Yaaayy we rode today for the first time!

Welp, today we had our first day of biking! And man was it great. We started off from Daytona Beach across from El Caribe where a small group bid us farewell. Our dear friend Larry came to say bye and even brought us doughnuts! Also some staff from El Caribe a local newspaper (The Daytona News Journal) ,and a local news crew (Fox35) saw us depart. While we were sad to leave all of our new friends in Daytona, we couldn't have been more excited to start our tour. Overall, our ride went really well. We rode about 26 miles before breaking for lunch. Bryan and Emily (our steadfast RV drivers) had a delectable meal prepared when we stopped. After about an hour break, we continued 30 more miles before arriving in St. Augustine. Minor mishaps of today's ride include...1. Marianne having a minor fall while stopped along the road 2. Gordon getting a flat tire which he quickly fixed with ease and 3. Marianne almost falling again as we arrived at our destination.

Although we planned on camping for the evening, Aaron (our new friend from Venture Expeditions) hooked us up with a sweet house only a few blocks from the best part of St. Augustine. The building is used as a mission house for a local church and is run by a friend of a friend of Aaron's named Gardner Gordon. So many thanks to Gardner. We all took much needed showers and gathered on the porch together. With a cool breeze, a slight rain, and the sound of a worship band practicing in the house, we all had our quiet times and personal reflections for the day. A couple of team members were not dedicated enough to stay awake and took catnaps on the porch, but the remainder of us enjoyed each other's company. Finally, we went to a trendy burrito place called Burrito Works. It was delicious, but still not as good as Moe's Southwest Grill (probably the best restaurant in the United States). Now, we congregate in the den and plan for Day Two of the ride. We can hardly stay awake. God has truly blessed this group and this ride.

ALLSOOOOO sidenote: our own Lewie Briggs had a radio interview this morning with Stephanie Riggs from a Colorado radio station. awesome!

Ok bedtime.

The best looking, fastest, most awesome cyclists on this tour,
Andy and Jenna