journey. While we were there they fed us lots of food and we played a "get to know you" game with all their members where all the members had to fill out as many blocks on a piece of paper with some info about all the riders, names hometown and an interesting fact about us like pets and sports we play. It was fun to get know everyone there. Two that stuck out to me that I sat with for a while were Pete and Kimberly. Pete was like me, loves building things, he was working on building this big castle like structure with giant lego blocks and was willing to let us help him out with putting the final pieces on, he was really excited about it and seemed very proud of his structure, I thought it was so cool. Kimberly was just the nicest girl, a little shy but was very happy and loved meeting us, she was very independent and fun to talk to. On our way out they had little treats for us, they were so appreciative of us and us to them as well for feeding us and letting us hang out.

Day 10-Pullman to Spokane

Today I rode with Hayden again but we decided to ride sweeps today which is the last pace line in the group, we bring up the back with reflective vests over our uniform that say "cyclists ahead". I was trying to avoid it for a while but after yesterday I was feeling ok with going slow for this ride and Hayden is fun to ride with. We had to stop and wait a handful of times for people at crew stops or for guys fixing flats but it was a lot of fun we got to hang out and chat with more people than if we were just cruising ahead on our own. The views were pretty much the same, more rolling hills but Spokane is more north so the last 10 or so miles we actually saw some forest! Best part was that we got everyone through rack point to complete the ride today! 

Today we are just relaxing at lodging which is the salvation army, they opened up two gyms for us so we are sleeping in one and using the other one for games, also have a giant projector screen that we are trying to watch the documentory Crash Reel on. Our next few rides are in really small towns so I took my bike to a shop here to get the derailers fixed before it is too late, we also almost cleaned them out of tubes, everyone is stocking up for the next wek incase we don't find another shop for a while. Tonight we had a team meeting which was much needed to get our spirits up after missing some rack points and some disappointment from guys about behavior at events, nothing major just not focusing enough on the generous people and sponsors that are feeding and lodging us. It went really well, KT a Push staff member who has been with us since orientation went over some things for us to improve on but the greatest compliment from him was that we are the first team he has seen that doesn't have a problem with complaining and forming cliques that are the number one thing that brings a team down. I totally agree, every single one of us is working hard to avoid those things and I am very happy about how we are coming together as a team. We also had a chance for everyone to say something about how the trip has gone so far and everything was positive and a lot of good advice. The bad news we got unfortunately was that one of our drivers is no longer eligible to drive because of insurance issues and we have no other crew members eligible either so right now 21+ cyclists are going to be switching off driving days until we can find another 21+ crew member to add to the team or we keep switching off until Washington DC. It was a big disappointment at first but I am really fine with it, im still proud to be part of this team in any capacity and help in any way I can, being crew for a a few days this summer will still be a blast and just another way for me to encourage and help my team members. 

Tomorrow we ride a total of 0 miles!!! It's our first day off the bike!  We have a friendship visit in the morning and im not sure what else after but some guys want to go play some mini pitt putt or do something in downtown. Im glad we have a chance to rest our legs and sleep until 7:30!

Day 9-Walla Walla to Pullman

You know the old Windows desktop background with the rolling hills, you ever woant to see that in person? Well thst is what i did today for 115 miles. That background picture is apparently really an unedited picture from this are, the Palouse of Eastern Washington. It was beautiful.

I rode with Hayden and Preston, neither of which I have had a chance to ride with this summer. I knew from previous days and talks that both were strong cyclists so I was excited to get the chance to go out with them. We started as the first pace line in the morning and were keeping a great pace, making quick and efficient crew stops for water and snacks then we hit the big rolling hills and would climb up maybe 600ft of elevation and have 1 to 3 mile long downhills that we could cruise down at just about 40mph so our average speed was really on track to make our rack time which was 105 miles by 1. Then we got red flagged (where we catch up to the lead van and there is no crew member beyond him to mark a turn or set a crew stop) so we had to sit and wait for a van to catch up which ate away at our time to get to the rack point. We realized we had some time to make up so we were moving quickly and at just before 11 Preston caught something nasty through the sidewall of his tire and popped a tube. We scrambled to fix it and ended up using a dollar bill (common cycling trick) to protect the tube from the damaged sidewall and by the time we were on the road again a pace line had passed us and gotten about 3 miles up from us and we had 2 hours to cover 36 miles to get to rack point, 18mph average and we had just hit sone tough terrain with a lot more climbing. So we hauled, put all our energy into the rest, went 110% pushed 22 to 24mph on flats and 35+ downhill and 9 to 13 downhill. We eventually caught up to the first pace line but got red flagged again, we had 10 miles to cover in 20 minutes. They were thankfully lenient about the rack time cuz we just barely missed it but put everything we had into the ride. At that point they racked everyone except the 6 of us and we continued to push on. The last 20 miles were the hardest I have ever ridden and possibly the hardest I have pushed myself physically. Throughout the day my bike was iffy about shifting down gears in the front so I had already ridden a few big hills in my big ring, then the last hill came along, a very steep Incline, and it wouldn't shift, I was already dieing but struggled through the first half in the big ring and at the stop sign manual just moved my chain to the lower gear to make it to the end. I could not have done it without Preston and Hayden, the whole ride the encouragement and positivity was amazing, they got me through those miles and we made it to Pullman on time lead by the other pace line with Cameron who goes to school here at WSU and was flying their flag behind him to the top.the team was proud of us and it felt great, I just hope as the summer goes on more guys will be finishing these hAnotherard days with us. Another amazing memory for the books today on the road.

The friendship visit was with an organization called families together which helps families care for kids with disabilities by essentially social networking, sharing tips, finding professional help, working together as a family to provide care and assistance. It was very cool to see so many families and the event and the amount of effort that every member of tje family puts in.

Tomorrow we head 80 miles to Spokane and we will finally be able to do laundry and get our first day off!