In our idle hours over these past eleven days, I vowed not to let all of my 3,500+ miles of hard work come to naught as my body withered and weakened from disuse. An accumulated half-day’s worth of time at Dayton’s Pacchia cafe, shocking my muscles into jittery flexion from overdoses of caffiene was the first step. Thanks again to all the baristas and pastry chefs there who facilitated my fixation.

A second step was a return trip to the refreshingly bike-savvy town of Richmond, Indiana, our last stop before Dayton. My rainjacket had been misplaced at Chris Hardie’s place and seeing as there were six days to kill in the city where flight was born (the Wright Brothers began their aviation-destined entrepeneurial ventures with a bike shop in Dayton), I took off one morning on a 90-mile round trip to collect my coat. By 8:30 in the morning, I was on the road already once traveled, averaging a solid 22 miles per hour with a disparaging tailwind. Disparaging only because tailwinds work just one way. By 10:30 I had made it to Richmond in time to witness the celebratory parade in honor of their selection as an all-American city. Congratulations, Richmond! By 1:30, I was back in Dayton, 90 miles more not-atrophied, relishing in the celebratory accolades of the baristas & pastry chefs at Pacchia who thought I was nuts for riding so far by so early in the afternoon.

Later, Andy and Emily picked me up and we went hiking deep into the excruciating woods of Ohio to jump off waterfalls in Yellowsprings, kicking ferociously against the deadly undercurrent to reach salvation at the surface of the frigid waters below. Then we checked out a Birds of Prey sanctuary, where all these badass birds who’ve lost wings, legs or eyes are cared for. It was adorable and sad.

All of these activities were meticulously planned so that I could ride to Columbus in an indirect fashion along old railroad trails on a hot, humid day with headwinds. Furthermore, I logically started at noon so as to ensure I rode during the most oppressive parts of the day.

Twoarmparty was now officially split up. Quinn was in Syracuse, Andy was still in Dayton, and I was on my way to help one of my best friends get married in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It wouldn’t be until Sunday (as I write this) that we’d be back together again.

During my flight to Philadelphia, I kicked the seat in front of me constantly for the entire duration of our 90-minute trip. It was ok because it wasn’t a very crowded flight. The people on the flight back to Columbus weren’t so lucky. Sorry about that, lady. Had to keep the legs in shape.

Once in the ill-nicknamed City of Brotherly Love (have you ever met many Philadelphians? They hate eachother. And everything) I demanded that Jon, my friend of 27 years, ferry me by motorcycle so that in my high-speed, two wheeled terror, I would try to crush his pelvis as I held on for deal life with my phenomenal thighs. Route 611 from his home in Furlong to the wedding in Stroudsburg was hilly, massively scenic, and full of blind curves Jon took at breakneck speed with me behind him. My legs were sore and his hips were so collapsed, he could barely dance. But not before we took our blushing groom-to-be out for a night on the town. Rampant chicanery ensued, I promise you that. Details will not be explained here. Let it be known that some members of the bridal party are not allowed in certain bars and may owe the city of Stroudsburg some money after the tickets are processed.

Getting back to dancing, it is now a well known fact that all Staneks love to dance and are great at it. Michelle (the little sister) has been a better dancer than you since she started studying at Miss Pat’s on Greenwood Avenue 20-mrrmmmphhh years ago. Patti (the mom) couldn’t be torn off the dance floor. Don (the dad) had hip replacements a few years ago which were apparently bionic. And I, of course, pledged to not stop shakin it all day and night long, singing “She’s a maniac” and running in place even when Scott (the groom) and I went hiking in Jacobsburg park three hours before his wedding. All of the following photos from the wedding are from my sister. Thanks, Michelle.

The groomsmen. From left: “Hutch”, Jon, “Silent” Ken (the best man), Scott (the groom), Joe, myself

OMG, I look good in a tux!

Me & Mom

The whole fam.

From left, Me, Jon, Scott, his bride Liz.

Through this intense, well planned training regimen, I feel quite ready (not to mention seriously anxious) to re-begin our trek tomorrow morning. It’ll be two long days to Pittsburgh, then some grueling days through Pennsylvania. Having flown over the state in less than a freakin’ hour, I’m psyched to do it the hard way, over the better part of a week. Easton, I’ll see you again just after the fourth of July!

Gary, Indiana was a horrible industrial pit of hell, but I do think its great that we went there right BEFORE Michael Jackson’s death.. because somehow it seems more meaningful (this is not to imply that I would ever go there again).

I’ve spent the morning watching Michael Jackson videos, some are very awesome and nostalgic (tho i think i was 3 or 4 when thriller came out) and some great but really creepy.  Like the one with the Marlon Brando cameo… one of the later videos i think, as Michael Jackson was in his really creepy looking faze, one of them.

Last night we watched Jackson’s body be transported from place to place - because there was nothing more important happening in the world.  CNN’s headlines were horrible and funny at the same time and all very abrupt with fewer commas than necessary.  MICHAEL JACKSON, KING OF POP DEAD.  Just doesnt read well.  Interesting how both Jackson and Fawcett had wayyyyy too much work done and went from very beautiful to disturbing and creepy.

Oh and my mom’s neighbor’s cat died too.   Very sad, but way to make history!

Syracuse is great.  I road my moms craptastic bike over to my dads place yesterday in hopes to jump in the pool when i got there.  There are two hills on the way to my dads place, one is pretty big and steap, so i figured i’d get some excersize even tho my moms bike was too small and far from comfortable to ride.. but when i got there, my hopes of jumping in the pool dissapeared when the pool was green.  So i hung out with my sister for a bit and then planned to ride home.  but that’s when the major thunderstorm started.  whoops.  best not to ride in this and tho i dont mind the rain, the lighting was far too close for comfort.  so my mom came and got me. thanks mom!

It was a blast going to Brett and Janell’s wedding.  Congratulations!   Janell looked soooo beautiful.  Brett was very handsome - i love the beard.    It was really nice to get out of my one outfit and feel like a lady again.  We all made our way out to the dance floor at some point and showed off our moves, none of which compare to those of Brett’s dad.  He was amazing!!

During these next few days, team QAK splits up.  Andy’s hangin in Dayton, I’m flying to Syracuse to see my family, and ken’s headed to his home town to be in his friends wedding.  I was anxious to get to Syracuse so I scheduled an early monday morning flight.  This meant that i had to get up and ride to columbus today to catch my flight tomorrow.  Didnt actually get to sleep till 2, but felt good in the morning and was siked for my solo ride…and i made pretty good time considering there was no one to draft off of.  Got into Columbus at 3 and met Lee who rode with me back to his place.  Ken, Andy and I will meet at Lee’s place on the 28th and get back on the road the following morning. Hopefully our muscles won’t disappear in the meantime.

The ride to Columbus was much nicer than I expected - I had high expectations as there were bike trails the whole way, but it was really a beautiful ride… very quiet, with loads of wildflowers and wildlife.  And the bike trails took me all the way to London, about 25 miles outside of Columbus.  On my ride, I passed a friendly older couple that said hello and then caught up to me a bit later when i stopped to stretch and call my dad, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!… well, i rode with them for a few minutes and told them about the trip and they insisted on taking me to lunch.  More amazing people.  Phillis and Bill Evans have toured all over the country and ride the Ohio bike trails frequently.  Thank you again!

Two awesome shirts found by Eric's talented girlfriend, MAGGIE. Dorothy, we thought of you when looking at the shirt andy's got on.

a bit confused. trying to fix a hole in ken's pants - when i saw the photo op, i couldn't stop laughing. i eventually tagged in and fixed the pants for them.

Getting all dolled up. The bride on the left with Maggie to her right.

Emily doing a beautiful job on Janell's hair.

A little tooo tight...

We’re going to a wedding!

Dayum, do we clean up nicely.

And the shoes! It's gotta be the shoes!

Quinn, getting all gussied up by a bridesmaid. The bride is in the photo, with her back to the camera.

Brett Wayne Barker and Janell Kathleen Broering, congratulations!

The entire city of Dayton, in anxious anticipation of the return of its prodigal son and most famous Team QAKer, twoarmpartier and Trackstar, took an enormous, simultaneous breath, creating an eastern vacuum that pulled us out of Indiana with great haste. Our tailwinds hadn’t been that helpful since somewhere in Wyoming. With the flatness and short, 45-mile distance of our ride, we were back to Andy’s roots by 1:30 in the afternoon with time to stop at the fireworks store for a half hour along the way.

Again, we are relaxing for a while, waiting for our muscles to atrophy before we punish them in Pennsylvania. We’ll probably see some movies and we’re definitely watching our friend Brett get married. Shortly after we leave the monday after next, several of our friends will pass us like silent trains in the northern night of Ohio as part of the Bicycle Film Festival’s 42Ride. 42 riders are leaving from New York & ending up in LA over 42 days with no rest days and they’re getting paid to do it for some reason. The message here is, again, Vodka. They’re sponsored by Vodka. You must drink more Vodka. As we’ve proven, it’s good for you. We know a couple people on this ride. Of Kennedy, Doug, and Corey the Courier, Kennedy is the only novice tourist, just like us. Good luck to all of you.

The Bike Film fest kicks off in New York and Fiona & Cecily are throwing a polo tournament. 42Ride begins. Pedalacross has finished. (These were the two guys we met on the train out to Portland who were taking a southern route across the states.) The

It’s good to know we’re making progress towards the Atlantic Ocean once more. Indiana is a flat, mostly gridded state - at least in the North. We’ve heard that the Southern part of the state is far more hilly & scenic. Not as hilly as Kentucky, which we regretfully did not travel to, even though there’s an allegedly spectacular Creation Museum there. (They have Dinosaurs AND Jesus!) But hilly and much more worth seeing than the north. Even Torrey Dawley, our host in Indianapolis and an AIGA colleague of my sister’s (thanks, Chelle!) said that if our requests for interesting things to do in Northern Indiana pan out, we should let him know because he couldn’t think of anything. It’s a shame we didn’t get to spend a bit more time in Indianapolis, because good things have been said about their museum. And their bike path (the Monon Trail) really was great. Tuesday was a dismal day though, and touring a town of any size would’ve been something only the most hardiest of travelers would do. Twoarmparty, on the other hand, likes watching action flicks on their days off.

One thing we missed - or at least *I* missed - was Karaoke night. In Indy, we would’ve gone to Karenoke hosted by a lady named Karen who happened to be sitting immediately behind us at a local brewpub as I said something like “if there was a town called Karaoke, even if it was in Gary Indiana, I would move there and be mayor just so I could be the mayor of Karaoke.” Eavesdropping, she told us about her show, which was a bit of kismet because I had just stumbled across Karenoke on a quick Indianapolis Karaoke google search. Even though we’ve missed it, perhaps we’ll try to make it to one of her NYC performances of “Assholes & Aurioles” in late July as part of some kind of Manhattan Theater Festival. I have no idea what the show is about, but since that random information just fell in my lap, I might as well check it out. (there’s no website for their show).

After Indianapolis, we turned left and finally started heading directly east again towards Dayton Ohio, where we’re going to spend the next week or so. Prepare for excruciatingly bombastic and dramatic blog updates. There are weddings, amusement parks, barbecues, airplanes, rain days with DVDs, and big hills in our future. And there better be Karaoke too. I’ve been promised.

On our way to Dayton, we stopped in Richmond. Richmond Indiana, where we’re the proud first warmshowers guests of Chris Hardie ( ChrisHardie on Twitter). We got in before he got off work, stashed our bikes in his garage, and promptly took naps in his spacious home. His friends, avid cyclists who are very active in the well developed bike culture here in Richmond (bike maps AND bike polo! Again, Richmond INDIANA - not Virginia), cooked us a carb-happy vegetarian dinner as we watched their 16-month-old toss pasta everywhere.

Thank you to everyone out here, our last stop in Indiana. We’re leaving momentarily, and in the last 6 miles of your state, we expect to see a few more fireworks and antiques shops. That seems to be the thing to do out here…as if when people die anywhere on the east coast, all their old crap gets shipped to small towns in Eastern Indiana, and someone else tries to blow it all up. It seems like an incendiary combination….

I wanted to put up some photos, but figured I’d write a little too since Ken does most of the writing.  Andy and i are a little lazier about this, especially since ken really loves to do it and is a great writer.
Thanks again to Brean for letting us monopolize his apartment for several days in Chicago.  The guys did their own thing for a good part of it, and Brean was nice enough to show me around a bit… we went to see “The Bean”.  I’ve been to chicago twice before, but both times the bean was not yet there.  finally, i got to walk under this thing, and i didnt move because it was so weird and kinda creepy.

i'm waving!!!

Brean also told me all about the architecture in Chicago and why its, generally, a lot nicer than  the most of the buildings in NYC.   Standing in Millennium park, it really was much classier than standing in Central Park.  and though i miss my friends and occasionally other parts of the big apple, i dont miss it much.

Day 2 in Chicago.. we watched movies ALLLL DAY! Ben Schults on the left (one of Chicago's BEST polo players) and Brean on the right.

So, as Ken said… last night we stayed on Bass Lake and it was way too expensive and completely packed.  I fear that we will find this more in our future.  Ugh.  Hopefully we can still find nice remote spots to camp where its quiet and the kids aren’t obnoxious and annoying.

BUT!! the lake WAS beautiful and it was really nice to sit and eat dinner on the beach.  We had a really incredible sunset.

Today we rode to Kokomo…. thaaaaats where you wanna gooooo.    Well, along the way we went through beardstown.  As the guys have um, reallyy awesome beards now,  i thought it necessary to stop and take a photo.

So, now i’m writing from a bar in Kokomo.  Yep, a bar.  Already drank 1/2 a bottle of vodka ON MY OWN.. and i toasted to you, mom!  Not really, but after a beer and not enough to eat, i can feel it - so, sorry if i sound ridiculous.

i’m excited to hang out in dayton, visit my family in syracuse and ride through pennsylvania.  because, even if PA is maddening to ride through, its gotta be a lot nicer than northern Indiana!

That’s right, we’re writing to you from the present again! No more one-hour time delay between our current events and you’re reading of them. As soon as we left Bass Lake, Indiana, where they charge you far too much to camp for a night and the little kids yell late, the dogs yip all the time, the Indianan’s wake up early and don’t bother keeping their voices low because, you know, someone might be sleeping in that tent over there, but hey, whatever, it IS Saturday night, the time leapt forward an hour.

So far, the present is a bit nicer than the past. It’s sunny, warm and Gary, Indiana is behind us. The roads mostly have a well paved shoulder, and the cornfields are uh…pretty, in their ubiquity.

Of course, if you’re reading this anywhere west of Indianapolis, we’re writing to you FROM THE FUTURE! I hope your internet connection is fast enough to download all of our photos. Not much has changed here in the future. I don’t know if you’ve got androids yet, but they still haven’t turned on humanity in general, and the alien spaceship hovering above earth continues to provide a limitless, clean energy source for 98% of the planet. Hope you’re all doing great. We’ll be in Indianapolis tomorrow night.