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Dear List Members Just wanted to share this email which describes the last few hours of the PPAA bike ride across America. Donna Kos and Wallace Teal, who both have lost loved ones to the PD fight, cycled from Loma Linda CA to St. Augustine Fl., just over 3000 miles. Any words that you might have acknowledging their accomplishment I'm sure would be appreciated. You can learn more about their trip and the return trip that begins next week by a different group at: http://parkinsonspower.org/ The e-mail addresses of Wallace and Donna are: [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] Big Trackers is the name Wallace gave to his friends, family and elementary school students who have followed his journey across the country and offered encouragement and prayers. Regards, Bob Martone http://www.kingwoodcable.com/martone Dear Big Trackers: Thanks to everyone that has tracked me during the past ten weeks. This was such an exciting and wonderful ride. In Paltka we were well received and were guest of the fire department in a beautiful motel overlooking the St. Johns River. I received many e-mail letters on the last night. One from my personal coach/adviser/ and trainer. The message was simply, most games are lost in the final two seconds of the game, don't loose your concentration and keep focused until the finish line is crossed. You have come to far to loose this one now. And I say, thanks Coach Rankin. The last days ride was to be short. Andrea and Christopher had come to join me. We rode to within 10 miles of St. Augustine and staged at a small cafe for two hours. During this time we decorated the van with banners, flags, more flags, and had blue and gold ribbons all over the van. It really looked good and the excitement was flowing through me and the heart hate was racing away. At 11:20 three bikers came out from the city to meet and escort us to the finish line. My comment was I can't be early and I can't be late I gave my word to Charlie Chisholm that I would be there at 1 P.M. I had called Charlie the night before to synchronize our watches and told him to look down the street at 12:59 and he would see me coming. So the mood was right for the finish. We proceeded to ride the final 10 miles and staged again at a fire station in the city for 45 minutes. We are now only 15 minutes away. At 12:40 we began the ride again, now being escorted by a police car and stopped two blocks from the finish. At 12:59 I hit the side of the patrol car with the, let's get moving. By now my heart is up in my through and racing away. As we approached the plaza and could hear the crowd cheering I could see Charlie and Mary standing there with my blue and gold ribbons stretched across the street. I turned the final corner and not had my two large flags, US and Panama, stretched over my head as high as I could hold them. Rolled up to the ribbons and made a sudden stop, reached in my back pocked, pulled out the scissors with the blue and gold streamers attached to them, stretched out my arm, snip, the ride was over. It was truly the feeling of success, victory, accomplishment, triumph, the end of another ride. Charlie and Mary had a wonderful reception planned in the plaza. I was pinned with the city pin, presented a Connondale Team riding shirt because of the bike I was riding, I special message read from Panama, Message read from NY PDF, speech by doctor from NPD, greetings from Ken Younkin, son Kevin waiting at the finish line to greet me, a banner that people later signed and gave to me, bottle of rum from Paradise Avenue, hugs and kisses from many well wishers, greeted by PD friends from Miami that came up to greet me. Matt Drayton, the young man that starts his trip back to the West coast this week was there to greet me. He gave such a touching and wonderful speech. How he was so honored to receive the blue and gold and would proudly take the colors to his team mates and they would honor and proudly take them back to the West coast. We then went to the fire station down the street for refreshments and food. Charlie and Mary had done a wonderful job, something that anyone would have been proud of. Everything I received at the finish line was so great but to top them all was when a PD man came shuffling up to me in the fire station, not able to speak a word but held up three fingers to me and his wife replied to me, that is his sign for saying thank you. Ripped my heart out and yours to. So many stories to tell if only I had the time. That night Charlie had rooms with neighbors for six of us to stay but I told Charlie that we needed to stay together as a team so guess where we all stayed, that's right, all over Charlie's house. Matt and I talked until 1 AM. He is truly prepared and ready for his challenge and they he said the wrong thing. "Mr. Teal, you are more than welcome to join us and if you say yes, I can make it happen. What is running through my head at this point, the adrenaline is pumping and what the hell my bag is already packed and ready? I'm sure that I will join him at a later date during his trip, they range in age of 19 - 27 and will average 90 miles per day. So I said if you see someone ahead this summer with blue and gold streamers flowing in the breeze it just might be someone you know and if he falls in line when you pass him by don't look back for the ol man is good to go. Trackers it has been a great trip with many more to come. This ride is over but the Janet Johnston fights Parkinson's will not end until the cure is found. Thanks for everything, you keep tracking and I'll keep trucking. I love you. Love, Wallace