Thanks!

May 4, 2014
I'm writing this back home in Ft Lauderdale two months to the day from when I flew to San Diego.

First and foremost:
I'd like to thank my wonderful family for their amazing support and encouragement before and during my trip. Unfortunately, since my return, my celebrity status has strangely and mysteriously diminished and I'm back to taking out the trash and washing dishes....  I guess that's ok. 52 DAYS is lots better than 15 MINUTES of fame...

Also, thanks to all of you who have read my blog and waited patiently for the occasional and usually late updates. To show my appreciation (and teach certain internet addicts I know a lesson) , I have compiled some really boring statistics for you!

BORING TRIP STATS
52  days total
45  riding days
7    rest days in Tucson AZ, Columbus NM, Marathon TX, Concan TX, Richards TX, Dauphin Island AL, High Springs FL.

OFFICIAL MILEAGE: (you may select only one of the following)
A. 2896.1   Organizer's "Official" Mileage totaled from the occasionally less than perfect Cue Sheets or
B. 2981.2   Organizer's "Official" Mileage by State total or
C. 2940.4   Douglas Peterson's QOGIM*
*Quazi-Official Guaranteed Inaccurate Mileage Defined (today only) as: one day lost to illness combined with my "actual" mileage that is calculated from a "Dead on Day 36" expensive Garmin Edge 800 cycling GPS and a, uh, not so expensive Wal-Mart cycling computer plus all the miles of riding around (like to various Wal-Marts)  that weren't on the "official" route = "Your mileage may vary"

Days     State          Mileage
4         California         188 miles
9          Arizona           490.1 miles
3      New Mexico        173.6 miles
19        Texas            1059.8 miles
5       Louisiana           281.9 miles
2      Mississippi          204.3 miles
2       Alabama             78.8 miles
8        Florida             504.7 miles

CLIMBING:
over the 3,000 miles from our start in San Diego we climbed a total of 109,995 feet.... (and since we made it to the water's edge in St Augustine Beach, the scientist in me is reasonably sure that we also probably descended 109,995 feet...)

Coldest day:
Day 38 - 33° F,  April 15th in Clinton, LA
Hottest day:
Day 51 - 88° F, April 27 in Palatka, FL

My Longest day:
Day 21- 101.6 miles - Rodeo NM to Columbus, NM
My Hardest day:
Day 23 - 81.5 miles - Sanderson, TX to Comstock, TX with 20 mph, increasing to 40 mph headwinds where only 11 riders finished ;-(

my advice to you all is to crank up some Queen and
GET ON YOUR BIKES AND RIDE!!!