The Law of Three (Day Three)

After getting 4 hours of sleep last night I was exhausted. I woke up hard, feeling stiff like I had been hit by a truck. Luckily, it was my designated day to run the van, and integral part of the team. Vans provide water and technical support, secure food donations, and mark paths. The van drivers must keep track of each group, their whereabouts, and the whereabouts of the other van,

Today I was passenger in the food van with Dave. After checking to make sure that we left our previous--and wonderful--host location clean and tidy, we drove off. We first stopped at Walmart, where we were turned down and redirected to an online grant application. Our goal was to secure food donations for lunch and some necessary items, like chalk for marking paths and an additional water cooler.

Defeated at Walmart, we continued out of Lykens, eventually pulling into a Subway not far off the rider's route. The woman was kind and offered us four free 6" subs, which we thank fully accepted. However, this wasn't enough food to feed 30 hungry cyclists.

So on we continued, until we reached a Dollar General store. The young woman working the front register said that the corporation restricted her from offering donations. I implored if she knew of any places int he area where we might be successful. She gladly suggested a Giant located just up the road. We thanked her and headed on that way.

Giant turned out to be successful, offering us $20 worth of items, which we spent on chalk, trial mix, and nutella (at the team's frequent request). Next to the Giant was a Rite-Aid, which we entered not expecting much. Yet we were proved wrong when the store manager willing offered up two cases of water and 10 large bottle of Powerade. We were on a roll!

Attempting another Subway located next to the Rite-Aid, I left my number and name to await for the manager to arrive. It was still before 10! Across the lot we entered McDonalds, where a very friendly manager told us to return at 10:30 AM. Stolked, we drove ahead to drop off some of our goods to the water van and thirsty riders.

Before the end of the day, we had acquired 30 subs from an awesome Sheetz stop and $20 worth of dollar menu items from the McDonalds that told us to return later. It was a very successful, happy day, and the riders did fantastic, making great speed. We arrived to the host early and safe.

But  the host is the best part. Here at Susquehanna University, we have beds, showers, a pool, and LAUNDRY. It's  the little things that matter. And to top it all off, we had an amazing community dinner and food for breakfast.


So I'm tired, and that's why I'm cutting this blog post short, and that's why there's probably a million typos. I apologize. Tomorrow I will be riding the toughest day yet--87 miles with a total of 8 climbs.


Up, Up to Mansfield, PA


James


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Today was dedicated to my grandfather, Charles O. a cancer survivor.