Hopkins 4K for Cancer

June 16, 2006

Fayette, MO
I regret to say that I wasn’t able to ride today because my lower back is in too much pain. I drove shotgun with Susy, and barked out the window at our riders like a dog with a lot of pent up energy inside. It sucks not being able to ride. You don’t realize how much of a privilege it is to be healthy enough to do what we are doing until it’s taken away. I’m sure I’ll be back in action soon though, and for that I am thankful. There were a lot of rolling hills today, which we aren’t used to. Driving in the van made the hills seem like a roller coaster, although I’m sure those riding took a different perspective! However, I would much rather be out there pedaling up the hills one after the other than be stuck in the van with back spasms.

The town of Fayette is a sweet little place with mom and pop stores lining the streets. A few of us went window shopping and spent an hour in the local bookstore. Then we shuttled to the college, which had a swimming pool, where we splashed around for a little bit before showering up. The hosts at Fayette were amazing! We stayed at the First Baptist Church, and laid our personal gear all over the building. Some of us even set up sleeping bags on the pews.

Dinner was served in the building next door that is typically used for Sunday school. I would have to say that the dinner tonight was the best potluck dinner we have had so far. There were so many cooks in the kitchen preparing the food. When they finally brought everything out, it was simply amazing. Not only was there a lot of food on the table, but there were a lot of people in the room. It was exciting to finally share dinner with so many people who were interested to hear about our cause. We met a lot of cancer survivors, which gave us stories to bring with us to the next town. At the end of dinner, Garrett delivered a terrific slideshow presentation, and it was a hit. The team definitely got a taste of good old Midwest hospitality!

-David