crossing state lines left and right

We made it to Kentucky yesterday afternoon, which seems like quite a milestone! Everything is still kind of blurred together and in my mind I remember cities by either the food we ate or the shower facilities we used instead of the town name. It's odd how long a day can be when you are sitting on your bike for 12 or 14 hours, but we have been pushing through like champs. Tomorrow is our first century, with 114 miles to Paris, KT and everyone is a little nervous. The heat shouldn't be too bad though and with such a long day ahead of us we wake up at 4am to get ahead of the mid day sun and eat two lunches throughout the day at around mile 40ish and mile 80ish. Sounds daunting, right? Today we had a build day in Flatwood, KT where we put up siding and built a deck. It's nice to have a day where so much is visibly accomplished by the end of it. It helps bring home the reason we are all here and why all of our blood sweat and tears are worth it in the end. Let's see...Ohio was my favorite state so far, but also one of the shortest. Having flat stretches of road helped break up the mountains and rolling hills we have been dealing with the past week, and for the most part the weather was cooler too. I've been having trouble with my knees (past injuries combined with extreme overuse now) but have been icing them and worked with a bike shop to adjust the cleats on my shoes so hopefully tomorrow will be more comfortable all around. We have all been getting stronger everyday, and learning to deal with the constant muscle pain and bruises that are all over our bodies. Other then that, we are all looking forward to our first day off in Louisville in just a few days. I am imagining sleeping in until noon and then not moving my body anymore then is necessary for the rest of the day....ahhhhh sounds nice. Now I must go take care of my chain so tomorrow is as easy as it can be. Picture time:

Using a chop saw at the build site today! It has a laser and was pretty fricken sweeeeet!

State lines!

The local soda that had twice as much caffeine as mountain dew...we became obsessed and poured it into our gatorade bottles. It was a fast paced day.

Tan lines are getting even better..

Checking off states on the trailer


My favorite day yet, watching the sunset with Mary Ellen while sitting on a fence overlooking a pasture... reminded me of grandma and grandpa.