According to Katherine: Day 53

This was Monday mourning coming down. How can we be so close to finished? The first day of our last week. The tear-open oatmeal was particularly awful. I had a little cup of fruit and a not-so-good English muffin. After we packed our PB&J and nuts we were off for the 54 mile ride to Perry, FL.

The temperature was 69 degrees and the clouds helped keep us cool. The head winds annoyed us from time to time but the roads were smooth and the shoulders, wide. It was absolutely flat, which challenges the legs of a 72-year-old. No coasting. Pedaling every minute.

You wouldn't see THIS from your car: manatees swimming in the Wakulla River.

We ate our PB&J in quarters at mile 10, 20, 30, and 40! The temperature had risen into the mid 80s when Marge and I arrived at the Hampton Inn at 12:30. The desk clerk could not understand why we were so elated that our room wasn't ready. We explained that we had never gotten in so early before! We got to have a fun lunch with most of the group at Mama's Italian Restaurant. I had a grilled veggie panini and home made, just fried, potato chips.

There was time to do our laundry and take a nap and time for me to receive the wonderful news that we are only $9,000 from our $200,000 goal for the WOCN Scholarship Fund. I spent an hour or so e-mailing  friends and colleagues asking them to call others to donate for the first time or donate a little more to help us "bring it home." Since our chef, Linda, had the night off we ordered pizza and had our supper in the motel lobby.

Our table tried to articulate the lessons we have learned on our journey. So many and yet still not clear enough to express. The motel had large fresh strawberries with white and dark chocolate for dipping. I helped myself to a half dozen of those! This was a night to put our tired bodies in the bed early to be ready for a an even longer flat ride tomorrow.

2911 miles behind us. 189 to pedal. 3 days to go.

Dr. Jeter Day 53 on Polyvore.com