By Ruth Filz

On Saturday, February 24, the Henry Roberts Memorial 33rd Annual Jalapeno 100 bike ride took place in Harlingen. Palm Gardens RV Park in Harlingen has been involved with the ride since 2000 when three couples started sponsoring a rest stop for riders. The park has continued sponsoring a rest stop every year since.

In addition, to sponsoring the rest stop, the park has had several riders take part in the ride over the years. This year, we had four riders – Dale Aalderink, Nancy Van Nest, Tim Van Nest, and Richard Waufle.

For the past 15 years, Dale Aalderink has been a rider. Which means he has accumulated lots of miles and several tee shirts. When his wife Judy saw the shirts hanging in their closet last summer, she thought they would look better as a quilt. With the help of their daughter Holly, Judy went about making her first and – according to her – her last quilt. What a great way to recognize Dale’s participation in the ride over the years!

Dale’s rider number this year was 87. The same number as his age. You can usually see Dale riding through the park daily. This helped get him in shape to bike the 50-mile route this year.