TEAL on WHEELS:
My Cross Country Ride

So happy to have you stop by and learn more about TEAL on WHEELS, my cross country ovarian cancer awareness tour.

In April, 2019, I stopped by one of the local Harley Davidson dealers and and saw a teal and white 2016 Heritage Classic. I had seen the bike about a year earlier when I was looking for a used motorcycle for my husband, Charlie. Charlie and I had rented motorcycles on a couple of vacations to Arizona, but he had never owned one. I thought it would be fun to ride together in Maine, so I was on the search for a good used bike for him when I first saw Harley’s vintage style teal and white bike. The salesman pointed it out to me and I said, “There’s no way my husband would ride that. Look at the colors!”

So, a year later when I saw that same bike sitting there in the collection of used bikes for sale, my wheels starting spinning. Teal is ovarian cancer’s color, just like pink is the color that represents breast cancer. Every cancer has its own unique color. I thought if I could get that teal bike, I could ride around spreading awareness about ovarian cancer. That’s when the idea for TEAL on WHEELS first began. I didn’t have a name for it, but I knew it was something I needed to do. It wasn’t until I shared my idea with my friend Margaret Mastrangelo, who is a 4-year ovarian cancer survivor, that the name TEAL on WHEELS came into being. Margaret came up with it and at first I really didn’t like it all that much, but I had nothing else to call my grand adventure, so I just started calling it TEAL on WHEELS and it stuck. Now, it seems like the perfect name!

I launched a fundraising campaign on May 8, 2019—World Ovarian Cancer Day, with a goal of raising $50,000! The money would be donated to three cancer non-profit organizations in October 2019, when my ride was completed. The first non-profit was Turning the Tide Ovarian Cancer Retreats, which offers ovarian cancer patients in the northeast the opportunity to come together for 5 days at a beautiful lake-side setting in Maine. The second non-profit was Ovations for the Cure. The donations for this organization were earmarked for their Helping Hands program that provides healthy and delicious meals for women undergoing active chemotherapy treatments. The final nonprofit organization that I donated money to was the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center located in Ellsworth, Maine.  This organization offers hope, knowledge, and support for people living with cancer and their friends and families.  They acted as my fiscal agent and handled all donations given to TEAL on WHEELS as well as disbursing the funds once my ride concluded.

TEAL on WHEELS—The Cross Country Adventure

After months of preparations, it was time to get the party started! I shipped my bike on August 6, 2019 from Ellsworth, Maine to Coos Bay, Oregon. The bike was fully loaded with 1,000 ovarian cancer symptom cards, my clothes, helmet, rain gear, ovarian cancer flag, and anything else I thought I would possibly need and that would fit on my bike. The bike was being shipped to Highway 101, the western-most Harley Davidson dealer in the continental United States. I would fly out several weeks later to pick up the bike and start my TEAL on WHEELS journey.

Here’s a YouTube video of some of the highlights of the trip:
TEAL on WHEELS video

The trip was EPIC! It was an amazing adventure that pushed me physically and mentally to the edge of my abilities. I rode 6,198 miles through 19 different states. I rode 5,000 miles solo. My husband Charlie joined me for three days in Utah, where he rented a bike, and again, met up with me in Pennsylvania and rode the last leg home to Maine with me. It was great having him join me on part of the trip.

I handed out over 700 ovarian cancer symptom cards to people all across the country. I met the most amazing people and had hundreds of conversations with women and men about ovarian cancer. I raised over $50,000, my fundraising goal set in May, 2019. I distributed $45,000 to several cancer non-profits when I returned home from my trip. Some of the money raised was used to offset the cost of my travel.

I spent 40 days away from home. I rode my motorcycle on 36 of those 40 days. Riding temperatures ranged from 106 degrees in Utah to 38 degrees in Maine on my last day of riding. I fell upon some hard times, which was not unexpected given my health situation. I ended up with a severe dehydration in Tennessee, the cumulation of 20+ days of riding in temperatures ranging from 90-100+ degrees across the west and in the south.

I arrived home on Saturday, October 5. A group of Widow Sons Riders, a Masonic riding group, escorted me from Augusta, Maine to Ellsworth, Maine that morning. The Widows Sons were some of my earliest supporters when I started planning my trip and it only seemed right for them to be with me on my last day of the trip.

When I arrived home, a small group was present at the ferry terminal on the island where I live to welcome me. A fire truck with sirens wailing led the way across the island to my home. When I parked my beautiful teal and white Harley in the garage and shut off the engine, I leaned down to kiss the speedometer. The bike has served me well in all conditions—from hail in Oregon on day two, to endless days of oppressive heat across the country, to rain on the last leg of the journey through New England. A love developed between me and this bike—we needed each other to complete our journey.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!