Rest day today!  We are currently in Rochester, MN on one of our rest days, and I think everyone is enjoying it so far.  The last few days of riding have been a blast for me, and I was almost disappointed that we have another rest day already.  After having my turn come up to drive the van I appreciated all my opportunities to ride with the group during the day.  The routes in Wisconsin and Minnesota definitely have more hills, sometimes so much that it reminds me of the mountains we passed through near the coast! Difficulty aside, I enjoy these hills after riding on the flat roads of Illinois and Indiana. 

Yesterday was especially fun as we had a 4:15am wake up to head on the road by 5am.  The early departure gave us a chance to ride through the Mississippi River valley right as the sun was rising through the hilltops. Within the first ten miles I had a staple through my tire and had to make some other adjustments which put myself and two other guys in the back group.  Luckily both guys were patient and helpful and by lunch time we had taken up the position of lead group.  All the groups made such good timing that we all arrived by 12pm, two hours before our appointment at the Mayo Clinic here in Rochester.  After a quick shower and lunch break, our team was given a tour of one of the 100 labs in the Mayo Clinic.  I am very grateful for this opportunity because each time we have a tour like this I become more interested in this battle our country has been fighting for so long.  The Mayo Clinic is a fantastic facility that is really setting an example in health care around the country currently, and now I can see why.