From Front Page to Philly

This morning we had a great send off. The Osborns refueled our gatorade and granola bar supply, fed us a huge breakfast, and gave some great hugs. Amelia drew us a self portrait, and Grayson took time to tell us all about his bicycles.

We headed out about 9:30 and made it to PA within a few hours. We ran into . . . and over . . . some pretty substantial hills. Don't worry though - we still haven't had to walk our bikes. ha ha. A few miles after we had crossed into Pennsylsvania, my phone was ringing . . . it was Emily Osborn. My first reaction was, "Oops. I wonder what we left at their house." In my mind I ran over all the things that we could have left.

As it turns out, we didn't leave anything. She was calling to tell us that we had made the front page of the Baltimore Examiner! Check it out:

Visit page 1 of the July 7, 2006 edition: Baltimore Examiner Archives

After hearing this good news (funny pun huh?), we pedaled on to Tom's house just outside of Philadelphia. It ended up being about 94 miles, and we were exhausted by the end. The mileage was rough considering the amount of hills, but Tom's family fed us a huge dinner. Our time here will be refreshing . . ahhhhh.

~ Austin

Baltimore: The Inner Harbor and the New Fall

Today we woke up and got ready for some Baltimore events. First we explored the inner harbor, seeing one amazing converted power plant, and handed out flyers to passers-by. Given the looks we got, I don't think people bike in that area very often, but maybe that's why Chester's bag of change got a little bit heavier. We didn't have much time, though, so after grabbing a quick lunch we headed to Sinai Hospital. We got to spend some time in the playroom where Austin sang the whale song, and the whale hats, as usual, were a big hit. After visiting some of the patients' rooms, we went with Amelia - the Baltimore Rally kid - and her family to their home. We spent an hour riding our bikes with Amelia and her brother Grayson. During that time, while turning in a circle, I fell. At about two miles per hour. Since I as going so slow, I was able to catch myself, avoiding injury to myself and damage to the gear. Austin started to fall in the same place about a minute later. We're still not sure why that happened. Anyway, after playing with Amelia and Grayson for a little bit longer, we headed to the Outback for dinner. The dinner was great, and the staff was great. After satiating ourselves, we headed back to check our route and our e-mail. Tomorrow we begin our ride to my hometown, Philadelphia.

~ Tom

Baltimore: Leo Mazzone and Amelia

Upon our arrival in Baltimore, we decided to touch base with someone else who has made the 1,200 mile trek from Altanta to Baltimore . . . Leo Mazzone.



While Leo was in Atlanta last week, he helped with one of Rally Foundation's other fundraisers. Someone at the game must of told him about our bike ride, and I assume that he was really excited about the whole thing because he made us this sign :) Not sure if Leo has any specific advice for improving your cycling game, but motivational posters are pretty good if you ask me. Thanks Leo!

Tomorrow we are going to Sinai Children's Hospital. Amelia, a 6 yr old with Leukemia who was treated at the hospital, is going to show us around the hospital and help us pass out goodie bags. Afterwards we are going to have dinner with her and her family at Outback Steakhouse. Her dad said that she has a bike with training wheels that she is eager to show us. I remember when my bike had training wheels :)

~ Austin

Happy 4th Alexa!

Amidst all of the fireworks, we took some time for arts and crafts today. Alexa, one of our Atlanta kids, has been in the hospital recently, and we have all been worried about her. She's 9 and has been through several years of rough treatment, but she is really tough and is the sweetest little girl ever.

So for the fourth of July, we decided to make her a sign and wish her well. Here's to you Alexa - stay strong and Rally On! We're riding for you and hope to be able to talk to you soon :)

~ Austin

DC Pics and Captain Planet

We have only been away from DC for a few days now, but we didn's get any pics up. So for those of you at home, here you go, a few things we did while in the Capitol:

We started out walking by the Library of Congress . . . in spandex.

Then we met with some members of congress, told them about our ride, and showed them . . . Tom Bruise.

And then we visited a few kids . . .

We gave away some t-shirts to Carsten and Carolyn . . .

Had an arm wrestling tournament . . .

Gathered the Team, and headed out of town . . .

The visit was . . . a success! Next stop, Baltimore. By then, we will be well rested and ready to take on every challenge that comes our way. Fundraisers unite. With our powers combined, we will beat Childhood Cancer . . . (it's kinda like Captain Planet, only with bikes and no green hair see link)

~ Austin