Where's Dunder-Mifflin?

I'm writing from Scranton, PA. Outside Scranton, PA, in Clark Summit, PA. About 8 miles North of Scranton, PA, actually. Yesterday I had my hardest (fastest) ride yet, from White Lake, NY to Clark Summit-- 74 miles-- in about 4.5 hours of riding. I rode with Logan and Bronwyn, two of the strongest riders on the trip, and we really killed it. My body felt right, although a little tight, and I was mentally prepared for a hard push with the knowledge that we'd have a rest day today. We ad-libbed a lil' bit (including a 4-mile stretch of actual, 80-mph "Motorized Vehicles ONLY" highway) and really attacked the hills above Carbondale. We made it to Our Lady of Snows church at 3:20, about 45 minutes before everybody else, and hit up Manning's Ice Cream, which is apparently some of the best stuff for miles. I had a pint of "Caramel Critter," which may have been too much, but it sure tasted good at the time. Last night we had free pizza (we killed 12 pizzas in about 13 minutes), and then a lot of the 21-plus club went out for a few drinks. It feels good to embrace this absurdly healthy lifestyle, but every once in a while a good, cold beer is completely necessary.

Today we got up late (8:45, wooooo!!!!) and had a car wash to support the local Habitat for Humanity chapter with a youth group from the church from 9-1. It involved a lot of sun and sneak-attacks with the hose, and goofily waving signs along the road leading to the church. We had a purty good system down and washed a lot of cars. The final tally for the day was-- hold on to your hats-- $840. It was far and away the most the youth group had ever raised, and it was also the most I've ever heard about for a simple car wash. Needless to say, we all felt great about it-- it was fun getting to see the community members and cool to meet the kids. I've been walking around the area looking for wireless since then, and it's, well... boring. But nice. We're along a huge commercial strip leading into town, so our surroundings aren't very pedestrian-friendly and it's also really ugly. The church is nice, though, and I got to play piano last night in the main chapel-- beautiful acoustics in there.

The community members we've encountered have been staggeringly friendly; they're generous and so excited to share their towns with us. Every night we're amazed by the sheer volume and variety of the ubiquitous potlucks, and by the enthusiastic conversation and interest in our backgrounds and reasons for undertaking this trip. I've decided that one my favorite experiences is getting to know someone pretty well over dinner, establishing connections and good will for the program for years to come.

So far, the days all seem to stretch out and run together. I've realized that it's because each day is so profoundly full of mini-dramas, of fatigue and recovery, optimism and pessimism, uphills and downhills, conversation and solitude. Each day feels like five days, so the last five days feel like a month or so in the real world. Time telescopes, slinkees, oscillates, when you're on your butt on a bike on the road for a day. I'm still trying to get my head around the whole experience. Two days ago I rode the whole way with Terra (plus/minus a few other riders), and at one point, on a looooong stretch of road that reminded me of Rt. 100 in VT, I paused, then asked her what she was thinking about. Or what she'd been thinking about. And she paused, and then said that she'd been repeating a billboard slogan that she'd seen about 4 miles earlier over and over again, ostensibly emptying her mind of anything else. I hadn't been thinking about anything in particular, either. This trip is an elemental experience in that sense-- despite the hundreds (thousands) of dollars worth of gear that we've got on and around us, all day, and the cell phones and computers and bike odometers and blogs, we're all engaged in a pilgrimage of sorts, one in which we have to listen to our bodies and ignore the minute details. I hardly know what day it is. I hardly know where we're going tomorrow. And I love it.