Day 29- Mb2Cb Tour- Final Chapter- Weyburn to Regina, Canada

I'm here folks, at the end of the line. Regina Saskatchewan Canada.  So marks the end of the epic Mb2Cb Bicycle Tour 2012. Over the past 29 days I've touched 3 countries, pedaled through 6 states, and traveled 1800 miles. I've pedaled over countless hills, fighting the wind in my face and flying with the wind at my back. I've biked through the southern heat and the northern rain, fog, and biting cold. I've run with the big trains and with the big rigs. I've slept in nameless motels, along the roadside, under a bridge, in small town parks and in spectacular pristine wilderness areas. I've raced horses along fence lines, run with deer, and flown with Canadian geese. I have crossed paths with Gus McCrea and Woodrow Call , Charles Goodnight & Oliver Loving, Meriwether Lewis & William Clark. I have seen and I have experienced a part of our great country, perhaps as those men did.

A journey like this does not lend itself well to getting to know people. The pace is too hectic and you're never in one place very long. What I did come to know is that there are very many fine folks out there, each with their own story. I will always wonder what became of Tom, a long haul trucker from Florida that I met in Colorado, who pulled his big rig over to offer assistance when he saw me parked on the side of the road.  I had just stopped for lunch, and Tom and I shared some Slimjims, Twinkies, and some laughs.  I'll think about Jeff from the bike shop in Spearfish who, after hearing my story ,and I his, tuned up my bike for free.  I'll wonder about Gordy, in South Dakota. who lead me to the beautiful and isolated campground on the mighty Missouri River and Bev, in Fortuna, North Dakota who gave me leave to camp in the community park when I was too weary to continue on. I will always remember Greg and Patresha who fed me a meal fit for a king, prayed for me, and played me a song.

People have asked why I chose to do this tour. I wish I had some lofty purpose to lay claim to, but the truth is, I did it just for fun. It was always more of a goal than a dream. I suppose I simply wanted to know if I could do it. In a few years when I settle into the rocking chair, I'll look back on the tour and to whom ever asks, I'll say, "It was a hell of a ride".

I'd like to thank my wife Liz, my dad Raul, and my children Eric, Melanie, and Lorie for their unwavering love and support. Thanks to my friend and son-in-law, Skeets, who helped kick off the tour by riding out of Mexico and through 120 miles of West Texas with me. Also, many thanks to the Board of Directors of the Medina Community Library (aka The Best Little Library in Texas) who granted me the time off to do this tour. A better bunch of folks and bosses I've never known. Special thanks to Linda, Judy, Donna, Ressa, and especially Mary Ellen, the volunteers and staff of the library, who covered for me while I was goofing off. Special mention goes out to the students and teachers of Medina ISD who have been with me through every step of the tour. Finally I'd like to thank my sisters,  friends, friends of family and friends of friends who have posted your comments and words of support on this blog. It is difficult to describe just how much of a lift your kind words gave me. The tour would not have been nearly as much fun without you.

That's it folks. All's left to do is pack up the bike and fly home. To quote Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, "Happy Trails To You, Until We Meet Again".