Day two is complete.

Day two was another challenge with many hills at the beginning of the day. The last 30 miles or so were relatively flat which gave us a break. I think we both feel better tonight than we did last night but we're still a little sore and tired. It's only day 2---What were we thinking???? We rode 56 miles today and are in Philadelphia.

It was an honor to ride in memory of Steve Redd. We shared his story with many riders and they were all thankful for his great service to our country. Many also acknowledgd the sacrifice of his family.

When we arrived at the hotel at about 3 p.m. I went up to take my bike to the room. I discovered this hotel's idea of an accesible room was to only install a sink a wheelchair could roll under. There are no other accesible features and the access door to the bathroom was too small for the chair. The R2R folks had reserved a handicapped room and this is what the hotel provided. To make a very long story short our only solution was to remove the door on the bathroom. So over two hours later we finally had our room that is somewhat manageable.
Needless to say, it was too late to go with the group on the dinner cruise but we walked about a block down the street and enjoyed a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. I love having free calories this week!

Tomorrow's ride is 77 miles. It's going to be a major challenge. We're meeting a lot of wonderful people on this trip. There are many folks who pay to come on these rides just to help the injured veterans. Everyone has a story and it's fun to hear them.

We're learning to ride in large crowds which is new to us. With so many riders so close together one bad move can take out many riders and result in big crashes. Can you say Talledega? We witnessed that alot today. So far, so good for us. It does keep you on your toes the entire way however. We've been dodging many obstacles such as potholes and manhole covers. Today we had to ride parallel to the street car tracks which many riders fell casualty to. Gary says he's not afraid to trade a little paint and if you ain't rubbing, you ain't racing.

Tomorrow we ride in memory of CW5 Jamie Weeks. We'll post about Jamie in the morning and post his picture on our facebook page. www.facebook.com/teamlinfoot. We'll also carry Jamie's picture in our jersey pockets.

Good night.
Mari