Hello all. A lot of people have asked what we are going to do now. I have hung my bike up and dusted off my running shoes. I am considering running a marathon the fall. 26.2 miles. We have also taken up kayaking. I did some whitewater paddling in college and it is good to get back on the water.

We work for an organization called CrossRoads Ministries - I am the program director and director of the Crossroads High Adventure Program. We have 5 weeks of summer camp and the 2 weeks of canoe camp. After that I will be taking goups on canoeing, rock climbing and rappeling, and hiking trips. Any groups are welcome to join us, e-mail me for pricing.

So, we hit the ground running. It is good to be back home though. I think Texas is very happy to be here and not in the car everyday.

News article on the ride:

Click to read.

- Stephen and Friends
- The Finish
- Windy

My house - Challenger III Shelby, NC 11 miles

We had a great time at Challenger III. We were blown away by the strong winds , but everyone managed to stay upright!!

It was good to cross the finish line with a crowd there to greet me. The staff at YAP did a great job organinzing the event. Most of the volunteers and their mentorees were able to join us for go-kart rides and miniature golf.

I have not heard how much was raised at the silent auction, but I will update you asap.

Thanks to Mark Brackett, John Paksoy, Stephen Blackwell, and Frank Hannah for joining me on the ride to Challenger III. I felt bad for them because they had to turn around and ride back upwind.

If you have had a chance to look at the latest pictures on the web-site, and you happened to think that Rhonda is impregnated, you are wrong.!!!!

It is an optical illusion created by the horrendous wind that tormented us for the whole trip.

Tomorrow, the Youth Assistance Program is throwing a welcome home party at Challenger III on Hwy 180. All are invited. I will be riding my bicycle across the finish line at 6 pm. See you there!!!

- North Carolina
- 16 Miles
- Wilmington City Limit
- 10 more yards
- Oh Oh Yeah!
- Victory Plunge
- Headed East

Lumberton NC- Atlantic Ocean ,Wilmington NC
88 miles

At 2:30 pm today we arrived at the Atlantic Ocean. What a great feeling. It has not really sunk in yet but we are finished. Of course I had strong headwinds all day long, but it should not have been any other way. That would have been too easy!!

My parents and Aunt Sherrill and Uncle Hu were here to be with us for the last day. Sherrill went ahead to the beach and made sure that everybody there knew that I was coming. I got my first standing ovation!! A great finish to a great trip.

It has been great to see the country from backroads. We experienced many different cultures and foods, terrains, weather patterns, and moods!!! We were able to meet some very interesting people, as well as build stronger a stronger bond with each other. Rhonda has been a great companion on this trip. It would have been very lonely without her!!!

Thanks to all who have supported us in whatever way you did. We appreciate it and it made the trip that much better.

I am going to go rest for now but check the web-site because I will send some pictures later.

The Youth Assistance Program will have a celebration to Welcome Stephen back on May 2, 2002. It will be at Challenger 3 from 5:30 to 8:00. Stephen will cross a finish line at 6:00 that night. Anyone interested in attending should be there to celebrate the end of his journey. We hope to see lots of Stephen's friends there to cheer for him. You may call us for directions or questions: 704-482-2315.

Pageland SC - Lumberton NC 107 miles 6hrs 1 min.

What a day. It started out kind of cool and then got very hot. But, I had a tailwind, so we kept going. I didn't want a real long day tomorrow, so I did it today. ( I didn't really want it today either!!)

As the day progressed, the terrain flattened out again. To my surprise, a lot of truckers were honking and waving at me, like they knew who I was!!!

One more day on this long journey. We are so excited. 80 miles left to go. We should arrive by early afternoon.

I'll post a newsletter as soon as we get to Wilmington NC, so that you all can share in our celebration!!!

- Bird Dog
- Goofin' Off
- South Carolina State Line
- Stephen and Scott Mull