Photos and DC

Hello! I am currently coming to you from Catholic University in Washington D.C. where my sister's kind friend Tori is letting me use her computer resources. Today is our first off day of the journey and we are using it to catch up on things and rest our legs for the hills that await us in the coming days.

This morning we took a tour of Walter Reed Army Medical Center visiting the Comprehensive Breast Center. It was an amazing opportunity for our team and I think we all took a lot away from it. After our tour we visited with an U. of Illinois alumni who was receiving a treatment at the center. It was another experience that reminded me why I'm doing this ride and that I will remember in the weeks ahead.

Yesterday we rode into D.C. following the paths that run through Rock Creek Park. After riding on many busy roads during our first few days it was a nice break and the trees and scenery made for a beautiful ride. The end of the ride yesterday made up for the first part of the day when things got off to a rather shaky start. About a mile after leaving the Frisby House in Baltimore, Dana and I both fell on a rather bumpy stretch of street. We are both fine and escaped with just a few scrapes however I broke one of the cables on my bike which I need to get repaired if I want to ride in any gear other than granny gear (where it is currently stuck!).

I know this is short but I will try to add more later. Before I sign off I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Gehres and the members of the Salem United Methodist Church in Newark, Delaware for putting us up for the night and feeding us during our stop in Newark. Though I'd never met them before the Gehres married my parents 29 years ago and when they heard we were going to be stopping in Newark offered to help out. The generosity of their church was amazing from the food to connecting us with someone to let us take showers at the local YMCA - so Thank You, Salem UMC!

Finally - I've uploaded some of my photos to my Picasa Web Album and they can be viewed by clicking the photo album link on the right side of my profile. More will be added next time I get non-firewalled internet access!