Day 1... They Lied

Let me start by describing my night last night...

Grammy and Grampy have an RV that comfortably sleeps about 4 people. There is a bedroom in the back, and then a bed over the cab of the truck which both sleep about 2. There is also a table, that folds down into a "bed". This so called "bed" is approximately 4 feet wide, by 5 feet long. I brought a tent for my sister and I to sleep in, but after getting to Ortonville and feeling how intensely hot it was, we thought against sleeping in a tent for the night. That and we didn't feel like setting it up/taking it down in the morning. So we made the table into a "bed" and went to sleep. It was uncomfortable. Like, REALLY, uncomfortable. I'm short, and it was too short for ME. We're talking SHORT. So anyway, that's not even the problem. That I can live with. Someone, which I will not name, was SNORING.... all night. And it was unbearable. I woke up from what little sleep I was able to get with a headache. Not a good way to start the first day of riding, which was supposed to be 58.9 miles.

They lied. It was 65 miles. For some reason, I feel like a person should be warned about something like this. Granted, it's not that much farther, it just sounds so much worse. I won't bore you with all of the details, I will just give a few highlights:

We were up and at 'em at 5:30 this morning. I don't think I have woken up this early since riding TRAM last year. Up before the sun rises is definitely not my style. So we got up, got packed, got air in our tires, and started on our way. The reason the route was longer is because they "changed it" at the last minute. Supposedly there was a new, paved bike trail that we were now taking. Yeah, it lasted for 1/4 of a mile and then we were on rough, bumpy roads the rest of the day. There was also wind.. and lots of it. Now, wind is definitely not always a bad thing. Especially when it's at your back for most of the day, but when we would turn to go north for a few miles it was almost unbearable. I would look down and see my odometer, which had just been at 18 mph, drop to below 10, but I felt like I was pushing harder than I had been going 18. Oh well, it was at our backs for most of the day. 65 miles and 4 rest stops later and we were finished for the day, around 2 pm, and that's including 4 LONG rest stops. At every one, dad would be on the phone with an insurance agent, adjustor, inspector or something like that. Thanks to the storm they now need a new roof, and 4 new sides on their house. At least he was able to come.

Overall, it was a pretty easy, all things considered, day today. Hopefully the wind will remain at our backs for the second leg of the trip. Tomorrow, we will be riding from Montevideo to Redwood Falls. Another 60.5 miles. I sure hope they aren't lying!