We left Rockport State Park in the early morning rain. yuck. I haven't had to ride in the rain since Pennsylvania (i out ran the rain in Iowa), but I guess it was fitting to spend our next to the last day in the rain. It was also fitting that I would get lost just one more time.
You see we stopped about 17 miles in for coffee/hot chocolate because it was cold, and when we did my group apparently missed the sign saying we were supposed to turn right. We went straight instead, and 10 miles later realized our mistake. We turned around and headed on, adding 20 miles to the day. A long day with lots of hills, we had one last big downhill headed into town before racing across some very narrow, busy bridges to reach our host location. That night we went to a Karaoke bar for Hannah Wagley's birthday and to celebrate the end of the trip. It was a great night.
Then into Seattle. Wow. After over two months of riding we were down to just 40 more miles. Because of the route, a lot of it on the bike paths, we stayed in big groups for most of the day. Things really sunk in for me when I saw the space needle, such an icon of Seattle. We had really made it. Things were pretty crazy as we headed through downtown, and we eventually made it down to the water where we followed the road down past all of the piers. We crossed over into West Seattle and then grouped up and waited about a mile away from Alki Beach. When everyone made it we rode in, parents cheering and then we all ran into the water. My parents surprised me by coming! I had no idea they would be there, and it was so good to see them.
We had a ceremony on the beach that night, and everyone began to leave after the build day on Monday. Dustin, my roommate came up on Monday night, and we've been hanging out with Lisa and her brother, Matt. We're staying at the Green Tortoise, a hostel right in the heart of the city. Great location. We've been really big tourists, checking out the space needle, Pike's Market, the University of Washington, kayaking in Lake Union, and just hanging out on the beach. Its been great catching up with Dustin, and I can't wait to get back to Ruston before too long.
We leave for the airport later tonight (our flight is at 6 am), and we'll head to El Paso for a few days before heading back to the 708 house.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wallace to Rockport State Park, WA
Well its been a while since I've been able to post. I did such a great job keeping this thing updated for most of the trip only to go for a week and a half at the end with nothing. It wasn't all my fault, I promise. We camped out and were in rural parts of Washington for several nights, but you'll learn about that soon enough if you keep reading this post... so here we go.
As best as I can remember after all the madness of the last few days
Wallace to Coeur d'Alene was an absolutely gorgeous ride. We started the day by climbing a small pass called Camel's Hump, and then just before lunch we climbed the Fourth of July Pass (even though it was August 2nd). The second pass was on the interstate, but even still it was an awesome ride. We ate lunch at the top of the pass and then descended into the toursity town of Coeur d'Alene. We had another pretty big climb up to a bridge a couple hundred feet high before cruising into town. I got there early, and an arts festival was going on. After a quick nap a group of us went swimming in Coeur d'Alene lake and then walked around the festival for a while. I even got some Huckleberry Lemonade while walking around. Delicious! Then we ate ravioli and then a group of us went back to town for a little while since it was going to be a short day into Spokane.
The next morning was a Sunday, and we had a very short ride into Spokane, our first stop in our last state. I was riding sweep with Katharine, and a local chiropractor was awesome enough to give free adjustments to any riders who wanted it done. Since I was sweep and had to be last anyways, I jumped at the chance and definitely enjoyed it. We left the church almost an hour after the main group which waited on us at the the state line. We took group pictures there before heading down the bike trail into town. A few miles out we stopped and went swimming at a great water hole with giant rocks (but not deep enough to jump off of), and then road in to the Fourth Memorial Church we would be staying at for two nights.
Our build day in Spokane went pretty well. We were working on the house where the Habitat's Americorps volunteers will be living starting in September. The local chapter was between builds at the time, but it was good to be able to help out in any way that we could.
I don't remember much about the ride from Spokane to Wilbur. We camped out that night, the first time of the trip, and it was a lot of fun. It turns out Bike & Build and camping do work well together, and I think we were ready faster the next morning than usual.
Wilbur to Omak was a hard ride. In a flashback that eerily familiar to our days in Nebraska, the morning started out hot, windy, and hilly, and just plain hard. Then we descended down to the Coulee Dam on a long downhill only to have to climb back out before lunch. We stopped at a farmer's market for lunch where we were treated to free apple cider and popcorn while we ate. Emily had fallen just before lunch. and although everything ended up being okay, they took her to the emergency room just to be safe. Lunch was a little longer than usual, and then Lisa and I decided to brave the wind and hills together for the last half of the day. A special surprise came for us when we reached Distautel Pass (which I didn't know was coming) and we had to climb for what seemed for ever. At what we thought was the top Lisa and I took a break only to discover once we got up that there was still more climbing to do after a short downhill. By the time we reached the "real" top of the pass, the van had just caught us and we stopped for a short water break. The last 15 miles or so from here were literally all downhill. We saw Omak from 8 or 9 miles out, and just descended the entire way in. The downhill definitely made the day easier because we were all toasted after the climb.
Descending into Omak was great, but that just meant we had to climb out of it the next day. Just as we were leaving Omak we began climbing Loup Loup Pass. I started riding very strong, and feeling pretty good. About 4 miles into the climb I stood up to get some momentum, leaned too far over my handle bars, and something funny happened. My front wheel locked up just a little and I went toppling over the front. Luckily I landed pretty gracefully (well no one saw it happen, but it felt graceful), and I didn't injure myself. Unfortunately, I bent a few spokes in my front wheel and wasn't able to ride it anymore. Luckily again though, Julie was totally awesome and let me borrow her wheel for the rest of the trip! So I continued riding, caught up with Lisa and Joe when Lisa had a flat, and we made it to the top together. I was pretty shaken up after my fall, and after a pretty long lunch we headed into the town closest to Early Winters to hang out for the afternoon. We sat in a coffee shop all afternoon before heading to our camp ground for the night (about 12 miles away). The park hosts who were there were a really neat couple from British Columbia who I talked to for a while before taking a book and my mp3 player down to the river and reading until dark.
From Early Winters to Rockport State Park was my favorite day of the trip hands down. we started the day with a climb up Washington pass. It was 15.5 miles long, and literally started about 100 yards from where we were camping. Joe was driving that day, but he decided to do the first climb with us, descend back down, and then go get the van. He, Chad, Jake Schorr and I rode together off and on through out the whole climb, all grouping up right before an awesome set of switchbacks that took us up to the top of the pass. As you reached the upper switchbacks you could see the Cascades for what seemed forever. After taking pictures at the elevation sign Joe went to get the van while Chad, Jake, and I back tracked just a little to cheer people on up the hill. After a while we descended and then immediately climbed Rainy Pass where most of the rainclouds on the west coast drop their rain before going over the mountains. From there, it seemed like it was all down hill. We followed the rivers down stream past several lakes which I don't remember all of the names of (except Diablo Lake), and several dams meaning our elevation just kept dropping. The water at these lakes was a beautiful green blue, and all of the vegetation was breathe taking. Lisa, Courtney, Kate, Jake Schorr, Hana, and I all stopped at a huge waterfall and played for a while before second lunch. Jake Schorr's dad met us at second lunch where he had fresh strawberries for all of us! He also told us he had an amazing dinner for us once we got the campsite! I was one of the last people to leave second lunch (sweep almost had to chase me out), and Marty, Lindsey, Jess, and I rode the rest of the way in. Along the way we stopped at a really cool blueberry farm where several of the other bike and builders were picking berries. We mooched off of them for a while and then headed to the campgrounds. I was on the road for 10 hours that day. Then Jake Schorr's dad, Josh, had a great grill cookout for us before leading us in the Shabbot, the Jewish worship service celebrated starting on Friday night.
And that's where I'll end this post. I know I still have the ride to Everett and of course Seattle to tell about, but I'm still used to going to bed early for Bike & Build. Maybe I'll get around to it tomorrow.
As best as I can remember after all the madness of the last few days
Wallace to Coeur d'Alene was an absolutely gorgeous ride. We started the day by climbing a small pass called Camel's Hump, and then just before lunch we climbed the Fourth of July Pass (even though it was August 2nd). The second pass was on the interstate, but even still it was an awesome ride. We ate lunch at the top of the pass and then descended into the toursity town of Coeur d'Alene. We had another pretty big climb up to a bridge a couple hundred feet high before cruising into town. I got there early, and an arts festival was going on. After a quick nap a group of us went swimming in Coeur d'Alene lake and then walked around the festival for a while. I even got some Huckleberry Lemonade while walking around. Delicious! Then we ate ravioli and then a group of us went back to town for a little while since it was going to be a short day into Spokane.
The next morning was a Sunday, and we had a very short ride into Spokane, our first stop in our last state. I was riding sweep with Katharine, and a local chiropractor was awesome enough to give free adjustments to any riders who wanted it done. Since I was sweep and had to be last anyways, I jumped at the chance and definitely enjoyed it. We left the church almost an hour after the main group which waited on us at the the state line. We took group pictures there before heading down the bike trail into town. A few miles out we stopped and went swimming at a great water hole with giant rocks (but not deep enough to jump off of), and then road in to the Fourth Memorial Church we would be staying at for two nights.
Our build day in Spokane went pretty well. We were working on the house where the Habitat's Americorps volunteers will be living starting in September. The local chapter was between builds at the time, but it was good to be able to help out in any way that we could.
I don't remember much about the ride from Spokane to Wilbur. We camped out that night, the first time of the trip, and it was a lot of fun. It turns out Bike & Build and camping do work well together, and I think we were ready faster the next morning than usual.
Wilbur to Omak was a hard ride. In a flashback that eerily familiar to our days in Nebraska, the morning started out hot, windy, and hilly, and just plain hard. Then we descended down to the Coulee Dam on a long downhill only to have to climb back out before lunch. We stopped at a farmer's market for lunch where we were treated to free apple cider and popcorn while we ate. Emily had fallen just before lunch. and although everything ended up being okay, they took her to the emergency room just to be safe. Lunch was a little longer than usual, and then Lisa and I decided to brave the wind and hills together for the last half of the day. A special surprise came for us when we reached Distautel Pass (which I didn't know was coming) and we had to climb for what seemed for ever. At what we thought was the top Lisa and I took a break only to discover once we got up that there was still more climbing to do after a short downhill. By the time we reached the "real" top of the pass, the van had just caught us and we stopped for a short water break. The last 15 miles or so from here were literally all downhill. We saw Omak from 8 or 9 miles out, and just descended the entire way in. The downhill definitely made the day easier because we were all toasted after the climb.
Descending into Omak was great, but that just meant we had to climb out of it the next day. Just as we were leaving Omak we began climbing Loup Loup Pass. I started riding very strong, and feeling pretty good. About 4 miles into the climb I stood up to get some momentum, leaned too far over my handle bars, and something funny happened. My front wheel locked up just a little and I went toppling over the front. Luckily I landed pretty gracefully (well no one saw it happen, but it felt graceful), and I didn't injure myself. Unfortunately, I bent a few spokes in my front wheel and wasn't able to ride it anymore. Luckily again though, Julie was totally awesome and let me borrow her wheel for the rest of the trip! So I continued riding, caught up with Lisa and Joe when Lisa had a flat, and we made it to the top together. I was pretty shaken up after my fall, and after a pretty long lunch we headed into the town closest to Early Winters to hang out for the afternoon. We sat in a coffee shop all afternoon before heading to our camp ground for the night (about 12 miles away). The park hosts who were there were a really neat couple from British Columbia who I talked to for a while before taking a book and my mp3 player down to the river and reading until dark.
From Early Winters to Rockport State Park was my favorite day of the trip hands down. we started the day with a climb up Washington pass. It was 15.5 miles long, and literally started about 100 yards from where we were camping. Joe was driving that day, but he decided to do the first climb with us, descend back down, and then go get the van. He, Chad, Jake Schorr and I rode together off and on through out the whole climb, all grouping up right before an awesome set of switchbacks that took us up to the top of the pass. As you reached the upper switchbacks you could see the Cascades for what seemed forever. After taking pictures at the elevation sign Joe went to get the van while Chad, Jake, and I back tracked just a little to cheer people on up the hill. After a while we descended and then immediately climbed Rainy Pass where most of the rainclouds on the west coast drop their rain before going over the mountains. From there, it seemed like it was all down hill. We followed the rivers down stream past several lakes which I don't remember all of the names of (except Diablo Lake), and several dams meaning our elevation just kept dropping. The water at these lakes was a beautiful green blue, and all of the vegetation was breathe taking. Lisa, Courtney, Kate, Jake Schorr, Hana, and I all stopped at a huge waterfall and played for a while before second lunch. Jake Schorr's dad met us at second lunch where he had fresh strawberries for all of us! He also told us he had an amazing dinner for us once we got the campsite! I was one of the last people to leave second lunch (sweep almost had to chase me out), and Marty, Lindsey, Jess, and I rode the rest of the way in. Along the way we stopped at a really cool blueberry farm where several of the other bike and builders were picking berries. We mooched off of them for a while and then headed to the campgrounds. I was on the road for 10 hours that day. Then Jake Schorr's dad, Josh, had a great grill cookout for us before leading us in the Shabbot, the Jewish worship service celebrated starting on Friday night.
And that's where I'll end this post. I know I still have the ride to Everett and of course Seattle to tell about, but I'm still used to going to bed early for Bike & Build. Maybe I'll get around to it tomorrow.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Superior, MT to Wallace, ID
Today is August first. On the 10th we reach Seattle. It's crazy to think how fast this summer has melted by. Where did it all go? We crossed back into Idaho today, and the next state we'll reach is Washington. We'll be there for a week before hitting the Pacific and this cross country trip will come to an end. It definitely snuck up on me.
Dinner last night was great. We had ribs cooked by the local Methodist Church at the fair. Then we watched team roping for a while before hitting the sack. This morning we went back out to the fairgrounds where they treated us to pancakes, sausage, and eggs. Yum! The rodeo was going early this morning, so after we ate we headed back over to the arena to watch barrel racing for a little while before hitting the road.
The ride today was really good. We sepnt most of the day on I-90 (its legal to ride on the interstate in Montana and Idaho), but it wasn't too bad. We left the interstate for about 12 miles before lunch and climbed through a really pretty area. It was an open range, where cattle can roam free, and Chad and I ran across some cows in the middle of the road. After lunch we climbed Lookout Pass on I-90 where we reached Idaho and the Pacific Time Zone. It was all down hill from there until we reached the nice little town of Wallace. We cleaned up, explored the town a little bit and enjoyed all the extra time we had (a short 60 mile ride plus gaining an hour means some of us got in about 1!).
Dinner last night was great. We had ribs cooked by the local Methodist Church at the fair. Then we watched team roping for a while before hitting the sack. This morning we went back out to the fairgrounds where they treated us to pancakes, sausage, and eggs. Yum! The rodeo was going early this morning, so after we ate we headed back over to the arena to watch barrel racing for a little while before hitting the road.
The ride today was really good. We sepnt most of the day on I-90 (its legal to ride on the interstate in Montana and Idaho), but it wasn't too bad. We left the interstate for about 12 miles before lunch and climbed through a really pretty area. It was an open range, where cattle can roam free, and Chad and I ran across some cows in the middle of the road. After lunch we climbed Lookout Pass on I-90 where we reached Idaho and the Pacific Time Zone. It was all down hill from there until we reached the nice little town of Wallace. We cleaned up, explored the town a little bit and enjoyed all the extra time we had (a short 60 mile ride plus gaining an hour means some of us got in about 1!).
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Lincoln, Missoula, Superior
As I sit here in the Library in Superior, I honestly can't remember much about the ride from Lincoln to Missoula. I Remember it was pretty long, seemed even longer, and with five mile to goI had to be motivated by Lisa saying "Jut five more miles until our day off!" That's all I remeber, but we made it none the less.
We got into Missoula, made ourselves a great pasta dinner and then hit the town for our first night out in over two weeks! Most of us ended up at the Iron Horse Bar & Grill where I'm pretty sure we overwhelmed them when we first walked in. The opened up a special room upstairs, the "501 Lounge" and we had a great night just hanging out and enjoying ourselves.
I woke up pretty early on our day off, I guess its just engrained in me these days. After breakfast at the church Lisa and I met up with Sophia at a coffee shop where I spent the rest of my morning reading. I haven't been to diligent in the reading department this summer, so it was good to give my brain a little workout.
We headed back "home" for lunch, and then a group of us headed out to go float the river all afternoon. Maybe the fact that there were 13 of us should have been some kind of ominous warning, but we didn't pay any attention to it. After a good ride up the river, our guide dropped us off for a 5 mile float trip. We grabbed our tubes, jumped in, and immediately realized just how cold it was. Honestly it wasn't too bad unless you were in the shade of the trees, but once the sun went behind the mountains, things turned colder. Most of the group got out and walked down the highway to our pick up point, but a few of us decided to tough it out (probably not my best decision on this trip). By the end I was balancing on top of my tube, shivering, hoping that no more rapids would cause me to get wet. It all ended up okay though. We all made it back safely (including Kate and Courtney who apparently hitch hiked back into town and left the rest of us a little worried), and it was a pretty fun way to end the afternoon. On our way back from the store where we rented rafts Lisa, Julie, and I stopped and got dinner at the Pita Pit (this WAS one of the better decisions of my trip).
Oh, side note. Julie is back as I just mentioned in the paragraph above. It was fun getting to hang out with here on the rafting trip and on our way back from dinner. She was definitely missed, and I'm glad she's back! Now all 31 riders are back.
The ride from Missoula to Superior was, well, superior! (yeah, lame joke, i know) No, but really, the 60 mile day just seemed to melt away as we travelled down the side roads next to the interstate and along a beautiful road following the river into town. In the morning, a big group of maybe 20 of us rode together most of the way before breaking up at a gas station. Mark, Shira, Lisa, Marita, and I kept going, and reached lunch pretty quickly. We had some great bakery donations (specialty breads!) and lunch was very good. We also had some not so good donations, like the angel food cake that seriously tasted like cotton candy,but I'm sure it was all eaten by the end of lunch anyways. After staying at lunch for quite a while, our same group minus Mark hit the road again. Following the river for most of the afternoon was great, and then we had mail drop once we got here! Mom sent me a new video camera/picture camera since mine died on me, so hopefully I can get back into the habit of posting pictures again. I guess I'll just have to steal everybody else's pictures off facebook so I have some from Nebraska and Wyoming.
Tonight we're going to the Mineral County Fair where our dinner is provided. Tomorrow we head to Idaho again!
We got into Missoula, made ourselves a great pasta dinner and then hit the town for our first night out in over two weeks! Most of us ended up at the Iron Horse Bar & Grill where I'm pretty sure we overwhelmed them when we first walked in. The opened up a special room upstairs, the "501 Lounge" and we had a great night just hanging out and enjoying ourselves.
I woke up pretty early on our day off, I guess its just engrained in me these days. After breakfast at the church Lisa and I met up with Sophia at a coffee shop where I spent the rest of my morning reading. I haven't been to diligent in the reading department this summer, so it was good to give my brain a little workout.
We headed back "home" for lunch, and then a group of us headed out to go float the river all afternoon. Maybe the fact that there were 13 of us should have been some kind of ominous warning, but we didn't pay any attention to it. After a good ride up the river, our guide dropped us off for a 5 mile float trip. We grabbed our tubes, jumped in, and immediately realized just how cold it was. Honestly it wasn't too bad unless you were in the shade of the trees, but once the sun went behind the mountains, things turned colder. Most of the group got out and walked down the highway to our pick up point, but a few of us decided to tough it out (probably not my best decision on this trip). By the end I was balancing on top of my tube, shivering, hoping that no more rapids would cause me to get wet. It all ended up okay though. We all made it back safely (including Kate and Courtney who apparently hitch hiked back into town and left the rest of us a little worried), and it was a pretty fun way to end the afternoon. On our way back from the store where we rented rafts Lisa, Julie, and I stopped and got dinner at the Pita Pit (this WAS one of the better decisions of my trip).
Oh, side note. Julie is back as I just mentioned in the paragraph above. It was fun getting to hang out with here on the rafting trip and on our way back from dinner. She was definitely missed, and I'm glad she's back! Now all 31 riders are back.
The ride from Missoula to Superior was, well, superior! (yeah, lame joke, i know) No, but really, the 60 mile day just seemed to melt away as we travelled down the side roads next to the interstate and along a beautiful road following the river into town. In the morning, a big group of maybe 20 of us rode together most of the way before breaking up at a gas station. Mark, Shira, Lisa, Marita, and I kept going, and reached lunch pretty quickly. We had some great bakery donations (specialty breads!) and lunch was very good. We also had some not so good donations, like the angel food cake that seriously tasted like cotton candy,but I'm sure it was all eaten by the end of lunch anyways. After staying at lunch for quite a while, our same group minus Mark hit the road again. Following the river for most of the afternoon was great, and then we had mail drop once we got here! Mom sent me a new video camera/picture camera since mine died on me, so hopefully I can get back into the habit of posting pictures again. I guess I'll just have to steal everybody else's pictures off facebook so I have some from Nebraska and Wyoming.
Tonight we're going to the Mineral County Fair where our dinner is provided. Tomorrow we head to Idaho again!
Monday, July 28, 2008
From Helena to Lincoln
Today we climbed from Helena to Lincoln. Well, not the whole way, but it sure seemed like it for a while.
St. Peter's fed us a great burrito dinner last night follwed by an amazing pancake, sausage, and hashbrown feast for breakfast. I was in bed before 8 and slept outside in the church courtyard (it was the perfect night to do so), so I was feeling great this morning. A big ggroup of us rolled out together and stayed together for the first 20 miles or so. The terrain started going up hill at this point, and we began to spread out with Jake Schorr, Jake Stangel, Sophia, Joe, and I taking the lead as we headed up Fletcher Pass. It wasn't too bad to begin with, but just as soon as Jake Stangel said, "This is probably the easiest pass I've ever climbed" the road decided to change that. The last 2 or 3 miles up the pass were pretty tough, but Joe and I kept pushing while we talked about the Tour de France (which apparently ended yesterday). We reached the top of the pass at about mile 36, and the van was waiting for us there. We took our time eating left over pancakes and sausage, and I stayed there for almost an hour. Lindsey, Lisa, Hannah, Marty, Marita, Jess, Barbara, and I all rode together for parts of the ride after lunch. The descent was quick and full of switchbacks, and then we fought the wind for the rest of the ride. Luckily it was a short day (57), and we all reached the school in Lincoln fairly early. The van got to the school right as I did, so after a quick unload and shower most of us decided to take a good long nap for a good portion of the afternoon.
St. Peter's fed us a great burrito dinner last night follwed by an amazing pancake, sausage, and hashbrown feast for breakfast. I was in bed before 8 and slept outside in the church courtyard (it was the perfect night to do so), so I was feeling great this morning. A big ggroup of us rolled out together and stayed together for the first 20 miles or so. The terrain started going up hill at this point, and we began to spread out with Jake Schorr, Jake Stangel, Sophia, Joe, and I taking the lead as we headed up Fletcher Pass. It wasn't too bad to begin with, but just as soon as Jake Stangel said, "This is probably the easiest pass I've ever climbed" the road decided to change that. The last 2 or 3 miles up the pass were pretty tough, but Joe and I kept pushing while we talked about the Tour de France (which apparently ended yesterday). We reached the top of the pass at about mile 36, and the van was waiting for us there. We took our time eating left over pancakes and sausage, and I stayed there for almost an hour. Lindsey, Lisa, Hannah, Marty, Marita, Jess, Barbara, and I all rode together for parts of the ride after lunch. The descent was quick and full of switchbacks, and then we fought the wind for the rest of the ride. Luckily it was a short day (57), and we all reached the school in Lincoln fairly early. The van got to the school right as I did, so after a quick unload and shower most of us decided to take a good long nap for a good portion of the afternoon.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Bozeman to Helena
Today was another good day on the bike. We woke up to a gerat breakfast provided by our hosts and prepared by Chad and the breakfast crew. It was a great mix of fruits, cereals, eggs, baked goods, and juices. We all ate so much we got a late start to our route meeting and then to our ride. The road from Bozeman to Helena is basically flat. For the first 45 miles until lunch I averaged 21 mph, and was feeling great. I stayed around first lunch for a long time (mainly because Marita and Jake bought frosted flakes so I was chowing down), and then decided to take it easy for a whlie. I rode alone for the next little stretch, and met up with a few other riders in a gas station at about mile 70. We rode together for the next 5 miles or so until second lunch where I refilled my water and hit the road again. I guess a big breakfast and then frosted flakes for first lunch were good enough. I moved pretty quickly the last 30 miles, making it into town pretty early. I wandered around for a little over an hour before heading to the church where they had muffins and juice waiting on us.
Its funny how two months ago a 100 mile ride was a big challenge our group had to mentally prepare for. Now it just seems like another day. We've all improved so much, and it is neat to see how things that used to be so hard are seeming easier for us all.
Its funny how two months ago a 100 mile ride was a big challenge our group had to mentally prepare for. Now it just seems like another day. We've all improved so much, and it is neat to see how things that used to be so hard are seeming easier for us all.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Jackson, WY to Bozeman, MT
Heading out of Jackson was probably the most anticipated day of the trip. After a quick 6 mile warm up we began our climb up Teton Pass. Teton Pass is a 10% grade for about 7 miles, and then a descent down into Idaho.
The whole way up I had chills as Chad and I pushed ourselves really hard. We took the bike path, and the views were absolutely breathtaking. Once we reached the top we turned around and cheered for the rest of the riders as they arrived. Soon the entire group was cheering on sweep as they made it up the pass. After lots of pictures, hugs, and all around good feelings we decided to keep going. We had only gone 13 miles, but it felt like we should have been done for the day. After a super fast, switchback filled descent, the next 60 miles were pretty hard for me. My camelbak (my backpack that holds water) had a leak, so I was only riding with one water bottle. This made the day longer because I was trying to conserve water, plus I had a slow leak in my back tire which frustrated me a little more. A little dehydrated, and just wanting the ride to be done with I had a pretty slow afternoon into Ashton, Idaho. That night I slept outside on the front porch of the church, and it was amazing.
From Ashton we had a special treat as we headed to West Yellowstone, MT. "Team Merica" (that's a patriotic combination of Marita and Eric) was riding sweep on a 57 mile day. The morning flew by with only a few stops as we helped Shira with her two flats. Team Merica somehow missed a few people who had stopped to go eat at a local restaurant, and we handed our duties over at lunch. I rode most of the afternoon alone, arriving to the host location fairly early. When we got to the host location, most everyone decided to pitch in $5 to cover gas and park fees, and we went into Yellowstone National Park. Joe, being the awesome leader he is, did a lot of driving to make the day great for all of us. First we went and swam in Firehole river, and then we went and walked around a boardwalk with several geysers on its path. Getting to see a glimpse of Yellowstone was definitely one of the highlights of a great week.
From W. Yellowstone we rode to Bozeman this morning. It was a 90 mile ride that just flew by. It was downhill almost all day, and it felt like we weren't doing any work at all. First lunch came quickly at mile 30, and then a group of us decided to stop at mile 45 in Big Sky for hot chocolate (it was about 35 degrees when we started our ride). I left the gas station alone, and missed second lunch because I never saw anyone. It was okay though because I just ate a Clif bar and made it in fine. When I got to town Ashley and I went to get ice cream (she missed lunch too), and waited for others to get to town. Soon Barbara, Mark, and Kourtney arrived and the four of us decided to go see the Dark Knight, the new Batman movie. It was great. Then we came back, ate dinner, had our town hall meeting, and now its time for bed.
Two weeks from tomorrow we reach Seattle!
The whole way up I had chills as Chad and I pushed ourselves really hard. We took the bike path, and the views were absolutely breathtaking. Once we reached the top we turned around and cheered for the rest of the riders as they arrived. Soon the entire group was cheering on sweep as they made it up the pass. After lots of pictures, hugs, and all around good feelings we decided to keep going. We had only gone 13 miles, but it felt like we should have been done for the day. After a super fast, switchback filled descent, the next 60 miles were pretty hard for me. My camelbak (my backpack that holds water) had a leak, so I was only riding with one water bottle. This made the day longer because I was trying to conserve water, plus I had a slow leak in my back tire which frustrated me a little more. A little dehydrated, and just wanting the ride to be done with I had a pretty slow afternoon into Ashton, Idaho. That night I slept outside on the front porch of the church, and it was amazing.
From Ashton we had a special treat as we headed to West Yellowstone, MT. "Team Merica" (that's a patriotic combination of Marita and Eric) was riding sweep on a 57 mile day. The morning flew by with only a few stops as we helped Shira with her two flats. Team Merica somehow missed a few people who had stopped to go eat at a local restaurant, and we handed our duties over at lunch. I rode most of the afternoon alone, arriving to the host location fairly early. When we got to the host location, most everyone decided to pitch in $5 to cover gas and park fees, and we went into Yellowstone National Park. Joe, being the awesome leader he is, did a lot of driving to make the day great for all of us. First we went and swam in Firehole river, and then we went and walked around a boardwalk with several geysers on its path. Getting to see a glimpse of Yellowstone was definitely one of the highlights of a great week.
From W. Yellowstone we rode to Bozeman this morning. It was a 90 mile ride that just flew by. It was downhill almost all day, and it felt like we weren't doing any work at all. First lunch came quickly at mile 30, and then a group of us decided to stop at mile 45 in Big Sky for hot chocolate (it was about 35 degrees when we started our ride). I left the gas station alone, and missed second lunch because I never saw anyone. It was okay though because I just ate a Clif bar and made it in fine. When I got to town Ashley and I went to get ice cream (she missed lunch too), and waited for others to get to town. Soon Barbara, Mark, and Kourtney arrived and the four of us decided to go see the Dark Knight, the new Batman movie. It was great. Then we came back, ate dinner, had our town hall meeting, and now its time for bed.
Two weeks from tomorrow we reach Seattle!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Dubois to Jackson
Let me just start out by saying this was my favorite ride of the trip thus far.
We left Dubois and began the long 85 mile day to Jackson. A big group of us was riding pretty fast for the first 10 miles or so before the day turned upwards. Chad and I began the long 20 mile climb at a steady pace only for me to have a flat before we even got to the real climb. I changed it quickly, and we began again. We pushed it pretty hard the whole way up, amazed as we climbed past snow patches and beautiful mountain lakes. We reached the top of the climb early enough to scout out a place for lunch, and after crossing the Continental Divide, we turned around and headed back to a little picnic area by a lake. This was what will probably be the highest point of our entire trip at 9,660 ft! After a quick mosquito filled lunch we headed down the other side of the mountain on a 17 mile downhill! It wasn't super steep, but I still managed to hit 45 mph coming down. About 3 or 4 miles into the descent we reached a spot where it leveled out just a little and to our left you could see the Teton mountains. They are huge, jagged, snow capped mountains that seem to go straight into the sky. At that point I, and most everyone else, had a smile that couldn't leave our faces for the next 50 miles. I another flat right at the bottom of the mountain, but the scenery was so great I didn't mind taking a break. After a few miles of gentle hills we reached the valley where we road on the amazingly flat road paralleling the Snake River.
We got into Jackson, a very touristy but still beautiful town, and spent the evening playing. We went through shops, roamed town, and ate at the Snake River Brewery and Restaurant. Then this morning we worked with the Teton Valley Habitat Chapter. The housing situation in Jackson is unique because of the wealthy people who flock here. The average cost of a house in the area is 1.2 million dollars! There is definitely a need for affordable housing in the area, and it was interesting to learn about the actions the local government is taking. We worked on 3 separate houses today. One was almost complete, while the other two hadn't had their foundations poured. I spent the morning grounding a house with Hana, raising the rebar for the concrete pours, a little bit of carpentry, and then learning how to survey. The afternoon was spent leveling all of the forms on one of the houses with Chad before the cement trucks arrived and we poured the molds we had worked on all day. All in all it was a great time. I learned new skills, worked hard, and just had fun.
Tomorrow we leave Wyoming headed for Idaho. I think everyone will be sad to see Wyoming go. It has been such an exciting, diverse state, and we've all had a blast. We climb Teton Pass early in the morning. Oh boy!
We left Dubois and began the long 85 mile day to Jackson. A big group of us was riding pretty fast for the first 10 miles or so before the day turned upwards. Chad and I began the long 20 mile climb at a steady pace only for me to have a flat before we even got to the real climb. I changed it quickly, and we began again. We pushed it pretty hard the whole way up, amazed as we climbed past snow patches and beautiful mountain lakes. We reached the top of the climb early enough to scout out a place for lunch, and after crossing the Continental Divide, we turned around and headed back to a little picnic area by a lake. This was what will probably be the highest point of our entire trip at 9,660 ft! After a quick mosquito filled lunch we headed down the other side of the mountain on a 17 mile downhill! It wasn't super steep, but I still managed to hit 45 mph coming down. About 3 or 4 miles into the descent we reached a spot where it leveled out just a little and to our left you could see the Teton mountains. They are huge, jagged, snow capped mountains that seem to go straight into the sky. At that point I, and most everyone else, had a smile that couldn't leave our faces for the next 50 miles. I another flat right at the bottom of the mountain, but the scenery was so great I didn't mind taking a break. After a few miles of gentle hills we reached the valley where we road on the amazingly flat road paralleling the Snake River.
We got into Jackson, a very touristy but still beautiful town, and spent the evening playing. We went through shops, roamed town, and ate at the Snake River Brewery and Restaurant. Then this morning we worked with the Teton Valley Habitat Chapter. The housing situation in Jackson is unique because of the wealthy people who flock here. The average cost of a house in the area is 1.2 million dollars! There is definitely a need for affordable housing in the area, and it was interesting to learn about the actions the local government is taking. We worked on 3 separate houses today. One was almost complete, while the other two hadn't had their foundations poured. I spent the morning grounding a house with Hana, raising the rebar for the concrete pours, a little bit of carpentry, and then learning how to survey. The afternoon was spent leveling all of the forms on one of the houses with Chad before the cement trucks arrived and we poured the molds we had worked on all day. All in all it was a great time. I learned new skills, worked hard, and just had fun.
Tomorrow we leave Wyoming headed for Idaho. I think everyone will be sad to see Wyoming go. It has been such an exciting, diverse state, and we've all had a blast. We climb Teton Pass early in the morning. Oh boy!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Casper to Dubois
Well we ended up NOT camping in Casper. We stayed at teh campgrounds, but in a great lodge full of stuffed elk, bison, and deer. Our build day was pretty good, too. Our group worked on framing a shed, putting up the siding on the house, and building a rail for the front porch. Galvanized nails made the framing a bit trickier than normal, but we ended up getting a lot done anyways.
We left Casper and headed to Shoshoni on what Wyoming residents call the "lonliest drive in the state." Contrary to its reputation and expectations, the day ended up being great for most of our group. It was a 100 mile day through the desert, but that didn't stop us from having fun. Lunch was at Hell's Half-Acre, a 320 acre canyon/badlands/amazing rock formations that left us breathless. After a longer than normal lunch enjoying the scenery we pushed on the rest of the way to the Yellowstone Drug Store in Shoshoni where we treated ourselves to "world-famous" shakes. My chocolate peanut butter one was great. Then we all headed to the fire station where we spent the night.
We slept late the next morning (6 am), before heading out to Lander. It was only a 47 mile day, and it flew by. As we left Riverton, a little over half way, we caught our first glimpse of the snow capped Wind River Mountains. I realized my speed dropped to almost a stand still as I took in the beauty of the scenery. After a great lunch thanks to Shira's mad shopping skills (even though she won't by frosted flakes), we made good time into Lander, most of us getting there before noon. We spent some time in a local coffee shop and then the park before a group of us decided to go hiking in Sink's Canyon. After a nice little drive into the mountains we took a mile and a half hike up to the waterfalls that were several hundred feet high. We spent a little while there before it started to rain and we quickly descended back to the car. We had dinner at a pavillion in Sink's Canyon that our host church put on, and then we split up and stayed with host families for the night. Nine of us guys stayed at Jamie and Leslie's house, and we had a great time. It was so great to be in a real house again, use a real shower, and just enjoy a glimpse of normal life for a few hours. Its strange to think that in 3 weeks I'll be back home living a normal life again... All in all Lander was a great outdoorsy town with lots of hikers, backpackers, climbers, etc. (Its also home to NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership School).
Today we travelled from Lander to Dubois (pronounced Do-Boys). Its a cool little western town with wooden sidewalks, a pharmacy/ice cream shop, and the river runs right through downtown. The 75 miles to get here were long, hard, windy, and up hill, but the spectacular view made it all worthwhile. On more than one ocassion today I caught myself running off the road because I was paying more attention to the mountains in front of me than the hills that I was climbing. We gained about 2000 feet of elevation today, so we're at about 7000 now. Tomorrow we climb Togwotee (sp?) Pass where we'll reach 9000 feet before descending into Jackson. Here we go!
We left Casper and headed to Shoshoni on what Wyoming residents call the "lonliest drive in the state." Contrary to its reputation and expectations, the day ended up being great for most of our group. It was a 100 mile day through the desert, but that didn't stop us from having fun. Lunch was at Hell's Half-Acre, a 320 acre canyon/badlands/amazing rock formations that left us breathless. After a longer than normal lunch enjoying the scenery we pushed on the rest of the way to the Yellowstone Drug Store in Shoshoni where we treated ourselves to "world-famous" shakes. My chocolate peanut butter one was great. Then we all headed to the fire station where we spent the night.
We slept late the next morning (6 am), before heading out to Lander. It was only a 47 mile day, and it flew by. As we left Riverton, a little over half way, we caught our first glimpse of the snow capped Wind River Mountains. I realized my speed dropped to almost a stand still as I took in the beauty of the scenery. After a great lunch thanks to Shira's mad shopping skills (even though she won't by frosted flakes), we made good time into Lander, most of us getting there before noon. We spent some time in a local coffee shop and then the park before a group of us decided to go hiking in Sink's Canyon. After a nice little drive into the mountains we took a mile and a half hike up to the waterfalls that were several hundred feet high. We spent a little while there before it started to rain and we quickly descended back to the car. We had dinner at a pavillion in Sink's Canyon that our host church put on, and then we split up and stayed with host families for the night. Nine of us guys stayed at Jamie and Leslie's house, and we had a great time. It was so great to be in a real house again, use a real shower, and just enjoy a glimpse of normal life for a few hours. Its strange to think that in 3 weeks I'll be back home living a normal life again... All in all Lander was a great outdoorsy town with lots of hikers, backpackers, climbers, etc. (Its also home to NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership School).
Today we travelled from Lander to Dubois (pronounced Do-Boys). Its a cool little western town with wooden sidewalks, a pharmacy/ice cream shop, and the river runs right through downtown. The 75 miles to get here were long, hard, windy, and up hill, but the spectacular view made it all worthwhile. On more than one ocassion today I caught myself running off the road because I was paying more attention to the mountains in front of me than the hills that I was climbing. We gained about 2000 feet of elevation today, so we're at about 7000 now. Tomorrow we climb Togwotee (sp?) Pass where we'll reach 9000 feet before descending into Jackson. Here we go!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
With Mountains in the Distance
The last two days have flown by. Short rides with some wind, but overall good days.
We left Lusk and headed to Douglas where we were in for a special treat. The pastor of our church host, Trinity Baptist, invited us all out to his ranch for a special treat. They had horses for us to ride, dogs to play with, goats to milk, and steer to look at. After we were cowboy-ed out we ate a great burrito dinner on the ranch. It was fun to take a closer look at a ranch. We've ridden by so many over the last few days, but you don't really get an understanding of what life is like for these people until you take some time and see.
This morning we headed west from Douglas to Casper. About 10 miles in we had the option of taking a detour to see a natural bridge. About 10 of us decided to go, and I'm glad we did. We rode up to the mountain to see the only natural bridge in North America that still has water running under it. After climbing it, taking a great photo op, and just relaxing for a little while we hit the road again. It was a good ride with some hills, but nothing too steep.
This stretch of road we've been on is the only part of the trip I've seen before. We met up with I-25 on our way into Douglas and followed it (sometimes on it) up to Casper. It's kind of strange seeing rest stops and Arby's that I've stopped at before. Next we head to Shoshoni, and it will be back to new adventures for the rest of the trip.
Tonight we're camping just north of Casper at the Fort Casper Campground. A few of us decided to stop at the Public Library in town, so we haven't made it out there yet. Maybe the trailer will already be unpacked for us :) This is the first time we've gotten to camp since we've hit the road. I love to camp, we'll just have to see what its like Bike & Build style.
We'll be in Casper two nights because we have a build day tomorrow. From here we turn into the mountains we've been riding beside the last two days. Up Up and Away!
We left Lusk and headed to Douglas where we were in for a special treat. The pastor of our church host, Trinity Baptist, invited us all out to his ranch for a special treat. They had horses for us to ride, dogs to play with, goats to milk, and steer to look at. After we were cowboy-ed out we ate a great burrito dinner on the ranch. It was fun to take a closer look at a ranch. We've ridden by so many over the last few days, but you don't really get an understanding of what life is like for these people until you take some time and see.
This morning we headed west from Douglas to Casper. About 10 miles in we had the option of taking a detour to see a natural bridge. About 10 of us decided to go, and I'm glad we did. We rode up to the mountain to see the only natural bridge in North America that still has water running under it. After climbing it, taking a great photo op, and just relaxing for a little while we hit the road again. It was a good ride with some hills, but nothing too steep.
This stretch of road we've been on is the only part of the trip I've seen before. We met up with I-25 on our way into Douglas and followed it (sometimes on it) up to Casper. It's kind of strange seeing rest stops and Arby's that I've stopped at before. Next we head to Shoshoni, and it will be back to new adventures for the rest of the trip.
Tonight we're camping just north of Casper at the Fort Casper Campground. A few of us decided to stop at the Public Library in town, so we haven't made it out there yet. Maybe the trailer will already be unpacked for us :) This is the first time we've gotten to camp since we've hit the road. I love to camp, we'll just have to see what its like Bike & Build style.
We'll be in Casper two nights because we have a build day tomorrow. From here we turn into the mountains we've been riding beside the last two days. Up Up and Away!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Into Wyoming
We left Chadron this morning with fresh legs and renewed spirits. Our day off was great, and everyone was excited to get going on our way to Wyoming. The first 25 miles flew by as Shira, Lisa, Chad, and I rode together. We reached Fort Robinson, an old army base from the late 1800's, fairly early in the morning, so Lisa, Jake Curtis (who caught up with us), and I decided to look around. We took a look around the museum that gave a pretty brief history of the struggles between the settlers and indians. Fort Robinson was used to fight the indians, train horses in World War I, and then train dogs in World War II. It was an interesting place, and I'm glad we stopped.
As we left Fort Robinson we began the big climb of the day. Joe had scared everyone about it this morning, but it ended up not being too bad. Lisa and I held a pretty good pace all the way to the senic look out where the van was waiting on us for lunch. After a quick snack we hit the road again with Marita, Lindsey, and Chad for the next 25 miles. I'm pretty sure it was all downhill (or at least it seemed like it) and it flew by.
Our second lunch was about 20 miles outside of Lusk in a town with a population of 18 just after we crossed into Wyoming. Most of us beat the van there, so Chad, Shira and I decided to just grab some fruit and head out. It was another fast stretch (only slowed down by my flat which I changed super fast). 82 miles in all, and a super great day.
So now we're in Wyoming. We travelled here from Rohde Island... by bike. We say that everytime we make it just a little farther, but each time it seems so much greater. Wyoming is "the West", No doubt about that. It's the first state of the trip that I've already been to, and I'm really excited about the next week here. We have two builds, one in Casper and one in Jackson, and about 6 days worth of riding. I also found out that we're going to get to climb Teton Pass as we're leaving Jackson. Get excited!
As we left Fort Robinson we began the big climb of the day. Joe had scared everyone about it this morning, but it ended up not being too bad. Lisa and I held a pretty good pace all the way to the senic look out where the van was waiting on us for lunch. After a quick snack we hit the road again with Marita, Lindsey, and Chad for the next 25 miles. I'm pretty sure it was all downhill (or at least it seemed like it) and it flew by.
Our second lunch was about 20 miles outside of Lusk in a town with a population of 18 just after we crossed into Wyoming. Most of us beat the van there, so Chad, Shira and I decided to just grab some fruit and head out. It was another fast stretch (only slowed down by my flat which I changed super fast). 82 miles in all, and a super great day.
So now we're in Wyoming. We travelled here from Rohde Island... by bike. We say that everytime we make it just a little farther, but each time it seems so much greater. Wyoming is "the West", No doubt about that. It's the first state of the trip that I've already been to, and I'm really excited about the next week here. We have two builds, one in Casper and one in Jackson, and about 6 days worth of riding. I also found out that we're going to get to climb Teton Pass as we're leaving Jackson. Get excited!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Carroll, IA all the way to Chadron, NE
Its been almost a week since I've been able to update. The hard drive on my computer crashed, and now I'm limited to short spurts of time on the local Library computer. Dell has been really helpful with everything, and hopefully my new hard drive will be in this afternoon.
I guess I have a lot of catching up to do. The last week has been the longest week of the trip in terms of mileage. That plus the wind has made it very draining, and everyone is really taking advantage of our day off in Chadron.
First, our build day in Carroll was great. The local Habitat chapter had plenty of work lined up for us, the weather held off, and we got a lot accomplished. We got to frame an entire house, definitely the glamorous part of building. In a few short hours we turned a concrete slab into the skeleton of a house. It was fun to see the change so quickly, and meeting thefamily who will be living there was very rewarding. Definitely a good day for all of us.
We left Carroll and headed to South Sioux City, NE on the longest day of the trip so far. The Cue Sheet said it was 103 miles, but I managed to turn it into a 111 mile day! I was up front for most of the day, and when we had to reroute due to gravel roads I missed one of the turns. Luckily everyone else made it, and the van tracked me down before too long. I had two choices on what to do. I could either turn around adding 20 miles to my day, or I could miss second lunch and try to reroute myself down some country roads. Armed with an Iowa bike map given to us by a bike shop in Ames I charted a new route. I hit some pretty big hills, but managed to only add 8 miles to the day. I made it back to the main road just as Hanna and Lisa were topping a hill, so we road the last few miles in together. Everyone was pumped after our first group 100 mile ride, and we stayed at an amazing YMCA that night.
From there we headed to Plainview, an 87 mile day into the winds. This is where I found out my computer had crashed, and I spent most of the afternoon on the phone with Dell. The next morning we got up and went to D-H lanes, a bar/bowling alley where we had breakfast. Bowling in spandex is quite amusing. Probably one of the most fun mornings of the trip. No one wanted to leave breakfast, but we all reluctantly headed on to Stuart.
Our ride to Stuart was just over 90, and not too bad.
Then came July 11th. My birthday! I woke up to many "Happy Birthdays!" and cards from both Bike and Builders and friends and family back home. Thanks so much for everything. I decided to wear my super sweet tuxedo bike jersey to celebrate my 21st, and perhaps the hardest day of the trip began. With head winds up to 35 miles an hour we trudged along all day, sometimes at 6 mph going downhill! Because the ride was 83 miles, we only had one lunch scheduled, but a diner in the middle of nowhere (literally, there were signs that said so) was a great spot to stop for ice cream and french fries. We reached the church very late, and the people who rode in the van tat day already had dinner prepared for us. After dinner the lights dimmed, a cake was brought out, and we had a short but fun birthday party. Thanks to mom, Ashley and everyone else who helped make that happen.
Valentine to Gordon was another long 90+ day with the winds in our faces. Chad, Peter, and I spent most of the day riding together through the open plains. We reached Gordon tired, and everyone passed out pretty much right after dinner.
Gordon to Chadron was one of my favorite rides of the trip. Only 47 miles, and with the wind at our backs we were able to fly. After such a long week I was very surprised at how well I felt yesterday. I managed to hold an average of 10 mph! There was a 4 or 5 mile stretch where I didn't go lower than 28 mph, even going over hills! I was in the first group to make it in, and that was about 10:20 in the morning. Defintely a nice change from the previous days. Michael, Frannie, and I went out to lunch at the Country Kitchen where I got a chicken fired steak. yum! Then I napped all afternoon before going out with the group on our night off! We had a lot of fun, slept late this morning and now we're just enjoying the day. For lunch I think we're going to go destroy the Pizza Hut buffet. Its amazing how much food our small army can eat.
Tomorrow we head to Lusk, WY, which means there are only 4 states left in our adventure! Its crazy to think we've made it this far, and we have less than a month left.
I guess I have a lot of catching up to do. The last week has been the longest week of the trip in terms of mileage. That plus the wind has made it very draining, and everyone is really taking advantage of our day off in Chadron.
First, our build day in Carroll was great. The local Habitat chapter had plenty of work lined up for us, the weather held off, and we got a lot accomplished. We got to frame an entire house, definitely the glamorous part of building. In a few short hours we turned a concrete slab into the skeleton of a house. It was fun to see the change so quickly, and meeting thefamily who will be living there was very rewarding. Definitely a good day for all of us.
We left Carroll and headed to South Sioux City, NE on the longest day of the trip so far. The Cue Sheet said it was 103 miles, but I managed to turn it into a 111 mile day! I was up front for most of the day, and when we had to reroute due to gravel roads I missed one of the turns. Luckily everyone else made it, and the van tracked me down before too long. I had two choices on what to do. I could either turn around adding 20 miles to my day, or I could miss second lunch and try to reroute myself down some country roads. Armed with an Iowa bike map given to us by a bike shop in Ames I charted a new route. I hit some pretty big hills, but managed to only add 8 miles to the day. I made it back to the main road just as Hanna and Lisa were topping a hill, so we road the last few miles in together. Everyone was pumped after our first group 100 mile ride, and we stayed at an amazing YMCA that night.
From there we headed to Plainview, an 87 mile day into the winds. This is where I found out my computer had crashed, and I spent most of the afternoon on the phone with Dell. The next morning we got up and went to D-H lanes, a bar/bowling alley where we had breakfast. Bowling in spandex is quite amusing. Probably one of the most fun mornings of the trip. No one wanted to leave breakfast, but we all reluctantly headed on to Stuart.
Our ride to Stuart was just over 90, and not too bad.
Then came July 11th. My birthday! I woke up to many "Happy Birthdays!" and cards from both Bike and Builders and friends and family back home. Thanks so much for everything. I decided to wear my super sweet tuxedo bike jersey to celebrate my 21st, and perhaps the hardest day of the trip began. With head winds up to 35 miles an hour we trudged along all day, sometimes at 6 mph going downhill! Because the ride was 83 miles, we only had one lunch scheduled, but a diner in the middle of nowhere (literally, there were signs that said so) was a great spot to stop for ice cream and french fries. We reached the church very late, and the people who rode in the van tat day already had dinner prepared for us. After dinner the lights dimmed, a cake was brought out, and we had a short but fun birthday party. Thanks to mom, Ashley and everyone else who helped make that happen.
Valentine to Gordon was another long 90+ day with the winds in our faces. Chad, Peter, and I spent most of the day riding together through the open plains. We reached Gordon tired, and everyone passed out pretty much right after dinner.
Gordon to Chadron was one of my favorite rides of the trip. Only 47 miles, and with the wind at our backs we were able to fly. After such a long week I was very surprised at how well I felt yesterday. I managed to hold an average of 10 mph! There was a 4 or 5 mile stretch where I didn't go lower than 28 mph, even going over hills! I was in the first group to make it in, and that was about 10:20 in the morning. Defintely a nice change from the previous days. Michael, Frannie, and I went out to lunch at the Country Kitchen where I got a chicken fired steak. yum! Then I napped all afternoon before going out with the group on our night off! We had a lot of fun, slept late this morning and now we're just enjoying the day. For lunch I think we're going to go destroy the Pizza Hut buffet. Its amazing how much food our small army can eat.
Tomorrow we head to Lusk, WY, which means there are only 4 states left in our adventure! Its crazy to think we've made it this far, and we have less than a month left.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Ames to Carroll, IA
First, a few randoms thoughts I forgot to include in my last post.
When we were in Clinton, right after crossing the Mississippi, a local teens club fed us dinner and then challenged us to a game of dodgeball. I could make excuses and say we lost because we'd already ridden 82 miles that day, or I could try and convince you that our arms are just out of practice because they don't get much use these days. I should probably just say that we got drilled in five games in a row. It was pathetic but oh so much fun.
On a note not quite as high, I'd like to talk about the flood damage here in Iowa. On our way from Mount Vernon to Marshalltown we rode through parts of Cedar Rapids that had been hit pretty hard. Seeing watermarks 15 feet high on houses that have had to be gutted is hard to handle. It was a quiet few miles as we all took in what was around us. I wish there had been some way for us to help the situation there, but due to the schedule of trip there wouldn't have been any way. Keep the people affected by the floods in your prayers. The waters may have receded, but their is still a lot of work to be done. Maybe our route will be able to help with the rebuilding next year.
Now on to today. It was 85.2 miles from Ames to Carroll. Shira, Chad and I rode at the front through the rolling hills until lunch. After a pretty fast morning, I decided to take a quick lunch and then take my time for the second half of the trip. I left lunch alone and first, and rode at a nice easy pace. It was really a cool experience because there were times I could see for miles in all directions, but no one was there. I enjoyed it. At about mile 60 the road turned to gravel, so I called Jake who was driving the van and we figured out a new route. I had to give up my solo riding because I forgot to pick up chalk this morning, and I had no way of informing the other riders about the detour. I waited for Chad, Peter, and Ashley to catch up, and together we rode the rest of the way in. It was a really hot, humid day, and I finished my Camelback, basically a backpack that holds 100 oz. of water, not once but twice. Even so, I think I was a little dehydrated, and the last 6 or 7 miles were pretty hard for me. We're staying at St. John's Lutheran Church tonight and tomorrow night, and we have a build day with the local Habitat Chapter tomorrow.
1760.6 miles into the trip so far.
5 days until my birthday.
35 days until Seattle.
When we were in Clinton, right after crossing the Mississippi, a local teens club fed us dinner and then challenged us to a game of dodgeball. I could make excuses and say we lost because we'd already ridden 82 miles that day, or I could try and convince you that our arms are just out of practice because they don't get much use these days. I should probably just say that we got drilled in five games in a row. It was pathetic but oh so much fun.
On a note not quite as high, I'd like to talk about the flood damage here in Iowa. On our way from Mount Vernon to Marshalltown we rode through parts of Cedar Rapids that had been hit pretty hard. Seeing watermarks 15 feet high on houses that have had to be gutted is hard to handle. It was a quiet few miles as we all took in what was around us. I wish there had been some way for us to help the situation there, but due to the schedule of trip there wouldn't have been any way. Keep the people affected by the floods in your prayers. The waters may have receded, but their is still a lot of work to be done. Maybe our route will be able to help with the rebuilding next year.
Now on to today. It was 85.2 miles from Ames to Carroll. Shira, Chad and I rode at the front through the rolling hills until lunch. After a pretty fast morning, I decided to take a quick lunch and then take my time for the second half of the trip. I left lunch alone and first, and rode at a nice easy pace. It was really a cool experience because there were times I could see for miles in all directions, but no one was there. I enjoyed it. At about mile 60 the road turned to gravel, so I called Jake who was driving the van and we figured out a new route. I had to give up my solo riding because I forgot to pick up chalk this morning, and I had no way of informing the other riders about the detour. I waited for Chad, Peter, and Ashley to catch up, and together we rode the rest of the way in. It was a really hot, humid day, and I finished my Camelback, basically a backpack that holds 100 oz. of water, not once but twice. Even so, I think I was a little dehydrated, and the last 6 or 7 miles were pretty hard for me. We're staying at St. John's Lutheran Church tonight and tomorrow night, and we have a build day with the local Habitat Chapter tomorrow.
1760.6 miles into the trip so far.
5 days until my birthday.
35 days until Seattle.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Eastern Iowa
Just as I was getting bored with the windy flats of Indiana and Illinois mother nature decided to mix things up a little bit. As soon as we crossed the Mississippi river in Clinton, we have been in some absolutely stunning country. While still surrounded by corn and soybeans, the flat lands have turned to hills. These hills are bigger than found in East Texas, but the momentum from one will often get you half way up the next. Its kind of like a roller coaster. Kind of.
We left Clinton a few days ago and headed to Mount Vernon, IA. We were supposed to be going to Cedar Rapids, but due to the flooding we stopped about 10 miles earlier. It was a great 82 mile ride. Being in the hills again is nice because even though you have to work a little harder to get up a hill, you get to coast (or push it and go really fast) back down.
From Mount Vernon we headed to Marshalltown yesterday, the 4th. All decked out with American flags and any other patriotic nonsense we could come up with, we went another 89 hilly miles. It was a long day, but absolutely beautiful. The weather was perfect, and we had a great day. The church we were staying at in Marshalltown didn't have a shower situation set up for us, so we all donned swimsuits and bathed with a water hose. After that we cooked burgers and had a great fourth of July picnic. Then we all went downtown for a great fireworks show that lasted pretty late. We sang patriotic and not so patriotic songs (Christmas carols) while we waited. It was definitely a fun night.
This morning we slept late (7 am) and then headed to Ames. It was only 43 miles, and Jeff and I were riding sweep today. Sweep is the last two riders who make sure everyone is okay on the ride. Jeff had a flat which put us well behind everyone, so we just enjoyed the short ride all morning. We stopped about 8 miles out and had lunch at a Dairy Queen, and then came into town. After a quick bike shop run we've just been hanging out and enjoying the afternoon.
We left Clinton a few days ago and headed to Mount Vernon, IA. We were supposed to be going to Cedar Rapids, but due to the flooding we stopped about 10 miles earlier. It was a great 82 mile ride. Being in the hills again is nice because even though you have to work a little harder to get up a hill, you get to coast (or push it and go really fast) back down.
From Mount Vernon we headed to Marshalltown yesterday, the 4th. All decked out with American flags and any other patriotic nonsense we could come up with, we went another 89 hilly miles. It was a long day, but absolutely beautiful. The weather was perfect, and we had a great day. The church we were staying at in Marshalltown didn't have a shower situation set up for us, so we all donned swimsuits and bathed with a water hose. After that we cooked burgers and had a great fourth of July picnic. Then we all went downtown for a great fireworks show that lasted pretty late. We sang patriotic and not so patriotic songs (Christmas carols) while we waited. It was definitely a fun night.
This morning we slept late (7 am) and then headed to Ames. It was only 43 miles, and Jeff and I were riding sweep today. Sweep is the last two riders who make sure everyone is okay on the ride. Jeff had a flat which put us well behind everyone, so we just enjoyed the short ride all morning. We stopped about 8 miles out and had lunch at a Dairy Queen, and then came into town. After a quick bike shop run we've just been hanging out and enjoying the afternoon.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Across the Mississippi
The last two days have been great!
We left Pontiac with fresh legs after a day off and headed to Peru, IL. A short 55 mile day without wind made for an awesome ride. Chad, Jake Stangel and I rode quickly for the first part of the day, and then met up Adam Bohr, a Central US alum from 2007. He pulled us in the last 15 miles or so, and then had an awesome set up for us that afternoon. We spent the afternoon hanging out at the pool while Adam and his girlfriend's family hosted us and cooked burgers. Days like yesterday are what Bike and Build are really about.
Today was a good day, just over 80 miles into Clinton, IA. At about mile 65 Lisa and I stopped at a Dairy Queen where we ran into a local ABC news affiliate. We started talking and then ended upon camera! They interviewed me, and I'll be sure to post the link when I find it. The highlight of the day however, came right at mile 80 when we crossed the Mississippi River. It feels like a big mile stone knowing we've made it this far. I guess it's kind of that "go west" mentality.
I'm at 1460 miles, and will roll over 1500 tomorrow! We've got good internet access, so hopefully I'll put up my pictures from the last two days later.
And then some random thoughts about the travel so far...
A big part of why I chose the Providence to Seattle route was seeing parts of the country that I've never seen before. The only two states we're going through that I had been to previously are Wyoming and Montana (and they're still to come). Everyone always talks about how the Midwest is so open, and it really is. There are have been times I've been able to see for miles and miles, and its all been corn, soybeans and wheat. What has really surprised me though is how cultivated everything is. When you drive through East Texas or North Louisiana there are stretches of land that are still pretty much untouched. Here, every acre is used for something; farming, homes, cows take up all of the landscape. It's really interesting to see, but at the same time it can seem kind of monotonous at times. I'm really excited to get out west where so much of the land is still wild. I guess I finally understand why its called the "wild west," and I'm not even there yet.
We left Pontiac with fresh legs after a day off and headed to Peru, IL. A short 55 mile day without wind made for an awesome ride. Chad, Jake Stangel and I rode quickly for the first part of the day, and then met up Adam Bohr, a Central US alum from 2007. He pulled us in the last 15 miles or so, and then had an awesome set up for us that afternoon. We spent the afternoon hanging out at the pool while Adam and his girlfriend's family hosted us and cooked burgers. Days like yesterday are what Bike and Build are really about.
Today was a good day, just over 80 miles into Clinton, IA. At about mile 65 Lisa and I stopped at a Dairy Queen where we ran into a local ABC news affiliate. We started talking and then ended upon camera! They interviewed me, and I'll be sure to post the link when I find it. The highlight of the day however, came right at mile 80 when we crossed the Mississippi River. It feels like a big mile stone knowing we've made it this far. I guess it's kind of that "go west" mentality.
I'm at 1460 miles, and will roll over 1500 tomorrow! We've got good internet access, so hopefully I'll put up my pictures from the last two days later.
And then some random thoughts about the travel so far...
A big part of why I chose the Providence to Seattle route was seeing parts of the country that I've never seen before. The only two states we're going through that I had been to previously are Wyoming and Montana (and they're still to come). Everyone always talks about how the Midwest is so open, and it really is. There are have been times I've been able to see for miles and miles, and its all been corn, soybeans and wheat. What has really surprised me though is how cultivated everything is. When you drive through East Texas or North Louisiana there are stretches of land that are still pretty much untouched. Here, every acre is used for something; farming, homes, cows take up all of the landscape. It's really interesting to see, but at the same time it can seem kind of monotonous at times. I'm really excited to get out west where so much of the land is still wild. I guess I finally understand why its called the "wild west," and I'm not even there yet.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Indiana and Illinois
Hanging out at the baseball game in Dayton was a lot of fun, and the next day we had a police escort out of town. With lights flashing, we were able to run the red lights and hold traffic up for 7 miles on our way out of Dayton. Thanks to everyone in Dayton who helped us out. They really made it an enjoyable couple of days.
From Dayton to Hartford City, IN was the group's longest day so far (well at least the longest planned day) at 96.7 miles. After our police escort we hit a bike trail and were able to move pretty quickly for most of the morning. Things were going well until storm clouds began to appear in the distance late in the afternoon. As the sky grew darker with about 20 miles left, Chad and I decided to try and out run the storm. At well above 20 miles per hour into a strong head wind we pushed ourselves really, really hard. The storm clouds kept moving closer and closer, and we kept riding faster. With just a mile or so left the thunder and lightning began, and we decided to just make it to the church instead of seeking cover. We reached St. John's about 15 seconds before the bottom fell out of the sky, and we hid under the awning until the pastor saw us from across the way. Everyone else was caught in it, but they all found shelter in barns, houses, and diners. They waited out the storm, and then made it in later that evening.
From Hartford City we had another long day (80.8) to West Lafayette, IN. It was a good day, although windy, and we made it to the Faith Community Center fairly early.
West Lafayette to Gilman, IL was one of the hardest days we've had on the bike so far. 88.8 miles seemed twice as long as we fought crazy strong headwinds (40 + mph at times) all day long. We left at 8 am, and the first group, which I was in, didn't make it to Gilman until 5 o'clock (It would have been 6 o'clock, but we crossed time zones). 10 hours from the time we left definitely makes it the longest day time wise I've had so far.
Gilman to Pontiac was a great, short day. 45 miles with a little wind, but we made the best of it. I got to lunch early, took a nap, ran a few errands, and then pushed the last 10 miles pretty hard. When I got in, Lisa, Katharine, and I walked to Dairy Queen where the couple in front of us in line treated us to free blizzards.
Pontiac is our first day off. Most of us went out last night, played some darts, and pool and such, and stayed up later than normal (my normal bedtime these days is around 9ish). This morning I slept late, and then a group of us went to eat breakfast and run some errands around town. Joe, Marty, and I convinced the local grocery store to give us their day old produce and breads tomorrow morning, and now we're back at the church watching a movie and relaxing.
I added new pictures today, you can check them out by clicking on the "Photo Album" links over on the right. Photo Album 2 is the newest one.
I'm 1321.8 miles into the trip, and 40 days away from Seattle!
From Dayton to Hartford City, IN was the group's longest day so far (well at least the longest planned day) at 96.7 miles. After our police escort we hit a bike trail and were able to move pretty quickly for most of the morning. Things were going well until storm clouds began to appear in the distance late in the afternoon. As the sky grew darker with about 20 miles left, Chad and I decided to try and out run the storm. At well above 20 miles per hour into a strong head wind we pushed ourselves really, really hard. The storm clouds kept moving closer and closer, and we kept riding faster. With just a mile or so left the thunder and lightning began, and we decided to just make it to the church instead of seeking cover. We reached St. John's about 15 seconds before the bottom fell out of the sky, and we hid under the awning until the pastor saw us from across the way. Everyone else was caught in it, but they all found shelter in barns, houses, and diners. They waited out the storm, and then made it in later that evening.
From Hartford City we had another long day (80.8) to West Lafayette, IN. It was a good day, although windy, and we made it to the Faith Community Center fairly early.
West Lafayette to Gilman, IL was one of the hardest days we've had on the bike so far. 88.8 miles seemed twice as long as we fought crazy strong headwinds (40 + mph at times) all day long. We left at 8 am, and the first group, which I was in, didn't make it to Gilman until 5 o'clock (It would have been 6 o'clock, but we crossed time zones). 10 hours from the time we left definitely makes it the longest day time wise I've had so far.
Gilman to Pontiac was a great, short day. 45 miles with a little wind, but we made the best of it. I got to lunch early, took a nap, ran a few errands, and then pushed the last 10 miles pretty hard. When I got in, Lisa, Katharine, and I walked to Dairy Queen where the couple in front of us in line treated us to free blizzards.
Pontiac is our first day off. Most of us went out last night, played some darts, and pool and such, and stayed up later than normal (my normal bedtime these days is around 9ish). This morning I slept late, and then a group of us went to eat breakfast and run some errands around town. Joe, Marty, and I convinced the local grocery store to give us their day old produce and breads tomorrow morning, and now we're back at the church watching a movie and relaxing.
I added new pictures today, you can check them out by clicking on the "Photo Album" links over on the right. Photo Album 2 is the newest one.
I'm 1321.8 miles into the trip, and 40 days away from Seattle!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
1000 miles from Rhode Island
The last week seems like a blur. We left Franklin, crossed into Ohio where we spent our first night in Youngstown and then headed to Akron.
Akron we had a build day in Akron with Rebuilding Together, an organization that works to remodel houses for veterans, the elderly, and the handicapped. There were lots of little odd jobs to do; painting, yard work, fixing siding (my specialty) and cleaning out a basement.
From Akron we headed to Gambier. It was a great 93 mile ride with some great bike trails along the way. Lisa and I rode together most of the day and were treated to ice cream at the college bookstore by Chad's uncle! Thanks so much for that. We beat the rain by seconds (literally), and then spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the dorms at Kenyon College.
I was in charge of the group journal entry from Gambier to Columbus, so I'll just post it here so I don't have to rewrite it.
Columbus to Dayton was a 78 mile ride that should have been easy, but it was a tough day for me. I don't know if it was because I ate a little breakfast or what, but I felt pretty bad all morning. I ate a big lunch, and felt a little better in the afternoon. Peter, Ashley, and I rode together most of the way, and Peter and I both went over 1000 miles for the trip.
In other words we've gotten lost the most.
Akron we had a build day in Akron with Rebuilding Together, an organization that works to remodel houses for veterans, the elderly, and the handicapped. There were lots of little odd jobs to do; painting, yard work, fixing siding (my specialty) and cleaning out a basement.
From Akron we headed to Gambier. It was a great 93 mile ride with some great bike trails along the way. Lisa and I rode together most of the day and were treated to ice cream at the college bookstore by Chad's uncle! Thanks so much for that. We beat the rain by seconds (literally), and then spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the dorms at Kenyon College.
I was in charge of the group journal entry from Gambier to Columbus, so I'll just post it here so I don't have to rewrite it.
"We woke up this morning feeling extra refreshed thanks to
With our bellies still full we hit the road on a 52 mile trek to
The group reached
48 days to
Columbus to Dayton was a 78 mile ride that should have been easy, but it was a tough day for me. I don't know if it was because I ate a little breakfast or what, but I felt pretty bad all morning. I ate a big lunch, and felt a little better in the afternoon. Peter, Ashley, and I rode together most of the way, and Peter and I both went over 1000 miles for the trip.
In other words we've gotten lost the most.
Dayton has been great so far. The church we're staying in has been great, and the local Habitat has gone out of their way to hook us up. At our build day today we poured concrete did drywall, and the Police Chief came and talked to us. It was a great day, and now we're on our way to watch the Dayton Dragons baseball game!
Tomorrow we'll reach Indiana!Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Pedaling through Pennsylvania
Its crazy to think that tomorrow we'll be entering Ohio. In less than two weeks our group of thirty one has made it across Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and now Pennsylvania. When you look at the map of the whole country it doesn't seem that impressive, but we're starting to feel like RI to OH is quite a feat in itself. Just one more hilly day ahead of us before we trade in the Appalachians, Catskills, and Alleghenies for the the plains of the Midwest!
They say the Appalachians are harder for cyclists to ride than the Rockies because the roads are steeper. In the Rockies there are switchbacks the whole way, but most of the Appalachians are straight to the top. I really think some of the toughest days physically (like to Roscoe and to Binghamton) are behind us. It also seems like I'm becoming more mentally and emotionally prepared (like the long cold, rainy days you'll read about in this post).
So anyways, we left Wellsboro and made it to Coudersport 50 miles later on the 15th. It was a pretty hilly rain with just a little rain but not too bad. We stayed at the Alliance Church in town where they fed us pizza and wings (delicious!), and then we hit the bed pretty early.
We woke up the next morning to rain on our way to Warren, PA. A 58 mile was in store, and Brooke and I were "sweep" for the day. This basically means we're the caboose of the group, staying with the last rider to make sure everyone is okay. The cold rain was miserable before lunch, and it seemed like we were swimming in it at times. We arrived at lunch and decided to wait a while before getting back on the road. We warmed up in the van for almost an hour before the two of us took off again (once again at the back of the pack). We had given enough space so we were able to move at a pretty quick pace, and the afternoon was much more enjoyable, although still cold and wet. This was probably the hardest day so far mentally because it seemed to grind out so slowly. The afternoon was more enjoyable though as the sun peaked out just a little, and Brooke and I were able to pass the time talking. Our host in Warren was the YMCA, so we were treated to an evening of saunas and hot showers. Definitely a big plus. We also had our second Affordable Housing meeting where several of our group members explained to us the history of Affordable Housing in the United States during the 1900's. Then we went to sleep in the gym which was great until basketball players came in at 5:30 to shoot some hoops while we were still asleep.
Today (the 17th) we woke up to more downpours. The temperature had dropped over night, and the high was only 55 degrees! Bundled in my jersey, arm warmers, knee warmers, a long sleeve jersey, and my rain jacket (hey, I'm not used to riding in the cold OR the rain) I hit the road with the first group. We were lucky enough to have Pastor Sam Gibb of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin (our host for tonight) meet up with us this morning and ride the whole day. The morning was cold, cold, cold, wet, and a bit sketchy at times as we had to spend quite a bit of time in construction areas. The weather broke a little bit at lunch time as we got to Pleasantville (ironic I know), where we had our trailer set up at a local diner. the lady who runs it was nice enough to let us bring our food in, and some of us decided to eat there. I had delicious buckwheat pancakes, and they definitely warmed my cold body up. After one quick uphill out of Pleasantville we were pretty much downhill, flat, or rolling hills the rest of the day. Pastor Sam took us down some awesome bike trails to make the day shorter and safer, plus he set a great pace for us to follow. We held about 20 mph for most of the afternoon as he pulled us along at the front of the pack. We didn't even have to take turns up front, he did almost all of the work. It definitely made for a great day. My legs are feeling good tonight, and I'm ready for the next few days. We got to Franklin, showered and saunaed at the Y, and then Pastor Sam took us all to Subway for dinner! The church is also feeding us breakfast in the morning before we leave town. Hopefully it will warm up and dry out in the next couple of days.
They say the Appalachians are harder for cyclists to ride than the Rockies because the roads are steeper. In the Rockies there are switchbacks the whole way, but most of the Appalachians are straight to the top. I really think some of the toughest days physically (like to Roscoe and to Binghamton) are behind us. It also seems like I'm becoming more mentally and emotionally prepared (like the long cold, rainy days you'll read about in this post).
So anyways, we left Wellsboro and made it to Coudersport 50 miles later on the 15th. It was a pretty hilly rain with just a little rain but not too bad. We stayed at the Alliance Church in town where they fed us pizza and wings (delicious!), and then we hit the bed pretty early.
We woke up the next morning to rain on our way to Warren, PA. A 58 mile was in store, and Brooke and I were "sweep" for the day. This basically means we're the caboose of the group, staying with the last rider to make sure everyone is okay. The cold rain was miserable before lunch, and it seemed like we were swimming in it at times. We arrived at lunch and decided to wait a while before getting back on the road. We warmed up in the van for almost an hour before the two of us took off again (once again at the back of the pack). We had given enough space so we were able to move at a pretty quick pace, and the afternoon was much more enjoyable, although still cold and wet. This was probably the hardest day so far mentally because it seemed to grind out so slowly. The afternoon was more enjoyable though as the sun peaked out just a little, and Brooke and I were able to pass the time talking. Our host in Warren was the YMCA, so we were treated to an evening of saunas and hot showers. Definitely a big plus. We also had our second Affordable Housing meeting where several of our group members explained to us the history of Affordable Housing in the United States during the 1900's. Then we went to sleep in the gym which was great until basketball players came in at 5:30 to shoot some hoops while we were still asleep.
Today (the 17th) we woke up to more downpours. The temperature had dropped over night, and the high was only 55 degrees! Bundled in my jersey, arm warmers, knee warmers, a long sleeve jersey, and my rain jacket (hey, I'm not used to riding in the cold OR the rain) I hit the road with the first group. We were lucky enough to have Pastor Sam Gibb of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin (our host for tonight) meet up with us this morning and ride the whole day. The morning was cold, cold, cold, wet, and a bit sketchy at times as we had to spend quite a bit of time in construction areas. The weather broke a little bit at lunch time as we got to Pleasantville (ironic I know), where we had our trailer set up at a local diner. the lady who runs it was nice enough to let us bring our food in, and some of us decided to eat there. I had delicious buckwheat pancakes, and they definitely warmed my cold body up. After one quick uphill out of Pleasantville we were pretty much downhill, flat, or rolling hills the rest of the day. Pastor Sam took us down some awesome bike trails to make the day shorter and safer, plus he set a great pace for us to follow. We held about 20 mph for most of the afternoon as he pulled us along at the front of the pack. We didn't even have to take turns up front, he did almost all of the work. It definitely made for a great day. My legs are feeling good tonight, and I'm ready for the next few days. We got to Franklin, showered and saunaed at the Y, and then Pastor Sam took us all to Subway for dinner! The church is also feeding us breakfast in the morning before we leave town. Hopefully it will warm up and dry out in the next couple of days.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Through New York and on to Pennsylvania
First off, I put up a photo album on Facebook, and you can check it out by clicking on the title of this post.
Here's what's gone on the last few days.
We left Poughkeepsie, and after getting turned around, riding across a busy bridge and then taking the highway against traffic in the wrong direction we headed to Roscoe. This was the hardest day we've done so far. 85 miles over 3 mountain passes including Hunter Mountain, which had a grade (steepness) that I won't even begin to guess at. All i know is it was the steepest road I've ever seen, much less ridden. I got to Roscoe a few minutes before the first group , and meet Rick, our contact for the night. They really hooked us up. The church we were staying at had pot luck pasta (i honestly ate like 4 plates), and then we stayed at the Roscoe Country Club. We had beds!!!! It was so awesome. Then, the next morning Rick's restaurant had pancakes for us. Roscoe is going to be hard to beat.
Thursday we left Roscoe and headed to Binghamton, NY. Shira, Ashley, Peter, and I left first, and missed our turn onto highway 17. We ended up adding 30 miles and a mountain pass to the day. At lunch we'd already hit 64 miles (the whole day was only supposed to be 69). We reached the church at 94 miles, so Peter and I decided to keep riding and make it a 100 mile day. A hard, but good day.
Friday we had our first build day on the road. We moved 80 tons of top soil and spread it across the yard. We worked hard, got done early, and spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry and going to the bike shop. I got a new computer (so I can keep up with mileage) and some sweet new tires (my tires got shredded on a gravel road on the way to Binghamton).
Saturday we left Binghamton and headed to Towanda, PA. It turns out we were really headed to a small town called Standing Stone about 7 miles away. And then it started raining. Then it poured. And then the van got stuck in the mud trying to turn around when we were lost. But the Road King got us out (see the pictures), and everything ended up okay.
This morning we left Standing Stone, went through Towanda again (nothing like back tracking), and headed to Wellsboro. It was 58 miles of what seemed mostly uphill, but all in all it was a pretty good day. It was also the first time in 5 days I didn't get lost. Hopefully my luck is changing for the better. We made it into Wellsboro early, we showered, and then just hung out for a while. I got all the dirt and muck of my bike and now its ready to ride after a few dirty days. The host church wasn't providing dinner tonight, so we decided to go out instead of cooking. We went to a little family restaurant where I had spaghetti and meatballs. It was delicious. Now I'm sitting in the town park on the public wifi, enjoying a very pretty evening.
Tomorrow we leave for Coudersport, PA.
Here's what's gone on the last few days.
We left Poughkeepsie, and after getting turned around, riding across a busy bridge and then taking the highway against traffic in the wrong direction we headed to Roscoe. This was the hardest day we've done so far. 85 miles over 3 mountain passes including Hunter Mountain, which had a grade (steepness) that I won't even begin to guess at. All i know is it was the steepest road I've ever seen, much less ridden. I got to Roscoe a few minutes before the first group , and meet Rick, our contact for the night. They really hooked us up. The church we were staying at had pot luck pasta (i honestly ate like 4 plates), and then we stayed at the Roscoe Country Club. We had beds!!!! It was so awesome. Then, the next morning Rick's restaurant had pancakes for us. Roscoe is going to be hard to beat.
Thursday we left Roscoe and headed to Binghamton, NY. Shira, Ashley, Peter, and I left first, and missed our turn onto highway 17. We ended up adding 30 miles and a mountain pass to the day. At lunch we'd already hit 64 miles (the whole day was only supposed to be 69). We reached the church at 94 miles, so Peter and I decided to keep riding and make it a 100 mile day. A hard, but good day.
Friday we had our first build day on the road. We moved 80 tons of top soil and spread it across the yard. We worked hard, got done early, and spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry and going to the bike shop. I got a new computer (so I can keep up with mileage) and some sweet new tires (my tires got shredded on a gravel road on the way to Binghamton).
Saturday we left Binghamton and headed to Towanda, PA. It turns out we were really headed to a small town called Standing Stone about 7 miles away. And then it started raining. Then it poured. And then the van got stuck in the mud trying to turn around when we were lost. But the Road King got us out (see the pictures), and everything ended up okay.
This morning we left Standing Stone, went through Towanda again (nothing like back tracking), and headed to Wellsboro. It was 58 miles of what seemed mostly uphill, but all in all it was a pretty good day. It was also the first time in 5 days I didn't get lost. Hopefully my luck is changing for the better. We made it into Wellsboro early, we showered, and then just hung out for a while. I got all the dirt and muck of my bike and now its ready to ride after a few dirty days. The host church wasn't providing dinner tonight, so we decided to go out instead of cooking. We went to a little family restaurant where I had spaghetti and meatballs. It was delicious. Now I'm sitting in the town park on the public wifi, enjoying a very pretty evening.
Tomorrow we leave for Coudersport, PA.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Connecticut is Conquered
Tonight we're staying in Poughkeepsie, NY at a local Church.
Yesterday was an awesome ride. We thought it was going to be a 70 mile day, but it ended up only being 50, so that got our day started in a great way. After a quick misdirection (only a mile or so out of the way) it was a hilly, fun day. I don't have a computer still, but the guys I was with on one hill clocked themselves at 47 mph as I was passing them. Definitely a fast day. When we were about 10 miles from Kent school Andy, a Bike & Build alum from 2004 and our host for the night, waved our group down and hooked us up with Gatorade. He also told us about a sweet waterfall about 4 miles outside of town that we decided to stop at. We all went for a swim (pictures later), and then stopped for ice cream as we got into town. It was definitely a good day that will stick with us for a while.
This morning was supposed to be a 30 mile ride, but due to a wrong turn at the beginning of the ride it turned into a forty miler for about 10 of us. A detour around a broken a bridge added a huge hill, and then we got our first experience with switchbacks for the summer shortly after entering New York. There was a climb of about 2 miles that really made us all work hard. Jake St. and I somehow missed lunch, so we stopped at a gas station and got peanuts and ice cream. That's nutritious. After getting into Poughkeepsie we showered and then our group did laundry before dinner. Tonight we had our first Affordable Housing meeting, where our group shares the research we've done on the topic.
We've got two 70 mile days now before we reach Binghamton for our next build day.
Yesterday was an awesome ride. We thought it was going to be a 70 mile day, but it ended up only being 50, so that got our day started in a great way. After a quick misdirection (only a mile or so out of the way) it was a hilly, fun day. I don't have a computer still, but the guys I was with on one hill clocked themselves at 47 mph as I was passing them. Definitely a fast day. When we were about 10 miles from Kent school Andy, a Bike & Build alum from 2004 and our host for the night, waved our group down and hooked us up with Gatorade. He also told us about a sweet waterfall about 4 miles outside of town that we decided to stop at. We all went for a swim (pictures later), and then stopped for ice cream as we got into town. It was definitely a good day that will stick with us for a while.
This morning was supposed to be a 30 mile ride, but due to a wrong turn at the beginning of the ride it turned into a forty miler for about 10 of us. A detour around a broken a bridge added a huge hill, and then we got our first experience with switchbacks for the summer shortly after entering New York. There was a climb of about 2 miles that really made us all work hard. Jake St. and I somehow missed lunch, so we stopped at a gas station and got peanuts and ice cream. That's nutritious. After getting into Poughkeepsie we showered and then our group did laundry before dinner. Tonight we had our first Affordable Housing meeting, where our group shares the research we've done on the topic.
We've got two 70 mile days now before we reach Binghamton for our next build day.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Providence, RI to Woodstock, CT to Grandby, CT
I'm sitting on the front porch of a church in Grandby, CT stealing wireless from the neighbors.
We've got two days of riding under our belts, only 68 more to go. We left Providence Saturday morning after dipping our tires into the Atlantic.
We hit the road, and before too long, we had left Rhode Island and entered Connecticut.
Saturday's ride was about 34 miles with some
gentle rolling hills. I rode with Chad and Lindsey most of the morning, and then Jake St. and I pushed it pretty hard at the front in the afternoon.We spent the night at HYDE school in Woodstock where they treated us to burgers and chicken. My chore group gave the presentation about Bike & Build, and then we went and did laundry. We slept in the school gym, and everybody was asleep by 11.
Our 6 o'clock wake up call came early, and we were on the road by 8. The ride today was 53.4 miles of hills through surprisingly hot Connecticut. There were several really long climbs that took a lot out of you, but they were followed by some super fast downhills. I lost my
computer somewhere on the ride yesterday and had to go without one today. I don't know how fast I was able to go, but it was kind of nice not to constantly be checking my speed. I'll have to pick another one up at the next bike shop I find. I rode with Chad up front this morning before stopping to help Lindsey with a flat, and then we rode with a large group to lunch. The biggest climbs in the morning, but it was gorgeous as the trees made a canopy blocking out the sun and heat. After leaving my sunglasses at the van during lunch and making an extra mile loop to get them, I spent the majority of the afternoon by myself before catching up with a few people to finish up the last few miles.
Tonight we're staying at the First Church of Grandby where they're preparing Chicken Parmesan for us, plus they'll feed us breakfast in the morning too!
We leave tomorrow headed west again, and ever closer to the Appalachians. It's a 70 miler where we'll cross over part of the Appalachian Trail, so our motto for the day may be "up, up, up."
I guess I'll leave you with a picture of the side our trailer. It has four sides (obviously), but I only took a picture of one. I'll get around to the others later.
We've got two days of riding under our belts, only 68 more to go. We left Providence Saturday morning after dipping our tires into the Atlantic.
We hit the road, and before too long, we had left Rhode Island and entered Connecticut.
Saturday's ride was about 34 miles with some
gentle rolling hills. I rode with Chad and Lindsey most of the morning, and then Jake St. and I pushed it pretty hard at the front in the afternoon.We spent the night at HYDE school in Woodstock where they treated us to burgers and chicken. My chore group gave the presentation about Bike & Build, and then we went and did laundry. We slept in the school gym, and everybody was asleep by 11.Our 6 o'clock wake up call came early, and we were on the road by 8. The ride today was 53.4 miles of hills through surprisingly hot Connecticut. There were several really long climbs that took a lot out of you, but they were followed by some super fast downhills. I lost my
computer somewhere on the ride yesterday and had to go without one today. I don't know how fast I was able to go, but it was kind of nice not to constantly be checking my speed. I'll have to pick another one up at the next bike shop I find. I rode with Chad up front this morning before stopping to help Lindsey with a flat, and then we rode with a large group to lunch. The biggest climbs in the morning, but it was gorgeous as the trees made a canopy blocking out the sun and heat. After leaving my sunglasses at the van during lunch and making an extra mile loop to get them, I spent the majority of the afternoon by myself before catching up with a few people to finish up the last few miles.Tonight we're staying at the First Church of Grandby where they're preparing Chicken Parmesan for us, plus they'll feed us breakfast in the morning too!
We leave tomorrow headed west again, and ever closer to the Appalachians. It's a 70 miler where we'll cross over part of the Appalachian Trail, so our motto for the day may be "up, up, up."
I guess I'll leave you with a picture of the side our trailer. It has four sides (obviously), but I only took a picture of one. I'll get around to the others later.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Our First Build Day & Mail Drop Information
Today we went over to the Providence chapter of Habitat for Humanity and built the walls for a house that will be going up soon. It was a cold, muggy day, so we were kind of fortunate to be inside the warehouse. My group had some trouble thanks to a wickedly bent board, but as a whole the day was a lot of fun.
Now we're just kind of hanging out until dinner when an alumni from the Providence to San Francisco 2007 group is going to come talk to us. I've already heard from two of our leaders, Shira and Jake, what its like, but I'm excited to hear someone else's perspective too.
Our Mail Drop dates and locations are up now. I know some of them don't have street addresses, but it will still get to the Post Office this way. If you want to send me something something (which would be way cool), address mail to:
Bike & Build
Attn: Eric Rowell
General Delivery
STREET ADDRESS (if noted)
CITY, STATE, ZIP
Please mark the envelope or package with "Please hold for pick-up on DATE"
June 12th 6 Water Street
Council Creek, NY 13744
June 26th 123 S. High St.
Hartford City, IN 47348-9998
July 3rd 615 6th Ave SE
Cedar Rapids IA 52401
July 10th PO Box 9999
Stuart, NE 68780
July 17th Casper, WY 82609-9999
July 24th Ashton ID 83420
July 31st Superior Post Office
Superior, MT 59872
August 7th Winthrop, WA 98862
We're scheduled to dip our tires in the Atlantic around 9:15 tomorrow morning. The mayor is coming to deliver a send-off speech, and then we'll head for Pomfret, CT around 9:45.
I'm not sure what internet access will be like from here on out (we've kind of gotten spoiled being here at Brown), but I'll do my best to keep the blog updated.
Tomorrow we ride!
Now we're just kind of hanging out until dinner when an alumni from the Providence to San Francisco 2007 group is going to come talk to us. I've already heard from two of our leaders, Shira and Jake, what its like, but I'm excited to hear someone else's perspective too.
Our Mail Drop dates and locations are up now. I know some of them don't have street addresses, but it will still get to the Post Office this way. If you want to send me something something (which would be way cool), address mail to:
Bike & Build
Attn: Eric Rowell
General Delivery
STREET ADDRESS (if noted)
CITY, STATE, ZIP
Please mark the envelope or package with "Please hold for pick-up on DATE"
June 12th 6 Water Street
Council Creek, NY 13744
June 26th 123 S. High St.
Hartford City, IN 47348-9998
July 3rd 615 6th Ave SE
Cedar Rapids IA 52401
July 10th PO Box 9999
Stuart, NE 68780
July 17th Casper, WY 82609-9999
July 24th Ashton ID 83420
July 31st Superior Post Office
Superior, MT 59872
August 7th Winthrop, WA 98862
We're scheduled to dip our tires in the Atlantic around 9:15 tomorrow morning. The mayor is coming to deliver a send-off speech, and then we'll head for Pomfret, CT around 9:45.
I'm not sure what internet access will be like from here on out (we've kind of gotten spoiled being here at Brown), but I'll do my best to keep the blog updated.
Tomorrow we ride!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
orientation and the "shakedown" ride
Everybody has arrived, and orientation is under way. It's been pretty relaxed as we've learned about the rules, bike maintenance, and our duties on the road. We've spent a lot of time just getting to know each other, and we have a really great group.
This morning we went on our "shakedown" ride of 20 miles through Providence and into Mass. (that's one more state I can mark off my list). A couple of guys from the local bike club led us on the route through mostly nice, windy country roads. It was really cool to have all 31 of us in our Bike & Build jerseys riding down the road. "This is so awesome!" had to have been the most common phrase used during the ride, and for good reason. I think the group ride made most of realize this is the beginning of an awesome summer.
Tomorrow Build.
Saturday We Ride.
This morning we went on our "shakedown" ride of 20 miles through Providence and into Mass. (that's one more state I can mark off my list). A couple of guys from the local bike club led us on the route through mostly nice, windy country roads. It was really cool to have all 31 of us in our Bike & Build jerseys riding down the road. "This is so awesome!" had to have been the most common phrase used during the ride, and for good reason. I think the group ride made most of realize this is the beginning of an awesome summer.
Tomorrow Build.
Saturday We Ride.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Providence
I left El Paso yesterday just after lunch, flew to Chicago via New Mexico, and then arrived in Providence around midnight. After a taxi ride in to town, I made it to campus, met my roommate Jeff, and then hit the sack. I woke up to it drizzling outside (it should really cut that out before we start riding), and laid around for a while. Then I got up met the leaders and a few of the other riders and then put my bike together. Jeff and I just got back from the post office where we picked up some stamps, and we're waiting a little while before going and grabbing some lunch. Orientation starts around 1, and it looks like we'll be going from then until the end of the summer. I let you know how everything goes.
Monday, June 2, 2008
It All Begins Tomorrow!
It's 7:00 o'clock on Monday night, and I leave for Providence in the morning. The money is all raised, the bags are packed and the bike is bundled and ready for the plane ride. We'll be in Providence for orientation June 4th and 5th, we'll have a build day with the Providence Habitat for Humanity on the 6th, and we'll start our cross country adventure on the morning of the 7th (Saturday). I'll do my best to keep you updated as we go depending on how interntet access is.
Thanks to everyone who has helped make this happen! I know it's going to be an amazing summer!
Be sure to check back soon for pictures and tales from the road.
-Eric
Thanks to everyone who has helped make this happen! I know it's going to be an amazing summer!
Be sure to check back soon for pictures and tales from the road.
-Eric
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Out in the west Texas town of El Paso....
Well, we made it to El Paso Longview 6:00 headed for El Paso Austin Austin Austin 10:30 , and then spent the afternoon running around there in Austin Austin 6ish that evening and headed on. Around 11:30 we reached Fort Stockton El Paso.
This morning I got up early and went for a bike ride. I decided to climb the transmountain highway that runs through the
I rode a little farther to a picnic area that over looked the west side of the mountain, and then I turned around, descended the mountain and then rode back to the house. All in all it was a hard 30 miles. After not riding in a week, it probably wasn’t the smartest move to make that my first ride back, but it was a pretty good one none the less.
Oh, and I got my photo album going today. I put a few El Paso pics up just to test it out and make sure it works. There's a link on my website homepage, or you can just check it out at picasaweb.com/eric.d.rowellMonday, May 26, 2008
I'm famous! Well not really, but I was on the news!
This week sure has been busy. Not much time to ride, but plenty of other things have been going on.
First, I was on KLTV this week! KLTV did a special on me, and there's a link to the right if you'd like to check the video out.
We went to Dallas on Friday, picked up Dad at the airport, and did some last minute shopping for the trip. I'm pretty sure I'm ready to roll gear wise.
Some of the grandparents came into town Saturday and Sunday to hang out since it's the last time for a while they'll get to see Dad or me.
Dad and I leave early tomorrow to head to El Paso. We're taking my car, and I'll be there until I fly out on the 3rd.
Also, I'm making my last final push for donations. I've already raised over $3,300, but still need about $700 to reach my $4,000 goal. If you'd like to help out, you can click here to make a credit card donation. Just select my name from the list (Rowell, Eric). Any donations, no matter how big or small would be greatly appreciated.
Bike & Build is just a week away!
-Eric
First, I was on KLTV this week! KLTV did a special on me, and there's a link to the right if you'd like to check the video out.
We went to Dallas on Friday, picked up Dad at the airport, and did some last minute shopping for the trip. I'm pretty sure I'm ready to roll gear wise.
Some of the grandparents came into town Saturday and Sunday to hang out since it's the last time for a while they'll get to see Dad or me.
Dad and I leave early tomorrow to head to El Paso. We're taking my car, and I'll be there until I fly out on the 3rd.
Also, I'm making my last final push for donations. I've already raised over $3,300, but still need about $700 to reach my $4,000 goal. If you'd like to help out, you can click here to make a credit card donation. Just select my name from the list (Rowell, Eric). Any donations, no matter how big or small would be greatly appreciated.
Bike & Build is just a week away!
-Eric
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
2 Weeks Away
With the spring quarter in full swing and the weather being as nice as it has been, I've neglected writing here for quite sometime... my bad.
Well the quarter ended Friday (I had a 4.0 this quarter), I packed my stuff and said goodbye to Ruston for a while, and I made it back to Longview last night. Summer is here, and Bike & Build starts in two weeks! I'll be in Longview this week, El Paso the next, and then fly from El Paso to Providence on June 3rd for orientation the 4th.
The bike riding has been going pretty well this spring. I've made sure to get in at least one 50 mile ride a week, and a couple of those have been 70+ miles. In Ruston on Saturday I rode 52 total (about 35 with the Ruston Cyclists) and it was probably the hilliest ride I've done this year. We rode "the old race course" which was way hillier than any part of Ruston I'd ridden before. I was pretty happy with the way I rode. I stayed near the front the whole way, and it felt good overall.
Speaking of uphills, I'll hopefully get some good mountain climbing next week while I'm in El Paso. They say the transmountain highway has a bike lane the whole way, so it'll be nice to get some real uphill training in before the trip. More on that next week when I'm there.
I finished off the checklist for gear I need last night. Now I'm just waiting for the last few things to come in.
I've gotten some great donations recently, and I'd like to thank everybody who has given so far! I'm still trying to finish up my fundraising, so if you are interested in donating, please CLICK HERE and select my name (Rowell, Eric).
I'll do better at keeping this up to date over the next few weeks. I promise.
Well the quarter ended Friday (I had a 4.0 this quarter), I packed my stuff and said goodbye to Ruston for a while, and I made it back to Longview last night. Summer is here, and Bike & Build starts in two weeks! I'll be in Longview this week, El Paso the next, and then fly from El Paso to Providence on June 3rd for orientation the 4th.
The bike riding has been going pretty well this spring. I've made sure to get in at least one 50 mile ride a week, and a couple of those have been 70+ miles. In Ruston on Saturday I rode 52 total (about 35 with the Ruston Cyclists) and it was probably the hilliest ride I've done this year. We rode "the old race course" which was way hillier than any part of Ruston I'd ridden before. I was pretty happy with the way I rode. I stayed near the front the whole way, and it felt good overall.
Speaking of uphills, I'll hopefully get some good mountain climbing next week while I'm in El Paso. They say the transmountain highway has a bike lane the whole way, so it'll be nice to get some real uphill training in before the trip. More on that next week when I'm there.
I finished off the checklist for gear I need last night. Now I'm just waiting for the last few things to come in.
I've gotten some great donations recently, and I'd like to thank everybody who has given so far! I'm still trying to finish up my fundraising, so if you are interested in donating, please CLICK HERE and select my name (Rowell, Eric).
I'll do better at keeping this up to date over the next few weeks. I promise.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Interval Training
Spring is here. The weather the last few weeks has been great (except for the tornado-like weather last weekend), and I've gotten the chance to go on a couple really nice rides.
With the time change and the sun staying out later, we've started back up interval training on Tuesday nights. Its the interval training that causes me to both love and hate Tuesdays. Basically, its a ten mile stretch of road and our group (there were 14 tonight) ride out going 3 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy (or easier) to the stop sign. Then we turn around, form a paceline and try to catch a couple of guys who rabbit out ahead of the pack. All together, its a 20 mile ride that goes by really fast. I think because there were so many people tonight, things got crazy, and we were flying.
Joseph and I got dropped by the group during the 2nd hard interval going out. We were going 31 mph up a pretty nice climb, and the pack was pulling away from us. Crazy fast... We sat up and cruised the rest of the wa out between 19-20, and waited for them to turn around.
On the way back in I was feeling a little better, but the group splintered when there was some confusion up front, and we all got spread out. I ended up riding back in at a decent pace with a couple guys, but all together it was a rough ride. Not to mention the wind seemed to blowing us sideways at times.
Anyways, I ended up riding 35 miles total tonight since I rode out there and back home once we were done. It was a good solid ride, and if the weather stays nice, hopefully a few of us can get a really long ride or two in this weekend.
With the time change and the sun staying out later, we've started back up interval training on Tuesday nights. Its the interval training that causes me to both love and hate Tuesdays. Basically, its a ten mile stretch of road and our group (there were 14 tonight) ride out going 3 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy (or easier) to the stop sign. Then we turn around, form a paceline and try to catch a couple of guys who rabbit out ahead of the pack. All together, its a 20 mile ride that goes by really fast. I think because there were so many people tonight, things got crazy, and we were flying.
Joseph and I got dropped by the group during the 2nd hard interval going out. We were going 31 mph up a pretty nice climb, and the pack was pulling away from us. Crazy fast... We sat up and cruised the rest of the wa out between 19-20, and waited for them to turn around.
On the way back in I was feeling a little better, but the group splintered when there was some confusion up front, and we all got spread out. I ended up riding back in at a decent pace with a couple guys, but all together it was a rough ride. Not to mention the wind seemed to blowing us sideways at times.
Anyways, I ended up riding 35 miles total tonight since I rode out there and back home once we were done. It was a good solid ride, and if the weather stays nice, hopefully a few of us can get a really long ride or two in this weekend.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
San Diego and a 5k
It's been almost two months since I updated last time. Sorry about that, I'll try and do better.
For spring break we went to San Diego with our college department. We did a lot of construction, and helped out a local start up church. It was a great trip. There were a lot of cyclists in San Diego, and I was very jealous I didn't have my bike.
Speaking of bikes, I've been riding a little bit lately. Its plenty warm now, and with the time change hopefully I'll be able to get out even more.
This morning a group of 4 of us left at 6:45 to go on a 20 mile ride. We finished about 7:45, and then Justin and I ran in the Kappa Delta 5k at 8. We got in a good brick (bike-run) workout this morning, but my legs were paying for it half way through the very hilly 5k. I finished at a decent time considering the ride before hand.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
I tried to ford the river, but my oxen died
Sometimes you do things that people think you're crazy for. Kind of like riding your bike across the country. This past weekend was one of those times.See, awhile back, a group of us decided to go backpacking on the Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas this weekend. We did not, however, realize it would be the coldest weekend of the winter thus far.
Boy were we in for a treat...
Four of us out of the seven left Ruston early Friday morning, drove up, and hiked in to set up camp. As soon we hit the trail we started the longest, steepest ascent of the weekend. We were all reconsidering our motives by the time we got to the top, but luckily that was the hardest part of the hike. We made it about 7 miles in, and set up camp early enough to collect firewood and not make the rest of the group hike too far in the dark. That didn't really go quite as planned.See , the other group had class, got held up a little, and didn't get to the trailhead until 8 o'clock. Needless to say it had been dark for a while before they got there. They hiked until 1:30 am before they finally got to us. We had figured they'd just stop and set up camp themselves, but they toughed it out and made it. Oh, and the low that night was 20 degrees.
We got up the next morning, and spent it playing around in the mountains. Dustin and I climbed a huge bluff that looked out over the mountains. Words can't explain how amazing the view was there. You really felt like you could reach out and touch the sky.Since the other guys hiked so late, we took our time packing up camp and decided just to go a couple miles and spend the day relaxing.
We had to ford the river a few times, and it didn't up so well for a few of the guys. After a few really wet river crossings we reached one of the trailheads and decided to set up camp not far from there. The guys who got wet tried to dry their clothes, and Dustin and I decided to hike up towards Albert Pike.
We were able to move pretty quickly since we didn't have our packs on, and made it most of the way. When we went back to camp, the guys were still trying to let all of their stuff dry out. The temperature hadn't gotten above freezing all day, and with the fire not cooperating things weren't going as planned.
With low going to be in the mid-teen's and a chance of snow, we decided it was best to go ahead and head out that night.
Casey, Dustin, and I made the 3 or 4 mile hike back to the cars, and got there right as the sun was going down. We drove back, packed up, and headed out.
On our way home we stopped in Arkadelphia, AR and ate like kings at Western Sizzler.
We had a lot fun, and have already made plans to do it again in the spring when its a little warmer.
This last picture is the whole group, from left to right:
Dustin, me, Cody, Chris, Casey, Josh, and John.
It may not have anything to do with biking or building, but we sure had a lot of fun.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I spent the last two days with eight 8th graders as I led a Disciple Now at our church this weekend. We didn't get much sleep, but it was awesome weekend.
We spent Saturday afternoon at a Habitat house that we've been working on as a church. I was impressed that a group of junior high kids was able to insulate the entire house in just a matter of hours (with the leaders only having to follow up with minor corrections). It really got me excited about the construction we'll get to do this summer on the road.
I've also included a few pictures from my duathlon last weekend...
The first one is me running my bike in after I the flat.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Flat Tires
Last week I was pulling out of my parents driveway to head back to school and realized I had a flat tire on my car. I put the spare on had it changed, and it put me back a couple of hours.
A few days later I had a duathlon (run-bike-run) that I did in Shreveport. Not being much of a runner, the first run (2.5 kilometers) went fine, and I got on the bike ready for the 12 miles. It was really flat, and after a couple of miles into a head wind, I was able to hold a solid pace around 23 mph. My bike split was definitely making up for my limited running ability until about 10.5 miles in. I took the last turn on the ride, went down the only hill on the course, and my front tire popped. With 1.5 miles left to go, I decided to run it in to the transition area instead of quitting and waiting on the sag-wagon. I had to do this barefoot since I was wearing bike shoes, and they're not really designed for anything but pedaling. I got passed back by just about everyone I'd passed plus more, but got a lot of laughs as I made it back to the transition. The second run was slow since I'd already done all the running I cared to do, but I made through fine.
I'm glad I'll carry a spare tire with me this summer. And I'm really glad I decided to bike across America instead of running it.
This summer I'll defintely
A few days later I had a duathlon (run-bike-run) that I did in Shreveport. Not being much of a runner, the first run (2.5 kilometers) went fine, and I got on the bike ready for the 12 miles. It was really flat, and after a couple of miles into a head wind, I was able to hold a solid pace around 23 mph. My bike split was definitely making up for my limited running ability until about 10.5 miles in. I took the last turn on the ride, went down the only hill on the course, and my front tire popped. With 1.5 miles left to go, I decided to run it in to the transition area instead of quitting and waiting on the sag-wagon. I had to do this barefoot since I was wearing bike shoes, and they're not really designed for anything but pedaling. I got passed back by just about everyone I'd passed plus more, but got a lot of laughs as I made it back to the transition. The second run was slow since I'd already done all the running I cared to do, but I made through fine.
I'm glad I'll carry a spare tire with me this summer. And I'm really glad I decided to bike across America instead of running it.
This summer I'll defintely
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
