Day five of riding! (Thursday, 6/26)

(Amy)

This day can easily be called the best day of the ride, even though it was the longest miles.

We started the day with sunny skies and smiling faces!

We packed up almost dry this morning. . . The rainfly is always wet from the dew.  Amazing how light the bags are when things aren't drenched!

It was a great morning ride, lots of turns to keep things interesting and beautiful weather.  We decided to take plenty of quick breaks to try and keep our legs fresh.  Before we knew it, we were crossing over I-75.

It seemed like we passed all the easy lunch spots too early, we weren't really hungry yet.  And of course, by the time we were hungry, there was not much to find.  We ended up stumbling upon the metropolis of Fostoria and found their little grocery/deli/video rental store.  A bunch of us stopped and had a great lunch of homemade sandwiches and chips.  The PALM organizers contact the towns that the riders go thru well ahead of time to tell them that there will be 820 people coming thru around lunchtime and to be prepared.  The towns we went thru today could not have been more welcoming.  Owosso, yesterday, was wonderful as well.  The grocery in Fostoria today had tables set up for us to eat lunch at.   We have passed many coolers on the side of the road full of water bottles with signs that say "Welcome PALM Riders! Free water!".  

Our favorite break stop of the whole trip was the magnificent Methodists of Mayville!  They had their church open with the air conditioning on so we could use the bathrooms and cool off.  They had trays upon trays of homemade cookies, fruit, granola bars, water for us to take whatever we liked.  

And the best part was the kids.  There were a group of little kids when we rode up to the stop with pots and pans and big spoons, and they were clanging away on them, cheering for us.  It was very cute!

And in the tradition of finding street signs from home, we found Maple Grove - the street Jeff's school is on!  Who knew it went so far?!

This is the sign we wait for all day.  It's the last break stop of the day, and they always have licorice for a snack.  It's the licorice lady!! (Sam: Notice my stance of deep thought while pondering the quality of my licorice.)

Our trip for the day.  56 miles in just under 8 hours.  And the most enjoyable ride of the week!

I'm hoping tomorrow is as much fun.  I can't believe it's the last day!  

(Sam)

Mom basically summed it up.

It began pretty dry, except for dew, and the breakfast wasn't bad. They had a lot of dinner leftovers, so for breakfast, the main course was Breakfast Burritos, which I really don't like, so I decided to have my usual bagel/cereal combo. But, they didnt have a toaster, but I made do. We began our journey, in the sunshine, and we just decided, cut the talk, and ride. And that's what we did. For the first five miles of flat road and sunshine, we just rode. And, to no offense, it was quite enjoyable, just being warm, and just getting stuff done. After that, we went through Otisville, at about 10:20 or so. I was getting hungry, and they had a Subway, which sounded like a good idea. But, It was only 10, so I thought, let's just keep going. And we did. But, personally, I got pretty hungry, with subs sounding better and better. We finally made it to Fostoria, where they had a deli/movie rental/grocery/ice cream parlor, so we sat down and had some subs, chips and ice cream. It really tasted yummy! By then, we were feeling pretty good, but then we made it to the Methodists. That's when we felt even better. Snacks of all kinds. We finally made it to the school where, we had some quick showers, and the tent was the fastest we ever set it up. That leads me to now. We didnt go to the meeting last night, due to a highly necessary Beatles Tribute concert, so I cannot tell you of tonight's dinner, until tomorrow. But, I can tell you that our entertainment is going to be some rock band, so I don't know what to expect. But, when we got here, we heard some different music.

I got to hear Beatles, and mom got to hear her weird bagpipe music. Not sure why it appeals to her, but then again, not even she knows...   (Amy:  It was wonderful!  I got to hear Amazing Grace!)