Michelle Thompson, the woman who was trying to bicycle the 2,400-mile length of Route 66 to raise awareness of oral cancer and help her ailing brother, met her goal of finishing the Mother Road before Christmas.
According to her Web site, Thompson pulled onto the fabled endpoint of Route 66, the Santa Monica Pier, at 11 p.m. Christmas Eve.
On Monday morning, she rode her bike to Costa Mesa, Calif., to see her brother on Christmas.
The Inland Press-Enterprise reported that Thompson had cycled her way to Rialto by Sunday.
Even with the trek near its end, stories of generosity keep coming:
On Sunday at Don’s Bikes of Rialto, owner Scott McAfee gave her a discount on a new helmet and offered to tune up her bicycle for free. An employee gave her a big hug upon hearing her story, Michelle said.
“You don’t expect that. I have been getting a lot of encouragement,” she said. “People will come up to me or yell out the window, ‘Good for you.’
“A lot of times, I wondered if I was doing any good,” she said Saturday. “Then I would meet someone who would approach me at a gas station and tell me about their experience with cancer.”
She said she could have made it to Costa Mesa by Sunday night, but after spending weeks on Route 66 and learning of its history, she felt compelled to finish riding the storied road. […]
“I’m going to pull into my brother’s driveway and give him a big hug,” Michelle said. “I’d like to go to Mass on Christmas Day, but that depends on what time I get there. I’d like to spend the day laughing and telling stories.”
The trip, she said Sunday, “has renewed my faith in family and human kindness and God.”
What a great Christmas present for all of us who have been touched by Melissa, and her love for her brother, to hear that she has completed her journey safe and sound on Christmas Eve. I’m sure a lot of us will sleep a little better tonight.
Suggestion for the folks heading-up the Clinton event in June…Melissa Thompson deserves a medal (and more) for her effort!
Michelle,
You really don’t know how much you have touched other people in your ride to help raise the awareness of oral cancer.
I am glad that I got to meet you and to talk to your brother on the phone about his cars and racing. I hope to see you both in Clinton, Oklahoma next June. Take care and all us Okies Luv Ya.
——–RON JONES——–