Hi Mitzi and Anthony, I took your advice!

Thanks for checking in Mitzi and Anthony. I did take your advice and stayed in Jackson, Mississippi the other night. The next day instead of heading to New Orleans I went to Lafayette and moved on from there. New Orleans would have been too crazy with the big football game - which by the way New Orleans won! Good for lifting spirits down there.

My thoughts today went towards what people ask me a lot..."why this ride". This ride is all about overcoming fear and following dreams. After all, this country was built on dreams of people looking for a better place, a better way, and a better life. My Grandmother's parents had a dream of a better place and because they conquered their fears they took their little girl across the country - from Oklahoma to Montana - in a horse drawn covered wagon. That really wasn't all that long ago when you think about it. Now I'm following a dream but I'm lucky and have a beautiful steal horse to ride all across this country. It goes a lot faster then Grandma's wagon did. My Grandmother is gone now, my Mother is gone now, and someday I will be gone but until then I want to live my life and fill it with memories for the future and help where I can along the way. I don't want to be thinking, "Man, if I had only done that?" or "Why was I afraid to try that?" I want to go out thinking that I sure did my best not to waist my life.

To that end I have dedicated this ride to all women, hoping that I can somehow show that dreams - no matter how large or small - are worth following. Life is short and I think it's meant to be lived, not feared.

I am proof that "one" person can make a difference, but I need the help of each "one" of you out there. We can help people who just have the simple dream of going home again - just a dream to have a roof over their heads again. We can't replace family and friends, personal mementos, photos or all those personal things lost in Katrina, but we can help build some homes and give back some dignity and security.

Together we can also help save some women who have the dream of living to raise their families. We can help women who dream of not losing their lives needlessly to cancer just because they can't afford the price of getting screened - let alone the cost of care if they need it.

Before I set out on this ride, I sat in my house and thought that there wasn't anything that I could do as one person, what good would my dollar do. Well not much, so that is why I promised to ride 20,000 miles and gather everyone’s dollar or dollars - everyone that I can reach - to help these two charities create better lives. Please help me help these people. That's "why the ride".