Hello, my name is Pam Culbertson and I live in Warrensburg, Missouri. My husband, Rick, and I have three children: Angela, Dustin, and Nicole, and a son-in-law, Matt. Also, we have two wonderful grandsons, a 4 year old, Asher and a 2 year old, Lucas. With this said, not seeing my family is the hardest part of any long tour. However, I will gain strength from the fact that I am doing this ride in Memory of my Uncle Tom Scheffer. He was a great uncle and a wonderful man who was very much involved with Habitat for Humanity. When I wrote him a letter and asked if I could do this for him, he was very touched. At that

This is not my first cycling fundraiser for Habitat. Three years ago, my friend, Barb Curtis and I rode the southern tier route from St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California to raise money for Habitat. It was a great experience which resulted in generating over $32,000 for the Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County, Missouri. The lasting impact of that ride is very clear. My grandchildren play with the little boy who lives in that Habitat house.

Since I feel that I am blessed, my main motivation is to help other people. The Ride is such a wonderful way to see God's Good Earth. I feel that fear robs so many of us from doing things. So I ask all of you to join us on this journey by praying and or sending in a donation to help build another HFH Home.

PS. Mom (Marcella Hampton) Don't worry I will be okay. GOD is also one of my SILENT RIDERS.

I LOVE YOU MOM.

My name is Carol Kaufman. I would like to share some information about myself and why I have chosen to help raise funds for Habitat for Humanity by riding my bicycle across the U.S. Having read about HFH and their programs that enable lower income families to afford home ownership, I was compelled to help.

I am retired, having worked as a computer operator for a retail grocery chain for 27 years. I have a family, husband Bill, two sons Jim and Aaron, and one daughter-in-law Janna, who are all very supportive and sometimes in awe of my biking adventures.

I have ridden a bicycle most of my life, but in 1982 my son Aaron and I participated in our first Bike Across Kansas. That was all it took for me to become an avid cyclist, especially bicycle touring.

I have met so many wonderful people during my biking experiences; some fellow cyclists, others through chance encounters on the road. The summer of 1988 I rode with fellow cyclist Leo Galloway from Hutchinson, KS, to Yorktown, VA, while his wife Ruth drove a support vehicle for us. The summer of 1994 I answered an ad in Adventure Cycling for a companion to ride across the U.S. Because of time restraints I was limited to riding from Hutchinson to Missoula, MT. My companion, Donna Ikenberry, became a very dear friend. During the summer of 1996 the two of us completed my cross country odyssey by biking from Twin Bridges, MT, to Astoria, OR. When I finally retired from the working world, I signed up to do the entire trip with Adventure Cycling along with 12 other riders. We biked completely self contained beginning May 3, 1999, in Yorktown, VA, and ending August 3, 1999, in Astoria, OR. This year, 2007, I answered another Adventure Cycling ad for a companion to ride the Northern Tier and help raise funds for HFH. I contacted Pam Culbertson via email.

After meeting one another, we knew the two of us could become best biking buddies. Locally I have participated in numerous fundraiser bicycle rides; everything from rides for MS, diabetes, heart association, and cancer. Other local rides have helped raise funds for schools and their organizations.

It's going to be a long winter but spring 2008, will be here before we know it. And, what the hey, I can use the time training for that Northern Tier bike ride and continue to keep in contact with Pam via email.

I love bicycling. My husband and I began bicycling seriously in 1991 with the San Fernando Valley Bicycle Club, in Northridge, CA. My original goal was to bicycle coast to coast. I never found the time window for that trip. I turned to doing extreme event rides: Centuries, Double Centuries, and randoneering, which culminated in 1995 with my successfully completing Paris-Brest-Paris. Since then my husband, Fernando and I have had cycling adventures in France, Spain, New Zealand and the West Coast of Oregon and California. I am so excited to bicycle the Northern Tier of the US because I have never been in any of the states we will be riding through.

One memorable ride I’ve done is the 1997 California Aids Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I loved the thrill of being with so many inspiring people all involved with bringing money and awareness to a noble cause.

I answered Pam Culbertson’s add in Adventure Cycling Magazine. When we spoke on the phone I knew I was being given another opportunity to wed my quest for a grand cycling adventure to the noble cause of raising money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity. Our bicycling self supported the entire Northern Tier of the US shows people what three over 50 grandmothers can accomplish physically and in an elegantly sustainable manner.

Through this journey I would like to be an inspiration for our grown children Adam and Daniel, our Daughter in Law, Victoria and our new grandson, Hudson. As a 2nd grade teacher I also hope to hook our students at Burton Street Elementary School into following along on our journey through this web site to learn about geography and culture across the country. Lastly, I need to give a big Thank You to my husband, Fernando who has done so much physically and emotionally to support my bicycling adventures. He will be home rooting for us, riding his bicycle, tending his vegetable garden and looking forward to welcoming me back home.

I have been blessed with many gifts in this life. I am fortunate to have a roof over my head and not worry about where my next meal is coming from. Through this quest I am grateful to be able to give back something through the Habitat for Humanity Foundation.