Day 63 Durham, NH to Gloucester, MA

This was the final day, and it started out on a very somber note.  In the middle of the night, there was a commotion that included EMTs and an ambulance, because Dave, Ilene's husband, had what appeared to be a heart attack.  He was taken to the hospital in Dover, and Hilary went with Ilene as support.  We were all thinking of them as we rode.  (Update:  Sadly, Dave died a couple days later.)

We had 61 miles to cover, and we had to be in Gloucester by about 1:00, so I didn't stop to take a lot of pictures.  The countryside looked very similar  to that in New Hampshire, but more so.  There were more houses, more towns close together, and more stone walls.

Eventually we reached Massachusetts, the final state on our cross country journey.  There was a small sign by the road, but on the other side of the road I found a neat old stone marker.

We passed by the Merrimack River.  In the distance there's a bridge that we crossed a few minutes later.

We rode through a lot of really old towns, including Ipswich.

Not long before we reached Gloucester, there were some wild turkeys by the side of the road.

Gloucester!  The last town on our trip, a few miles from the finish line.

Our unofficial finish line was at Gloucester High School.

My welcoming party included Steve and Charlotte and my family.

After the last rider came in, we lined up for our police escort to Stage Fort Park, our official finish line.  It was really fun!  The police car had its sirens going as we followed it through traffic that was pulled over for us!

We got to the park and had to walk across a rocky beach to dip our tires in the Atlantic, as well as take a lot of pictures.

After a great dinner at Captain Carlo's restaurant, we got on the Privateer IV for the Cycle America cruise.  It was a great evening, and a nice way to finish off an excellent summer.

In some ways, this really was my longest summer.  I think back to Everett, and it seems so long ago.  I remember the dinner the first night there, meeting all these people who now have become like a family.  It's not easy to say goodbye.

Early on in the summer, one of the riders said that our summer was like the movie "Groundhog's Day."  That was a very apt description.  Six days a week, we'd get up early and pack our bags.  We'd take them to the baggage van by 6:15, where we'd hand them to Greg.  Then, it was breakfast from 6:30 to 7:30.  After that, you'd get on your bike and follow the yellow arrows to the next destination.  After setting up camp, showering, having dinner at 5:30, followed by the meeting where we'd get our next day's route information, it was nearly time for bed, which was usually by 9:00.  Repeat over and over.

Cycle America is excellent.  I can't recommend them highly enough.  Their support was awesome, everything ran like clockwork, and the staff was amazing.  All of the credit goes to Greg Walsh, whose attention to detail is beyond incredible.

My fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Association was a success.  I exceeded my goal of $5,000, which feels great.  I'm glad I could do something to support an organization that I believe in.

Mom, this ride was for you.

Day 62 Fryeburg, ME to Durham, NH

Today, the penultimate day of Cycle America, was another great day of riding.  The moon was up over the Fryeburg Fairgrounds as we were getting ready to leave.

At breakfast, we celebrated Tony's 73rd birthday.  He is a strong, amazing rider, and he did this same ride six years ago.  I only hope I can do something like this when I'm close to his age.

We rode through quiet tree-lined Maine roads, past many old cemeteries, beautiful lakes, and old stone walls.  The trees and lakes remind me of the Northwest.  The cemeteries and stone walls let me know that I'm in New England.

These scare "people" were standing outside someone's property.  Strange!

All through New England, I'd see these old houses that are connected to their barn.  They're very interesting!

School Street!  My ride's almost over, and that's where I'll be soon.

About 26 miles into the ride, we crossed into New Hampshire again.

It was time for a break.  Lee, Bud, Jim, Hilary, and Ilene are enjoying sitting on someplace other than a bike.

Freedom, NH!

More stone walls and old cemeteries.  There are so many old cemeteries that we pass by.  I'd really love to stop and look at all the names and dates if I had more time.

New Hampshire school history.

Another typical New England church in the town of Effingham, NH.

About 10 miles after we left Maine, we're back in it.

Here's a beautiful lake on the ME/NH border.

Two miles after we went back to Maine, we left and went back to New Hampshire.  That's it.  No more border crossings for the day.

It was a really pretty day, as you can see in this New Hampshire scene.

This is a historic old house.  I would've loved to had time to visit it.  That's what happens when you're not a fast rider.  No time!

As we got closer to Durham, the landscape became less rural, there was more traffic, more roads, more homes, etc.  In order to stay off the busy highways, we were routed onto many side streets.  We were turning left, right, left, right, over and over again.

Finally, we got to Durham, the home of the University of New Hampshire.  It's a very pretty town, and I had what may be my last root beer float of the summer.  It was very good!

After dinner, we had our last Cycle America meeting and awards.  I was very touched that both Hilary and Barb gave me awards.

Tomorrow is our final ride, when we finish in Gloucester, MA.