At Golden Gardens boat launch we rolled the front wheel into the water (infuriating an impatience power boater who insisted that he had to launch his boat at the very same minute). After a few minutes of storing some pixcels on our cameras we were out of his way. On our way home we stopped first for some coffee (mandatory in Seattle) and then later Stephanie had a craving for clam chowder (must have been the salty sea air) so we sat out on Ivar's barge by Lake Union where she satisfied that.
Although it was extremely hard work, I already miss our days on the road. The beautiful scenery that America has to offer and the wonderful people we've met from coast to coast is something we will always cherish experiencing, and it was especially satisfying doing it under our own power and at the slow pace of a bicycle! It was enjoyable to "relive" the westward expansion of our country by visiting all the historic sights, reading ALL of the historic markers, and traveling over some of the same trails and passes that the westward pioneers took.
We wish to thank you all that helped us along in our journey, from strangers offering great hospitality to those of you back home who posted encouraging words on our blog. On behalf of NPR and PBS we want to thank you for your pledges and support.
Way to go Mike and Steph! We have totally had fun with you all along the way this summer, will miss reading about your daily adventures!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Congratulations! Your going to power back on route 20 now right, hee hee. I enjoyed the ride, thanks for sharing. The comments were cool too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Guy
Congrats you two, very nice indeed. It was fun traveling the road with you. Thanks for the Tandem Tales. We will miss them. Where next?
ReplyDeleteYour photos made me cry! I'm so proud of you and can't wait to see you this week! ~ Mel
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic voyage!
ReplyDeleteCongrats guys! Mission accomplished!
See ya labor day weekend!
-jc
Mike, Steph,
ReplyDeleteGreat work! I am going to miss the blog. If it is too expensive to ship the bike back why not junk the plane ride and try a Southern route back? Let me know if you need a Ghost writer for the book.
Chris
Congratulations!! Can't wait to talk to you guys when you get to Albany.
ReplyDelete-Matt
I have such cool in-laws!!
-Emi
Congratulations. I've enjoyed following your ride.
ReplyDeleteAnybody else going into withdrawal at not being able to read their stories every morning? :-)
ReplyDeleteFinally, the pics that we have all been dying to see! YEA YEA YEA!!! Mom wanted me to relay a big WAY TO GO!! Loved seeing and hearing about all of your adventures. -Melanie Porter
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Stephanie and Mike, on not only the tandem ride but on a very good blog site. My wife, Marcie, sent me your link in late July when you were headed north on Route 9 out of Silverthorne, CO, and said you lived in Lake Placid ... I think at the time you were seeking refuge from one of the nasty late afternoon thunderstorms that roll through that area.
ReplyDeleteI finally committed to IM Lake Placid in early September and was hoping to find bed and breakfast lodging from someone that lived on or near the bike course. Next year's race is Sunday, July 24th, and we've got the Marriott in LP booked for Saturday and Sunday night so we don't have the logistics challenges I had in 2008.
I enter a new age group next year (65-69) and hope to qualify for IM Hawaii at Lake Placid.
Let me know if we can visit for a few days before IM Lake Placid ... we'll definitely pay prevailing B&B rates since everything is at a premium the week before the race.
Ron Woloshan - rwoloshan@aol.com
P.S. We only raised 3 kids, so we appreciate your comparing raising children to your bike ride. We've had some unusual challenges on trips and vacations, but raising kids just never seems to stop, even though ours have been out of the house for 15 plus years.