Pedaling to Portland: Day 20-23

Julie and a group of young adults are biking from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR this summer to benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. They will cover 4,400 miles in 10 weeks. This is Julie's report for

Day 20-23:

(Note: The group has overnight hosts who allow them to spend the evening in a sheltered location. Most of these hosts are churches)

Three days ago we biked into Chicago and got caught in a storm when we were about seven miles from our host. We stopped at a gas station for cover for about 15 minutes then finished our ride when the rain let up a bit. On Day 21, we had a rest day in Chicago and it was amazing! We went to see The Bean in Millennium Park and went shopping at some of the biggest stores I've ever been in. For lunch we went to my first Thai restaurant ever and it was good! We took the L back to our host, which was pretty similar to Washington's Metro.

We all take shelter from the storm

The next day (Day 22), we road from Chicago to Mendota, IL. Leaving the city was a lot easier than any of us thought it was going to be--I guess because it was a Sunday morning. This caused the bike trails to be very crowded, however. While on one of the trails, I was riding behind another rider and failed to see a short pole, which hit me and caused me to fall over. The person behind me also fell off his bike. We both fell into a creek and laughed about it for the next five miles. Later that day, when we were about 18 miles from our host, a fierce storm came out of nowhere. We took shelter in an abandoned farm and waited out the storm for about an hour then finished strong. That night, we stayed in a fire house, which was pretty interesting.

This morning (Day 23), we woke up to yet another storm so we had no choice but to ride in the van to our next host. During the drive, we got a tornado warning and got stuck in one of the craziest storms yet! We're all hoping for better weather in the days to come!

The 4K visits The Bean

Bike the Gap!

Fun news from the Washington Post:

Long-distance cyclists, we know you're out there. If you're up for an adventure, you can now ride all the way from Washington to Pittsburgh. The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) rail-trail, which runs 150 miles between Cumberland, Md., and Pittsburgh, has opened its final segment between Homestead, Pa., and Pittsburgh. In Cumberland, the GAP trail connects to the C&O Canal Towpath, which leads into Washington. For more information, visit www.gaptrail.org.

Pedaling to Portland: Day 16

Julie and a group of young adults are biking from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR this summer to benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. They will cover 4,400 miles in 10 weeks. This is Julie's report for

Day 16:

Today we finished our first century!! We road 107 miles in one day from Columbus, OH to Eaton, OH. It was so hard but I'm glad I finished it. This morning I lead a paceline for long time. A paceline is when all the riders are in a line and ride close behind the person in front of them because that person blocks the wind. Everyone rides at the pace set by the first person--and we were going about 20 miles an hour.  It was pretty cool. We had a pretty awesome lunch but I know the miles we did after eating were definitely harder than the morning because I was tired. I'm excited that tomorrow is only 60 miles (I never thought I would say that).

-Julie

The League of Adventurous Women, Inc.

Exciting news! The League of Adventurous Women, Inc. is a new non-profit network of women's adventure groups.  If you're an adventurous individual looking to expand her horizons, The League is for you. If you're a women's adventure organization looking to expand your membership or to connect with adventure groups around the country, The League is for you as well!

We have a new Facebook page with a growing list of adventure groups and albums from groups across the country. Want to add your group to the list? Contact us at info@LeagueofAdventurousWomen.org.

The League will be launching a Web site later this summer. I'll keep you posted about the big unveiling but you can Like us on Facebook for regular updates.

Pedaling to Portland: Day 12 & 13

Julie and a group of young adults are biking from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR this summer to benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. They will cover 4,400 miles in 10 weeks. This is Julie's report for

Day 12:

On our second rest day, the 4K [group] ventured to Cedar Point, OH and road some wicked coasters.

Day 13:

Today we were riding again in Ohio. While riding we saw a horse and buggy that we raced and won! It was intimidating to pass it because we were on the wrong side of the road and couldn't see if cars were coming. but it's all good cause everyone is still here. With every day we ride I feel that it gets a little bit easier to finish the miles.

-Julie

Pedaling to Portland: Day 5

Julie and a group of young adults are biking from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR this summer to benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. They will cover 4,400 miles in 10 weeks. Today is 

Day 5: Grove City, Pennsylvania

"Today it rained and rained and rained. I 

didn't finish but it's okay because we still 

have 65 more days."

-Julie 

Pedaling to Portland: 4,400 miles in 10 weeks

Day 3: 

So the first day was pretty rough but I finished it! The second day I rode in the van and marked the street with chalk so that the riders would know where to go. 

Today I got back on the bike and climbed my first full mountain! I got to where everybody stopped and I feel pretty proud of myself. 

From, 
Julie

18-year-old Julie and a group of young adults are spending 10 weeks crossing the US (4,400 miles) on their bicycles to benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  You can follow Julie's progress here.

Pedaling to Portland: 4,400 miles in 10 weeks

Day 1: 

Julie headed out of Baltimore yesterday on her cross-country bike trip to Portland, Oregon. She pedaled 71 miles and finished in Waynesboro, PA.

Keep up the good work, Julie! The first 500 miles are the toughest.

Pedaling to Portland: a 4,400 mile cross-country adventure

Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR. 4,400 miles in 10 weeks.

 Last summer, my friend Joanne got her motorcycle license and took her first road trip to Sturgis, SD.  This year, daughter Julie is trying to outdo her mom in the adventure business.  Julie and a group of young adults will spend 10 weeks crossing the US (4.400 miles) on their bicycles to benefit The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

“I am riding because I want to do something above and beyond just raising money for cancer,” said Julie. “I feel that when people find out what an amazing opportunity the ride is, it gets them thinking about the smaller things they can do.”

We’ll be following Julie’s cross-country adventure beginning with her June 2 departure from Baltimore.  Check in often to share her experiences.

Here’s her route:

After leaving Baltimore’s Inner Harbor riders head north to southern Pennsylvania then strike west through Ohio and Indiana and then curl up to Chicago, IL.  From the Windy City, riders travel through Iowa and Nebraska before landing in Boulder, CO. From Boulder, the route takes a distinctive northern turn into Wyoming’s Teton National Park then continues west again through Idaho and into Oregon.