Here in Providence

A quick thank you to all that have written over the past couple of days. Life has been full here. We got on the bikes today after a bike safety and bike maintenance workshop. A lot of people seemed pretty apprehensive about actually getting on the bikes and the real mechanics of biking across the entire country. Everyone had lots of questions and really bombarded the REI guy with pleas for help. That's why I was pleasantly surprised and impressed to see everyone get on the bikes and speed away for a short afternoon ride. There were big smiles all around and I really can't deny how childish (in a good way) I felt getting on the bike again after a couple days away. Anyway, the thought for the day: I am amazed at how many of our riders have never or very rarely ridden a bike before. It seems, for them, this whole trip absolutely must be much more about the build than the bike, and I am in admiration of that today.