San Francisco to St Augustine
3/1/23 to 5/3/23
I completed my bicycle journey that began March 1st in San Francisco. A journey that was planned in 2017 by David and me, but because of life’s circumstances, never moved past the planning stages. After David passed away in Sept 2021, I began to “finish the dreams” we had in our bucket list. One by one, with help from his lifelong friend, Cliff Goodlet, teaching me the many aspects of touring, the Natchez Trace and now the Southern Tier has completed what together David and I were planning. I could never have made it without Cliff being my eyes and ears, routing me from Austin when I went solo and keeping Hendrika and I from being turned around so many times. He “rode “this journey with me from his chair and computer, always having “eyes "on me for my safety. It seemed perfect having him ride the last 50 miles with me.
It all began with an Amtrak ride from Atlanta to Emeryville, accompanied by my friend Donna Bishop, February 28th. She stayed with me until Los Angeles, where I continued on while she returned home on the plane. Her daily encouragement and prayers helped to keep me motivated.
What an amazing 2 months, as my friend, Hendrika and I climbed the mountains of California, crossed the Continental Divide, climbed 8228’ to the top of Emory Pass, rode the Twisted Sisters Mountain range, crossed thru the vast desert areas, watched the deserts come alive with beautiful flowers, enjoyed the beautiful oceans on all 3 sides, met so many wonderful people, and other riders from all over the world, experienced difficulties, dealt with unexpected situations, even had an emergency root canal in Austin! We camped across the country, stayed in churches, a few motels, a horse trailer, lived on ramen noodles, tortillas and peanut butter. Any emotion that could have possibly been felt, was. It was a journey that can never be truly described, one that pictures can never show the beauty of this country and people that we call America.
Arriving in St. Augustine called for a big celebration with dipping Ruby’s tire in the ocean, followed by dinner at Columbia, and relaxing by the fire pit with a full moon and dear friends. Thank you to all that followed my blog, encouraging me along the way.
You described your 2 month adventure from San Francisco to Saint Augustine very well. BTW, Just over 60 days for a cross country bike ride is an impressive pace. The way you described your experience was special and I even became a bit emotional just reading your story. Even though we parted ways in Austin, meeting you and having you befriend me to the point that we traveled and camped together for several days was a highlight of my trip and a memory I am most grateful for. God bless you in the post touring days ahead. Stay in touch.
ReplyDeletethankyou Don, I enjoyed getting to know you as well and was thankful to have you join us
DeleteSo proud of you Vicki!
ReplyDeletethankyou Jack
DeleteSo very happy for you Vic!
ReplyDeleteI’m not crying, you’re crying. 🥹
ReplyDeleteThere just are no words to fully explain how proud I am of you. You rocked it sister! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure. Can’t wait to hug your neck when you get back to Murfreesboro!
thankyou Sarah! will see you in class Monday…
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