Longest Day

Enjoying some watermelon b/c it was such a nice day.

We didn't make it to 150 miles yesterday, but we did make it to the border of Ohio at 114 miles. We had to be somewhere at 6pm, so they started taking people off the route at 3:30. I was near the front, so we were able to make it to the border where they were taking everyone off just before the sweep got there. 114 miles is our longest day yet, so I'm happy that I was able to finish it.

Pig roast at Joe's sister's house.

Yesterday was really nice. A full day where it didn't rain at all. Doesn't happen too often. I love days where the weather is nice. Those are the days where its fun to get on the bike, and I enjoy the trip.
Kel and I showing off our nice Euro mullets while having a break of espresso and candy cigs.

Bloomington

It rained again today.

I was on support, so I didn't get wet at first, but then I ended up helping with flats, loading gear, etc. Its a lot more fun to be wet when you're not wearing jeans. My team had three presentations today. Two were this morning to the elementary school where we slept last night (local TV came and filmed Katie talking).

Van and I then presented at Indiana Univ this evening. After, the other veggies and I found the closest thing to a Whole Foods and stocked up on veg products. We're staying in apts at the university. Tomorrow we have 150 miles. My guess is that everyone is going to be swept.

Indiana

I can't believe how fast the ride is going now - we're in Indiana. I think my favorite thing about getting into Indiana - their sign says "Lincoln's Boyhood Home," an obvious jab at Illinois that loves its connection to him.

The school that we're staying at today is great - they've made posters and signs and the kids all made us place mats.

I love these signs - many of the towns have these when you enter - ads, telling you how wholesome the towns are.

Today's ride was pretty nice. 90 miles & rain, but it was pretty flat.

The Arch & Illinois

We had yet another day of rain. It was so nice when yesterday's weather was beautiful. It gets hard getting on the bike every day when its raining. We waited for a while (us in the gym above) for the lightening to pass in St. Louis. When it didn't, we had to drive to our lunch spot where day riders were waiting for us. It cleared up in the afternoon and we were able to ride the last 50 miles of the day. One more state - we're in Illinois for only 2 days.
One of the day riders today had a new way to scare away dogs (which there were a lot of in rural, Southern Illinois). He carries a mini-revolver and shoots blanks to scare the dogs away. Its different, but it works.

The Most Underrated State, Missouri

I've decided that Missouri gets a bad rap. I have really liked the state. Its much more populated than I thought, with many small, fun towns. It is also very green with nice rolling hills. St. Louis is also much nicer than I thought it would be. We're staying at the Wash U Medical Center.
Today was a short and easy ride. We did get lost for the 3rd time in 3 days. Here Anuj is getting directions from a local farmer. My favorite part of the whole thing was when the guy came over to us and asked "Hey, don't you all have a GPS?" Not at all the response I was expecting.

Greenery and trees are a nice change. We had an event at a local high school for a college bound program. The students were a lot of fun. As a gift they gave us a book of essays that they had written.

I forgot to write about this yesterday - Dogs - especially for Christina and Tracey. I had my second big dog charge yesterday. I was riding along and saw a large dog running at the riders in front of me. When he didn't get them, he turned to me. I thought I was going to have issues, but when he ran toward me, I squirted my water bottle in his face and that calmed him down.

Jeff City

First off, Happy Mother's Day Mom and all the other mothers out there. Today we went from Jefferson City to Washington.

It was a pretty easy day. 75 miles with a tailwind. It started off cold and rainy, but the tailwind made it quick and easy.

One of the rest stops was at a winery where we took a tour and had a tasting. Billy, the guy on the left in the picture above was a lot of fun and full of trivia.
Tomorrow we go to St. Louis - It will be our last day in MO, which has been much nicer and more built up than I thought it would be.

I was on support yesterday, and it turned out to be kind of a rough day. There was no sign on the road where we needed to turn off and we got lost on the way out of town and the riders had to start the day with about 8 miles in the wrong way. I felt pretty bad about it. Then there was a detour that added another 16 or so miles to the route because a new bridge was being built. This picture is from about a week ago. We were in the middle of nowhere and we got stopped by this construction worker. It was pretty funny.

Misery, MO

The new Kem - without beard and without Borat.
The way the day started, I thought Missouri was going to be horrible. It was rainy, hilly and windy - but the day turned out pretty nice in the end. We rode 104 miles. We were talking today about how fun it is that we ride centuries like its any other day. I've been impressed with Missouri so far - its a lot more built up than I thought it was going to be.

Our day in Kansas City went well. The event at the medical school had a good turn out with interesting speakers and involved students. Carissa got us hooked up with free tickets to the Royals vs Orioles game which was a lot of fun. One of the foul balls hit the seat in front of me. I'd be lying if I said I tried to catch it - more of the opposite, I was trying my best to make sure that I didn't get in the ball's way.
I sported my new haircut -
Cut by Kel and styled by Samara.