Pedal Trans-America 2008: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

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.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Both of our first visits to a national park. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is located about 15 miles east of Montrose, CO, off of route 50. People in the area spoke highly of it and recommended us to check it out, but they mentioned nothing about the climb up to the park, after pedaling through 65 miles of mountainous terrain, at sunset. The elevation of Montrose, CO is 5,806 feet and the highest point at the national park is 8,289 feet. It was just surprising to me that all the people we asked about the park never mentioned the 2,000 foot climb in 6 miles to enter the park, at the end of our day, in the dark. Good. For the better, probably, but totally worth it.