It comes with bittersweet feelings that our trip has reached its successful end. After some tough riding in Georgia and some of the heaviest rain we encountered on the trip, we reached the Atlantic Ocean on the beach in St. Simons Island on Thursday. Unbeknownst to us, we crossed the bridge to the island and were given a police escort to the beach. What an amazing way to end the trip, but I must say we were all sucking wind as the officer was driving 20+ miles/hr the whole way! Thanks to all that showed up to the beach that day and a special thanks to Joe’s sister (and friends) for creating a banner which we rode through and then tumbled off of our bikes in a mad dash to the waves. With a few days to relish the trip in St. Simons at the Lariscy compound (thank you for the accommodations!) we had an opportunity to put our thoughts together on the journey.
From Greg:
Early this year when Joe and I discussed the possibility of riding across America, it was all theoretical – we had no bikes, no charity, and certainly no conditioning for a trip of this magnitude. It was a good thing though, there were no grandiose expectations of what was to come or how it should be done – we started fresh. Beginning with the charity aspect, we could not have chosen a better organization than the Make-A-Wish Foundation. While there are countless organizations with admirable causes, Make-A-Wish’s simple mission caught our eyes and our hearts. Working with those involved in the organization at both a local and national level was a true pleasure and they have my sincerest admiration for the work they carry out. The most touching moment (and I believe I speak for the three of us) was meeting Jamie, a Make-A-Wish recipient, at our St. Louis fundraiser. To see the embodiment of our efforts was motivating and further solidified the true purpose of the journey. In the same vein, our effort would be nothing without action – thank you, thank you, thank you for all of those that contributed to Bike For Wishes. Given the economy and multitude of charitable causes we are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support we received.
Now onto the trip itself. A two month journey is a not only logistically complicated, but there were many variables that had to work in our favor for it to be successful. I am certainly grateful for the weather as we went one month without a drop of rain and while there were some scorching days and freezing nights, the temperature was generally perfect. If it were not for our good weather fortune, I believe the second variable, health, would have been compromised. Two months with the worst injury being a scratched eye (and Leigh got some serious pity in the form of a free lunch for having a bummed eye) is pretty lucky given the circumstances. Mechanically, the flat tires were about the only thing that slowed us down. We had amazing bikes and good gear that kept us running the entire way. Lastly, I would be crazy not to mention the people we met along the way. On the first day, we joked that we should take a picture of all the people we encountered on our journey. Let me tell you, this undertaking would fill a computer’s hard drive worth of pictures. What an incredible country we are blessed to live in where we can cross state borders freely and meet people from California to Georgia that truly care and were interested in our undertaking. Thanks for following us here and best wishes to all!
From Joe:
Though I’ll never know what it feels like to win an Olympic medal or a tennis Grand Slam, hitting the beach at St. Simons, at least for us, must be as close as we’ll ever come to such a feeling.
I’ll start by thanking Make-A-Wish and all of the people that make this incredible Foundation’s mission possible. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to do a small part in supporting this organization through our journey. Next I must thank Greg for his full commitment from Day 1 to what him and I originally discussed on much more casual terms. As many ideas come and go in passing, we both instead hit the ground running and felt strongly about supporting a great cause, ultimately of course being the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Having the opportunity to meet a couple families, one of which with 5-year old Jamie, a Make-A-Wish recipient, truly enriched the entire experience more than words can describe. In terms of the trip itself, we faced numerous questions from the beginning. We were lucky to have Leigh join the endeavor and his many skills and resources, and I’m thankful for the friendship we developed along the journey as well as his enthusiastic commitment across every one of the 3,600 miles. Whether mountains (we must have climbed somewhere between 30-40), headwinds, freezing cold or pouring rain, we faced our share of obstacles. We were incredibly lucky to have had few serious mechanical problems and no real sicknesses whatsoever. This is a life experience that will stick with me forever. For all of the warm and generous people we met along the way….Thank you so much. Whether saving us from a freezing night outside or simply saving us from added expenses, you made the trip special and are the reminders of why this country is so great. We flew American flags proudly on our bikes through the journey’s end. Lastly, a special thanks to all of you following our journey and contributing to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We hope this may inspire you as much as it has inspired us.
From Leigh:
It’s been a week since we’ve finished and I’m still waking up ready to break down camp and hit the pedals to the next town. Bike touring is a genuine adventure, a welcomed change from the finance culture, and has proved to be a great transition to the next step – whatever that may be. Needless to say, the journey has certainly left a lasting impression and I will carry it with me in future pursuits. I’m fortunate to have been invited by Greg and Joe on this endeavor, enjoy the company of their families and to have met such great people along the way. Supporting such a worthy cause as Make-A-Wish is a reward like none other. A huge thanks to all those who supported us whether raising funds or providing a warm bed and a hot meal.
The three of us got talking and we really hope that the Bike for Wishes Adventure will not end here. Let this be the start to recruiting the next generation of Bike for Wishes riders so we can all continue to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Pass on the word!
Stay tuned for the last update…the photo album.
