<-- From left to right, Jim Pettus, Archer Bailey, Skip Bailey, and of course, L-E                                                                           

       L-E modeling her Team Fox jersey  -- >    

         <-- Skip heading off from Astoria! It begins
                      Skip and his father christening the bike in the Pacific-->                            

                                                                   

                                                           

   Skip and Arch at the end of Skip's first day of biking.  He made it from Astoria, OR, down the coast to Pacific City, 119 miles in total!!  We've been feeling the love and support from all over the country.  We'd like to send a big thank you to Jim Pettus, who picked Arch up from the train station yesterday, and was there early this morning to send Skip off.  

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!!! 

<--- Skip and his father Archer upon our arrival in Astoria, OR!

 Since we started our drive out to Skip's starting point on Sunday we’ve crossed through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and finally Oregon!!!  So here's a little overview of how it's been.

On Monday, August 3rd, we almost ran out of gas while we were driving through Wyoming… but as we came around a ridge, we found a small gas station in Arlington.  We had been so engrossed in checking out the scenery, we were shocked when the gaslight came on, but I have to admit, it was amazing scenery.  I got to see my very first herd of Bison!!! They were amazing! And we also spotted a group of what at first we assumed were deer.  According to some information we gathered at the gas station, they were antelope! They also had 183 wind turbines, snow fences, the wind always blows, and yes, they liked where they lived.  All this information was posted on a sign.  As we trucked along, the landscaped changed into some incredible sights.  We could see for miles, and it was a mix of desert, wild jasmine, and these mammoth rolling hills of rock, grass and the occasional herd of cattle. Since my camera was quickly losing battery life, it took great amounts of self-control, and Skip telling me repeatedly to “wait… it gets better! You already have pictures of wind turbines and hills.”  So as I watched and waited, L-E managed too fall asleep in her water dish… twice, which was definitely worth a picture or two, and I still got 75 more photos out of our little Canon Elph!  It’s battery life finally died as the sun was falling down behind the foothills in Utah.

The next day of driving brought us out of Utah, through Idaho, and then into Oregon.  We were a little tired of being in the car, and even though L-E got to stretch her legs at all the stops as well, we were all feeling a little cramped.  That might of also had something to do with the hundreds of miles of wilderness we were driving through.  Herds of horses and cattle, driving alongside the Columbia River for what seemed like infinity, and coming around a bend with the majestic Hood Mountain observing from a distance.  

But when we finally pulled into the motel parking lot, and turned off the engine, it was a great feeling to meet up with Arch, who had arrived earlier in the day.  Arch had boarded a train on Sunday morning from Cleveland Ohio.  

So now begins our adventure back across the states!  Except this time, it's going to be a whole new eye opening experience.  I believe this first week will be a little bit of trial and error... But like any adventure, if you knew what was already going to happen, and how everything would play out, how much fun would you really have??? 

I'd love to get a whole bunch of pictures up for you guys, but my technological skills aren't very advanced :) So if anyone out there could point me in the right direction, let me know!!!!  

 

Day Two!!! Ogden Utah

Today was a long day of driving, but we made it through two time zones!!! So we've gained ourselves an extra two hours of sleep for our efforts.  It's been an amazing drive, and the time flew by in some parts.  Tomorrow, our camera will be all charged up, so we will be getting some great pictures up to show you guys.  

On another note, we'd really like to thank Pat and Nicole Boyle, from Showplace Production, and Michael Puffer, for they're generous sponsorship of Skip on his trip.  Along with the sponsorship of Ron Taylor and PATCO, this trip wouldn't be possible. 

So check in again with us soon, to see the first photos of our journey out to Oregon!

We are on our way...

<--- L-E, our Golden Retriever mascot doing what she does best on road trips!

Well, we're on our way!!!! Skip, L-E and I are 500 miles closer to Oregon, in Avoca, Iowa.  We all jumped in the car around 3 Pm this afternoon in St-Charles,Illinois.  Skip just finished up two weeks at Equifest, a horse show put on by Pat Boyle and ShowPlace Productions, where he was course designing.  

I'm not sure if it's all sunk in yet that we are finally on our way, before we know it, we will join Skip's father in Astoria, and Skip will be getting on his bike!  In the past couple weeks, we've seen so much support from our friends and colleagues, and it's touched us deeply.  We can't thank you enough!  

We will be getting back on the road early tomorrow morning, so it's time to get some well needed sleep! 

Ride for a Cure

    We are now only about 5 days from starting our trip across the US, and we have raised just over $4500!!!! Let's keep it up! And a BIG THANK YOU to all those who've shown so much support, we couldn't do it without you :).  

    You all know where we are starting, and where will will finish our adventure, but I thought you might also like to know what towns and cities we will be passing through.  So here it goes ( a map will be forthcoming...)

ASTORIA, OR,  SEASIDE, OR,  ARCHCAPE, OR,  MANHATTAN BEACH, OR,  TILLAMOOK, OR,  SANDLAKE, OR,  ROSE LODGE, OR,  SALEM, OR,  MONMOUTH, OR,  CORVALLIS, OR,  EUGENE, OR,  SISTERS, OR,  REDMOND, OR,  PRINEVILLE, OR,  JOHN DAY, OR,  BAKER CITY, OR,  OXBOW, OR,  

CAMBRIDGE, ID,  NEW MEADOWS, ID,  GRANGEVILLE, ID,  KOOSKIA, ID,  LOWELLE, ID,  

MISSOULA, MT,  LOLO, MT,  HAMILTON, MT,  DILLON, MT,  ENNIS, MT,  WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT,  

JACKSON HOLE, WY,  MADISON, WY,  DUBOIS, WY,  FORT WASHAKIE, WY,  LANDER, WY,  LAMONT, WY,  RAWLINS, WY,  SARATOGA, WY,  

WALDEN, CO,  KREMMLING, CO,  BRECKENRIDGE, CO,  HARTSEL, CO,  CANON CITY, CO,  PUEBLO, CO,  OLNEY SPRINGS, CO,  SHERIDAN LAKE, CO,  

TRIBUNE, KS,  SCOTT CITY, KS,  DIGHTON, KS,  ALEXANDER, KS,  GREAT BEND, KS,  HUTCHISON, KS,  TORONTO, KS,  GIRARD, KS,  

WALNUT GROVE, MO,  CENTERVILLE, MO,  

MURPHYSBORO, IL,  

ELIZABETHTOWN, KY,  MCDANIELS, KY,  MAMMOTH CAVE, KY,  BEREA, KY,  ELKHORN, KY,  

DAMASCUS, VI,  CHRISTIANSBURG, VI,  LEXINGTON, VI,  CHARLOTTESVILLE, VI,  RICHMOND, VI,  YORKTOWN, VI

So keep watching, we may be stopping at a town near you!!!!  And if you have a bike, don't be shy, join the journey for a couple miles, become a part of the ride for a cure!

This has been a very exciting week for Skip, and his family, more exciting than we had anticipated going into our final two weeks of planning before getting on the road.  

As you may know, Archer Bailey, Skip's father, was employed as an Air Traffic Controller, and a proud member of PATCO, Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization.  But on August 3rd, 1981, President Reagan changed all that.

When PATCO controller's had no other choice but to go on strike against the FAA because of deplorable work conditions, the Reagan Administration had over 11,000 Air Traffic Controllers fired and hundreds of them were thrown in jail.  President Reagan then banned them from their profession for life, and by October 1981, PATCO had been decertified and eventually went bankrupt.

PATCO was re-formed in 1996 as an independent, autonomous organization, by one of it's original founders, Brother Jack Maher.  PATCO's member's never stopped fighting for those who lost their jobs.

Ron Taylor, PATCO's President, very recently heard of Skip's bike trip across America from Skip's mom, Cindy Bailey.  He quickly wanted to get involved, and offered to help sponsor Skip, in honor of his PATCO Brother, Archer Bailey.  Both Ron and Arch had fought hard for all those jobs lost on that ominous day on August 3rd, 1981.

So, with the wonderful help of Ron, and his PATCO team, our adventure is growing!!!! 

Arch has also made arrangements to join his son, and cheer him along his way across the USA.  Skip, L-E ( our loving golden retriever, and mascot! ) and myself ( Skip's fiancee ) will be joining up with Arch on August 4th, 2009 in Astoria, OR. where we will begin this adventure. 

If you'd like more information on PATCO, please hit the link below!

Thank you PATCO!

 

An easy way to donate

If you would like to make a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, just click the link below! This link will take you to Skip's Team Fox page, where you will easily be able to make your donation. Any little bit will help, so again, we thank you in advance for your support!

SUPPORT THE ROAD TO A CURE!