After 41 days on the road, I finally concluded my 1,834 mile journey from Maine to Florida today, riding into Jacksonville, Florida from the Georgia/Florida line (54 miles), accompanied by Jen and my father-in-law (Bruce Bower). First and foremost, I want to acknowledge how fortunate I am and say how thankful I am to have been able to undertake and complete this adventure. Along today's ride I thought about the answers to several questions concerning this journey. What will I remember? Many, many things. Among them, I will remember, and be ever thankful for, the constant expressions of support and love from so many wonderful people along the way. I will also remember the quiet moments riding along country roads in beauty and solitude, breeze in the air, and suddenly feeling the overwhelming presence of my dad (who died of cancer earlier this year) traveling along and enjoying the ride with me. I love you dad. And I will remember the eager anticipation and joy of reuniting with Jen and Bower in Baltimore. What did I learn? Again, many things, but perhaps the most significant was something I noticed one day in the hills of the northeast. Loaded down with gear and not yet in shape, I remember the sinking feeling that overcame me when I looked up the road and saw the first really steep hill of the ride. I was already pretty beat up and tired, and I remember thinking: I just can't climb that hill - I may have to quit. But I just kept riding toward that hill, then up it, one pedal at a time, and then the most amazing thing happened - the hill began to flatten out. I'm not sure whether it was an optical illusion or what, but that hill, just like all of life's challenges, looked a hell of a lot steeper and more intimidating from far away than it did as I started to climb it. What did this ride accomplish? Of course it was an exciting adventure, but I think we also accomplished our goals of raising awareness and money to combat cerebral palsy, an affliction that affects a staggering 1 out of every 268 children born in America. And I hope that we also conveyed a message of hope and inspiration to other parents and families of children with special needs that they can still have big adventures and do big things and that their child can be a part of that. These are just some of the questions raised and answers found in this ride. If you want to know more, just send me an email. Finally, I want to thank everyone who supported and donated to this cause. In the "Our Story" section of this blog before I began this ride, I wrote: "If you have ever wondered whether the world is generally good, know that it is." Never have I felt that statement to be more true than I did during this ride.
P.S. Thanks Jen and Bower for letting my dream become a reality. I love you more than words can say.
