Having trouble donating?

I'm so sorry!

My sister has informed me that the link for "donate now" isn't working very well. I have noticed that, too. Most of the time it is just really slow. But if it isn't working at all for you, don't fear!! There are two other ways to donate!

ONLINE
If you click on the link that says "Big Ride Website" and then click on "Sponor a Big Rider 2007", you can enter my name, and this will bring you to my fund raising page.

IN THE MAIL
You can send a check made out to the ALAW (American Lung Association of Washington)
my address is:

(after May 18th)
Ane Klomps
926 11 1/4 St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902

Thank you all! Sorry for the trouble.

sweat, sunscreen, and lemonade stands...

today is my first day off in a while. i've been biking like a maniac (or so it feels to me), and my legs are tight. but i LOVE it. i'll be strong like an oak when this is all through.

as my title implies, i've been enjoying the finer things in life during my training adventures. on saturday, it was about 80 degrees and sunny, and i was biking past a bunch of youth soccer games when i spotted a "lemonade", aka ice cream and kool-aid stand. it's bad karma to pass one and not buy anything, and i was thirsty, so i stopped and got a cup of lime kool-aid. delicious. 25 cents a cup, but i decided to be generous and gave the little girl 2 dollars. mmm.
i wish they had a lemonade stand in the computer lab...

anyway, yeah. i'm currently biking between 25 and 30 miles a day. if any big riders are reading this, please don't laugh. i know it's not much, but i'm in school!! i'll get there, if slowly...

and as always. thank you all for your support--i've just broken $5000.


if any of you are reading this and havn't donated, PLEASE!! click on the link to the right and join me in supporting the incredible work of the American Lung Association.

Bike Number Two

The other night, I was talking to my dear friend Liz (who's doing this with me) and I said, "Liz, why did we start with the whole country again? Shouldn't we have maybe biked across Iowa or something, first?" We chuckled and moved on with our conversation...

But I have to admit that I wasn't totally kidding. The process of bike- and gear-buying has been overwhelming. Posted with this are two photos of bikes. The first one I bought, the pretty LeMond, no longer resides at 624 1st Ave. I bought it from the first bike shop I visited. Yes, idiot move. Though with some minor adjustments it would've worked fine, I panicked after deciding it wasn't durable/ridable enough and just took the thing back. The second, the Cannondale, is considerably heavier and less beautiful, but I'm sticking with it. It's strong and made for touring, so I feel good about it.
And now that I've got a bike, (2 1/2 months before the start of the ride) I can start training!!

I know I'm not great at keeping this updated, but I'm working on it.
Once again, thank you to all of you who have donated. Your generosity is inspiring.

Ane