Here’s a little video from the festivities in Washington DC at National Geographic. Video produced by Bryan Simpson from New Belgium.

Travel across America with me in four short minutes…I promise your behind won’t get as sore as mine did

After some late night heroics performed by my new friend Nick in Shepardstown WV, I had a new crank..kind of, and a ‘new’ chain. He looted a chain from an old 1958 Schwinn Racer to complete the job.

My first few pedal strokes were done gingerly, I didn’t want to stress out the 50 year old chain, didn’t know if it would hold up. But after a few miles it felt strong, and I was on my way to Washington DC!

It felt so good to be pedaling with two legs again, what a difference it makes. As the miles ticked down on the C&O trail I got more and more excited. I couldn’t believe my journey was coming to an end.

I’ve seen and experienced so much, the initial rush of taking off in Oceanside, struggling over the first set of mountains, suffering through the 110 degree heat of Arizona, meeting TONS of amazing people, eating countless cans of beans, sleeping on picnic tables, enjoying every bit of nature along the way and slowly pedaling….all the way across the USA. Wow!

I’m inspired by those I met along the way and so lucky to have found them all, Americans are pretty darn cool!

Riding into DC was a dream, pedaling past the Lincoln Memorial down to the Washington Monument. When I got there I stopped for a moment to savor the moment, and then I called mom to let her know that I had gotten there safely…as I did every night of this adventure.

My buddy Jaime then came cruising by on his spiffy folding bike and we shared a bottle of champagne on the lawn. It felt so good to relax.

For dinner by good friend Doug took me out to an Ethiopian feast, Wow, my taste buds weren’t ready for those exotic flavors, I’m too used to peanut butter and beans.

Thanks to all of you who supported me along the way, I never felt alone on this journey, big hugs to all you!. And a huge thanks to those who donated to Community Cycles, if you’ve been waiting until the end to donate, you can still do it, it’s easy, fast and will make your heart grow two sizes!

I’d also like to thank New Belgium Brewery for helping to make this dream come true. Bike more, Drive less!!

and here’s all the fun from my final push into DC. Cheers!

The C&O trail has been pretty, scenic and very….problematic!!
It’s rough, full of muddy holes, branches, rocks and is bumpy as hell, it’s no trail for a cruiser. I miss you KATY! Where are you my love!

I got my first flat tire of the trip on this trail, my left trailer wheel kept loosening and wanted to fall off, I broke off my chain guard and….wait for it!!! This is the biggie….my right crank arm broke off!!! DAMNIT! I can fix most problems but I can’t magically weld metal together.

After this catastrophe, I clumsily pedaled one legged for 7 miles to the nearest town, Shepardstown WV. I had been told that there is a bike shop here…well there is in fact a bike shop, but it’s closed on Tuesdays!! What?? Not open on Tuesdays? This is America, stores are supposed to be open all the time!

Now I’m at a cafe drinking a beer, maybe I should have 10 and forget this nightmare happened. NO! I have faith, something will work out! I will pedal triumphantly into DC tomorrow!!

Here’s the video of the past two days, the second half is where you’ll find the bike drama…

Danny made me some super duper pancakes this morning, and instead of syrup, I put peanut butter on em. I knew I had big big hills in front of me so I got all the calories I could. It was sad to say goodbye to my new friend, what a great guy he is…I think he’s a saint, sent to rescue me from the road.

So, the hills were damn tough today. I had nightmares about them, everyone I met said the same thing, “Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet, the hills get bigger and bigger.”

And they were right, these suckers were huge Colorado style mountains! This was definitely the hardest mountain day, not because they were so long, but because they were steep. My bike doesn’t like steep.

I made it up down, up down up down and then up and down again. I’m feelin great now, even tough my quads are shot. I have DC in my sights, only 200 miles to go, yeehaa!

Watch all the action here!

…WEST VIRGINIA rocks! I’m loving it here even though the terrain is tough. I hit the road today just as the morning mist was burning off the tops of the hills, spectacular! Highway 50 is a dream, huge shoulder, smooth pavement and so far the grades haven’t been too steep, (although tomorrow will be a different story).

Everyone I’ve met is friendly, curious and down right awesome! I’ve been honked and waved at more times today than another other day on the trip.

Here’s a great story. I was chugging slowly up a hill outside of Bridgeport when a red pickup pulled up beside me. “Hey man, where you goin?” I wasn’t much for conversation as I was hyperventilating but I mustered out a “DC, coming from California.” “No Shit, where you staying tonight?” Within the 20 seconds of knowing Danny, I was invited to his home about 5 miles down the road.

Danny is a saint, he’s fed me, let me shower, do my laundry (stinky!) and has treated me like a son. He’s a hard working coal miner, lives in a simple little house and has a smile as warm as Santa Claus.

And now I’m in his backyard watching the sunset and admiring six beautiful deers eat the corn he laid out for them. Life is beautiful!