Sherry's Coast to Coast Bike Ride 2018

Now that I have been back into my real life for a couple of weeks and had some time to let this epic ride sink in, I feel quite fortunate to have been able to experience this incredible journey. Riding my bike across the country is now a dream realized. The memories will last forever! I have been asked if I would do it again. I wouldn't ride the Southern Tier again but only because I would want to ride another Epic Tour like the Pacific Coast or part of the Northern Tier. I thought I was physically and mentally ready for this ride, but I wasn't sure if I was emotionally ready. Being away from my family was the hardest part of this journey.  Focusing everyday on the task ahead and knowing that the other women were all experiencing the same thing helped. These women were all strong, incredible women. The friendships made will last a lifetime! I would like to thank every person who gave words of encouragement on my blog, Face Book page or by text. You will never know how much th

5/2/18 I woke up at 5:00 this morning to get ready for the last day of our tour even though I had gotten everything ready the night before. Maybe it was the excitement of the day. I did the usual: had breakfast, took my luggage out to the trailer and aired up my tires. At 6:45 we all left to head towards St. Augustine. The morning was cool and the miles ticked by effortlessly. At mile 21 we went through Racy Point. It was so quiet and still that you could hear the rhythmic sound of the crank and the hum of the tires. We all stopped at the SAG car parked by the river. We took group pictures, filled water bottles and ate snacks. We took off for the next 16 miles to St. John's County Fire Station. Once there we waited for our guides to show up and when they did.......Surprise! Our other guide, Anna, had come back for our final day. A police officer arrived to escort us to Anastasia Beach. We rode the last 5 miles together as a group to the beach. As I walked onto the warm, white san

5/1/18 Our last long ride of 73.5 miles started at 7:35 this morning. The morning was cool and the first 20 miles out of High Springs went quickly. I tried to take in every moment of this day! The country side looked beautiful! everything is so green. We had a SAG stop at 20, 40 and 62. At 42 miles we entered the Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail.  It was a 22 mile vacation for my mind. It was so nice to ride on a smooth path and not have to worry about vehicles coming up behind you.  Florida has some really nice bike paths that will eventually connect this trail to one that will go all the way to St. Augustine. At the end of the trail I was almost out of water. The temperature was now 85 degrees.  Shelli and I thought we could make it the last 11 miles in to the hotel. Luckily the SAG car caught up with us a few miles later and filled our water bottles.  As we came into town we stopped at an ice cream place and had a cone.  I felt so much better after that.  I must have need some c