Acknowledgements!

This trip, such a unique experience for both Dad and me, would not have been nearly as enjoyable without all the people who helped us along the way.

First and foremost, we want to thank Bacchetta for making the amazing, unparalleled bikes that they do.  We literally would not have been able to do this trip, would not have even attempted it were it not for the speed and comfort these bikes afford.  To the four of you we met in person at the warehouse – Mark, Mike, Jeremy and John – your business has changed our lives for the better and all we can ask is that you keep up the spectacular work.

We want to thank the two Bacchetta dealers who set us up with our bikes and all our equipment:  Mike Librik of Easy Street Recumbents in Austin, TX and Hank Cunningham of Helotes Bicycle in Helotes, TX.  The hours you spent ordering parts, answering questions, offering expert advice and helping us to build up our bikes, made this trip possible and I personally want to thank both of you for promoting this blog of the trip.  You can’t imagine how thrilled I am that people other than Dad, me, our family and close friends found this account interesting.

We’d like to thank the other bike shops that assisted us along the way:
Cadence 120 of Mobile, AL (251-344-7435)
Bob’s Bike Shop of Daytona Beach, FL (386-761-4691)
Chainwheel Drive of Clearwater, FL (727-441-2444)
Clearwater Cycling of Clearwater, FL (727-443-1500) &
Truly Spokin of Milton, FL (850-983-2488)

We also want to thank the individuals who helped develop the power assist Agio:  Justin of ebikes.ca who provided our CycleAnalyst and Andy of Falcon EV/ForsenUSA who imported some very impressive batteries for us.

To those angels who saved the day – Art and Brandi of Mobile, AL who drove us when the road was too dark, cold, dangerous to ride and Keno of Louisana who saved us from two rough bridges and an extra day of riding – we can’t thank you enough for opening your lives to us when you saw us in need.  The world would be a very different place if more people set aside their fears to aid others.  I am amazed by your faith, your trust and your open hearts and hope I can follow your example.

We especially want to thank those of you who opened your homes to us.  In order of length of our stay:  my Uncle Tommy, and his roommate, Mike, in Clearwater, FL; my indestructible friend, Tiffany in Baton Rouge, LA; complete(ly wonderful) strangers, Bill and Deb, of Ponce’s Inlet; and my Aunt Susan and Uncle John in Austin, TX.  We told each of you several times what a relief it was to stay in a HOME rather than a motel, but I’ll say it again:  getting to spend time with you in and around your home was like a vacation within the trip; a tasty, restful, refreshing break from our everyday battles against headwinds, bad roads and angry drivers.  Without these periodic interludes to our daily grind, Dad and I would not have had the energy to make the progress we made or the patience to deal with the daily challenges.  From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for welcoming us into your homes and your lives.  (And thanks for all the great food! Especially you, Deb!)

We also want to thank the riders who invited us to join them on the road, specifically Fred from Daytona Beach (in his amazing yellow velomobile) and Troy from Pensacola (on his speedy Corsa).  After days of riding with a single destination in mind we really enjoyed just riding around in the other cyclists.  Fred, Troy and the riding group in Milton:  thanks for sharing the road with us!

We thanked Mark and Luke of Bell & Bates in Quincy, FL on our way East and West, but we want to thank you again for your hospitality and assistance when my battery rack broke.  You turned what could have been a disaster into a pleasant afternoon in Quincy.

Also, we absolutely must thank Karen of Baton Rouge for an amazing Thanksgiving dinner.  You’re a wonderful woman for welcoming two strange and hungry travelers into your home on a holiday where the absence of family is so poignant a deficiency.

We can never thank each of you enough for your help and we may never be able to repay you, but I hope each of you keep in touch and should you ever find yourself in Texas, drop me a line.  I’d love to thank you in person.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my loved ones for all their help and patience.

To Lee, my boyfriend: thank you for supporting my crazy adventures and more so for putting this blog together so I can share them with the world.  Thank you for your patience in technical support and motel locating.  Thank you for the media you provided for our entertainment and the tiny computer you parted with so that I wouldn’t have to bike a full-size laptop half way across the nation and back.  I love you more than you know.

To Erick, my brother:  thank you for your all your help.  Even in the midst of your life as a newlywed you were still there when we needed you.  Also, thank you for not scheduling your wedding during the trip.  I love you and wish you and our lovely sister-in-law all the best as husband and wife.

To Laura, my sister:  you’re the most amazing distance researcher I’ve ever met.  Thank you for your speedy assistance in helping us find routes when lost and motels when cold and tired.  Thank you for your encouraging calls, texts and emails which kept us entertained and energized.  Thank you for letting us tease your boyfriend throughout the length of the trip; it provided much-needed comic relief.  Thank you for being a better sister and a closer friend than I could hope for.  I love you, you know.

To Judy, my mom:  thank you for your support.  It’s a simple statement, but your support spans so many years, so many situations and so many family members that I can’t begin to untangle the web.  Your financial support, research support, emotional support and your unending faith and patience in you husband and your children opened the door for Dad and me to finish this amazing excursion.  I love you and I love being your daughter.

To Kent, my dad:  this was neat, let’s do this again!