Epilogue

The adventure is over.  Already the fringe of normal life is overlapping the memories of the previous nine weeks.  Six souls rode bicycles over 4100 miles across eleven states and one province from Puget Sound to the Atlantic.  It took camaraderie, humor and courage to accomplish such a task.  Terry posted this on Facebook Sunday, September 26, 2016:

"So much to say...for now I'll tell you how grateful I am for this funny, courageous, loving, supportive group of men I rode with... Thank you Bill, Tom, Scott, and especially my other brother Tim Krell and most especially my Steve...it's one thing to have a grandiose idea...it's quite another thing to work together to make it happen. I'm so proud to have you all in my life and to have shared this Epic Adventure with each of you! Oh, the stories we have to tell!
Thanks be to God!"

#epic2
#5brosandasis
#humanpoweredpursuits

Cycling afforded us greater opportunities to interact differently with the landscape and the people who inhabit it.  Riding a bike slowed our progress so our five senses could experience the environment more fully.  We felt the wind and rain on our skin; we smelled freshly cut hay and the livestock that were to eat it; we heard the rush of air across our ears and the water descending streams along the route; and we tasted as many of the delicacies within bakeries, large and small, as we could.  Cycling slows us down so that we experience more of the rich variety of the regions and towns we visited. 

Many of you have encouraged us with words that describe our trip as a great accomplishment.  Some have said, “I could never do that.”  Many dreams stay in our imaginations.  We were fortunate to have had the courage, time, and the support of our loved ones to activate one of our dreams.  We encourage you to continue to dream big but also to explore what it might take to enact one of the ideas that seems beyond reach.  If your experience is anything like our own, you will be glad you did.

So the second Epic Adventure is over.  The memories live on as we re-enter our routines.  If you imagine life a bit differently, each day is really an adventure.  Our hope is that you will experience God’s mercy, new every morning, as we have each day of this journey.

Stats:

4100 miles
11 states
1 province
54 riding days
76 miles/day average
62 total days (July 25 - August 24, 2016)
Six riders rode the whole way, five others joined for part

Special thanks to our support: Allie, Maya, Kate and Rhett - we could not have done it without them!!