The Long Drive Home

I just can't say enough what a great journey it was all together. I saw some beautiful countryside and met some really great people. It is my honest wish that our mission was more successful than just a 1,642-mile bicycle ride from Houston, Texas to New York, New York. I hope that our efforts raised awareness of the fact that we, as a Nation, are at war right now; that we, as a nation, have Service Men and Women in harm's way right now protecting the Freedoms which many take for granted everyday. I hope that we raised awareness to the fact that we have over 31,000 War Wounded who need, and rightfully deserve, our continued support to make the transition from the battlefield back to civilian life. Their lives are forever changed but their quality of life need not suffer as a result of their sacrifice.

Yesterday was a strange day all the way around. I got packed up in short order as has been the norm for the last month. It is amazing how little we need to actually survive... our marketing engineers are doing a fantastic job, eh? At 1230hrs Cpt. Flaugherty gave me a ride from Ft. Hamilton over to Manhattan and, after a little difficulty at the UHaul office, I managed to get a truck secured. Cpt. Flaugherty & I wished each other well and he returned to his duties as a New York Firefighter, the best Fire Department in the World if you ask me.

I then pulled up Google Maps on my PDA, took a deep breath, pulled out into New York traffic and promptly got totally lost! Google Maps is great if you have a navigator! It was way too difficult to try and read the little screen, watch street signs, watch traffic and safely operate a vehicle without running over the multitude of pedestrians, cyclists and scooters. I felt like a real goombah trying to figure out where the heck I was. With all the tall buildings there is no horizon from which to get a bearing and I felt like rat in a little maze, which returned my thoughts to Douglass Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and I did a fairly good job of not panicking... :0) Somehow I ended up going through a tunnel and ended up in New Jersey. Trying to return the kind and friendly gentleman (bit of sarcasm there) in the little booth simply stated, "you can't go through here... you gotta use the Lincoln." When I tried to ask directions he promptly told me to shut up and pull over to the right. Then he radioed some other kind and friendly soul and simply said, "UHaul." Then a little gate opened and I pulled around to the right finding myself behind a shopping center with absolutely no idea where the hell I was. So, I pulled up Google Maps again and after a little guess work I headed south along the Jersey shoreline back to the Varazzano Bridge... luckily the Jersey side has few tall buildings and the Varazzano was gleaming on the horizon. Adding only about 5 miles to my trip back to Ft. Hamilton to recover my TerraTrike, B.O.B. and gear, I made it back at about 1400hrs.

I loaded my gear and wished the staff at the Hamilton Inn all the best. They treated us really great during our stay and are super friendly and professional. Then I rolled over to the c-store to top off with fuel and get some Mt. Dew and sunflower seeds for the ride to Dahlgren. I managed to find my way back over the Varazzano and, after getting robbed of $22 by another kind and friendly gentleman in a little booth, found my way to HWY 1 South and began my long ride home at about 1530hrs. I made Dahlgren at around 2100hrs and enjoyed an evening telling Scott about my adventures in New York City.

Today I'm going to hang out here and visit with Scott as we don't get to see each other too often these days. Tomorrow I will top off the tank and make way for Houston via our Interstate Freeway System. I'm sure the ride won't be quite as nice as cruising along the old State Highway system through small towns and picturesque countryside but, this rider wants to get on home to his family.

After 30 days on the road I am excited to return home to my loving Wife and children. I thank all of the Troops and their families for the sacrifice they make in chunks of 13 to 15 month durations. It was difficult enough on my family to navigate this single month and I understand how truly difficult it is on Military families to be apart for so long. Again, thank you all for your sacrifices... you know who you are.

Ride On!