We Did It!

 

Well, the day has finally arrived and our adventure across America has come to an end.  We made it to the Atlantic Ocean on the 4th of August at 1200 on a beautiful New Hampshire day.  3,629 miles and Kelli and I are proud to say we biked Every Fantastic Inch!  For the last couple of miles we had a police escort and a group of cheering friends and family.  The beach was busy with vacationers and locals enjoying the beautiful day.  They were all very surprised when 55 cyclist came cheering to the beach with their bikes and cameras, dipping their front wheels in the Atlantic and even going for a swim.  It was a great day and I still can’t believe our adventure is over.  I still feel the desire to get on my bike and ride, but all great things must come to and end. 

 

 

I can’t express how much Kelli and I appreciate the support everyone has given us.  We couldn’t have done this without the support of all of you and your encouraging words.  Some of you have asked what was the best part of our adventure and I can say without hesitation that it was meeting the amazing men and women that biked across America with us.  There were so many amazing stories of triumph and tragedy that I feel truly blessed to have met every single one of the staff and riders on this trip.  The most beautiful part of the trip for me came when we climbed the Grand Tetons of Western Wyoming.  For Kelli, riding through the Black Hills of South Dakota.  There were so many special moments on our trip that I can’t pick out just one moment that made the greatest impact.  All I can say is that this trip has changed Kelli and me for the rest of our lives. 

 

 

Semper Fidelis.

One Day Left!

 

Today we arrived in Manchester, New Hampshire and are just one day away from reaching our goal of riding across America.  We were a little worried about the weather this morning but it ended up being a gorgeous day with onle one spot of rain for the lead riders. 

 

 

We spent most of the day talking about how close we were to the end of our adventure and all the moments we have had.  We remember the fact that just 49 days before we were riding out of Astoria Oregon with logging trucks cruising only inches from our bike.  Then we remembered riding up to and pass Mount Hood and the Grand Tetons of Wyoming.  The high desert, grasslands, and farm lands of the Mid West just melted into each other with clear skies and fair weather.  The Great Lakes were amazing and of course the Niagara Falls were a great treat and welcome into the northeast.  This trip has truly been a once in a lifetime experience and even though Kelli and I drained our finances to do this trip it was worth every penny for the memories and friendships we have gained through each pedal stroke. 

 

 

Our last night with the America By Bicycle crew was a four hour program of group skits and songs and the staff and group members saying there goodbyes and memories of the last 49 days on the bike.  It was an emotional evening with heart felt memories and hilarious skits and songs provided by a group of riders.  I feel truly blessed that I have been able to have this experience and to share it with Kelli.  I was lucky to make it out of my two combat deployments to Iraq without a scratch even though IEDs found themselves in both in front of me and behind me.  Obviously close friends and many other service members were not as lucky as I and I vow to live my life to the fullest to earn the freedom and security they paid so dearly to protect. 

Thank you so much for your support and for sharing this once in a life time experience with Kelli and me.  We have one more day left before reaching the Atlantic Ocean and the realization of our goal of riding across America on our bicycles. 

Semper Fidelis.

Only 2 Days Left and More Visitors!

Today Nathan and I biked 76 miles from Latham, New York to Brattleboro, VT. The ride was absolutely beautiful. We really like Vermont! The towns are really quaint and the green mountains are endless. Today we had some good climbs again for the first time since the black hills in South Dakota.

The great thing about today was that Nathan’s sister Ann, her husband Ian, and her kids Alexa, Ian, and Lyla all met us at the second SAG stop. Ian rode the rest of the way in with us too. Even though today was tough with the hills and my knee hurting it went by really fast. I think the next two days are going to go by really fast and the trip is going to be over before we know it.

After we had a nice lunch with Ann and her family Nathan’s mom met up with us in Brattleboro. She’ll be cheering us on the rest of the way. It’s been so great seeing everybody along the way and we can’t say enough how much we’ve appreciated how much everyone has gone out of their way for us.

Semper Fidelis.

Jumpin’ Jacks

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Today was another great day on the bike.  We had absolutely perfect weather with a cool start in Little Falls finished with a moderate afternoon.  Instead of us following the America By Bicycle route of years past we went on a route that took us on the other side of the river and on top of a ridge line that would give us views of the Mohawk River Valley.  The start of the ride had us climbing a moderate hill which allowed us to see the fogged in river valley.  Kelli and I were feeling really strong and decided to push ourselves to the first rest stop.  We kept a steady average of 20 miles per hour for the first 30 miles and pretty much maintained a quick pace for the rest of the day.  We were routed onto a bike path (paved) that took us along the Mohawk River and into a cute drive-in cafe called Jumpin’ Jacks.  We had a fantastic lunch of greasy foods and ice cream and then were treated with some home cooked chicken salad and cookies at our final rest stop by a riders wife.  We were lucky to have such a great bunch of riders and support on this adventure across America.

 

Below is a picture of me after we ate at Jumpin’ Jacks, I’ve gained a little weight.

 

After the final stop we pushed on to Lathem NY where we found our hotel and luggage waiting.  We had another feast at the Old Country Buffet and I made sure to have a couple of desserts to prepare myself for tomorrows climb into Vermont.  I can’t believe we have already made it this far and that in 4 short days we will be dipping our wheels into the Atlantic Ocean and closing the book on this chapter of our life.  It has been absolutely amazing and I can’t thank Kelli enough for finding this trip and ensuring we went on it. 

 

 

Semper Fidelis.

Nathan’s First Flat!

Yesterday Nathan and I biked 76 miles from Liverpool to Little Falls, New York and we had another first on the trip. Nathan got his first flat tire. Not bad considering we’ve traveled about 3,300 miles. He ran over a little rusty tack, but it was just enough to puncture through the kevlar of the tire and the tube. I think he was disappointed that he didn’t make the whole trip without a flat – just four days short, DARN!!

We also got soaked again today. It started drizzling at about mile 15 and Nathan said ‘If this gets any worse we’ll put our rain gear on’. So we kept pedaling and sure enough it got worse. The rain started coming down steadily but I noticed Nathan wasn’t even slowing down. Then he looks back and says ‘let’s try to outrun it’. I knew he didn’t want to stop so I reluctantly said ’ok, let’s go’. I think he sensed my hesitation so he pulled over and started taking his rain gear out and I followed suit. Less than a mile after getting our raingear on it really started to pour. In the middle of getting dumped on I looked at Nathan, smiled, and mockingly said ’let’s try to outrun it!’. We both had a good laugh.

Semper Fidelis.