Stevens Point, WI

Well, precisely 2 weeks have passed since we cycled into Bar Harbor on July 31. We completed the trek in 53 days, cycling 3751 miles for an average of just under 71 miles a day. Was it worth it? You bet. Was it hard? Of course! Would you do it again? Probably not. The amount of effort and preparation is hard to explain to people; one must go through this experience to understand what we went through. But I have a lifetime of memories:
+ the beautiful Cascade and Rocky Mountains.
+ the wonderful people along the route who were helpful, courteous, and interested in our story.
+ the huge pancakes at Bergie's restaurant in Montana.
+ the cyclists that we met and rode with along the way.
+ the kind people who took us into their homes and gave us warm showers, meals, computer access, etc.
+ the realization that my 60 year-old body could actually adjust to riding 70 miles a day.
+ the great food and beers that we experienced, including Pat's excellent campsite meals.
+ the beautiful weather in the west, including the outrageous 30 mph tailwinds in Montana.
+ the lousy wet weather in the east.
+ the restaurants that were closed in New York on Mondays and Tuesdays.
+ all the road kill, especially raccoons and possums.

I suppose I could go on, but you get the idea. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. We thank all of you who expressed interest in our ride, who followed us on our blog, who contributed to our Livestrong fundraising. We had a blast and we succeeded. What else is there in life? You can make a contribution at the following link:

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=158934&supid=193018522


Bill Jenkins