Minneapolis
to
Chicago

...Bigger and Better than Ever
Mon., July 9
to
Sat., July 14

Day 6, Saturday, July 14th
McHenry, Ill to Chicago, 57.5 miles

Riders are allowed to leave at six a.m. on day six, a half hour earlier than the other days of the ride. The course is short, only 57 miles, but everyone is ever so eager to get home and see loved ones again. Adrenaline pumps through our bodies, and the tired body parts accomplish super human feats.

In many respects it's hard to believe the ride is almost over. The week flew by in its intensity. Muscles hurt that we didn't know we had! The prospect of civilization drives us on, we can't pedal fast enough.

We reach Chicago, flushable porta-potties with sinks. We wait in the holding area until all bikers are in. We pick up our red "Heartland 6" jerseys to wear as we en masse conclude our ride. Time for some last group photos, time to think about the challenging ride we conquered. A sea of red, of triumphant bikers, of jubilant crew. The conclusion of a spiritual retreat. Love of self, love of the ones we ride for, love for life itself. Emotion surfaces, human-kind, we are both.
-edie

I finished!!Holding area to get your red shirt and wait for others.
 
The Faces of Day 6
 
Thanks, SJA, for your support!!"It's back to Kansas for me."

Edie Kalweit has been a St. Joan of Arcer for 24 years now. Now that her children are grown, there is time to participate more fully in activities taking place at St. Joan's.
Rick Spaulding is a photographer specializing in digital photography for the theater and works for National Camera Exchange. He is also an antique dealer and eBay afficianado who enjoys collecting marbles but his true joys in life are his two boys and his beautiful wife, Tinia.

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