Pedaling America: Cyclists complete cross-country adventure

SAVANNAH, Ga. – We have successfully pedaled America.

Without ceremony, except for something akin to a guys' knowing grin, Will Fifer and I separated Monday afternoon at Waters Street in central Savannah; him to his sister's house, me to stay with friends. And the transition began, back to the warm embrace of our real lives.

We would be home today except that, because our one-way plane tickets had to be booked 10 days ago, we built an extra day in the schedule, just in case. But we're ready: We've found boxes for the bikes, which have now been packed and shipped home. We've alerted our people that we made it, in one basic piece. We have a ride to the airport in the morning. The laundry's done.

And we're summing up: what we learned, what we did right, what we did wrong, what we'd do differently, and what, basically, it all means (as much as that is possible at this point, of course). The report on those reflections will be in the Star Tribune's website next week.

For the moment, we have a preliminary final number: 3,114.52.

That's the tentative total mileage from San Diego to Savannah, if you go through an amazing coast-to-coast arc of towns across this great nation of ours. Which towns? Glad you asked.

Alpine, Shamrock, Kayenta, Slidell

Pampa, in Texas, with oil for big moola

Marianna, Madison, Borger, Pascagoula

Jacumba, Davis, Ardmore, Bayfield

Darien, Durant, Congress, Winnfield

Tierra Piedras, with a census about nil

Taos by the mountains it doth cling

Valdosta, Texarkana, Du Funiak Springs

Blythe, Tallahassee, Salome, Cortez

Prescott, Nahunta, New Boston, Natchez

Waycross, Cimarron, Dumas not that pretty

Biloxi, Quartzsite, Brawley, Magnolia

El Centro, Bonifay, Altus, Pensacol-ia

Crestview, in Florida, is kind of a misnomer

Oh: Two more -villes! A St. Francis- and a Homer-

So many towns from which people said, "We'll see ya!"