Epilogue

Epilogue

Yesterday Jen called to congratulate us and as the conversation went on, she warned us that we could not end the blog cold turkey. She said that the kindest thing we could do was to wean off the readers slowly, or else something bad might happen. So it was this conversation that inspired this final blog entry that I have called the Epilogue.

Let me first start by saying thank you to all for your honest comments, your enthusiam, and genuine interest in our journey. We just loved that you followed along each day and encouraged us to continue to write and upload pictures of the places that we visited and the things that we saw. This blog became more than just a way to document our journey.  It became our life line to family and friends. It motivated us in ways that cannot even be described. It focused and helped us keep track of the little things, and to take an abundance of pictures along the way, so we would have them for the blog at night. To say that we looked forward to each and every comment is an understatement.  We received not only comments as part of the blog, but separate text messages, emails and phone calls from those who could not successfully leave a blog comment.  

To all our family and friends – especially Steve (Hanson) for seeing us off in San Diego, Jen and Ben for visiting us in Colorado, Michelle and Brian visiting us in St. Louis, and Andy and Paige in Nashville, and Toni-Ann and Bruce in Virginia and for taking vacation time to spend with us; it made us appreciate just how lucky we are having all of you in our lives!

The Blog

Something you may or may not have known, but perhaps you figured out.  Steve and I had to set a few rules that provided us with some structure for this blog early on – like on day 1. We thought setting some simple rules would ensure integrity of the blog, provide two different perspectives and to keep this little competition between us fair and exciting.

First:     We both would contribute to the blog equally and independently

Second: We would alternate nights to post our entries

Third:    We could use any literary device we wanted

Four:     Neither one of us could change or modify one another’s post

Five:      To keep it fun, interesting and honest

Things We Will Never Forget

In California - for the scariest, most exciting moment when flying down the descent through Devil’s Canyon.  How we stayed on our bikes with 50 mile an hour crosswinds - I still don’t know.

In Arizona - for the gorgeous sand dunes and the vast beauty of the grand canyon.

In Utah - for the spectacular canyons and Bryce hoodoos, and the chance to breathe in fresh clean air, experience quite and peacefulness everyday.

In Colorado - for the rocky mountains and roaring rivers that remind you of just how alive we are.

In Kansas - for meeting the kindest and most genuine people you will ever want to meet.

In Missouri - for the amazing St. Louis Arch and the chance to ride up to the top in the tight, four-seat tuna can.

In Illinois - for the many, many rolling hills that were both frustrating and exhilarating at the same time.

In Kentucky - for walking and stepping ¾ of a mile down into the Mammouth Caves surrounded by structures both exciting to navigate and creepy to look at.

In Tennessee - for giving us Johnny Cash and the spectatcular restaurants and delicious food selections right when we needed it most.

In Virginia - for giving us the ocean, and chance to swim and enjoy the crashing waves for hours in Virginia Beach.

  

Top Eleven Things I Loved

11.  I love that we discovered Arby's turkey sandwiches and the Waffle House

10.  I love that I can admit that I really don't like sleeping in a tent all that much

09.  I love that we saw different types of wildlife, small and large, every day or 95 days

08.  I love that we were outside in the sun, and sometimes the rain, breathing in the fresh air and living in the present every day

07.  I love that Steve loved the yellow jersey that Andy and Jen gave him for father’s day and because it came from the kids, he had to wear it everyday thereafter

06.  I love that Steve told me the story of the Princess Bride, a favorite movie of his, Andy and Jen's, scene by scene one day when we were riding

05.  I love that Steve would sing lyrics to different songs everyday as we rode our bikes

04.  I love that Steve would recite different dialogue and have me try to quess the film

03.  I love that as Steve's beard grew, it got softer and softer

02.  I love that Steve and I could spend every second, of every day together, without anything more than a frustration and usually only if we got lost 

01.  I love that I felt safe everyday riding with Steve by my side

Beard and Hair

Over the past three months, we have gotten a few comments about Steve’s beard and no comments about my hair.  Yes, I mean the white streak. I guess I can understand why.  Steve is adamant that he will shave his beard as soon as we get home.  As for me, I’m not sure yet. It has been quiet liberating not to have to care about the color of my hair, but at the same time, I am not sure yet if its time to go Au Natural. Surely, I am entitled to take a few more days to think about this, right?

Our Journey

Total miles                               3781

Total states                              10

Total days                                 95

Total riding days                       74

Total rest days                           21

Total rain days                            8

Total steepest climbs                 14%-16% grade (Escalante UT, Vesuvius VA)

Longest climb                            50 miles (Utah – Hanksville to Hite)

Total feet climbed in one day     6300      (VA, Vesuvius and Blue Ridge Pkwy)

Longest day in miles                   82          (VA, Ashland to Williamsburg)

Shortest day in miles                  18          (VA, Williamsburg to Yorktown)

Number of flat tires                    0

Our cross-country journey

So when and where are we headed next? As of right now, we are fairly confident that there will be a next summer bicycle tour adventure; perhaps not as long, but we would like to explore different terrain and a different culture; perhaps somewhere that takes us back to our roots!  What I can say for certain is that our blog will have a sequel, but the story is still in development!

A photo passed along to me by my Aunt Lois