Wednesday, June 29th Pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1834535979231.2091730.1115391403&l=c1279378bf

Wednesday, June 29th:

First I would like to apologize. The hotel we stayed in on the beach didn't have wifi, the airport didn't have wifi, and I got home late last night- so this is the first chance I got to post this. :)

Today, OUR LAST DAY, we woke up and were immediately met with trials. Christian had a flat- and it took him a while to replace the tire and tube. After we got through that, we all grabbed our last breakfast together, prayed, and set off. It was rainy and dark, but at least it wasn’t hot J. The shoulder was rather large, but it was bumpy and hard to keep a good pace on. Nonetheless, the guys averaged about 15 mph to their 20 mile break- which is probably one of the highest averages we’ve had so far. After our 20 mile break, Jerry got a flat, which we quickly fixed, but then as we were about to leave, Christian thought that he had a flat too. After pulling his tube off, it didn’t have a leak, so we put it back on and set off again. After another 2 miles, Jerry realized that his tire was flat AGAIN, so we threw a new one on and prayed that we could get going again. Gratefully, we rode smoothly for the next 20 miles and got to our 40 mile break at 9:00 on the dot. After a few more miles on the road, we met up with Jerry mom (see pictures) who said hi and wished us luck. We hit the road again with a 15.71 mph average, and which was still rising as we approached Suffolk. As we got closer to the main city, the road we were going on was “prohibited” to bike across, but we saw no immediate danger, so we just chose to turn our heads whenever the sign came. ;-) After we got through Suffolk, at our 60 mile break, we had a choice to make: Do we take our 80 mile break and just skip lunch? Or do we try to put them together? Or do we take an extra break for lunch? We went with the second option and found a McDonald’s 11 miles from us- where we would grab a quick bite and then plow through the rest of the 25 miles we would have that day without a break. Just outside of Suffolk, Ed and Jerry BOTH got flats at the SAME TIME. Figures… we haven’t gotten a flat for almost 1000 miles, and now we get 4 flats in one day. Alright, we are now done with the day- and that’s saying something: This day was so action-packed that I didn’t get a single chance to write it down! Well, back to the story, after those flats, we had 5 MORE FLATS WITHIN THE NEXT 10 MILES!!!!!! We ran down to our very last tube, and gratefully it held. We booked it to the McDonald’s, and then we booked it all the way to the beach, reaching our destination by 5:00. We met with Jerry’s mom again at the beach, and then we found a hotel and got a good night sleep.

Alrighty- as the last time that I will be posting, I wanted to give a shout out to the guys on this trip. As Christian reminded me rather often, “You can never understand how hard it is to get on your bike and pedal for 8 hours a day- everyday- for a month, until you actually do it”. I wanted to include a little bit of a bio for each of these guys that has been built up during this whole trip…

Edgar “The Brute” Stone: Obviously the leader of the group. Pays for all expenses, including gas, food, and flights home. Grew up in Compton, and hasn’t forgotten a single thing about street fights and trash talk. 69 years of age and still young. This is his 3^rd and, according to him, last trip, across the USA on a bicycle. There was never a time that wouldn’t put the boys in their place when they got cocky. Ultimately, he led the group onto victory.

Award: Manly Man

Jerry “Pooh-Bear” Janeck: Scary lookin’ fella at first glance. X-marine. 64 years of age. (Year 64 attained on the trip) Well versed mechanic and route planner. Also known for always having an injury to tend to, but never quitting. This is his 2^nd,and once again, last trip, across the USA. Credited to be a “dog-whisperer”. Although he looks intimidating, if you give him a quick snake-bite on the back of the leg, you may learn otherwise.

Award: Most Persevering

Christian “Dope” Lyman: 17 years of age. Always looking for a new way to pick up a girl. He even watches “The Bachelorette” every week, JUST so we can talk to girls about it. (And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you). Clean-shaven… literally. If you can find a hair on the boy’s legs or arms, you need to put your microscope away. Never complained (in public). Always woke up on time (NOT). However, he was consistently the first person to arrive at the hotel every day. Finally, he rocks a Mohawk that we gave him in Cortez, CO.

Award: Best Hair

Matthew “Hilarious Little Brother” Lyman: Obviously, the little brother of Christian Lyman. (who always reminds him of that fact) Least experienced coming into the trip. (Longest ride previous to June 1^st: 30 miles) But despite that fact, he would plow his way through the routes- especially up the hills. He will always be cracking a joke- whether or not the time is appropriate. Still looking for his tractor. He is 15 years old, but you would never guess it.

Award: Most Sarcastic Man I've Ever Met