I am currently writing this from the Sandpoint, ID public library. Idaho, who ever would have thought I would end up on my bicycle in Northern Idaho?
Getting to Idaho was quite the adventure. After our couple of days of a tailwind, we returned to our normal pattern of battling the winds. Montana also thought it would be fun to throw some mosquitoes at us too, just to liven things up a bit. For any of you that know me well, you can appreciate how much I hated the mosquitoes. People would suggest outdoor activities and I would say, "One word: mosquitoes."
The wind and mosquitoes all occurred during an 11 day stretch on our bikes in which we covered 900 miles. I'm pretty sure I've never done anything other than eat and sleep for 11 days straight, let alone bike every day. I won't give you a play-by-play of all 11 days, but I will go over some of the highlights...
The ride into Cutbank, MT was quite possibly one of the most unique/terrifying experiences of my life. The day started off pretty standard, and then we got to lunch and things took a drastic turn for the worse. After lunch the winds started to pick up (steady at 25 mph, gusts up to 45) and I had a nervous break down thinking I wasn't going to be able to make it. The winds were so strong, and were a combination of cross/headwind, you had to get off your bike at points to make sure you didn't get blown off the road. A few riders actually had to get picked up because they didn't feel safe on the road. The gust that follows a semi on that windy of a day is so intense. After some of the panic subsided, I decided I would in fact make it, it was just going to take a lot longer. For any of you bikers out there, just imagine how painful it would be to pedal as hard as you can and only go 7-10 mph for 40 miles. Everyone made it safe and sound, though, so it just turns into another wonderful bike and build story.
The day after Cutbank was one of my favorite ride days so far. We decided to get up earlier that morning to try and beat the wind, but it turns out the wind doesn't ever stop, so we had wind again. It didn't really matter that it was windy, though, because we could finally see the Rockies and we knew that we were going to be biking through them very shortly. It was so cool to have the mountains start off as a jagged black line in the distance when we started, and to be among them when the day was over. Once we finally got to them and started climbing, I was on an adrenaline high the entire time. It felt so wonderful to know that we had made it to the mountains and were going to climb them; I never would have thought I would be able to do it. I didn't even think about getting off and walking, and that was huge for me. Aside from the physical aspect of it, the views and scenery were amazing as well.
After all of the climbing, we ended up at St. Mary's lake where we camped for the evening. This was a special treat for me because I got to meet up with Sarah Hamilton, a friend from high school that is working out there for the summer. It was very surreal to have biked to western Montana and to be able to meet up with an old friend; I loved it. She also provided me with a hot shower, so thanks, Sarah!
The next day was the day all of us had been waiting for: Going to the Sun Road. This day has been the most talked about on our trip, and I was so anxious I thought I was going to puke. Going to the Sun Road is an 18 mile climb up to Logan Pass, with some of the most gorgeous scenery you have ever seen along the way. I was afraid of not being able to climb it all, but little did I know that would be the least of my troubles. The first half of the climb was fine and there were wonderful photo opps, but right around mid-morning the heavens decided to open up on us and create quite the situation.
So, there we were, having climbed 18 miles in the rain, at the top of a mountain where it was 45 degrees without the windchill, rainy, and windy. I was miserable. After some debate, and the fact that I was wearing shorts and sandals, several of us decided to take a shuttle to the bottom of the mountain. When we got to the bottom, we were the talk of the mountain because people could not believe we were out in that weather biking; it was crazy. I was too cold to ride the rest of the way into Whitefish, so I rode in the van for the first time and it was pretty heartbreaking. I know I made the right decision in terms of safety, but I really wish I wouldn't have had too.
After the experience that was Glacier, we ended in Whitefish where we had our last build day. From Whitefish we headed to Eureka, Libby, and now Sandpoint. The last three days have been some of the prettiest rides we have had. Last night a bunch of us saw the Spokane Symphony do a tribute to Benny Goodman at the local festival. We all sat out on a tarp, had some wine, and enjoyed each other's company and some quality music.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
"Days Go By"
I know that I am not going to do Theodore Roosevelt National Park its justice, so you really should go visit it. It was breathtakingly beautiful and the park is wonderful. We arrived at the park in the early afternoon and, due to park fees, had to be shuttled to our campsite. I was in the second shuttle so I got to hang out in the visitor center, watch a couple videos, and chat with the girl that was working there for the summer.
Once we were at the actual campsite, a few of us decided to go exploring, and possibly go for a hike. After walking around for a little bit, we decided to attempt hiking to the top of a "butte", or whatever they call them, and get a panoramic view of the park. I was a little bit hesitant at first because there wasn't a trail, but since others were doing it, I did it too, and I am so glad I did. It was another awesome moment on Bike and Build. It's crazy to think that prior to this summer, a 45 minute hike would have been my workout for the day, not something I did at the end of a 70 mile bike ride. Just Crazy.
After a lovely night (I opted to sleep in the van) of camping, we woke up at 5 to hit the road. Little did we know that 2 minutes after hitting said road, we would come across 2 different bison herds that we would have to wait out. This is where my writing will not do the scene justice. But, just imagine 20 cyclists having stare-downs with 50 buffalo as they try to cross the road; it was priceless and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There are some pretty good videos that will be up at some point.
Following that little adventure to get the day started, we had 90 more miles until Culbertson, MT. Doesn't it just sound western? That ride was a really good ride and the easiest 95 mile ride day we have had so far. The best part of the day was coming into Culbertson when we crossed the Missouri River; it was one of the moments when they surroundings and scenery are completely overwhelming. To the right were the reminants of mountains, to the left was a widening river bed where everything was green, and below us was the valley containing Culbertson.
A lovely spread of food was awaiting us in Culbertson and it was much appreciated because it feels likes it's been a while since we've had such hospitality. I also got to do a couple loads of our laundry at a local's house and get a ride back in his thunderbird; another random, fun event. We also had a really good affordable housing discussion that night and it was neat so have all of us thinking of ways to improve the system.
After Culbertson, we had 2 easy days of riding. The first one was 55 miles and the second one was 49. The second one was particularly awesome because we had a tailwind and covered the 50 miles in just over 2 hours, so for the first time this trip, I averaged over 20 mph. It was so fun to go that fast all day. I have a feeling our joy ride ends here, in Glascow, MT, though, but it was sure fun while it lasted.
Once we were at the actual campsite, a few of us decided to go exploring, and possibly go for a hike. After walking around for a little bit, we decided to attempt hiking to the top of a "butte", or whatever they call them, and get a panoramic view of the park. I was a little bit hesitant at first because there wasn't a trail, but since others were doing it, I did it too, and I am so glad I did. It was another awesome moment on Bike and Build. It's crazy to think that prior to this summer, a 45 minute hike would have been my workout for the day, not something I did at the end of a 70 mile bike ride. Just Crazy.
After a lovely night (I opted to sleep in the van) of camping, we woke up at 5 to hit the road. Little did we know that 2 minutes after hitting said road, we would come across 2 different bison herds that we would have to wait out. This is where my writing will not do the scene justice. But, just imagine 20 cyclists having stare-downs with 50 buffalo as they try to cross the road; it was priceless and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There are some pretty good videos that will be up at some point.
Following that little adventure to get the day started, we had 90 more miles until Culbertson, MT. Doesn't it just sound western? That ride was a really good ride and the easiest 95 mile ride day we have had so far. The best part of the day was coming into Culbertson when we crossed the Missouri River; it was one of the moments when they surroundings and scenery are completely overwhelming. To the right were the reminants of mountains, to the left was a widening river bed where everything was green, and below us was the valley containing Culbertson.
A lovely spread of food was awaiting us in Culbertson and it was much appreciated because it feels likes it's been a while since we've had such hospitality. I also got to do a couple loads of our laundry at a local's house and get a ride back in his thunderbird; another random, fun event. We also had a really good affordable housing discussion that night and it was neat so have all of us thinking of ways to improve the system.
After Culbertson, we had 2 easy days of riding. The first one was 55 miles and the second one was 49. The second one was particularly awesome because we had a tailwind and covered the 50 miles in just over 2 hours, so for the first time this trip, I averaged over 20 mph. It was so fun to go that fast all day. I have a feeling our joy ride ends here, in Glascow, MT, though, but it was sure fun while it lasted.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
"Waiting on the World to Change"
I take back everything I said about the mountains; the wind is worse. It is absolutely draining, daunting, and never-ending. I know that doesn't sound like a very positive note to start this journal entry on, but in a way, it is... I don't think I have faced a mental challenge quite like this in my life, and it feels pretty awesome to know that I am overcoming it. I keep telling myself, and anyone who will listen, that a lot people bike across the country and only a few do it the hard way, and we get to be a part of that group now.
After the build day in Duluth, it was time to hit the road again. We climbed out of Duluth and saw some of the best scenery we have seen on the trip so far. I personally got great satisfaction out of the climb because I have heard horror stories about it, but after what we did out east, it wasn't that bad. The rest of the ride to Grand Rapids wasn't all that eventful, just the beginning of the headwinds that will torment us the next 3 weeks. Grand Rapids is also the birthplace of Judy Garland, so if you ever need a "Wizard of Oz" fix, Caryn, it's not that far away.
From Grand Rapids we headed to Bemidji, MN, home of "Babe, the Blue Ox." This is when the winds began to eat away at my soul. I'm only being slightly dramatic there. The bright side of the long day and slow speeds was that there was a lot of chit-chatting all day and that makes the miles go by so much quicker. I probably shared far more about myself than anyone cared to know... We also met two cyclists that day that had started in Vancouver on July 1st and were headed to Quebec City. They told us they were averaging about 15 - 17 mph without road bikes... Oh how I long for a tailwind.
Next up on the list of cities was Crookston, MN. We left early that day to try to beat some of the winds and boy did that backfire. When we left the church it was barely 50 degrees and there were wind gusts up to 40 mph. That day warranted a nine person pace line, which isn't very fun, but makes life so much easier. The ride that day was 90 miles of flat, windy, uneventful terrain and it was hard to imagine that this is what we were going to be doing for quite some time. I think it was this day that the "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" and "when you're going through hell, keep on going" mantras started to get thrown around.
After 90 miles and 8 hours on the bike, we then had to do it all over again, plus 30 more miles the next day. I was more than a little bit nervous for the longest ride day of our trip. Everything started out fine that day, it was kind of just more of the same. The day started out chilly and then warmed up, and I left my jacket on too long and got a bit overheated in the afternoon, which was not a fun experience. As a result of that, the last 10 miles were pretty painful, but people slowed down with me and I was able to finish a 117 mile bike ride. 117 miles, that is just crazy! I puked immediately after the ride, had horrid stomach cramps the rest of the night, and essentially thought I was going to die, but it was still worth it to say that I biked 117 miles across the windiest state in the country. Even thinking back to that feeling now makes me wonder what I am going to do with myself when I get back to my "real" life... It's going to be hard to top what I am doing this summer.
There are a couple more days in North Dakota that I am skipping, but apparently nothing too exciting happened because I can't think of anything to write about in regards to those days... It could also just be me being lazy, oh well. Tomorrow we head to Teddy Roosevelt National Park to camp, and lord help us, lets hope it goes better than our last camping experience.
After the build day in Duluth, it was time to hit the road again. We climbed out of Duluth and saw some of the best scenery we have seen on the trip so far. I personally got great satisfaction out of the climb because I have heard horror stories about it, but after what we did out east, it wasn't that bad. The rest of the ride to Grand Rapids wasn't all that eventful, just the beginning of the headwinds that will torment us the next 3 weeks. Grand Rapids is also the birthplace of Judy Garland, so if you ever need a "Wizard of Oz" fix, Caryn, it's not that far away.
From Grand Rapids we headed to Bemidji, MN, home of "Babe, the Blue Ox." This is when the winds began to eat away at my soul. I'm only being slightly dramatic there. The bright side of the long day and slow speeds was that there was a lot of chit-chatting all day and that makes the miles go by so much quicker. I probably shared far more about myself than anyone cared to know... We also met two cyclists that day that had started in Vancouver on July 1st and were headed to Quebec City. They told us they were averaging about 15 - 17 mph without road bikes... Oh how I long for a tailwind.
Next up on the list of cities was Crookston, MN. We left early that day to try to beat some of the winds and boy did that backfire. When we left the church it was barely 50 degrees and there were wind gusts up to 40 mph. That day warranted a nine person pace line, which isn't very fun, but makes life so much easier. The ride that day was 90 miles of flat, windy, uneventful terrain and it was hard to imagine that this is what we were going to be doing for quite some time. I think it was this day that the "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" and "when you're going through hell, keep on going" mantras started to get thrown around.
After 90 miles and 8 hours on the bike, we then had to do it all over again, plus 30 more miles the next day. I was more than a little bit nervous for the longest ride day of our trip. Everything started out fine that day, it was kind of just more of the same. The day started out chilly and then warmed up, and I left my jacket on too long and got a bit overheated in the afternoon, which was not a fun experience. As a result of that, the last 10 miles were pretty painful, but people slowed down with me and I was able to finish a 117 mile bike ride. 117 miles, that is just crazy! I puked immediately after the ride, had horrid stomach cramps the rest of the night, and essentially thought I was going to die, but it was still worth it to say that I biked 117 miles across the windiest state in the country. Even thinking back to that feeling now makes me wonder what I am going to do with myself when I get back to my "real" life... It's going to be hard to top what I am doing this summer.
There are a couple more days in North Dakota that I am skipping, but apparently nothing too exciting happened because I can't think of anything to write about in regards to those days... It could also just be me being lazy, oh well. Tomorrow we head to Teddy Roosevelt National Park to camp, and lord help us, lets hope it goes better than our last camping experience.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
"Minnesota"
Can you believe that I have already rode into Wisconsin? I biked from Portsmouth, NH to Madison... that is unbelievable and so exhilirating. The ride to Madison was short and sweet, but it was harder than we thought it was going to be thanks to a steady breeze from the northwest. We were all so excited to be there though, so it didn't really matter. Madison was one of the "most looked forward to" destinations on the trip, and from peoples' reactions I think it lived up to its billing.
The first day there people spent the afternoon sightseeing and wandering around state street. After another lovely host dinner, I met up with Andy and Justin at a Mallard's game. Although I did not see a single pitch thrown, I had a great time catching up with them and getting to see them. When we decided we couldn't care less about the game, we went back to there place and hung out for a while before meeting up with Bike and Builders on State Street. It was kind of surreal to be sitting at a bar with friends from high school and 10 friends I had just met while biking across the country; pretty awesome.
The next day we had a build day and we all got to work on several houses in the same habitat development. My work situation that day was absolutely perfect for me and was so inspiring. I worked with two men, Herman and Marzo, ages 80 and 91, respectively, and they were fascinating. Herald was a former clothing shop owner in Madison and Marzo was in the construction field his entire career. Marzo was also a cyclist and toured Europe at the tender age of 80. Knowing he did something like that at 80 was another reiteration that we will in fact make it across the country. They enjoyed having the attention of three young ladies as much as we enjoyed listening to them and learning from them.
From Madison, we headed to Gays Mills, WI. That morning my dad drove up from Janesville and met us at the churnch to ride out with us. That was another great moment; it was pretty special to be able to share a little bit of this experience with him, because if anyone would appreciate this trip, it would be him. After my dad turned around to head back, the rest of the day got very interesting. We conquered the "trifecta" of cycling that day and battled through wind, distance, and hills (mountains). People kept commenting that they "had no idea Wisconsin had mountains." It was one of the days that I wish we had a camera following us so that people could see exaclty what we accomplished that day.
And, as much as it was a day in which I probably complained about the hills 100 times, it was one of the best, most satisfying rides of the trip so far. I rode with Jeremy, Cydney, Julian, and Laura and we had a blast for all 100 miles. The highlight probably being the truck pull/town fair we stopped at in Boaz. We talked with drunken locals who offered to drunkenly drive us to Gays Mills and watched souped up truckes try to pull the "Attitude Adjuster."
After Gays Mills, we went to Onalaska (LaCrosse). Apparently nothing too exciting happened on that ride day because I can't really remember it... I do remember that I got to see Sarah Holmes that night though! Another great experience while in my homeland. She picked me up from the church and let me shower in her hotel room, which was awesome. Even though we only got to see each other for a little while it was so nice to see her. Thanks, Sarah!
The next day we rode from LaCrosse to Pepin, WI, and it was another one of my favorite rides so far. We followed highway 35, or the "Great River Road" most of the way as it followed along the Mississippi. It was our first perfect weather day and we even had a slight tailwind! We got to talk a lot along the route, go really fast, and take in some gorgeous scenery. Pepin is also the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder, so that was a perk at the end of the ride. And speaking of Laura Ingalls Wilder, we had some wonderful literary conversation centered around "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn". I also talked about the upcoming day - the Twin Cities!
Much like the ride to Janesville, the ride to St. Paul started out horribly. I don't know that I have ever been so miserable on a bike. It rained/poured for the first 35 miles, was cold, and really hilly. I got through it with a lot of laughing at situations that were so bad they had to be funny. The rain finally ended though and we reached the top of a hill where we saw a bald eagle perched over the Mississippi; it was about as "American" as you can get. The rest of the ride got better after lunch and we finally entered into Minnesota and St. Paul.
I was so excited to see everyone in the cities, especially Tori. She has been in Argentina for the past 6 months and randomly happened to fly into Minneapolis the same day we rode through. Tori and my parents picked me up from the church and we picked up Kate and Amy to go out to dinner. After dinner, all the girls met us at Bar Abilene for drinks. In addition to the girls, their were several suprise visitors. I cannot express to all of you how much it meant that you came out to see me, so thank you!!! It was great to see everyone and find out how everyone's summer is going.
After getting to sleep in my own place, I finally got to sleep past 7! Then I said goodbye to the parents and Tori before heading out to pick up Laura and Ashley to go to the bike shop. The bike shop wasn't very successful, but the girls got to see where all of our bikes got put together. After the bike shop we ran errands to the mall and the bank, so they got to see lots of Minnesota staples. Once the errands were run, we met up with Kim and Smith to walk to the sculpture gardens, followed by dinner and a drink at Joe's Garage. On the walk home from dinner, we randomly ran into Kelsey and Lauren. It reiterated what I love about Minneapolis - a big city where you still run into friends. After dropping Laura and Ashley off, I went back and chatted with the girls some more and then had to say goodbye. It was a tearful goodbye. I miss you guys again already!
The ride from St. Paul to Askov was a lovely suprise - 110 miles when we thought it was going to be 85. It was another pretty ride though, with fairly easy terrain, so it was a doable 110. That night, however, was not so doable. As most of you know, a camper I am not, and it was our first night of camping. It started out fine enough, until the mosquitoes came out. I fell asleep in our tent before the "family meeting" and in that time I was attacked through my pants to my butt. I have never had so many bites in one area before, and it is not a fun place to have a lot of bites while riding your bike across the country. On top of that, it rained all night long and our tent was not properly set up, so I got rained on all night and got no sleep after riding my bike 110 miles. I was not a happy camper when I got up in the morning. Pun intended. I survived though, and got on my bike as soon as possible the morning.
From the misery that was Askov, MN, we rode to Duluth, MN. I was excited for this ride because I knew it was going to be flat, on a trail, and pretty. It ended up being all of these and fast. I rode with Theo and Jeremy and Jeremy gave us a less on a Judaism for an hour and then we played contact, and before we knew it we were there. I had the pleasure of doing laundry for the group again in Duluth, which is always a treat. We also had our second to last build day there, and it was another good one. All 30 of us worked on one house again and we were able to almost finish putting up an entire roof and putting insulation alongside the foundation. It has been a nice stay here in Duluth and tomorrow we are off to Grand Rapids, MN.
The first day there people spent the afternoon sightseeing and wandering around state street. After another lovely host dinner, I met up with Andy and Justin at a Mallard's game. Although I did not see a single pitch thrown, I had a great time catching up with them and getting to see them. When we decided we couldn't care less about the game, we went back to there place and hung out for a while before meeting up with Bike and Builders on State Street. It was kind of surreal to be sitting at a bar with friends from high school and 10 friends I had just met while biking across the country; pretty awesome.
The next day we had a build day and we all got to work on several houses in the same habitat development. My work situation that day was absolutely perfect for me and was so inspiring. I worked with two men, Herman and Marzo, ages 80 and 91, respectively, and they were fascinating. Herald was a former clothing shop owner in Madison and Marzo was in the construction field his entire career. Marzo was also a cyclist and toured Europe at the tender age of 80. Knowing he did something like that at 80 was another reiteration that we will in fact make it across the country. They enjoyed having the attention of three young ladies as much as we enjoyed listening to them and learning from them.
From Madison, we headed to Gays Mills, WI. That morning my dad drove up from Janesville and met us at the churnch to ride out with us. That was another great moment; it was pretty special to be able to share a little bit of this experience with him, because if anyone would appreciate this trip, it would be him. After my dad turned around to head back, the rest of the day got very interesting. We conquered the "trifecta" of cycling that day and battled through wind, distance, and hills (mountains). People kept commenting that they "had no idea Wisconsin had mountains." It was one of the days that I wish we had a camera following us so that people could see exaclty what we accomplished that day.
And, as much as it was a day in which I probably complained about the hills 100 times, it was one of the best, most satisfying rides of the trip so far. I rode with Jeremy, Cydney, Julian, and Laura and we had a blast for all 100 miles. The highlight probably being the truck pull/town fair we stopped at in Boaz. We talked with drunken locals who offered to drunkenly drive us to Gays Mills and watched souped up truckes try to pull the "Attitude Adjuster."
After Gays Mills, we went to Onalaska (LaCrosse). Apparently nothing too exciting happened on that ride day because I can't really remember it... I do remember that I got to see Sarah Holmes that night though! Another great experience while in my homeland. She picked me up from the church and let me shower in her hotel room, which was awesome. Even though we only got to see each other for a little while it was so nice to see her. Thanks, Sarah!
The next day we rode from LaCrosse to Pepin, WI, and it was another one of my favorite rides so far. We followed highway 35, or the "Great River Road" most of the way as it followed along the Mississippi. It was our first perfect weather day and we even had a slight tailwind! We got to talk a lot along the route, go really fast, and take in some gorgeous scenery. Pepin is also the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder, so that was a perk at the end of the ride. And speaking of Laura Ingalls Wilder, we had some wonderful literary conversation centered around "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn". I also talked about the upcoming day - the Twin Cities!
Much like the ride to Janesville, the ride to St. Paul started out horribly. I don't know that I have ever been so miserable on a bike. It rained/poured for the first 35 miles, was cold, and really hilly. I got through it with a lot of laughing at situations that were so bad they had to be funny. The rain finally ended though and we reached the top of a hill where we saw a bald eagle perched over the Mississippi; it was about as "American" as you can get. The rest of the ride got better after lunch and we finally entered into Minnesota and St. Paul.
I was so excited to see everyone in the cities, especially Tori. She has been in Argentina for the past 6 months and randomly happened to fly into Minneapolis the same day we rode through. Tori and my parents picked me up from the church and we picked up Kate and Amy to go out to dinner. After dinner, all the girls met us at Bar Abilene for drinks. In addition to the girls, their were several suprise visitors. I cannot express to all of you how much it meant that you came out to see me, so thank you!!! It was great to see everyone and find out how everyone's summer is going.
After getting to sleep in my own place, I finally got to sleep past 7! Then I said goodbye to the parents and Tori before heading out to pick up Laura and Ashley to go to the bike shop. The bike shop wasn't very successful, but the girls got to see where all of our bikes got put together. After the bike shop we ran errands to the mall and the bank, so they got to see lots of Minnesota staples. Once the errands were run, we met up with Kim and Smith to walk to the sculpture gardens, followed by dinner and a drink at Joe's Garage. On the walk home from dinner, we randomly ran into Kelsey and Lauren. It reiterated what I love about Minneapolis - a big city where you still run into friends. After dropping Laura and Ashley off, I went back and chatted with the girls some more and then had to say goodbye. It was a tearful goodbye. I miss you guys again already!
The ride from St. Paul to Askov was a lovely suprise - 110 miles when we thought it was going to be 85. It was another pretty ride though, with fairly easy terrain, so it was a doable 110. That night, however, was not so doable. As most of you know, a camper I am not, and it was our first night of camping. It started out fine enough, until the mosquitoes came out. I fell asleep in our tent before the "family meeting" and in that time I was attacked through my pants to my butt. I have never had so many bites in one area before, and it is not a fun place to have a lot of bites while riding your bike across the country. On top of that, it rained all night long and our tent was not properly set up, so I got rained on all night and got no sleep after riding my bike 110 miles. I was not a happy camper when I got up in the morning. Pun intended. I survived though, and got on my bike as soon as possible the morning.
From the misery that was Askov, MN, we rode to Duluth, MN. I was excited for this ride because I knew it was going to be flat, on a trail, and pretty. It ended up being all of these and fast. I rode with Theo and Jeremy and Jeremy gave us a less on a Judaism for an hour and then we played contact, and before we knew it we were there. I had the pleasure of doing laundry for the group again in Duluth, which is always a treat. We also had our second to last build day there, and it was another good one. All 30 of us worked on one house again and we were able to almost finish putting up an entire roof and putting insulation alongside the foundation. It has been a nice stay here in Duluth and tomorrow we are off to Grand Rapids, MN.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
"Life is A Highway"
Wow, it is has been a long time since I have blogged... So much has happened, and so many miles have been ridden.
The ride to Chicago was as eventful as anticipated. We started out of Edwardsburg, MI and went south along Lake Michigan. In the first half of the ride we rode through Michiana Shores, which was a beautiful resort town on the lake with some really impressive homes. After Michiana Shores, we rode through Gary, IN. The comparison of Michiana Shores and Gary was an excellent example of the juxtaposition of wealth in America and a good reminder of why we are riding. We were riding by million dollar homes and then 20 miles later we were riding through the heart of poverty in the midwest. Unfortunately, those kinds of neighborhoods and contradictions happen everywhere without an acknowledgment that the other exists.
After Gary, the ride got very interesting for me. First, a girl I was riding with had a tire explode on her; I definitely thought she got shot. My response was, "Oh my god, Abby got shot; I'm glad it wasn't me." How inappropriate and how me. She did not get shot, but we had to sit on the curb and wait for an hour for the van to get there and give us a new tire. After the tire was fixed, I had my first experience with chafing. It was a chafing like I have never experienced before and I was very near tears the last 20 miles of the ride. Once we got into Chicago, I tried to walk down the street to a Michael Jackson cover concert but only made it halfway before I had to quit to go to a CVS and buy Desitin. I also asked for a pair of shorts and created quite the scene in CVS... I will have to tell the story in person and act it for you to get the full impact of my entry into Chicago.
We went out in Chicago that night and had a really good time. The next morning we got up and rode around downtown Chicago and went to Millennium Park, Michigan Ave, and Evanston. I rode with Kelsey, Lauren, and Angel that day and we had a really good time taking it slow and stopping at all the sights. Kelsey was a wonderful tour guide of Northwestern. We arrived in Gray's Lake and had a relaxing night in preparation for the ride into Janesville!
The ride to Janesville started out disastrously; we all got horribly lost in the first 3 miles and then ended up following Ashley's I-phone the rest of the way. Once we were finally on our way, we had some interesting roads in Illinois, but then we finally hit "the promised land" of Wisconsin. We rode through Lake Geneva and everyone had a good first impression of Wisconsin. The weather that day was questionable from the get-go and I was nervous for all of the activities (boating and grilling out) planned in Janesville. As fate would have it though, the second we got the boats out on the river, the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful evening. My parents and another wonderful man took us out on boats and let us go tubing and skiing. The owner of the other boat had never met us before and his letting us use his boat was another random act of kindness from a stranger along the way.
The second day in Janesville was another build day and we got to work with the Rock County Community Action. We were seperated into three groups: demolition, painting the Mercy shelter, and insulation work in Beloit. I was in the demolition group and we went to a house that had been foreclosed on off of Delavan Drive and spent the day demoing the house so that it can be refurbished. I think that all three groups learned a lot while they were working that day. The people working in Beloit got to talk to local workers and learn about the city of Beloit; the demo group worked with the Community Action coordinator and learned about Janesville; the painters learned about the homeless community in Rock County. As someone who is so connected to Janesville, it was very sad to hear all of the problems the area is facing and to know it is happening in cities across the nation.
Madtown!!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
"Flake"
Tonight's title entry was not on my iPod, but is in honor of the jam session we just had in which Theo and Wade played "Flake" and the rest of us tried to sing along. For any of you that know me well, you can imagine how much I enjoyed that. Theo had only played the first chord and I jumped with joy.
The generosity from the hosts never seems to end and is overwhelmingly inspiring. The people in Camden, MI were so happy to have us there and went above and beyond what anyone would ever expect of a host. First, they opened up 5 homes for all of us to shower in and provided dinner. Then, the greatest thing of all, they did our laundry! They did 30 people's laundry; not just 30 regular people either, 30 people who rode their bikes for 80 miles that day. Talk about generosity. We also had an improptu talent show where Theo played the piano, Nate balanced things on his chin, and Sidny amused us all. The best line of the trip so far occurred when the minister of the church asked people to sing along and Sidny said, "I'm Jewish", the minister said, "Ellijah was a Jew," and Sidny said, "So was Jesus." It was pure awkwardness for about 5 seconds and then everyone started laughing. You probably had to be there... but it was funny, I promise.
From Camden we went to Edwardsburg, MI, by way of Indiana. The ride to Edwardsburg was pretty uneventful until I got my second flat of the trip. This flat was particularly fun because I had a slime tire in and sprayed green slime all over myself and the road; that stuff cannot be environmentally friendly. I once again changed it quickly, but had a hard time getting it through the brakes, but we eventually got it and all was good for about 2 minutes. Two minutes later we were riding and a fly flew into my ear and for some reason it put me over the edge. I made the people I was riding with pull over and had a mini nervous break down. It is so funny to see what the tipping point is on any given day. We have all had our moments and the most random things can throw us into a downward spiral; I guess that is what lack of sleep and 6+ hours of exercise every day will do to a person.
Following the lack of emotional control for a split second, we made it to our destination; another set of wonderful hosts. The most amazing thing about this one is that they had 2 bike mechanics from a local bike shop come in and give us all free tune-ups. They were here for 5 hours and helped us all with our bikes. You cannot imagine how much help these people were and how much we appreciated it. People keep telling us how motivating and inspiring we are, but I am thinking that the people helping us along the way are just as impressive and inspiring. You cannot be a part of this trip and not gain an appreciation for the kindness in America.
"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." This quote, by Bill Clinton, seems so appropriate for this trip. Affordable housing is something that is wrong with America, but organizations like Habitat, with the help of all the people we have met, are helping to treat and cure the problem.
Speaking of Habitat, we had our first 30 person build site today and it was awesome to see what 60 hands could get done in 7 hours. We put up dry wall, caulked a basement, moved enough dirt to level the land on an entire side of the house, took a garage from plywood to almost completion, and finished siding the front of the house. The family was there working with us all day and it felt wonderful to help them build their home.
Tomorrow, we ride to Chicago. Yep, we are going to be in Chicago in a day. We also just found out it is going to be 108 miles... shoud be interesting, that's for sure.
The generosity from the hosts never seems to end and is overwhelmingly inspiring. The people in Camden, MI were so happy to have us there and went above and beyond what anyone would ever expect of a host. First, they opened up 5 homes for all of us to shower in and provided dinner. Then, the greatest thing of all, they did our laundry! They did 30 people's laundry; not just 30 regular people either, 30 people who rode their bikes for 80 miles that day. Talk about generosity. We also had an improptu talent show where Theo played the piano, Nate balanced things on his chin, and Sidny amused us all. The best line of the trip so far occurred when the minister of the church asked people to sing along and Sidny said, "I'm Jewish", the minister said, "Ellijah was a Jew," and Sidny said, "So was Jesus." It was pure awkwardness for about 5 seconds and then everyone started laughing. You probably had to be there... but it was funny, I promise.
From Camden we went to Edwardsburg, MI, by way of Indiana. The ride to Edwardsburg was pretty uneventful until I got my second flat of the trip. This flat was particularly fun because I had a slime tire in and sprayed green slime all over myself and the road; that stuff cannot be environmentally friendly. I once again changed it quickly, but had a hard time getting it through the brakes, but we eventually got it and all was good for about 2 minutes. Two minutes later we were riding and a fly flew into my ear and for some reason it put me over the edge. I made the people I was riding with pull over and had a mini nervous break down. It is so funny to see what the tipping point is on any given day. We have all had our moments and the most random things can throw us into a downward spiral; I guess that is what lack of sleep and 6+ hours of exercise every day will do to a person.
Following the lack of emotional control for a split second, we made it to our destination; another set of wonderful hosts. The most amazing thing about this one is that they had 2 bike mechanics from a local bike shop come in and give us all free tune-ups. They were here for 5 hours and helped us all with our bikes. You cannot imagine how much help these people were and how much we appreciated it. People keep telling us how motivating and inspiring we are, but I am thinking that the people helping us along the way are just as impressive and inspiring. You cannot be a part of this trip and not gain an appreciation for the kindness in America.
"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." This quote, by Bill Clinton, seems so appropriate for this trip. Affordable housing is something that is wrong with America, but organizations like Habitat, with the help of all the people we have met, are helping to treat and cure the problem.
Speaking of Habitat, we had our first 30 person build site today and it was awesome to see what 60 hands could get done in 7 hours. We put up dry wall, caulked a basement, moved enough dirt to level the land on an entire side of the house, took a garage from plywood to almost completion, and finished siding the front of the house. The family was there working with us all day and it felt wonderful to help them build their home.
Tomorrow, we ride to Chicago. Yep, we are going to be in Chicago in a day. We also just found out it is going to be 108 miles... shoud be interesting, that's for sure.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
"Born in the USA"
A lot has happened since the last post and a lot of miles have been covered. We are in Michigan. Michigan. That means in the past week we have went from New York to Michigan. For me, I finally felt like we were getting places when we reached Ohio; so I'll tell you about the journey from NY to Camden, MI.
From Lockport, NY, we had a short ride into Niagra Falls. We spent the day being tourists and walking around the falls and tourist areas. That night we had our first real dinner out at a restaurant and then there were fireworks over the falls. And, I almost forgot the most exciting part of that day... I ran into Evan and Kenny from the "Real World/Road Rules Challenge". No one else was as excited as I was, and although I was a bit embarrassed that no one else even know who they were, it was still awesome.
After Niagra, we rode to Westfield, NY. That ride was one of our more difficult ones so far. We had our first tast of what wind can do to a biker. A lot of the people from the east coast don't understand how hard it can be to ride into 20 mph headwinds; almost as difficult as hills. I also had my first (and hopefully only) flat that day and I managed to replace the tube on the side of the road and getting going again within 20 minutes. I was quite pleased with myself. After my flat I was riding by myself for the rest of the day when I ran into another cyclist who was riding from Rochester, NY to St. Paul. He was by himself and carrying all of his gear so he drafted off of me for about 12 miles and had a lovely conversation. It was definitely a small world, nice people moment.
From Westfield we went to Ashtubula, OH. We rode in three different states that day, which was really cool. We also saw the roads get worse as we headed west. A member of the church from Westfield rode out with us and he said as the taxes decreased as you go west, the roads got worse. We had another build day in Ashtubula where we painted the outside of the WIC center there.
After Ashtubula we went to Avon Lake. In that ride we rode right through the heart of Cleveland. I rode in with a Cleveland native and he took us to a small Chinese restaurant that was very tasty. We also went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and got to see the Michael Jackson memorial the day they had the candlelight vigil. The hosts at the Avon Lake church were absolutely amazing and put out one of the finest spreads of food I have ever seen. That night we had "home stays" where we stayed at homes of members of the church. I stayed with a really nice couple that even did a load of laundry for us!
Next up was Bowling Green. The ride into Bowling Green was our first 90+ mile day. I love that we all did it without any major problems and it wasn't even that bad for us; who would've thought. From Bowling Green we headed here, to Camden, MI. Today's ride was 77 miles, so over the past 3 days we rode 247 miles. And I have to be honest, I was feeling it at the end of today's ride. Tomorrow we head to Edwardsburg, MI where we have another build day.
5 days until Janesville!!!
From Lockport, NY, we had a short ride into Niagra Falls. We spent the day being tourists and walking around the falls and tourist areas. That night we had our first real dinner out at a restaurant and then there were fireworks over the falls. And, I almost forgot the most exciting part of that day... I ran into Evan and Kenny from the "Real World/Road Rules Challenge". No one else was as excited as I was, and although I was a bit embarrassed that no one else even know who they were, it was still awesome.
After Niagra, we rode to Westfield, NY. That ride was one of our more difficult ones so far. We had our first tast of what wind can do to a biker. A lot of the people from the east coast don't understand how hard it can be to ride into 20 mph headwinds; almost as difficult as hills. I also had my first (and hopefully only) flat that day and I managed to replace the tube on the side of the road and getting going again within 20 minutes. I was quite pleased with myself. After my flat I was riding by myself for the rest of the day when I ran into another cyclist who was riding from Rochester, NY to St. Paul. He was by himself and carrying all of his gear so he drafted off of me for about 12 miles and had a lovely conversation. It was definitely a small world, nice people moment.
From Westfield we went to Ashtubula, OH. We rode in three different states that day, which was really cool. We also saw the roads get worse as we headed west. A member of the church from Westfield rode out with us and he said as the taxes decreased as you go west, the roads got worse. We had another build day in Ashtubula where we painted the outside of the WIC center there.
After Ashtubula we went to Avon Lake. In that ride we rode right through the heart of Cleveland. I rode in with a Cleveland native and he took us to a small Chinese restaurant that was very tasty. We also went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and got to see the Michael Jackson memorial the day they had the candlelight vigil. The hosts at the Avon Lake church were absolutely amazing and put out one of the finest spreads of food I have ever seen. That night we had "home stays" where we stayed at homes of members of the church. I stayed with a really nice couple that even did a load of laundry for us!
Next up was Bowling Green. The ride into Bowling Green was our first 90+ mile day. I love that we all did it without any major problems and it wasn't even that bad for us; who would've thought. From Bowling Green we headed here, to Camden, MI. Today's ride was 77 miles, so over the past 3 days we rode 247 miles. And I have to be honest, I was feeling it at the end of today's ride. Tomorrow we head to Edwardsburg, MI where we have another build day.
5 days until Janesville!!!
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