Day 51 (6/26/22): Hello Jersey!
Start: Valley Forge, PA
End: Washington’s Crossing, NJ
Miles: 38
Elevation: 1,469 feet
We are locked and loaded.
Today’s plan was to backtrack from my brother’s place back to Valley Forge and then back to my brother’s place. Mission accomplished, and I can now say I’ve ridden my bike from my house to my brother’s house. Oddly, while I’ve made the CA-PA trip, I’ve never made the 100-mile trip from our house in San Diego to my older brother’s house in Ranchos Palos Verdes. (No disrespect intended.)
Tish and I managed to pull ourselves out of bed before 6:00 a.m. in order to get the jump on the heat and traffic. It was a quiet, uncrowded Sunday ride through the towns of Montgomery and Bucks County. We started so early, I actually got back to my brother’s before 10:30…and I had a hankering to check off the last State on the journey. Tish was in Philadelphia touring, so I decided to ride the first 15 miles of the trip to the Jersey Shore which brought me to Washington’s Crossing in New Jersey. I gotta tell you. The Garden State never looked so good. I was so happy crossing the very narrow bridge into my home state.
Then I took a nap.
I’m super-hyped and will have trouble sleeping tonight. So many people have said, “you got this” along the way. I hear that a lot on marathon courses as well. It’s such a nice sentiment and is very much appreciated, but at some point that confidence has to come from within. I was always sure I could do this, but there are so many variables that could derail the quest. At this point, however, WE GOT THIS!
The next post(s) will hopefully be celebratory. In this last regular post, I thought I’d write a little about my feelings about the journey coming to an end. It’s incredibly bittersweet. I can’t think of anything more exciting that I’ve done in my life than the 50 or so rides that have made up the quest. Everyday was new. The riding was almost always fantastic. The scenery was overwhelming and liberating. The reflection was enlightening. The people were awesome. The stories endless. Everything was on our terms. Truly one of the most intense periods of my life. Please figure out a way to magically drop me into a sublime new ride everyday and get me home for dinner and I’m in, but it doesn’t work that way. Tish and I are both ready to trade in the nomadic life and all of the logistics that go with it. We Facetimed with Bailey yesterday. He had to show us a few things in the house. As he was walking through house, Tish and I kept saying, “Oh, the kitchen”, “Oh, there’s the family room”, “Show me the grandfather clock”, “Show me my car”. It went on. We still have some road ahead of us when we head west, but we’re looking forward to getting back to our “old” life.
What am I Grateful for Today?
Take a look at the fundraising total. We surpassed $20,000 earlier today! Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think we’d ever be able to raise so much. Thank you!
A related side note. I’m still not 100%, and I’m quite certain I delayed my full recovery by pedaling these last 4 days. I went very easy, so I don’t believe I’ve prolonged things too much. I picked it up again so quickly for 2 reasons. First, I wanted to make sure we had some flexibility on when we finish. For a variety of reasons, we have to be headed west by July 12. Second, I think of my daughter and the JDRF Youth Ambassadors who wrote me the many inspirational notes and know they can’t dismiss their diabetes when they get sick. It’s with them always, and they have to deal with it always. This was an inconvenience for me—the very least I can do to walk in their shoes for a few days.
A completely separate note. Tish made her Chicken Parmigiana. It doesn’t get any better. It’s been 2.5 months.