The distance from Washington, D.C., to Seattle is around 2,768 miles, but for a group of young men, the journey isn’t about the miles. 

It’s about learning, friendships and empathy. 

The Ability Experience, Journey of Hope 2026 rolled into Coeur d’Alene around noon Wednesday. They were greeted by signs, smiles and lunch from nonprofit Tesh.

“This is by far my favorite event of the year,” said Tesh CEO Marcee Hartzell. 

Seventeen cyclists and 23 team members from The Ability Experience took off from Seattle on June 3. They will spend the next 70 days riding across the U.S., making stops along the way to meet and socialize with groups that serve individuals with developmental disabilities. 

Each of the riders is a college student from across the country.

“We undertake this challenge as not just a grueling adventure, but as a way of promoting inclusion and empathy,” said Journey of Hope 2026 Project Manager Oliver Stolarek. 

This is the third year The Ability Experience has made a stop in Coeur d’Alene. 

Places like Tesh are what inspired rider Aiden Tobin, whose brother told him about the life lessons he learned on the journey years ago. 

“I wanted to see what he’d been through,” Tobin said. 

A week into the journey, Tobin has already picked up several lessons. 

“Patience, slow down, listen, it’s a different way of communication,” he said. 

Rider Nathan Wan, who has been dubbed “Channel Wan” for his daily weather reports to the crew, said he is undertaking the journey to learn not just about himself, but others as well. 

“I did it to challenge myself and to raise awareness for the disabled community. To create meaningful relationships,” Wan said.

Wan’s favorite part of the trip thus far has been the connections he has made. 

“Friendship visits, meeting new people and really getting to see the other side,” he said.

Tesh client Damien Standefer celebrated his birthday during the visit, receiving a cake and having everyone sing “Happy Birthday to You” to him. 

Standefer was asked if he had fun meeting so many new people on his birthday. 

“Yes, so many new people, lots of fun," he said.

The Ability Experience awarded Tesh with a $500 grant.

The Ability Experience awards 10 grants to organizations across the country. They award grants based on a vote for the favorite places and organizations the riders visited the year prior.

Hartzell purposefully plans events like this to expose Tesh's clients to what's around them. 

“A lot of our clients don’t or can’t go out into the community. So my goal is to bring the community to them,” she said. 

Tesh supports the developmentally disabled through classes, camps and events like The Ability Experience. The lunch they provided was shopped for, cooked and served by Tesh clients to give them the experience they need to be more independent. 

Hartzell was thankful for The Ability Experience’s visit to Tesh. 

“The guys are great, they integrate themselves with the clients, play games, talk and sit together, it’s wonderful,” she said.

    The Ability Experience riders take turns introducing themselves to Tesh.
  

    Journey of Hope attendees smile as they pose for a photo.
  

    Damien Standefer and Oliver Stolarek smile as they hold a gift that Standefer made for The Ability Experience.