I dedicate this ride...

Astoria -

The far west corner of our country....

...the end of my training...

..and the beginning of an amazing bike ride.

Dan's red pickup carried us Portland to Astoria...

As we hit the Hotel Astoria you could hear the question....

Do we really want to do this?

Chilly skies, hungry, scared...

But brave souls that we are, we put on the bike gear...

(...the gear always helps...)

And biked to lunch..

The Wet Dog cafe...

We eat overlooking the great Columbia River...

.

..sitting next to bikers of the motored persuasion.

And despite the dire warnings of the risks...

...we take off for the Pacific Ocean.

As soon as the clips are in the pedals, life feels good again.

This is the bike.

We have biked so many miles together.

And a mile in Astoria measures the same as a mile in Indiana.

Balanced on this thin frame of steel I feel at home.

Over the bridge bravely...

A little bit lost....

We finally find the Western edge of America.









A moment of reflection...

......so much preparation...

so much waiting....

... for this very moment...

The moment the great journey begins is here.

I need a moment to remember the greatest influence on my life....

The man who cheered me on from the earliest training wheels through med school...

...marriage...

....childbirth...

....and now.....

Thank you, Dad, for always being there.

I dedicate this ride to you.

Happy Father's Day.