Here in Youngstown

Brittany demonstrates our favorite sign.

Yesterday we rode into Franklin, PA. The ride was pretty flat and we even got to ride on a bike path for a while! Unfortunately I had a really stupid fall on the bike path, in which I was deeply absorbed in a story I was telling and didn't realize that I was going off the edge of the path. Of course when I tried to get back on the path, I just went down hard. My bike is fine, and so am I - just a little bruised. It was my first fall on my road bike, so I guess it had to happen sometime! We got into Franklin early enough to relax - I lay on the grass in the park for a while and it felt delicious. That night, we all went to a place called the Celtic Cafe, where the awesome owner/bartenders gave us all free t-shirts. We essentially took over the back room and just had a blast hanging out and singing along with the jukebox. Someone else on the trip made a comment about realizing every day how awesome it is that we're doing this. It felt like last night was a celebration of all that - every evening, I'm exhausted, but so happy to be where I am with all of these amazing people and to have made it through another day.

Theise and me at the Ohio state line

As of today, it truly feels like we are on our way. Crossing into Ohio marked the first state I had never been to before, and meant that we were no longer on the East Coast, but in the Midwest. Definitely felt like a milestone. Today was so hot and humid, though, that the ride wasn't as enjoyable as those of the last few days. Nevertheless, having been fortified with double my usual PB&Js at lunch, I made it to Youngstown. The funny thing about PB&Js is that, even though we eat them every single day for lunch, rather than getting sick of them, I actually like them more and more each day. After my body has been working hard all day, they're somehow more satisfying than any other meal could hope to be.

So far Youngstown seems completely deserted - I haven't really seen anyone in town except the wonderful folks from the Youngstown State University Catholic center who fed us dinner. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where we're staying, is a majestic stone building resembling a castle. I got chills when I stepped into the stunning sanctuary, all stone and wood and stained glass. We haven't seen much else of the town, besides the abandoned campus, but it definitely seems like an economically depressed area. I hope to get more of a sense of the place tomorrow at our build day - the first one since Providence! It'll be a relief to have a day off the saddle and a real treat to sleep in till - wait for it - 7:30.