Distance- 71.5 miles
Total distance- 71.5 miles
Hello! I am awake bright and early at 5 am, blogging from my phone when I have a moment to spare. We are staying at a church's gym in Waynesboro, PA, so the cell reception isn't very great.
Yesterday, June 1, all of the 4K riding teams embarked from the Baltimore Inner Harbor to Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco, and of course, my destination: Portland. Our teams met up at 6am (getting up early will be a theme this summer) to pack vans and make final preparations. Then we all headed into the inner harbor to meet our loved ones for a farewell and the famous tire dipping ceremony. Since we are riding coast to coast, the idea is that we dip our back tire into the Atlantic, and the front in the Pacific.
My parents, brother, aunt, and cousins were all there to see me off. I felt very grateful to have so many family members there. After a few speeches, photos, hugs and kisses, we dipped our tires and were off!
Each team was split into smaller riding groups led by alumni. For the first day, the alumni guided us through the route to our first host. They also drove our vans to bring is water and found donations for our lunch. They were freaking awesome and it was great to ride with them!
The roads out of Baltimore was a bit rough. We went slowly through the city because of all the traffic lights. Once we entered the suburbs, and then the country, it was a lot better. We had some nice rolling hills and a longer climb near the end of our 71+ miles.
We got to the host in Waynesboro at about 5 pm and were fed an amazing meal of fried chicken, Mac n cheese, pasta, and a ton of salad. Also, a table full of fruit and desserts.
I'm actually blogging out on the road right now, as I'm waiting for a teammate to change a flat. I'll post more details later!
