Final Thoughts and Thank You's — As I sit here at home thinking about the trip and all the memories that go along with it, I have to to thank and acknowledge all the people that made this trip possible.

To the kids at the local Boys and Girls Club in Virginia Beach, they all turned out on the last day to cheer me on. I really appreciate them for making the welcome signs and waiting so long for me to show up.

Ric Edelman was a major reason that this trip was planned at all. Yes, it is all his fault as we routinely like to say at the firm. If it wasn't for his efforts to get a lifetime goal out of me and many others for his book Discover the Wealth Within You, I probably would not have followed through with this long-term goal. I believe it is true that when you put a goal in writing and time stamp that goal, then odds are you have a much better chance of achieving it.

My training partner for years, Edelman Financial Services Director, Financial Planning Pat Day has seen me through on a daily basis the 6:30 a.m. workouts and spinning requirements that I had to accomplish. Pat has quietly worked very hard with me for the last 9 months to make sure I stayed on track for the physical requirements that I would need for the miles I would have to reach each day.

My bike coach from Carmichael Training Systems, Fiona Lockhart, has been prescribing for the last 9 months a step-by-step weekly training schedule. Fiona made sure that I was following a training program geared not only to ride the required daily miles, but to do it at a fast pace so I could spend more time with my family. She was also there to keep my head straight as I was working my way through the schedule over the winter.

The Communications Department at Edelman Financial Services: Will Casserly, Mark Bagley, Kelly Pike, Rick Fowler, Jessica Stasiw and Suzie Fenton. You are the reason the blog looked so good and updated on a regular basis with the pictures, etc. Thanks to Mark and his family who worked extra hard with coordinating the last day's events. They planned it all to perfection. Also to Rick Fowler for getting with me weekly for radio updates in mostly difficult cell phone conditions.

Drivers Joe Roy, Mark Wilson, John Davis and his helper Katherine Davis. You all were there to keep the RV moving forward over roads that were narrow and windy and in some cases very rough. You allowed Joan to handle all the other items that had to be done every day while rolling down the road.

My riding partner, Edelman Financial Services Senior Financial Planning Advisor Anderson Wozny, who came down to southern Virginia for 2 days and escorted me into Virginia Beach while at the same time setting his own personal one-day mileage record.

Director, Financial Planning James Baker who took 2 days off to drive Anderson and Pat to southern Virginia to meet me on the route. Also for providing support the next morning to all of us on the raod

To my iPod guru, Edelman Financial Services Director, Financial Planning Jan Kowal, who kept me entertained with his choice of artists and songs. Thanks to him, thousands of songs were delivered to this small gadget, although I couldn't listen to them all.

To my daughter Megan for sticking it out with us these past weeks. At age 14 she is glued to her friends and this separation was a strain on her, but she was gracious throughout and put her needs aside for a while to help us make this happen.

To all those who have contributed to our charities, I am humbled by your response and generosity. Your comments and emails have given me the strength to get up every morning and pound out the required 100 miles plus per day. Without your contributions this would have been just another cross country ride, but now we can say together that we have accomplished something pretty cool.

Finally, I dedicate this entire ride to my wife Joan. Joan has worked so hard to get things done on a daily basis so all those involved on the road had what they needed when they needed it: reservations at hotels, RV parks, food, drinks, gas, laundry, cooking, cleaning, directions for the RV etc., etc., etc. Whatever I have asked of Joan in the past and present she has never hesitated to jump in and be my partner, so it is with great love and admiration that I dedicate this ride to her. It is with her spirit and energy that we were able to accomplish so much in such little time. Joan has never asked of anything for herself on this trip and has done so much for others time and time again. I love you very much, and I could not have accomplished a thread of what was needed without you by my side.

The Big Finish

Just because you weren't in Virginia Beach when Rey completed his ride doesn't mean you can't see the excitement for yourself. Check out these photos from the finish line.

You can also read this Virginian-Pilot article.

July 25th — Franklin, VA to Virginia Beach, VA — 72 miles As we departed today, we had more than a few unknowns about our route. For instance, what would be the conditions of the highways we had to ride? To get into Virginia Beach, we had to take highways that would not exactly be the preferred choice for most bicyclists. In fact, very far from it.

There are few choices going west to east in this area, so it was necessary for us to gut it out for a few hours to get to the location we were hoping for in Sandbridge, VA. To get there we had to ride a a few highways with shoulders peppered with nails, glass, rocks and whatever else. Consequently we each had flat tire for a total of three in just a few hours. The flats slowed down our ride time but added a little bit more excitement to the day.

I tried to think about the trip in total as we entered the beach area. I was asked many times what kind of thoughts you might have knowing what you are about to accomplish, and for me, I guess the answer is many emotions. I had a flood of memories of the toughest moments as well as the most rewarding. As I was riding down the beach, my riding buddies suddenly stopped and let me go ahead to enjoy the moment. While I was looking at the Atlantic Ocean to my left, I had so many thoughts going through my head it was hard to think. Finally, I reached the point at the beach where my wife, daughter, parents, co-workers and about 20 kids from the local Boys and Girls Club were ready to greet me.

Well I made it! Then I had to finish the trip with the traditional dunking of the front wheel into the Atlantic. Once I reached the water, a feeling of satisfaction, accomplishment and euphoria flooded in. I had made a promise to myself before I began this trip that once I reached the Atlantic I would throw my bike into the ocean. When I finished, some co-workers reminded me of that. So not to disappoint anyone and to make good on the promise to myself, I flung my bike into the ocean and watched it sink....Ahh! I sort panicked knowing how expensive bikes are and quickly plucked it out of the ocean. 4.5 hours on the bike today.

July 24th — South Boston, VA to Franklin, VA — 120 miles Very exciting day today! Not only did I have my buds with me from Edelman Financial, but both of them were about to break their own personal one-day riding records. Also, James Baker (we call him JB) wanted to lend a hand by giving my wife the morning off and supporting us for the first 60 miles of the trip. So, all in all, I loved the company, the extra support from JB and the personal records my companion riders set today.

The terrain was much flatter today as we had some rolling hills to work through to get down to 250 ft. in elevation. Both Pat and Anderson put in some great times today, and they marked new one-day mileage records with room to spare. Tomorrow is the big day. I'm not sure how I will feel when we see the coast for the first time. Guess we will have to wait and see. 6.5 hrs on the bike today.

July 23rd — Hillsville, VA to South Boston, VA — 124 miles Today we are making a final push out of the hills at 3,000 ft. and into the lower elevations. This flatter terrain will put us a few hundred miles from the coast. This evening we will be met by a few athletes from Edelman Financial: Financial Advisors Patrick Day and Anderson Wozny. To get them down to South Boston, Financial Advisor James Baker donated his time to drive Pat and Anderson so they could join me for the last 2 days of the ride. Pat and Anderson are experienced cyclists, and both are triathletes as well. Basically they will make the ride tomorrow much easier, and I can really use the company about now. I appreciate them taking the time to see me through to the final destination. 8 hours on the bike today.

July 22nd — Rosedale, VA to Hillsville, VA — 122 miles When Joan and I talked about the route today, we knew that we had a lot of climbing ahead of us for the first 50 miles to finish getting over the Appalachian Mountains. What we didn't realize was how narrow the roads would be, and since Joan had to drive a 30-ft. RV it was really interesting as the morning progressed.

As I was making the first ascent over the mountains, I realized that the road was getting very narrow and eventually deteriorated to one lane. The route was paved but with no guard rails and a drop-off of a few hundred feet to the right. I was worrying a bit about Joan and the RV ahead of me. It turns out that at one point Joan had to make a tricky move to let opposing traffic get up the mountain as she was descending the other side. The grades were very steep (around 10%), and we didn't end our climb until we logged 55 miles and were finally over the range.

The second half of the day was rolling hills that became more level as we increased the distance from the mountains. We eventually arrived at Hillsville around 4:45 p.m. with one long day but feeling good about the fact we are 3 days away from the coast. 9 hours on the bike today.

July 21st — Pippa Passes , KY to Rosedale, VA — 101 Miles We met the VA border around 11:30 a.m. Yeah! We still have a long way to go: around 420 miles left with 4 days to cover them. Today the grades on the climbs were very severe, averaging over 8% to 15% in some spots, which will give any rider fits in getting over the top of them. It feels great to be in my home state, of course, and I feel like we have accomplished so much getting to this point in the trip. We need to stay focused for the next 3 days, and I should have some buddies joining me in a few days to make the last 2 days more enjoyable.

Tomorrow will be more climbing as we reach 3,000 ft. I look forward to the end of the mountains and the beginning of flatter terrain and lower elevations as we get closer to the ocean. The scenery here is awesome with the mountains getting much larger and elevations reaching 5,000 ft. I'm seeing mountain goats in the lush green mountain pastures with larger mountain summits in the backround. It's beautiful country in southwest Virginia. 8 hours on the bike today.

July 20th — Booneville, KY to Pippa Passes, KY — 71 miles Eastern Kentucky roads are narrow, and the truck traffic is increasing. It is increasingly tough to navigate these roads as we have a large number of rights and lefts getting to the VA border, which is distracting to riding. The Appalachian Mountains are small in size here but steep. The grades are becoming more severe, and the climbs are getting longer. I can feel that VA border now as we are about 60 miles away. I am more aware of staying focused on the road in front of me, especially with all this truck traffic. 5 hours on the bike today.

July 19th — Burgin, KY to Booneville, KY — 97 miles Goodbye to the Davis support crew: John from Edelman Financial Services and his 11-year-old daughter Katherine. Our latest SAG (stands for Support and Gear) crew members had to leave today, so we drove them to the airport in Louisville. John and Katherine were with us for 3 days but added much needed support for the entire time they were here with us. Thanks so much, John and Katherine, for joining us and for your help.



It was another hot day in the mid 90s with high humidity. The hills are getting into higher elevations and the grades are getting more severe now that we are at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. My speed is taking a hit so the days will get a little bit longer to get in the 100 miles for the day. The is the second to last day in Kentucky and the excitement is building as we get closer to the Virginia border. 7 hours on the bike today.

July 18th — Sonora, KY to Burgin, KY — 101 miles Today the big heat returned to the mid 90s, and the humidity is in full swing. The hills in central Kentucky are rolling, but the grades are not that bad. Nothing is flat here so it is a constant up and down all day through rural neighborhoods with large fields. This morning I rode by Abraham Lincoln's birthplace in Hodgenville, KY. What was once believed to be the original cabin President Lincoln was born in was put inside a memorial building. Only years later was it found out that the cabin on display was not the original cabin but a replica that was built in the 1840s (much later than Lincoln's birth in 1809). We also rode by his boyhood home about 10 miles down the road. It was a small cabin just like the one he was born in. It was a good day today: sunny, no clouds and light winds. 7 hours on the bike today.

July 17th — Utica, KY to Sonora, KY — 92 miles It was a pretty routine day. The rolling hills weren't very steep or challenging so we finished early around 2:30 p.m., but since we crossed into the Eastern time zone, we lost an hour. The surroundings in west-central Kentucky are corn and soy fields built into rural residential areas. We saw a wild turkey cross a street, a sight that is rare, at least for me. The rest days are over for this trip, and the next 3 days we will be logging around 100 miles per day as we get closer to the Virginia border. Two riders from Edelman Financial Services are going to join us in Virginia and ride the last 3 days with us to the coast.

I'm looking forward to getting into the last week as we have 8 riding days left. I am trying to stay focused, but mentally it is getting harder. Maybe when we get into Virginia that adrenaline will kick in again as the body and mind is getting a bit worn down. 6.5 hours on the bike today.

July 16th — Rest Day in Utica, KY — We pick up new members of our support team: John Davis from Edelman Financial Services and his daughter Katherine.

July 15th — Elizabethtown, IL to Utica, KY — 86 miles Our time in Illinois is short lived, and we set our sites on the border of Kentucky. It feels sort of strange in a good way that we are about to cross into a state that borders Virginia. Just 5 miles into our day we had to stop because we ran out of road as we needed to cross the Ohio River. We have to take the "Cave In Rock Ferry" across the river as there is no bridge in this area. I have some pictures of the ferry, and we will send them in. The gentleman that works the gates and ties the ferry to the shore is what I call the "chain master." He is very skilled with the chains as he ties off the ferry without wrapping the chain around the anchors by hand. It is very interesting to watch as he tosses the chain around the anchor like a fly fisherman who tosses his line into a stream. With a deliberate stroke the chain wraps itself around the left and then right side of the anchor over and over again without the chain master ever touching the anchor with his hands.

Kentucky has much of the same landscape as Virginia, with rolling hills and terrain. But the grades are not that bad and are short in length. We will be in Kentucky for 4 days, and I hope the weather holds up for us as the humidity is picking up as well. 7 hours on the bike today.

Photos from Days 27-29

We say goodbye to Mark!

The chain master at work on the Cave in Rock Ferry

At the Kentucky border

On route in Kentucky

Beautiful Kentucky

July 14th — Chester, IL to Elizabethtown, IL — 133 miles We are working our way towards the Ohio River today, and there's more rolling terrain to pass through to get there. Southern Illinois is very green with small farms and corn fields throughout. The terrain isn't difficult. It just slows your speed with hills every mile. But they are easily ascended, and there's a nice, small descent to counter the short climbs. Temperatures have been in the high 80s, and the humidity is low. Basically, the past few days have been the best weather you can think of for biking.

We were looking to overnight at a campground called Tower Rock on the banks of the Ohio River. To our amazement it was closed. This is a state campground and it was closed, very strange. On our way to the campground I noticed a sign, "Cedar Hill River Resort", so we checked it out . To our great surprise we found an awesome property on the banks of the Ohio River. I have never seen this type of scenery on a river: the Ohio River is enormous and amazing to see. The property was as nice a resort as any I have been to: green grass to the river banks and trees to give you plenty of shade. The nicest people live there. I met a few neighbors next to the resort, and they are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. The resort actually rents out cabins, pristine knotty pine cabins with hot tubs. Not what we expected at the end of our day. Owner Mike Tipsord was warm and friendly and made sure we were comfortable and that our needs were met. If you ever get to the Elizabethtown area near Cave in Rock, you should check out this resort. Mike, if you are reading this, thanks for great time and a wonderful place to stay. Too bad it was only for one night.

I haven't mentioned an interesting nuisance I have been encountering the last week: dogs, dogs and more dogs. I have been chased by about a dozen or so in the last week from eastern Missouri into Illinois, especially since the fields have become smaller and homes are closer to the streets. Out in the country dogs roam free, and I have seen dogs that looked like they were on their own and running wild. Most dogs start off with the intention of chasing me down; they get to a full run and either don't have the energy or hit their territory line and just quit. Fortunately for those dogs who do have the will to take it to the end, I have been in a fortunate situation where I can accelerate and get away, look back and laugh at them. On one occasion however, I was going up a hill and heard the bark. I said to myself, "Well this is it, he's got me," only to look back and see the dog pull up and turn around. What a bogus chase! Come on, man, finish the job! Fortunately for me, no dog has caught me yet. I am very alert, and will be ready for the next Cujo. Hey, lets face it: If a dog has it in his DNA to get me, then he will. Lucky for me, most don't know that. 9 hours on the bike today.

Route Map

One of the comments here on the blog asked if we could add map of the route. Click on the image below to enlarge the map and see the stops along the route. Rest days are marked in orange.

July 13th — Rest Day in St Louis — We say goodbye to our brother Mark Wilson We drove 60 miles or so north of Chester, IL, and crossed back over the Mississippi to get into St Louis. We had two tasks. One was to get Joan some beauty time at the nearest mall outside of the airport. The second was to drop Mark off to catch a flight back home to Massachusetts. We will see Mark off with great sadness as Markie (that's his nickname) was a great source of laughter the entire two weeks he spent with us. Mark is Joan's little brother, and when we asked him to drive the RV for two weeks he jumped at the chance, never hesitating to help his sister out when she needed him most. Mark had never been to Colorado, Kansas or Missouri so he now knows all three states intimately. Mark, Joan and I want to thank you again for all that you have done for us for these past few weeks: you kept it light and fun while driving the RV, which you handled with great skill. You’re a killer! (inside joke) I can't think of anyone I would rather have with my family keeping them safe while I am biking out there. We love you, man!

Also, a big thank you to the staff at A. G. Miller Co., Inc. from Springfield, MA, which covered for Mark while he was out and a special thanks to the owner, Rick Miller, for being so supportive of our efforts. I can't thank you enough for allowing Mark to be with us so long.

July 12th — Eminence, MO to Chester, IL — 128 miles It seems hard to believe, but today we should be out of Missouri and into Illinois by the end of the day. The maps I have for this route do not say much about elevation or climbing, but I know from last night there are some serious grades here. I don't have anything to tell me what to expect, but my intuition tells me I have some work to do to get out of the Ozarks.

I was right, of course, but what I didn't know was that the grades were more severe and numerous than I could have imagined. The Ozarks by mountain standards are small (only around 1,500 ft. for the top elevation on our route), but let me tell you: They pack a punch that will put you down if you don't have the strength to climb serious grades. I lost count of the number of times I had to ascend 15% grades. They were short, mind you, but they were endless.

Up, down. Up, down. If you could see the road in front of you for a half mile, you might see 4 hills in front of you. I have never seen hills in these numbers, just amazing. It’s good interval training, though, and I kind of enjoyed it at first. But by the end of the day it was becoming ridiculous. I finally pushed away from the constant ups and downs around 4 p.m. and ended up in a huge valley just west of the Mississippi river. This is when the sky opened up and sheets of water began to fall from a thunder storm for a few hours. The rain felt great, and we pushed for the Chester Bridge and crossed the Mississippi into Illinois. At the border we noticed statues and pictures of "Popeye the Sailor Man." I love Popeye! The creator of Popeye, Elzie Segar, was born and raised in Chester. The town erected a 6-ft., 900-lb. statue of Popeye along with a board explaining the cartoon’s history in a park named after Elzie on the banks of the Mississippi. It’s the best border crossing of the entire trip thus far. Just over 10 hours on the bike today.

Photos from Days 25-26

Day 25, Friday, July 11, the rolling hills of Missouri

Day 26, Saturday, July 12 at the Illinois border in the pouring rain!

Day 26, Saturday, July 12 in Chester, IL, the home of Popeye

Day 26, Saturday, July 12, the Popeye Statue in Chester, IL

Day 26, Saturday, July 12, the (receding) Mississippi River

July 11th — Willard, MO to Eminence, MO — 142 miles We departed early this morning with one goal in mind: to make Eminence (which would put us one day ahead of schedule so we could build an extra rest day in St Louis). We have been adding on about 25 to 30 miles for the last 3 days to have a chance at this. We are pushing through wonderful scenery of small rural residential communities with horses or cows grazing in the front or back yards of these homes. There are rolls of hay in the green fields and rolling hills in the background. It seems like this is a beautiful place to live if you like the country, but services are few and far between.

The secondary roads in Missouri are narrow with very little or no shoulder so I am being extra careful of vehicles and making sure I am not getting in the motorists’ way, although in some spots it is rather impossible. I have been taught and read that it is wiser to take more road so that you are in better view of the motorists, and they pass you with more care. I do believe in that theory and have been testing it out a little to see what motorists do, and I can tell you that the more you stay to the right the more they will pass you with higher speeds and get closer to you at the same time. But if I take another foot of road to the left, vehicles will slow down and take more care in passing you. Sometimes this theory doesn't work though and you may put yourself in more danger by applying this technique in the wrong areas. Either way, I try to feel out a road and make my decisions hour by hour depending on the terrain of the road, volume of traffic and just the feel of how vehicles are treating me.

At the end of this ride, about 5 miles before Eminence, I was greeted by a 12+% grade climb, not a fun thing to do when you have 135 miles under your belt. I made it up fine but was pretty much spent for the day. I think we have arrived in the Ozark mountains :). Just over 10 hours on the bike today.

Photos from Days 20-24

Day 20, Sunday, July 6, Rey and Mark in Dodge City, KS

Day 21, Monday, July 7, Fort Larned, Larned, KS

Day 23, Wednesday, July 9, one of many turtles we saw on the road in Kansas

Day 24, Thursday, July 10, old tractor on State Line Road, Kansas-Missouri Border

Day 24, Thursday, July 10 at the Missouri border

Day 24, Thursday, July 10, Kansas landscape

July 10th — Chaunte, KS to Willard, MO — 135 miles Well, we did it again! Since we were ahead of schedule from yesterday’s ride, I thought let’s keep up the momentum and see if we can go further than the planned destination of Golden City, MO. We hit the MO border late in the morning, and I was feeling good (better than yesterday anyway). Today we decided to push for Willard, about 45 miles past Golden City. For tomorrow's ride, that will set us up in good shape and possibly put us a day ahead if we can keep up the momentum. If we do end up a day ahead, we will use that extra day for Mark's departure this Sunday and drive him to the airport in St. Louis and spend some time there as well.

Southern Missouri is, of course, very rural as small farms and fields dot the landscape. The terrain has moved from flat to rolling hills as we climb up a bit in elevation. At the border of MO, there was a small store where the woman who runs the place said that a lot of bicyclists were traveling east to west this year. I have noticed that as well, as I have passed about 10 cyclists going west in the past few days and none going east. I think it is more difficult, of course, going west just due to the winds. I expect tomorrow we will have more climbing as we get deeper into the Ozark Mountains. We are in a northeastern track to get across Missouri so I am hoping the winds will be in our direction the next couple of days.

July 9th — Newton, KS to Chanute, KS — 135 miles Big rain last night, but luck was on our side and at 6:30 a.m. the weather had moved on. We were left with cloudy skies throughout the whole day. I have to say we have been very lucky with the weather so far, but I am not expecting that to hold true all the way to Virginia. Our original destination today was Benedict, KS, but since there wasn't much by way of services we decided to push on to Chanute, the next town on the route. Along the way we stopped for lunch in Eureka, KS, at the Copper Kettle restaurant. I will tell you they had great food and charming service. Our server Joyce was very funny and enthusiastic about our trip. At the end of the meal she wanted to donate $2 of her tip to our charities. Joyce, if you read this I want to thank you very much for your donation. It is for a very good cause.

The scenery is transitioning to a more rural setting with rolling green pastures and corn fields. The roads are getting hilly as we get closer and closer to Missouri. Everyone on the team is doing well, and we are in a very good rhythm: Stopping every 20 miles and having lunch at mile 70 or 80. In the afternoon we finish out the day with 40 to 50 miles and are finishing around 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. I have to confess that today I was weaker than normal and wondered if I was doing anything differently. My brother-in-law Mark and Joanie told me they noticed I wasn't hydrating as much and wasn't eating as much either. So tonight I will make some adjustments and get back on track. On a trip this long you can get sidetracked on your routine and also become a little over confident. Well, no longer: I will stick to the regiment that has worked for the past few weeks. Tomorrow we head for the Missouri border. 9 hours on the bike today.

July 8th — Larned, KS to Newton, KS — 105 Miles The weather finally caught up with us. The day started out with rain and was off and on all day. It was a pretty easy day of pedaling since our heading was mostly east with light winds blowing to the northeast. I tried to maintain over 17 mph.

The scenery is changing with more trees and smaller fields of wheat and corn as we work our way to the eastern portion of the state. The humidity is also becoming a factor: We experienced the kind of humidity we are used to on the east coast this time of year. The elevation is now at about 1,400 ft. in eastern Kansas and steadily decreasing, although when we make it to the Ozarks I expect that it will increase through the mountains. My average speed is noticeably higher in the plains so we are getting into our destinations daily around 2 to 3 p.m. 6 hours on the bike today.

July 7th — Scott City, KS to Larned, KS — 118 miles This morning we got underway at 6:30 a.m. Rest days are great, but it makes it tougher to get going again mentally. When I woke up, I noticed the wind was whipping up pretty good. It came out of the southwest to the northeast at about 15 to 20 mph. When we started out I had a cross wind slightly at my back: Since I was headed east it was in my favor, at least for a while. I was able to push out 20 to 22 mph for the entire morning. In Kansas the scenery is full of gold wheat fields already harvested for the year and green corn fields about knee high. Also, cattle grazing and feeding are huge here, and you can pass thousands of them in a day. I can see 2o miles ahead of me. The plains are amazing with beautiful gold and green fields as far as the eye can see. It is actually very calming to look at since you can see for miles and miles at a time.

After lunch we had to turn south for about 20 miles. Ouch! The wind was in my face and reduced my speed to about 10 mph. We arrived in Larned at 3:30 p.m. and passed by Ft. Larned, another military outpost to guard the Santa Fe Trail in the mid to late 1800's. We toured the fort and then headed to the RV park for some rest. The temperature today was 106 degrees with the heat index, but it's still a dry air so I didn't feel too bad all day. 6.5 hours on the bike today.

July 6th — Rest Day in Scott City, KS — We drove down to Dodge City to see if we could see any remnants of the Old West. Not much remains of old Dodge City, but they did have a small piece of the old town on "Boot Hill" where some of the buildings still remain. The city has a statue of Wyatt Earp in town near Front Street and a lot of businesses in town include Wyatt or Doc Holiday in their company names. There were railroad tracks running along Front Street where it is said that the law was enforced on the north side of the tracks, but on the south side lawlessness and anything goes was common in those days.

Still, it was pretty cool to see the remains of Ft. Dodge, which protected the Santa Fe Trail back in the 1800s. On a tour of the city, we passed by a huge cattle feeding ground with 45,000 head of cattle. Seeing so many cattle in one place, I couldn't help imagine that maybe that's what buffalo might have looked like (yeah, I know buffalo look much different) in herds to the hunters or the Indians long ago. There is a good chance that if you like steak, the last one you ate could have come from a Kansas beef producer. Kansas is the second largest beef producer in the nation and has the largest concentration of beef packing plants, one of which was located right next to the feed lot that held all those cattle. It was a good rest day, but my mind is back on the road for tomorrow's route.

July 5th — Tribune, KS to Scott City, KS — 46 miles We drove back from Scott City to Tribune to finish out the route since I did most of this leg yesterday and needed to finish this morning. We rolled into Scott City at 10 a.m. I took the rest of the day off, and tomorrow is a rest day as well. The next rest day will be 10 days out so I am not taking this rest day lightly, but we will visit Dodge City to see if there are any remains of the Old West. 2.5 hrs on the bike today.

July 4th — Fowler, CO to Tribune, KS — 133 miles As a group we decided to alter the planned destination of Eads, CO, which we passed 75 miles into the route, and press on for the Kansas border about 45 miles after Eads. So we passed our destination to get as close to the next destination (Scott City, KS) as we could a day ahead of schedule.

The day was sunny and warm, of course, and the wind was cooperating with me today so I was cruising at just about 20 miles per hour. Along the way we met two bikers, Steve and Joe, who are doing the same Transamerica route but will end up at Atlantic City sometime in August. We biked together and crossed the border into Kansas, took some pictures and pressed on to a town called Tribune. Tribune was Steve and Joe’s planned destination, and for our day this would get us about 46 miles west outside of Scott City, KS.

Once we arrived in Tribune and said our goodbyes to Steve and Joe when they were headed off to the local hotel, my team and I discussed getting even closer to Scott City. We had thus far logged 133 miles. I was feeling good and wanted to go for a personal record in one day and finish in Scott City at 175 miles, but my wife Joan and brother-in-law Mark talked me out of it, thinking that I shouldn’t push it.

The next day the plan was to drive back to Tribune and finish the 46 miles to Scott City and take the rest of the day off. The added bonus was the next day, July 6th, was the planned rest day so it looks like I will have a day and a half to rest. I still have that record thing in my head, so who knows? Maybe we can squeeze two ride days into one going forward. Just under 8 hours on the bike today.

July 3rd — Cotopaxi, CO to Fowler, CO — 122 miles Well, today we will say goodbye to the Rocky Mountains and the “Western Express” portion of the trip. Basically the major mountain stages will be over, but I have to make one final ascent over the last range before descending into Pueblo, CO, and into the Great Plains portion of our country.

The final ascent didn’t have a name, but we had to climb from 6,500 ft. to 9,300 ft. As I summited the last major climb, I had to look back for a minute or two at the mountains we just crossed and think about the last few weeks. The mountain routes I am sure will be the most rewarding challenges of the trip, but who knows what lays ahead. Will I have major weather? Wind? Heat?

As I think about the awesome experiences of the mountains, I need to focus on the 1,800 miles ahead to cross before getting to the coast. Something tells me maybe some different but just as challenging obstacles are headed our way. After we descended to Pueblo, the winds blowing around 20 miles an hour were right in my face and slowing my speed to about 11 miles per hour. Well, I got my answer: The plains are going to be full of challenges, and from the looks of it, right from the start. We arrived in Fowler after 8.5 hours on the bike.

July 2nd — Gunnison, CO to Cotopaxi, CO — 91 miles This day was going to include a climb I have been waiting for since the start: Crossing the continental divide over Monarch Mountain, the highest point of the ride. The elevation at Monarch Pass is 11,312 ft. so this was my biggest test regarding altitude and grade.

We left early, around 6 a.m., to get to the base of the mountain in the morning. Once I started the climb, I was feely lousy for some reason. Maybe the heat was affecting me. I am really not sure, but I was light headed and basically somewhat "cranky" as my wife put it. I thought, okay, the altitude is getting to me; I tried not to think about it as I climbed into higher altitude. I felt better as we went higher, and eventually I think the excitement of reaching the summit charged me as I got closer. The grade was around 7% for 10 miles or so, and as I reached the summit, I had a feeling of accomplishment I hadn’t felt since I left a few weeks ago. With a big smile on my face I reached the top at around 11 a.m., and we all celebrated with a gondola ride to top of Monarch Mountain for a view of the Rockies and to stand directly on top of the continental divide itself. 8 hours on the bike today.

July 1st —Telluride, CO to Gunnison, CO — 124 Miles After another rest day we are headed towards Gunnison with three ascents. One is from 7,500 ft. to 9,000 ft. and called the Dallas Divide. The second ascent is from 5,900 ft. to just under 8,000 ft. and called Cerro Summit. The the last ascent is called Blue Mesa and was from an elevation of 7,000 ft. to about 8,500 ft. All three summits were challenging at about 6% to 7% grade. As the day wore, on the heat really took hold. It was in the 90s and eventually gave way to a small thunder storm where I encountered icy rain and small pea-sized hail just outside of Gunnison. I felt good, though, when arriving at the RV Park. We had a nice dinner with my cousin Regina, her husband Brett and daughter Cassie. Thanks so much for your hospitality, guys! We really had a great time! 9 hours on the bike.

Photos from Days 13-16

At the Colorado Border on Route 491

Colorado on Route 145 near Lizard Head Pass

Colorado on Route 145 Near Lizard Head Pass

Rey at Lizard Head Pass, elevation 10,222

Monday, June 30, Goodbye Uncle Joe!

On the gondola ride from Mountain Village to Telluride, CO

On Route 50 with 2 mules (the one on the left really liked Rey!)

At Monarch Pass, the highlight of the trip!

View on Route 50 near Monarch Pass, CO

Telluride, Colorado Rest Day — We say goodbye to Uncle Joe! Two weeks into the ride we are changing a member of our team. Joe Roy from San Francisco, California, is swapping out for Mark Wilson from Westfield, Massachusetts. I'm not sure we could have made it this far without our trusty caretaker driving through the Sierras and the Utah mountains. Here is a list of Joe's duties, which he carried out each day with careful thoughtfulness so that we could stay on track:

• Joe would rise at 5 a.m. and get the morning coffee underway, and then take our dog Buster for his first walk.
• Once I rose for the day, Joe would get my bike off the rack and check it over to make sure it was in good order and clean. (That's right he cleaned the bikes every day!)
• Once I was off on the road, he would disconnect the RV's power and water and put everything away and get up the road to meet me. That was the routine more or less for the morning.
• At the end of the day Joe would park the RV, get the hookups set up and then arrange chairs and occasionally set up the canopy if we were to dine in direct sunlight.

It is safe to say we will miss Uncle Joe and all that he has done for us. Joe, thanks for your time. I know it was not easy for you to take that much time for us, but we deeply appreciate all your help and expertise over the last two weeks. We will press on and see if we can maintain the same rhythm. I am sure we will be missing all that you have done. Take care and get some much needed rest!

June 29th — Blanding, UT to Telluride, CO — 144 miles At the RV park we met the nicest hosts, Duke and Rose Simpson and Renis Hylton, who run the Blue Mountain Trading Post and RV Park. They are about the friendliest people we have encountered with the best maintained RV park since we started. They have a store filled with jewelry made of turquoise and silver, Native American rugs and all sorts of artifacts, including some dinosaur bones. They gave me the scoop on the ride I was about to make and told me how beautiful the scenery would be riding into the Rockies. They were right.

As I made my way to the border and stopped for a picture under the Colorado sign, I noticed a wall of mountains off in the distance capped with snow. It gave me a glimpse of what I would be witnessing later in the day.

This day was all about gearing up for my first Rocky Mountain climb. I told everyone that since the mileage would be the longest of the trip (140 miles) I had doubts that I would make it to Telluride this day. We might have to call it around 120 miles, drive back the next morning and finish then since the next day was a rest day. So I had two concerns: the mileage overall and the ascent from 6,000 ft. in Blanding, Utah to the top of Lizard Head Pass, just outside of Telluride, at 10,500 ft.

Once I reached the base of the mountains at 80 miles into the ride, I just kept my focus on the short-term, riding 10 miles at a time and 500 feet of ascending at a time. This was the best strategy as I just concentrated on what I had to accomplish every 30 to 45 minutes. I left at 5:42 a.m. and at 5 p.m. the day wasn't over, but I was only 15 miles or so from Telluride. I had to finish; in my head I couldn't stop with just 15 miles to go. I actually felt pretty good. As you get closer to the goal, adrenaline kicks in and you know you are going to do it. At 6 p.m. I rolled into the Peaks Resort in Telluride. Tonight we sleep in style! 11 hours on the bike today.

June 28th — Hanksville, UT to Blanding, UT 121 miles — Today was sort of a surprise for me because the arrival in Hanksville tricked me into thinking that the red displays of rock art were over. About 20 miles into the ride we rode through the Glen Canyon area, and holy cow! There were the most unbelievable red rock formations you ever want to see. I rode through towering slot canyons 300 ft. high on both sides of the road for miles. We rode our way past Lake Powell and then over a very high bridge over the Dirty Devil River, which I estimate is at least 300 feet high. In just a few miles we crossed the Colorado River, and again the bridge was about the same height and allowed me the chance stop and enjoy the view of the river. The Colorado River in this section of Utah was very tame and muddy, with a current of just a few miles an hour on it's way to Lake Powell.

This was going to be a tough day as I had to ascend from 3,900 ft. to 7,000 ft. to the Blanding, Utah area, and I had to climb a ridge at a 12% grade for more than 5 miles to get into Blanding and town. 9 hours on the bike today.

June 27th — Escalante, UT to Hanksville, UT — 110 miles We departed at 6:00 a.m., and we had another good day of weather. The day started off pretty flat, but I had a large climb ahead of me. Last night we noticed smoke coming from the direction we would be traveling so we wondered if a forest fire had developed. On the way out of Escalante the route was awesome: Winding roads worked their way through red canyons as we worked our way to Boulder, Utah. Southern Utah is breathtaking. If you ever get a chance to visit, you will not regret it.

As I got closer to the mountain, I had to climb it when it became obvious that indeed a fire had broken out. The smoke was coming from west to east and in our direction. I was heading northeast, but it looked like the fire was to the west. I noticed two helicopters fighting the fire and small vehicles that were supporting the fire fighters. As I worked my way closer to the fire I had to ascend from 5,500 ft. to 95,00 ft. Luck was on our side as the smoke just held up enough for me to pass by without having to go through the thick white smoke. (The fire stayed to the west as well as the thick smoke.) Once I descended the mountain we worked our way to Hanksville, Utah where the scenery changed dramatically from red rock to an ash gray with piles and piles of sand. I thought we were in some kind of geological transition to Colorado. 8.5 hrs on the bike this day.

Photos of Days 11-12

Scenery on Route 24 to Hanksville, UT

Lake Powell on Route 95 in Garfield County, UT

Route 95 near Blanding, UT

Route 95 on Day 12, near Hanksville, UT

June 26th - Rest Day in Escalante, Utah

June 25th — Cedar City, UT to Escalante, UT 122 miles — This ride was one for the books: A big climb with large mileage to get to the much-needed rest day in Escalante. Started out at 6:45 a.m. to begin the ascent of the "Cedar Breaks" summit (10,500 ft.). We started the day at 6,000 ft. The good news was I was to ascend all morning (better than in the afternoon heat). The grade started out at 4% but the higher I climbed, the steeper the road became until it reached about 7%. All in all, it took me 3 hours to scale this monster of a hill. I was curious about the altitude, and it's effect on my climbing. As I reached 9,500 ft. I could feel the difference in my breathing. I felt slightly lightheaded, but I must have adapted because it did not last too long.

At the summit the view of the red rock formations in the canyon below was breathtaking. Mostly covered with white and red limestone, we received a quick lesson from the Forest Ranger on how the canyon formed. This ride was the most spectacular in terms of views so far. Now for the fun part! The descent was very cool; it lasted for miles, and the views were amazing.

I had to ascend two more big mountains, both at about 7,500 ft. My team was telling me that the last mountain had an elevation of 7,300 ft. "No problem," I said back to them on the radio, but they were not at the top. When they reached the top before me, they quickly realized it was 7,600 ft. with an 11% grade for the last mile. They tried to warn me on the radio, but I was busy with the climb; I heard something but I did not pay much attention.

Just then I looked up, and I saw what looked to be three roads above me. But wait! It was one road with 3 switchbacks 500 ft. above. What I couldn't believe was the grade! It went straight up to the point that I questioned if I could climb it at all. This was at the end of the day, so I just kept my head down and didn't look up until it was over. When I reached the top and the support vehicle, I was totally spent with not much left to give.

The best part of the day was an 18-mile descent where I didn't have to pedal for 30 minutes. From what the team was telling me, we averaged about 35 m.p.h. the entire way to Escalante. This was by far the best payoff for the day and, man, did I need it. 10 hours on the bike today.

Photos from Days 7-9

Rey at the NV border

Rey in Baker NV

Old stone house near Baker, NV

Rey at the Utah border

Waterfall on Route 14 near Cedar City, UT

View on Route 14 across from waterfall, near Cedar City, UT

June 24th — Halfway Summit, UT to Cedar City, UT 102 miles — We departed at 6:30 a.m. We lost an hour crossing the border so the sun did not rise until around 6:10 a.m. unlike days before when it rose at 5:15 a.m. Today was all about crosswinds. It was apparent after descending the summit where we overnighted this was going to be a tough day. The winds whipped from the southwest at an estimated 20 m.p.h., and since we were heading south, well, you get the picture.

I had to climb three major climbs, Wah Wah Summit (6,439 ft.), Frisco Summit (6,445 ft.) and the last summit which was not named at 6,500 ft. Frisco summit was the toughest since I had to climb starting at 5,000 ft. with the crosswind blowing hard. I met a few riders along the way to Cedar City 90 miles into the ride. A nice young dude by the name of Scott Chambers was towing a 55-lb. trailer. Turns out Scott and his female partner (did not get her name) departed San Francisco in early June and were pedaling about 60 to 80 miles per day. The amazing thing was that he works for the county I live in, Prince William County, Virginia. How weird is that?

Scott, if you read this, I bumped into your partner a few miles down the road. You guys are doing great! Keep the positive thoughts and hope to catch up with you after the trip to compare stories. Take care and stay safe.

June 23rd — Ely, NV to Halfway Summit, UT 90 Miles — We were scheduled to travel from Ely, NV to Baker, NV and log in 68 miles, which would have have set up the next day for 120 miles. Leaving Ely I had to make a few climbs to Baker, NV, including Connors Pass (7,722 ft.) and Sacramento Pass (7,154 ft.). Both climbs were around 7% grades at the steepest part and were challenging, but in the back of my mind I could not get the mileage out of my head for the next day. So when we arrived in Baker, NV, I asked everyone if they were up for adventure.

Instead of staying at a KOA in Baker, we decided to press on for the Utah border and stay at one of the summits in Utah overnight. All we would have to do is find a level spot to rest for the night. So we pressed on and made the Utah border! We took pictures of the border sign and since I missed the Nevada sign (actually there wasn't a sign), I walked across the street and took a picture of the Nevada sign.

I pressed on for the next summit, and then it happened: My first major crosswind at about 20 m.p.h. just slowed me to a crawl for 25 miles. But eventually I reached Halfway Summit at about 6,100 ft. There we found a great spot and spent the night. The weather was perfect and the night was spectacular. I think two or three cars passed by all night, that is how remote we were. Since the nearest town was more than 30 miles away it was pitch black on the summit. The stars were amazing.

June 22nd — Eureka, NV to Ely, NV 75 miles — Another light day in terms of miles but still more climbing to get through as the mountain ranges are beautiful but numerous. Eureka is also located on the side of a mountain so I had to climb the grade of around 6% or so for 5 or 6 miles. The summits we ascended today were Pinto Summit (7,351 ft.), Pancake Summit (6,521 ft.), Little Antelope Summit (7,438 ft.) and Robinson Summit (7,588 ft.). Just another gorgeous day in the 80s. Five hours on the bike today.

June 21st — Austin, NV to Eureka, NV 70 miles — This day was all about recovering with lower mileage but with one catch. The Nevada terrain wasn't just going to roll over for me so I had to get the recovery underway with some climbs ahead of me. Austin is a very small western town on the side of a mountain. In order to get out of town I had to climb a 7% grade road 6 miles long to get to the peak of Austin Pass (7,484 ft.). Then all I needed to do was to ascend two more summits: New Pass Summit (6,348 ft.) and Mt. Airy Summit (6,679 ft.) before arriving in Eureka. From what I have learned, Eureka was a boom town of sorts in its day, boasting 10,000 people mining silver. The name of the town was said to have been come from a miner who discovered ore and shouted "Eureka!" I arrived early in the afternoon, which was a great break in terms of seat time. It seemed like an easy day with just five hours on the bike.

Photos from Day 5

Rey on US 50 between Austin, NV and Eureka, NV

The Town of Eureka, NV

Uncle Joe & Rey in Eureka, NV

June 20th — Fallon, NV to Austin, NV 118 miles — Today we departed Fallon on Route 50 across the Great Basin of Nevada, which I'll ride through for the next four days. This part of the trip is going to be mentally as well as physically challenging due to the long stretches across the desert landscape to the mountain ranges. Outside of Fallon, in Salt Wells, you can see miles of salt flats alongside Route 50 with interesting markings from people who made their mark with red colored-stones against the white salt backdrop. When you bike instead of drive you pick up little things like this very easily.

Further down the road an interesting sculpture of sand several stories high caught my eye so we had to take a few moments to see what it was. The name of this sand sculpture is "Sand Mountain," which draws many dune buggy and four-wheel enthusiasts to vacation there. This sight was used by the Pony Express riders as a landmark. A Pony Express station is said to have been just a mile or so from the site.

My next stop was something I have been waiting months to see. I have heard of this strange roadside landmark called "The Shoe Tree." The Shoe Tree is nothing more than a lone tree on the side of the road with thousands of shoes hanging from its branches. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a contribution to the tree. I don't know how this tradition of throwing shoes onto the tree started, but after four attempts, I succeeded in hanging my New Balance sneakers on the tree.

One basin from Austin, I was lucky enough to witness an air show from naval fighters who were honing their flying skills. At one point, the fighters were as low as a few hundred feet above my head, too quick to take a picture since you can't hear them until they are right on top of you. I noticed a sign that said "Pony Express Trail 1860 to 1861". As I got closer the sign was there to show the actual trail right alongside and only a few feet from Route 50. I ended up in Austin around early evening. Nine hours on the bike today.

Photos from Days 2-4

At the summit of Carson Pass

Cattle drive near the Nevada border

Journey of Hope Riders near Carson Pass

Near the Nevada border

On the loneliest road in America (US 50)

Pony Express rider in Genoa, NV

Sand mountain east of Fallon, NV

Rey's contribution to the Shoe Tree

The Shoe Tree east of Middlegate, NV