Big day! Nancy and I had fresh legs this morning, thanks to our self-imposed rest day yesterday. As we prepared our bikes, we were the most chipper couple around. Yep, everyone is beginning to hate us :-)
The last few days have been very windy, but today was fairly nice. The wind was sort of gentle, and the cloudy sky kept things cool. We started out on a great country road (cue the John Denver song, again). About 10 miles into the ride, we saw this little guy trying to cross the road:
He (or she?) wasn't that little, either; a bit bigger than a softball. When we zoomed by he quickly pulled his head into his shell. I was worried that he may soon become much flatter, so we turned around, took his picture, and then carried him into the grass. I hope I put him on the side of the road he was aiming for.
A few miles later, we passed through a small town, and a few of the riders in our group met a new friend:
This very energetic doggie ran with them for about three miles! He wouldn't give up! He didn't have a collar on, but he looked way too healthy to be a stray. I hope he finds his way back home. Maybe everyone in town knows him. "Hey, there's the crazy dog that chases everything."
A number of other dogs chased us briefly, and none of them were as nice as the first guy. I growled at each of them and chased them away from my woman.
At the end of our first lunch stop, Nancy was ready to go before I was (like always) so she took off and let me try to chase her down. When I finally hit the road, I was chasing for something like three hours before I saw her again! She was a rocket today! She rode in a paceline with a few guys for a little while, but they were slowing her down, so she dropped the hammer and left them in the dust! Now everyone thinks Nancy is a hardcore racer who's just been holding back.
One last photo. Apparently they're been having problems with people, umm, abusing, the railroad cars:
