7/19 ~ Jamestown Sun

1995 USAIDS 5,000
(20th Anniversary Pictorial Tour)
Post #41: 
Previously, I stated that it had been about 10 days since Carl Lebman went home on emergency, yet I posted a pic from Jamestown, ND, only a few days from Minneapolis. Fortunately, the story holds up, seeing the date of this article in Jamestown Sun. I got into Jamestown on Friday night, 7/22, and we headed out, after Carl's return, on 7/24. (More story attached to each picture.)

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Picture #084

So, why the gaps in dates? Keep in mind, that without Carl Lebman following me and able to support me on the road, I had little time for things like pictures. Most days were brutal, bicycling against the wind, through horrid heat and wicked storms. To say that I was "weathered" was an understatement. But now that Carl was back, we took a day to enjoy Jamestown. Since so many of the days seemed to run together, (especially biking in the Northwest, without much population and/or media), it is news articles like this, that help me pull the story together, twenty years later. On July 21st, 23rd and 25th, I will instead post several pics from our day off in Jamestown, where we had an awful lot of fun. (Article courtesy of Jamestown Sun, July 25, 1995)

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Picture #085

How is that for a headline? Let's hold nothing back, except that I was actually gay. But, since I was married to a lady at the time, I kept my mouth shut about that, to protect the innocent partners. Still, I'm thankful that quotes were accurate and truthful, and now that my support was back, I had someone to rally out the media for me. So, Carl Lebman gets credit for making the news. BTW, the Sept 8th ticker-tape parade didn't happen. It's complicated, lol, but we couldn't make it back in time. Instead, we accepted an October event at Children's Hospital of Buffalo, to make a return appearance. Those pictures will be included, toward the end of these posts.  Other clarifications include 1) We were "introduced" to the NY State Assembly, not addressing it and 2) we were indeed interviewed on Today Show, but not as a guest.  It was a rope-line interview with Al Roker. But, hey, if the newspaper say it, it must be true, right? (Article courtesy of Jamestown Sun, July 25, 1995)