Day 50. Portsmouth, NH. 60 miles. 2,500 ft. climb

Day 50.   THE LAST DAY.   THE END. 

I enjoyed a little sightseeing in Portsmouth, NH before heading out to Wallis Sands State Park in  Rye, NH to greet Terry and all the riders.   Portsmouth reminded me very much of Annapolis, MD, where we used to live, and it was a very pleasant morning.  Then, I made my way down the coast about 6 miles to Wallis Sands State Park and staked out my spot for viewing the riders as they would be approaching, along with police escort around 12 noon.

Portsmouth Anchorage

Wallis Sands Beach

 I wasn't alone.   There were other families and friends waiting, too, and we enjoyed meeting each other and sharing our side of the stories that have been occurring for the last 50 days.  The morning was lovely--sunny, though the forecast was for rain.   Sure enough, about 5 minutes before they arrived, it started to drizzle.  Too bad, but certainly not enough to dampen the high spirits of those of us waiting nor evidently of the riders.  NOTHING was going to stop this celebration.

On this last day of their ride, they all thoroughly enjoyed a leisurely 60 miles, trying to take in every last minute of this experience.   They had plenty of time to stop at a bakery and had great pies and pastries and laughs with each other.  A little further on, they congregated at the Rye Junior High School, where they would assemble as a peloton and await their police escort for the final 3 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.  This was the time for last picture taking, many more hugs and congratulating each other, and getting eager to make the final stage to their waiting fan clubs.   Photos documented some of the special groupings of riders.At this point, Terry received the last and perhaps best honor.   The group had decided that he would lead them in.   He would be in the front of the peloton.   What an exceptional thrill and honor this was!  


The Last Group Photo

 

The Over 60's



The Over 70's

The Internationally-borne: Australia, England, Ireland, England, Holland, Holland, Bermuda, Canada

We, who were waiting at the beach, got in position,and cheered as first the police car came around the bend, then the ABB Vans, and then the riders.  



I saw Terry in the front and was so thrilled for him.   I grabbed as many photos as I could of him and all the riders as they came in, in between wiping the rain drops off my camera lens.  I really felt like I knew them all, having followed many blogs and seen so  many photos along the way.   They were all my friends now.

Terry Leads Them Home

The LAST Direction

Terry Directs The Last Turn To The Beach

The loudspeaker at the beach concession announced the arrival of the riders.   Sunbathers all looked up in disbelief when they learned who these people were and what they had just done.  I ran from the road up to the beach, where the riders were speedily walking toward the water, to dip their front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean and celebrate their stupendous accomplishment.   Some went so far as to dive in the water themselves.  There was such jubilation.  People hugging, crying, laughing, zillions of photo being taken.

Everyone To The Atlantic!!

 The entire group gathered and the designated "inspirations",  Terry (the oldest) and Sharon (the most improved),  took the water bottle containing water from the Pacific, and with great ceremony, poured it into the Atlantic.

From Pacific to Atlantic

   Mike closed this ceremony with a congratulatory High Five's to everyone.  YOU'VE DONE IT!    CONGRATULATIONS!!!

YOU'VE DONE IT!!

The Fab Four posed for their book-end wheel-dip photo at the Atlantic.

Steve, Travis, Dan & Zippy at the Atlantic

Somewhere in between all the hoopla, Terry and I said hello, again.

Together Again!

 That evening, nearly everyone went out to dinner for lobster (of course) and I got to talk with everyone I had come to know.  I thanked Dan, Travis, Leslie, Julie, Blythe, Two-Camera-Bob, Matt, Steve, Adrienne and Mike for their blogs, without which  I never could have done this one.  There were more laughs and tears, and hugs and good-byes and promises to stay in touch, and plans being made for the future.  In the morning, everyone would depart for home and the 2011 America -By-Bicycle North Tour would become history.   But absolutely, it was the experience of a lifetime and will forever provide never-to-be-forgotten memories.  

It will be strange not to write this blog anymore, but it's been such fun to try to capture it for Terry and all of you readers.   Thank you so much for following along, commenting along the way, and sending your congratulations.  I've kept all your comments and Terry will soon sit down and read them all.   What a trip this has been!!  Seeing the magnificent sights along this vast country and having an experience that not many people will ever have.  It's not just  the fact they reached their destination, but rather it was the journey that got them there.  It was the experiences they had along the way and the relationships they developed with people they met and with their new cycling family.  Well done, all you ABB Riders!  And, of course,  GO, ZIPPY, GO!!!

HE DID IT!!!!

Tour Final Stats:   3,668 miles.  108,195 ft. climb.   10 States and 1 Canadian Province.   And DONE!!

Day 49. Manchester, NH. 79 miles, 4,780 ft. climb

As I flew from Tucson to Boston, and then drove up to Portsmouth, NH, Terry and the ABB riders were on their penultimate ride, finally crossing into New Hampshire.   They knew at the end of the day, they would have their banquet dinner to cap this extraordinary adventure.

  My day had a few adventures of its own, due to weather delays and some concern that flights would be cancelled.  But I arrived at Logan Airport in Boston only a few hours late, picked up the rental car and drove up to Portsmouth through the fog, but without any problems.

Meanwhile, the riders enjoyed mild temperatures, light tail winds and the LAST of the hills.  They had some difficult climbing to do, but everyone was by now is top condition and form and had no trouble.  They could begin to smell the salty air coming from the Atlantic Ocean, and like horses to the barn, they sped up as they headed for home.

The route consisted of lots of ups and downs — no big, long hills, but hundreds of small ones.  Every turn introduced a new 100- or 200-yard hill.  Then it was down again, only to climb again after the next turn.   They  had perfect cycling weather — cool and cloudy. The roads were nice; the shoulders were exceptionally good. And the scenery — forests, small rivers, pretty little villages, and factories from the Revolutionary era — was exceptional. 



 In previous tours, this day included some tortuous hill climbs, but   ABB has actually changed the route slightly and eliminated the most tortuous of the climbs on this penultimate day.  It proved to be exceedingly difficult in the past, so they lowered the profile slightly.  Still, a few riders decided to take the old route anyway---they just couldn't get enough of it!

Steve, Dan & Dano Did The Original Route Climbs

 With the extra adrenaline push of nearing the end, most riders finished today's route fairly quickly and got in early enough to relax and get ready for the final banquet dinner.   This is a celebration of near completion of the journey, a chance to articulate just what this has all meant to them, watch Mike's slide show of photos from the entire trip, put on  skits and tell funny anecdotes of the trip and say preliminary farewells.  There were many laughs as well as tears as riders shared their thoughts and emotions.



Montreal Michel Finally Speaks Comprehensible English AND Gets A Haircut

Finally, all four Dans were together............ 

Dan (New York),  Dan (Tennessee), Dan (Ohio) and Dan (California)


There were a few honors given.   Lucy was awarded  the most upbeat and extremely positive attitude which brought such joy and smiles to others, and was given the Progress Map that had been kept and posted throughout the trip.  

Lucy Gets The Map Of Progress

Sharon (the one who feared descents) and our one-and-only Zippy were awarded the Most Inspirational riders!!!  Sharon, who worked hard to overcome her fear, and Terry who had been told by many on the tour that he was their inspiration--hoping they could ride like him when they're his age.  Admired for his zippiness, if you will.  And for capturing this award, Sharon and Terry were to be given the honor of pouring out the water from the Pacific Ocean (which had been carried all across country) into the Atlantic Ocean when they arrive at the beach tomorrow, where I and many other family & friends of riders will be waiting.

Day 48. Brattleboro, VT. 79 miles. 5,050 ft climb

Up and over the Green Mountains and into quirky Brattleboro, Vermont.   Tomorrow, both Terry and I head to New Hampshire!

It was a tough day, with long climbs---some riders report it was more like 6,000 ft rather than the 5,050 on the route sheet.  It began with a   a 10 mile climb coming out of Bennington, Vt and had another 2 mile climb at 60 miles. The last 10 miles into Brattleboro was all downhill which was a nice treat after all the climbing.  Equally problematic was the busy roads, heavy car and truck traffic, road construction, and lousy shoulders.   At one point, the shoulder was very narrow and trucks would pass so close that riders had to actually go over to the guard rail and wait for the truck to pass.   This happened on a major hill, and anyone who rides a bike knows that if you stop on a steep hill, it's next to impossible to start up again.   But that's what they had to do.

On the plus side, however, Vermont provided them with beautiful, green, lush scenery, charming small towns, and considerate drivers, who waived and smiled at the cyclists for a welcome change from New York.

2-Camera-Bob, Terry, Mary & Russell Welcome Vermont
 

AHHH, Vermont

Getting Through Town

 Why quirky, you ask?   I can't say it better myself, so I'm copying directly from Travis' blog:
"Brattleboro not only permits nudity but it’s also one of the few certified free trade towns in the United States.  Brattleboro also indicted George Bush and Dick Cheney for “crimes against the Constitution”. Apparently there’s still a warrant out for their arrest.  I wonder if they would be arrested if they showed up naked.
Brattleboro is also the oldest town in Vermont, which has a few quirks of its own.  Among other things, it was the home of Ida May Fuller.  Don’t remember her?  She received the first Social Security check ever.  Vermont also has the only state capital — Montpelier — in the Union that does not have a McDonald’s.  It does have a lot of Ben & Jerry’s though. Where does all of Ben & Jerry’s cream come from?  Well, Vermont has the highest ratio of cows to people of any state in the country.  Vermont’s a little weird which is why I’m looking for the t-shirt that says: U.S. Out of Vermont."

I'm afraid the quirkiness has gotten to Zippy, because Travis concludes with:  

"Ooops, I’ve gotta go.  Tucson Terry has organized a nude fun run for us and I don’t want to miss it."

Terry Dressed

Terry Undressed--No Helmet!!

Day 47. Latham, NY. 74 miles. 2,100 ft. climb

Redemption.    I'll start with the end of the day and work backwards.    Word was out that the motel at the end of today's ride had gotten horrible reviews, so the ABB Handlers made a quick switch to a different one, which according to Terry was "incredible, sublime, plush and with enormous rooms".  Wow.   The riders are all in the "executive wing" and having a ball, with the plush bar and gazebo, fabulous carrot cake desserts, and fast service.    I don't know if the Handlers were planning the redemptive switch or just made a last minute decision, but I'm sure they're getting lots of thank-yous tonight.  Good move!!

Still jumping out of chronological order, I'll revisit the T-shirt swap from last night.   Turns out, this is the "greedy grab-bag" game that  we did at the holiday parties at my job in Philadelphia (Susan J--I know you remember!).   Everyone contributed a T-shirt to the pool and picked a number out of a hat, 1-30 (or however many riders there are).   Each person gives a brief background on the T.  Then, Barbara MC'd and called out the numbers.  That person got to pick the T-shirt they wanted from the pool.  After the first T-shirts were in circulation, then when you're number was called, you could pick from the pool or take one from someone who already had one.  It gets really fun after a while, as people are taking shirts from someone who really doesn't want to give it up.

Montreal Mike Says Something To Crack Up Barbara

How Do You Really Feel, Karina?

Hmmm, Which One Should I Pick???

After 3 "takes", the last owner gets to keep the one they have.   Terry had contributed a Tucson Festival of Books T-shirt (he volunteered there one year).  The problem for him was that 99% of the T-shirts were large or Xtra large.  Very few were small or medium. Of those,  he picked one with a Canadian logo, and after losing it twice, had it on the 3rd round, and got to keep it.  Colin first picked his Tucson Book Festival T-shirt, but Travis ended up with it.  The most coveted one that kept getting taken was Led Zeppelin.    It was a fun night, including a glass of wine, which once again made for a slightly unzippy Zippy for today's ride.

The route continued along the Erie Canal and went through the Mohawk Valley, along the Mohawk river, often on a nice bike trail, and by all accounts got prettier and the towns seemed a bit more successful. They rode through Amsterdam and Rotterdam to Latham.

One Of The Towns---Don't Know Which

Terry Rolling to Latham

A Working Lock On Erie Canal

Erie Canal Bike Path

 The riders are really feeling the population density of the east, having come through really empty lands for so much of this tour.  Now, there's people, cars, commercial activities & vehicles (i.e. trucks)  everywhere, so although today was a more scenic ride, there was still lousy traffic & bad drivers. In fact, three riders were run off the road the other day by someone speeding up the shoulder in the left-turn lane.  Only jumping off the road saved them from getting hit.  Not nice!

Barely Room For Both

The morning was very foggy and misty at first, but that cleared and the sun was out for the remainder.

Riders In The Fog

The terrain was rollers---steep ups, then down, then up, then down, and so on.   The difference between East and West rollers is that now the steep doesn't go on for very long.  It's actually more tiring than the long climbs back west.   It's just a hint of what happens tomorrow as they have to cross over the Green Mountains in Vermont and the next day in New Hampshire to get to the Atlantic Ocean, and some people are getting nervous.   It's funny to think that the toughest climb of the trip is basically on the last day, and in the east.  Unfortunately, Barry (originally from Australia, now California, and 2nd oldest on trip)  had a bad crash today and was taken to the hospital for a nasty gash on his head which required 16 stitches.  He'll sit out tomorrow and hopefully  finish the final two days of  tour.  I hope so, after all this effort!

Please Have A Speedy Recovery, Barry!

The ABB Handlers are getting into frenetic endgame activities and planning.  After the arrival at the beach on Monday, they have to ferry people to the bike shop in Portsmouth that will ship their bikes back home, take some people to trains & planes at different schedules, and wrap things up.  It will be controlled chaos.   The actual farewell banquet will be held the night before, on Sunday.   I'm sure it will be a very emotional time for everyone.

Tour Stats To Date:  3,472 miles.    94,645 ft climb.    8 States, 1 Canadian Province....and rolling......

Day 46. Little Falls, NY. 78 miles. 1,610 ft climb

An attitude that Zippy really does have most days is from Monty Python's, Life of Brian: "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life."    From that perspective, he wants to be clear on this blog that he has no complaints about the food or the lodging on this trip.  Oh, some are better than others---way better--but it's just one of those things that can slip through the cracks in planning such a long trip.  He says if he had wanted gourmet food, he'd have signed up for one of the really luxury tours.   Yes, it's all the same after a while, but that's just how it is.    ABB Mike really apologized to the group for the bad conditions at the last motel and felt really bad about it.  They will definitely take it off the list for future trips.   Zippy assured Mike that he is a happy camper---no complaints.

With that clarified, the report of today is also generally upbeat.  There was more miles along the Erie Canal and  it was very pleasant, with some climbing to get ready for the climbs to come, a little wind but nothing serious, and early clouds which gave way to sunshine and nice temps.  Melanie & Ron, who joined the tour a few days ago, were Terry's riding companions today.   (FYI, people can come and go on different legs of the tour, so new people have joined and some of the original starters have left).  They are very strong riders, especially on the hills.  Zippy overtook them on one of the hills, which prompted Melanie to declare she wanted a picture of the two of them together to document that feat.  I gather not many people overtake her on hills.  Zippy has developed a reputation for being a good climber.  He swears it's because he's such a light package, he doesn't have to haul lots of pounds uphill.

Melanie & Zippy

Science-teacher Mary, Colins' friend, has told Terry he's her role model for how to age and stay fit.   Now, Mary is training for a mini-Ironman race, so after each day's rides, she goes for a run!!   I guess being her role model is quite a compliment!

Mary--Who Goes Running After The Day's Ride!!

This part of the tour goes through the heart of James Fenimore Cooper country.  He set his novels in this part of New York, in  The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, The Pioneers, and The Prairie.  Reportedly, it's easy to  imagine Mohicans, Oneidas, or Mohawks living among the forests and rivers of these parts.  (Thanks, Travis, for that bit of literary history).  Oh, and I need to submit a correction: this is not upstate New York.  It's western New York.   Correction noted.   Some of the small towns they went through looked quite charming in the photos, but riders usually reported that they were run down.

Looks Charming To Me

Phyllis & Colin Rolling Through Scenic Countryside

Little Falls

  One oddity was passing by the World's Smallest Church--a 2 seater, in the middle of a pond.   I don't know if it was always surrounded by water, but it is now.

There Goes Zippy

Matt & Dan Do Laundry Before Tonight's T-shirt Swap

 The highlight of the day was this evening's T-Shirt Swap--which I don't have any details of yet.  But apparently people have been pinching each other's T-shirts and now get to swap them out....or something like that.   I'll find out more about it tomorrow.   I think it means they're getting punchy.

Julie--That's Not A T-Shirt!!

The consensus is that New York State has been the least friendly to ride in, and downright dangerous.  Terry hasn't like it very much,  finding the landscape unremarkable, the towns old and run down, and the motorists positively hostile.  They crowd the riders, honk their horns at them, cut them off, turn just inches in  front of them.   Mike warned the group at the RAP meeting last night to be careful because each year, the New York stretch has the highest bike/car incident rate.  That's the LAST thing anyone needs now!    Just one more day in New York, then on to Vermont and New Hampshire, where the biggest climb of the tour awaits---6,000 ft.

It's not over 'til it's over.