One Day Left!
August 4, 2008
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.
