Rebecca's Ride

Aunt Susan and Uncle Joe...

2009-09-14T20:53:00.001-07:00

Couldn't have done it without you guys!

The girls were happy to see us too! Where's mom?

2009-09-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

Our very generous neighbor pledged $.10/mile which I was unaware of...what a way to end the trip and so very appreciated! Thanks Pam!

James made many folks proud...

2009-09-14T20:41:00.001-07:00

Especially Grandpa Jim

Thes kids that followed along all summer are so precious!

2009-09-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Loved seeing all of them!

So happy to see family and friends!

2009-09-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

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Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

After the homecoming, we came home to our house for the first time in
over 100 days. It was quite overwelming. Our house never looked so
good though with everything in it's place, dusted and vacuumed,
carpets shampooed, flowers everywhere all thanks to the Pomers and
Aunt Susan! They also took such wonderful care of our dog Pilot,
taking turns over the summer. When we walked into the house, folks
were glued to the tv watching our blog put into slideshow format and
choreographed to music courtesy of Uncle Joe! It was amazing! The
music is awesome and it was fun to see the pictures that we haven't
seen in awhile and even more fun for Mike and the kids as they hadn't
seen much of the blog! Thanks Uncle Joe! What a gift!

More friends before the finish line

2009-09-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

Ed and Molly Dillon with Auntie Barb

Last Day :-(

2009-09-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Jim O'Donnell had some things to say that left us all touched
but very teary. Our family was so proud of us and thankful to have us
home. It is the 4 of us that are so proud and thankful to have the
families we have. We thank all our parents for giving us the
experiences that we had growing up that helped to shape our worlds and
our appreciation for nature, exercise, camping, and good old family
adventures! We think we have passed that on and hope that we can
continue to have many more adventures with these wonderful kids that
we are so proud of! There are so many people to thank and I intend to
do so over the next couple weeks. We will continue to report info to
this blog as long as we can and continue to accept donations for some
time as folks continue to hear about the journey. We want to thank
everyone who has been so helpful on this project. You have made a
difference and we appreciate it so much!

Day 99

2009-09-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Media and Rebecca doing a beautiful job talking about the trip,
dealing with her diabetes, and how she successfully combined the two.

Family and friends and...

2009-09-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

MY DOG! Oh Pilot! As my friend Moe explained to the crowd, "she kind
of missed us, but she REALLY missed Pilot!" We all did! He was in such
good hands I was actually just worried he wouldn't care about us any
more!

Family and friends...

2009-09-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

...who held down the fort we left behind so we could enjoy a whole new
world of adventures!

Friends and family...

2009-09-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

...always sending positive vibes and believing we could do it!

Friends and family...

2009-09-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

Got us through the tough times!

Friends and family

2009-09-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

We can never thank you enough for all your love and support!

Day 99- last day and...

2009-09-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

The official dipping of the front tires in our most favorite spot on
the island!

Then Mike!

2009-09-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Then James...

2009-09-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Then me!

2009-09-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

Rebecca crossing the finish line!

2009-09-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Day 99-Last Day-Ready or not, here we come!

2009-09-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Yahoo!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

So great to see all of the people at the end...we were so welcomed home!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

VICTORY!!! It was for James in so many ways!

Day 99- Sept. 5

2009-09-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

I think it went something like this..."Mom, no more pictures...let's
just get there!" I really didn't want it to end!

Day 99 -sept. 5

2009-09-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

First glimpse of the cove!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Probably should have left earlier from this stop. We forgot how long
and hilly the rest of the way was!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Co workers and friends at Town Hill. Realized after that my friend
Jane and Tricia thought we were headed to Somesville, not Indian Point
road! Sorry to miss you but loved seeing you pass us on the road! I
was in a bit of a fog seeing so many folks! Forgot that we even had to
back track from market to IP Road! The Burdzel family helped so much
at the beginning of our journey and here they were at the end. We also
saw Ed and Molly Dillon and Ed's sister Barb at the market and the
end! Fun!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

Meeting friends at Town Hill Market! Gillian and Mary!

Day 99 - Sept 5

2009-09-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

Folks we know saw us coming onto the island and our return started to
register and get really exciting!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

The tide was high and the head of the island never looked or smelled
so good!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

Coming onto the island!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

Seeing the island for the first time after 101 days! Last day and it's
bittersweet!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Rick also for his generous donation! Great meeting you and
please take care of yourself!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

A little procrastination today but Mike got us back on track!

Day 99- Sept 5

2009-09-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Chip Smart brought me a cup of coffee this morning! Thanks again for
your hospitality and generosity!

Day 99 Sept 5

2009-09-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

Last day and one last snuggle in the tent before we go!

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:35:00.000-07:00

Moe and Charlie Boyden taking their vagabond friends out for a
celebration dinner at Pat's Pizza in Ellsworth. They picked us up at
Timberland RV Park where we set up our tents for the last night of our
journey. We met 2 nice guys Chip and Rick, who made sure we were set
on our campsite and were very hospitable. They both made very generous
donations to the cause too. We got showered and Moe and Charlie
brought snacks for us and beverages! Great way to spend our last night!

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

Charlie and Moe who were at the beginning of our journey bringing us
to the airport from their house in New Hampshire now here at the end
screaming and honking from their car!

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:25:00.000-07:00

James and his adorable little cousins, Maria and George! They all
missed each other'

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

Peppers became a family establishment for a little stint on Friday
afternoon! Great people!

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:21:00.000-07:00

Grandpa, Grandma, George and Maria and little Moxie! Kids were so cute!

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:19:00.000-07:00

Grandpa found us! We pulled into Ellsworth and found Peppers Pub on
the corner and lined up our bikes there and waited for friends and
relatives traveling from the south to catch up to us! Peppers was
great to let us have our reunion in and around their place!

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:10:00.000-07:00

Forgot this one. Going over the bridge.

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

Lunch

Day 98 - Sept 5

2009-09-05T05:06:00.000-07:00

Going over the bridge. I think Rebecca is saying "mom, stop taking
pictures!" as you can see, no one was coming!

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:02:00.000-07:00

Rebecca headed for the bridge.

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T05:01:00.000-07:00

Beautiful warm sunny day. We were all pretty quiet today thinking
about the trip, anxious about the return, and excited about seeing
some folks tonight including our dog! Here we were about to cross the
Bucksport bridge!

Day 99- Sept 4

2009-09-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

Seeing friends along the road home! Joyce Martin, former co-worker
stopped to say hi.

Day 98- Sept 4

2009-09-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

Stopped to visit LAST bike shop on our journey. This visit was the
cheapest on the trip...we just stopped to say hi.

Day 97- Sept 3

2009-09-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Now I get to enjoy the view!

Day 07- Sept 3

2009-09-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the view!

Day 97 -Sept. 3

2009-09-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

We stayed at Belfast Harbor Inn and thoroughly enjoyed the deck and
view of the ocean we missed so much this summer!

Day 97- Sept 3

2009-09-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Leaving Belfast on footbridge and headed to motel! Treating ourselves!

Day 97- Sept 3

2009-09-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

James after the teasing! We had another incredible ride from Waldoboro
today through Camden and Northport to Belfast. We met some neighbors
of ours today outside if Camden and were so excited to see them! I
took a great picture and it did not save to my phone...The Grays saw
us yesterday on their way to Bowdoin College dropping off their son
and James said he saw them but we weren't sure about that. When will
we learn not to question James?!? Today they saw us in Camden state
park and they came in to say. It was great to see them.

Day 97- Sept 3

2009-09-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

No it's not another turtle. It's the helmut that is worn into every
restaurant that we go into and it is always left behind...always!
James gets teased quite a bit about it.

Day 97- Sept 3

2009-09-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Camden for lunch.

Day 97 - Sept 3

2009-09-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

Camden Hills in the background! Hit today but we are loving our last
rides this week and continuing to meet great people!

Day 97-Sept 3

2009-09-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

Up from a nap in Camden at Maine sports!

Day 96- Sept 2

2009-09-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

John and Deborah Darling traveling on their Hinckley picnic boat on
this gorgeous day made a very generous donation to the ride. Thank you
so much! They have a relative recently diagnosed with diabetes and
were appreciative of the efforts being made to find a cure!

Day 96 - Sept 2

2009-09-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

My Dad and Billie (papa and mimi). They met us later in Waldoboro at
the Moody's Cabins, had a beer on our quaint front porch and then
drove us back to Damariscotta to get a battery for Rebecca's meter and
then took us out for a nice dinner on the water in town. Great visit
and thank goodness on the timing to help out with a much needed
battery! Thanks so much Dad and Billie...we love you guys!

Day96- sept 2

2009-09-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Joe Gelarden - The Lincoln County News

Day 96- Sept 2

2009-09-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

Made it to Wiscasett and Red Eats was too busy! Ended up at Le Garage
kind of by mistake but all worked out fine. We called my dad to let
him know when we would be getting to Waldoboro tonight and by the time
food came my dad and Billie (my stepmom) were there to greet us! They
were followed by Joe (a reporter for the Damariscotta paper)and we had
a lunch interview. Nice to talk with Joe and great to see family! It
ended up being a great stop as we met some folks that were very
generous to the cause! Billie should definitly do fundraising!

Oops

2009-09-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

Day 96- Sept 2

2009-09-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

Going over the bridge in Bath...yikes! The debris was horrible on the
sides but we made it only to come upon an accident on the other side.
We took a little break there and folks thought we were involved so
there was some concerned folks stopping to check things out.

Thanks Lee

2009-09-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

You were great to us and we will highly recommend you!

Day 96- Sept 2

2009-09-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks Steve and Deb for everything! We had a great time! Thanks again
Lee!

Day 96- Sept 2

2009-09-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

Back to Center Street Cycles and Lee Huston couldn't be nicer! Last
night when we were having a nice dinner Lee didn't want to interupt to
settle up and have us go through our bags to get our stuff so he gave
us a key to the shop for our convenience. In the morning Steve drove
us back for the opening of the shop and we collected our gear and
repacked for the next leg. Lee let James try out this rig and gave him
lots of advice on bikes and trikes. Great guy and kind to us on the
price too including free sunglasses for James! Turns out he is friends
with one of our favorite people back home...Ellen Gilmore, who sadly
retired this year from being Pemetic's librarian!

Day 95- Sept 1

2009-09-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

Brunswick. After a tough day of climbing, we were treated to a visit
from family...Steve and Deb (stepdad and wife) and had a great visit.
Mike broke another spoke and Rebecca needed another tire too. We got
in late and the bike shop owner fit us in and offered to keep our gear
overnight if it would make finding accomodations easier. Deb and Steve
offered up a drive back to Southport for the night and back first
thing in am! Perfect! It gave us more time to visit and nice warm beds
and even some laundry! Great time!!!!

Day 95- Sept 1

2009-09-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

Pygmy goats in Durham. I had to walk a hill today! Danville! Couldn't
keep the front tire from lifting and panicked! Couldn't get started
again...funny!

Day 95- Sept 1

2009-09-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

This wrong turn brought us to this nice farm...couldn't convince the
family it was worth the extra mile and they really liked the fact I
stopped for the pic too!

Day 95- Sept 1

2009-09-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

A little break after a hill that made my lungs burn! Johnson Hill!
This spot was a great little beach and food stand on Lake Sabbathday
Lake. We had some ice creams and pasta salads and enjoyed the sun and
shade along the lake. Kids were enjoying the last days of summer here
before it closes on the 8th. So sad!

Day 95 - Sept 1

2009-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Naples on Long Lake...would have been a fun place to hang last night
but we were 2 miles west at a campground enjoying one of the last
campouts :-( We enjoyed some conversations with 2 families that do
trucking and have seen much of what we saw of this country and 1
family thinking about a bike trip like this with their son. Highly
recommend to anyone wanting to do this trip!

Day 95- Sept 1

2009-09-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hills again today but more of the beautiful fall like weather that
will me with us for the rest of the trip!

Day 94- Aug 31

2009-09-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

My goofy kids waiting for grub! This was after a sad moment of James
being upset that this was coming to an end...how about that for the
kid who wanted no part of the trip 3 months ago?!

Day 94 - aug 31

2009-09-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

Wow! Maine has some serious hills! Fryeburg to Lovell, Sweden,
Bridgton, ending in Naples was a part of Maine we had never been. So
different. Long Lake region is beautiful. We are getting so excited to
see everyone as we meet more people from Maine. We still don't want
the trip to end though!

Day 94. - Aug 31

2009-09-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

Yeah!

Day 94 - Aug 31

2009-09-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

Coolada kids!

Day 94- Aug 31

2009-09-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

Almost in Maine, stopped for a celebatory Dunkin Donuts fix and
enjoyed some time reflecting on the trip. It was fun getting closer to
Maine the last couple days. People honk, yell, cheer and just totally
inspire us! We only saw 2 license plates from Maine on our whole trip
till about end of VT when we saw the second one. First one in CO! We
met Barbara Malucnnik from NH who has a grandson recently diagnosed
with T1D. She spoke with Rebecca and gave a very generous donation to
the cause! We wish her grandson well and thank her very much!

Day 93- Aug 30

2009-09-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

Becka cooking up a storm and boy did it hit the spot!

Day 93 - Aug 30

2009-09-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

USFS camping. Covered Bridge camping....primitive but nice.

Day 93- Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Made it to the top and wasn't so bad!! Without gear anyhow!

Day 93- Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Robbie, Cindy, Katie....where's Nick?

Day 93- Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Picnic at the bike store! Ready for the climb!

Day 93- Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

Down from Moosilauk

Day 93- Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

Lost River at top of Moosilauk pass

Day 93- Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

First climb of the day...moosilauk!

Day 93 -Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Riding sans gear...yahoo!

Day 93 - Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

Looking at our afternoon ride over Kanca pass! We built it up so much!

Day 93- Aug30

2009-09-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

View back to Vermont from Haverhill with a much lighter load and
faster riding! Beautiful day and great grades for riding! So fun
thanks to the sistahs!

Day 93-Aug 30

2009-09-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

My sweet sisters met us in Piermont right after a nice complimentary
breakfast at the Inn we stayed at- they planned for helping us the
whole day! From scouting out a bike store for another broken spoke on
Mike's bike, letting James enjoy some kid time with his 4 great
cousins including mini golf in Lincoln, taking some of our gear to
make climbing Kancamagus easier, baking cookies and brownies, bringing
lunch, getting our campsite ready, cooking dinner including fresh
corn!, and so much more! The best part was seeing them after so long!
Cindy, since Christmas!

Day 92 -Aug 29

2009-09-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Made it to another state! It rained most of today from when we left
Sharon to almost the end of the day. Cold too! This was a rare
occurrence on this trip so we were fine with it. My sisters and kids
are coming up to visit us so we were very excited about that all day!
Bring on the rain...you can't dampen our spirits!

Day 91- Aug 28

2009-09-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Met a couple through hikers on the AT today in Thetford, VT

Day 92- Aug 29

2009-09-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Saying so long to Nancy Wright.

Day 91- Aug 28

2009-09-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Rob and Mike in Ripton. We ran into problems later in the day trying
to find a place to stay. When we got into Bethel where there was
suppose to be motels, there wasn't anything! Folks in Bethel told us
up ahead in Sharon there were a couple motels...we rode on and
nothing! Now it was getting dark and cold and this is where I get
stressed! I found online a B&B but when I called there was no
availability....until I mentioned we were on bikes! Ken Wright said
"that changes everything...come on up!" We rode in the dark up a dirt
road to the Wrights and had one of the nicest visits of the trip. The
reason they took us in is because they are bike enthusiasts to the
max, having taken groups of people across the country 7 times! Nancy
was leaving next week to do the perimeter of the USA! They set us up
in their beautiful home, we shared stories from the road, great night
sleep and topped it off with breakfast in the morning. Nancy has a
blog on crazyguyonabike.com and I plan on checking out her ride around
the US...very envious! Thanks Wrights! You were a beacon in the dark
that night!!!

Day 91- Aug 28

2009-09-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

Today we climbed over Middlebury gap and through the town of Ripton
where we stopped for a break. We met Millard Cox who donated to the
ride...thank you! We also met Rob and Mike who were doing a loop ride
that included climbing the gap. It wasn't as bad as we thought it
would be and it was a beautiful fall like day. Going through Robert
Frost territory and the writing college of Middlebury College,
Breadloaf, was interesting. Great day!

Day 90- Aug 27

2009-09-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

Vermont is beautiful!

Day 90- Aug 27

2009-08-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Vermont is as beautiful as anything we have seen all summer'

Day 90- Aug 27

2009-08-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Only 2 more states! And these are quick ones!

Day 90- Aug 27

2009-08-31T21:30:00.000-07:00

Heading over on the ferry to VT!

2009-08-31T21:28:00.001-07:00