Journey of Hope 2009

End of the Road

2009-08-31T09:50:00.001-04:00

Arriving in DC two weeks ago was by far the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced. We rode about 40 miles from Manassas to DC that day, and I did not want the ride to end. I remember being quite and reflecting on the whole summer. I thought about the places I went, the people I met, and the Pi Kapp brothers I rode with. There were so many feelings swirling through my mind that I could not concentrate on one thing for too long. All three teams staged up a couple miles from the capitol building about an hour before the arrival. I don't think any of us were really prepared to what we were about to experience. Riding into the capitol lawn with hundreds of friends, parents, and random bystanders lining the street to cheer us in is one of the best feelings in the world. It almost felt like a dream. My emotions went crazy and I have never been so proud of an accomplishment before. Walking up to the lawn, I saw on of my favorite sponsors from Lake Havasu, a group of amazing friends from Queens, and my parents and I almost started to cry. I did hold in all my tears though, which I can not say the same for many of my teammates. My whole team just started hugging each other and we didn't even have anything to say to one another because words could not explain our feelings. We all lined up in front of the capitol to listen to speakers and looking out infront us at the crowd was unbelievable. All I could think about was how I could not believe this summer was over and to see all the support we recieved from across the nation to come to our arrival was amazing! The rest of teh day was pretty surreal. I just kept thinking to myself that I could not believe it was all over. No more waking up in a gym with 32 other guys, no more 4:30 wake ups to cycle 100 miles, no more crew chief breakfast or lunches, no more daily friendship visits. Now that I have had a few days to sit and think about the summer, I have realized that this has been the best experience of my life. I have realized that there are experiences and people that we meet that will change our lives forever, and I definitely consider my life changed forever. Service is such an important part of living, and I will take what I have learned about service to others and carry that with me the rest of my life.

- Joey H.

End of the journey, but the beginning of a new perspective

2009-08-11T15:51:00.004-04:00

I arrived today in the last state before DC. We are in Danville, Virginia. These last few days have been amazing. Our days have been jam packed and we have been visiting a lot of organizations. We also had an awesome arrival in Charlotte. I want to thank all my friends in the area that came to the arrival. It was great seeing them and also Amber Perrell from Queens Student Activities! We had a great dinner with both the Pi Kapp national office and Push America office with all the board members as well. It was hard to believe that I was already back in Charlotte. It feels like yesterday that I was in San Francisco on my practice ride.

We also had a great friendship visit and dinner at the ARC of High Point. We had a scavenger hunt with the participants in a museum which was a blast!

Also in the passed few days Bruce Rogers, the man who first rode across the US in '87, rode with us for two days. He is an amazing man. Coming out of Charlotte, Chad Coltrane, CEO of Push America, did a ride along to High Point. It was great riding with him and getting to know him a little bit more.

I am not sure if I am going to have internet again before Saturday, so I would go ahead and give some thanks. I would first like to thank all my sponsors again. This would not have been possible without your help. Trust me that the money is making a difference and bringing so much joy to those who need it! Your money is making people with disabilities' lives much more enjoyable because they have a community that they are able to go to and be themselves and that allows them to lead a normal life.

I would also like to thank Reena Arora, Queens marketing coordinator, for being so supportive and helpful with getting the word out about Journey of Hope. She has been amazing ever since she heard about what we were doing.

There have been so many people that have been so supportive this summer and I am extremely thankful for that. People with disabilities are apart of the largest minority than anyone can become apart of at anytime. I encourage everyone to try and get a better understanding of people with disabilities. They are no different than us and they can use all of our support. This summer has changed my life and the way I view people with disabilities. I am thankful that I have been given this opportunity and I am looking forward to share my story. Keep checking back in because I would like to write at least one more post about the arrival into DC. We will be arriving at the Capitol building around 11 am this Saturday August 15th. If anyone is in the area I would love for you to come out!

-Joey

2009-08-11T15:35:00.006-04:00

Sign on the tree house at Camp Twin Lakes in Georgia.
Me, Owen, and Mike

Jason and Jill during bowling with Angels in the Alley.
Hank and I at UCP in Tuscaloosa.

Atlanta, GA

2009-08-04T23:34:00.002-04:00

The days are getting closer til my arrival in Charlotte. I can't believe I'll be back in Charlotte this Saturday.

Our friendship visits in Atlanta have been great. Yesterday we had a friendship visit at an Autism Center and hung out with 2 to 4 year olds. It was a blast. I fell in love with Owen. He fed me lots of played food and he cooked for me and then we played cars. Great times! And yesterday we had the best sponsored dinner ever. Amazing steak, potato bar with all the fixins, and great rolls. Dr. Lori Ebbert who works at nationals sponsored it at her house. It was also great because an alumni from my Pi Kapp chapter, Scott Thomas, was there. I havn't seen him in a while and it was great to catch up. Last night I also got to see another alumni, Wes Pitts. He was president of our fraternity when I was a freshmen and he graduated in the winter then went off to Korea to teach for a year. So I have not seen him in a year and a half it was really cool catching up with him!

This morning we had a day of from riding and we went to Holy Comforter for a friendship visit. Holy Comforter is a church that focuses on the needs of people with disabilities and much of the congregation is people with disabilities. And this evening we went Bowling with Angels in the Alley. It was so much fun. I met Jason, Jill, and Jason's family. They were great. Jason is 33 and has CP. He kicked my butt bowling!

So I'm not sure if I'm going to have internet access again before Charlotte so I just want to invite everyone to our arrival this Saturday, August 8th. It is scheduled for 11:30 at the Pi Kappa Phi National Headquarters, 2015 Ayrsley Town Blvd. Suite 200 Charlotte, NC 28273. I would recommend getting there earlier though just in case anything changes. If something changes sooner I'll let everyone know. But I hope anyone in the Charlotte area is able to make it!

Don't Count the Days, Make the Days Count

2009-08-02T20:04:00.002-04:00

Well there is less than two weeks of one of the most amazing summers I have ever had. I feel that I am definitely making the days count as well. I am having a blast cycling and everything else we are doing. Today we rode 120 miles from Birmingham, AL to Carrollton, Georgia. I never thought I could have so much fun cycling 120 miles in a day! But I did. It is really hard to believe that I am already in Georgia and on Saturday I'll be back in Charlotte. These last few days have been pretty rainy. On our way to Birmingham we got caught by a down pour. It was a blast to ride in though!

In Tuscaloosa, AL, during our lunch friendship visit with UCP, I met an awesome kid named Hank. Hank has cerebral palsy. He can not communicate very well verbally, but Hank had some an awesome personality! He has a new electric wheelchair and he flies on that thing. His smile could light up the world. I was able to speak with his mom and grandma as well, and both of them seemed like extremely loving people. The people I am meeting are definilely having a life long impact.

2009-07-29T00:07:00.002-04:00

At the lake!

Sweet Home Alabama...

2009-07-28T23:39:00.004-04:00

Well, since the last time I wrote I have passed through Louisiana and tomorrow I'll be leaving Mississippi and heading into Alabama. Time definitely has been flying by since leaving Texas. We were only in Louisiana for three days, but they were a good three days. The first day we arrived in Shreveport we visited the first Shriners Hospital where I met Lineth and her daughter. They were from Panama and they didn't speak English, so it was awesome because I sat and spoke with them for a good while and I practiced my Spanish. Lineth's daughter was brought up here by the Shriners to get surgery done on her legs. She is severely disabled, and the family wouldn't be able to pay for the surgery otherwise! It turns out that Lineth and her family live in a neighborhood close to where I lived during my semester abroad to Panama. Lineth got pictures of all of us and she gave me her address and told me that if I were ever in Panama that her family's doors are always open to me! Meeting and speaking with her really made me miss Panama a lot! That evening for dinner we went to a Pi Kapp alumni's house on the lake and had the best steak I've ever eaten. It was great to relax on the beautiful lake, especially knowing that I was going to have to wake up and ride over 100 miles the next day to Monroe, LA.

It turned out that the ride to Monroe was actually 117 miles. That was our longest day of the summer. It was a very long day. Unfortunately I did not fare too well because I must have not drank enough water and gotten dehydrated. The last 20 miles of the day I had the worst headache which made me sick to my stomach and I couldn't hold anything down when I finished the day. Thankfully though I didn't start feeling really bad til after the ride, because I was really glad to have finished. But I definitely couldn't have done it without the support of the guys I rode along with! I thought they were going to have to drag me the last 4 miles! But after a good nights rest and drinking lots of water I was ready to go the next day's 70 miles. In Monroe, we had a great dinner and friendship visit. There was line dancing and I even ate alligator for the first time which was fantastic.

The arrival into Mississippi was a wet one. We actually made it across the Mississippi River before it started down pouring though. But as soon as we got to the shelter across the river for lunch it started pouring! It was nice though, because this is the first time all summer that it has rained like this. Mississippi has also been really short. We had a great arrival/lunch/friendship visit in Jackson and today we had a great sponsored dinner in Meridian after our last century day of the summer.

Tomorrow we are headed to Livingston, Alabama. Once again these states are flying by. And by the way I still have not gotten a camera but I have managed to steal a few pics from the guys.

Joey H.

Forever Inspired

2009-07-23T23:04:00.002-04:00

Judie and Mike! My heros!

Today we are in Longview, TX and it is our last day in this wonderful state. Tonight at our sponsored dinner, I was absolutely in awe of two people I met and heard speak. Judie Moffett and Mike. They are both apart of POWER, People On Wheels Encouraging Responsibility. Judie is actually the Executive Director and Co-founder. They are both paralyzed from the waist down and they shared their stories with us. I don't know what it was, but while they spoke and spoke about what an amazing thing we were doing, all I could think about was how inspired and amazed I was at these people! Something just shot through my soul and I have never been so inspired in my entire life. I could not ever imagine waking up in a hospital bed and not ever being able to walk again. And that could happen to anyone. But the strength, encouragment, positive attitude, and happiness they showed was life changing. In that moment they were talking this whole summer seemed to all come together for me. Knowing the struggles and tough times they went through, I feel that I will never let anything stop me from accomplishing things that I put my mind to. When they became paralyzed, they did not just give up on life, but instead they strive to create a better environment for others. They want to make sure that others in wheelchairs have the same opportunities as everyone else. I am still trying to work out the emotions and feelings I experienced this evening. But I know that it is a feeling that I will never forget. The website is http://powerincorporated.org/ if anyone would like to know more.

Life is short, make the best

2009-07-22T23:15:00.004-04:00

I have survived another day of cycling to Terrell, Texas. I just realized that I forgot to talk about our awesome wheelchair basketball game in Ft. Worth. We played a 7 time national champs team. We started off playing pretty well, but then it went down hill fast! haha. They were amazing! I am amazed at the abilities of how good these guys play basketball in a wheelchair. These guys are my heros. The best player was from Charlotte and he was in the wheelchair basketball scene in Talladega Nights. Watching him play was extraordinary.

Life flies by. I definitely want to make the most out of my life and accomplish as much as I can having no regrets. This summer has really opened my eyes about this. I want to get as much out of life as I possibly can. I want to learn, live, and grow. I want to live a life for others, hoping to pass my love for life on to them.

Oh and by the way, my camera broke while it was in my pocket during the intense game of Whirley ball :( Hopefully I'll be able to find some way to get another so I don't miss out on picture memories of my final weeks...So if I don't post pictures for a while that is the reason.

Joey H.

2009-07-22T00:03:00.008-04:00

Todd playing with Luke during our friendship visit
Performing the Kids on the Block puppet show.

Our escorts to our Arlington arrvial

Amazing
Mayor Francene Allen-Noah of Snyder, TX and our Project Manager Nick Hoffman

Texas, almost over already?

2009-07-21T23:40:00.002-04:00

So we just ended our free day in Dallas. At this point all of us are all pretty shocked by the reality that we are only in Texas two more days. This was the state that all of us were dreading because we spent the most time here. Now we are almost through it! We have been told by previous riders that once we get out of Texas the rest of the summer flies by. Today we had an awesome friendship visit at a school for children with disabilities ages 1 to 6. We got to the school where there were a ton of kiddy pools set up and all the kids came out to play in them. They were so much and all them were so happy. I just stood there watching how happy they were and how much they were just like any other child their age. All of the kids put such a big smile on my face. We also ate lunch with them in their classrooms, which was so much fun. A few of them were being taught to eat themselves and they made quite a mess!

Afterwards we had another friendship visit at a pool with a couple water slides. It was nice just to relax and have some brotherly bonding. We ended the day with a sponsored dinner by a previous South Route JOH cyclist, Randy, from 1996 and another Pi Kapp alumni. They were great! We played Whirley ball which is like a mix between bumper cars and lacrosse. It was a blast! Randy brought his photo album from South Route ride and it was awesome to see the places that we had come from.

I hope that everyone is still enjoying our posts and sorry again that we are not able to write more often. It is unfortunate because I feel that I cannot always find the words to describe the experience that I am having. This summer has absoluntely changed my life and I wish that everyone knew how amazing it is. This summer I am reading Three Cups of Tea which is about a man, Greg Mortenson, who has built several schools in the rural areas of Pakistan (There is so much more to it than this, but this is the basic summary). But reading about Greg's experiences, mixed with mine from this summer as well as my previous service trips, I have definitely realized that this is where God wants me and He has shown me the importance of service and community.

Well it is about bedtime so I must be off.

Joey H.

2009-07-17T23:32:00.003-04:00

New Mexican sunrise. Last day in NM.

Joe's Boot Shop. The South team has made it tradition to stop here on the Texas border to buy cowboy apparel.

Texas is big!

2009-07-17T23:04:00.003-04:00

So I finally made it to Texas. We have been here for 3 days now. I am enjoying myself. We have amazing sponsors here and our lodging has yet to be in a high school gym! The hospitality we are receiving is absolutely great! We are also having some great friendship visits! Experiencing these communities and the generosity has really lifted my spririts with humnanity. I have realized that media makes things seems so bad out in the world. But there is still so much good.

So Texas is pretty much exactly how I pictured it to be. Flat. Farms. Windmills. Oil Drills. And Cowboy hats. We have not had a day off in a while now, since Roswell. We still have 3 more days til we get our day off in Dallas. I am definitely ready to give my legs a rest. Especially after tomorrow because we have 110 miles!

The days have been going great. South team listens to a lot of Taylor Swift on our free time. There was also a scorpion in the washer yesterday that I washed my clothes in. That was a little creepy. I have also been enjoying some beautiful sunrises. The days seem to be really flying by now. I also can't believe that we are over the halfway point in the trip. It is hard to believe that over a month ago I was riding across the Golden Gate Bridge getting ready to cycle across the US with a bunch of guys that I didn't know. I am also pretty thankful because I still have not had any major problems with my bike and I have only had two flats!

I suppose I should go and get some sleep.

-Joey

Over Half Way Done!

2009-07-14T17:28:00.004-04:00

So we're in Pratt, Kansas, and we just got back from an awesome friendship visit with the Arrowhead West, filled with food, games, and lots of Karaoke! Our guys had a blast, and I had a ton of fun hanging out with Barbara. I also found out that I got my picture on the front page of the local paper with a man named Josh that I met at a friendship visit we had yesterday in Dodge City. There was a neat article about Josh and I and the Journey of Hope, which put a big smile on my face.

This week has been rough, leaving Colorado and entering the very scenic Kansas. We have not had a day off for seven days so far, and will not get one for one more day, and let me tell you, seven days on the bike is not very pleasent for the bottom area. Its also been very hot lately, which is good since i get to work on my tan lines, but it makes the riding a little more difficult. Even the locals said its not usually this hot, but oh well, what can you do?

We're over the 2000 mile mark of the trip, and just over the halfway mark for days left. I believe its day 39 of 72. We're all getting pretty excited , but we're also shocked at how fast it has been flying by. The only hard part that seems to not go by quickly is the time away from Ashley. I've been missing her for a while now, but she always has something inspirational to say, and it gets my spirits back up. Thats just one of the reasons why I love her.

I'll put some pictures up, but there won't be too many, seeing as we're in Kansas and there is nothing to take pictures of.

This is Josh, the guy who shared the fame with me on the front page of the paper.
We got to the Kansas state line...Yay?
This was at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. We got to take a tour and meet some Olympic athletes, and see where they train. Super cool!
Our huge police escort in Colorado SPrings, taking us to the Olympic Training Center. Yea...We run red lights...No big deal.
After meeting with the North team in Denver, we were taken to the Invesco Field, where we were greeted with a huge welcome sign on the Jumbo Tron.
Did we just bike over 2000 miles?
Danny's arm wrestling with one of the clients at Arrowhead West, and it turns out he lost. Maybe he should stick to cycling...
This is Barbara, who ate lunch and talked with me for the entire friendship visit. She was super nice, and wouldn't stop telling me how nice i was and how proud of us she was. Barbara loves the rubber bracelets that have words on them, so i gave her my Push America one so she could remember us.

New Mexico pictures!

2009-07-11T00:28:00.009-04:00

Getting ready for our arrival into Carrizozo led by the fire truck.
Between the Blackstocks.
Calendar at the New Horizon Center! Feeling the love.
Some good singing for the night!

Me and Todd
We biked on the famous Route 66!

An Albuquerque sunset

Albuquerque, NM

2009-07-09T23:58:00.002-04:00

New Mexico is still going well. We had a day off in Albuquerque yesterday which was nice to sleep in a couple extra hours. Most of us were glad to have the day off as well because we needed to do some laundry! We also went to the zoo after lunch. For dinner we had a friendship visit and dinner at ARCA, an organization that serves people with disabilities. It was a lot of fun! There was a ton of food and we served snow cones and had pinatas. We also listened to some great singing by a couple of the participants.

A couple days ago when we arrived in Albuquerque I had quite an eye opener. We had a friendship visit at Casa Angelica. This was the first organization that we have visited where the participants were completely disabled and many of them needed someone to be there arms and legs. This trip keeps opening me up to new things and everyday is a completely new experience. I have grown so much as a person and I'm so thankful to be exposed to all the new things I am experiencing.

Tonight we are somewhere in the middle of no where New Mexico. We are in a town called Carrizozo. It is a really nice small town of 1,500. We had a really good arrival at New Horizon Developemental Center where we had lunch with all the residents of the center. Tomorrow we have a 90 mile ride to Roswell! I'm pretty excited about this one. Hopefully I don't get abducted. But that would be an interesting story to come back and tell I guess. haha.

-Joey H.

Salt River Canyon, AZ

2009-07-07T22:11:00.008-04:00

Pace line for the day!
Me and J-Rob at the top of the canyon
The road that we started our 5 mile climb up is visible here. It was a long climb!

The switchback road that we road down is slightly visible in this picture!

Fun in the sun...

2009-07-07T21:36:00.002-04:00

So the past few days of cycling have been quite a challenge! The day we left Tempe, AZ we rode to Globe, AZ which was about an 85 mile ride. The second part of the ride was some pretty steep, long climbs. The sun was also blazing down on us the entire day, which completely drained me. We spent our 4th of July in Globe. I went with four or five guys to the gas station where we all bought slurpies and ate at Jack in the Box listening to fireworks in the distance! It was a pretty exciting night.

After an early wake up and late getting our stuff to the vans (meaning we have to wake up earlier the next day) on July 5th, we made our way to Lakeside (Show Low) AZ. Now this was the suprise of the trip so far. Immediatelty after leaving Globe we began a tremendous climb up mountains for 95 miles! Of course I knew that there were mountains in AZ, but I didn't realize that there were beautiful forests and an elevation high enough where there is snow in the winter! We got to the top of the mountain to Lakeside about 7,000 feet and it was absolutely beautiful. There were some amazing views where we biked today. Of course at the same time it was an extremely diffcult day. We were speaking to a guy during our sponsored dinner and he said we probably climbed about 10,000 feet because we climbed and dropped so much. One of the most shocking parts was we got to a ledge at one point and dropped about five miles down into a canyon! It was one of the most exhilerating and exciting rides of the trip, but at the same time speeding down a canyon and looking over the guardrails seeing the straight drop was extremely scary. And also what goes down must come up. So we climbed five miles back up the canyon where the crew met us with lunch which was a relief. Once we were finished with dinner me and a few guys put our air mattresses outside and slept under the stars. It felt amazing outside and I felt like I was back in WV during some summer nights sleeping outside on my trampoline. We had a 4:30 am wake because we had a 105 mile day to Zuni, New Mexico. We were all pretty excited to finally get into a new state, but not really excited for century ride. It turned out that the ride was not bad. It was pretty flat, the only thing that was bad was of course the sun beating down on us all day. Zuni was an interesting town. I am pretty sure it was an Indian resveration and the majority of people leaving there were Indians and many living under the poverty line.

Today we rode 75 miles to Grants, NM. Once again, I was shocked by the scenery of NM. In Zuni there were giant plateaus in the distance and was what I imagined NM to be like. But today we climbed up a few hundred feet, where we rode past the continental divide. Right now we are in the cool mountains. It was another beautiful ride today seeing a different side of NM than I thought. Tomorrow we ride to Albuquerque. I hope that everyone is enjoying the blog so far. I can't believe that we only have a little over a month left of the summer. Time seems to be flying by!

-Joey H.

On our way . . .

2009-07-07T11:24:00.005-04:00

Joey gives us a look at the scenery in Nevada as he and his Journey of Hope team make their way from the west coast to Washington, D.C.

Check out more videos of Joey's journey at www.youtube.com/joeyanderic.

Proclamation of Push America Day in Nevada

2009-07-04T23:30:00.002-04:00

Proclamation of Push America Day by Mayor Mark Nexson in Lake Havasu (first video) and Councilman Steve Wolfson of Las Vegas (second video)

2009-07-03T20:18:00.002-04:00

Max, the best crew chief.

Phoenix, AZ

Crew stop

JOH dance party at Lake Havasu!

2009-07-03T20:00:00.001-04:00

2009-07-03T19:50:00.007-04:00

Pam and I.
Breaking it down with Jimmy at the dance.
Chuck doing a little dancing!

Danielle and I at the BBQ in Las Vegas.

2009-07-03T19:44:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Arizona...

Sponsored dinner and pool party at one of the Councilman's house in Lake Havasu. This place was beautiful!
New Horizons friendship visit in Lake Havasu
Our team with a few Pi Kapp brothers from ASU.

Over 1,000.

2009-07-03T19:20:00.002-04:00

Well these past couple of days of cycling have been pretty intense. From Parker, we rode 110 miles. That was a long day. At one point we rode probably 30 miles in a straight line. I almost fell asleep a couple times while riding...It is also exciting because we have officially biked over 1000 miles now. I still can't believe that I have biked that much. It feels like I have been cycling now for about a year, but it has only been about 3 weeks. But time is also moving pretty quickly. We only have about a month and half left. That is pretty hard to believe.

Yesterday we arrived in Tempe and we have the day off today, which is nice. Yesterday was really cool because we had a police escort and rode through downtown Phoenix. We were greeted by fellow Pi Kapp brothers from the chapter at Arizona State University and lunch! For our friendship visit we played another wheelchair basketball game! I have to say that we have improved, but we were still slaughtered by the home team. Some of the guys are awesome. I'm not really sure how they do it. Lodging is also great because we are staying in the dorms of ASU and we get real beds! Tonight we are having a pool party and BBQ which is going to be great to relax before our ride tomorrow. I heard tomorrow is going to be pretty tough. It is about 80 miles with a gradual climb in elevation.

-Joey H.

Parker, AZ

2009-06-30T20:39:00.003-04:00

So it is crazy, but I actually have internet two days in a row. Today we rode about 40 miles to Parker, AZ. A small town in the middle of a couple indian reservations and right on the Colorado River. The ride was not that bad although it got to 99 degrees at about 10:30 and it only got hotter after that. But we did have a sponsored lunch waiting on us by the local fire deptartment which was great! They had hotdogs and hamburgers waiting for us and then we got time to swim in the river. We bathed ourselves in the river as well and afterwards a couple of the firemen took us out on their speed boat which was awesome. I also got to slide down the slide pool in the station. It was pretty exhilerating. We are staying at a senior citizen building here and Parker and I read an interesting article that was hanging out. Apparently the county we are in right now, La Paz, has the highest percent of elderly in the United States. The median age here is 50, while the national average is 36. 32% of people here are over 60! But I am still extremely impressed by the hospitality here and with the rest of AZ. This is a great state! But dinner is waiting on me so I gotta go for now.

By the way I got to talk to Eric last night and it was great! As most of you know I do not have a cell phone so I am completely out of touch with the rest of the world.

-Joey H.

It's A Great Day To Be Alive

2009-06-30T11:24:00.007-04:00

Hey everyone! I am in Casper, Wyoming right now, and it is the second largest city in Wyoming. That means bike shops and internet! Yay! We've had an amazing last few days traveling the country and seeing sights that I never thought I would ever witness. We are now traveling through Wyoming, and the first couple of days were really nice because we cycled thhrough Yellowstone National Park and saw all sorts of animals from bison and antelope, to deer and moose. We also had the chance to see "Old Faithful" which was actually pretty cool. Its amazing when you take a second to actually look at nature, and see what great things are out there.

After Yellowstone, we rode through the Grand Tetons! This was a truly breath taking mountain range. Really. They were huge, snow covered, gorgeous mountains, and they were right next to us! I just had to stop myself a couple times, look at them, and thank god for the opportunity to be able to be doing this great journey this summer. Sometimes it slips my mind what all of us are actually out here doing, and when I stop and think about it, it makes me so thankful that i have such a blessed life. I am so proud to be a Pi Kapp.

Yesterday was an interesting ride. We started off knowing it was going to be over a hundred miles of about nothing. We found out that after the first couple days in Wyoming, there really isn't anything left except little bushes and dry grass. It makes for a fun ride. We did, however, ride past "Hells Half Acre," which is apparently where they filmed alot of Starship Troopers. Lunch was supposed to be at mile 70 on the ride, and we were all very happy about that. We had been making very good time, and with a tailwind helping us, we were doing about 25 mph on the flats. At about mile 65, however, we had a little wreck in our paceline. The second guy in our paceline rubbed tires with the first guy, and the second guy wound up crashing. The third guy dodged it and I hit his bike head on and flipped over my bike. We got off the rode safely, called our crew cheif, and everyone was ok. we just ended up with some bloody elbows and hips and such, and a couple bruises in different places. Also, we had to take our bikes to the bike shop, because the wreck messed them up pretty bad. Thankfully they will be fixed and we can get back on the bike soon. The most imporrtant part though, is that we are both safe and nothing worse happened.

Anyway, I'm going to go hang out with some of the guys, but here are some of the pictures from the last few days:
I just had to take a picture of Beatrice and I passing the 1000 mark.
Passing the Continental Divide for the first of three times.
One of the huge bison that we saw in Yellowstone National Park.
This was just a random owl on the side of a building, but it reminded me of my great girls from Chi Omega.

Jackson Hole had a ton of these arches all around town, and they are made completely of Antlers!
These last two pictures are of my paceline and I riding ito the Grand Tetons.
They were so beautiful, I hope you can tell just from looking at the pictures, but honestly, you had to be there.

2009-06-30T00:19:00.006-04:00

An awesome arrival into Lake Havasu, AZ where we were greeted by the newspaper reporter, Wal-Mart manager, and the Brigid with the Bobcats!
Finally out of Nevada and into Arizona
The strip at night
Arrival into Vegas

Steven and I at wheelchair baskeball in Vegas

Lake Havasu, AZ

2009-06-29T23:51:00.002-04:00

So I am here at Lake Havasu and the team is being treated like kings!!! This place is amazing and the town loves us. We rode in to an amazing group of people waiting for us including our main sponsor here, Brigid. I was also interviewed for the local paper and I got on the front page! http://www.havasunews.com/ Here is the site so go check it out! We dropped a few hundred feet on the arrival so as we were going down the mountain we had an amazing view of the entire valley with the lake. Brigid has been absolutely amazing making sure we are treated so well. And we definitely have not gone hungry!!! I have eaten so much the past day and a half that tomorrow's ride will not be fun! Brigid started the Self-Advocacy Group called Bobcats here in Lake Havasu. After we put all our stuff away we loaded up in the vans and we had a sponsored day on the lake in a two level yacht! I rode a jet ski for the first time which was awesome and the rest of the time we played in the water, jumping off the yacht and relaxing in the 115 degree heat. We also had, what seemed like, an endless supply of food as well. After hanging out with the yacht club we went back to our lodging where we saw a huge banner in the middle of town saying "Welcome Journey of Hope" We showered up before our huge dinner, dance, and friendship visit which took place at our lodging (The Aquatic Center). The dinner and dance was so much fun. So many people from the community came out and we filled the entire gym full of people and organizations. There was so much food and we all just stuffed ourselves. Afterwards there was a local band that played for us and at the end of the night we chanted so much they played about 30 extra minutes for us. The dance was so much fun. Having dances and friendship visits like these really makes all of us realize that people with disabilities are just like us and all about having fun!

On our day off today we had an early wake up because we had a sponsored breakfast by The Knights of Columbus with pretty much all you can eat pancakes, sausage, and eggs! We had another friendship visit right after that at New Horizon which is a community for people with disabilities. This was great going here becuase we were able to see a lot of the participants from the dance. For dinner we went to one of the Councilman's house which was at the top of a hill with an beautiful view of the entire lake. We had a huge dinner and pool party here. I love this place. The only thing I am really having to get used to is the fact that it is above 105 degrees pretty much every day. But thankfully it is dry heat...once we get in the south where there is a ton of humidity is when things are going to get bad! Also I know things are getting crazy because now when I wake up, I am thankful knowing we ONLY have 75 or 80 miles that day! haha. But I love this so far. Journey of Hope is definitely a life changing experience and I am absolutely blessed beyond measure to have this opportunity to cycle across the United States with an amazing group of men and do it to help others.

Made it to the 3rd State - AZ

2009-06-28T21:31:00.001-04:00

Well everyone I have finally made it out of Nevada and into Arizona!!! We had some really long hot days and ended up in towns that I am pretty sure are not even on a map. In Fallon, NV we had a great friendship visit with Fallon Industries, another organization that works with people with disabilities. We had a pirate themed party and dinner! There was a ton of amazing food, music, dancing, and singing. I sat at a table with an older couple, Norma and John, and their son, Dennis, who had a disability. They were the nicest people. We sat and chatted about everything, actually it was mostly me asking about Nevada and stuff about their family. It was great getting to know them and they loved what we were doing. They kept telling me that Journey of Hope was such an amazing thing and they told me they were going to pray for me the rest of the summer. The rest of the small towns we stayed in, we just had advocacy dinners sponsored by Lion’s and Elks Clubs in those towns.
All the other towns we went to had a population of about 10 and were in the middle of the desert! There was not very much. In Tonopah, NV there were a lot of closed silver and gold mines that a lot people struck it rich. But I really did think that I am from a small place in West Virginia. Now that I have experience very very small town USA, I am happy to be from where I am.
In my pace line we have also had a couple big wrecks. That has not been too much fun. Luckily, I have not been involved and some how escaped the bikes and bodies. Seeing the wrecks though, I have realized how easy it is to go down and how I need to ride as safe as possible. The main problem though was the wind. A big cross wind blew the cyclist in front of me down and somehow and swerved to miss him and the guy behind me hit me in the back and flew off his bike. His handle bars got stuck in my back spokes. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. Just a couple bloody knees and arms.
Finally after riding all the way down through Nevada we made it to Las Vegas. I have never been here so this was quite an experience. We were here about a day and a half and really busy so we didn’t get too much free time. Vegas was definitely the best arrival so far! We rode up to the Las Vegas Leisure Service Center greeted by a summer camp full of kids holding Push America signs, the mayor of Las Vegas, and a city councilmen! The mayor and councilmen dedicated June 25, 2009 Push America Day in the city of Las Vegas!!! There were news stations there and a ton of people. It was amazing. I love it when stuff like this happens because it reminds people of the good still in the world. But at the center we played wheelchair basketball against a real wheelchair basketball team. We lost terribly though. That night we had a sponsored dinner at Harrah’s Casino which is right on the strip! This was by far the best buffet I have ever eaten! I stuffed myself, especially knowing that we had the day off from cycling the next day. That night I walked around the strip with a few guys seeing all the sites. And Vegas is pretty much how it is on TV. All lights, glamour, and tacky decorations. I don’t gamble, but it is a neat place to visit so I think I will come back. The Fountain Show outside of the Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace were my favorite places I went to. The next day we had a 8 am wake up and from then on out we were busy until about 8 that evening. Our visit was with Adaptive Recreation. A city ran organization for people with disabilities. We went to Preserve Springs, a nature preserve and museum in the middle of Vegas, with them and we were all assigned a buddy. My buddy for the day was Danielle. She was a lot of fun, although I don’t think she was too interested in the museum. We found a sandbox and she really enjoyed that! I met her parents later that night at the dinner at the Adaptive Rec. Center. They were great people. On a quick side note and fun fact-I did not meet any natives from Vegas. Everyone had moved here.
Today, we rode in the scorching sun to Bullhead Arizona. We dropped about 2500 feet in elevation in about 15 miles, but the temperature rose about 15 degrees. When we arrived at lodging it was about 118 degrees. We have a sponsored advocacy dinner tonight, which I can’t wait because I am starving. Tomorrow we have a 4:30 am wake up to beat the heat! As soon as I find internet connection fast enough to put more pics up I will and there are a few videos that I want to get up as well. So be looking out for them.
By the way, J.J. did great today biking and Max is the best Crew Chief.
-Joey H.

Game on!

2009-06-26T23:36:00.001-04:00

This is the annual Push vs. Wildcats basketball game at the Janet Pomeroy Center in San Francisco. Push has yet to win the game in the many years of playing.

2009-06-22T22:56:00.003-04:00

We just arrived into beautiful Bozeman, Montana, and it was one heck of a ride. We haven't seen one day of riding that wasn't gorgeous mountains, lakes, and amazing weather. Today started off kind of gloomy, being cold and rainy, but after swapping out my bum tire for a teammates and riding for a half an hour, the rain stopped and the ride picked up. Don't get me wrong, it was still freazing for a good hour or two, but it was a nice ride anyway.

When we got into town it was a mad dash to the bike shop because about half the team had problems with their bikes, including me. They were really nice though, and they did awesome work on Beatrice. She runs like new.

After the bike shop, we had a really cool friendship visit at a theraputic rehabilitation center that does hand cycling. We were able to speak with a man who was in an accident a number of years ago, and began hand cycling a few years after that. He even let us all try them out, and believe me, it is alot harder on the arms than it looks.

Ben's just cranking away on the hand bike.
A view of the beautiful snow capped mountains in Montana. They just keep going on forever.

Me and the pace line crew battling the elements.
The apple crew at the top of a mountain today.

An entire weeks worth of pictures

2009-06-19T22:36:00.009-04:00

These are some of the pictures from the past week. I tried to keep it short and only put up the really good ones, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

These are the beautiful snow covered mountains on the way up Stevens Pass.
It was a tough ride.

This was a really awesome waterfall that my pace line passed on the way up the mountain, so we just had to stop.
One of the 3 moose that we saw on a trail going from Washington into Idaho.
Paceline pic at the 1st of many state lines. Montana-idaho
Some of the beautiful Washington mountains that we needed to climb that day. Gorgeous, but killer on the pistons (my legs).

The average sight after a day of riding. We usually pile all of the bikes in one spot at lodging.
Me, Colin, and Robby hanging out at "The Bridge" pizza place on our day of in Missoula, Montana.
Colin and myself at the top of Lolo's Pass. We helped each other get up that beast of a mountain pass.
A close up just in case you couldn't see me reppin the great Chi Omega girls accross the country. Go Chi O's!

A Real Day Off!

2009-06-19T12:51:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the gap in blogs, but the last 5 days or so we have not had any internet access, and 2 nights ago we didn't even have cell phone service. But anyway, we are in Missoula, Montana and its gorgeous. There are mountains everywhere, and everything we need is within walking distance of the school we are staying at. We have today off completely, so we all slept in until about 9:30, and got our day started doing laundry in this laundromat which conveniently has internet access :). This break is just what all of us needed after a rough first week of riding, especially with all of the major mountains that our team finished.

The Journey has been so amazing so far that words cannot even begin to describe the way I feel. The view from the bike while we are riding is so breath taking that I almost can't focus on the road anymore, but it truly is amazing. I will put some pictures up as soon as I am able, just to help you understand a little more.

So far we have covered 2 states and we are in our 3rd. We have finished the beautiful, diverse state of Washington, rode gracefully through Idaho, and now we're all enjoying the beautiful scenery of Montana. Through all of this, our team has shown a great deal of integrity and friendship. Although we have only known each other for about 2 weeks, it feels as though we have all grown up together. The bonds are already amazing, and they can only get stronger through the next 60 days.

I really want to thank everyone who has supported me with this Journey. Without the help of all of you, I would not be in this position, and I would not be growing as much as a person as I am right now.

Thanks again, and I will get those pics up as soon as possible.

-Eric

P.S. DVO - Good luck with your Tour de SIC. You have helped more than you realize.

2009-06-19T12:42:00.003-04:00

State 2! Carson City, Nevada

2009-06-19T12:08:00.003-04:00

Sorry everyone for not writing the last few days. We have been staying in gyms with no internet access. But We are here in Carson City, Nevada and we have a no biking day today. So I am here at a coffee shop. Since my last time writing I have done a lot of biking. From Napa we went to Sacramento where we had an arrival on the capitol (unfortunately we did not get to meet the Governator). Our friendship visit was at the Southside Art Center where the participants have their own band named Southside Ensemble. They performed various songs for us and they were awesome!!!

Then from Sacramento we traveled to Jackson. We had a great sponsored lunch/friendship with ARC another organization that helps people with disabilities that has been a long time supporter of Journey of Hope. I met a very nice young lady and her name was Kelly. I love just sitting and getting to know people that I meet. It just proves that people with disabilities are no different than anyone else. We also had a sponsored dinner by another long time supporter, Jackson Lion's Club.

From Jackson we had one of our hardest days of the summer. We biked up the Sierra mountains. We biked about 7,000 feet hitting an elevation of about 8,400 feet at one point and rode about 85 miles! The mountains were extremely difficult, but I had a great paceline and we really helped each other the whole ride. At one point when I looked over and saw snow on the peaks where we were riding, I thought to myself "I must be crazy!" Although it was the toughest things I have ever done mentally and physically, it is a challenge that I will never forget and one of the most amazing things I have done. The views that we seen were amazing. Some of the most beautiful landscape and scenary that I have ever seen. God did an amazing job, that is all I have to say. Since our day was so tough and it took us pretty much all day to bike, we didn't have a friendship visit today and the Jackson Lion's Club drove up to where we were staying to cook us dinner!

For our arrival in Carson City we had our sponsored lunch with the boys and girls club. During these visits we really try to spread awareness and help younger kids understand people with disabilities. It is great doing this because the younger we can instill awareness in their minds the better it is for them. I hung out with one little boy named Donavan for most of the time. He is a great kid. He seemed pretty mature for a 9 year old and he was asking so many questions about the trip and what we were doing. It is such a great feeling when we get to share our story with people and they hear about what we are doing. I actually just got to share what I was doing a few minutes ago with the lady working here at the coffee shop.

The rest of our biking day off we have a friendship visit after lunch then I definitely need to do some laundry!

2009-06-15T00:31:00.004-04:00

Pictures of kick off with my ol' bike (I havn't named her yet), my paceline for the day Team Brosaurus Rex, Getting into Napa, and a picture with Mary Anne and her baseball trophy!

1st Day.

2009-06-15T00:11:00.003-04:00

So today I just had my first day of riding out of San Francisco to Napa California. It was an amazing ride. We had a 5:30 am wake up and we started biking from University of San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge at about 6:15. We had our kick off at the Golden Gate which was amazing. There were family and friends there from a lot of the riders. We had a good breakfast and a couple speeches from gentlemen who work at the Push America office in Charlotte. Then we started our biking across the bridge. This was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. We continued biking around the bay and on to Napa. It was an extremely tough ride. We rode about 75 miles with a lot of hills. I rode a lot better than I thought I would. We rode through some really beautiful areas. My paceline group was great and we finished strong and rode really well as a team.

Once we arrived in Napa we had just enough time for a shower then headed to Patty Saunders' house for our friendship visit. Patty organized a baseball league for the adults with disabilities a number of years ago and they were wrapping up their season today by having a huge pot luck dinner and handing out trophys. For me, it is amazing how this community of people really thrive off of one another and see the support they show each other. All of the people were cheering each other on as they received their trophys and they were hugging and having a good ol' time. I definitely feel that community is an amazing thing to be apart of whether it is your town, school, or community of friends. Seeing this community today has encouraged me to continue showing greater support and love to the communities that I am apart of.

Tomorrow we have a 6 am wake up and we are heading to Sacramento!

-Joey H.

Practice Practice Practice

2009-06-14T01:24:00.002-04:00

Today we had a six o'clock wake up to do our practice ride. It was a bit chilly this morning, but it definitely warmed up as the day and ride went on. We rode about 18 miles around San Francisco Bay. There were some of the most beautiful scenes and views I have ever seen. It was an amazing ride and it went really well. My paceline group of four rode really well together and we got through the ride without any problems. I really enjoyed today's ride, but it just made me even more excited and anxious for tomorrow and my first real day of riding! We have 5:30 am wake up and we start riding to the Golden Gate Bridge at 6. We have our big kick off here and ride across the bridge! I can't wait. Tomorrow is going to be a long ride to Napa, CA, but I am definitely ready! I'll update you all as soon as I am able so keep checking in!

Joey H.

2009-06-13T02:05:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the past few days. Susan is in one of the pictures with me! The picture of downtown San Fran is the view from my bedroom window and then there is one of me and Justin at the Golden Gate!

San Francisco!

2009-06-13T01:50:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone,

I am finally here in beautiful San Francisco. Although it took a while to get here because of flight delays! I was awake for about 21 hours straight by the time I got into San Fran the first day and got to bed. But I have been here now for 3 days and it feels like two weeks. We have been extremely busy, but it has been great. The other guys I've met so far are great and it is going to be an amazing summer spending it with them. There are guys from all over the country on my route.

Yesterday we went on our first friendship visit to the Janet Pomeroy Center which is a facility where people with disabilities come to participate in different programs. We were told that about 2,000 participants come to the center each week. We also were able to see a playground that Push had built for the center in 1991 and with the money Push recently donated to the center they invested in a new stove top for the participants to cook! We had our annual Push vs. Wildcat basketball game which was so much fun. We stayed there all day and had dinner with them and really got to know a few of the participants as well as participate ourselves in some stage performances. I had a blast. I met a lady and her name was Susan. She was one of the most outgoing, interesting, encouraging ladies I have ever met. She got up infront of all of us and sang songs to us. I loved sitting with her at dinner and talking to her.

The rest of the time I've been here we have been going over rules and procedures. We have also been doing some skill assessments on our bikes. It has been fun. This evening we had the night free so me and a few guys walk around downtown and went to China town for dinner. WE caught a glimpse of an Indian movie being filmed. Then we went to a San Francisco Giants baseball game. It was a lot of fun and the crowd was pretty interesting.

Tomorrow I have six o'clock wake up for our practice ride. I hope all goes well! Then on Sunday we begin our first day of riding. I can't wait.

Joey H.

Greetings From Wenatchee!

2009-06-11T19:31:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, and greetings from the beautiful city of Wenatchee, WA! After leaving our lodging from the town of Skykomish, WA(Population about 200), we are now about 140 miles into our cycling, and everything is going wonderfully. The rides are amazing, and the sights that we are able to see while riding are even better! You would not imagaine the scenery out here, and how beautiful the mountains, rivers, and green blankets of trees are.

It's a good thing that there is so much beautiful scenery though, because if there wasn't, we might actually focus on how much pain our legs are in. We have definately had some rough hills, and tough climes. The good news today ,however, was that after we had our big 20 mile clime up Stevens Pass to a 4000 mile elevation, we basically had a relaxing decent for 30 miles. After a couple close calls, and losing one water bottle over the side of a mountain while cycling, we finally made it to our destination, and the Wenatchee Community Center was nice enough to let us set up camp inside of there building. Showers were great, and we're all ready for our Friendship visit later tonight!

I'm going to try to get some rest now, before we have to leave. Thanks for checking my blog again. I'll keep them coming. I almost have more to talk about than I am actually able to blog.

-Eric

It's hard following directions...

2009-06-09T19:23:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone,

Today's practice ride went really well. The weather was beautiful and couldn't have been better. My group and I did, however, manage to get lost on the ride, and we wound up going 5 miles in the wrong direction. We had a good laugh about it though, and it was a learning experience.

After the ride, our cycling coach showed us a velodrome in the same park from which we departed. It was a time trial track designed for cyclists to work up their speed and skills, and we were actually able to ride on it in super fast pace lines. It was an exhilarating experience to say the least.

Tonight, we are being treated to an amazing sponsored dinner at Bucca De Beppo, and we're all really excited about it. This is our big Kick-Off Dinner where all parents and friends are encouraged to attend, and it should be very fun, but also very emotional.

Can't wait for tommorrow!

-Eric

Some Pictures of Seattle So Far

2009-06-08T19:29:00.002-04:00

First Days In Seattle

2009-06-08T19:01:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, and greetings from Seattle. I have been here for 3 days now, and it has been amazing! I met so many people already, and I can tell this journey will be amazing. We are staying at a nice hotel that is right down the road from the Space Needle, and believe me, its an awesome sight to see. Were also really close to pretty much everything else in the city, including a gigantic REI which we walked to as a team.

Since we have been here in Seattle we have not stopped. Every day we have a full schedule full of meetings, training, friendship visits, team pictures, and sponsored meals, all after we wake up at 6 am. Needless to say, I have not been having any trouble sleeping at night...

Today we had our skill assessments on the bike, which we did right under the Space Needle. There were obstacle courses, pace line training, balance excercises, and a couple spills from some team members, but we all had alot of fun and it felt really good to finally get back on the bike. We are all waiting for tomorrow with a ton of excitement, because we will be doing a 30 mile practice ride with our bike coach. This will be the first time all of us have ridden for about a week, and we are very anxious to start riding. I'm sure it will be a great ride, and we will be able to see some great scenery through beautiful Seattle, WA.

Anyway, I'm really excited for tomorrow's ride, as well as the rest of the week. I can't wait to start making some progress on this journey. I'll let you know how everything goes. Check back sonn!

-Eric

By the way, I named my bike Beatrice.

One week...

2009-06-02T14:56:00.002-04:00

Well last week was a very wet riding week. It rained everyday last week, but it was nice to ride a little differently. So far this week has been amazing weather. I have gotten in some really good rides since Sunday, so I'm thankful for that. At this point I am just counting down the days. As every day passes I find myself getting more and more excited. I am not really sure what to expect, but I have prepared myself mentally to be prepared for anything. I have been watching this short slideshow of Journey of Hope that Push America sent me over and over again. At the end of the video there is a quote by Henry Drummond saying, "As you look back on your life, the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others." This is one of my favorite quotes and I looked up where it came from. He wrote this short book called The Greatest Thing in the World. I recommend reading it. He has some pretty amazing things to say. But anyway...I guess I'll be going for now. Adios.

Joey H.

Less Than 2 Weeks!

2009-05-26T19:00:00.002-04:00

So there's about 10 days left until I fly into Seattle, WA. I am SOO excited, and I can't wait to get there! I have been putting the finishing touches on my training, finding as many group rides around the area as possible. I just finished two 50 mile rides over the weekend, each taking about 3 hours to finish, but they felt amazing. The country roads were beautiful, and I loved riding over the rolling hills of North Carolina.
I have to start packing my bags soon, which is making me even more nervous, and that means it is really close. All that is left now is to keep preparing my legs and mind for this awesome trip!

-Eric

Great Weekend!

2009-05-25T16:07:00.002-04:00

This weekend has been great for riding and fundraising. Friday night I had a dinner and auction in my town and I raised about $2700!!! We sold hotdogs, BBQ, beans and cornbread, drinks, and desserts. We also had a donation jar and the auction. A lot of the stuff at the auction was donated by local businesses and people from the area. The big salers were, like at most auctions around this area, the pies and cakes made from the locals. Most of them went for over $30 and up to about $55. Saturday and Sunday I got a couple long rides in which was great. Today I rode for about an hour then it started raining so hard that I couldn't really see so I stopped. But I have been really lucky with weather and having really nice, sunny days. I am working on a really good farmer's tan right now. This week I am just going to keep on biking and I am still doing some fundraising and looking for sponsors. The final countdown is beginning!

-Joey H.

Check out that terrain!

2009-05-21T10:11:00.004-04:00

Home sweet home. Below is the short preview of the road I'm using for training in West Virginia! You can't really tell that well in the video, but there is a big dip that I ride up and down, which is really building the muscles in my legs. I love it, even though it wears me out. Also, I have realized riding my bike how much I appreciate the mountains and outdoors. Biking is a completely different experience than driving a car. Thinking about this has gotten me even more excited to start Journey of Hope, because I believe I will learn to really appreciate the different landscapes of our country! Thanks for tuning in!

- Joey

Country Roads

2009-05-10T22:21:00.003-04:00

Well, I am back in West Virginia. I got in about 7 in the evening and decided to take a late night run around 11. It was great! While I was running, I started getting really excited and pumped about June. Every day that passes, I think more and more about what an awesome experience this is going to be. Check back in soon because I am going to hopefully have a sample video of the rolling hills I am able to ride on for the next month!

- Joey

Parting Friends

2009-05-05T12:24:00.005-04:00

Hey, everyone! Finals are over with! Now it's time to pack up my room and head out for a 23-hour drive to South Dakota for my brother's graduation. Fun drive, right? Sadly, this means tomorrow will be the last time I see Joey until August 15th when we arrive in Washington, D.C., so we will just have to say our goodbyes and stay in touch until then. I am getting really excited to leave, though! I can't wait to begin the Journey of Hope and share my experiences with all of you. This really is going to be the journey of a lifetime. Training is going to be kicked into full gear when I get back from South Dakota, and I can't wait. Well, I should probably get back to packing my room up so I don't miss my brother's graduation. Come back for our next blog!

- Eric

Not enough hours in the day!

2009-04-29T09:51:00.004-04:00

Hey, everyone, and welcome again to our blog. It is finals week here at Queens. It is rough trying to find time for studying, taking exams, and working out. Time management needs to be on its A game until my exams end Tuesday! Yesterday, we had another table outside during lunch and Goodwill collection. We were able to hand out a lot more information and even raised some money. These last few weeks, it has been pretty difficult concentrating because all I can really think about is Journey of Hope. I am getting extremely excited about it. I want to thank everyone who has sponsored us so far and just encourage those who have not to consider it. Well, I am out for now to get back to studying.

Joey H.

Our first of many video posts

2009-04-20T20:32:00.000-04:00

Welcome!

2009-04-13T15:18:00.001-04:00

Thanks for visiting our blog! We're participating in Push America's Journey of Hope this summer, and we'll be using this space to give you regular updates on our progress. Check back for new video diaries, photos and text entries.