August 6, 2018
Day 50 – Manchester to Portsmouth,NH and wheel dip in the Atlantic Ocean – 61 miles, 2,240 feet vertical
Journey cumulative totals: 3,691 miles, 121,500 feet vertical (that’s over 23 miles straight up!)
It was quite an emotional day. For everyone.
We knew this was it – the culmination of seven weeks of struggling, seven weeks of aches and pains, of climbs, of headwinds, of potholes and flat tires. (By the way, after changing my tires at the 2,000 mile mark, I didn’t have another flat – so my final total was nine.)
It was a beautiful sunny day that got even warmer as the miles clicked by. Just as it started getting really toasty, we got to the coast. At first, we could just smell – but not see – the ocean. The excitement had been building all morning and we were chomping at the bit as we waited at a crowded junction. Finally, we headed out onto the shore drive for the final two miles to Wallis Sands State Beach – our destination for the wheel dip in the Atlantic.
The Atlantic Ocean! We couldn’t believe it. A different watershed. We remembered dipping our wheels in the Pacific just seven weeks ago and here we were – at the other ocean. Wow.
The beach was packed and it was quite a scene as we all walked from the parking lot to the beach and the long walk to the water. We were all wearing our ABB jerseys and Pam was blowing her whistle. And pretty soon, the entire beach came alive and people were clapping and cheering as the word spread about why we were there. It was unbelievable. In addition to many family and friends, strangers were coming over to us to offer congratulations and ask for details. “Seriously? You rode your bikes here from the Pacific Ocean??” Yeah, we just did that.
It will take some time to digest all of this and I hope to have more reflections and pictures as the post-ride euphoria takes hold. For now, it is time for a rest day or two. Or three.
Thank you ALL for following me on this fantastic journey and for your comments and support. I am deeply grateful to you all. Check back for more. In the meantime, here are some amazing photos to give you just a glimpse into our amazing day.
…Jeff
Journey with Jeff 
Wow. Just wow. I’m crying, so I can’t even imagine how you must feel. What an amazing journey. What an amazing accomplishment.
Bravo.
There are some heart-stirring photos in this last bunch, including the one of you and Jon.
Rest, reflect, and may the wind always be on your back.
Takin’ the southern route next summer?
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Thanks for the great series of blogs and the photos. Now you get a day or two off.
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…or three!
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wonderful pictures showing the joy and pride of this amazing travel.. I wonder if the stars on the jersey represent each of the states you traversed.. Good day to celebrate and lift a glass in your own honor.. The lobster is not a bad celebration either.. Really Congratulation to you all
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Thank you, Andre. Can’t wait for one of our “long” rides on Long Island.
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Goosebumps as I read this last post. I think it is from the movies where someone says, you can either get busy living, or get busy dying. So inspirational to see what you are up to in your “retirement”.
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Shawshank Redemption, Jim …
Andy Dufresne: [to Red] I guess it comes down a simple choice: Get busy living, or get busy dying.
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You and Jon look great! Fantastic journey. Congrats!
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Congratulations Jeff! I’m speechless!
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Drop the mike! 🙂
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See you in spin class on Thursday!!
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Jeff it was a pleasure to experience this trip with you!
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thank you for keeping this blog going the whole way. I am going to miss seeing this in my inbox every morning. What a moment when you all held your bikes up over your heads at the Atlantic ocean. Very moving. Now you all need to take those cycling shoes off and get some tan on your white feet 😉 Congrats you did it! “Do Epic things” you sure did.
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Jeff, it was great to follow your journey. From my standpoint, it went way too quickly! Thanks for the blog posts. I was happy to meet and ride with you on one of your days in Minnesota. Enjoy the glory! My experience was that I really missed the daily riding, but it is hard to sustain once you return to normal life. So, revel! Well done.
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Many thanks, Dan. I really appreciate your support and feedback. Hope to see you again. …Jeff
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Congratulations Jeff, I enjoyed your pictures and comments. Lenny
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Maze tov. A truly amazing accomplishment. In a way, this a sad moment for me and Luise. Your adventure is over. Our summer has been made more wonderful by checking in with your posts every evening (or morning). We followed you up mountains, and down, across rivers and dams, through corn and soybean fields, past striking landscapes, past flat boring views, through the occasional rain, over lakes, at rest stops, eating ice cream cones, fixing flats and finally, finally, finally down a sandy beach to the Atlantic Ocean. Thank you for sharing every day with all of us. You gave us smiles, excitement, joy and tears. Until your next amazing journey. We look forward to congratulating you in person in just a few days. Again, congratulations on a life milestone to the exponential power.
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