After almost 4,000 miles, one of my favorite parts has been cycling down mountains. I’ve always loved the thrill, but after cycling down many mountains, the thrill was almost gone—until we entered cowboy country. I’m talking about real cowboys, so there were also real cows, which made cycling down a mountain feel new again.

Normally, I use my brakes less than most when going down a mountain, but this time, I used them a lot. That was from cars that were stopped, cows that were walking, and cows were dropping stuff you don’t want to cycle through. Stopping more also gave me a chance to take some pictures of the cars, cows, and cowboys.

I admit that cycling up mountains has been harder than expected. In the eastern US, the roads are so steep that they’re hard to walk up. Roads in the west aren’t as steep, but the climbs can last for dozens of miles. And in both places, there have been headwinds, hours sun with no shade, bugs, or all. And I recently learned that my bike and gear weigh about 105 pounds. I absolutely admit that there have been moments when cycling up made me look forward to finishing this trip, to getting back to “normal life.”

I’ll enjoy life off my bike, away from sore legs, a very sore bum, steep climbs, intense sun, and all the rest. But surprises like cows going down a mountain road will get me back on bike for another long ride, soon enough. And honestly, having cancer makes me appreciate those surprises even more. Even better, my doctors have told me that enjoying life really does keep cancer down. I plan on doing that, appreciating each day, and living for a very long time.

My doctors also tell me that we’re very close to keeping prostate cancer down forever, maybe even curing it. To do that, I need your help. Please consider making a donation to cancer research, which is part of my ride across the US.

You can help by making a donation to cancer research.