Our last night before Anchorage…. What a day it has been. So eventful and dramatic. We’re treasuring our last days together. The day is beautiful with glacial mountains stretched out in the distance.

We’re going to Anchorage… it’s that way! Says Emma.

Joe is so excited!

no better way to see the world.

so close to Anch!

riding one of the stretches w/ steve

Chris and Many even came by for a visit at our final res t stop.

In one of our final stretches, I had the chance to ride hard with Zaid and we pushed through the rain, wind, cold, and climbs. We rode most of this twenty in silence, and I took this time to reflect on the past 68 days, those we met along the way, the memories we made, and the things I’ve learned from this experience. The vans passed us at mile 17 meaning we had gone 17 miles since the last group left the rest stop. Fast! Nonetheless, however tiring, this stretch was a great way to finish what would become one of the greatest summers of my life so far. Great ride.

When we arrived in Sutton, we were welcomed with showers and a huge potluck of food. I wasn’t feeling too good, so I didn’t eat too much, but what I had was delicious. Pastor Dan and Barbara are an amazing family… former bouncer turned Dan inspired us with his story of supporting Barbara. I remember walking out after my shower to the warm welcome from the church and the bluegrass band playing in the background, and a huge grin appeared on my face. I couldn’t stop smiling. These people were so inspiring. I also remember meeting Barbara as she played the piano, and she had this HUGE smile on her face—I later found out from her son Joshua that the doctors had given her 3 years to live b/c of her cancer, and is currently on her third year and still going strong. As he shared this with me, he began to choke up (and I too). He didn’t know how anyone could be so strong… Neither did I.

Tomorrow we head to Anchorage—one last day. I can’t believe we made it.