Photo - finally in the ocean!

A long overdue photo - finally putting my tired feet in the Atlantic ocean at the end of my bike ride, in Emerald Isle. As soon as I stopped pedaling I found a beach access, which had a long wooden ramp over the dunes. Of course a road bike is useless on the beach, but I rolled and carried it down to the surf anyway. After a long summer of training and five straight days of pedaling, I developed an emotional attachment to my bike and felt it deserved to see the ocean after working so hard.

More than a week after finishing the bike ride, I feel grateful and happy for the experience and amazed by how far away it already feels. It seems so easy, looking back, but of course it wasn't. At times - fleeting - it felt darn miserable. But the feeling at the end of the ride, standing on that beach, and all the support and and affirmation I've gotten since coming home, were worth it completely. I did something a little crazy, a little bit different, and people noticed. And they noticed the message - invest in education - in the process. That is my hope.

The lines are still open for donations to BIKE NC. If you have donated already, thank you SO much. Please continue to pay attention to education. To how it's written about in the media and discussed by politicians. And raise your own voice - tell your congressmen to invest in education; volunteer at a school. Call up the East Durham Children's Initiative or NC Partnership for Children and ask them how you can get involved. And share your stories with me. The blog will stay up. I want to hear from you.

Here's a bit of good news about North Carolina high schools with good graduation rates.