Hi everyone and welcome to days 15 and 16! It was a couple of very big days for us full of excitement. While making for a very fun time, it also meant that we were so busy the whole time that I did not even have time to write and post this journal for these whole 2 days. Which means that now this is a double day journal and we have a lot of ground to cover.

Firstly, we made it to day 15 which means we are now 20% done with the ride. Absolutely mind-boggling! Secondly, we are back in Champaign and our home - University of Illinois. And last but most certainly not least, our stayover for day 15 was Randy who has hosted the team for the past 14 years (out of the 15 our organization has existed). He as well as many other community members of Rockville have been incredibly welcoming to the teams of all the past years so of course we now got to experience it too. We were fed VERY generously multiple times, were able to hang out at a pool and swim, got mountains of snacks for the road, got a performance from a group of ladies who play handbells, and got to talk and spend some time with the wonderful people in Rockville.

Day 16 turned out to be just as hectic and full of events as day 15. We rolled out in the morning knowing that Champaign area was promised thunderstorms during the morning and early afternoon. So, the riders were only able to make it to mile 40 of the route before shuttling the rest of the way to Champaign in the van. But, before that happened, we got to see the Illinois state line sign and of course took a million pictures with it.

Once everyone was shuttled to Champaign, we had a photo session by the Alma Mater and had many professional pictures of us taken.

After the photos, we headed to a reception hosted for us by the Beckman Institute. They greeted us warmly and gave us delicious and much appreciated food. Some of the rider’s friends or family were present too which was of course an amazing addition.

The rest of the day as well as the next day 17 were spent resting and catching up with friends, as well as getting ready to head in the direction of Chicago.

-Valerie