Pedal Trans-America 2008: Mr. Hayles and the Grand Canyon

A message from the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation

Ryan and Dwight hope to raise $10,000 to support the burn camp, which will host 70 children between the ages of 8 and 18. They are determined to reach the West Coast as a personal challenge as well as helping young burn survivors.

Started in 1991, the Arthur C. Luf Children's Burn Camp is located in northern Connecticut on 176 acres. Every summer, burn survivors come to the burn camp, which is a safe and fun environment that helps kids heal emotionally and physically. The Burn Camp is free to the children, who come primarily from the Northeast and some foreign counteries, but any burn survivor child anywhere is welcome. More than 70 adult counselors, primarily active and retired firefighters and burn unit nurses, occupational and physical therapists, child psychologists and even a doctor will serve as mentors for the week.

It's also our goal to promote burn awareness and fire prevention and education, which we do year around. We sponsor a burn survivor, burned in a car accident that involved speeding and drinking alcohol, who speaks to high school students throughout Connecticut. We also support the burn unit at Bridgeport Hospital, helping to purchase equipment.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Mr. Hayles and the Grand Canyon

My friend, Hayles from Connecticut, is now living and going to school in Phoenix, Arizona. He was originally the first person going with me on this trip but there were some last minute complications which prevented him from going. He's an avid cyclist and adventurer and made sure a long time ago that Dwight and I would call him when we were going to the Grand Canyon so he could meet up with us. He drove 5 hours from Phoenix to meet up with us and brought us bike supplies, trail sodas and Arizona mementos.

We camped out that night at the North Rim of the Canyon. We bushwacked off trail, made a fire, a quick dinner and set up camp. In the morning, he treated Dwight and I to an all-you-can-eat booofet. We ate a huge breakfast and set out on the trail.

We hiked the North Kaibob Trail down to Roaring Springs (one of the side canyons), dodging mule crap the whole way down the narrow trail. Despite the crappy trail, we had a blast and decided that we had to come back another time to hike the whole canyon along the Colorado River.

Thanks Ry for hanging out, it was great to hang out and see a familiar face so far from home.