Current money raised. With the addition tonight of $1000 from one of the riders on the trip with me, we have raised, $24,565 for GTG.
Our loss has forced my son into uncomfortable and unfamiliar feelings and thoughts. My son has an opportunity to be around others who are experiencing the same feelings that he has and the program provides a safe, non judgmental space for him to share those feelings. As a result, he is receptive and engaged in my conversations with him. – Parent of a GTG Student
DONATE to Growing Through Grief
Success!! Today we completed our ride of 3450 miles at the Atlantic Ocean on Salisbury Beach, MA. We started at the hotel in Keene at 7:15 am. We rode through Keene and up Concord hill located on the east side of town. The hill is more than 2 miles long starting in town and climbs between 7 and 14 percent grade. A tremendous effort, especially first thing in the am. By the time we reached hilltop, drizzle and fog descended on us and we were cold and damp for the rest of the day. Precipitation was not forecast and none of us had proper clothing on. The temp declined to 46 degrees and with that came cold, Southerly winds. We felt those winds in open areas and certainly at our finish on the beach.
New Hampshire is a verdant, beautiful and historically rich state. At every town, homes, buildings, cemeteries prominently displayed the original home owner, the age of the building or the origin of the cemetery, respectively. Sometimes signs would identify and give history for a prominent citizen – see video. In addition to logging activity and trucks hauling tree trunks, mills cutting timber into boards, we saw paper companies, camps and retreats. Invitations for recreational activities appeared everywhere – including downhill skiing. We frequently saw boats on trailers and we saw several beautiful lakes in areas along the ride.
Jut before lunch, as we were coming to a stop at a light, Jen grabbed my arm. She couldn’t get her shoes unclipped. I was able to prevent her from falling and with more force, she was able to unclip. Fortunately, our lunch was across the street and she was able to clean her cleats and pedals which were then treated with WD40. Her clips worked well after that.
Due to the weather, our progress was slower than planned and we arrived 40 minutes later than expected for our group ride to the shore. The other riders and Mike wore the ABB jersey made for this year. I wore my GTG jersey – see photo. How exciting to see my partner and friends at the beach waiting patiently for me!
At the beach, we took off our shoes and socks and ran with our bikes to the water’s edge to dip our tires in the ocean, then raise our bikes over our heads and shout with joy. 33 days, 3450 miles ( for the other riders – I had about 370 miles less due to the wedding trip )
Then, our bikes were transported by van to the hotel, we showered and boxed our bikes for shipping home. Later, our farewell dinner celebration was filled with good humor, warm congratulations from each other for our accomplishment, speeches with heartfelt sentiments and thoughtful insights about one another that comes with spending some intense time with each other. The staff was particularly complimentary about the 6 of us and how well we came together as a family – to support one another on the hard days and to appreciate each other like a family. Truly, I feel very close to the other riders after biking across America with them.
Some final thoughts in another blog post. For now, please enjoy the video below! It is now 12:20 and time for bed!
Ride for Growing Through Grief 
Mazel tov!
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Thank you, Deb! It has been a great adventure. And all the contact points with the bike are getting better every day!
Hope to see you soon.
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Wow and more wow! Congratulations on a wonderful ride across America for a wonderful cause.
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Shannon, Thank you for your encouraging email throughout the ride. It has been great fun. I miss the daily adventures, already.
Have a great summer. Take Good Care.
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Congratulations on a great ride! You even had enough strength to hold your bike above your head. The travel log was very enjoyable. A great effort for a wonderful cause. Thanks Jeff. Have a safe trip
home.
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Thank you, Eric! It was a great celebration at the beach!! See you soon. Take Care.
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Congratulations! This trip has been exciting to follow. What an accomplishment!
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Thank you, Phyllis. It has been great fun! I trust you’re having fun on your trip. Hope to see you this summer. Take Care.
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Congratulations! I am in awe!
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Thank you, Nancy. I appreciated your constant support and encouraging email. I’m glad to be done with the exercise, but I miss the daily adventure and seeing America unfold before us as we rode across country.
Have a great summer. Hope to see you soon. Take Good Care!
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Congratulations. What a remarkable accomplishment. I am going to miss your daily updates.
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Steve, Thank you so much of the kind words and continued support. It always felt good to ride for GTG. I already miss the daily adventures, but I’m glad that my body can now rest and heal.
Hope to see you this summer. Take Good Care
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Yay! Congrats!
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Carol, Thank you so much! It feels good for the body to be done and parts to be healing, but I already miss the adventure of the ride.
I hope you’re well. Take Good Care!
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Huge congratulations Doctor Jeff, sounds like a tough trip. After reading your posts I now intend to do this ride in 2021, so thank you for your inspirational blog. I have today donated to your cause, I am sorry that it’s not as much as I would like but things are a bit tight in the UK at the moment. We are currently funding our daughter through university (Marine Biology) and what with Brexit, etc. Anyway, fantastic effort. Go and have a well deserved rest…that’s an (doctors) order.
Rob M
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Rob, Great to hear from you!! Thanks for your donation to GTG! Congratulations on your daughter’s training – something I considered for a career. I wish we could ride together at some time…. I hope you’re feeling well. How is the art passion doing?
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Jeff, an absolutely astounding accomplishment! Riding that far in that short of time, with all the challenges of bad weather and bad road conditions, is simply amazing. And doing it for such a great cause makes it that much better. Your summaries and photos were wonderful. Thanks for all you have done, and for taking us all along for the ride.
Paul
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Thank you, Paul. It was a great adventure, a marvelous way to see the country. I miss the opportunity to take more photos, speak with people along the way – the trade off for a fast ride across the country. I met some 6 amazing individuals and enjoyed some insightful conversations about riding, growing up in other parts of America or other countries and the nuances of their careers and family lives.
I have a non-exercise trip to Niagra Falls and Toronto and then return home. Looking forward to our next Habitat for Humanity project. Take good care!
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Congratulations, Jeff!! Loved the journey and the smile in the pictures at the end of the ride are exciting to see. The ability to overcome the challenges (rain, wind, traffic, accidents, …) for the greater good of personal accomplishment and community impact is an exciting adventure to watch. Growing Through Grief thanks you! You are awesome and an amazing person – thank you!!
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