Pedal for Peace 2008

I am super psyched to announce that we accomplished our mission on Sunday!!! We dipped the wheels in the beautiful Boston Harbor amongst the pounding New England rain drops! Thank you to all of those that made the trip through the rain to be there to welcome us and congratulate us!

I’d be lying if I said I was not excited to be done pedaling for a while. I’m going to take some time to spend with my family and Jennifer before school starts next week. In some ways it feels like the trip went by fast and in others the desert seems like a lifetime ago. When I reflect back on the trip I often think that the stuff I did to get across this country on my bike is a bit ridiculous and will never do it again. But at the same time this trip kept reminding me how much I love to challenge and push myself both mentally and physically. I will say that if given the choice to do it again I would say no. But that is mainly because I’d rather try something new than repeat. But I will say this… I will NEVER NEVER repeat riding my bicycle 85+ miles per day in weather that never drops below 100 a hundred degrees for weeks on end. But chillin out in Amish country is something I’d do again!

This trip (as I hoped it would) has definitely restored my faith in humanity as my experience yielded many more encounters with great and helpful people as opposed to those that are malicious and suck. The way people went out of their way to help us across the states is mindblowing. I just hope I can one day help out others the way I have been aided this summer.

My friends and family waiting for me at the finish is a sight and experience I’ll never forget. I only wish I could have spent 100 hours with everyone that showed up on Sunday!

My bond with Mr. Patchy is stronger now than ever - although I’m sure he is psyched for a nice long break from me and my “blood pressure” ways of achieving my goals! We made it buddy and no matter what happens in our lives from here on out, nobody can take this experience away from us! Hite to Blanding Buddy!!!!

Well my friends. I hope you enjoyed reading my emails this summer as much as I have loved sending them out to ya’ll. I could type forever to you about my reflections of the summer. If you have any specific questions regarding this trip or anything else, just shout at me and we’ll be in touch. Until then - just live well, love all, inspire many, and respect all of creation. That is what has gotten me to this point.

Go get whatever it is you want… It is more than possible
With tons and tons of Green Mountain Vermont Love,
Peter Matthew Driscoll

Mission accomplished!!!!!

You absolutely would not believe what happened in Kansas yesterday on my B-day!!! So as I was trying my hardest not to miss home, not to miss my family chillin seaside in Mystic CT, and most of all trying not to miss Jennifer (my amazing girlfriend and bestest compadre) I found myself a tiny bit down as I sat on a concrete curb at a gas station in Kansas thinking, “is this my 30th? on a curb at a truck stop?” ( I hate to admit that I was a bit down but I was) Although I am fully aware I made the conscious decision to be here on my bike this summer, so feeling bad for myself has never been an option. I was just missing integral people in my life. Patch had been mad quiet all day and was not his fun-loving self - “why did he pick my B-day to act like this?” I thought to myself. We were halfway through our 105 ride-miles for the day and faced an insane headwind for the final 60 miles after lunch. But my B-day gift from the world in my mind was that I was spending my B-day in Kansas cause that is what I desired as my 30th in Kansas would be epically unique from all my other B-days.

The headwind was terrible, but Patch and I worked as a team drafting one another so we could get breaks from the relentless wind and recharge when it was our time to lead. We ended up seeing a lone biker ahead and charged forward to have him get on our train so we could pull him the final 30 miles so he would not have to face the wind by his lonesome. He turned out to be this amazing man, Tom, who has dreamed his whole life of riding X-country and now that he is retired he is doing it. Then we met up with a father/son duo, Jacob and his father, who was doing the same route. So the 5 of us formed a “pain train” and took turns leading while the others followed in line with a well deserved break from the plains wind. The sum is greater then the whole of its parts… proof positive here!

So the 5 of us absolutely crushed it through the head-windy plains and moved our mph from 9.5 before the train to 16.5 with it!! Teamwork! That really brightened my day knowing it wouldn’t be an all-day affair battling the wind as we got to our final day’s destination way sooner…. but the best was yet to come… ready for this?

I get to this grocery store here in the middle of nowheresville Kansas (Scott City to be PC) and ARE YOU READY FOR THE KICKER???… Jennifer walks around the corner and gives me this enormous birthday hug!!!!! It is now like 18 hours later and I am still in utter awe and shock and disbelief! She and Patch had been in cahoots and hooked it up! She booked a flight back in March to Colorado Springs hoping we would be close and rented a car then drove 4 hours to meet me here on July 8th!!! I had no I dea where we’d be on Jily 8th..even 3 days ago! I have no idea how she pulled it off. I was/am speechless and simply kept/keep repeating “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS, I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS, I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!!!! It is countless how many times I have uttered these words… countless. Now I know why Patch was so quiet all day… There are now so many clues that I NEVER picked up on. Jenn didn’t answer her phone when I called her on my B-day cause she was on a plane!!!!

The 3 of us went out to eat and celebrated the B-day with the local Mexicans at their family restaurant complete with ice cream cake from DQ and everything. She is here for 2 nights and then flys to Alaska for summer trip tommorrow- which I did know about.

All the stars are aligned right now… I can’t believe that she is sitting here next to me as I write you.. I can’t believe it!!
I am done trying to put this into words… I’m gonna go spend time with her now. I love everybody.

I have infinite stuff to share with you all… So much amazing news and fantastic experiences from life on the pedals… we hit half way at the end of this week (knock on wood) then we are sailing home….. extra time in GLP yeah?

Your favorite 30-year old cross country rider
Peteskie Wetesky!!!

Only 1 time zone away from you east coasters!!!

Hey All… sorry its been so long… Computers are mad scarce in the Zona and the space in between towns is days of pedaling. So I plan to update you all way more than once a state, but out in the dessert its pretty non-cubicle-esk if you will! But now we are in UTAH!!!!

There is soooooo much to type that I don’t even know where to start… so I’m gonna try and bring the info to you via numbers… here goes!
118 - the highest temp. that we have ridden in… quartzite AZ

5 - gallons of water consumed by me the day we ventured through the hardest and most desolate part of the dessert - sand dunes

10-25 - people that tell us we are crazy, nuts, out of control, etc… each day

1 - pairs of underwear I brought on this trip

1 - time I have worn them

30 - dollar amount I am spending/day thus far

1 - average # of showers I take/week

4 - the first # on my alarm clock when it goes off each morning followed by :00

6 - times/day we ask for a place to find water

8+ - meals consumed/day

1000 - calories consumed/meal

28 - bungee cords we have seen laying on the side of the road thus far

20 - dollars given to us by Pat at the Canyon…thanks man!!!!

85 - miles/day we are getting right now

3500 - feet climbed over a mountain today to get to this library

5000 - times/ day I think about riding into boston to finally see my friends and family

1 - minimum # of people I want to positively affect the lives of due to this trip

1 - restaurant meal I have consumed thus far - gonna do it every other state!

1000 - the motel/hotel mileage reward we get for pedaling this distance - my family members each gave me a night in a hotel for my 30th B-day (July 8th) - I love you all!!

100 - dollars I will spend on gotorade powder this summer

0 - dollars I will spend on gas this summer!

infinite - how many times/day I get tingles knowing how truly blessed I am to have the health, determination, support, respect, resources, and love I need as I ride these amazing roads through this jaw-dropping scenery!!!

Riding through the Grand Canyon yesterday was absolutely fantastic… I can’t describe it and won’t even try!

you can live your dream if you truly want to… This trip is proof!

See ya in Kansas!

What up Patchy… 4 days before we are left coastin’! Kurt sent me the route from his place to the ocean and how to catch our route west. From that point on - every rotation of the wheel will be one closer to the Atlantic!! As I told you yesterday.. I am feeling like a boxer right before a big fight. All the preparation is done, everything is in place for this event. I feel a calm running through my entire being and I am officially ready. Plus… I finished my 179 report cards today! My body is in rest mode after some rides in the 95 degree heat this week to acclimate to riding in heat. I’ll rest until the big ride with a relaxing “goodbye to VT roads” ride around my town tomorrow. Then the next ride will be with you in CA.

Its the calm before the storm. The 65 day storm that will have us swimming in the atlantic on Aug 20th!!!

see ya when I’m still 29
PD

I’m lovin life!!

We are officially less than a month from departure. I have 15 days of school remaining until I tie up my golden shoes and ride the bus in with the kids for my “Last Day of School Celebration!” Then it’s less than 24 hours until we are boarded on that mechanical bird that will take us to the Pacific in 6 hours. Hopefully within 65 days I’ll be back in this very location in vermont having dipped my wheels in both oceans!!! There in nobody in the world I’d rather tackle this challenge with than the one and only Patch-Daddy!!

Of all my travels and adventures…My mind has NEVER been more consumed and focused than it is on this bike ride.

When you stop taking risks, you stop living!!!

Pete Drix