The final countdown - 1 day to go (end of day update)

Our man in NYC, Steve, picked us up from the digs in Brooklyn at 1100 today. He's been an absolute star helping with the logistics of this stage of the run. We drove up state to pick up the motorhome which was a 90 minute journey. Having been to the same secondary school, we talked quite a bit about the teachers who were there, some of the fellow students which I barely remembered and the general lack of a quality education. And fate has drawn us together again some 39 years or so later.

"It’s never a straightforward process." is what I wrote on the blog this morning in relation to picking up the motorhome. This is the fourth long term hire that I've done since 2011 so experience told me to expect a not so smooth process. I'm sad to report that it was as stressful as I'd feared. We got there in the end though.

We loaded the luggage into the motorhome and Steve and Carlton hatched a plan. The outcome was that I would sit alongside Carlton while he drove to a service station to meet back up with Steve in his car.  

The relatively short drive to the service station was enough for Carlton to reacquaint himself with driving a motorhome in the USA again. His first stint was of course during the final weeks of the run across the USA in 2011.

I said my goodbyes to Carlton and left with Steve in his car for the journey to Manhattan. I grabbed the bare minimum of kit that I would need for tomorrow's first day. Deb had landed in New York by this point and began to make her way to the meeting point in Secaucus. That involved three train changes via Penn Station in Manhattan.

News reached me that Deb and Carlton found each other. No sooner had they met up, I was dishing my orders out on the Support Team WhatsApp group. Deb is seen below unpacking the first of 3 suitcases.

While Carlton and Deb were getting used to life in the motorhome, I went for a bite to eat (the last supper if you will) with Steve and his partner Amanda. Afterwards I made a new friend in the shape of their puppy Jasmine and Stuey (not pictured).

The final act before I turn in for the night at 2100 is to thank everyone for their amazing generosity today. An amazing £595 has been added to the USA 2025 Charity Fund for St. Benedict's Hospice today via Justgiving. That's the biggest day of donations so far during this campaign with the fund sitting at £13,131.35. Thank you!

So the run gets underway tomorrow. It's been a few years in the making. Please keep following and enjoying the journey.