First Leg!

Hey everybody! Below is a town-by-town description of our first leg of the 4K trip! Take a gander...

Waynesboro, PA
Bedford, PA
Greensburg, PA
Butler, PA
Youngstown, OH
Cleveland, OH
Sandusky, OH
Fayette, OH
Elkhart, IN
Michigan City, IN
Chicago, IL (June 12-13)
Kankakee, IL
Bloomington, IL
Jacksonville, IL
St. Louis, MO
Montgomery City, MO
Fayette, MO
Sweet Springs, MO

**I will include dates for each town as soon as I can...so be on the lookout for those and let me know if you'll be in the area!

ain't no mountain high enough

One of the 4K team members, Travis, put together this amazing elevation map of our trip!!! Just to give you all an idea of what we'll be up against...as you can see, the elevation gets pretty ridiculous once we pass the midwest.



On a more immediate note: Today we did one of our first longer rides as a team through the rural roads around Baltimore county and near Towson. I was caught a bit off-guard when we hit some of the hills, but Raffi led the ride and he was merciful enough to go steadily. I definitely have respect for those who lead the rides each day. It's more difficult than it looks to keep a steady pace for those following you. You always have to make sure that you're not dropping people and you're going at just the right pace....like a mama duck leading all of her little baby ducklings.

ALSO...a HUGE THANK YOU to those who have donated thus far! I'm on my way to reaching my $4,000 fundraising goal! The deadline has been extended to May 31st! Therefore, if you'd like to help me help cancer patients, here's where you can go: http://sites.google.com/a/4kforcancer.org/rider-fundraising/riderfundraising/jacqueline-sofia (this is my donation homepage)

bicycles and travel

I try my best not to lust after such things like bags, clothes, etc. But every once and awhile, I cannot help myself... http://www.onelanguagelabel.com/product/bicycle-indiv.html

Cancer Sucks week

The gang at Relay for Life...and posing appropriately with our new bikes! Craig and I proudly doned the spandex shorts as we pedaled into the night, along with the rest of the team, on some trainers that we attached to our bikes. And we couldn't have asked for better weather!

I'm going to take this opportunity to solicit the 4K and my urgency to raise mucho dollars in less than TWO WEEKS! If anybody is interested (**every bit helps...$1? $5? $500?) If you'd like, I will drive/ride to your house PERSONALLY and pick up your donation for you. Think about it, door-to-door service, and you get a friendly visit from me as an added bonus. How can you resist?

STEP BY STEP!
1. www.4kforcancer.org
2. click on "2009 Donation Homepage" link
3. click on "Jacqueline Sofia" on the side bar to the left
4. you'll then come upon my rider bio page (woot!)
5. click the "Donate Here" link in the top left-hand corner
6. Paypal that bad boy and you're set to go!

Big thank yous to all who have already donated, as well :) You know who you are, and I wouldn't be able to make this journey without you.
all the love.

a little inspiration.

At 12am I went to grab some snacks for my friend, Juhee, and I at the local market that is still open into the wee hours of the morning. When I came back, she had left me a notebook page full of wonderful quotes to help get through what feels like endless hours of studying...I now share them with you.

"Some things have to be believed to be seen." (Ralph Hodgson)

"I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself." (Marlene Dietrich)

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." (Sir Churchill)

"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday." (Don Marquis)

"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated." (Alec Bourne)

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action." (Herbert Spencer)

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Jackie, than are dreampt of in your philosophy." (William Shakespeare)

all the love.

Mapping it out!

wake up and go.

It's Your Ride from Cinecycle on Vimeo