My bike

When I decided to ride across the country again, I knew I wanted a bike that would make the ride as comfortable as possible.  I had a decent bike in 2008, but it wasn't perfect.

In February 2015 I picked up the bike that's going to get me across the country in comfort and style.

While riding this bike, the miles will shrink, the hills will flatten, and I'll fly across state lines.  I'll need to practice saying "On your left," because I will pass every other rider in the group.  Since 100 miles will feel like nothing, the crew will need to set up camp early for me.  I'll be asked to join the Tour de France . . .

Okay, maybe not.

This is, however, the best bike I've ever owned.  It fits me like a glove, I ride faster than I used to, and the hills are easier for me.  It's also pretty cool looking!

It's a custom titanium bike built by Ti-Cycles in Portland.  The guys there worked with me to put together a bike that fit me as well as my budget, and it's worth every penny.

My bike and I will be hitting the coast-to-coast road in 29 days!

Mom

Part of the reason I chose to ride coast-to-coast with Cycle America was the fact that they offered the option to do the ride for charity.  I wanted to ride across the country again, but I also knew I wanted my ride to mean something.  I decided right away that I wanted to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association and to do it in my mom's honor.

My mom, Charlene Philliber Taylor, was born in 1933 in Boise, Idaho.  As a young girl, she lived on her grandparents' 80-acre farm near Letha with her parents and younger brother.  I remember her telling me that, though they always had food from the farm, they had very little cash.  They couldn't even buy postage stamps, which were only three cents, and her mom could only afford slippers, not shoes, when she was pregnant.     

My mom is in the second row, second from the left.  

In 1942, the family moved from rural Idaho to the big city of Seattle when my grandfather got a job in the shipyards.  They lived there until 1949, when they moved to Maple Falls, in rural Whatcom County, and my mom graduated from Mount Baker High School, in Deming, WA, in 1951.  

After high school, my mom spent a year working for the phone company in Bellingham, with the goal of saving up enough money to attend Western Washington College of Education (now Western Washington University) in Bellingham.  She was the first in her family to go to college.  While in college she met my father, and after her graduation in 1956, they got married and moved to San Diego, where my dad worked for Convair.  She taught 3rd grade for a year, and then her first child (me!) was born.  

Mom holding me

In 1959, they moved back to Washington, and over the years, three more children were added to the family.  

Me, Janelle, Pat, and Mike with Mom

She eventually became a proud grandma to eight grandchildren (seven girls and one boy).  

  

Mom with Lydia, Jacob, and Maggie

I first noticed the subtle signs of memory loss when she was about 65 years old.  Alzheimer's disease gradually took its toll, and by the time my dad died, she was unable to live on her own.  Her disease has progressed to the point where she now needs assistance in every aspect of life.  

While the disease is awful, and she's lost the ability to speak or communicate, she has still retained her kind inner personality, her smile, and calm demeanor.  

Mom with Eli (one of her oldest and dearest friends)

Mom and her sister, Diane

Mom, this ride is for you and all the other families affected by Alzheimer's disease.  

One of my favorite recent pictures of my mom and me.