Today our ride will be over...but for the present, we will savor our last day and enjoy things one would overlook while driving a car through this area.  Things like ducks carving the only ripples through a calm lake in the early morning mist or the sounds of frogs croaking in the reeds.  I was in the van today, but I was still able to stop at an old grave yard and ponder over the headstones that honored people from a different century.  I wondered what it must have been like in this area in the early 1800s when these people were living?  It must have been a simpler time and I'm sure they couldn't have imagined someone coming along on a bicycle in 2006 and just sitting by their gravesite.  What a beautiful final resting place.   

Today's route took us through some beautiful New Hampshire back roads where old and new homesteads alike lined the roads behind stonewalls that were built in the late 1700s or early 1800s.  I always love to see the New England architecture that includes modern buildings and also older buildings that show the flavor of earlier times. 

Albeit a short day and relatively easy compared to what we've done in the past couple of days, it was still challenging to get to the rendezvous point at 50 miles by 11:30.  The terrain between Manchester and Portsmouth is a bit hillier than one would expect (2660 feet of climbing today) and the fact that we had lots of turns made it a challenge to stay on course.  Karen got out at the second SAG and took a can of paint on her bike and marked the route to the beach...that helped.  All things considered, what a beautiful ride...it was definitely a great finish to a long trip.  

We met at Rye JR High School at 11:30 for a police escort to the beach and everyone got there in plenty of time...except the police escort that was a few minutes late.  I guess domestic violence calls are higher on the priority list than escorting 30 cyclists to the beach.  When I arrived in the van, the riders were hugging, taking pictures, and giving high fives all over the place.  The only thing left was to get to the beach and then dip our wheels in the Atlantic.  We had carried a water bottle full of water from the Pacific Ocean to pour into the Atlantic to symbolize our completion and to try to do our part in raising the level of the Atlantic to the level of the Pacific.  I understand the Atlantic is about 5 feet lower than the Pacific so it may take us several years to transport enough ocean water from the west to bring the Atlantic up to level.  Linda did the honors.

Just a few minutes before noon, we assembled everyone and prepared for the escort to the beach.  The last 2 miles of our journey was carefree of traffic and protected by Rye's finest.  It made for a pleasant and memorable finish when the police blocked the intersections and let us go through with our procession with lights flashing and sirens announcing our arrival.  There weren't too many people within earshot who didn't realize that something special was going on.  As we approached the beach, the roads were lined with family and friends to welcome our weary travelers.  It was quite a reception as we rode triumphantly into the parking lot.  Once we all got to the beach, everyone hiked down to the water with either their wheel or their bikes to dip their front wheel in the blue Atlantic.  As I said, many of the riders had friends or family members who met them to share in their accomplishment, but the most interesting thing at the beach was the reaction of the locals who were spending the day there.  We marched right through hundreds of sunbathers to get to the water for the dip ceremony...we definitely had their attention as they would look up from their books or picnics and started to ask us the same questions everyone else asks...where did you start from, when, how many of you are there...why are you doing this?  

During and after the wheel dipping ceremony, cameras were flashing all around recording the moment as the riders celebrated in their own way.  Some were joyous, some cried, some were solemn, while others were jubilant.  It was interesting to see the different emotions.  A couple were just standing in the ocean looking off into the horizon reflecting and not wanting to leave that spot...there is a "real world" out there somewhere...I wonder if they really want to go back to it?  At the end of every long summer I wonder the same thing...I'm not sure if I want to go back...what a life...the life on the road.

This will complete the daily journal for the Cross Country Challenge 2006 ride, but I will compose the final thoughts page tomorrow.  Please tune and I'll try to wrap up the ride with some observations and insight.