Late Night... of Day 3 officially

Tonight we're at Mr. Johnny Branch's church in Greenville (St. James UMC), and they have a youth room with 7 computers with internet. So, I'm staying up a little late to update the blog...

The trip has been CRAZY awesome so far! To date, we've ridden about 160 miles of our 3500+ trek. It has felt like a lot, but in respect to the total... we've just begun. Day 1 in Nags Head (66 miles to Swanquarter), started rough. I woke up to a flat tire. Bummer. So I change it. In the process, I realize the tire itself is defective, not just a popped tube. As a result, I start the first day with 2 popped tubes and a useless tire. Ugh. So I replaced it with my stock, back-up tire, and rolled with the punches. The wheel dip ceremony goes smoothly, with sunshine, happy cyclists, and a good turnout of supporters. We embark on our trip, everything going to plan. Until.... my bike computer decides to stop working. Seriously? About $90 worth of gear, down the drain... THE FIRST DAY?!? Not so happy. And to top it off... we leave the sunshine behind, running into severe headwinds and non-stop rain. Needless to say, it was a heck of a first day. But, the people of Swanquarter definitely made up for it with their hospitality. Not only were we invited into people's homes to shower, but my host even gave me a gift of some Rasberry Jalepeno Jam that was made right up the road, just because I love spicy food. It was awesome. AND the dinner at the church was absolutely AMAZING. Day 1 turned out to be great after all.

Day 2. Swanquarter, NC to Belhaven, NC
Yet another day of rain. And frigid weather. At least it was only 34 miles. The ride was not so great, but... Belhaven folk are AWESOME. Just like Swanquarter, the people of Belhaven invited us into their houses for showers, which is where I met George. George is a local who grew up in Belhaven, who now owns his own Oyster sports bar. We chatted for a while about a lot of things, like his bar, his Harley, his grandkids, my time in school, etc. It was great getting to know him. He even gave me a t-shirt from his bar, (2nd gift of the trip so far... haha), to take across the country with me, taking pictures along the way in the different states. I was excited at the opportunity, and in fact, i'm wearing the shirt as I write this. Anyways, the time in Belhaven was awesome, with a welcoming community, great church, and a beautiful area. If I can, I'd love to get back there to visit again some day.

Day3. Belhaven, NC to GREENVILLE, NC
Today was a great ride. 57 miles thru beautiful areas, with great weather. I think the high today was 70somethin? It was nice. The only downfall to today's ride was that my knee was KILLING me all day today, and still hurts at this moment. Other than that, it's great to be in Greenville, and the best ride to date. We're staying at St. James UMC (ehem... Johnny Branch...), which is a GREAT church. I got to go to lunch with Brianna, Taylor, Jackson, and Josh Hess. It was great seeing everyone again. Then I came back to the church for the traditional painting of the trailor as a team. It's a work in progress, but we got a good start. Then dinner, affordable housing presentations, and a few drinks with teammates and old friends (and Bobo too). All in all, a great day. The trip has been great so far, tomorrow we move on to Wake Forest, NC. 80+ miles, wish us luck!