24 hours of Booty

The 24 Hours of Booty is a cycling event that raises money for Lance Armstrongs' Livestrong Foundation.  In 2011 the Charlotte area is celebrating its 9th year of hosting a Booty ride and will also be raising money for the Levine Cancer Institute.  Plans this year are for there to be 1,200 riders and to raise more than $1 millon for cancer research.

The event is set up for participants to raise a minimum of $240 in order to participate in the event.  Once they have raised this amount of money riders can participate in the Booty ride in one of two ways.  First they can ride the 24 Hours of Booty and ride continuously for 24 hours, or they can participate in a shorter version called the reboot.  Participants than ride as many miles as possible for the given amount of time.

The route for the 24 Hours of Booty runs 2.97 miles through the historic neighborhood of Myer's Park, south of Uptown Charlotte.  This neighborhood is near Freedom Park and the stylish Dilworth neighborhood.  There are many old house's and some of the biggest trees in Mecklenburg County.  Bootyville, the center of the festivities, is situated on the campus of Queens University.  Some riders set up tents and sleep in between rides while others just take short breaks and keep pedaling right on through to the end.



Three of my friends and coworkers at REI rode in the event.  Ann Smith and Cliff Stoner both did the reboot and rode more than 60 miles each.  Ben Malmquist rode the whole 24 Hours of Booty and finished with 250 miles.  Wow!  Good job guys.

Every year this event is held the last weekend of July and raises lots of money for a great cause.  Keep it in mind next Summer if you are looking for a cycling challenge.  

Congratulations to my friends on team REI.

Don't forget to check out the Blue Ridge Bandit Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Ridge-Bandit/190721607643691?sk=wall

There are many more photos of all the places I have written about and links to other cool blogs you might also enjoy reading.

Below are some websites that can give you more information about the 24 Hours of Booty in Charlotte, NC and the groups the event supports.

http://www.24hoursofbooty.org/site/PageServer
http://www.carolinasmedicalcenter.org/blank.cfm?id=2437&fr=true
http://www.livestrong.org/
http://leonlevinefoundation.org/aboutus.html

Freedom Park

Freedom Park is one of the favorite places for my wife and I to visit in all of Charlotte.  The park is located right in between the historic neighborhoods of Dilworth and Myers Park.  It is 7 acres and has 3 miles of trails.


It is located just minutes south of Uptown Charlotte.  The main entrance is off East Boulevard.  Near this entrance are tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, and a few sand volleyball pits.  Many groups meet here for pick-up games nearly everyday.  Last Summer I met some of the Carolina Panthers players here at an event called Panthers in the Park.


After this area is a large playground area that is perfect for children.  It is complete with a replica of a train for them to climb on and lots of swings.  Next is a small bridge that enters the area that is a huge circle around a very large pond.  The pond includes fountains and a bridge to an island.  This island includes a stage for an amphitheatre.  Across the water there are several rows of seats and a hill with places to sit on a blanket and have a picnic.  Every fall they celebrate Festival in the Park here with many local artists performing.



The park also includes the Charlotte Nature Museum.  This is a museum that specializes in the animals and plants native to the Piedmont area of North Carolina.  The museum hosts interpretive programs.  It is a great place for children to visit and learn more about the plants native to the area they live.

The best part of this park is the opportunity to take amazing pictures.  I have seen numerous couples here to take their engagement photos.  There are always geese in the pond that add great to the backgrounds of photos.  The plants around the pond seem to always be in bloom.  It is the perfect place to take that perfect picture.

My first two posts have been about pretty chill places.  Both of these places are as good for going on a first date as they are to go for a good workout.  I will be delving in to some more extreme places in the future.  I promise.


For more information about this park go to the following websites:

www.charmeck.org
http://www.festivalinthepark.org/