West Virginia Mountains

The mountains in West Virginia have really been tough on the racers. Patrick said every part of his body hurts but we are going to finish tonight. We only have 214 miles to go. When we move from time stations to time stations we move as a caravan. Early this morning the caravan of the RV, the Penske truck, Carlos van and Patricks vans made our way to La Vale Md. When we crossed the state line for Maryland and the big sign said welcome to Maryland my emotions took over. I had tears running down my face for about 10 miles. I could not beleive we were finally this close.

I started thinking about what these men have down this past week. All I could think about was the team motto:

"We believe that we all strive for a better and more fulfilling life. We understand that life is not something that we can control or predict. However, how we approach the way we live our lives and tackle obstacles and challenges along the way, can dictate how our lives Can Be".

Therefore, we are Team Can Be Venture.

I remember 31 years ago when Patrick was in the hospital in Indianapolis. His Dad and I thought why did this injury have to happen to Patrick and we were really feeling pretty sorry for Patrick and our situtation. Then we went down the hall and saw a young boy tied in a wagon. He had no arms and no legs. Suddenly, we realized that we were blessed and we should be grateful. This week I have seen why he was given those arms. Those arms have wheeled him across the United States. This team has shown all challenged athletes that anything is possible. I am so proud of this team.

Will update you later.

Barb