North East, PA to Hamburg, NY

67.5 miles. A long day, but not grueling. The weather was cool and rain dripped on us off and on throughout the morning. But the only downpour occurred while we were inside a Chinese restaurant having lunch in Silver Creek, a grimy little town along New York's Lake Erie shoreline.

We've met many, many people on this trip who - upon hearing about our trip - immediately said "I've always wanted to do that". We've also met many people - including a local guy at breakfast this morning and a guy leaving a C-store in Dunkirk, NY - whose first reaction is to recall their own bicycling experience. Finally, there are the many people - including many who are considerably younger than us - whose reaction has been "I could never do something like that". We have tried very hard to convince everyone, particularly those in the last category, that they should never dismiss out of hand the idea of taking on a similar challenge. First of all, although many of you may be skeptical about this, I honestly think that anyone in reasonably decent physical condition could do this. It doesn't require a world-class body (which should be obvious to those of you who know us or even from viewing the pictures of ourselves) or ultra-marathon type endurance ability. Perseverance and an ability to deal with complications as they arise are the most important attributes at being successful at this. Second, most people greatly underestimate their capability to do things that are outside their "zone of comfort". I am also convinced that almost everyone can do more than he/she thinks they can. If one can just take that first step outside the zone, he/she will discover this. OK, I will step down from my soap box, but my message is simple - YOU CAN DO IT.