But as the trip began, the two became enthralled with the scenes they began to find as they journeyed across the country.

And as Kip, 61, began each day thinking about what he was going to write in his journal at www.crazyguyonabike.com/kipcarol, the surroundings of the journey began to sink in even more, he said.

He noticed more as he took mental notes riding through each town and across mountains and countrysides.

Their journey across America had them riding down interstates, highways and small country roads. It had them driving through large towns and small towns.

As they traveled through each state and viewed the varied landscapes, they began to get an unedited view of how truly amazing America is.

&dquo;Each (place) had some unique quality that the others didn&squo;t have,&dquo; Kip said.

&dquo;It helped me understand the diversity of the beautiful United States,&dquo; Carol Jean said.

The journey for the Vosburghs began in San Francisco on May 31 as they dipped the back wheels of their bikes into the Pacific Ocean. It ended 52 days later in Portsmouth, N.H., where they dipped the front wheels of their bikes into the Atlantic Ocean.

As they arrived in New Hampshire, they paused one last time to get police escorts. And as they began the final stretch of their journey, the police sirens were blaring, people were waving, car horns were sounding and each of the bikers who made the journey were wearing their red, white and blue jerseys.

&dquo;Two miles before we hit the water, we could smell it,&dquo; Carol Jean said. &dquo;It was the first time I&squo;d really realized we made it the whole way.&dquo;

But as they got farther along on their journey, the wider the eyes got when the Vosburghs told people where they&squo;d come from and where they were going.

&dquo;That look became more and more intense as we got further east,&dquo; Kip said.

The trip coast-to-coast had a larger meaning, Kip said. And all the wide eyes and comments in disbelief were a part of that meaning, he said.

&dquo;It really brought home to me the difference between an intention and an accomplishment,&dquo; he said.

Instead of wishing that one day they could ride their bikes across America, the couple decided to leap into action, running hard toward their dreams. And they hope that their journey has inspired others along the way.

&dquo;Too many people leave their dreams in the bed in the morning,&dquo; Kip said.

Those memories of nervousness and doubt about the massive journey before them are long gone now for Carol Jean. They were washed away by the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean.

In that moment of jubilation as she and her husband celebrated on the sands of Portsmouth, she realized why she couldn&squo;t see the end at the beginning of the journey.

&dquo;It wasn&squo;t about the destination and maybe that&squo;s why I couldn&squo;t see it,&dquo; she said.

Instead it was about the people they met, the views, the animals along the way and the view of the landscape that is America, Kip said.