Trans USA record attempt by Dan Dannels

[Dan Dannels]

My parents, in Amarillo, have called the local NBC station. They stated that they would call KWES to find out more. I haven't heard anything back either.

[Birgit]

All Dan Dannels blogs here

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Sunday, February 03, 2008

Texas Highway 158
Current mood: exhausted
Category: Sports


Instructions on how to skate Texas Highway 158:

1) Consult with influential person to recieve necessary slapping before embarking on this journey.

2) If said person is unable to convince you to stop, recommend severe shaking of your person.

3) Consider hiding your skates from yourself

4) If this actions are unable to prevent you from skating Texas Highway 158, proceed with caution. Do not try this at home. Do not try this while wearing saftey gear. Prepare for step 5.

5) Start by taping your ankels tightly. If your toes have turned cold and blue, you are almost there. Apply more tape.

6) Consider hobbling yourself to prevent yourself from entering this highway. If you are unable to break your own ankles, hire somebody.

7) Start crying now to get it over with.

I did a 72 mile run today to finish 158. It actually becomes a lot easier once your ankles have gone numb. Maybe it was the tape. Thank God for tape. For those of you that live near this highway and if you want to see what a true masochist will put themselves through, go take a look. I don't recommend skating it. I don't recommend riding a bicycle on it. I, however, did skate it. It is mine. They should rename it "Danny's Highway of Pain Enlightment".

We made it to Ballinger, TX. It was a long 12 hour skate to do 72 miles. I did get to see a lot of great things.

On top of the mesas, as you exit the Permian Basin, you enter the windmill ranches. Seimens has capitalized upon the wind that has so brutallized me this week. There are giant electricity producing windmills as far as the eye can see. It is absolutly majestic. Their stark white paint is in sharp contrast with the rich red clay that hangs exposed from these mesas. They are tucked into sheep ranches, alfalfa hay farms, and vast expanses of cactus. They turn silently in tempo with the strength of the wind.

All in all I would call it a good day. The section after Sterling City was easier once I relented to the task at hand. Yesterday, as I entered Sterling City, there was a 2 mile strech on US 87 that was smoother to skate the sleeper strip than to skate the shoulder. I did those two miles, downhill, and then pulled over, kneeled down, and stared at Hillary. She kept asking if I was ok. All I could do was blink repeatedly at her. Words failed me. That was the end of a 32 mile run. It was all I could do Saturday.

I have learned a few techniques on how to skate these terrible roads. First, forget everything you know about technique. Envision yourself the first time you ever got on skates. Legs at shoulder width, arms out flailing wildly to the side, and your almost there. Your pushstroke shoudl be no more than 5 inches to the side before returning to your horse stance. You should do more pushing forward than side to side, keeping your feet on the ground for no more than 1 foot at a time. If you are picturing recreational/can't skate technique, you've got it. It works best when you look like you're just about to loose control.

Another technique I have learned is called "stripe skating". Often times, the painted stripe is the smoothest part of the road. You have to drive your foot as far along the stripe as you can before switching to the other foot.

Don't get me wrong, there are flat spots on this road. They're between the rocks. That, and I have learned a new prayer.

Dear God, I'm sorry. I know this is all my fault. I shouldn't have been complaining before. That was just weakness. I have learned my lesson. I will accept this, because it is my fault. There is a nice pretty flat road out there. I know it's not here. It's not anywhere on my journey. I miss my family. I hope they are well. Please watch over the cactus and the mesquite tree that my wife ran over. She didn't mean it. I'm sure she's sorry. Once again, I'm sorry. I promise to never do this again. AMEN!

[Birgit]

All Dan Dannels blogs here

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Thursday, February 07, 2008

R&R
Current mood: refreshed
Category: Sports


Tuesday we awoke to rain storms. So, we went home, and slept. We woke from a nap, cleaned the car, and slept some more. We went to dinner with the parents, and slept. We woke the next morning, did tank maintainance on our 50 aquariums, and took a nap. We drove to Santa Ana, and napped until traffic died. We really needed to shut down for a bit. We have been going so hard. Hillary says that she feels almost normal. We dumped about a third of the contents of the car, that we aren't using. We have more space, and less clutter.

Chief of Police Carlos Torres woke us up from our nap in Sant Ana. He thought that we would have been gone already. He had followed us before and didn't stop us. In the land of post 9/11, he is now connected to many other agencies. He said he called in, "Uh, has anyone, uh, now I you're gonna think I'm crazy, but there is a guy on rollerblades skating down the highway... does anyone know anything about this....?" A deputy in a nearby county responded and said I had been spotted there too. He said, "Well, I ain't stopping him...." So, when he knocked on our window, he asked, "Are you the rollerblader?" We laughed for about 15 minutes as we talked about skating.

Later I met Jared. His Grandma owns a BBQ restaurant in Bangs, TX that I skated by. She was hanging out of the drive-thru when I skated by, waved and said, "evenin'." I could see her mouth the words, "What the He**..." He stopped me about 5 miles up and gave me a bottle of water. It's little things like that that are so important to me on this skate. I am getting to meet great people.

Then I met Thomas Henry. He works a convenience store in Brownwood. He saw the stickers and came out directly to talk to me. I turns out he used to do support for the RAAM races. It's a small small world.

I am off to skate now. My ankles are less hostile. My knee is still a bit loose up front under the patella. It's probably my MCL. I have had trouble with it my whole life. Maybe I'll get a new one soon....

I have had some trouble getting internet access. I write my blogs and copy them later as I find access. I havn't been leaving out the maps intentionally. It is the reusult of limited access and time. For this update, I have chosen to do a long map instead of several shorter ones:

[Birgit]

All Dan Dannels blogs here
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Saturday, February 09, 2008

Gatesville, TX
Current mood: sneezy
Category: Sports


We are getting ready to leave Gatesville, TX. The roads are in much better conditions. I am thankful for small miracles.

Brenda Harris, my technique coach, caught up with us last night in Evant, TX. It felt so good to have a familiar face present. She followed us into Gatesville, and then we followed her to Lorena, TX. She had made arrangements for us to stay with her parents. This morning, we had our first homecooked meal, in what seems like a year. Sitting down to a table of food with family is one of the many blessings in life. We are appreciating every small moment like this.

It was good to have Brenda follow us in her car. She got to see what we are going through out here. The roads, the traffic, the "flying in the dark", is all adding up to an amazing experience. She got to witness me leaving the road at speed to let a semi have unfettered access. I don't argue with motor vehicles. I certainly don't argue with semis. I am happy to leave the road. I will leave this ditch over here if you need that part too. When the wide loads come through, we get way off the highway.

My knees are feeling solid, but my right ankle is fairly unhappy. I will tape it, and be done with it. Who needs to walk anyways? After our skate last night, I was waddling back from the convenience store and Hillary and Brenda were calling me their penguin. I have a feeling that I have undergone some permanent bodily changes. That's fine, I am not that which I was once before. I am something different now. I have become an ultra-endurance athelete. I know where the terminal limits of pain are. I also know what it feels like just on the other side of that. Your brain starts to do funny things. It starts to misinterpret pain as happiness. It finds new ways to cope. Your brain starts to pump out as much endorphins as it can to mask the pain signals. What a strange little situation.

I think I have a head cold. Oh well. If my ankle isn't going to stop me, a nasty little virus won't either. I have been sneezing for days. I started coughing yesterday. Tough luck.

We have a route: Hwy 84 to TX 36 to FM 107 to TX 7. That will take us to Louisiana. We originally intended to aim further south, but that will take us into too much population. The traffic is just too hard to deal with, not to mention unsafe. We are going to do the same in Louisiana. It's just so much easier to skate back here in the country.

Here is the map:

[Birgit]

All Dan Dannels blogs here
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Monday, February 11, 2008

Welcome to the Boonies.....
Current mood: sore
Category: Sports


Thank you to everyone who has been checking for the blog that never came. We have been traveling in the land of no internet. We have even been trying to do the "rogue" internet connections that we have learned. You can find us in some of the towns, driving around with the laptop open, trying to find a wireless signal without a password. Sometimes we find one. Mostly we don't. When we do, we don't stay long. Many of our friends and family have been calling us to make sure that we are ok. We are. Thank you for calling. We know it is because you care.

This is the blog for Saturday:

We made our run from Gatesville today. We chose a path that took us through the heart of the residentials and downtown. I got to cross an old wooden bridge on my skates. I could look between the slats and see the muddy waters flow on their quest to reach the sea. I was at 850 feet above sea level. I haven't been down this far since California. I feel as if I myself am being drawn towards the sea.

Hillary's parents made the drive to come watch me skate today. That is the benefit of being this close to home. They played the leapfrog game as I left Gatesville. We were skating down a hill, past a home, when questions started being yelled from a garage. The band members of Eddie Joe and the Grandkids were enjoying an early Saturday respite. They were full of good humor and laughter. I am glad I got the chance to talk to them. They pulled us over about 8 miles later with a photographer from the Gatesville newspaper. We paused to take pictures and give a story. We laughed until our faces hurt.

The good roads have continued all the way out to I-35. This was our final run through the Texas Hill Country. We are now entering East Texas. There are trees out here. I am from West Texas. I am used to the flat rolling plains. Where I'm from, you can watch your dog run away, and keep track of his progress for the next 4 days.

We ended our run at I-35. We were just about to cross when Hillary recieved a phone call from the local NBC affiliate. We stopped there and waited about 20 minutes for the reporter to arrive. Kim was yet another friendly face that I am glad to have met. There is something about this skate that is drawing great people to me. I am so lucky to be out here doing this. Even through all the struggling to get my body to continue each day, I am still finding reasons to be amazed by this adventure.

Beyond the people that I metion here, the people I meet while skating, I am doing far more meet and greet than I am writing about. We are driving and living out of a giant billboard. People constantly walk directly up to the car and start asking questions. I talk to people all day long about skating. That was and is the goal of this journey. I hear stories from people of how they used to skate and how meeting me makes them want to go skate again. I hear about how seeing me do a journey like this makes them realize that skating isn't just for kids. Now, I do have to admit, sometimes I park the car in back, or to the side, just so that I can have a bit of privacy. Most often, I park right up front and nod or wave at everyone to let them know it is ok to approach us. It can be hard at times, when you are exhausted, to answer the same questions again, but, I try to give everyone the same level energy. It's what they deserve. It's what our sport deserves.

This is the blog for Sunday:

I spent the early part of this morning trying to figure out how to apply pressure on my right ankle. Stretching, massaging, walking, aspirin, were all supplanted by taping and prayer. Today's taping involved shaving my ankles and applying tape directly to the skin, instead of over a wrap or sock. I succeeded in being able to walk on it. Baby steps.... I just have to convince it to skate now...

I was surprised after breakfast by the arrival of six of my teammates. Coach, Brenda, Chris, Phil, Scarlett, and Fred all came to see me skate, and skate with me. We exchanged stories and laughed the way that you do with your closest friends. They worried that they were delaying me with conversation. It was ok, because, I could barely walk at the time.

They joined me later in the skate, after they had lunch. It felt great to pull my team for the ten miles that they were with me. It was a real eye opener for them. They got to see my routine. I had to stop and talk to a lady and her little girl. I was smiling and waving to the people in the cars. I had to stop and figure out which road to take at an intersection, while standing in the intersection. They got to see the reality of our skate. They also got to skate one of the better roads that I have been on, even in it's rough condition. They commented that they knew it too. After ten miles, their feet were tingling. I commented that after another ten, the feet go numb, and then you can start to do some real skating. It was a good thing that they stopped when they did. The road turned to poop, and I resumed a 6mph trudge on chip and seal.

Even better, the news reporter came back for some daytime filming. She filmed from the road, and even got in the back of the truck to film as Scarlett drove beside the team. It was exciting stuff!

Everyone came back around for a final goodbye. Coach said that they just wanted a taste of what I was doing. I told them all that I started smiling after they stopped skating. I felt good. When the Tucson Skate Club said goodbye, I was sad not knowing when I would see them again. I said, "You guys are my friends, I'll see you when I get home."

We continued on to Marquez, TX. It was a solid 62 mile day. My current map has us at less than 1000 miles left. I don't know how far I will deviate from it. The roads are flatter and smoother... in sections. There is hope. At least it is easier to skate with the injuries and head cold that I am nursing.

Tomorrow I will get up and resume the convincing of my ankle to skate. There is molten fire in there. Out of the skate, my leg jerks randomly as the ankle deems neccessary. I've never experienced anything like it. It's like hitting yourself in the funnybone, but it's your ankle, and you're just sitting there. It's kind of scary, but it's real. It's a byproduct of this skate. I will never be the same that which I was.

[Birgit]

All Dan Dannels blogs here
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Midnight Run
Current mood: ninja
Category: Sports


Our day began in a truck parking area, on a hill, overlooking I-45 and a Jack in the Box. The air was saturated with a combination of diesel exhaust and deep fryer smoke. Trucks entering and exiting the area would kick up plumes of white clay dust. The grit between my teeth was enhanced by the stickiness of the humidity that hung heavy in the air. It was a good day to go skating.

We awoke around noon. The first thunderstorm rolled in shortly thereafter. It was just light rain. I am more than happy to skate in the rain. The lightning, however, was unacceptable. We found our first break at 5:00.

Our car deemed it neccessary to shed the right rear tire, just as I was ready to skate. We parked in somebody's driveway to perform repairs. Fortunately, they did not arrive while we were there. That did not lessen my embarrasment for breaking down in front of their property.

We stopped past Centerville, just as it began to rain again. Two hours later, we made another run. It was our first official midnight run. We skated all the way to and through Crockett, TX. The roads were damp and slippery. A light fog came and went. The smell of pine trees was prevalent. I could smell the forest, even though I could only see the edges.

I skated through the Trinity River valley tonight. It's funny, that's where we train in Dallas. It had a sense of familiarity in a creepy, dark, twilight zone kind of way. There are a lot more animals in this stretch of the river, than where we skate. They were not happy about my presence during their sleeping hours. Various forms of squaks, howls and scampering could be heard as I made my journey. It was a bit disconcerting to say the least.

The cool air was nice for this run. It's the first time that I wasn't cold at night. I didn't have to wear a jacket. I skated in a skinsuit only.

In my world, wearing a skinsuit is akin to wearing a superhero outfit. I get ready everyday by putting on a spandex outfit that is designed to draw attention to me and the function that I perform. Tonight I wore that suit to go flying in the dark. I had a 35 mph downhill tonight. It's a little unnerving to not know where the bottom is. The acceleration built and my wheels began to sing at speed. I have picked up a new habit when going downhill. I reach my arms back and out at a 20-30 degree angle, while in my tuck position. I can tune my hands to cup the air. I can feel the wind between my fingers the way a bird feels the air with it's flight feathers. I can cup and turn my hands and the air flow differences balance my run. It's an amazing feeling.

The roads were 90% smooth tonight, albeit wet. It made a huge difference in the pain in my ankle after the run. I have been able to narrow down the loaction of the pain. It is in the joint between the Talus and Fibula bones. I don't think that it is ligament or tendon damage. The flexability is still there. I can move through full rotation without excessive pain. The pain happens when there is pressure upward through the calcaneous bone. I can also initiate pain be pushing my finger into the joint. I don't think I have cartilage damage. It doesn't crunch when I move my foot. It hurts in the bone.

I think I have a fracture. I think that I have probably had multiple microfractures since I started this skate. It makes sense with all the swelling that I have had. All the rough roads have led to me skating with cracked ankles. The left is starting to feel better. I can still feel tendon tenderness in that one. The right one is the one that makes me wince when I put it down. Aspirin and Ibuprofen don't help. Nothing helps bone pain except a spinal tap, literally cutting off the signal. I am also allergic to opiates. I can successfully take them, as long as someone is willing to hold me down so that I don't scratch until I bleed. Oh yeah, then there is the nausea.

So, here I am out here, skating on a cracked ankle. I am putting myself through tortures that I never imagined. I am finding ways to endure and succeed that I never thought myself capable of. I am finding the strength to go on, when I thought I was on empty.

It doesn't get any better than this.....



Here's the most recent map update:

[Birgit]

Ultrask8 posted Dan's latest post here

http://www.skatelogforum.com/forums/...4&postcount=26

Dan just left Texas - some 840 miles left and Jacksonville is in sight.

[j_nolesfan]

I sent Danny a msg on his Myspace. I want to skate with him when he comes through Pensacola. I read his requirements and would be honored for the opportunity. If nothing else, I want to see him pass through. I'd also like to get the media involved. I'm pretty sure I can get the host of a local sports station, one of the biggest in the US, to give him some love.

I'll let you guys know if anything comes of it.
Jeff

[Birgit]

All Dan Dannels blogs here


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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Many Colors of Hate
Current mood: exhausted
Category: Sports


I have tried to put into perspective my experiences in northern Louisiana. I have tried to relate them to my own life. I don't view myself as having ever been sheltered. Nor was I insulated from the types of bigotry that I experienced there. I can only say that I come from a different part of the world. It may not be a better part of the world, but just different.

The land here is so beautiful. The forests go on forever. Abundant water provides the neccessary resource for flora and fauna to thrive here. If not for the cities that are scattered across this region, this part of my journey would have been skating through a wilderness in its primal nature. Those forests are alive. They also provide a breeding ground for the hate that is here.

I have decided that hate is a form of fear. Just like hostility, hate is a byproduct of ignorance. People hate those things that they do not understand. When you close your eyes to the possibilities outside of your realm of perception, you miss out on the vibrant colors and possibilities that life has to offer.

Color has been perhaps the most prevelant form of hatred that I have found. We have been judged for not being light enought and not dark enough. In either realm, we don't fit in there. Those lines are drawn in black and white.

Our path took us within a few miles of Jena, Louisiana, of the Jena six notoriety. I watched the news as many did and couldn't understand why the events unfolded as it did. The reality was there to see in our brief stay.

Lifestyles are just as quickly judged. Joining the status quo may actually be a survival tool here. Fitting in is important for safety. Wearing a bright red and yellow skinsuit and having long hair draws taunts and verbal harrasments from all walks of life. It's not even limited to any age group. From the young to the elderly, hatred is instilled in all facets of life.

I know that I have to be above this. I know that I have to be bigger than that which I am presented with. It would be as easy to turn tail and run as it would be to return the vicousness that I have been presented with. Being meek and humble is akin to being a saint. I am trying. Sometimes the words and actions of these people have gotten to me. I have feared more for the safety of my wife than for myself. I find that when she is at the butt end of these gestures, that it is hardest for me to control my emotions. Forging forward has become the best solution.

I also changed my approach to my skating outfit. Back in Lufkin, I switched to wearing black sweats and a t-shirt, so that I wouldn't draw as much attention. Speed skaters tend to wear loud outfits. We advertise our love for skating. I didn't want to be seen as much anymore. I was succombing to the fear of being on unfriendly ground.

I then realized why I wear the outfit that I do. I am a Texas Flyer. I skate on a team. I represent MY TEAM when I wear this outift. Our colors are bold because we are. My team mates are highly gifted professional athletes. They are also professionals in their carreers. They are warm, caring, dedicated human beings that deserve my love and respect.

So, I put my uniform back on. I will never hide it again. I am proud to be a Texas Flyer. I am proud of the friends that I have. I am proud to represent the support that they so freely give and have given me.

We have appreciated the few kind faces that we have met. Your words and actions were found when we needed them most. Your voices may not have been as loud as the dissenters, but will carry forward much longer, and with greater reverence. You are in our prayers.

I will take my lessons learned there, and I will try to carry them through into my life. There is a higher ground. I may never reach the plateau for which I will strive, but, I hope that I will remember the humility that I have learned there.

[j_nolesfan]

I'm absolutely appauled at the way people can be. I've been in Nacogdoches and the people there were very friendly. Perhaps that was because I was just a "yankee" to them in the sense that I'm an outsider, not a cajun. This is going to a guy I know named Scott McKinney, radio host of 98.1 The Ticket in Destin, FL. He has a syndicated radio show that's broadcast over all of MS, most of LA, AL, GA, and NW FL. This guy needs a break. It's not like he doesn't have his hands full with the task at hand. Now he's got to put up with harrassment? BS! I dearly hope I get to skate with him when he comes through. I doubt he'll get the treatment that he's getting in LA but dare them if they do!

Jeff

[j_nolesfan]

WOO HOO! A reply from Danny

===================
Jeff,

Thanks a lot! Our route is still evolving. I don't know how close or when I will arrive there. I will try to update you before we get there.

I do know hat we are going to be stopping there on our way back. Pensacloa Beach is my wife's favorite beach. We stop there to hang out on the white sands whenever we are in Florida.

Danny
==================

PROGRESS! I'll keep you guys posted.

Jeff

[Bill in Houston]

Originally Posted by j_nolesfan

I've been in Nacogdoches and the people there were very friendly. Perhaps that was because I was just a "yankee" to them in the sense that I'm an outsider, not a cajun.

Natchitoches is the one in LA. Nacogdoches is in TX. I had a nice couple of days in Natchitoches once. Good seafood on the lake one night, and Lazyone's fried meat pies the next day...

[Birgit]

All Dan Dannels blogs

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Mississippi
Current mood: enlightened
Category: Sports


Why did the 'possum cross the road? Because... splat!

I am glad to have had the opportunity to interact with some of the locals here. I have crossed into a different land. There seems to be a higher level of tolerance. Noone knows about skating on my route. Everyone asks the same questions. They all think that I am crazy. Perhaps I am. I am trying to be the friendly kind of crazy.

Us-84 doesn't have a shoulder here. Thank goodness that the road is smooth. I am having to play the on and off game. I only have about 30 miles left before I head south towards Mobile, Al. I'm less than 600 miles from the end of this journey. I'm skating on a different routine now. We skate for around 20 miles and break. It's all that my ankle can handle now. It seems to be a good routine. We aren't previewing routes anymore. We are pretty much locked into a final approach, so we park near where we stop.

I am doing my best to hold it together. I had a pretty bad wreck on the bridge over the Black River back in Jonesville, LA. I hit the retaining wall in an effort to not go face forward on the metal grate surface that is the draw brige surface. My core is still a mess. I'm just glad that I controlled the spin and hung on to the wall.

Every time I put my right skate on now, my entire ankle screams at full volume. It takes several minutes for me to get the laces tied. It tends to work ok after a couple of miles. It's getting those first few in that the hardest. I have been skating on the ball of my foot for a few hundred miles to avoid pressure on the heel. The effects are becoming evident in pain distributing across my arch. The smoother roads here are allowing me to push out with my heel.

Hillary is trying her best to motivate me. Perhaps it is becasue she wants out of the car. I have found her getting frustrated recently when I can't move my ankle. She catches herself and makes ammends. I want to move faster, for both of our sakes. I am trying. I am amazed that I would even continue on this ankle.

There are some parts of this skate that some people may not think about. We just had our first shower since last Thursday. It may seem absurd, but driving an hour to a truck stop that has a shower doesn't make sense. Getting a hotel doesn't makes sense anymore either. We are making shorter runs at all hours now. The luxuries of life seem more so now. I want to feel this clean longer than for the next few hours. That is not my reality. The ladies on my team call me "Mr. Bath and Body Works". That's because using good soaps is one of the few indulgences that I take. I can guarantee that they would not want to draft on me during the majority of this run. I can't believe Hillary puts up with it. She says that she's numb to it. I don't believe her. I think that she's just willing to put up with it. I sure do have a great wife.

I have thought often about what makes me continue. Why should I continue in the face of pain? Don't I realize what I am doing to my body? Is it the record? Is it bull-headedness? Am I as crazy as the people who talk to and laugh with me say I am?

I continue because I am a skater. I love it. I hate it. I can't live without it. I can't imagine not skating. Skating has always meant pain in my world. For the last decade I have lived with taped feet. I have limped when walking more often than not. I struggled every day because of the effects that skating has had on my body. I have skate commuted to work instead of driving my car, in the face of fatigue from the previous day's skate. I have stopped to crumble in the corner at work because my body refused to continue. I have worked all day before going to practice, and then beat the crap out of my body.

I skate because it is who I am. It is who we are. It is perfect Zen. As long as I don't stop, I continue. I skate, therfore I am.

[JGwinner]

I was reading a lot of this blog from India, with utter amazement. I got back and got burried from work, but have now finally worked past HTML bugs to contribute.

The donation web site crapped out on me again and I was swearing, then stopped to think that this was a trival problem compared to what Dan is going through. 30 minutes later and another retyped entry, it worked. Now I've got my card memorized

I just contributed a few bucks, I hope it's not too late to help!

I lived in New Orleans for 3 years ... Louisiana can be a strange place.

Good Luck!

Does anyone know what day he's on and how close he is to making it?

== John ==

[j_nolesfan]

Originally Posted by Bill in Houston

Natchitoches is the one in LA. Nacogdoches is in TX. I had a nice couple of days in Natchitoches once. Good seafood on the lake one night, and Lazyone's fried meat pies the next day...

Right Bill. If you can believe it, they pronounce Nacogdoches as "nackodish". I think they have like one stop light, lol!

Jeff

[j_nolesfan]

Woo hoo! I got a call back from our local CBS affiliate! They're trying to get in touch with him to find out when he'll be passing through Mobile, AL. I'm hoping I can find a way to get the video of the story and put it up on Youtube. If he's smart, he'll plug his donation site

I'll keep you posted,
Jeff

[CKmost]

He needs a post event donation so he can go get some well deserved R&R. I never thought of it before, but how does one do this and maintain a job/pay the bills?

[j_nolesfan]

I remember reading that he had thousands of fish and something about him and his wife raising them. Perhaps he has his own business of some sort that's in the charge of a trustworthy friend or family member?

Jeff

[Birgit]

All Dan Dannels post here


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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Purvis
Current mood: sore
Category: Sports


We are just outside of Purvis, MS. I did 60 miles today in 3 sets of 20. It is as much as I can physically handle. I found myself cursing myself for not being able to do more. Any other time, I would be really excited at having done a 60 mile day. But, I feel like I am in a self imposed crunch time. I know that the clock on this skate expires March 10th at 5:45 PM. I am ahead of that for sure. I am going to beat it. I just can't help but feel the pressure.

I keep having to laugh to myself. Ever since we got into Mississippi, there are these gorgeous east-west roads with too much traffic on them to skate in a lane, and no shoulders. The north-south highways have wide, beautiful shoulders, but they are not headed in the direction that I need to go. All I can do is laugh.

I have learned so many things on this trip. I have learned how to accept my trials. It's not the same as complacency. I will not accept any rut that I might fall in. It's not exactly existentialism. My life is more than just the sum of all my suffering. I have merely learned that it is easier to grit your teeth and forge through than to waste energy on complaints.

That being said, boy there are some crap roads out here. At least they are not as bad as back in Texas....

I am struggling against all odds to continue. After my final run tonight, I can barely stand on my right ankle. I guess I need to put more tape on it tomorrow.

The folks in Mississippi sure are nice. People have been stopping me all day long and asking questions. Everybody seems to be real excited about what I am doing out here. Entire families come running out of their houses to find out what is going on. People circle back to ask questions and wish me luck. Hoots, hollers and honkings are coming from people of all walks of life. I have found myself waving all day long. I am feeling a lot of positivity now. I sure hope that it continues.

We are headed into Mobile for the night. We are about 60 miles from Alabama. Our dear friends, Glenn and Kari, have provided us with a room. It will be our first night in a real bed since Waco. Hillary sure is excited about it. I can't blame her. She continues to put up with so much.

Before we start our runs tomorrow, we have interviews scheduled in Mobile. Jeff Stanford, a skater from the Emerald Coast Speed Team in Pensacola, has gone out of his way to contact the local media stations. NBC, ABC, and CBS have contacted us. It's really exciting stuff. I have more chances to spread the message about skating. I guess that we have more credibility nearer to the end..

On a final note, a close friend of mine has been writing to me about his insights on my skate. I always value Johnny's thoughts. He pointed out that a person should never apologize for their actions. Especially on an endeavor like this. There are so many variables to deal with. Dreams almost never follow an exact planned route.

I make no excuses for my life. I make no apologies. We are all human beings with choices to make. The great circle of life is too short to regret any left turn or right turn taken or not taken. Only the journey matters. The journey is the destination. I am here and I appreciate the journey for what it is. It is perfect.

[j_nolesfan]

Gawsh!