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<BODY BACKGROUND="becausewecan_i000004.jpg" TEXT=#000000 LINK=#0000FF VLINK=#FF0000 BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF > <BASE TARGET="_top"> <DIV class=s0> <A class=s0 HREF="becausewecan_000001.htm"> </A> </DIV> <DIV class=s0 style='margin-left: 2mm;'> <B><A class=s0 HREF="becausewecan_000001.htm">Follow Our Progress</A> </B></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 145mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'><B>INTRODUCTIONS </B></FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s2 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'><B> </B></FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s2 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'>We’ve established this web site primarily for our family and friends to follow our escapades in 2004.  Rick retired from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 3rd and Sharon retired from her job as school bus driver on January 23<SUP>rd</SUP>.   </FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s2 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'> </FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s2 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'>So we’re retired…..now what you might ask?  A number of years ago we became cyclists.  Not long after we began riding we joined </FONT><FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'><B><I><A class=s2 HREF="http://www.adventurecycling.com">AdventureCycling</A>.   </I></B></FONT><FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'>Reading Adventure Cycling’s magazine and on-line touring journals eventually led to us doing a one week, self-contained, bicycle tour.  We both fell in love with loaded bike touring and it didn’t take long for us to decide that our ultimate goal would be to ride all the way across the United States.  This web site is intended as a chronology of our preparation, training and the journals of our travels.   </FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s2 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'> </FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s2 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'>We began training in December of 2003.  We plan on traveling to Palm Springs, California in February for a couple of weeks of warm weather riding, Monterey, California in March and then a “shake-down cruise” consisting of a 7 or 8 day bike tour in the Santa Barbara, California area in April.  On May 1<SUP>st</SUP> we’ll be riding in the Delta Century (100 mile organized ride).  On about May 10, 2004 we will ship our bikes to </FONT><FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'><B><I><A class=s2 HREF="http://www.contebikes.com/">Conte’sBikeShop</A> </I></B></FONT><FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'>in Newport News, Virginia.  We will fly to Newport News on May 23, 2004, pick up our bikes the next day and the adventure begins!.  Of course, we always keep in mind that plans were made to be flexible.  The journal will include an overview of the training and preparation.  The intent at this point is to have a separate journal (on this website) for the Santa Barbara tour. </FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s2 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'> </FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s2 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'>By the way….Rick will be doing most of the writing, but we want both of our perspectives so it may seem a little odd at times.  Both Sharon and Rick will occasionally add a personal note to the journal.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=justify class=s0 style='text-align: justify;margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'> <FONT style='color:#000080;font-size:14pt;'> </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s0 style='margin-left: 60mm;margin-right: 72mm;'>  </DIV>