Beware of Dogs

So my updates that were supposed to happen promptly...did not. Since my last blog, I hit a dog, others crashed, Matt Cady got a pseudo mullet (which is currently being transformed into a legitimate mullet by Tim), and we had a rest day.

I hit a dog while riding my bike and It sounds just as ridiculous as it was. I have some cuts and bruises, and a heightened fear of dogs on the road, but both the dog and I pulled through.
The next day Caroline's front wheel kissed Christine's back wheel and they crashed, but luckily met an emt on the road who cleaned their cuts. The day after that Tim crashed and also met an emt on the road... Coincidence? I think not. They are definitely following us around, and I think we are getting the most out of this relationship.
The mullet explains itself and I'm sure photos will be updated in the near future. But as dashing as Matt is, he won't have anything on the Jan Yourist mullet.
On the rest day we saw some crazy machinery at a Cancer Center and i gained a better understanding of how radiation therapy works. The hospital we visited in Mitchell had a machine that cost a million dollars which is pretty incomprehensible to me. Our guide also told us that a machine like that had a life span of about 8 years before it became technologically obsolete and in need of replacement. Their last machine was donated to a hospital in Brazil which seemed pretty cool. After our hospital visit there wasn't much to do. Mitchell's claim to fame is the Corn Palace, and I would have rather visited the grocery store for a third time than admire corny murals.
Anyway, I was glad to get back on the road today, especially because it rained which meant  a lesser threat of dogs on the road and I got to test out my new (actually waterproof) jacket. The night was then topped off with several rounds of boggle and tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. ~Sigh~

Do you need an ice cream for father's day?

Wisconsin is so far the number 1 state for humorous signs. In addition to the title of this blog, we saw a sign that said "June is dairy month, take a cow out to lunch". The street signs are better here as well, if only Dreamland and Enchanted Valley came to a 3-way intersection with Okay rd...
More to come in a couple of hours.

My kind of town

It looks like I have some catching up to do...
It would probably make sense to start where I left off, but I'm going to work my way backwards instead. Yesterday began with a national American Cancer Society conference that Brad and I were really lucky to have had the opportunity to speak at. The group we spoke in front of was small, but definitely important. Everyone was extremely supportive and interested in what we had to say about the organization and our own experiences. We are often encouraged by people we meet along our journey, but our interactions with significant medical researchers and/or high level donors are minimal. This conference made it clear that our efforts were appreciated on a higher organizational level as well.
After the conference we headed over to Millennium Park to wait for the rest of the team to roll in. They rolled in later than expected, but luckily avoided the extreme rain. Millennium Park was followed by errands around the city, an awesome dinner of nachos, sweet potato fries and a chocolate chip cookie dough peanut butter vegan milkshake from Chicago Diner, and a slumber party with Christine.
Here is where my memory turns splotchy and pasta dinners, Jesse's mom, swimming pools, and broken spokes all mesh together. Jesse's mom is definitely > broken spokes and I look forward to seeing her again in Portland. That equation may seem like a given, but having broken spokes meant that I got to spend a day hanging out in the van with Saebin, which as everyone who knows Saebin would say was the best part of the ride : ) The point is that Jesse's mom is best!
That's probably a good place to stop, food coma is kicking in...

Tomorrow: Bagels for Breakfast! Gotta love Panera.

I thought I hated Indiana, but...

We practically just rode back to back centuries....

Indiana has surprise surprise: HILLS. And here I thought we were done with those until Wisconsin. It's okay though because we are much stronger now than pre-Appalachian passes.

Tomorrow is a rest day and it will be the first during which actual rest will take place. That is not to say that Greenwood is not a happening place...the karaoke in Dan's living room is quite exciting. But tomorrow will hopefully be spent  in a bathing suit for the majority of the day or under covers watching movies.

 

Its about time...

Today is day ? of the ride and I am just getting started on blogging. In my defense, it very well could be day 1. All the days and places we stay seem to blend into one mass of emotions and events that I will remember in the future as "I4k summer".

Anyway, back to the specifics. Today=Zanesville, Ohio which is famous for its "Y" bridge and not much else. A trip to the candy shop, however, would make a tourist happy to be here. The ride today has been my favorite so far even though we were sprinkled near the end. We didn't have any climbs that were pure torture, it wasn't a scorcher, and it lasted less than 12 hours. What more could a girl ask for?

Dinner! and that's being provided for us by wonderful people at the Presbyterian church.