It's Over!

Well, this will be my final posting to this blog. About that, I feel both happy and sad. Either way, it's time to go back to being a normal dog living a normal dog's life. Naw!! If you could have seen my face you would have seen a BIG doggie grin! But the trip is over and I met some great animals and humans along the way. This was quite an adventure. I can't wait to see what Dan will do with me next.

As I'm sure you know Dan and I finished in South Portland and Portland, Maine. This picture shows us riding into South Portland to be met by more than 25 dogs and humans. The bike rider behind us wearing the red helmet is the South Portland mayor. Although he is not owned by a dog, he seemed nice to me. The mayor read a proclamation and I received an entire cake made for dogs. Yummy!

Dan was totally surprised when we got to South Portland and his daughter Julie from Denver and his friend Matt from Annapolis were waiting there to be part of the celebration. I can tell when Dan is faking it and he was not! They stayed through the weekend since Dan needed more time to sufficiently celebrate.

The day ended in Portland where we were again met by more than 25 dogs and humans. I received many gifts and Dan had his last TV interview. Two stations decided to film separately while doing a single interview. On TV the interview looked different due to editing and deciding what to air. I saw it aired on both channels at 6 pm and 11 pm.

And finally, since this is the last blog I'll post, I must give credit to the other human I own: Dan's wife Eileen. Dan is a better human because of Eileen and, therefore, a better human for me to own. Eileen deserves more credit for this trip than anyone knows. Eileen, you weren't pedaling or riding in my limo, but you were there for the whole trip. Thanks!

For more great pictures of the end of this ride, check out: http://gallery.me.com/barretttony

It's the end of the line!

The trip is over and quite a trip it was! There will be one more posting here as soon as Dan gets pictures off the various cameras used at the final day's festivities. Stay tuned for one more blog...

Day 21 - Can you believe it?

Bob, Dan and I left the Ne'r Beach Motel in Moody and headed toward Old Orchard Beach. We did stop at Sooper Dogs in Saco so I could meet Sydney and her humans Tim and Amy Lambert. I also got two gifts - a crab toy that squeaks and a treat for later. Sooper Dogs is a bike-friendly dog store that has everything my friends could ever want. Get your humans to take you there- it's worth it!

We are now in OOB. I played in the ocean for a while, then Dan gave me a bath for my entrance tomorrow. Bob and Dan spent some time without me at the boardwalk. I didn't mind, now I'm a nap ahead of Dan - not easy to do.

We leave late morning tomorrow for Portland. I think we are all very excited!

Day 20 - Maine!!!!!

Well, if the trip was Maryland to Maine we'd be done. We left Newburyport this morning at 6 am and we checked into the Ne'r Beach Motel in Moody, Maine. We met Mike and Nancy O'Brien, owners of the motel, and they were super. This is a motel near the ECG that is bike-friendly, pet-friendly, and supports the ECG. Who would want to stay anywhere else? This is Mike and Nancy with the "talent."

In New Hampshire I got another opportunity to rest for a bit and I convinced Dan to sit with me. It's nice to smell the roses or look out at the water.

In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, we met Bob Klotz. We arranged to ride the rest of the way to Moody, Maine, from there. It's around 30 miles. Dab chose the restaurant where we would meet based on an infrequent stop in the area and what Dan thought might be the local specialty. Dan seemed to appreciate Bob's company for the conclusion of our longest day of this trip. Having just met Bob, I thought he was nice, but I felt sad for him - he had no dog to take care of him.

Come meet Sadie and join the fun in Portland, ME on Saturday, June 13

BIKE RIDE: bicyclists(and dogs in trailers) meet at 1:00 PM at Wainwright Recreation Fields in South Portland for a 6-mile ride along the South Portland Greenbelt.

WALK: A little before 2:00 PM, dogs & walkers join Sadie for a ¼-mile walk from the Liberty Ship Memorial to meet Mayor Tom Blake.

WALK: At the ferry terminal, a little before 3:00 PM, walk with Sadie to East End Beach to meet City Councilman Kevin Donoghue.

Interviews with Sadie at 3:30 PM at East End beach. ‘Dog bones’ for all dogs.

Day 19 - Goodbye Boston!

I left the Boston area today. I actually stayed in Brookline, but it was VERY close to Boston. These were my hosts in Boston, from left to right, Chris, Meghan, and Molly. I'm the cute one up front. I liked these three - I felt very much at home for the two days. They didn't ever feed me but Dan said Meghan's quite the cook and Chris really knows how to deliver pizza! Thanks guys!

When we left Boston we saw a guy yelling "Yea, Greenway!" Then he started following us. I would have outrun him but Dan was slowing me down. Turned out it was Stephen Winslow, a Greenway ambassador, who became our guide for a while. There sure are a lot of Greenway people around!

We were to meet another guide who would take us into Newburyport, MA. We got there early. Dan spent his time doing I-don't-know-what, while I rested. Dan could sure learn something from me!



During the day Dan got calls for interviews and one for a photo op as we enter Newburyport. The photo actually happened, but we don't know what will appear in print and what won't. After telling the photographer we will enter the city in about 30 minutes, the back wheel of the bike stopped spinning freely and a tire on my limo went flat. Dan managed to get us going with only a 15-minute delay. It all worked out. By the way, thank you Riverside Cycles for the repairs at no charge.


Tonight we sleep in Newburyport, a most beautiful town that deserves another visit. Our host Elizabeth Marcus gave Dan a tour, bought him dinner, and bought him ice cream. I got the best deal though - she scratched my back! Here's a picture of my host Elizabeth and my guide Conrad Willeman.

Walkin' in the rain

Rain, rain, rain - but I don't care. I like getting wet. Dan, on the other hand, wore some sort of moisture deflector. I'll never understand humans! Anyway, we walked and walked anyway. It was comforting to see that Dan's legs can move without making small circular motions.

Dan didn't take any pictures on our walk. We did stop so he could have lunch with an ECG board member. We also got home in time for another phone interview with a reporter from Newburyport (tomorrow's target city). Dan will call when we get close so that a "live" picture will accompany the article.

Tomorrow begins the longest 2-day portion of the trip. Dan looks a little nervous and I saw him set the alarm for 5:30 am! The weather is calling for morning rain, but a cool day all day. I run much better when it's cool because I haven't mastered the "layered" concept,

Boston!

This morning I said goodbye to my new friend Cali and her humans, Todd and Amy, I enjoyed my time with Cali. Breakfast for Dan was pancakes and eggs. Cali's humans treated him too good!

The Charles River Bike Path was gorgeous. It wasn't the prettiest trail, but it was the trail closest to Boston. This fact alone made it pretty darn great.

Seeing the Boston skyline from the trail was a real treat also. I knew I would make it, but I wasn't sure about Dan. I would have been such a hassel to have to replace the engine for my limo in the middle of the trip.

Tomorrow we will walk and walk and walk. The weather is calling for rain (seems appropriate for our rest day), but we will not be deterred. Dan promised me a walk along the Charles River and play time - as long as we work in a nap or two!

Massachusetts!

Day 16 - We leave Bob and Karen in Rhode Island and head for Massachusetts. The visit was wonderful and we felt like part of their family. However, their daughter's dog was a Newfoundland, which made me feel like a very small part of the family! The future son-in-law showed Dan how to use his phone to see Google maps. Dan thought Chris was great except that Chris should have shared this information about two weeks ago. The fact that we hadn't met Chris yet did not seem to take Chris off the hook for that one.

Three different people stopped to give Dan cash for ECG, including the couple to the left. Massachusetts is starting off to be a very friendly state.

The picture to the right shows what I do whenever the bike pulling my limousine stops. There's always time and there's always room to lay down for a bit!

We are now staying at Todd and Amy's house. I like Todd - he wanted a picture with me.

They have a dog named Cali that donated to my bike trip. Cali is also a yellow lab, which means she is beautiful. We hung out tonight with a neighbor named Murphy.


Tomorrow is BOSTON!!!!!!!!

Day 15 - Rhode Island!

We left the Whitehaven B&B this morning. It was a great place to stay in the Putnam, CT, area. Ruth and her husband were nice abd they fed Dan and Eileen lots of good food for breakfast. They also had two dogs, Sofie and Ferro, and a dog swimming pool. The humans called it a water feature but it was a dog swimming pool. I should know -I had two great times splashing about in it!

This was a day of riding and seeing RI. What a great state. They have definitely spent some time getting beautiful trails done. Some of the best trails I've seen were here. As a bonus the wildlife gets close enough to sniff!

Watch a YouTube of Sadie on Fox News

Day 14 - Anniversary & Rest!

Today is Dan's and Eileen's anniversary and Dan's and my rest day. I was incognito all day - no interviews and no cameras. Dan did drop the bike off to get the brakes adjusted. There are a lot of hills in New England and I wasn't sure Dan was going to stop once yesterday as we cruised down one to a stop sign! The bike shop didn't charge anything (obviously he saw me and recognized who I am). Tomorrow we enter Rhode Island and get picked up in Providence.

Day 13

We head toward Putnam, CT. The day starts with yet another interview at a produce stand (permanent type). The reporter interviews Dan and the owner of the stand has her own questions. Pictures are taken (I look great). As we prepare to leave the owner gives us a pint of strawberries and on we go.

Soon we come across two ladies pushing baby carriages who tell us they know who we are and they know we have a blog because they heard about it on the local country-western radio station!

Later we ride toward a person standing in the road taking pictures as we approach. When we get there he tells Dan that he wanted pictures of the famous duo he read about on greenway.org. He invites us to his house to rest and get a snack. Dan just had lunch so we say No thanks and continue on our way.

When we get to our pick-up spot, Dan gets donations from two employees as we wait for our ride. Everyone makes a fuss about how good I look (no surprise there).

We end our day at a B&B in Putnam, CT, that Dan and Eileen have chosen to spend their 33rd anniversary (see picture below). It was a good choice - they have two dogs I'm enjoying playing with. Tomorrow we rest.

Day 12 - I'm a Star!

Well, Day 11 just skipped right passed me. It was a day of resting primarily. Yes, Dan did nap! Our host (Steve Mitchell) also loaned Dan a car. Since we were alone and had a car, Dan could go anywhere he wanted for the finest lunch CT had to offer. You guessed it, didn't you? Dan used his GPS to find a Subway. Nothing like trying the local food!

This day ended with a deck cook-out and we met many new friends. It was a great relaxing day.

Then comes Day 12. I choose to call this "the normal day of a star." Dan set his alarm for 7 am but we were awakened at 6:45 by Steve yelling "Time to get up! Fox called and they want us in the studio by 8 am! I done caught me a celebrity!" (Steve is a funny guy.) I get up and do my business then I get served breakfast. We get all the bike gear in the minivan. Dan is dressed like he's going biking instead of the truth - he's benefitting from hanging out with a star.

The three of us (Dan, Steve & me) get the bike and the trailer and all the gear in the correct elevators and roll everything down hallways until we're met by the lady in charge. We're to get everything hooked up, put it in the hallway, and wait in the snack room (with the other stars for the morning show). Dan looks nervous, I was just sleepy.

At 8:30 they call us to the door of the studio so we can roll everything in during the commercial. We hear comments like "Just how long is that bike?" and "The studio's not big enough." But we get it in there and they move it this way and that - I just watched, being the star. Before it was our turn we saw two news people doing their thing, then the weatherman, It was all one room but each corner looked like another set. Then it was our turn. I expected Dan to do the talking - I was riding to the top on my looks and the way I get in and out of the trailer. Everyone exclaimed over me when the piece was done. Even the news persons came over for the opportunity to touch me on the head.


Then we leave and the humans must eat. We don't get to the actual ride until 11:30 where we begin the ride at Yale University. However, the first portion of the trail is closed. Steve talks to Russ, the gatekeeper, and explains who I am. Gates are opened and Russ escorts us through the restricted area. In this picture, Yale is in the background.


The bike has problems again and Dillon Pronovost, owner of Chesire Cycle & Repair, fixes the probems. Dillon says there is no charge since it is for a star. This is my friend Dillon: While at the bike shop, a reporter drives up and says she needs to interview us for her paper. Again, I allow Dan to answer her questions. We then go across the street to a gas station for a drink. The owner and two of his customers ask if they can have a picture taken with me. I have always allowed that.

When we are two miles from Steve's house in this gloomy, rainy day, a car stops and asks if we would like to spend the night at their place. We say no, we are staying with Steve. They just wanted to make sure I was taken care of. I suppose this sounds like special day to some, but I am a star - one gets used to it.

Day 10 - More CT

People have asked Dan and me why it takes us so long to travel from one spot to another. I decided to show you those things that make this trip so long. There's walking along the beach, sitting at an overlook, and just rolling in the grass. These are important things that I prefer we not miss. I'm just happy Dan doesn't keep me from what I think is important!

Today we biked through some of the most beautiful places. I didn't realize that CT has so many great beaches and overlooks. There weren't many off-road trails, but the roads looked safe and the view was worth the time spent. It doesn't seem too bad to spend tonight and the next several days in this state.

My favorite interaction happened today. As we biked through Bridgeport, a man came out to the road waving his arms at Dan. We stopped and he said "I saw you - I saw you - I saw you!" Dan didn't know what to make of this and thought the guy might have been drinking. Then the guy came right to us. He was sober and explained "I saw you on the noon TV news today. I saw you! You're biking across the country with your dog." We got a kick out of that. The man then shook Dan's hand like he was pumping water. The last thing I heard him say was "I'll be damned - I done caught me a celebrity!"