Arkansas

185 miles in two days sandwitched between build days. Needless to day, this is not the happiest that my body has ever been with me.

We did deconstruction on a house our build day in Little Rock. A homeowner was refurbishing his house and had contacted Habitat for Humanity to donate much of the furnishings. We spent the day taking out carpets, doors, molding, and appliances which will all be donated to Habitat and sold in their Restore. The family was very thankful and showed their appreciation by getting us access to the community swimming pool after our work day was finished. The pool was a great break and a lot of fun, especially considering the 102 mile day that was looming ahead of us.

That night I took steps to mentally prepare myself for the long day that lay ahead. I knew my body could hold up, but going to bed knowing that I would spend the lion's share of the next day sitting in the saddle still had me a bit worried.

After a 4:30 wake up and a hearty breakfast, I set out for the day. Nature was not going to cut us any breaks and within a few hours the temperatures has risen to upwards to 90 degrees. At its peak, we were riding in temperatures off 100 degrees. Myself and a few other riders have nicknamed that day the double-century. As the we continue to head west and our mileage continues to increase, that may not be the last double century that we encounter.

That night we stayed in college dorms in Clarksville. dorms were very nice, but we did not have quite enough beds. I'm sure the riders in the tour de France don't have to sleep on a love-seat when they are in the middle of a stage race. What is the nonsense that I signed up for? The ride into Fayetteville was a 85 mile ride which took us over the Ozark Mountains. The mountains were a good change of pace from the past few days of long, flat roads. I woke up extremely sore the morning of the ride, but after only a few miles in I was feeling great. I rode the first half of the route on my own and was one of the first riders into lunch. After lunch I caught up with Jeremy and Daniel and rode into town. I was eager to get into town to see my dad (who failed miserably at surprising me), Uncles, and cousins. After driving around town with my uncle and have a few memories from my childhood replayed in my mind, we went back to the host church for dinner and a presentation.

At the church I got to meet the homeowners of a future Habitat house. Patti and her daughter Rose were both sharp as a tack. They had me on my heels from the first minute and had me cracking up throughout the hour conversation that I had with her. The appreciation that she had for the work that we were doing on her house was like nothing I have seen before. She was just so excited to be able to have a home that was hers and that she could leave to her children when she passed away. Our work really does have a dramatic effect on real people, and even if we don't always get to see the direct result, we are helping to change these people's lives.

Tomorrow we are crossing into Oklahoma. Lots of long, flat, windy miles ahead of us.