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Day # 8 was a surprising day. I woke up around 5 a.m. to powerful thunderstorms that seemed like they were going to last for the entire day. We left the hotel around 7:30 a.m. to drive back to Cypress Tennessee where we stopped riding on day # 7. To avoid any confusion, let me clarify our bike ride locations as they relate to our hotel stays. We ride each day to a specific location which coincides with the map listed on our website at www.orphanagefundraiser.com. When we complete our riding for the day, we drive to the Holiday Inn Express where we can stay for the least number of points. That is, Holiday Inn Express & Holiday Inn sponsored our rooms throughout the trip by awarding us points. We had to make all of the arrangements and make sure that we used our points efficiently so we could cover the entire trip. Therefore, there may be days when we finish our bike ride at one location, and then drive 35 miles to the Holiday Inn Express where we will stay. The next morning, we will drive back to our bike route and begin riding from where we left off the day before to ensure that we keep on track with our projected 2000 mile ride. We reached our previous bike ride location at the Natchez Trace Parkway around 8:15. We were pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn’t raining as hard as it was at our hotel. We began riding in the rain and within an hour, the rain stopped. We were able to complete our ride with minimal rain and once again enjoy the beautiful sites of the Natchez Trace Parkway. I especially enjoyed riding over the Tennessee River early in the morning on a 3/4 mile bridge that was surrounded by water and a very scenic landscape. Our riders continue to feel good and have adapted to a routine that allows us to complete our miles and maintain our strength for the next day. I think we are at a point where I can share our daily schedule which has been pretty consistent for the past 8 days. This may vary to some degree depending on the day and media contacts. | 5:00 a.m. - 5:45 a.m. | Bike riders get up | | 6:30 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. | We take our luggage and bikes to the vehicles and organize for the day which include checking all of our bike tires to replace any air that has been lost. In some cases, we lose 50% of the air in our tires in one day. | | 7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m. | We have breakfast together and discuss the bike route and who will ride which segment | | 7:45 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. | We travel to our starting location. We may have 1-3 media interviews prior to leaving our hotel or at the bike ride locations. | | 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Riding bikes | | 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | Return to hotel; unload luggage, clean bikes, clean clothes, etc. | | 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Have dinner, review day, and prepare for next day | | 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. | Follow-up with emails, blogs, media, etc. |
It is storming at this moment and we have had a tornado warning. I hope it passes by and we have even a better day tomorrow than today. We are ready for Day # 9, regardless of the weather we will face.
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