Home At Last
I was encouraged to make one more entry into this blog by Doug and Joan.

We arrived at A&S at 3pm on Saturday. We were surprised to see a lot of the same people there waiting for us who sent us off four weeks earlier. My cancer support group was there and I was moved by their presence.

Doug and I posed for the camera:

We had a cake:

We even took a group photo with my support group:


I am very proud of what Doug and I did on this trip. Each of us, in our own way, fulfilled a dream. Doug had long wanted to ride the Dempster and the Dalton highways end to end. He was able to do both highways and with a great deal of style, I might add.

I set a goal of reaching the Arctic Circle on the Dempster Highway. Our ride up the Dempster was an exercise in patience but we made it. It was almost anti-climatic when we arrived at the Arctic Circle the next day since the road was dry and the weather was great.

My most rewarding feelings came from meeting inspirational people along the way. Also I received many emails from people following the blog from as far away as Europe. To hear how our ride inspired them made me feel great. Finally there was a fair amount of money raised for the Sutter Cancer Center. Kind hearted people from all over donated to our local effort.

As important as anything Doug and I were there for each other. Doug would always warn me about challenges in the road on our two-way radios. He would do his best to get me a ground floor room because he knew stairs would be difficult for me. When Doug ruined his tire on the pipeline highway I was there for him to get him home safely.

If you are reading this, Doug, I want you and everyone else to know that you go beyond epitomizing the spirit of the road. You were there for me when I needed you and you demonstrated skills on your bike that men half your age can only aspire to. You are a road warrior and I am proud to have made this ride with you.

What's next? Well both Doug and I are wondering how hard it would be to get our picture taken at the equator; only time will tell!


- posted by Dell @ 5:53 PM