Happiness grows in valleys

Things aren't always easy for anyone, ever. But if they could be, they would probably be that way for someone in happy valley.

They were certainly that way to everyone riding to Happy Valley from Shamokin today. It was perfect, too, as yesterday was not exactly the easiest. Now don't misunderstand, Happy Valley is called a valley for a reason, and we climbed that reason and many other reasons like it on the way there, but as a whole the ride was pleasant. Most of it was through pristine forests in the Bald Eagle and other state parks. The parts of the ride not through the state parks were spent in a valley between two mountains. It was beautiful. It also rained a good amount, which was great. It really cooled us off.

And so we got to Happy Valley in good spirits. And as it turns out, Happy Valley got its name during the Great Depression: it was a sufficient and happy place for the people who lived in the area. This was primarily due to the agriculture in the area and Pennsylvania State University, which is about 20 minutes down the road--driving, that is. Turns out it has nothing to do with Penn. St. football. I guess it's also common for people to just stay around their whole lives. People might leave for a while--you know, go to college at Penn. St.--and then come back. And obviously there are plenty of people who leave, but Pastor Dave and his wife (the family we're staying with) said that a lot of people have grown up together and all know when new people come in. They're all very welcoming, though, which might be rare for a close-knit area. Who knows.

Anyway,Footage should be coming tomorrow.

Some other quick updates: We're getting in better shape. Feeling good about our legs and climbing hills. Our bikes are holding up well. Tonight life is good.

A story:

Walking out of Pizza Hut yesterday a man, age 30, walked up to me and wished me luck on my ride. Knowing he didn't know what I was riding for, or anything else about me, I thanked him. He proceeded to tell me about his bike--a Honda...crotch rocket, something or other. I guessed he was a bike enthusiast. I guessed right. He went on to tell me--without my asking, though I really enjoyed his story--about his recent life.

A few weeks ago he was clocked by a police officer going 210 MPH. on his bike. A few jokes regarding the incident were exchanged (e.g. Me: "wow, that kinda puts a damper on things, huh?" Him: Laughs "Ya, that's why it's still in the garage."), and he told me that the ticket cost him $2,800. He then told me that in order to pay the ticket he took a sledge hammer to his garage door and was in the process of collecting the insurance on it. He said he filmed it and was going to send it to the insurance company after he collected the money and switched companies...sucks to be State Farm. Hmmm. Ok. I was just kidding about the garage door part. But really, that's quite a ticket.

But wait, there's more: he's got some down time, as he can't drive as of now, so he's working on putting some nitrous oxide on the bike. Now for those of you who haven't seen The Fast And The Furious, basically what nitrous oxide is is a speed burst. He was making his bike faster...but not too much faster, he said, because otherwise he would wheelie backward and crack his "bean," I think was the word he used. He mentioned doing that when he was younger and it not ending up so well...I agreed with him on that one.

Probably one of the more interesting people I've ever met. And I probably haven't gotten more information from anyone else in such a short amount of time. The conversation didn't last more than a minute--Andy and Morgan had already started riding up the road. He seemed really cool...though I can't say I would ever get into any vehicle with him.


And I would have time for one more but I've been trying to get this camera to upload stuff for you and it doesn't quite seem to be working...sorry.

More to come tomorrow.

A quick update

Memorial day was hot. Someone said it was between 90 and 95 degrees, but we didn't get to look at the temperature. It felt like it was hot. Nevertheless, we've made it to Shamokin, PA.

Shamokin used to be a town booming with industry from the coal mines. The coal mines are mostly all shut down now. Many other industries in the area have also gone away. Unemployment in the town is high, and many people look to unemployment checks to make ends meet.

It's an old town, dating back to the 1800's. There are many old buildings to seen, some beautiful mansions, and gorgeous cathedral-like churches. The Evangelical Congregational church in Shamokin (we're staying with Mark Brownson, the pastor at the church, and his wife Beth, who have been more than hospitable this evening!) is very much like something one might find in Europe somewhere. However, as with anything, the years have deteriorated many of the buildings and as one hears about the current state of the town they seem to be an accurate representation.

On a different note, there are plenty of abandoned coal mines around. Hopefully we'll get some pictures and be able to post them shortly. We've been taking plenty of other video footage and plan to have that up shortly.

And on a pleasant note, everyone we've met so far has been absolutely splendid. We met a couple and their grandchild and they took a few of our brochures to pass around their church. They also donated to the cause. The commissioner of Schuylkill County came out of his house (we were stopped for a second in front of it) and invited us in for some water and conversation. He's one of the one's who said it was a little over 90 degrees. Literally everyone--save for a few excited teenagers who drive by yelling obscenities--has been very caring and excited about what we're doing.

We should have another story or two about the people we're meeting up soon enough.

Our Planned Route

This is the route we plan to take. The dates are only remotely accurate into Iowa, and all dates are subject to change depending on how the ride that day goes. We might break down, get hurt, etc. In that case, we'll probably not arrive as expected. This is precisely the reason we plan to arrive in Seattle on July 28 and don't plan to fly out until August 16. We will certainly use up the extra days along the way. We put this up merely to give you a rough estimate of where we might be at any given time.

Also, if you have any advice, etc, about the route we've planned, please don't hesitate to give it. We'll take all the help we can get.



Boyertown to Kutztown Sunday night, May 30
Kutztown, PA to Shamokin, PA (57 mi), arrive Monday, May 31
Shamokin, PA to Nittany, PA (68 mi) Tuesday, June 1
Nittany, PA to Curwensville, PA (60) Wednesday, June 2
Curwensville, PA to Sigel, PA (46 mi) Thursday, June 3
Sigel, PA to knox, PA (38 mi), Friday, June 4-rest on Saturday
Knox, PA to Seneca, PA (10 mi) arrive Sunday night, June 6
Seneca, PA to Sharon, PA (50 mi)-arrive monday night June 7
Sharon to Akron, OH (50 mi) Arrive Tuesday night June 8
Akron to Mansfield, OH (61 mi) Wednesday night, June 9
Mansfield, OH to Columbus, OH (57 mi) Thursday night, June 10
Columbus, OH to Lima, OH (78 mi)- Friday night, June 11

Lima to Huntington (80) Arrive Saturday night June 12—rest on Sunday. We might actually try to stick around for a bit. We have a week to get to Afolkey, IL.

Huntington to Valpraiso (90).
Valpraiso to Chicago (50).

Chicago to Afolkey, IL (100 mi) Arrive at least by Saturday June 19.
Afolkey to Dubunque (70). Arrive monday night, June 21
Dubunque to Guttenburg, IA (40). Arrive Tuesday night, June 22
Guttenburg to Ames (110 mi) Arrive wednesday, June 23
Ames to Britt (85 mi) Arrive Thursday, June 24
Britt to Spencer (75 mi) Arrive Friday night June 25
Spencer to Sioux Falls, SD (100) Arrive Sat. night June 26
Sioux Falls to Mitchell (80 mi) Arrive Mon. night June 28
Mitchell to Fort Thompson (91 mi) Arrive Tuesday night June 29
Fort Thompson to Buffalo Gap National Badlands (camping, after 130 mi. ride) Arrive Wednesday night June 30—If this doesn’t work, we can camp in the Fort Pierre National Grassland—basically we have until Sunday July 4 to get to Mt. Rushmore.
Ride 80 miles to other side of Badlands camp again Thursday night June 30
Badlands to Mt Rushmore on Friday July 2—about 40 miles from western side of Badlands—Rest Friday July 3 and 4 at Mt. Rushmore.
Black Hills National Forest (Mt. Rushmore) to Thunder Basin National Park, WY—about 100 miles, depending on where we camp. Arrive July 5. --Monday
Thunder Basin to Gillette, WY. (50) Arrive July 6.--Tuesday
Gillette to Buffalo, WY (70) Arrive July 7--Wednesday
Buffalo to Bighorn National Park (50-100) Arrive July 8--Thursday
Bighorn to Yellowstone National Park (100) Arrive July 9—Friday evening.
Be at Idaho Falls, ID by Monday evening, July 12 (200)
Idaho Falls to Aberdeen (70) Tuesday, July 13
Aberdeen to Shoshone (90) Wednesday, July 14
Shoshone to Boise, ID (100) Thursday, July 15.
Boise to Vale, OR (70) Friday July 16.
Vale to Hines (116) Saturday July 17.
Hines to Riley, OR (20) Sunday July 18.
Riley to Bend, OR (120) Monday or Tuesday July 19 or 20.
Bend to Albany, OR (127) take two days. Camp in Santiam State Forest between Bend and Albany. Arrive in Albany Thursday July 22.

Albany to Salem (30). Arrive Friday July 23.
Salem to Portland (55). Arrive Saturday July 24. Rest Sunday.
Portland to Longview, WA (55). Arrive Monday July 26.
Longview to Olympia (75). Arrive Tuesday July 27.
Olympia to Seattle (70). Arrive Wednesday July 28.

Plans and Dinner: Cleaning Other People

Last minute plans are coming together swimmingly. Our riding jerseys and casual t-shirts arrived today. They all fit much better than we had initially expected--Huntington University did a nice job on the designs, too. Morgan picked up a GPS device, Matt got a new phone and figured out how to fix the Flip video camera, and Andy put the finishing touches on the bikes and finished a number of thank you notes. The Friedlund family is busy preparing the house (recently wrecked by the return of Matt and Andy from college) for a dinner with the Jones family. It should prove meaningful for both families.

And why do we clean the house, anyway? We both used to wonder that as children when others were coming over. In fact, having company over was not a popular pass-time--especially if the company was not specifically for the entertainment of the children--because we had to clean. As young children we weren't going to be interested in what the adults were talking about. It was often quite boring. They often talked over our heads, or censored themselves in case what they were talking about would be inappropriate for a child to hear--that may have been the most frustrating part. And when we did understand what was going on, like I said, it was boring. But the adults enjoyed themselves.

In general, the average person's company prefers to be in a clean and comfortable environment. And so it's a pretty standard middle class gesture to clean the house before guests arrive at the house. It sends the message that their presence is preferred, even valued.

And then we get to the actual relating to each other. This is never as easy as putting things on the shelves or mopping up the yellow stains on the floor around the toilet. The people coming over have all sorts of ideas about life, even how the house should look. And so one must wonder: How does one go about tidying up ideologically in order to present themselves in a manner that welcomes others? And how does that effect what our physical spaces look like?

Probably it has a lot to do with whether we actually value the person or people in general, and to get to a point where we genuinely value others seems to be quite a journey.

Maybe presenting ourselves as caring will help us understand the positive side of caring about people. Presenting ourselves is easy, as its just an appearance. And it's safe, as it doesn't have to reveal what's really there. We all do it to some extent. (It should probably be mentioned that a life only filled with presentation may be a tad empty). It might not be a bad idea if you're among those who follow the philosophy that you need to start acting in order to understand the good that comes from acting in such a manner. Or, perhaps just continue as you were. When I get bored with new ideas, or too frustrated with the people around me that's what I do ;)

The Unofficial Start of the Trip: A 115 Mile Test

Today we launched an unofficial beginning to the ride. It was mostly a test run. We figured a ride from Point Pleasant Beach on the shore of New Jersey to our parents house in Boyertown, Penn. (about 110 miles total) would be a great way to learn first hand about what we are still missing. We also figured it would be cool to say that we went from coast to coast. We tagged along with our mother and sister (on a field trip to a place near the Jersey Shore) to the Atlantic. And so we set off from the tide--Morgan got a little too close to the tide and started the day with a wet pair of shoes.

A summary: We got through New Jersey just fine, but upon reaching Penn. immediately went on a three hour search for a street that proved to be un-findable. Google really let us down. After asking many different people at many different places for directions we finally arrived in Quakertown, the town right beside Boyertown. As it was after dark and we had already come at least 115 miles, we got a quick ride back home.

The Lesson: we'll be getting a GPS device before we leave on Sunday.
Overall it was a good ride though. It was really hot, and certainly frustrating at times, but it was all three of our first "Century Ride" (a ride over 100 miles). And we have a pretty good idea about what we'll need to finish the journey.

And now, some housekeeping items. I'd like to give an overview of what we'll be planning to blog/tweet about as we go along on our journey.

Twitter:
Ideally, we'll tweet a number of different times each day regarding a few different topics:
--Thought of the day: Something to think about, of course.
--Question of the day: Something to think about, of course.
--An update: We'll try to give updates as we feel necessary. These are relatively straight forward and kind of boring, however useful.
--A best and worst aspect of the day: Insight into the most interesting moments of our day, whether that be biking, meeting people, or whatever else we might be getting into.
--Anything else: We don't want to limit ourselves, if we think of something else that doesn't fit into the above categories, we'll probably put it up anyway.

The Blog:
We'll blog as often as we can. We'll be staying at different peoples' houses and will blog when we can get our hands on a computer.

We'll be blogging to:

Communicate, of course.

Explain our experiences via: short stories, commentary, rants, explanation of events, poetry, video, pictures, etc.

We'll certainly be exploring the communities we stay with. We'll try to understand them and share some of their wisdom with you.

And with that, we'll leave you, at least for tonight. We'll be blogging in anticipation of the trips commencement on Sunday.

Walking For Water

Heard about The Ride for Marale and wish you could play a bigger part? If you live near Reading, PA, Walking For Water is your chance.

We are putting on an event that will place you in the shoes of someone from Marale and raise money to help them construct a water system in their village. We have filled up hundreds of gallon jugs and we will carry them around a sidewalk loop to get a little taste of what their life is like. This is Saturday, May 1st at Albright College, Kelchner Field (the baseball field) from 10AM to 4PM. The event will aslo include food, music, softball, frisbee, home run derby, manicures, pedicures, and men's haircuts.

Come out and enjoy the festivities while learning about the water crisis and being part of the solution!

New Team Member Morgan Jones

A wise man once said that "a cord of three strands is not quickly broken." In keeping with such a philosophy, we decided to make an addition to our travelling party. His name is Morgan Jones. Morgan is a sophomore at Albright College and is Andy Friedlund's next door neighbor in Mohn Hall. Morgan first got involved with The Ride for Marale when Andy asked him to design a logo for our project. He did an awesome job with that and has since designed our brochure, a Walking For Water flyer, and all the other media we have used. It seems that all the writing and designing he did wore him down. Morgan finally broke down and decided he had better just come along. Matt and Andy are excited to be able to share this adventure with Morgan.

Isn't he cute!