When longtime Lafayette residents Bob and Barbara Frick celebrated his 70th birthday last summer by joining 140 other cyclists in Minnesota for a 500-mile ride to raise money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity (HFH), they expected an invigorating and worthwhile challenge. They did not plan to chase an even bigger dream for Bob's seventy- first birthday a year later. "We were so impressed by Habitat's mission and principles", says Bob, retired vice chairman of Bank of America's Board of Directors and presently an MBA instructor at St. Mary's College. "We wanted to do more and find a way to help our own community". That desire to do more has culminated in a personal commitment to raise at least $71,000 for HFH East Bay by riding from California to Florida for a total of 3,300 miles. Planning to start September 3rd and finish in early November, Bob's wife of 48 years will follow by car and handle logistics. The Fricks will cover the actual trip expense of $12,000 as part of their contribution to HFH. They are currently gathering individual and corporate sponsors for Cycle of Hope. With help from Bob's former students, already onboard are Sutter Health, Schwab Bank, Clif Bar, and Convergent Computing (CCO) AND SKC. Bob will be blogging his journey on this website. You can sign up for instant Twitter updates by following www.twitter.com/bobfrick. Bob & Barbara Frick Check out our FAQ...

December 14, 2008 at 11:16 AM | 5 comments | 19 views | 0 mobile views | Celebrate the Holidays with Wine and Habitat for Humanity... Hello everyone, We have now raised over $80,000 in pledges and paid donations and money is still coming in!!!  This came from nearly 200 separate donors. You may remember our target was to raise $71,000 to match my age of 71 by riding my bicycle across the country.  Thanks to all of you who supported the Habitat Cycle of Hope ride to help those less fortunate purchase good housing.  Your financial support as well as ongoing encouragement and other assistance was very important.  I want to especially thank my wife Barbara who was with me all the way providing help morning, noon and night.  Or as my oldest son said to me,  Dad you owe mom big time! The trip was a great adventure in many ways for both of us.  We were able to experience the diversity of people and geography of our great nation.  Also we were able to visit Habitat for Humanity affiliates in nine different locations across the country.  They are doing a great job of providing housing to those in need in a very cost effective manner.  As a donor you should feel good that your funds are very effectively utilized.  We had a Thank You celebration at our house this past Sunday afternoon and had a great group of people attend.  Everyone had the opportunity to experience the bike grub and drink that I had during my ride.  I did notice that a great deal was left over after the guests left.   Guess everyone did not really fully appreciate it! In addition we served Humanitas Wines. (www.humanitaswines.com)  The wine was consumed much more than the other food and drink!  I am sure you have seen the Humanitas logo and URL on the home page of this website.  I hope that you will click on it and read the Humanitas story.  Their wine is very good value and 20% of the money spent to purchase the wine goes to Charity.  You can order wine or gift baskets with wine for yourself, individual gifts and corporate gifts or join the Wine Club for ongoing wine/contributions!! There is still plenty of time to order in time for the Holidays.  When you order please use the promotional code of HFHEastBay so Habitat East Bay receives the 20% donation through Cycle of Hope. Barbara and I will be purchasing more.  Also look at the wine club section on the Humanitas website.  It offers good value on an ongoing basis. At the Thank You celebration we had a quiz for everyone.  The questions are below and I will publish the answers on this website in two days.  Stuart Alsop was the winner of the quiz with the most correct answers or almost correct answers.  But it should be noted that he accessed this website on his cell phone to get some answers.  Good idea Stuart. Your prize will be in the mail shortly!!  Look for it. November 28, 2008 at 05:39 PM | 20 comments | 24 views | 1 mobile views | We Are Having a Party To Thank All Those Who Have Supported Our Habitat Cycle of Hope Ride! When:   Sunday December 7th, 2008 (3pm-5pm) Where:   Our Home (3374 McGraw Lane, Lafayette CA 94549) What:   Come and enjoy "bike grub" tails of trails, a trip quiz and meet our sponsors and other supporters.  Humanitas Wines will also be served.   Twenty percent of their revenues goes to charity.  www.humanitaswines.com RSVP:   Yes, No, Maybe, please respond to this post or email Barb directly at kesbarbfrick@comcast.net We are looking forward to thanking all of you in person. www.habitatcycleofhope.com November 16, 2008 at 08:41 AM | 30 comments | 20 views | 0 mobile views | Finished! Total Raised.....$78,000!!!! Hurrah!!  We made it the entire 3300 miles and had an incredible celebration in St. Augustine!  Thanks a ton to the St. Augustine Habitat as they were incredible hosts organizing a 5 mile group ride along with a celebration on the beach. We exceeded my goal of $71,000 by raising a total of $78,000 (and counting)!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that donated to this cause! I am pretty worn out today and will be posting one more blog in the coming days summarizing this entire experience.  Please see "Photos" for a ton of great pictures from yesterday's event.  And again....Thank you for all your support! November 14, 2008 at 04:40 PM | 16 comments | 24 views | 0 mobile views | Day 69....I Made It and am featured in the St. Augustine Paper! Day 69 - Nov. 14th I am in St. Augustine and am getting ready for my final 5 mile ceremonial ride through St. Augustine tomorrow starting at 10am!  See the following article that came out in the paper today as I have been told the St. Augustine Habitat office has been receiving calls all day about people that are coming out to join in the celebration!  Also...tomorrow we will have the final tally on fund raising and will have one final blog to update everyone on our success! ARTICLE:  http://staugustine.com/stories/111408/religion_1114_062.shtml Thursday my ride was short of only 30 miles as we made it the entire 3200 miles and am very excited!  We celebrated by having a couple of beers and going to bed early.  On Friday we visited the St. Augustine Habitat main office along with a tour of several homes under contruction (pictures to be posted soon).  My last miles yesterday consisted of mostly agricultural land of cabbage and red potatoes.  Also there is a lot of swampy, deep forest areas which remind me of a jungle.  The ride was pleasant as we took our time to enjoy the final day of real riding.  We rode through Molasses Junction which had only one building...but a great story behind it.  In the early 1850's sailing ships brought molasses up the St. John's River to port nearby.  Then the molasses was transported along a rode for about 14 miles eastward to St. Augustine by mules and horses.  Later a rail track of wooden rails with brass over the top was built to speed this process.  The cars were also pulled my mules and horses.  During the Civil War the Confederate soldiers tore up the tracks to salvage the brass for weapons.  Also, as the story goes, there was a breakdown of wagons at this buildings location and it has been named Molasses Junction ever since.  The picture below is of me and the owner and staff. November 12, 2008 at 09:34 PM | 0 comments | 23 views | 0 mobile views | Day 68....Sooooo Close! Day 68 - Nov. 12th I rode 40 miles today and Tom joined me for part of those miles.  You can see Tom is smarter then I when it comes to riding these distances.  Also, see the below picture as I got caught in the rain and the bridge I was to cross got washed out.  I had to laugh when Barbara took this picture as I was soaking wet.  Barbara was actually smarter then both Tom and I as she did not ride at all today in the wet weather.  At this point of the ride I think I am realizing that I must have a loose nut in my head for doing this entire ride.  But riding in the rain with washed out bridges and detours I guess is all part of the adventure.   We are now nearing St. Augustine as I will ride tomorrow and Friday will be a day to finalize everything as I ride through St. Augustine (with my police escort) on Saturday!! We are now less then $2,000 from hitting my goal of $71,000 and I have to say thank you to everyone for really assisting on this great cause.  Over the last couple of days we have received donations from people I do not know....but they obviously know a great cause like Habitat!  Also, thank you to the Sponsors (listed under Sponsors above) for your donations as well! Yesterday's Quiz:  How many revolutions will my front tire make on this trip from San Diego to St. Augustine? Answer: 2,391,507.43 (Approx.)  Think I had some time to think while riding across the country? November 11, 2008 at 11:20 AM | 10 comments | 18 views | 1 mobile views | Bob Says.... Whine No....Wine Yes!! A Special Message From Team Bob - As Bob is closing in on his finish in St. Augustine Florida this Saturday Nov. 15th we are getting very close to our $71,000 goal of Bob's age of 71 years old.  We do understand that these are difficult economic times which does make it a little harder to raise funds.  But please note....Habitat for Humanity has built over 1 million homes World Wide!  Habitat is a 4 star charity and runs on an approximate 9-10% overhead which means for every $1 given, 90 cents goes to the building of a new home.  This incredible accomplishment is done because of Habitat's dedicated volunteer base.  As most of us know, home ownership is one of the more satisfying things in life, especially when it is your first home!  With Habitat's assistance of selling new homes at a low cost and low interest rate, it makes it possible for not only a working family to own a home, but to create a new safe neighborhood of responsible and dedicated homeowners.  Plus....Habitat is now working on providing Scholarships to those children who have grown up in Habitat Homes!! Again, we have worked out a special deal with Humanitas Wine Vineyards, which has put together a special 6 bottle "Cycle of Hope Package" (click on link on homepage).  With a retail price of $139.00, they are selling it at $100 with $20 going to Cycle of Hope.  With the upcoming Holiday's approaching, please consider celebrating with a Humanitas Wine and know that you are also assisting a great cause!  We are $6000 short of our $71,000 goal and every dollar counts.  (Spread the Word to family, employees, customers etc...!) Now... Team Bob as kept the following picture under wraps for a special occasion as we wanted to prove that Bob Frick will do ANYTHING to bring fun and excitement to this Cycle of Hope Habitat EB cause!!  Bob and Barbara have done an incredible job getting 3300 miles across this country and as someone that has fought Pancreatic Cancer and two Hip Replacements.....it goes to show Bob loves life and assisting those in need.  Enjoy this picture below along with others under "Photo's"  (p.s. - that is a mannequin) November 11, 2008 at 11:01 AM | 0 comments | 14 views | 1 mobile views | Day 67 (Florida is a great place to ride) Days 67 - Nov. 11th I rode 60 miles today as Tom my riding partner is getting use to the mileage and Barbara put some miles in today as well.  This is the flattest place I have ever been!  I am told the highest elevation is 300ft which is much different then the California, Arizona parts of my ride.  There is no doubt in my mind that Florida wins the price for best place to bike as it is smooth, flat, no headwinds and great weather and scenery.   Along the route I met Tom Martin who is a ranch hand working the Flying Heart Ranch who was digging post holes when we spoke.  We chatted about Habitat for a while along with his work in general.  Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out some money to donate to Cycle of Hope!  I thought this was a great indication of what kind of person Tom was along with what Habitat represents.  The American people have been great as I have passed across this country.  People like Tom and everyone else who have contributed to this cause to all be proud to live in this great country!! We are now 130 miles from St. Augustine and have raised $65,000 of the $71,000 goal!  We are getting close to achieving this goal and I am hopeful I do not have to turn around in St. Augustine and continue back to California until I hit my goal.  We are really trying to achieve this goal by Saturday Nov. 15th as we will have a police escort through St. Augustine finishing the Cycle of Hope Journey.  If you know anyone that would want to contribute, please forward them this website as they can donate directly or click on the Humanitas Wine link and $20 of that purchase will go to Cycle of Hope! New Quiz Question:  How many revolutions of my front wheel will there be to travel from San Diego to St. Augustine?  Answer tomorrow. November 10, 2008 at 02:01 PM | 0 comments | 18 views | 0 mobile views | Thank you Sutter Health (Sponsor) Thank you to Sutter Health for supporting the Cycle of Hope bike back when I first had this idea.  Your support goes a long way to assisting those in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties of California.  We also welcome any Sutter Health employee's to come out for a volunteer build day as anyone can register to volunteer at www.habitateb.org. Thank you again for all your support!! November 9, 2008 at 10:38 PM | 0 comments | 15 views | 0 mobile views | Day 66 (Barbara rides today!) Day 66 - Nov. 9th I rode about 70 miles today on flat, smooth, low traffic roads with great weather ending up near Live Oaks, Florida.  The roads are beautiful as they are lined with mossy oak trees.  Tom, my riding partner to the finish rode about 50 miles today and even Barbara got into the act doing 15 miles herself!!  We are now 190 miles from St. Augustine and plan on getting there sometime Thursday unless it rains or something.  Below are two pictures, one of Tom and I at the entrance of the Suwannee River State Park and the other is a picture of myself and Kevin Holton who we met at the entrance.  His father has worked as a Habitat volunteer and he asked to donate to our ride!!  Thanks to Tom and everyone that has given to Habitat Cycle of Hope. P.S. - Wine, Wine, Wine - Click on the Humanitas Wine link on our Homepage and get 6 bottles of wine for $100 ($140 value) and $20 goes to Cycle of Hope!!  I expect Monday to be another great day of riding as I am getting excited to see the Atlantic Ocean. November 9, 2008 at 07:51 PM | 5 comments | 26 views | 1 mobile views | Days 64 & 65 (Tallahassee Habitat Visit!) Days 64 & 65 - Nov. 7th & 8th I rested on Friday as I got here a day early for my visit...so it gave me a chance to catch up on my computer work.  On Nov. 8th I got the opportunity to visit the Tallahassee Florida Habitat where they must of had 50 volunteers from Florida State University and TCC students working on several houses at the same time.  There were also 6 Board Members in attendance as well.  Also, we got the opportunity to meet 3 new, or potential home owners who were very excited about their new houses.  One home was only a couple of weeks from completion as the final work was currently being done.  Great Work!!  The college students spend 12 weeks volunteering on Saturday's and "Blitz" days to complete a house from start to finish.  I was really impressed with the large group of students, especially considering it was a home football game day for FSU.  At this build site location there were to be 28 Habitat homes of which 21 have been either completed or started construction.  The Tallahassee Habitat affiliate builds appox. 12 to 15 homes per year!  Congratulations Tallahassee Habitat for all your great work!!  Below is a picture of us standing in front of the future home of Beverly King. As mentioned in by earlier blog (click "blog" at the top of the page to see all blogs) my friend Tom Krakow has joined me in the final 300 miles of riding to our final and big arrival in St. Augustine.  Tom is a smart man as he has joined me for the flattest part of this trip!  Also, just a small note about Tallahassee Florida, it is considered the "Deep South" or "The Other Florida" as it is so much different then the neon amusement parks, beaches, retirement communities etc. that we often associate Florida with in general.  Tallahassee is a large college town along with being the Capital of Florida with a population of appox. 250,000 to 300,000 people.  (Below is a picture of Tom Krakow, Barbara and Exe. Dir. Tyler Turkle) click to view all blog entries...