After the grueling trip through the mountains yesterday, the Illini 4000 crew looked forward to the "short' 47.5 mile trip into Pittsburgh. Tired from the trip the day before but full and excitement for the rest day in Pittsburgh, we were ready. The United Methodist Church in Methodist started us off right by providing a delicious breakfast.In the morning we were greeted by a visiting riding buddy Arie Spitz, Elle's brother, who rode in a group appropriately called "Team Arie." The ride started out great and everyone was excited to be out of the mountains. But most of us forgot about the western foothills. Not to mention that the forecast called for well over 90 degree heat. Oops.For many groups, this supposedly easy ride turned out to be yet another test that Pennsylvania had to offer. Uphill, uphill, more uphill, a little bit more, then a downhill. That was how it went for nearly all of the ride. And the heat did not help as many were sunburned even after applying sunscreen up to three times! Some of the uphills reminded us of the treacherous ride yesterday but we took pride that the worst was in the past.The best thing about the short mileage was that we all arrived early in the afternoon for the first time this trip. Everyone had a chance to settle in, take showers, and even do laundry at our stayover at the Church of Ascension in Pittsburgh. The team is excited to take advantage of the day off tomorrow and to sleep in. Many are planning on going to see a movie and seeing the sights of Pittsburgh as we are only a short distance from the downtown area.Tomorrow we have a picnic put on by alumni of the organization and planned by Matt Cady, a 2009 rider. Nothing like a delicious meal to start off a good day!We hope this finds you well and we hope our parents aren't too worried about us!