August 13th - 17th

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

What's your favorite photo?

Tell us your favorite photo in our Photo Gallery. Leave your name, the name of the photo, the name of the album you found the photo in, and what you liked about it.

What's your favorite video?

Tell us your favorite of all the videos in our video player. Tell us what you liked about the video, your name, and the name of the video.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Still going and going...

The unicycling is done, but the pain and joy Ben, Bob and Jason feel is still there. Even though the riding is accomplished the event goes on. There will be around 10 performances at the Houghton County Fair later this week. So come out to support these guys and who they represent, David and Dustin. See you at the Fair!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

It Is Finished

After five days and 100 miles Ben, Bob and Jason completed their journey to Marquette. They crossed the finish line at 2:10 pm on Sunday August 17, 2008. There were around a hundred people there in support of their accomplishment. Dustin was able to be at the event, while David has been battling for his life in Ann Arbor. You can see updates in his blog located in the "More Information" section of the website. Ben, Bob and Jason raised over $11,000 but they aren't done yet. You can see them perform this coming weekend at the Houghton County Fair, more information on times to follow.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Double Header

Today we'll be stopping for 2 juggling shows in Ishpeming. The first will be at 11:00 AM at the Country Village Bookstore, and the second will be at the Jasper Ridge restraunt at 7:00 PM. See you out there!

Final Destination

We now have the word about the unicyclers final destination and time! Jason, Ben and Bob will roll past the city limits about 1:30 PM Sunday August 17th. Then they'll be at the Lower Harbor Park by around 2:00 PM Sunday August 17th.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Top 10 Moments from the Road

#10... The Wildlife on Day 1... We almost hit a deer as it tried crossing the highway outside of Chassell... and at the end of the day we were circled by a big bald eagle that settled into a nearby tree as we celebrated the end of a successful first day #9... The food... It all started with a roadside box marked "for the unicyclists" that was filled with bananas and water bottles... a few minutes later a guy named Rich stopped us on the road and gave us some polish sausages and an amazing blueberry cobbler... and of course, the Baraga Drive-In... the taste of homemade root beer after 24 miles of unicycling is beyond words... and finally, the L'anse Eagles made us a smorgasbord of hot dogs, baked beans, and desserts... all in all, we've been eating well! #8 Becca and Nikki... a legendary support crew... more than a big deal... swimming on Thursday night was fun, fun, fun... #7 Friday was Spandex Day which means we wore our super-tight spandex and our super-tight jerseys and nothing more... we think this allowed us to cut through the wind with little to no resistance and achieve our big 30-mile-day! I'm sure this also helped bring in some donations from all the ladies who passed us along the way... In addition, the short shorts also revealed what we like to call the "ham and turkey tan lines" that we've developed on the thighs (see pictures if you really want) #6 On Thursday, we did a morning juggling show for some Baraga Elementary School and it was tons of fun... we heard one of the best laughs ever from a young man named Ethan... #5 Unicycle Maintenance... apparently when you unicycle over 20 miles a day your pedals start falling off, your tires pop or just wear out, screws become stripped, and your shoes start busting at the seams... #4 The Baraga Drive-In... there were many special moments from Wednesday night... but some of our faves were Bruce Rundman's rendition of "500 Miles" by the Proclaimers, Maxx riding on Bob's back as he unicycled around the lot, seeing everyone wearing the yellow support shirts, learning how to make cotton candy, and of course... the root beer! #3 Bernie Gooch... this one is an inside joke and we apologize if you don't find it funny... it has something to do with saddle sore and a full explanation of this topic would not be suitable for this family-friendly blog... to put in words that everyone will understand... our butt-areas are incredibly tender, raw, and sore #2 Honks and Waves... the machine gun honk, the long honk, the barely-audible honk, the big truck honk, the quick honk-honk, the long honk-honk, police car honks, the motorcycle honks, honk medleys... we love them all... thumbs-up, peace signs, fist pumps, waves, points, head nods, yells, the a-ok sign, the hook'em horns... we also love those... we especially love combinations of all those actions... thank you to all our roadside supporters #1 On Friday afternoon, we found out that more than $10,000 has been raised for Dustin and David... definitely the number one moment of the journey... these boys have inspired us so much and we are thoroughly enjoying doing this "for the boys!"

Hello Marquette!

Today the unicyclers passed into Marquette County. We'll be rolling into town sometime Sunday early afternoon. Thanks for all your support Houghton! We're very grateful to all of the support you have given us, and all of the support you continue to give us. Hello Marquette! We're really excited to see you! We'll be doing 2 demonstrations tomorrow (Saturday) and we can't wait. We'll get the exact times and places posted soon. We've seen a lot of cars honk and wave to the guys as they pass. Thanks for the warm reception!

Going... Going... Going...

The Unicyclers have put in a good 25 miles today but are going out for another 5 miles. When they come back (around 8:15) they'll post to the blog. It sounds like David is still having a hard time in Ann Arbor, please continue to pray for him and Dustin.

Dark Side of the Moon

The boys have reached the spot between L'anse and Koski Corners where they must feel really alone. They face long straight aways and no cell phone coverage. Tonight when they stop they will have a long car ride to Ishpeming where they will be staying. We look forward to hearing from them tonight.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Day 2, Check

Jason, Bob, and Ben had great ride apart from a flat tire and other wearing ones. They rode 22 miles for a total of 46 miles. That means they're almost halfway there. They finished up just east of Covington Junction. At 7 PM they did a nice show for an audience at the L'anse Eagles Club. Tomorrow, they'll be riding straight, not stopping for any shows, so they expect to put some good miles on tomorrow. Keep praying for David, Dustin and all of us. Thanks

Good News

Great News! We just got the update from David Gockenbach's Caringbridge Journal that they have identified a problem that has been complicating his recovery. It is a lot easier to treat than the other possible causes were. See more Here This is such a blessing. Thanks for all of your prayers and effort.

More Juggling On The Way

We've updated the website thanks to the people at the Pizza Shack in L'anse, and Best Western Lakeside Inn in Baraga. Ben, Jason and Bob will be doing another juggling demonstration at the L'anse Eagles Club in L'anse. It's scheduled for about 7:00 PM Thursday 8-14. We'll see you out there!

Day 2

Hey Everyone,

We're back on the saddle... day 2... and our goal is 30 miles for the day.  We all feel pretty good so far.  I (Bob) lost a pedal yesterday and we are all literally pedaling holes in our shoes... but our spirits are soaring thanks to the support we've been receiving from all of you. Thanks for all the help!  Our thoughts and prayers are with David and Dustin and we'll keep you updated as much as we can.  Peace...

Bob, Jason, and Ben

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Huge Turnout for Baraga Drive-In

We had a huge turnout here in Baraga, The unicyclers juggled for us and the Altar Boys played. People were very generous. Tomorrow the unicyclers will be hitting the road at about 9:00 PM. Thanks

At The Drive-In

Ben, Bob and Jason have arrived in Baraga, If riding 100 miles on a unicycle isn't hard enough, they'll be doing a juggling demonstration at the Drive-In right off of highway 41 in Baraga. See you there!

on the road

Hey All... Jason, Bob, and Ben here... we are 17 miles into the ride and we just ate a delicious lunch courtesy of Jason's cousin Kendra and her neighbor Rich Jensen (who provided some amazing blueberyy cobbler). We are going at a good pace and the support along the road has been fabulous (honks, waves, thumbs-up, bananas, etc.). We are really pumped about the Baraga Drive-In event tonight. The Altar Boys are a great party band and we'll provide some juggling entertainment. We're hovering right around $7,000 for the boys and we hope that number keeps rising. Thank you everyone for the support... we've got to get back on the saddle.

Warm Reception in Chassell

We just got the word that the reception in Chassell was great. People were handing the unicyclers donations through their car windows. Thank you for your awesome support! We'll post again soon.

Great Kickoff

We had an excellent kickoff this morning. The car wash and bake sale have been fairly busy also. Jason, Bob, and Ben did a few laps in the parking lot on their unicycles. A quick thank you to supporters, and a bible reading/prayer preceded the police escorted departure. Down US 41 towards Chassell. We're working on a video that should be up shortly.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Mine Shaft Fun

We had a great time at the Mine Shaft this evening riding go-karts, mini-golfing, and watching Jason, Bob, and Ben Juggle. You can see photos here

Ready To Roll

We now have a built-in Video Player on which you can see snippets from all of our events. The Unicyclers are ready to roll: They will depart from Evangel Baptist Church on their 100-mile one-wheeled trek at 9:00 AM tomorrow (Wednesday the 13th). We'll have a video online by the end of the day. You can check the Video Player for new videos. Please continue to keep the Unicylers, David, and Dustin in your prayers. Thank you for all of your support and contribution.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Coming Video Player

Soon to come... Tuesday Evening, we hope to be unveiling our new Video Player. If you can't make it to the events, or just want to see something again, just check out our Video player. We will be changing the "See our Photos" link on the navigation bar to "Photos/Video" You'll also be able to access it from there. -Robby

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Juggling Show at Rock House Mine Shaft

Juggling Show Scheduled
The Unicyclers will put on a juggling show around 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Tuesday evening at the Rock House & Mine Shaft Bowling Alley in Houghton. Come and see what they can do.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Website Ideas

Hi,

Thanks again for all of your support. If you have an Idea for making the website better, or if you run into a problem, please let us know.

Click Here to report a problem, or submit an idea

-Robby Emmert-

"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." Acts 6:31

Friday, August 8, 2008

Guest Book

Guest Book

Thank You for visiting our site and for your support. Cheer on Dustin, David, and the Unicyclers. Click Here to sign the Guest Book

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Welcome

Welcome, This is where you'll be able to find updates, photos & videos of Jason, Bob & Ben's 100 mile unicycle ride Please check out our website www.100milesfor2bigsmiles.com where you can find out more about Miles for Smiles and the kids it is benefiting. Be sure to check back soon. We only have 6 more days to go before the ride when we'll be updating this blog all the time with new videos of juggling shows and demonstrations we'll be doing along the way. Please consider making a donation of any size to help ease the burden of travel and medical bills on David and Dustin's Families -100 Miles for 2 Big Smiles