Over the course of the school year, I decided to make two plaques, one for Dan, and one for Ping and Qing. I used the laser cutter that we have in the Fab Lab at Hawken. Basically, it etches an image into wood, metal, plexiglass... etc. ​For this project, I used two pieces of nice plywood. First I made a "mock-up" on the computer, and then I cut it. Finally, I gave Dan his when I was in Philadelphia earlier this winter. I shipped Ping and Qing's to their daughter Jane who resides in California. It felt really awesome to give something back to them because they took me under their auspices last summer. Here are some of the production photos of the process of making the plaques.

Recently, I have been in communications with Ping and Qing's daughter, Jane. Just to refresh everyone's memory, Ping and Qing are the Chinese couple that accompanied me on my bicycle tour this summer. Jane mentioned that her parents had some pictures that they wanted to send me, and I agreed. Here they are!

Today was wrap up day. Brian and Leah departed early in the morning in the F-150 back to Charlottesville, VA. I was able to chill out at an epic coffee shop all morning, called Quills. I updated the blog, and made closing statements. Here goes:"overall, the trip was swimmingly. It is sad to realize that I am done with this adventure. I have met and bonded with the nicest people. We get to know each other so well when we camp, cycle, and cook together. As the trip is wrapping up, I am pensive on the sights and people that i have witnessed during my travels through Virginia and Kentucky. Although there are some incredible pictures, it is the experiences and memories that I will always cherish. In total, I pedaled 550 miles during my trip. Thank you!"

Today was offically the last day of cycling on the TransAm Trail. At this point, the plan was to stay the night in Bardstown, and pedal to Louisville tomorrow. When I arrived at Bardstown, I discovered that Brian and Leah were able to rent a Ford F-150, so they could drive back to their home of Charlottesville, VA tomorrow. So, we advanced the plans! We drove to Charlottesville that night, and stayed in a lovely AirBnB (of course).  I will say that last night was the first time that I have travelled by not using leg power for nearly two weeks! It felt very strange to travel at speeds higher than 40 MPH (my high speed on the bike). For tomorrow, I am just going to ahng out at the coffe shop and update the blog! See pictures below.