Cassandra: (Sun June 24) Lisa and I are only about half-way through with our bike/road trip, but already several things have become clear with our bikes. First, we have to watch them everywhere, or at least attach as many locks as we have and then pray for the best. The worry of those bikes in the back of the mind never goes away. I went into a convenience store for some coffee on my way to get Lisa for our road trip last Wednesday, and when I came out there was a random man standing around my bike rack trying to look nonchalant. I was only in the store for about 5 minutes. When I approached, the man still kind of stood around. It was very weird. Finally, he got in a car and just sat there, trying not to look my way. It seems like the threat of bike thieves is everywhere.

The second major thing with bike touring is that your clothes get very stinky very fast, especially when you are camping and re-using your bike clothes from day to day. Without a washer and dryer to freshen things up, everything just kind of builds up. We finally got to do laundry last night, which was a god-send, but before that we were smelling pretty bad. There's not much avoiding that, though. With bike pants costing around $90 each, you can't just have a separate pair for every day of a week long trip.

I think the third and last thing I have realized is that you can't bike every single day without a break. It's not about the physical exertion and needing a break from that. It is all about the mental work required to plan bike routes, find people to stay with, find places to lock your bike to, plan food to eat along the way. Today is my and Lisa's rest day. It is much needed. Although the sun is starting to shine in Moscow, I am catching up on this blog, school stuff, and emails. I slept in a bit and am going to try to read for a while in a cafe this afternoon. You can't go, go, go all the time. Some days you need to stop worrying about bike thieves, make yourself smell better, and take a break.