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Today was shorter than yesterday, but was entirely uphill. The beginning was old route 66 and not I 40. That segment, like a lot of yesterdays ride, had old Burma shave signs. Look them up. The rest of the ride was on the interstate. The hardest part was from Ash Fork to Williams. I finished the climb and pulled into a gas station right as the rain began. I waited out the rest of the weather while eating lunch and charging my phone at Dennys.

After heading North for the last two days, it was good to make some actual eastward progress again today. Quite a day it was though. The entire route was on the original route 66, and it was not the same as interstate 40 at all. It was a steady uphill climb, and the wind blew from every possible direction at some point during my ride today.

After sleeping through a few alarms this morning, I woke up and had breakfast with Kevin before hitting the road at about 9:00. Today's route featured a lot more straight roads, a lot more sand, and my return to historic route 66. The first third of the ride was on route 95 and featured up and down hills with a slight net elevation gain. The rest of the route was on I-40. Riding bicycles on I-40 is actually legal in Arizona as long as it is on the shoulder.

By 11:00 in the morning I had already arrived in my final city for the day. Today was planned to be a shorter day, and pressing on across the river yesterday made it that much shorter.

Today I woke up in the Mojave and was struck by the beauty of the distant mountains. I hadn't noticed it so much the night before because the sun had set before I made camp.

This morning I woke up to a small continental breakfast that I knew wouldn't hold me over for long. Before leaving Beaumont I stopped at a convenience store and picked up nail clippers since my shoes were hurting my toe nails, and band aids to prevent or treat the blisters that may show up in the next few days.

I guess it's time to admit a few things. First, my training for this event was insufficient. Second, my planning for this event was also insufficient.

I flew Frontier airlines to Los Angeles a few days ago. I've picked up the last few bike accessories, and gotten myself excited about the trip. The bike is ready to go with lights, installed bags, and a puncture proof rear tire. I saw my old friends, and got some yogurt land. I'm a bit nervous, but I think I'm ready to go. Tomorrow I'll get a ride to Santa Monica pier, take a picture, and take off for Boston.

My packing list is as follows:

Alex 'Criminoli' Cimaroli and I ran the tough mudder in Mansfield Ohio. It was tough and muddy for sure, but more muddy than tough. There were a ton of sections where I couldn't even consider what I was doing running because the mud was so thick. Criminoli was losing his shoes throughout the race. My parents and Maggie came to watch.

For spring break 2013 I went to Puerto Rico with my family to visit my best friend Tyler who is living in San Juan. We traveled around the city and the island a lot, so there are a variety of locations pictured.