welcome to ohio

Hello from the public library in Wellston, Ohio! The 3 days in West Virginia were pretty tough - lots of mountains - but we pushed through and were rewarded with a 5 1/2 mile downhill into the host location in Parsons, WV. The people in West Virginia were absolutely amazing. Every person we met was so generous. On the second day in WV, I took a break with a friend to get some hot chocolate and breakfast to warm up after being caught in a thunderstorm. We were talking to a man sitting at a table next to us, and on his way out he gave us $20 to pay for our breakfast! It is awesome to feel the support of so many people as we cross the country, and WV was definitely the place where we felt it the most.
Yesterday afternoon, after biking almost 85 miles, we finally crossed the border into Marietta, Ohio! A great reward after a long day. It was really exciting, especially because it is the first time that I feel really far from home. We all gathered around to look at a map last night, and we were amazed at how far we have come in only 2 weeks. And how far we still have to go...but at least the Great Plains lie between us and the Rockies.
The trip has really been great so far. Even though we get up at 5:30 every morning, it is so nice to wake up early and spend the day outside, riding my bike with 30 other awesome people. Today was another pretty long day (80ish miles), but tomorrow we are headed to Portsmouth, Ohio, which is only about 47 miles away! It is crazy how 47 miles has become a short day - it is longer than our first 2 days of the trip. Hopefully, we can get up pretty early, get out fast, and have the afternoon to rest once we get there, and maybe do some exploring. Today we had already done 45 miles by noon, so I think it's a definite possibility. Then Friday and Saturday are bike days to Kentucky, and Sunday is our first day off in Louisville!
I'll try and keep you posted as much as I can - thanks for reading!