Liberty and Sadness!

(This is Nate copying and pasting Mike’s text — FYI)

Miles – 63.3  Avg speed – 12.8

Left – 07:00  Arrived Liberty Park, Jersey City (NJ) – 2:30 pm

What a day this this was – the final one of the tour!  It was a day of liberty—seeing the Statue of Liberty at the end, liberation from the grueling physical exertion of the past weeks, and being liberated to enjoy time with family and friends and contemplation of this journey and what it has meant to all of us.

First, though, let me say how much I enjoyed the very short time I spent Friday night with Rosina and Richard Byma of Sussex, NJ.  They gave me a spare bedroom in their farmhouse (dairy farm) and I enjoyed talking with them and their daughter until late (for me!) into the evening.

The trip to Liberty Park on Saturday included a few challenging hills, but mostly exhilarating downhills and pleasant stops along the way for refreshment and conversation as we anticipated the end of the tour and enjoyed the transition from farmland to exurbia to suburbia to urban congestions.  We made it!  The 10-mile police-escorted ride into Liberty Park was unforgettable–riding en masse in our C2C jerseys, whooping it up (especially the younger riders) and taking pictures of each other as we rode.  Then to see the NYC skyline and, as we neared our destination, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and finally, our finally members and friends greeting us with cheers and looking on as we dipped our front tires into the water of the Atlantic – an emotional high.  It was a pleasure to have Annie and Kate greet me and then to see Jack and his sons John and Justin there as well.  I’ll have pictures to post later that Anne took at the end.  I somehow got so caught up in everything that I forgot to take pictures of my own.

The evening meal and celebration event was at Cedar Hill Community Church (CRC) in Wyckoff, NJ, and consisted of a fine message as well as singing, prayer, and reflections on the part of a few of the cyclists.   At the meal, Annie and I enjoyed conversation with pastor Jack’s parents (whom Anne’s dad married years ago in Midland Park, NJ) and brother and sisters.  It was very late by the time Anne and I turned into the motel we had reserved for the night.

Thank you for your comments, your prayers, and your support!  I am so grateful for it.  More later.

Mike