Well we have officially begun our what some would call insane trek across the country. I cannot believe that I am finally at this stage in the organization. It seems as if all this build up time was never going to come to fruition and now there is no choice but to both accept the challenge and perform to the best of my abilities. I was extremely nervous before the first day to see if I had what it takes to bike these crazy amounts of miles day after day after day.The first day we left Central Park at about 8 am to head to our stay in Hillsborough New Jersey for a 65 mile ride. My group did not start off well as we actually missed the very first turn we made. After that though it was smooth sailing. Though it took a little while to get out of New York just due to the morning rush hour traffic, once we crossed the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey it was smooth sailing for the most part. I say for the most part because I am currently leading the team with three flat tires in one day. I decided to switch out my now decaying front tire with a team discounted hardshell tire. Other than that the ride went well and when we reached the stayover we were greeted with open arms by the Thakar family who are parents of one of the founding members of the organization and have graciously been the first stay since its inception in 2007. We had delicious food and after a team meeting went to bed feeling very accomplished.We woke up this morning at 5:45 am and again were treated to a delicious breakfast by the Thakars. We were hitting the road by 7:30 to embark on our 83 mile quest to reach Philadelphia. Since I am a huge fan of the shows It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Boy Meets World, I have always wanted to come to here and have a Philly Cheesesteak and see the sites. The ride itself was one of the more testing ones as we began to experience bigger and longer hills in preparation for the Appalachians in the days to come. Most of us have not been able to train so much on hills because while living in the Midwest has its perks, elevated topography is not among them. I was able to bear with the uphills however, because with every uphill, comes a downhill. We were able to reach speeds in the high 30 mphs and it was radical! It was definitely a testing day but I am proud of all of my teammates and think we are ready for what's to come.We arrived in Philadelphia with a few spills due to the trolly rails that run through the streets on the city's west side. After that we got to our stay and realized we had no showers. Feeling very dirty we set out to the YMCA about a mile away. After getting there with all our shower stuff ready to rock, we were told that we could not use the facilities without a membership. Dismayed, we asked someone on the street and their option ended up being closed. So after over a four mile walk, we threw in the towel (no pun intended) and headed to get some delicious Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. It was so good!!!!I just found out that the Bulls lost again in an overtime game and am kinda bummed out but definitely am looking forward to riding again tomorrow to Lancaster on about an 80 mile ride.That's all for now!