At first I was not sure how I was going to wake up at 6 every morning to pack up and move to a different city, some days even a different state. We have all figured out what works for us to quickly pack and get ready for a long day of biking. We have also found ways to catch up on sleep by taking naps everywhere (in the grass, on the side of the road, on concrete outside of a gas station, on a gravel driveway, just about anywhere we stop. We spend the night at many churches and homes of past riders (Thakkar and Bartholomew). I have been so surprised by how kind people are and how willing they are to help us out. We normally sleep on the ground and the occasional luxury of padded pews, cots, and couches which are amazing. We have been fortunate to have showers in all but Philadelphia where Kelsey and I took a sink shower for the first time (and we are told this will not be the last time we will be doing that). Also I had my first Philly cheese steak and it was amazing. In the past few weeks I have showered at YMCAs, pools, fair grounds, churches, and a pastors house. Riding through Pensilvania was the hardest, climbing up steep mountains but also the most beautiful state so far. I think I am going to end up living in Pensilvania. I was either stung or bit by something, at first I thought it was just a mosquito bite but as the days passed my hand began to swell. It ended up going back to normal after taking Benadryl. Amish country shocked me I wasn’t aware that people still plowed fields with horses. We stopped at small fresh fruit and vegetable stand at the end of a driveway with two little amish girls and bought fresh strawberries they were delicious. On the hot unbearable days we have found creaks, lakes, fountains, and hoses to cool down. I carry around my swim suit bottoms either in my saddle bag or around my handle bars at all times so I am ready to jump in any body of water without the side effects of wet biking shorts which lead to major chafing. While riding in Ohio we were surrounded by garage sales because it was national garage sale week on route 40. This made the ride more interesting because we agreed to all get an item for a white elephant gift exchange. The 104 mile day my group formed a pace line where the guys, Sean, Connor, and Ron, took turns leading and breaking the wind while Kelsey, Ellie, and me drafted off of them the whole way. It was a great system for the girls and we averaged 20 mph for the day. Two days in a row we had tornado warnings near the end and had to be shuttled in to the stayover because the weather was not safe to ride in. Other than that we have been blessed with tailwinds and mostly decent weather up until the ride into Chicago. Today we rode in downpour from Homewood to Chicago on flooded roads almost up to my knees. Despite the terrible conditions I was having a great time until the temperature dropped. Cold and wet we took a stop at Connors house. We made our way through the south side, along the windy lake front trail, and to Millenium Park.