7/6/02

Monday.

I was very nervous to start.  I did not get to train as much as I should have.   I was worried about doing 50-60 miles a day for several days.   I also was a little nervous about my role on the trip being the only parent rider.  I felt I was making a leap of faith.  In light of my anxiety, starting with prayer was a very calming effect.  I hope our prayer and shared faith had a similar effect on everyone.

I had a strong sense of being part of the group even though I didn’t know everyone on a close basis.  Having all the parents at the start and spending some time visiting and sharing gave me the sense that this was a strong and powerful group to be a part of.

Cycling from downtown Chicago was magnificent.  It was a ride through many youthful memories for me.  I rode past my high school summer job at the Chicago Water Filtration Plant.  I rode through Lincoln Park where I used to play baseball and play at the North Ave. beach.  I could see the steeple where I grew up at St. Michael’s church.  It was a great ride through the north lakeshore.

We rode close together as a group through Chicago.  We were looking good with the team t-shirts.  There was an obviously experienced women rider who was hanging toward the back of our group.  I pulled up and told her we were starting out on a week long trip.  I told her the background with FCA.  She wished us a fun and safe trip.  I found out later that PJ had afterward pulled up alongside her and passed her one of our trip cards.

The second half of the first day I realized I had legs.  The exhilaration was giving way to the effort.  I enjoyed hanging with the girls riding in the group and listening to them singing songs for almost an hour along the Green Bay road trail.  It kept me going and uplifted my spirit.

Pasta and Taco salad never tasted so good.
I slept really well.

Tuesday:

I knew I had legs today.  They took a while to warm up and we started into Wisconsin, which meant hills.  I realized I could ride a lot longer and farther being a part of this group than I could alone.

We were riding through farmland on country roads and there was a beautiful feeling about the countryside and the trip.  I could feel a part of the greater good riding through the beauty of the country.  I felt the unity experience.  One with the group, one with the earth, the cosmic unity feeling of oneness with Christ.

I was overjoyed to spend a week without driving my car.  Very peaceful.

Ali had her boom box going – duct taped to her handlebars.  People were riding and grooving to the music.  It was great.

On the way to the nursing home, I was riding with the monkey sticking out of my bag.  We were on a busy highway.   I  was focused on my ride, staying put and gripping the handlebars tight.  The road was bumpy.  I looked down and the monkey was gone!  I was scared to death that I would be the one of the group to lose the monkey.  I didn’t want that legacy.  After a few miles, we stopped at an intersection, and Mr. Sladkey pulled up with the monkey on his bike.  He saw it sitting in the road and picked it up.  I felt watched over.

When we visited the nursing home, I was impressed most by our group of students.  They all were in a situation very different than they had ever experienced.  They were deft at dealing with a very fluid situation.  They had prepared several activities and were not anxious if an activity didn’t work perfectly – just try the next one.  The songs we sang had a calming effect on everyone.  The residents were flowing with the music.

It was a great hour spent on the mission of the week.

That night the campground was beautiful.  Clean bathrooms and showers.  A great swimming pool.  It was a fun group experience to all gather in the large tent.  I knew we were playing the family feud game to prepare for the next evening’s service, but it was fun to play as our group.

Wed:

It was hot.  I had a good start to the day, but my legs were heavy.  Hills were tough.  Sun was hot.  I remember riding and chatting with several people.  The girls were singing songs again.  It was fun.

I was trying to drink a lot of water.  I didn’t feel as though I had enough the previous day.  We started on the bike trail toward Madison.  It was not too hilly, but hot and humid.  I started to lag behind.  It became a big effort to keep up and I felt I was struggling.  We stopped on a bridge over the river for a group picture.  It was a beautiful scene.  I was glad for the rest.  The last 10 or 12 miles to Deerfield, I entertained the slightest thought of not being able to make the ride through the entire week.  Mr. Sladkey hung back with me for a while and that helped a lot.

When we reached Deerfield, I was thankful, tired, and fearful of my legs being tight the next day.  It was a great feeling to meet the people from Deerfield Lutheran Church.  Their kindness and the dinner was relaxing and fun.  I met my host family and they were very nice and kind.  We had a great service put on by our group.  I was moved by the shared faith of our host church community.  They are wonderful people.

My host family was very kind and put us up for the night.  It was nice to sleep in comfort, but I was worried about my legs the next day.

Thursday:

We had a great breakfast sponsored by the Church.  They gave us a warm send off.  I took off riding thinking God is with us.  When I started riding, I let my legs warm up. The weather was cloudy and cool, but no rain.  We did some early hills and I felt good about the ride.  We were talking and riding and enjoying each other.  My fears all evaporated.  My legs were OK.  We did about 40 miles with only brief stops and everybody was feeling good.  I knew I was good for the rest of the week.

It was a fun ride compared to Wed.  We made it to Lake Geneva, all looking forward to a swim and dinner out.  We had a nice visit.  Our favorite restaurant took good care of us.  The adults had a chat strolling around the sidewalk after our dinner while the rest had ice cream.  It was fun.

Friday:

Great day.  The ride was short due to the canoe trip.  PJ and I shared a canoe as we did last year.  I spent time all week talking to PJ, but I will always remember our canoe paddle together.  I told him, getting in the canoe reminds me of my youth and my trips to Quetico – boundary waters canoeing.  Someday I will go back and paddle in God’s country.

It was fun watching the cows in the stream part the way for our canoes to pass.

We were all very happy to get to the Sladkey’s house and see our family.  Barb and Jenny came and we had a great evening.

Saturday:

The last day was fun riding with all the extra riders – Jenny and Eric, Mr. Jandrain, and Mr. DeCaluwe.  We had a great ride.  I hope Mr. DeCaluwe recovers in a few days.  I enjoyed the go carts at Funway park.

It was a great feeling to ride home through Naperville, changed through the trip.  We rode by my Dad’s house and said hello.  We ended at the Jandrains’ and got drenched.

It was really a great feeling and a great week.