MILE$ FOR MONEY

For this memorial weekend, we think of all those we honor for their service, and those we have lost. Friday was “world schizophrenia day.”  With the significance of that day, and the approaching Memorial Day, Scott rode in honor of Benny Friday. We encourage all to support the charity we are supporting, Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance, a non-profit whose link is in the milesformoney.org website. One of Scott’s best memories of Benny is when he graduated from Boot Camp in the Army. Scott and his mom had driven down to South Carolina for graduation. After the ceremony Scott was trying to find Benny in a crowd, which was difficult as all the men all had the same haircut and same uniform! He finally saw Benny and was thrilled to see him in an animated conversation with another graduate. When he called his name, Benny looked up and smiled. The light and joy on Benny’s face is a memory that Scott treasures. Benny was often socially awkward. To see Benny so engaged and h...

Scott is well over 9,100 miles. We just enjoyed a wonderful visit with friends from Minnesota who came out to bike and hike Glacier National Park. We biked up the West side of Glacier Going to the Sun Road with them. In the spring it is a treat to bike the Going to the Sun Road before cars are allowed on to the road.  Tonight we are enjoying time with another friend that moved to Minnesota, and speaking to local press who heard about Scott's story and pleasantly surprised us at the camper.    We had a perfect weather day for the  Glacier ride up the west side. I was so happy  to bike with Scott as Puck and Sammie visited a local kennel for the day. YAAAA! We were also able to experience the Northern Lights from the beach on Lake McDonald! After our friends left, Scott biked around Glacier and then Scott and I biked up the East side of Glacier.  The weather was not quite as good that day, cooler and a high wind but still no snow so I did not complain.  ...

Scott is really close to 9000 miles in. As we do every 1000 miles, he took a few days off. We use that time to connect to share his story and connect with friends too which refreshes our spirits. We enjoyed speaking to the White Fish Rotary (pictured) where Scott shared his story. We also saw long time Minnesota friends that now live in Montana and are very much looking forward to other friends that just arrived to bike and spend time with us! Recovery is really important in a ride like this, not just for Scott’s body but also his brain. The daily ongoing focus to stay alert on the roads – mile after mile and day after day is hard. Thursday, he rode again, and we combined the miles he missed when it was 41 and pouring rain with the short mileage, he was intending to do for the recovery week. Once again, the road had slim to no shoulders coming into Whitefish – underscoring the importance of his alertness for these rides. Tomorrow will be an incredibly special ride on a perfect weat...

After several hard days of  challenging climbing in equally challenging cold, rainy, and even snowy conditions, (including graupel) Scott's legs and body were tired but his spirit remained strong. We both appreciate that we are on the final stretch, and it won't be long before we are headed into Itasca State Park that final ride day of June 15th!    Some have labeled May "mental health awareness month," an opportunity to take an inventory of how well we are mentally adjusted to today's life and mental health challenges. (I would suggest just doing an evaluation just one time a year for one month is not enough.) I have repeatedly stated, as have others, that we are in awe of Scott's strong mental strength in the daily pursuit of this journey, which got me thinking even more about mental health.  Scott and I have both had many challenges to face in our lives and on this journey. Most recently for  the 'big" challenges, Scott has been fighting advanced c...