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PACKS PADDLES AND PEDALS TRIATHALON TOUR

July 29, Day 253

It is extremely hard to believe, but the day has finally arrived to bring a conclusion to this long adventure. We were not shedding any tears; however, as Geri and I left Booneville and headed west toward Higginsville. We had to leave the Katy Trail behind at this point with regret. The Katy heads southwest through Sedalia to Clinton. We were back on paved roads with hills to climb again, but nothing like we experienced for weeks in the Appalachians. We pedaled off route a mile to Blackwater, Missouri for breakfast and we took a long rest stop in Marshall. Just before Marshall we found it amusing, that here we were so close to home, and we passed the most exotic animal we have seen on the entire trip. We cycled by an Ostrich! Soon after leaving Marshall, Pastor Glen Nowack of Higginsville drove by and welcomed us home. He said there was a spot waiting for us in the annual Corder Picnic Parade at 7:30 PM tonight. We passed through Corder on our way home and took our last rest stop. Waiting in Corder was Brian Kelling of the Higginsville Advance, who has taken such a big interest in our journey and given us extensive coverage in the local newspaper. After our last interview and photos, we pedaled the last 5 miles to Higginsville and reached our home after traveling 3463 miles on our tandem bike in 301 hours and 29 minutes for an average speed of 11.5 mi/hr. We covered an average of 57.7 mi/day, not including the 7 rest days. Our cycling was not finished for the day; however, we loaded up the bike on our van and drove back to Corder to be in the parade. It was a fun way to bring closure to our long adventure and it was very flattering to get so many congratulations from individuals who have been following our progress during our trip. Of course, without the coverage in the Higginsville Advance and this website provided by Citizens Telephone Company, hardly anyone would have known we were gone. Thanks to all those individuals who worked so hard to share our story for others to enjoy and one last thank you to the many good people across this country who helped us make our journey more pleasant and sometimes even possible. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU! Many people have asked us, "What's next?" Honestly, Geri and I do not have any solid plans for the immediate future, but I know we will be planning for another big trip someday. We seem to be happiest when we are on an outdoor adventure in the middle of a long journey. Our experiences validate a quote by Ursula K. LeGuin. "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it's the journey that matters in the end."

The End.

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