The Tillie Ride

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Tillie Ride Day 5

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Sue Stauffacher Posted in Route .

Tillie Ride Day 5 Video Update – CHECK IT OUT!

We made it!  A total of 264 miles.  All the way to Chicago!  Thank you SO much for all your support and encouragement.  We are so happy to be here and proud of our whole team.  Here’s a brief update and we’ll post more when we’ve recovered.  We are grateful!  Woohoo.  And I’m standing here right now with Alice and Terry Roepke, Tillie’s grand-niece 🙂

Highlights of the day in pictures… Spirits were high on Day 5.  Our shortest mileage day (about 45), nearing our goal, and sunny!

Bob Johnson, our cycling expert– a.k.a. Flash

Roger Gilles, navigator–a.k.a. Rex

Sara Schneider, social media guru–a.k.a. Peapod

And me! Sue–a.k.a. Flash.  Not shown here are Sam (technical/navigation/sound wizard) and Alyson, who the kids referred to as ‘video lady.’  Here’s me and Bob when we reached the neighborhoods of South Chicago.

We made it–Hooray!

We were welcomed in style by the students at JW Cook Elementary who had made signs of all the lessons I’d been sending them.  My mom and dad were in the audience, too!

See if you can find Alyson and Sam–they were always hiding from the camera

Here’s the exhibit at the Sulzer Branch of the Chicago Public Library

Here I am with Alice Roepke, Tillie’s Grandniece. We were already friends, but what a thrill to finally meet her!

This is the amazing display Alice made for her presentation at the Swedish American Museum.  It was like Tillie was looking right at us with her frank gaze.  I love Tillie!  She’s such an inspiration.  And I love Alice and Terry (Alice’s husband) just as much.

I want to be like Tillie when I grow up

For all the teachers and principals I’ve been corresponding with, please tell your students they will hear from me next week.  They’ve done a fabulous job: Thank you so much to Dave Huyser and Marcella Arens at North Park Elementary; Dave Gough at Pine Creek Elementary; Barb Burghard at Glenn Elementary; Paula Reed and Tonya Kimmerly at Coloma Middle School; Sharyn Kaatz at Morton Elementary; Sarah Audiss at Wolford Elementary; Rob Bauer at Marsh Elementary; and Caity Tully at J.W. Cook Elementary.  You did a fabulous job of preparing the students!  I will never forget the warm reception you gave the Tillie Ride team.

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Tillie Ride Day 4

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Sue Stauffacher Posted in Route .

Tillie Ride–Day Four

More news coverage here:

http://mcasnow.mcas.k12.in.us:81/school-news/marsh/terrible-swede-author-cycles-to-marsh/

and here:

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2011/05/20/news/local/doc4dd5d94a007f7426779652.txt

We woke up in New Buffalo and got to Marsh Elementary in Michigan City, Indiana, two hours early (due to time change confusion).  The principal saw us riding around and rolled down her window and shouted, “Are you Tillie?”  It was very funny.  We had a great time at Marsh, where literacy coach Rob Bauer did and excellent job preparing the kids.  They were cheering us on. We needed the energy to ride another 43 miles to our next stop in Hammond, Indiana.  My mom and dad surprised me at a trail stop in Hobart, Indiana!  It’s time to go to bed as we have to leave before 7 a.m. to get to JW Cook on time.  Our last school!  Then the Sulzer Public Library at 1 p.m. and Swedish American Museum at 5!  Hurrah!  Experience it along with us by clicking on the video link above and looking at the pictures below, including this beautiful poster made by the teachers and students at Marsh Elementary.

Awesome poster created by Marsh Elementary

All along the walls of the gymnasium, kids had posted their dreams on paper bike helmets

The kids at Marsh were respectful, attentive and enthusiastic. What more could a presenter hope for?

Calumet Trail was under water...we had to find another way!

This sign helped.

Indiana is so beautiful. But we can't stay. Next stop...Chicago!

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Tillie Ride–Day 3

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Sue Stauffacher Posted in Route .

Here’s today’s update.  Tillie Ride–Day Three

I felt a little loopy at the end of the ride today… we’re getting a bit tired– Roger and I.  Bob can go on endlessly, it seems!

At breakfast, we found that we made the front page of the paper!

The Herald-Palladium

Morton Elementary in Benton Harbor

Bob explaining the mechanics of the bike

At Morton, they let me ride my bike right into the school!

Quick stop at one of my favorite bookstores--Forever Books

Putting on my raincoat in Stevensville

Trying to ou-tride the rain

Riding into Galien

Can you find me?

Bob fixing Roger's flat

Tillie Ride–Day Three

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