Miles: 46.53 Today / 2814.27 Total
Elevation Gain: 2697 ft. Today / 87,076 ft. Total
Today started off with a delectable breakfast prepared by 3 of the congregants of the church who knew this was our last day riding as a team. Arriving a couple of hours early, they made coffee and juice, sliced fruit, prepared breakfast sandwiches and pancakes, and laid out a spread fit for a king. Thank you Bucksport United Methodist Church for being such great hosts!
This last day riding together was a short day to allow time for celebrating, taking bikes to the bike shop to be packed and shipped, mailing boxes from the Post Office, etc. After packing our gear away one last time, we rode out, passing through Ellsworth, Trenton and Mount Desert.
We met up at a pre planned rally point, then cycled that last mile into town together, and it felt like we were in a parade. Actually, we WERE the parade. The sidewalks were lined with tourists standing or sitting on benches, as if there was nothing else to do but watch us go by as our group rolled into town and down the main drag. At the waterfront park, Duncan had ordered up food, a cake and beverages and set them up in a gazebo for our celebration. Thank you Duncan for making sure everything you do is first class.
As we celebrated, the best friend of one of the riders who left the ride last week to help his wife with her father, on hospice and deteriorating more quickly than expected, sent word that his father-in-law had just passed. Very sad, but the timing was confirmation that the tough decision he made to return home when he did was the right one.
It was chilly and windy, so when the celebrating was over, I headed to the post office to grab a box, then to the hotel to stuff it with the heavier items I wouldn’t be using in the next 2 days of riding. After dropping my box at the post office, I checked out the gift shops long enough to get T-shirts and post cards for my grandkids, then bought myself a pint of Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk for my own private celebration.
There was still work to be done—installing my other front rack, putting the proper bolts and washers at all the rack attachment points, organizing my gear into and balancing the weight of the panniers and culling out the food and gear I could leave behind. Once everything was squared away, I passed out and got myself a solid night of heavenly sleep in a real bed with a real pillow. Nirvana.
I’m not going to stop asking for donations. Here’s the link again. Two more days of this, and you won’t have to hear my begging any more.
Living Our Bucket List 
Hi Eileen, All of you deserved to be a parade and a large spread for breakfast . I feel that you all deserve so much more, but you already have achieved it. Your selfless gifts of funds, support, and time are great gifts. Though what you have achieved in the name of all with MS is so much more. You are a inspiration to all that if we use the tools that are given to us that we people with a disability can and will with time and a purpose can and will achieve so much more than was expected.
Thankyou Eileen and who Bike for MS Research,
Jo Beth DeVore
LikeLike
Hi Eileen. What a great adventure! I hope the memories you made along the way bring you joy and happiness. The next couple of days riding solo should give you ample time to reflect on the experience. Ride safe and stay healthy. Charlie
LikeLike
So good to hear that you arrived safely in Bar Harbor! My prayers have been answered. By the time that you read this you will have completed the rest of your goal also. Safe travels back to AZ!!
LikeLike