Back on the Streets

Day 8 - Knobsville, PA - 71 miles

The concesus for today was not a terribly difficult ride. We put nearly 40 miles behind us before we took a lunch break at a delightful small cemetary on a hillside. Views were gorgeous as per usual. We ran parrallel to a ridge of mountains for most of today, which eventually curved into our path and so we had no choice but two tackle two passes before we ended up in our lodging for the evening at Ye Olde Campgrounds. This was quite a camping experience as it decided to rain right after we set up tents, but we managed to stay mostly dry hanging around the pavilions. An awsome game of ultimate frisbee was enjoyed by many of the riders and there was even a small bluegrass band that was playing in one of the pavilions nearby. Luke and Paul made a great fire for eveyone to have smores at, though I sadly say I missed this because my Floridian tendencies kicked in when I saw the fireflies come out. Shane and I spent the next hour or more running around in a field like little kids trying to catch the fireflies which tended to stay in the deeper bush. Overall everyone had a blast being outside for the night instead of another church sanctuary.

Day 9 - Cumberland, MD - 75 miles

Today we took it off road. Our cue sheets (the daily directions leaders hand out each morning) were slightly difficult to navigate though that is understandable b/c leaders are expected to plan routes that keep us off major roads for safety purposes so it is a challenging task. We therefore ended up rolling along a gravel and mud road through the foothills of blue ridge mtn before bursting from the foliage back onto the summit road for a 2 mile climb to the 2200 ft top. The scenery along the road today was beautiful again and the temperature wasn't too bad either thanks to a cloud cover for most of the day. The unfortunate downside to this was that about 2 miles from our host for the night, it began to pour so we took shelter on someones front porch until we decided it wasn't letting up and rode in the rain. In the final mile of the ride, Colin popped off his chain which then bent out of position, so we spent the evening trying to fix that only to find that the new chain we put on was too long. Looks like he will be starting tomorrow's ride on Amy's bike because it is her day to drive the wagon.

With tomorrow's promise of West Virginia (the mountaineering state) climbs, I feel it is time to reflect on the hardest part of daily uphill battles: the mental game. It would seem that everyone is capable of riding a bike up a seemingly impossible hill as long as they have the proper gearing. The entire challenge comes in making yourself believe that you can do it and that you don't need to stop halfway just because your legs are burning from exertion. I've only stopped on a hill once so far and oddly enough it was a relatively short climb. My problem is that I let myself think that I couldn't make it when in reality had I just slowed my pace and taken deep breaths, I could have made it without a hitch. I realized this as Dustin, Matt and I reached the top of a grueling 30 minute mountain climb in which we were telling stories to take our minds off the physical distress. As long as you are in control of your own thoughts and can block out the little voice thats telling you to quit and go home, anything is possible. Then again, after tomorrow I may be singing a completely different tune. Mountains here we come.