Cycle for Children: May 2017

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

A Day of Rest: Tools, Repairs, and a Lake

Top row, from left to right: Tube patch kit, small tube of green grease, emergency tire boot, two freewheel removal tools, two tire levers (pink in color--to help get tires off the bike), chain tool, two spoke wrenches, extra chain links, and rubber strips
Bottom row, from left to right: two nuts, one valve adapter tool, two watch batteries, one pair of vise grip pliers, one allen wrench, one multi-tool, one adjustable wrenches, and three cone wrenches of various sizes.

All of these tools fit easily into the small camera bag you see behind them, and that camera bag fits into another bag that I carry on my handlebars. Each tool has a different use, but I carry all of them because I never know what's going to go wrong. If I get a flat tire, a wrench isn't going to do me any good; I have to use the pink tire levers, a spare tube (which I carry in another bag), and my air pump (which is attached to the bicycle frame). With these tools, I can fix a broken chain, I can fix a wheel that is bent, I can fix my brakes or shifters if they're not working right, and do many other things. But if I didn't have any tools, even if I knew everything about bikes there was to know, I wouldn't be able to fix them. That's why I try to take good care of my tools and make sure I don't lose them. I keep all of these things in this one bag so that I always know where they are and can use them if I have any problems on the road. Do you have anything that you use a lot that helps you do a lot of different things? How do you feel when you can't find it?

So I did three different things today to get my bike ready for tomorrow. My bike has brake shoes that rub against the rim to make the wheel stop, but the brake shoes were getting kind of old. So I put new brake shoes on for the front wheel, then I used my wrench and the pliers on the multi-tool to tighten the brake cables so the brakes would work right. Then, I put a new water bottle cage on the front of my bike. A water bottle case is just a small piece of metal wire that holds the water bottle on your bike. My old one was broken, so I got a new one from the bike shop and used my allen wrench to put it on. Finally, my bicycle has a special computer called an odometer/speedometer that tells me how fast I am going and how far I have ridden. The way the odometer works is that there is a magnet on the spokes that sends a signal through a sensor every time the wheel spins around. The old magnet was broken and I had to tape it to the spokes with some duct tape until I could fix it. I got a new magnet from the bike shop and put it on. Now I have a magnet that is held on tightly with a screw, not just with duct tape, so I'm not worried about its coming loose.

Here is a picture showing all of the repairs I did on my bicycle today:

You might be wondering what my bicycle looks like with all of my bags on it (I wasn't carrying the bags today, because I left them at my cousin's house). Here is a picture of my bicycle from a few days ago, fully loaded:

So now I'm ready to go for tomorrow, I just have to load my bags up and go! Today I rode my bike a little bit (without the bags), and relaxed next to a lake. The sky had a few clouds and the sun was shimmering across the lake as trees towered in the distance. Even though I know that God is with us everywhere we go, I often find it easier to pray and talk to God when I'm in beautiful place such as that. I wanted to share with you a picture that I took of the lake:

I wish you all a blessed day, until tomorrow, as I head east toward Nashville!

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Maps, State Line Conversations, and Healing Scenery

Content Advisory: This blog post is written and designed with children ten years old and younger in mind. Kids, you can go ahead and skip this paragraph and start reading. Adults, make sure you get permission from your child before reading. If you don't have a child, it's okay to get permission from your niece, nephew, 2nd cousin once removed, or that little girl who lives next doors who's always leaving her toys in your driveway (In all seriousness, I encourage all of you to share these blog posts with your children, maybe even read them to your children who are not yet able to read).

(Click here to find out what this ride is all about. I encourage all who are able to support the children of Ryves Youth Center with a donation. Click here to make a donation.)
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Today, I ended up in Jackson, Tennessee, where I am visiting my cousin Faith and her family. I rode 82 miles, which was about the same distance that I rode yesterday. But today I had to make a lot more turns onto a lot of different roads, instead of taking only one or two roads the whole way. In just one day, I went down four different highways in Kentucky, and five other highways in Tennessee. I also went down four smaller roads when I got close to my cousin's house. That was way too many roads for me to remember in my head, so I had to write it down.

When people are travelling from one place to another, sometimes they will use a GPS to tell them which way to turn. I like to use the GPS on my phone sometimes. In fact, I used it to help plan my route for today. However, I also like to be able to look at a map and understand where I am going. It makes me feel good to know that I can get around without a GPS--and if my phone ever breaks, I know I'll still be able to get from one place to another.

I like to use regular maps sometimes when I'm travelling--the kind of maps that are on paper. I like them because you can look at them very quickly and see where everything is, unlike the screen on a phone or computer, where you have to zoom in or out. If you've ever looked at a map, you'll see that they are very complicated--there are a lot of roads on them, and most of those roads you don't need to worry about, except the ones that are on the way that you'll be travelling. To help me remember which way to go on this trip, I used what is called an overlay. It's just a piece of plastic that you put on top of the map, and then mark your route. For this one, I drew a black line over the roads I needed to take. That way, I wouldn't forget which roads I needed to turn on. The reason you use plastic for an overlay, instead of drawing right on the map, is so you can use the map again for another trip, without having a lot of lines all over your map. Here is the map (with overlay) that I used for today:

Can you see the black line I used to help me remember my route? The route starts in Mayfield, Kentucky, at the northern (top) part of the map, and it ends in Jackson, Tennessee, which is farther south (at the bottom of the map).

I used another type of map to help me today, called a "strip map." A strip map is a map that you draw by hand, and it shows only the roads and towns that you need to know for your trip. The reason you might use a strip map is that sometimes a map of a state won't have some of the smaller roads you need to go on (Look at a map of Indiana, or whatever state you live in. You will see that it probably has your town on it, but it probably doesn't have the street or road that you live on). So you draw in the roads you need, to help you remember where to turn. Once I got close to my cousin's house (about 10 miles away), I had to go on some smaller roads that weren't on my state of Tennessee map, so before I started today, I looked at the map on my phone and made a strip map of all the roads I needed to take to get to my cousin's house. The strip map showed me how to get to my cousin's house, but it only showed the roads I needed to know. So even if my phone broke during the day, I would still know where to go. Here is my strip map:

A strip map doesn't have all the roads on it. So if you have to stay on all the right roads for it to work--if you get very lost, you'll need to look at a regular map, or ask someone for directions.

I crossed another state line today: I left Kentucky and went into Tennessee. Here is a picture of my bicycle at the State Line:

Way behind the sign, between the two signposts, you'll see a small yellow blotch in the picture. That was a actually and woman and a little girl who were sitting at a table under an umbrella, enjoying the day. I stopped and asked the woman how far it was to the next town, and she told me that it would take about 45 minutes on my bicycle. I told her what I was doing and gave her a card to that tells about the ride and how to get to this blog. The little girl (I think she was about 6 or 7 years old) told me that she had gotten sunburn (I guess they'd been on vacation recently). I told her that I use sunscreen and that, even though sunscreen isn't always fun to wear, that it keeps our skin safe from the sun. I thanked the woman for her help and later in the day I prayed to God to bless the two of them.

One of my favorite things about this trip is that I have gotten to meet all kinds of helpful, interesting people. If these people can take their time to help me, then can't I also take time out of my day to help others? And even if I can't do anything to help them (like the woman and the little girl), I can at least pray for them. It has reminded me that I need to take time every day to stop and talk to people and try to help them if I can. That's true for people I know and people I don't know. That's true even when I'm at my regular job and not just when I'm doing a bicycle trip.

Next to meeting people, though, I love enjoying God's creation as I go. As I pedal along, I try to take in the sights: Trees, fields, blue skies peppered with clouds. Even if I've had a rough day, it makes things a little better. So I wanted to share with you a picture I took at the top of a hill in Tennessee. Each side of the road is lined with beautiful, looming evergreen trees:

Monday, May 29, 2017

A Train, a Bridge, and Memorial Day

I hope you can see it OK. Instead of locomotive like a regular train would have in front, this one has a tractor. And instead of railroad cars like you might see on a regular train, this one has three sets of two "cars" that are made out of barrels. The first two are white, the second two are blue, and the last two are blue. Why do you think that whoever made the train picked those colors?

Would you like to ride on a train like this one?

(It was for sale, but I didn't buy it. It would be too far to try to drag it back to Indiana, especially on my bicycle!)

Today I crossed a great big river called the Ohio. The Ohio River crosses through many states, but it this part of the country, it separates Illinois from Kentucky. That means when I crossed it, I started in Illinois and ended up in Kentucky on the other side. The bridge was very long--about a mile long (One mile is about the same distance to go from Ryves Youth Center to the CVS at 12 points, or from Ryves Youth Center to Highway 41 in Terre Haute). It took me probably 6 minutes to get across on my bicycle. I took a video of the ride across (without using my hands--because that wouldn't be safe). Here is a picture that I took from that video when I was up on the bridge:

Off to the right side of the picture, in the middle, you can see the Ohio River way down below. Just above that, you can see some trees. The Ohio River is one of the largest rivers in our country. The Wabash River, which goes through Clinton and Terre Haute, IN, actually empties into the Ohio River. Even though I was up so high on the bridge, I wasn't really afraid of falling--you can see that there are safety rails that make it so cars and bicycles and motorcycles can't fall of the bridge. You will also notice that the road looks different from a regular road. That's because it's called a "steel deck bridge." Instead of putting regular road material (like asphalt or concrete) on the bridge, they put down this strong steel grate going across the bridge. It felt a little weird beneath my bicycle tires, but my bike moved over it OK!

Finally, I wanted to talk about Memorial Day. Today is Memorial Day, which is a day that we remember all of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who have been killed while trying to defend our country. It can be hard to think about that, about people dying and such things. But I think it's important to know that you can talk to the people you love about anything--even about dying. When I was in the Army and I got sent across the ocean to the country of Iraq, one of the soldiers who had helped me out a lot ended up getting killed in some of the fighting while we were over there. His name was Warren, and he was a very nice man. In fact, when we were first going over to Iraq, he tried to help me feel better about it, because I was very scared. It makes me sad to remember that Warren died, but I still try to talk to his family--his mom, dad, brother, and niece--I try to help them when I can. And they've helped me a lot, too.

One time a little girl told me that her grandpa had died, and she said, "I'm gonna be sad forever." It's true that we can be sad for a long time when somebody dies, but it's also true that it sometimes helps us feel better to talk about our feelings. Today I prayed for Warren and all the soldiers, sailors, and marines who died, and for their families, that they would know God and have comfort. If you have lost anyone that you love, I hope that you have someone you can talk to about it.

(I was going to share with you a picture that I took for Memorial Day at a cemetery today. It showed the grave of a former soldier, with a flag in front of it. However, since my computer is acting up, I won't be able to share it).

Sunday, May 28, 2017

A triangular house, a funny piece of equipment, and an Interstate

Today I saw a neat house along the side of the road. Maybe you've seen one like it before. The house was shaped like a really tall triangle. Here is a picture of it:

Now, most houses are shaped kind of like a pentagon, which is a shape that has five sides, like this:

I thought about the triangle house, and I wondered: How did they put the roof on it? It would be very steep for people to be up there working on it, they would have to have something to stand on so that they wouldn't just slide down the roof. How do you think they did it? Would you like to live in a house like that.

Next I stopped at a town park and saw this neat little piece of playground equipment. There is a picture of the whole thing:

Whatever it's called, it is a tall, metal pole with a round, metal spinner at the top. Here is a picture of the spinner:

Attached to the spinner is a long chain, and at the bottom of the chain are some handles, one on top of the other. Here is a picture of the handles:

I didn't really want to play with it very much, because I have to ride my bike all day, and I needed to save my energy. However, from looking at it and fiddling with the chain a little bit, I think that the way you play with it is to grab onto the handle and run around in a circle as fast as you can. Do you think I'm right about that? Or do you think there's something else to it?

Today I crossed under an interstate. Of course, bicycles aren't allowed on the interstate, I just went under it when the road I was on crossed the interstate. What do you think the name of the Interstate was (Hint: Look at the picture below)?

If you're old enough to use a map, you can look at a map of Illinois and, one the far east (right) side of Illinois, find Highway 1 which runs from north to south (from up to down). Now, find where Highway 1 crosses Interstate 64—Most maps will show interstates as a thick blue line. Interstate 64 runs from east to west (right to left on the map).

It's been a good day, but there's more riding to do. Until next time!

-Jack

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Sandbars, Illinois, Nice People, and Ice Cream

When I grew up, I learned that those little "islands" really aren't islands at all: They're called sandbars. They are just places where the currents of water moving in the river or creek cause a lot of sand to pile up in one place. You might be able to camp out on a big sandbar for a few days, but whenever it rains a lot, the water in the river gets high and the sandbar is totally under the water! I don't know about you, but I don't want my house to be underwater! It still is fun, though, to remember being a little boy and pretending that we would live on a sandbar. Pretending can be fun, and it can help us to figure out what we need to do in life.

I saw some other neat things today, too! I want to share a few more of them with you. This is a picture of the sign I saw when I left the state of Indiana and crossed over into the state of Illinois:

I grew up in Indiana and lived there with my mom and dad, but when I was six years old, my dad took me to his work one day. My dad worked in Illinois. I remember asking him, "Dad, are we still in America?" My dad told me that we were, and that Illinois was just a part of America. Of course, you older kids already know that Indiana and Illinois are both states that are a part of our country, the United States of America. But really little kids don't know that yet, so they have to learn about things by asking questions. I'm glad that I asked my dad that question, so that I could learn more about our country. I hope that you are able to ask important questions about life to the adults in your life, whether it's your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, or teacher. Asking questions is an important part of learning. I still ask a lot of questions, every day.

I met a lot of nice people today. I went to a church in Lawrenceville, Illinois. Here is a picture of it:

I think it's a very beautiful building! A lot of church buildings are tall and point up to the sky, to help us to remember how great God is. Anyhow, I think God works through a lot of different people, sometimes he even lets us meet people who can really help us. After I went to the church service this afternoon, I asked one of the leaders of the church, called a deacon, if he knew a place where I could camp out for the night. I don't know anybody in Lawrenceville, so I need some place to sleep. He told me that I could sleep in the church yard, and he spoke with the pastor of the church who said that would be fine. I even got to tell them how I am riding my bike for the kids at Ryves Youth Center, to try to get more people to give money to help Ryves. I thought that was very nice of the pastor and the deacon to let me sleep next to the Church. I shall say a prayer for them this evening, for God to bless them.

Do you like ice cream? I went to a restaurant tonight, and the young lady who was taking my order had just started working there. She fixed me an ice cream cone, and she told me that it was the first ice cream cone she had ever made using their ice cream machine. She thought it didn't look very good, but I thought it looked fine, especially since I was looking forward to eating it. Here is a picture:

It was very delicious!

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Riding for Ryves in May 2017

In a few short days, I will be departing south on my 1987 Trek road bicycle from Terre Haute, IN. I will be heading down to Tennessee, making stops in Jackson, Nashville, and Clarksville before I return home. I am doing this ride to benefit the children at Ryves Youth Center here in Terre Haute. Falling under the umbrella of Catholic Charities, Ryves Youth Center provides meals, tutoring, sports programs, and a safe place to go after school for hundreds of children in the community. Children and teens from a variety of faiths, races, and ethnic backgrounds have called Ryves their second home since 1982. I am proud to have been able to support them as a volunteer for many years, and it is my prayer that this ride will raise awareness and funding to help them continue to keep our kids off of the streets and engaged in meaningful activities. This is a completely self-supported cycling tour, so none of your donation will go to me. If you would like to support the cause, you can click here to learn more about Ryves Youth Center, or click here to make a donation. If you are local to Terre Haute, you can even volunteer or sign up to be a mentor. If you do decide to make a donation, please include something about this cycle4kids blog in the comments section, so that we can know how many people we are reaching through this effort.

I will be writing a series of blogs during my ride, which will be written directed to children ages 10 and under. I encourage everyone to share them with your own children. I will try to find something interesting along the route every day and, provided that I can find an internet connection that day, publish a short post about what I've seen. The posts will be written with children in mind, but you adults can read, too (just make sure you get permission from your child first!).