FINAL DAY!!! Wow was I excited. The first 20 miles of the ride were on bike path in the woods, such a nice way to begin a ride. I shot off a rare morning video log because I just couldn’t stop smiling. Weather was perfect, I had a slight tail wind, and it was a shorter ride. It was going to be a great day! The path was great then I hit the roads which had nice shoulders and low traffic. I had a couple route choices today but chose the most direct even though I knew I had to get around a town with lots of construction because I liked being on bike paths in the beginning. One of advantages of biking in more developed areas is there start to be more options for routes. In the west and in west Texas you had very little to no options. So when I have more routes, I end looking for ones that have a lot of different options in case there was a problem on the route. I learned that lesson in central Texas when the highway I had been traveling suddenly ran out of shoulder. I had to back track and find a bunch of farm roads to get to my destination. It was emotionally and physically draining. Ever since, if I have any concerns about the route, I try to find and plan out alternatives. It definitely helped and is a great lesson for life, if there is only one path to your goal, the possibility of being derailed is a lot higher. Today I had a bunch of options and when I approached the construction I veered on to some country roads and got through no problem. After, I found more great bike paths and my mood kept getting better! I was wondering when the emotions of finishing would hit me, as I saw signs for St Augustine I could feel them welling up. I had to get through the city, over a bridge, then a couple miles down a beach road to the rental house and the end. As I entered St Augustine the first wave hit. I was laughing in disbelief, I had actually done it! It felt great but I knew I have a few miles more before the celebration would begin. The big bridge was the last hard part and as I crested it, I saw the Atlantic for the first time, and the tidal wave hit. I was laughing and crying and shouting like a crazy man. The drivers must of thought I was nuts but I didn’t care, a 54 year old guy, with a bad back, a brand new artificial knee, and no experience doing long distance rides just crossed the country alone. I know many people ride across the country each year but that didn’t make is any less epic for me. I am really proud of what I did and felt so fortunate to have some many friends and my family supporting me all along the way..
- ellewood6