Friday, August 6 - Day 54 - 37 Miles - 4081.3 Total Miles

We are finished!!!!!! We got on the road today at 9:00 am, with 37 miles to go to Yorktown. It was not a huge surprise to us that day 54 went much like the other 53....zero problems. We were so blessed on this trip with good weather, mechanical issues, navigational trouble, etc., and today was much of the same. I can count on one hand all of the times that we had trouble with irate drivers, chased into the van with weather issues, and it takes no hands to count the number of serious mechanical issues. It is amazing how smoothly the entire trip went.

We did all of our celebratory things at the beach in Yorktown, got Kyle to the airport in Newport News, and now I am sitting in Ryan and Tanya's home (Kim's brother and his wife) in Virginia Beach, trying to collect all of my thoughts concerning the trip. There are many thoughts going through my head and it is quite difficult to decide which to write about and how. There are several things that I thought about during the trip and I will try to sum them up the best that I can.

First of all, this is a trip that anyone can do. Wait...you do need to know how to ride a bike, but after that, anyone can do it. You get up in the morning, put on cycling clothes, pedal for awhile (the mileage is negotiable), eat a bunch, end your day, sleep, repeat (again, the number of days is negotiable). The further you get into the trip, the better shape you get into and the longer you are comfortable riding.

There are three main ways to make your way across the country on a bicycle. The most difficult would be a self-supported trip. Traveling this way involves carrying everything that you need on your bicycle in bags and panniers. If you have any mechanical trouble, you find a way to fix it....there is no one with you to pick you up and take you somewhere. You also end your day wherever you stop riding. If you are exhausted and in a place with no accomodations, you either keep riding, or throw your tent up on the side of the road. All of this, plus a bike that weighs about 70 pounds with all of your gear....resulting in a pace of about 4 mph up hills. The other two ways to do the trip, involves just you and your light bike. One involves using a business such as http://www.abbike.com/, which takes all of your stuff in a van and gets all accomodations and food for you. The second way is what we did. Both of these have positives and negatives. The biggest negative for using a business is they tell you where you are to end your day and you must make it there. Storms, mechanical issues, it doesn't matter....you must make it there. The biggest positive for this way is that all planning is done for you, which is the biggest negative in the way we did the trip. But, our way had the biggest positive....we did everything the way we wanted...if we wanted to stop, we could....if we wanted to get the van to take us off route for lodging, we could. Yeah, we still have to pedal approximately 1,312,200 revolutions to go coast to coast, but we did it the cushiest way possible.

It is amazing how many great people you meet on a trip like this. Like I said earlier, there were almost no negative issues with people and so many positive that it is impossible to mention them all. Our world is full of people that will do almost anything for you...even though they had no idea who you were. Couple that with the fact that I haven't watched much news for the last 2 months and I feel pretty good about the world that we live in. I am sure that I will slowly ease back into the old mind frame when I get back to hearing about the nightly shooting in Dayton when we return home. But, when I do, I will just think back to Bob and Violet in Sebree, Kentucky.

Now that I have experienced the last 2 months, I feel differently about doing a trip like this trip by myself. I feel like I could do something like this on my own, now. I am glad that I did not feel that way when I was in the planning process. Because I was unsure about doing this solo, I put invitations out to Bobby and Kyle and they were up for it. Yeah, we got on each other's nerves at times, but I am glad that the three of us did the trip. We all three have some good memories and will think about this summer for the rest of our lives.

I do want to thank everyone that contacted me and my family throughout the trip. The phone calls, emails, and comments on our site meant much to us. On a trip like this, it is nice to know that people are pulling for us to get it done. Hearing friends' voices made the length that we were away much more bearable....2 months is a long time to be away from home.

Lastly, I want to thank my wonderful family for doing this with me. Knowing that I was stealing a summer from Nathan and Anna was tough. They missed their friends and had to deal with some boring times when helping their mother play "support vehicle". I love them very much and hope that they look back on this summer with great memories. They were awesome. As far as my wife, Kim...what can I say....I got lucky with this one. Not many women would do what she did for me this summer. When I got this crazy idea a couple years ago, I threw around the thought of using a company. That would have meant 54 days without Kim, Nathan, and Anna....which was not an option. So...what was a crazy idea a couple of years ago was made possible by the coolest family in the world.

Well....that is it from me. I hope you have enjoyed following along with us on our trip. We have definitely enjoyed keeping you informed of our adventures.

I believe the part time journalist, Kim has a few parting words as well:

(Kim).....To begin, I want to let you know that I have never been more proud of my husband and the two young men that accompanied us, than I was today. Watching them roll into Yorktown, and then dip their wheels in the Atlantic Ocean was truly an emotional time for me. You see.....I had the best seat in this whole adventure! I got to see all of the sights and meet all of the people that they did, but I did not have to expend quite the energy that they did to do it! So, as they finished, a quick "replay" of 8 weeks of riding/driving flashed through my mind. In some ways, it seemed to fly by, and in others, not so much! I am so grateful for this summer and the experiences that we had. And to repeat Steve's sentiments, the people in this country are truly wonderful!

Just one last thing....if you know Steve and I very well, then you know that we really live a fairly conservative life. Truly, this trip was soooooo outside of our comfort level. Honestly, there was a part of me that figured we would never really go through with it! Last summer, Steve and I would talk about what we would be doing "next summer" at this time. To actually live out these visions was so fulfilling for me on such a personal level. I thank God for the safety and practically perfect conditions we had during our trip. If there was one thing that I would like to convey to our faithful readers that I have learned over this summer's experiences, it is that you should never discount something you would like to accomplish in your lifetime, no matter how crazy or impossible it seems! Our minds make things out to be so much more difficult or scary than the actual experience turns out to be! This trip was the best thing that my family and I could have ever asked for and more! I am grateful to have been a part of it, and I know Steve and the kids feel the same! Thanks for your support, love, and prayers!

Buccs On Bikes Arrive At Yorktown


Steve, Preparing For The Last Day On The Road

Views From Colonial Parkway

The Road Ended Here

Buildings In Yorktown

Plaque With Victory Monument in Yorktown

Nathan and Anna At The Victory Monument

Ceremonial "Tire Dip" In The Atlantic Ocean

Thursday, August 5 – Day 53 – 71.7 Miles – 4044.3 Total Miles

35 Miles to go!!!! We pulled off Day 53 without incident – minus one little detour. It only added about 2 miles to our route, so in the big picture, not a huge deal. We did manage to get in one last ride with heavy traffic. The majority of our ride tomorrow is on a bike path (no cars) and the Colonial Parkway (low speed limit?), so hopefully we have seen the last of non-stop, speeding cars.

It is amazing how one’s riding shape and mentality improves over the course of a trip like this. Today, we are feeling like we had an off-day, with only 71 flat miles. I am sure that Bobby would admit that the 70 miles today felt a little different than 70 miles early in the trip. As I predicted, his 22 year old legs got stronger and stronger throughout the trip. My 44 year old legs did not change too much….Kyle….the jury is out on his legs. I think he is feeling stronger, though. He has gone from talking about putting his bike away for the year on his Ohio return, to talking about maintaining his form and riding when he gets home. His couch potato days may be a thing of the past.

On the ride today, I was thinking about many different things, but there was one in particular. I can remember many times on this trip where I would look at a course profile or a particular warning on our map about an area. The area in question would be a couple of days away and I would worry about the possible difficulties. Then, three days later, we would be through that area. Sometimes the warnings were accurate, but most of the time….I would pass through the area and not even remember what the potential problems were. That process was repeated a number of times….with no warning ever turning out to be as big as I, or someone else, made it out to be. It seems I do that a lot in everyday life. I always make a big deal out of an upcoming event…to later find out that it was blown out of proportion and all of the worrying was wasted energy. That was deep.

We are in Williamsburg tonight. Bobby’s parents are also going to be in town. It will be neat that they get to see their son’s finish tomorrow at Yorktown. I am not sure what Bobby is more excited about….seeing his parents or getting to sleep in a bed tonight in their room. The Dunns have kind of hogged all the beds in the hotel rooms. Before you say anything, Kim and I are getting old….Kyle and Bobby are both young and flexible. Kim’s brother is also going to make his way up from Virginia Beach to see our finish. We are excited about spending a couple of days with him and his wife.

Well, we are going to get out and walk around Colonial Williamsburg for awhile. We have put it off until now (6:00 pm) because of the heat. It is close to 100 degrees, so it would have been brutal to go out for a walk when we got here. God-willing, we will update from the end of the route tomorrow. Until then…….




Capital Trail Bike Path That We Spent Some Time On Today

One Of Many Battlefields That We Passed Today

Wednesday, August 4 - Day 52 - 86.4 Miles - 3972.6 Total Miles

We have 105 miles left to make it to the shore at Yorktown, Virginia. You would think that I would be giddy, with stories to share and my usual descriptive narration that makes you feel like you are riding in a pretty basket on the front of my bike. Well....I got nothin'!

The only thing out of the ordinary was that we rode much of the day as we did early in the trip...without Kim and the support group. We were close to Monticello, so she and the kids decided to hit it up in the morning. We did not end up crossing paths until we were nearly 70 miles into the ride. We managed to do without the support, but we sure did miss Kim's smiling face every 25-30 miles.

We are in Ashland tonight and with only 105 miles to go, are planning to have an average day of 70 miles tomorrow, staying in Williamsburg, and a short day of 35 into Yorktown on Friday. I just hope everything goes off without trouble....much like it has the entire trip. We are still planning to start early on both days, with temperatures forecasted to be 98 in Williamsburg tomorrow and 103 degrees in Yorktown on Friday.

That is it. I am out. We will surely have some good, touristy kind of stuff to report tomorrow from Williamsburg. We are staying close to the part of town with all of the historic things. I apologize for not having Kim do this entry, but she and the kids are in the exercise room, working up a sweat. For two more days.........


This is Anna at Monticello. It is actually not small enough to fit in her hand. This is trick photography. No way Thomas Jefferson could have lived in there if it were that small.

From left to right: Nathan, a man dressed in a copper suit, Kim, and Anna

We crossed this lake three times today. It was called Lake Anna. Anna kind of liked that.

This was a plaque that was outside of a church where Kim and the kids picked us up today at the end of our ride.

The church that the plaque described.

Tuesday, August 3 - Day 51 - 76.9 Miles - 3886.2 Total Miles

Today was my favorite ride of the trip. I feel like I have said that a couple of times, but I am sure that this is officially it! There was a real steep, tough climb (the last of the trip), continued cooler temperatures for the majority of the day, and amazing views from the Blue Ridge Parkway. I could have stayed on the Parkway the entire day. There was zero traffic and the views of the ridges in the distance and the valley below made for 20+ miles of perfect riding.

The climb that took us up to the Parkway was a steep one. I don't think I would call it the toughest climb of the trip due to the fact that it was only 4 miles long. It did take over 30 minutes to make the 4 miles, though, so it was steep. I was forced to stand up on my pedals for the majority of the climb, because I was in my lowest gear and sitting in the saddle was tough to stay over 5 mph. About the time I reached exhaustion, the climb was over....that was a good thing. I was totally soaked with sweat when I reached the top....probably slightly dehydrated because I was unable to drink during the climb. I was pulling on the bars so hard, that taking my hands off the bars was not an option. Anyway....obviously it was good fun.

Like I said....once we were up on the Parkway, it was great riding. The rolling terrain was fun and the traffic was very light. It allowed me to really look around while I was riding. There was fog throughout the stretch of Parkway and the sights in the distance reminded me of my and Kim's favorite place to visit, Tennessee. The views made me want to get off of my bike and explore the trails that I would see on the side of the road. Again....the Appalachian Trail crossed our route. I believe that this is the last time we will cross paths. At one of the stops we made to refuel with Kim, I saw two people get out of their truck and put on backpacks to camp at a shelter, nearby on the AT. It sounded like fun. If I didn't have this ride to finish, I would have loved to go with them.

The rest of the day was winding through the country, making our way to Charlottesville, Virginia. When you get closer to towns, and this case, a city, it is a little bit more nerve racking. The closer you get to these places, people become sooooo much more important (in their minds). If you cause them to wait 17 seconds to pass you, it is the end of the world. The have to get around you. They have things to do. There were some beautiful homes on the ride into the city. There seems to be a lot of money in this area.

We are staying this evening on the campus of University of Virginia. It looks like a pretty cool campus. Kim and I walked around for about 1.5 hours and looked at many of their athletic complexes.

Our plans are still the same. The next couple of days we plan on riding around 150 or so miles and ending with 40 or so on Friday into Yorktown. We will let you know how it goes.







The Steep Climb Up To the Parkway



The Parkway



More Parkway

The Cavalier Inn

U of V's Practice Complex

Monday, August 2 – Day 50 – 93.5 Miles – 3809.3 Total Miles

When the “Buccs on Bikes” boys need a big day….it is automatic. Several times over the course of this trip, we have needed a big day to get to an important destination, and every time we have come through. Automatic, I say! Automatic!

We had another cooler day today…foggy/misty in the morning and overcast throughout the rest of the day. After talking to west bounders about the 100+ degree days that they had in Virginia, we were a little worried. But, the last three days we have been very lucky with the temperature. Now, if we can get a few storm-free days, we will be ready to end this thing on Friday early afternoon.

The road conditions and scenery could not have been better today. I believe that today goes down as my favorite day of the trip as far as all conditions are concerned. The roads had the feel of Owens Road (Lover’s Lane – for you Lovers) that runs along the Stillwater River, south of Covington. They were mostly tree-covered, with out of control vegetation on the side of the road. They rolled up and down and up and down. They were not the smoothest of roads, but not all that bad…..everything that reminded me of Owens Road. The only thing that was missing was the river. At times, the trees surrounded us so much, that you almost felt like you were on a hiking trail. Speaking of which, our road crossed the Appalachian Trail again today, but I missed it someway. I am not sure which zig-zags more, but for these two trails to be crossing so much, there is definitely some zig-zagging going on with both.

Which brings me to this….Virginia is a good example of why you should just follow the maps that are given to you and not look at a big state map. The maps that are put out by Adventure Cycling are placed in a rectangular fashion and in a way to fit the largest amount of traveled road in the rectangle. Therefore, the map is not always situated so that North is to the top. So, if you are like me, you just follow the line on the map and don’t think too much about where you are going in the big picture. Well, I got the crazy idea of marking on the Virginia state map exactly where we were traveling. It was kind of depressing. We go way north….then come back down south….probably an extra 100 hundred miles more than straight across. I am sure there are reasons.

We are in Lexington tonight, on route. After we got everything all settled in, I took Kim back into the middle of town to the campus of VMI. They have a real nice track/football complex at which Kim was able to do her workout. That usually puts her in a better mood for the rest of the evening. (Not that she is ever in a bad mood…….!)

Tomorrow is the day that I have been waiting for. We have the big climb up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. It says that it is about 4 miles long, but it looks to be steeper than anything that we have ridden thus far on the trip. If that is the case, I may struggle with my bicycle’s gearing. I am pretty confident that I will be ok, though. The worst thing that could happen is that I struggle at about 5 miles per hour and it takes me 48 minutes to reach the top. Then, there is the climbing that occurs once you get up there….it should be fun…climbing has been my favorite part of this trip.
Well…we need to get about 75 or so miles down the road tomorrow to stay on track….automatic, I say!

The Majority of Today's Route Scenery

VMI Track/Football Field Complex

Kim, Getting Her Jog In While I Slept in the Bleachers

Sunday, August 1 - Day 49 - 87.4 Miles - 3715.8 Total Miles

Well....today was not the smoothest of days, but we got accomplished what we needed...mileage to make up for yesterday. There were positives like nice roads, cool weather, and no mechanical issues. There were negatives like miscommunication (causing a separation of riders for a few miles) and high stress levels for Kim as she got lost or off course a few times. But, in the end...we are at our planned destination of Christianburg, Virgina. We are staying in a Quality Inn, thanks to the generosity of Bobby's parents. A big thank you goes out to Robert and Vicki Wiltshire!!!!!


All of the other states on this route could take a lesson from Virginia. We have had the easiest time navigating the roads thanks to the signage placed on their roads. Every so often, a sign appears to ensure you are still on course and at all turns there have been signs so far.....although, these signs might have caused our separation today. I made a turn in Wytheville at a bike sign and then waited for the Kyle and Bobby to make the turn. I was over the top of a hill, so we could not see each other. When I did not see them, and they missed the sign, I figured they were lost. In the meantime, they asked directions, got themselves to another sign, and kept going on route. I, on the other hand stayed in Wytheville, trying to locate them. By the time we contacted each other, they were 10 miles down the road from me.

(I must break in for a moment with a note from my wife. When she was proof reading this for me, she commented...."You talk about all of the great signage and then go on to explain how I got lost. People are going to think I am an idiot." Just to clarify the situation: Kim got lost while off of our route. Now she doesn't look so bad, does she?)


Our goal for tomorrow is another 90 mile day. If we get that done, it should take some of the stress of off us for getting in the needed mileage for Friday's finish date. Of course, anything can happen between now and then, but I will feel pretty good if we get tomorrow's mileage accomplished. The entire trip has been made with no mileage amounts written in stone. Now, all of a sudden, when you have to get in the mileage, it adds a little stress. I am glad that we were so flexible throughout the whole trip.


Well...within luck, I will be writing tomorrow from Lexington, Virginia. If so, we will be under the 300 mile to go mark. We are getting close.......

Saturday, July 31 – Day 48 – 56.6 Miles – 3628.4 Total Miles

Today had the potential to be the best day of the entire trip. We woke to sprinkles, left our church, and started to climb right away. We knew from the profile on our map that the day would involve a lot of climbing….not always steep, but uphill nonetheless. I packed a rain jacket in by bag, not sure if I would use it, but nice to have in case. The rain was not too heavy on the first climb, just enough to keep you from getting too hot. When we crested the climb, I decided to throw on my rain jacket to keep from getting too cool on the descent. That was a pretty good idea, since I felt myself getting chilled on the down hill. But, with temps in the 70’s, I still felt pretty good.

After our first pit stop, our next stop was going to be in the town of Damascus. Damascus was the main reason why I was looking forward to today. I have spent years following people’s journals (it is kind of fun….pick someone out and follow them at: www.trailjournals.com) while they hike the Appalachian Trail, a 2179 mile footpath from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. This trail crossed our bike route three times today, and goes right through Damascus. Someday, it is my goal to walk this trail with Kim from Georgia to Maine. It is quite a feat, one that Covington resident Steve Root accomplished a few years ago. One day, I will cross this road three times on a foot path…kind of weird, huh?

So, why did I say today had the POTENTIAL to be the best day of the entire trip? The roads were quiet. The scenery was amazing. The whole Damascus thing was going on. What went wrong? Well…….out of Damascus was a series of two climbs that were to take us to our next pit stop. They did not look terribly tough, much like many climbs we have done the last few days. And, during the first climb, the rains started again, but this time they were a little harder. By the time we reached the top of the first climb, we had been in a torrential downpour for about 45 minutes. Because I did not see any long down hill stretch between the two climbs, I did not put on my jacket (climbs are too hot for rain jackets…down hills are good for jackets). The two climbs did turn out to have a down hill…which I did without my jacket. This would probably be a good time to mention that my two riding buddies were riding without jackets….they were not even smart enough to pack a jacket, let alone put one on. This small, but noticeable down hill was long enough to put a little chill through me and my riding buddies. But, the next hill was beginning, so we were able to warm up again. At the top of this hill, I was smart enough to put on the jacket….but, I was still getting colder by the minute. I kept looking at Kyle and Bobby (without jackets) thinking…”they have to be getting cold”.

At the end of the down hill, Kim was in her usual strategic position, ready to give us any help if we needed it. She noticed that we were a little chilly and miserable, with temps now in the low 60’s. We talked a little about the 17 miles that we had left on today’s ride. Everyone was a little quiet as we tried to warm up. We were in the midst of talking about the day’s distance, how chilly we were, etc……then, out of the blue, I stated, “I quit”, and started to put my bike away. I think the guys were kind of relieved. We have a deadline of Friday to make our destination, so we feel the pressure of putting in the miles. But, I think it just took one person to say that quitting early today would be ok before we all accepted it. So, in the van we went and off to Wytheville for the evening. It is brutal to sit in the van and drive over the roads that we had planned to ride on today. We ended up in the same place as we would have (Wytheville)…..the difference is, tomorrow we have to drive back 38 miles to start riding again. Oh well.

Tomorrow we will have to catch up on our mileage a little. If we get some good weather, we hope to put in 90 miles. That should get us back on track, plus a little. Wish us luck!!!


"The Place", A Hostel For Hikers and Cyclists in Damascus....Bring Back Any Memories, Jericho?

After Appalachian Trail Crosses The Road, It Heads Up These Stairs....Someday Kim and I Will Be Heading Up These!!!!!