Day 47: Happiness Bag Inc.

I was off the bike today because of my broken spoke that wasn’t able to be repaired in the small town of Effingham. I rode with Jay today so I could make sure I got my spoke fixed by the end of the day. He and I had a fun time in the car; he doesn’t have anyone ride with him for the most part so I think he was really enjoying some company. Jay and I rode ahead of everyone to Terre Haute, Indiana where we dropped my wheel off at a bike shop and set up arrangements with the police escort and lodging. The guys rode 80 miles today and I heard the ride went great.

Jay and I met up with the team at stage up and soon after we rode into Indiana State University for a sponsored lunch and some media interviews. We had sandwiches at one of the cafeterias there until we had to leave for lodging only a few blocks away. Tonight we stayed at Mr. and Mrs. Steve Pontius’ house who own a spacious home that once was a Pi Kapp house. They have owned the house for many years and acquired it after the Pi Kapp chapter there was shut down. Steve works on the board for the university and is a Pi Kapp alumnus. Their house was beautiful and big as you can imagine; they showed us before and after pictures of all the remodeling they did.

In the afternoon I picked up my bike wheel from the shop, the guy told me I was about due for a new one. I sometimes forget how much stress we are putting on these bikes because of riding them at high mileages every day.

Tonight’s friendship was held at the Happiness Bag Inc. They sponsored a pork sandwich dinner and had about 30 people with disabilities there for us to hang out with. Tonight’s entertainment included karaoke and dancing. They hired a DJ and we sang songs and danced for almost two hours. It’s so funny dancing with the women there because many of them ask if you will be their boyfriends. Personally I had 3 women with disabilities either say they wanted to take me home with them or be their new boyfriend. Its really quite funny some of them are very aggressive and some just want to slow dance and hug! The team always has a blast at the dances we have, it’s a great way to interact with everyone. There were some hilarious solos that some of our guys got up there to sing. Dancing and singing is a great way for people with disabilities to really let loose and have some fun, some of them get really into it and other just love to bounce in place and smile! The Happiness Bag sent us on our way with some T-Shirts which I will definitely add to my collection of various T’s given to us at other organizations.

That night Ben, Grant, and I were a little hungry and found our way to a nearby Pub with half price appetizers. They are both guys on the crew so it was good getting to hang with the both of them for the night. We all reflected on how the trip is going and some of our favorite things about it. This summer is really hard to beat, it’s truly the best summer I have ever had. I am thankful to ride tomorrow and get back into the mix of things, we will be going to Bloomington!