The Grafton Family: February 2007

Well my little brother should be arriving in Miami today, his final destination. He has had such a great trip, but not all of it has been pleasant. Here is what he wrote on his blog yesterday.

Contrary to many who did not believe it was possible, we have ridden 21 days straight covering a distance of over 1600 miles. As a result of the long hours on the bike seat we have developed rashes from the chafing, saddle sores (pimple like infections), and one of us was even unfortunate enough to bruise a tailbone. We have ridden over mountains, through deserts, swamps, and now beaches. We have witnessed poverty at its worst in the U.S. (multiple spots), as well as excess wealth (Palm Beach, FL). We have been within a rocks throw of the Mexican border, and have stayed in towns with extremely high drug trafficking rates.

While on the road, we have been swerved at, accelerated at, honked at, yelled at, and cussed out by passing vehicles nearly every day. We have ridden through rain, snow, hail, lightning, and at one point, even a tornado touched down nearby. We have avoided pot holes, cracks, roadkill, and debris on bad roads. We have had a tail wind on three different occasions, every other day has been a cross or head wind. There have been long stretches of road where the next town is over 100 miles away, and have even had the pleasure of vultures flying above us.

When an affordable motel, or civilization for that matter, is nowhere to be found, we camp... After significant use, our tent now has mold on the interior of it and causes sinus problems in two out of the three guys. We have woken up to rain dripping on our face, and even ice inside the tent. If there is food nowhere to be found, we make due... Among the worst dinners we have had, one included chocolate milk and cup o' noodles. Another consisted of the three of us sharing a bowl of easy mac. This was the result of a gas station only accepting cash when the next town was 50 miles away and we only had $3.00 between the three of us. We have had a single home cooked meal in the past 45 days...thanks Sally Cunningham.

Furthermore, as a result of the hard use on the bikes, two bikes have had a small weld break rendering the rear brakes useless. One bike even has the front pouch duct taped to the handlebar. Our original rear rims were insufficient, and we have had to buy heavy duty reinforced rims to finish the trip. We have blown out two tires, and replaced an uncountable number of tubes.

Can you image making such a trip and enduring these hardships? I can't!! I praise them for their tenacity, endurance and perserverence. They have seen the best in people, the beauty of our land and some of the worst in people and some of the ugliest and destroyed parts of our land. Following their journey has taught me that there are still wonderful people in this world and the generosity they have shown to three strangers (Kevin, Wes and Alex) is heartfelt. I am grateful for their support toward my brother. I thank them for watching over and taking care of my brother when we, as a family, couldn't. Our people still need work..there were those that, like Kevin said, honked, cursed, swerved and yelled at them. If they only knew why the three of them were riding their bikes. People get so caught up in their lives that they don't stop to think that there may have been a reason three bikers were on the road that day. We've all been there, it's human nature. We just want to get to where we are going without any delays or problems. This experience has given me the opportunity to stop and think before I judge. It may look like three guys just riding their bikes and slowing down traffic, but they were riding with a purpose and love for a friend that was tragically taken away before his time. They had a mission to raise money and awareness of a deadly disease and were determined to succeed in that mission. They raised well over $14,000 and have honored their friend by enduring just a little hardship compared to the pain and suffering that their friend had to endure in the last stages of his disease. I implore you to stop and think before you get angry at someone who is getting in your way or creating problems in your life. They may just have a purpose of their own that they are trying to accomplish or they may need your love, support, and forgiveness to get them closer to their goal.

My brother has made me the proudest sister in the world and I will always remember the heart and dedication that he has shown for another human being. He sacrificed 48 days of his life and endured conditions that are too awful to imagine let alone be a part of. He may be 14 years younger than me, but he has taught me how to give of myself unconditionally for a purpose that I believe in. He has given me the strength to endure things that aren't nearly as tough as what he endured. If he can ride 3,300 miles from coast to coast in extreme conditions, I can do anything in my comfortable, secure, and pleasant conditions. Thanks Kevin for the life lessons and I love you with all of my heart. You are a wonderful person and I am honored to be your sister!

As you know, my brother Kevin is riding coast to coast on his bicycle to raise money for ALS. A college friend of his died of this disease and Kevin's fraternity wanted to raise money for the research and cure. Kevin and two other fraternity brothers started in San Diego, California on January 10th and have been riding around 70-100 miles a day since then. I just read his blog and they are now 370 miles away from Miami!! They have raised over $14,000 so far. I am so proud of my little brother. Who knew that little brat would turn out to be so great!! Just kidding Kev.

Please visit their website and read what experiences they had while on their journey. It's really fun to read.

www.coast2coast4kalan.net