No More Appalachian Mountains

Hello hello.
I am currently in Berea, KY where we have just finished our second map. We decided to get a hotel room for the night and it was amazing. I have never slept so well. My body possibly could not have taken such physical abuse without a day off so we're hanging out in a dry county with not a cold beer in sight. Things could be better. The past few days were strenuous with lots of big hills but we are definitely coming out of the Apps and I couldn’t be happier. With 80 mile days and large hills, the human mind starts to literally deteriorate and you never know what's going to come out of your mouth next. I find myself singing songs and repeating the same words over and over again. I can't tell you how many times I've been told to shut my mouth. But I think it's hilarious. Rob and Rich have had a short fuse with me and we've all had our little storms but we get through them with short periods of isolation.
The past few places we've stayed were fantastic. One night we stayed on a river where we all took a dip and enjoyed a nice refreshing swim. The family that took us in was extremely kind and were all about mountain biking and whitewater kayaking. The next night we stayed at a hostel owned by two elderly folk who were also very generous. We met up with the father and son westbounders and shared some interesting stories about dogs and hills. There was also a really hardcore German who was eastbound but had started in early May and had already made it this far. He couldn’t really hold a conversation but was really excited to see other cyclists. His next plans are to ride north along the Jersey Shore. We told him to keep his bike locked up at all times. But I think he'll faire just fine.
I shed some hair to battle the everincreasing heat and I'm loving it. This means no more stache and no more hair like a rockstar. Now it's a more composed and respectable Jacob. Ha