corner to corner USA: The Sweet Smell of the Ocean

Saturday 20 October 2012

The Sweet Smell of the Ocean

Today was a historic day for me; I reached the Atlantic Ocean. I can now put 'cycled coast to coast of the USA' on my CV! Of course, the plan is to cycle the 'corners' of the USA, but it is nice to have a tick in the box!

I surprised myself how emotional I was at seeing the Ocean; especially as I don't even like beaches!

The moment from today that I will never forget was smelling the sea / salt water. It was incredible.

I smelt the salt water about 2-3miles before I arrived at the beach as I crossed a sea water river.

The second the scent of sea water went up my nose the most amazing feeling swept through my body, the hairs on my arms and legs stood up and, yes.....I cried like a little girl!! It was an unforgettable feeling and one I wish I could bottle, I can only imagine how good it will feel to run out of land to cycle in Key West on 1 November. I can't wait now.

One thing I wasn't ready for was how restricted access to the beach is in the USA, I had to cycle 2miles along the beach road before I found public access to the beach!

So to celebrate my achievement I am writing a blog by torch light (being attacked by bugs!) with a nice cold can of Icehouse lager. I might have two cans of lager in Key West!

3 comments:

Unknown20 October 2012 at 10:19
That is some achievment, hats... sorry, helmets off to you sir. Good luck with the rest of the journey/adventure.
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Unknown24 October 2012 at 04:14
Congratulations Richard. Enjoy Kennedy Space Centre, its well worth the visit. The Saturn 5 rocket is huge, but then everything on the site is huge.
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A Bit About Me...

My name is Richard Boxhall and I live in Bristol, UK. I have decided to make a difference in 2012. Starting in August 2012, I plan to undertake the biggest challenge of my life, cycling corner to corner of the USA, a journey of 5,000 miles, solo and unsupported.

I aim to raise money for, and awareness of, the disaster relief charity ShelterBox - my target is to raise sufficient funds to purchase 10 complete ShelterBoxes through a series of fundraising events.

The Corner to Corner challenge will begin in August 2012 when I set off from Neah Bay (Washington State), and cycle 5,000 miles solo and unsupported to Miami, Florida. I will complete the entire journey by bicycle over a period of 3 months. A rough route will be planned prior to departure, with the finer details being confirmed day by day ‘on the road’ to allow flexibility. I will undertake simple maintenance and repairs during the tour, carrying sufficient spare parts to deal with most foreseeable failures. I aim to camp and cook my own meals wherever possible throughout the tour.