We had a great start to our cross country bike trip. Kirk and Sara joined Madeleine, Marie and me in Folly Beach for a special send off. We started the day with a wonderful breakfast at Rita's in Folly beach and then took our bikes down to the ocean. I dipped my front tire in the Atlantic and then we found a sand dollar next to my foot - we all thought it was a good omen for the trip! The weather was about 46 degrees and sunny and the temperature rose to about the mid-50s throughout our ride. The biking started in some heavier traffic but thankfully we had a bike lane to travel in. I was also comforted by Madeleine's confidence. The next 8 miles we rode on a beautiful greenway. We spent some time imagining that the rest of the day's trip would be smooth and easy like the greenway - not so much! At the end of the greenway we landed on Rt 17S with lots of speeding traffic, including semis, and no breakdown or bike lane. It was a little hairy. Fortunately, Marie came to the rescue and helped us get back on more manageable roads. Madeleine, then wisely suggested that we ride 5 more miles so that we could end the day on a positive note. The road was perfect for biking so we actually rode 10 more miles and stopped with smiles on our faces. We biked a total of 30 relatively flat miles. Tomorrow's route is comprised of three roads and should be consistently good bike roads - fingers crossed. We ended the day near Bulow Landing, SC and are looking forward to tomorrow.

Thank you all for the the messages of support! It has already helped and I know that I will be relying on your positive vibes throughout this trip. I plan on posting every 2-3 days. Enjoy your week