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.