The day before I leave to meet my fellow riders. Am I ready? We shall see!

The departure day is finally here! I awoke about 0430 and finished the final packing. Of course, I had to stop by the office to pick up phone numbers and contact information for people I needed to meet along the journey. And THIS is going to be a journey!

O.K., as I arrived at the airport about 0600, plenty of time to weave my way through the lines at our tiny airport. I handed my flight information to the travel agent and, after about five minuted he said, "I can't find any record of your ticket".

I had made the reservation several months ago on-line. Given for a Sunday morning the line was growing behind me but I was oblivious to all of them!! The travel agent said, "You may need to call Travelocity". I said nothing ... I'm certain the look on my face said it all!

A Sr. Agent came by to assist the first agent, and, after a few minutes, my reservation was found. My heart started beating again!

My flight destination today was Buffalo, NY, so, what better way to go North than to fly South! To Charlotte, NC just to turn around and fly back over Roanoke at about 21,000 feet.

Charlotte to Buffalo on a fully loaded 737. I was in row 25 on a plane with 26 rows. I shared the seats with a family of five ... the parents, to young boys and a baby girl that only knew how to scream and cry! Thank goodness the flight was only 1:35 and I am deaf in one ear!

Arrived in Buffalo about 20 minutes late, but that was O.K. as my ground connection wasn't scheduled to be there until 1300. As I walked down to the baggage claim, there stood Carl and Stu ... they had left Vermont about 0415 just so I wouldn't have to wait on them!

Initially, we had planned on taking the Southern route through Canada and the States a couple times but, after seeing the lines of traffic coming back into the States, we decided to take the Northerly route around lakes Huron and Superior. This option would bring us back into the States at our starting point ... International Falls, MN.
So here I am this evening in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada at a Super 8 Motel. Out to dinner and back to bed early. Just waiting to see what adventures tomorrow may bring!

We pulled out of the Motel in Sudbury about 0730 heading for Sault St. Marie heading for our long loop around Lake Superior. As we pulled into Sault St. Marie, we stopped to get gas that cost .(.91 cents Canadian) per litre. Just under four litres per gallon. A lot more than we are paying in the States. It cost us $78 to fill the tank! It's hard to believe I used to fill up my tank for under $10. Boy, I AM getting old!

After the fill up, I took my first turn behind the wheel. As we drove past Lake Superior, we had some wonderful vistas. We stopped at Orphan Lake. A sight recommended by Stu, who had visited here about 20 years back. It was a long hike through the woods, over tree roots and stumps, rocks and other debris. For those that know me well ... you are aware walking is harder on me than riding. After about a mile or so, I turned to head back to the vehicle. Jack had also hiked out and back and joined me (or should I say he walked slow enough for me) to join him!

After we all returned to the vehicle, we decided we could not make our original destination of Thunder Bay, so we began looking for alternative places to stay. We pulled into a little lake side town, Rossport, and found a litle Bed and Breakfast to stay for the night. They also had a restaurant that served a wonderful lake trout for dinner. They provided us with a box breakfast as we were hoping to start out early the next morning.

Tomorrow we finish our drive back into International Falls, MN. I am ready to get on my bike and start riding!

OK, let me start today by thanking a few folks. I want to thank Doyle Edgerton and his crew at Rev Net for setting up this website and especially to Doyle for being patient with this "techno challenged" dinosaur! I want to thank Nancy for getting me to the airport and passing on information to Doyle needed to continue the daily upgrading of this site. I want to thank Bob Grebe and News Channel 7 for helping get out the word and also to Mark Taylor with the Roanoke Times.

A very special thanks goes out to Dan Casey, ALL the members of the BRBC and especially to the DMF's ... you know who you are! You ALL are the BEST !!!

Todays ride was anti-climactic to some degree. Driving back into the U.S. should be a wonderful experience ... and it was good. The traffic, even at this small border crossing was a little hectic, though. There were people with short tempers, trying to jump line and cut people off. Hey, have they tranported drivers from the Roanoke area to make me feel welcomed home? Not really everybody ... and there were no cyclists riding three wide in the road either. So, all you drivers, see that I took a shot at "some" cyclists too! And ALL you cyclists know that I am one of you! ;o)

So, International Falls ... I have been thinking about arriving at this place since this tour was first thought up! And here I am! I hope I don't forget the real reason I am here ... No, not just because I love to ride my bike, but, because I want to raise an awareness about Multiple Sclerosis and, hopefully, through this process, to raise a little money to continue the fight to find a cure for this disease and to raise some funds to help those local folks with M.S. that may need a helping hand at some point. So, folks, if you haven't already made a pledge for this cause, call 1/800/451-0373 and talk with someone at the Blue Ridge Chapter and make a donation today. No gift is too small or insignficant. It ALL helps !!!

I am in hopes that shortly, you may be able to go to pay pal from this website and make an on-line donation as well! I thank each of you for visiting here! even if you choose not to donate today, if you keep coming back to check out my journal, maybe you will choose to help this old, deaf, gimp who has chosen to carry the standard for this fight! If I can be committed to ride, almost 2,000 miles for this dream I have, perhaps you can share a little aid,(OK, Wingfield, call it what it is!) If you could make a financial donation to the Blue Ridge Chapter of the M.S. Society ... I would be deeply moved and honored!


For now, I am going to go for a spin on my bike and make sure it is ready for my journey. I hope you come back to this website daily and follow this trek through my words!

Well, it ended up being a late night last night as our last two riders flew into Internetional Falls, arriving just after 2330. Donn from LA and Charlie from Phoenix. Now our group was complete. Back to the motel and plans to start the day at 0830 tomorrow.

When I arrived down at the breakfast area, Donn and Charlie had already begun putting their bikes together with Carl's help. Knowing all too well my mechanical aptitude ... I went on to get some breakfast. The best I could do is stay out of their way!

I met a neat couple while I was eating my toast and donut. Bob and Marlene ... they were interested in our upcoming adventure and I even got Bob to check out the website. (*by the way ... have you noticed today's upgrades to the site?!? It is looking real cool! THANKS to Doyle and the gang at Rev Net!) Well now, Bob has promised to follow the journal as we travel along on our journey to the Gulf! Thanks Bob and Marlene!

Today we set out to ride back over into Canada to "dip our wheel" on the North side of the border so to speak. We ended up riding back to a lake not far into Canada and headed back towards our hotel ... so I thought! Our little 15 mile "spin" to get the kinks out ended up being just shy of 40 miles! You think that's not so bad, after all you're riding all the way to New Orleans! Well, when I start riding tomorrow, I will have more than one piece of toast for breakfast and carry more than a half bottle of water. In riders terms ... I bonked today. Thank goodness the judges won't be testing me tomorrow as I will be back on my prescribed meds and will eat the proper food before we take off on our 86 miloe first day to Black Duck! What a name!

And now it is time to introduce you to my fellow riders: first there is Carl, a "Coder" from Cape Cod. A real one and not a transplanmt! A big guy with a heart of gold and a true friend. I first met up with Carl when I rode L.A. to Boston in 2002. He joined our tour for almost two weeks that year as he had ridden the enitre tour the previous year. It wasn't until his last couple days that we started riding together and just "clicked". We have gone on several rides since then. In 2004, he put together a 12 day, 850 mile tour of all the New England States and into Canada and last year he joined us on the Bike and Barge Tour in Holland.

Next there is Donn ... with two NN's. To tell the truth, Donn and I didn't click when we first rode together on the Cross Country tour in '02. He had this "EFI" hat and would run his mouth when wearing it. EFI meant Every F***** Inch, and it had been my dream to ride EFI but the desert heat on day 4 from Blyth, CA to Wickenburg, AZ, had forced my body to literally shut down and I had to SAG the last 20 miles. I had NEVER experienced such heat as that day! Well, to make a long story much shorter, I have ridden several times with Donn since that day and we have become friends. And we shall remain friends as long as he NEVER brings out that "EFI" hat in my presence again!

Then there is Charlei fron Phoenix, AZ. I also met Charlie on the '02 ride but he was there in the desert waiting that day with a vehicle and cold drinks ... an angel in the desert is what he was for me! That was the first time I litterally fell off my bike that hot and arrid day. He set me in his vehicle and gave me a cold beverage. A true oasis in the desert! I tought I could start riding again and after a few more miles, I once again feel off my bike and he then drove me to our support vehicle. Charlie also rode with us in New England in '04. A real good guy!

Next, the one and only female in our group, Barb, from Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I also met Barb during our Crossroads Adventure in '02. We rode many miles and days together and I look forward to riding with her again this year. She says she hasn't been riding much but after todays "spin", I know it will make me get in good shape, like it did in '02, just to keep up with her!

Next there os Stu, also a Coder. This is the first time I have met Stu but, from what I have seen so far, he is a really neat guy. He has done lots of traveling and lots of "wilderness" type acitvities. He is in incredible shape and will be 62 in just a short while! Stu is riding with us to St. Louis but I am hoping he can make the whole tour! I'll keep you posted on that.

And now there is Jack. A "rock solid" kinda guy. If he is your friend, he will be there no matter what. He has already shown that side of himself to me. As he "waited" for me during the hike from Orphan Lake the other day and at other times, he just seems to be "keeping" an eye out on this old gimp. Jack is retired from the military after 23 years of service and then another 12 or so years in the private sector. He is our primary SAG driver but plans on logging in as many miles as he can ... and I'm sure he will!

Well, in short that is our group ... of course ther is this old, deaf, gimp that you may have already read some stuff about on this site. It is a good group and I look forward to the journey, getting to renew friendships with some while making new friends along the way. As I have said ... Life is good for me! And these journeys are times I will never forget ... along with my many friends and supporters back at home ... Thanks to each of you for being there for me !!! I will see you before too long but until then ... come back tomorrow and see how our our first days journey went ... International Falls to Black Duck ... about 86 miles and the weather is supposed to ne good !!! Until tomorrow ...

Today is a whole new story and I will get into that in a minute. First, I need to say "hello" to a few more folks I have met along the way. Last night in International Falls, as we returned from dinner, there was a man standing at the front desk as we walked in. He spun around and asked, "Are you the cyclists?"

His name was Paul and he runs marathons. He was interested in our cycling journey down the Mississippi so we chatted a while. I gave him this web site address and told him I would say "Hello". I hope you get to ride cross country some day, Paul, it really had a long term effect on my life!

This morning at breakfast, I was determined to have a proper meal and not "bonk" like I did on yesterday's little spin! After all, we are looking at an 86+ mile ride today! Jane was our waitress and she did a wonderful job looking after us. We shared a bit about our ride and told her I would say "hello" today! Thanks for the great service and I hope you follow our journey down the Mississippi!

As we rolled into Black Duck this afternoon ... we were ALL whipped! The hostess that greeted us was, Kia (sorry if it is not spelled right). She was lively and showed a lot of energy. Something none of us had at the moment. We talked breifly about our ride and I told her I would say "Hello" to her as well tonight!

So, you see, you get to meet lots of interesting folks on this journey. A chance for me to spread the word and raise awareness about my cause ... to one day end the devastating effects of M.S.

Next, before I start with todays journal, I want to ask each of you viewing this sight to do me a favor... I am starting a new campaign ... "It Takes Two" PLEASE, if you would, share this website address with just two people you may have on your e-mail list. Anywhere in the U.S. or abroad and ask them to pass it along to two more people as well! You see, part of my journey is to raise awareness about Muyltiple Sclerosis. And I need your help! I'm not asking for donations, mind you, (but I wouldn't turn them down if you did!) I just want to get the word spread as far and wide as I can. And I can't do it alone! I need your help! And please feel free to share it with more than two peopla, if you'd like!

Now, to today's ride ... I could describe it as fairly flat with only 700 feet of elevation climbed today. I could say the roads were well paved with nice wide shoulders for riding on. I could say the traffic was light and wonderful at ALL times when passing ... and each of those statements would be true and accurate. But, today's word is WIND !!! The roads we traveled were fairly flat with NO major climbs at all and on another day we could have ridden this ride in just over four hours with no problems. But, we had a head wind from the Southwest ALL day long. A constant wind with gusts! We were all wore out by the time we arrived. A hot shower and I still didn't feel "revived". I don't want any alcohol ... maybe a good meal and lots of sleep before we haed out and start it all over tomorrow morning! Only about 65 miles tomorrow and I'm not sure which way the wind will be blowing! Not sure where our destination is tomorrow but, I know we go through Bemidji and get to see Paul Bunyon and Babe ... True to life size I hear too! We also go by Lake Itasca ... the head waters of the Mississippi River. I hear that one can actually stradle the Mississippi River at that point! Should make an interesting photo! So, tune back in tomorrow for that story!

Now, I want to take the last paragraph during each day to thank different people and/or groups that have helped me get to where I am today ... So, my first group recognition will be the "DMF's". They are the folks that met me at 6:00 p.m. each night this past winter at Patrick Henry High School parking lot and rode with me ... no matter what the temperature ... as long as it was dry. Each of these folks are far better riders than I am but, they ALWAYS made sure not to drop me or leave me behind. They have even given me a "DMF" name ... WKK or Who Killed Kenny ... from South Park fame! Anyway, my sincere thanks go to each and everyone of them! YOU ARE THE BEST !!!

O.K., you'll have to come back tomorrow now and see who gets "thanked" tomorrow for being a part or influence to me!

And don't forget to share this site with your friends !!! See you tomorrow !!!

Hello! Sorry I didn't get to make my journal entry last night. I was at a motel in Park Rapids,MN and after I typed and edited the days journal and then submitted it ... it flew off somewhere into cyber space! Several folks tried to retrieve it to no avail! I then went to dinner and tried once again to make an entry but half way through ... it disappeared as well. Once, maybe I goofed but twice ... oh well, what can I say. I will try to catch you up on the 8th right now!

Yesterday we finished our ride in 80+ degree temperatures with nasty head winds all day long that even took a toll on our strongest riders. This morning, the temperatures were in the low 40's but at least the wind has backed off. It is even a good chance it will be at our backs today!

We pulled out of the motel in Black Duck at 0700. the wind, as promised, was favorable and we made very good time riding to Bimidji, MN. This is the home of Paul Bunyon and his blue ox, Babe. They even have large statues of them in the center of town. As we rode through town and stopped to take photos, I realized that my high dollar throw away camera was out of film! Oh well, you'll just have to take mt word that I was there.

We then rode on to Itasca State Park ... where the head waters of the Mississippi River originate. We had some great group photos taken as we all stood on a plank that spanned the Mississippi River at that point ... all 25 feet of it! A far cry from the BIG river we will be seeing much of during this journey!

I spent the afternmoon riding to Park Rapids, MN with two of our group, Barb from Minnesota and Stu from Cape Cod. Stu had a very hard time riding with me though as he can not ride as slowly as I do! So, Barb and I(mostly Barb) fought the headwinds to out nights destination. About eight miles out from town, Jack rode out to meet us on his bike and "tow" us back into town.

As I said earlier, after loosing my first attempt at entering the journal, we went to dinner ... and was I hungry! All I had eaten since breakfast was a banana and part of a power bar ... hardly enough. I had prime rib ... a generous portion with a baked potato and salad. WONDERFUL! And Jack got some "mud pie" for dessert and let me have 1/2 and that was a great way to end the meal!

So, now is when I made the second attempt to make my journal entry. The night clerk, Deb, even tried to find the entry the second time it disappeared but had no luck. Thanks for trying, anyway! And Deb has had some issues with M.S. over the years too. So she was very interested in the story and will now follow the journal down the Mississippi with us!

O.K., remember in Thursday's journal I asked that you share this website with at least two other people? I thank you because I know that many of you have already done that! And if you haven't, it's not to late to do it right now! As I have said, this sight id trying to raise awarness about the disease and hopefully some funds as well to help find the cure!

And now, today my thanks for support go to the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club. These folks have been there supporting this cause for a number of years and have even had a team in the annual MS-150 rides for at least 15 years! And, when they found out I was doing this ride as a fund raiser for the M.S. Society ...they rallied around and raised over $1,700 for the cause! My thanks go to each of you for your support and encouragement! I will see you in about one month!

Tune in tomorrow for another entry in the on going "cycle" of my journey down the Mississippi River!

Wow, I just bit my tongue as I tried to enter yesterday's entry and it at first said there was "no response" from Rev Net. I hit the retry button and it took it the second time! Hooray !!!

Now I can continue with today's ride from Park Rapids, MN to Brainard, MN ... a ride that is scheduled to be about 81+ miles.

Carl awoke very early today ... 0500. The time we have been getting up but my body is physically exhausted, and it's only day two! I guess my body isn't as young as it used to be ... thank goodness my brain has never listened to my body! As I slowly ... and I mean very slowly. forced myself out of bed and into my cycling clothes for today. The weather channel indicates it is not even 40 degrees this morning ... so, I guess I will be in tights today.

After a decent breakfast of a waffle with butter and syrup, english muffin with butter and jelly, two hard boiled eggs a donut, orange juce and coffee ... I was ready to head outside. By the way, one of my favorite side effects of cycling, if you hadn't noticed, is eating anything and everything I want!

The sun was just peaking over the horizon as we went outside about 0650. It was very cool but at least the wind was down. We pulled out of the parking lot right at 0700 and headed east, toward the sun. The first part of the day was uneventful as we spun down desolate back country roads with some very spectacular sights. The many lakes of this area had a hazy white mist or cloud hanging close to the water. This mist would soon burn off as the sun rose higher in the sky.

Stu and Barb took off ... I couldn't have kept up with them even if I had wanted to! The rest of us kept spinning along. I was left there with Carl, Donn, Charlie and Jack. Were they riding slower because of me? Quite possibly but, no one complained at all. Jack rode out with us about 20 miles this morning and then he turned back to Park Rapids and get the vehicle.

Donn, Carl and Chalie stopped right at 25 miles into the ride to take off some of their excess clothing and take a short break. I kept spinning along as I figured this would allow them the opportunity to ride faster and catch me! About 9 miles later, Carl caught up with me and pulled me along for about 2 1/2 more miles before Charlie and Donn caught up as well. We met up with Barb again at the head of the Paul Bunyon Trail. A paved trail from that point all the way to our destiantion town Brainard. MN ... for a distance of 39 miles. A reclaimed rail to trail which was virtually flat the entire distance!

We stopped in Two Pines, MN at a nice little restaurant that advertised Hungarian Mushroom soup. We each had a bowl and several slices of some delicious homemade bread. Definitely a good stop! As we were exiting the restaurant, we ran into a group of ladies entering. They seemed a bit quizical about this group of older guys in their funny outfits, so we had to speak. We let them know about our journey to New Orleans and the gulf. I offered the address of my journal so they could follw our adventures. One of the ladies said she would tell her students and I assured her it was a child friendly sight! Hello to you ladies! It was a pleasure running into you! And if your students check out the sight ... let's have fun and follow this old guy down the Mississippi! Maybe one day you may want to try this trip too!

So now here I am in Btainard, MN. Sitting here and sharing todays highlights. I hope you will continue to come back and read about this old dreamers adventures! I guess I'm like a 50 year old Huck Finn!

And my thanks for support and encouragement for today go to my co-workers and friends at the Poff Federal Building. To everyone in the Probation Office from the support staff, clerks, officers and managment, my thanks for your continued support! To everyone in the clerk's office, thanks for your help, friendship and support and to Judge and your staff, thanks Boss! And thanks for the dinner the other night ... I owe you! Take care everyone and I look forward to seeing you when I return!

Ciao for now ... it's time to go eat !!! ;o)

Hello from the cold tundra of Minnesota! Not really that cold but compared to the temperatures of just a few days ago ... it's pretty chilly! This morning it was once again in the lower 40's as we left out of the motel. We could see the sun just peaking over the horizon as the moon was still high in the sky. We were joined by a friend of Donn's today, John, who lives in St. Cloud, our destination for the evening.

First, I have to make a comment about our accomodations for last night ... the Econo Lodge in Brainerd, MN. If you're ever in town, please try to find another place to stay. I won't go into details but I'm glad that wasn't on our rest day!

This morning's ride, although a little cool, was turning into a beautiful day. The sun was bright and the country roads we traveled had very few automobiles. It was a gently rolling countryside with mostly farms on both sides of the road. Our ride today was scheduled to be about 63 miles, far shorter than our first three days ... and my backside was glad for that! We stopped at a small restaurant and had a "second" breakfast about 10:30 and then returned to our journey.

As we left the restaurant, our sunny skys had turned cloudy and the wind was beginning to pick up. On the road down the highway, our group once again got split in half. Donn, Charlie, Stu and John in one group with Carl, Barb and myself riding in the "slower" one. As the winds picked up, they, as almost always is the case, were at times in our face while at other times, a brisk crosswind. Still we pressed on. In the distance, the clouds appeared as though rain was imminent. The trusty Weather Channel had shown showers around Minneapolis today, a bit farther south than we were planning for todays ride. We did hit a few light sprinkles on our way into St. Cloud but the rain held off until after we arrived.

The hotel we are staying at this evening is the Best Western Kelly Inn in downtown St. Cloud. It is far nicer than the other places we have previously stayed. Although, I must say, I have been quite happy with our previous lodgings except for ... Anyway, we arrived here today around 1400. Almost one or two hours earlier than I am accustomed to arriving. Time to wash clothes, type my journal and get in a litle rest before dinner.

There is some confution about tomorrow's plans, and possibly Tuesdays. We were set to have a rest day around St. Paul but most of the group wants to "save" that rest day for a poterntial foul weather day somewhere down the road. I was suposed to meet up with some of the folks with the local M.S. Chapter but will now just have to settle with a phone call and a brief meeting, if they are available. Disappointing for me in someways but I can understand the concerns about the weather.

I also need to let you know that I do have an e-mail address that you can reach me at with any comments, suggestions or just to say hello! It is kennyw@rev.net I promise I will respond to each and every e-mail but it may take some time ... so please be patient with any e-mails you may send.

O.K., my thank you for this evening goes to the local Blue Ridge Chapter of the M.S. Society! Those folks work long and hard hours and, at times, don't get the credit they deserve! I, for one, am most appreciative of the job they do! I will mention Fay Painter's name as she is the Chapter President. I am NOT trying to cut out on all the others, I would just be remiss if I failed to mention all of the names! So here's to you guys !!! CHEERS !!!

I am now on my way to have some dinner. Not sure where just yet but I'm certrain I will clean my plate! So, until tomorrow, take care and continue to share this site with others. I passed the site out to at least five or six people today ... so, hello to the new visitors! Have a good evening and come back tomorrow! It should be an interesting day!

St. Cloud to St. Paul, MN. A ride that brings us back into the "metropolitan" areas of Minnesota. But before I go into today's events, I need to spend a little time acknowledging a few people. As you may be aware, I now have an e-mail site where you can reach me kennyw@rev.net I look forward to hearing from any of you! I promise I will respond to all of you ASAP, but it may take a few days.

Yesterday, I recieved my first e-mail from an old friend that I went to elementary, Jr. and Sr. High School with, Marty Martin. We go way back! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers for the journey.

Today I spoke with Emily Wilson of the Minnesota Chapter of the M.S. Society. Originally, we were scheduled to have a rest day in Minneapolis but the group decided to save the rest day in case of bad weather or rain should come our way. It was great to talk with Emily but I was disappointed we weren't able to meet. She says she will be following our journey as we ride to the gulf.

I also met a couple of people I said I would say hello to ... Lynn was our waitress at the Cornerstone Cafe in Montecello, MN. A good cup of coffee about 30 miles into our ride. We met another woman about 62 miles into our ride at the PDQ Convinience Store just north of Minneapolis. We shared a bit of our adventure and I gave her my website to check out.

So, for now we have left the more rural parts of Minnesota. Lots more traffic ... more today than we have seen the past four days combined! We checked and rechecked today's route many times last night and thought it best to avoid downtown Minneapolis, a city with a population over 3 million people.

Some of the roads we took may have appeared more "bicycle friendly" on the map than in reality. One of the roads was like Roanoke's I-581. We had no other options at the moment and we certainly couldn't turn around with cars, trucks and tractor trailers running at least 65mph just a couple feet from our bikes! Thank goodness that madness only lasted about 1 1/2 miles.

However, there were some nicer areas we rode through. One road took us by a huge horse farm with beautiful horses and colts running through the pasture.

Unfortunately, those roads became two lane highways with little or no sholder. And this was about the time the local schools were letting out with those big yellow school buses speeding right by us. Fortunately, we were able to arrive at our destination safely ... the Best Western White Bear in St. Paul. Unbelievably, this was the first motel we stayed at that did not have "public" computer access. I'm glad Carl had his lap top computer and was able to let me use it after he finished tonight.

And now for today's thank you ... this past weekend the Blue Ridge Chapter of the M.S. Society had their annual respite camp at Smith Mountain Lake for M.S.ers and their familes to get away for a couple days and just relax! Darren Ball, with the local Chapter, called me today and let me know that at the worship service held on Sunday, the group took up a donation and decided to donate the collection toward this ride's fund raising effort! It greatly moves me to be supported by my friends within this Chapter! My heart goes out to each of you and know this ... I am riding for each of you!!! Please keep our group of cyclists in your thoughts and prayers as we continue our journey to the Gulf. I hope to see each of you before too long and thank you personally!

Tomorrow, we head into our second State, Wisconsin. We will be staying in the town of Waubeshau. Come back later and check out how our Tuesday went!

Until then ... keep it in the road and I will try to do the same!

Hello everyone or as my good mate from New Zealand always says "G'day!" I first want to say hello to several of my co-workers back in Roanoke that sent out some words of encouragment yesterday ... Mike P., Annie M., Donna "Dollie" C. and Mike B. ... THANKS to each of you! And if I forgot someone ... it is unintentional! I hope you all have a good training session at SML the rest of the week! Also, good to hear from you again, Marty. Also heard from Paul, a new friend I met in International Falls the day before this journey began.

And now on to today's ride. We left Minnesota today to ride about 25 miles in Wisconsin before returning to Wabasha, MN for our overnight. I think Wisconsin must be native Indian meaning "long hills with head winds"! We have experienced some hills thus far but today's hills were just short of a Category Climb in the Tour de France! Not to worry, I have a "triple" on my bike and am not opposed to using the "granny" gear. Let's just say granny and I became good friends today!

Leaving St. Paul this morning became quite a challenge. The bike trail was shut down due to construction and we had to "improvise" our exit on the the streets during the morning rush hour traffic. What should have taken no more than five miles and thirty minutes ended up with over 10 miles and more than one hour before we entered less traveled roads. Carl and Barb were at odds at one point but it did not come to any "blows". They have "resolved" that issue and everyone appears happy at this time.

We made two good stops today. Our first was in Prescott, WI, just after coming into the State. We found a small coffee shop and had hot chocolate and the biggest cinamon bun I have ever seen! Let's just say all seven of us left that place with a "sugar" buzz which we needed within 10 minutes of leaving there. Please refer to the previous paragraph and my discussion of those hills! Let's also say that next to granny, that sugar high was my second best friend today!

The second stop we made today was at a local hamburger drive-in somewhere in a small Wisconsin town. It was a classic drive-in right out of American Graffiti. And the food was good enough to carry us the rest of the way to our destination tonight. By now, you may be noticing that very many of my "special moments" revolve around food. It is a requirement for cycling ... "ride to eat...eat to ride".

And just so you don't think all I do is complain about the hills ... that's just not true! Because I KNOW for every up hill, there is also a most wonderful down hill to experience. I often tell people, "I am a down hill specialist!" There were also some good flat runs too where five of us formed a pace line running from 19-21 mph for what seemed like miles, each of us rotating our turn pulling on the front of the line. Lots of fun!

And let's see, who do I want to thank and remember today? There is a group of people that many years ago, our lives crossed almost daily ... not all of us were close friends then but have developed into a kind of close knit group. I am referring to my High School graduating class of 1974 from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke. We had our 30th reunion several years ago and thanks to Wanda M., who keeps us "connected" via the internet, many folks have "renewed" old friendships that had gone by the side over the years. To any or each of you that may be following my journey ... I wish you my best! Several of the class have gone out of the way and have contributed to the M. S. Society in honor of folks they know who have M.S. I thank you! Take care, God bless and we need to get together again real soon! Say, sometime after I get back to town! Get in touch with Wanda, she the catalyst behind our class. And, by the way, Wanda has M.S. and she is one of the people that I am riding in honor af as well!

So, tomorrow we have another 70+ mile day from Wabasha, MN to La Crosse, WI. And then we will have a day of rest! My body is getting weary and I am looking forward to that day! Now it's time for dinner! YEAP ... food again! I wish you well and will see you tomorrow!

As the television show, "That 70's Show" says, "Hello Wisconsin!" We returned to Wisconsin today after a brief ride through the State yesterday. So, we said good-bye to Minnesota for the last time this morning. It was a good visit, but we must be rolling on!

I first need to say hello to a few folks that have sent me e-mails, a co-worker Poe C., a long time friend, Don A., my brother, Gary and his daughter, Becky and Nancy has e-mailed me several times as well. Thanks for your support and words!

When we left Wabasha, MN about 0710 this morning, it was just turning a bit light as there was a heavy fog hanging close to the ground. We were fortunate to be starting out on a road that had a wide and paved shoulder with minimal debris. I must say that, as we leave Minnesota, I have seen less broken glass on these roads than I have ever seen on the roads in any State in which I have ridden. And the traffic was completely bicycle friendly. I only heard one car horn my entire time on a bike in this State.

We made good time riding this morning as we probably climbed less than 500 feet total today. After about 31 miles, we stopped for a hot chocolate and a bagel just before crossing the Mississippi River one more time again. We stopped on the bridge and took several photos of the sites from it's pinnicle. The river we once stood above on a 25 foot plank is now over 1/4 mile wide ... just a fraction of its size we will be encountering in just a couple more weeks.

As we rolled on down Route 35 in our five person pace line, we once again were making good time. We were even experiencing some tail wind to help push us along our way. Our only stop the rest of the way was at a nice rest area next to one of the Mississippi's many tributaries. Jack caught up with us with the truck after he had ridden out with us this morning and reurned for the vehicle. He brought us gatorade, bananas and fig newtons to fuel our bodies for the last twenty or so miles left in the day.

The roads once again became a bit congested as we were heading back into more populated areas. With one last look at the map, we headed in the direction we thought would carry us to our over night destination. We chose right, as we approached, Jack had already driven to our hotel and returned on his bicycle to guide us all safely to our nights home. And it will be our home for two nights as we rest tomorrow.

And now my thank you for today goes to a varied group of individuals ... my Dr's that help keep this old body "ticking"! My familiy physician, Dr. Mitchell who is glad I'm still out here getting as much out of this body as I can. Dr. Hormel, my neurologist (M.S. Dr.) who also likes that I keep on going. Dr. Kirkpatrick, my radiation oncologist at Duke University Medical Center, who I go back to see just over a week after I return home. And a special thank you to Dr. Thomas Vail, also at DUMC, who replaced my right hip on July 18, 2005. Since that time I have ridden over 7,000 miles ... certainly more than I ever expected I would have ridden and probably more than he thought I would be riding! But it is working well! My thanks to each of you! I hope I can keep you in business for years to come!

And once again, I want to encourage you to pass this site along to someone you believe may like to follow this trek to the Gulf! It is being done for so much more than my personal pleasure ... it is to raise awareness about Multiple Sclerosis and, hopefully, to raise a little money to further research to find a cure and to help those in the Blue Ridge Chapter with any special needs that may come about as a result of their diagnosis.

Finding a cure for M.S. is more than just the dream of one person. There are so many people that have been effected by this potentially dibilitating disease. Not just those that have been diagnosed, but also to the families and caregivers. If you know someone that has M.S., be it a friend, acquantance, co-worker, family memeber or your self ... contact the M.S. Chapter today at 1/800/451-0373 and help make a differance by making a pledge. No gift is too small if we all pitch in and help!

I thank you for visiting this site! Just because I have a rest day tomorrow ... "rest" assured I will be back here tomorrow with news of what ever happens on my day off the bike!

Welcome back! I hope you are having a good day! As you may be aware, this is our first rest day and I have been taking full advantage of this opportunity. I slept until almost 0800, went to breakfast, did some laundry and repacked my suitcase, rode down to a local bike shop (in a car), had a little lunch and topped it of with a nap this afternoon! So you see, I HAVE had a restful day!

The weather here today is absolutely gorgeous! I wish we were riding today. Tomorow may be another story. I understand from my trusty advisor, aka: The Weather Channel, that the winds are going to be 10-20 mph tomorrow and, of course, are slated to be in our face! The ride is only supposed to be around 65 miles but we shall see how it goes!

I once again want to remind evryone that you can e-mail me if you like at kennyw@rev.net and I will respond. It is fun hearing from family, old friends and new friends I have met along my way. Many folks have let me know that they are sharing the site with their friends and hopefully, they may pass it on too!

Today, I want to thank everyone I am riding with. Carl, Donn, Charlie, Barb, Stu and Jack! They are a great bunch of people. Each of us are very different in our own ways but, when it gets down to making sure everyone is safe and not left behind ... we are of one accord. It is amazing to see how the bonds and connections form on trips like these. We become very much like a "family" and those ties carry over. I am lucky to have this group riding with me.

And I am also very lucky to have YOU following me on this journey! This is an important event. I am hoping folks become more aware of what Multiple Sclerosis is, how it effects people and that those of us with M.S. are just as "normal" as the next person. It is not a disease to be feared, it is not contagious, and most people with M.S. just want to be treated like the person next door. As we were once taught; "Treat your neighbor as you would want to be treated yourself".

So, having stepped down from my "pulpit", I wish for each of you a special evening and until we meet tomorrow ... stay safe!

It has been a good day ... a ride that started off with a wonderful flat road, nice shoulders, limited debris and fairly decent traffic ... after we made our way through downtown La Crosse. You'd think a town less than half the size of Roanoke would be easily navigated and, to a certain degree it was, however, the roads in town did not have a shoulder for cycling so we spent part of our time on the streets and part on the sidewalks that were wide enough and well groomed enough to ride on. Not an entirely unpleasant experience though. I was on my bike realizing another dream and continuing to confirm (to myself mostly) that I am not ready for the "pasture" just yet!

I would like to say hello to several people I met today and shared a bit of this odyssey with. First, there was Kale, our waitress during breakfast at the Best Western in La Crosse, WI. She did a great job looking after us this morning ... thank you and I hope you follow our journey to the gulf. Next, there was Kelly, who we met at our lunch break in a small, but very friendly town about 20 miles North of Praire Du Chein. She was very friendly as she put up with all the antics of our group! She doesn't have a computer but said she would find one to check out our trip. And then there was Wendy, the manager of the AmericInn in Praire Du Chein. Her husband has had hip problems for a number of years and she has a friend here in town with M.S., she appeared touched by the story. Although, to me it's not really a story ...it's just my life and I have never enjoyed it from the "sidelines".

Today's ride had a special appeal to all of us. As we were riding down the road, we had the bluffs to our left and the Mississippi on our right. Between our road and the river was probably the busiest railroad line I have ever seen. Frieght trains were running in both directions about every 10-15 minutes. You could hear their loud whistles blowing from a couple miles away as they would sound their crossing a side road. As a kid, I remember the trains would blow their horns at us when we waived. But now, I suppose they are restricted from doing that. Or maybe they were just ignoring Donn as he waived frantically at each train.

We had our closest, almost incident, today ... and I was right in the middle of it. We were alternating pulling our group of five along this afternoon and it was my turn on the front. The headwinds had really begun to pick up after our lunch stop and we were all glad they didn't begin this morning! As I was starting to climb a short and steep hill, with the winds in our face, it seemed to my legs that I was pedaling with the brakes on and someone holding me back. Donn was immediately behind me and I began to move left to let him take the pull. Just as I pulled left, Carl, who is a stronger rider and better climber than most in our group had pulled up on my left. Startled by that, I jerked my bike back to the right and almost ran Donn off the road. Thank goodness he was alert enough to holler and maintain control. We stopped shortly after that to "re-group" as I believe it "rattled" most of our group. I did not feel comfortable the rest of the way into town. I was glad it was only a few miles left. The group, however, would not let me "fall off" the pace line and we all maintained a more leisurely pace, as the wind allowed, into the town.

Now, we have tomorrow to look forward to. We head into our third State, Iowa, and are scheduled to be in Dubuque tomorrow evening. There is some potential rain on the way, so we will be watchful for that.

Today, I to say thanks you to all the new friends I have made since this journey began over one week ago in International Falls ... up to and including my new friends met today. It is a constant source of encouragement talking with people that either know someone with M.S. and hearing their stories. I wish I had time to share them all.

Well, friends, this is the end of my story ... just for today. I know we will have more for tomorrow. So please come back! And, if you care, drop me an e-mail at kennyw@rev.net I will respond! I wish you well until our next gathering.

Hello from our home for the night, Dubuque, IA, our third State in our journey to the gulf! First, I need to do a little updating about the site. Originally, donations could be made on-line through Pay Pal. That has changed now. On-line donations will go through the M.S. Society's e-pledge instead. Not to worry, ALL donations made on-line through Pay Pal WILL be forwarded to the M.S. Society. It was just determined by my computer "gurus" that making the payments through e-pledge cut out some of the logistical "red tape". So, I thank you for your support ... emotionally and financially.

Next, I need to "back pedal" a bit ... last night we were at the AmericInn in Praire Du Chein, WI. Wendy, the manager, after hearing the story, placed a placard in the lobby welcoming "Kenny and his Friends" and told a bit about our ride. It was getting toward evening, but she put a fishbowl up on the check-in desk and by the end of the evening, they had collected $41 dollars for the M.S. Society! She also had the over night clerk have the breakfast set up an hour early so we could leave at 0700 to beat the weather and wind! Thank you, Wendy and your staff for making us feel so welcome! By the way, it was the BEST breakfast we have had since starting the tour!

Now for the days journey ... it began with little fanfare. We were leaving Wisconsin today and heading to our third State on our journey, Iowa! Dubuque, in fact. What we didn't count on was the dramatic change in climbing we would face today. We had become use to fairly flat roads with roads having wide shoulders while in Wisconsin. And while the shoulder remained constant, we did say good-bye to the flat roads.

As we did our slow climb out of Praire Du Chein, the winds were light and constant ... in our face. We made it to the last little border town along the river after about 30 miles of riding and stopped for a coffee. We then had an unexpected pleasure ... we rode a ferry across the Mississippi River to get into the State of Iowa.

And let me tell you, we knew we were immidiately in another State, almost another world! After getting off the ferry, we had to travel almost two miles on a dirt road before we ever reached a paved roadway! And just as we reached the "hard surface", there it was in front of us ... our first "real" hill in days! So, with a little grumbling from the peanut gallery, we attacked our first hill! You know, for a State that isn't supposed to have any mountain ranges, I was aware of, this hill could have equaled any climb out of Roanoke ... even "the wall"!

And it wasn't just one hill, it was hill after hill after hill ... I actually lost count. And one thing that gets to me more than long climbs is a constant head wind! Well, today, we had BOTH! At the same time! Discouraging to say the least! But, we all did them !!! You know it's a bad day when you are pedaling down hill and only able to reach speeds of 13-14 mph!

About 15 miles out of Dubuque, we stopped at the oldest bar in Balltown,Iowa and had some lunch. Get this, I was almost too tired to even eat! But we all had some good food and we finished our ride into town. we were promised the big hills were behind us! I was very glad! But we still had the wind to contend with! Our little group of five just kept pushing into town.

And my thank you today is for a couple different people ... first, I need to specifically thank Wendy and her staff at AmericInn in Praire Du Chein, WI. They went so far out of their way to accomodate us and look after us! It was above and beyond any other hotel we have stayed at! And I also want to thank Doyle Edgerton and Rev Net for contiuing to find ways to upgrade and improve this site! He could have just thrown something together and said, "Here it is". But, that is not Doyle. He has followed this journal and is constanly looking to improve this site. I couldn't have put it together without him and his crew!

So tomorrow we go to Clinton, IA. It's only slated for 59 miles but no one has any idea about the terrain or the weather. And you know what, it really doesn't matter because we are all committed to this ride and will perservere to its end! So, come back tomorrow and see just what this crew gets into! Thanks for reading my journal and for passing this site along to others! I will see you again tomorow!

Happy Sunday, everyone! We slept late this morning. We didn't get up until 0530! There was no rush as the Holiday Inn in Dubuque did not have our usual contiental breakfast. (There goes that food theme again). Almost unheard of these days. So, we opted to pull out of the hotel a bit earlier than normal. We also had another threat today that we really haven't had to face on this ride yet ... rain. The weather channel was showing a line of showers heading our way so we packed our jackets in our jersey pockets just in case.

Jack has spoken with a local resident and found out that there was a small town, St. Donatus, about 13 miles out of town that had a buffet bar. (There we go again!) But, to get from point A to point B (B for Breakfast, maybe?), required two very significant climbs. Once again, I am here to emphasize that Iowa is NOT flat! So, it was a well deserved and earned breakfast today. If we had not known to stop there, we certainly would have just pedaled by as it just looked like an old "Mom and Pop" country store from the outside!

Leaving the store/restaurant, we continued our journey south. One of the old timers in the store warned us about an upcoming hill, Lewey's' Hill. They thought we would be walking up but we were able to find our "granny" gear and just spin up that hill. Lewey would have been proud! And the best part about going up a big hill is getting to fly down the other side. I had been in the back of the group as we reached the top but I was able to over take them on the downhill reaching over 41 mph. Not too fast by Roanoke rider standards but pretty scary to those used to riding on the cape or in Southern California!

Our group of five riders rolled along some nice roads with the wind just beginning to pick up and never a drop of rain had fallen all morning. Only a few sprinkles had fallen thus far. There are actually six "full-time" riders. Stu, a finely tuned 62 year old athlete, generally heads out far in front of our pack as he is definitely the best rider in our group. Jack, who has done a great job supporting our group while still managing to get in some good miles everyday! I so appreciate what he is doing and I believe everyone else feels the same!

About 13 miles before Clinton, IA, our stop for the night, we passed a small country restaurant, so you know what we had to do! But we only got ice cream with chocolate syrup! Except for Carl, who had a beer with his. Beer and ice cream? I wasn't the least bit interested in that combination!

We then began our final push into town. Carl, with his beer and ice cream "boost", took the point and pulled us along. There were clouds starting to build in the distance and the wind was beginning to pick up as well. It was evident that we were racing a shower to our hotel for the evening. Jack, who had already been to the motel rode out to usher us back in. Not 15 minutes after we arrived safely in our hotel ... the rain started.

Now, all that remains is to check in, shower, wash our clothes if a guest laundry room is available, check out routes for tomorrow and go to dinner ... naturally! Go to bed, get some sleep and get up and do it all over again tomorrow! Life on the road ... fun for a short while, but, I wouldn't want to do this for a living.

And now for my thank you for the day. I was going to save this one but have an urge to go ahead and let her know ... Nancy, my wife of the past 22 years. We have had our moments, but, overall we have, as Nancy has put it, "made a 'helluva' team". With all of my health issues, she has been there, with all of my travels she has supported/tolerated/encouraged, with other life's stuff, well, we are working that out. She has been a wonderfsul and supportive wife. And, Nancy, today ALL my thanks go to you!

So, for now, I wish you all well. Be sure to send me an e-mail if you have a chance at kennyw@rev.net I like hearing from everyone while I'm on the road. And remember, it's not too late to share this site with someone else or two or three!

Well, here we are again! I'm glad you keep checking in! I heard from some new folks on my e-mails today, even from a childhood friend, Stephanie B.P., or RevSteph as her e-mail says ... great to hear from you! And I also heard from another classmate, Wanda or Wa as I call her. She is a friend who has M.S. and is one I am riding in honor of as well! Oh, and I also spoke with a co-worker today, Dollie, who is helping "hold the fort down" while I am away!

Today was just another day. If you think getting up at 0500, eating bowls of oatmeal and fruit and drinking cups of O.J. and coffee, and then getting on a bicycle and peddaling over 65 miles is just another day! ;o)

We wanted to leave earlier than usual this morning as our trusted weather guru, the weather channel, had indicated there would likely be winds of 20-30 mph blowing today. And of course, if the wind is going to be blowing like that, "Murphy's Law" tells you it is either going to be in your face of from the side. Today, it was a combination of both. However, we did make one turn and it was at our backs for at least 30 seconds as we shortly rounded another corner!

Charlie wanted to run hard today. He was not looking forward to the strong winds this afternoon. Although we found a couple towns enroute to Davenport, IA with coffee shops, we rolled on. I didn't put any time on the front this morning. I wasn't feeling up to par, so I just stayed on the back of the paceline and let the others do all the hard work. Carl pulled us for at least the first 10 miles out of the motel before he wanted a break, Charlie, Donn and Barb, all took turns on the front. They enjoy looking after me ... and I was thankful today!

On the outskirts of Davenport, we stopped at Ross's Cafe to take a break after riding almost 32 miles. The others ordered omelettes, toast and hot chocolate, while Barb had her usual coffee with hers. I just had scrambled eggs and hashbrowns with water. Jack also spotted our bikes while driving past and stopped in to join us! We then road on through Davenport and were able to hook up on the local bike trail right beside the Mississippi River. It has grown quite wide since just over a week ago ... it is really astonishing to see how it has grown from it's tiny beginings at Lake Itasca, MN. We stopped at one point and took some nice photos.

Our excitment for today was sort of anti-climactic, but, in happened as we were riding down a busy highway with no shoulder. Donn spotted Barb's tire going flat so we had to stop. And it is not time to get upset about the interuption ... it's time to have a tire changing party! Carl was the chief mechanic and not sure if Barb was there to help him or frustrate him! It was quite comical to the rest of us and a real opportunity to take out the cameras and "make a memory".

The rest of the ride was uneventful. The wind was begining to pick up as promised and we hit a couple hills as we rode into town. We have begun to call all hills "Lewey" in honor or remembrance of the hiil we rode the other day where one of the locals had said, "you will be walking"! So, after the last "Lewey" of the day, we rolled right into town where we will be spending the night, Muscatine, IA. And our first stop ... NO, not the motel, but rather a Drive-in that advertised 24 flavors of ice cream! Three of us had delicious chocolate shakes and the others had cones. *You probably think I'm going to gain at least 20 pounds on this trip but, so far, I can still get in all my shorts!

After we arrived at the motel, Charlei got the idea that Bailey's and hot chocolate would be good at the jacuzzi! So he and Jack made the first rounds for everyone and we had a fun afternoon! You see, it isn't all about sitting on a bicycle and eating food, we do lots of fun things along the way as well!

My thank you today goes to Charlie, one of our riders, who not only pulled our group a good bit of the way, he has often dropped back to specifically help me out when I may be dropping back. Donn has helped to. Carl as well. And even Barb. They all have! But today I am specifically thanking Charlie. And also for the great beverages at the jacuzzi this afternoon!

And now, what is left in the day, you may ask! Well, it's time to eat again! Appleby's tonight, I believe! You see, when I return home, I'm going to write a new diet book called "Eat ALL you want ... EVERYDAY" ... the only catch is you have to ride a bicycle at least 60 miles everyday! O.K., so it probably won't sell. It was just a thought! Come back tomorrow and I will share with you a few more thoughts! Until then, have a great day!

Welcome back! Has it been 24 hours since my last entry? My back side would say at least that much! First of all, I want to say hello and welcome to folks that are coming here from MSWorld! I just checked out that home page this morning and saw that the journal site had been placed on their home page. Thanks WriteOp/Liz! It's been a while since I have been around but, I used the name "flipper" on the site. I am glad you are visiting here!

The days are obviously getting shorter as the sun was just barely peaking over the horizon as we pulled out of the motel at 0700, sharp. We rode back through downtown Muscatine, IA on our way out of town, right by the 24 flavor ice cream store we had visited just yesterday.

We were hopeful today as the winds were slatted to be out of the WNW and it appeared we might even have some tailwinds! Alright ... we can't wait! We road along in a nice pace line for about 18 miles on flat Iowa roads before we hit our first hill of the day. Almost simultaneously we all shouted, "Lewey up!" (As you may recall from an earlier entry, "Lewey's Hill" was the name locals had given one of our climbs we had ridden.) The winds had been a mixture of cross and side winds but few from our backside. After we topped this hill though ... that all changed! Carl was on the front and we took off, easily cruising at 28 mph. Much differnet than just days ago when we struggled to maintain speeds of 12-13 mph ... the winds make ALL the difference!

A few folks had suggested that we take "breaks" about every 10 miles. At the 20 mile mark, I decided to keep spinning as I figured they would have no problems realing me back in. But I was feeling much better than yesterday. So, I took off. The only one that caught me was Barb. She has become a fairly strong rider at this point. We joined up and rode together. We were looking for a restaurant to get some hot chocolate and a bagel but there had been no stores along this stretch of road. After just over 50 miles, we rolled into the town of Burlington, IA. A nice size town right on the Mississippi River. Stu, who always rides up front, had already scoped out a small sandwich shop a block or so off the beaten trail. Is was quiet and quant. And it fit the bill just right!

After lunch, we found our way out to highway 61 for our ride into Fort Madison, IA. It was a nice four lane highway and had a decent shoulder for riding ... for a while. Almost with no warning, we ended up riding on the edge of the highway as the shoulder was completely gone! And the winds had become less than favorable at this point as well! At least most of the traffic was taking the wide lane as they passed us by.

We were taking our time, maybe moving about 13-14 mph. I was behind Donn, when he rode off the shoulder of the road. He tried to jump his bike back onto the highway but his speed had fallen off. Before I could react, my front wheel just touched his rear and I was down in an instant. Fortunately, there was no traffic at the moment and no injuries as a result. Just a small contusion on my left ankle, but not enough for me to even consider stopping riding! So, we rolled on into town.

The motel we were staying at this evening was completely on the opposite side of town. The roads were narrow and the traffic was constant but not real heavy at this time of day. We all arrived safely at our destination for the evening. I was, however, happy to learn that I was able to get the last room on the ground floor! I don't do steps very well. Sounds strange, after riding almost 78 miles and then saying "I don't do steps well". That's just the way it is!

Now, I would just like to take a few minutes and remind everyone why I/we are here. Obviously, we are riding bikes from International Falls, MN to New Orleans, LA. I am doing it for the M.S. Society, to raise both awareness and, hopefully, some monies to go towrds research and finding a cure. Various improvements and treaments are now available, but, there is not a cure ... yet. We will not stop until there is one! I say "We", because there are so many people comitted to this cause ... I am only one grain of sand but, when we all work together, the grains become a beach ... and that's good!

And now my "thank you" for the day goes to MSWorld! All of you folks are doing a great job keeping people connected and giving a place for folks diagnosed with MS a place to go to "connect" with others! And you offer so much more! If you are not familiar with MSWorld you must check out their site! Your hard work and daily diligence is greatly appreciated!

I thank each of you for visiting this site and ask you to come back tomorrow for another day on the road. And I ask you to share this site with any of your friends, coworkers, family members ... anyone that enjoys cycling or anyone that may have any interest making a difference for the M.S. Society!

"On the road again ... I just can't wait to get on the road again" ... Well hello everyone. I can't tell you how many times I have sang these lines since we started riding two weeks ago! And today was a very special day, indeed! First, we are officially half way to the gulf ... mileage wise. We have now ridden 1,008 miles since October 6th, counting our first day "warm up" ride that took us from our motel in International Falls back into Canada. And here we are this evening in Quincy, IL. Two more riding days until we have our second rest day in St. Louis, MO.

Today I want to send out a Very Special Thank You to Wendy and the crew at the AmericInn in Praire Du Chein, WI. We were there last week and they really treated us like something "special"! Well, after we arrived here today and were resting by the jacuzzi, a basket of fruit was delivered to our group from Wendy and her staff at the hotel congratulating us on reaching our "halfway" mark of our journey! It doesn't get any more special than that! The friends you make on a ride like this is actually bringing a tear to my eye as I write this. There aren't words that can express how this makes me and our group of riders feel! Wendy, WE THANK YOU!!!

I also want to say a special hello to Jeff and Carol, friends we made on a bike and barge trip in Holland last year! Great people! And yes, Jeff, we had some "Lewey's" today, but no bad ones! I also want to say hello to Sue D., a friend and co-worker back in Roanoke. And to John B., another friend! Thanks for e-mails! It is always great to hear from my friends!

And as for today's ride, it was a really nice day. It was a bit chilly as we left the motel in Fort Madison, IA at 0700. A mere 37 degrees! We were ALL bundled in extra layers as we left! It was a nice 19 mile ride as we headed into Keokuk, IA, in the extreme southeast corner of the State. We stopped at a local cafe for our breakfast before we left Iowa and entered State #4, Illinois! Of course we had to stop at the middle of the bridge for the photo ops!

We got a bit confused as we crossed over into this new State, so we asked a local driver for the best directions. He treated us right, giving us a small two lane road that took us through the small town of Warsaw, IL. And, no, we didn't stop to eat ... surprising I know! But we have entered more rolling hills than we have had for the past few days. Constant "rollers" but, our group has gotten a bit stronger than when we started so we really enjoyed the day. Especially as the temperatures warmed to the low 60's and the wind was almost calm!

Barb took off on her own little ride, so Carl, Donn Charlie and myself just had a blast hitting those hills! I was surprised how well even I was doing on the hills! I am not usually that strong of a climber but, I guess after this many days on the road ... it just kinda happens. We stopped in a little community of Ursa, IL at a local gas station. By the way, I can't believe how much gas prices have fallen since I left Roanoke on 9/03/06. I guess that is a good break for all of us! Carl, Donn and Charlie went inside for ice cream and to chat with the local farmers in side the store. I opted to sit on a bench outside in the sun. Eating a banana I had and drinking some juice ... just enjoying life in that moment!

So on we rode into Quincy, IL. This is a special town to almost all of us in our group. Most of us had ridden from L.A. to Boston in 2001 or 02. That's how we met in the first place. But on that tour, we spent an overnight in Quincy as well. Call it an overnight "homecoming" of sorts. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing, making arrangements for our stay in St. Louis and confirming our route for tomorrow. So, you see, this riding isn't all hard work. Just the part on the road ... but even that is a joy most of the time!

My thank you for the day HAS to go back to Wendy and her crew from the AmericInn in Praire Du Chein, WI. To have followed our group and to know when we reached our halfway point is one thing. But, to go out of the way and send us a basket of fruit to recognize the accomplishment is special! I suppose we may have touched some lives along the way but there have been those who have touched our lives too! That is what makes good days even better ones!

So tomorrow we shall visit Hannibal, MO, the home of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. I guess our little group is like the "much" older and modern version of what Tom and Huck might be doing with their lives today! Life is good! See ya'll tomorrow!

Today was scheduled to be an easy ride from Quincy, IL to Louisiana, MO. With just 67 miles noted, and after experiencing the wonderful tailwinds yesterday, we were all stoked for a good ride. Plus, it would bring us one day closer to our scheduled rest day in St. Louis. We have only had one rest day since we began this adventure just over two weeks ago. I know at least my body is craving a day off the bike!

But first, I must say a few "hellos". I would like to say hello to Nick! He is my riding buddy and roomates Little Brother back in Cape Cod, MA. I hear he is playing soccer at school now. Hey Nick, tell Carl the next time he plans a bike trip to do it during the summer when you can come with us! I also want to say hello to Brittany, she was our waitress at Appleby's last night. She did a wonderful job despite all the antics of this bizzare group! And lastly, we met a guy named David at the Comfort Rest breakfast area this morning before we left. We let him know what we were doing and I asked him to check out this site and that I would say, "Hello David". I hope you enjoyed the site. You can now follow our journey down the Mississippi River and please share this site with anyone you think may have any interest!

The word this morning shared by the group was "ominous". Not sure if they were referring to the weather or the fact they still had the maps out at 0600 trying to figure out how we were going to get out of town. The night clerk made a suggestion and we thought, "why not"? So out of the motel we rode at 0700 sharp. I'm still not certain we really knew where we were headed. Jack drove the vehicle ahead and met us just out side of town. At least that part worked out!

We headed down a long, flat two laned highway with just a small shoulder. Fortunatly, what traffic that was there was quite friendly and didn't seem to mind sharing the road with this group of cyclists. On the down side, we were heading straight into headwinds out of the Southeast at about 10-20 mph. We formed our paceline, alternating folks on the front about every 1/2 mile.

We were supposed to be heading to Hanibal, MO, to visit the home place of Mark Twain and his unforgetable characters, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. We had been advised it was about 20 miles from Quincy, IL. But after riding about 23 miles, we were still in the middle of nowhere. We could see roads off in the distance, on the opposite side of some huge cornfields where we thought we should be! But how do we get there from here? After much discussion, and Carl's refusal to ask directions from a passing motorist, we found a road that said, "Hanibal 11 Miles". So, our 20 mile ride to Hanibal ended up about 32 miles.

We were all hungry by then, of course, so we had breakfast at the Becky Thatcher Cafe. A wonderful breakfast ... and a good thing ... we would be needing that energy later! We asked the waitress about the route we were planning on taking. "Does it have any hills?" She just smiled and said, "A few." I could tell be the smile on her face, we were in for trouble!

Donn, Barb, Charlie and Carl wanted to take the tour of the museum in town. That would take about an hour. I let them go and I headed out to our night's destination solo. After crossing the bridge out of town, there was the first hill. I had climbed bigger and longer hills on this trip so I wasn't worried. I should have been!

This 33 mile trek took me over some of our steepest and longest climbs of our trip yet! It even made "Lewey" pale in their shadows! There were several long and slow climbs before I hit the two that almost made me want to get off the bike and walk. But even though I was by my self ... I couldn't do it! And these roads were shared with large tractor trailer trucks hauling corn from the fields to the transfer stations near the river. These fully loaded trucks had no problem passing just off my shoulder at probably speeds of 60 mph or more. That, coupled with the headwinds and the hills, made for a long afternoon. And just to give you an idea of how steep these hills were, my top speed going down hill on one of them was 45.4 mph.

To beat the lonliness of riding alone and, quite possibly in a delusional state, was pretending I was like Floyd Landis on the day he did the solo breakaway in the TdF. I was not going to let the others real me in! Delusional or not, it worked! I arrived at the motel about one hour before the other group of four behind me. Carl, who is usually a much stronger rider than I am, only averaged 1/10th mph more than I did today! I felt good about that. And at that moment, I was glad to feel good about something as I am completely exhausted after today's ride. But, after tomorrow, I have a day of rest!

To bring things back down to a more "mello" level, my thank you for today goes to my nieice, Becky W.I. She has gone above and beyond, and out of her way to get this website out there and to help raise the awareness about M.S. to a huge number of folks! She has also kept me encouraged by sending me at leat one e-mail each day since I have been out here! Becky, ALL my thanks go to you! I will see you soon!

Well, that's all for tody, my friends. I still have dinner to go to and I need to answer todays e-mails but, my bike is already in bed waiting for the rest day as much as I am! I thank each of you for checking out this site and following my journey down the river. And let's not forget the dream of this old guy ... and many others for whom I am riding ... we want to raise awareness about M.S., to encourage further studies into finding a cure and to one day say ... "We had a part in finding the cure!" Alone, it is difficult, but together ... I hope our potential is limitless! Please come back tomorrow and share this site with someone you know! Thank you!

AAAAHHHHHHhhhhh...... I don't know how to start today's journal ... by telling you how wonderful it is to be having a day off the bike tomorrow or to tell you about today's ride?

Why don't I just begin by saying hello to a few folks who have visited the website. A big hello to a couple of my classmates from Patrick Henry High School Class of 1974 ... David L., and Pam H. W. ... great to hear from both of you! Also from an old friend at First Baptist Church, Leon B., A really good friend and co-worker, Mike U. and his buddy, Scott S., and Joy M. who we met on the Holland Bike & Barge trip last year and also to David D., who we met in Quincy just yesterday! It is absolutely GREAT to hear from each of you. And there are a few who e-mail me on an almost daily basis and I appreciate you all just as much! And, YES, I always respond to each and every e-mail as quickly as I possibly can. I also want to say hello to Charlie and Marilyn, a lovely couple we met t our early morning stop for hot chocolate. And also a BIG welcome to the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters! Thay have added access to this website from their home page www.vpff.org WELCOME!

Now, down to business. Our stay at the River's Edge Motel in Louisiana, MO was not really a quiet one. We had a beautiful view of the river from the front window. We also had a very busy railroad track between our view and the river. I only heard two of the trains whistles blow during the late evening to early morning hours but we had several in our group who were certain at least five or six trains passed during the night, with long loud whistle blows during each pass.

This hotel was one of the few that did not serve breakfast. We were lucky and found a local B&B that would be willing to serve us and they opended at 0600. It was a good breakfast, plenty to get us on our way! As we road out of town, our pace line was already working as the winds were starting early this morning. Our ride today would take us into the busy metropolitan area of St. Louis, MO. Lots of roads and traffic ... no time to take our attention off of our task.

Of course, Stu broke away early off the front, never to be seen again until we arriveed at the hotel. But our group of five did split for a while as well today. Charlie and Donn left our early morning stop ahead of us as they said they were not feeling as strong today. I think we were all still a bit fatigued from our rid eyesterday. And it has been over a week since our last rest day. I am 50, the youngest rider in the group and none of us can ride and push ourselves the way we used to!

We all regrouped about 30 miles outside of town and decided it was safer to ride in to town as a group. The roads were still two laned and it was reported by Jack, our recognoznance driver and part time rider that there would be road consruction up ahead. Jack has done a great job keeping us informed, stocked with supplies and on most days even goes in to the motels and rides back out to escort us safely in!

Several times this afternoon, we had to make hurried dashes for safer parts of the highway due to the road construction. But I was still impressed with the traffic as they always seemed to be courteous to us! Not what I am generally used to back home! But after much zigging and zagging our way around the city, we finally arrived to our home for the evening. A wonderful sight ... our home for two nights!

I must let you know something now. I noticed I had been having hard time the last few miles, particularly on the hills. I wasn't sure what it might be. I hadn't had any lunch but I didn't feel like I was "bonking". I didn't know. Then I tried getting off my bike. My left ankle was so sore, I could hardly put any weight on it while walking. Was it a shin splint? I didn't know. I had never had one. I finaly hobbled to my room and removed my shoe. It was the same ankle I had injured a couple days ago when I wrecked. I didn't think it was the same injury. The tendon on the front of my ankle was swelling. We wrapped the ankle in ice and elevated it for about two hours. I only took the ice off long enough to shower and go downstairs for a bit of dinner.

Mind you, my left ankle is my "good" ankle and this does have me a bit concerned. The ice has helped reduce the swelling but it has not gotten rid of all the pain. While the others will be sight seeing tomorrow, I may be here with my leg propped up and looking after it until Sunday morning when we are scheduled to pull out again.

I am aslking you now, if you are inclined to offering up words of prayer or into making well wishes. I am asking that you say a word for the healing of my ankle. Most of you know me well enough ... if there is any way that I can ride,I will be there. I know I must look after it myself and am willing to sacrfice the day of sightseeing with my friends to continue this dream. I will keep you posted as to my progress.


My thank you for the day goes to Jack, our driver and part time rider. After he heard about my ankle, he came straight to our room with an icebag and wrapped the ankle and saw to it that it was elevated. Jack is here to ride his bike and to drive the vehicle. He isn't here to act as a Dr. or protector of a guy that doesn't know when he should call it quits. But, from early on, Jack has looked after me in his own way. Remember the day we were hiking just north of Lake Superior before we arrived in International Falls, and Jack slowed his walking pace out of the woods just to make sure I would be O.K. For these reasons, Jack, I thank you!

Our long awaited rest day is finally here. And it seems to have come at the perfect time for me! I will be back tomorrow and let you know how I am and just what mischief I may manage to get in to! So, I hope to see you back again tomorrow!

And, in closing, I ask you once again, please pass this web site along to someone you may know. Either local, in anther State, oversea possibly ... lets help spread the word and raise the awareness level about Multiple Sclerosis. A few words can make a big difference! My sincere thanks to each of you! I hope you return tomorow!

Welcome back for my day of rest! And that is exactly what I have done! I left the room twice today. Once I went out to get some lunch at the hotel restaurant and then later this afternoon to get more ice for my ankle.

And you may be wondering how my ankle is doing this evening. I have it kept wrapped in ice all day and all the swelling has gone. I also started giving it some "hot" treatment by holding it in very warm water. This treatment process has helped. I know it's not 100% but, compared to the way it was feeling last night ... it is about 80%. So, my plans are to ride tomorrow! Did anyone really think I wouldn't be riding. ;o)

My friends had a wonderful day in St. Louis. They went down to the Arch and went to the top. They also visited other sites in and around the area. I am a bit disappointed that I was not able to be with them but, I know staying off my ankle and looking after it the way I did will help me ensure my ability to ride tomorrow and the rest of the way to the Gulf! I thank you for your prayers and wishes ... they have been answered!

Tomorrow morning our plans are to ride straight through town and cross the Mississippi back into Illinois for our next days ride into Chester. I understand we will be riding right by the Arch, so I will be able to get a photo of it for my scrapbook! We are slated to ride about 65 miles tomorrow. And, I am told the roads will be much flatter on the Illinois side of the river. I have also been told that we could expect a tail wind too! If we can have one out of three ... I will be happy!

I haven't checked my e-mails since this morning and the only ones to say hello to are Carl's little brother, Nick and