Mileage: 69
Day 9 was a fun day. I was riding in a group with Mitch, Tori, and Peter through the country roads of Ohio. The roads were straight and relatively smooth, except for a few miles of extreme potholes and gravel.
Every day, we have a photo contest where our team takes photos based on a theme. For example, one day was "erect" and that was interpreted in not so mature ways. The van drivers get to judge the photos and pick a winner. The theme for day 9 was "Awkward Family Photos"
The elevation was significantly flatter today, and my team was flying through the miles. It was really fun, playing Would You Rather and other various games. We also stopped to take a photo next to an assortment of bikes in front of someone's lawn. The owners actually came out while we were taking pictures, and we explained what we were doing.
Around 11, we saw the lunch van on the side of the road like this.
It was pretty stuck in the mud. We tried to figure out how to get it out, tried pushing, and talked about calling AAA which no one had. We ended up flagging down a truck, and the driver graciously helped pull us out. Crisis averted.
We got to our host in Columbus, OH pretty early. At night, we decided to go out since we had a rest day the next day. We started at Arch City Tavern, which had a great selection of beer. The couple of fries that I stole were also delicious.
Later, we ended up at a gay bar that was a blast. There was karaoke and we rocked it. Our entire group of about 10 people got on a tiny stage to sing.
That night was so much fun, and I think I ended up sleeping at 3 am. Good thing that the next day was a service day. I don't think I would've survived if I had to get up at 5am.
