2 days

Just a quick note, am sitting @ home , Sat early AM, just finishing up my packing. Really getting excited now!! Only 2 days till we ride. Will drive over to Seattle this afternoon, plan to eat good and sleep on a soft bed for 2 more nights, am looking forward to spending these last couple of days with Norma and taking it easy! Will post once we get on the road, see ya.

ONE WEEK!!!!!!

Final countdown, all is well on the launch pad! Donations have been received and sent in to the ALAW, I made it with a little room to spare. Thanks again all who helped out! Bullet is ready to go, courtesy of my friends from Wheelsport East in Spokane Valley. I do have a little shopping for a few things on the list, but can do that in a couple of hours. Then it is just trying to get everything into the 2 bags I can take, which means leaving some of the stuff I think I need @ home. I do have a certain advantage due to the fact that day 4 of the ride ends in Spokane and I can gain or loose stuff @ home.

Work has been nuts, have worked total of 154 hrs in last 14 days between the 2 places. Just the usual whacky ER stuff. Teenage girl @ a kegger in Couer D' Alene, cops bust it, everyone scatters like quail. Girl is running, goes to duck under some concrete stairs, misjudged how low the stairs were. It took over 3 hours and 50 staples and to close the laceration across her scalp. Alcohol is a wonderful thing!!!

Have been commuting back and forth so I have gotten to ride 120-150 miles per week, the knee is feeling fine, as a matter of fact I forget it was ever injured at all when I am riding. Still bugs me a little (it's stiff) when I walk, it didn't ever really give me any pain. Sunday morning after 12 hour shift, I was feeling pretty tired but decided to do some "hill work". I rode the Ironman course along the river into Liberty Lake and then home. Did 35 miles with 3 really good climbs, felt really good, but was a little sore the next day.

Down to 203 lbs, least amt I have weighed in almost 25 years. I can tell that I am lighter, even with being off the bike for 3 weeks and losing the fitness, I can ride more comfortably now.
Am more positive about the ride now that I am feeling better.

Will try to post a couple of more times before the Ride. Stay tuned.

2 weeks!!!!

It's getting close, 2 weeks till the ride. Almost got everything ready, have gotten enough pledges to make my goal, take Bullet in this week for her final tune up, have all my bike gear purchased, and just a little final shopping left. Am getting pretty excited. Have been commuting every day and am averaging between 100-150 miles per week. My knee is stiff when I walk but I forget it was even injured when I ride, some kind of therapy I guess!

I would really like to send out a special thank you for all of you that donated to my cause, money came from unexpected people and places and I really appreciate all your charity. It is tough to ask people for money but this is going to a good cause.

I am a little bummed because with my injury and working extra shifts I wasn't able to do any of the organized rides after my injury, I was scheduled to have done 6-7 100mi + rides before the Big Ride but only ended up with 2 of them. I will have 1000 miles this spring though, so I should be ready. I am concerned and Norma keeps questioning whether I can do the 1st day, it is the climb from Seattle up over the Cascade mountains. It will be tough, we do a fair share of riding on I-90 and traffic will be a concern also. I am confident I can make it fine.

Work has been nuts, summer is here, our #'s are up for both ERs and I have been picking up extra shifts. I have worked 70 hrs this last week and am getting tired. I will really enjoy my 48 days away from whiny, sick people. Speaking of work, took care of a guy last week that was out on his early morning training ride (a triathalete), was doing 40 mph downhill on his new Scott carbon frame bike (somewhere around $5000) and t-boned a deer. The bike exploded with the impact, he rolled down the road like a rag doll. Broke his Bell helmet into pieces (it's shape was still intact) he had lost a couple of teeth and road rash all over his body but those were his only injuries. Man a good helmet sure pays for it's self.

Will post again soon as time is getting short!!!!!