First off, I'd like to apologize for my lack of posting. It has been a crazy/hectic few weeks so I have much to update on! The last time I posted, we were in Waynesville, NC. I am now in Dodge City, Kansas!
After leaving Waynesville, we started our trek to Tennessee by way of the Blue Ridge Parkway into Gatlinburg. Holy cow, what a climb. Due to still recovering from a fractured rib, I could only complete the first half of the ride. But, I sure am proud of being able to climb to 5820 feet. What an incredible view and experience.
After leaving Gatlinburg, we headed to Maryville, TN! Along the way, we swam in any body of water we could find. A group of us ended up at a small river with a rope swing, which we took full advantage of!
Once we arrived in Maryville, we were greeted at Cycolgy Bike Shop and were treated so well. They helped us check and clean our bikes and the local habitat affiliate provided much needed snacks.
In Maryville, we thought we were going to have a build day, but sadly we got rained out. However, that day ended up to be great as we watched old Disney movies on VHS, made cotton candy and had endless games of basketball knockout and hide and seek.
After leaving Maryville, Cleveland, Dunlap and Sewanee. The day into Sewanee turned out to be a rainy, stormy mess. But, Claire, Sam and I made the very best of the situation and settled in at a Mexican restaurant for some warm chips and salsa until the storm passed. Once we arrived in Sewanee, the view could not have been more gorgeous. We stayed at St Mary's of Sewanee in the old convent where we had BEDS. What an awesome surprise that was! And the best part was getting to see this:
After leaving Sewanee, we traveled to Pulaski, where they claimed to be the best hosts we would ever have! When we arrived, we were greeted with a slip-n-slide, people to clean our bikes, a bike mechanic, a chiropractor, a HUGE spread of amazing food, and beds again! It's a treat any time we don't have to sleep on our thermarests.
The morning we left Pulaski, we were heading to Adamsville. This day was probably my favorite of the trip so far. This day was slotted to be a 94 mile ride. I rode with Sarah, Amelia and Erin. The ride was gorgeous, even with a slight rainstorm, and the company was great. Once we got into Adamsville and saw our odometers at 94, there was no way we could stop without doing another 6 miles to reach 100. So we rode to downtown Adamsville, which was only 1.5 miles away. We enjoyed a delicious Mexican feast in celebration of our soon to be first 100 mile ride. We got back to the church at 97 miles and proceeded to ride around the parking lot for 3 miles in order to reach 100 miles. In case you were curious, you can sing the entire Star Spangled Banner in .25 miles and hit the last note at the exact right moment.
Needless to say, we slept well that night.
The next day we headed to Bolivar! Getting so close to Memphis and my excitement was growing. This was a very short day and we arrived in Bolivar by lunch (which was a delicious spaghetti meal provided by the church). That afternoon we had watched a movie and made ice cream sundaes. Not a bad afternoon, if you ask me!
Then we were FINALLY headed to Memphis! I was so excited to be heading home. Not only would I get to see my family, but it was also our first day off for the trip! The night we got to Memphis, my amazing parents fed us all delicious BBQ. Even though it sprinkled some rain, we were all so happy to be able to relax. After dinner, a group joined with me and my sister at the Levitt Shell in Overton park. I was so happy to be able to show my team parts of my city! I also was happy to be sleeping in my own bed that night. The next night, Gina Bargiachi and her parents got us all tickets for the Redbirds baseball game. Also a huge treat! 
I hated to leave Memphis, but the trip had to continue.
I'll post next about Arkansas and Oklahoma! Thanks for your patience and I promise I will update more often!
