Finally....The Atlantic

After getting a good sleep in the basement of the church, I got up with only 4.5 hours of sleep to complete my final duties on sweep-serving breakfast- on the final day. It had rained, poured most of the night and we woke to a cool overcast morning. As I dished out the oatmeal, I was determined to greet each person by name. I think I only missed one or two, I had hoped to know each cyclist by name and am proud to have done a fairly good job of that as well.
I headed out on my ride by myself. Most of the tour this is how I had journeyed so it felt like a good way to send. Also I had decided to be the last one in the pack for the day, again taking the place I had occupied for most of the tour.
As I headed up the first incline, once again people greeted me as they passed, it felt familiar and right. All except Rob, who decided that one more day of fun was in order for us. We caught up with Marge and Peter and discussed when we would be having our fall reunion....on Rob's new front porch!
The weather was perfect for cycling even with the humidity building. Although we had a deadline for the staging for the final 10mi escort, Rob and I were pacing fine and were able to have a relaxed ride. Of course, it wouldn't have been a ride with Rob if we didn't include a hunt for ice cream so I was in charge of spotting. We found a great place just inside the city and enjoyed the best mango, vanilla custard, gelati treat as we lounged on the front porch and watched some of the cyclist go by. My friends Margaret and Cora also flagged us down on their way to Liberty State Park to cheer us and their husband's in.
I guess that is when things were going to well. The route had some extreme inclines through the city. I knew we were in trouble when we had to turn onto Long Hill Rd....those are never down hills!
An annoying knocking was happening in the front of my bike as we progressed. All I could think was that it was payback from Josh. He had snuck something into my bike and now I had to find it. I was going to kill him! However, another cyclist said it sounded like my shocks so I loosened them up and sure enough that helped. Josh's life was spared and I will have to have those looked at when I get home.
Also there were several local support groups with water and treats that you just can't pass by. If some takes the time to sit in the sun/rain for hours just to treat and greet you, it is ungrateful to just whizz by...a few minutes of time is never too much.
As we headed to our second last turn, only the sweep was behind us and we got our first glispe of the NYC skyline. We were tight on time but very close. We took the next turn to the unfortunately hiss of a flat tire. Sadly, I prayed that it wasn't mine...I know, I know but Rob would be able to deal with it better than me!
It was Rob's back tire and we quickly pulled over to do the fastest change we could. The sweep team flew by soon followed by Besty in the SAG van. Besty pulled over to check our progress. We were doing fine, even a local guy who had seen us had come over to offer the assistance of an automatic pump. As Rob switched out the tubes, I checked his tire and found a 1 inch slash which we repaired with duct tape as there was no time for the super glue.

We could hear Betsy on the phone with Ed" Yes they are OK, only a few miles to go. I'll get them on the road."
With the tire fixed, we hopped on our bikes ready to fly. Although we had wanted to be last, we hadn't wanted to be this late. Besty went ahead of us and soon we saw her at the next turn. Whew we had made it! But much to our dismay, she waved us pass calling "1 more mile!" You have to be kidding.
Kicking into high gear, we soared the last stretch at 42.6kms/hr and seeing Ed and the police escort waiting for us. I started honking my horn so they knew we were there and zipped into the procession....much like my entrance into the Grand Rapids staging.
Unfortunately, Rob wasn't the last flat of the tour as Gerry experienced his first just minutes before we were to leave. A bunch of guys worked with him to repair and the procession started it's parade to the ocean.
It was amazing being in the rear watching the group as they moved en mass, the NYC skyline as the back drop.
The cyclists had taken off their saftey vests for this last part and a few had been dropped. Rick Gritters on his low recumbant was able to scoop them up then came up beside me for a pass off as I tossed them in my basket!
We were greeted with cheers and honks and a few of us grabbed the last of our Sea To Sea Card and passed them out along the way. Passing through a few rough neighbourhood, we were once again reminded of the people this tour was really about.
Finally we edged along the waterfront and reached the boat launch at Liberty State Park. We lined up, prayed and moved forward for the final dip into the Atlantic.


I was honoured to be side by side with Peter,Marge and Rob.

We had done it.
The eight cyclists from my home church gathered for our final photo.

Josh and I found each other, cracked open our cokes and toasted our victory! A good journey, well done with a great friend.

With many wishes and much joy we completed our ride. Loading our bikes into the truck, Josh and I jump onto the school bus for a ride back to the school. Karen and Melissa joined us at the back for some giddy antics like we were back in school. The bus ride was wild over the interstate and with some pretty nasty bumps, Josh and I got some serious air trying to stay in our seats. We realised that it was going to be about an hour and Melissa asked what I was going to do about my hair. I told her I would be cutting it before the final dinner and then working on unbraiding it on the trip home. I mentioned it would have been fun to have it all taken out for the evening to see if anyone would recognise me with normal hair and she said, "We've got time and people right now...let's do it!" I found my jackknife and let Josh have the first cut. Karen then took over cutting the braids to my regular length as Melissa, Steph, Hilena and I unbraided...

Josh was mesmerized by the whole process(photo courtesy of Josh Nyenhuis).
We got about 20 of the 100 braid undone by the time we got to the school and so a few of the other women came to help. By shower time about 1/2 of the braids were gone...good enough.
An amazing dinner was hosted by the Cedar Hill CRC which finally satisfied my summer long craving for BBQ ribs! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
After dinner, we ended with an incredible celebration service

where I got to meet Brian's mom, Cathy who has been following this blog.

Yes it was done. Time to say good bye...with moments with Marti, Josh, Brian, Peter, Marge and Rob....promises that this was not good bye but until God brings us together again.


Marti, kindly, put these comments in her blog...
"Gayle Harrison astounded us all by completing this whole arduous climbing ride on her heavier-than-lead hybrid in time for dinner! She is a real trooper and I'm proud of her to have completed this immense ride from Coast to coast on "that" bike, with all the health and other challenges she had to overcome. Gayle, I am totally speechless and in awe of what you will have accomplished tomorrow despite all odds! Congrats Girl!!! I doubt if I could have done it if I were in your position!"

I will add more photos soon. Also, I will be blogging until September 9, 2008....there is some reflecting and unfinished business that needs to happen to complete my journey that I want to share with all who have been my blog community throughout this adventure.

It's Sometimes the Small Victories.

Just some notes on things that I am proud to have done on this tour. Much to the shock of everyone, maybe even myself, I have not needed to SAG since August 5. The next day was the longest day on the tour, 184.9 kms and from there I have been blessed with strength, decent health and weather and good friends and encouragement. It feels good to heal.

I am still down 133kms. That means I have cycled 98% of the tour of Sea To Sea. I'm not going to be able to make up that distance before the tour ends. I'm not sure just yet how I feel about that.

What I am very proud of that each day I got up and rode my bike. Whether I finished, SAGed or SAG-Hopped, I never refused to try.

God has blessed me in my weakness and provided all that I needed.

Rolling Through Pennsylvania

The morning was cool overcast but dry. We had been warned that this, our last full day on the road, was long with steep inclines. Ed wasn't kidding and I felt it was a good "circle of life" plan as it had been our second day that we had done our first mountain pass.
Rob and I had talked about riding together again but he thought he wanted to get more speed so we had decided to find other groups. But much to my surprise and pleasure, at breakfast Rob came up and asked if the invitation was still open. I said sure. As we headed out, I asked what had changed his mind."Well," He said, "I could just barrel through the hills today but I would rather have some fun and you are always a good person to do that with. Also, I know it will take more time and why not make the last day a full day. We have nothing else to do today so why not ride all day." Thanks Rob. I am honoured and touched. So our quest for fun began.
Out of the park and onto the road, we met a couple of off road cyclists wondering what we were all doing. It's always a pleasure to share the hopes and purpose to end the cycle of poverty.
The hills and inclines started immediately. We stopped at a Dunkin Donuts for a break and got a great discount on this water bottle.

It was a tough ride. I am so grateful that Rob was riding with me, very encouraging and patience, I not sure I would have done it without him. We were playing leapfrog with Peter and Marge for most of the day. Although the hills were steep and tough, the roads were smooth and the views incredible. As we zipped around a corner, I caught sight of a pond and had an idea. "Photo op!" I called out. "What?" Rob quizzed, "This is boring" But I set up these pictures so that he could see.


I'm very proud of these portraits.
On and on the hills came. But at the summit of our first and highest incline, a pass photo was in order.

As we were taking the picture, a car and a van pulled up to us, honking like crazy. What were we doing that could draw so much attention? Were we in trouble? No. It was my friend Heather, her son Ben and Art's wife, Heather and their 4 kids, Gerrit, Justin, Marjika and Theo. Our rides home had found me. It was so fun. They headed off to hunt down Art.

We continued through the hills but stopped as soon as we found ice cream at a local farm and corn maze. We chose the Black Raspberry with both chocolate and vanilla ice cream. As we were enjoying our treat, Paul and Dan pulled in. Dan looked around at all the fruit and produce looking for something to eat."Buddy-Go for the ice cream" No, Dan said, I want some fruit. "No Problem, you can get fruit topping on your sundae!" He didn't go for it. Rob looked at me and stated "I don't cycle this hard for an apple." I like the way he thinks.
Off we went again. Hill after hill. We also stopped at this great local drive in for the best Paninis. Mine was crab, cheese, tomato with guacamole. YUMMY!
We also passed this Hot Dog Stand.

Which I noticed had signatures on it.
Stopping, we asked if other Sea To Sea cyclists had been in. Yes but they had not signed the stand. Rob and I had a solution for that.



Finally we hit a nice descent into Milford, a beautiful little town with colonial buildings. We new that there was one more mountain pass like hill to go. As we were heading out of town I caught sight of a candy store. "Do you want to stop?" Rob inquired. AHHH YEAH!!! I need a summit treat. The lady was so kind she gave us all sorts of Jelly Bellys, gummies and treat for only a few dollars. THANKS.
As we pedalled over the Delaware river, Rob pointed to a tower in the distance."That is where we are headed."

WHAT!?!?!? You're kidding?!?!? Not Good!
Just as we were starting the last ascent, we found the Welcome to New Jersey sign.

Finally! The last state line. Have I really made it this far? One pedal stroke at a time, we worked our way up to the summit of High Point State park. Waiting at the top was Cory. I have never been so happy to see him. It was mostly down hill into Sussex from there although very steep. I had to seriously brake to keep at a reasonable speed and Rob hit a high of 84.7km/hr!
We cruised into town greeted by several signs from the local congregations.

We flew into camp at 6:30, before the deadline and in time for dinner. A lot of people were more than surprised to see me finish the whole day but my team from London gave me a round of applause. Thanks guys...I can't believe I did it either. Our final peleton meeting concluded with the announcement that the showers had closed! Not good news. A lovely lady, Sharon came up and introduced herself as a fan of this blog. Thanks, any thoughts on what I could do for a shower? Within minutes, she had us(Kevin, Marge, Rob and myself) hooked up with her brother for showers at his house.
The kindness seems to never end.
I can't spell their name but I will update it later. They took us to their lovely home, let us do blogging and feed us more food. They own the bakery next door and had been one of the signs guiding us into town.
Once again I am overwhelmed at the gracious and giving people who have cared for the cyclists and the tour over the last nine weeks.

A Rowdy Ride With Rob

This morning Rob suggested that we hang out for the day's ride. Sure I thought, Rob and I always have fun and often leapfrog throughout the day.
The day was cool and overcast, perfect riding weather for me. Our route was hilly and crossed through several small towns so Rob and I were up for some exploring. The first photo op was crossing the New York/Pennsylvania border.

Only one more state line to cross. We then found a local library that had internet access so a few of us stopped to get our web fix.

We headed to the town of New Milford and found a great bike shop. There I found my favourite biking shorts ever.....

That's right! Red leopard print. They are hot. Seriously....when you think fat chick don't you think leopard print spandex?

At the local restaurant we caught up with Marge and Peter for lunch where we were shocked to see people smoking at the counter while they ate. You don't see that in Ontario.
A local lady suggested that we take the lower road along the river. Rob thought that was a great idea-I thought we needed to ask more questions. A lower road? That mean we would have to come back up to the route. Yes, she confirmed it would be steep but short. I looked at Rob-We can walk that? Yes he said. Ok, which way do we go? The lady said to follow her but to keep back a bit so the dust didn't blow all over us. Dust? Yes it was a dirt road. That was the deal breaker for Rob and we decided to stick to the route. I knew we needed to get the details. Never just trust a local who doesn't cycle.

We then found Walter, who once again had found the perfect SAG location.

Under the Lackawanna bridge, we headed toward camp.


Unfortunately, State Parks are often in remote locations so we hit the most incredible 10% grade climb for the final 10kms. Up ahead we saw a large dog at a home. Rob was convinced that he would be tired from chasing the 100 cyclists who had passed before us. I wasn't convinced. Sure enough I lost my clip just at the house and the dog came charging towards me. "Just yell at him" Rob called as he cycled away from me and left me as bait. What choice did I have? I turn and screamed "Get Back!" Sure enough, the dog bolted back to the house. Rob cycled back,"Wow, I thought he had you." Yeah and thanks for coming to my rescue!!!
We climbed and climbed and climbed, wondering if we would ever get to camp and on a desperate hunt for a ice cream shop. No luck with the ice cream but we made good time to camp.

The evening ended with a camp fire in the rain, Brian and I playing guitar.

Back To The Climbs...Back to the Headaches

We have been having cool sunny weather for our last few days. It makes the cycling easier to deal with for those who suffered through the dessert in July. It was a lovely morning, quiet as the sun came up over the lake and we were on the hunt for a Taughomack water fall that Pieter had told us was just outside the city of Ithaca. We are now in the Appalachians so we knew we were going to be having some climbs throughout the day. The first 20kms was a gradual slope that now seems more reasonable after the Rockies and as we looked around it was surprising just how high we had gotten.
There was a small road joining the two highways and as I looked at it, I thought- I bet with some lead in I could coast the whole thing, 2kms. So I took the turn, unclipped and away I rode. Although I lost speed on the first uphill, I maintained my coast and made it all the way. COOL!
Soon we were at the Lookout over the falls.

Unfortunately while taking pictures my bike fell over and the bracket holding my basket bent so much it was dragging against my rear wheel. Scott, who is from my church, held my bike while I tried to bend it back.

I must have developed stronger arms than I thought as I snapped the support pole in the process. This is where carrying duct tape comes in handy so a quick patch job was done to get me into town.

It was then down to the main entrance to hike to the base of the falls. Less than a mile and a beautiful stroll.




I then headed into Ithaca to meet Pieter to find a bike shop. As we coasted into the city I looked up as the houses rose on the hills around the downtown. Now this could have been a beautiful view but all I could think was...I bet I get to climb up and get a close up of those houses. I was right. No luck in finding a bike shop or Pieter and our route took an extreme incline through the city that I have lovingly named-THE ITHACA PASS. Anyone who has joined the tour after the Rockies and were disappointed that they didn't do a mountain pass can rest assured that today they did an equally difficult feat. It was 5kms(I clocked it) and steeper than most of the passes we had done. I was able to make it up but I think the steep change caused the migraine that started setting in. I quickly took my medication which mostly worked on the headache but caused me to loose all strength for the next 2 hours. Marge and Peter caught up with me and we braved the rest of the route together. It was great to have their company and support.
Marge unfortunately had her 2nd flat in as many days and I when I found a few staples in her tires I advised her to quit touring through the office supplies stores!
My basket bracket was still duct taped together and with no bike shops in sight, I decided to try a motorcycle shop I was passing. It was operated by 2 British guys who specialised in restoration. Could they restore my bracket? Well it couldn't be welded but they make a custom brace that would hold it until I got home. They were really amazing at the scope of Sea To Sea and did the repair for free. Very Kind.
Struggling with the remnants of the headache we finished the ride and were welcomed to an incredible dinner hosted by Valley CRC.

We had a sandwich called a Speedy, grilled marinated meat on Italian bread-scrumptious and ice cream and brownies.
It was a long day so an early evening is a goal. Only 3 rides left.

Through New York State

Last night we enjoyed a campfire with bluegrass/country music. It reminded me of home as we danced under the stars with much joy.
Today's ride takes us through the small towns of upstate New York as we head towards the finger lakes. Many of these towns have beautiful Victorian homes that have been restored and painted in traditional style and colours. When fine craftsmanship outweighed cost efficiency.



And this guy from the movie Cars

Lunch was outside at the Cosh family farm, hosted by the local CRC community. Amazing sloppy joes, salads, baked goods and ice cream filled us at lunch.

To top it all off, Brian and I joined the kids on the trampoline.


Rob and I rode the rolling hills together after lunch and into camp. He was very fun to ride with as he had been in the area before and knew all the tricks. Also he is very encouraging and I was able to keep a better pace of 22kms/hr average. Rob also treated me to an ice tea at his favourite coffee shop in the area.
We got into camp at Sampson State Park early enough to have a swim in Seneca Lake. We were jumping off the pier when Bill came to see what we were up to. Bill and I have had some differences throughout the ride but with a goal of peace, I invited him to tandem jump with me. Holding hands we took the plunge with laughter. Peace and understanding is good.
We also celebrated my friends Coby and Marti becoming Canadian citizens yesterday! I'm proud to have them officially part of my country.

When I was in London, someone met me with the greeting-"I thought you would have lost more weight with all the cycling." Sorry to disappoint but I guess they didn't see the weight that has come off my shoulders.

Over The Rainbow

Today is Monday. The last Monday of the tour. The beginning of the last week. Reuben and I were talking last night about how a visit home had really given us a sense that we are ready to finish this tour. But there is still pedaling to be done, information to be spread and work to be finished. It’s hard to get on the bike today. I need to make it fun, surround myself with people who cheer me up.
The route today started with a tour along the Welland Canal so we got a close up look at a ship going through the locks.


Once again, along the bike path several people missed a turn and ended up having to turn back. Yes I was one of those riders. Along the path we also passed the Niagara Hydro generator.


And the Flower Clock.

But….

We were starting to get behind so we headed off to the parking lot. Of course, Brian got distracted by some local wildlife

And then was rebuked soundly for going for a ride. I just followed the rules…for once.

There was also the barrel that had been used to go over the falls,

making biking across the bridge look less crazy.
About 10am we all headed across, the Rainbow Bridge to head back to the US.

Nick spiffied up for the event

An incredible view and a smooth crossing was a blessing for the tour.

Peter, Marge, Josh and I decided to explore the US side of the falls and search for coffee and coke. Peter and Marge found their coffee fix but Josh and I were having a tougher time with the coke. While they enjoyed their really crappy coffee(Peter’s description, not mine) Josh and I went down to the observation deck where we proceeded to get very wet as the mist was blown by the wind over us.


We met up with Marge and Peter again, I waited for them to finish their beverages while Josh did more exploring. We were debating about whether Josh had expected us to wait or whether he would just catch up when he appeared…with a cold coke for me!!! A good friend always understands!
It was a cool but sunny day and the ride was going well. Marge and Peter decided to stop for lunch but Josh and I continued riding. A few miles later we stopped at a local diner and had Monte Cristo sandwiches(Josh’s first) and read the article in the local paper about Sea To Sea. As per the article, we were returning to the US after “a side trip to Canada.” Side trip? Seriously?
Dale joined us at the café and decided to cycle along to find shiny objects. Not to be disappointed, we found this mailbox and Josh took it for a ride.

And then with a co-pilot.

But a real biker babe does her own driving.

Dale, Josh and I got separated but I joined Clare’s group as they finished the route. Unfortunately, our group again took a wrong turn which we were able to correct without doubling back but added about 10kms to our 123kms ride. Oh well…I still need to make up some of my SAG kms.
Tonight we are having a campfire with smores. A treat to end the day.