Day 29 Cheyenne, Wyoming

To say the least, today was awesome.  It was a relatively short day as far as cycling goes.  We had 60 miles to complete before ending up at the Cheyenne Community College.  Once we arrived, we had to change quickly because we were heading to the Hereford Ranch for lunch.  Apparently the ranch is pretty famous because it is longest family owned Hereford Ranch in the country.  We filed into the selling barn where there were bleachers and what looked like a waxed dance floor in the middle.  We went through the line and got an amazing pulled pork and baked beans lunch.  I sat with the lady who is in charge of a group called the Cowbelles, which is a separate branch of the Cattle Women.  She explained to me that she had been to Indianapolis many times for the FFA convention.  We talked about what she thought of Indy and where she stayed and all that and it sparked a great conversation.  When she stood up in front of the entire group to address us and talk to us about what they did on the ranch, she also pulled out a sheet and read us something that we had not heard yet on the trip.  She read a proclamation from the Governor of Wyoming that he officially declared June 24^th “Push America’s Journey of Hope Day.”  Everyone thought this was extremely cool because this year, the days we arrive at cities is different than past years because of how the calendar fell; therefore, no other team will have June 24^th as their day.  It is officially ours and only ours. 

 That night, we had a friendship visit at a park with the Arc of Cheyenne.  We were immediately welcomed with open arms by a very large number of clients.  Paul was one of the first guys I approached and shook his hand.  First thing that came out of his mouth to me was “I love to run.  Wanna race?”  Of course I could not back down from the challenge.   We ran to a tree that was about thirty yards away and back.  Unfortunately, he beat me.  Plain and simple. He beat me.  Yes I am an out of shape college student who has not competed in a running race since the days of recess.  Maybe I should start running on my own.  I’ll think about it.  There were so many games that people bounced around in.  There was a giant Frisbee that people were throwing around to each other, as well as a pick up football game.  We also sat down and had a thorough Harry Potter discussion with a client.  If you know me, you know I loved that discussion.  We talked for a very long time about the movies and who our favorite characters are and our favorite movie.  I was sad to leave the friendship visit because it was our first in awhile, and a lot of us had bad memory loss and forgot how much fun they were.  Tomorrow we enter a new state again which is always a great time.  Gathering around with each other taking pictures with the signs is a favorite event of mine because I love when all of us are together on the road.  I have also heard that Colorado is the most fun state on the trip because of how well they treat and love cyclists.  I am also excited to meet up with the North Route in Denver because one of my best friends from school is on that route. Today was definitely a blast and I was glad to finally have a friendship visit again.  And yes, we do have another one tomorrow! Goodnight y’all, and God bless!