Total miles - 727.3
We woke up in the fire station in Utica just as the other cyclists were getting ready to leave for the day. I was still feeling quite yucky from whatever horrible food I ate the day before. Since we were planning on riding just a short distance to Sebree, I requested a little more time to rest, and tried to eat some food and get more fluids in me. Finally, we got ourselves packed up and headed out from the fire station.
We had just made it up our first few hills and were on some flat ground when we stopped to take a quick break under the shade of a tree by a house. We were greeted a few minutes later by the man who owned the home, who was just wondering if we were ok. He and Erica started discussing our trip and I was pretty sure that I was getting ready to either get sick or pass out. I was probably close to dehydration after being so sick. The man noticed I had gone pale and ran up to his porch to bring me a place to sit in the shade. A few minutes later, his wife, who happened to be an RN, came out with some water and crackers. These kind strangers were so amazing...they brought us plenty of cold water, some medicine to calm my stomach down a bit, and even brought Erica some food while I was recovering. We wrote down their address so that we could send them a thank you card. Sometimes the kindness of complete strangers is the best medicine in the world.
Erica also tried to find a car for us to rent, so we could get to a nearby town in case I got worse, but the only cars available to rent were those tiny Fiats...rental car was a no-go. We decided our best bet was to get to Owensboro, which was only about 14 miles from where we were.
It was a tough 14 miles, with some big hills and long stretches of road between the super hot wheat fields, and I had to take lots of breaks to drink as much water as possible. We made it to a hotel in Owensboro, where I promptly laid down to get rest. After a while, I felt good enough to eat, so we went across the street to Panera, for some soup and a delicious Mediterranean Veggie sandwich. After getting back to the hotel, I fell asleep and stayed asleep until early the next morning. It didn't feel like a super productive day and I felt bad for delaying our arrival in Sebree for another day. However, I can tell you that the next day I woke up feeling ready to go and ready to tackle another day.
It's so great to hear you came across such a helpful couple. I'm glad you're feeling better, Mel!
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