Day Thirty-Eight - 6/11/2003

Lucille:

June 11 - Wednesday - WE MADE IT!  3072 miles!  We left St. George and drove back to Canadys so Tom could start the final leg of this adventure.  Highway 61 had very light traffic until we got close to Charleston.  The traffic got heavier.  As we approached Charleston, we passed a number of large plantations and some hunting clubs and the large trees reached over the highway.  What a beautiful drive.  With the help of our various maps, we plotted a good route to White Point Gardens.  I arrived about 25 minutes before Tom did.  Shortly after I arrived, Harry and Barbara Bishop, Dolores and Gary Stone, Dolores's mother and friends of the Stones, Tom's cousin Nancy Jervey, and a reporter from the Charleston newspaper arrived.  Later Nancy's daughter Anne and granddaughter Anne also came to welcome Tom.  It was exciting to see Tom ride in!  We were interviewed by the reporter and then we all spent about an hour at the park talking and taking pictures.  We are spending the night in Folly Beach with Harry and Barbara, friends of our friends the Egertons.  We have really enjoyed their hospitality.  Tom and Harry went for a swim in the ocean, right outside the Bishops' beach house.  Barbara and Harry took us to one of their favorite restaurants - The Mustard Seed on James Island.  The food was great.  The bike is now on the car, and tomorrow we will continue the rest of our trip by car.  This has been a fantastic adventure.  We saw many beautiful sights and met many very nice people.  I'm glad Tom had the dream of riding his bike across the U.S.

Total Trip Distance: 3071.75

WE MADE IT!!!

Highway 61 near Charleston

Destination cityHigh desert plateau - red rocks

TOM:

Day 38 – This was a beatiful ride to end my coast to coast bike trip. The road was flat, there was little or no wind and there was no rain.  A perfect day for a bike ride.  The temperature was a little warmer but the motion of the bike kept me feeling cool.  The scenery was very nice and much different than any I have seen before on the trip.  There were lots of trees, hunting clubs, and cemeteries along the road.  There were also a few farms and horse ranches.  The road approaching Charleston where the gardens are located was very picturesque with the overhanging trees covered with moss.  About 10 miles from the end point I saw my first slough with the green grasses.  Shortly after that the road widened and became busier until the end of Route 61 where it joined the James Island connector and the bridge to Charleston.  After crossing the Ashley River and entering Charleston the traffic was again light and the ride more peaceful. The sea breeze from the ocean felt cool as I rode toward the end of the trip on the Battery.  It was great to have family and friends to meet me at White Point Gardens.   This was truly a trip of a lifetime!

Canadys, SC to Charleston, SC 50 miles in 3 hours and 34 minutes for an average speed of 14.1 mph.  The elevation started at 100 feet and ended at 20 feet.  This was flat.

Ashley River and Charleston

Tom's cousin Nancy and her daughter Anne and granddaughter Anne

Dolores & Gary Stone and friend, Harry and Barbara  Bishop,  Tom's cousin Nancy Jervey

Approaching White Point Gardens