Home at last

Waukesha firefighters discussed "Fill the Boot."
(Elizabeth Nelson photo)

To contribute to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, click here:  JON'S MDA DRIVE


Well, I'm home, 23 pounds lighter. That's about a pound for every hundred of my 2,500 miles.

My re-entry yesterday started at the Waukesha Fire Station on Pearl Street, where Elizabeth of the MDA had arranged a casual meet-up at which we discussed firefighting, biking, fundraising, etc. One of the firefighters told me that in a recent year the Waukesha fire department responded to an average of 20 calls a day, which struck me as a ton.

If you're a Journal Sentinel subscriber, you can see MJS reporter Lori Nickel's story on this meeting and my ride at https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/2019/08/07/nickel-milwaukee-man-cycling-across-united-states-despite-muscular-dystrophy/1944488001/

Paywalls are a bane of the modern world.

There's heavy construction on Highway 59, also known as Les Paul Parkway, near the station, and when I was leaving, by bike of course, the firefighters commandeered a huge firetruck to ride behind me, lights flashing, so I would make it safely to the trail. Seeing us pass, construction workers started yelling, quite angrily, "MOVE! MOVE! THERE'S A FIRETRUCK RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" and I yelled back, "I KNOW! I KNOW! THEY'RE HELPING ME!!"

I rode toward home on the trails. At Miller Park, Ms. V had organized a greeting with about 20 friends. She'd had a sign made, and it was great to see everybody. I passed out the MDA shirts and we all convened at our back patio for food and libations. Thanks so much to everybody who showed up!

I went to bed as soon as it ended, mid-afternoon, slept for a few hours, and then was up eating all night.

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I'm going to try to turn this around in a week, week and a half, to start the eastern leg. I have some bike repairs and pack reconfiguring to do, and other sundry tasks. I look forward to a fresh start!