Band of brothers

9/17 (My 62nd Birthday, wooho) 94 miles from Park Falls WI to Crandon WI (the only incorporated city in Forest County)

The day started with meeting our IPOD ( inspirational person of the day), Austin.  Mike was joking with Austin at 6:30 am this morning in the characterless breakfast room at our hotel. Austin asked Mike for a big favor. In 1991 Austin went in for a simple hernia operation but it ended in a complicated disaster. They nicked his aorta so they had to go in for another operation to fix that. After that operation he got a bad infection that destroyed all his abdominal core tissue.  He asked Mike if he could go into his hotel room and help him put on a very tight fitting apparatus around his core that would allow him to function during the day. Wow, Mike and I are so blessed we can even attempt this crazy ride.

Mike, my 72 year old brother, has already put in 174 miles in 2 days. Not too shabby. I give him no slack and completely take his ability for granted.

Maybe it’s because he eats breakfasts that look like a medium size train wreck.  I feel this trip has pulled the 3 Shriver brothers that much closer together. My 75 year old brother, Donnie, is keeping track of every where we go and is reading the Blog every day.  Donnie is genuinely excited about what we are doing and for me it just makes me feel good.  I know the band of Shriver brothers would do anything for each other. Hell, Mike is riding 1600 miles with me. No more proof needed.

It is my birthday today so in celebration Mike bought me an entire foot long Subway and a Badger Amber.  We ate it at a bar called “Group Therepy”.  I guess I couldn’t think of a more appropriate celebration on the road.