First of all, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my immediate family at my sister’s place in Jersey City, NJ. Mike, my sister’s boyfriend, and his family joined us for the meal. It was a fantastic destination and final goal from my trip. I was so happy to see my family and have a relaxing holiday weekend. I ate sooo much on Thanksgiving and it was all delicious! Saturday we went into the city for the day. Here is a picture of me with my family in Times Square!
To start, I have a lot of thank yous. First of all, I have to thank God for giving me the strength and determination to complete the ride, not to mention keep me alive along the way. Next, I have to thank my family. They have been my biggest supporters. Following my blog and calling to check in along the way. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Trina. I need to give a huge thank you to all my followers. This includes all my extended family, friends, acquaintances , and even strangers. Knowing that I had the support and encouragement of all of you kept me going through the hard times. I heard directly from some, but knew there were many more. I could see the number of hits on the counter on the bottom of this blog. I also need to thank all my great hosts along the way. I spent 30 nights relying on the on the hospitality of others and every night was delightful. I met so many amazing people along the way and had so many wonderful experiences.
The trip was an amazing journey. I learned a lot about myself and the world around me. One of the greatest things I learned about myself is that I can do just about anything I put my mind to. I know, sounds kind of cliche, but it's true. I never doubted my ability to complete this ride, but it has opened my mind to other challenges I feel capable of pursuing. It just takes determination and persistence. I've already begun to brainstorm future challenging adventures.
A lesson I learned about the world around me was how hospitable and helpful complete strangers can be. Just about everyday of my journey I met new people who were friendly and willing to help. I think it's common to be careful trusting complete strangers, but I learned that the vast majority of people are well intentioned. Especially through using couchsurfing, I met many great people. Everyone was so happy to host me for the night and had many delicious meals provided for me. Much needed fuel to continue on my journey. I do realize and agree there are certainly times and places to be careful, but I think my experience has enlightened me to good in the world.
Not only have I used this blog to keep a record of my ride, I've kept a personal journal that I've written in each night. I've also completed a Bible study each day focusing on the ministry of Jesus. There is a section in the back of my travel Bible that has directed me to specific scriptures each day. After my daily reading I write a short reflection. I spent a lot of my time praying and getting closer to God and learning more about Jesus's ministry during his time on Earth. If you don't know Jesus, know that he knows you, and He loves you.
It's hard to summarize my entire experience and if you've only read part of my blog I encourage you to check the rest out. It's long, but there are some good stories. I've been encouraged by some to write a book to share my adventure. I never thought of myself as a writer, but it has crossed my mind over the course of the ride. It's a possibility. I would likely take my blog as a first draft and elaborate more on my experiences and thoughts along the way. I have enjoyed sharing my experiences, and hope my followers have enjoyed the stories.
Here is a map of my route from Fernandina Beach, FL to Jersey City, NJ.
Just a few statistics from the ride:
Miles biked: 1003
Miles in a car: about 125 (this includes various rides under certain circumstances)
Miles walked: about 3 (final 3 of the trip)
Days Riding: 23
Days Resting: 7
Most miles in a day: 72
Fewest miles in a day: 15
Total nights on the road: 30
Camping: 4
Hostels: 1
Friends/Family of Friends: 11
Family: 4
Couchsurfing: 7
Hotel: 1
Homeless Shelter: 1
Outward Bound Base: 1
Times I crashed/fell off my bike: 0
Times I was hit by a car: 1
Flat Tires: 5
1 on my front wheel
2 on my back wheel (back to back on my final day)
2 on my trailer wheel
Replacement parts: 3 (2 new back wheels and a new trailer)
Things lost: 1 water bottle
Nice people I met: too many to count
Mean people: 0 (That's right, not one mean person the entire time.)
Hitch hiked: 1 time (to get across a busy bridge)
Scriptures read: 56
Funds raised: $733 last I checked. You can check by clicking the link on the right side of the page.
Followers:????
Views of this blog: check the number at the bottom of this page
These are all the stats I can think of right now. Hope you found them interesting. If I think of more I'll add them later.
It's still not too late to donate to Camp Starfish. I'll probably close the donation page within the next couple weeks.
Thank you for all of your support and God Bless!!!
If anyone has any final questions or comments for my you can post them as a comment to this post.
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