5:37. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. A loud (and annoying) alarm woke up our group of riders who were still not adjusted to this tight new schedule. The morning chill sent everyone burying themselves back into their sleeping bags, and hoping for 10 more minutes of warmth.
However, laziness soon rolled off our backs as we realized that on the second day, we had to come back stronger. We couldn’t feel our sore legs from the first day of riding anyways, and more layers of clothes would help us fight the cold. Breakfast was served, while lunch was prepared at the same time. After packing most of our things up, we read Zhuan Falun for an hour from 7:30-8:30. Then the first team (Team A) headed out to the road. Team B and C drove ahead a few miles ahead to meet them later on. Once we came across a suitable meeting place, we did the sitting meditation for 30 minutes. Afterwards, we noticed that we were in a beautiful mountain, high up by the top…which is just a bunch of words that lead up to…picture time!! Individual, pairs, and team pictures were taken, but after all the fun and games, Team A still wasn’t back yet! Uh oh.
A search party was sent out, and when they came back, they announced that they drove up and down the only road of the mountain, without seeing anyone. The joyful and carefree atmosphere suddenly dissipated. Being so high in the mountains, without any cellular connection or radios, how were we going to find the missing part of our team?
The search party went out again, and thankfully returned with the bus, bikes, and riders. A happy reunion was celebrated over 40 ham and cheese sandwiches during lunch. It was then decided that we would head back down the mountain, from the direction that we came, to go back and get gas. We didn’t want to run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere! Although this was a major setback, it was the only safe decision. The kids went into a 7/11 to cool off and grab some drinks to try to make the hot weather a little more bearable.
During the drive back UP the mountain again, the beautiful view inspired Kristine to start writing a poem about the team. A beat was added to the poem, and then a tune, and then… the poem became lyrics to what would soon be known as our team song. The girls were excited about it immediately, and used social media to share it with the boys. At the next rest stop, everyone gathered around to listen to the makings of the new team anthem.
We arrived pretty early in the night to a campsite, where once again, our childish natures took over, and kids were flipping and running all around. But just like before, as soon as our mood went up, something(s) just had to bring it down.
1. The camp site said that no reservations were made beforehand.
2. It looked like our bus driver might leave.
It was a late night for everyone. Our experience sharing about the day ran very late, and dinner turned into a late night snack. We are thankful that the campsite was very kind and let us stay there for the night, even with our mistake in making reservations. Wonder what tomorrow will bring…
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