2006 Hunger Ride Summary

Start Date: May 27th,2006 in Charleston,SC
End Date: July 15th,2006 in Seaside,OR
Total Miles Ridden: appr. 3,355
# of Days on the road: 50
# of Rest Days: 5 (Memphis, K.C., Denver(x2) Bend)
# of Days over 100 miles: 7
# of states: 10

Best State border-to-border: Oregon

Worst State border-to-border:Kansas

Loneliest Section of the Trip: Jonesboro,AR to Clinton,MO (with the exception of my stay in Bolivar)

Hardest Day: 100+ miles to Colby,Kansas in 102 degree heat

Funniest Voicemail Message left on my phone: Hands down, Mitch Hopkins, from Hartland Church in Kansas City,MO gets this one with his Harry Carry impersonations.

Best Comment's on the Hunger Ride Blog: Is there any question that it'd be "Slappy" (aka Paul White) for his beard comments? I'm sure that there will be some that may miss his comments more than the blog itself.

Best Meal on the trip: Pastor Matt's BBQ cookout in Unity,OR. BBQ chicken, pork tenderloin, corn on the cob, watermelon, and baked potatos.

The "What was I thinking section of the trip that turned out all right":
If you'll recall, Stephen, Colin, and myself rode appr. 750 miles in 8 days.(Charleston,SC to Memphis,TN) What's significant about this is that these were the first eight days of riding. Yeah, Tommytoughguy, what in the world were you thinking? You know what though, it worked out alright. Stephen and Colin rode like champs and I just drafted behind them. So it all worked out. Man, my butt was sure sore though riding into Memphis.

Tommyboys' Top Five Favorite Sections of the 2006 Hunger Ride:

#1 ESTES PARK, CO (Rocky Mountain National Park) Hwy 34/Trail Ridge Road
Without question, riding in Rocky Mountain National Park was an absolute thrill. It doesn't get any better than Trail Ridge Road. Just ask Jack Torrence. I went 22 miles straight up on my bicycle, and then 22 miles straight down. That was nuts. RMNP definitely lives up to the hype.....crisp, cool mountain air, tall pines, snow-cap mountains......I'll be the first to say it's a biker's paradise.

#2 CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST (TENNESSEE)
There is a 27-mile section through National Forest along the Ocoee River just outside Chattanooga,TN. Absolutely gorgeous. Rolling Hills, swift curves, and a beautiful rushing river.

#3 NORTHEAST GEORGIA MOUNTAINS
I have to say that these hills might have been the toughest because of their grade, as well as the fact that there were so many of them. But that's what made this section so much fun. I'd consider a move to Hiawassee,GA in a second.

#4 HWY 26 IN OREGON
I don't think that I had a bad day in Oregon. Along hwy 26 you have just about everything......mountains, rivers, lakes, gorges, trains, fields, wild life, pines, and much more. It probabably helped that I had mostly 70's and 80's every day I rode in Oregon.

#5 SOUTHEAST IDAHO
Montpelier, Lava Hot Springs, Pocatello. These were fun days for sure. The cool thing about Idaho is that you have good size mountains, but you have extremely lush, green valley's because of extensive irrigation. Also, what definitely put Idaho in the top five was BIll from the Lava Hot Springs Inn and SUites. You may remember that he cooked me up the best taco that I've ever had in my entire life.....at 10:45 pm.

2006 HR Day 49 & Day 50

Day 49: Gresham to Forest Grove
Miles on the pavement: 45
Route: Marine road along the Columbia river, many city streets in downtown Portland, over the Broadway Bridge, then Cornell Rd to Hwy 8 into Forest City
Weather: 80's and sunny
Wind: headwind
Terrain: moderately hilly
Songs stuck in my head: "The Rising" -The Boss "Heat of the Moment" -Asia
Accommdations: The Home of FH volunteer JoLynn Sirak

Quote of the Day: "Tom, I just want to read your blog for one day and recognize a song that's stuck in your head." -Roger Rand (my father)

SHOUT OUTS....
-Ken, JoLynn, Savannah, and Andrew Sirak for their incredible hospitality. I can't say enough about the Sirak's enthusiasm for the Hunger Ride over the course of the summer. It truly was fitting that I was able to stay at their house for my last night of the Ride. I also have JoLynn to thank for organizing the post-race festivities in Seaside. Thanks to her efforts, I rode into the Seaside boardwalk to raucous crowd of cheering folks (most of whom I did not know). That was cool.

Day 50: Forest Grove to Seaside,OR
Miles ridden: 65
Route: Hwy 47 to Hwy 26
Weather: 70's and mostly sunny
Wind: stiff headwind
Terrain: very hilly but fantastically punishing
Songs stuck in my head: "How great thou art" "Where the streets have no name" -U2
"Paradise City" -GNR "Glory Days" -The Boss

Quote of the Day: "Wow, that's a very bright shirt. Did you just unplug that from the sun?" -Ben Holman (referring to my yellow bicycle jersey this morning at breakfast)

I AM HONORED THAT......
What made the last 24 hours of the Hunger Ride incredibly special was not the actual ride itself, but rather the people that went to great lenghts to be in Seaside with me. In addition to Dad and MOm, the Siraks & family, Paul, Mike, and Keith, I felt incredibly honored to have Ben Holman, the President of Food for the Hungry, and his assistant, Buddy Rooney present for the last day. They both flew in from Phoenix to be in Seaside for the end of the journey.

TOMMY'S TAKE OF THE LAST DAY.....
The last ride was actually quite the challenge. Big hills, a stiff headwind, and virtually no shoulder for almost half of the ride. Also, there was a ton of Portland traffic headed to the coast on Saturday. If I made a list of the Top-Five most dangerous roads of the 2006 Hunger Ride, Hwy 26 into Seaside would definitely be one of them.

THE END OF THE RIDE....
Well, the 2006 Hunger Ride is officially in the books. Gosh, how the heck do I attempt to sum up the last 50 days of my life? There are literally hundreds of memories that I will take with me from this journey. Looking back, many long summer days on the bike ended up going by really fast. It's crazy to think that it's July already. I'll never forget those first few miles riding out of Charleston,SC. There definitely was a wide range of emotions back then.....excitement for the adventure, fear of the unknown, being overwhelmed by the distance, not to mention a feeling of uncertainty of my training. But I set off for the other coast anyways. Sitting here now in Seaside, I can tell you that more than any city, spectacular view, uphill climb, or mountain descent, I'll remember the people that I shared this journey with the most. Man, there's so many incredible people that the Lord put in my path this summer. Without question, these people made the trip what it was. This summer I was surprised, encouraged, and motivated by the generosity of those I met. All is all, I feel like I was challenged to be a more giving person because of the hospitality and generosity that I was shown.

THE FINAL WORD......
My final thought on the Hunger Ride is this: In light of what we have been given, and in light of what Christ has done for us, the very most that any of us could ever give, is really the least that we could do. Twenty years from now, I hope that my understanding of what I have been given, and what Christ has done for me, has taken a greater root within me. The people that I know who are truly life-giving spirits, the "spiritual oaks" so to speak, are those who really understand what this is all about.

It's been a fun ride, and I'm thankful that it is complete. Please know that I'm especially grateful for the interest that so many you took in this cause, as well as your faithful prayers throughout the past two months for the ride itself. Your verses of scripture, e-mails, songs, and funny messages kept me going on many days.