Sunday, September 20, 2009
Day 1 - Augustana Rocks!!!
We had an awesome day today.
We hit the road very early at the Wisconsin border and headed south into Galena. It was really spectacular coming through the hills into Galena. Several hot air balloons were up as the sun rose. Unfortunately, what goes down must come up, so to speak. This hills up and out of Galena were very, very tough.
Once we made it out of the hills, we had a great ride down to Savannah, IL and again started making some good time. Had a good lunch in a small Chinese restaurant there. The daughter of the owners was hovering around our table. She was very cute and interested in us and our bikes, but at 4 years old, she did not speak much. When she did it was not very clear. Funny how your mind works, but I was thinking, this girl clearly has some type of speech issue.
About 20 miles from Rock Island, we had our first flat. Got it changed and going again, but the rain came too. It was a cool rain and we were pretty cold by the end. There was however, a great crowd of Augustana students and faculty there to meet us at the end. About 25 folks walked us to our hotel, we got cleaned up and they took us to a picnic near their clinic on the campus.
We had a great dinner there of food provided by the students. Afterwards we had a really moving presentation and discussion. The students made a tremendous donation to CASANA, and the family of Collin, a wonderful young man receiving therapy at the clinic did as well. We got the chance to visit with a great group of young men and women who are the hope of families facing Apraxia in the future. Augustana and Illinois have a lot to be proud of in these students and teachers. We played a mean game of bean bag toss with Collin and then headed back to our hotel.
Tomorrow we have our longest day, 120 miles. It will not be the hills that we had today, and the rain should move off. We’ll try to have some pictures up tomorrow as well.
Stay tuned and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming!
We hit the road very early at the Wisconsin border and headed south into Galena. It was really spectacular coming through the hills into Galena. Several hot air balloons were up as the sun rose. Unfortunately, what goes down must come up, so to speak. This hills up and out of Galena were very, very tough.
Once we made it out of the hills, we had a great ride down to Savannah, IL and again started making some good time. Had a good lunch in a small Chinese restaurant there. The daughter of the owners was hovering around our table. She was very cute and interested in us and our bikes, but at 4 years old, she did not speak much. When she did it was not very clear. Funny how your mind works, but I was thinking, this girl clearly has some type of speech issue.
About 20 miles from Rock Island, we had our first flat. Got it changed and going again, but the rain came too. It was a cool rain and we were pretty cold by the end. There was however, a great crowd of Augustana students and faculty there to meet us at the end. About 25 folks walked us to our hotel, we got cleaned up and they took us to a picnic near their clinic on the campus.
We had a great dinner there of food provided by the students. Afterwards we had a really moving presentation and discussion. The students made a tremendous donation to CASANA, and the family of Collin, a wonderful young man receiving therapy at the clinic did as well. We got the chance to visit with a great group of young men and women who are the hope of families facing Apraxia in the future. Augustana and Illinois have a lot to be proud of in these students and teachers. We played a mean game of bean bag toss with Collin and then headed back to our hotel.
Tomorrow we have our longest day, 120 miles. It will not be the hills that we had today, and the rain should move off. We’ll try to have some pictures up tomorrow as well.
Stay tuned and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Twas the night before MAC Ride.
Made it all the way north today to the really neat town of Galena. (They have hills in Northern Illinois too!). Weather looks good for tomorrow and our group is ready to ride! We have about 30 miles of some rough hills tomorrow AM, and then easier going for the other 71.
Thanks again for your interest and support!
Thanks again for your interest and support!
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Night Before Departure
Tonight we picked up “MAC 1” – a 2010, 15 passenger van with only 120 miles on it! Thank you Enterprise! Been working all week to get things together, and I believe we are in pretty good shape. I am excited to get on the road.
The night before we head out, I wanted to say a few of the many thanks that need to go out.
Cliff Bar’s support of donated product.
Ken Wagner and the staff at Blazing Color for design and production work.
Our friends and family who have been extremely supportive of our event.
Most importantly, my wife for all her support, help, and understanding. She is our son’s #1, unstoppable advocate and my best friend.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned next week!
The night before we head out, I wanted to say a few of the many thanks that need to go out.
Cliff Bar’s support of donated product.
Ken Wagner and the staff at Blazing Color for design and production work.
Our friends and family who have been extremely supportive of our event.
Most importantly, my wife for all her support, help, and understanding. She is our son’s #1, unstoppable advocate and my best friend.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned next week!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
"To Tom & Jackson, Good Luck on Your Ride. Livestrong!"
This time next week the MAC Ride team will have completed it’s first day, and I’m guessing feel pretty tired. The week ahead will be spent getting a bit more riding in, double and triple checking our gear, and making sure we’ve got a place to lay our heads each night. I’m sure the week will go fast.
I had two great surprises this weekend.
First, read a great article about the work being done to overcome CAS by the wonderful students and faculty of Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. Check it out at http://www.augustana.edu/x16243.xml. The students there are being very generous and hosting a reception for us. We will also have the opportunity to speak with families who are receiving services from their clinic.
Second, last week my friend and brother-in-law, Dave, had a photo shoot assignment. With the help of my wife and sister-in-law, Kelly, he secured and took along one of the two MAC Ride jerseys I had made for the ride. During the course of the day, Dave asked the person he was working with to sign one of my jerseys and MAC Ride brochure. They presented these to me today. The shoot was in Austin, Texas and the subject of the photo shoot was Lance Armstrong. I was really thrilled to get these items and very grateful my family would go to the trouble to make this possible. Dave got to talk a bit about CAS and the ride to Lance, who apparently was very interested in the condition and the event. What a cool way to start the week before the ride.
Many thanks to all our friends and family for their continued support.
I had two great surprises this weekend.
First, read a great article about the work being done to overcome CAS by the wonderful students and faculty of Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. Check it out at http://www.augustana.edu/x16243.xml. The students there are being very generous and hosting a reception for us. We will also have the opportunity to speak with families who are receiving services from their clinic.
Second, last week my friend and brother-in-law, Dave, had a photo shoot assignment. With the help of my wife and sister-in-law, Kelly, he secured and took along one of the two MAC Ride jerseys I had made for the ride. During the course of the day, Dave asked the person he was working with to sign one of my jerseys and MAC Ride brochure. They presented these to me today. The shoot was in Austin, Texas and the subject of the photo shoot was Lance Armstrong. I was really thrilled to get these items and very grateful my family would go to the trouble to make this possible. Dave got to talk a bit about CAS and the ride to Lance, who apparently was very interested in the condition and the event. What a cool way to start the week before the ride.
Many thanks to all our friends and family for their continued support.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Coaches
I’ve been fortunate to work with a great coach the past several years through Carmichael Training Systems. My coach, Max, has helped me train for a number of events including an iron distance triathlon (didn’t finish, but not Max’s fault!). Max is a great, level-headed guy who does everything to help me achieve my goals, while realizing we’ve all got to keep a balanced life. We’ve been through some up’s and down’s both, personally and in athletic endeavors. He’s always maintained a very positive attitude and was excited when I told him about the plans for the MAC Ride. I’m confident the plan Max laid out has prepared me to complete these upcoming long 6 days of riding.
We’ve been very lucky to work with some very dedicated and talented “coaches” in our family’s battle with CAS as well. Jill, Christina, Mark, Julie, Carol, Mandy, Becky, Marilyn, Casey, Dave, Cindy, Brittany, and many others have helped our son and our family meet and overcome many challenges. We know that they and others with their same dedication will be there in the future for us and other families facing CAS.
However, even dedicated coaches will only be effective if they receive the right training themselves. One of the most important services that CASANA performs is the education of therapists (aka coaches) in the best techniques and latest advances in the treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech.
Thanks to all the coaches in our lives who lay out a plan, help us stick to the training, and allow us to achieve things we weren’t sure were possible.
We’ve been very lucky to work with some very dedicated and talented “coaches” in our family’s battle with CAS as well. Jill, Christina, Mark, Julie, Carol, Mandy, Becky, Marilyn, Casey, Dave, Cindy, Brittany, and many others have helped our son and our family meet and overcome many challenges. We know that they and others with their same dedication will be there in the future for us and other families facing CAS.
However, even dedicated coaches will only be effective if they receive the right training themselves. One of the most important services that CASANA performs is the education of therapists (aka coaches) in the best techniques and latest advances in the treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech.
Thanks to all the coaches in our lives who lay out a plan, help us stick to the training, and allow us to achieve things we weren’t sure were possible.
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