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Thank you, Pat. It's hard to believe that six years have gone by since that Springfield banquet. For almost a year prior, we had managed to keep the launch of the magazine a closely held secret, even to the point of sneaking that giant poster you mentioned into the banquet. Even David didn't know. We had simply asked him for 10 minutes of microphone time during the event. As some of you are aware, due to overwhelming demands on my time I subsequently relinguished my ownership role, but my allegiance remains unchanged. As for the success of American Road, it is due entirely to the efforts of Thomas and Becky, who have nurtured this baby 24-7 since birth. Our goal from the beginning was to have a first-class publication, and thanks to the talents of these two, it just keeps getting better. Part of that success, of course, is the fabulous job that you and Jennifer do with the forum. Attached is a photo of Thomas with me at my booth in Springfield. Happy Birthday, AR! Jim Ross

Greetings All, I have been in regular contact with both Michelle and her friend Alison, who keeps Michelle's web site updated. Michelle is currently somewhere near Grants, NM, pedaling onward toward her destination in California. She was held up 3 days in Tucumcari due to a winter storm and, despite flat tires and other bike problems, she has now conquered Albuquerque's Nine-Mile Hill and is moving on. Luckily, she has had some help along the way at crucial points, including a very kind lady at Bowlin's Flying C Ranch, who put her up for the night when Michelle's only option was to try for Clines Corner at night with the temperature in the teens and dropping. A couple of days ago, she was interviewed on an Albuquerque television newscast. You can see the segment by clicking on the link at Michelle's homepage (www.route2outsmartcancer.com). I'll try to pass along more updates as time goes by. Regards, Jim R.

Greetings, Everyone, For those not familiar the the Route 66 odyssey of Michelle Thompson, I thought I would brief you on her story. Michelle is a 35 year-old Chicagoan who has taken leave of her consulting business, turned her apartment and her dog over to a house sitter, and has hit the road on a bycicle journey to go stay with her brother in the L.A. area, who has been suffering from oral cancer for the past two years. Tired of feeling helpless, she finally decided to take action, so she set up a little web site, got some advice on cycling, which she had never done, then bought a bike and pedaled out to Route 66 on October 21st. Her goal is to reach L.A. by Christmas while raising both awareness and some money for her brother's illness along the way. People on the route have been helping where and when they can. Michelle has only a cell phone, which oftentimes goes dead when she has to camp out and cannot re-charge. Now facing cold temperatures and potential winter weather, she is presently (after 4 weeks on the road) in Amarillo, near the midpoint of the route. Luckily, she has good mapping and has been getting technical supprort from me and others via her daily phone contact with her friend Alsion in Chicago. Please take a second to visit her web site: www.route2outsmartcancer.com and do whatever you can to help her along, either with a donation or by connecting her to anyone you know that she could rely on for help. I will try to post updates as things move along. Thanks. Jim Ross