21 Days And 2,325 Miles Later

21 days and 2,325 miles later, the Dads Honor Ride 2015 has come to an end. It’s been an amazing experience from a physical, emotional and spiritual perspective. What are the odds a 54 year old of moderate athletic ability could average 112 miles a day, everyday, for 21 days? Many of the days were very long, but the time overall went by very quickly. There were two or three points along the route I thought to myself: “I don’t know if I have what it takes, but short of being hospitalized, I’m not giving up.” No one really accomplishes

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June 21 — Monee IL to Chicago IL (37 Miles)

21 days and 2,325 miles later, the Dads Honor Ride has come to an end.  It’s been an amazing experience from a physical, emotional and spiritual perspective. We had a total of six riders the last day including Dariusz Cupial, Patryck Wierzchucki, Jorge Solorio, Bob Lee as well as David and Peggy Hirsch.  It was a comfortable 37 mile ride from Monee to Chicago with modest temperatures, slightly overcast skies and no rain!!  Special thanks to the Chicago Police Department for providing a police escort to ensure an extra element of safety and the ability to keep rolling through red

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June 20 — Lincoln, IL to Monee, IL (151 Miles)

We decided to shift the end point for today from Dwight, IL to Monee, IL, which meant adding approximately 40 miles to today’s ride and taking 40 miles off tomorrow’s ride into Chicago, to build a cushion in the event of more inclement weather or other obstacles. We got an early start and were on track for our 10am stop at Bloomington Cycle & Fitness, until reaching a road closed sign on Old Route 66. We’ve been able to get through all the other “road closed” signs by bike, but not this one. The stop at BC&F was a good

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June 19 — Edwardsville, IL to Lincoln, IL (122 Miles)

We donned our rain gear and headed out for another day in paradise, that is if you’re a duck or an amphibian. It rained almost all day. Loved the On The Hill Golf Course sign indicating Rain, Rain Go Away …. We actually received flash flood warnings on our phones. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any flooded out roads. By the time we approached Springfield the rain had subsided. I was able to connect with my sister Teri who lives in Chatham and works in Springfield. We were greeted in Springfield by friends Carla Knorowski and the Grubes; Gary, Kathy and

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June 18 — Sullivan, MO to Edwardsville, IL (94 Miles)

After a good night’s sleep at the Best Western it was time to hit the road in the rain and make the transition from MO to IL. Some of the rivers were swelling and looked like chocolate milk. After 65 miles of switching back and forth from Old Route 66 to US 44, we arrived in St. Louis at 2pm for a visit with long time friend Nancy Yawitz and her father, Aubrey, a WWII veteran who turned 99 just yesterday. It was great to listen to Wilk and Aubrey talk about their WWII experiences. From there it was off

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June 17 — Lebanon, MO to Sullivan, MO (94 Miles)

Day number 17. Rained on and off during the day. No planned activities along the way today. I was moved by the sign outside of Westside Baptist Church, which read: “Fathers – What Kind Of Legacy Are You Leaving?” This was by most standards the most rural of rural days. If you’ve seen one Meramec Caverns sign you’ve seen a hundred of them. We arrived at the luxurious Baymont Inn & Suites (only $76/night) by 8pm. We had a low key pizza dinner around the indoor pool and called it a night. Another good day. Sadly, the end of DHR15

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June 16 — Joplin MO to Lebanon MO (127 miles)

Greetings from Lebanon, MO and the conclusion of Day 16 of the Dads Honor Ride. We started the day in Joplin and rode 70 miles to be at PPD for a warm welcome and to do a press conference to help promote their Boot Camp For New Dads program. From there it was another 50 miles to Lebanon. We stopped short due to the lack of day light for dinner at the rather famous Rocking Horse Restaurant in Conway. We did have a bit of an incident with the RV (see below). No one was hurt, except for a bruised

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June 15 — Claremore OK to Joplin MO (103 Miles)

Greetings from Joplin, which is in the southwest corner of MO.  We arrived here after riding through 3-4 hours of rain and the 10 mile segment of Route 66 that also passes through Kansas.  One of the highlights of the day was having lunch at Clantons in Vinita, OK.  I noticed a photo of former Illinois governor Jim Edgar hanging on the wall.  Turns out he was born and raised in Vinita and his cousins Dennis & Melissa Clanton-Patrick are the fourth generation owners of Clantons. Another highlight was talking live with Joel & Victoria Osteen on their SiriusXM Radio

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June 14 — Chandler, OK to Claremore, OK (92 Miles)

Greetings from Claremore, OK and the completion of day 14 of the Dads Honor Ride. We’ve traveled just over 1,600 miles since leaving Santa Monica on June 1st. The days have been long, but the time is going by quickly. Started the day just west of Chandler. We rode for an hour and then decided to have breakfast at the iconic Rock Cafe (in Stroud, OK), one of a dozen famous Route 66 restaurants listed in a guide. See below. Cloudy but no rain today. We discovered one of the sources for father absence. See yard sign below. Made it

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June 13 — Weatherford OK to Chandler OK (100 Miles)

Greetings from Chandler, OK, which is just east of Oklahoma City.  We have covered just over 1,500 miles in the first 13 days of the Dads Honor Ride and we’re on schedule to arrive in Chicago on Sunday, June 21st at noon at  US Cellular Field before the Chicago White Sox baseball game.  The days have been long, but the time is going fast.  Included below are some photos from the recent experience. Special thanks to all who have participated or donated.  For those who have yet to do so, please go to: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/DavidHirsch/2015-dads-honor-ride  Only 8 more days to go 🙂

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June 12 — Shamrock, TX to Weatherford, OK (100 Miles)

Greetings from Weatherford, OK. It’s been 12 days since leaving Santa Monica and we have covered 1,383 miles on the Dads Honor Ride. It’s been an amazing journey both physically and mentally. We’ve honored hundreds of dads, raised a good amount of awareness for local fatherhood organizations and raised some funds.  Young Dave and I pushed off this morning from from the Best Western in Shamrock, TX, suited up in our rain gear, just as it started to rain. The storm clouds were all around us throughout the day, but we only had to ride in the rain for a

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June 11 — Amarillo, TX to Shamrock, TX (102 Miles)

The day started with a magnificent sunrise and an early morning cab ride to News Channel 10 for an in studio interview with my bike. Courtney Olson, the cab driver/owner is the gold standard. Two minutes into the ride she’s shoving a $20 bill at me and insisting on making a donation to the 21st Century Dads Foundation.  FYI, the cab fare, including a generous tip, was only $28. The folks at the studio were also top notch and great human beings.  FYI, the video below indicates the Dads Honor Ride is 21,000 miles in 21 days.  For the record, it’s only 2,100 miles

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June 10 — Tucumcari, NM to Amarillo, TX (110 Miles)

Greetings from Amarillo. Riding conditions were good and we were making good progress until Route 66 became and very old and bumpy road. We had to hoof it over to US 40 and jump the barb wire fence to continue the journey on US 40. I had a random encounter with a young lady and her grand uncle and made a Great Dad Coin presentation at the NM/TX boarder. I’m pleased to report we passed the halfway point of the Route 66 ride from Santa Monica to Chicago, which is officially marked in Adrian, TX about 50 miles west of

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June 9 — Santa Rosa, NM to Tucumcari, NM (110 Miles)

Today was scheduled to be a half day with a modest 60 mile ride from Santa Rosa to Tucumcari, except for the fact we didn’t make it to Santa Rosa last might. We got up a little earlier and headed back 44 miles to yesterday’s stop point and started pedaling from there. Air temps were in the low 60s, elevation was favorable, legs felt strong and (thank God) we had a tail wind. I covered the 44 miles in 2 hours averaging just over 22 miles/hour. Easily the strongest two hours of the entire journey. We arrived back in Tucumcari

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June 8 — Albuquerque, NM to Santa Rosa, NM (84 Miles)

I got up at 4:45am and biked, in the dark with a headlamp, a few miles (not included in the total miles for the DHR), over to NBC4 for a 5:30am appointment. The in-studio interview with Kim Tobin went well and I got back to the hotel by 7:30 for a bite to eat and to hit the road for Santa Rosa. Getting out of Albuquerque proved a little more challenging than expected. I felt a little vulnerable navigating the expressway, so I decided to take some bike paths and local streets. Getting up early also set me back from

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June 7 — Gallup, NM to Albuquerque, NM (141 Miles)

After a good night’s sleep and breakfast at the Hampton Inn, it was time to hit the road for our longest scheduled ride (140 miles) of the entire three weeks.  Good news, no rain in the forecast and moderate temperatures.  White fluffy clouds most of the day with wonderful panoramic views.  One of the highlights was stopping at the WOW Diner in Milan, NM, a classic 60s style diner.  Great food and great service.  We also passed the Continental Divide at 7,245 feet.  Except for some extreme cross winds, including tumble weeds, it was a great day for riding.  We

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June 6 — Winslow, AZ to Gallup, NM (140 Miles)

This was supposed to be a 125 mile day, except for the fact the ride was cut short by 15 miles yesterday, due to lightning. So we started riding today, 15 miles west of Winslow, where we left off yesterday. Did I mention it was still raining when we started riding? No time to complain, just start pedaling. After snapping some photos at the infamous “Standing on the Corner” location in downtown Winslow it was off to Gallup. The rain subsided after a few hours and it was smooth sailing the rest of the day. We said good bye to

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June 5 — Cottonwood, AZ to Winslow, AZ (94 Miles)

The day started out on a good note. The scenery and landscapes approaching Sedona and beyond are second to none. The morning rain wasn’t as big an obstacle as the climb up to Flagstaff. I’m not sure if it was more or less difficult getting up to Prescott, but it was challenging none the less. We arrived on schedule, at noon, at Flagstaff Medical Center to meet with the folks who run the Boot Camp for New Dads program and were fortune to get some media coverage. We also met with Albert Pooley, founder of the Native American Fathers &

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June 4 — Wickenberg, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ (111 Miles)

Greetings from Cottonwood, AZ.  The day started out on a precarious note.  Google Maps took us up a dirt road for about five miles before we sent an SOS.  Addie and Wilk came to the rescue in the RV to bring us back down to the main road. The ride out of Cottonwood was easy going until we got to the foothills leading up to Prescott.  After riding up a slight incline for a few miles we entered the switch back area that took us up to Yarnell, elevation 4,850.  After riding at that elevation for 10 miles, and experiencing flat number

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June 3 — Blythe CA to Wickenberg AZ (114 Miles)

Greetings from Wickenberg, AZ. Here after three days of riding 394 miles. Feeling much better after day 3, than day 2. The day started with a 34 mile ride on the shoulder of US10 and the remaining 80 miles along route 110 to Wickenburg. Along the way we crossed paths with another group of bikers and their crew – from Clearbrook Baptist Church in Roanoke, VA – going cross country from San Diego to St. Augustine, FL. Their lead biker is Pastor Bryan Ratliff and their website is: biketheUSA.org. Along the way we stopped for lunch at the Salome Cafe &

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June 2 — Palm Springs, CA to Blythe, CA (130 Miles)

Day 2 started in Palm Springs CA and after riding for eight hours, not including stops for food and media we made it to Blythe, CA. There was a bit more elevation today than yesterday and the heat was a big factor, 100+ degrees most of the ride.   Frequent hydration stops were key. The 72 of the 130 miles today were ridden on the shoulder of US 10.  Along the way NBC local affiliate, KMIR News, Eddie Luna, caught up to us for an interview~link below~ and we had a random encounter with a local business man/sports caster/bike rider

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June 1 — Santa Monica, CA to Palm Springs, CA (149 Miles)

Our group got an early start at Santa Monica Pier. We were greeted by six Santa Moinca motor cycle police who escorted us through the streets of Santa Monica. From there it was off to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, about 22 miles away.  We arrived to a cheering group of hospital employees.  David Hirsch and Greg Bishop, founder of Boot Camp for New Dads, made brief remarks about the Dads Honor Ride and new BCFNDs program at St. Francis.  Many Great Dads Coins were presented to those present. Telemundo covered the event in both English and Spanish. The

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May 31, 2015 Chicago, IL to Hollywood, CA (Ground Zero)

Hard to believe it’s less than 24 hours from the start of the Dads Honor Ride.  Two of our crew members; daughter Addie and Tuskegee Airman & friend Lawton “Wilk” WIlkerson made the uneventful trip with me from ORD to LAX.  We headed to Hollywood, where we were greeted by good friend Jamie Masada, founder of the the world famous Laugh Factory, LA’s oldest (36 years) stand up comedy club.  We had some good laughs and a nice reception including some heartfelt remarks from those in attendance, including Tom Dreesen, Allison & Greg Bishop, Lincoln Baker, Courtney Riley, Chris Miller,

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Memorial Day Ride & More

Went for a short ride to watch the parade and attend the solemn Memorial Day ceremony at Evergreen Cemetery in Barrington. Thank you to Ann & Bob Lee for the nice photos afterwards. Shortly there after I suffered my first flat tire in about 1,300 miles.  Fortunately, I was meeting up with Dads Honor Ride, ride director Lincoln Baker and assistant ride director Maciej Wierzchucki just a 1/2 mile away. After a quick tire repair we connected with long-time friend Gary Grube, who has graciously agreed to allow us to use his F250 diesel pick-up truck for the entire ride.

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