South of the Mason Dixon Line

Andy says: Exhaustion and filled bellies (as well as a bit of sleep deprivation) provided for a magnificent sleep by all at the Round Top campsite in Gettysburg. A bit more leisurely morning put us on the road about 9:30 leaving bucolic Pennsylvania on our way through Maryland, West Virginia, and on to Winchester Va. A rigorous 90 miles for the iron woman through, well let's just say, somewhat less than the scenic beauty of rural Pa. The Appalachian Ridge looming tantalizingly ahead, this transitional part of the trip had us working through Hagerstown, and Martinsburg, where we met Anthony of Flowers Unlimited who directed us to a fine lunch of Chinese cuisine. A bit here about my dynamic and driven sister Barbara. For those reading this blog make no mistake, this is a labor of love. As counterintuative as it may seem, waking up at dawn, cooking breakfast, tending to hygiene, breaking camp, securing the trailer, determining the route, soliciting press coverage and donations, finding suitable roads to accommodate the scooter limitations, dealing with sometimes glib or grumpy sag wagon personnel, encountering route changes that were not accounted for, maintaining communication and coordination with the sag wagon, watching the weather, actually riding sometimes five and six hours sometimes while listening to incomprehensible barking on the walkie-talkie about emergency redirections, eating on the road, finding suitable campsites, setting up camp, fixing dinner, posting the blog and pictures, all the while dealing with those of us who are unsettled by the loss of our usual conveniences, listening to her brother's apniac snoring all night and doing this for 10 days in a row and knowing that there are 15 to go can be a bit of a challenge. Barbara has moved through the challenges presented with amazing grace. Her ability to illicit such an outpouring of warmth and smiles while waving and beeping her way through the miles and her constant expressions of appreciation to myself and my Mother is testimony to her true depth of character and her inner gratitude. So many elements of this experience and Barbara's devotion to Honoring Dale and providing research dollars to cure this horrible disease have caused me to reflect upon my own life and how it could become more of a manifestation of what is in my heart. Barbara I salute and adore you. "The deeds that were wrought by you will stand in your past a star..."

Some notes from Mama Loey...................................
This journey continues to inspire and fascinate me from the standpoint of travelling with my adult children who are facilitating "rememberences of things past"......................kids will ALWAYS
be kids and Barb and Andy are no exceptions. We are constantly struck by how many incidences
become coincidences when we connect the strands of all the memories that place Dale's very
beautiful face with those sculptured high cheek bones right into focus reminding us who exactly
our guardian angel is on this mission.

I can attest to Andy's tribute to Barb,-she is an Iron Woman with a heart of silk. Strong, determined, fun, and all round beautiful........she is our leader. Constantly praiseful and
grateful, she does shine as a star. And you, Andy, are a great source of comfort to both
of us. With a, very identifiable sense of humor, an enormous wealth of information, you
both are keeping me very entertained. We are playing our "quiz" games of childhood,
reconnecting on so many levels, and working hard to consider each others needs. What
fun! What fulfillment! What a biased Mom!

So, I have the best of both worlds with my son and daughter by my side and am enjoying
every mile of every day.

And now a few words from Barbara...........first I want to thank Andy and Mom for their kind words. We made much progress today from a mileage point of view, and crossed over three state borders. For those of you who may be wondering, the Mason Dixon line is between Pennsylvania and Maryland (see photo!).

I am happy to report that according to Pat Altman at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, they have received almost $16,000 in donations, and we know of at least $1,000 more which is on its way. I also want to clarify that ALL the money we have raised goes directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. All other expenses associated with this journey are being paid from our personal resources.

I would also like to take this opportunity to follow the advice and guidance of my wonderful husband Timothy Shea, and mention the recent passing of Randy Pausch. I hope that you all were able to bear witness to his courageous fight against pancreatic cancer over the past two years. Randy's spirit and positive attitude resonate with the intent and essence of that which is Trails for Dale. Randy faced adversity, and through it he believed he could make a difference. Dale, too faced adversity and believed she could make a difference. Through the example set by Dale and Randy we are once again reminded that life is what we make of it. I hope that we all can find the strength and courage to look for that which is positive in our lives, and to move through our difficulties with peace, love, joy and gratitude. I am so happy and grateful that on day 10 of this journey, I can post this blog and honestly say "Life is Good!!" sending love..