Day four...tired legs...a great downhill...some uphills and a trip into a place of heroes
Day four was a day that brought an absolute buzz to the group. during breakfast you could almost feel the energy coming from the riders as we faced our final leg into Camp Pendleton. Everyone was laughing, talking about the days rides and having a great time reliving some of the great jokes and strories that had developed over the coarse of the previous three days.
(Some of our support staff...there is none better)
( Larry H. a true member of the team and a great new friend......and one heck of an RV driver!)
(Steve K. our GoDaddy driver and personal Marine...he protected us every mile of every day.......he is a great addition to our cycling family)
(Major Andy Christian joins us for the last leg)
We started with a briefing from Paul T. who explained where we would be going and the importance of the group staying together. Todays ride would be somewhat technical and full of turns!!!!! We were also fortunate enought to have with us Major Andy Christian who had been a supporter of the ride from day one. He is a Marine Major who has given three tours in Iraq and is headed for his fourth deployment in November. Major Christian like many other Marine Officers is a man who is an inspiration to those who are fortnuate enough to spend time with him.
As we began the ride for the the day we were met with some incredible downhill roads...the day before had brought a massive climb...today...we go down the other side. Speeds of 40 mph plus for the peleton combined with sweeping turns and beautiful scenery. The downhill experience was definately worth the climb!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We continued on through some small rollers and some climbs that were definately testing some tired legs. At this point however, we were a group running on pure adrenaline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As we worked our way into the city, we said goodbye to our friends in the support vehicles and started to our rendevous point via a bicycle trail. The trail seemed to wind on forever!!!!!!!!!!!!! When will we get there was the prevailing thought of the group.
Well, as you can imagine, we got there!!!!!!!!!!!! As we came into the park we were met by reporters, cameras, loved ones and friends. It was incredible!!!!!!!!!!!
(DNA Don and others finish the final leg)
(Paul T. with MstSgt. David Lind)
(Steve K.;our great driver and a great Marine visits with Dave K.)
(DNA Don with MstSgt Lind of the USMC)
(John G. and Paul T. with Col Seaton (Camp Pendleton Base Commander)
(Britt L. joined us with enthusiasm and a great sense of humor!)
(Brad J. with Davey Lind)
(Joe Liner..handled all of our money.....always there to help!)
(Mark B.-also rode in honor of his father...Mark is a good man who made tremendous gains in fitness as we trained...it was exciting to watch him.)
(Presenting the check to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund)
(The Ride for Semper Fi Team)
(One more of the team...including Larry and Steve)
I will finish this days blog with a copy of the email I sent to Angie at the Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund.
It is most unfortunate that I am forced to try to put all of this experience into words......my abilities to write simply do not do justice to the experience. Here is my letter.
We started with a briefing from Paul T. who explained where we would be going and the importance of the group staying together. Todays ride would be somewhat technical and full of turns!!!!! We were also fortunate enought to have with us Major Andy Christian who had been a supporter of the ride from day one. He is a Marine Major who has given three tours in Iraq and is headed for his fourth deployment in November. Major Christian like many other Marine Officers is a man who is an inspiration to those who are fortnuate enough to spend time with him.
As we began the ride for the the day we were met with some incredible downhill roads...the day before had brought a massive climb...today...we go down the other side. Speeds of 40 mph plus for the peleton combined with sweeping turns and beautiful scenery. The downhill experience was definately worth the climb!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We continued on through some small rollers and some climbs that were definately testing some tired legs. At this point however, we were a group running on pure adrenaline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As we worked our way into the city, we said goodbye to our friends in the support vehicles and started to our rendevous point via a bicycle trail. The trail seemed to wind on forever!!!!!!!!!!!!! When will we get there was the prevailing thought of the group.
Well, as you can imagine, we got there!!!!!!!!!!!! As we came into the park we were met by reporters, cameras, loved ones and friends. It was incredible!!!!!!!!!!!
I will finish this days blog with a copy of the email I sent to Angie at the Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund.
It is most unfortunate that I am forced to try to put all of this experience into words......my abilities to write simply do not do justice to the experience. Here is my letter.
Angela and Jeremiah,
Im sorry I did not touch base earlier. It was so crazy the last day and then getting ready to leave for AZ was a new challenge all in itself!!!! The last days ride into Camp pendleton was one of the greatest days I have ever had. We were met by Col. Jamison who shook my hand and siad " I can't believe you guys did this." He was incredible to us and I hope you will please pass along to him my sincere thanks for everything he did. As we passed through the gates the first thing I saw was two young Marines giving the Col a salute and I thought....those two young kids at the gate are just one of the many reasons why we rode. We continued on to the beach house where we were met by the cheers of volunteers and other folks who just began watching the parade of vehicles and bikes that were coming through.
After arriving, some of the volunteers showed us toward the food which as a team we promptly devoured (we had done a SHORT ride that day of 79 miles). As we moved into lunch I was amazed when I saw Col. Seaton come thorugh the door. Angie, it was almost a surreal experience to have him and Dave in the same event. Myself and everyone on the team were tremendously honored and humbled by the precense of both these men. We were fortunate enough to listen to both men speak about the value of the fund and what our event meant to all those brave Marines who need help as they come home.
We finished the day with a few words from myself...some thankyous....and a few jerseys passed out to those who had helped us so much. As crazy as this sounds, it was probably one of the most emotional days I have ever had since the birth of my children. It was at times very difficult to find the words to talk along with the waves of emotions that were hitting me.
In the end Davie was kind enough to hand each rider a medal, take pictures and shake the hands of everyone involved. He is without a doubt a great American and a true hero.
Angie and Jeremiah, I want you both to know how honored I am to have been a part of this great organization. The help from you two, Major Christian, Dave, Col. Seaton, and all the other volunteers has been incredibly inspiring. This was an experience I will remember the rest of my life.
Please pass along my thanks to all the volunteers that were there with us. In the heat of the event I failed to get all of their names. If you have email addresses for them I would very much like to send them a note.
Thank you again...and as I finished each day of our rides I will say to you both....God Bless...and Semper Fi.
John Greenway
Ride for Semper Fi
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