Again, this will have to be a short entry.  As I write this, it is 9:50 p.m., and my day needs to end soon.  Besides, it is supposed to start raining sometime after midnight, and I want to be sound asleep.  Lying awake listening to rain will just make me anxious about tomorrow’s 70 miles.

Today, though, was a bit of a break–only 52 miles.  We were still climbing some, more than many of us had expected, and it was way hot.  Add to that the fact that my legs were totally empty after riding flat out yesterday, and I was happy to have a shorter day.

Camp is an interesting place.  It is very social.  The real pleasure for me today was the fact that I finished up earlier, and with a bit more energy to spare.  So I have had time to really enjoy the atmosphere here.  I hung out in a shady spot this afternoon and chatted and read my book, and then did the same again after dinner this evening.  In between, my parents came and checked out our little tent city here, then took me out for dinner.  Thanks so much, mother and daddy, it meant a lot to me to be able to share this with you.

The other interesting thing about this is how our basic barriers of etiquette and civil behavior come down.  The shower room is a big party–everyone is so happy to be off the bike and getting clean.  And many of us are women who do not necessarily spend a lot of time in locker rooms or gyms.  We are just ordinary folks, pushing ourselves.  I have also started doing things I would never have expected of myself.  For instance, I cannot be bothered to walk all the way to the shower truck or a sink, so I just brush my teeth wherever I feel like it.  Standing out in the middle of a field of tents with bottled water–seems fine under these circumstances.  I don’t know–that is just what is on my mind this evening.

Some sort of squeaking winged creature keeps flying overhead; do bats make noise?