Hey friends! Guess what?

We have officially made it to The Grand Canyon State! Yesterday we crossed our second state border and stayed in a small town called Mexican Water. All of us had an interesting experience sleeping between the town’s only restaurant and convenient store. It was quite time consuming putting together five tents with the wind blowing sand in all directions.

Early this morning Eric woke the team up at 4 am and we were all shivering. Who knew the desert was so cold? I sure didn’t but I found out this morning. Eventually we crawled out of our sleeping bags and piled on leg/arm warmers, jackets, long fingered gloves and Sarah even rocked a balaclava.

The girls (Bryn, Megan, Sarah, Kathryn, Jenna) got dressed the quickest and had our tent tore down and packed first. All of the boys were impressed and the best part of being speedy was we got the first bowl of breakfast. This morning Richard, Daniel, and David prepared us a big bowl of oatmeal with raisins and let me tell you those boys can cook. ☺ Ever since I’ve started the trip I eat and eat and eat. I have no clue how many calories I consume each day, but I imagine tons.

Earlier today at our first rest stop the team discovered a half dozen puppies on the side of the road. We think they were part wolf. Together we played with them and gave them water and animal crackers. We wanted to keep them as our team mascots but we really had no choice but to jump back on our bikes and try to forget those adorable faces that we all loved so much.

Following a tough day yesterday (getting lost), today was the easiest day of the summer so far. We had 84 miles of canyon filled desert. The colors around us easily distract me. I love the contrast between the orange sand and blue sky. It matches our jerseys and my orange handlebars and blue gloves! I notice weird things like this to shift my focus from the soreness and saddle rash.

A few hours ago I experienced my first off road experience by bike. I was at the back of a 5 person pace line when suddenly some one up front quickly slammed on their brakes. There was delayed communication and I came up on Sarah going 19 mph. To avoid hitting her I swerved off the road (opposite of traffic) and experienced what I call a short but terrifying safari ride. Immediately upon entering the ditch I was pedaling through bushes taller than my knees and leaving behind a path of destruction. Eventually the vegetation in the ditch slowed me down and I came to a successful and safe stop. I believe that quick thinking and all those training miles back in Austin prepared me for this event and although terrifying … it was quite a ride!

Each and every day I feel myself growing not only as rider but as an individual. My heart is happy and fulfilled. This summer has already been amazing and I know it will only continue to get better!

The team is cooking chicken stir-fry right now so I’m about to dive into a big bowl of that after biking through Navajo land all day. Until next time …