Coast to Coast of the USA by bicycle...done!

Arrival, Washington Bridge!

So, the moment arrived.  At about 5pm last Friday afternoon and after 4,075 miles in just under 10 weeks of cycling, numerous 9,000 plus foot passes, 45 degree days in the desert, 100 plus mile days, grizzly bear filled campsites etc etc...we rolled over the George Washington Bridge and entered Manhattan, New York, the final stop of this monstrous tour.  It was a momentous feeling being greeted by the Manhattan skyline with the sun shining again, knowing that we've crossed the third (or fourth, depending on what you read) biggest country in the world, just about all by our own two legs.  More or less as the script was written I suppose.

I said last week how we were glad to be finishing on the East Coast, as opposed to the West.  The same goes for New York too, ending in LA would be a bit of a let down I think.  This is my first time in New York, but it definitely lives up to the hype, the city that "never sleeps" feels so different to the rest of America, but yet underlines so many of the original American ideals which make this country so "great."  If you were trying to invent a city with diversity, originality, attitude, and the general hussle and bussle which all big cities have, New York would probably be it.  This place also has a fair amount of history, even by European standards, and is in a pretty spectacular location, and all these factors combine to make the "Big Apple" what it is - a better finishing point that LA, but a bitch to cycle into!

Enjoying New York

We did the trip from Lancaster in 3 days, which included a stay over at Heather and Gregg's in Allentown, who were friends of Willa from Pennsylvania, and also a stay in a motel about 50 miles from New York.  Thank God we stayed in a motel aswell.  We'd heard about storms being forecast for Thursday afternoon, and seeing as we got just about as wet as we have done at any time on the entire trip, they definitely arrived.  For us however it was just rain, but in New York, particularly Brooklyn where we're now staying, there were severe winds, and even a reported tornado, which has left parts of this neighbourhood with trees scattered everywhere and roofs ripped off.  I think cycling into that may have been a bit awkward.  Luckily though, the skies cleared for cycling into the city, and we've had fantastic autumn days ever since.  We more or less immediately bought some normal clothes after arriving, and so have been able to blend into society and enjoy the delights of this city with Andy's friends, who came over from London, and Lauren who lives in Brooklyn, great fun.

I think I've covered a lot of topics in this blog to do with America, cultural, political, social and environmental things.  They're all just my observations really, not out to offend in any way.  Apart from seeing a country, doing a trip like this lets you meet more people and pick up on more of the domestic and worldwide topics that spark interest.  I'd have liked to have mentioned more about the healthcare system here, which thankfully hasn't been used by us, but creates huge divides of opinion with people all over the US.  The same with guns, education, religion, and even fairly menial things like tipping, all very interesting topics that I've just never got round to writing about, so for that reason, I'm considering putting everything together and writing about the whole trip, in the form of...a book!  Mine and Andy's journal notes are pretty comprehensive, so I'll have a bash at it and see what is churned out, it'd be a good personal memory, if nothing else.

Manhattan Skyline, the bikes, and us.

When I'm back in England on Friday I'll put the last few weeks of photos up, aswell as making a post with a lot of relevant facts about the trip, which maybe boring as shit for some of you, but very interesting to those with (or without) a cycling interest!  It's been an absolutely incredible trip, definitely the most memorable summer of my life, probably Andy's too.  It's already rather strange looking back on it, not really been able to comprehend what we've done in a way, but there's already a niggling thing inside me urging me to do something else (money and time permitting!)....so, any ideas for the next challenge?!

P.S. Here's the link to the photos. and if you'd like to sponsor me for doing it, you still can do!  All money goes directly to Muscular Dystrophy, so a very worthy cause and all donations are very much appreciated.