Day 44: Presentations and Publicity

With another rest day in Toledo, we caught up on some sleep again and took advantage of the pool and sunshine. Claire and I were able to spend some time getting pampered at the Beauty Bar courtesy of Mrs. Hegde - it was amazing.

At 4 o'clock we had a presentation at The Toledo AIDS Resource Center. We had a number of reporters and AIDS advocates who attended our talk. We gave a brief overview of the organization, its purpose and mission, and more extensive information about the ride. A majority of the time was spend doing a question and answer session, which was really a great time. It's always interesting to hear what people are wondering about the ride that we wouldn't necessarily think to mention just in passing.

The Toledo AIDS Resource Center is also doing some amazing things, including an AIDS Walk on August 29th. They are fighting the epidemic on our home turf, continually spreading awareness and educational information to people of all ages. If any one thing was to be passed on from their perspective, I think it's important to pass on this statement, "AIDS does not discriminate," meaning literally anyone can contract it. As much as the staff praised us for our efforts and commented on how much of an inspiration we were, they are a true inspiration dedicating much more than just a summer to the cause.

I also did another interview for a newspaper article. Mr. Weston Poor called with the Daily Nebraskan to do an article about our trip and our stay in Lincoln, NE. This is another great example of how people are willing to do anything to help. Mr. Poor is the nephew of one of the wonderful women we met at the Country Club we went to with our hosts, the Kennedy's. I talked with her for quite some time about biking and her own experiences with biking. She had mentioned she had a nephew who was a reporter looking for stories to cover. And it all came together. A huge thanks to all of those people.

We then enjoyed a nice tour of Toledo ending with an Italian dinner at Zia's. The ride will continue onto Sandusky, Ohio tomorrow, which reminds me of one thing, and one thing only...TOMMY BOY.