Sean's Day 3 -- Slowly but surely...
Hi Y'all!
Alright, I'm going to admit that this trip is progressing more slowly than I had hoped. I honestly feel like we are working out the kinks, though, and I am determined to get back on schedule over the next four days. As God is my witness, we WILL make it to Kentucky by Thursday at 5:30 so we can be on time for the party my mother is throwing for me.
Because of some scheduling choices (as in, NOT because I was too tired or something) I was only able to ride 20 miles today, all before 8:30. Rain either drizzled or fell at a steady pace for the entire trip, which was actually kind of cool. There's nothing quite like a fat guy in a wet t-shirt. Hot, I tell you. Actually, it made the temperature just about perfect. I'd be happy if it did that for the entire trip. I can take wet much more happily than "hotter than a two dollar pistol."
The only mishap on the ride was when I fell in a ditch -- let me assure you, there is no way to look cool while falling into a ditch on a country road. My first thought was to try to pretend that I meant to do it, you know, because I wanted to take a nap or something. Then it occurred to me that there was absolutely no one around, for miles in either direction, so I picked myself up and hit the road.
The morning ride was shortened because we decided to head on into Columbia for my Rotary meeting (yes, I am a proud Rotarian -- just call me Mr. Civically Minded!). I won't see any of those folks for probably a month, and I thought it would be cool to drop in on the ride, and it was. President Tony St. Romaine talked a bit about my ride, which I thought was very kind.
Brett and I spent the afternoon running errands and getting ready for our Columbia gathering, scheduled for 5:30. We ended up having it in the parking lot of "The Diner" across from Flatbranch Park, where we initially planned to have it. We had to shift the location slightly because there turned out to be huge activities consuming the entire park.
The Diner was great, though. I used to go there when I was in college -- the best kind of place to go at 3:00 in the morning, after the bars have closed, where you can have huge portions of greasy, delicious diner food. I asked the owner if we could squat on a small portion of his parking lot and he was quick to agree. It turns out that his family has a lot of experience with MS, so they were eager to help. They even contributed without being asked -- excellent folks, indeed. If you are ever in Columbia and want a good American meal (especially breakfast), I definitely suggest The Diner at 4th and Cherry Streets.
The event was great. People came and wrote checks and hung out with us. Mostly friends and a few new folks. It felt good to share the story of the ride and get people thinking and asking about something important to me and to so many.
After the event and a quick bite at The Diner, Brett and I rushed over to the visitation, following the passing of State Senator Chuck Graham's father. I didn't have the pleasure of knowing Andy, but I've been hearing stories, and I think a lot of Chuck. It was a blessing that the ride allowed me to be in Columbia in time to pay my respects. If the timing had been off by just a day, I would have been too far away.
Tonight I'm catching up on a bunch of things. Tomorrow I have to write an article for the Columbia Business Times. Preparing for the ride kept me from doing it sooner, and now I'm paying the price. I'll need to spend some or maybe even all of tomorrow interviewing and writing, which almost certainly means I won't be riding tomorrow. I will if I can, but otherwise I'll be hustling to get back on schedule, starting Saturday. You can count on my getting on the road no later than 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning.
Have a nice night.
- sean
Sean Spence
MS Advocate
www.MissouriToManhattan.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
Alright, I'm going to admit that this trip is progressing more slowly than I had hoped. I honestly feel like we are working out the kinks, though, and I am determined to get back on schedule over the next four days. As God is my witness, we WILL make it to Kentucky by Thursday at 5:30 so we can be on time for the party my mother is throwing for me.
Because of some scheduling choices (as in, NOT because I was too tired or something) I was only able to ride 20 miles today, all before 8:30. Rain either drizzled or fell at a steady pace for the entire trip, which was actually kind of cool. There's nothing quite like a fat guy in a wet t-shirt. Hot, I tell you. Actually, it made the temperature just about perfect. I'd be happy if it did that for the entire trip. I can take wet much more happily than "hotter than a two dollar pistol."
The only mishap on the ride was when I fell in a ditch -- let me assure you, there is no way to look cool while falling into a ditch on a country road. My first thought was to try to pretend that I meant to do it, you know, because I wanted to take a nap or something. Then it occurred to me that there was absolutely no one around, for miles in either direction, so I picked myself up and hit the road.
The morning ride was shortened because we decided to head on into Columbia for my Rotary meeting (yes, I am a proud Rotarian -- just call me Mr. Civically Minded!). I won't see any of those folks for probably a month, and I thought it would be cool to drop in on the ride, and it was. President Tony St. Romaine talked a bit about my ride, which I thought was very kind.
Brett and I spent the afternoon running errands and getting ready for our Columbia gathering, scheduled for 5:30. We ended up having it in the parking lot of "The Diner" across from Flatbranch Park, where we initially planned to have it. We had to shift the location slightly because there turned out to be huge activities consuming the entire park.
The Diner was great, though. I used to go there when I was in college -- the best kind of place to go at 3:00 in the morning, after the bars have closed, where you can have huge portions of greasy, delicious diner food. I asked the owner if we could squat on a small portion of his parking lot and he was quick to agree. It turns out that his family has a lot of experience with MS, so they were eager to help. They even contributed without being asked -- excellent folks, indeed. If you are ever in Columbia and want a good American meal (especially breakfast), I definitely suggest The Diner at 4th and Cherry Streets.
The event was great. People came and wrote checks and hung out with us. Mostly friends and a few new folks. It felt good to share the story of the ride and get people thinking and asking about something important to me and to so many.
After the event and a quick bite at The Diner, Brett and I rushed over to the visitation, following the passing of State Senator Chuck Graham's father. I didn't have the pleasure of knowing Andy, but I've been hearing stories, and I think a lot of Chuck. It was a blessing that the ride allowed me to be in Columbia in time to pay my respects. If the timing had been off by just a day, I would have been too far away.
Tonight I'm catching up on a bunch of things. Tomorrow I have to write an article for the Columbia Business Times. Preparing for the ride kept me from doing it sooner, and now I'm paying the price. I'll need to spend some or maybe even all of tomorrow interviewing and writing, which almost certainly means I won't be riding tomorrow. I will if I can, but otherwise I'll be hustling to get back on schedule, starting Saturday. You can count on my getting on the road no later than 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning.
Have a nice night.
- sean
Sean Spence
MS Advocate
www.MissouriToManhattan.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
posted by Sean Spence at 7:50 PM
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