Good morning from Plymouth, IN

Good morning St. Roberts students.Yesterday was a tough day. With lots of traffic, traveling along N.W. Indiana through towns like Hammond, Gary, Hobart, and Valparaiso. It was nice to finally arrive in farm country with quiet roads. I'm going to call yesterday my three dog day. The first farm dog I encountered was near Hanna, IN and I spotted him long before he saw me. So I quickly crossed over to the other side of the road and jumped on my pedals and had a hundred yard advantage on him, no contest. The second pooch was sitting on his porch when he heard my chain skip. He jumped up and came down the steps and barked a few barks. When I got a good look at him I could see that he was almost as old as I am, and there wasn't going to be a chase after all. That third little devil was on me before I even knew it. He nipped at my right heel. I jumped 3 feet off my bicycle seat and screamed at him like a banshee. He got scared and looked at me like I was insane, then he put his tail between his legs and went back to his farm. I took my pulse by placing my finger on my neck, 160+BPM. Boy he really got my blood turning. It's going to be a beautiful day, and I'll be heading south on In. Route 19. Mrs. Spooner the Webmaster did a great job with those photos. Have a great day, see you soon. Jim

Day One: St. Robert's to Valparaiso, IN

I began my adventure today traveling through Chicago as I headed towards the state of Indiana.
You don't have to travel across America to go on a great bike ride. Chicago's lake front path is one of the country's best bike rides. Here are some of the sites that I have seen along the way.

How many of these Chicago sites do you recognize?

Buckingham Fountain









The Art Institute










Solidier Field









The Shedd Aquarium










The Adler Planetarium









Fallen Police Officers' Memorial










This is overlooking Lake Michigan with Gary, Indiana in the distance. Gary is two hours from where I am right now on the lake front.

Departure

Father Neil and the Students of St. Roberts gave me a blessing as I started my trip today.

Kick off day!!

Hello,

Below are some pictures from the official "kick off" at St. Roberts. The kids made me a good luck sign and I talked to the school about my upcoming trip. I emphasized the importance of physical fitness and getting out on their bikes now that the weather has turned for the better. Both myself and the kids are excited for the upcoming trip. We will be able to communicate back and forth through the blog while I am on the road.

Stay tuned......

Hello Bruins!

Hello Bruins! Welcome to the SRB Bikers Club. Spring has finally arrived; at least that is what the calendar says. Let’s toss aside the shovels, boots and gloves and think spring!!! Dunham Park, baseball, summer vacation and biking are just around the corner. Let’s get out those bikes, pump those tires and oil those chains as we embark on this journey to our nation’s capital.
I hope you will follow along on this adventure as we bike across the great states of Illinois, Iowa, and California…oops!!! - my map is upside down! Let’s try this again- we will travel through the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and finally arrive at Washington D. C.

I will be posting photos and sharing my thoughts with all of you along the way. If you have any questions or ideas for me, I would love to hear from you. I look forward to our journey together!