A very light sprinkle, 57 degrees and a northwest wind between 20 and 30 mph, when we left this morning.  Sorry we cannot split the difference on temperatures between here and the 100 degree temperatures in Virginia. Luckily, we were heading south west, so we only suffered the winds when our course turned directly west.  The morning was not bad, the sprinkling was so faint you didn’t notice the moisture, but it was enough to keep the camera under wraps.  Unfortunately, by 11:00 it decided to rain, wet rain (yes Justin, like dirty, dirt!).  The rain left a slight mist on the blades of grass, as if they had been touched by a first frost.

It was a beautiful ride, not to be confused with a beautiful day.  The homes we passed were meticulous, gardens were abundant with flowers and the village streets, pristine.  We passed numerous pastures loaded with mares and there young.   As we passed each field, the animals would raise there heads and stare at us as if we were crazy, or something!

Our caption here:  Seriously, in this weather?!

With the wind blowing the rain sideways, we didn’t dare stop to eat for fear of chill, so we pulled our sandwiches out of our bags and ate as we biked.  We were determined to make mileage until we became chilled.  Just outside our destination city, we stopped to check the internet for a hotel and warm up with some (delicious) hot chocolate.  Though the stop did give us the opportunity to find a hotel, it also allowed our soaked clothers to chill us to the bone.  Less than three miles to the hotel, we knew we could make it.  All that was needed was a big bowl of comfort food, which came in the form of a most wonderful bowl of mushroom soup and an embarrassing large basket of bread…….can’t wait for dinner.

At dinnertime, we braved the elements, crossed the waterways and walked to the city square;we had to provide some pictures from the day.

It did pay off, however, with a beautiful salad, large calzone and a pizza……did we mention we were hungry?!  Sixty miles in five hours, it’s time to rest.