Hey all, I found wireless in Stillwater, OK, and so I’m finally on my laptop again after a 9 day break, it feels so good.

The day we left we added organization to an otherwise chaotic trip, this meant that three people are designated each day as ride leaders. My day is Tuesday and so yesterday I, as well as two teammates, were in charge of mapping the route from Norman to OK City, making sure the van and trailer were packed, parking at turns so people knew where to go, contacting hosts and food donators… Needless to say, yesterday was BUSY. It is really hard to mobilize 20 people and even harder to catch them in city traffic…I arrived at our destination with two riders and spent the next 20 minutes locating the rest, I don’t know what we’re gonna do without mobile phone service in the Yukon. We began the day with a wonderful meal and karaoke, after riding and some chaos (making the impossible, possible) we spent the afternoon at the Oklahoma Capitol Building – taking pictures sitting in the senators’ and justices’ seats (we met Senator Johnny Crutchfield in Ardmore, where I was also on the news), and we finished the day off by shaving Carly’s head. All the girls looked on in awe and admiration as I think we all have dreamed of chopping our mops off, I even talked to my sister tonight who admitted that she had considered it before, but would never do it. Big Paul Williams, my match in scathing retorts, feels that we should now call the group Texas 4000 for women’s liberation.

The girls have been so great on this trip, I’m glad there are 8. We ride in packs and are starting to give some of the stronger boys a run for their money. Two days ago, on the ride into Norman, Carly, Meg, Laura, and I averaged almost 20 miles an hour for the last leg of the ride, 17 for the day. We really look out for each other and know it’s okay to tell the group to slow down 1 or 2 mph.

It rained all day today…rooster tails of water arched back from the wheels ahead of you, I can still feel grit from the road in my teeth, my group added 15 miles to our trip by “hammering” ahead of the rest of the team…in the wrong direction, 20 mph crosswinds and hill after hill, all the while Carly gloated about her care-free do.

Tomorrow we ride 80 miles, Friday only 44, and then Saturday is our first day off. I wish I could share my excitement, but words just aren’t enough. I won’t have to worry about hydrating Friday night for the Saturday ride and I won’t have to wake up early. No hurrying, just relaxing, ahhh.

Our hosts have been so accomodating and generous, we’ve been so lucky. Yesterday we gave some food to a man and his son outside the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial. We’ve also been giving some awareness talks and we visited cancer patients in a hospital in Ardmore. I like talking to random people throughout the day about what we’re doing. A great guy at Al’s Bicycles in Norman helped me with directions and he had battled with skin cancer. Yesterday while I was gassing up the van (picture me driving a 12 passenger van with a trailer attached to it) the man who was filling up in front of me told me that he lost his wife last year to brain cancer right before calling me out on my Chicago accent.

I’m having so much fun, I wish I could tell you everything that happens, but the truth is, I can barely remember what city we left this morning. And, to be honest, I’m enjoying my break from technology.