The Ride for the Future
an article by: Elizabeth Gamble
I found myself last week sitting in my son's 1996 Buick Roadmaster station wagon, mainly sitting, but occasionally driving. My mother was wedged into the last remaining spot in the vehicle's front seat, with 5 plastic gallon jugs of water at her feet, a box of delicious Indiana peaches at her left elbow, a stack of road maps on her lap, with my purse, a video camera with plug in charger, and bags of ginger snaps, maple syrup candies, bagels, Reeses Pieces, and Oreos taking up the balance of the space between us. We sat with the engine running and the A/C on..... It was hot and humid, with a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast. Spare bicycle tires dripped over the seat back between us, and we tried to ignore the smell that occasionally wafted forward from the Therma-rests, sleeping bags, and bags of dirty laundry that were jammed into every inch of space along with three tents, a Coleman stove, boxes of food, pots, a dishrack and dishpan, damp towels, energy bars, bike parts, duffel bags, and the like. How could we resist the temptation of such an experience for the week, driving the support vehicle from northwest of Chicago to just south of Cleveland? It was a wonderful time for all of us.
My son Brian is riding his bicycle across the United States with three friends (one male and two female) from Washington College. Starting with a dip of each foot in the salty Pacific waters of Anacortes, Washington, and finishing at the Atlantic near Rehobeth Beach, Delaware, the Ride for the Future will cover over 3400 miles in 53 days. That works out to about 80 miles a day, with a day off once a week, more or less. Their mission along the way is to ask people to pledge to stop smoking, or never start. Their motto is, "If we can ride across the country, you can stop smoking." The four of them are so upbeat and adorable, even on days when they've covered 100 miles in grueling heat. At night the sounds of their giggles and light banter coming from their tent reminds me of elementary school slumber parties.
My mother and I had it easy, sitting in the air conditioned car all day. Once we had completed the puzzle every morning of how to reload everything into the car, I would reset the trip odometer to zero, grab a cup of coffee, then hit the road. There was a lot of information we needed to know which we would relay by cell phone to the riders..... any construction work, how wide the shoulders were, the amount of truck traffic, any sketchy looking dogs behind incomplete fences, and so on..... When we reached about 30 or 40 miles from our starting point, we'd hunt for the perfect place for lunch. The ultimate establishment would be air conditioned, have bathrooms, let us bring in our own peanut butter, jelly and leftover pie, and would sell Brian and the others some serious calories. After lunch, we'd play leapfrog with the four riders, keeping an eye on the sky for signs of a looming thunderstorm. If we were going to rescue them from a storm, we'd have to clear out everything on the middle seat, so we had to know where we'd spend that night. By mid-afternoon, the riders would be on their cell phones, calling around for a discounted hotel, or we would have found an available campsite that wasn't too far off the route. Brian, Jamie, Spencer, and Katherine would roll up to our final destination of the day around 6 or 7pm, lift their bikes up onto the rack on top of the Buick to secure them for the night, then head for the showers and dinner. They were usually asleep by dark. So were we.
I'm back home now, but the ride continues, another father and his big SUV taking over our duties for the last week of the ride. Brian and his friends plan to arrive here on Gibson Island on Thursday afternoon if all goes well crossing the mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania. On Saturday, a boat will carry the four riders and their bikes across the Chesapeake Bay to Rock Hall, where they have a short ride to Chestertown. On Sunday, Aug.19, all are welcome to join The Ride For The Future for all or part of the victory leg from Chestertown to Rehobeth Beach, Delaware, a distance of about 70 miles. The group will leave from the Washington College's Casey Academic Center at 8:30am, and there will be several support vehicles hovering throughout the last hurray.
It has been a wonderful experience for my mother and me during our week from Chicago to Hudson, Ohio, and for my husband the previous ten days from Fargo eastward, down part of the Mississippi, and across to the Windy City. I encourage you to check out the Ride’s web page for more insights, and lots of fun audio and video clips of the trip along the way. www.rideforthefuture.org
And what will I be doing on Sunday, August 19? I plan to ride at least a portion of the last leg with my son, but I wouldn't miss taking up my old responsibilities as support vehicle driver, with my mother by my side, in a freshly cleared out and cleaned 1996 Buick Roadmaster wagon!
8-) Elizabeth Gamble
August 12, 2007
“It’s all about the Journey.”
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