long island is a terminal moraine

A terminal moraine is formed from the debris left by a retreating glacier. Geologically, Sugarloaf Mountain in Frederick County, Maryland is known as a monadnock (architecturally, a monadnock is a building in Chicago - the last skyscraper to employ load-bearing masonry construction. And a handsome building at that), a mountain that remains after the erosion of the surrounding land. for Sugarloaf, that process took approximately 14 million years. At an elevation of 1,282 feet, Sugarloaf stands more than 800 feet above the farmland below. The rugged cliffs on the summit are composed primarily of quartzite, the predominant type of rock on the mountain. And I am going to ride up it on Saturday.

Last Saturday was my first long ride on my new bicycle and it couldn't have gone better. We did a 65 mile loop out of Reston, VA, circling the wonder that is Dulles airport, and heading out to and through Leesburg; it's what's called a 'metric century' - 100 kM - and the rest of the world's century ride. And, as I mentioned, the ride couldn't have gone better. I was more sunburned than tired(though I didn't realize it at the time) and could have gone further had I needed to. Don't get me wrong - I was plenty pleased to finished - but if I had to go another 10 or 15 miles I could have. We've got 65 this weekend, including the ride up Sugarloaf Mountain, and I have no doubts about my ability to succeed. This road bike is a godsend.

Our Comedy Sportz fundraiser was later that night, and it was also a success. Though our audience was a little less than we hoped for (it was a beautiful Saturday evening, and I can hardly blame most people for wanting to be outside) we still raised over $1500 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Due to my co-host responsibilities, I didn't get to see as much as I'd have liked, but what I did get to see was very entertaining. Those of you near me can get a 'buy-one-get-one-free' coupon if you're interested, and for those of you not in northern Virginia - they're national, check ' em out. And I'd like to extend a special thank you to the tag-team of Vrabel/Sage for selling raffle tickets (after traveling from the 'Burgh, no less).

Katie and I were pleased to have Brandon Zammit, one of our honored teammates, and his dad Jim as guests at our fundraiser. Brandon has Acute Lymphotic Leukemia and undertakes chemotherapy every 28 days and a spinal tap every 84 days. He should complete treatment on November 17, 2005. Brandon graciously volunteered to draw the names from the proverbial hat for the raffle and the door prizes, and as luck would have it, he won the prize he most coveted - dessert for ten. The grin on his face as we announced his name was worth all the work.

Thank you all who have already donated or committed to donate to this great cause. Thank you also to those who have sent messages of support and encouragement. (My sisters have been champions here - thank you so much, Jan and Julie, I owe you both big time.) If you haven't and want to, there's still time. I need to send checks to the charity in about a week, and you can donate online up to May 17.

Mr. Routson, my high school calculus teacher, used to give us a pass for not paying attention in class if we were daydreaming about curing cancer. I paid attention in class, but he'd look the other way if I was in his class nowadays. Thanks again for your help and support.

third prize

I'd make a terrible salesman. If my livelihood depended directly on my ability to part people from their money, I'd be the guy driving the Hyundai.

I spent my summers in high school and college working at a Marathon service station in Perrysburg, Ohio. It was a great job mostly because (ironically) I spent the bulk of my time driving around. I averaged 200 miles a day. During my downtime, my primary responsibility was to attempt to sell the service department by cleaning windshields and checking oil and tires at the self-serve pumps. Now, I was only employed for a few months at a time, so I was not awarded a blue uniform with a red 'M' above one pocket and my name embroidered over the other. Instead, Ray gave me a couple of old shirts and I wore my own ratty jeans, and when I shuffled out to the unsuspecting customers pumping their gas, my sell was so soft they sometimes assumed I was hitting them up for money. One woman even reported to the counter clerk in hushed tones that there was a young red-headed "panhandler" hanging around outside. Roger and Ruben had a field day with that one; it was weeks before I heard the end of it.

That was ten years ago and times have changed. Now I can use the internet.

I've been putting this off for weeks because, as you know, I'm from the midwest where discussing money is taboo. It still feels a little like panhandling - or e-panhandling, in this case - but then "no thanks, not interested" is always a valid response. Team in Training is the world's largest endurance training program, raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Amateur athletes participate in marathons, triathlons, and cycling events all across the United States. I've signed up for "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride" - a 100 mile circuit of Lake Tahoe. In return for the coaching and basic travel expenses, I've agreed to raise $4,000 for the charity. 75% of the money our team raises (the DC chapter's goal this year is $2.5 million) goes directly to Leukemia research and patient services.

It's just over six weeks 'til the ride and I've already got a 50-miler under my belt. (On a mountain bike, no less. After that ride I decided to suck it up and get myself a road bike.) We'll be adding about ten miles a week to our rides from here on out. In the meantime, my teammate and coworker Katie and I have been planning a big fundraiser at the newly re-opened Old Town Theater. The local chapter of a national improv comedy troupe, Comedy Sportz, will be performing, and we will be holding a raffle (tickets on sale now) and awarding a few door prizes.

So if you'd like to help me reach me goal, drop me a line and I'll send you more info. You can donate by cash, check, or credit card and your donation is, of course, tax deductible. And if you can't or don't care to donate, that's just fine too. Even a short message wishing me luck would be much appreciated.

I may not win the Cadillac, or even the steak knives, but I am sure with your help I can avoid the dreaded third prize.

anticipated questions

Q: Isn't this page typically called "frequently asked questions?"
A: Well, yeah, but since the sum total of my readership to date - including myself - is one person, "frequently asked" doesn't seem to apply.

Q: Then why bother?
A: My goal is not to host the most popular site on the internets. This gives me a place to do a little writing and poke around with some mild HTML. If others discover it and are entertained, that's great. If others discover it and are entertained and feel like donating a little money, that's really great.

Q: What the heck is this, anyway?
A: It's a journal mainly of my riding and fundraising experiences on century rides to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, with a few other odds and ends about cycling thrown in to pad it out a bit.

Q: What's a century ride?
A: A one hundred mile bike ride.

Q: A hundred miles? Over how long?
A: One day.

Q: One day?! Are you crazy!?!
A: That's been suggested.

Q: Why on earth would you want to do such a thing?
A: I already mentioned that: to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And because it's fun in kind of a painful way; nothing quite matches the euphoria and feeling of accomplishment upon finishing.

Q: How does you riding help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society?
A: Well, I guess just the act of me riding a bicycle doesn't, actually. But I have agreed to raise money for them - at least $4,000, in fact - and in return they cover most of my travel expenses. Also, there's the symbolic gesture of undertaking an endurance event in honor of Leukemia patients and survivors. The sweat and suffering during the training and ride mean more to me than simply cutting a check.

Q: Travel expenses? Where are you going?
A: Lake Tahoe. On June 5, I intend to ride around it. Plus a little extra.

Q: Have you done this sort of thing before?
A: This is my third event. In June 2004, I rode America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride around Lake Tahoe and in March 2005 I rode the Solvang Century in California's Santa Barbara wine country.

Q: Is it really America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride?
A: I've been a lot of places in this country, and it's hard for me to imagine a more beautiful day on a bicycle. Aside from the scenery and fantastic views of America's largest alpine lake, most of the course is lined with appreciative leukemia patients and survivors, offering encouragement and cheering us on. A couple of times last year I got a little teary behind my sunglasses. It was a very moving experience.

Q: That sounds like a lot of spectators. How many people will be riding?
A: Of the approximately 2,500 riders, I think about 1,500 are riding for the Society and most of them are riding in honor of a friend or family member with a blood cancer. There will be almost 70 riders just in my group from the DC area. It's not out of the question that we will collectively raise several million dollars. Just 230 riders at the Solvang Century raised over $700,000.

Q: What does the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society do with the money?
A: Most of the money goes toward research of blood-borne cancers and their treatment, but a significant portion of it also goes to patient services. The Society answers questions of newly diagnosed patients, hosts support groups, and occasionally even offers financial aid for patients' out-of-pocket expenses. They also run education and advocacy programs.

Q: Yeah, but does any of that really make a difference?
A: Of course it does. In the past 40 years, the five-year relative survival rate for lymphoma has doubled and for leukemia has more than tripled. Childhood leukemia survival rates have jumped to 80% from only 4% in 1960 and have increased 5% in just the past year alone. But there's a lot still left to do. Leukemia remains the number one disease killer of children and young adults under 20 years old.

Q: You've convinced me. How can I help?
A: You can donate by credit card by clicking "DONATE" on the right side of this page. If you'd prefer to make out a check to the society, feel free to contact me at jehuntzingeriii [at] hotmail [dot] com for more details. Your donation is, of course, tax deductible. And if you want to get involved, visit the Team in Training website; that link is to the right as well. When you've finished with that, you can find my most recent post here. Thanks for pitching in. We CAN find a cure for cancer.