UPDATES!

Alright, sorry I haven't updated in a long time, every computer we get to somehow would not let us upload our pictures to it, and we figured an update without pictures is pointless. So here they are. Since the last update, we have left Kentucky and gone through both Illinois (Hillinois) and Missouri (Misery). We are now in Pittsburg, Kansas. The Ozark Mountains were a trip, we actually had our worst day because of them- some 37 miles I believe. But all is well here in Kansas so far. When we left Kentucky, we got to take a ferry across the Ohio River into Illinois and soon after that we rode across the Mississippi River into Missouri. Sometime in Missouri, I believe the town was called Ellington, we were able to switch out our cassettes and chains with the new ones the guys at Shrewsbury Bicycles sent out to us- which really made a Huge difference when passing through the Ozarks. We have been meeting some of coolest people, all out here with a different story. Yesterday we met a 29 year old who is a recovering quadriplegic, who was once informed that he had a 1-in-1000 chance of ever feeding himself again, and is now out on the road in his custom road trike riding from California to Washington D.C. Both him and his mother have been having the time of their lives out here, and we can understand why. Seeing the country by bicycle, in our opinion, the best way to do it. Last night we were fortunate enough to find a Mexican restaurant after a 75 mile day into Kansas. After we ate ourselves in weight, we set out to find Lincoln City Park, which is the town's park in which touring cyclists can set up camp for the night. By the time we found the park it was dark out and kinda hard to navigate ourselves around so we settled for a spot amongst some trees. When we woke up, we realized that we pitched our tents on the Golf Course that sits near the town park. When we got out of our tents, there were golf carts, and lawn mowers all around, we found it pretty funny that we were just sprawled out with our tents and bikes all over their golf course. So that is that, nothing TOO exciting, but still having a ridiculously incredible time. Keep spreading the word about our ride, and check back for more updates!

Dixon, Kentucky

So we are just about out of Kentucky, hopefully by this afternoon, and it's safe to say that Kentucky has been a great time. We were very weary about this state from our first impressions, but things turned out for the best. We were lucky enough to have the chance to spend some time in Louisville thanks to a good friend of ours who picked us up in Bardstown and brought us to the city to show us around. We got some very important errands taken care of (new shoes and pedals because ours were almost useless, air out our wet and smelly tents, and laundry). We also got to eat some of the most delicious organic vegetables from our buddy's farm. To say the least, our time spent in Louisville was perfect. Last night, we stayed at the Utica Volunteer Fire Station. Utica, Kentucky let's travelers on the Trans American Bike Trail stay at the Fire House for free, as if it were a hostel. We were so blown away at their hospitality, and generosity, they even had a box full of goodies donated by the local church for traveling cyclists. I chose a few pictures that help sum up our time in Kentucky, so we hope you guys enjoy. Also, on another note, the donations we have been receiving for our fund is growing by the day, and the support we have from everywhere is almost unbelievable. We still can't thank everyone enough for the positive feedback, and encouragement.

-Kyle and Scott

Hello From Haysi!

We are in the small town of Haysi, Virginia (population 189). Roughly, we are 800+ miles from good ol' New Jersey. This afternoon we will cross the Kentucky state line, and finally get ourselves out of Virginia. It feels like we've been in Virginia for two months. Since the last update, we have parallelled the Allegheny Mountian's loop down through the Appalachian Mountains, and caught up with the Trans-American Trail in Christiansburg, Virginia. We have hit a ton of cool cities, and towns along our way so far, Lexington, Roanoke, Damascus (Huge AT Trail spot where the town has 5 bike shops, 3 outfitters, one restaurant and ZERO cell phone service). In Damascus we spent the night at a hostel called "The Place", which has been our favorite spot yet. Good vibes, and good people in Damascus.

Hello!

Hey all, we are in York, Pennsylvania as of right now! Both Kyle and I would like to once again thank all of you for the unconditional support throughout our trip so far. Even though we've only been on the road for three days, we feel that we have learned A LOT already about touring. We spent last night just outside of Valley Forge Historic National Park, roughly 80 miles from where we wound up tonight. Tonight we are fortunate to have had a shower, and a roof over our heads (plus free burritos), so of course things are pretty good for us right now. More updates soon hopefully!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day! We will be leaving from the Ocean Grove Fishing Club Pier, at 10am. A local Starbucks will be there selling iced coffee, and donating all of their proceeds directly towards our fund! Also, we are strongly urging anyone who is able, to bring their bike and help send us off. please check this site, and our myspace (myspace.com/pedalingforalfie) whenever possible for our updates from the road. We would like to sincerely thank all of our friends and family members, for all of their support. Please keep in mind that our ride is not just a ride for ourselves, but to help benefit the family of a dear friend to us!

Alfred J. Orlando Jr. has passed away on Monday, June 30th. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his wife Elizabeth, and their three children. Despite this recent loss, our Cross-Country ride will continue as planned. The Orlando family still needs our support, and positivity. We leave from Ocean Grove, New Jersey at 10am, Friday morning of July 25th. We will be leaving from the Ocean Grove Fishing Club Pier. We are strongly encouraging friends, family and supporters of our ride to help send us off that morning, so feel free to bring your bike and pedal us off as far as you wish. Bicycling is a community, and we would love to see that community come together to help a family in need. Thanks again for taking the time to read what we are doing!

Al Orlando