The Adventures of Sam the Y.A.M.

My friend Mark Dean did the Ironman Arizona 2011

2012-01-22T23:39:00.000-08:00

2012-01-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

Jordan and I at the Tour de Tucson Finish Line

2012-01-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

Tour de Safford

2011-10-17T01:32:00.000-07:00

Jordan and I will be riding the Tour de Safford on October 29, 2011. It will be the 33 mile segment. I am excited to be with Jordan!

I'm a Mormon!

2011-09-27T23:17:00.001-07:00

In Tucson, Az

2011-09-04T01:28:00.000-07:00

We are in Tucson Az for Labor Day weekend spending it with McKelle, Casey, Brigden and Kyler. Oh what a great little family they are.

Tucson seems to be a great place. McKelle, Jordan, and I took a cycling excursion. There is a great bike path here and Tucson is a bike friendly city.

We drove up Mt.Lemmon to Summerhaven. What a beautiful place. We went on a nice hike. Brigden is quite the hiker.

"Oh yes, they call him the streaker!"

2011-07-26T02:25:00.000-07:00

Kyler James Heap: Blessing Day

2011-07-26T02:23:00.000-07:00

Fun times with Kyler James Heap, our new grandson

2011-07-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Braden and Colby's "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" Cake

2011-07-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Over 1200 Cycling Miles!

2011-07-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Since I bought my bike in March I have logged over 1200 miles, averaging 350 miles per month. I am grateful that I can do this and am grateful for my friends I ride with. You all keep me pedaling and I thank you!

POP's Ride Cake / McKelle & Riley's Cake

2011-07-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

I Love This Little Family!

2011-06-28T01:33:00.000-07:00

Our New Grandson Kyler James Heap

2011-06-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

POPS Ride Pictures

2011-06-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

POPS Ride Pictures

2011-06-28T01:15:00.001-07:00

The Third Day: Miami to Phoenix

2011-06-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Miami and checked in to the hotel. Kyle Crump and I shared a room. We had a great dinner that night and a fun group get together where some instructions were given for the next day and then some sentimental thoughts were shared. What a great group of people to be with.

That morning we headed out. I chose not to ride up the big hill out of Miami and would ride in the SAG wagon to save energy. It was great fun to be with Mona and Susan. They are friends of Shane's and they were there to cook and drive. Mona had been with them for three weeks and Susan had just drove out from Phoenix.

We parked at the top of the hill and waited for them to come up. Mona and I did the electric slide on the side of the road. Quite a sight!

Jordan DeJong, Keith and Fawna Knight's son in law, joined us that morning. He is a cyclist and is very strong. A great addition to the ride. Thanks Jordan for joining us.

Also Justin Haines from Phoenix, a friend of Shannon and Shane, joined us as well. He is a great cyclist and fun to have with us. I hope to get to know him better.

I was finally able to start riding just before the tunnel by Superior. What a great rush it was going down the mountain. All of a sudden Kyle Worley and Justin Haines came zooming by me. They were going really fast. Be careful Spot!

We had a great ride into East Mesa. Eventually Kyle Crump and I got back into the SAG truck to preserve energy. It was fun to cheer on the guys and see them altogether. We meanandered across the valley and eventually ended up at the Tempe Town Shopping Center where we had lunch. I rode occassionally.

We then prepared for the last part of the ride to the Vibe bike shop at 27th Ave and Carefree Hwy. I was able to ride this last leg very well and came in with great strength. Thank you Casey for making sure that I drank and encouraged me all along the way.

I Guess I Better Get this Blog up to date!

2011-06-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Eastern Arizona Courier

2011-06-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

Eastern Arizona Courier

The Second Day: Thatcher to Miami

2011-05-31T04:19:00.000-07:00

After the great greeting that we had in Thatcher the night before, we had proceeded to the home of Luke and Tiona Hoopes, good friends who used to live in our ward in Peoria. I had previously arranged to have us stay there, get our showers, and have our dinner and breakfast. Well, no doubt about it, they really pulled through for us and was very accommodating. We had a great meal from his mother's restaurant, and had a little time to visit. Bedtime came fairly early for all.

That morning we had a great meal again of breakfast burritos. Thank you Luke and Tiona for making this such a special stop off.

After breakfast, the rest of the group went back to the place that we had ended the day before so that they could begin there, and then they made a stopoff at Safeway, where water was being donated. Shane Stutzman works for Safeway and they were a big supporter.

Kyle Crump and I waited down closer towards the Hoopes and across from the hotel where Leisa had stayed. One special experience I had there..... I had an aluminum can in my hand that I had finished drinking it's contents, and the thought came into my mind about Tina Roose, our owner operator payroll manager, whose children had crushed enough aluminum cans to exchange them for $100.00 which they turned over to Rally For PoP's. I will always have a special feeling regarding her children and their thoughtfullness to do this.

We left Thatcher and headed west. The terrain at first was flat with low hills. My legs were not quite working yet but doing fairly well. The group pretty well got ahead of me, which was fine, as I did not want to hold them up in anyway. I made a stop across the highway from the Gila Valley Temple and asked Shannon if he would take a picture of me with the temple in the background. He gladly obliged. We proceeded on. Shannon chose to lag behind and ride with me. I am so grateful to him that he did that for me. It was like a big dose of dopamine. I could move, and then we started to ride. Shannon is a great cyclist. He is easy to talk to and I really enjoy being around him.

After so many miles I got into the support vehicle for some resting. Ed and Mona were the people in the van. They are both very fun and treated me great. Thank you Ed and Mona!

At a certain point of the road they were putting a new surface on it.

The First Day Ride: Border to Thatcher

2011-05-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

The ride from the border to Thatcher started out with the first leg being a 20 mile winding road uphill and downhill. We had a great time being together. I felt great!

We arrived at 3 Way Arizona and I knew what was ahead of us. Just a couple weeks earlier Jordan and I had come out to that point and I successfully made the 7.8 mile hill. This time was different. I didn't have the energy I needed. Shane was with me and he told me to just take it slow and steady but at any time if I felt I needed to stop and take a break I could, and if need be even get in the SAG Wagon and not do the hill at all. It didn't take long for me to decide that the SAG Wagon was the better option. So we put my bike on top of it and then I rode with Ed and Mona, the SAG team that day. Mona is a hoot of fun and made it very fun for me.

At the top of the hill I was able to get back on my bike and we descended down to the Gila Valley. It was downhill, some flat, and windy.

We had a great welcoming crew to greet us!

The Border Reunion Was Sweet!

2011-05-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

We got there early enough to relax and get ready for them. Leisa and Jordan painted the sign on the sheet and we was able to put it right at the border signs. It was so great to see them come down the hill. They had been anticipating this as well and it was a real boost for all involved. In addition to myself, the other riders there were Casey Knight, Jake Knight, Kyle Crump, and Keith Barr. I had brought Casey, Jake, and Kyle, and Keith is a friend of Shane's from work. Keith is now a friend of ours!

They Are Getting Closer!

2011-05-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

Shane, Shannon,and Kyle, the amazing cyclists of POP's Ride,are in New Mexico and are on schedule for our Wednesday meet at Three Way, AZ. What an exciting day this will be!

My Rally For POP's! Jordan and I on a training ride in Eastern Arizona

2011-05-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

On May 11th, myself and great friends, Casey and Jake Knight, and Kyle Crump, will be meeting up with Shane and Shannon Stutzman, and Kyle Worley, the famous POP's Riders of www.popsride.com. We plan to meet them at Three Way, AZ, about 20 miles from the New Mexico border, and ride with them on into Phoenix, two and a half days of bicycling. They started their journey on April 10th in St. Augustine,FL, and will continue on to the finish in San Diego on May 21st. They have had an awesome journey and you can check out their blogs. I am so excited to meet up with them and start the ride. I am doing a fundraiser in conjunction with them to help them reach their goal of one million dollars for Parkinson's research. I am so grateful for the donations so far. Thank you everyone who has made a donation!

"A Sprint In The Park" Triathlon April 2011

2011-04-17T04:14:00.000-07:00

I love this picture and I love the men in it. Casey and Jake are powerful friends. They had finished the tri before I had completed the bike portion and they ran it again with me. It was awesome to have them there to give me the encouragement I needed, as well as water and great moral support. Thank you guys! I love you

Coming down the home stretch. What a great feeling it was to have my friends running with me. They gave me great strength and encouragement. Thank you Alex, Austin, Casey, Jake, and Kevin.

The "Amazing and Powerful" Kevin finishes his first triathlon. I was so grateful to have him there and to share this accomplishment with each other.

Crossing the finish line

"Ride POPS Ride" Cake

2011-04-03T21:08:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful young lady! Kamrie March 2011 LDS Prom

2011-03-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

"Rally For POP's"!

2011-03-03T00:57:00.000-08:00

I am making you aware of a project that I have become associated recently to. It is known as POP's, which is an acronym for Pedal Over Parkinson's, where three of my friends will be riding their bicycles coast to coast, Florida to San Diego, 3100 miles, to bring awareness to and raise 1 million dollars for Parkinson's Disease research to find a cure. Check out their website at www.popsride.com

Shane & Shannon Stutzman, with friend Kyle Worley, will be the main cyclers. Shane & Shannon's father, Jerry, was diagnosed with PD a few years ago and they are committed to doing what they can to help the cause of awareness and research. Another brother and sister, Kurt & Keri, will join up with them in Phoenix, and ride to finish at San Diego.

I, along with a few of my friends, will be meeting them at the New Mexico/Arizona border, to welcome them to their home state, give them a boost of encouragement, and then cycle with them to Phoenix. It indeed will be a challenge for me, but I am inspired by them and want to do all that I can to help their cause. They are ordinary men doing an extra ordinary feat. My hat is off to them and I wish them safety, protection, and strong legs to make this journey happen. My prayers will be with them as they take on this adventure.

Many of you know, and maybe many don't know, that just three years ago I was diagnosed with PD. It is something I never expected to have. It definitely changes a person's ability to daily function when you have a chronic illness that does not go away. It's like every move is felt. Never ever take your ability to move freely for granted. You never know when some type of health affliction, accident, or some other affliction will hinder or prevent your ability to do the simple things of life. Buttoning a button, tying a tie, typing this email, walking through your home, and many more challenges.

However, my goal is to keep moving. I have too! There is so much in life that I still need to do. Finish my career until retirement, spending quality time with my family, serving in the church, and all kinds of activities I want to be able to enjoy.

I try to be very active and involved in different activities. Just to tell you what I get involved with I will list a few:

Raising a family!

Working effectively at Knight Transportation, my employer of the last 21 years! I am so thankful for Knight!

Serving in the church! I would love to serve a mission with Leisa!

Enjoying hobbies such as gardening, hiking, cycling, cake decorating, raising chickens!

Serving my family, friends, church, and community!

I feel that I need to help the cause of the POP's team by putting together what I have dubbed "Rally for POP's!" In an effort to draw some attention to their cause, and help them raise their $1 million, I am trying to raise $25,000 for them. That's where I need to ask for your consideration to help. I have truly found great and wonderful friends as a result of my illness. I have appreciated so much your prayers, kind words of encouragement, service to me and/or my family, and anything else that has been done on my behalf.

Your ability to donate will be greatly appreciated. Any amount will do, large or small contributions are great. I have set up this members page on this website for TeamFox.

I am hoping to make it easy for my friends and family to contribute. I am positive that with your help and your family and friends, that our ability to raise the $25,000 can easily be done.

I express my love and respect to all of you. You are my "Rally" and you help keep me moving. It's time now to "Rally for POP's" and keep them going strong as they ride across the country.

Follow this link to visit Carl Ames's page:www.teamfox.org

Click on Support Member

Type in my name

It will take you to my page where there will be a CONTRIBUTE tab

Thanks for any consideration given to the "Rally For POP's" cause.

Carl Ames

Upcoming Event

2011-02-22T00:28:00.000-08:00

April 16, 2011 "Sprint in the Park" Triathlon in Litchfield Park

His Hands (Jesus Christ) - Music by Kenneth Cope - created by LifeStories

2011-02-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

Pedal Over Parkinson's

2011-02-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

It's a tug a war!

2011-01-24T00:56:00.000-08:00

Papa C and Baxter

2011-01-24T00:55:00.000-08:00

Brigden's Cow Riding!

2011-01-24T00:53:00.000-08:00

Brigden Loves Kamrie!

2011-01-24T00:51:00.000-08:00

Carrot Cake!

2011-01-24T00:50:00.000-08:00

Watch Brigden Drinking Lemon Juice

2011-01-24T00:38:00.000-08:00

Phoenix Arizona LDS (Mormon) Temple Site Photographs

2011-01-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

Phoenix Arizona LDS (Mormon) Temple Site Photographs

Triathlon December 2010 Anthem Arizona

2011-01-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

Kevin's Pizza Cake

2010-12-27T00:54:00.000-08:00

My Triathlon Results

2010-12-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

# 7 CARLTON AMES 22nd Place in the 45-49 age group
Swim Time 15:16
Bike Time 1:04:54
Walk/Run Time 44:21
Total Time 2:04:31

Lincoln's"Sweet Sixteen" Cake

2010-11-20T21:54:00.000-08:00

Horse Power!

2010-11-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

Jordan and I went to The 2nd Annual Draft Horse and Mule Show this afternoon. It was great again to be around these beautiful and powerful giants.

Heavenly Father is amazing!

2010-10-26T01:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know who compiled this information to give them credit, but whoever did, thank you!

God's Planning is So Accurate

Fascinating, I've never given most of this a thought!!!!

God's accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs.
For example:

-the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
-those of the canary in 14 days;
-those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
-The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
-those of the mallard in 35 days;
-The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.
(Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!)

God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant.. The four legs of this
great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so
made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live
on two legs... For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise
from the ground easily.

The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises
from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His
works of creation!

God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as
well as in the number of grains.

-Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
-Each orange has an even number of segments.
-Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
-Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
-Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas,
and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next
row an odd number.

-The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all
kinds of weather.

All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified
thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold - all even numbers.

God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the
day, so that Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a
conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he
could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that
were closed!

The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for
His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. If you try to
regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only the One Who
made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end.

Knick Knack Paddy Whack Give The Dog A Bone!

2010-10-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

Allie loves her rawhide bones. Can you tell she likes to bury them?!

2010-10-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

One thing that I need to get better at is putting more dialog with the pictures and tell more things about our family happenings. I am going to start trying to do this.
First off, Jacie, Kamrie, & Torie hamming it up at the photo booth that we recently put together for Kamrie's birthday party. We took pvc and made a 3 wall booth with white sheets serving as walls. Jacie took lots of pictures of the kids and we now have a circl of completion as far as Kamrie and her 16th birthday goes.

Torie is playing volleyball

2010-10-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Torie is playing volleyball for the 2nd time. She has actually improved from last year. Her serve is much better and it is something that she can learn team spirit about.

Kamrie's Sweet 16 Birthday Party

2010-10-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

We were able to put together a great birthday party for Kamrie's 16th b-day. Alot of her friends did come. They had a fire going for smores and ambiance.

Madam Zaroni the Fortune Teller

2010-10-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Blonde Joke

2010-10-08T03:11:00.001-07:00

A blonde was weed-eating her yard and accidentally cut off the tail of her cat which was hiding in the grass.
She rushed her cat, along with the tail, over to WAL-MART!
Why WAL-MART??
HELLOOOOOOOOO!
WALMART is the largest re-tailer in the world!!!

NEVER EVER GIVE UP IN LIFE

2010-09-22T02:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Kira and Farewell to David & Katie

2010-09-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Missing Piece

2010-09-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Missing Piece

I'm Famous!

2010-09-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Check out this on line article. I participated in a draft horse clinic and the author of this article, Audra, was there too. She included a couple of pictures that I was in.

http://www.drafthorsejournal.com/read/autumn2010/hay

Happy Birthday Anessa

2010-09-11T02:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Linda!

2010-09-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

The Littlest Egg

2010-09-08T02:43:00.000-07:00

I have a bantam chicken who is laying very small eggs. She has laid two so far. We cracked the first one open and there was no yolk, only white.

The Family all together at the Gila Valley Temple

2010-09-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

"I Like To Look For Rainbows"

2010-09-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Corey Page and his daughter Angel were baptized and we had the wonderful gift of a rainbow to visit us for the special occasion.

The Streets of New York!

2010-08-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

2010-08-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Kitty Baby Shower Cake

2010-08-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Jessica's Birthday Cake

2010-08-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

Kevin & Shelbi's Wedding & Groom's Cake

2010-08-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

"The Great Chair Rescue"

2010-07-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

Jacie recently has been bringing home chairs from the local thrift stores so that she can use them for her college apartment and photo shoots. She says "every chair deserves a chance"

Knight Transportation's 20th Anniversary Cake

2010-07-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

2010-07-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

But It's A Dry Heat!

2010-07-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

Jacie & Tayler Double Date with Tarzan's

2010-07-08T21:00:00.001-07:00

Grandma's New Boyfriend Tarzan

2010-07-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

Kamrie's Friday Night Date

2010-07-08T20:58:00.002-07:00

Kiss the Fish Torie!

2010-07-08T20:58:00.001-07:00

If you catch it, you have to clean it!

2010-07-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Kamrie & Torie Fishing

2010-07-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Jacie catches a fish!

2010-07-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

Elder Ames and The Dorsey Plan Dairy

2010-06-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Good Things to Come

2010-06-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Good Things to Come

Torie's 11th Birthday Cake

2010-06-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Brigden has gone home :(

2010-06-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Larry the Mighty Hunter

2010-06-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Allie tolerates Brigden

2010-05-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness we have a dog that is patient with a little boy who loves to pull her tail, grab her hair, ears, mouth, and even sit on her. Brigden and Allie get along great.

Happy Birthday Makenna!

2010-05-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Brigden!

2010-05-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

A Good Mother Hen

2010-05-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Jacie, Kamrie, Torie & McKelle on Graduation Day

2010-05-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

Brigden Playing With Kamrie

2010-05-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

Jacie's Has Graduated from High School!

2010-05-23T00:39:00.000-07:00

Torie and "The Brain" Project for school

2010-05-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

Looking at the chickens!

2010-05-20T02:04:00.000-07:00

I had finished mowing the lawn, had let the chickens out, and was enjoying a moment with Brigden letting him see the chickens from the trampoline

Happy Birthday to Annette (co-worker)

2010-05-16T02:05:00.000-07:00

Baby Chicks: Week Two

2010-05-13T02:50:00.000-07:00

Hanging Out With Momma Chicken

2010-05-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

The Chicks Are Hatching!

2010-05-05T03:59:00.001-07:00

The Chicks Are Hatching!

2010-05-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

The Gila Valley Arizona Temple

2010-05-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

The Gila Valley Arizona Temple

2010-05-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

Family Fun April 2010

2010-04-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

Seek the Higher Ground

2010-04-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Seek the Higher Ground

McKelle is offcially a graduate of higher education!

2010-04-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

McKelle graduated April 22, 2010 from Brigham Young University with a degree in Family Life. We are very proud of her and this accomplishment. She stuck to her goal and continued on after marriage and having Brigden and finished. She is a great example to her siblings. What a beautiful daughter, wife, and mother that she is. We love her so much!

Kamrie's Creation!

2010-04-18T14:22:00.000-07:00