Day 3 into Kent, CT

These three pictures are from our opening ceremony, at a harbor connected to the Atlantic, where we dipped our tires.


Two days in a row on the net... careful, I'm getting spoiled. Saskia and I are also watching cable news as I write this to get back on the grid, which is really strange. I've only heard vaguely what was going on with Iran, so it is nice to grab a sense of what has happened since I've lost contact with the outside world. I'm a little concerned about my applications to AmeriCorps, as I've found five really cool projects (2 in CA, 1 in CO, DC, OH), but I haven't had the time to sit down with the materials to apply to these. Bleh, I don't even want to think about that now. I'm having too good of a time here.

When I first came here, I honestly thought I'd just ride on my own most of the time and stay relatively detached from the group b/c I was so focused on just crossing the country. However, I'm seriously amazed at how cool the people in my group are and that has been my favorite part of the trip so far. Today was the best example of how well we get along. We had a 50 mile ride from Granby to Kent, CT, but it took us about 8 hours because we stopped multiple times for various reasons, from hiking to a waterfall this morning to stopping at a petting zoo (I sang the CU fight song in front of a buffalo; don't worry, it's on tape) to swimming at another really cold waterfall in the afternoon. We had a bunch of other small stops along the way. Just a great group of people that I'm really enjoying being around. I think I'm the second or third oldest of the 32, but there are a lot of pretty mature people here. Naturally, they are all adventurous and excited about life, so our conversations throughout the day are pretty lively. After 2 years of pedal-to-the-medal with school, this is a great way to live. Most of us are at transition stages in our life so everybody is looking for something new and exciting. (Yeah, I'm babbling now, I'm kinda tired.)

I had a great time riding with Erika and Sam today; Erika set a solid pace and we just trucked it through several towns before and after lunch. We had some huge hills today, but my legs felt great and I was able to attack. Images of Lance in the Pyranees kept me going. I'm relaxing during the flats and downhills to save my energy for the uphills. We got into Kent around 4 to candy and crackers waiting for us, and then we had burgers for din-din. Yummy.

Alright, I should get to bed, but I'm having a great time so far and hope you all are doing well. I'm sure I'll think of something I should have written here, but until then, hopefully you'll enjoy some pictures. Peace yo!