**The last few sentences of this blog may upset some. Please stop reading at the 2 stars.
A 6 hour lull in the rain after a morning long deluge was all that was needed to make today’s ride almost comfortable. Heading from Hoboken to Elizabeth took me through Kearny, NJ where a stop for a warm lunch was sorely needed. The ride further south through the crowded streets of downtown Newark proved to be a great route to take as I was able to talk to many people waiting along the main bus route. These are two hot button issues for sure.
Thank you to Greg at the Hoboken Business Center for allowing us to park at his building for two nights. Many acts of kindness in this city just across the Hudson from Manhattan.  **Relayed to me after the fact, some sort of joke made at the restaurant about women looking best in black and blue. With that mentality, I have a long road ahead of me.

Just when you think you have left the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, they call you back. DUMBO is one special place and it is a good place to go back to when called. I received a call from Debbie Egan Chin from the New York Daily News, regarding her doing some filming and photographing One Million Acts Of Kindness and the Kindness Bicycle Tour for an upcoming article. I certainly couldn’t pass up that opportunity.
During the 2 1/2 hour photo shoot, the director and co-director of Imagine Day Care Center in DUMBO stopped by to see if there was any chance of visiting their school, how could I possibly say no, especially when Debbie said it would be something to see me do an act of kindness during the photo shoot; we went to the school together in the middle of the shoot. The children loved meeting Bogart an hearing me read his first children’s book.
Today’s Kindness Bicycle ride was from the George Washington Bridge to Hoboken. The interest level in this mission is much greater than I ever expected.

Day #2 and not a sore bone in my body. What! Forty-four miles on a bike, without training for this 7,400 mile Kindness Bicycle Tour and I feel as fresh as when I started yesterday morning; the bicycle gods are on my side. Today marked the beginning of this 17 state trek and I took the time to look down the Hudson River, perched high above on the George Washington Bridge.
The day started with a visit to Dr. Donna Rohlf’s home to discuss some of the details of dealing with Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse survivors. It is always good to get the perspective from an expert in the field, and she was able to impart some interesting observations.
All along my travels today, I was stopped by survivors and health professionals to lend their support. Fortunately and unfortunately, there are far too many of them. We are just beginning to scratch the surface.

What a great day it was in Brooklyn for the beginning of The Kindness Bicycle Tour, temperature in the 60s with overcast skies, a cyclists dream. The Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island is where we did the ceremonial tire dip. My sons, Alex and Peter flew into town to be a part of the kick-off ceremony. My daughter Lizzie had college finals and couldn’t make the trip but we had her on the phone as we toasted this 7,400 mile trip.
A local Brooklyn native, Pam, who owns, Journey, a furnishing shop in DUMBO, was a much needed tour guide and took us on all the back roads and short cuts on this 44 mile day. Nathan Reitz, a videographer who drove from Denver to New York to document our Tour will be traveling with us, in his own vehicle for the next six months.
The interest in this tour is already more than I have ever would have expected, as many people praised this mission and several even told of their abuse, some too young to remember.

One of my favorite stops along the way, during my ride, was to get a haircut at Alice Hair on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Alice is a big supporter and her talented staff added to the enjoyment of the day.

Let’s have a party! What better way to start a 7,400 mile, 6 month bicycle ride than to have a party. Co-host, Lori Sutherland and John Goldfein opened their home, along with co-host, Tara Dixon, to have this beautiful party celebrating the beginning of The Kindness Bicycle Tour. Friends and relations stopped by throughout the evening to this open house. Children of some of the adults came as well, adding to the magical feeling of this very special evening. I was able to give a small talk of past experiences along The Kindness Bus Tour and to let this very interested group know about my upcoming Kindness Bicycle Tour, to raise awareness for Childhood Sexual abuse and Domestic Violence. So many caring individuals are helping with my travels along the way and tonight’s gala was a testament to that statement. One Million Thank Yous to all!!!

Most everyone asks me, “How are you going one way across the United States and it is 7,400 miles?” New York, through Washington DC to San Francisco is only 3,700 miles but I am doing it twice, one way.
Here is my explanation. The Kindness Bicycle tour was originally planned to be a twice cross-country trip with one bus driver each way. Over the period of a few months, a number of drivers said that they would be able to help with the driver duties. All of them had to reconsider, I can’t blame them, it is a 3 month commitment. So I became The Kindness Bus driver and the bicycle rider by default. Here is an example of how I will perform both duties. Every day I will ride my bicycle to the next town I will stay in. I will then turn around and ride my bicycle back to the bus, put my bicycle in The Kindness Bus and drive to the town I will stay in that night. I will do this 180 times from New York, through Washington to San Francisco as both The Kindness Bus driver and The Kindness Bicycle rider by “Doing the Loop.”

A few months ago, during my visit to Millridge School in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, I received a call from Janelle, a mother of one of the students. Her young son Jake, had seen my presentation, including the puppet show, during my visit. Our visit had a big impact on him and he talked about it for quite some time. Janelle wanted to return the favor. She is a member of a group of moms who gets together and knits. One of the items she likes to make most is a prayer shawl. She said that during the knitting and after each prayer shawl is complete, the group prays that the person who receives the prayer shawl will be protected from harm. I received four prayer shawls, one for myself and three to gift to others during my travels. Thank you Janelle and moms, for such a thoughtful gesture of kindness.