Our leader gives me a hug

Larry and his friend who came out in support

I love these guys

Mike K and I dipping the wheels

Walk to the Ocean

Final group ride to Revere Beach

It rained on our last day

Victory

Hello everyone,

This was actually ridden on June 29th, but I am just now able to complete this part. I regret being lax in posting, but somehow, I believe that I was trying to delay the end of this marvelous adventure. The dat dawned overcast and cool and we had breakfast as a group for the last time. Due to traffic, we were all to leave in groups of 3 at 3 minute intervals. We would regroup about 4 miles from the beach and proceed there in a procession. Although there was a threat of rain, I did not bring along a rain jacket.

I rode in a group of Tony (from Britain) and John K. We caught the group ahead of us at 1/4 mile because they were stuck at a stoplight. weaving through the streets of Boston, we also got lost on a few occasions. I also caused Mike K to crash because I started and stopped on hill without signalling. He had some minor cuts and scrapes, but did not hold it against me. (Note to self: Mike K is a saint!)

At a school about 4 miles from the beach,  we regrouped and stopped to use the facilities. It then started to rain – hard. This was the first real rain that we experienced on the entire trip and it was cold and wet and the roads slippery. Tracy led a van in front and we all followed 2 by 2 with a van and trooper escort (courtesy of Larry’s friends) to the beach. We rode in silence except for calling out potholes and other hazards. It was a time for reflection on what was happening, the accomplishment of something that few people are able to attempt, the new friends, the experiences and the subtle changes that we new were going on within us. The rain obscured our tears.

We did a final lap in front of the beach amid a cheering crowd of friends, family and a few onlookers and then we stopped for the last time. Our final journey would be a walk to the Revere Beach (the oldest public beach in the USA) and the ceremonial dipping of our rear wheel into the Atlantic Ocean. I also sprinkled a bit of my Pacific Ocean sand which wasn’t required but I thought would be a nice finishing gesture. At that point it was mainly, photos, hugs, more tears and loading our bikes into the vans. I tried to get a photo taken with as many folks as possible, but I did miss a few.

Another item of note is that Roberta took along two of the stuffed animals that John F wore on his helmet to Revere Beach.  As you recall it was John who crashed in NY and was in a Syracuse hospital. These items were sent to John and were warmly received. Roberta is quite the gal!

So after 7 weeks, the riding was over but the celebrations and inevitable good-byes were to happen in rapid succession. We all drove back to the hotel and cleaned our bikes for shipping and went off for some quick-lunch. It was hard to believe, hard to fathom, we had done what was once just a dream and to many of us we had achieved the impossible.

I will post some of the photos from the beach and ride but there are so many that i will break them into segments.