CCHS Tour de Paws

Last fall, Mr. GV got an idea to help out our local humane society.  We had adopted twice through them already and were very impressed by how well the animals were cared for. We attended our first quarterly meeting and put forth the suggestion to them:  How about a charity bicycle ride to raise funds?  They said "Sure!" and so WE DID IT!

This event involved months of planning, loss of sleep (from worrying and from working), asking people for money and supplies (something many of us are not at all comfortable doing), and lots and lots of volunteers.  

But.....we pulled it off!!  In the end we raised almost $5,000 after expenses! Next year our expenses should be even less since we will know better how many  supplies we will need plus there will be items we purchased this year that should last us for many years to come.

The community supported us by many businesses becoming sponsors of cash and supplies, and the bicycling community supported us by coming out to ride, even though the weather report wasn't so good that day!  In the end we had 52 riders, which is fantastic for the first year of an organized bicycle ride.  

Riders get ready for the start

Mr. GV makes a few announcements at the ride start.

J said the prayer, and asked that the riders and volunteers stay safe and that all our animal friends would find a home.  :)

Our last rider in for the day.  He is someone living with  recently-diagnosed muscular dystrophy and did the 100 mile route on his recumbent bike!

An exceptionally happy, extremely tired Mr. and Mrs. GV.

Epic road trip Day 6

Blossoming Lotus for breakfast---absolute best meal of the entire vacation!  

We had the Lotus Benedict

and the French toast, topped with apples.  What I wouldn't give for either (or both) of these dishes to be available within 100 miles of us!  

We then headed back to Hood River so Mr. GV could get in more mountain biking.  He got out on the trail and......his chain broke.  So I picked him up again and we headed into town to get it fixed.  

In town I discovered a frozen yogurt place that had a dairy-free watermelon option.  While I'm not a big fan of watermelon, I decided to give it a shot.  I'm glad I did, because it was delicious.  

I looked around town a bit as well.  I checked out a Goodwill Boutique.  Not exactly my speed.  The word "boutique" should have clued me in to that.  And I spent forever in a bookstore.  I try not to buy many souvenirs for myself (although I do like a good pin) but I cannot break myself of the habit of buying books about local history.  I also purchased a couple of books for J--a Geronimo Stilton and a choose your own adventure type book about the Oregon Trail.  

That evening we went to Solstice, also in Hood River.  We got the Vegan Boy pizza, which included Tofurky sausage and Daiya cheese.  It was good, and nice to be able to eat pizza like anyone else without having to inquire on all the ingredients.  

Oh, and Tofurky headquarters?  Right behind the pizza place.  

We walked along the "beach" afterward, where I promptly tripped over a big rock while taking a step backwards.  I injured my wrist which was OK after some ice and a few days of babying it.  

We had to stop off for a big ol' Whole Foods salad on the way back to the room!

And some chocolate mousse.  Yum!

And carrot cake.  

BAM!

We were up early July 4th in order for Mr. GV to participate in another organized bicycle ride known as the BAM.  

Getting ready by setting one of his monitors.

Going to the starting line.

Visiting with a friend from our town.

Comparing bike stuff, no doubt!

Part of the crowd for the early start.  There was a late start too.

Tour de Corn

Mr. GV was able to ride in the Tour de Corn this year.  The ride is in Missouri in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by corn fields and mostly flat land.  

Naturally the bike has to spend the night in the room with us.  

Me posing in front of the giant ear of corn.  Zoom in and you can see that the kernels are made of recycled milk cartons.  

Mr. GV gets ready for the long hot ride.

I hung out in a nearby town's library.  It's a small library, but has a fantastic reading room.  I relaxed on a couch with comfy pillows, slipped off my flip flops, and enjoyed reading through People magazine, perusing the local newspaper, and planning our fall vacation.

Before and After

Mr. GV had a bike race (excuse me, "fun ride", but let's face it, many of the participants are trying to beat a certain time goal they have set for themselves) in late May.  It was his first ride after being sick, so he took it easy and did the 30 mile. 

I hung around town and enjoyed being able to go to a book store and grocery store that carries a lot of items that we buy.  It's the little things that make me happy most of the time!