I think this has been the best week of my life. It's crazy to think that my Bike & Build experience is officially ending this Friday! I'm currently enjoying my last night in the USA and look forward to entering Canada tomorrow morning.
I will put up pictures soon, because there is no way words can describe what I've biked through over the last few days. Simply, we have climbed 6 mountain passes in 5 days, spent two wonderful nights of camping in some of the most beautiful scenery the country has to offer, and had one heck of a day off in Sandpoint, Idaho where a group of us rented a boat, water skiied, and enjoyed each other's company.
During the 11 day stretch of biking, I thought I was ready to be done. But after this past week of some of the most incredible biking, I am wishing there was a way to slow down time. I've loved every second of this trip and have made friends that I know I will have for a lifetime. It is going to be the most bittersweet feeling seeing the Pacific Ocean.
Okay, too overcome with emotion to write anything more coherent. I will post pictures within the week, so check back even though my trip will be over! Thanks again to all who have donated to the affordable housing cause and made this lifechanging experience possible for me.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Pictures from the last few days
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| Admiring a whole lot of nothingness on Hwy 2, Montana |
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| So excited for Glacier!!!! Liz, me, and Kate! (Cut Bank, MT) |
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| Road into the Rockies |
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| My Glacier riding buddy, Abby! This picture was taken by a man who lives 20 minutes away from Janesville! Small world. |
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| Climbing (before descending) into St. Mary on Hwy 89 |
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| Outside my favorite place in the world, Park Cafe!!! |
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| Nothing like a 4:30am breakfast at St. Mary campground |
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| Some of the group on Going to the Sun Highway, Glacier National Park (in front of Wild Goose Island) |
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| Build Day in Whitefish, Montana. Spacing studs for the garage frame with Stephanie. |
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| Great spot for lunch between Eureka and Libby, MT |
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Remember that time we biked 11 days straight and covered 785 miles?
Happy to be blogging from a day off the bike in Whitefish, Montana after one of the most physically and mentally challenging/rewarding experiences of my life. Our longest stretch of the trip began in New Town, North Dakota and has taken us to the far west side of the expansive state of Montana. That's 11 straight days of biking - covering a total of 785 miles.
It's hard to even find a place to start when trying to describe these last few days. Simply, it's been incredible. The part of the trip I've looked forward to most (aside from seeing my family in Wisconsin) has finally come!
We have spent most of our time on long, flat Highway 2. Our cue sheets went from being half pages long in the beginning of the trip to merely an inch long, with one direction: Highway 2 for x number of miles. I knew Montana was huge, but the expanse of it really began to sink in as I pedaled day in and day out of the flattest, most dismal landscape I had seen all trip. It's crazy how rapidly this state shifted from endless flatland to the Rocky Mountains overnight.
We finally experienced the wind everyone warned us about as we make this journey westward. Biking into Shelby, Montana at a max. speed of 9 mph was not fun. Not fun at all. But, it made for great conversations. It's always the stressful, hard days that everyone ultimately has the most to say about. So, although we hated feeling like we were going nowhere way too fast, it was just another great bonding experience - something we all endured together.
The closer we started getting to western Montana, the harder time I had keeping my excitement under control. I was so, so, so excited to go back to the place I left a huge piece of my heart in: Glacier National Park. Most of us were really starting to get emotionally and physically drained after a week straight of long days of pedaling. Glacier and seeing my friends at the Park Cafe kept my spirits up.
I spent the past two days biking into the Rockies with my friend Abby. Words can't even begin to describe the feeling of being on a bicycle with the most beautiful landscape in front of you. When you're moving at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour, it gives you a chance to really take in your scenery. Even though I'd driven from Browning to St. Mary many, many times in a car, the experience I had on my bicycle was more powerful than any trip I'd ever take on these roads before. The air smells different, the climbs through the mountain are more spectacular, and the constant sense of adventure are so unique to this trip.
Upon arriving in St. Mary (right at the east entrance of GNP) after one of the best descents I've ever done, I couldn't wait to go have a piece of pie at the cafe. Abby was by my side and just looked at me in awe as I sprinted into the community room of the Park Cafe and gave all my old coworkers and friends the biggest hugs. Shortly after, I was met by Jamey and Travis and we all sat down and had a meal together. It felt like home to be sitting in that cafe. Seeing everyone around the cafe in their "Pie for Strength" t-shirts made me feel like I'd never left. It was wonderful to be able to spend a night with such great place filled with such great memories.
Later that night, the Bike & Build team camped out at St. Mary campground. The rain was relentless and I was a little nervous the weather might put a damper of experiencing Going to the Sun highway the next day. After snuggling up in our tents to stay warm, we all woke at 4:30 to get an early start so that we could be off of the Going to the Sun Highway before 11 am. Because of higher traffic flow later in the day, bicyclists are not allowed on the road after 11 am. We woke up to rain, packed up all our gear, and looked up at the Rockies behind us in excitement. The first 17 miles were an uphill climb to the continental divide. The rain never really stopped, and the temperature never rose above 50, but to know we were on this road in the middle of Glacier National Park was enough to keep us happy. In an effort to weatherproof myself, I biked up the road with a winter hat, bread bags on my feet, and winter gloves. My friend Jamey decided to wear his long john's over his biking gear just as an extra layer. We all basically looked like hobos climbing the Rockies.
After reaching Logan Pass, we all prepared for the 12 mile, 6% grade descent. Normally, I love descents, but this one was a tough one for me. For one, I was so cold that I couldn't feel my hands at all and my hat kept getting pushed down over my eyes because of my helmet. I made it eight miles before my body physically stopped me from finishing. I have never had the shakes so bad and I realized that flying down the side of a mountain at 25 miles an hour in an effort to get done before 11 was just a terribly unwise idea. I waited for a shuttle to get me to Apgar Village, where I met up with the rest of the group (who also had to shuttle down) and headed to lunch.
The last 25 miles into Whitefish were much easier, almost completely downhill and much, much warmer! Whitefish is a lovely ski town tucked in the valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. It was such a great feeling to finish 11 straight days of biking, especially on a day that was arguably most people's favorite day of the entire trip.
I was able to stroll around the downtown, journal, and take comfort in the fact that I would not be getting on my bike the next day. After picking up a new book of short stories, I set "home", the lovely First Presbyterian Church, in downtown Whitefish to read my new book. However, before I knew it, I was out cold by 8 pm - before I even had the chance to put my pajamas on or blow up my Thermarest. I woke up at 5:30 this morning, fully rested and decided to take a stroll around town.
It was so nice to wake up when I wanted to! I met up with some of the locals in the town and had a coffee and some lovely conversation. Then, we all had breakfast together at the church before we set off for our last build day of the trip.
This was one of the best build days we've had. All 32 of us had something to occupy ourselves with. I got to work on building the framing for a garage and used my first air pressure nail gun. It pretty much scared the living daylights out of me.
After we finished our build day today, the girls rushed home to finish up our Sadie Hawkin's date proposals. After prom, the boys thought it only fair to make the girls ask the boys out on a date. I drew our leader Denis' name and decided to ask him to ride with me into Eureka tomorrow via "Mustache-Grams" since he is wildly popular for his impressive facial hair. The girls have been pretty creative and the boys very impressed. We will all be riding into Eureka, Montana in date-like pairs tomorrow. I am very excited!
Well, once again, I've written a novel - but so much happens in a week's time on this trip - it's unbelievable! It's even more unbelievable that this adventure of a lifetime will be finished in 12 days. 12 days!!!! While at times I feel like I've been biking for years, I also have a hard time reconciling that it has gone by this fast and that I am over 3,000 miles into this trip. The fact that I am still walking is nothing short of a miracle to me. I really feel the hugeness of this accomplishment at this point of the trip, and I am so blessed to have been apart of something so lifechanging. Thanks for reading. Hope to update again soon - this last stretch of the trip is supposed to be incredibly beautiful!
It's hard to even find a place to start when trying to describe these last few days. Simply, it's been incredible. The part of the trip I've looked forward to most (aside from seeing my family in Wisconsin) has finally come!
We have spent most of our time on long, flat Highway 2. Our cue sheets went from being half pages long in the beginning of the trip to merely an inch long, with one direction: Highway 2 for x number of miles. I knew Montana was huge, but the expanse of it really began to sink in as I pedaled day in and day out of the flattest, most dismal landscape I had seen all trip. It's crazy how rapidly this state shifted from endless flatland to the Rocky Mountains overnight.
We finally experienced the wind everyone warned us about as we make this journey westward. Biking into Shelby, Montana at a max. speed of 9 mph was not fun. Not fun at all. But, it made for great conversations. It's always the stressful, hard days that everyone ultimately has the most to say about. So, although we hated feeling like we were going nowhere way too fast, it was just another great bonding experience - something we all endured together.
The closer we started getting to western Montana, the harder time I had keeping my excitement under control. I was so, so, so excited to go back to the place I left a huge piece of my heart in: Glacier National Park. Most of us were really starting to get emotionally and physically drained after a week straight of long days of pedaling. Glacier and seeing my friends at the Park Cafe kept my spirits up.
I spent the past two days biking into the Rockies with my friend Abby. Words can't even begin to describe the feeling of being on a bicycle with the most beautiful landscape in front of you. When you're moving at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour, it gives you a chance to really take in your scenery. Even though I'd driven from Browning to St. Mary many, many times in a car, the experience I had on my bicycle was more powerful than any trip I'd ever take on these roads before. The air smells different, the climbs through the mountain are more spectacular, and the constant sense of adventure are so unique to this trip.
Upon arriving in St. Mary (right at the east entrance of GNP) after one of the best descents I've ever done, I couldn't wait to go have a piece of pie at the cafe. Abby was by my side and just looked at me in awe as I sprinted into the community room of the Park Cafe and gave all my old coworkers and friends the biggest hugs. Shortly after, I was met by Jamey and Travis and we all sat down and had a meal together. It felt like home to be sitting in that cafe. Seeing everyone around the cafe in their "Pie for Strength" t-shirts made me feel like I'd never left. It was wonderful to be able to spend a night with such great place filled with such great memories.
Later that night, the Bike & Build team camped out at St. Mary campground. The rain was relentless and I was a little nervous the weather might put a damper of experiencing Going to the Sun highway the next day. After snuggling up in our tents to stay warm, we all woke at 4:30 to get an early start so that we could be off of the Going to the Sun Highway before 11 am. Because of higher traffic flow later in the day, bicyclists are not allowed on the road after 11 am. We woke up to rain, packed up all our gear, and looked up at the Rockies behind us in excitement. The first 17 miles were an uphill climb to the continental divide. The rain never really stopped, and the temperature never rose above 50, but to know we were on this road in the middle of Glacier National Park was enough to keep us happy. In an effort to weatherproof myself, I biked up the road with a winter hat, bread bags on my feet, and winter gloves. My friend Jamey decided to wear his long john's over his biking gear just as an extra layer. We all basically looked like hobos climbing the Rockies.
After reaching Logan Pass, we all prepared for the 12 mile, 6% grade descent. Normally, I love descents, but this one was a tough one for me. For one, I was so cold that I couldn't feel my hands at all and my hat kept getting pushed down over my eyes because of my helmet. I made it eight miles before my body physically stopped me from finishing. I have never had the shakes so bad and I realized that flying down the side of a mountain at 25 miles an hour in an effort to get done before 11 was just a terribly unwise idea. I waited for a shuttle to get me to Apgar Village, where I met up with the rest of the group (who also had to shuttle down) and headed to lunch.
The last 25 miles into Whitefish were much easier, almost completely downhill and much, much warmer! Whitefish is a lovely ski town tucked in the valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. It was such a great feeling to finish 11 straight days of biking, especially on a day that was arguably most people's favorite day of the entire trip.
I was able to stroll around the downtown, journal, and take comfort in the fact that I would not be getting on my bike the next day. After picking up a new book of short stories, I set "home", the lovely First Presbyterian Church, in downtown Whitefish to read my new book. However, before I knew it, I was out cold by 8 pm - before I even had the chance to put my pajamas on or blow up my Thermarest. I woke up at 5:30 this morning, fully rested and decided to take a stroll around town.
It was so nice to wake up when I wanted to! I met up with some of the locals in the town and had a coffee and some lovely conversation. Then, we all had breakfast together at the church before we set off for our last build day of the trip.
This was one of the best build days we've had. All 32 of us had something to occupy ourselves with. I got to work on building the framing for a garage and used my first air pressure nail gun. It pretty much scared the living daylights out of me.
After we finished our build day today, the girls rushed home to finish up our Sadie Hawkin's date proposals. After prom, the boys thought it only fair to make the girls ask the boys out on a date. I drew our leader Denis' name and decided to ask him to ride with me into Eureka tomorrow via "Mustache-Grams" since he is wildly popular for his impressive facial hair. The girls have been pretty creative and the boys very impressed. We will all be riding into Eureka, Montana in date-like pairs tomorrow. I am very excited!
Well, once again, I've written a novel - but so much happens in a week's time on this trip - it's unbelievable! It's even more unbelievable that this adventure of a lifetime will be finished in 12 days. 12 days!!!! While at times I feel like I've been biking for years, I also have a hard time reconciling that it has gone by this fast and that I am over 3,000 miles into this trip. The fact that I am still walking is nothing short of a miracle to me. I really feel the hugeness of this accomplishment at this point of the trip, and I am so blessed to have been apart of something so lifechanging. Thanks for reading. Hope to update again soon - this last stretch of the trip is supposed to be incredibly beautiful!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
It's the little things that count
Like paved roads. After a stressful ride into New Town on Hwy 23, the leaders decided that our next day of riding would need to be different, and thus, they set out for what would be a 8+ hour quest to find safer roads for us to ride on into Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). By 4:30 in the morning, the leaders (Gramelly and Kyle) had a new route for us that made our trip into TRNP 100x better than the previous day. However, leaving out the stress of giant oil trucks and no shoulders meant riding on unpaved gravel roads for over 25 miles. Moving at 6 mph is way better than worrying about getting run off the road by a billion ton truck, at least I think. However, once we hit paved roads again, I felt as though my bike had grown wings. I didn't realize how much I loved smooth pavement until that day.
My knees and left arm have been really bothering me lately, but I've been adament to see this part of the country on my bicycle and avoid the van for as long as I can handle it. As we've been biking across the vast expanse of the North Dakota plains and into the flatlands of Montana, I can't help but think that this is the closest way to experience the country as the earliest settlers did, and it's pretty exciting to see Lewis & Clark trail markers along our route.
The last eight miles of our ride into TRNP were nothing short of spectacular. As we descended into the park, the contrast from great plains to the Badlands was breathtaking. As soon as we arrived, around 4 pm, we biked five miles into the campground to see our tents all set up. It was so exciting to finally have our first night of real camping in such an amazing place. Jamey, Abby, Andrew and I decided to take a mini hike after showering off with freezing water from the pump at the campground. Along the way, we witnessed two bison within a football field's distance of us. Pretty exciting!!!
For supper, we made some delicious hobo style meals and sat around the fire. As soon as I sat down to eat, I was delighted to hear Neil Young's "Old Man" (my favorite song of all time) followed by the rest of the Harvest album! Such a great way to relax. It's so nice to have so many people with such great taste in music all contributing tunes for our mealtimes. Later that night, we all made s'mores and journaled. Many of us were excited to lay out and watch a night sky free of light pollution. Within 20 minutes of laying down on a tarp under the stars with my teammates, we witnessed at least five shooting stars.
After a good night's sleep, we woke up to near freezing temperatures and I prepared myself for a day of 97 miles as sweep with Kelsey. It wasn't even four miles into our ride that the entire team got trapped in TRNP by unpredictable bison near the road. We probably waited over 20 minutes before we all felt safe enough to bike on out. It made for a pretty entertaining start to our day. Overall, sweeping was way more enjoyable than I had anticipated, despite the fact that our friend Jillian got two flats and fell ill whilst riding, causing us to wait back for quite a while as the van came back to pick her up. In total, I was outside on my bike for over 10 hours, but it was a tremendous ride nevertheless, especially when Momgela and Corcoran came and found us 10 miles out and gave us water and cookies and a morale boost!
We crossed another stateline that day - finally entering the great (and huge!) state of Montana! We stayed in a small town about 35 miles from the MT/ND border called Culbertson and once again had a delicious dinner cooked by members of the Bethel Community Church. How did we get this lucky?!?!?!
I was in pretty great spirits until we had our 54 mile ride out of Culbertson and into Wolf Point, Montana. Strangely enough, I really don't like shorter mileage anymore - mainly because I mentally fail and anticipate a much shorter ride and thus start watching my mileage, making it go by much, much slower. Yesterday basically felt like I was biking in slow motion. The wind was strong, the roads weren't great, and I just felt like blah. However, once we arrived, the day really turned around.
We had probably one of the most homey and welcoming stays of the trip at First Lutheran Church yesterday. Special thanks to Glo, Joe, and Laurie for spoiling us with wonderful watermelon, junk food, and town facts! I got to learn so much about the Assiniboine and Sioux Indian culture of Wolf Point. After relaxing for most of the day and enjoying an amazing dinner, we were able to experience a real Powwow and were invited to participate in the dances. It was so incredible to see them in their authentic dress, listening to members of the tribe beating a drum, and just really getting such an authentic cultural experience. I loved every second of it.
Today was another short day - 50 miles into the town of Glasgow. MUCH MUCH MUCH better than yesterday's ride. Flat, minimal wind, and 18.5 mph average allowed me an 11 am arrival time. Since we were in so early, many of us decided to bike downtown and grab some lunch or ice cream at a diner. Now that I have awoken from my food coma, it is nice to relax, update my blog, and get excited for the night we have ahead of us - a RODEO!!! Can't wait!
It's hard to believe that there are less than three weeks of the trip left. We've currently completed 5 of the 11 straight days of biking - the longest leg of the entire trip. I can't wait for our next build day and our nearing arrival to Glacier. Montana is pretty flat right now (nice for biking, not so nice for the scenery) and I am very much looking forward to seeing the Rockys in the next few days!
My knees and left arm have been really bothering me lately, but I've been adament to see this part of the country on my bicycle and avoid the van for as long as I can handle it. As we've been biking across the vast expanse of the North Dakota plains and into the flatlands of Montana, I can't help but think that this is the closest way to experience the country as the earliest settlers did, and it's pretty exciting to see Lewis & Clark trail markers along our route.
The last eight miles of our ride into TRNP were nothing short of spectacular. As we descended into the park, the contrast from great plains to the Badlands was breathtaking. As soon as we arrived, around 4 pm, we biked five miles into the campground to see our tents all set up. It was so exciting to finally have our first night of real camping in such an amazing place. Jamey, Abby, Andrew and I decided to take a mini hike after showering off with freezing water from the pump at the campground. Along the way, we witnessed two bison within a football field's distance of us. Pretty exciting!!!
For supper, we made some delicious hobo style meals and sat around the fire. As soon as I sat down to eat, I was delighted to hear Neil Young's "Old Man" (my favorite song of all time) followed by the rest of the Harvest album! Such a great way to relax. It's so nice to have so many people with such great taste in music all contributing tunes for our mealtimes. Later that night, we all made s'mores and journaled. Many of us were excited to lay out and watch a night sky free of light pollution. Within 20 minutes of laying down on a tarp under the stars with my teammates, we witnessed at least five shooting stars.
After a good night's sleep, we woke up to near freezing temperatures and I prepared myself for a day of 97 miles as sweep with Kelsey. It wasn't even four miles into our ride that the entire team got trapped in TRNP by unpredictable bison near the road. We probably waited over 20 minutes before we all felt safe enough to bike on out. It made for a pretty entertaining start to our day. Overall, sweeping was way more enjoyable than I had anticipated, despite the fact that our friend Jillian got two flats and fell ill whilst riding, causing us to wait back for quite a while as the van came back to pick her up. In total, I was outside on my bike for over 10 hours, but it was a tremendous ride nevertheless, especially when Momgela and Corcoran came and found us 10 miles out and gave us water and cookies and a morale boost!
We crossed another stateline that day - finally entering the great (and huge!) state of Montana! We stayed in a small town about 35 miles from the MT/ND border called Culbertson and once again had a delicious dinner cooked by members of the Bethel Community Church. How did we get this lucky?!?!?!
I was in pretty great spirits until we had our 54 mile ride out of Culbertson and into Wolf Point, Montana. Strangely enough, I really don't like shorter mileage anymore - mainly because I mentally fail and anticipate a much shorter ride and thus start watching my mileage, making it go by much, much slower. Yesterday basically felt like I was biking in slow motion. The wind was strong, the roads weren't great, and I just felt like blah. However, once we arrived, the day really turned around.
We had probably one of the most homey and welcoming stays of the trip at First Lutheran Church yesterday. Special thanks to Glo, Joe, and Laurie for spoiling us with wonderful watermelon, junk food, and town facts! I got to learn so much about the Assiniboine and Sioux Indian culture of Wolf Point. After relaxing for most of the day and enjoying an amazing dinner, we were able to experience a real Powwow and were invited to participate in the dances. It was so incredible to see them in their authentic dress, listening to members of the tribe beating a drum, and just really getting such an authentic cultural experience. I loved every second of it.
Today was another short day - 50 miles into the town of Glasgow. MUCH MUCH MUCH better than yesterday's ride. Flat, minimal wind, and 18.5 mph average allowed me an 11 am arrival time. Since we were in so early, many of us decided to bike downtown and grab some lunch or ice cream at a diner. Now that I have awoken from my food coma, it is nice to relax, update my blog, and get excited for the night we have ahead of us - a RODEO!!! Can't wait!
It's hard to believe that there are less than three weeks of the trip left. We've currently completed 5 of the 11 straight days of biking - the longest leg of the entire trip. I can't wait for our next build day and our nearing arrival to Glacier. Montana is pretty flat right now (nice for biking, not so nice for the scenery) and I am very much looking forward to seeing the Rockys in the next few days!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Welp, I spoke too soon.
Today was rough. 74 miles from Minot to Newtown, North Dakota against constant headwinds. It's safe to say I mentally 'bonked' when I couldn't help but start screaming at the wind during the last 10 mile stretch into the town. Not only was today windy, it was hilly! I'm okay with one or the other, but both!!!! compounded by the fact that there was minimal shoulder for most of the ride along Hwy 23 did not make me the happiest of campers. Regardless, we all arrived to Newtown High School safely and in a mostly timely fashion.
Today was a maildrop day - a very exciting day for B&B'ers - and it felt like Christmas for me! My energy (aka Clif bar, Shot Bloks) supply is back above empty and there really couldn't be better timing, as we are one day into our longest stretch of 11 straight days of riding. Not only did my wonderful parents give me a great care package, but I was also surprised to receive goodies from the Ryan's and a letter from my grandparents! Thank you all so, so much! You made my day :)
Tomorrow is our first camping experience, and we get to have it in Teddy Roosevelt National Park! It is so beautiful there, and I am so excited to sleep out under the vast expanse of Western sky. Tomorrow also marks our last riding day in North Dakota. I can't wait to see Montana (my second favorite state, after Wisconsin) by bicycle! Glacier is a mere 9 days away and I can't wait to see Kathryn, Neal, and the whole Park Cafe clan and have some AMAZING razzleberry pie. I'm salivating at the thought.
Here is a video taken by Minot's local news station at our build site yesterday:
http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_video.asp?news=42030
Today was a maildrop day - a very exciting day for B&B'ers - and it felt like Christmas for me! My energy (aka Clif bar, Shot Bloks) supply is back above empty and there really couldn't be better timing, as we are one day into our longest stretch of 11 straight days of riding. Not only did my wonderful parents give me a great care package, but I was also surprised to receive goodies from the Ryan's and a letter from my grandparents! Thank you all so, so much! You made my day :)
Tomorrow is our first camping experience, and we get to have it in Teddy Roosevelt National Park! It is so beautiful there, and I am so excited to sleep out under the vast expanse of Western sky. Tomorrow also marks our last riding day in North Dakota. I can't wait to see Montana (my second favorite state, after Wisconsin) by bicycle! Glacier is a mere 9 days away and I can't wait to see Kathryn, Neal, and the whole Park Cafe clan and have some AMAZING razzleberry pie. I'm salivating at the thought.
Here is a video taken by Minot's local news station at our build site yesterday:
http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_video.asp?news=42030
A picture to describe how many of us felt about our ride today.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Why not Minot?
Prom was a huge success! Of all the proms I've been to, this one takes the cake for most fun had. Not only did we all dress to the nines in our finest Llama Prom-a apparel, but we also danced up a storm. I think by about 10:30 pm, we turned the gymnasium into a sauna. Below are a few pictures from before prom and during prom.
As I've probably said a few times in my blog, I was really dreading the rides through North Dakota. Having driven through the state a few times in recent past, it's not the most visually pleasing of all states. Given my disdain for driving through it, I was trying to mentally prepare myself for biking through it while also facing headwinds of up to 40 mph (as reported by riders from years past). However, I'm happy to report that I am already in Minot, North Dakota - approximately 3/4 of the way through the state and have enjoyed every second of every mile so far. We've had very little wind, the temperature has been perfect, and the conversations amongst fellow riders has been top-notch. This is one of the best groups of people I've ever had the privilege of getting to know, and I know this trip wouldn't be the same without even a single one of us not a part of it. I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch, but even if it is super windy as we make our way through Montana, I consider the four days we've spent in ND a real blessing.
Today was our second to last build day. We spent the first half of a day at a Habitat site building a shed. Once again, we had the delight of meeting the future homeowner and also were spoiled with a tremendous lunch provided by a recent Habitat home recipient. 32 people to build one shed is a bit overwhelming, so after lunch, half of us went to an assisted living home to pull weeds from the property. It was very relaxing and we accomplished a lot!
Tomorrow, we head to Newtown, ND followed by our first night of camping in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I can't wait!
Nolan, as a guido, asking out our very own Italian bombshell, Momgela.
Also, did I mention we biked almost 118 miles from Crookston, Minnesota to Devils Lake, North Dakota?! Talk about an epic day of riding! I was begging for a wheelchair at the end of the day.
Sam, the bounty hunter, and myself enjoying a night of slow dancing at prom. I just wish I had a little more bronzer and hot pink lipstick!
Llama Prom-a Royalty - 2010. Steven (in the khaki overalls, blue hat) was my date AND the Prom King!
Build Day (August 3rd) in Minot, ND
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Bike & Build: Prom Edition
Since anyone who has been through North Dakota knows, not a whole lot to see and do whilst riding on Hwy 2. So, in the spirit of making the best of our surroundings, we've decided to have our own PROM: Llama Proma: A Day on the Farm. The name comes from the fact that we've seen many a llama on our rides.
About a week ago, I purchased my prom dress from a thrift store: a button up, sleeveless denim dress. Something my mom might have considered wearing in 1992 (not knocking your style, mom). Additionally, I purchased a metallic orange belt, a woven sun hat, and some flamboyant, hot pink earrings. I can't wait to look like a stunning beauty queen come August 1st.
While the apparel of the trip will be a definite highlight, it's the way we all got asked to prom that has been so, so, so amazing! All of the boys, and one girl had to draw names out of a hat to select their date. Then, all of our dates were required to come up with the most creative ways to ask their dates.
So far, we've had dates asked out on real, live horses, jumping out of mail boxes, love letters, chalk poems on the side of the road, scavenger hunts, and well, I'll go into a little more detail about the way I got asked out this morning at breakfast. John, you've got some fierce competition, just FYI.
While eating breakfast this morning, I was blissfully unaware of the scheming that had been going on between some of the men on the trip the night before. I sat down with a hot plate of delicious eggs made by the Zion Lutheran Church of Grand Rapids, and was about to take my first bite when my face was brushed with a bouquet of the most beautiful, fluorescent dyed flowers I had ever seen. I looked up and saw my leader Kyle Gamsby and instantly thought he might be my date. But! Seconds later, Mark Broz sauntered up to my side with a bottle of sparkling grape juice, and like a 5-star restaurant, I was poured a bottle of the finest sparkling beverage. Now, at the prospect of Mark being my date, I was terrified, mainly because Mark's girlfriend, Kira, caught wind of what was going on and was standing at the table shooting me dagger eyes. Best not to be the homewrecker.
And then the moment happened. The song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" came on over the speakers, and out came Steven, doing the most ridiculously seductive dance toward me. I think I lost it when Steven kicked his shoes off and began pointing at me. Absolutely hilarious. Shortly after making his way to my table, Steven realized he no longer knew all of the words to the song and desperately tried to get Kyle to cut the music so that he could ask me to prom officially. Since Kyle wasn't paying attention, all Steven could do was sing "BABY!" every 10 words or so. As soon as the song ended, Steven was down on one knee and asked me to prom. Best prom date ever!!!
Unfortunately, now the bar has been set very high for any future suitors of any of the NUS ladies. I honestly believe some of these prom proposals have been better and more creative than wedding proposals. LJ, you're going to have to start singing to me every time you want to take me out to dinner.
Well, it's 9 pm and I have a 5 am wakeup call tomorrow for a 90 mile day into Crookston, Minnesota. As always, it's great to be staying at an incredibly gracious host this evening, Bethel Lutheran, in the home of Paul Bunyan.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Day off in Duluth
Buckets of rain. Buckets of tears. Got all them buckets coming out of my ears. --Bob Dylan
And it's a rainy day off in Duluth, Minnesota - the birthplace of Bob Dylan. Buckets of Rain is a natural song for the day.
Yesterday, we biked from the small town of Sandstone, Minnesota to the moderately (okay, a lot) larger city of Duluth. Dubbed the San Francisco of the North, it's been a nice place to have a day off in.
We spent 65 of our 73 miles on a bike path yesterday. Given the limited stops and flat terrain, I was able to cruise into Duluth with an average speed of 16.7 mph. Crazy that 12 mph used to be my comfortable speed. Our lunch stop yesterday was amazing! The picture below was taken at our stop - specifically at a wonderful oasis known as TJ's Country Store. Tony was able to score some donation magic in the form of the best nectarines I've ever had, and presumably some of the best sausage (kind of falls outside my veggie diet) in the midwest area. Thank you Tom for making our stop so much more enjoyable! If I could eat those nectarines every day for the rest of my life, I think I'd be a pretty happy camper.
I arrived into Duluth around 1:45 yesterday afternoon - which gave me an opportunity to take a much needed nap. We are staying in our first Jewish Temple of the trip. We had a lovely dinner of fresh vegetables and little pasta accompanied by some great speakers who came on behalf of Duluth's Habitat for Humanity and the city land trust. I love learning more about the affordable housing cause from those who spend their careers in an effort to alleviate the problem. It serves as a reminder of how important Bike & Build is to them - an opportunity to raise awareness for this cause with far-reaching impacts in many facets of society.
After dinner, an unexpected highlight of the trip occurred. Two members of the temple offered to show us their sanctuary and the Jewish biblical text - the Torah. None of us on this specific trip identify as Jews, and many of us only have a small understanding of Judaism. It was absolutely fascinating to learn about the Jewish faith and to learn about the principles and history of the religion - and how those principles are similar to and different from Christianity. It really piqued my curiosity in theology.
Later in the evening, a large group of us walked over to a nearby popular hangout called Burrito Union. They brew their own beer there, so many of us enjoyed a delicious pint and a great atmosphere. Despite no curfew last night, I was beat by 10:30 and headed back to the temple, but not first without walking down to look at the full moon shining over Lake Superior with Leisl, Jess, and Gramelly. The moon lit up the sky and the lake was glowing. It was kind of a magical feeling standing beside a lake so big.
This morning was an opportunity to sleep in, which I fully took advantage of. I woke up at 8:44, thinking it was only 6 am, and arrived to breakfast 15 minutes late. However, breakfast was still hot and plenty. After getting myself together, and realizing it was going to be a rainy day in Duluth, I was itching to get to a coffee shop to write in my journal and write some letters. After strolling down the Superior shoreline, I found a cozy coffee shop called Jitters and plopped myself down with a hot cup of joe and a brain full of experiences and thoughts to fill a good few hours with journal writing. It's nice to keep an online blog to keep track of the trip's events and a journal to write down personal feelings about the trip. Hopefully, someday, I'll be able to look back at both and remind myself on two different levels on what an experience this really has been.
With continuing rain, about half the group decided to walk down to the harbor to catch a movie. We all decided on the popular flick, Inception. 2.5 hours later, my brain hurt with confusion. Still not sure exactly how I feel about the movie, but it was entertaining nonetheless. As we left, it occurred to all of us that we had not eaten since breakfast. Feeling famished and soaking wet, we cabbed it over to a popular restaurant and filled up on some grub.
Now, I am enjoying being dry and comfortable back at the Temple. I tried to upload some photos yesterday, but my patience with photo uploading is slim at best, and it's starting to look like photos might just have to be a project post-trip, which is crazy to think that that's only a month away. Where does the time go!?
I'll see how much time I have later tonight for photo uploading. But! It's time for a Town Hall meeting, so I must depart. Back on the bike and into Grand Rapids, MN tomorrow.
And it's a rainy day off in Duluth, Minnesota - the birthplace of Bob Dylan. Buckets of Rain is a natural song for the day.
Yesterday, we biked from the small town of Sandstone, Minnesota to the moderately (okay, a lot) larger city of Duluth. Dubbed the San Francisco of the North, it's been a nice place to have a day off in.
We spent 65 of our 73 miles on a bike path yesterday. Given the limited stops and flat terrain, I was able to cruise into Duluth with an average speed of 16.7 mph. Crazy that 12 mph used to be my comfortable speed. Our lunch stop yesterday was amazing! The picture below was taken at our stop - specifically at a wonderful oasis known as TJ's Country Store. Tony was able to score some donation magic in the form of the best nectarines I've ever had, and presumably some of the best sausage (kind of falls outside my veggie diet) in the midwest area. Thank you Tom for making our stop so much more enjoyable! If I could eat those nectarines every day for the rest of my life, I think I'd be a pretty happy camper.
I arrived into Duluth around 1:45 yesterday afternoon - which gave me an opportunity to take a much needed nap. We are staying in our first Jewish Temple of the trip. We had a lovely dinner of fresh vegetables and little pasta accompanied by some great speakers who came on behalf of Duluth's Habitat for Humanity and the city land trust. I love learning more about the affordable housing cause from those who spend their careers in an effort to alleviate the problem. It serves as a reminder of how important Bike & Build is to them - an opportunity to raise awareness for this cause with far-reaching impacts in many facets of society.
After dinner, an unexpected highlight of the trip occurred. Two members of the temple offered to show us their sanctuary and the Jewish biblical text - the Torah. None of us on this specific trip identify as Jews, and many of us only have a small understanding of Judaism. It was absolutely fascinating to learn about the Jewish faith and to learn about the principles and history of the religion - and how those principles are similar to and different from Christianity. It really piqued my curiosity in theology.
Later in the evening, a large group of us walked over to a nearby popular hangout called Burrito Union. They brew their own beer there, so many of us enjoyed a delicious pint and a great atmosphere. Despite no curfew last night, I was beat by 10:30 and headed back to the temple, but not first without walking down to look at the full moon shining over Lake Superior with Leisl, Jess, and Gramelly. The moon lit up the sky and the lake was glowing. It was kind of a magical feeling standing beside a lake so big.
This morning was an opportunity to sleep in, which I fully took advantage of. I woke up at 8:44, thinking it was only 6 am, and arrived to breakfast 15 minutes late. However, breakfast was still hot and plenty. After getting myself together, and realizing it was going to be a rainy day in Duluth, I was itching to get to a coffee shop to write in my journal and write some letters. After strolling down the Superior shoreline, I found a cozy coffee shop called Jitters and plopped myself down with a hot cup of joe and a brain full of experiences and thoughts to fill a good few hours with journal writing. It's nice to keep an online blog to keep track of the trip's events and a journal to write down personal feelings about the trip. Hopefully, someday, I'll be able to look back at both and remind myself on two different levels on what an experience this really has been.
With continuing rain, about half the group decided to walk down to the harbor to catch a movie. We all decided on the popular flick, Inception. 2.5 hours later, my brain hurt with confusion. Still not sure exactly how I feel about the movie, but it was entertaining nonetheless. As we left, it occurred to all of us that we had not eaten since breakfast. Feeling famished and soaking wet, we cabbed it over to a popular restaurant and filled up on some grub.
Now, I am enjoying being dry and comfortable back at the Temple. I tried to upload some photos yesterday, but my patience with photo uploading is slim at best, and it's starting to look like photos might just have to be a project post-trip, which is crazy to think that that's only a month away. Where does the time go!?
I'll see how much time I have later tonight for photo uploading. But! It's time for a Town Hall meeting, so I must depart. Back on the bike and into Grand Rapids, MN tomorrow.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile [and bike]
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da here I am... the only Bike & Build trip in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The last week has been incredible. It was the week I was looking forward to all trip, and it really exceeded everything I hoped it would be.
We arrived into Janesville on Friday afternoon around 1:45 pm. And by "we", I mean myself, Kate Terry, and Andrew Corcoran. We were the only ones who forfeited an amazing three-hour game of sand volleyball at lunch in southeastern Wisconsin to face headwinds on our way into town. Our ride into Janesville started in Grayslake, Illinois and was 75 miles of wind and hills. I had no idea Wisconsin is as hilly as it is until we crossed that stateline. While the ride itself wasn't the best I've had, the sheer excitement to see my parents, Kate's family, my roommates, and my boyfriend made the miles much more tolerable. To think I had just biked my way from the east coast to my hometown is still something I haven't totally grasped yet.
That night, the team stayed at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Janesville, while I enjoyed the more plush accommodations of my own bed. My parents were anxious to meet the whole team and offered up our backyard for a great evening of s'mores, fire, and mosquito bites. Then, to my embarrassment, and the whole team's amazement, my father decided to perform the Maori "Haka". See this video if you're unsure what that is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMCAV6Yd0Y.
The next day, we had a much anticipated build day. It was such a tremendous experience for all of us, and it felt really good to be doing something positive in the place that I grew up. The Janesville Gazette showed up to the site and took pictures and decided to make Bike & Build their front page cover story! I feel like a celebrity now :) Link to story: http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/jul/18/janesville-women-enjoying-cross-country-volunteer-/
That night, my parents and Kate's parents, put together the most wonderful party in Kate's father's backyard. It was titled "NO PASTA ZONE!" which was amazing, because we sure do eat A LOT of pasta on this trip. Kate's dad and stepmom printed up NUS2010 tshirts and stationery for all of us and we had an absolute blast. We've all been wearing those shirts nonstop - an excellent addition to the minimal wardrobe we all have.The food couldn't be beat and many familiar faces showed up to cheer us on. My roommates from Madison also made an appearance! Thanks to everyone who made that night so, so, so special!
After the party, it was early to bed and early to rise for a shorter (46 mile) bike ride into Madison. My mom wanted to make sure the ride was scenic, fun, and the least bit bumpy, so she contacted Janesville's local bike team and secured a great route for us to take into Madison. It was an awesome ride, especially because I got to ride alongside my boyfriend, John, and Kate got to enjoy a ride up with what seemed like her entire family. The more the merrier!
Madison was a whirlwind. I was so excited for the whole team to experience the place I've called home for the last five years. Many had never been to Madison, let alone the state of Wisconsin, so I was excited for them to get to see the terrace and roam around State Street.
As soon as I got to Madison, I headed straight for my old apartment to enjoy a lovely evening cookout with my roommates and some of my best friends. It was so nice to sit on our wonderful porch and relax to good music and not think about biking for a moment. Thanks Megan, Rhysa, Gerri, and Alison for putting on such a lovely spread :) and Matt, Mike, and John for the great company.
Later in the evening, I met back up with the whole Bike & Build crew who were enjoying the eve of our first day off at a Madison favorite: the Great Dane. The night was so much fun and it was so nice to not be in bed by 10 pm!
Monday marked our first official day off. After sleeping in until 10:30 (remember, that's 4.5-5.5 hours past B&B normal wakeup time) , I enjoyed a nice brunch with John at Monty's Blue Plate Diner followed by a relaxing lunch with Megan at the terrace. Then, I strolled on over to my research lab where I will be returning for work in the fall to see my mouse colony. Ha, just kidding. No mice, but a lovely ice cream social with all the members of the Dove Lab. It was great to share my experience with them and know that they had all been reading my blog!
Then! While others were at the terrace, John (who became my chauffeur for the weekend) drove me to visit my grandparents in Morrisonville. I was looking so forward to seeing them and my uncle and I spent a lovely afternoon relaxing on their porch drinking root beer floats. I certainly know how to fill up an afternoon.
Within the blink of an eye, my much anticipated long weekend in Janesville and Madison was coming to a close. After getting some delicious takeout, I went to bed around 9:30 so I would be well rested for our 2nd official century ride into Gays Mill, Wisconsin.
That ride was one of the best I've ever had. I had NO IDEA Wisconsin had such a beautiful Western side, full of rolling hills and verdant farmlands. The miles just flew by and before I knew it, we were in Gays Mills, Wisconsin.
The next two days, we had shorter mileage (63 & 65, respectively) into Onalaska and Pepin, Wisconsin (birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder!). As always, the food we had at our hosts was AMAZING and I stuffed myself to the brim. Furthermore, the scenery did not cease to disappoint and I got my fair share of riding with a variety of members of the team. Surprisingly, more are interested in my nerdy topics of interest, e.g. genetics and physics. Even though yesterday poured rain on us all day, it was actually nice to ride in cooler weather.
Today, we crossed another stateline into Minnesota. I'm a little sad to be leaving the lovely hills of Wisconsin, but I am also fond of Minnesota, so it's not a bad tradeoff. North Dakota will be a different story. Today was an 80 mile day and because of the hills, it took us most of the day to get to St. Paul. Additionally, during our lunch break, we decided to attack our sweeps today (Beth and Kelly) sniper style with water balloons. Quite the success, and boy were they drenched. We are all staying at homestays tonight, so I am writing this from the lovely Hansen home.
Tomorrow is another Build Day for us! I can't wait to have a day off the bike again - my knees are really starting to bother me. We will be working at two separate projects in the St. Paul area. When I'm not there, I'm hoping to see some of my relatives who all live near or in St. Paul. Should be a great weekend. Sorry for the lack of updates over the last week.
The last week has been incredible. It was the week I was looking forward to all trip, and it really exceeded everything I hoped it would be.
We arrived into Janesville on Friday afternoon around 1:45 pm. And by "we", I mean myself, Kate Terry, and Andrew Corcoran. We were the only ones who forfeited an amazing three-hour game of sand volleyball at lunch in southeastern Wisconsin to face headwinds on our way into town. Our ride into Janesville started in Grayslake, Illinois and was 75 miles of wind and hills. I had no idea Wisconsin is as hilly as it is until we crossed that stateline. While the ride itself wasn't the best I've had, the sheer excitement to see my parents, Kate's family, my roommates, and my boyfriend made the miles much more tolerable. To think I had just biked my way from the east coast to my hometown is still something I haven't totally grasped yet.
That night, the team stayed at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Janesville, while I enjoyed the more plush accommodations of my own bed. My parents were anxious to meet the whole team and offered up our backyard for a great evening of s'mores, fire, and mosquito bites. Then, to my embarrassment, and the whole team's amazement, my father decided to perform the Maori "Haka". See this video if you're unsure what that is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMCAV6Yd0Y.
The next day, we had a much anticipated build day. It was such a tremendous experience for all of us, and it felt really good to be doing something positive in the place that I grew up. The Janesville Gazette showed up to the site and took pictures and decided to make Bike & Build their front page cover story! I feel like a celebrity now :) Link to story: http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/jul/18/janesville-women-enjoying-cross-country-volunteer-/
That night, my parents and Kate's parents, put together the most wonderful party in Kate's father's backyard. It was titled "NO PASTA ZONE!" which was amazing, because we sure do eat A LOT of pasta on this trip. Kate's dad and stepmom printed up NUS2010 tshirts and stationery for all of us and we had an absolute blast. We've all been wearing those shirts nonstop - an excellent addition to the minimal wardrobe we all have.The food couldn't be beat and many familiar faces showed up to cheer us on. My roommates from Madison also made an appearance! Thanks to everyone who made that night so, so, so special!
After the party, it was early to bed and early to rise for a shorter (46 mile) bike ride into Madison. My mom wanted to make sure the ride was scenic, fun, and the least bit bumpy, so she contacted Janesville's local bike team and secured a great route for us to take into Madison. It was an awesome ride, especially because I got to ride alongside my boyfriend, John, and Kate got to enjoy a ride up with what seemed like her entire family. The more the merrier!
Madison was a whirlwind. I was so excited for the whole team to experience the place I've called home for the last five years. Many had never been to Madison, let alone the state of Wisconsin, so I was excited for them to get to see the terrace and roam around State Street.
As soon as I got to Madison, I headed straight for my old apartment to enjoy a lovely evening cookout with my roommates and some of my best friends. It was so nice to sit on our wonderful porch and relax to good music and not think about biking for a moment. Thanks Megan, Rhysa, Gerri, and Alison for putting on such a lovely spread :) and Matt, Mike, and John for the great company.
Later in the evening, I met back up with the whole Bike & Build crew who were enjoying the eve of our first day off at a Madison favorite: the Great Dane. The night was so much fun and it was so nice to not be in bed by 10 pm!
Monday marked our first official day off. After sleeping in until 10:30 (remember, that's 4.5-5.5 hours past B&B normal wakeup time) , I enjoyed a nice brunch with John at Monty's Blue Plate Diner followed by a relaxing lunch with Megan at the terrace. Then, I strolled on over to my research lab where I will be returning for work in the fall to see my mouse colony. Ha, just kidding. No mice, but a lovely ice cream social with all the members of the Dove Lab. It was great to share my experience with them and know that they had all been reading my blog!
Then! While others were at the terrace, John (who became my chauffeur for the weekend) drove me to visit my grandparents in Morrisonville. I was looking so forward to seeing them and my uncle and I spent a lovely afternoon relaxing on their porch drinking root beer floats. I certainly know how to fill up an afternoon.
Within the blink of an eye, my much anticipated long weekend in Janesville and Madison was coming to a close. After getting some delicious takeout, I went to bed around 9:30 so I would be well rested for our 2nd official century ride into Gays Mill, Wisconsin.
That ride was one of the best I've ever had. I had NO IDEA Wisconsin had such a beautiful Western side, full of rolling hills and verdant farmlands. The miles just flew by and before I knew it, we were in Gays Mills, Wisconsin.
The next two days, we had shorter mileage (63 & 65, respectively) into Onalaska and Pepin, Wisconsin (birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder!). As always, the food we had at our hosts was AMAZING and I stuffed myself to the brim. Furthermore, the scenery did not cease to disappoint and I got my fair share of riding with a variety of members of the team. Surprisingly, more are interested in my nerdy topics of interest, e.g. genetics and physics. Even though yesterday poured rain on us all day, it was actually nice to ride in cooler weather.
Today, we crossed another stateline into Minnesota. I'm a little sad to be leaving the lovely hills of Wisconsin, but I am also fond of Minnesota, so it's not a bad tradeoff. North Dakota will be a different story. Today was an 80 mile day and because of the hills, it took us most of the day to get to St. Paul. Additionally, during our lunch break, we decided to attack our sweeps today (Beth and Kelly) sniper style with water balloons. Quite the success, and boy were they drenched. We are all staying at homestays tonight, so I am writing this from the lovely Hansen home.
Tomorrow is another Build Day for us! I can't wait to have a day off the bike again - my knees are really starting to bother me. We will be working at two separate projects in the St. Paul area. When I'm not there, I'm hoping to see some of my relatives who all live near or in St. Paul. Should be a great weekend. Sorry for the lack of updates over the last week.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
I love my life. I can't stop saying it. This trip is amazing and I cannot believe how far we've come!
Today, we were riding our bikes through Highland Park, IL and I kept thinking we were still in New York or somewhere far away from home. Then it would hit me - I am less than an hour and half's drive from home. Crazy!!
Yesterday was our team's first official century. Overall it was a great day. We got up bright and early from our hosts in South Bend and I was feeling great. Legs were feeling loose and I was excited for another stateline crossover. The first 40 miles flew by. I literally couldn't believe we arrived at lunch in about 2 hours, even with Kate suffering her first flat on the side of a pretty busy highway. I biked with Angela Parrotta (Momgela), Kate, and Liz and we played funny "would you rather" games. A great way to pass the time.
After first lunch, we were well on our way to Chicago and soon to enter Gary, Indiana. Of course, at lunch I spoke too soon saying that the roads were just incredible and that we'd probably be at our next lunch stop (mile 80) in 20 minutes, give or take. Well, after stopping at a gas station en route and having an impromptu dance party in the front parking lot (did I not mention we're known for this?!), we definitely not expecting the terrain Gary, Indiana would throw at us. WORST ROADS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have never been so angry at an inanimate object/state/state government as I was when I hit Gary. Pothole after pothole. I literally felt like my bike was getting a physical beating from the road. As a safety precaution, we always call out loud holes, gravel, or any other possible obstruction that could cause damage and/or an accident. Once we hit Gary, we basically had to give up on that because the whole 33 mile stretch of road we were on was a disaster. So, Gary, Indiana, if you're reading this, invest some money into your roads!
My back has been bothering me a bit, especially when we bike over 50 or 60 miles. Part of the problem, I suspect, is that the base model for our bikes is a men's frame. Given that I am a woman, and not a very big one at that, the width of my handlebars causes me to overextend my arms causing upper back pain. To help alleviate this problem, I adjusted my handlebars up and it seemed to be helping during the day. However, after I hit probably my millionth pothole on US HWY 12 in Gary, I took a huge jolt to my bike, causing my entire handlebars to completely shift position. I was super worried that I had done major damage to my bike, but fortunately I only had to readjust them to finish up the ride. I wasn't as comfortable given all the shock my shoulders were absorbing, and by the end of the trip I was pretty uncomfortable.
However, the after we made it through Gary, the ride once again redeemed itself. We got to bike into Chicago on the Lakeshore path for the last 10 miles and it was absolutely beautiful! We took many a pit stop to get out, dance, and take pictures all along the shore of Lake Michigan. We arrived at our destination: St. Paul's United Church in downtown Chicago. It was located in a wonderful part of Chicago. As I was grabbing my tote, who else but Roger Ebert drove by (or rather, was chauffeured) down the ally I was standing in. Two thumbs up for celebrity sitings!
Jamey Gaston's mother happened to be in Chicago visiting her family and cooked us a delicious meal! We all gobbled it up in record time, as usual, and headed out for a night on the town. A few of us went and hung out and a nearby pub and got the delight of meeting Kate Terry's aunt Peggy! We all had a blast and had the privilege of an extended curfew: midnight! We definitely lived it up and were excited to know that we were allowed to sleep in until 9 am, given that we had a shorter mileage day today, only 46 miles into Grayslake, IL.
I was assigned sweep today with Andrew Corcoran. Because yesterday's 105 mile ride went so well, and quick!, I anticipated we'd arrive, even being sweep, in little time. Since the mileage was short, we collectively decided to skip an official lunch and load up on Clif bars until we arrived at our host. Bad idea, at least for me.
We hit the road at 11 am, approximately 4ish hours later than our normal departure time. To begin with, one of our riders took a wrong turn within one mile of leaving and went four miles out of the way, leaving us waiting a half an hour for him to get back on track. I definitely didn't mind, because Chicago's not a bad place to hang out, but the humidity was pretty bad, and I was anxious to get to our host - basically because I feel the same way a child does on Christmas Eve, except instead of looking forward to presents, I can't wait to see Janesville!!!!!
We were lucky to run into not one, but two lemonade stands on our way. The first one was being run by a group of siblings. As we were quenching our thirst, the grandmother of the children stopped over and took pictures, names, and found out about our organization. She was so excited about all of us stopping that she was going to call the newspaper. Love it!
After many stops, a little hillier terrain, this 46 mile ride was a five hour adventure. On only two Clif bars, I'm pretty sure I was near bonking during the last five miles. It doesn't help to also lack the ability to sweat in 95 degree weather. Thanks for those genes, Mom!
The trip ended on a great note, though. We arrived in Grayslake and we were delighted to find amazing, amazing food on a beautiful lake provided by Mark Broz's family. Honestly, the family contributions on this trip are insane!!!! I gobbled up a delicious Italian vegi sandwich and dipped into the lake. Then, only an hour later, it was dinner time hosted by Wildwood Presbyterian Church. It's air conditioned and they've provided us with sleeping mats! Deluxe!!!
Anyway, I'm going to hit the hay early tonight so that I'll be refreshed for a 72 mile day into Janesville. I plan to get in before 3, get showered up, whisk myself over to a massage at 5:30 (I'm so lucky), and get picked up by my boyfriend shortly after! I can't wait!!! It's going to be a great next couple of days!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I love the midwest!
Hi all!
Quick little update post as I am waiting for the van to pick me up and take me to a build site in South Bend, IN today. We had a wonderful day yesterday. Our mileage was supposed to be 92 for the day from Camden, Michigan to South Bend. However, due to a deep and lengthy conversation with my friend Abby and little attention to our cue sheets, we missed a turn and made it our first century day! 100.5 miles to be exact - and it felt great! Century days are a big deal amongst our group - a real sense of accomplishment. This ride went so well because we were fed so well along the way. One of our teammate's family - Beth Morris - provided both lunches for us! The first lunch was an absolute smörgåsbord of delicious food at mile 40. At mile 75 we were delighted to have another lunch along with some AMAZING root beer floats! We all enjoyed them immensely and have been so thankful for the families that have been providing us such great food along the way.
We are staying in a wonderful Mennonite church right outside of the Notre Dame campus. It's huge and beautiful! It was a great ride into South Bend yesterday, and most of us detoured through the campus and got to take a picture with Touchdown Jesus. Like I've been promising, pictures will be going up, but I have decided to wait until I get some time in Janesville to upload photos, as it is a very time-consuming and space-consuming process and it's difficult when you don't have your own computer.
Last night, we got to "take the night off" and had a wonderful, wonderful dinner at a local South Bend pool. Nolan's cousin Kim from South Bend and uncle Jim from Chesterton (we really liked saying that over and over again) organized the whole thing with the help of Kim's church and it was honestly one of the best dinners I've had so far! Very vegetarian friendly :)
After swimming and eating, dinner crew (of which I am a part this week) put on a presentation about Bike & Build and many of the swimmers in the pool came over to watch. I love speaking to big groups, especially about such a worthwhile cause!
Around 9, we returned to the church and I was beat. Some of the team took taxis to a nearby pub, but I decided to stay back and journal. I've been neglecting that activity quite a bit lately. Anyway, we all slept in until 6:30 this morning - can you believe that that is sleeping in for us!? We've just eaten breakfast and are all excited for a full day of work at a build site in South Bend.
Tonight will be an early to bed night, as we have our first "official" century day into Chicago - 102 miles to be specific. I can't wait to be back in central standard time zone and that much closer to seeing everyone in Wisconsin. Kate and I are both so, so, so excited!
Alright, van is here - must head out!
Quick little update post as I am waiting for the van to pick me up and take me to a build site in South Bend, IN today. We had a wonderful day yesterday. Our mileage was supposed to be 92 for the day from Camden, Michigan to South Bend. However, due to a deep and lengthy conversation with my friend Abby and little attention to our cue sheets, we missed a turn and made it our first century day! 100.5 miles to be exact - and it felt great! Century days are a big deal amongst our group - a real sense of accomplishment. This ride went so well because we were fed so well along the way. One of our teammate's family - Beth Morris - provided both lunches for us! The first lunch was an absolute smörgåsbord of delicious food at mile 40. At mile 75 we were delighted to have another lunch along with some AMAZING root beer floats! We all enjoyed them immensely and have been so thankful for the families that have been providing us such great food along the way.
We are staying in a wonderful Mennonite church right outside of the Notre Dame campus. It's huge and beautiful! It was a great ride into South Bend yesterday, and most of us detoured through the campus and got to take a picture with Touchdown Jesus. Like I've been promising, pictures will be going up, but I have decided to wait until I get some time in Janesville to upload photos, as it is a very time-consuming and space-consuming process and it's difficult when you don't have your own computer.
Last night, we got to "take the night off" and had a wonderful, wonderful dinner at a local South Bend pool. Nolan's cousin Kim from South Bend and uncle Jim from Chesterton (we really liked saying that over and over again) organized the whole thing with the help of Kim's church and it was honestly one of the best dinners I've had so far! Very vegetarian friendly :)
After swimming and eating, dinner crew (of which I am a part this week) put on a presentation about Bike & Build and many of the swimmers in the pool came over to watch. I love speaking to big groups, especially about such a worthwhile cause!
Around 9, we returned to the church and I was beat. Some of the team took taxis to a nearby pub, but I decided to stay back and journal. I've been neglecting that activity quite a bit lately. Anyway, we all slept in until 6:30 this morning - can you believe that that is sleeping in for us!? We've just eaten breakfast and are all excited for a full day of work at a build site in South Bend.
Tonight will be an early to bed night, as we have our first "official" century day into Chicago - 102 miles to be specific. I can't wait to be back in central standard time zone and that much closer to seeing everyone in Wisconsin. Kate and I are both so, so, so excited!
Alright, van is here - must head out!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I just biked 1,000 miles
Hello from Camden, Michigan!
We had a lovely 77 mile ride from Bowling Green, Ohio into Michigan this afternoon. Hard to believe we've crossed five state lines in as many days. I'm also happy to report that we have biked 1,022 miles! Strangely, that's a small dent in the mileage we'll have pedaled when this trip is all said and done, but for the moment, I'm enjoying this accomplishment.
Tonight, we are staying at the Camden United Methodist Church. We had a wonderful dinner provided by our gracious hosts! Filled to the brim! Tomorrow, we have another 92 mile day into South Bend, Indiana! I can't believe how much distance we're covering in so little time! Lately, all I've been thinking about is my arrival into Janesville!
I am pretty sure that the adrenaline rush I'll have will get me from Gray's Lake to Janesville in record-breaking time. I can't wait to see my parents, friends, roommates, and LJ!
Tomorrow, we have a 5am wake up time so I'm kind of risking a bad day tomorrow by staying up till 10 pm! Nolan Wildfire's uncle Jim and cousin Kim will be hosting us for a swim party and what is sure to be a fantastic time! I can't wait!
We have another Build Day on Tuesday in South Bend and I am excited to have another day off the bike and promoting affordable housing. We've been putting on our presentation about affordable housing a lot lately, and no matter how many times I see our video that we show, it provides me with an extra boost of energy for the next ride I take on.
Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUT_YmkH24
Okay, well beauty sleep (errrr...) is needed for this girl!
We had a lovely 77 mile ride from Bowling Green, Ohio into Michigan this afternoon. Hard to believe we've crossed five state lines in as many days. I'm also happy to report that we have biked 1,022 miles! Strangely, that's a small dent in the mileage we'll have pedaled when this trip is all said and done, but for the moment, I'm enjoying this accomplishment.
Tonight, we are staying at the Camden United Methodist Church. We had a wonderful dinner provided by our gracious hosts! Filled to the brim! Tomorrow, we have another 92 mile day into South Bend, Indiana! I can't believe how much distance we're covering in so little time! Lately, all I've been thinking about is my arrival into Janesville!
I am pretty sure that the adrenaline rush I'll have will get me from Gray's Lake to Janesville in record-breaking time. I can't wait to see my parents, friends, roommates, and LJ!
Tomorrow, we have a 5am wake up time so I'm kind of risking a bad day tomorrow by staying up till 10 pm! Nolan Wildfire's uncle Jim and cousin Kim will be hosting us for a swim party and what is sure to be a fantastic time! I can't wait!
We have another Build Day on Tuesday in South Bend and I am excited to have another day off the bike and promoting affordable housing. We've been putting on our presentation about affordable housing a lot lately, and no matter how many times I see our video that we show, it provides me with an extra boost of energy for the next ride I take on.
Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUT_YmkH24
Okay, well beauty sleep (errrr...) is needed for this girl!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Greetings from Avon Lake, Ohio.
Hi all! Apologies for the lack of bloggage over the last week. A lot has happened, but there hasn't been a lot of internet available, and thus, I haven't been able to share about my experiences. I'll try to do my best to hit the highlights and not ramble on.
After my last post, I got hit with a super bad cold. I knew I was getting sick, but I didn't anticipate feeling like every last drop of energy would be sucked out of me, but that is essentially what happened. Unfortunately, this lead me, and my friend Jamey (also sick), to have to be 'vanned', which is about the worst thing that could happen to a B&B'er (also, another goal I had was never to be vanned - no more goals). Jamey and I spent a day in the van as we rode 90 miles into Rochester, NY where we could recuperate on the RIT campus. It wasn't the worst timing for a sickly like me, as our intended Build Day the following day turned into a day off when we were unable to make connections with affordable housing projects in Rochester.Therefore, I was able to use my day off of the bike to get back into riding condition.
After Rochester, we biked into Lockport, NY, home of the Erie Canal. The group enjoyed a nice tour of the Lockport Cave with some interesting town history. Later that night, we enjoyed one of the best 4th of July's any of us could have hoped for. Local fireworks were taking place about a half hour walk from the church we were staying at. All 32 of us walked to the park and took it by storm... seriously.
Once we arrived, we made sure our presence was known. That's not hard with 32 people, but within minutes of arriving we were dancing to some of our team favorite songs, chanting, and just having an overall blast. The fireworks were amazing!
The next day, we got lucky and only had a 20 mile day into Niagara Falls, New York. The temperatures have been ridiculously hot over the last week, so once we arrived, we were down to our underwear spraying ourselves with the hose. I don't even think I know what modesty is anymore! :)
I have been on trailer crew (each of us was assigned to a 'crew' when we got to orientation, and those crews switch jobs every week) for the last week, and one of our jobs is laundry. That is a huge job when you have 32 stinky cyclist's laundry to do. While everyone else hurried over to the falls, the Humpless Camel is a Horse (our team name) crew laid out a giant tarp and collected over 10 huge loads of laundry and drove it over the nearby laundromat.
After we finished up, we walked over to Niagara Falls with passports in hand to check out the falls. Everyone was anxious to ride on the Maid of the Mist and get a close-up view of the amazing falls. Even though everybody else had already been at the falls for a few hours before us, it made my day to find out that they had all waited for us to arrive so we could do the boat ride together. That's just another great example of how much respect this team has for one another. Knowing they were waiting for us just over the Canadian border put an extra bounce in all of our steps as we made our way over to the falls in nearly 100 degree weather.
After a fun-filled day of hanging out in Canada, we returned to the wonderful church we were staying at. Lucky me, I was able to meet up with my uncle Eric (who lives in Buffalo) and his wife Susan for ice cream. It was a great way to end a great time in Niagara Falls.
I went to bed satisfied, but was nervous for the 85 mile day we had ahead of us. Temperatures were predicted to be in the mid-90s. I don't usually like being outside and sedentary in that temperature, so you can imagine how much I was looking forward to physically exercising in that temperature for eight hours. But! Things couldn't have gone any better!
The miles flew by. We got our first experience of urban cycling as we pedaled through the heart of Buffalo. Before I knew it, we were already 35 miles in and at our first lunch conveniently located right on Lake Erie and also next to an ice cream stand. 32 root beer floats were demolished in record time.
Bike & Build adheres to the the 90/90 rule. If the temps are above 90 or the mileage is above 90, we get two lunches. Lunches are great ways to break up the days, and since this day happened to be a scorcher, we were set to have another lunch 30 miles down the road. I couldn't have anticipated how fun that lunch would be. We arrived at John and Kathy Berner's beautiful home right on Lake Erie. As soon as we arrived, we were given amazing food and a great view of Lake Erie right from their backyard. All of five minutes later, we were submerging ourselves in the warm lake water. Sometimes, I feel like I'm living an 8-year-old's summer, it's that good. After an hour of swimming and eating, we just relaxed in their yard. It was wonderful - thank you John and Kathy! We finished off the day with 15 miles left and arrived in Westfield, New York - our final destination in the great state of New York.
The next day, we would bike just 75 miles (strange how that now seems like no big deal to me, when only a few months ago, 25 miles seemed like a long ride) and cross two state-lines. Again, we had two lunches that were top notch. One of our teammate's, Nolan Wildfire, brought us all the fixings for chicken fajitas. Having fresh vegetables is a godsend these days, so I ate and ate and ate just because I was that excited to have such wonderful food. By the end of the day, we were in Ohio. This is the first time where I actually feel like we're finally making progress on the trip. I felt like we were on the east coast forever!
Yesterday, we had another build day in Ashtabula, Ohio. I worked at two different sites. In the morning, a crew of us worked at a Habitat for Humanity build site pulling roots out of the ground so the building could commence. After lunch, we traveled to the Community Action building in Ashtabula and painted a fence. The temperature was still high, but we were lucky enough to have members of the Trinity Presbyterian Church bring us to their homes for showers.
Today was supposed to be an 80 mile day through Cleveland and into Avon Lake. We awoke at 5 am to thunder and lightning. After 3 hours of waiting out the storm, the leaders made an executive decision to shuttle us to Avon Lake instead of biking. Bummer! Another day in the van, but we still had fun and we're safe.
Now, I'm just one week from Janesville and I am SO SO SO SO SO excited!
Okay, promise never to write a blog post this long ever again, but I also do this for my memory down the road, so I fear leaving out details.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
I am still alive!
So much to write about, so little time (literally, the library is kicking me off in 3 minutes). Having a great time still! Will update soon!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
We climbed those mountains, yes we did.
Hello from Palermo, NY!
I've just arrived to the Palermo United Methodist Church after a 67 mile ride from Boonville, NY. We've been doing a ton of mileage over the last five days, with one long day of 87 miles to go before we have another Build Day in Rochester. Unfortunately, I've got the group illness, and have feeling pretty lousy as of late. I am super congested and pretty tired, and that makes the rides seem a lot longer.
On the bright side, we have finally made it through the Adirondacks! Boy, were those a tough obstacle, but I am so proud of all of us for making it. I've mentally come to terms with hills, right as I am exiting them, and am now dealing with our next obstacle: wind!
Two days ago was probably one of our most difficult days. It was a 57 mile day and we were facing headwinds for most of it. At around mile 47, one of the leaders and some other girls started an impromptu Bike & Build Dance Party on the side of the road. The Northern group is known for this and I love it! Given that we were "so close" to our destination, we gave that dance party our all. I still don't regret it, but the mileage to come after that dance party was intense. The hills never ended and the wind just kept on blowing. However, what I've learned thus far is that it's amazing what the body can endure; it's the mental aspect that can be the most challenging. As soon as I thought I had reached the top of a hill, I'd only discover another one just as I crested. This seemed to happen over and over again! What's worse, is when you add wind to this equation, even the descents require pedaling.
Literally within two minutes of arriving at the Indian Lake church we were staying at, I fell asleep.I managed to wake up for a meal, but I was pretty much out of commission. I couldn't even picture what it's be like to be getting on a bike the next morning. That's kind of the routine of this trip. We get up early, we pedal our hearts out, have a great time, arrive, shower, nap, eat, sleep. All in all, we've covered 440 miles over the last six days. Yep, you read that right. I had six months to get in 500 training miles (and I thought that was a challenge) and now I've done nearly that mileage in six days.
This accomplishment has been achieved with much ease because everyone on the trip is amazing and so unique! I couldn't have possibly anticipated this trip being so fun. I kind of thought this would be an experience where I'd look back and say, "wow, what an accomplishment." However, even in this moment, I realize this is the experience of a lifetime. Not one day goes by where I am not surprised by something wonderful. For example, we have been written about in three different newspapers in the last two days! We've had random dance parties on the side of the road where we sing and dance and laugh. We've experienced the power of generosity and community provided by the churches and other places that have housed us each night. And! We are such a compatible group - everyone gets along and we're all learning so much about each other. Every morning, our beloved teammate Jamey puts on his iPod and we start the morning off with a great tune and some dancing. The conversations during our rides are mind-opening and cross every topic imaginable. I've said it before, and I'll say it a million times more: I am so blessed to have this opportunity and it's only possible because of all the generosity of those who have donated to affordable housing in my name. So thank you, thank you, thank you!
On a completely different subject, we all measured the circumference of our thighs so that we can watch them grow into energy legs by the end of the trip. My chicken legs measured in at a mere 19 inches around. I'll update that circumference in the somewhat near future. Goal: 21 inches. As for the rest of my body, no observable changes. However, my arms and their lack of musculature have prevented me from successfully keeping my arm warmers up, which has been a real pain. The temperatures here over the last two days have only been in the 50s.
Okay, time to let someone else use the computer. I promise a picture blog will soon arrive. Soon.
I've just arrived to the Palermo United Methodist Church after a 67 mile ride from Boonville, NY. We've been doing a ton of mileage over the last five days, with one long day of 87 miles to go before we have another Build Day in Rochester. Unfortunately, I've got the group illness, and have feeling pretty lousy as of late. I am super congested and pretty tired, and that makes the rides seem a lot longer.
On the bright side, we have finally made it through the Adirondacks! Boy, were those a tough obstacle, but I am so proud of all of us for making it. I've mentally come to terms with hills, right as I am exiting them, and am now dealing with our next obstacle: wind!
Two days ago was probably one of our most difficult days. It was a 57 mile day and we were facing headwinds for most of it. At around mile 47, one of the leaders and some other girls started an impromptu Bike & Build Dance Party on the side of the road. The Northern group is known for this and I love it! Given that we were "so close" to our destination, we gave that dance party our all. I still don't regret it, but the mileage to come after that dance party was intense. The hills never ended and the wind just kept on blowing. However, what I've learned thus far is that it's amazing what the body can endure; it's the mental aspect that can be the most challenging. As soon as I thought I had reached the top of a hill, I'd only discover another one just as I crested. This seemed to happen over and over again! What's worse, is when you add wind to this equation, even the descents require pedaling.
Literally within two minutes of arriving at the Indian Lake church we were staying at, I fell asleep.I managed to wake up for a meal, but I was pretty much out of commission. I couldn't even picture what it's be like to be getting on a bike the next morning. That's kind of the routine of this trip. We get up early, we pedal our hearts out, have a great time, arrive, shower, nap, eat, sleep. All in all, we've covered 440 miles over the last six days. Yep, you read that right. I had six months to get in 500 training miles (and I thought that was a challenge) and now I've done nearly that mileage in six days.
This accomplishment has been achieved with much ease because everyone on the trip is amazing and so unique! I couldn't have possibly anticipated this trip being so fun. I kind of thought this would be an experience where I'd look back and say, "wow, what an accomplishment." However, even in this moment, I realize this is the experience of a lifetime. Not one day goes by where I am not surprised by something wonderful. For example, we have been written about in three different newspapers in the last two days! We've had random dance parties on the side of the road where we sing and dance and laugh. We've experienced the power of generosity and community provided by the churches and other places that have housed us each night. And! We are such a compatible group - everyone gets along and we're all learning so much about each other. Every morning, our beloved teammate Jamey puts on his iPod and we start the morning off with a great tune and some dancing. The conversations during our rides are mind-opening and cross every topic imaginable. I've said it before, and I'll say it a million times more: I am so blessed to have this opportunity and it's only possible because of all the generosity of those who have donated to affordable housing in my name. So thank you, thank you, thank you!
On a completely different subject, we all measured the circumference of our thighs so that we can watch them grow into energy legs by the end of the trip. My chicken legs measured in at a mere 19 inches around. I'll update that circumference in the somewhat near future. Goal: 21 inches. As for the rest of my body, no observable changes. However, my arms and their lack of musculature have prevented me from successfully keeping my arm warmers up, which has been a real pain. The temperatures here over the last two days have only been in the 50s.
Okay, time to let someone else use the computer. I promise a picture blog will soon arrive. Soon.
Monday, June 28, 2010
I have ants in my pants! (Literally)
Today was a day of ups and downs - literally and figuratively.
I started off the morning waking up from some crazy nightmares - not a good way to start my day :(. As soon as I changed out of my pjs and into my spandex at 6 am, I had this severe pain shooting through my rear. I started getting nervous that maybe I had a little nerve damage or a twisted nerve and that I wouldn't be able to ride because I was literally unable to sit.
So, I stood up and the pain didn't go away. I reached down into my spandex to see if I maybe was starting to get saddle sores, but my bum seemed to feel fine. So then, I asked if one of my leaders would look at it (yeah, we're this close already). As I was waiting in line to go into the bathroom to check out my "condition" I reached into my shorts again and felt a hard little nugget near my chamois. I pulled it out, and what was it?! Fire ants! I literally had ants in my pants! I started screaming in the big room we were all in - "I have ants in my pants, I have ants in my pants!" and quickly ran over to my bin and ripped those babies off faster than I could say Mylanta. Anyway, that was an interesting start. So much for my modesty :/
Last night, it stormed in Rochester, VT (where we stayed at an old youth hostel owned by the avid cyclists) and I was hoping that the rain had come and gone. We started on the road around 7:30 am, and we had a fairly easy first 5 miles. However, I was feeling pretty stiff from all that climbing we did yesterday. As soon as those five miles were over, it started to rain, right as we started climbing up what would be a 10 mile climb. OH MY GOSH WAS IT AWFUL!!jalskfjd;laksdjf;las
The rain started falling super hard and the climb went on forever and ever and ever. Then, as we were nearing the top (after 9 miles of straight uphill), this terrible wind started blowing directly in our faces. My shoes were so full of water that it literally felt like I was submerged in a little pond in each foot. I thought I was going to blow off my bike. About 100 yards from the top, me, Kate, and two of my leaders got off of our bikes and did a little rain dance to boost morale. I have to say, I was still pretty miserable. I just kept telling myself, "Sarah, this is more mental than physical, you can do it!"
Then, we hit the much anticipated top of the mountain and got ready for the descent. Normally, this is really fun because we can hit really high speeds and it's like a little break for our legs. The descent was 7 miles long with a 12% grade. However, with rain as hard as it was and wind so strong, I was terrified. I white knuckled my brakes so hard, my hands were literally in pain. Needless to say, we made it, and by the end, the rain had pretty much ceased. After that climb, we had a series of hills - I'm getting kind of used to them by now, but they still aren't fun, especially on sore and tired legs. Mentally, I was just kind of out of it.
We had lunch at mile 28 and that was where I had my turn around. I ate a solid lunch (I've learned my lesson) and hit the road again. The hills out of lunch were awful! I had to get off my bike and walk up one of them. Today, was kind of special, though. At mile 37, we had to board a ferry to take us across Lake Champlain (sp?) to get from Vermont to New York. That was a nice little rest for all of us. On the ferry, we listened to the "I'm on a boat" (SNL song). We all danced and hung out on the 20 minute ride. Way fun!
We had reached New York! Three states crossed in as many days! The last 15 miles, I kicked it into high gear. I decided to just power through those last hills and I surprisingly felt pretty good. I am now a huge fan of the Clif Shot Blocks and will definitely be picking some up when I get to Janesville. They are a huge burst of energy.
We are staying in a YMCA in Silver Bay, NY tonight. The last 10 miles of today (53.1 in total) were awesome. Very hilly but we were surrounded by amazing scenery and passed through some pretty cool resort towns on the way to our destination. The leaders of the trip did a good job at keeping where we were staying tonight a secret. I knew it was a YMCA, but this YMCA is practically a high-end resort. We all have beds and individual rooms (well, two to a room) with sinks in the room and showers down the hall - this is pure luxury on this trip, you have no idea!! There is sailing, swimming, kayaking, tennis, archery, and never ending amounts of amazing food. The most amazing thing about all of this experience at the YMCA is that they are hosting us FREE OF CHARGE! Honestly, not a day goes by where we aren't blown away from the support we are receiving - both in hospitality and in words of encouragement.
As soon as I got here, we all jumped in the lake and it was a blast! Then, I journaled a little bit on a dock and have just been enjoying myself. I am so tired and will probably be going to bed pretty soon. This is day two of a six day stretch of riding every day. I don't expect the hills to stop any time soon. We have our next (third) Build Day in Rochester, NY. The next day: only a 20 mile ride to Niagara Falls. Ahh, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Until I blog again, night!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
We climb mountains
Exhausted. Today was the day we'd all been dreading - we were going to scale a mountain (Bethel Mountain, to be specific) and were warned we'd have an 8 mile climb. I literally worked myself into a panic over it last night, and made sure I ate enough carbohydrates to last a normal person three months. Which reminds me: last night = amazing!
We stayed in Lebanon again last night after a full day of volunteering at a build site in Vermont with an affordable housing/home repair group called Cover. Since there are so many of us, the group was split up and each group went to a different project. Myself and eight others drove a half hour into Vermont where we sided a trailer home that was in desperate need of repair. We got so much done and I was so proud of our efforts. I got to use a skillsaw for the first time. I have to admit, I felt pretty cool.
When we got home around 5 pm, we ran to the showers at the nearby community building and returned just in time for a lasagna dinner. It was delicious. Afterwards, one of the church members who had made us a pancake breakfast earlier that day suggested that we all participate in a sing along. A few of us were weary of the idea at the beginning, but it instantly became one of the highlights of the trip and a memory we'll never forget. We sang John Denver's "Country Road, Take Me Home" at the tops of our lungs and swayed back in forth arm in arm. The relationships I'm building with the people around me are amazing. After only a week of knowing each other, I feel like some of these people are my best friend. We get along so well, and it is amazing to see us having the time of our lives - every day! I truly feel so lucky to be a part of this group. :)
Anyway, back to today. We woke up at 6 am this morning to start our 42.1 mile trek into our first new state of the trip - Vermont! The first 30 miles were great - pretty flat and some downhill and absolutely beautiful scenery. Pictures below! :)
Then at lunch (around 9:45 am), I had the crazy idea to plan on getting ZERO flats the entire trip. Lesson learned: stop making goals; if you're me, Murphy's law always seems to apply. Not surprisingly, I ended up with not one, but two flats and a nice hole in my tire all of two miles down the road. Fortunately, my fellow and awesome B&B'ers stayed with me while I changed my tubes and waited to "Mom"gela to come to the rescue in the van. After two tubes and new tire, I was all set to climb.
The first couple of miles went just fine. Obviously a climb, but I was able to push through it. Then, about three miles in, hills like I'd never seen before appeared. I'm pretty sure the mere encounter of the hill in front of me was enough to eject me from my bike. I gave it a go, but I was off my bike in no time, pushing it uphill. I'm slightly disappointed in myself for not having biked up the whole thing (as some of the riders did), but I wholly subscribe to the idea of not torturing myself, and climbing that steep of an incline seemed brutal, and honestly, I think I walked my bike up just as fast.
At the top of the hill, we all breathed a celebratory sigh of relief and got ready to white knuckle our brakes for the 4 mile descent. Some people reached 53 miles per hour on their bikes! I'm a bit of a chicken, so I only hit 37 (my highest of the trip has been 41.5 mph). As soon as we arrived in Rochester, VT, a few of us headed to the river to 'shower' off. The water was ice cold, but it felt so good!
It's only 4 pm, but I think if I had it my way, I'd be headed to bed by 6.
We stayed in Lebanon again last night after a full day of volunteering at a build site in Vermont with an affordable housing/home repair group called Cover. Since there are so many of us, the group was split up and each group went to a different project. Myself and eight others drove a half hour into Vermont where we sided a trailer home that was in desperate need of repair. We got so much done and I was so proud of our efforts. I got to use a skillsaw for the first time. I have to admit, I felt pretty cool.
When we got home around 5 pm, we ran to the showers at the nearby community building and returned just in time for a lasagna dinner. It was delicious. Afterwards, one of the church members who had made us a pancake breakfast earlier that day suggested that we all participate in a sing along. A few of us were weary of the idea at the beginning, but it instantly became one of the highlights of the trip and a memory we'll never forget. We sang John Denver's "Country Road, Take Me Home" at the tops of our lungs and swayed back in forth arm in arm. The relationships I'm building with the people around me are amazing. After only a week of knowing each other, I feel like some of these people are my best friend. We get along so well, and it is amazing to see us having the time of our lives - every day! I truly feel so lucky to be a part of this group. :)
Anyway, back to today. We woke up at 6 am this morning to start our 42.1 mile trek into our first new state of the trip - Vermont! The first 30 miles were great - pretty flat and some downhill and absolutely beautiful scenery. Pictures below! :)
Then at lunch (around 9:45 am), I had the crazy idea to plan on getting ZERO flats the entire trip. Lesson learned: stop making goals; if you're me, Murphy's law always seems to apply. Not surprisingly, I ended up with not one, but two flats and a nice hole in my tire all of two miles down the road. Fortunately, my fellow and awesome B&B'ers stayed with me while I changed my tubes and waited to "Mom"gela to come to the rescue in the van. After two tubes and new tire, I was all set to climb.
The first couple of miles went just fine. Obviously a climb, but I was able to push through it. Then, about three miles in, hills like I'd never seen before appeared. I'm pretty sure the mere encounter of the hill in front of me was enough to eject me from my bike. I gave it a go, but I was off my bike in no time, pushing it uphill. I'm slightly disappointed in myself for not having biked up the whole thing (as some of the riders did), but I wholly subscribe to the idea of not torturing myself, and climbing that steep of an incline seemed brutal, and honestly, I think I walked my bike up just as fast.
At the top of the hill, we all breathed a celebratory sigh of relief and got ready to white knuckle our brakes for the 4 mile descent. Some people reached 53 miles per hour on their bikes! I'm a bit of a chicken, so I only hit 37 (my highest of the trip has been 41.5 mph). As soon as we arrived in Rochester, VT, a few of us headed to the river to 'shower' off. The water was ice cold, but it felt so good!
It's only 4 pm, but I think if I had it my way, I'd be headed to bed by 6.
Friday, June 25, 2010
I love Bike & Build!!!!
Hello, hello from Lebanon, New Hampshire! We had absolutely the best day today! For one, the ride was short (35 miles) and it was almost completely downhill, with the exception of a few moderate hills. What a relief, as I actually cried during some of the hills we climbed up yesterday - that's a whole other story, and I'm trying to keep this thing positive!
The weather today is absolutely gorgeous. Last night, we stayed at Our Lady Fatima Catholic Church in the very hilly city (seemed more like a village) of New London, NH. We had a delicious dinner and were able to stroll into town to check out the place. Since yesterday was kind of rough for me (note: eat lunch, even if it's at 10:45 am when you're doing strenuous hills), I was pretty anxious about today and nervous we might have the same type of climbs. However, it couldn't have been any better!
I was assigned the role of sweep along with Mark Broz for today's ride. Sweep means that we ride behind all of the other riders to make sure no one gets left behind. This is a great "job" because it means we get to stop when all of the other riders feel like stopping, which today meant swimming in a lake, stopping for ice cream, and taking awesome photos along the way. (Promise I'll upload those things soon). It only took us about 2.5 hours to get to our destination, and when we arrived there was a small city carnival of sorts happening in the downtown area of Lebanon, right next to the church we're staying at.
I have been having major issues with my seat moving, and I was getting really frustrated that it kept happening more and more no matter how much I was tightening it. I was worried I was going to have to fork over a lot of money to get a new seat and post (biking = expensive hobby), but fortunately there is a bike shop half a mile away from where we're staying. The whole group of us stopped in and I had my seat post replaced for only 20 bucks - awesome! I hope this will be the solution to my seat problems. Seriously a pain in the butt. ;)
Tonight, we're going to be eating at a community dinner in Lebanon. Up until this trip, I never loved food as much as I love food now. I seriously feel like my days consist of sleeping, biking, eating, eating, eating, building, biking, etc. The food donations have been amazing and I am still completely overwhelmed by all of the generosity.
Tomorrow, we have our second build day in Lebanon. While build days are definitely not days off, I am looking forward to having a day off of my bike to let my legs kind of recover from the grueling hills I've been forcing them to do.
Tonight, the group is going to go out together after dinner. I'm excited to wear something other than athletic shorts and cotton t-shirts.
Well, my time on the library computer is nearly up, so I'm going to get going.
3 weeks until Janesville!!
The weather today is absolutely gorgeous. Last night, we stayed at Our Lady Fatima Catholic Church in the very hilly city (seemed more like a village) of New London, NH. We had a delicious dinner and were able to stroll into town to check out the place. Since yesterday was kind of rough for me (note: eat lunch, even if it's at 10:45 am when you're doing strenuous hills), I was pretty anxious about today and nervous we might have the same type of climbs. However, it couldn't have been any better!
I was assigned the role of sweep along with Mark Broz for today's ride. Sweep means that we ride behind all of the other riders to make sure no one gets left behind. This is a great "job" because it means we get to stop when all of the other riders feel like stopping, which today meant swimming in a lake, stopping for ice cream, and taking awesome photos along the way. (Promise I'll upload those things soon). It only took us about 2.5 hours to get to our destination, and when we arrived there was a small city carnival of sorts happening in the downtown area of Lebanon, right next to the church we're staying at.
I have been having major issues with my seat moving, and I was getting really frustrated that it kept happening more and more no matter how much I was tightening it. I was worried I was going to have to fork over a lot of money to get a new seat and post (biking = expensive hobby), but fortunately there is a bike shop half a mile away from where we're staying. The whole group of us stopped in and I had my seat post replaced for only 20 bucks - awesome! I hope this will be the solution to my seat problems. Seriously a pain in the butt. ;)
Tonight, we're going to be eating at a community dinner in Lebanon. Up until this trip, I never loved food as much as I love food now. I seriously feel like my days consist of sleeping, biking, eating, eating, eating, building, biking, etc. The food donations have been amazing and I am still completely overwhelmed by all of the generosity.
Tomorrow, we have our second build day in Lebanon. While build days are definitely not days off, I am looking forward to having a day off of my bike to let my legs kind of recover from the grueling hills I've been forcing them to do.
Tonight, the group is going to go out together after dinner. I'm excited to wear something other than athletic shorts and cotton t-shirts.
Well, my time on the library computer is nearly up, so I'm going to get going.
3 weeks until Janesville!!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Day 4 of 69
First day of pedaling: done and done. We had a 6am wakeup call and got ourselves pumped up during breakfast and route meeting with Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA. We were all so excited! We had a delicious hot breakfast cooked by some of the members of the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. It was delicious!! Then, we were off! We biked 6 miles over to the beach where we dipped our tires. Francie, Luke, and Matt Osgood (my surrogate family pre-Bike & Build orientation) came to see us off! We all got together and dipped our back tires and set off on a 60 miles trek. Some of the best miles I've biked thus far. It was so much fun and I had so much pride riding as a team!
However, after all of that great excitement and riding, I am exhausted! Having trained in Madison, I didn't get a whole lot of exposure to hills. Today was just a taste of the climbs to come, and already I thought my legs were going to burn off my body. 60 miles of which I felt like I rode 90% in 'granny gear' (aka the lowest gear).
Kate Terry, Tony Bohr, and I (midwest represent!!!!) formed a nice little group since we all kept the same pace today and dubbed ourselves Tony's Angels. True love already. We're now in Concord - New Hampshire's capitol. It's a really pretty, historic town.
Yesterday, I blogged before dinner and now wish I would have waited to blog after dinner, because one of the highlights of the trip thus far occurred: the local Habitat for Humanity of the Portsmouth area delivered the news to an unsuspecting family that they had been chosen as recipients of a new, affordable home. Almost everyone was in tears - it was so moving and really showed us the impact of our efforts. The family was so gracious and we all enjoyed a great meal together. I am so proud of everyone on this trip - we get along great and we're really accomplishing some amazing things.
Now, I'm going to try to distract myself from the anxiety I have for tomorrow's climb. Missing everyone back home already!
However, after all of that great excitement and riding, I am exhausted! Having trained in Madison, I didn't get a whole lot of exposure to hills. Today was just a taste of the climbs to come, and already I thought my legs were going to burn off my body. 60 miles of which I felt like I rode 90% in 'granny gear' (aka the lowest gear).
Kate Terry, Tony Bohr, and I (midwest represent!!!!) formed a nice little group since we all kept the same pace today and dubbed ourselves Tony's Angels. True love already. We're now in Concord - New Hampshire's capitol. It's a really pretty, historic town.
Yesterday, I blogged before dinner and now wish I would have waited to blog after dinner, because one of the highlights of the trip thus far occurred: the local Habitat for Humanity of the Portsmouth area delivered the news to an unsuspecting family that they had been chosen as recipients of a new, affordable home. Almost everyone was in tears - it was so moving and really showed us the impact of our efforts. The family was so gracious and we all enjoyed a great meal together. I am so proud of everyone on this trip - we get along great and we're really accomplishing some amazing things.
Now, I'm going to try to distract myself from the anxiety I have for tomorrow's climb. Missing everyone back home already!
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