better late than never...

well i promised friends and family that i would post along the way not realizing that very shortly after leaving Oceanside, CA sleep and the possibility of a shower would take precedence over contact with the outside world...
so i now share some of my collected thoughts and memories from along the way

-the excitement of arriving in San Diego and getting to Oceanside meeting the team and all the crew and still not really knowing what was ahead of us
-the start at Oceanside where we were all clean and fresh and pumped for the trip ahead seeing our guys cycle past the start line
-pigs in the middle of the road in Sedona, which i am sure would be beautiful during the day time. Sedona, not the pigs.
-the beauty of the beginnings of the desert in California leading into the beautiful red rocks of Arizona and Utah before it was 110 degrees in the shade.
-Lizards, a road runner, a jumping mouse all taking their chances in front of a hand cycle. A chipmunk didn't fair so well somewhere in WV.
-stunning views and so many wild flowers coming into the Rockies, some snow still visible in the distance
-trying to follow Vico on some of the crazy descents, one at 60 mph where the posted speed limit was 30 mph.... and trying to get it on film!
-wondering why we only pass coffee shops in cute towns like Taos at night or when Vico is on the bike and it is impossible to stop for a moment to enjoy the time
-the looks from the prairie dogs, elk, and pronghorns as the hand cycle sped by
-i heard my first ever crop report on the radio in Kansas... did you know the corn is silking and the soybeans are ahead of schedule this year?
-just in case you were wondering, Kansas looks the same from end to end, lots of grain elevators, a sprinkling of oil wells, and flat fields as far as the eye can see.
-Missouri=Misery high head and humidity... finally used my nursing skills and gave one of the guys some IV fluids for heat stroke and dehydration
-the excitement of crossing the Mississippi and knowing how close we were to the end
-i think i actually missed most of Illinois because i was sleeping or just completely out of it.
-coming into the Blue Ridge mountains in WV and feeling home again and also wondering what it will be like to follow Vico on these descents... he passed a car on one of them so you can imagine what it was like to follow...

It has been an intense 8 days 9 hrs and 6 minutes. Rolling into Annapolis this morning was exhilarating because we knew we had done it and we all knew we would get to sleep for more than 2 hrs. Most of us had had less than that in the previous 48 hrs. I felt guilty feeling tired when all I had to do was support and follow, I didn't cycle any of the miles we covered. It is hard to believe we put in over 3000 miles in the past 8 days but Ralf told me to train for this Vico has ridden over 8125 miles on his own since December. These guys are impressive nothing disabled about them, to be behind them in the follow vehicle as they power through a climb or cruise on some of the flats is impressive to say the least. And then even though they are exhausted to always be smiling and able to get back in the hand cycle for one last push is just unbelievable. These four athletes are some of the most impressive I have come across! We had an amazing crew that kept us fed and watered and showered almost every other day across the country. It was a huge group effort to get everyone safely and quickly from one coast to the next, our crew chief was excellent and I thank them all for everything. It was an experience... one I would consider again! Thanks for following us along the way and thanks for the support of the team and crew Can Be Venture!