day.....4?

this morning feels like a long time ago and yesterday blends into the day before... and I'm certain I'm not the only one with this problem. I started this thinking it would be a physical week that might be really fun as well- now it seems more like a vacation that also has a physical element. today's ride was
nice, short, with some rolling hills, lots of beautiful wind turbines (and some wind), ending at a river town, Charles city, or chuck town. the ever-present cover band is currently playing Magic Man in the background.

theres lots of costumes out here, even more today it seemed.... leisure suit guys, three fat elvises, some chickens, green guy, and tutu ladies...

the rain last night wasn't too bad although I suffered through some childhood memories of wakin up in a puddle- but my tent held up well, and it's way better to have rain at night, in my opinion, than during the day.... tonight is cool-- good sleeping weather...

how to feed 20,000 biking hobos

I had no idea what to expect for food along the route-- I just knew to bring money and snacks. turns out the way it works is pretty awesome-- basically there is someone offering something
every couple miles- parked on the side of the road in the middlenofna
field-- from cold water and gatorade to pork chops to homemade ice cream to pie-- it's hard to not stop at all of them-- you really have to strategize. it is nice to feel hungry every couple hours, for sure...,today we had Amish ice cream, pizza, pancakes, smoothies and beer. the only time this seems reasonable, I guess, is when you spend all day on a bike. the food vendors are well-known mainstays, selling every day along the route, and back every year it seems. the lines are long, but you have to think about how,really, what else are you supposed to be doing? and there's a great bike parade right there and good company and always music, so. plus, doing it every year, they're pretty efficient.

rope jump!

chris cakes

swaledale 930am

surprisingly not easy

sailed along early, ate some delicious breakfast tacos for lunch, and found the hobo museum, which was a room full of photos and doodads and a documentary in the background. the town is at a crossing of two railroad tracks so it became hobo capital and now holds a convention with a king and queen every year. the last couple legs were windy and hot and the road was bumpy- it felt longer than it was, but the swim at he end was awesome! clear lake- not as clear as storm lake, though.

spin doctors just played a set as matt and I sat and watched the lightening come in- it's supposed to rain tonight. most people ive talked to on this trip come together to catch up with old friends to do it, and I think it's a great way to reunite. you get time to just hang and catch up and time to do something active and adventurous and no one has to worry if their bathroom is clean because everyone is using cornfields or portopotties. tomorrow is the easiest day , only 50 miles or so

Uploaded - 7\27\10-2

Learning with Vince - Class 2!!!

If you missed last week's bike repair class, coming to tomorrow's Bike Maintenance class will start fresh. We'll go over basics of the bike operations and then I'll do a short demo of cable routing before letting folks ask questions or deal with cable-related issues.

So come join us! This class is meant for beginners and those new to bike repair stuff.

tonight: the bike project general meeting!

6pm sharp at the Campus Bike Project. 

All Bike Project members are invited and dinner (maybe pizza?) will be served... kinda like this:

easy

smoothest 80 miles ever! when folks have boomboxes on the back of their bikes playing michael Jackson and there's a nuke tail wind and not so many hills-- makes riding easy. stopped in a bar at the way and it was like spring break for 40 somethings - watched a guy dance so hard on a chair that he fell right through it. pressed on, and flew into town pretty early and took my first shower in the high school nearby. today I was struck by how many kids and families do this- there are tons of tandems with little kid legs pedaling away- so cute.

tomorrow is just 60 miles.... and the hobo museum