We just arrived south of Madison, in Fitchburg. The last several days have been a real treat! When we passed through Chicago, we ran into a powerful storm on the way out, and this delayed our ride-along out of the city. The rest of the day was enjoyable, and the weather cleared up for us. My mom joined us at Evanston Northwestern Hospital in Evanston, and we rode up to Highland Park with the other guests. Some of the residual rain from the storms left our bikes and back really dirty, but we had a great time!
We arrived in Highland Park to a great welcome from the Ludmer and Schlessinger families. We enjoyed snacks and showers, and I hung around waiting to enjoy some Michael's Red Hots for dinner with my Dad, Cathy, Michael, and Nell. The food was delicious and high-cal, so I was prepared to drive the van the yesterday, and fatten up for riding today. I could tell it really helped on the ride today-we are way ahead of the other groups. Praveen, Ben, Matt and I kept up a strong pace into Madison.
Yesterday was really enjoyable once I finished driving into Lake Geneva. We went for a swim a few blocks away from the Topol family's house after stopping in for some tasty snacks, and the water was much warmer than the water in Lake Michigan. We enjoyed some warm showers, and slept well in preparation for today's ride. Connie whupped Ben and I both in chess. We had a great time at the Topol family's house, and are looking forward to spending the evening in Madison/Fitchburg!