Here is some of the map data Mr. Garmin tracked while on our adventure. There is about 500+ miles that did not get saved due to a malfunction of the GPS unit. Grrrrr!!!
Thanks again to all you followers!! Things are starting get back to normal. Don’t be surprised if “posts” pop up at a later date.
The departure. May 30th, 2013 6:45 AM Colorado Springs CO
After 1822 miles, the journey is over, but not the cause. I want to thank everyone who donated, supported us, followed the blog during this amazing journey, and to Jared Gibson for making his “spirit quest” with me. Thanks to my secretary, my wife Renee Hyde, for keeping the blog updated each night. To say it was amazing is an understatement. This has been one of the most incredible experiences in my life. We met many great people along this ride. I regained some faith in humanity. So many random people along our route offered many different things to us. There were free dinners, free lunches and even free supplies at a local pharmacy. This was a fork in the road for me and my future. The next chapter is about to begin and the ending is far from written. Wish me luck. 🙂 It was weird to think how everyone else’s lives went on for the month we were riding, and ours seemed to stand still.
Some stats:
Not only did Eric and Jared cross the finish line today, they also reached their ultimate goal. As of a few minutes ago, they have raised $4,290 for ALS! The original goal set in early 2013 was for $2,000, and at the time seemed like a lofty goal! Thank you to all of those who have supported us in this journey. Many of you cheered the guys on via Facebook, many spread the word about ALS through discussions about the ride, and many made financial donations. None of this would have been possible without the support of friends and family. Thank you so much!
The guys were up early this morning, an a bit excited I think! They didn’t even wait for their things to dry. They packed up and hit the road. Before too long, they crossed the last state line, Welcome to Pennsylvania!!
Meanwhile, about 40 friends and family had congregated outside The Hotel Bar, anxiously awaiting their arrival.
Eric and Jared were well ahead of schedule, so they had to stall a bit! They had a long breakfast break in Albion, PA, and chilled out in the shade of the I79 overpass in Edinboro. Once in town, Eric and Jared met up with Officer Jerry Lawrence of the Edinboro Police Department. He was their escort into town!
There were lots of hugs and congratulations!
And then for the biggest surprise…Eric’s mom, Dee, flew in from Idaho for their arrival. And she had quite an arrival, she got a ride in the police car!
Dee brought the guys their very own turtles to remember the journey!
Here are some snapshots of our friends and family that celebrated the arrival with us:
Eric and Jared even got a free drink from Jilly Bean in Colorado!!
The final destination!
Stay tuned for the final recap in a few days!
Eric and Jared will be arriving in Edinboro, PA today at 12:30! Hope to see you there!
This morning’s local paper, the Erie Daily Times, ran an article on their journey. Click the link below to go to goerie.com to read it!
http://www.goerie.com/pedal-pushers-cyclists-to-finish-1900mile-trek-in-edinboro
After a slow start, there was a big climb with a reward at the end: breakfast! A local restaurant, JC’s, had an amazing menu and even better prices!
Jared
Shortly after breakfast, Eric and Jared approached the first closed road for the day. They have had such good luck with being able to get across, they decided to go for it. But, there was no way this time!
Not a chance!
There wasn’t a clear detour, so the guys had to figure out their own way around. It ended up being a pretty cool route. They got to ride across their second covered bridge!
Jared
Eric
Back on the main route, Eric and Jared went through Amish country! There are no pictures out of respect for the Amish. It must have been laundry day, all of the houses had clothes on the clothes lines. They also saw two kids in a miniature carriage, being pulled by a miniature horse! You can just picture it!
Did we take a wrong turn?! Skier?
Jared
Now that’s a Dew!
Eric
Part of the route took them on a paved bike path. About 4 miles along the route, the bike path was closed! There was a detour for them this time, however, it was a 7 1/2 mile detour because the detour had a detour! And to make it even worse, it poured while they were on the detour!
A sign on the route today about the Underground Railroad.
When they finally got back on the original bike path, they only had 10 more miles before they got to the last campground of the trip! After setting up camp and getting showers, friends of ours picked Eric and Jared up and took them to Applebee’s!
Bill, Jared, Chris and Gary
Oh yeah!
The JERIC Scale was a good one, A-, 9! They rode 52.8 miles, bringing the total to 1,785! Eric set his alarm so they can get an earlier start tomorrow. Their destination: THE FINISH LINE!! The time has been pinpointed to around 12:30. See all of you tomorrow at the Hotel Bar in Edinboro!
Tally: 1,785!!
I am here in Edinboro, patiently awaiting Eric and Jared’s arrival! I went for a walk with my friend Milly tonight and rescued my very own turtle!
Floyd & Renee
Eric and Jared got an earlier start today than they did yesterday, nothing needed time to dry out! John took some pictures before they hit the road!
Sarah & the guys
Sarah and Eric
Off they go!
The first covered bridge they came upon was on Day 29! Pretty cool! This helped the JERIC Scale boost to an A, 9!
Jared
Eric
Eric
Jared
The 61.34 mile ride today was quite laid back and pretty fun! There were a couple more roads that were closed, but Eric and Jared just found a way to cross and kept going!
Jared
In Peninsula, OH the guys didn’t expect to find a great bike shop! They met Derrick, Kevin, Jackie, and Taylor. Thanks for promoting the ride on your blog!
After they left Peninsula, they had to make their own route. They ended up on their first dirt road, and it was a rough one!
Tonight’s camp is in Burton, OH. It looked like it might rain, so the rain fly is on tight!
Home sweet home!
Tomorrow’s destination is Ashtabula, OH, the last overnight on the road! The guys will be rolling into Edinboro between Noon and 1 on Saturday! Please come down to the Hotel Bar and help welcome them to the finish line!
Tally: 1,732
Even with huge thunderstorms over night and a closed road on the route, Eric and Jared rated today a B-, 8 on the JERIC Scale! The massive storms that moved through the area after midnight drenched everything, except what was in the tent! Eric was pretty sure that when they got out of the tent in the morning that they would see the place where lightning struck, it was that close!
Yikes!
When they got up this morning, they laid everything out to dry before they started packing. When they took the tent off of the ground cloth, they realized they were sleeping on a literal waterbed last night!
They didn’t hit the road until about 11 this morning. The first 20 miles had a lot of “good climbing,” meaning lots of hills! After a while they came upon this road closed sign!
Uh, oh!
After checking the map, they found that the alternate route was a long way around. It couldn’t be that bad, could it?
Let’s cross it!
Eric and Jared’s feet and bike tires got a little muddy, but they got across quickly! The road crew guys were pretty cool!
Eric and Jared arrived in Medina, OH and were able to meet up with good friends of Eric’s. John and Kelly took them out to dinner and are also going to put the guys up for the night. It sounds like it’s going to be another stormy night, so they are very thankful to be sleeping in a house!
John, Kelly, Sarah, Eric and Jared at Lagerhead’s Smokehouse and Brewery
During dinner, Eric was able to share the story of their ride with their waitress, Courtney. She supported their efforts with a generous donation to the cause! Thank you Courtney!
Courtney
Because of the crazy muddy creek crossing, Eric and Jared rode the planned 61 miles to Medina today. Tomorrow’s destination is Burton, OH. Arrival in Edinboro is estimated to be on Saturday, June 29th! Those of you in the area, please come to the Hotel Bar to cheer Eric and Jared on for their last few pedal strokes! We will post the closest approximate time that we can as it gets closer!
Tally: 1,670.8
Eric’s mom, Dee Burgett, wrote an article for her local paper about the CO2PA4ALS ride. I just got the electronic version and wanted to share it with our followers! It’s a fantastic article Dee! Thanks for writing it!
Matt BurgettAfter two days of rest, the guys were up and ready to go after breakfast this morning!
Rich thought that he would help make Eric’s saddle a little more comfortable with some bubble wrap!
Luna and Maddie aren’t really sure what to make of this. Eric and Jared have been here for two days, where are they going now?
Luna & Maddie
And, off they go!
Luna wants to go!
It was really hot and humid today, but the 54.7 miles were good ones. The guys rated today a B, 9 on the JERIC Scale. At one point they crossed a highway. Wow, those cars are moving fast!!
I71, Ohio
Around 2:30, Eric and Jared arrived in Butler, OH. They rode into a beautiful campground, complete with showers!
Camp
But who needs showers when there is a creek to cool off in?!
Eric
Jared
There were no turtle saves today, but Jared did “fish” for crayfish for about an hour!
This dip in the creek sure cooled them off!
Restful afternoon!
Eric was so relaxed that he read the first few pages of his new book!
Caught ya!
Dinner, yumm!
Tomorrow’s destination is Medina, OH.
Tally: 1,609.7
There wasn’t as much sleeping today as there was yesterday! The guys slept in and then ate their favorite breakfast: Breakfast Burritos! Instead of taking a nap after breakfast, they did some laundry. This is the last laundry stop before the finish line. Rich (Renee’s Dad) has been wanting to take Eric to the new Cabela’s in Columbus since it opened. Today was the day! It was a good stop. Jared and Eric were able to pick up some Mountain House meals and some more camp stove fuel. Jared even found a cool cowboy hat!
Howdy!
Then it was time for lunch. A longtime friend of Eric’s, Anna Marie, lives here in Columbus. We met her and her sons at BJ’s for pizza. It was great seeing them and catching up!
Eric & Anna Marie
Jared made a couple of new friends. Maxwell and Martin took a while to warm up, but “Uncle” became a great playmate by the end of lunch!
The guys were still awake, so Kathy (Renee’s Mom) took them to German Village in Columbus. The first stop was “The Book Loft”, 32 rooms of books! If you can’t find a book here, then you aren’t going to find one! Jared, Renee, and Kathy were in heaven! Eric wasn’t too sure, but he even found a book, and he bought it! (Now all we have to do is get him to read it!)
Our bellies were still full, but we had to stop at Schmidt’s for a photo op!
Jared and Eric
When we got home, the guys sat in the recliners, and you know what happened next!
Eric
Jared was supposed to be looking at tomorrow’s route!
Zzz…
Packing, map making, and snuggling with Luna and Maddie are on the agenda before bed!
Eric and Maddie
Thank you Rich and Kathy for your hospitality! This was the best place to have two rest days in a row!
Rich, Kathy, and Renee
The final stretch begins tomorrow! Tomorrow’s destination is Butler, OH. Those of you in and around Edinboro, clear you calendars for Saturday, June 29th and be at the Hotel Bar to greet Eric and Jared at the finish line! (A more pinpointed time will be posted when we have a better idea!)
Eric and Jared slept in this morning. That was no surprise! We had a big breakfast, then Eric and Jared took a nap! They fell asleep in the recliners, but both ended up going back to bed. They woke up just in time for lunch! After lunch we went for a ride. My mom took us to one of her favorite places here in Columbus, Alum Creek State Park. It felt good to put our toes in the water!
Renee and Eric
Jared forgot to take off his white tank top, oh wait, that’s his tan line!!
Jared and Eric
On our way home, we stopped at the grocery store to look for some local microbrews. Eric snapped this picture of ping pong balls in the beer aisle! Great marketing! Beer pong anyone?
After dinner, the guys were back in the recliners! No snoozing this evening, but they will most likely be going to bed early! Tomorrow is another rest day before the last week of riding to the finish line! The expected arrival in Edinboro is next Saturday afternoon!
co2pa4als 