Hilary Heincer
Chris Webber Memorial Ride 2009
Miles: 224 / 224
Days: 7 / 7
Build Days: 2
Rest Days: 0
Location: Route is over
This past summer I had the honor of meeting Chris Webber's amazing family. I never got the chance to meet him, but I heard enough about him to know he was a really special person. I am excited to be able to go on this trip in honor of his memory.
I graduated from UVA in May getting my degree in Commerce. I was heavily involved in community service through a co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and Habitat for Humanity. I never biked before Boston to Santa Barbara 08 and to be honest I haven't biked much since but I am excited to get back into it. There is nothing like the feel of biking on the open road.
Since getting back in August I have been busy starting my job. I'm working as an auditor (accounting) in the DC area. I love what I do which is a good thing cause my life is pretty much taken up by work and studying for the Certified Public Accountant exam (which I'm supposedly doing as I type this). In fact, this trip will be my last opportunity to take vacation til June so let's hope it's a good one.
Bike and Build was such an amazing experience and I can't wait to get a little slice of the life back.
Hey everyone,
It's been awhile since I've had internet and a lot has happened so this will be a decently long post about the events of the last week and a half. Once I get home (tomorrow night!) I will do a big wrap up what I've learned/how I feel post.
Kingman to Las Vegas, NV- I rode 72 out of 104 miles
~This was the most dangerous ride of the trip. We were going down into the hoover dam, then across it and climbing out of it in 120 degree heat. The other riders on the trip named it the death climb. I made it to just before the dam. At the security checkpoint 9 miles away, Jo and I both took a pretty bad spill. We were leaving the checkpoint and hit a bunch of gravel on the shoulder. We didn't hit each other but we both fell. I was bleeding pretty badly from my knee and my elbow. We walked back and the security guys sat me down in the air conditioned trailer and did some first aid. Jo found out the next day she had a sprained wrist. Once I got patched up I rode 9 miles to second lunch. Then I was still bleeding and was overheated and dizzy so I called it a day. We rode into Vegas where it POURED. It rains 10 times out of the year and we just happened to get caught in a flash flood. About 4 of our other riders took spills on the strip but none were hurt too badly.
~We had to wait around 2 hours before getting into our rooms. We showered and dolled ourselves up before heading to the buffet. I was supposed to go out dancing but I was still bleeding (recurring theme) and felt dizzy and just really exhausted so I passed out around 8:30.
~Instead of building, Jo and I went to the urgent care center to get checked out because I was still bleeding the next morning and her wrist really hurt. My bleeding finally stopped around 10:30.
~After a nap, Jess, Jo, Lynn, Emily, Devon and I walked around. We had dinner in Paris and watched the Fountain Show at the bellagio. While waiting, Jess, Emily, and I had an awkward dance party that an older man joined in on. This was the only time I really got to experience Vegas but I really enjoyed it.
Vegas to Baker, CA!!!!-76 miles descending into Hell.
~This was a LOL of a day if I do say so myself but I made it through it. One of the leaders discovered there was construction on I-15 at mile 50 and we would either have to do van shuttles or ride it. I got in the van first cause I didn't go on a roller coaster and got shuttled across. Immediately upon seeing the state of I-15 we realized van shuttles were a MUST. K-rud missed the memo and got caught in the construction but luckily he got onto the median and there was a lot more space. Lenny's girlfriend was visiting and stopped him and a bunch of people from going across and everyone was shuttled. There was a lot of fallout for the leader who didn't insist on van shuttles when he initially saw the construction but that's another story.
~The last 17 miles were all downhill which would make you think, YAY! But it was 110 degrees with wind hitting you from 3 directions. It got hotter as you descended making you feel like you were in a blast furnace. It was AWFUL
~We had a snack at the mad greek which I swear was on the food network.
~The heat really got to me and I got sick again but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the virus.
Baker to Barstow, CA 8/66 miles
~I think I injured my knee in the crash because it started giving me a lot of trouble. It felt like I was getting stabbed everytime I pedaled so I didn't make it very far.
~Barstow was pretty and we met the mayor which was nice. I enjoyed the church people a lot.
Barstow to Palmdale, CA 59/87 miles
~My knee hurt again so I iced it between first and second lunch before continuing. I rode into Palmdale which while in the desert still felt like civilization. The first stoplight came out of nowhere.
~Our hosts were INCREDIBLE. Definitely in the running for the top 5. They paid for an all you can eat buffet where they put all of our pictures on the wall. The mayor gave us a commendation. The hosts slept over with us and made us a DELICIOUS breakfast the next morning. One of the people had not only biked across the country, but he went from NY to San Fransisco, back up to montreal and down to NY, then flew to alaska to get back to CA. He showed us up. They also had 3 of us come to a Youth Build workday. Youth Build is an incredible program that allows high school drop outs or troubled youth to complete their education while doing community service and learning leadership skills from what I understand.
~Our last long day!!
Palmdale to Valencia, CA- 35 miles
~Short beautiful ride. We came out of the desert and the last 20 miles were a slight downhill through mountains.
~Upon arrival, Jo, Lynn, Emily and I headed to six flags. We didn't have much time but it was fun and we got on 4 roller coasters.
Valencia to Ventura 47 miles
~ Today was another short day so we stopped at a farm stand for 45 minutes. I had a delicious peach and strawberries. I would go there every day if I could.
~We also stopped for burgers and ice cream about 3 miles from the host.
~My knee started to kill me again the last 10 miles.
~Did I mention Ventura was at the beach?!?! WE MADE IT TO THE PACIFIC!
~I had my first In-N-Out experience picking up Kristian, our program director, with Sophie, Lenny, and Emily.
~Emma and I retaped our handlebar tape. BLUE CAMO. Pictures to come.
VENTURA TO SANTA BARBARA, CA-30 MILES!!!!
~INCREDIBLE day. We did superlatives in the morning. I won Gossip Whore and tied for most sarcastic. Shocking, I know. Then Jorge sent us off with an inspirational battle prayer.
~We rode 22 miles then all met up. On the way Sophie and I did abbreviated life stories and a bunch of people stopped for donuts.
~We rode the last 5 miles together. Upon arriving at the ocean we dropped our bikes, de-shoed, and RAN into the water. We had a celebration in the water where Jorge gave another inspirational speech and we did our favorite dogs in the house cheer. It was a moment to savor.
~Our friends and family were there to greet us/feed us. We dipped our tires in the water and celebrated.
~The 3 mile ride to the host was uphill with lots of stoplights. My knee didn't like it.
~We went out to dinner at Left at Albuquerques. We all got dressed up. Then we headed out afterwards and watched the Olympics at local bars. All in all a great day.
Build day
~We had a build day 75 miles away. We actually were pretty productive despite the fact they only thought 12 people were coming. Ooops.
~Lenny's dad took our car to In N Out and treated us to milkshakes/burgers. It was awesome.
~After dinner/presentation, we all boxed up our bikes and headed to a friend of allie's dad's house to watch the olympics. Michael Phelps 100M butterfly-OMG. Wow.
Today!
~Today has been a relaxing day. I woke up at 7:30 to see people off, then headed off to breakfast with everyone. I strolled down towards the beach with people, peeking in different shops. I bought two more dresses at an antique place. Then I hung out on the beach a bit before grabbing lunch and wandering back.
~My soda and coffee ban is lifted! Hallelujah!
More thoughtful post to come...
It's been awhile since I've had internet and a lot has happened so this will be a decently long post about the events of the last week and a half. Once I get home (tomorrow night!) I will do a big wrap up what I've learned/how I feel post.
Kingman to Las Vegas, NV- I rode 72 out of 104 miles
~This was the most dangerous ride of the trip. We were going down into the hoover dam, then across it and climbing out of it in 120 degree heat. The other riders on the trip named it the death climb. I made it to just before the dam. At the security checkpoint 9 miles away, Jo and I both took a pretty bad spill. We were leaving the checkpoint and hit a bunch of gravel on the shoulder. We didn't hit each other but we both fell. I was bleeding pretty badly from my knee and my elbow. We walked back and the security guys sat me down in the air conditioned trailer and did some first aid. Jo found out the next day she had a sprained wrist. Once I got patched up I rode 9 miles to second lunch. Then I was still bleeding and was overheated and dizzy so I called it a day. We rode into Vegas where it POURED. It rains 10 times out of the year and we just happened to get caught in a flash flood. About 4 of our other riders took spills on the strip but none were hurt too badly.
~We had to wait around 2 hours before getting into our rooms. We showered and dolled ourselves up before heading to the buffet. I was supposed to go out dancing but I was still bleeding (recurring theme) and felt dizzy and just really exhausted so I passed out around 8:30.
~Instead of building, Jo and I went to the urgent care center to get checked out because I was still bleeding the next morning and her wrist really hurt. My bleeding finally stopped around 10:30.
~After a nap, Jess, Jo, Lynn, Emily, Devon and I walked around. We had dinner in Paris and watched the Fountain Show at the bellagio. While waiting, Jess, Emily, and I had an awkward dance party that an older man joined in on. This was the only time I really got to experience Vegas but I really enjoyed it.
Vegas to Baker, CA!!!!-76 miles descending into Hell.
~This was a LOL of a day if I do say so myself but I made it through it. One of the leaders discovered there was construction on I-15 at mile 50 and we would either have to do van shuttles or ride it. I got in the van first cause I didn't go on a roller coaster and got shuttled across. Immediately upon seeing the state of I-15 we realized van shuttles were a MUST. K-rud missed the memo and got caught in the construction but luckily he got onto the median and there was a lot more space. Lenny's girlfriend was visiting and stopped him and a bunch of people from going across and everyone was shuttled. There was a lot of fallout for the leader who didn't insist on van shuttles when he initially saw the construction but that's another story.
~The last 17 miles were all downhill which would make you think, YAY! But it was 110 degrees with wind hitting you from 3 directions. It got hotter as you descended making you feel like you were in a blast furnace. It was AWFUL
~We had a snack at the mad greek which I swear was on the food network.
~The heat really got to me and I got sick again but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the virus.
Baker to Barstow, CA 8/66 miles
~I think I injured my knee in the crash because it started giving me a lot of trouble. It felt like I was getting stabbed everytime I pedaled so I didn't make it very far.
~Barstow was pretty and we met the mayor which was nice. I enjoyed the church people a lot.
Barstow to Palmdale, CA 59/87 miles
~My knee hurt again so I iced it between first and second lunch before continuing. I rode into Palmdale which while in the desert still felt like civilization. The first stoplight came out of nowhere.
~Our hosts were INCREDIBLE. Definitely in the running for the top 5. They paid for an all you can eat buffet where they put all of our pictures on the wall. The mayor gave us a commendation. The hosts slept over with us and made us a DELICIOUS breakfast the next morning. One of the people had not only biked across the country, but he went from NY to San Fransisco, back up to montreal and down to NY, then flew to alaska to get back to CA. He showed us up. They also had 3 of us come to a Youth Build workday. Youth Build is an incredible program that allows high school drop outs or troubled youth to complete their education while doing community service and learning leadership skills from what I understand.
~Our last long day!!
Palmdale to Valencia, CA- 35 miles
~Short beautiful ride. We came out of the desert and the last 20 miles were a slight downhill through mountains.
~Upon arrival, Jo, Lynn, Emily and I headed to six flags. We didn't have much time but it was fun and we got on 4 roller coasters.
Valencia to Ventura 47 miles
~ Today was another short day so we stopped at a farm stand for 45 minutes. I had a delicious peach and strawberries. I would go there every day if I could.
~We also stopped for burgers and ice cream about 3 miles from the host.
~My knee started to kill me again the last 10 miles.
~Did I mention Ventura was at the beach?!?! WE MADE IT TO THE PACIFIC!
~I had my first In-N-Out experience picking up Kristian, our program director, with Sophie, Lenny, and Emily.
~Emma and I retaped our handlebar tape. BLUE CAMO. Pictures to come.
VENTURA TO SANTA BARBARA, CA-30 MILES!!!!
~INCREDIBLE day. We did superlatives in the morning. I won Gossip Whore and tied for most sarcastic. Shocking, I know. Then Jorge sent us off with an inspirational battle prayer.
~We rode 22 miles then all met up. On the way Sophie and I did abbreviated life stories and a bunch of people stopped for donuts.
~We rode the last 5 miles together. Upon arriving at the ocean we dropped our bikes, de-shoed, and RAN into the water. We had a celebration in the water where Jorge gave another inspirational speech and we did our favorite dogs in the house cheer. It was a moment to savor.
~Our friends and family were there to greet us/feed us. We dipped our tires in the water and celebrated.
~The 3 mile ride to the host was uphill with lots of stoplights. My knee didn't like it.
~We went out to dinner at Left at Albuquerques. We all got dressed up. Then we headed out afterwards and watched the Olympics at local bars. All in all a great day.
Build day
~We had a build day 75 miles away. We actually were pretty productive despite the fact they only thought 12 people were coming. Ooops.
~Lenny's dad took our car to In N Out and treated us to milkshakes/burgers. It was awesome.
~After dinner/presentation, we all boxed up our bikes and headed to a friend of allie's dad's house to watch the olympics. Michael Phelps 100M butterfly-OMG. Wow.
Today!
~Today has been a relaxing day. I woke up at 7:30 to see people off, then headed off to breakfast with everyone. I strolled down towards the beach with people, peeking in different shops. I bought two more dresses at an antique place. Then I hung out on the beach a bit before grabbing lunch and wandering back.
~My soda and coffee ban is lifted! Hallelujah!
More thoughtful post to come...
So I've still been sick. LOL. I rode into the grand canyon and then threw up around mile 50 yesterday and today I threw up right before I was ready to leave. I'm determined to ride into Vegas tomorrow so that I can ride on the strip.
Enough of the bad news, let's talk about the good.
We went to the Grand Canyon! I rode the entire way in as sweep. I watched the Sunset that night and had a miserable ice cream ordering experience. I was kind of in a bad mood all evening for some reason. The next day was great though. I woke up at 4am to go see the sunrise. It was much better than the sunset and was well worth getting up for. I was definitely a lot more at peace than I have been lately. I then took a long nap and then took the afternoon for myself.
One thing I've realized because of being sick is I need alone time. All trip I've ridden alone on occasion and that has given me a break from being around people. Since I've been sick I'm been missing that and it has made me really cranky on occasion. In the afternoon I ate lunch and took a long walk along the rim, shopping and reading my sports illustrated. I got back to the camp around 5:30. It was really nice to have that time for myself where I could just read and relax. At school/home, TV time has always been how I decompress and relax. As much as I love being around people, I need that time and space. I miss out on some things because of my desire to relax/be alone but I'm glad that I've taken that time to make my trip that much more enjoyable.
I also discovered I actually like camping and would love to do it more.
One other thought I've had is how nice it is to be included in things here. I do go on my own a lot but when I need people they are here for me. I tend to ride with Jo, Lynn, Jess L, Devon, and Emily. When I'm not having a good day they are always there for me 100%. When it comes to room assignments for Vegas and other plans they automatically include me without having to ask and they are understanding when I want to do things on my own. It's really nice to have that because it's been awhile since I've really felt that way. This is a really good trip to have that. So if you all are reading this after the trip, THANKS. I may not show it all the time but I'm grateful for you all. And especially this last couple of weeks, I've needed all the support that you've given me. And it's not just the people listed above that I wanted to thank, it's everyone who has looked out for me and asked me how I'm feeling. I'm happy to report that is the great majority of the trip. I feel 100% a part of the trip and the family that we've created, however dysfunctional we can be at times.
I'm also excited to be going home in 1 1/2 weeks. I've loved this trip and I'm glad I've done it but I am ready to be in California and to be able to say that I completed the cross country trip. I may not have ridden as much as I'd have liked, but I've gotten a lot farther than I would have thought I could and I have still experienced the people/places/things that I wanted to experience. I know that if I wasn't sick I could have completed all the rides (or most of them). I know now that I'm capable of the impossible and I hope I remember this whatever else I do.
Enough of the bad news, let's talk about the good.
We went to the Grand Canyon! I rode the entire way in as sweep. I watched the Sunset that night and had a miserable ice cream ordering experience. I was kind of in a bad mood all evening for some reason. The next day was great though. I woke up at 4am to go see the sunrise. It was much better than the sunset and was well worth getting up for. I was definitely a lot more at peace than I have been lately. I then took a long nap and then took the afternoon for myself.
One thing I've realized because of being sick is I need alone time. All trip I've ridden alone on occasion and that has given me a break from being around people. Since I've been sick I'm been missing that and it has made me really cranky on occasion. In the afternoon I ate lunch and took a long walk along the rim, shopping and reading my sports illustrated. I got back to the camp around 5:30. It was really nice to have that time for myself where I could just read and relax. At school/home, TV time has always been how I decompress and relax. As much as I love being around people, I need that time and space. I miss out on some things because of my desire to relax/be alone but I'm glad that I've taken that time to make my trip that much more enjoyable.
I also discovered I actually like camping and would love to do it more.
One other thought I've had is how nice it is to be included in things here. I do go on my own a lot but when I need people they are here for me. I tend to ride with Jo, Lynn, Jess L, Devon, and Emily. When I'm not having a good day they are always there for me 100%. When it comes to room assignments for Vegas and other plans they automatically include me without having to ask and they are understanding when I want to do things on my own. It's really nice to have that because it's been awhile since I've really felt that way. This is a really good trip to have that. So if you all are reading this after the trip, THANKS. I may not show it all the time but I'm grateful for you all. And especially this last couple of weeks, I've needed all the support that you've given me. And it's not just the people listed above that I wanted to thank, it's everyone who has looked out for me and asked me how I'm feeling. I'm happy to report that is the great majority of the trip. I feel 100% a part of the trip and the family that we've created, however dysfunctional we can be at times.
I'm also excited to be going home in 1 1/2 weeks. I've loved this trip and I'm glad I've done it but I am ready to be in California and to be able to say that I completed the cross country trip. I may not have ridden as much as I'd have liked, but I've gotten a lot farther than I would have thought I could and I have still experienced the people/places/things that I wanted to experience. I know that if I wasn't sick I could have completed all the rides (or most of them). I know now that I'm capable of the impossible and I hope I remember this whatever else I do.
So I thought the antibiotics would make me better. Hahahaha, that was silly. I felt pretty sick still this last 5 days and it took me until 2 nights ago to figure out why. My infection was gone, but apparently they gave me CIPRO, the most hard core antibiotic there is. It is what they give you before you go overseas cause it kills EVERYTHING. It also makes you sensitive to sunlight. Needless to say, I've been really feeling the side affects so I've only ridden two times in the last 4 days. I'm at least glad I know now what was making me so sick and I finished the meds yesterday and we have a day off today. I should be good to go tomorrow for the trip into the GRAND CANYON. It sucks to have missed so much riding but I'm glad that I'm getting better now and I've still been enjoying myself.
We're in Flagstaff now and I LOVE it. It's a very hippy town. Last night there was an art walk with live music, wine, and stores open late. Today there is an arts and crafts thing that I've been looking at and we're going to see our trip leader's dad's life's art work. He is doing land art with a crater and it won't be open to the public til 2011.
Big exciting news: we get to Vegas on Thursday. There was a lot of rumor floating around our trip that our host first fell through, then were going to put us up in a shady motel. Turns out those were all lies. One of our leaders has a SWEET hookup. We're going to be staying at the Imperial Palace across from the Mirage in the middle of the Strip. OMG I am so excited. We are also getting a buffet and access to shows and the casino. I love my life. The Grand Canyon and Vegas all in the next 6 days. Should be Fantastic. Of course we have to be up early for our build day in Vegas but we're going to have fun.
Cool things about the last 7 days:
~We stayed at the toaster house in Pie Town, a town of 60 people that yes, sells pie.
~We stayed at a Navajo Reservation in Houck, AZ which was really neat. I bought earrings and we learned about Navajo Nation.
~I love flagstaff
~I bought Step Up 2 and a bunch of people watched it with me on the projector. GREAT MOVIE.
Ok, internet time dwindling. Until next time. I role into Santa Barbara in less than 2 weeks and head home the 17th. I'm going to miss the people and this trip, but it'll be nice to be home and to just get to sit and do nothing for a bit. If you want a postcard, leave me your address and I'll get one to you ASAP.
We're in Flagstaff now and I LOVE it. It's a very hippy town. Last night there was an art walk with live music, wine, and stores open late. Today there is an arts and crafts thing that I've been looking at and we're going to see our trip leader's dad's life's art work. He is doing land art with a crater and it won't be open to the public til 2011.
Big exciting news: we get to Vegas on Thursday. There was a lot of rumor floating around our trip that our host first fell through, then were going to put us up in a shady motel. Turns out those were all lies. One of our leaders has a SWEET hookup. We're going to be staying at the Imperial Palace across from the Mirage in the middle of the Strip. OMG I am so excited. We are also getting a buffet and access to shows and the casino. I love my life. The Grand Canyon and Vegas all in the next 6 days. Should be Fantastic. Of course we have to be up early for our build day in Vegas but we're going to have fun.
Cool things about the last 7 days:
~We stayed at the toaster house in Pie Town, a town of 60 people that yes, sells pie.
~We stayed at a Navajo Reservation in Houck, AZ which was really neat. I bought earrings and we learned about Navajo Nation.
~I love flagstaff
~I bought Step Up 2 and a bunch of people watched it with me on the projector. GREAT MOVIE.
Ok, internet time dwindling. Until next time. I role into Santa Barbara in less than 2 weeks and head home the 17th. I'm going to miss the people and this trip, but it'll be nice to be home and to just get to sit and do nothing for a bit. If you want a postcard, leave me your address and I'll get one to you ASAP.
Good news! I'm almost as good as new. The antibiotics are kicking in now. I spent yesterday in the van and then rode today. Today was the first day I've completed since I got sick the day into Amarillo. New Mexico is basically a wash for me.
Thank goodness today was only 70 miles. While I was sick, we climbed to over 7000 ft of elevation and I haven't had any experience dealing with this altitude. Today I felt kind of dizzy and had a lot of trouble breathing while on the hills. My lungs felt as if I had been running outside in January. Despite this I had gone pretty fast most of the day and came in 7th or so of the riders. The bigger problem was around mile 60 my legs just didn't have any energy left to pedal. Being sick weakened me and being unable to eat real food until last night reduced my energy stores. Somehow I got here though and now I can just rest and hit the hay early.
Last night we stayed in Pie Town, NM. We've been talking about this since day 1 of the trip. It's a small town of only 60 people, but there are 2 pie shops. We stayed at this house called the "Toaster house" because there are dead appliances hanging outside of the house. It was cozy to say the least. Despite being a small town, it has an active community council that seems to organize a bunch of events. There was plenty of pie too. I'd been really careful to eat softer foods up to that point but for pie I had to make an exception. It was pretty delicious.
Tonight we're staying in a high school athletic dome that's REALLY NICE. There are enough sinks for everyone! Tomorrow we head to Houck which is on an indian reservation. It should be an interesting experience.
Thank goodness today was only 70 miles. While I was sick, we climbed to over 7000 ft of elevation and I haven't had any experience dealing with this altitude. Today I felt kind of dizzy and had a lot of trouble breathing while on the hills. My lungs felt as if I had been running outside in January. Despite this I had gone pretty fast most of the day and came in 7th or so of the riders. The bigger problem was around mile 60 my legs just didn't have any energy left to pedal. Being sick weakened me and being unable to eat real food until last night reduced my energy stores. Somehow I got here though and now I can just rest and hit the hay early.
Last night we stayed in Pie Town, NM. We've been talking about this since day 1 of the trip. It's a small town of only 60 people, but there are 2 pie shops. We stayed at this house called the "Toaster house" because there are dead appliances hanging outside of the house. It was cozy to say the least. Despite being a small town, it has an active community council that seems to organize a bunch of events. There was plenty of pie too. I'd been really careful to eat softer foods up to that point but for pie I had to make an exception. It was pretty delicious.
Tonight we're staying in a high school athletic dome that's REALLY NICE. There are enough sinks for everyone! Tomorrow we head to Houck which is on an indian reservation. It should be an interesting experience.
If you all remember from my last riveting post, I was sick on Tuesday and Wednesday's rides. For the others who have been sick on my trip, they got better pretty quickly. Unfortunately for me that hasn't been the case.
I rode Thursday in the van. I figured I'd give myself that day and then the day off in Roswell and I should be fine. And I did feel mostly better, except I hadn't been able to put or keep many fluids in my system for those three days so I knew that dehydration was a serious concern.
On Saturday (yesterday) I felt good in the morning so I thought I was okay to ride. I rode 30 miles in the humid heat. I'm pretty sure I sweated out any liquid left in my body. Around mile 25 I started feeling dizzy/lightheaded so I stopped, ate some, drank some, and then continued. At mile 30 I felt like I was going to vomit so I stopped and dry heaved a bunch. I immediately decided to have the van come get me. After a long ordeal of trying to get in contact with people despite spotty service, I got picked up.
I was miserable all afternoon. Anything going into my system was coming out of it. Finally, one of the leaders asked if I wanted to go to the hospital and I decided I should. Another one of our riders had severe dehydration/heat illness/stomach virus and also ended up in the hospital. We drove from lunch to the host and then were going to wait and see if I felt better before heading out. However, I felt so crappy that we finally decided to go.
The nearest hospital was 40 miles away in ruidoso. The drive was beautiful and I felt a little better after taking a gu (hydration shot). Danie came with me while Skip and Erin did laundry. After about 2 1/2 hours of waiting I finally got back into the ER and got hooked up to fluids while they ran tests. I got 2 whole bags of fluid in me and it turns out I probably have an infection so am now on antibiotics. We left the hospital at 11 and didn't get back to the host til 12:30.
Today I just slept in the van and was on a pretty much all liquid diet. I'm feeling a downswing coming on because I experiemented with solid food so I'll probably head to bed early and at least for tomorrow I'll be in the van. I have to slowly reintroduce solid foods into my system and I want to make sure I'm okay before trying to ride again because I think by trying to ride early in my sickness it exasperated the situation. It sucks to miss most of a week of riding but in the end it's more important to me that I'm better the rest of the ride.
In other news, Roswell was fun. I went to the alien museum. The first 4 displays about the conspiracy were interesting but then the exhibits started to have the ring of crazy people. I also bought "Newsies" and watched that for a low key afternoon.
New Mexico is beautiful. We're in the mountains again and the views are unmatched. I just can't wait until I can see them on the ride. And despite my illness I'm quite chipper. And my brother is actively trying to buy a house now. And a dog! Big things are happening.
I rode Thursday in the van. I figured I'd give myself that day and then the day off in Roswell and I should be fine. And I did feel mostly better, except I hadn't been able to put or keep many fluids in my system for those three days so I knew that dehydration was a serious concern.
On Saturday (yesterday) I felt good in the morning so I thought I was okay to ride. I rode 30 miles in the humid heat. I'm pretty sure I sweated out any liquid left in my body. Around mile 25 I started feeling dizzy/lightheaded so I stopped, ate some, drank some, and then continued. At mile 30 I felt like I was going to vomit so I stopped and dry heaved a bunch. I immediately decided to have the van come get me. After a long ordeal of trying to get in contact with people despite spotty service, I got picked up.
I was miserable all afternoon. Anything going into my system was coming out of it. Finally, one of the leaders asked if I wanted to go to the hospital and I decided I should. Another one of our riders had severe dehydration/heat illness/stomach virus and also ended up in the hospital. We drove from lunch to the host and then were going to wait and see if I felt better before heading out. However, I felt so crappy that we finally decided to go.
The nearest hospital was 40 miles away in ruidoso. The drive was beautiful and I felt a little better after taking a gu (hydration shot). Danie came with me while Skip and Erin did laundry. After about 2 1/2 hours of waiting I finally got back into the ER and got hooked up to fluids while they ran tests. I got 2 whole bags of fluid in me and it turns out I probably have an infection so am now on antibiotics. We left the hospital at 11 and didn't get back to the host til 12:30.
Today I just slept in the van and was on a pretty much all liquid diet. I'm feeling a downswing coming on because I experiemented with solid food so I'll probably head to bed early and at least for tomorrow I'll be in the van. I have to slowly reintroduce solid foods into my system and I want to make sure I'm okay before trying to ride again because I think by trying to ride early in my sickness it exasperated the situation. It sucks to miss most of a week of riding but in the end it's more important to me that I'm better the rest of the ride.
In other news, Roswell was fun. I went to the alien museum. The first 4 displays about the conspiracy were interesting but then the exhibits started to have the ring of crazy people. I also bought "Newsies" and watched that for a low key afternoon.
New Mexico is beautiful. We're in the mountains again and the views are unmatched. I just can't wait until I can see them on the ride. And despite my illness I'm quite chipper. And my brother is actively trying to buy a house now. And a dog! Big things are happening.
The last two riding days have been pretty rough. I have been battling a pretty upset stomach and made it 30 miles yesterday and 35 today before going in the van. Some people said it might be the tap water because a couple other people have felt sick as well but I'm not sure cause the tap water is different where we've been. I bought a huge 3L thing of tap water and have taken pepto bismol but I still feel pretty sick.
On the bright side, yesterday's host were great to me. Everyone pretty much went to see the new Batman movie because two of our riders are extras in it but I stayed on the couch upstairs watching TV. A bunch of the church people checked on me and I'm pretty sure one went home to get me a blanket because I was feverish/really cold. That was pretty nice.
We're staying in a nice dorm tonight at Eastern NEW MEXICO University. We head off to Roswell tomorrow. I'm hoping to feel up to riding but I don't know if I'll be okay to ride. With an upset stomach the pedaling motion really upsets it more. But then we have day off in Roswell before 7 straight days of riding. Should be interesting.
On the bright side, yesterday's host were great to me. Everyone pretty much went to see the new Batman movie because two of our riders are extras in it but I stayed on the couch upstairs watching TV. A bunch of the church people checked on me and I'm pretty sure one went home to get me a blanket because I was feverish/really cold. That was pretty nice.
We're staying in a nice dorm tonight at Eastern NEW MEXICO University. We head off to Roswell tomorrow. I'm hoping to feel up to riding but I don't know if I'll be okay to ride. With an upset stomach the pedaling motion really upsets it more. But then we have day off in Roswell before 7 straight days of riding. Should be interesting.
I was in charge of writing the trip journal entry for yesterday...read it here first.
The ride today was not good for anyone. There was a strong headwind, a constant 2% uphill climb over 80 miles, and rough roads. People got in exhausted and looking forward to a build day the next day and to something even better that night.
One of our own, Jorge de la Garza was brave enough to attempt the Big Texan's 72 oz steak challenge. The challenge involves eating 72 oz (4 1/2 lbs!!) of steak along with a baked potato, a roll, 3 fiery shrimp, and a side salad in under one hour. Kyle Magida mentioned someone on his past trip attempting this feat the first week and Jorge stepped up to do it for us.
All 31 of us headed off to the Big Texan after dinner to support Jorge in his quest. The Big Texan was as gaudy as you'd expect it to be. Everything really is bigger in Texas. While we waited for them to get our tables ready we could entertain ourselves with slot machines, a gift shop, and a virtual shooting range. Finally, after a 30 minute wait or so we got our seats. After about another 15 minutes the challenge started.
Jorge entered the arena to a slow clap from the crowd. The task was explained to him as Bike and Builders and random strangers crowded the table in the center of the room to take pictures of the man who'd attempt such a challenge. One family even came back after going to Wal-mart to see how Jorge fared and to cheer him on. After tasting the steak and finding it to his liking the clock started and Jorge began. He kept a steady pace despite being distracted by the well wishers and interested parties. Several cheers were started by the spectators (us) as we enjoyed the food and the company. By half an hour in half the steak was finished. Jorge even kept eating while another challenger entered the arena and set to the task. That guy was struggling about 10 minutes in making Jorge look like a champ. When the clock hit 0, 63 oz of the steak was gone. Jorge did not win the challenge, but he made Bike and Build B2SB proud to call him one of our own.
It was the perfect end to a tough day.
The ride today was not good for anyone. There was a strong headwind, a constant 2% uphill climb over 80 miles, and rough roads. People got in exhausted and looking forward to a build day the next day and to something even better that night.
One of our own, Jorge de la Garza was brave enough to attempt the Big Texan's 72 oz steak challenge. The challenge involves eating 72 oz (4 1/2 lbs!!) of steak along with a baked potato, a roll, 3 fiery shrimp, and a side salad in under one hour. Kyle Magida mentioned someone on his past trip attempting this feat the first week and Jorge stepped up to do it for us.
All 31 of us headed off to the Big Texan after dinner to support Jorge in his quest. The Big Texan was as gaudy as you'd expect it to be. Everything really is bigger in Texas. While we waited for them to get our tables ready we could entertain ourselves with slot machines, a gift shop, and a virtual shooting range. Finally, after a 30 minute wait or so we got our seats. After about another 15 minutes the challenge started.
Jorge entered the arena to a slow clap from the crowd. The task was explained to him as Bike and Builders and random strangers crowded the table in the center of the room to take pictures of the man who'd attempt such a challenge. One family even came back after going to Wal-mart to see how Jorge fared and to cheer him on. After tasting the steak and finding it to his liking the clock started and Jorge began. He kept a steady pace despite being distracted by the well wishers and interested parties. Several cheers were started by the spectators (us) as we enjoyed the food and the company. By half an hour in half the steak was finished. Jorge even kept eating while another challenger entered the arena and set to the task. That guy was struggling about 10 minutes in making Jorge look like a champ. When the clock hit 0, 63 oz of the steak was gone. Jorge did not win the challenge, but he made Bike and Build B2SB proud to call him one of our own.
It was the perfect end to a tough day.
I've made it to Texas. Holy Heck. And I've gotten my kicks on Route 66.
Oklahoma has been my favorite state by far. The rides into OK (Vinita) and the ride out of it yesterday into Wheeler, Texas have been 2 of the 3 most beautiful rides we had. The ride into Wheeler was 78 miles which I mostly did alone but I was perfectly content with that because the view was breathtaking, especially sunrise. We are now hitting the road at civil twilight which is 20 minutes before sunrise. It's important we get on the road early because the heat can be a killer. While this means we get less sleep, it also means we get the sunrise. The sun was behind me yesterday so I didn't have to put on my sunglasses until lunch. The pink slowly came into view the lighting of the early morning on the Oklahoma ranches was a sight to be seen.
The in between days in Oklahoma were fine. We stayed in Tulsa to build. I loved our hosts who were so gracious and such amazing cooks, but I didn't really like Tulsa that much. The one thing I noticed was how there was a serious lack of sidewalks. The 2 days out of Tulsa (into Chandler and Yukon) we followed Route 66 for most of it. While there were some fun attractions along the way (including a giant blue whale, a round barn, and Pop's), and I did get my kicks, I was glad when we got off Route 66. The road 152 into cordell and wheeler were much more scenic and made the rides, although hot, enjoyable.
The ride into Yukon, outside of Oklahoma City, was a shorter day of 63 miles for us. Kristi's derailler (shifting mechanism) had busted the day before so she was going to the bike shop in the afternoon. I decided to go as well and not ride. My gears have been giving me major issues since day 1 along with other and Jose had discovered that our shifters housing and cable were defective. One girls bike had completely stopped functioning so I wanted to fix the problem before it was too late.
I had a lot of fun in the bike shop. It took forever (we were there for 3 1/2 hours) but I enjoyed talking to the guys who work there and it was nice to talk to non-bike and builders for an extended period. And now my bike works beautifully.
Today's ride was really rough. It was a 2% grade uphill after mile 10 for the next 88 miles. I rode with Devon in the morning and told my life story but I barely made it to lunch. It was really rough and windy. Then I ate and felt better so I kept going. Devon got sick pretty quickly (stomach virus floating around?!) so she rode in the van and I ended up riding with Sophie and Jorge who were sweep. I pushed and pushed until second lunch at mile 68 before I called it quits for the day. I just couldn't push anymore and the rate I was going I wouldn't get in until 6. Like Sophie said, it's a marathon, not a sprint and you just have to push yourself as much as possible regardless of whatever the mileage is for the day.
We're now in Amarillo and we'll build here tomorrow. So far Texas is another world. A youth group cooked for us last night and somehow some of our group ended up shooting shotguns somewhere with one of the kids. That's texas for you. We also passed a feed lot (slaughterhouse) which was not fun to see. All the cows were mashed together and there was no grass. So far I'm disappointed in the lack of scenic views in Texas, but I'm glad to meet the people and feel the culture.
All in all it was a pretty good 5 day riding stretch but as usual, I'm looking forward to not getting on my bike tomorrow.
Oklahoma has been my favorite state by far. The rides into OK (Vinita) and the ride out of it yesterday into Wheeler, Texas have been 2 of the 3 most beautiful rides we had. The ride into Wheeler was 78 miles which I mostly did alone but I was perfectly content with that because the view was breathtaking, especially sunrise. We are now hitting the road at civil twilight which is 20 minutes before sunrise. It's important we get on the road early because the heat can be a killer. While this means we get less sleep, it also means we get the sunrise. The sun was behind me yesterday so I didn't have to put on my sunglasses until lunch. The pink slowly came into view the lighting of the early morning on the Oklahoma ranches was a sight to be seen.
The in between days in Oklahoma were fine. We stayed in Tulsa to build. I loved our hosts who were so gracious and such amazing cooks, but I didn't really like Tulsa that much. The one thing I noticed was how there was a serious lack of sidewalks. The 2 days out of Tulsa (into Chandler and Yukon) we followed Route 66 for most of it. While there were some fun attractions along the way (including a giant blue whale, a round barn, and Pop's), and I did get my kicks, I was glad when we got off Route 66. The road 152 into cordell and wheeler were much more scenic and made the rides, although hot, enjoyable.
The ride into Yukon, outside of Oklahoma City, was a shorter day of 63 miles for us. Kristi's derailler (shifting mechanism) had busted the day before so she was going to the bike shop in the afternoon. I decided to go as well and not ride. My gears have been giving me major issues since day 1 along with other and Jose had discovered that our shifters housing and cable were defective. One girls bike had completely stopped functioning so I wanted to fix the problem before it was too late.
I had a lot of fun in the bike shop. It took forever (we were there for 3 1/2 hours) but I enjoyed talking to the guys who work there and it was nice to talk to non-bike and builders for an extended period. And now my bike works beautifully.
Today's ride was really rough. It was a 2% grade uphill after mile 10 for the next 88 miles. I rode with Devon in the morning and told my life story but I barely made it to lunch. It was really rough and windy. Then I ate and felt better so I kept going. Devon got sick pretty quickly (stomach virus floating around?!) so she rode in the van and I ended up riding with Sophie and Jorge who were sweep. I pushed and pushed until second lunch at mile 68 before I called it quits for the day. I just couldn't push anymore and the rate I was going I wouldn't get in until 6. Like Sophie said, it's a marathon, not a sprint and you just have to push yourself as much as possible regardless of whatever the mileage is for the day.
We're now in Amarillo and we'll build here tomorrow. So far Texas is another world. A youth group cooked for us last night and somehow some of our group ended up shooting shotguns somewhere with one of the kids. That's texas for you. We also passed a feed lot (slaughterhouse) which was not fun to see. All the cows were mashed together and there was no grass. So far I'm disappointed in the lack of scenic views in Texas, but I'm glad to meet the people and feel the culture.
All in all it was a pretty good 5 day riding stretch but as usual, I'm looking forward to not getting on my bike tomorrow.
The day into Vinita, OK (hometown of Dr. Phil!) from Joplin, MO was an epic day for bike and build-Boston to Santa Barbara, and a great day for me. I was sweep, which usually means that you have a not so good day because you and your partner in crime have to be the last riders in for the day. It usually makes for a very long day. However, it turned out great.
The day started off poorly with a sick feeling and a flat tire when I woke up. I didn't take me too long to change it though so it wasn't that bad. Better to find it when I have a floor pump accessible versus a hand pump.
My day got beter with breakfast. The night before the president of the local habitat chapter realized we didn't have breakfast plans so she called a restaurant that agreed to open its doors to us and let us order whatever we wanted off the menu. I got French Toast, sausage, and OJ.
Then it was 8 and we were off. It was a later start then we like but free breakfast is worth it. Within 4 miles, I got another flat after I roled over a piece of glass. Lenny, my partner in crime for the day, helped me change it quick so it didn't slow us down.
The next 15 miles or so we chatted and went along at a leisurely pace until we hit kansas and then Oklahoma where we stopped with Jane and Sophie because they had a flat. Luckily, we were only there for about 5 minutes before it was fixed and off we went again.
Our next stop came as we found the entire group (practically) swimming in a river they'd stumbled upon. Being sweep, we had to stop and enjoy ourselves. Upon leaving, it didn't take us long to stumble upon the entire group again, stopped at a huge field of sunflowers. It was breathtaking. We were setting to head off again when Dani discovered she had a flat so we had to wait with her. While waiting, I frolicked in the field of sunflowers.
The next destination on our journey was lunch, but Lenny had other ideas. He stopped at a chinese buffet and then a BBQ place literally 1/2 a mile before lunch to try to score free food. He did, and he roled into lunch carrying two bags of food around his neck. Since we were sweep and everyone else had mostly eaten, we could enjoy the majority of the food. Good idea at the time, bad idea the next 15 miles or so.
We didn't leave lunch until 12:40 or so but luckily it was only a 70 mile day (only, I know)so we had about 33 miles after lunch. We booked it in and made it in by 3pm. Lenny and I kept the conversation flowing all day and had a pretty great time. The entire day I kept saying how absolutely GORGEOUS it was. We're definitely in the southwest where ranches and animals pepper the landscape. The last two riding days we lucked out with pretty great weather (no rain!) and a good view.
The day also included a trip to the world's largest mcdonalds, overlooking highway 44. We got back, had dinner, gave another presentation (this time with young people in attendance, and had a pretty fun Affordable Housing Curriculum presentation where we teach each other about affordable housing issues. After that, I started to read "Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama and passed out early. All in all it was a fantastic day.
Yesterday we rode into Tulsa. We were on Route 66 for 50 miles and saw a giant blue whale. The church had a DELICIOUS potluck for us and we gave another presentation. We're getting into BBQ country and I'm loving it. Today we had a build day with the local habitat chapter. It went pretty well and we got a lot done but they didn't really have quite enough work for all of us. I did work on a shed though. Fun times.
I can't explain how excited I am for the southwest.
The day started off poorly with a sick feeling and a flat tire when I woke up. I didn't take me too long to change it though so it wasn't that bad. Better to find it when I have a floor pump accessible versus a hand pump.
My day got beter with breakfast. The night before the president of the local habitat chapter realized we didn't have breakfast plans so she called a restaurant that agreed to open its doors to us and let us order whatever we wanted off the menu. I got French Toast, sausage, and OJ.
Then it was 8 and we were off. It was a later start then we like but free breakfast is worth it. Within 4 miles, I got another flat after I roled over a piece of glass. Lenny, my partner in crime for the day, helped me change it quick so it didn't slow us down.
The next 15 miles or so we chatted and went along at a leisurely pace until we hit kansas and then Oklahoma where we stopped with Jane and Sophie because they had a flat. Luckily, we were only there for about 5 minutes before it was fixed and off we went again.
Our next stop came as we found the entire group (practically) swimming in a river they'd stumbled upon. Being sweep, we had to stop and enjoy ourselves. Upon leaving, it didn't take us long to stumble upon the entire group again, stopped at a huge field of sunflowers. It was breathtaking. We were setting to head off again when Dani discovered she had a flat so we had to wait with her. While waiting, I frolicked in the field of sunflowers.
The next destination on our journey was lunch, but Lenny had other ideas. He stopped at a chinese buffet and then a BBQ place literally 1/2 a mile before lunch to try to score free food. He did, and he roled into lunch carrying two bags of food around his neck. Since we were sweep and everyone else had mostly eaten, we could enjoy the majority of the food. Good idea at the time, bad idea the next 15 miles or so.
We didn't leave lunch until 12:40 or so but luckily it was only a 70 mile day (only, I know)so we had about 33 miles after lunch. We booked it in and made it in by 3pm. Lenny and I kept the conversation flowing all day and had a pretty great time. The entire day I kept saying how absolutely GORGEOUS it was. We're definitely in the southwest where ranches and animals pepper the landscape. The last two riding days we lucked out with pretty great weather (no rain!) and a good view.
The day also included a trip to the world's largest mcdonalds, overlooking highway 44. We got back, had dinner, gave another presentation (this time with young people in attendance, and had a pretty fun Affordable Housing Curriculum presentation where we teach each other about affordable housing issues. After that, I started to read "Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama and passed out early. All in all it was a fantastic day.
Yesterday we rode into Tulsa. We were on Route 66 for 50 miles and saw a giant blue whale. The church had a DELICIOUS potluck for us and we gave another presentation. We're getting into BBQ country and I'm loving it. Today we had a build day with the local habitat chapter. It went pretty well and we got a lot done but they didn't really have quite enough work for all of us. I did work on a shed though. Fun times.
I can't explain how excited I am for the southwest.
Woah, 8 days have gone by and a lot has happened. I'm limited on time/memory but I'll try to recap some of it.
Bloomington, IN to Lawrenceville, IL: 85 miles
~crossed the state border!
~Pretty quick ride, shared life stories with 5 others to pass the time
~stayed at THE GAS LITE MOTEL! It was awesome, having a real bed. Some kid was shooting off fireworks all day though and a bunch of people got chiggers (insects in the skin).
~Our first real taste of flood damage. The fields were just all BROWN because the water destroyed them. It makes the price of food sky rocketing a lot more understandable.
Lawrenceville to Salem, IL-75 miles
~AWESOME DAY. I got in first with Jorge at 12:45. We were averaging 17 miles an hour after lunch. I wanted to see how hard I could go and apparently it's pretty hard. The only problem is I didn't stop for ice cream. Sad.
~We were supposed to camp in the town square but that morning a church opened their doors to us which was a welcome relief.
Salem to ST. LOUIS, MO-80 miles
~The leaders played a nasty joke on us. Each day we're given an elevation chart that shows the hills etc for the day. It'd been flat the last two days with a scale of 150ft or so, and then they gave us one for this day that was 5000ft with several climbs, saying we were entering the Ozarks. Kyle Rudzinski gave an inspirational speech (he wasn't in on the joke) and then by mile 5 we knew the joke was on us. They'll get what's coming to them-ten fold.
~otherwise a pretty good day, although HOT in the afternoon. We rode on a bike path for a bit and we were told we were going through a bad neighborhood. We added 10 miles to avoid going to East St. Louis, which is supposed to be really bad.
~A cop in Trenton, IL joined us at lunch and was telling us about the area/stories of his job. It was interesting.
~We got to the church around 3: 30. Showers had closed and we were staying at a drop in center/food kitchen for the homeless which was a bit awkward. 3 other people and I went to an apartment nearby to shower and then we had dinner at the church. The guy who was hosting us told us not to walk around alone outside which was a bit worrisome but it was fine.
Day off in St. Louis:
~I was not in a very good mood for most of the day. Joe, a guy from the cycling club and the mayor's brother came and took us to REI where I bought a bunch of stuff and then to a watch shop to get my watch band fixed finally. He was pretty informative and an overall nice guy.
~I saw "Hancock" with Will Smith. Quite enjoyable. But not as much as the metro ride back with Sophie, Emma, Lenny, and Jorge.
~Joe and the cyclng club brought us dinner which was delicious.
~After dinner, Danie, Sarah, Oliver and I went to see the Arch, which was the only thing I'd wanted to do all day. Joe dropped us off. I saw the Deloitte office building from the arch as well as signs of the flood damage. Entire trees were covered by water.
~The best part was while I was waiting for the others to look at a museum, I sat on the grass, under the arch, reading by book, and watching the sunset. PERFECT.
St. Louis to Potosi, MO: 90 miles (I did 70 of them)
~This was a pretty rough day. I woke up not feeling well at all but I rode anyways. I had Devon, Emily, Jo, Lynn, Jess, and Kristi to keep me company for most of the day which is the only way I got as far as I did. Finally, it got to be near 6, we had 20 miles to go, and it was hot. We called the van to do a pickup.
~We were supposed to stay at a boy scout camp but unfortunately this christian church group rented out everything the morning of to keep us out of it. We ended up sleeping in an UNFINISHED house next to a GRAVEYARD. At night, the graveyard had a lantern lit up and when I went to go to the bathroom it freaked me out majorly. Needless to say, nobody slept well that night.
Potosi to Houston, MO-90 miles (I did 15)
~I still felt really crappy/tired/not good so after 15 miles I went in the van to give myself some recovery time. Good thing. It was raining, and then 2 of the roads we were routed onto were completely gravel (aka awful for rode bikes) for 10 miles. By the time we realized this, it was too late to reroute. Everyone had a not so good day.
~ The people in Houston were great. They gave us cars to go to showers and we had pizza/plenty of desserts.
~I felt a lot better by the end of the day. My body had been telling me I needed a break and I'm glad I listened.
Houston, MO to Springfield, MO-100 miles
~This was a great day. I did my 2nd century and had time for ice cream (steak and shake). I kind of pushed hard because I really wanted to have plenty of time to finish.
~We made dinner with Nancy from Habitat. Then we did a post dinner wal-mart/ice cream run. I went to bed REAL late (10:30!?!?) but we had a build day the next day and didn't have to get up til 6:30 so it was fine.
Build Day Springfield, MO
~We were doing set up for a blitz build that kicked off today to coincide with a golf tournament. We were building right next to the MO Sports Hall of Fame.
~The morning was a bit of a waste cause a construction crew was doing a bunch of stuff. We helped lift tresses onto the roof and mostly just chilled. The afternoon was a lot more productive with blue boarding, hurricane clipping, and some other stuff.
~Andy's Custard run after work was a good idea.
~Free Chipotle for dinner
~adventure to THE Bass Pro Shop. Camo Pick up Truck. Enough said.
~I was up late again changing my chain which was a bit more complicated than I had hoped but thanks to Jess, I figured it out.
~Oh! and I got a hug from a lady at the build site cause she was so proud of what we were doing. That was nice.
Springfield, MO to Joplin, MO: 82 miles
~I'm at mile 76 as I write this. We saw a library and stopped.
~It's been a pretty good day. Lindsay rode with me in the morning. I've never ridden with her so we chatted even though it was pretty windy. I rode with Devon and Danie after lunch. We got to the library around 2.
Overall the trip is going well. But I can't believe I've BIKED from Boston to Missouri. Crazy!
Unfortunately I don't have time to say some other overall things. Alas, maybe next time. We're at the middle point of the trip timewise and we're getting over a kind of cranky phase and most people are having a great time. I am so glad I'm doing this.
Bloomington, IN to Lawrenceville, IL: 85 miles
~crossed the state border!
~Pretty quick ride, shared life stories with 5 others to pass the time
~stayed at THE GAS LITE MOTEL! It was awesome, having a real bed. Some kid was shooting off fireworks all day though and a bunch of people got chiggers (insects in the skin).
~Our first real taste of flood damage. The fields were just all BROWN because the water destroyed them. It makes the price of food sky rocketing a lot more understandable.
Lawrenceville to Salem, IL-75 miles
~AWESOME DAY. I got in first with Jorge at 12:45. We were averaging 17 miles an hour after lunch. I wanted to see how hard I could go and apparently it's pretty hard. The only problem is I didn't stop for ice cream. Sad.
~We were supposed to camp in the town square but that morning a church opened their doors to us which was a welcome relief.
Salem to ST. LOUIS, MO-80 miles
~The leaders played a nasty joke on us. Each day we're given an elevation chart that shows the hills etc for the day. It'd been flat the last two days with a scale of 150ft or so, and then they gave us one for this day that was 5000ft with several climbs, saying we were entering the Ozarks. Kyle Rudzinski gave an inspirational speech (he wasn't in on the joke) and then by mile 5 we knew the joke was on us. They'll get what's coming to them-ten fold.
~otherwise a pretty good day, although HOT in the afternoon. We rode on a bike path for a bit and we were told we were going through a bad neighborhood. We added 10 miles to avoid going to East St. Louis, which is supposed to be really bad.
~A cop in Trenton, IL joined us at lunch and was telling us about the area/stories of his job. It was interesting.
~We got to the church around 3: 30. Showers had closed and we were staying at a drop in center/food kitchen for the homeless which was a bit awkward. 3 other people and I went to an apartment nearby to shower and then we had dinner at the church. The guy who was hosting us told us not to walk around alone outside which was a bit worrisome but it was fine.
Day off in St. Louis:
~I was not in a very good mood for most of the day. Joe, a guy from the cycling club and the mayor's brother came and took us to REI where I bought a bunch of stuff and then to a watch shop to get my watch band fixed finally. He was pretty informative and an overall nice guy.
~I saw "Hancock" with Will Smith. Quite enjoyable. But not as much as the metro ride back with Sophie, Emma, Lenny, and Jorge.
~Joe and the cyclng club brought us dinner which was delicious.
~After dinner, Danie, Sarah, Oliver and I went to see the Arch, which was the only thing I'd wanted to do all day. Joe dropped us off. I saw the Deloitte office building from the arch as well as signs of the flood damage. Entire trees were covered by water.
~The best part was while I was waiting for the others to look at a museum, I sat on the grass, under the arch, reading by book, and watching the sunset. PERFECT.
St. Louis to Potosi, MO: 90 miles (I did 70 of them)
~This was a pretty rough day. I woke up not feeling well at all but I rode anyways. I had Devon, Emily, Jo, Lynn, Jess, and Kristi to keep me company for most of the day which is the only way I got as far as I did. Finally, it got to be near 6, we had 20 miles to go, and it was hot. We called the van to do a pickup.
~We were supposed to stay at a boy scout camp but unfortunately this christian church group rented out everything the morning of to keep us out of it. We ended up sleeping in an UNFINISHED house next to a GRAVEYARD. At night, the graveyard had a lantern lit up and when I went to go to the bathroom it freaked me out majorly. Needless to say, nobody slept well that night.
Potosi to Houston, MO-90 miles (I did 15)
~I still felt really crappy/tired/not good so after 15 miles I went in the van to give myself some recovery time. Good thing. It was raining, and then 2 of the roads we were routed onto were completely gravel (aka awful for rode bikes) for 10 miles. By the time we realized this, it was too late to reroute. Everyone had a not so good day.
~ The people in Houston were great. They gave us cars to go to showers and we had pizza/plenty of desserts.
~I felt a lot better by the end of the day. My body had been telling me I needed a break and I'm glad I listened.
Houston, MO to Springfield, MO-100 miles
~This was a great day. I did my 2nd century and had time for ice cream (steak and shake). I kind of pushed hard because I really wanted to have plenty of time to finish.
~We made dinner with Nancy from Habitat. Then we did a post dinner wal-mart/ice cream run. I went to bed REAL late (10:30!?!?) but we had a build day the next day and didn't have to get up til 6:30 so it was fine.
Build Day Springfield, MO
~We were doing set up for a blitz build that kicked off today to coincide with a golf tournament. We were building right next to the MO Sports Hall of Fame.
~The morning was a bit of a waste cause a construction crew was doing a bunch of stuff. We helped lift tresses onto the roof and mostly just chilled. The afternoon was a lot more productive with blue boarding, hurricane clipping, and some other stuff.
~Andy's Custard run after work was a good idea.
~Free Chipotle for dinner
~adventure to THE Bass Pro Shop. Camo Pick up Truck. Enough said.
~I was up late again changing my chain which was a bit more complicated than I had hoped but thanks to Jess, I figured it out.
~Oh! and I got a hug from a lady at the build site cause she was so proud of what we were doing. That was nice.
Springfield, MO to Joplin, MO: 82 miles
~I'm at mile 76 as I write this. We saw a library and stopped.
~It's been a pretty good day. Lindsay rode with me in the morning. I've never ridden with her so we chatted even though it was pretty windy. I rode with Devon and Danie after lunch. We got to the library around 2.
Overall the trip is going well. But I can't believe I've BIKED from Boston to Missouri. Crazy!
Unfortunately I don't have time to say some other overall things. Alas, maybe next time. We're at the middle point of the trip timewise and we're getting over a kind of cranky phase and most people are having a great time. I am so glad I'm doing this.
I've made it to Bloomington, IN!! This week was a lot less mountainous than last week but it was still pretty hectic. Highlights include a parade! We have a half build day tomorrow doing demolition work and I plan on taking the rest of the time to relax. So far I've found the midwest to be VERY hospitable. My opinion of Ohio has changed.
Weekly recap:
Pittsburgh to Stubuenville, OH: a low 42 miles!
Weekly recap:
Pittsburgh to Stubuenville, OH: a low 42 miles!
- This was supposed to be an 110 very hilly day to Newcomerstown but the leaders realized that this was a bad idea so they split it up into two days. To make up for it, we had a BIKE and BUILD day in Columbus (more info to come)
- We hit WV along the way (wild and wonderful)-Sang some John Denver
- We had a delicious lunch of SLOPPY JOES once we arrived to the church
- There was corn hole played in the church
- VERY gracious hosts. Dinner crew came in immediately after lunch was over to make us spaghetti and meatballs
- I pushed pretty hard this day and came in around 4? (one of the earlier people). I would have been in earlier but I waited out a rainstorm in the lunch trailer and then I stopped for ice cream and called my grandma.
- WE WERE IN THE CY YOUNG PARADE!! It got pushed back because of the rain but it was still awesome. We took a picture with a state senator and it's supposedly going on his website
- it POURED 2x during the day but I only rode in one storm
- the WIND was TERRIBLE
- Came in around 5 again. I would have been in earlier but I waited out a rainstorm in the lunch trailer and then I stopped for ice cream and called my grandma.
- Showered at Ohio State-was impressed
- Worked with this awesome lady Ashley who graduated from Princeton in 05 and was now a paid employee of Habitat through July 15th-she had a great perspective on life
- Did finishing work with the closet doors...got to use plenty of power tools including a drill, chop saw, circ saw, and sawzall
- On top of building in the morning, we had 60 miles to cover after lunch. The first 30 wasn't too much fun but the last 30 was great. I rode and chatted with Emily and we were going at a good clip.
- Upon arrival, we found out the Y we were going to shower at was closed so people took us to their homes.
- This wonderful man, Jim, took me and three others. We had real towels and wash clothes! He also offered us up all the food in his home. Then his car just randomly drove to a dairy so he bought us ice cream. I went to bed completely content that night.
- Yellow Springs was GORGEOUS. Jim called it paradise. A lady from an affordable housing organization in town came to speak to us. I geeked out over her saying a lot of land was tied up in conservation easements and I actually knew what that meant.
- It was a gorgeous day and ride until after lunch when I just bonked. I hadn't slept well all week and I think I ate too much at lunch so I rode in the van.
- It was an eventful afternoon with 2 crashes (one caused by stupidity). One of our riders had to get stitches but everyone is doing well now. Kyle learned the consequences of slapping Jose.
- The people in Rushville were FANTASTIC. We had a delicious dinner and then a bunch of them got up to make us breakfast. We ate so well!
- Good ride for the most part. Relatively flat til the end.
- I got another flat and had the wrong spare tube but kyle gave me one of his and everything was fine
- At the end of the really tough part was an ice cream place-perfect
- A B&B alum greeted us on the side of the road with a high five and "1/3 of the way there). We later found out who he was when he came and took us to the IU gym to shower.
This past week we have faced the hardest week of riding we will have on this trip. It was very rough, and exhausting. Quick recap...
Poughkeepsie to Port Jervis: 64 miles...don't remember too much about it cause it feels so long ago. I was feeling pretty dizzy after lunch (probably dehydrated) so I called the van for the last 14 miles and gave myself a break.
Port Jervis to Mt. Pocono: 60 miles (Port to Mountain...) There was a 4 mile slow climb at the end that just killed me. I got a flat right before it and it was hot. We made it though and got ice cream.
Mt. Pocono to Berwick: 60 miles? It was another hot day with a big climb. I stopped to help 3 people with a flat and then got one of my own so it was a long day. We had a nice downhill into town and I stopped for ice cream where I met 5 lovely old ladies from Philly who talked to us for awhile. That was a lot of fun.
Berwick to State College: 100 miles!! My first century. I was freaking out about it before it happened but it was my favorite ride so far. There was a long but not steep climb after lunch and then a bunch of rolling hills. I got a flat (3rd one) right off but I managed to fix it and catch up with people. After lunch I stuck with a group and we stopped to look at Penn's Cave, at a former B&Bers house for tea and rope swinging, and then for ice cream before arriving at the house we were staying at. The last 20 miles were rough just in terms of wanting to be done but it was a great and beautiful ride.
State College to Johnstown: 80 miles. This was very rough. On top of the century yesterday, this had a huge mountain to climb right after lunch. A lot of people ended up in the van but I got through it with help from my friend Jo. It was a huge mental test for me and I proved I was a lot stronger than I thought I was. The last bit was a 14% grade descent into town that scared the living crap out of me because I hate going that fast down and I didn't know if I'd be able to break in time to make the turn at the end. It all worked out though, and the YWCA we stayed at was really nice.
Johnstown to PITTSBURG: 80 miles. I was riding sweep yesterday, which means that Meg and I had to be the last riders in and stop with anyone who had a problem. Within the first 20 miles we'd stopped for one rider pickup and 3 flats. By the time we left lunch it was 2 in the afternoon and we had another 40 miles to go. By mile 48 I wanted to stop. There were just a lot of hills and they were steep and my body was exhausted. I fought for another 18 miles before it was 5 o'clock and we were still 14 miles away. One of the leaders called to see if we wanted to get picked up and I finally said yes. I felt bad for Meg cause she wanted to continue but I knew there was a giant hill coming up and then a ride through downtown Pittsburgh (the "worst" area). It would have taken us forever and I just didn't want to put myself through it. It took 2 1/2 hours for the van to get to us (which i used to read US weekly) but I knew I made the right decision on the ride into town. The hills we would have hit were NEVER ENDING and STEEP. The peopple in the van after lunch saw them and were horrified for us. Even the fastest group didn't get in until 5 which is unheard of. Everyone was hurting.
Last night I just ate, showered, got into my PJs, called Michaela and left messages for a couple others, and then went to bed. A bunch of people had gone out by the time we got in so it was really quiet for awhile. Then a bunch of them came back and then out again right as I was about to go to bed so I hung out with them for awhile.
Today we have a day off. Thank goodness. I don't think anyone wants to be on their bikes today. Unfortunately, I have to go to a bike shop because I did all of the climbing and stuff with messed up gears that made my life a lot more difficult. I also need new tires cause I have the crappy stock tires and one of them has a small hole. But other than that, my only plans include breakfast at a place this girl from Pittsburgh loves. I want to relax.
This week was the roughest riding of the trip and I survived pretty well. I spent only 30 of the over 400 miles we did in the van and I made it through. They were long, hard days, but I proved that I can do this and I'm really excited about the rest of the trip. And I am really excited we are almost done with stupid mountains for awhile. Other than the rough riding, the trip is going pretty well and I am 150% glad I decided to do this.
Oh, I also talked to Graham for about an hour the other day swapping stories which was great. He told me about his riding buddy, Sarah. Guess who had the lemonade stand for us with the rope swing in State College. Sarah! Skip, one of the leaders is on this trip a lot because of her and I am on this trip because of Graham. The dynamic duo strikes again.
Poughkeepsie to Port Jervis: 64 miles...don't remember too much about it cause it feels so long ago. I was feeling pretty dizzy after lunch (probably dehydrated) so I called the van for the last 14 miles and gave myself a break.
Port Jervis to Mt. Pocono: 60 miles (Port to Mountain...) There was a 4 mile slow climb at the end that just killed me. I got a flat right before it and it was hot. We made it though and got ice cream.
Mt. Pocono to Berwick: 60 miles? It was another hot day with a big climb. I stopped to help 3 people with a flat and then got one of my own so it was a long day. We had a nice downhill into town and I stopped for ice cream where I met 5 lovely old ladies from Philly who talked to us for awhile. That was a lot of fun.
Berwick to State College: 100 miles!! My first century. I was freaking out about it before it happened but it was my favorite ride so far. There was a long but not steep climb after lunch and then a bunch of rolling hills. I got a flat (3rd one) right off but I managed to fix it and catch up with people. After lunch I stuck with a group and we stopped to look at Penn's Cave, at a former B&Bers house for tea and rope swinging, and then for ice cream before arriving at the house we were staying at. The last 20 miles were rough just in terms of wanting to be done but it was a great and beautiful ride.
State College to Johnstown: 80 miles. This was very rough. On top of the century yesterday, this had a huge mountain to climb right after lunch. A lot of people ended up in the van but I got through it with help from my friend Jo. It was a huge mental test for me and I proved I was a lot stronger than I thought I was. The last bit was a 14% grade descent into town that scared the living crap out of me because I hate going that fast down and I didn't know if I'd be able to break in time to make the turn at the end. It all worked out though, and the YWCA we stayed at was really nice.
Johnstown to PITTSBURG: 80 miles. I was riding sweep yesterday, which means that Meg and I had to be the last riders in and stop with anyone who had a problem. Within the first 20 miles we'd stopped for one rider pickup and 3 flats. By the time we left lunch it was 2 in the afternoon and we had another 40 miles to go. By mile 48 I wanted to stop. There were just a lot of hills and they were steep and my body was exhausted. I fought for another 18 miles before it was 5 o'clock and we were still 14 miles away. One of the leaders called to see if we wanted to get picked up and I finally said yes. I felt bad for Meg cause she wanted to continue but I knew there was a giant hill coming up and then a ride through downtown Pittsburgh (the "worst" area). It would have taken us forever and I just didn't want to put myself through it. It took 2 1/2 hours for the van to get to us (which i used to read US weekly) but I knew I made the right decision on the ride into town. The hills we would have hit were NEVER ENDING and STEEP. The peopple in the van after lunch saw them and were horrified for us. Even the fastest group didn't get in until 5 which is unheard of. Everyone was hurting.
Last night I just ate, showered, got into my PJs, called Michaela and left messages for a couple others, and then went to bed. A bunch of people had gone out by the time we got in so it was really quiet for awhile. Then a bunch of them came back and then out again right as I was about to go to bed so I hung out with them for awhile.
Today we have a day off. Thank goodness. I don't think anyone wants to be on their bikes today. Unfortunately, I have to go to a bike shop because I did all of the climbing and stuff with messed up gears that made my life a lot more difficult. I also need new tires cause I have the crappy stock tires and one of them has a small hole. But other than that, my only plans include breakfast at a place this girl from Pittsburgh loves. I want to relax.
This week was the roughest riding of the trip and I survived pretty well. I spent only 30 of the over 400 miles we did in the van and I made it through. They were long, hard days, but I proved that I can do this and I'm really excited about the rest of the trip. And I am really excited we are almost done with stupid mountains for awhile. Other than the rough riding, the trip is going pretty well and I am 150% glad I decided to do this.
Oh, I also talked to Graham for about an hour the other day swapping stories which was great. He told me about his riding buddy, Sarah. Guess who had the lemonade stand for us with the rope swing in State College. Sarah! Skip, one of the leaders is on this trip a lot because of her and I am on this trip because of Graham. The dynamic duo strikes again.
So it turns out I got on a computer 2 days in a row! Woohoo!
Today we worked with the Newburg chapter of Habitat. We mainly moved bricks and furniture (kind of like in Alabama) but they showed us houses they'd put up in a blitz build. They seem like an awesome chapter with a big neighborhood plan in mind. They are working with a developer on a mixed community with habitat houses and then cheaper houses for fireman and teachers. They are relatively new (1999) and I think they really have potential to grow.
Since I have a little more time now I guess instead of listing what we did I'll go into a little more of what I'm thinking/feeling.
This is hard. Physically, mentally, and just in general. I'm tired half the time (we're in bed by 9:30 usually) and we don't have all that much free time with biking every day.
That being said, I'm having a great time. The people on the trip are all good people, and while there are conflicts arising about one thing or another, we get along pretty well. There is nobody that I can't stand to be around. I haven't really settled into a riding group which is kind of good because I can keep my own pace and ride with different people, but it would be nice to always have someone along on the rides. That will hopefully come with time.
As a group, we've also started doing an 8 minute ab routine (KILLER) but I've gotten in too late for it the last couple of days. It's a fun bonding thing when we do it together. Also, nothing is off limits in this trip. There is no personal space/privacy which is kind of cool in a sense (not so cool in other). No topic is off limits and we lost modesty awhile ago. We know more about each others peeing habits than anything else.
As far as the biking goes, I have done more than I ever thought I could. To be honest, I didn't train much at all. In the last week (since last thursday) I have ridden arouind 274 miles and through a mountain range (the berkshires). I've ridden in the cold rain. We've gained a lot of elevation (4100 ft one day, 5300 another, not sure about the rest). It has not been as easy path so far but I've made it. On 2 days I've walked some of the hills but yesterday I did not walk any of it. My bike is not being my friend right now but that doesn't matter. This next week is going to be the most difficult riding of the week. I'm going to take it one mile, one hill at a time and just try to get through it all.
Additionally, the hosts we've had have been great. Tonight is the first night that we've had to make ourselves dinner because every other night we've either been given money or been cooked for. The reactions of people to our trip have been overwhelmingly friendly and encouraging. I've gained a lot from our interactions with the host.
Speaking of hosts, I wonder what they think when we ATTACK food. No joke, food is put in front of us and it's gone pretty quickly. We're all hungry all the time and I love that we can eat. Everybody is joining in on the love of food.
Some things that have happened to me on the road:
~A woman pulled up to me at a light, rolled down her window, said "boston to santa barbara? good luck"
~Another car passed me yelling "you all are retarded!"
~HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK. Newsflash, if I'm at the side of the road I can't move over any farther without going off it. DEAL WITH IT AND MOVE PAST.
~Traffic doesn't phase me nearly as much as it did before. I'm a lot more comfortable on the road
~I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of it now.
Tomorrow we're off to Port Jarvis?, NY, 57 miles away (easy? compared to yesterday's ride). It's amazing how thinking has changed. I never really know where we're going til the night before cause I don't look at the schedule much. We're making a 6 mile detour into new jersey in the next two days.
Updates to come...
Today we worked with the Newburg chapter of Habitat. We mainly moved bricks and furniture (kind of like in Alabama) but they showed us houses they'd put up in a blitz build. They seem like an awesome chapter with a big neighborhood plan in mind. They are working with a developer on a mixed community with habitat houses and then cheaper houses for fireman and teachers. They are relatively new (1999) and I think they really have potential to grow.
Since I have a little more time now I guess instead of listing what we did I'll go into a little more of what I'm thinking/feeling.
This is hard. Physically, mentally, and just in general. I'm tired half the time (we're in bed by 9:30 usually) and we don't have all that much free time with biking every day.
That being said, I'm having a great time. The people on the trip are all good people, and while there are conflicts arising about one thing or another, we get along pretty well. There is nobody that I can't stand to be around. I haven't really settled into a riding group which is kind of good because I can keep my own pace and ride with different people, but it would be nice to always have someone along on the rides. That will hopefully come with time.
As a group, we've also started doing an 8 minute ab routine (KILLER) but I've gotten in too late for it the last couple of days. It's a fun bonding thing when we do it together. Also, nothing is off limits in this trip. There is no personal space/privacy which is kind of cool in a sense (not so cool in other). No topic is off limits and we lost modesty awhile ago. We know more about each others peeing habits than anything else.
As far as the biking goes, I have done more than I ever thought I could. To be honest, I didn't train much at all. In the last week (since last thursday) I have ridden arouind 274 miles and through a mountain range (the berkshires). I've ridden in the cold rain. We've gained a lot of elevation (4100 ft one day, 5300 another, not sure about the rest). It has not been as easy path so far but I've made it. On 2 days I've walked some of the hills but yesterday I did not walk any of it. My bike is not being my friend right now but that doesn't matter. This next week is going to be the most difficult riding of the week. I'm going to take it one mile, one hill at a time and just try to get through it all.
Additionally, the hosts we've had have been great. Tonight is the first night that we've had to make ourselves dinner because every other night we've either been given money or been cooked for. The reactions of people to our trip have been overwhelmingly friendly and encouraging. I've gained a lot from our interactions with the host.
Speaking of hosts, I wonder what they think when we ATTACK food. No joke, food is put in front of us and it's gone pretty quickly. We're all hungry all the time and I love that we can eat. Everybody is joining in on the love of food.
Some things that have happened to me on the road:
~A woman pulled up to me at a light, rolled down her window, said "boston to santa barbara? good luck"
~Another car passed me yelling "you all are retarded!"
~HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK. Newsflash, if I'm at the side of the road I can't move over any farther without going off it. DEAL WITH IT AND MOVE PAST.
~Traffic doesn't phase me nearly as much as it did before. I'm a lot more comfortable on the road
~I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of it now.
Tomorrow we're off to Port Jarvis?, NY, 57 miles away (easy? compared to yesterday's ride). It's amazing how thinking has changed. I never really know where we're going til the night before cause I don't look at the schedule much. We're making a 6 mile detour into new jersey in the next two days.
Updates to come...
So my last update left me in Andover, MA. Now this update finds me in Poughkeepsie, NY after 4 days of hard riding. We climbed the Berkshire mountains Monday and Tuesday and finally crossed the state boarder 9.5 miles into our 88 mile ride today. For the sake of keeping this short and collapsing into bed, I'll do brief summaries of the last 4 days (or what I can remember).
Sunday: Andover to Fitzburg ~41 miles.
~first long ride
~RAINED ALL DAY
~tough but not too bad
~stayed at the First Parish Unitarian church
~did a bike clinic and a presentation
~day ended pretty late but it was good overall
Monday: Fitzburg, MA to Amherst, MA ~54 miles
~This was a series of steep climbs before lunch and long, slow climbs after lunch
~It took awhile but we got through it, stopping at the top of each long slow climb to rest
~Amherst was pretty. I got a key lime pie at the bakery and a bunch of people went to get pizza from the famous Antonios.
~We stayed at the Hillel center for UMASS-AMHERST. We couldn't bring any food into the dining hall because of kosher stuff.
~We were all in bed by 9:15
Tuesday: Amherst to Pittsfield, MA 54ish miles
~4100 feet of climbing over the first 35 miles. UPHILL. We were rewarded with a long downhill at the end though.
~Took FOREVER
~I was alone a lot of the morning but the view was GORGEOUS and I took my time.
~Johanna and I took on the second half and collapsed into the YMCA at 3:30.
~It was probably the hardest day just because of the constant uphill but I got through it.
~Skip(a trip leader)'s scoutmaster made us a delicious dinner
Wednesday: Pittsfield to Poughkeepsie, NY ~88 miles (yowza!)
~LONGEST DAY YET-11 hours from start to finish
~The first part of the day was hilly but we were rewarded with some more great views
~we cheered each other on during the tough hills. Lenny did the toughest one about 3 times to help me and some others up it
~the first day I didn't walk any of it
~My shifting mechanism wasn't working so I had to keep stopping to fix it
~about 7 miles from the end it started raining. We then spent about an hour getting lost and I got pretty cranky.
~We have a build day tomorrow so I don't have to ride
Overall, the riding has been really tough but I'm enjoying myself and we've met some great people. This next week is going to be the hardest riding of the trip but if I can make it through today, I can make it through anything. I don't know when I will get the internet again but feel free to call.
Hi Mom!
Oh, and Tim, I got your post but this computer won't let me on Facebook. Thanks :)
Sunday: Andover to Fitzburg ~41 miles.
~first long ride
~RAINED ALL DAY
~tough but not too bad
~stayed at the First Parish Unitarian church
~did a bike clinic and a presentation
~day ended pretty late but it was good overall
Monday: Fitzburg, MA to Amherst, MA ~54 miles
~This was a series of steep climbs before lunch and long, slow climbs after lunch
~It took awhile but we got through it, stopping at the top of each long slow climb to rest
~Amherst was pretty. I got a key lime pie at the bakery and a bunch of people went to get pizza from the famous Antonios.
~We stayed at the Hillel center for UMASS-AMHERST. We couldn't bring any food into the dining hall because of kosher stuff.
~We were all in bed by 9:15
Tuesday: Amherst to Pittsfield, MA 54ish miles
~4100 feet of climbing over the first 35 miles. UPHILL. We were rewarded with a long downhill at the end though.
~Took FOREVER
~I was alone a lot of the morning but the view was GORGEOUS and I took my time.
~Johanna and I took on the second half and collapsed into the YMCA at 3:30.
~It was probably the hardest day just because of the constant uphill but I got through it.
~Skip(a trip leader)'s scoutmaster made us a delicious dinner
Wednesday: Pittsfield to Poughkeepsie, NY ~88 miles (yowza!)
~LONGEST DAY YET-11 hours from start to finish
~The first part of the day was hilly but we were rewarded with some more great views
~we cheered each other on during the tough hills. Lenny did the toughest one about 3 times to help me and some others up it
~the first day I didn't walk any of it
~My shifting mechanism wasn't working so I had to keep stopping to fix it
~about 7 miles from the end it started raining. We then spent about an hour getting lost and I got pretty cranky.
~We have a build day tomorrow so I don't have to ride
Overall, the riding has been really tough but I'm enjoying myself and we've met some great people. This next week is going to be the hardest riding of the trip but if I can make it through today, I can make it through anything. I don't know when I will get the internet again but feel free to call.
Hi Mom!
Oh, and Tim, I got your post but this computer won't let me on Facebook. Thanks :)
The Webber family has been absolutely incredible. The routes this year are dedicated to their son
, Chris, who was killed in March of last year. He was a B&B alum and the program director for many of our routes. Today, people in our group told us more about him and he was such an incredible guy. Judging by his family, I have no doubt about it.
Yesterday, a bunch of them joined us for our ride from Revere to Andover. Then, they had us over for dinner which was incredible. A bunch of family and friends of Chris were there. They helped shuttle us to and from the house. Then this morning they brought us breakfast and took us to our work site. Tonight they are giving us a thanksgiving style feast. I can't even put into words how much we appreciate them and I hope we can keep in touch with them on our trip. A big highlight was seeing a 5 year old, Brendan, do some crazy dancing and break dancing to 4 minutes by JT and Madonna.
Today was our first build day. A representative of Habitat, Tony, came last night and told us about the affiliate and the site we're building on. There were 2 houses weeks away from being finished and moved into when the block caught fire and it was all burnt down. The family had already given away its other lease and had to go elsewhere. They decided they want to wait for their house to be rebuilt on the same lot it was meant to be on.
Tony came out with his little son and I talked to him about how he has worked for Goldman Sachs for 15 years and to stay grounded he volunteers his time with Habitat 3 days a month. I hope to do the same once I start my job. I want to keep Habitat a part of my life and to never forget how much community service means to me.
Working on their house knowing the story behind it was incredibly motivating. I helped put up two walls (with plywood). Other groups put the rafters of the ceiling up on another house and another group dug holes and poured concrete for a fence at a finished and occupied house. Overall, it was a long hard day but it was great to see the tangible product of a days end. If we were here for more time we'd probably become master framers and get a lot done just like my Charleston spring break trip.
That's probably the one thing that makes me sad is we only have one day with each affiliate so we don't get as efficient as we otherwise would be. The flip side is I'll get to see how a bunch of different Habitat chapters operate which is really interesting to me.
Tomorrow we're off to another city in Massachusetts 45 miles or so away. It should be good.
, Chris, who was killed in March of last year. He was a B&B alum and the program director for many of our routes. Today, people in our group told us more about him and he was such an incredible guy. Judging by his family, I have no doubt about it.
Yesterday, a bunch of them joined us for our ride from Revere to Andover. Then, they had us over for dinner which was incredible. A bunch of family and friends of Chris were there. They helped shuttle us to and from the house. Then this morning they brought us breakfast and took us to our work site. Tonight they are giving us a thanksgiving style feast. I can't even put into words how much we appreciate them and I hope we can keep in touch with them on our trip. A big highlight was seeing a 5 year old, Brendan, do some crazy dancing and break dancing to 4 minutes by JT and Madonna.
Today was our first build day. A representative of Habitat, Tony, came last night and told us about the affiliate and the site we're building on. There were 2 houses weeks away from being finished and moved into when the block caught fire and it was all burnt down. The family had already given away its other lease and had to go elsewhere. They decided they want to wait for their house to be rebuilt on the same lot it was meant to be on.
Tony came out with his little son and I talked to him about how he has worked for Goldman Sachs for 15 years and to stay grounded he volunteers his time with Habitat 3 days a month. I hope to do the same once I start my job. I want to keep Habitat a part of my life and to never forget how much community service means to me.
Working on their house knowing the story behind it was incredibly motivating. I helped put up two walls (with plywood). Other groups put the rafters of the ceiling up on another house and another group dug holes and poured concrete for a fence at a finished and occupied house. Overall, it was a long hard day but it was great to see the tangible product of a days end. If we were here for more time we'd probably become master framers and get a lot done just like my Charleston spring break trip.
That's probably the one thing that makes me sad is we only have one day with each affiliate so we don't get as efficient as we otherwise would be. The flip side is I'll get to see how a bunch of different Habitat chapters operate which is really interesting to me.
Tomorrow we're off to another city in Massachusetts 45 miles or so away. It should be good.
I'm now in Andover, MA. We had our first ride day today which was about 24 miles including re-routes and wrong turns. We're staying at an elementary school today and tomorrow and we have a build day in Andover tomorrow.
So far things have been going pretty well. I've had a couple of minor "Oh, shit, what have I gotten myself into" moments but it seems plenty of others feel the same way. I had some issues with the bike drills because I was pretty tense but once I relaxed I did a lot better.
Wednesday morning my parents and I checked out the USS Constitution (oldest naval ship afloat) and then headed off to Revere. They bought me lunch and dropped me off, just like when I went to summer camp. It was nice having them there to calm me down and make sure I got there okay.
We got to Orientation on Wednesday and got to know one another and Bike and Build policy. Our bikes got checked (and mine got plenty fixed) and we grabbed pizza for dinner. That night we didn't stay up too late because it'd been a long day.
Thursday we got up early, ate, went over health and hygiene stuff and bike maitenance/rules of the road. We watched a really cheesy video about how to ride in traffic. The cool thing about it was it was filmed in DC, some parts where I ride along the Mt. Vernon trail. We then were fed amazing italian by some members of the church and did some emergency drills.
That afternoon we did a shakedown ride of about 14 miles (including getting lost). It was scary riding around the church because the streets are not well maintained and there is lots of traffic. However, we got to Deer Park Island and rode around it. The view we were met with was absolutely breathtaking. I felt like I was in the caribbean. Unfortunately, sand got into my eyes and burned like crazy for a bit before I had to stop and wipe them out.
The people of St. Anthony's fed us dinner that night (again delicious italian food) and we gave a presentation on affordable housing. One of the ladies stood up and told us, tears in her eyes, that if her college bound granddaughter could end up like us she would be so proud. It's nice to see this side of young people these days. It reminded me of the letter APO got from Venable Elementary parents saying how usually the thought of college age kids invokes thoughts of beer cans on the lawn and how APO helped change that image.
That night we relaxed and tried to watch the celtics game. Unfortunately, we only saw the first half when the Celtics were losing by 24. Apparently they won, go figure.
Today we had relatives/guests join us and did the wheel dipping ceremony. We dipped our back tires in the atlantic ocean and will dip our front tires in the pacific. We headed off to Andover. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get here because of all the lights and wrong turns. This will be our shortest ride day so we had most of the afternoon free. The family of the former program director of bike and build, Chris Webber, who was killed last year is having a cookout for us. The trips this year are dedicated to him.
Overall, I'm enjoying myself. The people are great and everyone goes out of their way to help others. It's been a good start.
Oh, and one of graham's trip leaders is the director of our trip so I've been hearing good stories. graham beware.
I'm about to go to orientation after staying two days in boston. I am in love with this city. The people are nice, the feel is old and beautiful. Highlights of my trip: fenway park tour, historical tour with a crazy dressed up guy, and a beautiful view of the sunset. Lowlights: spending 3 hours at the doctor cause I thought my wound was infected. Turned out it wasn't. The brewery tour we went on was great too.
Some pictures of my injury/state after my last bike ride.
Today I went on a 35 mile ride. I did the same path that my mom and I do but I did it all instead of a portion of it. It was a rough ride for several reasons.
First, the trail disappears when you hit Old Town Alexandria and you pick it up again after a couple of miles. There was very little markings to guide the way and I spent a lot of time getting confused. Luckily, I know Old town pretty well so I managed to find the trail.
Second, 10 miles into the ride and 10 miles away from my car, I completely wiped out. I saw a turn too late and still tried to make it and I was on a wooden boardwalk. My bike went one way and I went the other. I skidded across the boardwalk, stopped, and assessed the damage. I scraped up my knee a little and my elbow a lot. A runner I had just passed helped me up and my bike, told me it looked like other than a couple of scrapes only my pride was damaged. What pride, I thought? Once I put my chain back on the COG, I got back on my bike and kept on going.
Third, my energy levels got pretty low and the last 6 miles was not so much fun. I got through it though and I probably could have kept going if I had something else to eat.
Despite the above, it wasn't too bad of a ride. I went from .5 miles to Mt. Vernon all the way into Rosslyn. It wasn't too crowded and I didn't get too hot. The views were gorgeous and my first break was checking out Theodore Roosevelt Island and then watching planes fly right above me on their way to the airport. Yesterday I had ridden about 12 miles in my neighborhood and I thought this ride was actually easier. My neighborhood is just a bunch of rolling hills so I was constantly climbing.
Ok, now onto goals/expectations of myself for this trip. These are the things I hope to accomplish:
1) DON'T COMPLAIN. Yes, it's going to be hard and yes, I am not as prepared for the riding as I should be. I knew this going in and I've brought a lot of the struggle on myself. I need to "soldier up" as my dad would say and get through it. I wanted to do this partly because it's a challenge that I want to overcome. As far as everything else goes (accommodations, showering, etc) just go with the flow and enjoy it.
2) STAY POSITIVE. This goes along with the above. Find pleasure in the roughing it and the dirtiness and everything else. I am usually pretty good at looking at the upside of not so great situations and I want to continue to do it here. Think of the hardship as a great group bonding activity.
3) TRY TO GET TO KNOW EVERYONE. Make sure to have a meaningful conversation with everyone on the trip and don't just stick with a few people. There are going to be people I get along with better than others but everyone has something to bring to the table. I did a pretty good job at this with my last habitat trip and I enjoyed the experience that much more.
4) SLEEP. My body does not handle little sleep well. Consider how it went into shock for a couple of days after my spring break trip. This might mean sacrificing bonding for an early bed time but something tells me everyone will want to get to bed at a reasonable time.
5) GET FIT AND STAY FIT. After this trip I expect to be in the best shape of my life. When I get back I want to stay that way. I need to find a half marathon to train for or start training for a triathlon. I do a lot better with exercising if there is something to work for. My job next year has a lot of uncertainty as to location of client, hours, etc so it's important to have a flexible plan for fitting in exercise.
6) EAT AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE. I need to keep my body fueled but I also need to avoid unhealthy foods that make me more lethargic in the end. Seeing as a lot of our meals are provided I may not have much choice in the matter but I just need to take care of myself. I think I might ban soda once the trip starts but we'll see how it goes.
Finally
7) HAVE FUN. Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Take time to enjoy a gorgeous view along the way. This is the experience of a lifetime and I need to make sure I'm not just focused on getting the ride done and getting to the end but also must enjoy it along the way.
Next post I'll post my route and mail drops. I leave on Sunday to head up to Boston with my parents and then they will drop me off at orientation on Wednesday.
First, the trail disappears when you hit Old Town Alexandria and you pick it up again after a couple of miles. There was very little markings to guide the way and I spent a lot of time getting confused. Luckily, I know Old town pretty well so I managed to find the trail.
Second, 10 miles into the ride and 10 miles away from my car, I completely wiped out. I saw a turn too late and still tried to make it and I was on a wooden boardwalk. My bike went one way and I went the other. I skidded across the boardwalk, stopped, and assessed the damage. I scraped up my knee a little and my elbow a lot. A runner I had just passed helped me up and my bike, told me it looked like other than a couple of scrapes only my pride was damaged. What pride, I thought? Once I put my chain back on the COG, I got back on my bike and kept on going.
Third, my energy levels got pretty low and the last 6 miles was not so much fun. I got through it though and I probably could have kept going if I had something else to eat.
Despite the above, it wasn't too bad of a ride. I went from .5 miles to Mt. Vernon all the way into Rosslyn. It wasn't too crowded and I didn't get too hot. The views were gorgeous and my first break was checking out Theodore Roosevelt Island and then watching planes fly right above me on their way to the airport. Yesterday I had ridden about 12 miles in my neighborhood and I thought this ride was actually easier. My neighborhood is just a bunch of rolling hills so I was constantly climbing.
Ok, now onto goals/expectations of myself for this trip. These are the things I hope to accomplish:
1) DON'T COMPLAIN. Yes, it's going to be hard and yes, I am not as prepared for the riding as I should be. I knew this going in and I've brought a lot of the struggle on myself. I need to "soldier up" as my dad would say and get through it. I wanted to do this partly because it's a challenge that I want to overcome. As far as everything else goes (accommodations, showering, etc) just go with the flow and enjoy it.
2) STAY POSITIVE. This goes along with the above. Find pleasure in the roughing it and the dirtiness and everything else. I am usually pretty good at looking at the upside of not so great situations and I want to continue to do it here. Think of the hardship as a great group bonding activity.
3) TRY TO GET TO KNOW EVERYONE. Make sure to have a meaningful conversation with everyone on the trip and don't just stick with a few people. There are going to be people I get along with better than others but everyone has something to bring to the table. I did a pretty good job at this with my last habitat trip and I enjoyed the experience that much more.
4) SLEEP. My body does not handle little sleep well. Consider how it went into shock for a couple of days after my spring break trip. This might mean sacrificing bonding for an early bed time but something tells me everyone will want to get to bed at a reasonable time.
5) GET FIT AND STAY FIT. After this trip I expect to be in the best shape of my life. When I get back I want to stay that way. I need to find a half marathon to train for or start training for a triathlon. I do a lot better with exercising if there is something to work for. My job next year has a lot of uncertainty as to location of client, hours, etc so it's important to have a flexible plan for fitting in exercise.
6) EAT AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE. I need to keep my body fueled but I also need to avoid unhealthy foods that make me more lethargic in the end. Seeing as a lot of our meals are provided I may not have much choice in the matter but I just need to take care of myself. I think I might ban soda once the trip starts but we'll see how it goes.
Finally
7) HAVE FUN. Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Take time to enjoy a gorgeous view along the way. This is the experience of a lifetime and I need to make sure I'm not just focused on getting the ride done and getting to the end but also must enjoy it along the way.
Next post I'll post my route and mail drops. I leave on Sunday to head up to Boston with my parents and then they will drop me off at orientation on Wednesday.
I had a lot of fun in Philadelphia this weekend. I decided my family motto should be: "always dramatic, but always fun." I saw all of my family and even some of my in laws and just generally relaxed. My favorite part was probably coloring with my 5 year old cousin (mini me) in a restaurant after putting together strawberry shortcake puzzles. It's fun to act like a little kid once in awhile. The more I spend time with mini me though, the more I feel bad for all that I put my parents through as a little kid.
Today I went on another bike ride with my mom and her friend. These rides have not been uneventful. The first ride I fell and the second ride I lost my contact midway. This time I went off on my own ahead of them just to push myself and see what I could do. I got to the halfway point about 10 minutes before they did, and then on the way back my chain got all messed up. I couldn't fix it myself and I spent a decent amount of time waiting for my mom to catch up with me to help but they never did. It turns out that they had stayed on the path instead of riding along the road like we had been doing for that part.
Luckily, another cyclist saw me looking dazed and confused and stopped to help me. He put my chain back on and I went off again. It was really nice of him to stop and it's just another example of how good cyclists are to each other (in my limited experience so far). I have to say, I like being able to use the "new to cycling" line to get lots of help but I'm looking forward to being the one to help others once I learn how to do stuff.
Tomorrow I'm going to get prescription sunglasses and then I think Wednesday I am going to do the bike ride my mom and I do but I'm going to try to do the whole path (round trip about 34 miles) and maybe some more depending on how I feel. Apparently the trail takes you under the wilson bridge and through an apartment building but hopefully I can find my way. Or perhaps there will be other cyclists who can point me in the right direction.
Today I went on another bike ride with my mom and her friend. These rides have not been uneventful. The first ride I fell and the second ride I lost my contact midway. This time I went off on my own ahead of them just to push myself and see what I could do. I got to the halfway point about 10 minutes before they did, and then on the way back my chain got all messed up. I couldn't fix it myself and I spent a decent amount of time waiting for my mom to catch up with me to help but they never did. It turns out that they had stayed on the path instead of riding along the road like we had been doing for that part.
Luckily, another cyclist saw me looking dazed and confused and stopped to help me. He put my chain back on and I went off again. It was really nice of him to stop and it's just another example of how good cyclists are to each other (in my limited experience so far). I have to say, I like being able to use the "new to cycling" line to get lots of help but I'm looking forward to being the one to help others once I learn how to do stuff.
Tomorrow I'm going to get prescription sunglasses and then I think Wednesday I am going to do the bike ride my mom and I do but I'm going to try to do the whole path (round trip about 34 miles) and maybe some more depending on how I feel. Apparently the trail takes you under the wilson bridge and through an apartment building but hopefully I can find my way. Or perhaps there will be other cyclists who can point me in the right direction.
Sometimes (ok, most of the time) it pays to be a woman. I got my bike fit problem hopefully fixed yesterday, and then I went and stocked up on some last minute supplies at Performance Bike in Springfield. Thursdays from 6-8 is ladies night and female cyclists get an additional 10% off and they usually already have great sales! I got a bunch of clif bars and gel pack things for a pretty good price. I have to say I prefer the Performance Bike in C-ville but this one seemed like it had helpful people too.
Now I am off to Philadelphia to see my dad's family. I haven't seen them since January and I am VERY excited to see my little cousins, one of whom just turned 1, and the rest of the bunch. When I jokingly told my grandma I was sick and couldn't come (family joke--Hank?) she told me she didn't care if I was dying. I was to get my butt in the car and head up there so that's what I'm doing. Then it's another bike ride with my mom on Monday and last minute prep for the trip.
Now I am off to Philadelphia to see my dad's family. I haven't seen them since January and I am VERY excited to see my little cousins, one of whom just turned 1, and the rest of the bunch. When I jokingly told my grandma I was sick and couldn't come (family joke--Hank?) she told me she didn't care if I was dying. I was to get my butt in the car and head up there so that's what I'm doing. Then it's another bike ride with my mom on Monday and last minute prep for the trip.
I went to The Bike Lane in Burke today to get my bike fitted to me. I have to say, I am overwhelmed by the level of customer service in bike shops that I've found. The people at the Performance Bike shop in Charlottesville were always friendly and helpful and willing to spend time with me trying to figure things out. As a novice cyclist who has no idea what I am doing, that was great. Then the person at the Bike Lane spent an hour with me and told me to call him to tell him how the fitting worked after a bike ride even if everything was okay.
The fitting went really well. Basically I set my bike up on a trainer and spun for awhile while Adam checked out my positioning. Every once and awhile I would get off and he would make an adjustment. Everything got adjusted including the handlebar position, the handlebar stem, the seat height, the seat level, the seat position and my cleat. Adam would explain to me what he was doing along the way and keep me informed. I'm not usually so good at asking questions and for help but he made me comfortable to do so. He also gave me suggestions on how to loosen up my shoulders and hamstrings. After the fitting, one of the guys did a quick tune and discovered that one of my spoked was really loose (OOPS) so its a good thing I got it checked out.
I got to test out my new bike fit with another bike ride with my mom and her friend. Let me tell you, the proper bike fit and having fully inflated tires makes a world of difference! My knees have killed me after other bike rides but they feel so much better now. I had a problem with my foot and hands becoming a bit numb from the pressure on the pedals and the handlebars so I'm going to call up the bike shop tomorrow to get some minor adjustments made.
The most interesting part of the ride was when my contact fell out mid-hill. I could feel it coming out but because of the curvy nature of the trail I couldn't stop immediately. When I did stop my contact was on my cheek but when I tried to wet it in the hopes of saving it, the contact fell off of my finger and into the dirt never to be seen again. Two runners came by and asked jokingly if we'd lost a contact while we tried to find it and they were shocked when we said yes. The nice part about it was seeing all of the people who stopped or asked if we needed help.
At this point, we were less than halfway through our ride but surprisingly I can see pretty well with just one contact in so we continued. After the halfway point, I took the lead and got a chance to really see what my bike could do and to play with the cycling computer I finally got to work. I left my mom and her friend in the dust and rode pretty hard. It amazes me how much more comfortable I get on a bike every single ride.
Oh! I also got my housing research done. My mom (the reference librarian) told me to check out Google Scholar and I find 2 really great articles on housing in the 70s and 80s and then I easily found the city statistics I needed on another website. I think I'll look over it next week to really try to streamline the information so it's not so overwhelming.
Just 2 weeks until my trip begins!!
The fitting went really well. Basically I set my bike up on a trainer and spun for awhile while Adam checked out my positioning. Every once and awhile I would get off and he would make an adjustment. Everything got adjusted including the handlebar position, the handlebar stem, the seat height, the seat level, the seat position and my cleat. Adam would explain to me what he was doing along the way and keep me informed. I'm not usually so good at asking questions and for help but he made me comfortable to do so. He also gave me suggestions on how to loosen up my shoulders and hamstrings. After the fitting, one of the guys did a quick tune and discovered that one of my spoked was really loose (OOPS) so its a good thing I got it checked out.
I got to test out my new bike fit with another bike ride with my mom and her friend. Let me tell you, the proper bike fit and having fully inflated tires makes a world of difference! My knees have killed me after other bike rides but they feel so much better now. I had a problem with my foot and hands becoming a bit numb from the pressure on the pedals and the handlebars so I'm going to call up the bike shop tomorrow to get some minor adjustments made.
The most interesting part of the ride was when my contact fell out mid-hill. I could feel it coming out but because of the curvy nature of the trail I couldn't stop immediately. When I did stop my contact was on my cheek but when I tried to wet it in the hopes of saving it, the contact fell off of my finger and into the dirt never to be seen again. Two runners came by and asked jokingly if we'd lost a contact while we tried to find it and they were shocked when we said yes. The nice part about it was seeing all of the people who stopped or asked if we needed help.
At this point, we were less than halfway through our ride but surprisingly I can see pretty well with just one contact in so we continued. After the halfway point, I took the lead and got a chance to really see what my bike could do and to play with the cycling computer I finally got to work. I left my mom and her friend in the dust and rode pretty hard. It amazes me how much more comfortable I get on a bike every single ride.
Oh! I also got my housing research done. My mom (the reference librarian) told me to check out Google Scholar and I find 2 really great articles on housing in the 70s and 80s and then I easily found the city statistics I needed on another website. I think I'll look over it next week to really try to streamline the information so it's not so overwhelming.
Just 2 weeks until my trip begins!!
After suffering from knee pains after nearly every ride, I haven't ridden my bike since last friday and I haven't worked out at all (although moving out of charlottesville all weekend contributed to that as well). I'm going to shell out some money to get my bike fitted professionally at a local bike shop tomorrow and will probably join my mom on another bike ride. I'm hoping that the fitting and the knee brace I just bought will take care of my knee problems and let me focus on getting ready for the trip.
I am also trying to do research for my portion of the presentation I have to do about affordable housing on the trip. My topic is housing initiatives in the 1970s and 1980s. I'm having trouble with this because a) it's a broad topic, b) I haven't written a research paper since my second year and am at a loss with where to start, and c) I don't have access to all the databases I've been spoiled with over the last four years. I think tomorrow I'm going to hunker down in a local library to try to look up some information. I shouldn't have put it off so long seeing as how I have to have my information turned in tomorrow but to be honest I kind of forgot about it with all the craziness of the last month.
This weekend I won't be able to train because I'm going to visit my dad's family in Philadelphia. I haven't seen them since January and miss them a lot. My little cousin just turned one and I can't wait to see how much he's grown. My grandma is very worried about me and this trip. Every time I talk about the trip with her she tell me I shouldn't do it. I told her I'd just tell her I decided not to go and make up reasons why I can't visit her over the summer. I don't think she bought it. When my mom was expressing her concerns to my other grandma, that grandma told her "of course she can do it." Many of my friends have expressed a similar sentiment and it has really calmed my fears to know that I have so many people who believe in me.
What has also helped calm these fears is group e-mails. Someone started a thread about training and a couple of people were talking about their training rides. Then another person responded "training, what training?" and let me know that I'm not alone in feeling a little behind in that department. I'm glad to know I won't be alone in being relatively new to biking.
Finally, I'm still far short of my fundraising goal. If you would be willing to donate, please go to the bike and build website, click on donate, and select my name. I need online donations by June 2nd.
I am also trying to do research for my portion of the presentation I have to do about affordable housing on the trip. My topic is housing initiatives in the 1970s and 1980s. I'm having trouble with this because a) it's a broad topic, b) I haven't written a research paper since my second year and am at a loss with where to start, and c) I don't have access to all the databases I've been spoiled with over the last four years. I think tomorrow I'm going to hunker down in a local library to try to look up some information. I shouldn't have put it off so long seeing as how I have to have my information turned in tomorrow but to be honest I kind of forgot about it with all the craziness of the last month.
This weekend I won't be able to train because I'm going to visit my dad's family in Philadelphia. I haven't seen them since January and miss them a lot. My little cousin just turned one and I can't wait to see how much he's grown. My grandma is very worried about me and this trip. Every time I talk about the trip with her she tell me I shouldn't do it. I told her I'd just tell her I decided not to go and make up reasons why I can't visit her over the summer. I don't think she bought it. When my mom was expressing her concerns to my other grandma, that grandma told her "of course she can do it." Many of my friends have expressed a similar sentiment and it has really calmed my fears to know that I have so many people who believe in me.
What has also helped calm these fears is group e-mails. Someone started a thread about training and a couple of people were talking about their training rides. Then another person responded "training, what training?" and let me know that I'm not alone in feeling a little behind in that department. I'm glad to know I won't be alone in being relatively new to biking.
Finally, I'm still far short of my fundraising goal. If you would be willing to donate, please go to the bike and build website, click on donate, and select my name. I need online donations by June 2nd.
Well, this last weekend I finally graduated. I am so glad to be done with classes but graduation means my June 11th start date for the trip is looming even closer.
After finals, a week at the beach, and recovering from graduation my training has not been what it needs to be. I'm going to focus this week on getting out for some rides around my neighborhood and local parks. In that vein, I joined my mom and her friend on a bike ride on the Mt. Vernon trail in Alexandria. We rode about an hour and 15 minutes. The view of the Potomac was absolutely gorgeous. I liked the trail because it was paved (unlike my favorite running trail around here) and they had lines separating the directions to make it feel like a mini road and to keep people from blocking the entire road. The trail also had plenty of curves and hills to make me get more skilled in those areas. I'll admit, at one curve I thought I might wipe out cause it was so sharp.
The one time I did wipe out was because of the clipless pedals. My mom and her friend came to a stop right in front of me and I didn't have time to unclip so I toppled over. Luckily I didn't fall too hard and I was able to pop right up.
I really need to go somewhere to get my bike fitted to me. The last two long rides I've gone on have left my knees all messed up the next day because the seat wasn't adjusted properly and I don't have the expertise to really know how to fix it. I raised my seat a little halfway through my ride yesterday which I think helped from further aggravating my knee.
All in all it was a good ride but I really need to get myself outdoors more. I've become a lot more used to the clipless pedals and except for the problem of stopping suddenly I'm a big fan. I'm also a lot more comfortable with playing around with the gears but I think I need to grease my chains some cause they are very clunky at the moment which concerns me.
People keep asking me if I'm ready for this trip and the closer it comes the more I think no. I don't think anyone can ever fully prepare themselves for a trip of this magnitude but I'm starting to freak out and wonder what I got myself into. I think once I get to Boston and we get started I'll feel a lot more comfortable and these nerves will go away. There's just so much to do to get ready and not enough time to do it. Despite the nerves, I don't regret for a second signing up for this trip because I think it will be the experience of a lifetime and I can't wait to reach Santa Barbara and to make plenty of memories along the way.
After finals, a week at the beach, and recovering from graduation my training has not been what it needs to be. I'm going to focus this week on getting out for some rides around my neighborhood and local parks. In that vein, I joined my mom and her friend on a bike ride on the Mt. Vernon trail in Alexandria. We rode about an hour and 15 minutes. The view of the Potomac was absolutely gorgeous. I liked the trail because it was paved (unlike my favorite running trail around here) and they had lines separating the directions to make it feel like a mini road and to keep people from blocking the entire road. The trail also had plenty of curves and hills to make me get more skilled in those areas. I'll admit, at one curve I thought I might wipe out cause it was so sharp.
The one time I did wipe out was because of the clipless pedals. My mom and her friend came to a stop right in front of me and I didn't have time to unclip so I toppled over. Luckily I didn't fall too hard and I was able to pop right up.
I really need to go somewhere to get my bike fitted to me. The last two long rides I've gone on have left my knees all messed up the next day because the seat wasn't adjusted properly and I don't have the expertise to really know how to fix it. I raised my seat a little halfway through my ride yesterday which I think helped from further aggravating my knee.
All in all it was a good ride but I really need to get myself outdoors more. I've become a lot more used to the clipless pedals and except for the problem of stopping suddenly I'm a big fan. I'm also a lot more comfortable with playing around with the gears but I think I need to grease my chains some cause they are very clunky at the moment which concerns me.
People keep asking me if I'm ready for this trip and the closer it comes the more I think no. I don't think anyone can ever fully prepare themselves for a trip of this magnitude but I'm starting to freak out and wonder what I got myself into. I think once I get to Boston and we get started I'll feel a lot more comfortable and these nerves will go away. There's just so much to do to get ready and not enough time to do it. Despite the nerves, I don't regret for a second signing up for this trip because I think it will be the experience of a lifetime and I can't wait to reach Santa Barbara and to make plenty of memories along the way.
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