Hopkins 4K for Cancer

June 29, 2005

Yuma, CO
After a restful and eventful day off in Benkelman, we departed at 7:15 AM from the home of Chris and Carolyn Crossett for breakfast at Strikers. Chris and Carolyn Crossett, the owners of the diner, were ready and waiting for us with yet another amazing meal. Having eaten our fill of biscuits, gravy, sausage and watermelon and taking a picture for the local paper, we finally set off for Colorado, the 10th state of our trip.

Having had a lucky string of days with either no wind or even a bit of a tail wind, we were unfortunately met with a bit of a headwind for most of the day. Although not as severe as our ride into St. Louis, MO, it did slow us down considerably. At the same time, however, the breeze was a welcome break from the stagnant 95-degree heat we had experienced that week, and it remained a pleasant 86 degrees throughout the day. About 32 miles into the ride, we reached the Colorado state line and took our customary pictures there. It's hard to believe that we've been at this for over a month now, and that only four states stand between us and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Almost all the groups of riders took an unusually long lunch break in Wray, CO about 42 miles in. Two local restaurants, a pizza place and a small Mexican restaurant, were gracious enough to feed us free of charge to help us get through the day. On a personal note, I was lucky enough to meet fellow residents of Orange County when I noticed the father of a family sitting across from our table wearing a bright red Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim shirt. It brings a tear to my eye. Anyway, many of us began to feel the effects of the thinning air and the higher elevation and were somewhat lethargic throughout the day. Many of us even took naps on tables next to a small playground in a shopping center in Wray during what generally are shorter lunch breaks.

An hour and a half later and with less than 30 miles to go, we finally set off for Yuma. The final leg of the day was very similar to the previous parts in terms of scenery: occasional hills, large plots of land dedicated to wheat, corn, or cows and a nice wide shoulder to ride on. A few miles out of the city, however, we were greeted by the pungent stench of cows and cow manure emanating from what appeared to be a densely packed cow holding facility. There were literally hundreds of cows packed into a plot of land as far as the eye could see.

We finally arrived in Yuma after a relatively short day (~70 miles) and were greeted by our leg leader and lunch van driver of the day, Cheng, who received ice cream donations from the local Dairy Queen. This seems to be a recurring theme of this trip and I'm surprised Dairy Queen hasn't sponsored our ride yet. Anyway, after a pleasant break in the air-conditioned ice cream joint, we biked the remaining half-mile to the First Presbyterian Church of Yuma where we were greeted with cookies, snacks and drinks. As always, our dinner of baked potatoes, salad, chili and ice cream was just what we needed after our ride.

After the meal and our customary Cancer Awareness Power Point presented by Steve and Sharps (Jenn Sciarpelletti) we packed the vans and left with our host families to stay for the night. I stayed with Weijie at the home of Randy and Beth Wenger where they gave us a warm bed to sleep in, drinks and a nice conversation about the history of the town, the huge Wray/Yuma rivalry, as well the history of their family. This was extremely interesting and entertaining at the same time. They really helped us to feel right at home.

I would, on behalf of the Hopkins 4K, like to thank the First Presbyterian Church of Yuma for providing dinner for us as well as the host families that agreed to give us a place to stay. Yuma has been great to us, and we hope that we gave at least a little bit back by spreading awareness and fostering hope in the fight against cancer.

-Mark Lin