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George

Hello- it seems like a long time since I've done any writing. I'm typing this final journal entry from the comfort of my recliner as I watch stage 6 of the Tour de France- a much more relaxing experience than where I was a week ago at this time!  I've had some time to process the BRPE2E and wanted to commit some thoughts to the blog before they fade from memory, while also formally bringing this particular journal to an official close.  

Riding 563 miles and climbing 59,642 feet  from the start in Front Royal, Va. to the finish in Cherokee, NC was an amazing experience.  It took me just over 39 hours at an average pace of 14.4 mph.  Thinking back on it now I'm so proud I was able to stay solid and consistent with my efforts for the entire week.  I feel blessed to have possessed the good health, support and even luck to pull it off without any major challenges.  I don't believe life owes me anything, so I try to roll with it when I do everything in my power to gain some sort of an outcome and then it doesn't end up working out.  But having put a ton of time and energy into this project all the way back to December, while overcoming some bigger than normal personal and work situations- well, I'm just delighted with the overall success.

I've only ridden once since last Thursday and it did not go well.  As a matter of fact it was the slowest ride I can remember.  I joined in on the Team Gruppetto Tuesday night Chain Gang and was unable to keep up.  I was completely spent by the 5th mile and just resigned myself to rolling around the countryside of NC's Piedmont region looking at fields of corn and their surrounding woods.  But that's okay- it actually gave concrete proof of how deep I truly went on the Parkway. For the first time in a long time I have no cycling goals or training plans other than to enjoy the success of our mission and get some well deserved rest.

But that's not to say  my adventure challenges are over.  In an earlier entry I mentioned my daughter and I plan on attempting a complete Appalachian Trail thru-hike next March.  That will take around 5 months if we can succeed in doing it all at once.  I've enjoyed blogging enough to have decided I'll keep a journal of our experiences on the excellent website Trailjournals.com, so check us out next Spring.  Also, Josh is at it again and planning something... something big.  His biggest dream is to field a 4 man team for the Race Across America.  It's super hard, expensive, and logistically challenging- so you know he'll find a way to pull it off!  Maybe I'll be a part of that too, you never know.

So it's time to say good-bye.  I already miss being part of something that others were really interested in and I could report on in the blog.  I miss the summer camp feel of our BRPE2E traveling circus and the fun moments with Madeline, Danielle, Annabelle and the rest of Josh's family toward the end- plus all those interesting people we met along the way.  In short, this was a big moment for me.  One that I'll cherish forever.  But I think as time goes by I'll remember it less for the riding and more for the natural beauty of the route, the closeness of family and friends, and the serendipitous  nature of how it all played out so smoothly!

Thanks for reading ya'll,

George, Summer 2022

(dedicated to Madeline, Danielle and Annabelle… and to you Josh- thanks for putting this all together. You’re an amazing and talented human being!)