Ane's Big Ride

parting thoughts.

2007-08-20T14:24:00.000-04:00

well, a week after the big ride finished, i am still alive. leaving the finish line, i was having doubts as to whether or not life after the big ride was possible. it is.

it's salsa-making season at the klomps household and i've been spending long periods of time standing over spicy, bubbling pots of fresh salsa. we usually eat a jars worth before we even can it!

and i've spent several lazy afternoons swinging in our hammock outside. reading, napping, reading, napping...how lucky i am to be so lazy!

having had all of this time to sit and relax, i've come to the realization that this experience hasn't ended yet. sure, i don't ride 80 miles a day anymore. and i haven't gone anywhere near peanut butter or jelly since i've been back. but i AM still learning from those insane 48 days that we call the Big Ride Across America.

the hospitality, generosity, and care that we received from so many is (as i've said before) humbling and inspiring--be it a free meal, an extra water stop, or a "wow! good for you guys. stay safe out there!"

i am blessed to have spent 48 days singing and laughing my way across the country. i can only hope to be able to give back in as big of a way as i have gained from this experience.

thank you family, big riders, sponsors, crew members, and all of you who gave us support and kind words along the way.

thank you. thank you. thank you.

Day 48

2007-08-15T11:32:00.001-04:00

it was a crisp, cool morning. the ride was hilly and beautiful. and today was a seriously emotional day.

on the first day of the ride, i remember thinking what the HELL have i gotten myself into? on this last day, i thought, what the HELL am i going to do without these people?

thanks mom and james for meeting me at the finish. i would have been lost without you there.

Day 47

2007-08-15T11:12:00.000-04:00

our second to last day of riding.

we entered maryland today. i decided the photo of helyn with 5 cameras was more fun than our border shot.

we also took 60 people into an applebee's. hence andy's cramped position. (there were 6 of us at that booth)

and the final photo--what we think to be the first and probobly last big ride wedding. full of jokes from the last 47 days, it was a real spectacle and delight.

Day 45

2007-08-14T22:50:00.000-04:00

so on this, the so-called "final exam day", i didn't take very many pics. we climbed a lot of hills. it was really humid. really hot. long towards the end. but we did it!

ben, ever-creative, is showing off his fruit snack wrapper turned snowflake.

bob jone's staff supprised us with lots of treats at the end of the day.

Day 44

2007-08-14T22:41:00.000-04:00

i'm sitting at a water stop and i say, man i wish i had some vitamin e for my leg. about 35 seconds later kathy hands me a bottle. is this woman amazing or what?!

the tour of the cannondale factory was a highlight. on our feet for an hour and a half the night before our hardest ride, BUT it was awesome.

Day 43

2007-08-14T22:28:00.000-04:00

when they told us we'd be riding 50 miles on a bike path, we had this dreamy black top image in our minds.

sadly, crushed limestone is what they had in mind. and rain!! what a deLIGHTFUL combination. if mud is fun, then this was a blast.

Day 42

2007-08-14T22:20:00.000-04:00

p-e-n-n-s-y-l-v-a-n-i-a. wheaw. long word. great state!

we passed a nuclear power plant today, but were strictly forbidden from taking photos. shame, because it was pretty cool.

the last photo is of jodi. when it starts raining, just get under the truck!! i actually slept in it. the tent was getting wet and i could handle no more. pretty comfortable, really.

Day 40

2007-08-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

clean clothes. do i hear an AAAAAAAAAALELUJAH?

and thanks for the goodies, mama.

Day 39

2007-08-14T22:04:00.000-04:00

WHAT A DAY. i will be boring people with stories about this day for years to come.

we rode 50 miles along a megamansion-dotted lake erie coast into cleveland. some of us then went to an indians game. fun, we snoozed a little at the game, pretty mellow.

AND THEN. the storm. during the 90 minutes that we were in cleveland after the game, the downtown area got 4.75 INCHES of rain. for part of this time we were huddling by the side of a building, for the other part we were being frozen to death by icy lake erie rains.

we didn't end up getting into camp until about 8:20 that night and our shorts were STILL soaking wet when we went to dinner around 9. wow. what a day.

Day 38

2007-08-14T21:57:00.000-04:00

this was another one of those magical mornings. it was misty, we had the road to ourselves...

so, we generously shared some of our from-will tattoos with sean and ben. you'd think a couple of engineering majors would know how to put on a fake tattoo, but you would be mistaken. it's ok, boys. the memory makes me smile.

Day 37

2007-08-14T21:17:00.000-04:00

will! thank you so much for the package. i'm sorry it's taken me this long to say so. we've obviously been ejoying the tattoos!

it was a slow fun day as we entered into ohio. and i even got to go swimming after we got into camp!! nothing like a little chlorine to wipe away the road grit...

Day 36

2007-08-14T21:03:00.000-04:00

we went ahead and made a long day longer. we took our sweet time biking through menonite country.
and delicious sweet corn for supper. mmm...

Day 35

2007-08-14T20:10:00.000-04:00

oh how we love rest days!! but to be honest, i hate cleaning my bike....it doesn't happen very often! :)

coming soon...

2007-08-03T13:28:00.000-04:00

Days 34-40 are coming. (there is a chance i wont blog till the trip is over) we're in a pretty small town and internet access is hard to come by. i've got lots of good pics and stories so please keep checking back!
thanks for all of your support and interest!

Day 33

2007-07-29T17:13:00.001-04:00

so, these are my only photos for the day becuase i was stupid. i thought my camera bag was closed, but no. it was not. and we got severely DUMPED upon. my camera's shot. i'm going to get a new one in about 20 minutes.

the second photo probobly needs an explanation. bob got lost. really lost. he ended up riding 70 miles by himself and then found us. i would say he was pretty glad to see us! we all got hugs....

check liz, ben, and sean's blogs for photos from the past 3 days. i was with them.

Day 32

2007-07-29T17:06:00.000-04:00

so, i didn't drink coffee, but now i do. it's beginning to be a must. and for the best (cheapest) fix, we often turn to the gas station.

children of the corn? i've never seen the movie and i think that's probobly a good
thing.

ok, this 3rd photo is VERY VERY important. it was the first (and last) time that i was EVER in front of the world-famous-crazy-fast steve on the road. i took sweet pleasure in the fact for about 2.8 seconds.

Day 31

2007-07-29T16:57:00.001-04:00

today was sort of like life. i felt everything. frustration, elation, and everything else. the morning was glorious. magical, even. it was humid and misty and divine. then i hit sort of a midday wall, got over it, hit another wall, bla, bla. and i had a flat at mile 103 3/4 of 104. it was the only day that liz and i have ridden alone and it was wonderful for that. bob jr. and dan's families made us dinner. mmmm mmmm mmmm. i bet i had a whole pound of cheese curds!! thank you!!

Day 30

2007-07-29T16:48:00.000-04:00

my what a wondeful day. is my writing getting repetitive? do i say that about every day? it feels like it. today surely was, though. we started out along the mississippi and biked into wisconsin. i LOVE THE MIDWEST!! green and beautiful. along the way, the meyers family set up a wonderful stop for us. i wont even try to describe how good the food was because i can't.
a glorious, beautiful day.

Day 29

2007-07-29T16:43:00.000-04:00

Rochester!!!!! my family set up a tent on our way in and i was able to visit with my family and some close family friends. you guys are wonderful for coming out to greet us. WONDERFUL. later that night, my parents and older sister, megan, came to eat dinner with us in winona.

Day 28

2007-07-29T16:42:00.000-04:00

What a surprise to look up at our first water stop and see Bob and Karen standing there. Thank you so much. it made my day!

Day 27 home again home again jiggity jig!

2007-07-21T13:11:00.001-04:00

my dear papa came to get me at the dorms in new ulm last night. and he brought more cookies, bless his heart. the looong hugs from both my niece and my nephew made the 2 hour drive very worth it. it's been a nice relaxing day with DELICIOUS FOOD. god i love you, mom. thanks for all of the support, family.

Day 26

2007-07-21T12:58:00.000-04:00

man o man do we love the shade trees!! and there's nothing like a little watermellon to satisfy that midday hunger.
congratulations mom and dad on 33 years of marriage. i love you both!!

Day 25

2007-07-21T12:51:00.000-04:00

MIIIIIINESOTA!! how i love thee. my camera wasn't working temporarily, so i don't have border shots, but it was a fun day. we got free ice cream in brookings and had a fun night in camp discussing possible eating contest options. 18 crispy creams? a gallon of chocolate milk? come on, no problem!

Day 24

2007-07-21T12:34:00.001-04:00

what an exciting, eventful day. i took my first dig--turned a little too sharply on some gravel hence the dusty racing stripe down my side. we also passed the half way mark on our trip and experienced a pretty huge thunderstorm. what you can't tell from that photo of the four of us is how SOPPING wet we were. in swimming we used to say "eat my bubbles" and during this storm i was. i was eating the rain and the spray from the semis and from ben's back tire. it was insane. but FUN!! after we finished riding, my grandparents came and visited me with my cousin, cooper. we went to the laura ingalls wilder homestead. thanks grandpa and grandma!! i love you!

Day 23

2007-07-21T12:26:00.000-04:00

pollie is amazing. not only is she our fearless leader, but she is also a basketballista!! sorry, tom. you're no match for the wonder that is pollie.
this was also the night my dear aunt ann came to visit. she bought sean, ben, and i our first round of burgers at bob's drive-in and dazzled us with her diet-coke-drinking talents. i love you, ann!! thanks for everything!!

Day 22

2007-07-21T12:16:00.000-04:00

a hot, long, windy day. i complained a little and my mom replied, "well you are in the dakotas, you know". that's for sure!! there were some beautiful places, to be fair. the photo of the sunset was taken near our campsite in pierre, sd.

Day 21

2007-07-21T12:08:00.000-04:00

the day started out with a little adventure...a windy, but short thunderstorm. that passed as we moved into the badlands. all in all a beautiful and not too hot day. let me explain alison's shirt--pb and j...life is good. a commentary on our daily lives considering that most of us eat about 3 pb and js a day.

Day 20

2007-07-14T18:24:00.000-04:00

a rest day!! thank you so much mike and candace (my aunt and uncle) for the food, the company, and for running us around town. i love you both!!

Day 19

2007-07-14T18:18:00.000-04:00

state number 5. good thing i didn't know how dangerous buffalo are when i was taking this photo, right? but it was a beautiful day until the last 20 miles when we got whipped around by an ugly headwind.

Day 18

2007-07-14T18:10:00.000-04:00

we had a long-shot view of devils tower today...this sign was much prettier!! at our 2nd rest stop, quite a few of us stopped in at polly's cafe. from left to right--max, litha, and sam (the former mayer). what a nice group of people! after that rest stop, i went outside to the rv and heard willie nelson on the radio. it was a pretty emotional moment considering my unyielding love for the man. ann and andy then showed me how to 9-step. (andy tried to teach me the electric slide later that night but i had some troubles....) the last photo is of sean and me before i proceeded to kick his butt in one-on-one soccer. right sean?

Day 17

2007-07-14T18:04:00.001-04:00

holy crap i just biked 113 miles.
i had a great day. we started out with a little construction and gravel, but the rest of the day was peachy for me. i stuck with the fast kids for awhile and then spent some time by myself. the ONE bit of civilization we met--pony's restaurant--is where cathy is in this photo (on the throne). dinner was from the grocery store. yum yum and cheap.

Day 16

2007-07-14T18:00:00.001-04:00

what a wonderful day. we passed the 1000 mile mark, crossed into wyoming, AND we had the pleasure of devouring some of my dad's peanut butter cookies. this trip is AMAZING!!!!!

Day 15

2007-07-14T17:45:00.001-04:00

this was a pretty short day, so i rode with liz and sean and ben all day. we had fun on the road, but even more fun in camp. it was dan scott's birthday, so we had ice cream after dinner (always a plus) and then relaxed on our thermarests watching the sunset. (and it was a little windy....) :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!! day 14

2007-07-08T23:16:00.000-04:00

here's a hug and lots of love from me here in billings. i miss you and i know you will only get more beautiful in your 59th year.

Day 12

2007-07-08T23:13:00.000-04:00

man what a long day. over 100 miles. helen and i lucked out with this ride through some rough gravel. and we had beautiful scenery, and i am thankful for that.

MY BIRTHDAY!! hehe...day 11

2007-07-08T23:08:00.000-04:00

what a DAY!! i turned 21 and could not have asked for a more wonderful way to celebrate. liz woke me up with a hug, some beads, and a princess crown. then we biked over the continental divide where i enjoyed my first drink EVER!! :)

thank you so much big riders and family for making it such a special day.

Day 10

2007-07-08T23:05:00.000-04:00

can you think of a better way to celebrate the 4th of july? an icy stream after about 80 miles of riding. nothing better, my friends.

Day 9

2007-07-08T22:57:00.001-04:00

a rest day is a beautiful thing. laundry, bike cares, and a little river time if you're liz and me....

Day 8

2007-07-03T00:26:00.000-04:00

TODAY!! wohoo, i can write something.

i biked 102.8 miles today. and yes, my butt hurts. but i did finish...barely. :)
it was a fine day. i wasn't moving fast and it took the WHOLE day. but dear helyn got me through it. and i had a huckleberry milkshake which definately made the day worth while. when i finally got to the dorms (where we're staying) i broke down. poor pollie. i was crabby to her. but GOD BLESS my fellow big riders! i started crying and dear dan scott came and put his arm around me. dan, if you're reading this--thank you so much. you were so kind to me and it meant a lot. and like i've said. a hot shower and a little (or a lot) of grub have magical powers. i had a good rest of the night.

Day 7

2007-07-03T00:25:00.002-04:00

photos soon...can you guys tell im not a hardcore blogger yet??? :)

Day 6

2007-07-03T00:25:00.001-04:00

photos soon

state number 2!!

Day 5

2007-07-03T00:24:00.000-04:00

photos soon

\Day 4

2007-07-03T00:22:00.000-04:00

photo 1--a water stop, just after we scrambled to escape some nearby sprinklers
photo 2--a pretty green strip of something...any guesses?

Day 3

2007-07-03T00:03:00.000-04:00

hmm. another hard one. but also fun and satisfying.

somehow knowing we were the last ones (as i'm writing this, i must admit i've gotten used to being the caboose) made it mentally challenging for me. but i had GREAT cheerleaders. i rode with vern and marty and they were very patient and good to me. they took breaks when i needed them.

one of the cool parts was our trip throught the 'salad bar'. we biked past fields of onion and carrot seed, and man, i can't remember what else but there was a LOT of veggies. and we stopped at a roadside cherry stand. my friends, you ought to be jealous. i got a pound and a half for a buck fifty. delish.

as i think every day will, this one got long towards the end. but as usual, a shower and food made everything ok.

Day 2

2007-07-02T23:53:00.000-04:00

what a strange beautiful change of country. we started out with mountains and pines and ended up with rolling sage-covered hills. it was a much harder day for me. there was quite a head wind and a gradual and seemingly-NEVER-ENDING hill.

i finished though. and it's amazing how a hot shower can fix a bad mood. salt and sunscreen and grime just melt away and it's like a whole new day. mmmm.

the second photo is of david, barry, and lisa

Day 1

2007-07-02T23:34:00.000-04:00

*so you know...these entries are abridged and/or expanded from my journal entries each night* and *i'll post photos some day* :)

we got to the set-off point this morning and i htink both of our (meaning liz and i) stomachs were flip-flopping a little. there was a little ceremony thing with a big $350,000 check and a few words from an ALAW rep and then we were off. we followed BR alumni out of seattle. even they had trouble with the directions and a few people put in some "bonus" miles. as if 77 weren't enough! eventually we got out of seattle and mountains popped up in front of us--apparently the ENORMOUS hills we'd already done were our warm-up. but on the bright side--the climbing wasn't steep and i was able to spin and enjoy myself. the cascades were beautiful and i really enjoyed the scenery. (despite the semis flying by me--we rode 20+ miles on i-90!)

all in all a great first day. i can tell i'm on my way to having a jolly 52-member adopted family.

keep checking back!!!!!! :)

2007-06-29T23:23:00.000-04:00

ok guys, i have 2.5 minutes to write this. AHH. i hate time limits!!
i just want you all to know that i WILL ABSOLUTELY be updating this in 4 days.
i'm having fun, the people are fabulous, and the scenery is spectacular!!
thanks for all of your support and love.

ane

tomorrow!

2007-06-25T00:17:00.000-04:00

well, i guess this is going to happen after all.

liz and i arrived in seattle yesterday and have had the GREAT fortune to be able to stay with some past big-riders, alicia and ryan (and baby jack). last night, alicia gave us a grand tour of downtown seattle and today we've been busy arranging and re-arranging our gear and such. we also had our orientation this afternoon and we were able to finally meet the other 2007 big-riders. a former military man who regularly rides a couple hundred miles, a canadian software lawyer, and a few college grads are just a few of those who will be making up the flavorful mix of people on this big ride.

i havn't even biked yet and i am TIRED. so, i promise to do my best to update this blog at least once a week. i am taking lots of photos, but i have no idea when they'll show up on the blog!! eventually. :)

if you don't want to post comments here, please feel free to e-mail me: klompsac@uwec.edu
i would LOVE to hear from you all.

thank you, all of you, for everything.

here we go...

thanks.

2007-06-15T21:31:00.000-04:00

In getting ready for this ride, I've gotten a LOT of help. I would be a fool to pretend otherwise, and I need to acknowledge some of you.

(in the order of the photos)

Mother--you've given me endless love and support. ENDLESS. thank you and i love you. (Dad, you too...and the photo's pending.)

Kator--where would i be without those butterfly socks? lost and alone, that's where. i'll be so glad to have your fashion sense with me this summer.

James--always keepin' the peace. love you dearly.

Megan (photo also pending)--$120 phone bill EVERY MONTH is nothing if it means i can talk to you for an hour (or 2) a day.

Lily and Logan--sorry i'm skimpin on my time with you this summer. i'm proud to have such intellectuals in the family.

Tim--thanks for all of the biking advice. and the home-cooked meals. and the clean toothbrush!

And another thank you, of course, to the many other emotional and financial supporters of this big ride.

Having trouble donating?

2007-04-29T14:21:00.000-04:00

I'm so sorry!

My sister has informed me that the link for "donate now" isn't working very well. I have noticed that, too. Most of the time it is just really slow. But if it isn't working at all for you, don't fear!! There are two other ways to donate!

ONLINE
If you click on the link that says "Big Ride Website" and then click on "Sponor a Big Rider 2007", you can enter my name, and this will bring you to my fund raising page.

IN THE MAIL
You can send a check made out to the ALAW (American Lung Association of Washington)
my address is:

(after May 18th)
Ane Klomps
926 11 1/4 St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902

Thank you all! Sorry for the trouble.

sweat, sunscreen, and lemonade stands...

2007-04-23T21:20:00.000-04:00

today is my first day off in a while. i've been biking like a maniac (or so it feels to me), and my legs are tight. but i LOVE it. i'll be strong like an oak when this is all through.

as my title implies, i've been enjoying the finer things in life during my training adventures. on saturday, it was about 80 degrees and sunny, and i was biking past a bunch of youth soccer games when i spotted a "lemonade", aka ice cream and kool-aid stand. it's bad karma to pass one and not buy anything, and i was thirsty, so i stopped and got a cup of lime kool-aid. delicious. 25 cents a cup, but i decided to be generous and gave the little girl 2 dollars. mmm.
i wish they had a lemonade stand in the computer lab...

anyway, yeah. i'm currently biking between 25 and 30 miles a day. if any big riders are reading this, please don't laugh. i know it's not much, but i'm in school!! i'll get there, if slowly...

and as always. thank you all for your support--i've just broken $5000.

if any of you are reading this and havn't donated, PLEASE!! click on the link to the right and join me in supporting the incredible work of the American Lung Association.

Bike Number Two

2007-04-12T15:04:00.000-04:00

The other night, I was talking to my dear friend Liz (who's doing this with me) and I said, "Liz, why did we start with the whole country again? Shouldn't we have maybe biked across Iowa or something, first?" We chuckled and moved on with our conversation...

But I have to admit that I wasn't totally kidding. The process of bike- and gear-buying has been overwhelming. Posted with this are two photos of bikes. The first one I bought, the pretty LeMond, no longer resides at 624 1st Ave. I bought it from the first bike shop I visited. Yes, idiot move. Though with some minor adjustments it would've worked fine, I panicked after deciding it wasn't durable/ridable enough and just took the thing back. The second, the Cannondale, is considerably heavier and less beautiful, but I'm sticking with it. It's strong and made for touring, so I feel good about it.
And now that I've got a bike, (2 1/2 months before the start of the ride) I can start training!!

I know I'm not great at keeping this updated, but I'm working on it.
Once again, thank you to all of you who have donated. Your generosity is inspiring.

Ane

2007-03-06T17:13:00.000-05:00

Our summer route.

I hope to see you along the way!!

Thank you all!!

2007-03-06T16:39:00.000-05:00

Ugh!! Bless you all for making it this far.

First, and most importantly, thank you for your more than generous contributions to the American Lung Association and this Big Ride, and secondly, for your patience with my technological incompetence.

I decided to change the website address because I just COULD NOT figure out how to edit the other one I created. I'm sure there's an easy solution, but I spent hours and just couldn't find it!!

Anyway, now you're here and wondering about this whole big ride, so I'll give you some updates.

My fund raising is going well--I've raised nearly $3600 thanks to all of you. Only $2400 to go!
Also, as of yesterday, I have begun training. I finished the swim season 2 weeks ago and I'm finally ready to start exercising again. My bike's on the trainer in the living room and ready to go!

That's about all that's new. I hope all is well with you all and your families.

Thanks again!
Ane