the rain held off until today

The past few days have been really great. We had a pretty long day on Wednesday (almost 90 miles), complete with heat and headwinds that caused us to slow to an average of about 12 miles per hour. It was frustrating, but we had an extra hour because we crossed time zones, so we got in at a reasonable hour. The host had prepared macaroni and cheese and taco salad for us. And there were showers in the church, so we had everything we needed. Yesterday we had a pretty short day - only 60 miles. The last 15 miles or so were on a pretty busy road, but Amy and I were riding together and realized that there was a beautiful bike path running right next to the road. It was such a nice break to be able to carry on a conversation and not worry about cars and trucks flying by. We got to the YMCA around 1:15 and hung out for the afternoon, unloaded the trailer, and went in the pool. This YMCA had a pool like nothing I have ever seen before, complete with a water slide, a whirlpool, a lazy river, and a hot tub. We couldn't have been happier. We were supposed to make dinner, but some of the Bike and Builders who arrived early went into the town and convinced a pizza place to donate food! People have just been so generous and helpful.

We have been hearing all week that it is going to rain, but it has been pretty sunny every afternoon. However, we woke up this morning to thunderstorms, and the weather report did not look good. Our leaders made the decision that it would be safest to spend the day shuttling us into Pittsfield, Illinois. I'm sad we don't get to ride, but it would be terrible to be stuck basically in the middle of nowhere on our bikes. So we are spending the day exploring the tiny town of Pittsfield - we've already hit up the post office and the thrift store. We have to get ready because we are having P2SF Prom tonight! We all picked dates out of a hat. I bought a beautiful polka dotted dress, complete with shoulder pads. It should be exciting. Tomorrow is our day off, and apparently there is a county fair about seven miles away. Hopefully the storm will be over and we can ride there. I'm excited to finally get some rest.