Friday, August 24, 2012 - Home Sweet Home!!

We made the final 6 hour drive from Beckley, West Virginia to Home. There was a short visit in Columbus with our youngest daughter as she was taking a lunch break from work. It was great to see her after such a long absence!

It was good to be home. Of course there is all the mail to sort through, a dead battery in the car to replace, the Clothes Dryer needed repaired, and other things to catch up on, but sleeping in ones own bed is a wonderful feeling! There is other things that you miss, like cable television and toilet paper that is greater than 1 ply (which is what most campgrounds provide.)

So, the bicycling portion of the trip went from the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans, covered 10 states, 4,470 miles, 80 days (68 on the bicycle, 12 days of rest), averaged 66 miles a day, spent 352 hours peddling, averaged 12.75 MPH, climbed 198,000 feet of altitude, and stayed at 68 different campgrounds.

Not enough thanks can be said for those who made the trip possible. The neighbors watched for any funny business at the house and mowed the lawn...thank you!! A huge thank you goes out to the Phillips family who took care of the inside of the house, collected the mail from the Post Office, cleaned out the spoiled food from the refrigerator/freezer after the power went out for 4 days, watering plants, and numerous other household duties! The Campbell family graciously took care of our Cockatiel bird, Sadie. There were countless family, friends, and unnamed others who offered prayers to God for our safe travel. Obviously your prayers were answered! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

A few of the many blessings include: 1) There were only a couple of times when I had to ride in the rain. 2) He offered clouds of shade on hot days, 3) Although there were a couple of angry motorists, I was never hit or run off the road, 4) No dog bites, 5) Beautiful scenery, 6) Views of wild animals, with no bear attacks, 7) Only minor bicycle breakdowns...I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Then, there is the extremely generous contribution of Kim's parents through thick and thin by helping Kim and I through this adventure.

Lastly but certainly not least, there is my amazing bride of 31 years. Kim's unwavering commitment to making my dream a reality is truly an amazing display of love and commitment. When she vowed "...for better or for worse..." I suspect this was not in her wildest idea of reality. It was not always easy, but she tirelessly worked hard in setting up and tearing down the camper, pulling the camper up and down mountains, planning meals, and keeping many other things in line. I publicly want to thank her for her love and commitment! Praise be to God for a wonderful wife!!