06/24/2022
The Cross Country for Cancer tour is now complete. There are far too many stories to tell here, and I'll attempt to tell a few.
1. While riding through Casey, IL, we stopped at a cute café called Whittling Wimsey. While I'm not a connoisseur of hot dogs, It was what I could eat at the time. The weather was getting warm, and we discovered that Chris doesn't do very well in the heat. Casey, IL, is also the town with the world's largest rocking chair and a few other big things. Check them out here: www.bigthingssmalltown.com.
2. We stopped at Lottie's Diner (www.lottiessodashoppe.com) in Avilla, MO. According to the staff at Lottie's Diner, Avilla is a town of 125 people, including cats and dogs.
3. Our next story is probably the most moving. We stopped in the town of Chetopa, KS, at the Hornet's Nest. The Hornet's Nest is a small hometown dinner (https://www.facebook.com/ChetopaHornetsNest/). There we met Kayla, who shared her cancer journey with us. Many members of her family have battled cancer, and she also took the time to share their stories. This was one of the most moving parts of our journey.
4. We had a rest/shuttle day that allowed us time to explore Oklahoma City and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing site. We were able to tour the memorial around 08:30 am with no other visitors. A truly moving experience. If you have never been there and have the opportunity to go, make it a priority.
5. Also, while in Oklahoma City, we stopped by a Trek dealer for some needed supplies. While there, Chris found a Trek Domane +LT that he couldn't pass up and helped him finish the campaign successfully. The kicker was that we were in Amarillo, TX when we decided to turn around and return for the bike. Since the bike shop didn't open until 10:00 am, Howard rode 40 miles East from Amarillo to Panhandle, Tx, and then we drove back to Oklahoma City for the bike. After buying it, we went 6 hours to Tucumcari, NM, to start the next day.
6. Due to some wildfires in the area, we had to shuttle from Holbrook, AZ, to Flagstaff, AZ. Since we couldn't ride in, we did a nice ride around the area to the South to adjust to the 7000ft elevation we would finish the ride in.
7. Our last day took us to Payson, AZ, the most challenging climbing day. We started in Happy Jack, rode through Clint Wells, AZ, and saw the second smallest post office in the nation. There was plenty of climbing that day. We passed (they were going in the opposite direction) several participants of the Race Across America (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America). The last mile was a 12% grade into Payson Airport. Did we mention that it was also 101 F at the time?.
8. Throughout the journey, we saw many animals not native to the East Coast, such as Elk, Prairie Dogs, and Antelope.
9. Our weather was relatively good. One day, we had to contend with some moist weather, and another day, the headwinds were 35 MPH with gusts over 50 MPH.
10. Here are a few things we learned:
a. Howard is smarter than Chris
b. The movie Cars was true to life about the small forgotten towns along Route 66.
c. The hills in the Midwest are long, not steep. 4% was our maximum grade until we got to Arizona.
d. Always have a support vehicle.
e. The people in the United States are gracious and kind.
f. Teamwork makes anything possible.
g. Your actions can affect people without you realizing it.
