Big Finish ~ Big Dip

May 1, 2018

Celebrate!
  • 59 days of adventure +
  • 51 days of riding +
  • 3100+ miles ridden +
  • Approximately 4 million turns of the crank +
  • Heaven knows how many feet of climbing +
  • Eight states and one continent crossed
  • Equals one epic journey!

    My Final Sign

    This is our final day of the the Southern Tier. Nearly all of the above is behind us except for 41 miles and a tire dip in the Atlantic Ocean. The weather is still fair and we are off on the final leg. Every mood is upbeat and our hearts light, our legs lithe and our spirits soaring. We will have accomplished that which only a tiny fraction of a percent of the population has attempted. There will be others who have gone further, faster or more often but this is our day and the end of our adventure. Throughout we 14 mostly strangers have become friends and forged a memory to last us through the rest of our days.

    Bike Sandal Tan

    It is an easy ride and while we are eager to finish it, dip our tires and reunite with family and loved ones there is a part of us that sees the end with some regret. We will have other adventures but this one will always stand tall in comparison. Cammie and Kelly have been great guides across the continent and throughout they have helped us work together to accomplish this. At the very end we have chosen to wait for everyone to finish and ride together for that celebratory tire dip in the Atlantic.

    Sad Reminder on the Final Day

    It is fitting that this, our last day, is also National Bicycle Safety Day. It is also sad but fitting that along the route of this last day that we see a reminder of why bicyclists and drivers must both do all we can to make this sport one where safety comes before all else. We passed the memorial with thanks that our own journey was without any serious incident.

    Our final rolling moment comes at the beach in Saint Augustine, Florida where we ride together to the water’s edge for hugs, shouts of joy, ceremonial bicycle lifts, champagne toasts and the total glee of one of life’s great moments. It will stay in my mind and I hope those off my Southern Tier family forever. Whatever lay ahead, this memory will last!

    The Southern Tier I Family March 4 ~ May 1, 2018

2 Replies to “Big Finish ~ Big Dip”

  1. We have been following you all along. Great job. Great accomplishment. Great blogs. Happy for you. Now you can go away into the night … or NOT. Glad your family members were there to greet you and celebrate the nearly departed. Hugs from Uncle Roy and Aunt Karen.

  2. Thanks for the hugs and best wishes. I will not be fading into the night anytime soon or at least I hope not. I may post one or two more blog entries and go back over the entire blog to correct the many errors I missed in my haste to write and post the original entries. I will also rearrange the blog into more of a journal that starts at the beginning and flows onward to make it easier to read for those who will see it for the first time. Thanks again for your visit and dinner in Arizona!