Category Archives: 2016 Seattle to D.C. – Blue

Summer 2016 blog from the Blue Ride.

Beautiful Summer

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Written by: Macy Holsinger, Blue Ride 

Beautiful sunrise. Fog-laden mountains. Air thick with humidity. Verdant pastures sprinkled with red barns. Sharp ascents followed by roaring descents. Cars whizzing. Thoughts roaming from Seattle to present. Conversation. Silence.  Muscles screaming. Sweat pouring. Reality of a dream long dreamt almost accomplished. Testing of legs one last time. Celebration. Reunion. Swapping of stories. Sea of orange eating. Laughing. Reveling in a summer well spent.

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Mind Games

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Written by: Diane Bies, Blue Ride
Today started out warm and very humid in Wheeling, WV.  Thank goodness we have had that weather at home a lot this summer before I joined in Springfield,OH.  However, we do NOT have hills like we saw today at all!!!  I enjoyed the first big climb as it reminded me of a bike ride to a winery in Oregon this summer with my daughter. It had a lot of switches to it with somewhat level spots mixed in with the heavy duty climbs. However, the next two major climbs were just more than I was up to mentally today. I “proudly” walked the second half of the second climb and most of the third one. My mind was just not grasping the concept of working that hard today.  It really is a mind game after all.

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Headed Home, but DC First!

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Written by: Kelley Westenhoff, Blue Ride
I have been slow to get excited about this whole adventure and just enjoy the experience. But finally, in week 7, I have enjoyed the perfect Fuller Bike Center Adventure couple of days. On Friday we worked tearing off and then hanging new siding at the Fuller Center house in Springfield, Ohio. The professional construction manager, Dave, was awesome as he never got impatient or irritated with all of the bumbling workers he had on hand. He just patiently showed us what to do and encouraged us to try it all, while at the same time being the hardest working person on the site.
After a great day on the site, we got to sleep in a bit today and leave for Columbus at 8! The ride was absolutely perfect. The weather was cool, the traffic was mostly mild, the variety of surfaces was excellent, and the company was, as always, wonderful. Our host church here in Columbus has welcomed us with open arms, gazpacho, and salad nicoise!
We are heading now into the final week, to my home. We will ride down my “home” trail, the W&OD as we ride the final day — within 2 miles of my house even. And although I’m tempted to slip away and go straight home, the friends I’ve made on this crazy summer ride will be the reason that I stay to the end. We have shared a mission and a passion, and I hope we will stay in touch for years, maybe even to ride together again.

 

Thoughts from a Newbie

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Written by: Bill Black, Blue Ride

I’m a 63 year old newbie. This is my first Fuller Center ride. I’m basically a weekend biker and my typical ride is about 20 miles. I joined this ride at the encouragement of my friend, Peter Asmuth. He did part of the cross country summer ride last year and is doing the full ride this year. He knew I had the time to do it and he’s a very persuadable guy.

So, I started in Peoria and will ride to the end in Washington, DC, my home town.Continue reading→

A Different Feeling

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Written by: Steven Johnson, Blue Ride

It’s been just over a year since I’ve interacted directly with any members of the FCBA Community.  The last time we were together was for two build days and five days of riding. I still tell anyone who will listen that those days were transformational, and not just for me.  Also for my family, friends, and co-workers as they learned about the Fuller Center cause and began to provide their support.Continue reading→

One Big Happy Biking Family

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Written by: Mike Rutheford, Blue Ride
Today the blue team woke up in Cambridge, OH. We had a shorter day ahead of us as we pushed off towards Wheeling, WV and our next state on our travels. The newer riders like myself have been settling into the rhythm and our group has swelled to 27 riders and two support personnel. One big happy biking family.

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Propelling Forward

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Written by: Jeff Lamb, Blue Ride

Riding through the Midwest feels different than the West. Not better nor worse, but different. I’ve benefitted from the kind hospitality of the folks in Illinois and Indiana who warmly welcomed us into their churches and homes. The gentle hills are much different than what we experienced in the West and what I’m accustomed to at home in Virginia. A curve in the road is surprising and also exciting. The long straight roads cut through row after row of corn. There is a subtle beauty in the farmlands. We passed fields of sunflowers which were a nice break from the corn and bean fields.  learned that Indiana is a big producer of popcorn, one of my favorite snacks. Continue reading→

Earthly Possessions

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Written by: Jennifer Wells, Blue Ride
Today has been a great day thus far.  It started out with going to church then taking a cyclist to the airport.  I then returned to church to hear the readings.  The Gospel today was Luke 12:13-21.

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Pain and Pleasure

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Written by: David Aderholdt, Blue Ride
Today we sadly left Peoria. What a great team the Fuller Center has there! I think Doug and his crew slept in the kitchen for the three days we were there! We left the First Christain Church this morning at 7:26 am and started arriving in Gibson City at 12:00 noon. We had a wonderful headwind for a large part of the day, thus the slower than average speeds in our arrivals.

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A Build Day in Peoria

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Written by: Kendall Clements, Blue Ride

Trading in my bike shorts for work shorts was definitely welcomed after a week of biking in the hills of Iowa. Here in Peoria, IL we have had such wonderful hosts at the Southern Illinois Fuller Center. I really appreciate how they focus on serving veterans as I come from a family of vets. I worked on Mary’s home where we helped repair her deck. From my understanding, she was cited by the city and had received fines for the poor condition and code violations. Mary is active in her community and has great relationships with her neighbors. She showed us a lot of appreciation and made sure we felt welcomed. It was wonderful to see the progress on her home. Peoria has a lot of charm and very friendly folks. It was great to learn more about the regional Fuller Center here, they are busy!Continue reading→