Bicycles Bring Couple Through Newtown On Their Way Home

By Tanjua Damon

Scott and Ally Law only have bicycles to get them home to North Attleboro, Mass., but the two “stragglers” have been riding across the country to raise money for The Make-A-Wish Foundation and to live life to the fullest. The two recently made a stop in Newtown for breakfast at My Place on the last leg of their trip home.

The couple began their cross-country trek in San Francisco at the Golden Gate Bridge in early July where they dipped their rear tires in the Pacific Ocean. leaving the front ones to be dipped when they reach the Atlantic Ocean just off Cape Cod on Sunday, August 19, where family and friends will be waiting.

The idea to ride bicycles across the country came to Ally about one o’clock in the morning when she was reading a book about what to do with your life. Ally thought she wanted to ride a bike across the country. Scott thought it would be a neat thing.

So Scott, who is an engineer at Raytheon in Portsmouth, R.I., went into work and asked if he could take two months off to travel cross-country on a bicycle. To his surprise, the company agreed.

Ally was working as a nurse and once she decided to make the trip and live life to the fullest, she left her job to experience life in a different way.

“Part of the reason why I was doing the trip was because when I went to school I thought it was going to be caring for the patient. But 70 percent of the time is documentation and 50 percent of the time is running out of the room,” Ally said, while eating a complimentary meal at the Queen Street restaurant. “I couldn’t take the time to care for my patients. I knew it [cross country trip] was going to be a great experience.”

So when the decision to ride across country was made the two got bikes — which they did not have before — and began training. They both decided since they were going to make such a journey it should not just be about turning a new leaf on life, but they should raise money for a good cause.

“If we’re going to be doing something,” Ally said, “we should do it for a great organization.”

Since July 12, the two have raised $5,110 with the help of family, friends and businesses. People can also donate via the couple’s web site at www.Scott-N-Ally.com.

The duo has had an adventurous journey riding on a bike and camping in towns in 14 different states, venturing from California to Massachusetts. They have met interesting and caring people who have displayed numerous acts of kindness, from feeding them to giving them a place to sleep without even thinking twice.

In Nebraska they were given a place to stay by a man named Roger Law (no known relation) at his lakefront home. In Iowa they were picked up by a veterinarian who called his assistant and said he “picked up two stragglers.”

“The country really has a heart of gold. From the heart they are generous,” Scott said. “They really want to give to people.”

“So many people told us they didn’t want us to repay them,” Ally added. “But wanted us to someday repay it to someone else.”

The 4,200 mile trip has been more than just an act of kindness to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for Ally and Scott. It has also been a learning experience for the couple about life and what you make out of it.

“My fear is when I get home I will forget what I learned on this trip,” Ally said. “But my friend told me, ‘the hardest thing you are going to have to do is make the trip the reality.’”

Ally wrote in her journal on the Web site on July 5, “A road is a journey ... not a destination. As frustration sets in when we think the worst is over ... we always get wind in our face ... and we always will until we learn to enjoy the journey instead of always looking to reach our destination. That is what we are both learning right now. There’s always a means to get from point A to point B in everything we do ... the challenge is to have fun doing it!”

Ally and Scott said thank you to the folks at My Place Restaurant for their hospitality, kindness, and omelets, and then hit the road to continue their journey toward the Atlantic Ocean. Once they reach the shore, their bicycles’ front tires will finally be dipped into the salt water, ending a summer’s journey.

To see more about the Laws’ trip, visit the Web site www.Scott-N-Ally.com.