Phillipsburg to Oberlin

This was one of the weirder days of the trip as I never really fully woke up. I left Phillipsburg with Jay and Lindy, but just couldn't seem to get my body to start working. About 25 miles in, I switched over to riding with Blake and Pope until lunch. Good chats were had by all, and fireworks may have been purchased. 

Lunch was about 2 miles off route, but was totally worth it. We ate under a pavillion on Prarie Dog Park and many swam in a huge lake (despite the unusually chillier weather). I accidentally took a 2 hour nap, so while I was one of the first groups to get to lunch, I was the last to leave. 

After lunch, I rode with Drew and Sunny with a few guest appearances here and there. We left with perfect timing to get to host right in time for dinner. One thing we earned though: the Great Plains are not flat. Super rolling. All of the afternoon was filled with long, but not steep, hills. I miss the mountains. 

Once at host, I realized how dehydrated I was when I started shivering. I spent the evening in sweatpants and a fleece sweater while many were cozy in shorts and tanks. The weird sleepy haze continued. After dinner, the four of us leaders left so that riders could fill out midtrip evals. We walked around town and hung out and kinda predicted the things we were about to read. Once they were done, we sat together in town and read them to each other one by one discussing where we could grow and what we were doing well. Constructive conversations like this will always be one of the things I appreciate most about this summer and about the decision to lead with these folks. One thing that was reaffirmed: I've hardly gotten better at hiding stress. Woot. 

We got in super late, had a small cuddle puddle with Dan and Jay (which I also just woke up to). Now begins our last day in Kansas.