Big Ride - The End : Flight to New York

This morning at 05.40, I flew from Missoula to Salt Lake City. AB kindly took me out to the airport at 4am. What wonderful hosts they have been to me in the last month.

It was a two and a half hour stopover in SLC and then another flight to New York JFK airport. I found the 4 hour flight on a cramped aircraft rather demanding. I was glad to get off. 

I found JFK airport overwhelming.

As my London flight was cancelled by Virgin and moved to tomorrow, I've had to book an overnight hotel in New York. But actually, it does break up the long journey and I can have a good lie-in tomorrow before getting the shuttle bus up to JFK airport. 

In my niaevity, I thought I could leave JFK airport and walk to the hotel which is only two miles away. I found it was impossible to walk - there were no facilities for it. So I had to get a yellow cab.

The hotel is good, but the area is rough and unsightly. But nothing compared to what I've seen in India.

This is my first time in New York - such as it is.

My overnight flight to Heathrow leaves at 18.30 tomorrow Tuesday 7th. It will be nice to have a bit of space after a month of so much travel, so much cycling and hiking, so much packing and unpacking.

All being well, I should arrive at London Heathrow at 06.45 on Wednesday 8th, and then get the train back to Cambridge.

This has been an incredible month in the USA. The trip of a lifetime.

Just to remind you. I finish off my cycle travels in Scotland next week. On Tuesday 14th May, I travel by train to Inverness. From there, I finish my 3-part Lands End to John O Groats cycle ride. It's 155 miles from Inverness to John O Groats. It will take me a four or five days as I am cycling it on my Brompton folding bike (very easy to take on the train, but slow). Then that's it, I've cycled the whole length of the United Kingdom which, with detours amounts to 1100 miles. I have raised around £83,000 for Triratna development project in Kolkata and Bhopal and also for the Arthritis Action charity.

In 2021, I cycled from Lands End to Shrewsbury. In 2022, I cycled from Shrewsbury to near Inverness. Now this is the final leg, after so much cycling here in the USA, I am in the groove. So pleased keep checking out my blog.

Finally, I wanted to say that the John O Groats ride next week is my last big bike ride. It really is. I don't want to do any more big rides.

I am 65 now and my rheumatoid arthritis makes these long rides hard to do for much of the time.

I love cycling, and will continue to ride bikes every day. It is good for me on many levels. However, day rides and weekend rides will be my limit now.

I can hear my son Barney saying "Yeah, Dad, we've heard that before...." But honestly, USA and Scotland are the last of the big rides.

In the New York hotel