October 3rd

A post script to my blog.

Frank of course has articulated our relationship to Jesse and Jake very well. I can only say amen. What a great two guys. Jesse-be safe and go for it in Argentina. Be safe. I am so glad I got to know you and Jake. Hope we meet again. Stay in touch.

I guess the adrenalin flowed high everyday right to the end riding 105 miles to the Atlantic on the 27th and up to the ride into the Bucknell stadium. Oh boy the postlude soreness and fatique and sore butt has me wondering how I did that. Also yesterday I got out of my late adolescense by celebrating my 76th birthday. Now I wonder what lies before me in adulthood.

I am preparing to run in the US Masters National x -country Championships in Saratoga on October 14th and as usual will wear the Bucknell jersey given to me by Art Gulden back in the 70′s when Bucknell won the collegiate x-c champs in Van Courtland Park in NY. I watched Bucknell win and then they watched me win the 10K masters race wearing the jersey. Haven’t run a race without that jersey since!!!!!.

Just another rememberance of how great our universary is and the impact Bucknell can have.

GO BISON

FINALE THOUGHTS

Wow, what an experience!!!!!! This is the way to see and really appreciate this great country of ours. Riding through at 10-20 mphs and on the downhills hitting 30-58 mph through backcountry roars gives one views missed whizzing by on interstates in a car or flying over in an airplane.

Nineteen days, 3050 miles, Starting with my bike in the Pacific off Santa Monica and a 5 am start on day 1, jumping into the Atlantic in Atlantic City on day 19 and the thrill of riding into the Bucknell stadium on September 29th and having Frank present the game ball and myself the check symbolic of our 1 million 16 thousand dollars raised for the Bucknell Scholarships. Our goal surpassed through a real Bucknell team effort of three generations.

My rememberances and highlights:

First and foremost the pride in representing my Bucknell and in some way paying back for what Bucknell has given to me during my 4 undergraduate years and the ongoing relationship with classmates and Bucknell alumni. Bucknell prepared me for life and my career in medicine, introduced me to my wife of 54 years, Isabel, developed my sense of teamwork through the mentorship of my soccer and track coaches, and taught me acceptance of everyone through my 4 years of membership in Phi Lambda Theta, the only non-sectarian, interracial frat on campus in 1949 and one of a very few in the entire country.

Secondly the privelege of biking with Frank and being with him after our 38 year hiatus. The trip would never have happened if that chance meeting at Homecoming ’06 had not occurred. What a privilege to have the third generation, class of ’07 Pat O’Mally, Kyle Rosendale and Jay Kosa join the “old” guys to bond and be a big part in us reaching our goal.

The trip
From day one it way one thrill after another and a mounting appreciation of the expanse, beauty, and diversity of our great land and it’s people. Patriotism and pride of country from citizens from the 14 states we crossed was always apparent. People were very friendly and encouraging us along the way. Seeing our Santa Monica 2 Atlantic City decals on our following support vehicles truck drivers beeped, people waved and yelled support and even motorcyclists would pull along side of us and wish us well. At everystop people came up to wish us well.

Each state was different in it’s terraine and beauty. It would be difficult to describe it in words but our photos taken by all of us and especially by Jake Alba, supported by brother Jesse interspersed in our blogs and in the photo album show it all.

Of all the adventures over my lifetime this trip ranks at or near the top. There has been no equal to the teamwork and comradeship developed between Frank, Jesse, Jake, Jay, Kyle, Pat and myself. Thank you all!!!!

Thank you also everyone from Bucknell, especially the Alumni Office, and my friends and family for your supoort and encouragement as we peddled through each day.

Finally a big thank you to the Bucknell Alumni who met us along the way and for those of you who made the contributions that reached our goal to help deserving stubents obtain needed scholarships to attend our great university.

GO BISON!!!!!!!

Day 19 Sept. 27 – The BIG Day

AMISH LAND TO ATLANTIC CITY

After going over 1000 miles late yesterday I woke with high energy to begin the last stage. We said goodbye to the Penn group as they had elected to bypass the Atlantic City leg and we were off. The morning was warmer then the last few days and a fog lay over our starting point providing a mystical appearance to the rolling hills and the Amish farms as the sun was rising. The sun quickly burned off the fog and we were soon biking once again in rising hot weather. Hills were our companions the first 25 miles and then we started downhill to the Delaware River at Wilmington entering our 13th state. Our old friend cross and headwinds didn’t leave us our last day and beat on us the entire way. We were so pumped up that headwinds, heat, heavy traffic and fatigue did nothing to dent our focus on finally reaching our goal. Frank and I had decided to bike the entire distance and the boys split the day by thirds.

Passersby who must have read Santa Monica 2 Atlantic City on our Sag wagon waved, beeped and yelled encouragement. We were singing, yelling Ray Bucknell and getting more excited as Atlantic City drew near. We had to dismount at the Delaware River as no bikes were allowed and we were driven across to enter our 14th state, New Jersey, the birthplace of both Frank and I. Closer to Atlantic City Jay’s dad met us with an additional bike so the 5 Bucknellians could finish together. The last miles were flat but the wind, traffic lights and heavy traffic slowed our progress but not our enthusiasm as the skyline began appearing before us. Izzy, Don and Doris Soule (Bucknell classmates) were waiting at the Trump Plaza and were getting updates on our arrival. I led us single file to the ocean where they met us for the finale, many photos and then a mad dash to jump into the Atlantic. Frank and I had done 105 miles, our second century of the trip. I also brought my bike to the beach and held it over my head standing in the ocean. We had done it!!!!!!! Ocean to Ocean and ONE MILLION PLUS for Bucknell.!!!!

Not only had we done it we were now 3 generations of Bucknellians bonded forever by what we had done together three fantastic young, graduates, Jay, Pat and Kyle, “middle age” Frank and one old geezer. What a thrill that words can hardly describe.

We had covered over 3000 miles and marveled daily at the expanse, beauty, and diversity of our country and friendliness of our people. We are truly blessed.

God Bless America!!

GO BISON

DAY 18 one to go!!!!!!!

Another hot day and that old head wind. What a beautiful ride? Rolling hills, expansive farmlands, going in and out of Maryland and Pennsylvania stopping at the Gettysburg Civil war memorials and crossing the Susquehanna River as a heavy thunderstorm began and ended our biking. When we entered Amish country it was cart after cart on the road, Amish working their fields, beautiful farms and plenty of photographs. Early in the morning we had endless views of the rolling hills and farms with a beautiful mist overlying the valley as the sun rose.

It was hard to maintain a good speed as some of the hills in 90 degree heat were steep. Not as long as the day before but more often. Another 10000 feet of ascent for the day. As I type this the thunder is cracking outside of our hotel room . The Buknell boys rode strong as usual and put us old guys to the test.

Tonight we have our final dinner with and say goodbye to our Penn friends. Tomorrow it’s 110 miles to the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. I hope the rain holds off until we arrive and put ours bikes in the Atlantic

DAY 17 GRAFTON,WV to Hancock, MD

Here we go the hills of WV, Maryland and PA!!!! Logged 58 miles thru 1, 2, and 3 miles hills with grades of 7-9% grades and again the temps in the 80s. Long upgrades but great long downhills. Really felt it in the thighs. One more day of 10,000 feet of ascent and we will be ready to roll into Atlantic City. When you start an uphill it doesn’t look steep but they seem endless especially at 5-6 mph. Today we logged 11000 feet of ascent. Max speeds on the descent were 40 plus. We also had great vistas from high up of the countryside, rolling hills. Fields of rolled hay and multiple farms. We rolled into Hancock at 5pm, checked into our hotel and had a great dinner of Maryland crab and to bed.

EARLY START in the am. Yea how many days have we tried that without success!!!!!!!

DAY 16 PARKERSBURG TO GRAFTON 95 MILES

Our “short” day. Frank’s 60^th. He rode 60 to celebrate his 60^th so I did 78 to celebrate my 76^th coming up October 2^nd. After breakfast at a café near our hotel we headed out-bit chilly at first- but got hot fast. Good thing I had a Texas filet at ye old Texas restaurant in old West Virgini to beef up the night before. We knew the next 3 days were going to be tough and day one was. Started off with a 2.5 mile uphill, not a bad grade but they kept coming at us all day. Hard to get over 6-7 mph up but the downs could get you over 30. The day gave you hill after hill, and some seemed endless. As it got hotter it didn’t get easier. Most of the day was on Rt 50 expressway with a wide shoulder and screaming truck traffic tearing by on your left and gravel, broken glass and all sorts of debris on the right. Finished up with chocolate syrup sundae at Dairy Queen. Still looking for that West to East tail wind. It hasn’t materialized to date. Head winds got so bad at times that it was hard to get above 12-13 mph on slight downgrades. We are celebrating Frank’s birthday at Tygart Lake State Park and lake. Tygart Lake is a flood-controlled lake created with a 230 foot high dam in 1938 by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. We are staying in several cabins overlooking the lake, which is 10 miles long, and coverers 1750 acres. The area surrounding Grafton looks really interesting but we have to move on. Looking at the elevations for our next 2 days though WV, Maryland, and Pennsy until our last flat 110 miles to Atlantic City today is going to seem like a piece of cake!!!!!! Over Days 17 and 18 we log more total ascent feet than we did through the Rockies. Hope Frank’s birthday party and something in the cake gets us fired up!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 15 SUNDAY LONDON TO PARKERSBURG,WV

The day started off cool enough to wear my Sherpa jacket for the first time but that didn’t last and we were in the high eighties shortly. Ohio’s farm land stretched out and at first as flat but eventually became rolling and late a bit hilly going through some narrow woodlands. The farms were spread out all along the route interspersed with small towns and occasionally a large village. Not much traffic early on but later large motorcycle groups constantly passed us

We stopped by a magnificent 3 dimensional painting on a large building celebrating pumpkin time in Ohio and later many photos at a large pumpkin market. I have never seen such a variety nor such large pumpkins.

The afternoon saw more rolling terrain and some long gradual climbs. Good training for the next 3 days of up and down terrain, which will test our stamina.

For the day I knocked off 76 miles and Frank did 120. Hope he saved something for the WV hills. We crossed into WV around 1640 and checked into the BLENNERHASSETT hotel established over a century ago and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hope to get a good nights rest for the hills of West Virginia.

It won’t be long before we put our feet and bikes in the Atlantic.

GO BISON!!!!!!!!!!!