The Ride for Alzheimer's is On!

Sunday, July 16. Day 13, final ride day.

90 miles of riding, 1220 ft of climbing. Rode from Niles, OH to Erie, PA. Wake up call at 6:00, loaded luggage at 6:30, rode to Denny's and ordered eggs Benedict off the menu. Very nice morning but scattered showers and thunderstorms are predicted.

I forgot to pack a raincoat - big mistake. 1 mile from SAG 1, at 48 miles, it rained for 45 min. The only shelter we had was a tree. The temperature went down and I got quite a chill.

SAG 1 for today at a restored covered bridge

It stopped and we went on to SAG 1 which was a covered bridge. Being wet really didn't matter 'cause it rained very hard for the next 12 miles. It stopped 3 miles before we got to Richardson's old fashion Root Beer Drive-In. This was a scene out of the 50's and 60's!

Richardson's old fashioned Root Beer stand. This was fun, oldies music playing. Peggy Sue, Oh Donna, Great Balls of Fire, Since I Met You Baby, Love Me Tender, etc...

J.L. (he is raising funds for Crisis, Survivors of sexual assault), me, and Ken Franklin (a writer for Consumer Reports)

2 women and a little girl were sitting at the counter and I went over to tell them what all the cyclist activity was about. One of them noticed my Alzheimers wrap around my bike bag and asked me about it, so I briefly explained and gave her a flyer. She read it and sent her little girl over to give me $20. Her name is Terry Yeager from Erie and she lives on Ruth Ave. Interesting that my mother's name is Ruth. What a special person you are Terry Yeager!

Picture of Richardson's Root beer stand

The rest of the ride was uneventful until I arrived at the Avalon Hotel at 3:30. Dave Fried, Executive Director of the Northwest Ohio Alzheimers Chapter was here along with a TV reporter and 2 cameramen from 2 different TV stations. I will be on tonight's news at 10 or 11!

Part of the group of folks that interviewed me at the Avalon Hotel in Erie, PA. Janelle, a reporter for WSEE Newswatch 35, me, and Nick the cameraman.

Mike Monk packed up my bike, I'll ship it tomorrow. Had a very nice buffet here at the hotel. Now I'm just doing odds and ends of organizing tonight and I am trying also to get this e-mail sent back home. At 11:30 I was was on the local TV news. Not much of what I said at my interview was on, but they did focus on my Alzheimers bike bag wrap a lot (Donna made it). The important thing is that the word is getting out. Alzheimer awareness, the support will come!

What is this?

Me, entering PA (getting closer to home J!)