Pedal Trans-America 2008: Pittsburgh to Cleveland in three long days

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.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Pittsburgh to Cleveland in three long days

I had a lot of fun hanging out with Dan and his frat brothers. We ended up meeting a good number of them, despite it being summer-break. We had a huge cook-out with plenty of food and drink, threw the football around in the quad, checked out some of Pittsburgh and saw a Pink Floyd laser light show at the Science Center. Dan and his friends made us feel like we were at home. It was great to see Dan and meet some of his friends.

OHIO

We have been living like kings for a bare-bones, cross-country bicycle trip. It seems like we have been meeting people every other day that let us stay at their houses, shower and do laundry, until now. The last three days, I can't help but laugh desperately at the condition we're both in and the feelings of nostalgia it brings, from last years trip.

I mentioned in an earlier post about the most annoying day yet...It's been that day, compounded three days and two nights. Scattered lightening storms everyday (mixed with a hot sun, when it's not raining), no shower, little food, undrinkable tap-water, crappy pavement, head-winds, trench-foot, wreckless and pissed-off drivers, attack dogs chasing us, saddle-sores, fatigue and slimey clothes, sleeping bag, helmet and skin. I can't say I don't enjoy it in a weird way, though. It seems terrible most of the time but sometimes I can't just help but laugh at it. I wish you were all here to enjoy it with us!...

We've been having to take emergency cover from the lightening storms under anything we can find. It's getting harder to do. Out in rural villages, man-made shelters are few and far between.

A roof we camped under one night, taking shelter from another lightening storm

We're now in Cleveland, OH. Jason, family of friends back home, The Gangs, put us up in his awesome house on the west-side of Cleveland. I just got up from a twelve-hour night sleep, in a bed! His dog Chase is awesome.