We started the day off just right by sleeping in until 6:00 AM—a luxury compared to our usual 5:00 AM wake-up call. As Jeff put it, “Who knew they had a five in the morning, too?”
Our host at this charming hotel was a lifesaver, setting up the coffee pot in the lobby the night before. All it took was the push of two buttons and—voila—freshly brewed coffee to fuel our morning gear-prep. After a quick walk to a neighborhood cafe for a delicious breakfast, we were ready to hit the pavement.

The Mission: Find Joy
Our “job” for the day was beautifully simple: Ride bikes and find joy along the route. The stats were in our favor today: 73 miles with less than 1,000 feet of climbing. Easy peasy! We started in cool, comfortable temperatures, and although it hit 90°F by the time we rolled into El Paso, Texas (our 4th state) we finished early enough to beat the worst of the heat.

Life on the Road
Even on a “short” day, the work doesn’t stop when the wheels do. Life on the road means chores. Jeff and I tag-teamed the laundry tonight—he handled a load before the team dinner, and I finished up afterward. It sounds small, but in this line of work, clean bike clothes are a tremendous gift.

The Greatest Gift of All
Speaking of gifts, we received some incredible news today. Notifications started rolling in that some of the generous matching funds from the Challenge Crew 2 Crush Cancer have officially cleared.
A huge, heartfelt thank you goes out to Andrea and Marty. Your support and unwavering commitment to crushing cancer have had a massive impact on our campaign. We’ve said thank you several times, but it never feels like enough. So, from the bottom of our hearts: THANK YOU!
To everyone who has donated, shared our story, or cheered us on—thank you for helping us raise these vital funds for the American Cancer Society. We aren’t at the finish line yet, but we are getting closer to our goal every single day