We Made It. Boston, Chicago, and Beyond.

Dad and I arrived back in Chicago yesterday afternoon to complete the MS Pedal to the Metal trip.  Dad still has to fly back to San Diego tonight, for all intent and purpose, we've completed the journey.  I didn't make any updates to the blog in Boston or during our drive back to Chicago because I didn't want to miss any time hanging out in Beantown.

On Monday, we rolled into the Accelerated Cure Project in Waltham following a short 36-mile ride from Leominster.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the trip was the most enjoyable day of the entire ride.  We went through the western suburbs of Boston, which are very wooded and look to be like great places to live.  All of the houses are set off the road with plenty of land around them.  We passed more cyclists today than we did on any other day, so Eric and I thought we may have been following a good road for recreational bikers.

I can't speak for Eric, but I had an anxious feeling in my stomach as we rode closer to Waltham.  It was probably a combination of nervous energy and excitement to be done.  We rolled up to the ACP office to about 20 people cheering and clapping.  It was very exciting and emotional.  Luckily I had sunglasses on, so my macho persona stayed in tact.  I gave Margie a hug and it was so awesome to see her after being apart for over two weeks.  She was so proud of me and it made me feel so great to see her so emotional.  My great in-laws, the John and Irena Koszylko, made the trip to Boston to see Eric and I arrive.  I can't thank them enough for their support and love.  Plus, without them we would have had any champagne sprayed on us as we pulled up.  ACP put together a great lunch on the roof deck of their building.  Besides our family, many local volunteers showed up, plus the employees of the ACP office were there.  We are so appreciative of all the supporters coming out to cheer us in.  They took time out of their holiday weekend and we can't express how nice it was to have so many people there just for us.  Everyone at ACP and all the volunteers were very happy with our efforts and having them all there made a big difference to Eric and me.

We left the ACP office and headed into Boston to our hotel to shower and rest up.  We were staying at the Langham Hotel in the financial district of Boston.  It was a very, very nice hotel and the staff there was some of the nicest I've dealt with.  We all went to dinner on the inner harbor at Joes American Cafe and Bar.  After dinner we met the ACP folks at a bar called the Black Rose.  I think it was the only Irish Bar in all of Boston.  We got a big table and everyone had a great time drinking it up and letting loose.  After months of planning the event over phone calls and email, it was fun to get to know the ACP folks on a more personal level. 

On Tuesday morning (the 4th of July), most people headed back to Chicago.  I spent the day with Margie checking out some of the sights like Boston Common, Beacon Hill, and the Charles River.  We even ran into Norm Peterson.  Margie left for her flight in the afternoon and it was just Dad and I, set to rip up Boston.  We were tossing the idea around of leaving Boston on the 4th, but decided that there probably isn't a better place in the US to be on the 4th.   We couldn't have been more correct.

We caught a cab to Cambridge to get a spot for the fireworks.  We got there a tad too early (about 3 hours), but we were able to get a great spot on the river.  The concert shell was on the Boston side, but they had set up speakers all along the river so everyone could hear.  The Boston Pops played songs and patriotic tunes, which was awesome.  The added surprise was that Boston-native Aerosmith came out and played a couple of songs with the Boston Pops.  Nothing like seeing some old rockers jam with the symphony.  Dad's a ridiculous Aerosmith fan, so he was in heaven.

I had no idea how big of a deal the Boston Pops fireworks spectacular was.  The fireworks were absolutely amazing.  They were the best I’ve ever seen and I didn’t think anyone would be able to outdo the Chicago shows I’ve seen.  They even beat the Colfax fireworks.  Unbelievable.  Dad agreed.  Cambridge was definitely the right side of the Charles River to watch the show.  We had a view of the entire Boston skyline and the fireworks reflected off of the buildings.  As I watched the fireworks and earlier listened to the concert I thought about how this is the type of stuff that matters in life.  My Dad and I were sitting in Cambridge, staring across the Charles River at Boston, listening to the Boston Pops, and watching the 4th of July fireworks.  The whole trip and bike ride came to a great culmination at the 4th of July celebration.  I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

I also added spending a 4th of July weekend in Boston to my list of things that people need to do at least once in their life.  No joke.

Dad and I left Boston on Wednesday morning and headed west back to Chicago.  We ended up stopping DuBois, PA.  We shoved off on Thursday morning for Chicago.  Our entire drive back took us through Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.  We rolled into Chicago up Lake Shore Drive blasting the blues station on the radio.  There really couldn't have been a better way to end the trip.  Puts butterflies in my stomach.

Comments

[Margie]

What a wonderful experience! I'm SO proud of you, babe! Seeing you ride up to the ACP offices was so great - brought tears to my eyes. Love you SO much,
B

[The Duffys]

Congrats to you guys for an unbelievable accomplishment - the blogging was great and it was a pleasure to follow you on the trip. Thank you for the life inspiration.

Sweet 'stache.