Today is a day that will go down in history! The world has been waiting. Time itself has slowed its relentless trip around the clock, in anticipation of this moment. Yes friends, the day has come.  The wait is over. The blog has begun!

Hello from Zanesville, Ohio! I’ve never been much of a blogger before, but then again, I’ve never been much of a cross-country cyclist either… so let’s hear it for killing two birds with one stone, and, you’re just gonna have to bear with me.

Today was a pretty fantastic ride. Other than about 9 miles of drizzle, during the last leg of the trip, the weather was pretty calm and agreeable. The roads were smooth, and we continued to make our transition to, well, FLAT. We are leaving the mountains behind, and entering the world of pastures-a-plenty. I couldn’t be happier. I’m sure I will start to miss the gorgeous geography we have passed through after a few days of Midwest farmland, but, for right now, I am looking forward to a few weeks devoid of 12-degree inclines.

The trip so far has been full of such a broad range of emotions, challenges, realizations, experiences, and growth. I can feel my body changing mentally and physically, and I am starting to see the effect the trip is having on not only me, but also the people around us. I spoke a lot about bringing hope to those struggling with cancer, and inspiring those without to join in the fight against cancer with us before I left for this trip. And it’s really amazing just how those two aspects of the trip have come to fruition.

Shoot. I’m going to have to leave this first post here… The one problem with blogging is that you need the internet to do it, and the library where I have found free wireless, just announced that it will be closing in 10 minutes. I will continue my thoughts in my next post, ASAP.  Hopefully I will find some Internet somewhere in Columbus Ohio.

I want to quickly thank all who have made this trip possible. I love you dearly, and I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can’t wait to see you, and share with you all I have gained and experienced on this trip!

To those of you in Chicago… I’ll see you soon! I can hardly wait. I’m quite literally shaking with excitement.

Ciao! For now!