Washington, DC

Its the last day of the trip and it is an incredibly bitter sweet feeling. We had 30 miles and the skies were clear the whole way. We arrived at George Washington University around 9:30 AM and had an hour and a half to wait for our arrival to the Capitol. We got to see two other Purdue Pi Kapps who now work for the national fraternity. 11 AM came quick and we got in line behind the vans and police escort to head up Pennsylvania Ave to make our way to the Capitol. It was 90 degrees but somehow I still got goosebumps. James and I rode third in line. It was an incredible feeling to just see the monuments and finally see the Capitol building. There were hundreds of spectators awaiting our arrival. We finally made it to DC and after listening to a few speeches and team pictures it was time to finally see my family and friends who came to see me. This was the summer of my life and an incredible experience that I will remember for my entire life!

Manassas, VA

Today we had a short 50 mile ride to Manassas. It was pouring rain the whole day but at least it was warm. Every other day it has rained this summer is has been under 50 which makes the rain even worse. We had another Chipotle lunch which was great. That evening we met both the North and South teams for an all team lunch. There we discussed the arrival. That evening we had to finish our team activity and headed to bed.

Fredericksburg, VA

Today we had a 50 mile ride to Fredericksburg. We have been having some of our best weather of the trip through WV and VA. We had a Chipotle lunch and had some free time to go to Walmart and bike shops. That night we had a friendship visit and dinner. We had a great visit and headed back to lodging for a team activity.

Richmond, VA

Today we had a 70 mile ride to Richmond, VA. We had another great day to ride. That afternoon we did our Kids on the Block presentation. Brandon, Dave, and I gave two presentations on bike safety to the little ones. That night we had a great dinner supplied by a Pi Alpha. James and I met up with two fraternity brothers we know from Purdue. It was great to see some old friends and enjoy their company.

Farmville, VA

Today we had our last century to Farmville, VA. It was a fun ride with great weather. We arrived at Longwood University and had a great lunch there. That evening we had a friendship visit and dinner at STEPS. STEPS is an organization that employs people with disabilities to work and make military uniforms. We had a great visit and headed back to our hotel for the night.

Roanoke, VA

This morning we had a short 40 mile ride to Roanoke. Before we started the ride the team rode over to the Virginia Tech memorial to pay our respects to those who lost their lives a few years ago during the tragic school shooting. The ride was mostly downhill which was nice because we were all extremely sore. We arrived at Hotel Roanoke and got ready for our friendship visit that evening. We hit the town that night as our days our coming to an end.

The next day we went to Rob Hamilton's lake house and enjoyed a day on the lake. We all got to tube, swim and kayak. It was a great day to just relax. That evening we drove to an Easter Seals camp where we ate dinner with the campers. We all called it an early night as this is our last day off and probably our last day to get a good nights sleep.

Blacksberg, VA

Today we had a 100 mile ride into Blacksberg, VA. It is weird to be in the last state of the journey. It feels like just yesterday when I was on a plane to Seattle. Today was one of the hardest days of the trip. The ride was just ascending and descending the mountains. The total ride took about 8 hours to complete. We arrived at Virginia Tech which where both Fred and Kenny go to school. That evening we had dinner at the dining courts and then hit the town.

Beckley, WV

Today we had a 70 mile ride to Beckley, WV. We started climbing the mountains today which are much different than the mountains we climbed out west. There are no switch-backs and its pretty much straight up and down with grades reaching 15%. It was a tough day but we all got through it. That night we had a friendship visit and dinner. After dinner we headed over to the local dirt track to watch some good ol' dirt car racing. It was a blast and after the races we all got to bed as soon as we could as we have head that tomorrow is one of the hardest days of the trip.

Charleston, WV

We had a short 45 mile day into the capital of West Virginia, Charleston. We arrived at a friendship visit with a local children therapy center. After the friendship visit we departed for a local community center which is where we were staying for the night. That evening we went to a single A baseball game which was a blast. We got front row seats and I caught two baseballs!

Huntington, WV

Today we had 75 miles to get into a new state and get to Huntington, WV. The ride was full of rolling hills which are a ton of fun to use momentum to get up and down the hills. We arrived at the Holiday Inn which means we get beds again. That night we had dinner and a friendship visit. We headed back to lodging where I cleaned my bike and hit the hay.

Moorehead, KY

This morning we had a 55 mile ride to Moorehead, KY. The ride went quick and we had a great lunch at CiCi's pizza. That evening we had a friendship visit and departed back to lodging where we had beds again! It was another early night as the whole team is getting pretty tired and sleep is a vital part of journey.