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Bike Ride Across America

**if you are not an alumnus of UIW, you may comment on her blog by setting up an account through Rick Smith.**

Samantha Mangum graduated from UIW in 2006 with a BA in psychology. She is leaving her job at The Kent School in Kent, Conn., as well as taking a hiatus from graduate school, and will be riding her bike from Yorktown, Va. to San Francisco to raise money for the Living Water Children center in Arusha, Tanzania.

The nearly 3,700-mile, seven-week journey will begin June 6.

According to The Logos, UIW's campus newspaper, Mangum was asked by the orphanage to help raise $50,000 so the orphanage can purchase land to build a fenced-in playground for the children.

Mangum spent two weeks at Living Water last summer where she cooked for the children, cared for them and taught them math.
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Friday, August 01 2008 09:50:17 AM

“Hello, is this Mollie”?

“Yes, who is this”?

“This is Brad ma’am. Do you have a daughter named Samantha, ma’am?”

“Yes.”

“She’s in my arms right now ma’am. I’m holding her. She was involved in a serious wreck. She’s in and out of consciousnesses and it looks like her legs are broken. The young man does not look good. Life support is on the way…”

Silence….

“Hello, Mollie? Hello…”

Sam with bike in San FranWhere do I even start? I’ve always felt my life was spared. That involuntarily, I traded in paradise for scars and a hand of cards with no faces. What do I do now? I have no clue how to turn my life into a winning hand again? Six years and 4,000 miles later, I pedaled every mile across the United States starting in Virginia and ending in San Francisco with two of my best friends, only to find myself holding a Royal Flush on the West Coast.

“Profound commitment to a dream does not confine or constrain: it liberates. Even a difficult, winding path can lead to your goal if you follow it to the end.” Paulo Coelho.

Life is not always beautiful, far from perfect and completely unpredictable. In this world, it is hard to find your niche and keep it; things are constantly changing. People are running in and out of your life, and whether the experience is good or bad, all are present to teach you something. Stepping stones to defining yourself and paving the road to where your future sits, waiting patiently, perpetually changing with every decision you make along your path until you reach it. This is what I’ve learned riding my bike across America.

Riders in San Fran Bay83 miles (A six hour ride), we left Davis and headed toward San Fran. I set my clothes out the night before, pumped up my tires, lubed my chain and set my alarm for 4:45 a.m. Could I sleep? Nope but I tried. We left at 5:30 a.m. and started our ride through roads lined with wineries, fruit farms and once again, golden mountains.



Bob and Cheryl let me lead the way. Expected: Bob has two flats. Unexpected: We witnessed a hot air balloon hit the top of a tree. We ride and ride, almost nonstop. I couldn’t eat breakfast and I couldn’t eat lunch. We ran into The Roadies every now and then but rarely stopped. A half-mile from the Ferry, my heart beating fast, and grabbing what we needed from the truck (The Roadies could not follow us on the hour long ferry, it was strictly for pedestrians) and Mr. Bob Diehl and his infamous luck gets a flat tire.

Sitting, waiting…knowing the ocean, the ferry, San Francisco, are waiting, right over Georgia Streets hill. Last tube left, tire fixed, sick feeling in my stomach and we ride over the hill and into the ferry parking lot.  It’s 1 p.m. and the ferry doesn’t leave until 2 p.m.

Riders at the conclusion of their tripGoodness. I felt like the universe was either teasing me or wanting me to savor every minute. 2 o’clock comes around and we board; now I have an hour ride till we dock in San Fran. I found myself migrating in and out of the ferry. I did as much pacing as one could do without walking off the boat into the San Francisco Bay. We dock at Pier 47, grab our bikes and I’m about to plant my feet in San Fran. Then I hear “no no, wrong Pier, you go to Pier 1 not Pier 47”. We keep our bikes there and I sit back down. You can tell Bob is excited and so is Cheryl. We had to call The Roadies and let them know it’s not Pier 47, its Pier 1.

Ten minutes later we leave Pier 47 and 15 minutes after that we dock at Pier 1. Dad, Mom and Dray are waiting. It is freezing cold. Now we have six-and-a-half miles until we reach the end of our Adventure Cycling Map, the end of our trip, at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. We leave The Roadies at the Pier after we hugged and we’re off to the Golden Gate Bridge which I saw a glimpse of on the Ferry. Little did we know that when we parted from my parents, they’d head back to the truck only to find it missing.  Yupe, the truck had been towed.

Biking faster than I’ve ever biked on a downtown road, we hit the Golden Gate Bridge and we are still freezing.

It’s now 4:00 p.m. and we hit THE EXACT END POINT ON OUR MAP, THE START OF THE SAN FRAN BAY AND PACIFIC OCEAN. Now what??? The trip is done, 54 days.  We wait for The Road crew to save the truck. I couldn’t go all that way and dip my tires in the ocean without my parents and Dray. $250 and two hours later, the truck comes rolling up. Still freezing we head to the Bay and celebrate. We all get wet, my father dances around, pictures are taken and the rest is history.

Roger and SamI didn’t cry and I didn’t need to. This accomplishment could not be defined by anything other than a smile and a huge breath of air. I believe I was in shock and still am. I don’t know when it will hit me. My father hugged me and as tears fell down his cheeks with both his hands on each side of my cheeks he kissed me and said “I am so proud of you”. My mother joined us and we all stood there.

We ate dinner and I woke up early the next day to take Dray to the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB) and to ride my bike across it. After that, Dray left and the rest of us headed out to the GGB where we all walked across it. I know this might sound crazy but my legs are so sore from walking that I can’t get out of the truck without mumbling my distress. It was the most walking we’ve done the entire trip and my calves are so sore I had to take some medicine.

Sam and Andrea Prieto '06 Bob flew out yesterday and Cheryl, Mom, Dad and myself headed back to Texas. We stopped at the Grand Canyon today and just parked ourselves in Gallup, New Mexico for the night.

I have to say this…a few people just recently asked me “So have you found what you were looking for”.  I thought about that question and thought and thought…

A smile came over me followed by a subtle peace and I thought to myself, No, not even close. I have not found what I’m looking for and I hope I never do. The possibilities of contentment are endless and the cards of happiness that life deals you are infinite. Why stop? The riches I found on this trip will continue to proliferate with every step I take in life, with every person I come in contact with and with every adventure I embrace. What I am looking for is something that cannot be measured, cannot be contained, lost or found, cannot be right or wrong in someone else’s eyes, and is something that no one could ever take from me…growth and wisdom.

I just have to end with a few things. I’d like to thank everyone who donated to the Bike Ride itself. We raised about $3,000 and it took us all the way to Nevada, about three days shy of San Francisco. I’d like to thank every single person in my life; whether I had a great experience with you or a “learning” experience with you, whether you wanted to or not (smiling) you all helped me accomplish this. Thank you. 

My parents.

Sam and parentsThey sacrificed a lot for me and I really didn’t know how much, until I saw them embrace at the airport. The days they spent apart were tugging at their hearts and still, my father woke up every day to serve us. I’ve never met two people more giving. On this trip and just like in life, my parents were never too far ahead or too far behind. Though they will always be years ahead of me; they’ve kept the secrets of life to themselves and allowed me to pedal at my own pace, letting life’s lessons reveal themselves to me on my time. And as always they are just close enough to cushion my falls. They are my heroes.

“Carry in your memory, for the rest of your life, the good things that came out of your difficulties. They will serve as a proof of your abilities and will give you confidence when you are faced by other obstacles”. Paulo Coelho.

Thank you for the support Rick Smith. I heard there are hundreds who read this blog and I’d just like to close with this…

Life is what you make it. Happiness lives where ever it is allowed to enter. And though adversary is all around us, there is no reason for cemented feet, there is beauty in every mistake, and there is always room for a smile at night no matter how the day went.

Riders dipping tires

Life is a beautiful mess and the best thing you can do, is turn every moment into something that you can live with. 

Life is beautiful,
Sammy

P.S. I have not been on a bike in three days and it is driving me crazy. I can’t wait to get back to CT and ride. Oh, and the gas prices in California, $5.05.

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Andrea pumping our tires
You would think that after 50 days of riding, we’d never get lost. Wrong! Wrong turn here wrong turn there, passed a turn here, passed a turn there. Ah! Today was long. We woke up and I taught the “rookie roadie,” Dray, how to pump up our tires and put lube on the chain. Just picture this…a small girl weighing 100 pounds trying to pump 120psi into our tires. By the time she pumped in 75psi, her feet were off the ground and she was using every single once of body to push down.

Bob, Cheryl, Dray and I all ate breakfast together while my parents did our laundry. We left and headed towards Placerville. The morning was absolutely beautiful. Our path was along California’s most luxurious wineries. The country is astonishing here; golden fields and green vines.

About an hour into the ride my chain falls off and I stop to put it back on. When I get back on my bike Cheryl is standing there and the biggest dog runs right up to her with his hair standing straight up, her mouth opened, and barking and snatching at her, inches away. Oh my…my heart stopped and all I could do was yell.

Cheryl's elbow after fallIt backed off and that was the start of Cheryl’s day. About an hour or so after that, Cheryl crashes hard. It was probably the worst fall I’ve ever seen off a bike. To be honest, I thought she broke her shoulder and was going to be unconscious when we got to her. She landed on her head and shoulder, ripping her shirt and cutting up her arms. She was laying there with her bike on top of her, cross her chest and couldn’t get it off. I ran over, took the bike off her and cleaned her off while Bob called for the support vehicle. It was a moment that I will never forget. The look in her eyes scared me as much as the fall scared her. Wow. But Cheryl is Cheryl and without any hesitation was up in riding minutes after.

Roadie and Sam ridingWe made it to Folsom and stopped at the beginning of a bike trail we’d be following for 30 miles into Sacramento and an additional 10 miles to Davis. Before we entered the bike trail, my father wanted to ride a mile with me. And he did. Bob handed over his bike and before I knew it, my father and I were riding side by side. Once again, a moment I will never forget and definitely a moment that has added strength to my spirit.

Mollie Mangum and Sam ridingWhen we turned back around we decided my mother should hop on a bike as well. Even though her and I rode around the parking lot; that parking lot was still part of our route and I can say that my mother rode a part of our ride today. Smiling…

We followed the bike path which was crowded but nice because it was different but by the 10 mile marker I believe we were all ready to get back to the main road. We followed the American River which was gorgeous. It reminded me of Texas so much! Everyone had kayaks, tubes, boats and music! We came across a bridge and FINALLY I got the chance to jump! I’ve been waiting to jump off a cliff or a bridge into water since we left Connecticut and Bob and I jumped today! It wasn’t very high, less than 15 feet but still, it felt good to fall into water. We made it to Sacramento where we stopped several times to read the map. Bob ended up cracking! We all did.

By the end of the day, each of us had about three moments of expressing our insanity. Some were comical moments and some were not. My Dad spent the entire afternoon worried about us because he couldn’t follow the bike path so we never met up with them until five miles outside of Davis. We ended the ride with Cheryl getting a flat. Dray and Mom’s humor couldn’t have come at a better time. If it weren’t for my Mom’s teasing and Dray’s cuteness, we’d all be flat out dead!

We’re staying at the Best Western in Davis, which is a city of 56,000 people. It is known as “Berkeley JR”, being the second most liberal city in California. We filled our stomach with Mexican food and ice-cream. Mom and Dad went to watch a movie and so did Bob. The girls drove around town blaring music by Sugarland.

Tomorrow we ride 83 miles to San Fran. I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat breakfast, heck, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to eat lunch.

I’ve waited six years to accomplish this. I’ve day dreamed about this day. Is it even possible? Would I really be able to do it? I’ve met so many wonderful people, I now have a home in almost every state, I’ve learned so much about myself which in turn has unraveled some of life’s secret’s I’ve been trying to understand. I know my limits and will continue to test them. Oh goodness, the list goes on and on. I’ll save the rest for tomorrow’s blog. Right now I have to head to bed; plus Dray and Cheryl are waiting for the computer. Hope everyone is well!

Love,

Samantha K
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Sam, Roger and Mollie at airport in Reno, NevadaHello everyone! Okay so after our 112 mile ride we took a rest day and my dad and I went to pick up Grandma Mangum and Little Bit (my mom and Dray). I’ve seen my Dad mad, sad, stressed, happy, annoyed, confused…etc. I have never seen him nervous! It was hilarious and adorable at the same time.

The longest my parents have ever been apart is eight days. It’s been 35 days since they’ve seen each other. (Laughing) He washed the truck! Waxed it! Shaved! Put on his best clothes! And was completely anxious the entire drive to Reno.

Dray arrived first and when I saw her I almost cried! A face from home was unquestionably consoling for my exhaustion. We waited for my mom to get off the plane and my father was fidgeting with his hands, leaning over his chair, trying to look past the other passengers. And here she comes… “pretty woman, walkin’ down the street, pretty woman…” my Dad walks to her very calming, puts his arms around her and they hug for a good three minutes.

Were tears shed? Noooooo (shifty eyes)…of course! Even from me! Being in the presence of the two people who were willing to sacrifice almost EVERTHING for me to accomplish this, left me standing there with tears brought on from happiness.

The ride home was perfect. We picked up our bikes from a local bike shop, took everyone out for dinner and then Bob, mom, dad and I went to see The Dark Knight, while Dray and Cheryl headed out to Lake Tahoe to catch the sunset.

July 26th!

Welcome to California

Holy California Mountains!

So we thought our last centennial ride was to Carson City, BUT we were wrong! Today we road 117 miles to Placerville, CALIFORNIA!!! The second longest day of the entire trip. Mom and Dray had the chance to experience what my Dad has been doing and by noon time they were both asleep in the truck! Haha! I asked my Mom today “Could you do this for 35 days”? And without any hesitation she looks at me and goes “No”. Ha!

When they first started driving my Dad says “I drive with the windows down! I’m the boss and that’s how I’ve been doing it!” Dray said my mom chuckles and says “Well not when I’m cold (and rolls up the window)”. Dray said it was absolutely hilarious.

The Roadie- I’m going to get him to write another small paragraph for you guys.

We climbed 4,000 feet today, summiting Carson’s Pass at 8,500 feet. The mountains are beautiful and the lakes that surround them are breath taking. Hands down, California by far, is the prettiest state I’ve been to since we started. Wow.

Cheryl had her second flat today on brand new tires, my knees were aching and Bob was pretty tired by the end of our ride. The last 12 miles my legs did not want to move. Out of the 50 days that we have been biking, today’s ride had the most hills. Was it a good day to ride 117 miles? Who knows, but we did it! AND WE ARE FEELIN’ IT.

Though our spirits are high, our bodies are drained. We’ve biked 3,600 miles since we left Yorktown and certain parts of our bodies are screaming “Enough is enough”! Oh goodness, two more days and we’ll be crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. I don’t know how I’ll react, what I will do, say, will I cry? Will I laugh? What if I jump in the Pacific and get eaten by a shark? After ALL that hard work!

I’ve been thinking a lot about my last blog. Riding 117 miles sure seals the deal on a lot of thoughts. I’m excited as I said before, but also nervous. When I got back from Africa, the transition for me was hard. You go from dirt houses, flies and poverty to a buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, perfectly build buildings and privileged people. I found myself confused and helpless.

A few days ago I was visiting AIDS patients, teaching English, tilling an orphanage yard, learning Swahili and now I’m sitting behind my desk, entering inquiries. Two completely different worlds; and though I love both worlds, it was tough. As I’m sure it would be for anyone. This trip has been amazing, just like Africa but in different ways. How will I feel?
Tomorrow we’ll ride to Sacramento (less than 55 miles) and then from there we’ll head to San Fran. Right now, however, we’ve ridden our bikes from Virginia to California and we are all proud of each other.

My favorite part today was hearing my Mom and Dray talk about their amazement to how much we ride, how fast we ride and how we manage to climb these mountains.
I’ll write tomorrow and I cannot wait.

Much love to you all,

Samantha K


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7:30 am we are on our bikes, 112 miles, salt mines, the heat, forsaken towns, a small shoulder on the highway, 18 wheelers, Navy planes (F-17’s) and bombs…

We rode through an area of Nevada where the United States Navy tests their bombs. It was awesome! It sounded like thunder! We rode right past the area they drop them. There is a fake town set up, bunkers and fake people. My father was having the time of his life watching these F-17’s take off, land, swerve in the air and hover about 50 feet from the ground. I can’t tell you how many times Bob hummed the Top Gun song, “Danger Zone.”

Today’s ride was hard but the scenery has been unbelievable. Nevada’s features have taken us all by surprise. If you do a 360-degree turn, you find nothing but mountains. Some still have snow on the top. When riding in 100-degree temperatures and seeing specks of snow on the tops of these mountains you can’t help but do two things: chuckle at life’s mysteries and wish you were sitting on a bank of snow cooling off every part of you!

We arrived safely in Fallon (population 8,000). Cheryl, Bob and Dad are at the movies watching Hancock. I decided to stay back, relax, do laundry and watch the movie, “Once.”

It’s been a great evening.

The best part of my day…

I checked my phone messages today (which is something I rarely ever do BUT I’m getting better at) and I heard from a friend of mine that I’ve known since I was about six. Her name is Briana. We were in every single class starting from first grade all the way through high school and we graduated together. Oh my gosh, do we have stories on one another! Geeez. (Chuckling to myself just thinking about some)

We’ve seen each other grow up, make mistakes, fall in love, fall out of love, watched our families go through brilliant times and hard times. She is one of those rare people in my life that will always be there. No matter how much time goes by, no matter how long it’s been since we’ve talked or seen each other, we pick up in the same place we left off. She is happily married and expecting a little girl in January! Dang, that makes two! My sister Kim and Bri! I think I should just put this out there…wouldn’t it be cool to see Samantha Lockhart and Samantha Heinz playing together! Ha, Perfecto!

Bri heard from her mother, who heard from her husband, who graduated from UIW, who read a news article that was just printed about what I was doing. (Ha! How was that)? (to read the blurb in the alumni magazine, click here)

We have not talked in months. Her voice was the best part of my day. It beat the mountains, the sunrise, breakfast, everything! She told me how proud she and the family are of me and that they’ve read the blog.

We started talking when I started laundry and by the time we were finished the clothes were dry. We got off the phone and I called my Mom right away and caught her up with Bri’s life. She was excited for me and is actually going to email Bri herself to see how everything is going. I tell you, this journey has opened and closed so many doors for me and I can’t help but fall asleep every night smiling. Bri and her family are going to donate. I can’t wait util we meet up.

My mother and Dray (Andrea Prieto, frequent blogger) will be here in two days. Wow. That means my Dad will be happy and ALL of us will be entertained by Dray. I don’t know if y’all know this but she’s about five-feet tall (small little girl) and we have ABOUT that much room in the bed of the truck. Heehee. My family calls Dray “Little Bit” and my Dad keeps saying “See this little spot right here (pointing to a small opening between bags and empty water bottles in the back of the truck)”?

“Yes, I see it”.

“That’s where Little Bit will be for three days, so stop tossing your empty water bottles there”.
Laughing…oh it is going to be great.

Well, tomorrow we ride less than 70 miles and then a rest day.

My conversation tonight with my mother and Bri has put my stomach at ease and slowed down my heart. I have not been eating a lot the past three days and I have not been sleeping that well. I think knowing this trip is coming to end has me nervous, anxious, a little sad and it’s been making my stomach hurt. Yupe, I am five-years-old again and it feels like my first day of school is coming up. BUT tonight, I feel at ease knowing that my support group stretches all the way to my first grade class mate.

Good night everyone. I hope you guys catch the sunrise and give away a smile to someone you don‘t know.

Life is beautiful,
Sammy

p.s.

Shoes hanging from trees

The few towns that exist off HWY 50 are horrendous! We’ve come across the strangest people/motels/restaurants I have ever met/seen and eaten at. To be completely honest with you guys, I’d be scared to camp out or sleep in some of these towns. Bombs going off during lunch, people staring, shoes hanging from a tree! We were riding and come across this tree with thousands of shoes hanging from it. Crazy! We rode about 20 miles and on both sides of the highway people wrote sayings/names/dates in the ground using rocks! For about 20 miles!



Ice cream and silly hatI was doing laundry last night and this woman told me I had to buy something in order to get change! Huh? So I bought a silly hat and an ice cream. (I took a picture). It’s just different. These people are on their own time, walking to their own pace. To be honest, I love it…just not use to it.

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Highway 50 signIt’s been a few days and I apologize. The Internet in the last few towns has been awful.

Let’s see; the last time I wrote I shared with y’all the flat tire incident. The next morning I woke up and found my father and the truck gone. Hmmm. Ok, I told myself; he’s probably getting it looked so I’m going to eat breakfast. Bob, Cheryl and I are sitting there and I see him pull up. Ok guys, wish me luck I’m going to go and talk with him. I walked to the truck and didn’t see him so I just stood there, rehearsing in my head what I was going to say, how I was going to apologize again, and how I was going to make this morning good for both of us. And there he is…walking towards me…my heart starts beating fast AND then, he cracks a smile, claps his hands and says “What’s the plan today Sammy”!

I think to myself “huh”? He’s caught me off guard. Now what?!

Bottom line America; there are tons of reasons why I respect my father, there are tons of reasons why I love him BUT this moment leaves those reasons in the dust, a mark has been made in my heart and I will never forget his words “Samantha, yesterday was a bad day. Yesterday was yesterday. It is not today. Today is a new day. I am thankful you are safe…so, what’s the plan today”?! (As he clapped his hands together again with a huge smile on his face). It was a moment where before I said anything I stood there and thought to myself “Man, I love him” and my eyes started watering.

We had a great morning. Bob made everyone huddle and we had a group hug. Ha! Oh, that is so Bob. We rode that day to Baker, 85 miles. The minute we left Milford there would be no service station or ANYTHING for 83 miles. Dad stocked up on EVERYTHING and we headed out. HELLO NEVADA!

WELCOME TO NEVADA



Baker, NV is a cute little town. We spent most of our day sitting on the porch of our motel listening to music. The owner of the motel/restaurant told us that whatever our dinner bill came out, he’d take 20% of that and write us a check to the Orphanage. He was a cute little man and we left Baker with a check the next day!

Hello to AMERICA’S MOST LONELY HIGHWAY, HELLO ELY, NEVADA, HELLO MOUNTAINS, AND HOLY SLOT MACHINES!

Highway 50 shirtWe rode just under 80 miles to Ely, Nevada where we ate two dinners and hung out at our hotel. The ride was interesting; being on America’s most lonely highway (HWY 50) gives you even MORE time to think than you can imagine. I started off this trip with a lot to think about and I’ve almost sealed the deal on most of my questions. Thanks to HWY 50 things have come together for me on the inside and I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt before; emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically.

Myself, my family, two good friends and a WHOLE lot of support from all over have helped me bike to Nevada – six days shy of San Francisco, and I find myself completely and utterly lost for words to express my appreciation. Oh my! And the lives that have been touched by this beautiful mess I’ve created…wow. I never thought my journey would have reached all over the United States the way it did. I want to say thank you to those who have shared with me what this ride was done for them. Wow. I would have NEVER imagined. EVER.

Sam and Roger outside of an espresso shopMy father and I had some time alone in Ely, before I started riding. He told me “That flat tire was a blessing Sam. I am glad it happened when it happened. Can you imagine what would have happened if it blew on me, driving 70 mph, on highway 50, no cell service, no shade, no cars for hours?”

I told him Cheryl and I talked about that while we were waiting. We were both glad it happened while I was going 15 mph, on the outskirts of town. (Smiling) Things always happen for a reason.

Good bye Ely hello EUREKA! Where the gold runs heavily, where the people are friendly, and where the ribs hang off the plates! For some reason the town Eureka, in ALL of Nevada stood out to me and I could not wait till we arrived! Population: 800. I have no clue why I was excited about it but I was.  Was it everything I pictured? Absolutely not! But I fell in love with it and it is now one of my top three towns we’ve been to. 

We spent the night hanging out at The Owl Club and talking with the locals. Eureka use to have a population of 10,000, it was known as the Pittsburgh of the West until fires and floods destroyed the city. Now it is a small town where almost EVERY SINGLE building/restaurant/hotel use to be saloons.

Playing poolThey have the biggest Gold Mine in the United States and are about to open up another gold mine by the name of Molly. The locals are NOT looking forward to its opening because it’ll increase their population of 800 to 5,000 within three years. After getting the scoop and the history of Eureka, we headed to the back where my father destroyed us all in pool. It was the best night out of the entire trip for me.

Not because of the town, not because of the company…but they had a satellite jukebox where I played Bob Marley, George Strait, Clint Black, Linda Ronstadt, etc. the entire night. My father and I were singing away, laughing and testing each other’s knowledge of music. It was perfect.

Goodbye Gold Mine little town, hello Austin, Nevada! We rode 70 miles which seemed to fly by. We arrived in Austin before 3 p.m., got settled in our little “trailer park” motel and here I am - writing. The highlight of my day was when my father got attached by flying ants. They were EVERYWEHRE. Literally, the man had ants in his pants! On his hat! In his shirt! Bob and I were cracking up. I’ve never seen my Dad move like that. Oh I hope that’s not how he dances! He ended up running in the truck and hiding out, sticking his head out every now and then. Every time he came out of the truck the ants would surround him again! So we made him stay in the truck while we packed up lunch. Hilarious. Austin reminds me a lot of Eureka; cute town, wooden porches, every building use to be a saloon. It rests in a valley about 6,500 feet up. The decent into the town was my favorite yet. The road winded all the way down for 8,000 feet. Beautiful.

Tomorrow we’ll ride 110 miles! We all decided to combine the next two days so we’ll be able to have one more rest day before San Francisco. Our rest day falls on the 25th which is the day my mother and Dray arrive. I cannot wait to see both of their faces. I’ll probably cry when I see my mom, I know my Dad will! It’s the longest they have ever been apart. Oh I can’t wait. Six more days till San Fran…..(heart beating fast…)
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Well, my morning started off perfect! I was excited to hang out with Savannah, Megan, Hailee, A.J, Kolton and Kylee. Kari and Alan made French toast and bacon and in return for their hospitality we left them all with our No Limits T-Shirts.

The first part of my ride I spent thinking of the six kids. All completely different, from their looks, personality, laughs and moods, BUT they all have the same heart. You can tell they look after each other and though they might have their moments, they are one another’s best friends. A family like that reminds me of my childhood. Savannah has this adventurous streak to her. You can tell that when she sets her mind to something, she is going to accomplish it. She’ll push herself in life and I have a feeling she’ll not only test her limits but every now and then she’ll test her parents limits. Sounds like someone I know (me). I told Kari, “When she turns 18, I’m stealing her for awhile and taking her on a trip”. Uh oh….double trouble! I still can’t believe how much she’s grown up! Wow. I promised all the other children I’d come back and visit. I never break a promise and I’m excited for round two!

Mountains of southern UtahThe afternoon flew by! We made it safely to Milford, Utah before 1:40 pm and found absolutely nothing fascinating about the town! Ha. The only neat thing is that our hotel is part of a 24 hour diner, Penny’s Diner. Our hotel and the diner were built strictly for the train drivers that come through at all hours of the day. It’s the first 24-hour diner we’ve seen this entire trip. I’m actually sitting in it right now (11 p.m.) eating a grilled cheese sandwich trying to unwind from the reckless night Cheryl and I had.

Let me just start off by saying…I have never seen my father so mad, ever. Well, maybe the time I wrecked our van. I hit a telephone pole trying to get out of the way of an ambulance and completely took out the entire right side of the van. I called them and told them I “scratched” the right side of the van but that it wasn’t that bad, not to worry. In reality, the sliding door was completely hanging, the passengers door could barely open and the paint was gone from front to back, BUT nonetheless, I told them it was a scratch. Roger Mangum standnig on a rock in Utah

When I pulled up and parked, my father came out and the look on his face (chuckling, now that I’m thinking about it) said enough. I got out of the van, keeping the keys in and didn’t even walk toward him, I turned the opposite way and took about a two-hour walk so he’d cool off. Needless to say, he needed more than two hours. Oh my goodness, the things I’ve put them through. Man, thinking about the past, my parents have been such good sports when it came to dealing with teenagers.

Tonight, however, I got a piece of my past handed to me along with that old familiar face I saw years ago when I pulled up in the van.

The flat tireAfter a ride I usually like to go for a drive, just to unwind and take a look at the town I am in. Well, as usual, I asked for the keys, Dad HAPPILY handed them over and Cheryl and I took off at 6:30 p.m. Listening to Dierks Bentley, windows down and headed toward these beautiful mountains about six miles outside of town. We turned on a road that was NOT completely dirt and followed signs to Mineral Rock Campgrounds.
 
About three miles into the road we hear a small pop, as if something jumped up and hit the truck. I thought it was a branch as did Cheryl. Turns out the back right tire blew. We had a flat in the middle of nowhere. 7 p.m. No biggie! I know how to change a tire.

Sam lowering the spareWe take everything out of the truck and search for his spare and jack. Okay, so the spare is under the truck. Everything back in the truck. Looks like the spare needs a special key to unlock it. What now? I drive, slowly, closer to town while Cheryl starts calling around for tow trucks. After about 20 minutes of getting almost nowhere I felt like we needed to stop so we didn’t bend the rim. Cheryl gets the run around and calls about six different numbers.

Finally the Chevron in town answers and says the mechanic will call us back. We wait. 8 p.m. The sun starts setting. Okay, so we’ll just start changing it. We find the key for the spare; we unlock it, unwind the spare, and start setting up the jack. Chevron calls back and the mechanic (Henry) says he’ll be over. Sweet. Now, call Dad. Dum dum dum dum…”Hey Dad, we’ll be back shortly we’re just getting a flat fixed, okay”? Whoa whoa Sam…WHAT….*$%^ #$%# ?

And that is about all I can tell you guys. It was not pretty from there. However, for the situation I was in, my father handled his emotions quite well. I’m actually extremely impressed.

Henry pulls up, starts taking off the tire and realizes we need a “special tool” for the bolts. He drives back in town. Cheryl and I wait. 8:30 p.m. Henry comes back, takes off the tire (which has a huge hole in it) and realizes the spare does not fit! He has to put the spare on the old rim.

Henry leaves, Cheryl and I wait. We fill up on water and Kari’s awesome homemade lollipops and listen to the entire Gary Allan CD. I need to say this before I continue…Cheryl was such a good sport; she was smiling the whole time and laughing. “So is this what I should expect when traveling with you, moments like this”. ABSOLUTELY Cheryl. But please know, they all end up okay and usually we can laugh about them hours later. However, we’ll give this one about a week or two.

The sunset we set out to watch9:40 p.m., sun has set and we’re locked in the truck outside of town waiting for Henry to pull up. He comes, (just to shorten things up), places the tire on and off we go! Dads calmed down a bit. I think my “I love you” text message among all this chaos seemed to ease his mind. We pay Henry at the gas station and pull up to our Hotel 10:05 p.m. As I did years ago, I left the key in the truck, got out, grabbed my computer and headed in the complete opposite direction. Penny’s Diner. Where I am writing this blog.

I wish he’d come walking through the doors and sit next to me but I bet he’s sleeping. It’s funny how I find myself in little situations like this. They start off so innocently! And then BANG! Holy TIRE! I guess God knows that I can smile in moments like this; I get them handed to me quite often, wrapped up like a present. Here ya go Sam! Merry Friday!  “Sweeet what is it? What is it?”  SURPRISE! Flat tire!

I hope everyone had a great day. The sunset was amazing. And though we had a tough night, I know we’ll be able to laugh about it…just not anytime soon.

The Roadie, my father…I have more respect for him than any other person I’ve ever met. He has survived my “Sammy moments” for 25 years and still looks handsome.

Thanks Dad.


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Knock knock “Sammy, Cheryl, let’s go! Time to get up”.

“Okay Dad…we’re up”

15 minutes later…. Knock! Knock! “Samantha! Let’s go”

And for some reason the rebellious 15-year-old came out in me “OKAY DAD! Geeeeez, I’m UP”!

Sam looking out over Bryce CanyonToday I will admit that I woke up a tad bit cranky. I didn’t sleep that well. My legs were restless and I woke up at 2:30 a.m. because they were bothering me. Then, at 4:30 a.m. Bob woke me up to go and watch the sunrise over Bryce Canyon. I contemplated going for about 30 minutes and decided that if I’m going to make it to Cedar City, I’d have to get all the rest I can. Still, I couldn’t fall back asleep.

My morning changed however when I rode my bike into downtown Penguitch by myself and ate breakfast at a diner. I sat at the bar, asked for three eggs and a cup of coffee. The owner, who was also my server, asked ,“You leaving today?”

“Yes sir, I am.”

“Where ya headed?”

I replied “To Cedar City, sir.”

The old man sitting next to me looks at me surprisingly and says “You know that a mountain lays between here and Cedar City don’t ya”?!

I laughed and said “Yes sir.”

“Well young lady, you better be eating more than just three eggs.”

Smiling…I swallowed my breakfast in about three minutes and asked for me check. The owner looks at me and says “Keep your money babe, I’m buying ya breakfast this morning.” Chuckling I left him two bucks and walked out smiling. It felt like a movie scene. When I opened the door I heard him tell the other customers, “That’s one of the girls biking across America, remember me tellin’ ya bout it”. Ha! He made my morning.

Sheep herderWe left Penguitch and immediately started our climb. I thought to myself “55 miles, that’s it?” Knowing that the last 15 are down hill, I threw out the idea of not stopping for lunch, just a quick snack and biking the entire morning. Worked out perfectly! We made it to Cedar City before 1:30 p.m. We ran into a sheep herder and had to pull off the side of the road.

I was attacked all morning by horse flies which led to me wailing my arms around and falling off my bike.

We met up with the McLaughlin’s! Keri and Alan are old friends of the family whom became quite close to us before they moved to Cedar City in 1997. The only child I knew of them having was Savannah who was four at the time. I have not seen them in 11 years. Now, they have six amazing children and live a wonderful life. This evening was great. Keri still has her sense of humor and adventurous side and Alan spent most of the time with my father but still had this child-like persona.

Bob and others riding ATVThey took us four wheeling and I hung out with the kids most of the time. We ate grilled chicken and pasta and for desert, fruit pizza. I played in a mud pit with the kids, ran around giving piggy back rides and jumped on the trampoline for about 45 minutes without stopping.

Hailee, who is nine, wanted to know all about our bike ride, so she brought out a map and I showed her exactly where we started and where we will end. All the kids were around the table and thought it was so neat.  They took us to Wal-Mart, bought us Utah souvenirs and before we left, we set up a date for breakfast at their house in the morning. 

I told Hailee she could make my eggs. I left with a sense of peace from the McLaughlin’s home; a certain placate that I’ve only felt in Texas. These people are my kind of people. Tonight, I fall asleep with the assurance that no matter where I go in life, I will never be alone. And that my friends, is one of the most comforting feelings I have ever felt. I look forward to breakfast and seeing which child fights to sit next to me. Ha!

Tomorrow we enter Milford, Utah! 56 miles … should be another easy ride.

Life is beautiful,

Sammy
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Bryce Canyon took my breath away 2 comments

Thursday, July 17 2008 09:03:00 AM

See photos here.

It is almost 12 a.m. here and I had to write this before I fell asleep. I made it to Bryce Canyon this evening. I told Cheryl and Bob that it was on my list of things to do in life and that it would be perfect to see it during the most incandescent time of day: sunset.

It’s truly one of times most flawless masterpieces. Its vertical cliffs are welcoming with a thick layer of intimidation and its radiant colors…oh my! I’m sure there have been times where the sun bows down gracefully with defeat. Bryce Canyon: One of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Inspiration Point - Bryce Canyon, UtahWhen we first arrived, I jumped out of the car and like a child I ran ahead of Bob and Cheryl to be the first to see the view. 8,100 feet up and completely out of breath, I choke on the view. Thousands of dirt sky scrapers fill the canyon. I honestly was waiting for little dirt people to walk out of the caves; the entire canyon looked like something out of Sesame Street. A perfect little town. Ha! I ran to the peak of “Inspiration,” the name of our lookout point, and waited for Cheryl and Bob to catch up. We all picked our spots, sat in silence and smiled.

Now, every unruffled moment in Sam’s life does not last long and soon a crease rises and wrinkles form. I lost the truck key somewhere along the trial. We decided to walk further up to Bryce Peak and Cheryl need proper attire. We headed ALL the way back down to the truck when I realized I “misplaced” the key. Yupe! It fell out while I was acting like a five-year-old, running around leaping over tree trunks. We searched for a good 15-20 minutes and Cheryl ended up finding it along a path I was running on. Ha! I could not help but laugh the entire time. Cheryl and Bob however, were not laughing BUT they both had a smile on their face that said “Oh, Sam…what next”? The whole situation was priceless.

Sam looking out over Bryce CanyonI ended up on the side of a cliff watching the moon rise after that. Bob ended up about 200 yards away from me on another cliff and Cheryl was about the same distance away on a cliff as well. The only separation between us were canyons with drop offs close to 1,000 feet.

Some of my favorite things in life are colors, fireworks, music, croissants and Echoes. Holy echoes Mr. Bryce Canyon! Thank you for being so open! Ha! When I saw the moon rise I yelled “Hey Moon” and following it came “hey moon hey moon hey moon” “I LOVE YOU” (I love you I love I love). Smiling…the sun had set, shadows were casted and we decided to leave but before I left, I turned around and yelled “Hey Moon” (hey moon hey moon hey moon)… “TELL CEASAR I SAID HELLO” (hello hello hello…)

Tomorrow we ride to Cedar City - 55 miles.
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The past few days have been hard, hot and exhausting, but mentally tender. We continued on to Torrey and made it to Escalante (83 miles seven hours and 40 minutes) but it was not easy. Our bikes needed tune ups, our bodies needed a break and our spirits needed a lift. I don’t know if Utah is hypnotizing or if we’ve finally hit a small barrier. But the three of us will admit that this is the first time we’ve EVER been simply fatigued.

Sure we’ve been drained from the sun or sore from the ride but the past two days have been hard to finish. We were supposed to have a rest day on July 15 but because our itinerary was missing Sacramento we ended up deciding, momentarily, that we were not taking one until July 25. Ha! Shhyeah, right. We needed a rest day and that was that. After some ideation, I made the decision: we ride on July 15 and take the July 16 off. We will make up time in Nevada.
We left our beautiful camp site in Escalante and road 64 miles to Penguitch, Utah. The ride was amazing. We rode through Dixie National Forest, Red Canyon’s National Park and on the outskirts of Bryce Canyon. We road through tunnels carved out of the side of mountains! We entered Penguitch before 2:30 p.m. and our spirits began to rise! Finally, a day and half of rest! Yes! Just what our bottoms and our minds ordered!

What a cute town Penguitch is. Cheryl and I went for a walk and by the time we finished we had made friends with almost the entire Main Street and by this morning people were telling us “Congratulations on our travels, I’m so proud of you girls.” Word gets around in a small town. Becky, the owner of one of the stores in town, gave us a donation while we were talking to her, then sent us two stores down to her granddaughter’s espresso shop (which is amazing)!
But before we headed over there, she introduced us to two men sitting outside on a bench and she told them what we were doing. We chatted with them for a few minutes and then headed to the espresso shop.

When I walked in, a man was sitting down and heard me tell one of the ladies “Becky sent us to try your coffee.” I could tell he was intrigued and asked where we were from. The minute I said we were riding our bikes across country and for what, he stuck his hand in his pocket and handed me 20 bucks without hesitation. He said he likes to take care of the local Navajos, so he knows what it’s like to raise money for a good cause.

We drank our coffees and as we walked out, we heard everyone talking - “those two girls right there are riding their bikes…etc”. The WHOLE town knew by the time we walked through it again for dinner. Ha! My Dad and Bob were quite impressed as we said hello and thank you to the locals. Dinner was great! BBQ again - can’t get enough of ribs!

When we first arrived to the New Western Motel, Grandpa Mangum (“Roadie” a.k.a. my dad for those new to the blog) mentioned to me that the wireless was not working. So I took myself to the front desk and asked them about it. The way she solved our problem was absolutely priceless and I will never forget it. She looked at me and said “huh, well…we’ll just give you room 119”. Confused and not really wanting to move I politely said “well all of our equipment is unpacked and if the Internet isn’t working, is there a place in town we could find a hot spot?”

She simply says, “Oh, you don’t have to move anything! I’ll just give you room 119 to use for the Internet. Don’t take your entire luggage - just your computer - hook it up. We’ll give you room 119, here’s the key.”

Whoa! Two rooms, one for our bodies, the other for my computer. Ha! And it’s free. Sure, why not. The motel is split by a street; half the rooms are on one side and the other rooms are on the other. Cheryl and I grab my computer, open up room 119 and read up on emails. We head to dinner, back to the motel where my Dad just vanishes! Sure enough, he crashed in room 119 while checking his email. It worked out perfectly. “The Roadie,” my wonderful father, deserved a room of his own for the night and it seemed that Penguitch knew it. Bob, Cheryl and I watched a huge thunderstorm roll in, I ran around in the rain, dancing and laughing while Cheryl filmed it, exchanged stories as always and then we headed to bed.

Slept in (8 a.m.) and Cheryl and I went to eat breakfast. Bob and Grandpa Mangum already ate breakfast so the girls, once again, were on our own. The morning was perfect. We ran into people we saw yesterday and the compliments and congratulations started all over again at 9 0.am. A waitress at the diner we ate at gave us her tips that she made in the morning to contribute to our cause. Wow! She didn’t even serve us! On the way back to the motel we were stopped again by a man that wanted to meet my father. He said, “I have to meet the man that made the child that you are!”

Haha! I laughed, called my Dad up and had him and Bob meet us at the Art Gallery. While they were packing up our bikes, Cheryl talked for a while with some locals and ended up meeting the mayor. It was great.

After that we rode to Cedar City, got our bikes tuned up and now we’re about to head to Bryce Canyon and watch the sunset while Grandpa Mangum does laundry. BY CHOICE! Please know that he has been doing a wonderful job and though we are surrounded by amazing places to explore, my father still likes his peace and quiet. He is the only man I’ve ever met who find’s serenity in cleaning. When I told him I’d like for us to all see Bryce Canyon at sunset he seemed more excited about us being gone! Haha! He said “Sweet! Take the truck, I’ll stay back, sip on some coffee, read my book and wash the clothes.”

Oh, goodness… I can only hope that as I get older, I will gain my father’s gene’s and find my peace of mind in the act of cleaning. Seriously, can’t get much better than that. “geez I need to relax, WA-LA, clean house, clean clothes, clean car”!

I hope everyone out there is smiling. I know I am. This rest day has been great. Less than two weeks before I hit the Pacific Ocean. Oh my….
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THE ROADIE - The story behind the relief vehicle 1 Comment

Wednesday, July 16 2008 09:48:42 AM

Written by Rick Smith (UIW Dept. of Alumni Relations)

Every good team has one: The locker room house keeper or the field maintenance crew.

Every good party has one: Usually the person that brings the ice or saves the day and brings the paper plates that everyone assumes someone else will bring.

And every good corporation has one: The person who fixes the copy machine, fixes the internet when it "goes down" or the person that ensures the lights stay on every month.

These are the people that are the unsung heros of the teams, parties and corporations. They keep those whose lives are in the spotlight .... well....they keep them in the spotlight.

These people usually go unnoticed and unthanked.

But not on this trip.

Roger Mangum is the latest of three relief vehicle teams who have been as much as a part of the No Limits Bike Ride Team as those who are riding on two wheels with handlebars.

The relief team sometimes follow behind the riders and other times drives ahead. But no matter where they are driving... they are doing something to protect or help the team that is riding their bike.

If the relief team is following behind, it's to make sure the riders stay safe on the many thousands of miles of roads they have to share with vehicles. Or maybe it's to clean up the campsite, put the tents away or to get food and snacks for the riders 70 mile journey that afternoon.

If the relief team is driving ahead of the bike riders, it's because they are getting the campsite prepared, cooking dinner or finding a hotel, motel or campsite for them to sleep.

And for the relief team on this trip, there has been no shortage of "to-do" items.

The first team was Sharon and Jesse. Sharon is Bob's mom and Jesse is a co-worker of Bob, Cheryl and Sam '06 at Kent College in Kent, Conn. They took the team from Kent, by vehicle, to their starting point of Yorktown, Va. They navigated past threatening tornados on the ride to Yorktown and past thunderstorms on the bike ride - safely guiding them to Illinois.

Before their trek was over though, they made a trip to the hospital for Sam's knee and Jesse mistaken the pain cream for toothpaste. So, as Sam's blog explains (click here), Jesse's lips went numb.

Smith familyIn Illinois, Garrison and his wife Laura joined the team. Garrison joined by way of bike and Laura became the new relief team with her kids. Packed in a mini-van, the Smith family helped the team get through Illinois and most of Missouri.

This relief team didn't make a trip to the hospital but did save the day many times. One specific example was when the team was set to arrive in Sebree, Ky. But with no hotels and no campsites with electricity, where would the team sleep? As Sam wrote in her blog:

"When we pulled up to the camper Laura gave us the bad news. The campsite that we were supposed to stay at had no water and no electricity. Oh, no…what about a motel/hotel? Nope! In a town with the population of less than 700, Sebree had only restaurants and churches. Laura said “I did however call The First Baptist Church and they said they would love to have us!”

That's the duty of the relief team - to always make sure the riders eat well, sleep comfortably and make sure every stays safe.

Plotting their trip on their rest dayThen came the third relief team...a team of only one. Without GPS and only with pencil and map, and sometimes the help of a computer, he has guided the team nearly 2,000 miles from Ellignton, Missouri to their current rest day in Panguitch, Utah.

Roger Mangum is Sam's dad, who has not only watched his daughter go through the trials and tribulations in her life, but he is also getting an opportunity to watch his daughter come a mile closer each minute to reaching her goal: riding her bike across the United States.

Roger pushing Sam on swingsAnd the pictures that we have from the trip show the special bond that the father and daughter have. They re-lived Sam's childhood when Sam was pushed on the swings by her dad.

There was also the stop in Colorado at Roger's brother's house with whom they haven't seen in 19 years.

If you ask any of the riders, they'll tell you that even though they are going through the physical torture of riding their bike over 3,700 miles, the relief teams are going through the torture of having the responsibility of keeping the team safe.

Today, on their rest day, Roger will drive 60 miles west with the riders to have their bikes maintenanced. And in an effort to keep their promise, the riders will ride 60 miles back in the vehicle and then ride their bike the next day past the area where they got their bike fixed.

They have done this several times just so that they can say they did, in fact, ride their bike from ocean to ocean, coast to coast, 3,700 miles.

There will be one more relief team change in Reno, Nevada in a few days. Roger will stay with the team, but will be joined by Mollie, his wife and Sam's mother, and Sam's best friend from Incarnate Word, Andrea Prieto.

Below is an entry from Roger about his experience as the relief team.

Stay safe and healthy team,
--rick

Sam and her dad Roger at his brother's houseA word from "the roadie."

My name is Roger Mangum. I am the roadie for Team "No Limits". I am the faceless one behind the scenes. I am up 30 minutes before the team is, prepping the truck, checking the equipment, consulting the map. After the team rides off I make the final load of the vehicle, check the water, gas, oil, tire pressure, etc. Then I go shopping for the teams daily lunch. After that I hit the road and catch up to the team to check on their status. I drive in a truck that is so packed with gear and equipment that it would make a B-17 bomber navigator or bombadier appreciate the room he has. I do this 7 to 8 hours a day. Sometimes longer. I stop at designated towns and scout out a park and then make the team lunch. This usually consists of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, fresh fruit, chips, water or Gatorade and whatever other little treats I can find. Then it's clean up and pack up and on the road again. When the team stops at the end of the day they rest and relax, hopefully, and I do the cloths washing when needed. The only advantage I have is that I sit on four wheels and drive. After 20 days (give or take, because dates or days of the week run together and i cant tell a Sunday from a Tuesday) I can tell you it is in no way glamorous, yet I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Well, maybe for my wife's company, my own bed, a Starbucks coffee and a Barnes and Noble bookstore. Rarely does my picture show up on the blog, but know that I am there, trying to do the best job I can and take care of these three magnificent and wonderful riders. I'm the "roadie".
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