Reflections

Boys of Summer on last day of Sea to Sea

Sea to Shining Sea Reflections

It has now been three weeks since I completed what was in so many ways an incredible journey. To cross this magnificent country on a bicycle, is a trip which will be on my mind for years to come. As Louis Armstrong sings, “What a Wonderful World” we live in to be able to see so many types of geography, crops, people, architecture, living conditions, and lifestyles. We are a diverse and amazing country.
Having ridden a bicycle across the country, has given me the opportunity to experience life up close and personal. Generally, everyone we encountered was friendly, courteous, and curious about our endeavors. Many were amazed regarding the feat we were accomplishing one day at a time. Each day would bring new challenges and adventures and get us closer to the long term goal. Little by little we worked our way across the country. The big goal became clearer each day.
The trip was wonderful in many ways. There were about 40 people who actively participated in some portion of the adventure, without any major disagreements or personality conflicts. Thus, most interacted well and supported and encouraged each other in the daily struggles. What an amazing group of people who saw the best each had to offer! I believe friendships have been created which will last for many years to come.
This journey has been uplifting to me in so many ways. It has been made clear to me, that what I want, can and does come to fruition, sometimes quite easily. I have grown spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and in my personal power and confidence. I have known in the past that I was strong, but now truly know I will accomplish anything I believe in and put my mind to in a focused and productive manner. This journey was just a step in the process of becoming aware of the magnificent power that I have! I am so Blessed!
Thank you to each and every person who made this trip special and supported me in the decision-making process and the implementation of this wonderful opportunity and lifelong dream. I am blessed and life is marvelous! I do wish for family and friends, both old and new, that each of you take advantage of the opportunity to dream BIG!

Catching up

Lobster! Yum, yum.

Relaxing along Wilson Lake.


What a wonderful place to stay in NH!

Sorry for the gap in posting. The trip has now been completed, so will post about the last week and then add a post about my reflections of the whole experience. The above picture was a glorious Grand Hotel and one of the wonderful places we stayed over the course of the 8 weeks on the road.
The weather for the last week was truly wonderful and the terrain was quite hilly with quite a few "rollers". Some of these rollers had a grade of 11-14%. There is a saying in New England, that says, "you can't get there from here" due to the water everywhere, But, when it comes to hills, they go straight up, without any curves or any sort of relief. The rides have moderated in length, but the scenery and undulations have increased from the central parts of the trip, as Maine is lush and green. We are still staying a back roads and avaiding traffic and more populated regions. We crossed the Applachian Trail and saw several hikers who had been hiking for many days.
I continue to be amazed how well people are getting along and supporting and encouraging each other. Dinners are still two hour dinners, but the groups at tables are different every night. Lobsters have become a focus and we had the option to choose lobsters several of the last 4 nights, including Young's Lobster Pound, see above.
We have traveled through a lot of states and two proviences and when I finished my ride on the nest to the last day, I was in China....ME and the group ended in Belfast....ME. Either way it was nice to be able to see the Atlantic Ocean.