DAY 49. BURLINGTON, MA TO BOSTON, MA.

I can't believe the tour is over and we've ridden our last mile together as a cycling family.

We stared the day with a staggered start.  Michelle and I set off on the 13 mile ride at 7:18 am.  At mile 13, we assembled as a group to ride the final 4 miles to Revere beach.

As we came over the final rise and the finish line was in view, all sorts of emotions started flowing.  We could see our dear friends Jay and Lauri Bounty, my sister Nancy, our daughter Sarah and her husband Mike and daughters Spencer and Graysen and our future daughter-in-law Heather cheering us on.  We love you all for your support during this unbelievable journey and I am so thankful that you came to Boston to celebrate the conclusion of this epic trip that Michelle and I started on May 11th.  

I wish Michelle could have completed the entire distance with me but riding the last 8 days together and finishing side by side      partially made up for the time we spent apart.

We ceremoniously dipped our FRONT wheels in the Atlantic Ocean and headed back to the hotel to clean up and gather for a family lunch.  As we waited to be seated I said to Jay "that guy looks like Dirk" and in fact it was, along with Brooke, Sonia, Lynn and James.  I am so appreciative that each of you took the time and made the effort to come celebrate with me.  I will never forget their thoughtfulness.

After saying goodbye to the MB SPORT team, I received my second surprise of the day.  Our dear friend and 2013 rider (at age 77) arrived to share in our evening celebration and award ceremony.  I noted the previous night in my summary speech that when I saw Sherman again, I hadn't decided whether to hug him or punch him for sending me on this adventure.

The evening of celebration ended, we said our farewells and headed home to New Canaan to sleep in our own bed for the first time in 50 days.  It's good to be home but we will miss our riding family and the friendships that have developed over the past 7 weeks.

More to come........

Best,

Michael & Michelle

DAY 48. Brattleboro, VT TO BURLINGTON, MA

Today was a beautiful but challenging day.  After last nights torrential rains we found flooded streets and a significant amount of sand and debris along the roadside.

The streams we rode past were high and running fast.

We crossed our 14th and final State line into Massachusetts.

We stopped for lunch in Concord and then pushed on to the hotel were tonight we had a rider dinner and a rider retrospective.  

Tomorrow we ride our final 18 miles where we will dip our rear wheels in the Atlantic Ocean.

I almost forgot crossing into New Hampshire early in the ride.

Best,

Michael and Michelle

DAY 47. Albany, NY TO BRATTLEBORO, VT

Today's 76 mile ride was filled with variation.  We enjoyed sunny sky's, we cycled through rain, we cycled on newly laid pavement and on cut up rubble awaiting paving, we cycled up big long hills and we cycled down steep declines where our speeds approached 50 mph.

We crossed our 12st State line into Vermont.

I met up with some old friends at our first SAG at the Big Moose Country Store.

We're back in beautiful New England.

Tomorrow we cycle 90 miles from Brattleboro, Vt through N.H. and into Burlington, Ma.

We've been on the road for a long time .  I'm anxious to finish this epic journey and get home.  I'm sure not a day will pass when I won't remember something or someone from this trip.

Best,

M&M

DAY 46. HERKIMER, NY TO ALBANY, NY

I can't believe we only have two more full days of riding before we cross our final State line into Massachusetts.  In some ways this has been a very long adventure but in some ways it feels like we left LA last week.

Today was a 78 mile ride that paralleled the Hudson River, very pretty and picturesque.  We're also starting to pass through more small towns during our ride.  The day was mostly overcast with some rain this morning and a little sun peaking through this afternoon.

We arrived in Albany around 3:30 pm, cleaned our bikes from all the sand and debris and then had a vey pleasant surprise.  A dear friend and business associated, Mark Templeton, who lives about an hour from Albany came and took us out for dinner.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at THE REEL SEAFOOD restaurant......one of the best meals I've had in 46 days.  Thanks for the great meal and even better company, Mark.

Off to climb some big hills into Vermont tomorrow and probably in the rain.

Best,

M+M

DAY 45. SYRACUSE, NY TO HERKIMER, NY

Three days to go!

Today we completed 71 miles, riding through the beautiful NY Countryside.  There's been no hurry to get from point A to Point B, most of us are stopping for coffee in the morning, lunch and a snack before finishing our ride.

Today we passed the Worlds Smallest Chapel.

We finished the ride around 2:30 pm and immediately headed over to Denny's for a recovery milkshake.

Off to Albany tomorrow.

Best,

M&M

DAY 44. CANADAIGUA, NY TO SYRACUSE, NY

68 miles is now considered an easy day.  We start an hour later (get to sleep an hour longer) and arrive at the hotel early enough to clean up, take a nap and write my blog all before dinner.

We started out at 8:00 and by 10:30 we were ready to stop for a quick morning coffee break.  We continued on to the first SAG where reached the 3,000 mile mark on the tour.

We pushed on after the SAG.......more big hills until we found a great spot for lunch.  We stopped at Kranky Kirks Saloon and enjoyed a great sandwich.

With only 15 miles to go we continued to push up more hills.  We passed over the Erie Canal.

We had dinner at a Sports Bar where we watched the USA play Portugal.  So close, but at least the USA continues on.

Another reasonable 70 mile day tomorrow.  We're getting closer!

Still chasing my riding partner.

Best,

Michael & Michelle

DAY 43. HAMBURG, NY TO CANANDAIGUA, NY

I tried to keep up with my riding partner (Michelle) today.  My excuse is she's riding on fresh legs!

We covered 93 miles today.  The last 60 miles were grueling, accounting for a total elevation gain of 5,000 feet.

The highlight of the day came with about 20 miles left in the ride.  Herm and I noticed a sign for Ice Cream and immediately turned in, Michelle and Tim followed.

We asked a gentleman coming out of the place whether the Ice Cream was good....he proceeded to tell us it was the best within a 100 mile radius.  He was right.  All the ice cream was home made and delicious.  

Our treats carried us to the hotel with a quick stop to have a look at the finger lakes.

We arrived at the hotel around 3:30.  We'd departed at 6:45 this morning so it was another long day in the saddle.  Tomorrow is a 68 mile day, a welcome distance allowing us to sleep in an extra hour.

I can't believe we're in the final stretch.

Best,

Michael