As I look back on the map of our journey, I just ask myself – “How in the world did we do that?” It seems to me like we’ve been on this adventure for a lot longer than the 6 1/2 weeks we’ve been on the road. On August 13th, as I dipped my back wheel into the Pacific Ocean, I remember commenting to my friend Doug – “Wow, the Atlantic Ocean sure does seem a long way away from here”. But just like any other big goal, or job, or project – if you just break it down into steps and chip away at it day by day – you’ll get there eventually. And here we are, knocking on the door of the Atlantic Ocean almost 3,800 miles from the starting line.
With the Nor’easter lingering around and spinning wind and rain bands across the region, it was another tough day in the saddle. We kicked off at 8 AM sharp excited about taking on the 69.7 miles with about 4,000 feet to climb today. The good news for us was that almost all of the climbing would be done my mile 42 and after that it was trending down or flat. I started out with arm and leg warmers one and wearing my super light rain/wind breaker which worked fine until the rain kicked in around noon. We had a SAG stop at mile 21 and got there with a few decent climbs but no real long 1,000 ft slogs like yesterday. We crossed into our 14th state at around mile 12 of the ride – New Hampshire! I didn’t even see the welcome sign in the middle of the bridge over the Connecticut River. As we moved further east, the sun peaked through the clouds once or twice as the bands of clouds passed over.
But, as we got deeper into the state, the clouds got lower and mistier and the winds kicked up more vigorously in our faces. At one point, I would guess we were getting gusts of 30-40 mph especially in the tree-lined valleys and the crests of the hills we climbed. We did a lot of riding solo today, with winds and frequent climbs, it is just too hard to try and stay together. I have to say that the New Hampshire drivers have not been friendly to us cold, wet and tired cyclists. All of them seem to be in a huge hurry on these country roads. Many of the roads here have little or roughly worn shoulders but these folks give you no grace – even on a Sunday morning! Dudes dragging big camper RVs passed me today with maybe a foot or two of clearance, even with no opposing traffic. Why?
Our lunch SAG stop was at mile 42 and it was kind of miserable. We were along a ridge line near the top of a climb and the wind atop there was especially strong. I was soaking wet at that point and the mid-50’s air temp was a lot colder with the wind. I ate quickly so I wouldn’t get much colder and promptly started the 5 mile descent headed to North Conway 26 miles away. My ride plan was pretty simple once the descent was done – just pour on the wattage and ride as hard as you can to keep the body heat up as high as you can get it. We had a SAG stop at mile 56 but I just gave a finger pointed forward to our guide Marty and he knew I was headed straight to the Comfort Inn in North Conway. I rolled into the hotel wet, cold and hungry and forever grateful for the opportunity to see this country from coast-to-coast from the seat of a bicycle. With just 68 miles now to reach the Atlantic Ocean, I will have the personal satisfaction of cycling “EFI” from Portland, OR to Portland, ME! What a blessing this adventure has been!
Tomorrow, I will be greeted by my wife Val and kids Emily and Dallas along with his girlfriend Rosalie at the Crescent Beach State Park just south of Portland. Even my sister Ann and my brother-in-law Phil will be there as they also worked in a trip to the Boston area late last week. While this trip has been amazing and I’ve made great friends, it can’t last forever so I am looking to sleeping in my own bed and loving on our dog Dutch again!
If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog for the last 6+ weeks, I hope that you would consider making a donation, of any amount, to both the YMCA and Teach My People. These 2 outstanding organizations play a key role in making Georgetown County, SC a great place to live – and your donations help them both expand their missions. And a big “Thank You” to those of you who have donated
Lastly, I would like to thank my great friend and West Point/Army buddy Mike “Big Shooter” Symes for driving 2+ hours from the Boston area today to see me and for bringing our group a load of home baked goodies for our post ride consumption. The Boys will Ride!!
Just 68 miles to go! Atlantic Ocean or Bust!
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