Best Buddies Challenge Ride

Involvement with Best Buddies (www.bestbuddies.com) has been a life changing event for my sons and ultimately my family.

On May 30, 2009, my family will do an extraordinary thing (at least for us!). We will be traveling to Hyannis Port, MA and will ride our trikes for at least 50 miles in the Audi Best Buddies Hyannis Port Challenge in support of the 250 million people living with intellectual disabilities. The ride will be physically challenging, but the reward will be like none-other; the chance of a life-time to change the life of another, while positively changing our own.

Please "join" us on this ride by making a donation to support the cause. I would appreciate your support on this endeavor. Every donation will be critical. Please share with anyone that you think might be interested. In order to ride, we need to reach our fundraising goal of $3,500. Any amount you can give will ensure Best Buddies continues to provide critical services and job integration for people with intellectual disabilities. And, your donation is tax deductable!

We choose to ride for Best Buddies because 100% of the funds raised will go directly to their programs. Which means any contribution you give for our challenge directly affects the lives of those living with intellectual disabilities. Best Buddies is a non-profit organization founded by Anthony Kennedy Shriver in 1989, dedicated to helping people with intellectual disabilities form friendships and find jobs in their community. The Audi Best Buddies Challenge events are a strong symbol of the lasting friendships and open community that Best Buddies fosters throughout their programs.

Here is how you can donate: You can donate easily and securely by clicking on our personal fundraising webpage link located below. Here you can read more about the Audi Best Buddies Challenge, see our fundraising goals, and read why it is more important than ever to support Best Buddies Programs. We will also be posting updates & information on our blog at www.trikeland.com.

We are so excited to participate in this ride! With each day, we train harder and longer. With each dollar you donate, you bring us one more mile closer to our goal. Thank you in advance for your generous support!

Follow This Link to visit our personal web page and help us in our efforts to support Best Buddies International.

******************************************************************************

Some email systems do not support the use of links and therefore this link may not appear to work. If so, copy and paste the following into your browser: http://www.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=277768&u=277768-245054571

******************************************************************************

Merry Christmas - 25 miles on the 25th

It was midday before the gifts were opened, the trikes & bikes were ready to roll but we managed to hit the trails today. Before we finished we'd racked up over 25 miles on the 25th!

We took the took trikes and a mountain bike from the house across town to the W&OD trail and east to the trail head. The weather started around 45 degrees and cooled down as we neared the end of our ride. All three of us pushed through some rough spots and managed to never give up, no matter how badly we'd timed each climb.

It was great to spend a few hours away from our electronic tethers and moving with our own power.  We've never been the family that played "backyard" football on holiday events. Maybe we'll become the family that squeezes in a quick ride instead.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Riding in the rain

The morning started with rain and by the time my trike was loaded and ready to leave out we had a steady mist. Rather than let the weather deter me I continued with my plan. I took the trike with me when I dropped my son off for basketball practice and headed east from there. I had less than 2 hours to use and wanted to get as much riding time as possible.

Since I had not done this eastern section of the W&OD trail (Falls Church, VA to Arlington, VA) it seemed like a good time to check it out. The rain cleared after 30 minutes or so and it actually started to warm up. By the end of the ride I was soaked, more from the inside out than the outside in.

I learned that the trike doesn't handle well in the mud. One section of the trail was closed and the detour had turned the grass area to mud. On the return leg of my ride one of the power company workers had pity on me inching through the mud with my the tire spinning and pushed me on out. Interestingly, he apologized for my inconvenience and thanked me for my patience. I would have never seen that from an upright bike or a car!

Through Arlington, VA I saw parks that I never would have seen an other way. For several miles it was as if I was no longer in a suburb of Washinton, DC but somewhere in the Great Smoky Mountains. I will definitely be visiting this section of the trail again.

I returned to the school less than 5 minutes after the basketball practice ended. In all I only rode 18 miles but it was a great work out after being off the trike for so long. I'm glad I didn't let the early rain or promise of more to come to deter me.