Well I just spent some time reviewing our list of things we need to bring with us. Over the last several months we have been slowly checking things off the list. I was amazed to find we have gathered together everything we need to leave. Now all we have to do is pack up all of our stuff and get it into storage. The date is coming up pretty soon. We are shooting for this Thursday April 5th.
It will be nice to be on the open road with our only care in the world being were we will get our next meal from and what safe location can we sleep in. Sort of feels like getting back to our caveman roots.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Farewell Party
We are having a farewell party to see us off as well as raise some money for the Discovery program. If you're in the Los Angeles area, you're more than welcome to come! When you order your food, present the flyer, and 20% of your purchase will be donated to the Discovery program! You can also click on this link to get a PDF version of the flyer that is better to print. You must have the flyer for the money to be donated to the Discovery program. The party will be on Thursday, March 29. We will be there from 4:00pm to close, although the flyer can be used at any time during the day. It will be at Fuddruckers at 221 North San Fernando Road in Burbank.
*Special thanks to Joey Gonzalez, General Manager at Fuddruckers, for donating 20%, rather than the usual 10-15% of the profits.
*Special thanks to Joey Gonzalez, General Manager at Fuddruckers, for donating 20%, rather than the usual 10-15% of the profits.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Our Route
Here's an overview of our route:
These are all of the cities that have a population of 10,000 people or more. There are many smaller towns along the route. If you are in the vicinity of our trip, it would be great if you can host us for a night. We would appreciate a roof over our heads and a homecooked meal. Be forwarned: We will be burning about 4,000 calories each, per day, we just might raid your whole refrigerator! If you cannot provide that, we'd love to camp out in your yard, to save on camping at parks for a fee. If you live further out (50 miles or more), that would be another day's worth of biking. We would prefer if you meet us on the route and give us a ride to your home. However, you must have a bike rack or a way to haul two bikes, eight bags, and 2 bikers.
We'll leave Los Angeles and head down to San Diego.
From there, we'll head East to Arizona, passing through:
Santee, CA
Lakeside, CA
Alpine, CA
El Centro, CA
Brawley, CA
Blythe, CA
Surprise, AZ
Wickenburg, AZ and head North to:
Prescott, AZ
Cedar City, UT and head East through:
Dolores, CO
Montrose, CO
Pueblo, CO
Alexander, KS
Hutchinson, KS
Newton, KS
Girard, KS
Pittsburg, KS
Farmington, MO
Murphysboro, IL
Carbondale, IL
Berea, KY
Radford, VA
Christiansburg, VA
Charlottesville, VA
Mechanicsville, VA
Yorktown, VA, then we head North to:
Fredericksburg, VA
Dale City, VA
Gallaudet, Washington, DC
These are all of the cities that have a population of 10,000 people or more. There are many smaller towns along the route. If you are in the vicinity of our trip, it would be great if you can host us for a night. We would appreciate a roof over our heads and a homecooked meal. Be forwarned: We will be burning about 4,000 calories each, per day, we just might raid your whole refrigerator! If you cannot provide that, we'd love to camp out in your yard, to save on camping at parks for a fee. If you live further out (50 miles or more), that would be another day's worth of biking. We would prefer if you meet us on the route and give us a ride to your home. However, you must have a bike rack or a way to haul two bikes, eight bags, and 2 bikers.
We'll leave Los Angeles and head down to San Diego.
From there, we'll head East to Arizona, passing through:
Santee, CA
Lakeside, CA
Alpine, CA
El Centro, CA
Brawley, CA
Blythe, CA
Surprise, AZ
Wickenburg, AZ and head North to:
Prescott, AZ
Cedar City, UT and head East through:
Dolores, CO
Montrose, CO
Pueblo, CO
Alexander, KS
Hutchinson, KS
Newton, KS
Girard, KS
Pittsburg, KS
Farmington, MO
Murphysboro, IL
Carbondale, IL
Berea, KY
Radford, VA
Christiansburg, VA
Charlottesville, VA
Mechanicsville, VA
Yorktown, VA, then we head North to:
Fredericksburg, VA
Dale City, VA
Gallaudet, Washington, DC
Monday, February 5, 2007
Practice Run
Last Friday and Saturday (February 2 and 3), we went on a "practice run" from Los Angeles to San Diego. Our purpose was to give us an idea of what we're getting ourselves into and to see what things we won't really need to bring on our trip, as well as what we will need that we didn't plan to bring. It was a 130 mile trip, and we planned to camp overnight at San Onofre State Beach Park. Alex, Dana's brother, joined us, as well as Heather, his girlfriend, as SAG support (we'll call her Heather S. to avoid any confusion with the author, who has the same name). Before we started, I made a silent promise to myself that I would not complain, whine, quit, give up, or say/do anything to pull us down. The first few miles were a bit tough as we took some time to get used to all the extra weight. After we got used to it, the next 50 miles were pretty smooth. I was pleased to find that most of the route was either a bike path next to the beach, or a nice, roomy bike lane on the road. At one point, we missed a turn because the roads don't really connect to the beach bike paths. We had to backtrack a bit, but a few extra miles and we found our way again.
Lesson learned #1: If there is a turn ahead, get off the bike path and onto the road so we won't miss the turn.
After the first 60 miles, the path started to get more and more hilly. I guess they call it Laguna "hills" for a reason. It became nothing more than zooming down the hill, then slowly pedaling at 3 or 4 mph up the hill. After a while, we were so exhausted from steering with the extra weight that we were swerving all over the road. We had already biked 80 miles at that point, and the sun had set several hours ago. At one point, Dana asked me if I wanted to stop and walk up the hill. I lost control of my bike, hit a curb and fell over. My body was so exhausted it couldn't go on.
Lesson learned #2: Don't plan to bike a specific number of miles in a day. Rather, we should plan to bike 6 to 8 hours per day, and set up camp before sundown, and before we get exhausted.
Fortunately, we called Heather S., our SAG support, to come and pick us up. We loaded the bikes and our equipment, and headed to our predetermined campsite. Lo and behold, when we got there, it was closed. The next campground was back quite a few miles. I'm taking this as a blessing in disguise--if we had continued to bike to this area, only to find it closed, I would have been pissed!
Lesson learned #3: Call ahead to make sure campgrounds will be open.
We set up camp at San Mateo campground, Heather set up the sleeping bags and tarp, while Dana cooked the food. We were starving, cold, and exhausted. Heather actually ate her dinner out of her sleeping bag, then rolled over and immediately fell asleep. The next day, we awoke to a beautiful morning, and biked up some more hills. Torrey Pines was especially excruciating! It was a 400 feet climb over 2 very steep miles.
Lesson learned #4: Heather needs to train on hills.
One thing that I noticed was that I was always eating. Every time we stepped off our bikes for a break or a restroom break, I would grab our snacks and chomp away. We stopped at a Subway to eat, and I surprised myself by ordering a sandwich with the works. I always get a ham, cheese, and pickle sandwich, that's it. I guess my tiny frame (5'4" and 100 pounds) needed the calories!
Lesson learned #5: Bring lots and lots of snacking food!
All in all, I think it was a great trip. Even though we overestimated our abilities, if we had a perfect ride, we wouldn't have learned anything. We made several mistakes, and now we know what to expect for our big trip. We might make one more trip to San Diego before our big trip, just as an extra practice.
Lesson learned #1: If there is a turn ahead, get off the bike path and onto the road so we won't miss the turn.
After the first 60 miles, the path started to get more and more hilly. I guess they call it Laguna "hills" for a reason. It became nothing more than zooming down the hill, then slowly pedaling at 3 or 4 mph up the hill. After a while, we were so exhausted from steering with the extra weight that we were swerving all over the road. We had already biked 80 miles at that point, and the sun had set several hours ago. At one point, Dana asked me if I wanted to stop and walk up the hill. I lost control of my bike, hit a curb and fell over. My body was so exhausted it couldn't go on.
Lesson learned #2: Don't plan to bike a specific number of miles in a day. Rather, we should plan to bike 6 to 8 hours per day, and set up camp before sundown, and before we get exhausted.
Fortunately, we called Heather S., our SAG support, to come and pick us up. We loaded the bikes and our equipment, and headed to our predetermined campsite. Lo and behold, when we got there, it was closed. The next campground was back quite a few miles. I'm taking this as a blessing in disguise--if we had continued to bike to this area, only to find it closed, I would have been pissed!
Lesson learned #3: Call ahead to make sure campgrounds will be open.
We set up camp at San Mateo campground, Heather set up the sleeping bags and tarp, while Dana cooked the food. We were starving, cold, and exhausted. Heather actually ate her dinner out of her sleeping bag, then rolled over and immediately fell asleep. The next day, we awoke to a beautiful morning, and biked up some more hills. Torrey Pines was especially excruciating! It was a 400 feet climb over 2 very steep miles.
Lesson learned #4: Heather needs to train on hills.
One thing that I noticed was that I was always eating. Every time we stepped off our bikes for a break or a restroom break, I would grab our snacks and chomp away. We stopped at a Subway to eat, and I surprised myself by ordering a sandwich with the works. I always get a ham, cheese, and pickle sandwich, that's it. I guess my tiny frame (5'4" and 100 pounds) needed the calories!
Lesson learned #5: Bring lots and lots of snacking food!
All in all, I think it was a great trip. Even though we overestimated our abilities, if we had a perfect ride, we wouldn't have learned anything. We made several mistakes, and now we know what to expect for our big trip. We might make one more trip to San Diego before our big trip, just as an extra practice.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
How Can You Help?
There are many ways that you can help us in our endeavor to raise money for the Discovery Program...
-Donate to Gallaudet University Personal Discovery Program. There are several ways you can do this.
1. You can click on the button at the top left of this page (First Giving) and donate directly to Gallaudet via credit card.
2. You can click on our paypal button on the left and donate directly to us. If you use this option, the money will be sent to us. If you would like the money to be given to the Discovery program, let us know, and we will send the money to them. Otherwise, we will use this money for our food and equipment on the trip.
3. You can write a check out to Gallaudet University. In the memo section, write: Personal Discovery, Dana and Heather. Mail it to the address below:
Dana and Heather Arazi
43430 East Florida Avenue F-148
Hemet, CA 92544
This is our mail forwarding service that will forward our mail to us on the trip.
-Spread the word to your family and friends! Refer them to this blog so they can follow along during our trip!
-Sponsor a biker: We estimate it will cost about $1,000.00 to pay for one biker's food, water, and daily needs. If you'd like to sponsor a biker, the money will be given directly to us to use.
-Join us: You are welcome to join us for all or part of the trip! All expenses must be paid by the individual, although we can share our equipment and supplies.
-Publish our story in your school newsletter, organization newsletter, or local newspaper. We would be happy to conduct interviews for an article. Contact us at: bike4d@gmail.com.
-Make a link on your website/weblog/vlog to our blog. The link is: http://www.bike4d.org.
-Blog about us!
-If you are on our route, contact us and offer to host us in your home for a night.
-Send a care package to our mailing points.
-Email our story to your friends, family, and co-workers.
-Ask your employer if they have a "matching gift" program, which will increase the amount that can be donated!
-Kids and school organizations: host a bake sale at your school or event in our honor and send a percentage of your profits to the Discovery program.
-Teachers: talk about our trip with your students. This project can be analyzed in many ways; Math: Estimate a budget for our trip, English/Writing: Write reflections/stories about our experience or what would happen if they decided to bike accross the US, Reading: Read our blog, as well as the many books the chronicle the experiences of touring bicyclists, Social Studies: Chart our route on a map as we travel. There are many more ways to make our trip into an educational one for your students. If your school is located on our route, contact us to see if we can make a stop and meet with your class/school!
-If you are located near our route, cheer us on as we pass your town!
-And many more! If you have an idea or specific way you can help us, feel free to contact us!
-Donate to Gallaudet University Personal Discovery Program. There are several ways you can do this.
1. You can click on the button at the top left of this page (First Giving) and donate directly to Gallaudet via credit card.
2. You can click on our paypal button on the left and donate directly to us. If you use this option, the money will be sent to us. If you would like the money to be given to the Discovery program, let us know, and we will send the money to them. Otherwise, we will use this money for our food and equipment on the trip.
3. You can write a check out to Gallaudet University. In the memo section, write: Personal Discovery, Dana and Heather. Mail it to the address below:
Dana and Heather Arazi
43430 East Florida Avenue F-148
Hemet, CA 92544
This is our mail forwarding service that will forward our mail to us on the trip.
-Spread the word to your family and friends! Refer them to this blog so they can follow along during our trip!
-Sponsor a biker: We estimate it will cost about $1,000.00 to pay for one biker's food, water, and daily needs. If you'd like to sponsor a biker, the money will be given directly to us to use.
-Join us: You are welcome to join us for all or part of the trip! All expenses must be paid by the individual, although we can share our equipment and supplies.
-Publish our story in your school newsletter, organization newsletter, or local newspaper. We would be happy to conduct interviews for an article. Contact us at: bike4d@gmail.com.
-Make a link on your website/weblog/vlog to our blog. The link is: http://www.bike4d.org.
-Blog about us!
-If you are on our route, contact us and offer to host us in your home for a night.
-Send a care package to our mailing points.
-Email our story to your friends, family, and co-workers.
-Ask your employer if they have a "matching gift" program, which will increase the amount that can be donated!
-Kids and school organizations: host a bake sale at your school or event in our honor and send a percentage of your profits to the Discovery program.
-Teachers: talk about our trip with your students. This project can be analyzed in many ways; Math: Estimate a budget for our trip, English/Writing: Write reflections/stories about our experience or what would happen if they decided to bike accross the US, Reading: Read our blog, as well as the many books the chronicle the experiences of touring bicyclists, Social Studies: Chart our route on a map as we travel. There are many more ways to make our trip into an educational one for your students. If your school is located on our route, contact us to see if we can make a stop and meet with your class/school!
-If you are located near our route, cheer us on as we pass your town!
-And many more! If you have an idea or specific way you can help us, feel free to contact us!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Welcome!
Welcome to our blog! I thought it would be fitting to use this first post to explain how we arrived to the decision to bike accross the United States. During the summer of 2006, Dana started biking and found he really enjoyed it. He told me that he was thinking about biking accross the US. I thought the idea was ridiculous! But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to join him. But I wanted the trip to be for a cause. That would help to motivate me and keep me going. When I mentioned that we should raise money along the way to help Discovery, he was in total agreement! Discovery is a nonprofit organization at Gallaudet University that hosts workshops and classes to teach personal development, leadership, and teambuilding skills to deaf people. You can read about some of the things this group has done here and here. Dana and I were involved with this group since we first arrived at Gallaudet University in 2000. We have learned so much through the program, and we have seen the impact it can have on people. We hope that the money we raise for the program will help to continue the program and help them purchase new equipment that is badly needed every year. We look forward to this exciting new adventure, and we appreciate your support!
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