The day started out in Santa Paula, waking up with tons of excitement in the air. Everyone was in good spirits, singing and dancing as they packed up for the last time. With “the Killers” and epic “Boondock Saints” music playing in the background, it was quite surreal watching everyone clean up and get ready for the final ride. We had a phenomenal breakfast provided by the Church of Christ, including scrambled eggs, large, fluffy pancakes, and freshly picked California oranges and grapefruits (yum). Our cue sheet meeting was pretty memorable when Denis and Ravi pumped us up with a Bike and Build version of the “Cool Runnings” speech.

The weather on this Thursday morning was very grim…cloudy, drizzly, and cool. It reminded us all of our departure from Revere Beach, Massachusetts where we had precisely the same weather. We all laughed about it as we slipped on our arm-warmers and saddled up for the ride.

The ride was short and enjoyable. I rode on the “sweep team” which included Megan, Cali, Ali, and myself. The day was filled with DM (donation magic) and beautiful sights. We had free coffee and donuts for second breakfast, then free subway for lunch. Thanks for the support!

Our ride was mainly on a bike path that followed the coast, giving us our very first views of the Pacific. A few miles before the beach, we all met up at Lookout Park and as we approached it, the grey skies opened up and the clouds quickly scattered away. Rolling into the park, the sun shined brightly down on all the bikers laying in the grass with the beach and ocean right before our eyes.

Riding 31 deep for the last few miles to East Beach, Santa Barbara was one of the most exciting moments of the trip. We took the town by storm, dominating bike paths and whole lanes of traffic. My heart was racing as we caught a breath-taking view of this coastal cliff rising from the beach, filled with palm trees and colorful flowers. It was truly amazing.

As you may know, one of our beloved riders, Sarah Royal, broke her elbow two weeks ago. We all wanted to finish together, so we picked her up with a mile left to the beach. It was such a cinematic moment seeing her waiting at the start of the bike path in this crazy bike contraption. It was a three-wheeler with a full seat so that she could lean back and just use her one good arm while cycling in the last mile. She led the pack all the way to East Beach where we were greeted with a fanatic group of family and friends. They cheered us on with their oversized Bike and Build signs and along with the screaming riders, we caused quite the commotion. We pulled up to the beach, threw down our bikes and ripped off our jerseys. A finish line/chute had been set up, so we sprinted down the beach whizzing past the colored flags and diving straight into the Pacific. It was the moment we had all been waiting for…singing our trip song, “Build me up Buttercup” in the Pacific. Such an epic moment, so well earned. Bottles of champagne were popped and we all celebrated the insane achievement that we had accomplished TOGETHER.

Jacqui’s mom continued with her habits of generous baking by bringing a very large tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to the beach (they were still warm from the oven!). The beach was spectacular and just looked like a little slice of heaven.

The rest of the afternoon involved biking another few miles to the church we were staying at, fighting traffic on our long journey to shower at the YMCA, and getting spruced up for our end-of-trip celebration. We had a banquet at the Santa Barbara Golf Course with riders and their families. Each leader gave a brief speech/presentation…Ali did a picture slideshow recapping the trip, Megan read a poem that she composed, and Nathan worked his magic in getting a widely popular live performance of one of our favorite songs, “Frustrating” (Brad Milison and Aaron Goldstein). We laughed, we cried, we laughed again (and again, and again) as we reminisced about our wonderful journey and all the great memories we’ve had. Following the banquet, drinks and wild celebration ensued late into the night. Good times all around.

Boston to Santa Barbara was an AMAZING trip and even though it is quite possibly the most intense route (thanks José!) I know that we are all so proud and thankful to have been a part of B2SB. SHOUT OUTS to all our gracious and generous parents, especially those who provided some wonderful meals and mail-drop goodies. Thanks to everyone who supported and followed our journey, we couldn’t have done it without you.


Larry Galante

Today we rode to Socorro. The ride was fairly easy. We saw a beautiful sunrise over the mountains which was really cool. We climbed up hill for about 30 miles and then the rest of the ride was either flat or downhill. We had a game going on where our sweep team had a handkerchief and if they caught someone they had to sign it. So Aaron, who is one of our faster riders, waited at lunch to get the handkerchief. He made it his mission to make everyone sign the handkerchief. So he basically sprinted the last half of the ride and caught everyone except three people. The ride wasn’t that hard it was kind of windy and hot, but what do you expect we are in the desert. We got to the host’s house between 1 and 3. The host was the local pastor of Socorro. He was a really cool guy. They made us burgers and chili cheese fries for lunch. Then he set us up with burritos and tacos for dinner. Most of us just relaxed and watch movies for the afternoon because of the ride into Pie Town the next day. Overall it was a good ride and the host site was awesome.

-Matt Codde

Today started in Hereford, the beef capital of the world. It was cold and I was riding in a big blob with 9 other people getting nowhere fast. One of our fearless leaders Nathan was having a claustrophobic episode in our 9 person riding blob and turned to me and said, “I’m leaving and you must follow!” I replied, “Alright!” With blind trust we blew through the windy Texas air toward the Land of Enchantment. With the foul stench of cow, which will be at your local Taco Bell shortly, filling the air we arrived at the first nourishment station hastily. Our energy stores were replenished and we heading on our way into New Mexico. After a few directional blunders we safely arrived at the second lunch stop and continued on route. We passed by a famous hat store that we were told about, but being that it was called Joe’s Boots, we passed by without a second thought. The roadway cracks were filled with tar, and riding over the tar felt like gliding on ice during the cool chill of winter. We vowed to be safe and point out every hazard from that point on. Large gusts of wind almost blew us over but we valiantly peddled on toward Eastern New Mexico University. The town of Portalis was very pleasant and the hosts at the University were awaiting us with open arms and cold Gatorade (always a plus). After chatting up the hosts I fell sound asleep in front of the calming sounds of ESPN television.

-Aaron Goldstein

We woke up early to beat the heat of Oklahoma. Ravi and I rode in the morning and we talked about how money cannot buy happiness and you really have to do what makes you happy in life. We caught up to Sarah and Lesley and we tried to ride fast but by 11:00am it was a scorcher already. It was very flat and dry. The wheat has already been
harvested and the cattle were in the feed yards. We came across a lone tower in the middle of nowhere and I decided to climb it to see as far as I can see. It was really an amazing sight. I tried to get a picture but I didn’t want to let go of the ladder. At lunch we were at a gas station that was right on the border. Once we crossed there were cowboys everywhere with their 10 gallon hats.

Once we got to the host, we ate like kings. They fed us incredible beef brisket which we all eat until we hated ourselves. They had a youth room in the basement that had 7 couches and AC. This is where a lot of napping went down. We showered at the high school and shot some hoops and on the stallions’ home court. It was really hot in wheeler. I fell asleep by 8:30pm due to the early wake up.

-Denis de Verteuil

Today was definitely a challenge. The overnight in Yukon definitely left us refreshed and in high spirits in the morning (thanks again to the FCC!). The ride itself proved to be grueling. As the day wore on, temperatures rose and headwinds picked up. We were literally fighting for every mile. Civilization became more scarce as well. First lunch was at an old and long-since abandoned gas station, and second lunch was literally only a gravel truck pull-off. I began to think, though, that as the day became more and more difficult, I was kind of glad to have it. It was days like this that remind me why this trip is special, why each of us is special (and maybe and little crazy) for devoting our summers to this cause. Today reminded me why the rest of you are content to sit at your computers and live a little vicariously through us as we make this journey. It showed me the true determination and dedication of everyone on the team. I mean, if every day was like the days into Chandler and Yukon, everyone would be doing it. So as we rolled into the one-stoplight town of Cordell and were met by Pastor David, air-conditioning, and a wonderful meal, I knew we would all sleep well tonight, knowing that we are doing a good thing, we are growing every day, and we are 90 miles closer to California!

-Matt Dubyoski

How many Bike and Builders does it take to taste 500 different kinds of soda? More than 32, but we tried our best. Lunch today consisted of a stop at POPS on Route 66, a filling station for car and body. Since we didn’t bring cars, we filled up with food and tried over 50 different types of “pop” between all of us. Personally I recommend Henry Weinhard’s Vanilla Cream Soda.

Even before that though, it was a fun short ride full of touristy stops, including John Hargrove’s Route 66 Museum, a microcosm of every kitschy Route 66 attraction you can think of, including the Cadillac Ranch and the Blue Whale. Mr. Hargrove himself was a character, and an ultramarathoner. Part of the fun of this trip is that sometimes we meet people as crazy as we are.

Our host for the evening, Christ Church of Yukon, treated us to delicious barbeque and we got to hang out with their youth group for a little while. Unfortunately we had to cut short our time with them for our weekly affordable housing meeting…which turned out not to be an affordable housing meeting at all but a surprise birthday celebration for Denis (23) and Nathan (40). A fun time was had by all.

-Jodi Dubyoski

After briefly going the wrong way with Ali on 66, (she has a habit of this!! Naw, it wasn’t her fault!), we eventually found our way to Chandler, Oklahoma. The people were very receptive and super nice. We were greeted with snacks and the women slept in the nursery and the guys slept in the parlor. We have officially started the habit of going to every sonic, which is awesome because tator tots rule. There was a super fun game room and Sarah played all the single ladies on acoustic guitar. Some people played jungle pong with the church’s youth group. Over all it was pretty sweet. People threw a half empty jug of chocolate milk at Thomas, Nathan, and Alex in a pace line. Not cool. Really scary, he even slowed down to throw it. Some people got issues!!! All we’re doing is biking. Sheesh. AND to make matters worse, the milk went undrank. Tsk. Had he been nicer about the delivery of the milk, I’m sure it would have been shared and appreciated by all.

-Sadie Robinson

Today’s ride was 66 miles from Vinita, OK. This three day stretch has been such a needed break: each ride has been relatively flat (though windy!) and short: 60-70ish each day.

We’re still playing Assassins, a game where each person is assigned a target person to assassinate by touching them with a plastic spoon. However, when you are holding a spoon, you are immune to assassination. So for the past couple days, people have been doing everything with spoon in hand – sleeping, eating, washing dishes, etc! As of last night, only 5 of us remained in the game: Jacqui, Nathan, Ravi, Caroline, and I. Game on, guys.

The ride was much like our other Oklahoma days: the road wasn’t wonderful and there wasn’t much of a shoulder, but it wasn’t too rough of a ride. The worst part of Oklahoma (and Missouri, for that matter) has been the dogs. Nobody seems to pen up their dogs here, which means that they ALL try to chase us. It is more than a little nerve-wracking to ride next to a running, barking dog on the highway. First of all, we don’t want to hit them- that wouldn’t end well for either the dog or us! Second, there are fast cars that usually see us, but don’t see a dog running out in the road. Today, a small dog saw us and started running at us from across the road. We yelled and tried to stop it from chasing us, but it didn’t seem to mind. We saw a car coming and tried to signal and make it slow, but it just didn’t see. I didn’t see what happened, but I heard a horrible yelp from the dog and turned to see it limp off the road. We were horrified. Brad and Andrea biked back to the last house and told the people what had happened, and they promised to notify the owners so the dog could get some help. I hope it’s ok! I really wish we could have done something more.

Even though we were upset about the dog, we pushed on. It’s surprising how things can change on Bike and Build. One minute you can be upset or feel very tired, and then someone will make a comment, or you’ll have a sweet section of road (fresh pavement really does feel like you’re flying!), and your day can completely change. I think today’s turning point was around where lunch was supposed to be. We stopped near the mileage, and some people decided to get subway instead of waiting for the trailer, which was supposedly still pretty far away. I ended up sneaking in and assassinating Nathan as he put his spoon down to enjoy a bite of subway deliciousness. Awesome. And then, a mile further down the road, we realized that the van and trailer were going to be a fair bit longer. It turns out that Ali took a wrong turn and went the same number of miles to lunch- in the wrong direction! It was such a hilarious mistake that we all couldn’t help but laugh. I think Ali ended up being most upset by the delay- everyone else was too busy enjoying the day.

Not long after lunch, we came upon the huge blue whale, originally built as a water park for one family and then used as a public water park for a few years. Unfortunately, it’s in disrepair and was NOT a water park you’d want to swim in, but it was such a cool thing to see on the side of the road. A little Route 66 treasure. We stopped to take pictures just as another group was leaving. I unclipped from my pedals, and before I knew it, Jacqui ran over and tagged me with her spoon. I can’t believe I was distracted by the enormous blue whale – not cool!

After a few more windy miles, we made it to the host site, Bethany Lutheran Church, where we were greeted with delicious fruit and warm hospitality. Jacqui played piano for us and we played cards for a while. It was so nice to have some time to relax after the ride! Ravi ran over and assassinated Jacqui while she was playing to win the Assassins game! Apparently Jacqui got Caroline while she was eating ice cream at lunch- there are no breaks in this game. I’m just happy I don’t have to sleep with a plastic spoon anymore- that was getting a little tiresome! We showered and walked over for a dinner at the church. Dinner was wonderful, and the hosts could not have been nicer. We all headed out to Applebee’s that evening to celebrate Tatiana’s birthday and enjoy getting to wake up a bit later tomorrow morning.

-Nuri "Tess" Pierce

After waking up at 6 am without enough sleep but after a relatively easy day and luxuriously spread through a beautiful church, all 32 of us went about our daily morning tasks of filling Gatorade, packing the trailer, and cleaning up. We enjoyed a generously donated breakfast of biscuits, bagels, bananas, and cereal. B2SB left Joplin, and subsequently Missouri passing through Baxter Springs, Kansas, stopping to take amusing pictures and Brad directed films. Within miles we reached our tenth state of Oklahoma. As we biked through the beautiful rolling hills we stopped for lunch on the side of the road, taking shade from a tractor trailer and enjoying the fresh leftovers from wraps the night before. We arrived in Vinita early and hot, so many of us ventured over to Braum’s to grab some ice cream. We then were fortunate to be given a couple hours at the community pool before returning for a feast of a dinner with Pastor Bob and members of the church. We ate and chatted before sharing about Bike and Build. The Vinita community was not only interested in our normal Bike and Build presentation, but asked about each of our hometowns and personal stories of misery and success as well as the mandatory question concerning saddle sores. We went to bed in cool air conditioning spread out on carpeted floors to get ready for a new day.

-Ravi Tripathi

Today we had a short day riding from Springfield to Joplin, Missouri with a mere 80 miles (nothing compared to our three consecutive centuries). It was a beautiful day with clear skies and perfect temperatures. Humidity was non-existent and it made for a blissful ride. We passed through some extremely small towns such as Hartville (population 198) and La Russell (pop. 138). Combined, those towns consisted of two antique shops, a fire house, and a post office…absurd. Cali and I stopped in at an antique shop in Hartville that had a large collection of Rt. 66 memorabilia. We rode along historic Rt. 66 for a while and many of us enjoyed the company of a French cyclist who was riding from Chicago to L.A. He kind of snuck up on us as we rode, silently hovering inches from our rear wheel as we quasi-pacelined into Joplin.

Along rt. 66 we stumbled upon an antique tractor show! They had old Ford tractors on display, a giant blow-up tractor, and many tractor competitions. Two riders used their bikes to participate in a barrel pushing contest, which was all anyone at the tractor show could talk about that afternoon. We indulged in an awesome bake sale with inexpensive delicious brownies, and also received a hundred dollar donation from a lady who owned Fordson Major Diesel. We’ve been collecting on-the-road donations as we go, but we were especially astounded with their generous donation to Bike and Build.

Lunch was superb today, which it always is after mail-drop. THANK YOU to all the wonderful friends and families for providing us with a substantial amount of quality baked goods. We actually got to eat at this nursery, P.G. Tips, and chatted with the locals there about our trip.

After lunch, a few riders stopped in at a yard sale ten miles outside Joplin. They made some very wise purchases and rolled into our host site with a giant Tiger and a pink monster on their backs. These large stuffed animals have been a napper’s delight, providing riders with a cozy bed/pillow to catch a few z’s wherever they can.

BEST PART OF THE DAY: Slip n’ slide! After getting into St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Joplin, we decided to both clean our laundry tarps and cool off with our very own slip n’ slide. We hosed down, soaped up, and let loose as we slid across our giant tarps. For many, including myself, it was our first slip n’ slide experience, and it definitely lived up to expectations.

The church we stayed at was GREAT, filled with internet, children’s theatres, movie projectors, and plenty of space to relax in. We had recently purchased a pair of group speakers, so the evening was filled with music and tunes that added to our high spirits. The night also declared the start to an intense game of “Assassins,” in which everyone has to carry a spoon to maintain immunity from being “killed.” It’s a weird (but fun) game, and it makes us appear even stranger than we already are when we walk in to a gas station with spandex and a spoon in our hand.

-Larry Galante

Today we had a build day in Springfield! We worked with their Habitat chapter, but instead of helping to build a new affordable house, we worked on renovating a house that they bought to turn into an affordable house for a family in need. Joining us at the build site was a group of people from a pharmaceutical company, so there were quite a few of us working at this house. We split into groups to get different projects finished. Some people worked on removing a huge stump from the front yard that had ridiculously big roots deep in the ground. Others were cleaning out debris from inside the house and moving it to the dumpster. My group worked on raking and clearing out the backyard of roots and brush and then attempting to level the ground. Nathan found a snake and spent some of the morning trying to scare people by putting the little garden snake on them! After working for a few hours we had a delicious picnic lunch at a park across the street that Habitat provided for us. Then, we worked on moving our huge piles of leaves, sticks, and weeds into a truck to be taken to the dump. Some people went to another house and moved tons of wood into a dumpster from a house that had recently been torn down. Our group got a lot of work done and we ended up being allowed to leave a little before 3! Later that afternoon, lots of us went to the bike shop and ran some other errands. Overall, it was a great day of work and nice to be able to have some time to get other things done that we never seem to have time to do with our busy biking schedule!

-Caroline Rekuc

Today was the final of the three in three – three hundred miles in three days. The mileage alone would have been impressive enough, but I watched my fellow riders triumph over weather, as well. True grit was the ultimate victor. We rode through torrential storms; lightning, rain, wind, and hail in abundance. Everyone experienced enough to know the full brunt of the Missouri March. It was far from an easy task, and there were grumbles and tears along the way, but we will all look back and smile because of what we’ve been through. The other major achievement of these three days has been the impression left on me by everyone else here. There are members of our team that began with less cycling experience and struggled a bit more in the beginning, but watching the progress, especially through these three days, has been something special which I will remember for a long time to come.

-Brandon Pofahl

Hello from Houston, MO!

The ride today was a rough 96 miler. We woke up in a well-chilled cabin in Shirley, MO at the Boy Scout’s of America Camp Sunnen, coaxed out of our beds (yes, beds!) by the smells of sausage, French toast, and Pop Tarts by our kind host, Paul Hellrich. Despite our delicious breakfast, everyone was exhausted and dreading the day. Jodi compared people’s moods to a sports team right before playing a game they know they are going to lose. But the thing is,we did it! Even though the roads were a bit busy, the hills were killer, and the mileage was high, we made it into the Houston United Methodist Church and were greeted by 4 types of brownies, a plentiful amount of pizza, and showers at people’s homes.

But you know, every ride on B&B is a tough one and (as you’ve noticed) we always get through it. My mom always wants to hear about what the people are actually like (she doesn’t seem to care too much about how my day goes), so here is something to please her:

Andrea Boonie – Ohio State University social work grad – Clyde, OH – Most likely to become a professional cheerleader (with Brad at her side) post-B&B
Annie Scofield – Stanford University earth systems grad with masters in marine science– Austin, TX – Most likely to hike the Appalachian Trail…or the Continental Divide…or the Himalayas…or Everest
Sadie Robinson – Wesleyan University psychology grad – Newton, MA – Most likely to become the commercial voice for upcoming action films involving traditionally peaceful religious sects (ex. While technology moves forward, one man is going back. Jason Braegger is…AMISH)
Jodi Dubyoski – Virginia Tech architecture grad – Baltimore, MD – Most likely to move to a Catholic commune, produce 8 babies, and become a stellar architect
Matt Dubyoski – UNC Chapel Hill management grad – Baltimore, MD – Most likely to use his road bike as a mountain bike and still have better wheels than Robby
Denis de Verteuil – Ohio State University architecture grad – Columbus, OH – Most likely to convince you to move to Ohio…even though it’s Ohio.
Christina Genco – Boston College graphic design and hospitality undergrad – Newton, MA – Most likely to waste Bike & Build’s ton (literally, 2000 pounds) of Gatorade by attempting to scare away dogs by doing the windmill with her water bottles
Brando Pofahl – St Olaf College political science grad – Owatonna, MN (YES!) – Most likely to be surrounded by acquaintance’s giggles for the first two-ish weeks of friendship, simply on the basis of his accent (although he’s also quite funny)
Emmy Micklitsch – Dexter University fashion design grad – Newton, MA – Most likely to cut your hair into something as artsy as her clothing designs
Sarah Royal – New York University journalism grad – Bayonne, NJ – Most likely to have graduated from NYU, published a book, biked across the country, and still have worked at the Dollar Tree for 3 months (this “most likely to” will come to fruition on August 20th)
Tatiana Cooke – Dartmouth College biology and English major – Greenwich, CT – Most likely to know the entire history of Dartmouth and how it relates to your life
Ben Walker – Virginia Tech mechanical engineering undergrad – Akron, OH – Most likely to know the correct way back to the host via van, but be really nice when you think it’s another way, and then be really nice when you get everyone lost for 20 minutes. And then still know the correct way back to the host via van. And then be able to fix the van when it inevitably breaks down.
Nathan Thompson – New York University finance grad – Los Angeles, CA – Most likely to try to make Megan O’Brien cry.
Thomas Mattera – UNC Chapel Hill history undergrad – Washington, DC – Most likely to keep half of his wardrobe in the van, but still look better dressed than you do. (Not really)
Jenna Grattan – Nazareth College speech pathology grad – near Rochester, NY – Most likely to beat you on an uphill, and then on a downhill, and then on a flat
Lesley Greene – Notre Dame University English and math grad – Clinton, NJ – Most likely to be totally lame
Robby LeBourveau – Ohio State University accounting and economics undergrad – Cincinnati, OH – Most likely to take over Bike & Build’s tax accounts! Yes!
Trey Roy – Dartmouth College mechanical engineering undergrad – Virginia Beach, VA – Most likely to start a spontaneous dance party anytime, anywhere, and then slosh his way to Mexico in his sweaty (non-quick dry) clothing
Aaron Goldstein - William Paterson University physical education grad - ___, NY – Yo, totally most likely to DM that, dawg.*
Ravi Tripathi – Brown University biology grad – Philadelphia, PA – Most likely to pop up whenever you need any help with your bike or mental state; most likely to assassinate you.**
Amary Wiggin – Harvard University English grad – Darien, CT – Most likely to sound terrible on paper (Harvard English major, vegan, Connecticut, boarding school, Starbucks soy lattes, New York Times book review reader, etc), but be literally the greatest person you’ve ever met
Ali Wilson-Pierce – University of Massachusetts at Amherst social justice and public health undergrad – Boston, MA – Most likely to be the last one at lunch, but only when she’s driving the van
Cali Bulmash – University of Virginia environmental science undergrad – Teaneck, NJ -
Most likely to cook you a hamburger, even though she’s a vegetarian, and then laugh to herself about how disgusting you are for eating it
Tessa Pierce – Stanford University marine biology grad – San Diego, CA – Most likely to fall while walking but not while on a bicycle; most likely to initiate Emmy’s hair cutting saga
Caroline Rekuc – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill biology undergrad – Raleigh, NC – Most likely to fall asleep at a lunch spot and wake up next to a sign that says “Will ___ for $$ - suggestions are welcome”
Larry Galante – University of Virginia architecture grad – Morristown, NJ – Most likely to continue working for the affordable housing cause for the rest of his life. Because he is. So this was an easy superlative.
Brad Milison – Ithaca College cinema and photography grad – Cleveland, OH – Most likely to make you pee your pants from laughter. It’s happened…not a proud moment.
Alex Nguyen – University of Florida biochemistry grad – Coral Springs, FL – Most likely to become a physician and develop the cure for saddlesores, chaffing, and those other strange ailments we experience on the regular
Dave Gusella – Dartmouth College computer science and government – Boston, MA – Most likely to make you sad. But in a fun way. Sort of.
Matt Codde – Cal State University at Long Beach social work grad – Orange County, CA – Most likely to be a HUGE surprise/become a supermodel/live in a trailer park
Jacqui Watts – Boston College neuroscience and biology grad – Providence, RI – Most likely to LOSE at assassin because she’s an excellent pianist
Megan O’Brien – University of Florida biology undergrad – Orlando, FL – Most likely to write the longest journal entry of the B2SB summer…and crash the van

*DM = Donation Magic
**We’ve been playing Assassin—the game—for the past few days. Ravi beat Jacqui by a spoon!

-Megan O'Brien

After having an awesome day off to explore St. Louis we hit the road again today with a 90ish mile ride to Potosi, MO. After calling it Pah-toe-see for days, a local told us that they all call it Poe-ta-cie. We still call it Pah-toe-see. But let’s start at the beginning.

The day started when we woke up at UMSL. After breakfast and all of that, Tony Bell, who rode CUS ’08 with Megan, joined us for the beginning of our ride. We headed out on a route that brought us right through downtown St. Louis. We passed the arch and the baseball stadium, which was teeming with hoopla because it was the day of the All-Star Game. It was really cool to get to go right through the city because I hadn’t made it downtown on my day off. After that we went by the Budweiser brewery, which smelled like day old beer, a delightful smell at 8 in the morning.

The terrain and weather were nothing extreme or notable really, some hills, but nothing huge. For some reason we ended up stopping at a lot of gas stations along the way. At one, we witnessed a boy who looked no older than 10, and probably more like 9, driving an old pick-up truck into the parking lot. After he parked, his dad got out of another truck and started yelling at him for not using the clutch properly. When the kid tried to defend himself we thought a “dad, I’m only 10” would have been a good argument to use, but he blamed the truck instead. After the dad looked at the truck a bit and determined that it was working fine, he pointed at us and our bikes and told the kid that if he didn’t shape up he’d be “riding one of them, and not for pleasure.” It was awesome. A little later the dad and kid each drove their trucks out of the parking lot and we asked another man how old you have to be to drive in Missouri. His answer: Older than 10. Perfect.

Later in the ride we found ourselves on a road that had a billboard proclaiming that we were driving on “Blood Alley: Missouri’s deadliest highway.” The sign didn’t seem to apply to bikes though; we had a nice big, smooth shoulder and were shaded by the trees. It was really quite delightful.

The ride ended at a Boy Scout camp just outside Potosi. To get into the camp we had to ride down a long, gravel road, which seemed more dangerous than Blood Alley for sure. After going down the road a ways we got to a sign that said “Where the road ends, and the fun begins!” It was sweet. At the camp a bunch of people went swimming in the pond and played with the fish which kept nibbling at their feet. The camp donated a feast of burgers and hot dogs and sides which everyone devoured, as usual. Then, before bed, which was in two cabins full of bunk beds and would have reminded me of summer camp had I ever gone to summer camp, we set off fireworks that we were given in Cadiz, Ohio.

All in all, a good day. And the best part is that all we have to do tomorrow is ride our bikes!

-Lesley Greene

After our difficult ride into St. Louis we had a much needed day off. Many riders started their morning by visiting a really great/helpful bike shop. While our bikes were being worked on, we walked to a café nearby for breakfast. Once errands were taken care of we took the subway downtown to see the sights and explore the city. Although everyone kind of did their own thing throughout the day, many people stopped by to see and take pictures of the arch as well as visit the City Museum. The City Museum is basically a big playground for adults, complete with a circus, an arts and crafts room, a train which travels around the whole place, and a really cool thrift store.

St. Louis was also amazing because we happened to be there during All-Star weekend. Downtown near the stadium (where the homerun derby was held later that afternoon) the streets were closed off and lots of tents were set up giving out free stuff. Who doesn’t love free stuff?! The Budweiser tent was giving out free beer (canned the day we were there), so although some of us were thinking of taking a tour of the brewery, we were lucky enough to experience it without travelling far. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing back at the host site, enjoying another wonderful donated dinner, and of course preparing for the lengthy Missouri riding days.

-Jacqui Watts

It was a tale of two days on our ride into St. Louis and a much needed day off. We began the morn in high spirits as we left Salem, Illinois. The day was to be a reasonable one: 84 miles and relatively flat with a pool party and bountiful dinner feast awaiting us.

That morning the riding was glorious. With the roads flat and smooth, winds absent, and morning sun hidden behind a gentle fog, we flew through southwestern Illinois like a ravenous cheetah. Only a pesky puncture to Trey’s tire prevented my riding group from reaching the lunch stop at mile 40 in less than two hours. Once at lunch, we were greeted by two of the greatest words known to cyclists: snow cone. And they were cheap. Only 75 cents stood between you and one of the 12 flavors. I downed 3 of the root beer variety as we relaxed and took in a little league baseball game at a neighboring park.

The afternoon began as the morning had ended with miles 40 through 65 smooth. There was even a bike path to enjoy as the day moved toward the home stretch. Exiting the path, I ran into Emmy, Sadie, Robby, and Amary and we searched for the next turn. Only one problem: the road was closed.

We backtracked to a gas station and received directions from some helpful locals. My fellow trip mates stopped briefly to put on their raincoats to combat a drizzle that had moments earlier began to sprinkle us. As I own no such coat, I continued alone into the light rain. Not more than twenty seconds later, the sky opened and a mini-monsoon was upon me.

My bike and I soldiered on together through the furious downpour until I stopped at a red light and saw a figure running at me from across the street. I soon recognized it as Goose (David Gusella) and I followed him into a nearby Hardees where Jodi, Jenna, Matt D, and Caroline were waiting out the rain.

After some drying off and generously donated food, I re-entered a less intense rain with Matt D and Caroline. We crossed our first bridge of the day and looked for another one that was to take us into Missouri. It continued to rain on us as we passed several unmarked roads, a PAVEMENT ENDING sign, and a thickly forested area that with the current weather resembled a certifiable rain forest. Just as it seemed the delirium would get the best of us, we spotted a huge red bridge over the mighty Mississippi and rode triumphantly into Illinois.

The end of the bridge took us onto a bike path through a wildly hilly park. Moments later, we spotted Robby who notified us that he was with a big group who could not find our next turn as the roads were unmarked. The next 25 minutes were spent as a ten-person group riding directionless through the rain looking for the elusive Chambers Street. Eventually, we made an executive decision, found our thoroughfare and Goose and I took off looking for our final turn of the day: a left (west) turn on Florissant Ave.

After about five miles of congested city riding, we found W Florissant Avenue and counted down the last three miles. Only one problem: we went five and never saw our destination. Rife with confusion, we asked some people at a local gas station for help. When Goose came outside to notify me that Florissant Street and West Florissant Street were different roads and that there was no road that connected the two, I wasn’t exactly enthused. A few minutes of steam-venting later, we made our way to a road that was allegedly going to get us home. Naturally, this road brought us a hill that resembled something out of San Francisco.

We continued for two more miles before we realized that we were once again lost. With my phone not working due to water, we turned around and Goose made a left onto Natural Bridge Road. This decision, made purely out of directional intuition, brought us (finally) to our host: The University of Missouri- St Louis. We pulled in to the Mark Twain Athletic Center with Goose’s odometer reading 106 miles and proceeded to curse whoever it was that decided to lay out St Louis with a Florissant, W Florissant, S Florissant, N Florissant, and E Florissant Street. Our arrival at 4:30 meant that we had spent 6 hours going the last 45 miles of the day, futility that I’m sure rivals a Bike and Build record.

At the site, we showered, changed, and commiserated with the stories of others who had also made their way unconventionally to our host. Specifically entertaining was the tale of Trey, Matt C, Aaron, and Alex, who didn’t get in until 6:30, had six flat tires, and had to walk to Wal Mart at one point because they ran out of bike tubes. We then drove to dinner at the nearby house of Bo, a friend of the Webbers. Their we recovered with the help of great food and some regrouped for a night on the town while others simply came back home and got some well-earned rest.

-Thomas Mattera

Today’s ride into Salem, though relatively short, was pretty brutal. 70 miles of mostly flat terrain becomes challenging when you add wind, and it was windy all day. Our morning began with a storm. Ominous clouds pushed rain, wind, and general gloominess in our direction. Rather than plunge in, a few of us decided to stop at a McDonald’s down the street. We may have ordered food there, or we may have just sat down in one of the booths and monopolized the kids’ trivia game for 45 minutes. I was riding with Goose, Aaron, and Nathan. One particular sensation that I associate with this day is the feeling of fallen rainwater splashing up from Aaron’s rear tire and pelting me in the face as I ride behind him. I also remember the grit in my teeth and the taste of asphalt. The rain stopped eventually, and by the time we reached lunch the sky was clear.

The lunch stop always improves my riding experience. Everything is sunnier after lunch. Unfortunately, the second half of our ride was just as windy. We were fighting against this constant invisible force that forced us to move more slowly while exerting more effort over a longer period of time. Miserable. Riding in an Illinois headwind is like riding a stationary bike at a constant level of resistance … for eight hours.

With fewer than 15 miles to go, we pulled over to rest near the only building we’d spotted in a while. We were hoping it would be a gas station or a restaurant; it was a veterinary clinic. I sat on the lawn and ate a Cliff Bar while the others stretched. We got to Salem eventually, of course. But one cool thing happened today: out of nowhere, we spotted some very odd-looking horses by the side of the road. Pulling over, we discovered that they were some kind of cross between a zebra and a donkey. They were shaped like donkeys, but they had zebra stripes that faded in and out across their bodies. ZONKEYS!!! We were thrilled, and took many pictures. Then I found a glove on the ground and stuffed it into my Camelbak. Later that night, I overheard Aaron talking to his girlfriend on the phone. “Yo … so today was pretty good,” he was saying. “The only bad thing that happened was that I lost my glove.” Well, I took my cue, and presented Aaron with the found glove, and made his day perfect, not for the first time.

-Amary Wiggin

We were in the paper today! Before leaving the First United Methodist Church in Bloomington, IN, we found out that we were on the front page of the Bloomington Herald. It turned out to be a pretty rough day for some of us, even though the terrain was relatively flat, because we hit a lot of strong headwinds. As we’re hitting windier weather and long days, I feel like we are starting to work a lot better as a team of riders. We’ve started forming pace lines and pulling each other along. Today was rough for me, and I was riding myself and feeling really tired all morning. About mile 25 Denis came along and pulled me for the next 15 miles into the lunch stop, which really turned my day around!

We all got into the host site in Lawrenceville (Central Christian Church) at a reasonable time and took naps before going to Hardee’s for a free all-you can eat meal. It was amazing and definitely appreciated after the windy ride. Another highlight of the day was the awesome frog/chameleon costume Brad found – it was hilarious to watch him dance around and sneak up on people. We just had an affordable housing meeting, in which we worked through a case study about an individual who experienced a medical emergency that caused him to lose his home to foreclosure. It’s surprising how much one event can affect a person’s financial stability and ability to afford housing.

Now we’re all headed to bed to get some rest. Good night!

-Annie Scofield

Today we built with the Monroe chapter of Habitat for Humanity in Bloomington, IN. Our group split into 2 shifts, a morning and an afternoon wave. The shifts were again split into 2 smaller groups, one working at a build site, the other at Habitat’s Restore outlet. I was in the morning shift working at the Restore location. It was my first experience in a Restore. We helped with store organization by measuring doors and making those dimensions easily visible and we also sorted molding by size. Although it wasn’t a building task, we definitely helped to make the store more customer-friendly. The profit made at the Restore goes towards building a Habitat Restore house. Our site supervisor shared that the store just recently made enough money to begin their first build!

The group that worked at the build site performed various tasks on the interior of a Habitat home. Some put in door knobs, others installed bi-fold doors, and there was a lot of caulking to be done in various nooks and crannies of the house! The morning and afternoon shifts were split by a lunch from Chipotle…delicious!

People spent their downtime opening mail-drop goodies, mail-dropping things back home for bags that maybe are a little too heavy…ahem, no names mentioned…going shopping, and relaxing with some karaoke!

-Jenna Grattan

We woke up this morning and the people of Rushville had a huge delicious breakfast waiting for us. And, yes, it matched the greatness that was the dinner they had made us the night before.

My chore group was responsible for loading the trailer. In the process, we discovered some nasty fruit amidst all the food that has been donated to us. Needless to say, Lesley and I have weak gag reflexes.

Today was the first day Ravi and I did sweep. We got some coffee at a local diner with Megan and Tessa. Megan was driving the van; Tessa’s ankle was bothering her again, but she is aiming to get on the road soon. Andrea was also in the van, but I know for sure she’ll be riding in two days to Lawrenceville.

The first half of the day went by fast. No one seemed to have any problems, so we basically just rode to lunch in peace and talked with each other about our hopes, our dreams, etc.

We had some lunch at some interesting park in Columbus, Indiana. It had some cool architecture stuff in it. After lunch, Ravi and I took off with Emmy and Larry. We stopped in the park at this random tower with about ten flights of stairs. Despite our legs ALWAYS hurting, we thought, “Hey, let’s climb this tower.” Before ascending, I predicted the top would be disappointing. Guess what, it was. We took a few goofy photos, such as using the railing to recreate Titanic, and then continued on our journey to Bloomington.

The rest of the afternoon also went smoothly. We were told downtown Nashville (Indiana, still) was really cool, so we stopped. We had some homemade ice cream which really hit the spot. Some people also got old time photos taken. You know, the ones where you dress in costumes and they make the photo in sepia and overcharge you. Just kidding, I don’t know how much they cost. But the pictures were cute.

We hit maybe two or three nice climbs after Nashville and then it also started getting really humid out. Humidity is nasty. I prefer heat over the gross stickiness that is humidity. Oh, and, also, at one point we were going down a hill and Emmy was maybe 50 feet in front of me. Suddenly, a deer bolted out from the right and dashed between us. There was plenty of space, so I didn’t panic, but I did replay the idea of getting hit by a deer a couple times in my head.

We rolled (pun) into Bloomington around 6:30. We stayed at Bloomington First United Methodist Church which was a pretty big establishment. We had a couple cool rooms to sleep in, including one with a huge screen and projector and another with ping pong, billiards, karaoke, videogames, etc.

A lot of us went to local wings joint and ate, surprise surprise, wings. When we got back we watched a copy of Breaking Away. It’s a movie from the 70’s about cycling that takes place (and was filmed in) Bloomington! I only watched the first half, but it was good. I’d like to see the end sometime.

Tomorrow is our build day. We are separated into a couple groups and shifts. It should be a good time, though. Until then, keep on rollin’!

-Brad Milison

The first 20 miles of the ride were fantastic. Ohio has lovely wonderful wide and well paved bike paths that are conveniently shaded by trees. If I sound a little too excited, it’s only because the experience of riding on narrow highway shoulders has, shockingly, lost a wee bit of it’s appeal at this point. Sadie and I had a few rousing rounds of twenty questions (wheelchair, sandbox, hippo and Darth Vader).

After the bike path ended we rolled back out onto the highway. The weather was nice and the next 20 miles weren’t too bad.

Sadie stopped to pick up some more pain killers- she’s been fantastic and ridden every day despite the fact that her knee is barely functional and she’s pulled a groin muscle (but don’t worry parents, she’s icing every night and being careful not to push herself too hard). We rode into a little roadside gas station, and ran into one of the most genuinely friendly people we’ve met on this trip. Bo Bradley, who owns B&B Carryout (2028 St. Rt. 73, Waynesville Ohio if you’re every driving through) is a cyclist who picked up biking about ten years ago. At one point he biked from Dayton Ohio to Denver- on a hybrid. Which is ridiculous and incredible. He proceeded to feed us (one of the nicest things you can do for a biker, short of free professional massages, which we have yet to receive. I haven’t lost hope yet) and donate to the cause. Best mozzarella sticks I’ve ever had, and they made the rest of the century seem a lot easier.

Biking continued. And went on. And on for a while longer. We got to lunch (number one) at mile 30 in a Chipotle parking lot. The highway was flat, but 100 miles is 100 miles.

Interesting signs spotted between miles 30 and 70 (note to the readers. Interesting is a relative term, highways are not that interesting and these signs probably won’t do much for you):

Brown Runs road- The site of a brief water break of Ms. Sadie and Ms. T . Subdued hilarity ensued.

Eton/Oxford Ohio- God only knows what these two towns have in common with historic British educational institutions. Also interesting that I’ve seen handfuls of Paris’s, Berlin’s and a Nashville (not in Tennessee) and Columbus (not in Ohio) which were terribly confusing.

Welcome to Ohio- We missed the actual Ohio sign because it was conveniently positioned in the middle of a busy bridge.

Welcome to Indiana- Finally.

After more biking- lunch number two at mile 70.

Second lunch led to a stretch in which my mental state deteriorated. Was nearly attacked by a dog, who was distracted by a car. Cheered on by two tween girls chanting “Go Biker Girl Go!”. Waved at a string of Hell’s Angels, glorious moustaches blowing in the wind. Saw a sign outside of a church: Public Enemy Satan.

Enter chorus of angels and the last ten miles. We rode into Rushville and were driven to the local assisted living center to shower. I was a little concerned for the well being of the showering seniors after I slipped on the bathroom floor, but the hosts were kind enough to compensate for any sort of theoretical health hazard to the elderly that may have been present. Dinner was absolutely fabulous, sleep was almost as good.

-Tatiana Cooke

Our ride to Yellow Springs, OH was probably our first true flat, beautiful day. It began with a great breakfast in the sun outside of our Columbus host, and then the troops set out down Broad Street in downtown. Broad Street led us across a river, with a great view of the “Santa Maria” ship docked, and through some fun outer Columbus neighborhoods before spilling out into bright Ohio farmland. Fields and fields of corn and other amazing greenery surrounded us as we made our way to the Erie bike path. Everyone, I think, had a huge grin on their faces when they saw how smooth the asphalt was, and how we were to be on this path for a good 30+ miles.

Finally, we could ride side by side without worrying about yelling “car back!” – and some jokesters had some fun with that. We chatted, we smiled in the sun, and (most importantly) we flew at amazing speeds without really even realizing it. The bike path spit us out in the town of London, OH, where we cruised past several folks on bicycles and some cute houses until rejoining the bike path a few miles down. A few of us met “Bicycle Bob,” a local who was pedaling a well-worn road bike of his own and who was eager to chat. He clued us in to the history of the “Rails to Trails” path we were riding, and also told us about the town’s bicycle culture and affordable housing programs. He hung around with us at our fabulous lunch stop right off of the bike path, where we enjoyed copious amounts of leftovers and donated bread, fruit, and lunch meats – a very welcome change from peanut butter.

We sat in the shade, somewhat amazed that the sun was still out, and actually had local journalists and photographers approach us. We posed for pictures, rode in some circles, squished together for a group photo, and chatted intermittently with the locals who were very interested in our cause, and wondered who all of these matching jerseys were. Amazing.

We rolled out, super energized from lunch, only to approach a stopped freight train stopped alongside the bike path. A few of us (read: me) are insanely giddy about freight trains, and we climbed up and held our arms out in triumph. We also took a thousand pictures, of course. It was just adding up to be that kind of day – where everything was just lining up for us without us even trying.

Riding into Yellow Springs was fantastic – the town was pretty much a mile square, and even passing through limited streets before hitting our church we saw evidence of a total bicycle-crazy community. And believe me – “community” is the key word for Yellow Springs. Let me just give you a bullet-pointed rundown, lest I ramble all day in delight: showers at people’s homes that were hands down the greatest showers of the trip yet, insane amounts of home-cooked food that never ended, amazing independent shops with super-friendly people, fantastic library with internet access, knitted cozies (like the kind for tea kettles) on street signs and park benches, shuttles to Young’s Dairy for FREE ice cream and petting zoo, and some of the best floor space we’ve had to get a good night’s sleep. Laundry got done, Andrea returned… and did I mention it didn’t rain?

Everything about Yellow Springs, and the ride to there, felt like we were swimming in an incredible utopia. Even Sadie’s derailleur busting ended up being fun, with her striking a pose in the Sheriff’s car like she was getting busted. In this reporter’s opinion, best day yet.

-Sarah Royal

So the beginning of the ride into Columbus was pretty bad. The dude who said there were no mountains in Ohio was lying… well maybe they weren’t mountains but still. The first monstrous hill we climbed was particularly painful because my muscles were cold and I was tired.

Rode by myself a lot in the beginning and then began riding with Sadie. She was having a really hard time because she pulled a muscle in her leg. But even though we were biking slowly, our timing was perfect because people had been waiting for lunch for an hour. The second half of the day was great- we stopped at a fair and worked mad donation magic. Got free rides, lemonade, and fried oreos. Emmy and I actually ended up riding on this upside-down ride twice hollering Bike and Build. Yay for spreading awareness.

The rest of the ride into Columbus was chill. There was confusion once we got to the church because we weren’t sure where we were supposed to set up our sleeping bags and our showers fell through. Codde called a hotel, and a few of us enjoyed a roof top pool. It was sweet. Afterwards Denis wanted to show us downtown Columbus, so a bunch of us went out. I ended up getting ice cream and turning in early but people stayed out.

The church was locked at night, so Thomas and Brando ended up sleeping in Angus (van) and the newly graffiti-ed Cecile (trailer). Also we got onto NBC! Great footage of Denis riding his bicycle in his jeans. Tomorrow is supposed to be an easy ride. Cannot wait.

-Cali Bulmash

Happy 4th of July! Before we headed out from Cadiz to Coshocton, OH, Caroline came up with the great idea of doing a 4th of July scavenger hunt for the best red, white or blue object. The winner was a picture of a giant inflatable American flag eagle on a military base. Today was the first day that nearly the entire trip was without hills. It was a welcome release from the brutal hills leading up to Ohio. The scenery was beautiful at the beginning of the day and we were able to start pace lining. Pace lining is when a group of bikers rides in a line and the first rider blocks the wind for everyone else. It helps the riders conserve up to 30% of their energy, so its definitely a useful tool. The only problem with it is that the riders behind the first one can't see what is in front of them. Andrea and Jenna ran into that problem later in the day when they were pace lining in a group of 5 and there was a giant roadkill raccoon in the middle of the shoulder that wasn't called out well. They ended up running into it and crashing. Thankfully they only had a few scrapes and nothing worse. It made everyone extra wary of calling out all obstacles more specifically. Our host site was a giant sporting complex called Kid's America. Our hosts were Sue and her husband and they made us a great dinner and let us play on some of the awesome indoor fields and courts. At night we were able to catch the town fireworks and it capped off a great 4th of July.

-Trey Roy

Today we rode from Pittsburgh, PA to Cadiz, OH. As a leader, I have to drive the support van every 4th day, and today was one of those days. The ride was supposed to be pretty hilly coming out of Pittsburgh, but expected to flatten out as we rode into Ohio. I left with the van about 30 minutes after all of the riders and passed them grinding it out, pedaling up some pretty brutal looking hills. I never would have thought of Pittsburgh as such a hilly city.

I did my usual errands (picking up food) and headed out to find a lunch spot. Early on, a few riders made a wrong turn and went a few miles up some hills. It’s a bit difficult (dangerous) to drive the van and trailer through a lot of turns and look at the cue sheets, so I followed some of the riders turns which were, unfortunately, the wrong way. I just had to turn the van around, but 6 or 7 riders rode up some steep, unnecessary hills.

I found a lunch spot just across the bridge into Ohio, but Thomas called and let me know of a better spot. There were some old military vehicles (tank, plane, etc) just kinda parked off a street for some reason, so the riders stopped there and I drove back. It was a pretty amazing lunch. After our riders told them about what we were doing, they were nice enough to blast an interesting mix of music, ranging from 70’s pop to Rage Against the Machine, to Country. A few riders started a dance party and most people joined in. Quite a site to see, a group of 20 something people in spandex dancing around eating PB&J sandwiches.

The last leg of the ride was a bit more frustrating for everyone. Some of the roads so far have been a bit confusing, as a lot of them don’t have street signs. The riders up front got lost a few times and had to keep re-routing along the way and chalking so other riders could find their way. It ended up adding several miles for most.

One of the riders from our sweep team had a few flats that resulted from a damaged tire, so after lunch I had to drive back and bring her a new tire. They started riding again, but at around 6:30 pm we decided to head back and pick them up, because it was getting too late.
Although there were a lot of problems throughout the day, everyone was in pretty good spirits that night. This was our first non-donated dinner, so the dinner crew cooked spaghetti which came out pretty good.

Overall, it was a tough day, but everything worked out in the end.

-Nathan Thompson

First day off finally! We have been looking forward to this for so long ever since we hit the crazy headwinds and hills that Pennsylvania has to offer. Just being able to sleep past 6 am in the morning was one of the major highlights of the day off. We stayed in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, so all the local attractions were within walking distance. Our church was walking distance from the PNC Ballpark, the Andy Warhol Museum, and it was also neighbors with the library.

Aaron called up the Pittsburgh Pirates office earlier in the week to hook us up with discount tickets, so a few of us got to see the Mets play the Pirates in the afternoon. It was raining when the game started and they had to cover the field back up with tarp. All was not lost though since we were thoroughly entertained by the electronic text message billboard. We got some texts up there, woohoo! Fortunately, the showers stopped and the game continued on (Mets won in extra innings btw).

Those of us who didn’t go to the ball game had a nice breakfast at the local Breuggers a few blocks from our church and a few people checked out the Andy Warhol Museum across the bridge. As the sun went down, Ben’s parents (who were really cool) treated us to a true Pittsburgh dining experience at Primanti Bros. This place has got the art of sandwich-making on lock! All their creations come with fries and coleslaw inside the sandwich. Another group of us went to the Bicycle Film Festival and watched short movies with other fellow cyclists. Apparently, they hold the festival every year in a new city and it is awesome. Also, Aaron and Christina were able to get some Donation Magic in the form of free breakfast food from Au Bon Pain. Tomorrow we cross into Ohio (Cadiz to be exact)!!

-Alex Nguyen

We left in the morning after a very long day of intense climbing into Johnstown, PA the day before. I felt very worn out but extremely excited to make it to Pittsburgh for our day off. We slowly swooped out of Johnstown on a very slow and gradual decline that was easy to keep up a fast pace on a high gear. It was a day full of hills, something that became easily expected in the north east region of America. I feel that I may never attempt to bike through Pennsylvania again but rather enjoy the hilly terrain through a car and save my knees the ache. The climbs that day were tolerable with rewarding descents.
When my friend Larry and I finally hit the city we were faced with one final challenging hill which we decided to walk up on the sidewalk because it was rush hour and we were worn out. We noticed a sign that declared the section “the hill district” a very suitable name. As we reached the crest of the hill it dropped into an endless chain of consistent red lights which took a toll on my hands. My arms got so tired I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to break on top of it being drizzly and congested.
The city was intimidating and filled with cars. I am used to riding in Philadelphia every day but Pittsburgh fails to have bike lanes, yet I was in my element. When we finally reached the church it was sweet relief met with the excitement of our day off. We were fed a delicious vegan friendly meal and proceeded out to the bar. My friend Bruce from College was in town for the July 4th weekend and joined us for good laughs and silly dancing. It was our first night off and it felt great! It was nice to know that we didn’t have to pack our bags in the morning and bike for hours on end.
In the morning I mailed some extra things home which significantly lightened my bag and met up with some group friends at a bagel shop around the corner. We walked across a bridge over to south side to wonder past artistic cozy cafes and pubs in search of the well known bike café/pub. The food was excellent! Even though the waiter messed up my order I still liked what I got. Sadie and I separated from the group we were with to pick some extra things up at REI and walk as fast as we could back to the city to catch the traveling Bike Film Festival. We made it just in time after being tricked to walk up at least a hundred stairs and laughing at how difficult it was and almost falling because our legs were cramping. But we made it on time and it was amazing! And I got a t-shirt too.
Pittsburgh in a whole was a fantastic day off and just what we needed for some well deserved R&R. I would definitely visit the city again and allow myself some more time to poke and prod about.

-Emmy Micklitsch

Okay, so this morning we woke up to a rain storm which was very inspiring to the morale of our team. All gear was pretty soaked from the storm which put everyone in a bad mood. Also, we all rode 100 miles the day before so that might have played a little role. So after getting all the kinks out we hit the road. Luckily, the rain started right away and poured on us for about an hour. It was an interesting start to the day to say the least. Everyone made it to the lunch stop in a timely fashion. I believe we stopped about mile 37 out of 76. We had a healthy lunch consisting of peanut butter, bread, and cupcake frosting. After gorging ourselves we hit the road again. This is when the day took a turn for the worse. As I was riding I notice some hills in the distance and sure enough that is exactly where we were headed. We began climbing up these hills and I am not kidding we didn’t stop climbing for about 6 miles. To make matters worse the rain kicked back up while we were climbing up the mountain. It was absolutely brutal. We pushed through and made it to the top only to find that we had rolling hills in front of us. Everyone was just dead at this point, but then we got a nice solid downhill for a couple miles. My group stopped at a gas station and we all pounded some energy drinks because we were just ruined. We chilled for a few minutes and then headed up Ragers Hill. Now to clear up any confusion, whoever named this road was not a creative person. He or she was actually a very straight forward unimaginative human being. This hill lasted for couple miles and was extremely steep. Keep in mind, that we had already rode 70 miles of hills leading up to this. The energy drinks really made a difference for the group I was riding in. After we made it to the top, there was a downhill with a 14% downgrade. For those unfamiliar with grades, 14% is very steep and one can get going pretty fast. The fastest I heard someone went was 48 mph. On a side note, Thomas (one of the leaders) had his part of his bike explode at the top of the hill. At the bottom of the hill was out host sight which was a YWCA. They fed up some great spaghetti and meatballs and they had a heated pool that we got to go in. Overall It was a very long tiring day, but we all made it and we are headed to Pittsburg tomorrow. Then we have a day off YESSSSSS.

Take care thank you all for the support.

-Matt Codde

Video Journal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec4viat-AkQ

So the ride into State College was the first time that many of us eclipsed the one-hundred mile mark in one ride during the trip. It was the third time I have personally completed a century in a day. The ride was pretty flat for the most part, but the fact that it was flat did not make the ride easy. The wind was roaring the entire day and it seemed like we were riding into it the whole time. It was easily the most intense headwind up to this point and I estimate it being upwards of 20 mph. It was very defeating at times going only 13 mph or so on flat ground and barely much more going downhill. Riders had to work together to prevent exhaustion at the hands of the headwind by riding closely behind one another and taking turns in the front. We spent 45 miles on one road which I am sure is something new to almost all of us. It seemed like Buffalo Rd would never end. We did see Amish riding in horse carriages toward the end of Buffalo Rd and our second lunch stop of the day. There was a little convenience store right near the second lunch stop that sold personal size Hershey’s Ice Cream cartons and many of us enjoyed them thoroughly. There was also a beautiful waterfall on the route where I dunked my head to cool off.

Toward the end of the trip the directions were a little hard to follow, which after a very long day, can be frustrating. However, some locals were very willing to offer their help in allowing us to find our way and chalk it for others. The last three miles or so of the ride went through a busy part of State College, but it was easy to find our host site, which was a house of the Penn St. Cycling Team. They were a very nice and welcoming group of people. It was nice to stay with people that had a good idea of what we were experiencing on our journey.

One of the negatives of the day was continued mechanical trouble for some of us which can definitely put a damper on the experience. But those issues will eventually be sorted out. I was very impressed with the resolve of many of the riders because it was the toughest ride to this point due to the combination of harsh wind, long distance, and rolling hills. Our riders have come a really long way and they should be really proud of themselves.

-Aaron Goldstein

So we woke up to a gorgeous day on the top of Mt. Pocono in the United Methodist Church. We had a delicious pancake and bagel sandwich breakfast donated. I switched sweep roles with Megan today so that some of us could attend church at the place we were staying for the ride. After church, we flew down the hill at a fairly quick pace for the first 15 miles until we reached the bottom at the bike shop. Matt and I stopped because, as sweep, we had to make sure everybody was alright and be the last people in. We went into the bike shop and waited for about 2 hours for them to fix Emmy and Cali’s bikes. After they got their bikes fixed, we found out Larry broke some spokes in a minor accident so instead of waiting another couple hours at the bike shop, we rode back up the hill to the driving range. After hitting a large bucket of golf balls, we decided to go next door to Moyer’s country kitchen to get some food. After talking to the wonderful ladies for awhile, we received the most delicious open-faced roast beef platters we had ever eaten. After we finished, we found out Larry was ready to go so we could get a move on. Matt and I hauled for the next 20 miles and got to the lunch spot before they had left so we got a couple oranges before we finished the last 20 miles. The last 20 miles were much less fun than the first 30. We decided to burn more time by passing our turn onto Biesels road by three miles so we added another six to our ride there. Then with about 10 miles left, we found a large mountain to climb as it started pouring down rain. The last 5-8 miles or so were downhill and not too bad so we finished strong. When we got back, we were happily surprised to find Lesley’s parents came and were buying us all dinner at the local diner, which was extremely awesome and delicious. Cali also was talking to a lady at the diner, who had us written up in the local newspaper and is bringing us breakfast in the morning. Another good note, we collected around $120 on the day in street donations! At this point, we are all extremely tired and are waking up in the morning at 5am to do our first century, Woohoo!

-Ben Walker

We heard the alarm at the usual time of 6 am which is when the madness of deflating our thermarests, shoving our clothing into compression sacks, carrying out our bags full of an entire summers worth of items to the trailer, and consuming an unthinkable amount of calories begins. Breakfast consisted of danishes, cereal, fresh fruit, and muffins which were provided by our wonderful host at Port Jervis Drew United Methodist Church, as well as Aaron Goldstiens’ parents-THANK YOU! After our daily morning meeting we headed out for our next destination Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania.

After only about 3 miles we realized that we had missed the sign for New Jerseys state line and let’s just say the sign didn’t give the state much justice. We had to chalk the road to ensure that all of the other riders didn’t breeze right past it like us. I enjoyed the beginning of this ride particularly because the first 30 miles was an a windy back road with little to no traffic which allowed us to ride freely and enjoy the beautiful scenery even though the storm the night before left a lot of debris on the road which was challenging at times.

The miles flew by and before we knew it lunch was near-at a Wendy’s parking lot (mmm frosties) with a flea market across the street! The flea market was a great surprise and as we all ventured over to check out the objects we got a lot of funny looks and comments. The funniest being free roll on body scents because the lady at the stand told the boys “you really need this!” Lets be honest we are a bit stinking and greasy after our rides.

The afternoon ride was a bit more challenging than the morning because we ended with a 3-4 mile climb to our destination of Mount Pocono United Methodist Church. This was one of the first days that most of the riders got in by 4 which does make the day more enjoyable when you aren’t in a saddle for 8-9 hours; we seem to be in better spirits. Many riders were able to head across the street to Halmark, the grocery store, a coffee shop, etc. RELAXATION! We had a wonderful donated dinner of pasta, bread, salad, and dessert (thank you!) and had an affordable housing meeting to follow for people in the community that were interested in learning more about Bike and Build. This community was very intrigued by our journey and excited young adults making a difference throughout the United States. We held a bike safety clinic for children at the church at taught them about the importance of riding with a helmet, watching for traffic, and obeying all the rules of the road and their parents of course! All in all, today was a wonderful day of biking; no rain, no injuries, little traffic, and a flea market, what more could we ask for? Bike and Build is turning out to be exactly what you all said.."an experience of a lifetime!"

-Andrea Boonie

Main events: I'm now on trailer crew, so my job is to pack the trailer up in the morning before breakfast. We went to Vasser for a great breakfast, which got me feeling so ready for biking. We biked over the Hudson- had an awesome view, but the clouds were ominous, it started raining, and wasn't exactly fun. Just after crossing the Hudson, I got a flat (go figure) in a very sketchy neighborhood, and there the following took place:

I'm fixing my flat hurriedly as other groups bike by. Abunch of guys stopped to watch me put in another tube and console me for my 11th flat. I rushed so much that I popped the tube (probably because I was scared for my life, though the gunshot sound of a popping tube only could have made me more scared). As I rushed to redo it so we could all leave,a guy came out of the sketchy house we were in front of and said the following to Jacqui, one of the girls who had stopped and was watching me while eating a banana:
"Hey shawty, shawty with the banana"
She didn't pay attention and I continued working
"shawty, do you want my number in case you get lonely tonight"
At this time he was right beside her and she had no choice but to respond, and since I wasn't exactly close to getting done with my tires she couldn't run, so she responded as best she could:
"Oh no, I'm gonna be in California for a while" To which the creepy guy responded:
"I love the west coast too!"

By this time I managed to fire up my pump, get my tires inflated, and we were on the way, though I was so infuriated at the luck I've been having on B&B so far (the hole thathad caused the most recent flat was literally smaller thanthe head of a pin). When we finally got into Port Jarvis, we stopped at a gym shower since we smell terrible. We showered quickly and then went out to grab some pizza since people wouldn't be getting in for a while and we were all hungry. As we were in getting pizza, a monsoon appeared outside. Rain was falling sideways, there were about 3 flashes of lightning every 10 seconds, and we were so happy to be sitting in a warm pizzeria with warm food and flickering electricity instead of out on the road, where lightning and hail forced other riders to hide out on the porches of other houses. One of the groups was biking when it started raining big droplets of rain, which was weird to them because it was so hot before. All of a sudden, gusting wind and lightning cameupon them, and at that moment they say Cali, another rider, huddled under a tiny overhang. As soon as they got in there, it started hailing quarter size pieces of hail. A stranger pulls up a little later and says that some other bikers were at a pizzeria, so they decided to brave a puddle that came almost halfway up their bikes and ended up getting free pizza. It was stormy for 2 hours as the power went out, while others had to survive at houses where random strangers helped them in. They biked through downed trees and storms and finally got in around 7, unable to shower as it was waytoo late and just in time for dinner. It was Robbie's birthday so people decided to go out on the town after dinner, but for most of that afternoon we found ourselves split into those who had gotten in before the storm, and the10 unfortunate individuals who had to brave the storm undershelter before biking through the rain to finally get in wet, cold, and very late.

-David "Goose" Gusella

We spent an excellent day today working with the Hudson River Housing Association. HRH is an affordable housing organization local to Poughkeepsie and tackles the issue from several angles offering emergency shelter, transitional housing programs, home ownership and new developments. They planned an amazing day of activities for us, aiming to get a bit of work done, get media attention for HRH and Bike&Build and give us an opportunity to learn about affordable housing.

In the morning, we biked to our first site where their emergency shelter and transitional housing is located. We spent a few hours working on small projects, landscaping, painting a mural, cleaning benches- doing what we could to beautify the space. After lunch, we biked a few miles to begin a bike tour to see some of their other projects. We saw houses they linked with first time home owners and heard some of their success stories and challenges. It was great to have an opportunity to talk about affordable housing with people in an organization that works with a diverse group of people each with their own situations and needs. We talked about how their work has been effected by the recession. Their foreclosure prevention training went from providing services to 4% of their clients to 64% in the last year. Our discussion and bicycle tour ended at their senior residential housing center. We had enjoyed a delicious barbeque with the residents, an amazing close to the day.

So today we had an 84 mile ride to Poughkeepsie NY. I was riding sweep with Tatiana. Sweep is when we have to ride behind the rest of the group to make sure that everyone gets in safe and sound. It went fairly smoothly. We didn’t run into too many flats, besides one I got. By and large it went smoothly. We stopped and talked with a woman for a while who was running a roadside strawberry stand. She gave us a quart of strawberries which we ate while we chatted with her about what we were doing and her life. The rest of the sweep went smoothly until the last 15 miles or so. It started raining right as we were getting lost trying to get to our host site, which was rough, but ultimately worked out. We didn’t get in until 7:30, so it was ultimately about 11 and a half hours on the road. One sweet highlight of the ride was stopping for lunch as this barbeque spot called Bubba Beans Barbeque where I got a pulled pork sandwich which was really awesome and really hit the spot. We got into our host site which was a boarding school, so we actually got to sleep in beds that night, and we got to sleep in the next day a bit because it was a build day. After we got in I got all cleaned up and then we all decided to find an all you can eat Chinese buffet. It was awesomely delicious and I think it was the first time that I actually felt like I got my money’s worth at a Chinese buffet. We made it home and we all went to bed contented actually in a bed, and I am sure that every one of us slept very soundly, to wake up for a build day in Poughkeepsie the next day.

-Robbie LeBourveau

Lots of hills! We went through the Berkshires which was crazy, so tough. But I made it!

A couple miles in we saw this little farm with pigs, llamas, mini horses and goats. We stopped for like 20 minutes and took lots of pictures. All the animals were so cute!

Then we kept climbing. The houses were all so spread out in the mountains. About half way through this woman who saw us going by set out water and granola bars for us which was amazing! Snack breaks are always great. We stopped and chatted with her for a while.

The views all through the Berkshires were amazing. We stopped for lunch at this really pretty lake in one of the valleys. A bunch of people went swimming in the lake to cool off since it was a pretty hot day.

The last 10 or so miles after lunch were great. It was almost all downhill into Pittsfield, winding through a couple of small towns first.

We are staying at a church that a group in the town bought and are renovating; they call it the Alchemy Initiative. The downstairs is like a big art studio and then the upstairs is slowly being gutted and renovated.

For dinner they cooked this AMAZING vegan meal. We ate outside of the church as the sun was setting and the sky looked so pretty in the background. After dinner we had an affordable housing presentation and also learned a little history about the town of Pittsfield.

Off to our first new state tomorrow? New York!

-Christina Genco

The ride to North Hampton was a little confusing and I got lost at the very beginning and end of the ride. This was a little frustration but no big thing. There was also some great downhill action where I reached an all time high speed record for myself of 48 mph. The adrenaline was pumping but as I found my way to the main road for the last 4 miles of the ride, I find our trailer on the back of a tow truck and Megan, our leader, and several other riders watching it being towed away. This struck me as a strange but I decided to meet them at the host house and figure it out later.

Soaking wet from the rain I ride through North Hampton’s main street, which was beautiful, on my way to the host house. The host house was a friend of Ali, our other trip leader, who was an amazing person who worked with Ali at the hospital. Our host owned a duplex which her mother lived on the other side of. To house all the riders, she told her mother to go on vacation so we could us all the space of the duplex. Incredible is the only thing that can explain what a home feels like after several nights on church floors and school gyms. Ali had all of her friends over and they had a pot-luck for us. Very crowed in the house we felt quite at home and were having a great time all night.

Wanting to see the town of North Hampton, which seems to be a college town, we hit the main street, my favorite street in almost every town. Nate, Alana, Megan, Emmy and I went to got grab a quick drink at a bar before we needed to be back. I was nice to make it out to the town before more chores needed to be done.

Since all the beds were taken, I slept at the foot of a bed to rest up for the next day of riding towards Pittsfield, MA.

North Hampton- “Where the coffee is strong and so are the women.”

-Denis de Verteuil

Today we biked from Andover to Fitchburg. It started with an amazing breakfast at the Webber’s. Many thanks to them again for all their generosity and earnest support for Bike and Build and our entire team. Our time with them was definitely uplifting. Andrea and I (Matt D) were the sweep team today. That means we have to ride last and make sure everyone stays on course and gets help if they need it. We started off in the rain, and the day got a little challenging as we rode our first significant distance. Reading the cue sheets (directions) was still a little difficult. The bikes were still in their “breaking in” stages (whatever that means). Robby’s chain broke. Ravi got a “flat trick” (three flat tires), and I almost wrecked when my front tire got stuck in a rut. But we all made it! Safe and sound. When we got to Fitchburg, everyone was so welcoming and generous! The church members had prepared a delicious dinner for us. We gave a little presentation as to what Bike and Build was about, and they gave us a wonderful little history of the town of Fitchburg. After dinner, we all had a bike cleaning party, and sleep could not come too early. And yes, I think every one of us remembered to call his or her father. Happy Father’s Day.

-Matt Dubyoski

Today was our first build day, with the Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity in Lawrence, MA. For some of us, and definitely for myself, it was the most organized and efficiently run Habitat site we had worked at. There were many jobs to be done at the main site (3 houses currently being worked on in a city block that was destroyed by a fire), and two other sites a short distance away. We were split into small groups to get the best use of so much manpower. Some of us hung siding, some built a sidewalk, some painted. One group spent the day carrying buckets of topsoil up a steep slope—honestly I’m glad I wasn’t in that group, but I’m sure I’ll do my share of heavy lifting by the time the trip is over. Still another group did some maintenance work at a former convent property that is owned by Habitat and waiting for work to get started. All in all we were spread around so that no one was really standing around at any time. Lunch was graciously provided by a neighborhood church, and just another in a string of delicious meals that have been provided for us. The weather was great, and we all came home exhausted after a productive day.

Dinner tonight was a special treat—Thanksgiving dinner by the Webbers! They have spoiled us rotten during our stay in Andover and it was really special to be able to get to know them a little bit. It’s just another example of how their son Chris and Bike and Build have touched so many people, and continue to make a difference. We had a lot of laughs and some tears, and a LOT of food. It’s going to be hard to beat those meals on the rest of the trip!

Tomorrow begins our first true test—five days of riding!

-Jodi Dubyoski

Today was the first day of actual riding. It was raining but the ride was short, only 20 miles, so it wasn’t so bad. The hills are killer for me (I probably should’ve trained more!) but it can only get better, and I’m excited for building tomorrow. We’re staying at Pike School which is great, a lot of space, freedom, internet, and basketball. Then for dinner, we went to the Webber’s and it was incredible. Awesome food and amazing hospitality in a great big house. They are really incredible people. Some of the kids went to the bar, while others (Me! I’m so tired) are going to watch Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Although today was short and such, it really got me excited for what is to come. Today was my first real trip traveling with a group, sine I basically trained by myself. I know it’s going to be difficult, but this adventure is just beginning! Woo!!!

-Sadie Robinson

Bike and Build B2SB 2009 has begun! It’s hard to believe that after months of training and fundraising the day is finally here. Yesterday we all made our way to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Revere, MA to find excited leaders, fellow B2SB riders and plenty of awkward ice-breaker games awaiting us. Orientation has been a whirlwind of games, presentations, safety talks, bike maintenance practice, and plenty of chatting it up with our soon-to-be new best friends. The first night we had an amazing chicken parmesean dinner generously prepared by David (Goose) ‘s mom – thank you again, by the way! By lights out at 11:00 we were sprawled about the church social hall, trying to get some rest before our crazy summer schedule officially began.

This morning we awoke at the early hour of 6:45 (which apparently we will consider sleeping in before too much longer) to a scrumptious donated breakfast – coffee included, I was excited to discover. After a few orientation activities, we geared up and went out on our first official ride! For the most part, the “shake-down” ride went well – the highlights included a bit of unnerving traffic, some bumpy roads, a few wrong turns and our first pictures decked out in Bike&Build gear. Fortunately, we will be spending most of our time on less-busy (and hopefully less pot-holey) roads. We practiced riding safely in a group using hand signals and verbal communications like “car back!” “pot hole!” “car right!” “stopping!” etc. etc. I, for one, had mostly only been riding in a very small group or on my own, so being in a group over 30 riders was a new situation. Even though it was only a ~14 mile ride on flat terrain, the experience somehow felt empowering; riding as part of such a purposeful team was surprisingly exciting. Everyone here is so positive and enthusiastic about this trip and the cause that I am already starting to feel a sense of unity building in our group.

During orientation, we were told over and over, “This will be the best summer of your life.” We’re all eager to hit the road and start making it happen. Believe it or not, tomorrow is our first official day of biking across the country!

-Annie Scofield