Hello all,

Today was a much needed rest and healing day. This morning, I had a long and late breakfast and then took my bike outside for a weekly cleaning. I noticed that the derailleur cable was frayed and Craig our mechanic said – best replace it. Making a long story short, we wound up taking it to a local bike shop and they repaired it. I had lunch with Tom while we waited and it was a lot of fun exchanging cycling stories with Tom.

Tomorrow we have a helmet decorating contest and I went to Target to get some decorations. Upon getting back to the hotel, the front desk let me know they are holding a package for me. Turns out a “special friend” sent me a care package complete with nutrition, songs, a helmet decoration and foot pads (for hot foot) along with a very nice note. I think my combined package may be a ringer as I think I am now destined for first place, Saw a few of the other decorations and it will be a close contest.. I will post pics tomorrow and you all can judge for yourselves. Amelia – thank you!

We have several new riders joining us for the balance of the trip tomorrow. The group as usual made them all feel welcome. Tom told be that our group has come together as well as any he has seen. A lot of love and mutual support. We are starting to realize that in 2 1/2 weeks this will all end. One month agao we started an adventure across the country not fully comprehending what we had signed up for. During that span, we have struggled together, laughed together, broken bread together and looked out for each other it will be hard leaving all our new friends.

We are all discovering that this really isn’t about conquering a bike  ride across the country but a journey of self discovery. I feel that I have grown more as a person in these 4 weeks than in the previous 40 years. I imagine that cathartic events force us to contend with the sense of what we are made of. You have a lot of time to think and reflect on your values and what is important. This started as a “bucket list” item for me but it has turned into a lot more than that. Like a pebble thrown into a tranquil pond, our life is about creating ripples and those ripples ultimately affect others in some way. the question is “did we make a difference?’

That is why I loved the quote I posted yesterday: “The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away.”

Tailwinds

Chuck