Done!

I rolled (more accurately waddled through sand) into the Pacific Ocean in San Diego at about 1:30 Pacific Time yesterday. The water was a beautiful sight, and I had no real problems completing the last 65 miles. Coming over the mountain on the 19th was very difficult, facing 15-30 mph winds coming up the 3000 ft grade. The trip in total took 71 and a half days. It feels extremely strange to be done, and it has not really sunk in yet. My knee does need a bit of time off, but already it is feeling a lot better now that it knows it doesn't have to work 6 hours in a row for a while. Thank you to everyone who has helped me directly on this trip and to everyone who has kept up with me and offered me support. Without the kindness and generousity of everyone I met along the way, this trip would not have been possible. Please feel free to ask me questions via phone or email, I'd love to answer them. I'd like to thank my mom as well for being such a tremendous help to me over the course of this trip. The website will not be updated for at least a few days, so be patient, and I will get pictures and trip statistics up there as soon as is possible. Thanks again!

11 Days...

Since I've made a post. Wow, sorry. A lot to update on, and not much time. Grand Canyon was incredible. I highly recommend it to any of you who haven't been there. I don't know if anyone else can claim that they skated alongside the Grand Canyon, a pretty cool experience for sure. I rested for two days in Williams to try to heal my knee, which has been bothering me since the beginning of Arizona, and it sort of worked. Sam and Billie were two of the most giving and interesting people I have met on this trip, so it was hard to leave. I discovered how to make the knee not hurt for about the first half of each day, so I've been chugging through. Right now, I'm in Brawley, CA, but will not officially be here until tomorrow. As of tomorrow, I will have under 150 miles to go. If the wind cooperates, I think my body will be fine, but today it was blowing pretty hard. I estimate that I have about 4 days left, which is exciting, weird, challenging, and not much. By the way, it hits about 115 here, and that's cool for this time of year. I probably won't make another post until I'm done, so thanks so much for keeping up with my trip!

Tuba City

What a great name. I have skated long and hard to get here. Saturday and Sunday were both about 70 miles. I slept in a stable next to a horse on Saturday night(which was really pretty cool). I was really lucky in finding a family to stay with on Sunday night, and got to see monument valley. Needless to say, I was pretty tired yesterday, so I took a short day to a town called Black Mesa, which is pretty much a store. I was all set to just camp outside of the store when I ran into Jeff(I'm guessing that's the right spelling), the youth pastor of a church in Pennsylvania who is leading a mission trip this week in Arizona. He invited me up for dinner, and I met a lot of interesting and enthusiastic young adults. I camped out there, and slept OK. Tonight, I got a real good deal at the Quality Inn here, thanks to Iva, who thinks I'm crazy, and is probably correct. Hotel! I'll write again the next time I find an internet cafe.........ha.

New Plan

I'm going to San Diego. It's hot, but it makes the most sense from where I am currently. I'll probably be there sometime in the August 20s. I don't know if I'll have a computer between now and then, so until then....

Desert?

I think I'm in what they call the high desert now, but it's pretty green. I've got about two and a half days left in New Mexico. The roads in this state have continued to be pretty bad, but I've made it through the worst of it and now I'm on a nice smooth road. Ahhhh. The scenery changes very quickly here, and I've passed through the red cliffs and into the brownish ones. I got a chance to see Santa Fe two days ago with one of my mom's friends, and its a place that's worth checking out. Also provided by Andrew and his wife Michaela was the best steak I've ever had. Period. Thanks guys! And also, a big thanks to Pauline and Ivan Chacon for dinner, pets, and board, and Karin, Tom, and Danny for a lot of fun in Taos(I've probably already mentioned this in the previous blog, and discover this upon hitting "publish post" but will be too lazy to come back and change it). So anyway, tomorrow I'm off to Bloomfield, where I will be picked up by the Honigs(some friends from New Canaan) and taken to their house in Durango. There I will plan the rest of my trip, and will probably decide between ending in San Francisco as originally planned, or San Diego, which might make a little more sense from where I am.

Mountains

This shift key is sticky, i'm not going to use it anymore. i just had the best day for scenery i've had all trip. i climbed from 6400 ft to 9101 ft and then came back down to 6700 ft over the course of 55 miles or so. these mountains are beautiful, i would have made much better time if i hadn't been compelled to take so many pictures of them. words really cannot describe my experience today. anyway, now i'm safely in taos, nm, and this place has the most culture i've seen on this trip so far. i actually "blew a tire" (couldn't avoid that shift, and again for the ( and ) ) today; the rubber part of the wheel detached from the plastic. that's a lot of abuse. anyway, my new set of wheel felt great flying down the backside of whatever rocky i was on.

O o o o o o oooooooooklahoma

And that'll do it for the old movie references. Anyway, I've been here for a few days. Got 9 holes in yesterday with Todd Singleterry, who is a great guy with a great family and friends. On top of the golf I got a jam session. What more can a guy ask for? Today's road was TERRIBLE, and I got through it, but barely. As a result, I have no energy to write a post. However, I'll try to do some more tomorrow when I hit New Mexico. And thanks to the Nelsons for putting me up tonight and for introducing me to so many great people here in Boise City!

Weeeeee're Off to See the Wizard

Well, after a good night's sleep. Dorothy's house (Wizard of Oz) is apparently just off the route I'm taking into Liberal, KS, so I think I'll at least get a picture of that and maybe take a tour. I took a day off for planning in Wichita, and it looks like I'll be going through the top of New Mexico and some of Arizona before I get back on my route. Skating has been pretty good until today, which was very windy, but still not too bad. I met Joe Rehana last night, who battled 30 mph winds all day to make the meeting possible! We spent a few hours at a bar and grill last night, and all in all he is a really cool guy. Again, check out his website if you have a chance, www.joetrek.com. We can say at this point that skates have crossed the country, though I guess he's done it all on his own once before. I've got to figure out a way to get pictures up like he does. Anyway, not too much interesting to describe in Kansas besides the people I've been staying with, as it's pretty much flat nothingness after flat nothingness and a town here and there. Alan, despite being a self-described non-entertainer, gave me a real good time in Pratt, KS. A full tour, classy dinner, additional tour of the parks, and dessert was included. A really pretty town and a super nice guy, though his cat was a bit bipolar. Tonight I am staying with Harry and Barbara Fink, who are extremely nice and interesting people and great to talk to. I'm pretty pooped after the wind so I'm no fun tonight, but they have been successful in lifting me up a bit, particularly with the homemade ice cream they provided(Thank You!).

Surrender Dorothy

One day from Wichita in Wichita.

Lots of News. First, the title. I'm in Wichita right now with my grandparents, who kindly picked me up a day before I'll get here on skates and will drop me off again tomorrow morning so I can get here. After crossing into Kansas, I took a two day break in Kansas City, which I was driven to and from by Joe and Mr. Flanigan. I had a great time, and I spent a lot of time helping babysit a few kids (Paige and Brooks) with Bridget (and Sydney). I got to see Wall-E with Mrs. Flanigan, which was actually pretty good, and got to go to a KC Wizards MLS game with Wil and Bridget. I came out of there well rested and ready to go. However, on Thursday night, I received an email from Joe Rehana (www.joetrek.com) who is also skating across the country, though from the other side. He informed me that he was stopped by a police officer in Colorado(after having skated over 350 miles through the state), ticketed, and told that it is illegal to skate on the road in Colorado. It seems after some research that this is true. This law is one of a kind to my knowledge, and in my opinion is extremely outdated. In any case, it's not looking good for skating through Colorado. Fortunately, I have found a path through the top of New Mexico that seems to be as good or better, though there will be a few tricky days. I may take another day off on Monday to do some planning for this route, though I think at this point I've got it pretty well figured out. So, if you have some free time, write an angry letter to the State of Colorado and keep checking back for updates, which will probably continue to be sparse.

Springfield, MO

Almost to Kansas. I've been going pretty hard for the past week or so (I think averaging close to 50 miles per day, or maybe even over 50), and my body is starting to feel it. My left foot has a bit of pain that is worrying me, so I think I'm going to take it slow these next two days and then take at least one day off when I get to Kansas. Other than the foot, everything feels pretty good. Not to much to say right now, I guess I'll just say that I love truck stop breakfast buffets.

Wow, A Computer

Yup, they're harder to find when you get out this way. Not that people don't have them, there are just fewer people around, and libraries have hours that don't usually work for me. Anyway, I'm in Missouri now, which is a huge relief, I feel like I've actually done something. I think I passed the 1000 mile mark either yesterday or today, which is also a plus. I've been clipping along at about 50 miles per day, and today was my relative high at about 60 (I was trying to beat the rain, which actually still has yet to make an appearance). Let me tell you something about Eastern Missouri. It's FLAT. This means when wind is in your face, it's pretty strong. It also means that the scenery doesn't change, and that you can see the exact spot where you will ultimately end up in about an hour and a half. It also means that I feel great having gotten through it. I've been meeting tons of great people, including Cheryl and Cliff, Steven and Chris, Kerry, and Travis and Reagan. I was actually stopped by a TV car yesterday, and I think I was on the news on CBS because today everyone around here knows who I am and what I am doing. Check it out at www.kfvs12.com (I think). Anyway, I'm out of time on this computer.

Its Hot Down Here

Coming out of the mountains, the change in climate was immediately apparent. It's so much hotter down here, which makes it harder to skate in the afternoon. For that reason, I got up at 5:15 this morning, and am now done for the day. The past two nights, I have been hosted by the Methodist Church in Jamestown, TN and the Baptist Church in Burkesville, KY. The people in both churches were incredibly welcoming and generous, and I gave a little talk to each group about what I was doing. The skating looks like it will get much easier, as the mountains are turning into very mild rolling hills, and I've heard it only gets flatter from here. The roads have been mixed in Kentucky, some with nice wide shoulders, and others with no shoulders at all. I've had to listen and watch for trucks, though I've had no real problems so far. Had some close calls with some dogs again today, and thankfully, the most threating one was just obedient enough that his owner's angry calls stopped him about 6 inches short attacking me. That's all for now.

Almost Over!

I've been in the Appalachians for long enough. I've managed to avoid the really steep climbs and descents, but I'm still ready to be done. Of course, I've been told that heat awaits me on the other side. The roads in Tennessee have remained excellent, as have the people. I had a great weekend with my second cousin Joey, and I saw a lot of stuff in Knoxville I haven't seen for a while on my day off. Monday's ride was very traffic-filled at the start, and I had to step off the road about every 5 to 10 strides, which made the day very slow going. After that, I started the uphill climb into the Appalachians which has continued until now(but I hear its downhill mostly from here). Last night, I stayed with the Jones, and I had a great time. Darryl and Mindy were more than hospitable and accomodating, and Mindy even drove me on most of the route that I took today, which allowed me to cut 15 miles! I played some playstation 2 with Dalton, who will be in 6th grade next year, and we spent a lot of time talking about his hunting and 4-wheeling interests(which both sounded really cool). I can only hope to meet more people like this along the trip. In terms of on-road events, nothing too interesting in the last two days, just a bunch of dogs who do not take kindly to me passing by their house. I may not see a computer for a while, so so long for now, thanks for reading.

Sorry for the Delay

Looks like its been about 6 days. I haven't been near a computer, and I apologize. I've decided to change the route a bit to maximize efficiency and comfort, as some of you may have deducted from the tracking website. Currently, I'm in Knoxville, Tennessee, relaxing after a gruelling 85 mile day. I say gruelling, but the 8 hours during which I was skating were actually pretty fun, much better than just sitting around. In the past 6 days, I've skated 4 days that were about 47 miles, give or take a few, a 33 miler that was rough due to 15-20 hour headwinds and a big climb, and the big one today. I've pretty much ridden between the ridges of the Appalachians on Route 11, so the past few days have been downhill. I stayed with a bunch of great people, including Scott and Elissa, who gave me the idea for this route and were extremely hospitable; Jan and Sam, who kindly put me up in a guest suite at Hollins College; Eric, who is an ultra-marathoner(he does 50 and 100 mile races), provided me with A LOT of recovery products and advice, and shot a ONE UNDER in the round of disc golf that we played at the Emory and Henry College Course(Congrats!); Wendy, who introduced me to Philip, with whom I hung out and played tennis; and my second cousin Joey, whom I will spend all day tomorrow with. I'm not sure I mentioned Bruce and Sunny MacDonald, who put me up for two days and were EXTREMELY hospitable. I've met a bunch of people along the road who have been supportive-two instances of guys in trucks giving me smiles and thumbs up. I'm figuring the best way to do this thing is to just go day by day, and taking the advice of Danny Dannels(the world record holder for inline skating accross the country), to celebrate every victory and to push through the pain. The roads have been great, my legs are pretty sore, yada yada nothing new on that front. The good thing is that they're holding up. I'm rambling...sorry for the length of this post-thank you for reading if you even get here, and I'll try to find more computers in the future so you don't have to sift through long posts like these. Also, Golden Corral is a fine dining establishment.

Feelin Pretty Good

I skated over the Blue Ridge Mountains in two days. The mountains were not too bad at the time, but my legs didn't have much kick afterwords. I took Sunday off. I stayed with the MacDonalds, who were very hospitable and with whom I had a wonderful time. My legs thanked me for the time off, but were a little stubborn to get back into the swing of things today, on which I made them travel about 47 miles. Road surfaces have remained generally good, and traffic hasn't been bad except for the tail end of today as I am nearing Roanoke. Tonight I'm staying with a very hospitable family at Hollins University, and they have a piano! I'm psyched, I'm going to go play that for a while now.

Long Day

75 MILES. I got to where I was planning to go, and felt good, so I did the next day as well. Lots of farms and the hills are rolling more and more as I near the mountains. To the old guy who told me on the first day that I would only make it to Richmond, you were clearly wrong. To Frank Glazer, who rollerblade across the country, you may still be right, but I'm feeling more confident each day that you are mistaken. The roads today were off the Adventure Cycling route, and I chose them because they were smooth. They had a lot of traffic, but it was manageable until about 5 pm, when it took me 2 hours to go 12 miles. A surprisingly large number of people go INTO Charlottesville during rush hour. My legs are tired, my lungs are tired, my mind is tired. I can't wait to go to bed.

Smooth Skating

I'm excited. The roads, with the exception of the very first one yesterday and a four mile stretch today, have been exceptional in terms of pavement. There has been some traffic, but nothing that has made me feel at risk. The temperature yesterday got up to about 101 and today was in the 90s I believe, so I've really been chugging the water. Last night I stayed at a historic bed and breakfast, which had been abandoned for the night due to a power outage. I gave a few people who showed up the tour of the grounds, and hung out with a mama-cat and her kittens. Tonight I am inside at my grandparents house, yay airconditioning. I'm already realizing that I'll have to change the planned route to roads that may be higher traffic and smoother pavement, and I'm not too worried about doing this. So far I've traveled about 90 miles, and my legs, though a bit tired have been good. I just have to remember to take it easy.

About to Start

I'm leaving tomorrow. Looks like its supposed to be about 100 degrees with a heat index of 104. Could be a pretty short day.