Day 43: Coast to Coast: 3,223.7 Miles Later

In the morning woke up to Omi’s breakfast and one last glance at the Linde homestead before heading down 472 on our one last long ride to the Atlantic Ocean.  This morning we had quite a crew as we headed out with veterans Bobby Longenecker, and Dietrich Linde, and new comer Josh Temple.  The beach waited for us like a treasure we had been chasing for the past 6 weeks, and with one day left we pedaled toward our goal with renewed energy.  Our large riding party was quite different than the small group of three that we had become so accustomed to on our journey but it was a welcome surprise.  More people equal more laughs and more conversations but also more flats.  A few slowed us down early in the morning but before we knew it we had left both Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the threat of rain behind as we rolled into the tiny state of Delaware.  We stopped in to Visit Steve’s sister Sarah outside of Newark and enjoyed relaxing for a bit and snacking on a few pretzels.  From here we headed out around the University of Delaware and down route 2 where we planned on meeting Lyle’s Dad who was stationed ready to smuggle both us and our bikes across the Delaware River on the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  New Jersey classily  welcomed across its borders with a Digital welcome sign that offered no chance for a photo or beautiful scenery.  From the outside no one would suspect a thing  from that van but on the inside of that tan Chrysler Town and Country were stowed 6 bikers 6 bikes and one driver.  For us crossing the country this was nothing new, we have learned many times to be comfortable with cramped quarters and that anything is possible with a little effort.  Once we were safely inside the borders of the last state of our journey we stopped one last time a McDonalds for lunch, and for memories.   From this point on we were followed intensely by the paparazzi that is Leon Ressler, we could always expect to see him around every corner video camera in hand documenting our incredible journey for all posterity.  The shutter on the lens clicked repeatedly as we whirred by.  Even on our last day we were once again shocked with another wonderful experience.  My father persuaded us to stop at Marlboro Farm Market where we were blessed with amazing watermelon and boxes of every kind of fruit that one could dream of.  Ken Harris not only blessed us with refreshing fruit but also an incredible story of how hard work and dreams have turned his childhood idea into a thriving business.  We flew down highway 49 nervously anticipating our turn to 50 which would signify the ending our journey.  As we neared the coast the already flat terrain seemed to level a little for and the sea breeze filled our lungs.  One last turn on Tuckahoe road took us up over the bridge to Ocean City, New Jersey, the destination we had talked about for weeks and dreamt about for years.  The excitement continued to build as we flew down West Avenue and counted down the streets to 26^th where our friends and family were waiting to greet us.  As we rounded the corner the emotion took hold, hitting the sand we biked as far as we could and then hoisted our bikes above our heads and sprinted to the waves with the cheers of friends and family filling our ears.  After dipping our bikes in we rapidly took off our shoes and bolted into the surf and hugged and cheered as the emotion of completing such a journey overwhelmed us.  Wrapping ourselves in the American flag we celebrated not only biking across this great land, but celebrated with each one of our friends and family who had supported us on our quest.

            As I walked back to the Gutekunst Beach house I realized that our trip was over, we had accomplished everything we had set out to do.  Tonight was a night to celebrate; and  I knew that in the coming weeks it was time to get back to normal and to work.  I knew that this was not only worth celebrating  the accomplishment but also celebrating the memories  that we had formed  that would stick with us forever. 

Many people think biking across the country is about the biking, but the biking isn’t what was important about this trip or even what matters the most.  It was about the lessons we learned, the people we met, and the stories we shared.  It was about patience for when things don’t go as planned, perseverance for when things are difficult and the vulnerability to ask for help.  Biking across the country has forever taught me that the people of this great country are beautiful, they all have a story, and they all just need someone to share it with.   This trip has been such an incredible blessing in our lives, not only because of the hospitality we received but also because of the chance to bless other people in random encounters that sometimes started out awkward but always ended in new friendships and connections that will forever change our lives.  

 

 

Day 42: Opa's Ninetieth Birthday

DaThis morning I woke up in my own bed for the first time in a very long time but I knew that it was not the end of our journey.  There is something about the sight of home that makes everyone of us get a warm feeling inside, this feeling for me had to be pushed back inside, as there was still one big day between us and the beach.  The only miles on the agenda for today were a short 12 mile run over to Steve’s home for his grandfather’s 90^th birthday party. After spending our morning picking raspberries in Peach Bottom we hit the rode with aspirations of making it to Kirkwood by 12:00 for homemade lunch from Steve’s Grandmother.  Since the very beginning of the trip Steve had lamented the fact that he was missing  Omi’s lunches down at the farm and I could see the joy in his eyes as we pulled into Lindenholf Farm, the place that he called home.  By this point in the journey I thought the unique cultural experiences would be over, but yet again I was surprised to once again be taking part in something truly special and truly American. Steve’s Grandfather or Opa as they say in German came to America in 1951 after the war and after much hard work founded the farm which would become a home to his children and a haven for his grandchildren.  At lunch we enjoyed the lively German conversation, pork and kale and a sweet treat from the fatherland butter varden.  The spelling on the previous pastry could very easily be wrong but its flavor is always right.  Not only was Karl Dieter Linde a farmer but he was also poet, and each of his grandchildren had composed a poem to be read at the party.  Jody and I thoroughly enjoyed helping Steve as he tried out his own Walt Whitman skills.  After the poem recitals we shared in  a traditional German birthday cake.  That night we really enjoyed discussing  past cross country bike trips  with Bobby Longenecker, and Cooper and Dietrich Linde.  It was so amazing to recap our routes and share memories and discuss people we had met on our trip.  After fixing a broken spoke one Bobby’s bike we bunked down for the night in the old farmhouse that had once housed many young people and once again was filled with hungry stomachs.  As dusk came we settled in for one last night before our trip would be completely finished.

Day 41: Coming Home……Pennsylvania

Today we had to wake up extra early, which was around 5:15.  We decided that taking the metro out of DC would be the best way of getting outside of the city especially with rush hour traffic and bike are not allowed on the metro from 7 to 10.  When we woke up we realized that it was raining and we had sent all of our rain coats home and so Lee gave us all trash bags that we could wear as ponchos.  So we said goodbye and headed to the metro station about a mile away.  Lee gave us good instructions on how to navigate the metro through the city so everything went smoothly while on the metro.  Our total miles on the metro was around 10, and then we took 29 up out of the city.  We noticed that Steve’s tire was flat while on the metro so once we got off we began to fix it until we realized that we could not find the tire irons to help get the tire off of the wheel.  Luckily we could use the flat head screw drivers on our pocket knives to get the tire off and look at it.  Then we got moving and the rain was only a light rain and was not too cold so we did not mind it too much.   Since the metro took us to the other side of the city most of the traffic was going into the city while we were exiting.  Jody’s tire kept getting flat while leaving the city so we just kept pumping it after one patch did not hold well because we put it on in the rain.  It seemed as soon as we left DC we were in Baltimore.  From 29 we took 40 over to Baltimore and then got on 1 and took that through the city and most of the way home.  Before Baltimore we stopped at Wal-Mart and picked up a tube since we did not have any new ones.   In Baltimore we went through what we all would say is the hood, not the worst areas but definitely not the best by any means.  So it was very slow moving through the city with all the stop signs and lights.  Once we got to the north side of Baltimore and outside of the city we stopped for lunch at McDonald’s where we met up with Steve’s cousin Brent who had biked down from Steve’s house to meet us.  So we headed out up route 1 with the sun coming out and moral boosted once again with another biker riding with us.  It was a great feeling to make it back to our home state of Pennsylvania, and we took our usually state sign photo.  Once we were about a mile away from Lyle’s house we met up with his dad, Lion, and his uncle and cousin.  They all took pictures of us as we rode into Lyle’s home.  Lion and Lyle fixed up dinner and we had time to relax and chat.  We had fun talking with Lyle’s cousin Joel and his uncle Will who stopped by later in the evening.  We are all looking forward to our day off tomorrow when we will head to Steve’s house and then on to the beach on Wednesday for the final leg of the journey.  Thanks again for all the prayers and support during our trip.  We have all felt extremely blessed throughout the entire trip and are looking forward to touching the ocean once again.

85 Miles

Day 40: Our Nations Capitol

This morning we headed out to Mclean Bible Church with Lee where we met Lyle’s Dad who had come down to spend father’s day with us.  This was our first true Mega Church experience as we were blown away by the shear magnitude of the church,  the police were set up outside directed traffic for the large numbers of cars which were pouring in.  We parked in the largest parking deck we’ve ever seen and then headed into the church.  After church we grabbed lunch at a local restraint where we were surprised to see Scott Turner and another friend Dave Ausman, also eating lunch.  Afterwards we headed back to Lee’s place to enjoy some home grown raspberries from Lancaster on top of ice cream.  WE decided to go visit our friends who are doing the program inside DC this summer and were excited to see the place that Scott and our other friend Scotty Ford were temporarily calling home.  We briefly went down to the mall and took a look at the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument before we headed back to Lee’s for the night.  Perhaps the most exciting moment of this day was opportunity to send our trailers home with Lyle’s Dad.  Dropping the burden that we had carried for the past several weeks was a great feeling.  That evening we relaxed while watching some television and getting to bed early in hopes of heading out extra early the following morning.

Day 39: Coming to Arlington

Sleep came easily for us in Strasburg and waking came with equal ease because we knew we had an amazing breakfast made by Phil’s mom waiting for us.  We gathered round the large dining room table and shared our last meal in Strasburg with Phil’s mom and step dad.  A breakfast casserole an monkey bread geared us up for the long ride to Arlington Virginia where my brother would host us for the night.  Today was very different than any other day on the trip because for the first time there were four bikes that rolled out of the garage instead of our usual pack of three.  Phil had decided to bike with us to DC which gave us an extra boost of energy as we worked closer and closer to our final destination.  Phil guided us through the Virginia countryside on our way to Purcellville where we planned on picking up the Washington and Old Dominion Bike path that would lead us around the DC traffic and safely to Lee’s house.  While zooming through the countryside we spotted a large flea market and we couldn’t resist stopping and checking out the local fare.  All of us came back empty handed, except Steve who scored a TI-83 calculator for 2 dollars.  We finished out the morning by climbing our last two mountains of the trip before dropping down into Purcellville.  We showed Phil how to navigate the McDonald’s Dollar Menu at lunch and then hit the trail with hopes of meeting Lee halfway. The trail was relatively flat and crowded with local bikers ranging from casual exercisers to serious bikers out for long training rides. Once we were on the trail we stopped twice to fix some flats one of which turned out to be a mystery because once we had it all taken apart it appeared to hold air.  Jody and Steve told me that next time Id better get a second opinion before taking such actions.  Later Steve ate his words as the same thing happened to him. Regardless we powered down the trail, meeting Lee which provided us with another morale boost as we continued on the trail to Arlington.  Steve was keeping track of our total mileage so we stopped along the way to celebrate our 3,000 mile mark, with a photo shoot.  The afternoon dragged on as we pedaled down the long straight path, but we eventually arrived around five oclock.  We were definitely glad to have avoided the DC traffic and be safely at our destination.  That night Lee made us some incredible burgers and pesto lasagna with some freshly harvested basil from his garden.  Later in the evening, our friend Scott Turner who is in DC for the summer stopped by to visit.  We all enjoyed relaxing in the evening and sharing stories with both Lee and Scott.  That night we went to bed full of good food and ready for our day off tomorrow which we had planned to spend in DC.

92 Miles

Day 38: Rock Me Momma Like a Wagon Wheel: Strasburg VA

We tried to get up earlier this morning to try and make it to Strasburg, Virginia by lunch time.  Our roommate Phil Ramsey lives in Strasburg and so we were very excited to stay at his house that night.  After packing up our tent for presumably the last time we headed down the streets of Petersburg to MacDonald's where we fueled up for the day.  The morning ride began quite easily as we rolled down the asphalt that was still was from the previous evenings rainfall.  The skies periodically looked threatening but we pedaled on in hopes of evading the storms.  We finally made it to highway 55 which John had suggested we take, the new 55 was made into a 4 lane highway and blasted through most of the mountain tops and really helped to level out the grades.  Steve and I continued to have trailer races to the top of the mountains, which surprisingly make the climbs much more enjoyable.  We stopped at this scenic overlook to fix a flat that Jody got climbing the mountain, the overlook had the largest parking lot ever for the most disappointing view possible.  Steve was the only one who ventured out on the trail but returned to tell us that is was a huge disappointment. Eventually the freeway ended as the road transformed back into a two way highway, this was a little scary because we knew the mountains got a lot steeper when they haven't been removed to put in a large highway.  We had one more very very steep climb before dropping down into Strasburg.  At the top of the mountain we were rewarded with the satisfaction of crossing the Virginia State line and 5 miles of steep down hill.  Strasburg welcomed us with a few rolling hills as we tried to follow Jody as he led us into Phil's driveway from memory.  Phil's mom and step Dad welcomed us into their home as we sat down and got to eat a great lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches as we waited for Phil to arrive home from work.  After Phil arrived we loaded into his newly purchased Ford Ranger and headed out to the local disc golf course.  Steve and I rode in the back of the truck while Jody and Phil conversed in the cab.  Phil once again exercised his dominance in the sport dominating us on every hole, Jody pulled a closer second while Steve and I battled it out for last place with Steve ultimately edging me out.  After some disc golf Phil drove us over to his Dad's farm where we had the pleasure of touring their pastures on four wheelers and chasing young beef cows.  That evening we were served a delicious lasagna dinner topped off with an amazing Chocolate Creme pie made by Phil's Mom.  We passed the evening in classic Virgina style by watching the Nationals come back and defeat the Orioles before heading to bed.  That night I went to bed singing "Wagon Wheel" and dreaming old time Virgina dreams.

62 Miles

Day 37: One More Night In the WIld

We woke up after getting to bed pretty late last night surprisingly well rested and had a good breakfast with cereal, bagels, and coffee.  Ian gave us all T-shirts from his pig roasts which is what were all wearing in the photo.  After taking pictures we were on our way.  We went into the town of Buckhannon to the Walmart to buy some more patches and tubes.  Steve also bought a new phone that he could put his sim card into.  We then were finally on our way for real.  Once we passed Elkins the mountains really started to get bigger and steeper.  We went over the Eastern Continental Divide which felt good to go over but we knew there were still more mountains to ride.  We made our way to Seneca Rocks for lunch which happened to be at 3 in the afternoon and around mile 66.  We were all amazed at the beauty of West Virginia and our thoughts of the state really began to change from our preconceived notions.  We ate lunch at a small Restaurant and set out out for Petersburg where we thought we had a couch surfing home to stay at but it just so happened that the home we were trying to go to was in Petersburg Virginia and not West Virginia.  So once we got into town we had to knock on some doors to try and find a place the old fashioned way.  The second house we knocked on told us they didn't really want us in the yard but new a place near their business that we would be able to sleep.  So we set up tent there and went out to eat at a local place he suggested and then went to McDonald's to use wifi and buy  more food.  Lyle and Jody were at McDonald's and made it back just in time before the rain started to come down with and real consistency.  Luckily Steve was back at the tent getting everything covered from the rain and the tent all set up.  We went to sleep to the sound of raindrops gently falling on our roof.

88 MIles