Good afternoon. This is a video that I have not wanted to make. I’ve been putting it off all morning, but I need to get it going.

It is the last day. Closing the book on the long ride. If you follow the blog, you know that I was home for Father’s Day weekend after having traveled from Astoria, Oregon, back here to Granby, and then Donna picked me up from Granby and brought me home.

I had a wonderful three days, then I got back on the bike on Monday, climbed up over Hoosier Pass to Fairplay. I had a really, really tough night, as I documented in the blog. And then yesterday, I rode from Fairplay to Canyon City, Colorado, which is the bottom of the mountains and into the plains.

And during that ride I came to the conclusion that I really don’t want to finish the TransAmerica Trail alone.

Physically I feel fantastic. I feel really strong riding, I’m eating well, sleeping well. So this isn’t a physical thing. And quite frankly, I think it would almost be easier if it was. But mentally and emotionally, I realized how challenging it was for me to get home by myself.

I loved it. I loved every minute of riding. I loved the scenery. But the loneliness took more of a toll on me than I anticipated. I think ultimately I was able to do it because I was coming home.

The reality is, while I do love riding, I love life behind bars, for me it’s meant to be enjoyed with someone else or other people. And that wasn’t going to be the case. And the thought of going across the Great Plains and on to the East Coast by myself, quite frankly, was just more than I can handle or want to handle.

And while it is really disappointing to give up on something that I started, the possibility of disappointing any of you is the hard part of this.

I just know in my heart of hearts that doing it alone just isn’t for me.

And, you know, lots of people have encouraged me to keep going. And then lots of people have also been very understanding about my decision.

So this is the last video. Thank you so much for coming along on this journey.

I rode 1900 miles, and climbed 74,000 feet in 31 days of riding. I am proud of that achievement. I am disappointed that I’m calling it quits, but very, very proud of my achievement.

So thank you so much. Donna and I will get busy designing the rest of the remaining sabbatical, but thank you for and joining along on this ride. I’m going to continue to enjoy whatever the next journey is. Thank you so much.