Less than 1,000 miles to go!

The dream is coming true! 2/3 of the way there!

Can't sleep

I can't sleep so I thought I'd try to download some thoughts.

I felt a positive shift in the morale entire team tonight as John and
I finished our riding shift. We had been getting a little sloppy with
our communication and rider/crew transitions and everyone was getting
a little frustrated...each person realized that something needed to
change so the crew got together briefly and addressed the concerns and
will work to make our machine run more efficiently. We are riding fast
and feeling great so if we clean up our act just a bit we will be in
Annapolis in no time. We can taste the finish line and it tastes great!

More Support

Today Mark Bogucki and his friend Tom met us in Weableau, MO with
their bbq's and fed us pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans and Mark's
special cheese corn dish. So good!

Mark is one of the original supporters of Ride Ataxia. Thanks boys!

Y Not?

Road names in Missouri are simple.

Rv driving

Sometimes counters get slippery and foods fly off when taking turns
fast! Tracy is a champ though and helping seany clean it up!

Next year I'm coming back for the competition... I'm goons take first for shure!!! Oh small town livin

Video of Team FARA in Action!

Team FARA cruises through Kansas with a little help from local fans. See the team, crew, and fan support in action!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z4EFEFiOS8&feature=player_embedded

Into Missouri

Hot and humid. Concentrating on staying Hydrated. NUUN is key! http://nuun.com

Wright Family

We just had the privilege of meeting Terry Wright, who drove out to Fort Scott, KS from the Joplin area of Missouri to cheer us on! Terry brought us some of her daughters (Shelby) favorite cupcakes!! Shelby - you have great taste! Thanks for coming out and seeing us Terry!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Cyclist

Sean Baum shows up the "biker" in the background. With powerful legs
like those, who needs a motor?

Dawn

One of the few perks of riding through the night.

Vista

An eternity ago we passed through the Prescott National Forest in
Arizona - and up Mingus Mountain. From the top, we were privy to this
magnificent view of Haywood Canyon.

Running strong

I lost track of days now... getting a little time to read some of the
comments from everyone. Thank you all for your support, thank you for
being a fire behind us giving motivation when nights get dark and the
miles get long. Know that just as much as we are in your thoughts that
you are in ours as well... The friends family I love you!

Maize/Wichita support

Team FARA just got a huge shot of energy back about 25 miles from Bill & Marty and their families! These 2 fellow FA patients rallied their troops and they set up with posters and loud cheers at the time station in Maize! They also got us a police escort through town! It was exciting and motivating to ride in to this kind of support! The FA community as a whole is making a difference, and we are honored to be representing that community in Race Across America.
Bill, Marty, and families - thank you for your support! You'll never know how motivating and empowering you guys are for this team! Hope is alive and kicking (and pedaling too).

We will try to upload pictures from this rendezvous later.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Rest Shift

John and Blake checking out the photos from the day. Better get some
sleep boys!

Team FARA in 2 RAAM Headline Stories

Team FARA and supportors were profiled today in the RAAM headline stories and Mary Caruso and Felicia DeRosa also were featured in an article on keeping up Team morale (I personally can't think of two better people for that job!).

Check out these stories!
http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/raamfp.php?N_webcat_id=109

(scroll down the homepage for headline stories)

3000 miles; 3000 visitors...

Team FARA riders and crew have past the half way point! WOW, WOW, WOW!

I was able to witness the overflowing pride and gratitude for our Team today at the Simpson's home in Yonkers, NY today for a day of FA research. The Simpson's hosted an FA research team and FA families so that blood samples from patients, carriers and controls could be collected for various research studies. Everyone who came in to participate was buzzing about Team FARA. Everyone had their own update, favorite photo or blogpost.

I just checked up on the blog analytics.... drum roll.... we are at 2229 unique visitors to this site!

Magic 8 Ball: Do I see 3000 in our future? Yes, Yes!

Help Team FARA raise awareness! Spread the word!

Kansas

Got a text from a friend earlier. He lives in Kansas and has a
daughter with FA. His message: "Welcome to Kansas Dorothy! Get after
it! We have a disease to cure!"

Mark, Lauren, we are thinking of you as we start our 4th night on the
road.

Thanks for the BBQ!

Just passed the halfway mark!

Movin' fast! Gettin' there!

Life on the road

It's not exactly G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S out here, but Mike B does his best
to find a roadside refuge for relief.