Moni, sorry to read that you are discouraged. If it helps to whine go ahead and do it, it's ok!. We here at the KT will 'listen'. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I greatly admire what you set out to do and would not be disappointed in you and neither should you be if you fall a little short of that goal. Just listen to your body and take care and be safe.

You are almost done with the journey, aren't you? The last time that I looked at the crazyguyonabikesite, it seemed that you were nearing the end. Is the weather going to warm soon? Can you rest for a few days and continue?

It's ok. We aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall have the "I'm DONE" days.....you deserve a vacation from your vacation. :0) Come on home gurl!

My left knee hurts. It hurts to sit down on the toilet. It hurts when I start riding, it hurts when I stop. If I take a day off, it's much better the next day, but at the end of the day it hurts again.

i am sitting at mc Donald's. There is a couple that talked about Amtrak. There is an Amtrak station where I am headed for today.

Seems like an omen.

Perhaps it is an omen. You seem to be able to just go with the flow so do what seems right. It was a tremendous journey already.

Whine on, Moni! My knee pain comes and goes, and I hope yours goes--quickly!

You're not a quitter NOR a whiner. You're an ambitious woman who takes on challenges that most of us (definitely including me) couldn't even fathom. You're a marvel.

Your body has to last you the rest of your life. So take care of that knee ! ! And the memories of this trip will also last the rest of your life! You've accomplished an amazing feat, whether it ends where you planned on or not. You have every reason to be proud of your ride.

Rusty

Amtrak sounds good. Sometimes damage can be worsened by not paying attention to pain, and if you have torn a ligament or similar, I think that getting home and getting it looked at by a doctor might be wise.

I am so sorry you are having this trouble. Enjoy all you have done so far. Look forward to the next adventure. And in my opinion, take care of your knee so that there are only good memories from this trip and no regrets later. Be kind and gentle with yourself. What would you advise a friend to do in this situation? Be a friend to yourself. You are not whining at all.

Sometimes it's just the journey that counts and that covers a myriad of factors including emotional and physical, not just travelling from point A to point B.

Only you can decide what your original goals were and hey, maybe you've met some of them already.

We've got your back regardless of your decision.

If you really, really need to finish this - maybe a knee support of some sort might help or a bunch of Advil or a seat adjustment or a massage or....

Yes, listen to your body. And maybe some wine to go with your whine. :)

You have nothing to be feel bad about in regards to finishing up early, look what you have accomplished! Next time, right?

In about a half hour I need to walk down the road to check in on a vacationing neighbor's dog as I have been since Sunday. This morning my right knee is sore, so I'll be hopping on the Zero Turn mower and riding down. lol!

Moni, L-I-S-T-E-N to your body. If it is time to stop this wonderful adventure you've been on, it is okay. You know me enough to know I'm not a quitter, but I do know when to listen to my body. Please, you do the same.

Home is calling you so get there to mend. You did your best and that's amazing.

Listen to your body. It is the smartest thing you can do!

I just finished reading your marvelous journal last night, and I'm still in awe. You had so much rain and cool weather to travel through, not to mention the mosquitoes and flies and the pain in your knees and legs in general. I'm with the rest: you've been gone a long time and now your body is telling you it's time to rest and take care of that knee. Hop on the train!

Ride on, friend..........the train that is! Just to repeat, listen to your body. You are NOT a whiner. Take care of yourself so we may enjoy many more of your journeys.

You've accomplished more on your bike than most people, even those half your age, could ever think of doing. This trip included, what a huge achivement! You've been in the saddle for months and many hundreds of miles later, you've done it.

Take a break now. You have the equivalent of a flat tire and it can't be fixed in time, take a ride to the end point. You knew you could do it and you did. Declare victory! Pack up and recover. Don't give it a second thought.

You can always go back and finish at a later date if you so desired. Take care of that knee!

I'm sorry Moni. Knee pain sucks. Helped out at a wedding for a friend's daughter on Saturday and now my old sprained ankle is killing me....not to mention the knees. I'm back in my ankle brace. Ankle was sprained 10 months ago. Take care of your knees, the cold probably isn't helping the pain either.

You wanna make it WORSE? Keep stressing it.

Seriously, wrap this up and ship it home.

Moni, I'm recovering from a twisted, sprained knee, so I sure can understand how draining knee pain is. It's like a constant companion that wears you down after awhile.

You've done great on your journey; if it's time to come home, then it's time to come home. I like moonie's idea about returning to your end point to finish up at a later date.

Best wishes, whatever you decide.

I agree with Elmer...YOU DID IT!!! Now its time to go home and rest. I am so in awe of you.

Oh moni, you did good. Pat yourself on the back.

Please don't destroy your knee, you will need it in the future.

I think its a smart move to end you sojourn at South Bend, IN. In my opinion, the ride from there to a Chicago airport would not be fun and there isn't much in scenery to enjoy in that section, plus it is dangerous for a bike rider. It is solid city from the north side of Chicago to South Bend. The main east-west highway is I-80 and that is a log jam from 3pm through 8pm, especially on Fridays. That is the nation's major traffic corridor and is concentrated because Lake Michigan gets in the way. East-west commerce is funneled around the south end of the Lake. I've driven through that section several times, the latest being this August.

I have been following your trip and enjoying your posts. Your choice of photos to document the trip was interesting.

CONGRATULATIONS! WELL DONE. Let's not damage your knees. Rest them for color rides this Fall. Fall colors begin here about 4 weeks from now. Tonight, there is a frost warning for Upper Michigan. Temperature at my house at 10 pm was 49 F.

You are my HERO!

I was whining last week that I couldn't shake a cold when I received a call from my brother. He has been diagnosed with ALS, talk about a reality check. Sorry, don't want to be a downer, but celebrate the glorious body you have, pains and all!

Congratulations on getting to where you got to! You did great! Now go do what you gotta do. :). You can always go back (by train plane or bus) to where you left off and finish if you wish at a later date. You go girl home and rest!

As an aside. MSM cream helps me when my knees are sore.

Hope your feeling better Moni.

And unless you can't take ibuprofen for some reason it could be a friend to your knee, reducing inflammation. Course that's only if you can safely take it. I'm no doctor....lol.