Ketchup, yay!

6/2 - Portsmouth, OH - 59 miles: Within the first mile we were crossing the state border into Ohio and were able to take pictures on the bridge. My first impressions of Ohio were its rolling hills and farmland. As we got into the city though, the roads were in pretty poor condition and we were riding on a busier highway which was a unique experience. Once we were all there, a few of us walked around town and found a quiet Irish pub where people got some food and coffee and we read magazines with each other. At the church we were staying at there was a rummage sale was going on and a few people found some pretty sweet vintage clothing. Our food was provided by the church here as well. I think we have only cooked 3 or 4 times on this trip. We are spoiled and thankful.

6/3 - Georgetown, OH - 64 miles: Kentucky was hardly a mile from Portsmouth, OH so we were able to cross the border and take pictures by the Kentucky state sign (Sarah and Derrick in picture!) I was also very fortunate to speak in British accents and get slightly lost in Portsmouth with Christina and Jen. Ohio seemed to be less flat this day but then there were random huge, steep hills that created some chaos later in the day. Luckily, no one was too, too hurt and are now almost fully healed. It was awesome to see us all work as a team in a situation that could otherwise have gone really poorly.

The church we stayed in provided us snacks and drove us to showers at a fairground. Many of us also went to a local bike shop where the owner helped correct fits and people were able to get some minor tune-ups in. Later the church members gave us a fantastic dinner of lasagna and since there was a ice cream shop across from the church Christina, Sarah G., and I had to have some post-dinner ice cream.

6/4 - Cincinnati, OH - 51 miles: I didn't exactly write down notes for this day but I do remember going to two bike shops on our ways into town where we were able to check out some really sweet bikes and talk to some great people (one shop sold Serotta's!) We also got to meet some group members family and friends which is really awesome because we get to see where people come from! Oh yeah! We also went to a local YMCA to take showers that also happened to have multiple pools. We hung out in outdoor pool for a while and then went inside to a pretty tall water slide! Pools after a bike ride are definitely a hit for our group. Dinner and snacks were provided at the church (for the whole stay.) People are so generous! That night we, once again, found a bar with karaoke and we pretty much took it over. I think in most situations it is best that we are biking for affordable housing instead of singing for affordable housing but we do have some with some great vocal skills.