Written by: Tyler Cheatham
I am glad that I got to go on this trip with my grandmother. She wanted me to go so this was the perfect opportunity to get out of the house and do something new. I have never done anything like this so it is really exciting. I have never been to Arizona so it was a good experience. Going on this bike adventure is a way to see new things and to go places you have never been.
Written by: Mike Wieser
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ryan Iafigliola who’s brainchild it was to create the Fuller Center Bike Adventure; to Lydia Huelskamp, our ride leader, for all the behind the scenes work that goes into planning and coordinating such an adventure; to all our wonderful hosts who have opened their doors to us; to our SAG Team who is there to keep us nourished and hydrated and to provide a lift if our body says no more; to my fellow riders who in such a short time have become like family supporting each other in every imaginable way. Finally, I would like to thank not only my donors, but to everyone who has contributed to the FCBA in an effort to eliminate poverty housing…and to folks like Joey Hernandez, a complete stranger, that Curt and I met at the rest stop as we crossed over the Arizona border…who was interested in what we were doing and reached into his wallet and donated to our cause.
Written by: John Johnson
And so the adventure begins…again. I don’t know what makes a person wake up at 3AM to ride a bike in the hot desert sun through canyons and mountain ranges, but in the Fuller Center Bike Adventure we do just that and then some. We also do it without complaining. (That may just be the surprising part about this whole journey.) This group just keeps on chugging along no matter what mishap occurs, not that there isn’t opportunity to have a pity party.Continue reading
Written by: Lauryn Kostopoulos
The past week has been filled with so many emotions and memories. I have made so many new friends and strengthened the relationships between old ones. In one short week these people have become my second family, they are the ones you can talk to if you are having a bad day and are there to put a smile on your face and pick you up.
Written by: Cindy Martin
I didn’t feel well today so I rode in the van. What an amazing bunch of people! Dave and Will are a great team making sure everyone is well hydrated and on course. Jessica and Rachel are keeping the loop running smoothly, while Lydia and Ryan are keeping everything well organized. Everyone is good spirits, even though they should be melting from the heat. Everyone cheers on the team along the route and as they enter into the rest stops. Everywhere we stop we have a chance to share about the Fuller Center Bike Adventure – from a ten year old in the hotel pool, to a convenience store clerk, to the Pilot gas station patrons. We end up talking to at least 20 people a day. Hopefully they are all following our journey and considering helping those in need.Continue reading
Written by: Lauryn Kostopoulos
What does it mean to live a life of meaning and purpose? To me it means doing what you love, no matter what people say. I have found a non-profit organization whose mission is to end poverty housing, the Fuller Center for Housing. I started working with them last summer when I did the bike adventure for the first time, and I loved every single second of it. Not only was I able to bike and see our amazing country and all it has to offer, but I was also able to help work on homes for those in need.
Written by: Paul Herguth
Today is only day 4 of our Bicycle Adventure, but oh what an adventure it has already been. This trip has kicked into high gear and everyone involved seems to be having a truly wonderful experience.
We started our trip in Carlsbad, California at Faith Community Church where we were well received by the pastor and staff. Our hosts were gracious and kind. Thirty-six riders traveled by bicycle to Oceanside Pier the morning of June 6th. There we took part in one the most exciting and joyous ceremonies I have ever been a part of. Everyone there was full of hope, unity of purpose, and faith that our experience would be a blessed one. While on the beach that morning we prayed Continue reading
Written by: Ryan Iafigliola
Today’s number: 107. That’s degrees Fahrenheit. 107 degrees of what they call “dry heat,” which just means that it feels more like an oven than a swimming pool. Heat collects and billows off the pavement, making the air temperature for cyclists even hotter.
But it’s the painful, challenging experiences like this that break down our natural barriers and pull us together. It forces us to rely on each other and work together as a team to overcome a common obstacle. Without a sense of team, how else can you survive 3am beat-the-heat wake-ups like we had this morning?
Written by: Laurence Foshee
On June 1st at 6:00 p.m. I left my home city of Tulsa, Oklahoma on a Greyhound bus to head out to the 2015 Fuller Center Bike Adventure, which started out in Oceanside, California. I arrived in Oceanside at June 3rd at 7:30 a.m., which got me in the area before Lydia Huelskamp the trip leader even arrived. I took the local busses to Carlsbad, CA and ended up walking two miles to get to the Faith Community Center, the church where we were all supposed to meet up for the ride. The youth pastor greeted me and let me watch a Dave Ramsey movie about how Christians can manage their finances. I had lunch at Pieology, which was awesome. Lydia and the group that came in the van with her arrived at 5:30 p.m.
Written by: Diane Bies
Today was the start of the 2015 Summer Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure, at least the official riding part started today. After a wonderful breakfast provided by our amazing host in Carlsbad, California, Faith Community Church, we started our adventure with a short ride up the coast to the Oceanside Pier where we dipped our rear wheels in the Pacific Ocean before we, the team, headed east off to Portland, Maine to dip their front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean in 10 weeks. (I am not a whole way rider and won’t be there in Portland.)
As we left the pier our day’s journey took us to Temecula and the Temecula United Methodist Church. Our ride was only 50 miles today but it was a quite rolling 50 miles. The scenery was beautiful, the wind was kind most of the time, the hills were not too bad, and the sun was not too awfully hot. All the riders made it in safely as well which is a very important thing! The showers were great and the dinner served by our hosts was both plentiful and delicious. Another positive feature of the day was that all the riders bonded well and seemed to share the dayriding together in groups caring for each other and having fun.
Thanks for reaching out to us, we’ll be in touch with you soon!
