Today we finished our first ride of the trip. We awoke early (in the pre-6 a.m. era) and after leaving the stay-over, kicked it off from Central Park. Riding through the streets of Manhattan during the morning commute was certainly a different experience from our brief interactions with mild Champaign-Urbana "traffic". There are just so many people in such a dense space, that I barely had attention to share with the view; it was all dedicated to watching for cars, checking the quality of the road, and just staying afloat in the urban rush. All of the same, we crossed out of NYC into New Jersey and continued to our stay-over where we were warmly greeted with food, drinks, and a lovely plush lawn.So, 65 miles done, and that leaves what? 4435 miles or something? All of the same, we've felt really encouraged by the responses we're getting from people we pass. A street vender gave us a bag full of fruit, cars stuck behind us cheered once they read our jerseys, and outrageously generous families who have shared their homes with a sizable group of students.I know I'm looking forward to climbing some mountains later this week, but I'm sure that those will not be very kind on my brake pads. We'll be clean when we can be, but by mile 30 today my hands and arms were covered in bike grease, dirt, sweat, and suntan lotion. Frisbee is here, and when we don't come in exhausted, we may be able to throw it around.It is now 7:45 in the evening, and I'm just about ready to fall asleep; it's already been a long day.__