Five straight days.

Today marks our fifth day of cycling in a row. Every morning, we wake up between 5am and 6am, and are pedaling by early morning. We take a break after a few hours for lunch, and then finish by 4pm.
It's finally setting in that we are bicycling across the country, and we'll be bicycling like this for the next eight weeks.

There have certainly been a few surprises this week traveling through New Hampshire, Vermont, and now New York.

Good surprises include:
- Beautiful countryside. I had no idea that there were quiet, scenic roads out here, nor quaint little towns with old brick buildings. Everyday has been a pleasant surprise in both respects.

- Zero flat tires (so far). I know I'm bound to get one soon, but with my fellow riders going through several patches and tubes already in the trip, I'm feeling pretty lucky about that. Yesterday I even pulled out a good chunk of glass from my tire. Disaster averted!
- Amazing hosts who can cook gluten-free food! I was more hungry in my first week of this diet when I was cooking for myself, it turns out that other people know what's up with wheat. I was made a batch of GF brownies by our first host, Yvanne, and just finished the last one yesterday. AHHH what a delight.

- Our crew is wonderful. The people I'm spending every waking moment with are hilarious, passionate, and are all amazing individuals.

Not-so-good surprises:
- My booty hurts. Even with chamois butter, creams and powder, there's no getting around it - sitting on a saddle for 6 hours a day takes a toll on one's behind.

I’m trying really hard to think of unpleasant surprises. But actually, that’s all. Life is pretty great.