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Showing posts from May, 2014

On the road with POPS Ride! We made it!

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Today, Sunday, May 25th,  I am sitting at the computer in the rental house my family is staying in for a few days of family vacation. My mother, my sister and family, and my family and grand kids were all here for our finish in San Diego. As I unwind and ponder the last month, there is so much to say, and so many new experiences that I would never have had if I did not have Parkinson's Disease. Who'd ever thought that I would had not been diagnosed with PD I would have such experiences? I am greatly blessed with a strong support system that sees me off and brings me back! Thank you to my family, work family, neighbors and friends for your ungoing support and encouragement! To the many people on our trip who hosted us with either a church, home, hotel, and even a red barn,  you are awesome! Your generosity was  overwhelming. Thank you! To our support team, Jerry Hogg, Rachel Baderman, Duane Stutzman, Nathaniel Patton, Kyle Worley,  Mona Amaro, we couldn't ask for a be

Day 22 On the road with Pops Ride

 Wow! I can't believe we are starting the last week of our ride. Alot of miles have been covered and a lot of beautiful scenery we have seen. We have had wonderful hosts along the way and I am so very grateful for each stop and the people we have met. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here and to have this experience. I have never been away from my family for this much time and I miss them. I am anxious to see them this week. I am very grateful for the relationships I have developed with my road buddies of Pops Ride. Great men they are and they take great care of me. A big thank you to Jerry, Shane, and Shannon for the great friends that you are and for allowing me to share this journey with you. I look forward to a lifetime of good times!

Day 14 On The Road With POPs Ride

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Today was a rest day for me. It was a beautiful Sunday, Mothers Day. I am grateful for my mom and to Leisa for the great mothers that they are. I love them both so much and am anxious to see them both in San Diego. I enjoyed seeing the country side today. Alot of beautiful farms, jersey cows, and old barns. At one place when Mona and I stopped a lady approached us and we were talking. She was from Vancouver BC nd was visiting her mom. She said that she her step father had built a tree house on their property and invited us to drive back and see it. We drove down a dirt road o their place and it was beautiful. Such a nice place with trees blooming. They took me to the back yard where the tree house was. It was actually a house on supports built against a tree with stairs leading to it. It was big enough for a full size bed and finished with nice wood. It had windows with a great view. A pretty cool place. We also went through a town called Ferndale. It was a nice little town with vict

Day 12 On the road with Pops Ride

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Today we rode from Port Orford to Brookings, almost to the California border. I rode most the way except for the last 12 miles or so. It was windy and wet, but not wet enough to keep us from riding. We had a beautiful ocean view and plenty of very scenic spots.  After I stopped riding and was with Duane in the support vehicle , we stopped at a scenic point above the ocean and we saw a whale out there. It would stay primarily in one area like it must have been feeding on something but occasionally we would see it come up out of the water briefly. It was a good day. Duane and Jerry Hogg both ended their support team time. We will miss them both. Jerry has been extremely helpful and I have appreciated him so much. Thank you Jerry! Duane was very kind and eager to help. It was good to get to know him as well. Thank you Duane! Keith Barr joined us this evening and will start riding with us tomorrow for the rest of the time. It will be great to have him with us. Mona joined

On the the road with Pops Ride

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Well, I have been posting mostly on Facebook, and I don't think I can get caught up, but I just want to say that I have had an awesome time thus far. It has been wonderful to be here, see the beauty of the area, and benefit from the generosity of everyone that put us up for the night. Each place has its unique difference but each one has the same desire to open up their homes churches and hearts to make sure that we are taken care of. We are greatly blessed. We have had great support from Jerry Hogg and Rachel Baderman, and now we have Duane Stutzman, one of Jerry's cousins. We could not do it without these folks and I cannot say enough about the great blessing it is to have them. A special big thank you to our support team! I also appreciate so much all who are following us,thank you for your words of encouragement ,prayers, and support. How awesome it is to know you are there. Thank you! A special thank you to Leisa at home. I have never been away from her for this long an