The Route So Far - Google Maps


View X-America by Bicycle in a larger map

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 16, 2010

FIVE THOUSAND KILOMETRES

Day 50 - Cedar City to Ranch in Wah-Wah Valley - 81 miles, 6 waves, 2 burgers FIVE THOUSAND KILOMETRES! - Total 5091kms, 66 waves, 110 burgers

When we were planning this trip, we wrote down a few things which sounded epic for the top of the blog: we would face huge temperature changes; 0- 30Celsius, and cycle 5000kms. Expectations have been exceeded on all those counts. We have faced temperatures from -2 to 45Celsius, and have cycled 5000 kms with 1000kms still to go. Anyway...

Today we had a lie in until 8, when we dominated the motels breakfast and cleared up before heading to find a bike shop. Cedar City is our last bike shop for nearly 500 miles - we don't want to get stuck in between - but it was also the first bike shop we have been to when we don't actually have a real problem. Despite our bikes lacking urgent problems, we bought a new rear tire each - the wheel had been worn down so much at the back that it was square not round (when I say "real" problem, I mean a problem that stops us cycling). I also bought a set of brake pads as a spare, I am nearly through my second set.

We left Cedar City late, at 12, but still managed 81 miles in the day. We met Jeff, Kevin and a Kiwi cyclist along the way, having nice chats about things to come in both directions. We knew we would have fun with Jeff and Kevin - as we cycled towards them, mad waves were exchanged. We stopped beside a car that was also stopped: a pole - concreted into the ground, off the road and extremely immobile had "jumped up and hit the wing mirror".

We embarked on our longest stretch with no services today (84 miles), and should finish it tomorrow. Stocking up in Milford with micro-wave meals and plenty of water, we headed out into nothing. The landscape has changed yet again, to long rolling valleys with mountains either side. I think that this landscape will continue almost all the way through Nevada to California. Pictures to come.

We camped in a massive valley, in a ranch which provided an oasis of action among a sea of nothing. It was getting late when we crested Frisco Summit, but we didn't stop along the way down - it was just so much fun cruising down the hill. This meant that we quickly left the large vegetation of the hill and ended up in the plain at the bottom with nowhere to hide behind. We spotted the only grove of tree's in 20 miles and headed towards it only to find a ranch underneath. But, by this time it was too dark to set up camp somewhere else, so we asked nicely and were given a really green manicured lawn to camp on outside their house. The lawn was so green for such an otherwise deserted area, we should have asked why. It was so comfy that we only awoke some time in the middle of the night to what sounded like a huge rainstorm. It turns out the kind farmer forgot to turn off the sprinkler system, much of our kit got a drenching, and our tent was tested yet again.

Finishing with a challenge: Guess what type of birds were making a loud noise and strolling around the yard of the ranch?!

3 comments:

  1. i meant it without the first k ... oops

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  2. Damn! That's what i say! Peacocks!
    Only 3 exams to go!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete