"Recovery" Day

First, we'd like to thank all of you who have been sending us well wishes. They helped push us over the hills. Today was "recovery" day. I put that in quotations because 56+ miles didn't help our bodies rest. We are having a great time, but there are parts of our bodies that aren't recovering well. Mainly those parts of our bodies that touch the bike. Butt But'r (name of a chamois cream product) is great, but it doesn't go too far!

Really though, today was easier. To the left is a picture of a small "roller." That is what people in Iowa call hills. Paul and I call them something different, but it is not suitable for posting. I wish we could have taken pictures of yesterday's rollers --they were much more impressive than this picture--but we were too busy trying to stay upright on the bike! We both beat our land speed records yesterday. 37+ MPH going downhill and I went up a hill 3.8 MPH. Paul actually did 5MPH.





Luckily, we had a ride with only small hills except for one giant monster that lasted for 1 mile. It curved around and was a blast. Both of us considered unclipping and walking up the last part, but the screaming fans (with free water and beer in hand) kept us going --we made it! I would personally like to thank the woman that squirted me with a water gun on the way up the hill. That really helped. And, to all the Iowans that had their hoses/sprinklers/water guns and water balloons ready for us as we drove by ---Thank You! Word on the street is that Lance Armstrong road with us today. We didn't see him (probably went by too fast) but I know neither one of us wanted to be seen walking our bikes up a hill as he passed us by!


Our work up these hills pales in comparison to what we've seen: A five person bike (three adults and two kids), handicapped bikes, a rollerblader and a unicycle!




Tonight, we are staying in Ames on the campus of Iowa State. It is a treat. Styxx is holding a benefit concert for flood victims tonight. We're going to try and go. As promised, we want to tell you stories of the characters we meet, so we are going to go round some up. Have a great night!