Day 8

Today we completed our 3rd state (fourth according to Chris cuz he likes to count South Carolina) and are staying in Vicksburg, MS right on the Mississippi and Louisiana border. That means we have five states left to go. Today was our longest day, just over 110 miles, taking us 8hours. The first 60 miles were probably the most painful so far and then based on some advice from Ryan (Chris's older brother) we tried these little energy things at the gas station called 5 hour energy. Somehow they brought us both back to life and Chris actually smiled for the first time in two days. Not even the massive thunderstorm that we went through could slow us down on our last 50 miles. We arrived soaking wet and with a new feeling of confidence to Vicksburg around 7 tonight. We actually had time to walk down to the river and check out the historic town and get a nice dinner tonight. Tomorrow we've got another day that will be about the same distance as we head to Ruston, LA. At least we get to see a new state and we are both in high spirits after this afternoon.

Also on a side note we just wanted to tell everyone reading this blog that doesn't already know what exactly we are doing. We are riding across the county to raise money for Sarcoma (a soft tissue cancer) research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The ride is in honor of Mary Beth Knox, an incredible person that was lost to this terrible disease only a few months ago. We are collecting donations on a pledge per mile basis, were completing the ride will be three thousand miles. This means that just a penny a mile comes out to $30, and as cliche as it sounds, every penny counts. We will then collect checks made out directly to UMCCC after we complete the ride. To pledge or if you have any questions at all feel free to e-mail me at cummingd@msu.edu or simply leave a comment and I'll be sure to address it.

Thanks,
Don & Chris