It was rumored to be a 97 degree day so we were all a little nervous upon departing about potential dehydration ad heat exhaustion. The weather did not disappoint. We started riding before 8:00 yet the heat was so thick that it felt like a heavy wool blanket. Austin looked at me and joked, "No-water contest today?" I didn't take him up on the game.
I have never sweat so much in my entire life. It is like every pore in my body is crying. By the time we'd gotten to lunch at 60 miles, everyone looked as though they'd gone swimming. Sweat pored down everyone's arms and legs and our clothes were soaked.
Lunch was great though because there was a faucet to hook up a hose to. We made a makeshift slip and slide out of a big tarp and took turns sliding across it. It wasn't very slippery and the ground was kind of uneven/rocky underneath it so it was a little painful. Everyone had the same reaction after sliding: "Wheee!!!..... Ow..." But it was definitely worth the pain.
It was a hot day but it was great to finally arrive in Oxford, home of Ole Miss. Our host was kind enough to offer us to use the showers in his condo. The showers were amazing and they stayed warm. His condo was very beautiful and there were plenty of cozy couches. He had an awesome dog which we named "Paul" because we didn't know its real name.
We ended up all falling asleep for a few hours before making our way back to the church for a dinner of ribs, pulled pork, vegetables, and garlic bread. It was the best nap I had in a while.
At dinner, we joked about how excited we get over the little things on this trip. Most riding days ate pretty much the same, yet they are always exciting to us. We wake up, ride, get really pumped for lunch, ride, get really really pumped for dinner, get excited about showering, decimate the dinner, and pass out. It really doesn't matter if we've had pulled pork for the last three nights. If we find out there's pulled pork for dinner, it's always like, "YEAH PULLED PORK OMGGGG I CAN'T WAIT TO DEVOUR IT!!!" We get excited over pretty much anything. "CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES???? YOU'RE KIDDING!" "WATERMELON!?!???!!!?" "WE GET TO SLEEP ON COTS TONIGHT???" The excitement is contagious and people here are grateful for all of their blessings. Especially if it is edible.
After dinner, we walked to the "Square" in downtown Oxford. The city is gorgeous and it had a distinct "southern" feel to it. I wish we could stay another day and explore more. We stopped in a frozen yogurt place to supplement our calorie intake and then went in the local bookstore to buy postcards.
We were supposed to have 91 miles tomorrow but now we only had 70 something which is awesome because its supposed to be even hotter tomorrow. We are pumped! We're not really sure where the extra 20 miles went. Our leaders just said "it's magic" so we asked no further questions. Well, it's bedtime. I'm excited because we are sleeping on cots tonight! We are living in luxury!!
"If you can walk, you can dance!"
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