Yesterday we got off to a late start, since we were at the HEAL gala at TPC Sawgrass until late. It started off great, with the exception of my wheels breaking down far faster than they should. We were rolling along on Route 17 for a while, until we got near 95 and then the traffic got so bad we had to pull of the road for a bit. After that, we found Jekyll Island and skated the remainder of the 40 miles for yesterday. We learned our lesson; don't skate during rush hour in the afternoon. The view was great along the ocean while we were skating on Jekyll Island, but we were extremely tired from the first day that it took us a lot longer than anticipated, about an extra half hour of skating. We finally finished skating yesterday at about 8 o'clock and then drove to Brunswick, GA for the evening. We felt worn down and decided to get some pasta dinners (I had a shrimp salad) at Applebees in Brunswick before hitting the pillow to prepare for the next day at about 10.
Today we hit the pavement for another challenging day of skating. We let ourselves sleep in just a little bit, opting to start skating between 10 and 10:30 rather than 6 in the morning. I think that it was a good choice to let our bodied recharge a bit after the difficult skate we had yesterday evening. We had to drive about 30 miles to catch up to the point where we were yesterday, which was right in the beginning part of Darien, Georgia. The day began with Tatar, Strang, and myself hitting the road and letting Streich relax for the first bit. We cruised out to a nice pace (which I regretted about 17 miles into the trip today) and hit nothing but nice weather the entire way and little traffic. The cars that we did see along the way were honking and cheering when they drove past. I couldn't tell if they were honking because they were mad at us for skating on the road or because they were supporting us. Once I hit around 17 miles into the trip today, my legs kind of gave out and I had no energy left to continue and simply drove ahead and filmed the guys as they crossed the finish line; the team skated 30 miles today. Afterwards, we backtracked to Darien, GA (we passed it while skating) to check into the hotel. We had about 15 minutes to spare, so we decided to go across the street and eat at Smokey Joe's Bar-B-Q Shack. Tatar and Streich headed to the beach for the afternoon to relax and get some work done there, but Strang and myself opted to stay around the hotel and get some stuff done. We'll be sure to check in after tomorrow's skate.
Still Rolling,
Jason O.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Reflecting on Jacksonville...
We slept in this morning for the first time since our trip started last Monday, and for good reason. Last night we attended the HEAL Foundation's Valley of Dreams Gala, and what an incredible evening it was for everyone in attendance. I'm uncertain of the total amount of money raised towards the organization's goal of ultimately preventing autism spectrum disorders, but as of the end of the night, roughly $350,000 was raised.
Highlights include an onstage introduction by the night's hostess, Patty Crosby to the over 500 people in attendance. The entire audience, as well as party planner Leslie Weed were overly welcoming to our group of skaters, and we could not be any more thankful and grateful for their warmth. As an organization, we look forward to working with Leslie and HEAL in the future.
Kyle Walsh of the Jacksonville area is an incredibly talented cartoonist. Kyle is also faced with some of the challenges presented by the autism spectrum. Through the auctioning of his art, Kyle raised over $6,000 for the HEAL Foundation last night. Luckily for us as recent college graduates, and unable to afford $6,000 for a piece of work, Kyle gave each of us a copy of a RollingForAutism cartoon he drew. I know that you will be reading this Kyle, so I want you to know that I will frame and hang the drawing in my new apartment in Boston when I move in this September, and I challenge you to create a few pieces we can auction off to use in our fundraising efforts.
Mention and credit also needs to go to CARD of Jacksonville and the Little Star Center. Both are great organizations run by some very committed and talented individuals in the Jacksonville area. We look forward to working with and developing relationships with both of these organizations in the future. We are in the process of creating an information page for the website for each of the organizations we are working with and supporting along our journey.
Finally, to everyone else we met last night, thanks for the great time. We met some awesome people last night, and we hope to hear from all of you and look forward to meeting several of you again on the road this summer. Thanks for the support.
To sum up our Jacksonville experience in one word..."incredible". There really is a strong commitment towards overcoming the obstacles presented by autism spectrum disorders in this community, and if this commitment was universal, I am convinced that these challenges would no longer exist.
Speaking of challenges, we skated 40 miles yesterday....and will be skating nearly 150 miles over the next three days in some pretty nasty southern heat. We'll keep posting.
Congratulations to our two newest advisory board members, Lori Lawrimore and Mararianna McIntyre.
Cheers,
Dan T.
Highlights include an onstage introduction by the night's hostess, Patty Crosby to the over 500 people in attendance. The entire audience, as well as party planner Leslie Weed were overly welcoming to our group of skaters, and we could not be any more thankful and grateful for their warmth. As an organization, we look forward to working with Leslie and HEAL in the future.
Kyle Walsh of the Jacksonville area is an incredibly talented cartoonist. Kyle is also faced with some of the challenges presented by the autism spectrum. Through the auctioning of his art, Kyle raised over $6,000 for the HEAL Foundation last night. Luckily for us as recent college graduates, and unable to afford $6,000 for a piece of work, Kyle gave each of us a copy of a RollingForAutism cartoon he drew. I know that you will be reading this Kyle, so I want you to know that I will frame and hang the drawing in my new apartment in Boston when I move in this September, and I challenge you to create a few pieces we can auction off to use in our fundraising efforts.
Mention and credit also needs to go to CARD of Jacksonville and the Little Star Center. Both are great organizations run by some very committed and talented individuals in the Jacksonville area. We look forward to working with and developing relationships with both of these organizations in the future. We are in the process of creating an information page for the website for each of the organizations we are working with and supporting along our journey.
Finally, to everyone else we met last night, thanks for the great time. We met some awesome people last night, and we hope to hear from all of you and look forward to meeting several of you again on the road this summer. Thanks for the support.
To sum up our Jacksonville experience in one word..."incredible". There really is a strong commitment towards overcoming the obstacles presented by autism spectrum disorders in this community, and if this commitment was universal, I am convinced that these challenges would no longer exist.
Speaking of challenges, we skated 40 miles yesterday....and will be skating nearly 150 miles over the next three days in some pretty nasty southern heat. We'll keep posting.
Congratulations to our two newest advisory board members, Lori Lawrimore and Mararianna McIntyre.
Cheers,
Dan T.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Hittin' the Road
I woke up this morning to find an incrediblty enthusiastic voicemail left on my phone. Dan let me know that the guys are about 30 miles into their first stretch and are taking turns driving for about 10 miles a clip. Although I didn't speak with Dan, I can imagine how this morning's preparations went...
Carson furiously pumped out 1,000 push ups before donning his most skimpy (revealing) tank top... Streich searched frantically for his lucky Canadian flag boxers (which he never found)... Orto shaved his head for better aerodyanmics... and Tatar... hmmm, we can only wonder.
But in all seriousness, the boys are on the road and doing great. I'm sure one of them will check in tonight and let you know about it firsthand. As always, thanks for your support, and keep checking in for the latest from the road.
Cheers,
John S.
Carson furiously pumped out 1,000 push ups before donning his most skimpy (revealing) tank top... Streich searched frantically for his lucky Canadian flag boxers (which he never found)... Orto shaved his head for better aerodyanmics... and Tatar... hmmm, we can only wonder.
But in all seriousness, the boys are on the road and doing great. I'm sure one of them will check in tonight and let you know about it firsthand. As always, thanks for your support, and keep checking in for the latest from the road.
Cheers,
John S.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Preparing for Tomorrow's Beginnings
Today was a long day, beginning at a 4:30 A.M. wake up call, so we could leave the hotel by 5 for a television appearance on "Good Morning Jacksonville." I don't know about the other guys, but while skating around the studio I was worried that I was going to trip over the wires for the cameras. Leaving there around 7 in the morning (earlier than I usually woke up for school), we drove to visit with children at Bayview Elementary School. We then met up with the C.A.R.D. center to talk with local centers about the spectrum of the disorder. We learned about Laura Sanders' Little Star Center, which she began from the ground up. She is an extremely charismatic person who shows a passion for her students that I have never seen before, and it gives an excellent reinforced the reason we are skating all these miles, the children and those who help them daily. Marlena Fuller, who is the educational coordinator for C.A.R.D., was a fantastic person to meet and is a truly caring and enjoyable person.
We got back to the hotel, after lunch, around 3ish and I hit the pillow and slept soundly for about an hour. The guys woke me up abruptly for the convention at the Journey Church (set up by our local surrogate mom, Marianna McInytre). The showing was far greater than I ever expected and the people have all welcomed us with open arms. After the gathering, we went out to dinner at Barbara Jean's restaurant. I ate some of the best crab cakes I have ever had and a tuna steak that was just amazing. Everything to this point has just been fantastic, much better than I ever expected when we began this journey. It's now almost 10 P.M. and we are getting ready to begin the actual skating portion of the trip (40 miles tomorrow morning). Tatar is on the bed doing some reading and writing, while Streich is showering up and getting ready to hit the sack. Strang kicking back relaxing right now and watching a little television. I am off to get my blades ready for the haul tomorrow, shower and stretch before hitting the sack myself. Off to begin the trek tomorrow. Thank you very much to everybody for their support; keep up the good work everybody.
Best wishes,
Jason O.
We got back to the hotel, after lunch, around 3ish and I hit the pillow and slept soundly for about an hour. The guys woke me up abruptly for the convention at the Journey Church (set up by our local surrogate mom, Marianna McInytre). The showing was far greater than I ever expected and the people have all welcomed us with open arms. After the gathering, we went out to dinner at Barbara Jean's restaurant. I ate some of the best crab cakes I have ever had and a tuna steak that was just amazing. Everything to this point has just been fantastic, much better than I ever expected when we began this journey. It's now almost 10 P.M. and we are getting ready to begin the actual skating portion of the trip (40 miles tomorrow morning). Tatar is on the bed doing some reading and writing, while Streich is showering up and getting ready to hit the sack. Strang kicking back relaxing right now and watching a little television. I am off to get my blades ready for the haul tomorrow, shower and stretch before hitting the sack myself. Off to begin the trek tomorrow. Thank you very much to everybody for their support; keep up the good work everybody.
Best wishes,
Jason O.
Jacksonville/Amelia Island Reception
Today's RollingForAutism Reception will be Wednesday, June 27th at 4pm at the Journey Church located at 869 Sadler Road, Suite 5, Fernandina Beach. Next to Blockbuster video.
Also, we'd like to thank the Crab Trap and CedarRiver Seafoods for yesterday's meals.
-Sean S.
Also, we'd like to thank the Crab Trap and CedarRiver Seafoods for yesterday's meals.
-Sean S.
Monday, June 25, 2007
What the boys packed!
Hello from the command center.
Are you wondering what the boys packed with them for this 54 day adventure?
Well, living on the road is no easy feat! And with four full-grown boys there was not too much extra room in the mini-van, which was kindly donated by Enterprise. They each packed a range of clothing specific to the hot Southern climate, including tee-shirts, sport shorts, hats, and many, many pairs of socks. They also packed clothing for guest appearances on television and for their meetings with different autistic societies up the Eastern coast.
They have every color of Gatorade known to man in their van as well. Each boy picked a favorite energy drink or bar to bring with them, and they also snuck some favorite foods in as well! I think I saw some carb-loaded cookies which will surely help them have calories to burn-off on their strenuous route each day. Along with their food, they are well stocked with water supplies and medical supplies. They have hundreds of bandaids and some large ice packs. Their athletic trainer also stuffed a bag full of wraps and blister-prevention cream! There was some room left in the van for a couple of sleeping bags (just in case) and a fancy laptop system.
As for their personal items, the report is that Dan Tatar brought an ipod that shows videos; Sean Streich snuck his favorite stuffed animal into his bag (his "cuddle bear"); Carson Strang packed stacks of library books; and, Jason Ortolano brought along a few Red Sox good luck charms for the road.
More details are to come!
From Massachusetts,
Lauren F.
Are you wondering what the boys packed with them for this 54 day adventure?
Well, living on the road is no easy feat! And with four full-grown boys there was not too much extra room in the mini-van, which was kindly donated by Enterprise. They each packed a range of clothing specific to the hot Southern climate, including tee-shirts, sport shorts, hats, and many, many pairs of socks. They also packed clothing for guest appearances on television and for their meetings with different autistic societies up the Eastern coast.
They have every color of Gatorade known to man in their van as well. Each boy picked a favorite energy drink or bar to bring with them, and they also snuck some favorite foods in as well! I think I saw some carb-loaded cookies which will surely help them have calories to burn-off on their strenuous route each day. Along with their food, they are well stocked with water supplies and medical supplies. They have hundreds of bandaids and some large ice packs. Their athletic trainer also stuffed a bag full of wraps and blister-prevention cream! There was some room left in the van for a couple of sleeping bags (just in case) and a fancy laptop system.
As for their personal items, the report is that Dan Tatar brought an ipod that shows videos; Sean Streich snuck his favorite stuffed animal into his bag (his "cuddle bear"); Carson Strang packed stacks of library books; and, Jason Ortolano brought along a few Red Sox good luck charms for the road.
More details are to come!
From Massachusetts,
Lauren F.
Headin' South
Good afternoon,
After a week of solid packing and final preparations, we are finally on our way to Florida. I must admit that I am impressed by the technology brought on this trip, as I write this entry from the passenger seat of our sweet red minivan. I didn't know one could access the Internet from a car on the highway. We're currently in Maryland, about thirty miles north of Baltimore. We're thinking of stopping in Charleston, South Carolina for the night to visit some friends and to have some fun.
A lot has been planned for the first few days in Florida, and we're grateful to the group of parents that have taken us under their wings to make sure our experience is a great one. We have an appearance on Good Morning Jacksonville, a pizza party with area families impacted by autism, a tour of local autism programs with CARD, and an invitation to the Heal Foundation's fundraising party at TPC Sawgrass....not to mention the beach is about a block from our hotel, so we'll have to make some time for the sun.
Carson's about to read us a passage from Neil Strauss' "The Game" to pass the time. I'm sure a lengthy and intellectually charged group discussion session will follow.
Bests,
Dan T. and Streich from the Driver Seat
After a week of solid packing and final preparations, we are finally on our way to Florida. I must admit that I am impressed by the technology brought on this trip, as I write this entry from the passenger seat of our sweet red minivan. I didn't know one could access the Internet from a car on the highway. We're currently in Maryland, about thirty miles north of Baltimore. We're thinking of stopping in Charleston, South Carolina for the night to visit some friends and to have some fun.
A lot has been planned for the first few days in Florida, and we're grateful to the group of parents that have taken us under their wings to make sure our experience is a great one. We have an appearance on Good Morning Jacksonville, a pizza party with area families impacted by autism, a tour of local autism programs with CARD, and an invitation to the Heal Foundation's fundraising party at TPC Sawgrass....not to mention the beach is about a block from our hotel, so we'll have to make some time for the sun.
Carson's about to read us a passage from Neil Strauss' "The Game" to pass the time. I'm sure a lengthy and intellectually charged group discussion session will follow.
Bests,
Dan T. and Streich from the Driver Seat
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