WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CHECK BACK ON SUNDAY FOR THE BEST BLOG YET AND A RECAP FROM EACH MEMBER!

Day 50: Philly Philly Philly.....Next Stop....NYC!!!

Tonight's blog is short and sweet because we have to wake up at 4am in order to make it on time to the Ferry in New Jersey before our final destination....NEW YORK!!!



This is a shot of West Philadelphia where we ate awesome Philly Cheesesteaks at Jim's Steaks!



The Jim's Steaks' Crew who were extremely friendly and welcoming




.....and who could forget




Some delicious Philly Cheesesteaks!!!

Day 49: A Home Away from Home

All across America, team CURE has been taken care of by families, hotels, and camp grounds and would like to say thank you to all of those who have helped us along the way. Especially Gail Akard! She made sure that we were well fed, had a place to sleep, and she even let us borrow her car to check out all the amazing sights in D.C. Gail was extremely hospitable and wanted to make us feel as much at home as possible.

Here is a photo of Gail and Team CURE in front of her home in Sykesville, MD:





Here is a shot of Camden Yards where the Baltimore Orioles baseball team plays:

Day 48- Rest Day in D.C!

District of Columbia – Our day in the Capitol.

We had a great day of seeing the beautiful sites of our nation’s capital. Thank you to Gail for letting us use her car to drive into the city, so we wouldn’t have to take our support car/RV. We walked a ton, but it was well worth it. We started with a short walk to Union Station. The place was incredible; it felt like a mall. We ended up seeing the famous Capitol Building. After that we went to two Smithsonians; that’s right, two, count ‘em people. There are actually 14 Smithsonian buildings in what they call “The National Mall.” The weather here is unbelievably hot and humid. With a short stint of down pouring rain which he had to run in for 7.5 mins. It was great to see the monuments of our nations capitol and crazy how we made it all the way here on our bikes. The highlights of today were The Washington Monument, The Vietnam Wall, and The Korean War Monument (where both Matt and Nates grandpas served) Enjoy the pictures we took today in the beautiful District of Columbia.

Day 47: Washington, D.C.

Ryan's Tan Lines



Lincoln Memorial



The Crew









Washington Monument

2 days, 1 crash, 12,991 vertical feet.

We began our day pretty late, as we just couldn’t seem to get ourselves out of bed before eight. The physical exhaustion from yesterday’s 7,600+ climb left us tired, sore, and longing for New York. Within the first two miles of our ride we had our 2nd crash of the trip. As we where cruising downhill around 30 mph, Christian hit a bump that popped his hands off the handle bars, threw his chest where his hands should be, and sent him rolling across the pavement; thankfully all the people driving where paying attention. Everyone stopped, got out of their cars and helped us out. After the clean up (video below) we began the ride again. In my short life, I have been able to experience some amazing opportunities. Anyone who has been blessed with parents that love them and provide every opportunity for their child to succeed is a blessing beyond words. We as a group are truly blessed to be on this trip. But today was a different experience than the rest. Today wasn’t a day that was handed to us or we just magically made it to the next city. Today was a self-actualization day; a day that some people call “gut check time.” Right from the start we where met with huge climbs, never ending rolling hills that hit you one after another like being caught in an over-powering surf in the ocean. Today we climbed to the summit of five peaks, climbing 5,372 vertical feet with grades ranging from 6%-15%. Bringing our two-day total to 12,991 ft with 11 summits. It’s hard to explain the feeling when you have only gone 10 miles, your body aching from head to toe and your legs feel like they are on fire. The best part is that you know what is still ahead of you…. It starts with your feet. Cyclists call it “hot feet” when your pushing on the pedals so hard that they begin to feel numb and hot. It then creeps up to your calves and quads and hamstrings; never mind the fact that your knees hurt from riding everyday and your shin is literally tearing from the bone. Ya, today is “gut check day”. As you finally summit one mountain your mentality is crushed by the sight of another mountain just ahead. So you continue, one burning pedal after another. The grade is so steep that you can no longer sit in the saddle; you have to stand and “attack” the mountain. The bike shifts violently back and forth as your body twists in agony, and the pain only gets worse. Then you look down only to see the pavement crawl by, like honey out of a cold jar. You look down at your once black shorts and they are stained with salt, the sweat pours down your face into your eyes and down the frame of your bike. Only to meet another turn where this daunting task continues. Then your mind wanders and you suddenly feel yourself doing things you don’t normally do or thinking of obscure things. I have heard cyclists describe this when you’re completely exhausted; you have maxed out your lactic threshold and you might be in heat exhaustion. I think it’s just because you want to think of anything else besides that mountain ahead. But you keep on pushing; the motivation feels far away, but you keep on pedaling. It’s a lonely feeling where it is just you, the bike, and what seems like endless feet of pavement. Yet you keep on pushing one stroke after another until finally you have reached your mark. We may not know a whole lot about life and the struggles of raising a family and providing for them, but today I would like to think that we became men just a little more; something no one can take away. So I ask you, what is your mountain? What is something in your life you have been avoiding or putting off making excuses? Maybe it’s a physical goal, or a spiritual matter, or a relationship that needs mending. When will it be time to “get on your bike and push over that mountain?” Was it hard? The most physically demanding 2 days of my life. But I would not go back and change it for anything. Of course we couldn’t have done it alone, the strength from Christ is the sole reason we have made it this far. But today was “gut check day” and we took it head on and overcame. Take on that mountain, and overcome. There is no better day than today to start that climb and when you get to the top you know its done and you can have that feeling forever.

Day 45: We climbed 7,619 vertical feet....Yikes.

Today's ride was most definitely our number one hardest day. We have had tough days (the Arrowhead pass, the winds of AZ), but nothing can compete with today's climb of the Appalachian Mountains. Oh yeah, we made it to our 11th state.....Maryland! We thought it was never going to end. When we came to our lunch stop for the day, we were spent (the first half of our day was only 30 miles...and we had 30 more to go). We rested our legs and ate delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Gagné started cracking up, "I don't want to ride any more." Neither did the rest of us, but we slowly made our way back on the bikes. The second half was worse than the first. Nate also claimed today as being the most difficult driving day as it was extremely stressful. It's just been an exhausting day for the whole crew and we're looking forward to resting, eating, sleeping, and gearing up for....NEW YORK!!! Woo woo!