Yesterday was one of the best ride days of the whole trip. I got to bed early the night before after an evening of endless laughter and cuddle puddles and was well rested for the 4:30 am wake up call.
We packed up everything pretty quickly and were on the road by 6:30. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning; quite possibly the nicest morning we've ever had. It was chilly enough to put on a second layer but the sky was clear and the terrain was beautiful (read: finally flatter!)
I road with Sarah M, Ryan (Salami), and Margaret and we just cruised through the first 40 miles with only 1 flat tire collectively. We found a nice spot for lunch and waited for more people to arrive. Due to the flatter terrain we were all pretty well packed together. It's hard to describe why this ride was so amazing (I'm just going to assume the lack of mountains), but everyone who poured into lunch was in such high spirits. The energy was contagious.
Since it was still so early we decided to hang at lunch a little longer than usual to soak in the sun and the great company (with the pleasant sounds of Ryan Adams playing in the background). While I was laying there in the sun-kissed warmth, eyes closed, listening to the constant laughter of my group, I couldn't stop thinking about how amazing this experience has been; and there's still so much of it left!
The second half of the day was equally pleasant. The weather remained perfect and the only thing that got in the way of our cruising groove was a small, and kind of humorous detour around a construction site. We arrived at the host location around 2:30 and had a few hours of relaxation before dinner.
Since today was our first (of a total of three) days off, we went out to the Huntington bars last night for a bit of a celebration. All I'll say is it's amazing what a few beers (and perhaps a shot) can do when you're dehydrated, exhausted, and just bikes 75 miles. We had such a fun time and I'm just always amazed by how hard these wonderful people make me laugh.
Today has been so relaxing. After days of 4:30 am wake up calls it was nice to sleep in a bit, explore Huntington, and just lounge a bit. Tonight we'll be gearing up (tehe) for our longest ride of the trip (118 miles!) from Huntington, WV to Paris, KY.