Dear Mr Obama,
I would like to thank you for whatever you did........ but we managed to complete the entire trans Am route without a single dog attack! Not all our friends were so lucky but we made it!
I would also like to congratulate you on your wonderful post office network across the entire country and also the excellent libraries, without which I could not have done my blog. Thank you.
I would like also to mention the wonderful people we met on our travels. Everyone was so interested in what we were doing and where we were from and nobody was short of words of friendly advice.
The American motel network is excellent too, offering low price and almost always good accommodation along the route.
Not every town has a motel so we were very grateful to the various churches who filled a gap by offering accommodation when there was nothing else. Such kindness is much appreciated. Another wonderful service is Hot Showers, an organisation which offers free hospitality to cyclists in need.
The traffic on American roads is not always cyclist friendly but we had no mishaps and so many people rolled down their windows and greeted us to the U.S and gave us a thumbs up!
Many people find it difficult to say a good word about McDonalds but we can only praise them. .... brilliant air conditioning,free wifi, free iced water and ice cubes for our water bottles.We also had lunch for 2 dollars each and enjoyed the many free refills!
The American adventure cycling association also deserves a mention . They are the ones responsible for devising this cycle route for nutters like us!!! Should they be praised or locked up??? I don't know!
I know you have a lot on your plate Mr Obama, but you're doing a great job. You sorted out the dogs for us, you are trying to sort out the economy for your people, any chance of an award for us because it was one long ride and we feel we deserve something for our efforts!!
We made a special detour to Washington DC to thank you personally but you weren't home that day. If you ever come to Wales there will always be a welcome for you and your family in our very own White House.
Fondest regards,
Mary and Dermot xx
Saturday 18 September 2010
SOME FACTS
It took us 81 days to cycle over 4250 miles.
We were on the road for a total of 92 days (13 weeks).
We had 11 days off. On 2 of those days off we cycled up to 30 miles but counted them as rest days as we arrived at our destination so early in the day.
We were on the road for a total of 92 days (13 weeks).
We had 11 days off. On 2 of those days off we cycled up to 30 miles but counted them as rest days as we arrived at our destination so early in the day.
Wednesday 8 September 2010
WEEK 13
Sunday 29th Aug till Sun 5th Sept
The last week at long last! We finally met up with Dave and Linda after hearing about them many times along the way. Dave , at the ripe old age of 70 is riding a Penny Farthing bicycle from Kansas City to Yorktown. Twenty four years ago he did the first half of the route and he decided it was time to finish it! His other talent is fiddle playing! We spent a great evening at John and Paige's place where Dave entertained us all with his fiddle playing. John is a fellow trans Am cyclist whom we met early on in the trip and hadn't seen him since July 4th in Montana.
We really cycled hard this week to reach the end on schedule. The weather was hotter than last week which also made it harder. On at least three days and maybe more we cycled for 1o hours a day, even in temperatures of up to 100 degrees. It was the challenge of a lifetime but we finally reached our goal, Yorktown ,at noon on Sunday 5th September. We cycled right up to the Victory monument and there the Big Bike Ride ended!
I will finish up with wise words I came across on a fortune cookie "TAKE THE CHANCE WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHOICE" .
I hope our achievement will inspire others to do things they never imagined they would be able to do as I have done. I had never in my life done a bike touring holiday (I use that word loosely!!) and had hardly ridden at all in nearly 30 years apart from a few day trips so I feel that most people could achieve most things if they really set their mind to it. All it takes is blind determination and a will of steel and you're halfway there!
The last week at long last! We finally met up with Dave and Linda after hearing about them many times along the way. Dave , at the ripe old age of 70 is riding a Penny Farthing bicycle from Kansas City to Yorktown. Twenty four years ago he did the first half of the route and he decided it was time to finish it! His other talent is fiddle playing! We spent a great evening at John and Paige's place where Dave entertained us all with his fiddle playing. John is a fellow trans Am cyclist whom we met early on in the trip and hadn't seen him since July 4th in Montana.
We really cycled hard this week to reach the end on schedule. The weather was hotter than last week which also made it harder. On at least three days and maybe more we cycled for 1o hours a day, even in temperatures of up to 100 degrees. It was the challenge of a lifetime but we finally reached our goal, Yorktown ,at noon on Sunday 5th September. We cycled right up to the Victory monument and there the Big Bike Ride ended!
I will finish up with wise words I came across on a fortune cookie "TAKE THE CHANCE WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHOICE" .
I hope our achievement will inspire others to do things they never imagined they would be able to do as I have done. I had never in my life done a bike touring holiday (I use that word loosely!!) and had hardly ridden at all in nearly 30 years apart from a few day trips so I feel that most people could achieve most things if they really set their mind to it. All it takes is blind determination and a will of steel and you're halfway there!
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