Day 6: Rest and Relaxation

Some of today was pretty relaxing, hanging around the church and walking around town. I took another trip down to the post office and got some pretty weird looks as I strolled by in my tie-dye shirt. We explored a little bit, rummaging through a thrift store and a used book store. I think I found some treasures for a bargain: a can opener for 50 cents and a sudoku book for another 50 cents.

The rest of the day, well really all day, was spent debating, researching, and planning. We finally compromised, and somehow found a middle ground, fitting all of our opinions, wants, and needs into a new route. It is really hard to get seven people on the same page and make everyone happy. But in the end, I think the discussions and research led to a good middle ground that left everyone pretty content and excited for the rest of the summer's stops. By doing this, the ride will be completely different from last year, and we hope to set up more presentations and housing with some familiar faces. This is all a learning experience, and we hope we'll all gain a tremendous amount from everything we encounter. Our new route is finalized, finally, and is posted above and on the FACE AIDS' Ride Against AIDS blog. So check it out and see if we'll be passing by!

We were also able to meet a few more people from the church, including the pastor who filled us in on what to expect on our trek to Austin, NV tomorrow. It should be an interesting, but isolated ride at the same time. I think the ipod is going to get busted out tomorrow to keep me occupied on the 113 mile stretch, The Loneliest Road in America playlist.

The people we've met around the church have been wonderfully helpful and welcoming. Two ladies at the church, Laura and Donna, have taken great care of us the past two days. We've been provided with hot meals, hot showers, and open arms. The church is pretty familiar with groups like ours as they have also hosted other biking groups throughout the years, such as Bike to Build which is associated with Habitat for Humanity.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Grimes Point or a rodeo, but nonetheless we enjoyed our stay in Fallon, NV. And if nothing else, it was super productive.