TODAY'S TALES: 

Today was our final assault on the beach.  We woke to cloudy skies and cool temperatures but with the possibility of rain sometime during the day.  The cool weather that we've had almost all the way across came to an end today as the humidity was up a bit.  Heck, in Alabama we'd call today a dry day in April.  In spite of the dreary looking forecast, the spirit of the group wasn't affected in the least as we rolled out undaunted with a drive to complete our journey now matter what.

As I sat at breakfast, I was very aware of the mood of the group...some jubilant while others were more introspective as they came to grips with the fact the ride was fast coming to an end.  It even became more evident as we loaded our luggage the final time and tried to savor the emotions of our last day.  Last night everyone shared their feelings about our journey...some laughed, some fought back tears, but everyone was thankful for the experience.  They all stretched their comfort zones over the last 50 days and are better, stronger cyclists and stronger people for doing it.  Best of all, friendships have been made that will last a life time. 

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 1700s when these people were living?  It must have been a simpler time and I'm sure they couldn't have imagined someone coming along in lycra on a two wheeled contraption in 2009 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 51 miles by 11:30.  The terrain between Manchester and Portsmouth is a bit hillier than one would expect (2360 feet of climbing today) and the fact that we had lots of turns made it a challenge to stay on course.  Our other challenge was the forecast weather, but we ran from the dark forming clouds all the way to the beach and our good weather luck held fast to the finish as we stayed dry all the way to the beach and through the final activities at the motel.  But what a beautiful ride...it was definitely a great finish to a long trip.  

We assembled at Rye JR High School at 11:30 for a police escort to the beach and everyone got there in plenty of time.  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 take some final group photos and follow the police escort to the beach and then dip our wheels in the Atlantic. 

At 11:45 we assembled everyone and prepared for the escort to the beach.  The last 3 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.  When we were making our way to the sandy area of the beach, an announcement came over the beach loudspeaker saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, America by Bicycle has arrived!"

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.  The beach was crowded so we had lots of onlookers as we marched through the soft sand to the water's edge.  Everyone there definitely gave us their attention as they looked up from what they were doing and asked us the same questions that everyone else we'd encountered up to this point had asked...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.  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.  Big Jim (left), now affectionately known as "Slim Jim," did the pouring honors.

Our final activity together was collecting the luggage for the last time at the motel, shuttling bikes to the bike shop, and preparing the bikes for delivery home.   It was a last time for us to enjoy fellowship as a group and re-live many of our memories of the last 50 days before heading back to our "normal" lives.  Now everyone can sit back and bask in their accomplishment...but reality will set in soon.  Some will leave tonight and others will leave tomorrow.  Our contact with the riders will be over tomorrow after we shuttle the last 18 to the airport in Boston.  We're going to miss this bunch...we wish them well and hope to see them again on another ride...somehow I think we will.

This will complete the daily journal for the North 2009 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.  Tonight, I want to sleep...tomorrow we leave for home.

Copyright © 2009 by Bamacyclist  
All rights reserved. 

Smileys provided by Smiley.com