Today was a long, hard, but really fun day in the heat and humidity of the Ozarks of Southern Missouri (home of the Missourians, apparently). Lots of interesting and fun things happened today, but my focus was on the sudden realization and remembrance of how much I truly enjoy cycling. There's been so much going on; the charity fundraising, meeting new people, planning out the future, etc. that I think I lost track of the basic joy that I have just in physically cycling. I like a lot of physical activities in life; running, hiking, mountaineering, playing soccer, skiing, etc. But I really felt today that joy of the open road, of motion powered by my own feet. I ended up riding alone today for a good chunk, maybe 30 of the 90 miles we ended up doing. The roads through the Ozarks were tough, but beautiful, with a green-ness that I hadn't seen since Virginia. The rolling hills were a challenge, but the fun kind of challenge. It's neat to know that this is something my body can do, and keep up with. It feels good. So, in addition to everything else great about this trip, I'd like to take a moment and just remember how fun it is just to ride a bicycle.
