Sept. 28: A Sense of Accomplishment
For those of you older folks out there, here's a question for you. Remember Rolf Harris? No clue who he is, eh? Hint: Singer. Still nothing? You surely must remember the song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport". Well, I grew up listening to the album in which that song resides on, and there is another song on it, called "I've Been Everywhere". It's a catchy little tune, and I one that I found myself singing after my truly fun-filled and action-packed day. Fair warning, this is going to be a long entry.
The day started off with a trip to George Bush's residence, the White House, for a self-guided tour that I was able to set up just for Team Michigan.
The plans for this started months ago, when friend Ken Rogers of Automation Alley had suggested that I contact our local congressman, Joe Knollenberg, to see if they could arrange for our group. At the time, I didn't think everyone could get in (since most groups are limited to 10 or less). Nevertheless, I put in the request and hoped for the best. I finally heard from Congressman Knollenberg's office last week, and was delighted to find out that I would be able to get the entire team (22 of us) in!
Our tour was supposed to start promptly at 7:30am this morning. We recieved word while we were waiting, however, that there was an unexpected delay. The delay only lasted about 10 minutes, and then we were on our way.
The back side of the White House...or is that the front side??
Our group proceeded to get checked off, in alphabetical order, by the secret service. One of our teammates, however, wasn't on the list! Apparently, this isn't all uncommon, it just was a bit of an inconvenience. I decided to stay back with her while the rest of the team proceeded ahead. I figured I wouldn't miss anything anyways, since the tour was a self-guided one.
While we were waiting for clearance, we enjoyed listening to the whispers of the secret service agents at the gate, who were talking about the "situation" that had occured just a short while earlier. It was this "situation" that caused our tour delay. It turns out, there was some man who did something, or said something that wasn't well received by the agents, and he was arrested and thrown in jail. He would be spending the night there, we later learned. I wonder what this riff-raff had done to get himself into hot water. Did he make a gun gesture with his hand? Was he yelling out his displeasure of the war in Iraq to any dignitary that passed by? Did he run nude across the rose garden? The world may never know.
My teammate finally received clearance about a half hour later, and we were on our way. The feeling that I got as I walked through this building of such monumental importance was a bit overwhelming for me. There was history everywhere -- from the china and portraits to things more current like the stories we heard from a dinner that tooke place in the dining room just days prior. The rooms were decorated beautifully. The rugs were rolled up so that those on the tour could observe all of the wonderful artifacts around them. Congressmen abounded everywhere, though we didn't get the opportunity to catch up with Congressman Knollenberg (he already had a prior commitment that morning). Before I knew it, we were back outside and the tour was done.
Our next stop was back at the hotel, where we all met for a "shakedown" ride. This is the first ride after we had assembled our bikes, and the purpose was to make sure everything was on okay, that our seats and handlebars were in the right positions, and that there were no rattles or other problems.
Traffic wasn't light, so we were instructed to stay together and in a single file line. Well, that lasted for about 4 blocks. One half split ahead of us, and before I knew it, chaos and confusion was around me. Two people fell (more like tipped over) within just a few minutes. I'm not sure why, other than the fact that we had to stop and go often because of the traffic lights. People were frustrated and the mood of the group turned a bit. I got a bit frustrated, and decided to head back with Brian and Rob. They had made the split-second decision to bypass this "shakedown" ride in leau of something a bit safer later on. Skipping out would also allow them to get to the airport with time to spare and greet family members that were flying in later that morning.
I, on the other hand, didn't have anyone flying in. I didn't want to be around what seemed to be declining positive atmosphere, and I certainly didn't want to get injured by someone crashing into me, whether cyclist or car. So I went back to the hotel and talked with the bellhop. After chatting with him for a few, I decided that today would be "me" day -- the day that I could do whatever I want, all while giving my bike my own "shakedown". There was a lot on my list, but with his help, I soon had a route that would take me to all of the places that I wanted to visit.
The first thing on my checklist was Arlington National Cemetery. On my way there, I was delighted to ride right by the race site where we'd be swimming and have our transitions. I took a detour from my route and headed down to the Potomac River and checked out the scene. The only people that were there were a few volunteers, two National Park guides, and a younger guy in a baseball cap. It turns out that this guy was the one who put together this whole race. He was really cool and gave me a lot of details about tomorrow and what to expect. I had told him how I wished they would have had RFID technology for this race, and he acknowledged that it would have been really nice to have, but they just couldn't find someone who could pull it off. "Hopefully next year" he said. I mentioned to him that I work for an IT company up in Michigan, and that perhaps we could introduce him to the right people to make it all work. (You getting this, PMV???) So I have a little work to do when I get back now.
The view of our swim tomorrow. A half mile out (against the current which is about 1.5 knots) and back.
This is one part of the Potomac that I DON'T hope to find tomorrow! Whoever finds the syringe first wins.
I left the race site and headed off to Arlington. One of the most memorable experiences for me was when I realized that I had actually crossed a state line, and was now in Virginia! Ok, it's the little things that get me going...Anyways, I got to the cemetary, and learned that I would not be able to take my bike onto the grounds. Oh no, I don't have a lock! Fortunately, I chatted it up with the security guys there, and they ended up watching my bike for me as I went to walk the grounds for an hour or so.
What an overwhelming place. There are graves as far as the eye can see. I had seen Arlington from the airplane above the day before, which made the overall experience that much more impactful after seeing the whole site from an arial view. The place is huge.
The grave sites seemed to go on forever.
The eternal flame goes on as people pay their respects to John, Jackie, son Patrick (2 days old when he died) and "Daughter" (who only had a single date noted).
Robert Kennedy's simple grave spoke volumes.
I did the typical tourist thing and visited the Kennedy grave sites. I elected to not view the changing of the guards or see the tomb of the unknown solder, mainly because it was now noon and I had nothing to eat other than a PowerGel, which I slurped down.
Fortunately, my bike was still there when I arrived back at the racks, so off I went, making sure to thank the guys at the gate. Their advice took me onto another detour, as I made my way over to the famous Iwo Jima statue. Wow, that monument is so much bigger than I had imagined it! It is beautiful and very moving.
Iwo Jima was much larger than I had imagined.
I had a bit of energy left before lunch, so I opted for ONE more detour, which was to ride to the Pentagon. The guards had told me it wasn't too far away, so off I went. Sure enough, about a mile later, there was the Pentagon. Again, HUGE! I didn't realize that the Pentagon was so close to Washington DC or to Arlington. Riding to it on a bike really put things in perspective for me.
The Pentagon
I made my way back to DC and rode up to the Lincoln memorial. (He was huge too!) I couldn't actually walk up the steps because no bikes were allowed, and I really didn't trust leaving my bike there with so many people.
The Lincoln Memorial
I ended up grabbing a much-needed tuna salad sandwich and milk. I found a quaint little shady spot on the grass, and looked around as I ate. The Lincoln Memorial was behind me, the Korean Memorial was just to the right, the Reflecting Pool to my left, and the Washington Monument and Capital in the distance. Amazing. And here I was, enjoying my sandwich and taking it all in.
This is only a section of the Korean Memorial. This ended up being my favorite memorial site, it was just beautiful and very well done.
One of my favorite shots of the trip...just me and my bike.
My next stop was to ride to the one other mandatory of my trip, the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, where I would find my dear brother's name. I ended up stopping at the World War II monument and the White House (picture shown earlier in this post) on the way, just to snap some more pictures.
The World War II Memorial. Each pillar standing represented a different state or US territory.
Michigan...So close, yet so far away.
Cycling past the Nation's Capital.
I finally made it to the site, and looked around. The memorial site isn't with all of the others by the Reflecting Pool. In fact, it's probably a good half-mile to mile away. It's tucked in between historical buildings, but definitely was off the beaten path as shown by the lack of people there. In fact, I was the only one other than a homeless guy sleeping on one of the marble shelves of the monument.
Though this struck me as a bit sad, it was a beautiful site nonetheless, and I am so happy that I went. I found my brother's name, and did the ceremonial rubbing so that I could have a momento.
One of my main goals of the trip, capturing my dear brother's name, was accomplished just seconds before I took this photo.
My short little "shakedown" bike trip had turned into a five hour long tour, and it was time to head back. I caught the Metro and was greeted at the hotel by the same bellhop that had assisted me this morning. It had been an incredible day, and I couldn't thank him enough.
Tonight, we had our team pasta party. It was a great dinner and all of the TNT chapters from around the country who are racing tomorrow were in attendance. My friend Pete Spender was spotlighted for being the third highest TNT fundraiser for this event (yay Pete!) and I was highlighted as second highest in the state (yay to all of you who helped support my mission!!!).
We heard a few great stories which reminded us all of why we are doing this, for those who are fighting or have fought blood cancers. Hearing those helped us get focus for our game face tomorrow.
Listening to some tips from the USAT official.
TNT Staff Liason and our fearless leader Mary Ellen gives us a pep talk and reminds us of the reason as to why we have all come this far.
Coach Brian and Coach Kevin calm our nerves through their expert advice and encouragement.
Fellow teammate and friend Pete gets the top fundraiser of Michigan award, and is the third top fundraiser in the country for this event. GREAT JOB PETE!!!
Fellow triathlete Crissy is spotlighted as we all congratulated her on a very significant milestone. It will be five years to the day tomorrow (race day) that she had received her last chemotherapy treatment against lymphoma. I am priviledged to race along sider her, she is truly an inspiration.
Here I am with fellow triathlete and roommate, Whitney!
Go Team, Go Team, GO TEAM MICHIGAN!
I'm back in the hotel room, with bike tuned up, transition bag checked, and all of my supplements ready to go. It's off to bed, let's hope I have a solid night's sleep.
The big day is mere hours away. Wow, it's finally here.
The day started off with a trip to George Bush's residence, the White House, for a self-guided tour that I was able to set up just for Team Michigan.
The plans for this started months ago, when friend Ken Rogers of Automation Alley had suggested that I contact our local congressman, Joe Knollenberg, to see if they could arrange for our group. At the time, I didn't think everyone could get in (since most groups are limited to 10 or less). Nevertheless, I put in the request and hoped for the best. I finally heard from Congressman Knollenberg's office last week, and was delighted to find out that I would be able to get the entire team (22 of us) in!
Our tour was supposed to start promptly at 7:30am this morning. We recieved word while we were waiting, however, that there was an unexpected delay. The delay only lasted about 10 minutes, and then we were on our way.
The back side of the White House...or is that the front side??
Our group proceeded to get checked off, in alphabetical order, by the secret service. One of our teammates, however, wasn't on the list! Apparently, this isn't all uncommon, it just was a bit of an inconvenience. I decided to stay back with her while the rest of the team proceeded ahead. I figured I wouldn't miss anything anyways, since the tour was a self-guided one.
While we were waiting for clearance, we enjoyed listening to the whispers of the secret service agents at the gate, who were talking about the "situation" that had occured just a short while earlier. It was this "situation" that caused our tour delay. It turns out, there was some man who did something, or said something that wasn't well received by the agents, and he was arrested and thrown in jail. He would be spending the night there, we later learned. I wonder what this riff-raff had done to get himself into hot water. Did he make a gun gesture with his hand? Was he yelling out his displeasure of the war in Iraq to any dignitary that passed by? Did he run nude across the rose garden? The world may never know.
My teammate finally received clearance about a half hour later, and we were on our way. The feeling that I got as I walked through this building of such monumental importance was a bit overwhelming for me. There was history everywhere -- from the china and portraits to things more current like the stories we heard from a dinner that tooke place in the dining room just days prior. The rooms were decorated beautifully. The rugs were rolled up so that those on the tour could observe all of the wonderful artifacts around them. Congressmen abounded everywhere, though we didn't get the opportunity to catch up with Congressman Knollenberg (he already had a prior commitment that morning). Before I knew it, we were back outside and the tour was done.
Our next stop was back at the hotel, where we all met for a "shakedown" ride. This is the first ride after we had assembled our bikes, and the purpose was to make sure everything was on okay, that our seats and handlebars were in the right positions, and that there were no rattles or other problems.
Traffic wasn't light, so we were instructed to stay together and in a single file line. Well, that lasted for about 4 blocks. One half split ahead of us, and before I knew it, chaos and confusion was around me. Two people fell (more like tipped over) within just a few minutes. I'm not sure why, other than the fact that we had to stop and go often because of the traffic lights. People were frustrated and the mood of the group turned a bit. I got a bit frustrated, and decided to head back with Brian and Rob. They had made the split-second decision to bypass this "shakedown" ride in leau of something a bit safer later on. Skipping out would also allow them to get to the airport with time to spare and greet family members that were flying in later that morning.
I, on the other hand, didn't have anyone flying in. I didn't want to be around what seemed to be declining positive atmosphere, and I certainly didn't want to get injured by someone crashing into me, whether cyclist or car. So I went back to the hotel and talked with the bellhop. After chatting with him for a few, I decided that today would be "me" day -- the day that I could do whatever I want, all while giving my bike my own "shakedown". There was a lot on my list, but with his help, I soon had a route that would take me to all of the places that I wanted to visit.
The first thing on my checklist was Arlington National Cemetery. On my way there, I was delighted to ride right by the race site where we'd be swimming and have our transitions. I took a detour from my route and headed down to the Potomac River and checked out the scene. The only people that were there were a few volunteers, two National Park guides, and a younger guy in a baseball cap. It turns out that this guy was the one who put together this whole race. He was really cool and gave me a lot of details about tomorrow and what to expect. I had told him how I wished they would have had RFID technology for this race, and he acknowledged that it would have been really nice to have, but they just couldn't find someone who could pull it off. "Hopefully next year" he said. I mentioned to him that I work for an IT company up in Michigan, and that perhaps we could introduce him to the right people to make it all work. (You getting this, PMV???) So I have a little work to do when I get back now.
The view of our swim tomorrow. A half mile out (against the current which is about 1.5 knots) and back.
This is one part of the Potomac that I DON'T hope to find tomorrow! Whoever finds the syringe first wins.
I left the race site and headed off to Arlington. One of the most memorable experiences for me was when I realized that I had actually crossed a state line, and was now in Virginia! Ok, it's the little things that get me going...Anyways, I got to the cemetary, and learned that I would not be able to take my bike onto the grounds. Oh no, I don't have a lock! Fortunately, I chatted it up with the security guys there, and they ended up watching my bike for me as I went to walk the grounds for an hour or so.
What an overwhelming place. There are graves as far as the eye can see. I had seen Arlington from the airplane above the day before, which made the overall experience that much more impactful after seeing the whole site from an arial view. The place is huge.
The grave sites seemed to go on forever.
The eternal flame goes on as people pay their respects to John, Jackie, son Patrick (2 days old when he died) and "Daughter" (who only had a single date noted).
Robert Kennedy's simple grave spoke volumes.
I did the typical tourist thing and visited the Kennedy grave sites. I elected to not view the changing of the guards or see the tomb of the unknown solder, mainly because it was now noon and I had nothing to eat other than a PowerGel, which I slurped down.
Fortunately, my bike was still there when I arrived back at the racks, so off I went, making sure to thank the guys at the gate. Their advice took me onto another detour, as I made my way over to the famous Iwo Jima statue. Wow, that monument is so much bigger than I had imagined it! It is beautiful and very moving.
Iwo Jima was much larger than I had imagined.
I had a bit of energy left before lunch, so I opted for ONE more detour, which was to ride to the Pentagon. The guards had told me it wasn't too far away, so off I went. Sure enough, about a mile later, there was the Pentagon. Again, HUGE! I didn't realize that the Pentagon was so close to Washington DC or to Arlington. Riding to it on a bike really put things in perspective for me.
The Pentagon
I made my way back to DC and rode up to the Lincoln memorial. (He was huge too!) I couldn't actually walk up the steps because no bikes were allowed, and I really didn't trust leaving my bike there with so many people.
The Lincoln Memorial
I ended up grabbing a much-needed tuna salad sandwich and milk. I found a quaint little shady spot on the grass, and looked around as I ate. The Lincoln Memorial was behind me, the Korean Memorial was just to the right, the Reflecting Pool to my left, and the Washington Monument and Capital in the distance. Amazing. And here I was, enjoying my sandwich and taking it all in.
This is only a section of the Korean Memorial. This ended up being my favorite memorial site, it was just beautiful and very well done.
One of my favorite shots of the trip...just me and my bike.
My next stop was to ride to the one other mandatory of my trip, the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, where I would find my dear brother's name. I ended up stopping at the World War II monument and the White House (picture shown earlier in this post) on the way, just to snap some more pictures.
The World War II Memorial. Each pillar standing represented a different state or US territory.
Michigan...So close, yet so far away.
Cycling past the Nation's Capital.
I finally made it to the site, and looked around. The memorial site isn't with all of the others by the Reflecting Pool. In fact, it's probably a good half-mile to mile away. It's tucked in between historical buildings, but definitely was off the beaten path as shown by the lack of people there. In fact, I was the only one other than a homeless guy sleeping on one of the marble shelves of the monument.
Though this struck me as a bit sad, it was a beautiful site nonetheless, and I am so happy that I went. I found my brother's name, and did the ceremonial rubbing so that I could have a momento.
One of my main goals of the trip, capturing my dear brother's name, was accomplished just seconds before I took this photo.
My short little "shakedown" bike trip had turned into a five hour long tour, and it was time to head back. I caught the Metro and was greeted at the hotel by the same bellhop that had assisted me this morning. It had been an incredible day, and I couldn't thank him enough.
Tonight, we had our team pasta party. It was a great dinner and all of the TNT chapters from around the country who are racing tomorrow were in attendance. My friend Pete Spender was spotlighted for being the third highest TNT fundraiser for this event (yay Pete!) and I was highlighted as second highest in the state (yay to all of you who helped support my mission!!!).
We heard a few great stories which reminded us all of why we are doing this, for those who are fighting or have fought blood cancers. Hearing those helped us get focus for our game face tomorrow.
Listening to some tips from the USAT official.
TNT Staff Liason and our fearless leader Mary Ellen gives us a pep talk and reminds us of the reason as to why we have all come this far.
Coach Brian and Coach Kevin calm our nerves through their expert advice and encouragement.
Fellow teammate and friend Pete gets the top fundraiser of Michigan award, and is the third top fundraiser in the country for this event. GREAT JOB PETE!!!
Fellow triathlete Crissy is spotlighted as we all congratulated her on a very significant milestone. It will be five years to the day tomorrow (race day) that she had received her last chemotherapy treatment against lymphoma. I am priviledged to race along sider her, she is truly an inspiration.
Here I am with fellow triathlete and roommate, Whitney!
Go Team, Go Team, GO TEAM MICHIGAN!
I'm back in the hotel room, with bike tuned up, transition bag checked, and all of my supplements ready to go. It's off to bed, let's hope I have a solid night's sleep.
The big day is mere hours away. Wow, it's finally here.
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