Day 13: Brattleboro, Vermont to Manchester, New Hampshire 79 miles, lots of steep hills, killer temperatures

It's really late so I'll keep this short, but will revise this in the next day or two.  We are all just now breaking up from our final dinner and celebration of our adventure together.  "Graduation" certificates, great stories from both riders and staff and a real sense of the camaraderie that is emblematic of this ride experience.

Our last SAG stop of the day in Francestown, New Hampshire.  Just loved the simple white New England church against the dark cloud background .

I didn't think, leaving the hotel this morning, that I had the legs for today's roller coaster hills, some with significant grades.  But as the day wore on, I seemed to get stronger.  In the end, I arrived an hour earlier than I would have imagined this morning.

It wasn't until later that I discovered what gave me the strength to finish the day strong.  It was the two bottles of Coke that I drank, one during the morning SAG stop, the other during an afternoon break on the porch of a general store in New Boston.  It was the energy I needed to complete the day.

So, about those stories.  Each of us was given a certificate to honor our accomplishment.  As we got up to receive them, we were asked to say a few words.  One after another, each rider spoke about the personal triumphs or challenges they had faced and what motivated them to do this ride.  Some were funny.  Some were so poignant you just couldn't hold back the tears.  All were moving and the collective spirit in the room could have lifted the building another story or two.  I was so proud to be among these people.

Tomorrow is our last day of the ride.  I'm concerned that my cold is getting worse and wondering how many bottles of Coke I'll need to have the energy to finish.  But I know I will do it.

As promised, this was taken on the day we rode out of Erie and got caught in the torrential rains and lightning storm that followed us.  We ducked into a nearby tractor shed at a local golf course.  The management were no too amused but finally allowed us to stay throughout the storm.

Emerging from safety.  The rains ended.  We were soaked, but intact.  On with the ride!