Day Two:

Felicitations to us!  We just finished what will most likely be the longest leg of the bike tour:  95.5 kilometers!  We set out from Zach's village at 6 AM (just slightly later than our planned departure) after breaking down "camp" and a quick breakfast. It was a hot & sunny day, and most of our route was unpaved.  However, the weather was still relatively cool (less than 100 F, I would guess) and the dirt road wasn't in too bad of shape--though we did get to do some creative weaving around potholes.

After about 45 kilometers, we passed over the Volta River (called the Nakambe here), a wide river swollen with the rains of the rainy season.  Immediately after, we came into the village of PCV Krystle Austin.  She met us at the road to "causer" (chat) a bit, and then let us use the "facilities" (aka latrine) at her house. 

After our brief rest, we continued on about 15 kilometers to the site of rider and PCV Kirsten Krudwig.  Her closest friend in village met us at the road to welcome us, cheer us on, and offer us dolo (locally-made beer made from sorghum).  We sat around on 5-gallon yellow plastic drums of oil, sipped our dolo and chatted.  20 minutes later we were back on the road and somehow the route after that seemed a bit more difficult....

Despite the length of our trip, we arrived at our destination before 1 PM, though we were all pretty dead on our feet and suffering chills from heat exhaustion.  Dylan Butler, the PCV who lives at this site, and regional neighbor Carolyn Glidden, met us at the road.  Our very first order of business was FOOD.  I think we made quite an impression on the restaurant owners, waitstaff, and clientele--we went to the bathroom, took showers, and changed in a little nook we found behind the seating area, accidentally exposing ourselves to Burkinabe; ordered copious amounts of food (we averaged two entrees a piece and put away at least 3 whole chickens); laughed uproariously; and even gave a loud concert of animal noises.  Good times!  We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the Governor's and Mayor's office, introducing ourselves and thanking them for their collaboration with the Peace Corps.    

Our total mileage (kilometerage?) is now 179 kilometers.  Today's maximum speed was 45 kilometers and our average speed was 22 kilometers.  We biked the 95.5 kilometers in 4 hours and 21 minutes.  It'll be a "short" ride tomorrow; just 47 km!