Day 1: The Zoo to Waynesboro

Well, like our tonsil-less friend, we have now found ourselves at the end of an AWESOME day! The day began with last-minute preparations as we tried to figure out how we could fit all of our stuff into pannier bags and a trailer. Luckily, we succeeded and biked down to the Little Grille for a delicious send-off breakfast. Next stop we were back at the Zoo where we were surrounded by friends and family as we biked away from Harrisonburg (some even did the first few miles with us!).

The day was hot but we kept the water flowing and the sunscreen on (I reapplied three times, this might be a theme). A few churches provided us with great stopping points for water and a chance to eat some lunch in the shade. As we neared Waynesboro, our destination for the first night, we stopped at Hugh K. Cassell Elementary School for some water. Upon our arrival we were ushered into the cafeteria during which time an after-school care program was going on. Let me tell you: 4 dudes in neon yellow jerseys and spandex can really change the atmosphere of a room. As we filled up our bottles the supervisors came over and started asking us about our trip and before we knew it we were the Guest Speakers for the month! Now, most of you know but some of you do not, but our very own Pick graduated from JMU with a degree in elementary education. He was absolutely in his element and we went on to talk about bike safety and our trip for about 15 minutes! After that the kids came out to our bikes and asked all sorts of awesome questions. What an experience.

Earlier in the day Doug got in touch with the Sawyer family in Waynesboro, David Sawyer was Doug's spanish teacher in high school. They agreed to let us crash at their place and even left the doors unlocked while they were out to dinner for their son Jacob's birthday. Happy Birthday Jacob! We feasted on lemonade, pasta (thanks Mrs. Arms), and some delicious blueberry birthday cake. Hot showers were a great cap to an awesome first day.