Day 60: The Atlantic Ocean

After 3,600 miles, sixteen tyre tubes, four tyres, two months and one hospital visit, we have finally reached The Atlantic. The salt water has never tasted so sweet.


On the day we were joined on our bikes by Tony’s boys Daniel and Nicholas, Anatole (Daniel’s friend), and my good friend Neil. We rode down the Hudson, across Manhattan, over the Williamsburgh Bridge, through the heart of Brooklyn and on to the Atlantic coastline at Brighton Beach. We arrived around 5pm – an hour later than scheduled thanks to two more flat tyres, one occurring just yards from the sea. Nothing worthwhile comes easy in this world.


We were met at Brigthon Beach by a loyal band of merry men and women, including another former student of Tony’s who had read about us, a photographer and a cameraman from SNY (watch tonight at 10pm), a lady whose husband had recently passed away from ALS, and many others. Thank you to all who braved the wind and rain to be there.


Alas, there was just one disappointment. The battery in the microphone decided to pack in, rendering silent 95% of the footage captured by Charlie and Alex. Just imagine that yesterday was the 1950s and that I am Charlie Chaplain, and you shouldn’t have a problem.


One more not-so-well-kept surprise remains for this chapter of the Move For ALS campaign. Watch SNY tonight at 10pm EST, and if you’re feeling spontaneous, buy a ticket for The Mets VS The Cardinals tomorrow night at Citi Field.


The day (and, I suppose, the journey) ended last night at Tony’s apartment, where the whole family greeted us and made a toast. I was so pleased to see Tony. ALS has rendered him too dependent on expensive machinery to have risked traveling out to Brighton Beach to meet us, but he remains the same: active, determined, vocal, busy. It is the simple truth that I (we) could not have done this without him. At every stage he has dipped his hand in the stream and guided us to wherever we needed to be. Auggie and I both owe him a great debt of gratitude.


Saul x