Location: Troy, New York

After a month of not writing, this is finally the O2G guys last update. We hope you enjoyed following along during our adventure and that you were able to share in it. Thank you to all those who have been following this journey and keeping us in their thoughts and prayers.

Fun Facts:

Number of states we rode through: 12

Number of broken spokes: 25 (11 being Dave’s and 9 being Kevin’s)

Number of flat tires: 20 (12 of which being Aaron’s)

Number of postcards sent: 130 (Dave sent at least half of those)

Total mileage: 3512

Number of times our front tires went around (each): 2,617,887

Number of calories taken in per day per person: 4,500

Total calories consumed over the trip: 900,000

Total btu’s produced: 3.6 million

Producing 878 Watts on average for the duration of the trip

This is enough energy to light 11 75-watt light bulbs 24 hours a day for 50 days straight

Days that gastrointestinal humor was still funny: 50

Continuous states on just one front chain ring: 1, Kansas (Aaron)

Continuous states without using the granny ring: 5 (Dave…bad front derailer)

Continuous states without Todd shaving: 8

Longest duration without a shower: 216 hours

Ounces of chocolate milk consumed: 768

Number of newspapers published in: 5 (3 are unconfirmed but probable)

Thank Yous

We would like to thank all of the following people for making all of these above stats possible:

First of all, to our parents: Brad and Linda Garnett, Jerry and Mary Brown, Ramsey and Bonnie Johnson, Jim and Barbie Murphy, without whom we would never have even learned how to cross the street or ride a bike, we are eternally thankful for your love and support throughout all the stages of this voyage. You were always there to encourage us on, listen to our complaints, take care of our needs, and welcome us home. You are the best.

Next, to all of you who took us in, gave us food, lodging, and your awesome company, your hospitality was incredible. Flat out, we smelled bad, we looked funny, and we probably sounded funny–but you still introduced us to your families and your showers. We are indebted to you and if you are ever nearby to any of us we will consider it an insult if you do not let us return your kindness. To the Drechslar family in Oregon, your pizzas are now renowned throughout the U.S. along with your hospitality. To the Obendorf family, who gave us memories to encourage us up and over many hills. To Big Tex and Glen-Dawg, who were on a journey of their own and shared their adventure with us. To Delores and Mike Crow, who took us in on a days notice and gave us rest and great conversation. To Nicole in Jackson for taking a chance and letting four total strangers stay in her home. To Dave Bell, for finding us on the street and giving us shelter and great Pinedale stories along with sharing his dreams with us. To Rhonda and Casey Farrell and Kimberly and Tanni, who took us in as their own kids and fed us the best Indian food west of the Mississippi. To Brenda Harms and her family for introducing us to deep-fried turkey and for staying up with us to all of hours of the morning just for fun. To John Blea and his family and friends for trusting us to his home away from home and extending hospitality only found in the heartland. To Dan Buckner, Ashley Smith, and Sara Beck, who let us crash (in more than one way) at their place in Nashville for two days while we rested, ate gargantuan amounts of food, and were toted all around by the awesome Ashley. To Jack and Valerie McCauley for giving us a terrific evening in their new Tennessee home and treating us like kings. To the Noel and the Wilhoit Family and Nicole for showing us the Dayton scene and giving us great food and fantastic conversation, not to mention the use of Dave’s cumfy-couch.

Lastly, we would like to give some shout outs to all of the people who added to our trip in a variety of ways. We would like to thank the local gas station attendants across the country for their ability to always smile at us and let us sleep in their places of business for hours at a time while occasionally giving us refreshing beverages and/or food. Thanks to Josh Brace for hanging out with us at the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. To Uncle Jim, who gave us something to talk about from Wyoming to Georgia, thank you. Thanks to Chatty Amy for her highly outgoing and jovial personality that kept us laughing in remembrance for days. A most esteemed thank you to the Anstey’s from Colorado Springs, who in our need for quarters, hooked us up with not only that but also a full barbecue including cocktails, brownie-sundaes, and fantastic conversation. To the Coke guy who gave us free bottle caps to use extravagantly from Georgia to the coast–you’re so money and you don’t even know it. Thanks to Ralph from Bird City, who must’ve been a comedian at one point in his life, for regaling us with your tales of pogo-sticking across Kansas and other odd stories. To the two Jenny’s in Gerald, thank you for filling us up with country lovin’ and a lot of good cooking and conversation. To the McDonald’s owner in Missouri who was our mom away from home for a day, we sincerely thank you for your hospitality. Also, to the McDonald’s staff all across the country for your continually good service, smiles, free refills, and $.99 McSpicy chicken sandwiches…Ronald would be proud. Thank you to the concerned driver in Chattahoochee National Forest who was an answer to prayer but will never know it. Thanks to the Kansas and Missouri city parks for keeping your pools so easily accessible and refreshing on those hot summer nights. Thanks to Rob Kuseski and Chris Malloy for inspiring us to ride like the wind on Trail Ridge. And thank you to all the bike shops who serviced our needs across the country, especially Sunnyside Sports in Bend, Oregon; Bike Pedlar Cycling in Nashville, Tennessee; and Scott’s Bicycle Centre, which has more personality than any shop in the U.S., located in Cleveland, Tennessee. Also, thank you to Kristin Davidson for hanging out with and driving around with smelly men all the way from Washington D.C. to Ellicott City, Maryland.

To each and every one of you reading this, thank you for your support, encouragement, and prayers that were all well appreciated. We hope that you enjoyed this adventure as much as we did. We also hope that you are encouraged by the fact that even four ordinary dudes such as us are able to accomplish something of this magnitude soley because we tried and you helped. You too, then, can accomplish awesome things with a little trying and a lot of support. Until a next adventure…

Kevin Blodgett, Aaron Brown, Dave Johnson, and Todd Murphy