parting thoughts.

well, a week after the big ride finished, i am still alive. leaving the finish line, i was having doubts as to whether or not life after the big ride was possible. it is.

it's salsa-making season at the klomps household and i've been spending long periods of time standing over spicy, bubbling pots of fresh salsa. we usually eat a jars worth before we even can it!

and i've spent several lazy afternoons swinging in our hammock outside. reading, napping, reading, napping...how lucky i am to be so lazy!

having had all of this time to sit and relax, i've come to the realization that this experience hasn't ended yet. sure, i don't ride 80 miles a day anymore. and i haven't gone anywhere near peanut butter or jelly since i've been back. but i AM still learning from those insane 48 days that we call the Big Ride Across America.

the hospitality, generosity, and care that we received from so many is (as i've said before) humbling and inspiring--be it a free meal, an extra water stop, or a "wow! good for you guys. stay safe out there!"

i am blessed to have spent 48 days singing and laughing my way across the country. i can only hope to be able to give back in as big of a way as i have gained from this experience.

thank you family, big riders, sponsors, crew members, and all of you who gave us support and kind words along the way.

thank you. thank you. thank you.

Day 48

it was a crisp, cool morning. the ride was hilly and beautiful. and today was a seriously emotional day.

on the first day of the ride, i remember thinking what the HELL have i gotten myself into? on this last day, i thought, what the HELL am i going to do without these people?

thanks mom and james for meeting me at the finish. i would have been lost without you there.

Day 47

our second to last day of riding.

we entered maryland today. i decided the photo of helyn with 5 cameras was more fun than our border shot.

we also took 60 people into an applebee's. hence andy's cramped position. (there were 6 of us at that booth)

and the final photo--what we think to be the first and probobly last big ride wedding. full of jokes from the last 47 days, it was a real spectacle and delight.

Day 45

so on this, the so-called "final exam day", i didn't take very many pics. we climbed a lot of hills. it was really humid. really hot. long towards the end. but we did it!

ben, ever-creative, is showing off his fruit snack wrapper turned snowflake.

bob jone's staff supprised us with lots of treats at the end of the day.

Day 44

i'm sitting at a water stop and i say, man i wish i had some vitamin e for my leg. about 35 seconds later kathy hands me a bottle. is this woman amazing or what?!

the tour of the cannondale factory was a highlight. on our feet for an hour and a half the night before our hardest ride, BUT it was awesome.

Day 43

when they told us we'd be riding 50 miles on a bike path, we had this dreamy black top image in our minds.

sadly, crushed limestone is what they had in mind. and rain!! what a deLIGHTFUL combination. if mud is fun, then this was a blast.

Day 42

p-e-n-n-s-y-l-v-a-n-i-a. wheaw. long word. great state!

we passed a nuclear power plant today, but were strictly forbidden from taking photos. shame, because it was pretty cool.

the last photo is of jodi. when it starts raining, just get under the truck!! i actually slept in it. the tent was getting wet and i could handle no more. pretty comfortable, really.

Day 40

clean clothes. do i hear an AAAAAAAAAALELUJAH?

and thanks for the goodies, mama.

Day 39

WHAT A DAY. i will be boring people with stories about this day for years to come.

we rode 50 miles along a megamansion-dotted lake erie coast into cleveland. some of us then went to an indians game. fun, we snoozed a little at the game, pretty mellow.

AND THEN. the storm. during the 90 minutes that we were in cleveland after the game, the downtown area got 4.75 INCHES of rain. for part of this time we were huddling by the side of a building, for the other part we were being frozen to death by icy lake erie rains.

we didn't end up getting into camp until about 8:20 that night and our shorts were STILL soaking wet when we went to dinner around 9. wow. what a day.

Day 38

this was another one of those magical mornings. it was misty, we had the road to ourselves...

so, we generously shared some of our from-will tattoos with sean and ben. you'd think a couple of engineering majors would know how to put on a fake tattoo, but you would be mistaken. it's ok, boys. the memory makes me smile.

Day 37

will! thank you so much for the package. i'm sorry it's taken me this long to say so. we've obviously been ejoying the tattoos!

it was a slow fun day as we entered into ohio. and i even got to go swimming after we got into camp!! nothing like a little chlorine to wipe away the road grit...

Day 36

we went ahead and made a long day longer. we took our sweet time biking through menonite country.
and delicious sweet corn for supper. mmm...

Day 35

oh how we love rest days!! but to be honest, i hate cleaning my bike....it doesn't happen very often! :)

coming soon...

Days 34-40 are coming. (there is a chance i wont blog till the trip is over) we're in a pretty small town and internet access is hard to come by. i've got lots of good pics and stories so please keep checking back!
thanks for all of your support and interest!

Day 33

so, these are my only photos for the day becuase i was stupid. i thought my camera bag was closed, but no. it was not. and we got severely DUMPED upon. my camera's shot. i'm going to get a new one in about 20 minutes.

the second photo probobly needs an explanation. bob got lost. really lost. he ended up riding 70 miles by himself and then found us. i would say he was pretty glad to see us! we all got hugs....

check liz, ben, and sean's blogs for photos from the past 3 days. i was with them.

Day 32

so, i didn't drink coffee, but now i do. it's beginning to be a must. and for the best (cheapest) fix, we often turn to the gas station.

children of the corn? i've never seen the movie and i think that's probobly a good
thing.

ok, this 3rd photo is VERY VERY important. it was the first (and last) time that i was EVER in front of the world-famous-crazy-fast steve on the road. i took sweet pleasure in the fact for about 2.8 seconds.

Day 31

today was sort of like life. i felt everything. frustration, elation, and everything else. the morning was glorious. magical, even. it was humid and misty and divine. then i hit sort of a midday wall, got over it, hit another wall, bla, bla. and i had a flat at mile 103 3/4 of 104. it was the only day that liz and i have ridden alone and it was wonderful for that. bob jr. and dan's families made us dinner. mmmm mmmm mmmm. i bet i had a whole pound of cheese curds!! thank you!!

Day 30

my what a wondeful day. is my writing getting repetitive? do i say that about every day? it feels like it. today surely was, though. we started out along the mississippi and biked into wisconsin. i LOVE THE MIDWEST!! green and beautiful. along the way, the meyers family set up a wonderful stop for us. i wont even try to describe how good the food was because i can't.
a glorious, beautiful day.