Day off in Greenville, SC (Georgia on my mind...)

I'm not sure which is better: getting to sleep in, or getting to brush my teeth AFTER eating breakfast.

So today was our first day off, and our last full day in South Carolina. I slept until 10, which was bliss, even on a thermarest (mine is surpsingly comfy). I then got to eat breakfast before brushing my teeth, which is a luxury I didn't realize I'd miss so much. Usually we have 45 minutes to get up and get our duffel bags into the trailor. Everything that you're not carrying with you on your bike for the day goes in the duffel, so if you want to brush your teeth you have to do it before you pack your toiletries away. We don't eat breakfast though until after the trailor is all packed, so invariably I start my ride without that minty fresh feeling. Small price to pay for the general awesomeness that is Bike and Build, but still, I relished it while I could.

The past few days have been great. Day four of cycing took us from Columbia to Newberry and was a fantastic route. It was about 55 miles, mostly flat with some rolling hills, and mostly country roads with few cars (though plenty of potholes). I road with Claire and Laura in the morning, and with a whole gaggle of girls in the afternoon. We got a little lost towards the end, but Claire google-mapped us back to the route. It was really fun to ride with a group of girls, and let me tell you, six women in matching spandex are quite the spectacle in Prosperity, South Carolina.

Our hosts in Newberry were all kinds of awesome. We had a huge church gym to sleep in (though some in the group thought sleep was just the secondary activity after basketball) and an awesome dinner provided for us by the church. The pastor was very nice, and I chatted with him for a few minutes when I went to the church office to ask about practicing. He let me practice in the sanctuary, which was one of the most gorgeous I've ever seen, actually. It wasn't all that big, but it had really high vaulted ceilings with white paint on the walls and dark exposed wood which created a really beautiful contrast. It also had a bunch of colorful stained glass windows, but they were just designs, not the grotesque crucifixion ones you often see in Catholic cathedrals. The only ornately religious part was a big cross at the front and that didn't bother be too much, especially when I was facing away from it! I really enjoyed singing in there, and it certainly beats the round building as a practice space.

After I practiced I walked around the hopping downtown of Newberry. I had been alerted that there is an opera house there, so that was my destination. The opera house is really beautiful, and is still in use (though not for opera, unfortunately). I asked the lady at the ticket counter if I could look around and she said sure. When I went in the theater there was no one there so I went ahead and sang three arias on the stage. It was really fun! The theater and stage were small, but what made it fun was the historic look of everything and knowing that it was over a hundred years old.

The rest of the evening in Newberry was very relaxing, and yesterday was another early wake up to get us to Greenville. Riding with us yesterday were Bill West, one of Bike and Build's board members, and several of his friends. We are certainly lucky to have Mr. West on board; he not only hooked us up with our awesome church in Greenville and bought us dinner yesterday and tonight, but also got cycling racer and Lance Armstrong buddy George Hincapie to call Giant and get us a sponsorship. Our slick Giant Defy 2s are all thanks to him!

The route yesterday was phenomenal, and our longest yet at 73 miles. It was also my longest bike ride ever, but it didn't really feel like it. It was a wonderful mix of rolling hills and flats, and actually had two hills that I would consider memorable, a first for this trip so far. The one problem was that not everyone had cue sheets (the directions) and so we had to stay in big groups. Riding in big groups isn't exactly safe, but it sure is fun. Especially in the morning I had an awesome time. I was with 8 or 9 other people, and everyone was being really rowdy and fun. At lunch I was a little annoyed that I couldn't just take off when I wanted to but had to wait for a large group to assemble, but it worked out fine.

Our church in Greenville is also incredibly awesome and huge, and the town is really fantastic. After the bbq dinner Mr. West had catered for us, I walked around main street and the great downtown park with an assortment of awesome folk. The park is really extraordinary, with a beautiful river, several fountains, and lots of green. There is a theater set in the ampitheatre for the outdoor Shakespeare festival, but since no one was on it I went up on the balcony and sang Summertime. Seemed like an appropriate song for the occasion, and Will told me it's his favorite. That reminds me that I also sang while riding my bike that morning and that didn't go quite as well. The group requested Ave Maria, but that is a really hard song to sing while riding a bike! It's a hard song to sing while doing nothing else because of the really long phrases (which aren't really my strong suit to begin with) so when you're also pedaling it's quite a challenge. I told everyone I'd be happy to sing for them while riding again, but next time I'm picking the song!

Anyway, today is our day off, so a lot of lazing around is in store. I'm going to try to find a space to practice at the church later, and then Mr. West rented us a room at the best pizza place in town for dinner. We are definitely getting spoiled here in Greenville!!

Tomorrow is our first state line crossing, into the 28th state I've ever visited, Georgia. High on my to-do list is eating a peach for the first time in my life...