total mileage: 966
longest day: 75 miles
servings of ice cream consumed: 33
% of riding days during which I've cried: 38%
# of dogs that have chased me: 10
level of seat comfort (on a scale of 1 to 11): 8
Tennessee: where every bridge is a memorial, every acquaintance warns you of personal safety, and every 20 feet marks a jarring crack in the road.
When a newspaper reporter inquired about my trip, she understood the awareness-raising and fundraising part of my trip, yet remained among the slightly-confused majority who doesn't quite understand why I'm doing the unicycling part of my trip: (I quote) "And you couldn't find something better to do with your summer?"... as if I chose this activity by default, or because I had nothing else to do. I have managed to come up with more tangible reasons why maybe I shouldn't be the only girl on a unicycle this summer - perhaps they will help others relate to and understand the undeniable benefits:
hang out with successful businessmen
encouraging words line your path
lose weight while eating donuts, poptarts, and whole milk for breakfast
free foot massage
free tan
philanthropically save animals' lives
Think about a couple of months of all this and, like, free hair highlights, obvi. Other bonus material includes meeting the man who invented the "Fun Factory" for Playdoh, a woman who won the Tennessee lottery, and getting to learn all about the physiology of maggot-infested armadillos.
This week I crossed paths with the first (hopefully of many) cross-country cyclists: Tom Rand. Seeing another cyclist drastically boosted my enthusiasm! He's riding for a great cause - check it out. P.S. Raise your hand if you think his last name should be Cruise. P.P.S. I'm raising my hand.
Thanks to Ginny Burney of Indianapolis for pointing out that I'm about to cross the Mississippi River... I had not noticed that, as I'm slightly geographically challenged.
Westward!
Carpe Diem.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Coker Tire Co. in Chattanooga, TN
Bob, Madge, Susan, & Candace Boggild of South Pittsburg, TN
Bobbi Hubbard of South Pittsburg, TN
Jim, the up-and-coming unicyclist of Fayetteville, TN
Sandra Smartt and the other folks of Walgreens in Pulaski, TN
The Richland Inn in Pulaski, TN
Tom Rand, cross-country bicyclist of Memphis, TN
Jim "The Boss," and Kim Harrison of Big Hill Pond State Park, TN
Crossroads County Kitchen in Middleton, TN
Click here to donate online. For additional donation info, please see the initial post, "Up and Rolling."
Coker unicycle product info.
5 comments:
Keep it up, Grrrrrace!
Gracie,
My mother was diagnosed with AML in Aug of 2004 and we were not given good odds. Today, thank God,and thanks to EXCELLENT medicine and care at Duke Univ. Hospital,
she is living by herself between her home in Charlotte and home in Beech Mountain, traveling to visit grandchildren by driving 8 hours by herself, keeping up her real estate broker's license, etc.
I share your heart for your uncle. If he or anyone in your family need encouragement (like we did desperately 2 years ago), PLEASE have them contact me!! My mother would also be more than happy to be supportive.
THANK YOU for your generosity, fortitude, courage and strength from all of us who pray for a cure.
I am so grateful to you!!
And Emmaus Way will be supporting you in prayer!!!
Mimi Conder
Grace face! Keep it up, good work!
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