Life can be too short to put off your dreams.

When people asked me why I am riding, I simply chalked it up to fulfilling a life aspiration. After thinking it over, maybe the answer isn't that easy. My son Adam is part of a tight knit group of guys that hung out together since they were 5 years old. They all earned their Eagle in Boy Scouts, quite an honor, but one of them, Kyle Casey, passed away in a car accident on March 11, 2003 and was rewarded his Eagle posthumously.

I looked back and realized how this event transformed my life. I started making my dreams priorities. I am finishing my teaching certificate from SVSU and student teaching at Roscommon High School, loving it more than I imagined. I ran three marathons (Adam beat me by 2 minutes) and been pretty involved in Gaylord Community Productions. Life can be too short to put off your dreams.

Prodded by my "fund raising committee" from the Tuesday Night womens bowling league, I asked Pat and Sue Casey if I could use my trip, and Kyle's inspiration to motivate others to seek their dreams. If you would like to support me, please send a donation to:

"Kyle Casey Memorial Scholarship"
c/o The Clip Joint
111 W.Mitchell, Suite D
Gaylord, MI, 49735

This Foundation has given away scholarships to Scholar Athletes on the Footbal team. Sue said some of this fundraising may be given to Boy Scout Troop 1.

The Gaylord Herald Times wrote a really nice article about my trip entitled "Adventure with a Cause". Click on the following to read it: "Adventure with a Cause"

Training, Training, Training

Gina suggested I post a picture of my indoor training. Here I am watching "The Birdman of Alcatraz" with Burt Lancaster. (He's in the movie, not in my living room.) The other picture is our house this afternoon. Needless to say, my first "outdoor" ride might be from the Fort Myers airport to Marco Island on April 19th.

On a side note, I did not shave my head to become more aerodynamic. My brother Joe had another brain surgery and I shaved it in a sign of support - along with the other men in the family. My bike trip doesn't seem that intimidating compared to the one he has gone through. GO JOE!