Today
(5-18) is the last day of the Last G.A.S.P. Bicycle Tour. I’ve talked with a number of touring cyclists over the past
year who have all said that they are sad when their journey has ended.
However, they are generally talking about journeys of a few weeks
or cross-country journeys of three months or so.
After one full year on the road, I’m ready for my journey to end.
This
end has been orchestrated by the good folks at the home station – WNEO
(Public Broadcasting in Kent, Ohio).
They asked me to arrive at Crisman Park in Barberton at 1:00 to be
met by family and friends and some local media people.
I
left Streetsboro early enough for a stop at Tech Pro, my place of
employment for the few months before I left and the current place of
employment of my son Aaron and my brother Dave.
I stayed there about an hour talking to a lot of old friends, then
headed for Barberton about 11:00. I
gave myself enough time to stop for lunch, ride against the wind (why
should today be any different than 75% of the other days) and fix a minor
mechanical problem should one occur.
I
stopped for lunch in Cuyahoga Falls, crawled through downtown Akron
stopping at every traffic signal and zoomed through South Akron.
As I passed the Firestone plant where my Dad worked for 40 years, I
was about 20 minutes ahead of schedule.
On Wilbeth Road, I started thinking that I’m in great shape if I
don’t get a flat tire. At
that very moment, the rear of the bike started to “float” a bit from
side to side and to my astonishment the rear tire went flat in a big
hurry.
| Click on thumbnail.
|
I
changed the tire as fast as I could and was back on the road
toward Barberton in about 20 minutes.
No “slop” time now – I had to hurry all the way to
Crisman Park. I
arrived at 12:58 to the cheers of thousands, err hundreds, well,
maybe dozens … okay a couple of handsful (but they were really
enthusiastic) of family, friends and media.
|
I’m
done (one full year). It’s
over (42 states). I did it
(43 National Parks and 35 National Monuments and other units of the
National Park Service). I really did it (20,640 miles)!
It
was the great adventure of my life. I
have no regrets whatsoever, but I am also very happy to be home.
POSTSCRIPT
My
friend Bill Foot died Friday, May 19, 2000.
He was ill with cancer when I stopped in Lynchburg, Virginia to see
him (and wife Laurie) in April. It
was his second bout with cancer in two years and this one was unbeatable.
When I saw him, the cancer had begun to weaken his body, but his
spirit was still strong and remained so to the very end.
Click on
thumbnail to see full photograph.
Bill
was one of the inspirations for this journey of mine.
He and Laurie took a year off work a few years ago to prepare for
and to hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia (early spring) to
Maine (late fall). More
recently, he and Laurie were the first people to complete the new
cross-country (hike and bike) American Discovery Trail.
At
age 53, he died much too early, but his accomplishments will not be
measured in terms of the length of his life.
Rather, he will be remembered as a great husband and father, an
intrepid explorer and a true friend of the planet Earth.
I will miss him. So
will his many friends.
(Great
Adventures to Scenic Places)
