Finished =)

We made it!!! After a beautiful ride to the shore yesterday with one of our lovely sisters, Erin, Andrew and I have now completed our trip =) After around 450 miles of hitchhiking and around 3800 miles worth of biking in 53 days we are happy to be home.

I can not end this journey without saying thank you. First and foremost I want to give thanks to God for getting us home safe and sound and giving us such a great experience. It was a constant joy to see Him provide for us. I want to also thank our parents. Kevin and Carol Dolan never wavered in their support of their sons' crazy ideas for summer fun. Dad gave us the idea for the trip by doing it himself 30 years ago and generously let Andrew use his bike. Andrew and I are truly blessed to have the family we have and greatly appreciate all the little texts, phone calls, and messages recieved over the last 2 months! Now for those of you who remember when this all began back in June you'll remember we started in San Francisco. We could not have had such a smooth start if not for our family out West, the Levs. Thank you very much for welcoming us and putting us off on the right footing!! One more group needs to be recognized and that is all the people we've met along the way who made this trip such an adventure!! Andrew and I can't say enough how much we appreciate the kind words, actions and smiles all along the trip!

From me I want to say thank you to my brother Andrew. His unflinching perseverance, resolve, and near constant pleasant disposition made the daily riding a real joy. I am a better man from having spent this trip in his constant companionship.

And finally thank you to all of you who have donated to help give a gift to Living Water!! Because of your generiosity we were able to raise $1300 from private donors and from that we will be able to give a gift of $1100 to Living Water!!

Proof that we made it to the shore =)

Now that the trip is over life moves on, and will actually start speeding up very quickly. Andrew will be going back to school in a day or so to Liberty University where he will continue working on his degree and hopefully be getting a job in the area.

I will spend the next month here at home enjoying the company of friends and family I haven't seen in awhile. I will be preparing to move out to Illinois to start work for CAT on October 3rd. I am very excited about the opportunities before me and have never been more optimistic about the future. Living on my own I plan on learning to cook, golf, and speak Portuguese. I am also anticipating getting involved in the community and enjoying life on a river, ie kayaking =)

Any future adventures? Well...life's an adventure =) it's a matter of perspective, but as far as actual trips outside the ordinary Andrew and I have loose ideas of kayaking from Alaska down to Vancouver, either that or the Mississippi, and of course motorcycling all over the US is a given =)

If any of you are ever doing a big trip and want a loyal follower on a blog don't hesitate to email me at kndolan27.14@gmail.com

It has been a true pleasure,
Nate Dolan