Illini 4000

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I Could Get Used to This...

So I'm writing this a few days late, but my procrastination coupled with no internet at our last stayover made it difficult for me to post.  Anyway, there's been some super cool stuff happening lately.  And not just the scenery.  We've been rolling through Pennsylvania and stayed at a couple of churches along the way.  One was in Chambersburg.Getting in to Chambersburg, PA, was rough.  Severe weather made the mountains and hills a lot harder to climb in the afternoon, and by early evening a tornado warning forced us to get shuttled the last 9 miles to the stay over by our team van.  When the tornado warning came, my group and I took shelter in a pizza place, others went to a gas station, and those not close enough to an urban area were taken in by a family who lived along the highway we were riding down.  When the warning ended, the dad even threw everyone's bikes into his truck and drove them to our stay over; an old, quaint church in the center of town.Because of the hectic day, many of us got in late and didn't get a full night's rest, though it didn't matter because the next morning we had an all-star breakfast made for us by a slew of local moms, a very good way to start the day.  The pastor also took us on a short tour of the church, leading us up to the second floor, through a hidden door that had signatures on the walls from previous workers of the church that dated back to the late 1800's.  I felt like the walls belonged in a museum, but here they were on display for any curious person to see.The hidden door then lead to a series of old wooden stairs that stretched back and forth, up and up, until a hatch door left us at the top of the church's bell tower. I'm usually pretty good with heights, but going up those stairs made me weak in the knees. But the view from the top made it totally worthwhile.  It. Was. Awesome.  We could see the entire town from up there, and it felt like we were sucked back into the Revolutionary Era.  We asked the pastor if he usually brings guests up there.  He replied, "Nah, never."It was hard to say our goodbyes that morning.  The organist from the church even rode out about 15 miles with us, before turning around and heading back.  We've been considering ourselves quite lucky so far: gracious and hospitable guests, wireless internet (usually) to keep you all updated with what we're up to, and warm showers at least every other day.  What else could you ask for?