Danville, VA

8.10.2010

The ride today was about 60 miles, and we crossed the state line into Virginia. Today marked the official beginning of the end. We have no more days off before we get to Washington D.C., it’s a 4 day push of 60 then 70 then 80 then 90 miles. The next day we get to D.C. I knew it had to end eventually, but part of me just thought it would go on forever. Today my odometer clicked over to 3,750 miles. It’s unreal.

The first 10 miles of the ride were pretty tough, but I have no idea why. The terrain wasn’t different, the roads were smooth, and there was no wind. The worst feeling is when you’re confused about the reason your legs hurt. Whatever the reason, the riding got easier as the day went on and before we knew it we were at the Virginia state line. We were way ahead of schedule, so we goofed off for a good half hour just taking pictures. From there we headed to stage up, and proceeded to have the most interesting arrival of the trip. The good part was that the participants at the Stonewall Therapeutic Center came out to cheer us on at different turns along the way. The bad part is that the arrival was super hilly, and the cop who was pacing us was alternating between 8 and 20 per hour the whole time. The stop and go pacing made it impossible to gain any of the momentum that was necessary to climb the hills. Just adds to the challenge I guess.
The friendship visit was a bunch of fun, and came in two chunks. They served us lunch during the first part, where we got to meet the participants for the first time. I got up to get some food, and a group of the girls I was talking with took some pictures on my camera that I just discovered.

Later we came back for a pasta dinner and more visiting. I was speaking with a man named Danny about his home made “Liquid Love” fragrance. Apparently it doesn’t work on everyone, only on girls who are well suited to your personality. It was a fun conversation, and after dinner we got up to do some dancing. The dancing visits are always my favorite, and it got me pumped up about getting back to school.