UConn Coast to Coast Bike Trip 2018

Hello for a final time, Our journey through Manhattan was certainly unforgettable thanks to our hosts. We stayed with a few MD/PhDs from Cornell and Rockefeller who truly made us feel at home even in such a large city. We enjoyed chatting, telling stories, and exploring the city on bicycle with them. It was fun to be connected through medicine and our love for biking. When we finally reached the coast, it was a whirlwind experience. We were greeted with lots of love by our families, dipped our tires, and suddenly, our cross country trek was over. All of our efforts over the past two months were rewarded with this great accomplishment. It's amazing to have been able to make this my summer adventure with the help of all of my friends and family, and all others who helped donate, advise, and give support to us. On the road, my converstations about mental health were eye opening, and I am glad to continue to be an advocate. I now have a broader perspective from which to speak o

Hello again, I can't believe we have gone through two more states since my last post. We are nearing the end of our journey here across these great United States. Now, we are in NYC and are exploring the largest city so far of our trip. We had a fun trip into Philly, taking the Pike to Bike route on the old abandoned PA turnpike. We explored the old tunnels and climbed up to look at the decrepit machinery. The PA hillside was wonderful and we enjoyed riding through the Amish farms. We even took some time to play mini golf, swim in the community pool, and stop by Valley Forge to steep in its rich history. Though we are trying to get back before school starts, we are still finding time to enjoy ourselves. During our time in Philly, we stayed with a retired chef who told us the inspiring stories of his journies through the Mississippi Delta. From the owner of Jones BBQ who won a James Beard award and catered to the Clinton's with pulled pork on wonder bread, to the founder o

Hello, We've reached Pittsburgh. What a unique city, mixing new with old. Our host here is awesome and has been sharing many cool stories from his travels. One cyclists that came through was so obsessed with being in shape that he filled his bags with rocks. Luckily for us, were fine with carrying only our gear. Since Toldeo, we've been to Cleveland, and Amish country. We even got to see a horse and buggy cross a main intersection! Along the ride we also got to stop by Lake Erie and take a dip. It was cool and refreshing. Not long until home now for sure. Christine

Hello again, Our journey continues in Ohio today. After staying in Milwaukee, we were on the road at 4am to catch our 6am ferry across lake Michigan. Luckily, there were no cars around at all, so we were able to enjoy a quiet tour of the city on our way out. We reached the dock just in time to see the sun rise over the lake. Later that day, on our way to Grand Rapids, Curtis got his bike fixed up and a new helmet since his old one had cracked. Overall, the past few days have been nice. Beautiful fields of crops, and lakes are abundant. Last night, we stayed in Toledo, which ended up being a cool city. On our way into town, we stopped by a completely volunteer-run community bike shop to fix a flat tire. The staff there were amazing!  Then, on arriving, we had lots of fun with our warm showers host, visiting the plasticine museum at the University of Toledo Medical School, and generally sharing stories. Tonight we are camping and then tomorrow we will be off the Cleveland! We