For Contrast, Things We've Grown to Dislike

Bars (any sort of energy or granola bar)
Sprinklers (when they drench us in the middle of the night while camping)
Train track crossings
Bad street signage
Pushups (because we do them every time we stop for a water break)

Semi trucks

Flies

The vans

The much too small bike racks

Places without ice cream

The fact that there's less than 2 weeks left!

Things We've Grown to Appreciate on the Road

Ice Cream
Seeing friends and family along the road
Chocolate milk
Hot (or even warm, or sometimes cold) showers
A dry floor to sleep on
Bushes (to pee behind)
Milkshakes
Clouds
Tree-lined roads
Shade
Dipped cones
Paved bike paths
Dried mango
Nutella
Ice
Washer and dryers
Egg casserole for breakfast
Gas station ice water
Root Beer Floats
Bike lanes
Shoulders
Rest days
Cycling
Public transit
Small towns
The entire midwest
Soft serve (especially chocolate vanilla swirl)
The Quadruple (def. the act of having ice cream four times in one day)
The Wee Fee (known as WiFi to most people with the exception of Nancy from Johnson Lake, NE)
Wool socks (nearly odorless, always comfortable)
Chamois Butter
A+D diaper rash ointment
Local bike shops
Costco (because we eat lots and lots of food)
Music (though I've grown sick of everything I own and have begun to trade with teamies)
Podcasts (including This American Life, Radiolab, Savage Lovecast, the Moth, Slate Political Gabfest, and Dirtbag Diaries)
Smartphones (and their magical navigational abilities)
Smoothies
Fruit
Sports
Church gyms (which many congregations have generously allowed us to sleep in)
Puppy Chow
Vegetables
The riders of RAA 2012 (otherwise known as the Iron Horse AIDS Fighting Riding Team)

List compiled by Meghan, Flannery, Alice, and the RAA team

Long Overdue. Now we're in Indiana.

I owe you more, but for now, please accept the blog post I wrote for the FACE AIDS blog:

So many things to look forward to in Chicago….deep dish pizza dinner with Lauren's family, two nights at the Patel house, and an appearance on Wrigley Field at the Cub's game.  But before that, we had to navigate about 80 miles from Peru, IL to Elgin, IL.  The day began a bit misty, with some light rain and a lingering fog.  We rode down sandy bike paths along the Illinois River for part of the morning, then hopped on the northward highway.  Following a delicious lunch, which included cheesy potatoes provided by our hosts from the night before, we hopped on the Fox River Trail.  The system of bike paths in the greater Chicago area is amazing.  We rode for over 40 miles on the Fox River Trail, winding along an old railroad grade, crossing back and forth over the river on solid steel bridges.  There were lots of people out, strolling, biking, enjoying the sun that appeared in the afternoon.  Zipping northward, we saw a heron perched in the middle of the river, stopped for lattes, and finished up at a small park.  The park featured water spouts which were entertaining splashing little kids.   Since the afternoon was quite warm, we decided we should hop in the water too, and had a good time splashing around, cooling off.  We then headed to Lauren's house for the night.  I saw some of both her parents in Lauren, the way she talks, her sense of humor, her lively spirit.  It was great to meet them and share their home for a night!  Let the Chicago adventure begin!

Thoughts on the end of Nebraska. And....Iowa??!!!

Sometime in the past few days we passed a sign at what could well be the mid-point of the Ride.  I say "could," because though the aforementioned sign (and dilapidated cows and covered wagon) seemed quite certain that they were located 1,733 miles from both Frisco and Boston, it's just such a darn big country that it seems too early to celebrate any sort of victory.  Though I have the means of calculating the exact distance, I'm content to continue to roll along with only local maps and mileages, and to occasionally be very surprised when I look at a map of the whole country.

Thoughts on Nebraska (and on riding in general):
The people are so darn nice, kind, friendly, and helpful.  And, Lincoln, NE holds a tiny oasis.
Thanks to some amazing cycling shops (including CycleSport in North Platte, and Wayne Cyclery in Grand Island), bicycle culture is alive and well in NE.
Trolli gummy apple rings are refreshing, even when it's over 100 degrees (and especially when they are donated/gifted by the kindest Sinclair station attendant in the history of gas stations).

Convenience store beer caves are a great place to cool down on a water stop.

Trampolines are always fun.  And can get really hot on a hot day.  Good cycling technique translates well to good jumping technique (as demonstrated by Sam below).

Ice cream (or, on occasion, a root beer float) is the perfect way to finish a long riding day.

Omaha is a lovely town.  Really.  It is on my "places I'd be happy to do residency" list.  Of course, I'd need to fly to Alta on occasion to get some pow.

Now, on to Iowa.  Hard to believe, right?  We crossed the border last night, and are currently in Atlantic, IA.  The states keep rolling away beneath my wheels, the hosts keep showering us with generosity, the towns keep on being charming, the ice in my water bottles gets more and more necessary, and summer feels like it is flying by.

Nebraska

About 10 miles into the morning, one of my teammates had a rough fall, so I went with her and several other riders to the emergency room in Sterling, CO.  While sitting in the waiting room we began talking with two women who were there visiting their mother.  Fortunately, the doctor doesn't think my teammate did any serious damage, and she will be back on the road soon.  Later, as we were walking into town, one of the women happened to drive by us, then picked us up, bought us lunch and donated to the Ride.  I am continually amazed by the kindness of the people we meet on the road.

We crossed another state line this afternoon, with storm clouds on the horizon and cornfields stretching ever eastward.  Tonight we are staying at McConaugey Reservoir, near Ogallala, Nebraska.  As we rolled in, I immediately noticed the low water levels.  A woman I spoke with at the gas station said that at this point in the summer last year, the water was over 10 feet higher.  The drought is clearly taking a toll, the land is dry, and the fire season has been fierce.  Still, the land is beautiful, a strong contrast to what we've seen to this point.  The ever so slightly rolling hills and the incredibly friendly people continue to make the Ride enjoyable, even with the high temperatures.

Also, Sterling Colorado had more to offer us than just a good ER doc and a very lovely generous woman.  While celebrating 7 Eleven's birthday with a free Slurpee, we met a radio show host for KSTC 1230 AM, and he invited us to speak on the radio.  I threw in a short plug about FACE AIDS and the Ride Against AIDS, and had a great time being a media star for about 15 seconds.

Rocky Mountain High and to the other side

We rode over the Rockies this past weekend.  It was amazing.  As amazing as I expected.  Vail Pass was a breeze (with the exception of "the wall", a short, very steep section of the bike path), and Loveland was a slog, but we all made it, and the descent made it well worth while.  While riding down a winding canyon on the east side of the Rockies, I could finally feel the magnitude of what we had done.  The Rockies are big.  Each day of the trip has been about riding a small section of road, and the ultimate goal has felt so distant.  It's been hard to believe that the Rockies are officially over.  After a few more days of riding the flats, it might start to sink in, but for now, I think we're all just basking, and hoping our sore muscles recover quickly.  A short rest day in Denver, then a 115 mile ride out to Fort Morgan, I'm exhausted yet again, and looking forward to a short 60 mile day tomorrow.

Some photos from the last week or so