Giving Thanks

It seems like a good opportunity to give thanks for everything we've learned along the way. So little of it has to do with biking, though it is a long day in the saddle, don't get me wrong. Here's a little sampler.

How to:
-Spot spigots and how to choose gas stations that have indoor seating.
-Sniff out plumbing.
-Accept freebies and help with grace and gratitude.
-Take baby wipe showers and feel sparkly clean afterwards.
-Rock out to Salt-N-Pepa as we roll into town to ask about camping, and end up with a sweet $20 hotel room.
-Get a lesson in dressing pheasants from some hunters while eating ice cream sandwiches.
-Find distractions. Disney songs can be really uplifting.
-Inquire about free camping and end up with a hot shower and dinner.
-Blow your snot rocket in the right direction in a cross-wind.
-Realize that butter is a miracle, and it belongs on everything. Or just by itself.
-Make friends with the sheriff.
-Recognize that there are times to be vegetarian, and a selective eater, and this is decidedly not one of them.
-Discover that sweetened condensed milk is great stuff, and goes great in all hot drinks.
-Remember to shift down before stopping.
-Know the difference between a sketchy hotel and a sketchy hotel.
-Acknowledge that we no longer care or bother to tell eachother that we have dirt, food, and/or grease on our faces.
-Appreciate smearing cream on your shorts and skin every day. Chamois butter is a miracle.
-Find unlikely places to warm up. Gardening store greenhouses are a great place to take a break.
-Have faith that we can in fact bike thirty more miles at the end of the day, mostly in the dark, on a road with a gravel shoulder in hilly New York in 32 degree weather after already biking sixty miles to make it to our ride home for Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful that I have the chance to take on a trip like this and that I'm lucky enough that are three amazing people out there that I have been able to share it with. Loaded up with holiday foods, way too many Glee episodes, priceless time with family, and days of valuable recuperation and rest, Emily and I are ready to tackle the last 400-ish miles to the coast. And believe it or not, I'm grateful that its not over yet. I'm looking forward to savoring those last days on the bikes, whatever they might hold. Atlantic, here we come!

-Carolyn

Aunt Linda and Eva enjoying the beautiful sunshine on turkey day.

I was so happy to make it home in time to spend the holiday with my mother!

Emily and Dad relaxing before the big meal.

Lots of time in the kitchen getting ready.

The suspense was killing me!

Tori, Emily, Carolyn, Eva and Helen, friends since birth

All hands on deck! The best turkey ever.