2023
Even with 4 events, that were either postponed, cancelled, or cut short, 2023
was still a busy, successful (and fun!) fundraising year:
On February 9, at Albuquerque’s Marriott Pyramid, Supermodel Rosi graced
the runway of the ALS New Mexico "Heart on Your Sleeve" fashion show & auction
fundraiser! The event was a huge, fundraising success!
During the first months of summer, Perry hiked up and down Albuquerque's
spectacular La Luz Trail, and mountain biked around Colorado's Trinidad Lake.
For nearly 2 months, Rosi and Perry took a camper trip to Alaska and
back, via 8 states (including Alaska) and 4 Canadian Provinces, covering
nearly 10,000 road miles. We hiked about 50 miles (with bear spray in our holsters),
swam in glacier-fed lakes, relaxed in hot springs, golfed in The Yukon, and
danced at The Spur country bar in Fairbanks.
(We also saw salmon runs, humpback
whales, sea otters, sea lions, seals, Puffins, moose, grizzly bears, black bears
with cubs, caribou, bald eagles, bison…)
On a beautiful October morning, Perry participated in Albuquerque’s
ALS Walk, at the UNM Track & Soccer Complex.
Among the fall colors, with hiking buddy Mark, Perry enjoyed a 15 mile
up & down La Luz Trail hike, as well as a 9 mile hike, up & down
the Pino Canyon Trail.
Our 28 mile tandem ride up the 10,612 foot Sandia Crest was cut in half,
due to unannounced road construction (i.e. a road closure) at mile 8. Regardless,
it was still a beautiful (and strenuous) ride.
On November 12, we held our 3rd Pedal & Swing fundraiser dance at
CSP Studios (thank you, Patti!), with promotion and music provided by USA
Dance (thank you, DeAnn!) and SouthWesties ABQ (thank you, Elaine & Craig!),
and an appearance & presentation by Katie Crouch, Special Events Coordinator,
ALS New Mexico. The event raised over $2000, split between the ALS New Mexico
and the National MS Society.
A great big THANK YOU to all of you who, through your donations to the
National MS Society and/or to the ALS New Mexico, support those affected by
MS, ALS, and other neurodegenerative diseases, and for bringing the world closer to a cure.
2022
The 2022 Pedal & Swing events were all Albuquerque-based:
Because we were unable to participate in this year’s official ALS Walk, Perry
improvised again by swinging his aging legs up Albuquerque’s spectacular La Luz
Trail (7.5 miles, 3800 feet of elevation gain). Conditions for the June 29th
hike were ideal. The October 24th hike was in blizzard conditions, resulting in
a mad scramble to catch the day’s last tram off the mountain.
The good news: The 2022 Bike MS Pedal los Pueblos, organized
by the New Mexico Chapter of the National MS Society, was another fun,
well organized event held on August 22 & 23. On Day 1, Rosi rode her ebike
along the Rio Grande Bosque Trail, with several other riders, all of whom
are living with MS. Perry rode his road bike on the 100 mile route, first
along the Rio Grande Bosque Trail, then up-and-down Tramway hill, then up to
Placitas and back, then up-and-down Tramway hill AGAIN, then back along the
Rio Grande Bosque Trail. (At mile 85, Perry’s seat post snapped, so the last
15 miles meant standing on the bike pedals.) On Day 2, both of us rode our
tandem bicycle, first along the Rio Grande Bosque Trail, then up-and-down
Tramway hill ONCE!
The sad news: The New Mexico Chapter of the National MS
Society will no longer be hosting a Bike MS event in New Mexico. Perry first
rode in this event in 1997. Rosi first participated in this event as a rest
stop volunteer in 2004, and then as a rider in 2007. The "New Mexico Chapter
of the National MS Society" is now the "Arizona – New Mexico Chapter of the
National MS Society", and the 2023 Bike MS event will be held in the Phoenix
area on October 7 & 8.
Swinging our bodies at our 2-in-1 Pedal & Swing Fundraiser Dance;
held at CSP Dance Studios (Thank you, Patti!) on November 13th. The first
hour and a half was hosted by the Northern New Mexico Chapter of USA Dance
(Thank you, DeAnn!). The 2nd hour and a half was hosted by SouthWesties, a
local West Coast Swing club (Thank you, Craig & Elaine!). Katie Crouch, the
Special Events & Development Coordinator for the ALS New Mexico of New
Mexico, was in attendance, and helped support the successful fundraising
dance.
2021
Due do the Covid-19 pandemic, our 2021 Pedal & Swing fundraising events were similar to those in 2020; individual events of pedaling our bikes, hiking trails, and swinging oars in our expedition rowboat. No Pedal & Swing
dance events were held in 2021.
| • We logged about 300 training miles in preparation for our tandem ride on Northern Idaho’s Trail of the Coeur d’Alene (132 out-and-back miles over 2 days) AND Hiawatha Trail (24 miles round trip, one morning). |
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| • In June and again in October, Perry did his 1-day ALS Walk on Albuquerque’s La Luz Trail (15 miles, 3800 feet of elevation gain). |
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| • Perry, with super rowing buddy Joe, rowed from Bremerton, around Vashon Island, and back to Bremerton (about 47 nautical miles over 4 days). |
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2020
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, neither the National MS Society nor the ALS
New Mexico hosted their big fundraising events – the Bike MS and ALS Walk,
respectively. Instead, fundraisers for both organizations created their own
events. In 2020, Pedal & Swing raised funds for the National MS Society and
the ALS New Mexico through the following events:
| • a 2-week, 100-mile rowing trip around Washington State’s San Juan
Islands, with friend, Joe |
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| • a 2-week, 800-mile bicycling trip from Bellingham, WA, to Crescent
City, CA, with bro-in-law, Jim |
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| • a 1-day, 28-mile, Rosi-and-Perry tandem bicycle ride, up and
down New Mexico’s Sandia Peak, with friend, Nancy |
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| • a 1-day, 15-mile hike, up-and-down New Mexico’s 10, 679’
Sandia Peak, with friend, Jim |
2019
The Pedal & Swing team participated in the
2019 Bike MS: Tour los
Pueblos,
but with a twist! Due to a scheduling conflict Rosi and I rode
a 100-mile, 1-day tandem bicycle ride around Albuquerque,
accompanied by two other riders (thank you, Darlyne and Lisa!),
one week BEFORE the official
2019 Bike MS: Tour los Pueblos.
Despite 102-degree road temperatures, we completed the ride on
August 18 within 8 hours.
For ALS New Mexico fundraising, team Pedal & Swing participated
in the ALS Walk at Albuquerque’s Isotopes Park, on
September 22, where we danced for donations on our
cardboard dance floor.
Throughout 2019, for a minimum $100 donation to either
the National MS Society or the ALS New Mexico, Rosi
and I provided beginner dance lessons in East Coast
Swing ("Jitterbug"), to 6 dancer-donors, at our home dance studio.
2018
This was a crazy fundraising year for Pedal & Swing. We bought a Co-Motion
Carrera tandem bicycle in May, and rode together, in honor of Erik, in
the MS Society’s Tour los Pueblos; a beautiful 100-mile loop on Saturday
(August 25), from Espanola to El Rito, Ojo Caliente, Chimayo, Pojoaque,
and back to Espanola. The next day we provided "recovery dances" to other
bicyclists on our makeshift cardboard dance floor.
We then held a Pedal
& Swing fundraiser dance on Sunday, September 30, in Albuquerque, to raise
funds for the ALS New Mexico, in honor of Eleanor and Carolyn.
Then, on
October 27, with Perry on the bike and Rosi driving SAG (Support And Gear)
in the camper,
we began our journey, starting near the NM/CO border, on the Great Divide
Mountain Bike Route, to continue fundraising for
both the MS Society and
ALS New Mexico. The fall colors in the Cruces Basin and Santa Fe National
Forest were spectacular!
And the 4WD road between Abiquiu and Cuba was
great for mountain biking. From Cuba to Grants (about 120 miles), the
Great Divide Route provides an option on paved road, so Perry switched to
the road bike. Unfortunately, at about mile 80, Perry crashed, scraping
some skin and breaking some bones, thus ending the ride 54 miles short of
the 300-mile goal. HOWEVER! …we did reach our 2018 Pedal & Swing
fundraising goals for both the MS Society and ALS New Mexico!
2017
Our great home state of New Mexico provided the backdrop for the 2017
Pedal & Swing fundraising activities; a 16.5-day, 1,650-mile
bicycle journey around the entire state, beginning on March 22 in Taos,
and finishing on April 8 in Albuquerque. As during the previous year, Rosi
alone drove the support vehicle. But Perry was joined by other bicyclists
for 6 of the 17 segments, including Rosi’s son, Erik! On Day 8 of the
bicycle journey, a rest day, the Ruidoso Dancers hosted TWO fundraising
dances to support our Pedal & Swing mission. A fundraising dance and
silent auction on April 9 in Albuquerqueprovided the exclamation mark to the 2017 Pedal
& Swing activities. Similar to the previous year, between the ALS
New Mexico and MS Society, about $10,000 was raised via Pedal & Swing
activities.
2016
Pedal & Swing’s inaugural “event” began on March 5, 2016, when we
set-off from San Diego - Perry on his bicycle and Rosi driving the support
vehicle. We pedaled-and-danced across the southern US, arriving in
St. Augustine, FL, 3,000 miles later, on April 8, just in time for a USA
Dance (Greater Daytona Chapter) fundraiser on April 9. And along the way,
supporters pledged donations based on such things as the number of miles
bicycled, the number of different dance partners, the number of states
traversed, etc., based on their relationship(s) with those affected by MS
and ALS. So after pedaling from ocean to ocean, over mountain passes, across
deserts, around flooded rivers, along interstate freeways, through backwoods
and bayous; and dancing in country bars, formal ballrooms, driveways,
parking lots and cafés, supporters donated nearly $10,000 to the
MS Society or ALS New Mexico, facilitated by Pedal & Swing.
