There is only one more thing to say about this bike tour.  It involves an event that happened two weeks ago and, instead of writing about it at that time, I've been saving the story with the idea of using it as my conclusion.  Since this page IS my conclusion, I guess now is the time to tell you about it.

The setting was a rest area at Mile 118 on Interstate 94, about ten miles from Salem, North Dakota.  I stopped there to fill my water bottles and take a break from the heat and the wind.  As I sat under a shade tree next to my bike, a woman with a young toddler came up to me and asked a few questions about where I came from, where I was going, and why.  After I told her my story, she told me that she and her husband were bicycle riders and they have been talking about riding across the country with their kids when the kids get old enough.  "For the rest of their lives," she added, "the kids will know that if they can accomplish something like that, they can accomplish ANYTHING."

I think that is exactly what I've learned while cycling across half of the country over the last six weeks.  With that in mind, later on today, I'm going to start planning a ride through the other half.  After all, I can do ANYTHING!

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