Week of 02/14/10 - More Snow and Auditions - 130+ miles

The big blizzard of 2010 packed a second punch with 16 additional inches on Tuesday/Wednesday.  Schools were closed all week and indoor spinning was all the rage.  Lots of extra exercise via the shoveling route.  The ends of the driveway are as tall as I am.  Plows came on Tuesday just in time to restock the pantry before the next snow.  Leah had a blast sledding and building an igloo with her friends.  Karen worked feverishly on her GCS auction and I worked from home, fund raised, and spun.

I managed to ride about 50 minutes on Tuesday (music), Wednesday (Coach Troy - Lake Placid), and Thursday (music).  My sister, Amy, and niece, Rebecca werea able to fly in from Boston on Thursday night.  Somehow, their flight was right on time.  Go Southwest!  Best fares, bags fly free, and they take bikes for only $50 each way.  Compared to the other rip off airlines, they are indeed a bargain.  For my flight to Oregon, I saved over $300.  That has been booked for Friday June 18th!

I was finally able to spin for a solid 90 minutes on Friday while the girls made a run to the Chineese buffet.  On Saturday, Amy, Rebecca, and I headed into to Washington to visit Amercian University.  Rebecca is a talented actress and singer and plans to study musical theater in school.  She really wants to go to NYU, but also applied at American, Emerson, Wagner, and Marymount Manhanttan.  We toured campus and grabbed a nice lunch in Bethesda before Rebecca's audition.  On the way home, we headed to College Park to pick up my son Michael and his girlfriend Erin for dinner.  It was great chance to catch up and have some family fun.

Lacking miles toward my weekly goals I pushed on the trainer for a long 50+ miles on Sunday.  Long sessions like this are a challenge ... more for the mind, then body!  I have put together some great mp3 CDs to help set the pace, keep me motivated, and pass the time.  130+ miles for the week and lots of sore muscles from shoveling.

Fundraising continued with a new wave focused on all the great people who have joined my facebook page. Friends of friends are starting to hear and spread the message.  Thank you to generous gold level sponsors Alex Stall and Amy Griffing (2nd year).  Great donations also received loyal supporters Yuri Radams (3rd year) and Marty & Marilyn Franklin (3rd year). I am up to over $4,000 in hand with several additional pledges on the way.

It was also a great week for connecting to other Across America North riders.  Helen Steussy found me on the web.  She is from Indiana and is riding with her daughter Al.  Helen also rides a Serotta and is supporting land conservation. Her website Flight ... for the Land is a good read.  While searching for other blogs, I found Katie Spear's Blog by Bike. Katie is from New York, and has an interesting web site and concept for paying for her trip. Once full payment is sent to America by Bicyle, I hope to get the full list of register riders.

I long for the pavement, but am having fun connecting and spreading the American Lung Association message.