Knee struggles continue

Well, my knee hasn't gotten better, but it hasn't gotten worse. We're now in Joplin, Missouri, and I've been taking it easy on my knee most days. Here's the update:

7/3/08 (continuation)-We framed one wall during the build day and helped move some of the frames, but overall, there wasn't too much for us to do. The morning crew had taken care of much of it. After the build day, I wandered around downtown Bloomington for awhile and then we all ate at Chipotle (for free!). I got to talk to my friend Lisa, who is on NC2SD and is already in Colorado Springs, and found this cool place called Baked!, where you can design your own cookies and they're ready in 12 minutes (so I got some cookies). I also played Dance Dance Revolution (and was not very good).

7/4/08-86 miles-I did the whole ride into Lawrenceville, which was a great feeling. It was a very flat, pretty easy day, but it rained all day. We hit a town called Vincennes right at the state line and found their Independence Day celebration, so we got funnel cakes and I did the space ball (which is that chair that you sit in and it spins all different ways-maybe not my best idea right after funnel cake). We took lots of pictures at the Illinois state line, saw evidence of all the flooding that has been going on there, and then (this is so exciting...) we stayed at a motel. We got to sleep in beds, had plenty of bathrooms, and relative privacy. It was amazing. None of us were up late enough for fireworks, but I don't think we missed much.

7/5/08-77 miles-Another full ride into Salem, IL! Again, a nice flat today (with sun!). We stopped for Dairy Queen on the road, then again after we got into the host. I did my affordable housing presentation, and a few people commented that they liked my part and felt like the understood what had happened with the housing market better because of it, so I achieved my goal.

7/6/08-0 miles-No riding because of a migraine, so I missed crossing the Mississippi River and the Missouri state line into St. Louis. Today was marked by lots of sleeping. I woke up at 8 PM, got food with a group of people, and walked to the park at the base of the Gateway Arch. Then I went back to sleep.

7/7/08-Day off!-We had a lot of fun today. We got breakfast at Union Station, then went to the City Museum, which is more a combination of giant playground/climbing toy/acid trip than museum. There are stories of climbing apparatuses, and we didn't get to all of them in the hours we were there. It was really cool-if you're ever in St. Louis, this is one place I would highly recommend. We went back to the church we were staying in, had dinner, then went to the Gateway Arch at sunset. We took the ride up to the top of the arch, looked out the windows, and walked around the Westward Expansion Museum at the bottom. We played in a fountain on the way back to the church, then went to bed.

7/8/08-48 miles-I made it to lunch before my knee got so painful I couldn't continue today. We hit the Ozarks, so there was lots of climbing, and I knew I couldn't keep going and have any shot at riding tomorrow if I continued. We were supposed to stay at a Boy Scout camp, but the camp was rented by another group, so they had us stay at this half finished house at the front of the camp next to the graveyard. I call it the "horror house." Really, it was the perfect setting for a horror movie. We made the best of it, though, and I grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, and chicken fried steak for everyone. I was told that I made the best burgers of any vegetarian people knew, which I'm taking as a compliment. We also got to shower in a hose, which was a new experience for me.

7/9/08-16 miles-The climbs destroyed my knee today. The day started fairly flat, and I got in a nice sprint at the beginning of the day, passing a lot of groups early on. I caught one group and decided to ride with them, but we got a little lost. Then, we hit a long gravel road, and my knee was done. I got picked up in the van on the gravel road, and the rest of the day was pretty uneventful.

7/10/08-15 miles-Again, the climbing really was painful today. I decided to try riding after lunch, when the terrain was supposed to be easier, but it didn't really help. The highlight of my day was getting passed by a horse and buggy in Amish country, then catching it and passing it later. We picked up the mail drop, I cooked chicken for dinner with Lindsay (and was again complimented on my meat cooking skills), and we just hung out for the rest of the night.

7/11/08-Today was a build day in Springfield, MO. We helped carry trusses up to the roof and install hurricane clips, but there wasn't enough work for 31 people all day, so it was a rather relaxing build day. We stopped for frozen custard after the build day, got free Chipotle for dinner again, then went to the Bass Pro Shops headquarters. This store was epic-you get a map when you walk in. I got a RaceGirl hat and played at the shooting arcade, and just wandered around. Then it was bedtime!

7/12/08-37 miles-I decided to ride after lunch today, and was able to do everything after lunch. I'm feeling pretty good, although I need to ice my knee. We're doing a team building exercise now, so I have to go.

Overall, we're having lots of adventures, meeting lots of people, and having a great time. I'll update as soon as I can!