I've seen a million places, and I've ROCKED them all!!!!

It is bittersweet as I sit at my desk to write my last post.  I feel like I am a different person today, than when I started this blog almost 9 weeks ago.  The trip was so much harder than I expected, both mentally and physically, but after 50 days I can honestly say I would not change a thing.

Today I wanted to share with you the 10 most important things I learned on this trip, because what would have been the point of doing this if I did not actually grow from it...and not just as a cyclist.

10) There are 100's of things to do with a baggie.  On this trip you quickly learn the value of a baggie.  It becomes your wallet, your cell phone case, your camera case, the place to mix concoctions for your bum, etc.  Some people have been known to even duck tape their baggies instead of just getting a new one.  I will always have baggies on hand now.
9) Your tolerance level for dirt and dirty clothes is much greater than you think.  Every day when we were out biking, we would have layers of dirt, grease, sweat, dead bugs, sun tan lotion, bug spray, sand and who knows what else all over us, and I was OK with it for hours.  We are quite limited on the amount of clothing we could bring on this trip so it was not uncommon for clothes to be worn for days at a time or to be rinsed out in the sink at night.  At home we would never do this but on this trip it was totally acceptable to have clothes hanging all over the hotel grounds to dry.
8) The key to success on this trip is taking care of yourself - both mentally and physically.  We quickly started sharing tips about sore muscles, bum sores, and other issues that arise when you are riding hundreds of miles.  I learned about ice baths, icing my muscles, hot baths, stretching, foam rolling, bag balm, layering bike shorts, recovery drinks (I think chocolate milk was the winner here!) and of course hydration, nutrition and sleep.  I think people start the trip thinking - I don't need to worry about these things and by day 4, it becomes clear - this is much harder than training so you better start taking care of yourself.
7) Does it really matter what day it is??  On this trip, we live in a bubble.  As I've said before it's like groundhog's day but in a good way.  We have no idea what day it is, I never really knew what time it was and you have limited knowledge of what is going on outside of the bubble (if you choose - which I did).  The most important things to us were the weather and the winds - which are truly unpredictable but had the greatest impact on our trip.
6) Living in the moment.  Most of us are planners - what are we doing this weekend, what meetings do we have scheduled for next week, etc.  When we all first arrived in Astoria, we were these people too.  We wanted to know what happens every day, we were worried about rides that were a week away, we wanted to plan for our day off before the trip even started.  I will say, it takes about 7 -9 days to adjust to the regimen of the trip but once we did it made things so simple and worry free.  We think only about today while we are out riding.  At the end of the day, we would have RAP and learn about the schedule and ride for the next day.  We stopped worrying about the climb that was two weeks away, we just started living in the moment - and it is beautiful thing!
5) You will have great days, good days, bad days and horrible days.  There are only three days that I can remember that are on the negative side - My two bad days were the day we rode into Boise, the day we had the 15 mile detour and the horrible day was the 117 mile downpour, brutal wind day.  I would have to say that 3 days out of 45 riding days in this instance is good.  And what I learned is that these 3 days made me truly appreciate every good and great day.  Additionally, these days made me (and us) stronger.  If we could get through 117 miles of downpour and headwinds, then we can do anything!
4) You are stronger than you think.  Before the trip, when I told people my plans, no one came out and said "Are you crazy?" but I know a few people were thinking that.  I did things on this trip that I never thought I could ever do (in addition to the downhills) - century ride after century ride, climbing mountains with 10 and 20 miles climbs, riding 500 miles in a week - there are so many things.  I know that I "pushed every limit" - even limits that I did not know existed before this trip. 
3) What goes up, will definitely come down - and in the case of the roads - it typically goes up again.  From far away, the uphills look steep, however, once you get closer, it's never as steep as your first impression.  The downhills are the reward for working hard to get up the hills and mountains - enjoy them.  Enough said about the downhills.
2) It's OK to need help, it's OK to ask for help and it's OK to accept help.  Boy, did I need lots of help to get through this trip and it came from all different places and I am truly grateful.

1)  I have the BEST friends in the world!!!  I was very fortunate to have many visitors along my journey.  I also had tons of friends who e-mailed, texted, called and commented on the blog.  All of my friends who came to see me, took such great care of me - brought me gluten free foods, took me on errands, took me to great meals, brought a full party up to Portsmouth so the whole group could celebrate at the end (thank you Jillian and Pooja), made amazing T-shirts to commemorate my trip (thank you to the Dudnyk team) cleaned my house so that when I got home it was spotless and went food shopping (thank you Mari), and typically they drove hours to see me for a very brief time.  After each visit, so many of the riders in the group would say to me "you have the best friends."  Many people always ask me - "since you move around a lot don't you lose a lot of friends?" and I always say, "My friends who are my friends will always be there for me."  And I must say, you all came out in full force to support my journey of a lifetime.  I am thankful that all of you were by my side and I am thrilled that I have added a few new friends to my life. 

So while I am still a bit tearful about everything coming to an end, I am looking forward to the next chapter, getting settled into my new home and community, finding a new job, looking for my next challenge, and continuing to make memories with all of my friends and family.

The baggie that I used as my wallet for the trip



Front of the AMAZING t-shirts that the Dudnyk team sent for the group



Back of the AMAZING t-shirts that the Dudnyk team sent

My cat Boomer who is very happy that I am back - can't you tell?

Flowers that were waiting for my when I got home - Excited to finally see sunflowers!!

It's really over

I can't believe that it's really over.  After months of thinking about the trip, training and preparing for the trip and actually riding over 3,300 miles for 50 days.  IT IS OVER.  Luckily, I have friends and memories for a lifetime. 

I have been in a fog since arriving at Logan airport in Boston to head back to Minneapolis.  At the airport I became very emotional.  On the plane I fell asleep before we even took off.  It's amazing how your thought process changes during a trip like this.  On the plane I was thinking about what I would do on Wednesday.  The only thing I had planned was a haircut.  I kept thinking, well I won't have by bike back by tomorrow so how will I get to my haircut.  For about 30 minutes I kept coming back to this.  Then I realized, I could actually drive me car.  The thought was so foreign to me that it took me awhile to even think of it.

When I arrived in Minneapolis, my luggage was lost.  Before the trip (as you all know) I would have thrown a fit.  This time I thought, no luggage = no laundry, so I just waited for them to call me.  They called a couple of hours later and brought the luggage to my home on Wednesday afternoon. 

Re-entry into the real world has been a bit overwhelming.  A LOT of sensory overload.  It makes me really appreciate all of those hours on my bike, just me and nature - Total Peacefulness.  It's difficult to not have a schedule to follow.  My first day home, I was up at 4:00 AM.  I just looked around, not believing I was really home - not sure what I was supposed to be doing.

I know this will shock all of you.  I am in complete "bike withdrawal".  My bike is being shipped so I have not been riding in 3 days.  Today is a beautiful day, a perfect day for a bike ride.  I cannot wait to get back on my bike!!! 

Today I wanted to share more pictures with you.  Tomorrow will be my last post - What I learned from this experience...

Me and Jeff Lazer, who taught me how to get down the mountains, luckily, he and his wife live in St. Paul, MN

Riding partners, Blythe and Mary

Me and Barbara Munk - who took such great care of me the entire trip

Jan and Connie from the Netherlands

Riding partners, Mike and Barry

Me and Diane

Riding partners, Phylis and Collin

Jim, our great mechanic and Jeff

 Our great leaders - Jim, Karen and Jeff

The tan line on my hand

Michel, taking a little nap in a hotel lobby

0 miles to go...

Wow, the past 24 hours have been so emotionally overwhelming.  I can't believe we are done.  I can't believe I will not be getting on my bike tomorrow to ride 100 miles somewhere. 

Yesterday was one of the most amazing days of my life.  I did my final early luggage load at 6:00 AM and then hit the road.  The plan for us was to ride 48 miles to Rye Junior High School.  We would all meet there by 11:30 AM.  We could take group pictures and then the police escort would arrive and lead us the last 3 miles to Wallis Sand Beach on the coast of New Hampshire.

I started out the day pretty quiet, reflecting on the trip.  Then when Dale and Dan passed me in the morning and said "For the last time, passing on your left." I broke down.  It was a day full of lasts.  I rode into our final SAG stop at mile 28 and could not hold back the tears.  Because we had quite a lot of time to ride these 48 miles, all of us stopped at a bakery at mile 37, we were quite a sight.  Then we left to head to the Rye Junior High School, where there were tons of hugs, congratulations and pictures.  Most of us still in disbelief of what we had just accomplished. 

Then we set up for the police escort.  The 3 miles ride to the beach may have been the most amazing 3 miles of the whole trip.  All of us together, no one racing, cars stopping and pulling over for us, horns honking.  Then the final right turn into the beach, with all of our friends and family cheering.  I really have no words to describe the feelings.  The rain had held off all day and the moment we started the 3 mile ride, the rain came, needless to say, it did not impact our celebration. 

I was thrilled that the entire Vobis family (Jack, Lisa, Jake, Jessica, and Joshua) and that my great Boston friends, Jillian and Pooja, were there to share in this moment with me.  We all took off our shoes, carried our bikes over the sand, and walked right into the Atlantic Ocean.  The ocean never felt so good.  Then hugs, tears, pictures, and goodbyes started. 

Terry and I were chosen to do the ceremonial pouring of the water that we took from the Pacific Ocean in Astoria, Oregon in June into the Atlantic Ocean.  The entire group got together for this before we headed out.  Luckily, most people stayed the night in the same hotel so the celebration did not end.  We went back to the hotel to pack our bikes, drink champagne and really just soak up our final few hours together.  Most of us headed to dinner together, where we laughed and still tried to take in the fact that we just rode our bicycles across the country.  I can't believe how much has happened in 7 weeks.

Then the real hard part - the goodbyes.  It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone but especially Lucy.  She has been such a support to me for almost every minute of this trip.  When we got dropped off at the airport, it was overwhelming.  For the first time in 7 weeks I am on my own.  It will take some time to get used to that.

I hope you enjoy the pictures from the last few days.  Check back tomorrow - I have a few more posts to write and pictures to share.

Our celebration cake from the final banquet.

Dan and Dale - became riding partners on the first day and were usually the first people to pass me in the morning. 

Scene from the bakery

More of the bakery - what a crew!

48 miles into the ride - we stopped here to regroup and get escorted to the beach

All of the 60 year old or above riders.  Unbelievable!!!  True inspiration!

70 years old and older.  I just pray that I can still be riding when I reach their age.

All of our riders from outside the U.S.

Adrienne and me - getting ready for the final 3 miles

leaving with the police escort

Hitting the Atlantic Ocean never felt better!!

Getting ready to pour the Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean

We made it - Pacific into the Atlantic

Scene from the beach

Finally...the Atlantic Ocean

There are no words to describe this feeling...check back tomorrow for details and pics.  I've had a great time celebrating aka that means I'm drunk!

51 miles between us and the Atlantic Ocean

It is hard to describe this feeling.  Something of this enormity coming to an end.  We are so close.  Today we got closer.  We road 77 miles from Brattleboro, VT to Manchester, NH.  My legs were pretty tired from all of the climbing yesterday but by mile 10 I was warmed up and had a great day.  There were threats of thunderstorms but nothing ever came to fruition and the sun came out from the clouds by noon.  All day long I kept counting down - 100 miles to the Atlantic,75 miles to the Atlantic...Having grown up on the Atlantic Ocean, I keep thinking to myself, I have been in the Atlantic Ocean 100's of times and yet, this time feels so different.

Today I had another treat waiting for me when I arrived.  My friends, Meggin and Patrick Treanor came to take me out for lunch.  It was great to catch up with them and to see downtown Manchvegas one more time.

Tonight we had our last RAP and our final banquet.  It was very touching to hear everyone's thoughts about this journey.  I have tons of pics to share, but it is late and we still have 51 miles to ride tomorrow.

Patrick, me and Meggin in Manchester

I finally feel like a true cyclist...

All of you who have been following along with me on this journey may remember that I've had some difficulties with the downhills.  While there have been some interesting downhills over the past few weeks, there was nothing too significant to talk about.  Today was the day I had been waiting for...Today we rode 79 miles from Latham, NY to Brattleboro, VT.  We had 6200 feet of climbing.  One climb alone was a 10 mile climb of 2000 feet in the Green Mountains.  With all of the climbing came 4200 feet of downhills.  I DID IT ALL!!!  Even when the sign said - 8% grade for 2  miles, truck ramp to the right.  I got up to speeds of 35 MPH.  It felt GREAT!!!  Even though we still have 2 days of riding left - I feel like today was graduation day and I passed the final exam with an A+.  I did not do this alone.  Every person on this trip has been encouraging me, teaching me and motivating me to get me to where I am today!!!

As if the day could not get any better, waiting for me in Brattleboro when I got in were my great friends, The Koppelman's - Karen, Dave, Matthew, Rachel and Jack.  They drove up from Long Island and we explored Brattleboro, did some shopping and had a great dinner.  They met everyone, came to RAP, and now know the whole routine.  It was awesome to spend time with them!!!

Another highlight of the day was crossing into a new state - Vermont.  Wow, looking at the map, we are so close now to the Atlantic Ocean.

Jack, Matthew, Me and Rachel

Me and Karen

Jack, Dave, Matthew and Me

Crossing into Vermont

Getting ready for the Green Mountains

Today we rode 74 miles from Little Falls, NY to Latham, NY.  The route today was more scenic than the last few days.  We had a nice climb out of Little Falls.  Unfortunately, the fog had not burned off yet so I did not get the full picture.  Then we spent about 50 miles on Highway 5S before we started to ride on a bike trail.  I believe it was part of the Erie Canal Trailway that we rode on a few days ago, however this section was paved.  The sun came out and it was a beautiful day. 

This is our last night in New York.  Tomorrow we ride to Vermont.  I am very excited to get to Vermont because I have great friends meeting me there.  I just have to get through 6200 feet of climbing and the downhills.  This will be our hardest day in weeks.  I think our group is ready for the Green Mountains!!!



I think this is still the Erie Canal



Calling all of you NY drivers...

Slow down and pay attention.  Today is our third day of riding in NY state and after riding through seven other states and Canada, I can honestly say, the NY drivers have been the worst.  Considering NY is my home state I am very disappointed.  I can't tell you how many cars turned and cut us off today.  So while I know all of my NY friends look out for cyclists when driving - I needed to get this out there.  Today we rode 78 miles from Liverpool, NY to Little Falls, NY.  Once again, not very scenic, most of the day on Highway 5.  But this morning, we did have this 5 mile stretch on a quiet road that was so peaceful, I just soaked it up.  Luckily, we had a nice cloud cover and breeze most of the day.  The sun came out when I was about 10 miles from the end - very nice. 

For some reason, I was pretty tired today, so I went slowly (or a little slower than usual.)  We have a big day of climbing coming up on Saturday so I don't want my legs to get too tired before that ride.  When arriving in Little Falls, it looks like a cute town, but unfortunately, like so many of the towns we have ridden through, it is quite depressed, with lots of "closed" signs around the town.

I finally surpassed the 3000 mile mark (3072 miles to be exact).  I'm in a bit of shock myself that I have been able to ride that many miles - I may actually be turning into a real cyclist.  Who knew??

A Better Day than Expected

When I left RAP last night, I was a little nervous about today.  I have not really been nervous about riding for weeks but at RAP we discussed the weather and the winds and neither one was supposed to be in our favor.  I had flashbacks to our epic day of 117 miles and thought I am not sure I can do that again.  Luckily today turned out much better.  We rode 94 miles from Henrietta, NY to Liverpool, NY (really Syracuse, NY).  When we left, the winds were calm and it was not raining.  We had a little drizzle in the morning, and then some showers, but nothing too hard.  The winds stayed calm all day and while the end of the ride had some heavier rain, it was nothing compared to our last rainy day.

Today we rode on the Erie Canal Trail.  I only rode on the trail for a few miles, because once it turned into gravel, I moved to the roads.  We were on Highway 31 East for most of the day, with nice wide shoulders.  Today was our last riding day with a mileage above 90.  Actually, looking at the remainder of the trip, all of our days are in the 70 - 80 mile range.  I feel like we are getting to the point of a lot of "lasts" and each one hits me like a ton of bricks.  I need to enjoy every minute because I think this journey might actually end.

A Great Day to Start our Final Week of Riding...

Wow, I can't believe this is our last week of the trip.  It will take a long time to sink in that I just won't be getting up and getting on my bike everyday when I get home.  (But don't ask me what I will be doing because I don't really know yet, except for a much needed haircut from Lindsey.)  Today we rode 82 miles from Niagara Falls, NY to Henrietta, NY.  We are actually very close to Rochester, NY today.  It was a bright sunny day, but with a nice crispness in the air, a good breeze all day to keep us cool, and winds in the right direction.  We did not take such a scenic route but we did have some fun rolling hills to ride on. 

After every day off, I typically feel great, my legs are rested and I've caught up on some sleep.  Today was no different because I had a great day off yesterday.  My friend Martha lives in the buffalo area (on Grand Island) which was about 15 minutes from our hotel.  She picked me up bright and early and brought me to my always needed massage.  Then we drove back into Canada to have lunch at Niagara on the Lake.  Niagara on the Lake is a stunning town about 20 minutes away from Niagara Falls - it's the total opposite of the Niagara Falls cheesiness.  Driving up you pass beautiful vineyards and wineries and charming inns and homes.  The town itself is beautiful with zillions of flowers (see pics).  We had a great lunch (no buffet involved) and then we walked around the area.  I would highly recommend a weekend trip to this area.  Then we walked into a bakery and asked if they had any gluten free desserts.  They pointed us across the street to an Irish Tea Shop.  You will never believe this but all of their desserts were gluten free - I was in heaven (See pics).  After watching everyone devour tons of desserts this whole trip - it was my turn.  Plus I got something to go as a treat for today.  After Niagara on the Lake, we headed back to Buffalo for a trip to the local bike shop and the supermarket so I could stock up on gluten free foods for our final week.  Then Martha made me an amazing dinner with GF pasta and veggies plus I got to meet her boyfriend John (who was great!).  Overall, a productive and relaxing day.  By the time she dropped me back at the hotel, I had so many bags she had to help me upstairs to my room.

I have no pictures of Martha and I because I asked the only person in the world who doesn't know how to use a camera to take our pictures.  In every shot our heads are cutoff.  Looking forward to seeing Martha and John again in a few weeks when they visit Minneapolis.




Downtown Niagara on the Lake



Downtown Niagara on the Lake

Can you believe this???

The display case of gluten free desserts - HEAVEN

My dessert (Bailey's cheesecake) and Martha's dessert (Lemon cheesecake) - DELICIOUS!!

More flowers in downtown Niagara on the Lake

Finally..something more than cornfields

Today we rode 72 miles from Brantford, Ontario to Niagara Falls, NY.  Yes, we said Goodbye to Canada and Hello to New York State.  It was another GREAT biking day.  Our route had a few more rolling hills than we have seen over the past few days but so fun.  We rode into Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. It has been a long time since I have been to Niagara Falls - it has been turned into Disney World - a giant tourist trap.  But the Falls are beautiful.  We had cloud cover all day that kept us cool while we rode but as soon as we hit the Falls the sun came out.

Lucy, Jim, Jeff and I stopped at a cute Italian place for lunch - before we got to the Niagara "strip" to avoid the touristy restaurants.  Then we hit the Falls.  See pics below.  After spending a few hours hanging out on the Canadian side we decided it was time to head back to the USA.  Even though we were on bikes we had to go through customs with the cars (instead of pedestrians.)  The traffic went pretty fast and then we rode the final .5 mile to our hotel for our final rest day.  I am excited to have a rest day but cannot believe it is our last one!! 

This also bring me to an important milestone - we have hit "the last page".  In our rider kits that we received before the trip, it lists all of our hotels for the trip over 5 pages.  When I started the trip - the last page seemed so far away - Now we are on page 5.  The trip is flying by.

Enjoy the pics and I'll be back on Tuesday, after a day of rest and recharging.

Niagara Falls

Lucy and the Falls in Canada

A different view

The Rainbow Bridge that we crossed to get back to the U.S.

Waiting in traffic - on our bikes - to cross the bridge and go through customs.

Finally...NY

Page 5...The last page

We love you, Canada...

Today was the PERFECT day for a bike ride from London, Ontario to Brantford, Ontario.  And I mean PERFECT.  The ride was listed at 67 miles but I rode 69 miles.  Not sure why the difference but I'm going with 69 miles.  The sky was clear, no humidity and a fun route with lots of stops made it a great day.  We also started seeing some new scenery - tobacco farms, ginseng farms, tree farms, and a few others.  We stopped at a local market and picked up fresh cherries, nectarines, blueberries and some horseradish cheese.  At the market I noticed my front wheel was a little low on air - turns out I had a flat tire (my 5th of the trip) but if you have to have a flat tire I was in a great location with two of our leaders who had me fixed up and back riding in about 5 minutes.

Once we were closer to our destination, I stopped into town for lunch.  Turns out Gary, Matt and Terry had the same idea so we had a nice lunch at a local cafe before heading in.  Later this afternoon, Lucy and I had a picnic with the fruit and cheese - YUM!!

I think we are all excited for tomorrow - riding to Niagara Falls.  Have to get my passport out because we head back into the US and NY tomorrow.

Oh Canada...

Today we went international.  We rode 82 miles from Port Huron, MI to London, Ontario, Canada.  It was amazing.  Our hotel in Port Huron was just on the Michigan side of the Blue Water Bridge that we rode over this morning to Canada.  We did things a little differently.  We all assembled together and rode together over the bridge.  They closed the bridge to traffic so for a few minutes, it was just us on the bridge.  It was an awesome sight.  Then we went through customs with no problems and we were off for the day.  It stormed all night long so initially the roads were wet but then things cleared up and we had a great day - and I need to mention we had GREAT tailwinds so the ride went pretty fast.

I did not blog yesterday because I really had nothing left to say about Michigan.  It was farm after farm for our 87 mile ride from Birch Run, MI to Port Huron, MI.  When we woke up it was pouring rain, so the ABB team pushed back our departure by 30 minutes.  Then the rain stopped and stayed away the entire day.  So lucky!!  Our route took us past Lake Huron and and the second SAG stop was in Andreae Park - yes -  relatives of Nancy and Adrienne Andreae who are on our ride (Nancy is originally from Michigan) - pretty cool.

I was looking forward to getting to Canada for some different scenery, however, it's not much different then Michigan - lots of farms - we did pass a solar panel "farm" - which was different.  Everyone was very excited to get to a Tim Horton's - a cross between Dunkin Donuts and a sandwich shop. 

Gathering together first thing in the morning to get ready to cross the bridge - yes it was jersey day so we all look alike

Waiting to go through customs and get our passports checked

The Welcome sign to Ontario, unfortunately it was in the middle of the highway so we could not get too close

The solar panel "farm"