It took me a few days but have finally accepted the blade odyssey is officially finished. A lot of things to say about it, but in the shortest of ways, it was the trip of a lifetime.
Thank you to everyone that made this odyssey possible. I can’t express how in debt I feel to the world from this trip. From my parents, closest friends, and family to every single stranger that showed me kindness on the road with a bed to stay, a meal, or even a simple stop and chat.
Thank you to the MOB mob that was able to make the trip to the Atlantic Ocean beach to celebrate the triumphant finish. It meant a lot!
Thank you to Under Cover Wheels, Bones Bearings , Wicked Bearings, and most importantly, Powerslide and Inline Warehouse, for help with all of the rollerblading gear. Additionally, thanks to Darn Tough Vermont, D CURVE Optics, and of course, No Kid Hungry, for their support on the trip, too.
And lastly, a thank you to any of y’all that followed along the way. At times, it felt like this trip wasn’t mine alone as I got to share and uncover the great stories and kindness hidden throughout our country. And at other times, having a connection to the outside world kept me from losing my marbles on some of the hardest and loneliest days. I hope seeing the incredible positivity, kindness, and generosity I found inspired some hope in a world that at times seems there’s less of those virtues to go around.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll release out some additional cool trip details as I go through everything. While this chapter of my life is over, I can say one thing for sure:
This is not the last the world has seen of Mike on Blades. There are more adventures to come. But for now, thanks America! ??
Stats
- 3571 total miles bladed
– 227 miles hitched (approx.)
– 11 sets of wheels/14 sets of bearings
– 126 days with 80 days of blading
– 59,000+ ft of elevation (approx.)
– 47 different hosts
– 17 night’s camped – 14 publicly, most restlessly
– 30+ full listens of the Moana soundtrack @the.rock
– 772 farm animals said hi to (approx.)
– $17,000+ raised for No Kind Hungry and counting (You can still contribute for another week here!)
More to Come!
A full blown interview and story about Mikes epic trip across America is in the works, follow us on Facebook to keep in the loop for when it drops.
Links
– To check out all of Mike’s adventures across the United States visit his Facebook page, website and Instagram.
