Introduction

In the early 70's my brother in law and I talked of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Now 35 years later my joints can not tolerate 6 months carrying a 25 lb pack and the bone jarring hiking downhill. So I have convinced my two children Kelly and Joey to spend 2 ½ month cycling the back roads across America. Kelly will be cycling with me, Joey will be driving our sag or support vehicle. Kelly and Joey insisted our twelve year old German Shepherd Roxy, is part of the family and should join us. Roxy will ride shotgun with Joey.

We will be riding the TransAmerica Bike route which runs from Yorktown, Va to Astoria, OR, 4200 mile total. The TransAmerica route starts in Yorktown, but we will be starting in Virginia Beach, in order to officially ride from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It is tradition to dip the rear wheel of the bike in the Atlantic Ocean at the start and the front wheel in the Pacific Ocean at the finish. Conventional wisdom says to ride from west to east taking advantage of the tail winds. I have read many reports, diary’s and blogs which say the winds are similar from either direction. If anything, most of the winds are southerly crosswinds which affect you in either direction. I will let you know how this theory works out as we cross Kansas. I like the idea of riding with the sun at my back. Since most of our riding will be in the early morning, I do not want the sun's glare in my eyes or more importantly the eyes of approaching drivers. American settlers also traveled East to West, so in a sense we will be traveling the route of the American pioneers; although we will have the luxuries of 7-11, McDonald’s and Starbuck’s along the way.

The “Atlantic to Pacific Cycling Journey 2011” begins Thursday, May 19, 2011. There is no set itinerary or timetable. Our route is set, beginning in Virginia continuing through Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, then heading north into Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and finish in Astoria, Oregon.  We will ride daily for  4 or 5 hours averaging 65 miles per day. The majority of nights we will camp where we can. Rainy nights or temperatures in the mid to high nineties we will stay in hotels. We are anxious to start and see the country at a slower pace than 70 mph on the interstate. It will be a unique experience to be able to spend three months with my adult children.  We welcome all comments, encouragements, and support.  Please feel free to post on our blog or email us at atpcyclingjourney2011@yahoo.com

We are taking this ride in memory of Sharon, beloved mother and wife, who died of leukemia in Jan 2006. Some of our fondest family memories are of traveling, especially our summer trips through Colorado and Wyoming. We miss Sharon everyday but know she will be with us every mile of our ride. My family will always be grateful for the wonderful care Sharon received at the Thomas Palliative Care Program at VCU Massey Cancer Center. Please consider making a donation in Sharon's name to a very compassionate and caring program.
 

                   The Thomas Palliative Care Program

The VCU Massey Cancer Center Thomas Palliative Care program provides an important component of patient care at Massey, focusing on relieving suffering and improving quality of life for patients and their families.

The unit is designed to foster comfort through interdisciplinary care that provides symptom control, pain management, holistic support and practical assistance—and most especially patience, kindness and individual attention.  Each patient’s team includes highly specialized physicians and nurses, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, chaplains and volunteers all dedicated to his or her physical comfort, emotional and psychological health, and social and spiritual needs, as well as provide support for family members and friends.

The Palliative Care program at Massey has received numerous awards and is consistently recognized as a national model in this ever-growing medical field.  The program’s medical director, Dr. Tom Smith, and clinical director, Patrick Coyne, are both dedicated clinicians and actively participate in educating their peers around the world in palliative care.

Your support of this program ensures that patients have access to interdisciplinary care that helps them achieve the highest quality of life possible by relieving pain and other difficult-to-treat symptoms.

To learn more about Massey Cancer Center and Palliative Care program, please visit www.massey.vcu.edu/palliative.  To make a donation to the program, please visit www.massey.vcu.edu/GiveNow

The Thomas Palliative Care Fund
VCU Massey Cancer Center
P.O. Box 980037
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0037