Good evening all,

Today was a much needed day of rest after having cycled over 600 miles in the prior week (or so I am told). Overall it was a tough week with heat, humidity and a lot of climbs. We are now down to our final week of cycling plus 18 miles on the last day. It is kind of hard to believe. All of us are looking forward to the end of this long journey but also remembering that we will also soon be missing all of our new friends. In these type of events, people tend to bond and form friendships that last a lifetime. I am told that our group was even a little more special in that there we did not follow a bell curve – it was all inclusive, no bad apples, no outsiders, everyone pulling and helping anyone in need. So along with a great sense of accomplishment will also come a great sense of loss. Some of us are already talking about the Maine to Florida ride that is done as a reunion once every 3 years.

I think we will remember the really bad days, some of the scenery and some of the kindness of complete strangers along our path that took us from LA to Boston ibn 7 short weeks that seemed like a lifetime. We ill remember the some of the near misses such as the Porsche on Mingus Mountain or the minor accidents suffered by a few of the riders. However, most of all we will remember the good time, the laughs, the friendships  – the people with whom we completed the ride. It also forced us to dig deep and discover what we are made of. What started as a bunch of names on a list has become a cohesive group of best friends. I will miss them.

Today, I did the ritual bike cleaning for possibly the last time on this trip. I was trying to rest my leg which seems to have a slight pull and asked Tracey if I can start with the early group. She said yes as long as I didn’t take off which is not my intent. I went looking for an electronics store to find a charger for my borrowed  IPOD shuffle. I couldn’t find it after having looked all around my room. I have the IPOD but the case and charger went missing. I thought the most logical place to have lost it was at the PA border when I took out my camera to take a picture as the IPOD case was in same little big bags. I didn’t find an electronics store but did find Mike K out looking for something to eat (in downtown Erie). I said that i wanted lunch as well but was looking for an IPD charger. It turns out that Pat had found the charger at the Penn border. What a lucky break!

Mike and I as we’ll as Jeff and Roberta of tandem fame took a shuttle to a little island in lake Erie to see the beach. It was a nice trip and I took a few photos that i will post . Jeff and Roberta related a story from their camping youth in the Yukon. They were going to canoe a part of the Yukon River in Alaska and somehow got caught in a river log jam that destroyed their canoe and caused them to lose most of their supplies. They spent four harrowing days on the river living on a pile of logs with a lot of bugs and no food. They were ultimately rescued but they could have easily perished if not found or when their canoe was sucked under and Jeff pulled Roberta from the water.

Mike K likes to climb mountains (among other things) and talked a boy Kilimanjaro and his trek to the summit at about 20000 feet. He said that last part of the climb was a lot tougher than any day of our cycling journey. The temperature was around zero at the top but since they were ion the Equator and with the thin air, sun protection was more important than ever.

This kind of gives you an idea of the spirit if this group. A sense of adventure is shared by all and some have had some harrowing experiences. Yes, I will miss them but can tell that if I am up for a new adventure , I know some folks to call. However, we have a little over a week to go and our sights are set on BOSTON!

Tailwinds

Chuck

Jeff and Roberta

Nicest place we have stayed

Mike K – mountain man!

This was Ron’s grandson

Only 1 of 5 in existence built cora 1920