Nearly Halfway Already?!!!

I can hardly believe it but we are well into out trip and should be reaching our halfway point in just a matter of days!! I believe we have done about 1600 miles to date since we left Nags Head, NC. And since then we have also had 7 build days. It has been the most incredible summer so far.

Each day is a new adventure, from rainstorms, to taking fu(ny) pictures and playing silly games, meeting new people, experiencing small town life and sometimes big city stresses. I can not imagine a better way to see this beautiful country. I am just beginning to understand the love of cycling. Each day now, rather than convincing myself to pick myself up out of bed, I wake up excited to ride my bike. And if I must say so myself, I am getting pretty darn good at it. I no longer have to stop on big hills, I can clip in and out of my pedals- no problem. I can navigate the road, predicting pavement patterns and can communicate effectively with other riders.

I am even learning tricks of the trade to read the land. I do occasionally pull out my old teachings from Outward Bound when we are in the mountains, such as reading land features to see if we have reached our highest elevation. However, i am also learning how to read man. For example, water towers often signify a high elevation, and railroad tracks probably indicate stretches of flat land. It all comes from experience, like many things in life. I find I am learning more than I could ever imagine on this trip, and I am continually amazed at just how diverse America is, both in land and people.

I will have to share more specific stories and some more rider profiles soon, but I believe we are taking a spontaneous adventure down to the lake by Grove, Oklahoma. It is just outside the church we are staying at! I'll write again soon!