The Route So Far - Google Maps


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Why?

We are doing this ride to raise money for Research Autism. We are aiming to raise £20,000.
We are supporting Research Autism because my cousin Jamie is severely affected by the disease, and I have seen its effects not only on him but on the whole family." He is 13yrs old, but cannot yet talk.
Just take a moment to imagine not being able to talk.
Imagine understanding everything going on around you, but not being able to comment.
Imagine having to be dressed every morning in clothes you don't choose, and then hurting your parents as you try to tell them you wanted the blue shirt today.
Imagine being swamped by having to hear everything that everyone is saying around you, and not being able to listen to just one thing at once. Jamie loves being in a swimming pool, just floating, legs held motionless by the weight of the water, while he keeps his ears underwater to just relax, hearing nothing.
He understands everything - he appears to have a photographic memory - but can’t get his thoughts out.
Frustration leads to despair, and anger, which is just one of the many things that his family has to deal with.
He has extremely specific eating requirements and requires round the clock supervision. Jamie is at the severe end of the autistic spectrum, but given that one in 100 people suffer from the disease (with varying severity), and that everyone has some autistic traits, it is shocking that so little is known about it'.
Click here to support our cause and donate to Research Autism.
Read the "Meet Jamie" post - the only post in February, for more information about Jamie, and a poem - painstakingly slow for Jamie to type, but ultimately incredible.

Photo Video - New York to St Louis

June 19, 2010

101 miles from Nowhere to Nowhere

 

This photo pretty much sums up Nevada - big basin's with not much in them at all - the sign warning of cows come every 60 miles or so, and they always have at least 3 bulletholes - no wonder the cow looks scared (see picture to come of cow in detail.) Each basin is at least 30 miles from Crest to Crest - usually more like 50.

Day 55 counting again but not actually sure on days?? Ely, NV to a spot by the side of the road 23 miles west of Eureka. 8 waves, 2 burgers, 101 miles - totals: 117 burgers, 101 waves, 5478 kms

We set off early, but not as early as we had planned. After a relaxing day of only 27 miles the day before, we were aiming for a hundred today. We had stocked up the day before in a big market and so set off soon after waking up. The donuts you can get at some of these markets are awesome.

I am enjoying Nevada - the hills look really steep from far, but are in fact really gradual. We are munching through the miles, despite a day of only 27, we have done 302 miles in the last 4 days - thats roughly what we covered on our tour of England, in a week. We will probably try and do another hundred tomorrow.

I am sure I have mentioned before that we are cycling "the wrong way" - conventional wisdom says the wind goes west to east, and most cyclists are wise to this. But, one of the best things about cycling "the wrong way" across country, is that you meet everyone going the other way - whereas they only meet the very few lunatics going the wrong way - and a few people who are going either very slow or very fast. We on the other hand, meet them all. We have seen 4 people a day for the last few days - all interesting people on their own little mission.

Kevin is cycling for breast cancer because he lost his mum to it, and we will remember him, because he gave us pink wristbands with his blog address: www.3781miles.org and "NEVER GIVE UP" - his mum's favourite phrase stamped on it.
John is also cycling for breast cancer and is now going with Kevin - they are similar ages and left SF on the same day, but didn't know! Blog: www.cycleforgailsangels.com

An interesting thing about Kevin and John is that they were both cycling with only front panniers and a tent on the back - John sent back probably 25kgs only after seeing Kevin's novel set up.

We met another guy on a shorter trip - from SF to Pueblo, as well as Tyler, cycling the from SF to New York, in the same length of time as us and the same route, just the opposite direction. He was in college, and raising money for the Haiti Relief fund - search "Here to Haiti" on facebook, or click here for the page.

We dived off the road at 10 to 8, giving us 40 mins more light (the time change means it gets dark earlier) we put up our tent, took some sunset photo's, and ate some of the food we had brought with us - asleep by 9.15.
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