Pittsburgh Day 2

After a great night of sleep in the hotel I was up early and ready for day 2 in Pittsburgh. Wake up was 7:00 but I was up by 6, got showered and was down stairs in the lobby drinking coffee by that time. We had a pretty busy day planned in Pittsburgh and I was excited to get the day moving. First thing we did was have breakfast with the Pi Kappa Phi chapter at the University of Pittsburgh. They met us at the hotel so we didn’t have to worry about going anywhere, which was nice. The brothers made us breakfast casserole, brought cereal, donuts and breakfast pastries. It was nice talking to the guys from the Pitt chapter and how they do things differently than we do in Knoxville. We took our group picture and had about 2 hours of free time before going to our lunch friendship visit. I went back up to the room and laid down and relaxed for a little bit.

Around 11:00 we met in the lobby and walked to our first friendship visit of the day, which was with the United Cerebral Palsy Center of Pittsburgh. We walked in the door and I saw a lot of Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers apparel. They had about 50 clients there who were going to join us for lunch and I sat down at a table surrounded by about 4 clients. I immediately started talking to the two people around me, Prince and Michael. Michael (who is a girl) talked to me some at first but wouldn’t open up to me all that much. Prince on the other hand was very talkative. He was all decked out in jewelry, a tie, and a tattoo on his forearm that said Prince. He was cruising in his wheelchair in style and he knew it! Lunch was provided by the center and they made everyone “Pittsburgh style food” which I was very familiar with. They had ham barbeque, perogis, sauerkraut and cookies. The meal was very good and while looking around the room it was amazing to see some of my teammates helping out their new friends with their lunch. Across the table from me, Blake was sitting with a client named Ali and ended up feeding her lunch. Although this isn’t something we are asked to do while at visits he took it upon himself to get her a plate and help out in any way he could and I know it was pretty rewarding for him. After everyone had eaten we went outside to take our group picture with the Center and we then said our goodbyes. I know everyone had a blast hanging out with the clients of UCPC.

Blake Neuman helping out Ali 

Prince and I during lunch

After lunch we walked back to the hotel for some more free time. During the ride into Pittsburgh one of the spokes on my bike broke once again so I had to take a trip to a local bike shop to get it looked at. Along with two other cyclists we went over to Performance Bike Shop and walked to the back of the store to the repair desk. After being there for a while we got all of our problems taken care of and they shop didn’t charge me a thing after I told them what I was riding for. Every other bike shop I have been to this summer has charged me for service and gear so it was nice that this one was empathetic of what we were doing this summer.

We finally got back to the hotel from the bike shop and had a short amount of time to get ready to leave for dinner. We were going out to a camp outside of Pittsburgh to meet with the campers and talk to them about perseverance and fighting through difficulties in life. When we got to the camp the Build America team was there and we all enjoyed a good dinner together. Because the cafeteria was full half of the guys from both teams sat outside so I got an opportunity to talk to the BAM guys and learn more about their trip. After dinner we went into a room and a few of our guys volunteered to talk about some of their experiences. It was really neat to hear my teammates reflect on our trip and talk about how they have fought through struggles, and then see the campers relate to them.

We left the camp and I was very excited to get back to the hotel because I had some visitors waiting for me. My Aunt Ksenia and Pap were sitting outside the hotel waiting for me and it was awesome to see them. I think my Aunt was very happy to see me alive and all in one piece, and I value every second I got to spend with my Pap. About 15 minutes later my cousin Matthew and his friends pulled into the parking lot and I spent the rest of the night going downtown with them and eating at Primanti Brothers. It was very nice getting to see some family on the trip for the first time since Breckinridge, and I am excited to see everyone in Washington D.C. It is hard to believe this summer is coming to an end, as today was our last day off the bike before arriving on the 10^th! I wouldn’t trade any of the memories I have made for the world. 

Steel City Baby

Waking up this morning I was very excited to get the day moving and make my way into the state of Pennsylvania. Because the majority of my family is not only from PA, but form Pittsburgh, I was ecstatic to get into the Steel City. We woke up at 5:30 and like usual I was one of the first guys up, and ready to get on the bike to start our day. The Fairhaven Foundation sponsored our breakfast and it was a great way to start the morning. We had bagels, yogurt, fruit and granola bars, which is plenty to get our bodies ready for a day on the bike. As we get closer to the end of the trip the rides are going to get a little bit harder, and todays ride marks the first of many trickier rides to come.

I pace lined today with Colin Schwartz from the University of Washington and Derek Dedeker from TCU. I was excited to get another ride in with these guys because not only are they strong and fun riders but unfortunately it will probably be the last time I am able to ride with them this summer. The conditions for the day were said to be pretty crappy with a lot of holes in the roads, lack of shoulders and hills. Colin is from San Francisco so he loves the hills but Derek and I who are both from the south do not enjoy them quite as much. We left Niles and we instantly saw the crappy roads. There was one point where we had to cover over some pretty rough train tracks and then on the other side of them there were huge holes we had to get around.

I ended up getting kicked in the face during this

Riding 6 deep 

As the days pass I think all of us cyclists are beginning to care less about the actual riding and care more about having fun and enjoying the time we get together. Although we continue to stay safe and make sure we are obeying the rules of the road, we are slowly starting to disregard some of the stricter Push America rules. One of the rules of the road is that you are not allowed to ride in pace lines that exceed 3 people. This is usually fine but on the ride to Pittsburgh we thought it would be more fun to meet up with other pace lines and end up riding 6-9 guys deep. Doing this was so fun and actually made time go by faster. While we were in a 6 man peloton we were keeping a pace over 23 for close to 11 miles and no one seemed to be tired at all. Towards the end of the ride we split back up into our 3 man lines and kept the ride going. It got pretty tough as we approached Pittsburgh but once we went over a hill and I saw the skyline of the city and a few bridges I knew we were very close. We crossed the river and made our way down to a stage up location to get ready for our arrival to our friendship visit.

When we arrived at the base of the river we were greeted by our sponsor, Dino Taylor who bought Chipotle Burritos for the whole team. The burrito was an awesome meal after a tough ride into the city, and the view we got while doing it wasn’t half bad either. After eating we got ready to ride 5 miles down a bike lane, which took us right past Heinz Field, and PNC Park. I rode towards the front of the 26 man line and it was awesome looking back and seeing all of my teammates riding together. After a few minutes and a handful of near miss accidents with pedestrians and fellow cyclists we made it to Three Rivers Association, who works with people with disabilities and integrating them into adaptive sports. The team wasn’t able to hang out there long due to time but while there we had a lot of fun. The Build America team was back in the same city as us so it was very nice to see my chapter brother Nate. The two teams carried a few boats down into the water for some of the clients to take advantage of and then we mingled with some of the other participants. It is awesome to see someone who has a disability excel at something based on his or her abilities.

Riding along the boardwalk in Pittsburgh

We racked our bikes on the vans and made our way to lodging where we had to quickly get showered up and changed into our team tux for dinner. After being the first one up to the room I took the fastest shower of my life and made my way downstairs to get ready to leave. At this point in the day all I wanted to do was stay in the room and take a nap in the big comfortable hotel bed but delicious dinner is always hard to pass up. The team made their way over to bowling alley to have dinner and have a team bowling night. The bowling alley we went to was awesome because it was old school looking, something I have never seen before. The parents of a Pi Alpha from 2008 set up the night so it was nice to be able to relate to their son as well as them and talk about experiences. While at the alley we ate some delicious pizza and I probably bowled my worst few games in my life. Although I was frustrated with my lack of breaking 90 in three games I had a blast and everyone left with smiles on their faces.

I was very excited to go out and check out the University of Pittsburgh and downtown Pitt but I was so tired that didn’t end up happening. As soon as I got up to the room and laid down I was in for the night. I don’t think I have ever been as tired as I was and being able to have a good night of sleep in the bed was heaven sent. We have a full day of programming coming up in Pittsburgh and I get to see some family so I am very excited for what is to come! 

Niles, Ohio

Today was a very special day for some of our crew members. Along the trip it is encouraged for crew members and cyclists to switch positions so they can see what each other go through on a daily basis. Today three of our crew members did this, one being my chapter brother Josh. I was very excited for him to ride with me because although we have been together this whole trip we haven’t been able to spend as much time together since he isn’t on the road wit me. The plan for the day was for the three Tennessee boys to ride together but Jack was still having bike problems after his crash so Travis stepped in to ride with the two of us.

I could tell it was going to be a long day when Josh struggled to keep his balance on the bike when we pulled out of the parking lot of the Delta Gamma house. Our first 5 miles or so were pretty slow as we talked to Josh about changing gears, and how to clip in and out properly. The ride was going relatively fine until we started hitting hills, which I was worried would completely wear Josh out. Unfortunately while we were climbing a pretty steep hill Josh had to stop riding because his whole body was shaking. The big guy made it 15 miles, which I was very proud of! Because of our slow pace and several stops Travis and I were pretty far behind so we had to step up the pace.

Travis and I ended up having a lot of fun on the remainder of the ride, seeing some pretty interesting things and keeping a fast pace throughout. For about 15 miles we rode through an Amish area, which was pretty crazy. We saw a few horse drawn carriages as well as lots of facial hair and long skirts.  It is cool to see how people live differently from me, and even from people who live in the surrounding areas like Cleveland just 40 miles away. After a 55 mile ride we arrived at the school that we would be staying at for the night. Our sponsor for the day was waiting there for us with a great lunch and an exciting friendship visit planned for us.

Once the team had eaten lunch and got showered up we went into the gym to have a dance party with the Fairhaven school, which serves people with disablitlies from newborn to the age of 21. There were close to 50 clients that came out for the dance, and I know the whole team had a blast. Towards the end of the dance everyone in the room made a huge circle and everyone sang patriotic songs together. It was a great way to bring some life back to the team after a slightly difficult ride.

As soon as the visit ended the team loaded up in the vehicles and made our way to Olive Garden for dinner. This was a nice surprise because we haven’t had OG this summer, and unlimited salad and bread sticks didn’t sound half bad either. While eating I sat with Michael Walton, Jason Miliken, and Jack Johnson and we had a blast talking about memories throughout the trip and eating as many breadsticks as we possibly could. The friendship visits are unforgettable but these meals the team have together are something I am really starting to value as the days come to an end. After dinner most of the team went back to lodging but Truck 1 went out and scouted the route for the next days ride. We head to Pittsburgh, which I am very excited about because I am going to a city I am familiar with! 

Day off the bike in Cleveland

Sleeping in until 7 A.M. this morning was a very weird feeling but it was awesome to be able to catch up on sleep after how busy we have been lately. I got out of bed a little early so I could take advantage of being able to start the day with a shower and then I made my way down stairs to get ready for our day in Cleveland. The team had a small meeting this morning to talk about our day and the next few days and then we loaded up in the vehicles to go to breakfast and our friendship visit.

We arrived at the Cleveland Clinic where we would spend a few hours eating breakfast, touring their facility, having lunch and interacting with their clients. As soon as we got there we were taken into the cafeteria to eat. We had a great breakfast and during it we were shown a couple short videos so we could learn more about the clinic and what they do for people. The facility we were at was an outpatient and rehab center that works with kids. It was very interesting to see all of the different services they were doing for people and I was very excited to check out the facility. The team split up into group and we began our tour around the facility which looked a lot smaller from the outside. Inside they had many different wings, a gym, pool, and a few courtyards that had play areas and gardens in them. 

While at the clinic we went into the Dialysis Treatment room and I met a boy who has impacted me more than anyone else on this whole trip. I met Jose, who was going through Dialysis while I was talking to him. Jose is 16 years old and is battling cancer right now. When I walked into his room he told me that he was listening to music and we started to talk about how much he loves musicals and listening to music from them. After that we started to talk about school, and how he is going into 10th grade and his love for English. I told him that I also enjoy English and writing and that everyday at night I sit down and write a blog about my experiences. He then explained to me that he keeps a journal and in it he writes down his thoughts from the day, and the things he faces while dealing with cancer. Jose plans on turning his journal into a book and naming it "The Unexpected Journey." Jose was just an ordinary kid when he found out he had cancer and ever since he has been dealing with more than I could ever image. I made sure to get his autograph because I knew that one day he would be famous from the popularity of the amazing book I know will be flying off the shelves one day. One of the last things Jose said to me before I left was that he couldn't wait to get a kidney and hip replacement and get done with his treatments so he could go back to school. I went to give him a high five and instead of returning the gesture he reached in towards me and gave me a hug. As we were leaving the room it took me a second to gather my emotions and realize what just happened. Meeting amazing individuals like Jose is what this trip is all about and he really taught me a lot today. I have been fortunate enough to have anything I could ever want in this life while some kids are fighting for their life everyday and in the mean time all they want to do is enjoy the things I find myself complaining about. I know I will keep Jose close to me for the remainder of this trip and long after that. Tomorrow when I get on the bike I plan on keeping Jose in my thoughts knowing I can accomplish anything if I keep the amazing mind set he has every single day. 

The team had lunch and we performed our puppet show before getting ready to leave the clinic. Right before we left we received our final mail drop and once again I would like to say thank you to everyone who sent me something. This time I got a package from my Mom, Bob and Lynne, a post card from Alexa Aronow, and a package from Special Populations which was a great surprise. We left the amazing facility to go back to lodging. Once we got back I went up to my room, thought about everything that had happened today and then took a nice nap before it was time for dinner. After close to a 2 hour nap I woke up and we got ready to go to dinner which was sponsored by a group of Pi Alphas. We went to the restaurant Melt which is a Cleveland classic. They make countless types of crazy grilled cheese sandwiches and it was absolutely delicious. Melt has a challenged called the Melt Challenge and to complete it you have to finish a grilled cheese with 13 different types of cheese, 3 slices of grilled bread and a pile of hand cut fries and slaw. The meal ends up being over 5 pounds of food and it was enormous. Two of our crew members ended up taking on the challenge and $60 later between the two of them the food was victorious. Neither of them were able to finish it, and everyone left very full. 

It was an awesome two days in Cleveland and tomorrow is our last full day in Ohio. This trip is absolutely flying by at this point and if anyone has any suggestions on how to slow things down they would be greatly appreciated. Every day brings something new to the table and today was hands down one of the most unforgettable days by far. The relationship I made with Jose is one that has changed my life and whenever I am feel ungrateful or ignorant I will make sure to think about him and how strong he continues to be through every challenge that is presented in his life. 

Cleveland, Ohio

The fact that today is August 1st is absolutely mind blowing. I left Knoxville to start my trip on May 31st and now three months later I am back on the east coast and only 10 days from arriving in Washington D.C. and I know back in May I know I wouldn't have been feeling half of the emotions that I am right now. At this point I am extremely excited to ride up to the Capitol and see my family but at the same time I want to turn around and go back to California with my teammates. We have created so many memories and have had so much fun together than going separate way is going to extremely difficult.

After a fantastic day in Sandusky it was time to make our way to the next big city on our trip, Cleveland. We woke up around 6:00 and immediately racked our bikes on the vans. Breakfast was at a restaurant out of the way of our ride so it would have taken to long to ride to it. We got to our breakfast location which was Berardi's Restaurant. When we walked in the hostess took us to a back room and then served us. On the plates was two huge pieces of French Toast and bacon. The meal was absolutely fantastic and it was the perfect way to start the day. While at the table the 4 guys I sat with were laughing the whole time. We found ourselves going back to our teammates old Facebook pictures and seeing how everyone has changed. Also while sitting there I was talking to Spencer about the days ride and he told me about the rack point we had for the day. If we wanted to make it to Cleveland on the bikes without getting racked we would have to keep a pace of about 38 mph, so obviously that wasn't going to happen.

Travis and I after our ride 

We drove over to a park and then took the bikes off the vans so we could start our ride. Today I rode with Travis Turner from Georgia Tech and because of the tight rack point we weren't to worried about going fast. Travis is one of our better riders by far but because he was feeling under the weather we talked about just taking it easy for the two hours we had to ride. We ended up riding for about 1 1/2 hours and got just over 30 miles before the crew members told us to rack which was actually a pretty fast pace. It was very nice ride for the most part while we rode along Lake Erie. After loading our bikes on the vans we drove the final way into Cleveland and arrived at our lodging location for the next two days at the Delta Gamma house at Case Western University. I was told that I have 15 minutes to get ready before we were leaving for our afternoon team activity. We drove downtown and after a struggle to find parking we arrived at Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians. The game was a blast, and although it was super hot everyone had a lot of fun cheering on the home team who won in a shutout against the rival Chicago White Sox. It has been so cool to visit so many different cities this summer and go to all of these events. After leaving the game we went back to lodging to relax for a while until dinner later on.

Colin Schwartz acting like a goofball at the game

At 5:00 we left lodging once again to meet with the Shades family for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Shade our the parents of a Pi Alpha and the roommate of our logistics coordinator Spencer. They were such loving people and it was very nice to meet them. Mrs. Shade took the role of mother while we were there and made sure everyone was staying healthy and safe. The family made us an awesome spaghetti dinner and the whole team enjoyed it. After eating everyone got up and introduced themselves and they by request we talked about what we would say to our mom if she called us right now. It was wild to hear that some of my teammates haven't called their mom's in over a week or so knowing that I talked to mine almost everyday. I think my mom would kill me before letting me get away with not talking to her on the phone for over a week.

We went back to lodging and from there the rest of the night was free. A handful of the over 21 year olds went downtown to explore the city, and a group of the minors went exploring but David and I made our own fun. We went to Walgreens and bought Nerf guns to entertain ourselves for the night. While attacking some of the guys inside the house we made our way outside to wait for some of the guys to return to the house. At one point we were hiding in the bed of a pickup truck waiting for some people to come back to ambush them. After the group of underage guys came back we were hanging out in the parking lot doing different challenges and 3 cops pulled with their lights flashing and boxed us in. I wasn't to worried because I realized we were sitting in a parking lot with Nerf guns and Sprite, but it was still weird. After talking to one of the cops he informed us that the security building saw a group of guys running around the Delta Gamma house and peeking in the windows so they thought someone was trying to break in. After some clarification the officers realized that we were staying in the house and drove away. We ended up having a lot more fun that expected and the entire day turned out to be a blast. It is days like today I am going to miss most where the team has a lot of time to hang out together. It is going to be weird going back to Knoxville and not having 34 guys to hang out with any minute of the day.

Sandusky, Ohio

Wake up this morning was before 5:00 A.M. once again so that we could make it to an early sponsored breakfast. Although this is hard for some of the team I have no complaints about it because I would rather wake up early and have a hot breakfast than sleep in and eat a cold bagel. Breakfast was provided by the Beta Iota Chapter at the University of Toledo and they provided a great spread for us. We walked into the house and I was blown away by the smells that were coming out of the kitchen. The brothers made us eggs, bacon, hash browns, pancakes and brought us pastries from Panera. I made a point to be one of the first guys in line so I could dive into the meal as fast as possible. Everyone enjoyed the great meal and after a cup of coffee I was set to get on my bike and make my way to Sandusky, Ohio. 

Picture outside the AXO house at UT 

Once everyone was done eating we made our way outside and did our morning circle up. We had a few people joining our circle this morning including the brothers of Beta Iota, the Regional Governor of Pi Kapp in the area, and some girls that do a lot for the chapter. We talked about the days business including mileage, sponsors for the day and rack point. I volunteered to talk about the disability of the day so I told the team about Sleep Apnea and then my teammates and guests were able to add whether or not they knew someone who faces SA. After our prayer it was time to say bye to the very generous and welcoming people of Toledo and make our way to Sandusky. Today like many others I found my self riding with David Iles, and to make things even better we were sweeps. The ride was only about 65 miles but we were told that it was going to be a tough rack point so we figured we weren't going to make it so going fast wasn't really one of our priorities. We started the day going at a pretty reasonable pace but a lot of people having bike problems slowed us down.

Within 25 miles there were two different guys who were having one flat after another and because we were sweeps we had to sit there with them until it was fixed. This time not moving makes the day seem like its going by so much slower which is hard to deal with. We were told that we had to ride 55 miles by 10:30 so when it came to that time and we weren't at the mileage we expected to get racked. One crew stop after another passed and before we knew it the time we were supposed to be staging up for our arrival was approaching. We got to Jesus' stop about 15 miles outside of Sandusky and he told us that we could make it but we had to do it quickly. David and I ended up averaging about 23 miles for the end of the ride and some how we made it into Sandusky. It was a really good feeling to see the whole team finish and we felt a lit bit of achievement because we kept the guys in the back going at a reasonable pace throughout the day. 

The team staged up in a parking lot and then rode up to have our friendship visit with an organization called Ability Works. "Ability works is the provider of choice for individuals with disabilities pursuing interests in employment, recreation, leisure, and personal development." We met with the group at a park to have lunch and spend some time dancing and relaxing for a few hours. The whole team had a lot of fun mingling with the clients and eating a very good lunch while there. One of the clients I talked to was Debbie. Debbie is a very energetic woman who absolutely loves life. She was telling me about her day and how excited she was for us to be there hanging out with her. After dancing for a little while we took our group picture with everyone and said our goodbyes. 

Meeting clients after our arrival into Sandusky

Once we arrived at lodging everyone set up there bedding and showered to get ready for a fun night. One of our sponsors in the area got everyone passes for Cedar Point which was very exciting. The team made their way over to the park where we had a wonderful dinner with a former Pi Alpha and then we made our way into the park. We spent about 2 hours there which was a lot of fun and a good way to get our minds off the bike. After going on a few rides and seeing some very interesting people we left Cedar Point and made our way back to lodging. 

While at lodging we had one of our last team meetings where we discussed the upcoming days and a few other things and then everyone laid down for the night. Tomorrow we ride into Cleveland where we will spend two days. I am excited to see another big city and get closer to a city I am familiar with, Pittsburgh! 

Toledo, Ohio

As we leave the state of Michigan today, I cant say I am too upset. Other than the fact that it sucks we are leaving another state, Michigan was very rainy and gloomy for the majority of our trip and I know the team is hoping for better weather in Ohio. We woke up around 5 A.M. and made our way downstairs to go back over to the Pi Kapp house to have breakfast and get our bikes. Breakfast was sponsored by the Ramptons, who are parents of a former JOH cyclist. This was probably one of my favorite breakfasts of the trip which included lots of fresh fruit, delicious pastries and the best cereal I have ever had. Once that was done we got our bikes and got ready to make our way to Ohio. I rode with David Iles once again and Jack Johnson, my chapter brother. We planned on having an easy day on the bike and keeping a steady pace during our 60 mile ride and that was going pretty well until about mile 25.

The ride was pretty flat and although the roads were crappy we were rolling well. We were approaching some railroad tracks and the best way to go over them is to run them perpendicular. Jack was in the front of the pace line and he took the tracks at a bad angle and his front tire got stuck in between the tracks. He ended up crashing and when he went down he slammed his shoulder down on the ground as well as hit his head. He wasn't feeling to well and after going to the hospital he found out he got a concussion and several other scratches. And to make matters worse his bike was pretty beat us and had to be taken to a bike shop to get repairs. It is always hard to see one of your teammates go down so afterwards David and I were pretty flustered. Once Jack made his way into the van and I racked his bike on top we continued on our ride to Toledo. David and I talked about what is going to be happening in the next week and how we planned on going to visit each other. The roads continued to be pretty bad throughout the rest of Michigan and we were very excited to cross into Ohio. We got to mile 43 and noticed a few of the crew vans racking the cyclist. We knew there was a tight rack point but we thought they would let us ride longer. We racked our bikes and rode in the vans to our stage up location for our arrival to the University of Toledo.

Team Bilo arriving in Toledo

We hung out at stage up for a little bit and then got into our double pace line formation to do our arrival. We rode about 1/2 mile and arrived in front of the University of Toledo student union. this was a fun arrival because Beau Samples is from the area so he had a lot of family come out and welcome us. After the regional governor of Pi Kappa Phi and a Dean at UT spoke we went inside and had lunch. I was so happy to hear that we were having Chickfila for lunch because it is one of my favorite places to eat. The sponsors also had chips, fruit and cookies for us which was a nice lunch after a ride. The president at the local chapter said a few words and then we got ready to get to lodging. We were staying at one of the dorms which was really nice. After getting situated we got showered up and then went to the Sunshine Foundation for a friendship visit. The SF is a group that houses over 75 people with disabilities and while there we played different games in their gym. It was a lot of fun to interact with people of all different abilities and I had a blast playing basketball with a few of the clients. We weren't able to stay long because we had to leave to make it to our sponsored dinner.

For dinner we hd Outback Steakhouse which was AWESOME! Everyone got steak, chicken, salad and a baked potato. The dinner was so delicious and a nice change of pace. While at Outback one of the tables of our guys challenged themselves to eat as many loaves of break as they could. I think between the 4 guys they ended up eating 13 loaves of bread which reminds me of Beebs who loves the bread at Outback. We left the restaurant and went back to lodging to discuss the rest of our night.

Finally it was the moment we had all been waiting for; MASSAGES! The sponsors in Toledo arranged massages for the entire team. I have never had a real massage so I was very excited. My group got to the clinic and the massage was just as good as I expected. The lady worked my legs and lower back a lot which was exactly what I needed. We left and were free for the rest of the night and I planned on catching up on sleep. We have a ride to Sandusky tomorrow and we have another fun day ahead! I can not believe July is almost over. It is almost hard to imagine that we have come so far and we are almost to D.C.