Day 5 was an off day for us, and boy was it needed. Climbing the mountain into Lake Tahoe was something none of us have ever done before. Almost all of us woke up feeling incredibly sore and barely able to walk. We pushed ourselves to the limit yesterday and we are very proud of that. Some folks went to the bike shop and got some repairs done. Others went to the store and ran some errands for the whole team. It seemed as if the entire North Route took over the laundry mat today getting our clothes finally washed. Our moms would be very proud of us. In the afternoon, a big group of guys went and jumped into the lake for a relaxing time while others were able to catch up on some sleep. One brother saw a bear in the middle of the street on his walk to dinner. In the evening the whole team gathered round to watch the Raptors beat the Warriors for the NBA championship. This was really cool because one of the crew members, John, is actually from Canada! We ended our night eating cupcakes to celebrate Chase Rodgers 19th Birthday tomorrow and talked about the huge decent into Salt Lake City. We are ready to cross our first state border and make some memories at two friendship visits. The day off was a huge success, but we are ready to keep riding!!
– Derek Lahey, Western Illinois University (Iota Rho) morning