Day 5 6/6/2007 Sherman, TX to Ardmore, OK - 78.5 miles

Today was a border-crossing day. We left Austin College and had to backtrack 20 miles down 56 West. The rolling hills weren't as bad going in the opposite direction as the day before, but no matter what the terrain, it is discouraging having to backtrack to progress. The hills became annoying, if nothing else. Once we reached 377 we began our journey forward. Our first rest stop was a Sonic about 20 miles into the day. As we were taking count of riders, we realized someone was missing. My fellow New York rider Eric Marlowe had wanted to buy an obnoxiously large belt buckle before we officially exited the state of Texas. Just as we were narrowing down our missing rider to Eric, he comes rolling into the Sonic parking lot, leather belt and huge belt buckle blazing around his spandex covered waste. Success! With that out of the way, we continued along 377, chasing down the Oklahoma border. The sun was high, but the air was cool, making for a delightful ride thru the first 50 or so miles. We crossed the Red River and shortly thereafter, the border to Oklahoma. We stopped and shot a team photo and moved onward. The day went smoothly, but steadily got hotter and more hilly. The final 20 miles into Ardmore was tainted by the heat of the sun, rolling hills and relentless headwind. Our arrival at the church was a relief. We were given a chance to shower, and around 6pm we ate dinner prepared for us by staff at the church. There was split-pea soup, bread, rolls, carrots, green beans, ham, turkey, roast beef and an array of desserts, making for a totally great and complete meal.

After dinner I played a bit of basketball, and kicked a ball around the gymnasium with a little Eric, Amy and a little boy who's mother prepared us dinner. I eventually found time to call the parents, some friends and even managed to squeeze in some much needed bike maintenance. The evening went long into the night as we decided to shave our heads into Mohawks. Eric, Daniel, Alex Chang and I all went the distance.

The team had another strong day, but everyone was noticeably beat. Closing in on a week straight of cycling really makes the wear and tear evident. 6-8 hour days that start at 5am are never easy to get accustomed to. Thankfully in the morning we were treated to a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast fixed for us by a few nice gentlemen at the church. A solid breakfast always makes the day have a brighter look. With our bellies sloshing with hot cakes, syrup and sausage we trudged on toward Oklahoma City, OK.

Day 6 6/7/2007 Ardmore, OK to Oklahoma City, OK - 105.6 miles

I chose "Sweeper" responsibilities for our ride into Oklahoma City. The Sweeper is the sole rider who stays back to ensure that every rider arrives at each rest stop. Duties also include assisting in the changing of flat tires or other bike related problems. Allison got a flat early in the day that set us back from the pack. Shortly after the flat we hit a nice rhythm section of rolling hills that lead us to a nice climb up a small mountain. It was one of the those climbs where you come around a curve looking for the end, but only find a continuous curve stretching further into the distance. The climb excited me for the bigger to come once we get further up north. At the summit we met the rest of the team at Turner Falls. The falls are set down in a valley, and a lookout point lets you see the falls crashing over the edge into the pool of water below. We took team pictures and rejoiced in our first great view of the trip. I waited for the team to depart and the I began my decent. There was a lot of wind so maintaining speed was difficult, which was a shame because there was a lot of potential for serious speed and exciting riding. The decent was a nice 2 mile cruise that ended with Nelson having a flat at the bottom. He tore a hole in the sidewall of his tire, so we placed a folded dollar bill between the tube and the tire to prevent the tube from pressing through the sidewall and being more susceptible to debris on the road that could cause another flat. Things went smoothly over flat terrain under the hot sun until about mile 40 when Claire and I were attacked by a swarm of flies…or bees….or locusts. We honestly aren't sure what they were. And saying we were attacked is quite drastic as neither one of us came out with any injuries. Perhaps we were just crossing paths with these bugs. Perhaps they felt attacked. Either way, it was a bit of a scare, We rolled into the second rest stop, applied fresh sunscreen, filled empty water bottles and proceeded with the ride. The story of the relentless sun continued for another day, as we pushed through rays of heat toward Oklahoma City. Our final rest stop was at a Sonic, where we regrouped for what we thought was going to be 10 miles. 4 of us got separated at a stop light, and when we kept riding we missed out turn. The other riders who made the right turn ended up being lost themselves. So we played the cell phone game, calling each other, asking things like "where are you?" when nobody actually knew. After about 40 minutes we hooked back up and hauled our tired bodies 20 miles into the Oklahoma City, OK. Despite being tired and aggravated, we managed to great our hosts with enthusiasm and appreciation. I can't tell you how great it is to come into a town after a stressful day on the bike and have nice people waiting for you. It makes the frustrations and pitfalls of the day seem so petty and not worth it. This is an adventure after all, and part of it is reacting to the hard parts with a clear mind.

Day 7 6/8/2007 Oklahoma City - DAY OFF

On our day off we met Keat from Sense Corp at the Sonic headquarters in Oklahoma City. We were told about the history of Sonic and about its plans for future expansion all over the world. We were then treated to lunch at Sonic. After lunch we said goodbye to Keat and were turned loose to do as we pleased. My day wasn't all the eventful. I was asleep by 7pm, not making the phone calls or writing the journal entries I had intended to. It was much needed rest.

Day 8 6/9/2007 Oklahoma City, OK to Watonga, OK - 75.5 miles

Amy Albin became my hero around 7:45am this morning. Within the first mile of our ride she took a nasty slam after trying to quickly brake on some wet pavement. I looked back in time to see her bike tires sliding out of control, searching frantically for friction but finding none, and then dropping like an anchor onto her left side. A few teammates helped get her unclipped from her pedals and walked her to the sidewalk. She shook it off and kept riding. I honestly expected her to at least get into the van for a breather, but she pressed on, making me feel silly for even doubting her resilience. Aside from Amy's fall the day was slow. The end of the ride was difficult, as the sun was again on our heads, and the roads became so bumpy that every pedal vibrated through my bones. Truly a day I was happy to be done with.

Our host graciously carted us to and from his home to take much needed and appreciated showers. Dinner consisted of pizza and soda, a perfect and simple solution to our hungry stomachs. Amy bought Wayne's World 2 and I fell asleep to the sounds of Dana Carvey and Michael Myers dictating my dreams.

Day 9 6/10/2007 Watonga, OK to Woodward, OK - 71.7 miles

The morning started off cold, hinting rain early. We were soon rained on steadily through the first 20 or so miles. The terrain wasn’t very demanding thankfully, so it was a matter of battling off the wetness and the cold. Our first rest stop proved to be bittersweet. While we got to rest and eat food, many of us got cold standing around. It was getting out of the first rest stop that would make the rest of our day. Once we got pedaling again our bodies warmed up, and we were soon rewarded by the rain ceasing. We rolled into the second rest stop to hot chocolate and ramen cup-of-noodles. A nice warm treat on a chilly morning. After a short rest the rain started back up slightly, so Amy, Eric and I decided to ride to stay ahead of the angry clouds. I rode with Amy and Eric for about 8 miles and then decided to take advantage of the open road. I rode alone for the next 14 miles, really opening it up. One of the best parts of cycling is being able to get out there alone and have this time to yourself. Being away from home and friends provides me with a lot of things to think about, and sometimes I need the road and the sound of my bike under me to fully comprehend and appreciate what I am doing, to really separate myself from what I've left back in New York to pursue here for the next 2 months. I let my mind wander along in the rolling green hills pushing off into where rainbows fall into. A truly peaceful time on the bike.

We arrived at the First Methodist Church in Woodward before 3pm. The entire team made great time and had a strong day after a dreary looking morning. The church prepared for us a dinner of hamburgers and hotdogs, with chips and salsa. We ate with the youth group, where I got to talk with various kids, many of which asked me about life in New York and how it differed from Texas and Oklahoma. Select members of our team gave the first presentation of the tour. While it was shaky it was still great to see my teammates up there talking about what we're doing. Michael Choate gave a great "Why I Ride" presentation that I feel really encompasses the passion and drive of our entire team.

After the presentation we played the biggest game of Knockout I've ever seen. Various members of the TX4K played, as well as most of the youth group. It felt good to interact with the kids, and I feel like they took more from our presentation by getting to know us better and interact with us in a more non-traditional way. One of the boys even came to see us off the next morning, and had an extended talk with Alex Menzies about going to school for computer programming.

Day 10 6/11/2007 Woodward, OK to Buffalo, OK - 35 miles DRIVE DAY

I drove the support van. The ride was only 35 miles, and the team breezed through it, getting to the church in Buffalo around 10:30am. Vinaj and I unloaded bags into the church so when the team arrived the day would simply be done. The pastor left us to shower, and around 2pm we went to lunch at the Buffalo Diner. A woman saw us walking down the street together from her backyard and followed us to the diner. She was curious as to who we were, and upon finding our made a generous donation to the cause.

Day 11 6/12/2007 Buffalo, OK to Dodge City, KS - 77.5 miles

Day 12 6/13/2007 Dodge City, KS to Syracuse, KS - 105.7 miles

Day 13 6/14/2007 Syracuse, KS to Las Animas, CO - 87.7 miles

It was a day that started with rain and headwind. We hauled out our rain gear, arm and leg warmers and prepared for the day. Everyone was excited to be crossing into Colorado, but a cold rain and a colder headwind would prove to be the test. The rain was steady and at first just annoying. The headwind was brutal coming out of the gate. The border crossing occurred around the 16 mile mark of the day. We posed for one shot in the rain at the sign, ate sandwiches and crackers, then proceeded into the weather. The next 20 miles to the second rest stop proved to be the most challenging stretch of riding to this point. The headwind remained strong, while the rain picked up to a painful pelting. It was the first time on this trip in which I called upon those I was riding for. I thought of my teacher Mrs. A, and my grandfather Walker. I thought of why I was out there, and I thought of something Michael Choate said during his "Why I Ride" presentation that has stuck with me. He mentioned that this ride is a metaphor for those battling cancer. The pain, the anguish we feel out on the road is representative of the suffering faced by those with cancer. I dragged my wet body into the second rest stop, feeling victorious. I watched my teammates pull in and had a moment to myself where I felt truly proud to be riding with such strong people. I felt proud to be a part of this organization, and it was brought on by hard work and perseverance on the bikes. At the rest stop we fashioned a tarp across the top of our trailer to the top of our other support van so we could have some shelter from the rain. As after every rest stop we charged on. In a day littered with rain and flats we kept riding. Our last 30 miles was rewarding as we started to see the landscape changes from Kansas to Colorado. The scenery got greener. The hills began to roll and tumble out and away into the distance.

We found our way to the First Baptist Church in Las Animas. Pastor David showed us where to store our bicycles and let us unload our bags. This evening we've been split up amongst various members of the church's community. I am staying with David and his wife Sharon at their lovely home. Collin, Chris, Allison, Alex Menzies, Vinaj, and Michael are staying here as well. The church treated us to one of the best dinners so far. Everything was homemade and amazing. Sharon made a delicious roast with potatoes and carrots. There was so much variety our team could barely believe such a feast was for us. It is hosts like this that make riding the next day less excruciating. To come into a town where we know absolutely nobody and be treated to a full dinner and complete compassion makes me realize why Texas 4000 is such a successful organization. It has chosen a cause close to people, a cause people can get behind and support and embrace, even as the faces change from year to year.