Welcome to Bike for Haiti By Erik and Abdiel

The idea of this trip began ten years ago on a family road trip. As the sights of the United States passed by me I dreamed of riding my bike across the country. I brought the matter up during our road trip. I remember saying something like “Next time lets do this by bike...” Of course at the time everyone thought I was crazy. Then five years ago on another road trip I discussed my dream with Abdiel, a friend of mine. He thought that a bike trip would be crazy, but also a great experience. Overtime the idea slowly started to develop and take hold.

While this bike trip will be a great learning experience for Abdiel and I we eventually decided to ride for a cause. We not only wanted this adventure to mean something to us, but to serve a purpose for others. This is why we have decided to ride for Partners in Health (PIH), and Haiti. As many of you know it has been about a year since the earthquake devastated Haiti displacing people out of their homes. Even more then a year later people are still living in tented communities. PIH is not only dedicated to continue to help those harmed by the quake, but has existed in Haiti for many years. As a co-founder of PIH, Dr. Paul Farmer has been revolutionizing how medicine is brought to those in need throughout Haiti. The mission statement for PIH states “When a person in Peru, or Siberia, or rural Haiti falls ill, PIH uses all of the means at our disposal to make them well... Whatever it takes. Just as we would do a member of our own family - or we ourselves were – ill.” This means that PIH is very adamant about helping those who fall ill upon their doorstep. (To learn more about what PIH is doing for Haiti visit PIH Stand for Haiti website)

Any donations are greatly appreciated. We hope the links to our blog will help better inform you about PIH and Haiti. A great book to read is “Mountains beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder. You can make a one time donation to our cause and give our ride purpose by going to our PIH Fundraiser Page or if you would like to donate an X amount of money per mile we ride that can be done by going to Pledge per Mile. Remember even the smallest contributions help.

* Your donation can: give a years worth of tuberculosis medication for one person that costs about $10-$20 dollars in poor countries such as Haiti. Antiretrovirals for HIV range from $70-$80 per year, per person. *All donations will go to PIH*

Friday, April 22, 2011

Gateway to The West (Day 24)

It was a good thing we decided not to cross the Mississippi yesterday because last night some strong thunderstorms moved through the area, and being in a tent would have been awful. After the thunderstorms moved through around four in the morning it rained until eight or so. This gave Abdiel and I an excuse to sleep in which led to a late start. We are coming to a point in the trip where our bodies constantly feel fatigued. It seems as if my body is craving sleep and not enough will ever fill that craving. Even after a good nights sleep I still end up tired a couple hours after being on the bike. It is at this point we still need to keep on pushing. Everyone I talked to told us we would reach a point like this. They say the first week or so your body is very sore from all the riding. Which was true for me. I remember that my upper back and legs were really sore. Now the fatigue has hit for sure! Despite being tired I am still enjoying the trip.

Today we crossed the Mississippi which was muddy and flowing with a strong current. From this point on we will be heading into the great west! I am pretty excited about that. It feels like we are making good progress. As we rode today we were fortunate enough to have good weather. The forecast for the day said that severe thunderstorms were possible. As I rode my bike I couldn't help but keep an eye out for good places to go to if a bad storm came in. Luckily every mile or so there is a house, and I am sure that if a bad storm came by we would be able to find a shelter. The people of the Midwest have been very generous in everyway.

Riding through the first part of Missouri was beautiful! The rolling hills along with the farmland made it a picture perfect place. The woods also brought a feeling of being back in New England. I really enjoyed the hills as we rode. The curves of the road brought new scenery at each turn. However as we road closer to Pilot Knob we came to a place where the woods were infested with black flies. It was impossible to stop without a swarm of them getting in your hair and helmet. That is why tonight we are in a motel... not to mention it is suppose to storm again. I can hear thunder of in the distance.
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