This was it, the day we had all been waiting for. For 62 days we had ridden our bikes with the goal of reaching the Atlantic Ocean, and now we had arrived. It was a very exciting day as one would imagine, but it was bittersweet, as it marked the end to such an incredible journey.
We began the day just like ever other. We woke up early, packed up our sleeping bags, and started to pedal. At our first rest stop, it started to get exciting, as many of the team's family members had arrived to meet us there.
Leaving Franklin, Virginia
First rest stop.
Police escort to Regent University.
After the first rest stop, we continued on to the town of Chesapeake, where we were met by the local police who gave us an escort to our next destination of Regent University. This was an extremely cool experience as they completely blocked all traffic for us. We could use the entire road and we wouldn't have to stop for anything, including red lights!
The Police led us to Regent University, where we were scheduled to have a ceremony. Regent donated money to us in the beginning of the trip. Also, my teammate Ben Prevost would be attending Regent as a freshman that year. In fact, he was scheduled to move into the dorms the very next day!
Once we arrived at Regent we were greeted by everyone's family and friends. I was lucky to have my grandmother and grandfather from Delaware there to watch me ride in.
At Regent, we had a ceremony honoring all that we had accomplished. There were a few guest speakers including the Dean of Regent University and our Scoutmaster. Overall it was a very nice ceremony and served as a good reflection on our epic trip.
The Police led us to Regent University, where we were scheduled to have a ceremony. Regent donated money to us in the beginning of the trip. Also, my teammate Ben Prevost would be attending Regent as a freshman that year. In fact, he was scheduled to move into the dorms the very next day!
Once we arrived at Regent we were greeted by everyone's family and friends. I was lucky to have my grandmother and grandfather from Delaware there to watch me ride in.
At Regent, we had a ceremony honoring all that we had accomplished. There were a few guest speakers including the Dean of Regent University and our Scoutmaster. Overall it was a very nice ceremony and served as a good reflection on our epic trip.
Dean Patterson of Regent University
Our police escort.
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After we departed from Regent, we rode our final 20 miles to the Atlantic Ocean! It was incredible to see the water for the first time. We had traveled so far, over all kinds of terrain and through all sorts of weather. We had finally made it. It was hard to believe, even for us, that we had pedaled across the entire country. My perspective on the world had changed. You look at the world differently when you know the other side of the country is just a bike ride away!
The next hour was filled with much celebration and many photographs. We first took pictures in front the the huge King Neptune statue that sat on the edge of the beach. We then walked our bikes down to the water's edge and dipped our tires in the salty Atlantic, much like we had done 63 days before on the shores of California.
Turning onto the beach.
 Michael Combs, age 17  Jonathon Herman, age 16  Joesph Lawrence, age 18  Bill Kurz  Jerry Gerard |  Ben Prevost, age 18  Logan Everts, age 17  George Tryfiates, age 16  Alexander Prevost, age 16  Alicia Prevost |  Max Atkinson, age 15  Robert McGroarty, age 16  Cory and Bruce White  Michael Prevost  Candace Everts |
And me, age 15.
FRONT tires in the Atlantic!
After dipping our tires, we decided to forgo the formalities, and we all plunged into the Ocean. We had definitely earned a trip to the beach.
We left the beach and all the festivities to clean up at our respective hotels. After showering, we met up once again for a final dinner as a team. It was after this that we finally had to part ways. As I live so far away from the rest of the group, I was sad to be leaving them. It had been an incredible experience to spend the summer with a group of 9 like-minded Eagle scouts. I have made some great friends on this trip and I hope that our paths will cross again.
It is impossible to sum up all the amazing experiences I have had this summer in just a few sentences. I can't believe how far we have all gone, how much we have seen, and how many amazing people we have met. I will forever remember this summer as being one of most extraordinary adventures a boy could hope to have.
The Video Below is a 20 minute recap of our entire journey.
63 days to ride East - 6 hours to fly West
