What an incredible experience going on a bike trip with 10 other students, 3 adults, and 3 drivers is! I never had so much fun in my whole life. Every day was jam packed with things I will remember forever. I felt there were three components of the bike trip that made it so special.

First of all, the biking aspect, who would have thought that we could make it 323 miles on a bike? The hills on the trip made biking so hard, but getting to the top of a really big one was awesome.

Secondly, the faith part helped me grow and change so much. I have always been a faithful person, but being surrounded by amazingly spiritual people for six days was so inspiring. I feel my relationship with God became even stronger because of this wonderful trip.

Finally, the people of the trip made it the fantastic adventure it was. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect group to spend six days with. Every single one of you guys is unbelievable, and I’m so glad that I was able to get to know all of you better.

Aaron: The one liner king! You were always there with your quick remarks that I loved. Although it seemed that you didn’t know how to shut your mouth, I still enjoyed all the jokes that came out of it. You are an incredibly smart person and definitely someone I look up to. I know you will be awesome at Notre Dame!

Ali: The hills were alive with the sound of Ali’s music! You are such an inspirational person. I loved that you would never let anyone give up; you were always there to encourage them. I’ll never forget seeing you pump past me as you attacked all those hills! Like you said in your testimonial, you are a great leader and a role model for us lowly juniors in FCA.

Brian: I’ve never heard a boy giggle so much, but that’s a different story. The way you connected with the people from the nursing home was really remarkable. It seemed that you were so comfortable and relaxed when you were talking with them, even though it was difficult. Of course, you could have had that great bond because you have the same taste in shoes!

David: By far the best helmet on the trip! I was impressed by the mature way you handled the teasing because you were youngest. You have to admit, they got you good with the stolen bike trick. You did a great job playing the guitar and singing at the church. I loved watching you steer Liz right into the side of the river. Now all we have to do is teach Michelle to row outside the canoe, not in it!

Karl: All I can say is you’re incredible! I still can’t believe that anyone could bike across the country in 27 day, but if anyone were to do it, it would be you. I’m sure the difficulty of this trip was nothing compared to that. I admired the way you came into a group of people that all knew each other and fit right in. This is probably because you have a gift of making anyone you talk to feel important.

Liz: Our “Dive” moves rocked! I had a great time coming up with all of the questions for the song with you. Too bad we couldn’t use them all. Your encouragement on the hills also kept me going. When I was going up the biggest ones, I could always hear you say, “We’re almost there girls, just a little more.” Singing “Dive” up all the hills was so much fun and we sounded great, even on the whoa’s!

Matt: We could always count on you to fall at the perfect time! I’ll never forget the fall right as we were riding into the church with all the people clapping; of course you did it on purpose, right? Although you were a man of few words you were always smiling. Your devotional was really thought provoking. I can tell that your faith life is very strong. It is a wonderful model for all of us.

Meredith: I’m so glad that we’ve all become close enough that we can rip on each other. It’s so special. Seriously though, you are such an amazing person and have been a terrific friend for the 14 years I’ve known you. You have always been a role model for me, and someone I’ve looked up to. Going into this trip I knew I could always come to you for help because we were both experiencing the trip for the first time.

Michelle: Our mile hikes to the bathroom will definitely be trips I will cherish forever. Because of this trip I feel I have formed a special bond with you that I am so thankful for. You’re so easy to talk to and I would know since we talked for hours over the course of those six days. We are by far the best canoeing partners I have ever seen. You are an amazing navigator.

Shawn: Don’t worry, you don’t breath too loudly. Staying at the same house as you was so much fun, even though we went to bed at 10:15. I really loved riding with you on the trip. We seemed to go at the same pace most of the time at that helped me so much. Singing “Old Lady Leary” and “99 Bottles of Milk on the Wall” with you, Ali and Michelle was a ton of fun! Who would have guessed that it would only take 4.5 miles?

Mr. Krema: I know you loved riding behind the 4 of us when we were singing our lovely rendition of “99 Bottles of Milk on the wall.” I was so impressed that you were able to come on this trip. It seemed that you are very important to your company but you still made time to go on the bike trip. It just shows your dedication to your daughters and your faith life that you were able to spend a week with us.

PJ: You are definitely an adopted Grandpa to all of us! On this trip I learned so much from you. Not only from what you said, although I loved the story about Mr. Sladkey sticking the snail up his nose, but also from the way you acted. It seemed that at every stop you found a new person to inform about our trip. Your determination showed me that even if you’re the Herby, you could still achieve your goals.

Mr. Sladkey: I don’t think I could say thank you enough. What you did to organize this trip and everything that went along with it was amazing. You made so many things come together in order to make the trip run smoothly for all of us. Also you are an incredible leader. You never yelled at any of us, yet you kept us in order the whole time. On this trip I no longer thought of you as a teacher but as a friend.

Mrs. Hilger and Mr. and Mrs. Chandler: Thank you so much for driving the van. I really don’t know what we would have done without all of you. I couldn’t imagine having to carry everything we needed. I always loved passing the van and seeing the camera sticking out of the window. No matter how tired I felt, I couldn’t help but smile! Finally, Mr. chandler, thank you so much for paying for all of us at the pizza place!

This trip was a blast and I can wait to go on it again with all of you next year. I hope everyone can go again!