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*

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Going to Walla Walla (Day 55)

Today we biked our longest day yet! Somehow we missed calculated how far it was from Walla Walla. Instead of the ride being around 95 miles we realized that it was going to be about 130 miles. By 7:00am we were off and biking. We crossed into Washington on route 12 riding along the Snake River. After riding along the Snake River for some time we hit our first big climb of the day. The climb was the biggest since Lolo Pass.
As we rode I could tell we were getting closer and closer to Walla Walla. Trees started to disappear and grasslands started to turn into wheat fields. As we were biking in this area we saw a red Cadillac pass by. Once we saw the Colorado license plates we knew it was Bill and Mary Joe. Once they saw us they turned around and pulled up next to us to say hi! It was pretty amazing to meet them again. They have been a couple that have stood out in our mind. In Lander, WY they were very helpful to us and we have thought of them often. We were in a huge shock to meet up with them again. They were driving back home to Colorado to finish the vacation they had decided to take in the Seattle area.

While meeting Bill and Mary Joe was a highlight for us, another highlight was pulling into Walla Walla. About five miles away from town the sun had gone down and it was completely dark. As we rode we a truck pulled off to the side ahead of us. The first thought that went through my mind was some guy jumping out of the truck at us. However I was totally wrong... Instead I heard a familiar voice. It was Marve head of the PE Department at Walla Walla University. He drove all the way out to escort us to the town. It was pretty awesome!

Once we got onto College Ave. near the University there was a crowd waiting outside to cheer us on! It was great and totally unexpected. Wet and tired from the long ride people came over to talk to us and congratulate us on how far we have come. It was great to share stories from our trip and talk with friends I hadn't seen for a while. I have really missed this area since I have graduated!
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 25, 2011 at 10:50 AM

    Welcome "home!" Dr. Craig

    ReplyDelete
  2. JennyMay 25, 2011 at 12:03 PM

    Yeah, welcome home!! haha. It was good to see you again!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 27, 2011 at 6:31 PM

    good job wow
    p.s im mark i go moms church

    ReplyDelete

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