We arrived in Colorado Springs on Saturday, July 2. This was my first sweep day, lucky enough to have a nice short day to sweep alongside Chuck. Sweeping allows time to relax during the ride and chat with another rider you may not ride with often, as such the case with us since Chuck is a fast rider and I am average to slow. We stayed at Sunrise Church on the uphill outskirts of CoSp.
12 of us spent our first night camped at Barr Trail trailhead in a parking lot in Manitou Springs, just 15 miles from CoSp. Asleep by 11p, up at 430a, ready to hike Pike's Peak. Only on Bike & Build do people use their last day off to ascend 7000ft to 14,110ft. Another group went white water rafting. There is no such thing as solid relaxation here :) Also note, it snowed on us, twice, beginning of July. So amazing!!
We spent the next 6 days working on a Blitz Build with Pike's Peak Habitat for Humanity. Our SC2SC route is unique in that it participates in this Blitz Build every year. They are currently building houses in a subdivision near our host, giving each house a beautiful view of the mountains around it. NC2SD was in CoSp the week before for a regular one or two day build day where they laid foundation for the house we built. The house we built is for Sandy & Ian, a single mom and her 10 year old son. They worked alongside us, along with our supervisor Memo and "the regulars"- a dependable group of retired guys who usually know a thing or two about construction and will instruct you whether they know or only think that they know what they're doing:)
We arrived on Independence Day to a concrete hole. By the end of the first day, we had the crawl space, "Ian's man cave", dry walled & finished, as well as the floor laid and wall frames started. Tuesday's end had a nearly completely framed house standing. Day 3 began the rise off the ground officially by assembling scaffolding which allowed for the roof tresses to be added. Daily afternoon storms slowed work each day when the lightning started to get too close, so we'd pause until it was a safe distance away. The rest of the week was spent foaming, sheeting, siding the house and decking and shingling the roof. There were few times people were without jobs, which was impressive considering there were about 40-45 people working at any given time. We left the work site on Saturday with a very impressive house standing. We knocked off about a month or two's worth of work in one week. Hopefully they will be moved in by Christmas.
Each day started at 830a, worked hard til the train whistle blew for lunch at noon. We'd chow down on delicious food provided by various people, set up by Lindsey, the HFH volunteer director. Solid hour lunch before afternoon work until clean up at 4p. Each day was a solid work day, which meant we earned our fun afterwards. Tuesday, we had an alley cat race where guys and girls were partnered up, expected to dress in costume, and given a route where we raced to checkpoints where there was a challenge, like piggy back races and a gallon challenge. helped keep us on the bike during our week off. Friday was Prom. As self-appointed prom committee chairperson, I got decorations and decorated one of the church rooms in ridiculous discount party deco. One of the riders was DJ. People creatively asked each other to prom throughout the past couple weeks, then donned some amazing outfits for the big night. Saturday, we worked with an organization called Bikes for Kids, which worked with Habitat to make sure all the kids in the subdivision had a bicycle & helmet. Specialized donated 5 bikes for the event. We helped with a bike rodeo where about 15 neighborhood kids came to decorate their bikes, paint faces, and ride through obstacles and games to practice bike safety.
The week was the pinnacle of our summer, reminding us why we're riding across the country. Sandy spoke at the ground blessing ceremony, causing many of us to tear up. She is so overwhelmingly grateful and appreciative of our work and sponsorship. This project is one of the big ways we donate our hard earned funds we all raised before hand. Our trip alone has raised over $150,000. Between the 8 trips, we hope to *donate* $500,000 to the affordable housing mission. We sponsored this Blitz Build with, I believe, $55,000. This is what we're here for. Sandy & Ian. Thank you to them for trusting us with their house!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Begin again, Bruises, Birthday, Blustery winds, Borders
A week and a half off took a bit more out of us than we expected. Sitting on a bus for hours on end, eating any junk food that passes by, doesn't really keep you physically in shape. Surprising, I know. We had a 20 mile shake down ride in Little Rock to see how we all felt about getting back on the bike and to get the kinks out of our bikes, which had been stashed in the trailer during the bus trip. My physical readiness did not match my mental readiness. And milk is always a bad choice. After a few too many breathing breaks along the small hills in town, we ended up making it to and from the park.
But 20 miles there and back couldn't prepare us for the mountain we were about to encounter the next day. I never realized the Ozarks had any mountains of significance. First day back in the saddle was a lovely little 88 mile ride, up hill both ways. Or at least that's what you would have thought after seeing us ascend the mountain. A little walking never hurt anyone, and it's actually a nice change of pace for the legs after riding for 60 miles. The view at the top was almost worth the brutal climb. Also, its amazing how rewarding shooting off a few fireworks at the end of the day... Try it some time, just under responsible* adult supervision.
On days that are either 90 miles long, or 90 degrees out, we get 2 lunches. It helps break up the day and make sure we have enough water and food to get us through. We can also break up the day with QLBs, such as a couple rounds of paintball. I was scared since my only experience with that is seeing JD come home with huge welts from it, and here we are playing in spandex and a mask. But the adrenaline got going after the first few shots. Gave a couple bruises, received a couple bruises... Life is good on the road..
We had our first century ride on June 19th. Combine 106 miles with Oklahoma heat and blowing winds, and you got yourself a fun filled day! But we made it, don't ask me how, but we did. The dinner provided by the Henryetta church tasted all the better after earning it like that.
Then.... the big moment.... waking up at 4:30am for it to be my birthday!! That made the early wake ups all the more tolerable. I don't think there was a person in the past couple hundred miles that didn't know it was my birthday considering all the chatter we've made about it while making plans. The plan was to ride 92 miles to Oklahoma City, but mother nature had other ideas for us. The winds were so intense by the afternoon, it was too dangerous to ride. So began the shuttle to pick up riders and bikes. As disappointing as it is to not get to finish a ride, the 3 shade tree breaks along the way made for a perfect birthday! The evening following the same pattern of awesomeness thanks to some intense dancing in tutus at a concert. Great birthday thanks to my Bike & Build family!
We had 2 build days in Oklahoma City working on houses in a subdivision of 300 lots, with 225 houses built already. Pretty impressive, especially since they are brick houses -- a very unique Habitat for Humanity neighborhood. Brick is cheap and easy to come by in OK, as well as a bit more sturdy in the city with a 400% higher tornado rate than normal.
Then began our week of battling winds, crossing borders, and preventing burns. We ventured straight west, through the slight hills of Oklahoma, into the flat barrenness of Texas, into beautiful New Mexico, to finally rest in Colorado. The panhandle plains of OK and TX may have just earned the title for worst place to live in the US. Nothing there. Horribly windy, flat, desolate places. By windy, I'm talking 25-30mph cross winds that cause you to ride at an angle, with the constant fear of being blown off the road, especially when semi's come blowing past. Then, switch that blusteriness to a head wind, and you aren't moving. At times, I have been pedaling with all my might, and only going 4.5mph. It's a little discouraging, but I've never seen people so excited to see those yellow diamond signs with a curve arrow on it. A slight curve in the road can be all the difference in your optimism of finishing the day's ride. As soon as we crossed into New Mexico, the topography and time zone changed. We could see faint outcrops in the distance. It was such a relieving sight. NM is a very underrated state, in my opinion. We have had our most beautiful landscapes so far while in NM. It's a shame we were only there for a night, but onward North to Colorado we must go!
A guy driving by asked me where we were going. I said California! He said isn't California that way? (pointing to the left) I said I don't know, I'm just riding where they tell me! Point being, we are talking a loopty looped way of getting to the West coast. Since our route was the newest route added (this is the 3rd summer), 2 routes already go through Nevada. Since those routes take up the only bike friendly roads going through the state, we have to meander our way around Nevada, into ID & OR before dropping back into CA.
So here we are, in desolate eastern Colorado. Looks strangely a lot like OK. I have a slight fear we took a wrong turn and are headed back east, especially considering the winds that struck up again as we crossed the border. They started as beautiful, amazing tail winds that had me cruising at 17mph (which is flying for this turtle). But they then switched to the dreaded severe cross & head winds. This is not the Colorado I've ever pictured. But there's a lot more to come. We're about 1400 miles into our now 3600 mile trip. Our trip to Boston cut out about 500 miles of the original 4100. That now puts us on par with the other trips, since our trips is the longest route, both days and mileage. We'll be about halfway through next week when we're in Colorado Springs doing our Blitz Build for the week. If our legs aren't made of steel yet, these upcoming mountains should do the trick!
But 20 miles there and back couldn't prepare us for the mountain we were about to encounter the next day. I never realized the Ozarks had any mountains of significance. First day back in the saddle was a lovely little 88 mile ride, up hill both ways. Or at least that's what you would have thought after seeing us ascend the mountain. A little walking never hurt anyone, and it's actually a nice change of pace for the legs after riding for 60 miles. The view at the top was almost worth the brutal climb. Also, its amazing how rewarding shooting off a few fireworks at the end of the day... Try it some time, just under responsible* adult supervision.
On days that are either 90 miles long, or 90 degrees out, we get 2 lunches. It helps break up the day and make sure we have enough water and food to get us through. We can also break up the day with QLBs, such as a couple rounds of paintball. I was scared since my only experience with that is seeing JD come home with huge welts from it, and here we are playing in spandex and a mask. But the adrenaline got going after the first few shots. Gave a couple bruises, received a couple bruises... Life is good on the road..
We had our first century ride on June 19th. Combine 106 miles with Oklahoma heat and blowing winds, and you got yourself a fun filled day! But we made it, don't ask me how, but we did. The dinner provided by the Henryetta church tasted all the better after earning it like that.
Then.... the big moment.... waking up at 4:30am for it to be my birthday!! That made the early wake ups all the more tolerable. I don't think there was a person in the past couple hundred miles that didn't know it was my birthday considering all the chatter we've made about it while making plans. The plan was to ride 92 miles to Oklahoma City, but mother nature had other ideas for us. The winds were so intense by the afternoon, it was too dangerous to ride. So began the shuttle to pick up riders and bikes. As disappointing as it is to not get to finish a ride, the 3 shade tree breaks along the way made for a perfect birthday! The evening following the same pattern of awesomeness thanks to some intense dancing in tutus at a concert. Great birthday thanks to my Bike & Build family!
We had 2 build days in Oklahoma City working on houses in a subdivision of 300 lots, with 225 houses built already. Pretty impressive, especially since they are brick houses -- a very unique Habitat for Humanity neighborhood. Brick is cheap and easy to come by in OK, as well as a bit more sturdy in the city with a 400% higher tornado rate than normal.
Then began our week of battling winds, crossing borders, and preventing burns. We ventured straight west, through the slight hills of Oklahoma, into the flat barrenness of Texas, into beautiful New Mexico, to finally rest in Colorado. The panhandle plains of OK and TX may have just earned the title for worst place to live in the US. Nothing there. Horribly windy, flat, desolate places. By windy, I'm talking 25-30mph cross winds that cause you to ride at an angle, with the constant fear of being blown off the road, especially when semi's come blowing past. Then, switch that blusteriness to a head wind, and you aren't moving. At times, I have been pedaling with all my might, and only going 4.5mph. It's a little discouraging, but I've never seen people so excited to see those yellow diamond signs with a curve arrow on it. A slight curve in the road can be all the difference in your optimism of finishing the day's ride. As soon as we crossed into New Mexico, the topography and time zone changed. We could see faint outcrops in the distance. It was such a relieving sight. NM is a very underrated state, in my opinion. We have had our most beautiful landscapes so far while in NM. It's a shame we were only there for a night, but onward North to Colorado we must go!
A guy driving by asked me where we were going. I said California! He said isn't California that way? (pointing to the left) I said I don't know, I'm just riding where they tell me! Point being, we are talking a loopty looped way of getting to the West coast. Since our route was the newest route added (this is the 3rd summer), 2 routes already go through Nevada. Since those routes take up the only bike friendly roads going through the state, we have to meander our way around Nevada, into ID & OR before dropping back into CA.
So here we are, in desolate eastern Colorado. Looks strangely a lot like OK. I have a slight fear we took a wrong turn and are headed back east, especially considering the winds that struck up again as we crossed the border. They started as beautiful, amazing tail winds that had me cruising at 17mph (which is flying for this turtle). But they then switched to the dreaded severe cross & head winds. This is not the Colorado I've ever pictured. But there's a lot more to come. We're about 1400 miles into our now 3600 mile trip. Our trip to Boston cut out about 500 miles of the original 4100. That now puts us on par with the other trips, since our trips is the longest route, both days and mileage. We'll be about halfway through next week when we're in Colorado Springs doing our Blitz Build for the week. If our legs aren't made of steel yet, these upcoming mountains should do the trick!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Who do we ride for? Christina!
As many have already heard, one of our trip leaders, Christina Genco, was struck and killed by a vehicle on Monday, June 6th. I will include several links that can describe different aspects of the story, but I thought it'd be appropriate the type a bit from my perspective of the day (at least what I can manage while touch screen typing on a borrowed iPad).
We left Rome, Georgia that bright, sunny Monday enroute to Scottsboro, Alabama. It was a long 70mile day ahead of us, but we'd get through it. After about 15-20 ,lies, I crossed the Alabama state line on a back road with Christina, Jeremy, Cecilia, & Kara. The state line had been chalked by a fellow rider earlier as there was no sign on this country road. We stopped to tAke fun photos before hitting the highway, where we doubled back a bit to catch the actual state line sign. After that stop, I broke off from the larger group and rode the remained of the relaxing country ride with Cecilia. We had a grueling 2-3 mile incline to conquer before reaching lunch. A few breather breaks later, we made it to the top. We munched on leftovers before checking out the waterfall. Due to the long, mildly challenging day and repairs at the previous host, the group was very spread out, with the first group leaving as we pulled in as the middle of the pack, then the last people not arriving til we were leaving - creating a several hour spread between all the groups.
We clammered downr the rocks to jump in the water, swim around, and play in the waterfall (using extreme water safety caution, of course). Christina & the crew she was at lunch with were heading out as me & my speed crew were jumping in. We had a grea time, swimming, relaxing, tromping through the woods. Cecilia & I finally left lunch after cleaning up, meeting up with Dits while cruising down some hills into the town of Rainsville. We had definitely earned that downhill flying decent. As we rode throguh town, we were motioned over to a Sonic where many riders had gathered. We assumed it was a nice QLB (quality of life break). But as we pulled in, Travis told us the news about Christina. She & Jeremy were about 20 miles ahead when it happened. We joined the other 8 riders sitting outside the Sonic in utter disbelief. We consoled each other and made sure everyone was okay physically. We let the other leaders know where we were, had several local group representatives introduce themselves saying they'd either seen it or heard and offered to help. I don't know how long we were actually sitting there, but Stan eventually came with the riders at lunch and dropped them off while he went to get other riders ahead of us. While waiting, we saw the ambulance fly by toward the hospital.. I just lost it then. Eventually, we were taken via police van to the host in Scottsboro to meet the rest of the group. Our bikes transported via box truck. As we neared the top of the hill a few miles down, traffic slowed to one lane, where we slowly went by the accident site. Her bike was still there, as were orange circles outlining her things. It was unreal.
We had a gathering in the church once we all arrived to relay all information, which wasn't much, and to have a small remembrance and prayer for her. We were all pretty much in disbelief/zombie zone the next couple days. We had group talk that night, group counseling to tell "our story", like I'm doing now, then individual counselors were available the rest of the days.
We were kept busy & fed by local people, all wanting to help -went to A lake house, pool, anything to keep us busy. We had a build day on Thursday, which was great to feel useful again. We then were udder to Boston, where Christina was from. Her family had come down for the week to be with us and see the site and what not. We arrived Saturday night, had dinner at Christina's house, which was overflowing with family, friends and B&B alumni. Sunday allowed time for sight seeing befor ethe wake that afternoon. There was a line out the door and around the corner. Sunday morning was the funeral service, held in a large, large sanctuary. It was filled, plus standing people in the back. There were easily 500 people in attendance. Absolutely unbelievable! Bike & Build had a reserved section behind the family and there were probably almost 100 lacrosse girls she'd coached next to us. Jeremy, her brother, and her mother gave excellent eulogies, very touching and well said. She was buried next to a brook in a very gorgeous cemetery. Lunch after which had slideshows from friends and her computer. Unbelievable turnout and support from everyone.
We're now enroute to Little Rock, AR to resume our trip as schedule. We will arrive Wednesday afternoon, "day off" Thursday, where we plan to have a shake down ride to get used to the idea of being back on the road before taking on the next 4 days leading into Oklahoma City. These days look like 80-100 miles days each.
Please keep our group in your thoughts as each of us heals and handles grief in different ways. We are each others best support system as we're all going through the same thing, but outside support doesn't hurt either :)
Photos for Christina
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101089110196251.3419644.2052540
Bike & Build blurb about the accident
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/content/view/9207/1/
Jeremy's post on Christina's blog
http://www.xtinag.com/post/6323263618/june-6
We left Rome, Georgia that bright, sunny Monday enroute to Scottsboro, Alabama. It was a long 70mile day ahead of us, but we'd get through it. After about 15-20 ,lies, I crossed the Alabama state line on a back road with Christina, Jeremy, Cecilia, & Kara. The state line had been chalked by a fellow rider earlier as there was no sign on this country road. We stopped to tAke fun photos before hitting the highway, where we doubled back a bit to catch the actual state line sign. After that stop, I broke off from the larger group and rode the remained of the relaxing country ride with Cecilia. We had a grueling 2-3 mile incline to conquer before reaching lunch. A few breather breaks later, we made it to the top. We munched on leftovers before checking out the waterfall. Due to the long, mildly challenging day and repairs at the previous host, the group was very spread out, with the first group leaving as we pulled in as the middle of the pack, then the last people not arriving til we were leaving - creating a several hour spread between all the groups.
We clammered downr the rocks to jump in the water, swim around, and play in the waterfall (using extreme water safety caution, of course). Christina & the crew she was at lunch with were heading out as me & my speed crew were jumping in. We had a grea time, swimming, relaxing, tromping through the woods. Cecilia & I finally left lunch after cleaning up, meeting up with Dits while cruising down some hills into the town of Rainsville. We had definitely earned that downhill flying decent. As we rode throguh town, we were motioned over to a Sonic where many riders had gathered. We assumed it was a nice QLB (quality of life break). But as we pulled in, Travis told us the news about Christina. She & Jeremy were about 20 miles ahead when it happened. We joined the other 8 riders sitting outside the Sonic in utter disbelief. We consoled each other and made sure everyone was okay physically. We let the other leaders know where we were, had several local group representatives introduce themselves saying they'd either seen it or heard and offered to help. I don't know how long we were actually sitting there, but Stan eventually came with the riders at lunch and dropped them off while he went to get other riders ahead of us. While waiting, we saw the ambulance fly by toward the hospital.. I just lost it then. Eventually, we were taken via police van to the host in Scottsboro to meet the rest of the group. Our bikes transported via box truck. As we neared the top of the hill a few miles down, traffic slowed to one lane, where we slowly went by the accident site. Her bike was still there, as were orange circles outlining her things. It was unreal.
We had a gathering in the church once we all arrived to relay all information, which wasn't much, and to have a small remembrance and prayer for her. We were all pretty much in disbelief/zombie zone the next couple days. We had group talk that night, group counseling to tell "our story", like I'm doing now, then individual counselors were available the rest of the days.
We were kept busy & fed by local people, all wanting to help -went to A lake house, pool, anything to keep us busy. We had a build day on Thursday, which was great to feel useful again. We then were udder to Boston, where Christina was from. Her family had come down for the week to be with us and see the site and what not. We arrived Saturday night, had dinner at Christina's house, which was overflowing with family, friends and B&B alumni. Sunday allowed time for sight seeing befor ethe wake that afternoon. There was a line out the door and around the corner. Sunday morning was the funeral service, held in a large, large sanctuary. It was filled, plus standing people in the back. There were easily 500 people in attendance. Absolutely unbelievable! Bike & Build had a reserved section behind the family and there were probably almost 100 lacrosse girls she'd coached next to us. Jeremy, her brother, and her mother gave excellent eulogies, very touching and well said. She was buried next to a brook in a very gorgeous cemetery. Lunch after which had slideshows from friends and her computer. Unbelievable turnout and support from everyone.
We're now enroute to Little Rock, AR to resume our trip as schedule. We will arrive Wednesday afternoon, "day off" Thursday, where we plan to have a shake down ride to get used to the idea of being back on the road before taking on the next 4 days leading into Oklahoma City. These days look like 80-100 miles days each.
Please keep our group in your thoughts as each of us heals and handles grief in different ways. We are each others best support system as we're all going through the same thing, but outside support doesn't hurt either :)
Photos for Christina
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101089110196251.3419644.2052540
Bike & Build blurb about the accident
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/content/view/9207/1/
Jeremy's post on Christina's blog
http://www.xtinag.com/post/6323263618/june-6
Saturday, May 28, 2011
A Day in the Life of...
a Biker: Wake up at 6am. Pack up. Breakfast once everyone has their things packed and by the trailer. Clean up the host site, leaving it cleaner than we found it. Group meeting to go over route and lunch stop. Take off and be at the host by 4pm. This means we have all day to do what you want and see what you want. Just be sure to stop at lunch, check in at minimium, chow down is recommended. Like today, we stopped for an hour at an Iris Festival then again at a dollar store to restock sunscreen supplies. By the time we left the festival, which was in our host town, the fast group had almost arrived to the lunch stop 25 miles ahead. Everyone is spaced out in their own groups. I am in a turtle group or with the sweeps. I'm renaming the sweeps to Sierra & Sweeps. I don't mind. Then once we're at the host, we shower, lay out our bedding, eat, see the town, sleep, swim, stretch, etc. It's quite the life... :)
a Builder: Same morning process. Arrive at build site around 8am. Do work. Done around 4pm.
I would like to point out I'm work my butt off in honor of each dollar given for each mile. A big thank you and shout out to those who have sponsored the trip so far:
23- George Vinyard kicked off the trip with a donation in honor of his wife Jenny.
24- Happy Birthday to Brenda Main Booth!
26- Randi Cowell, Stephanie Myers, Tim & Pat Sullivan
27, 28, 29 - Northland's 100th Commencement!! Congratulations to all my friends who graduated today!! Thank you to Benjamin Hughey & Intefada Wardia (Today's graduates) for donating!
In Columbia, SC now. Mild hills, sticky bodies, and flat tires sum the day up. Check out http://bikeandbuild.org/cms/ to keep tabs on all the trips, click the SC2SC route to follow ours and read a daily update. I'll check in (with shorter blogs now that you have the general idea of what we're doing). Questions? Feel free to comment and I'll answer next time I'm on! Thanks for checking in! I appreciate the support!
a Builder: Same morning process. Arrive at build site around 8am. Do work. Done around 4pm.
I would like to point out I'm work my butt off in honor of each dollar given for each mile. A big thank you and shout out to those who have sponsored the trip so far:
23- George Vinyard kicked off the trip with a donation in honor of his wife Jenny.
24- Happy Birthday to Brenda Main Booth!
26- Randi Cowell, Stephanie Myers, Tim & Pat Sullivan
27, 28, 29 - Northland's 100th Commencement!! Congratulations to all my friends who graduated today!! Thank you to Benjamin Hughey & Intefada Wardia (Today's graduates) for donating!
In Columbia, SC now. Mild hills, sticky bodies, and flat tires sum the day up. Check out http://bikeandbuild.org/cms/ to keep tabs on all the trips, click the SC2SC route to follow ours and read a daily update. I'll check in (with shorter blogs now that you have the general idea of what we're doing). Questions? Feel free to comment and I'll answer next time I'm on! Thanks for checking in! I appreciate the support!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Ritz, Road, Roof, Roll out, Rural, Rain.
Whew, what a time. I arrived in Charleston late Saturday night at stayed at a beach house with 4 other bikers. It was a snazzy rental place that was cheaper than a hotel when split among us all. We didn't have orientation until Monday afternoon so we did what any good young adult does when they are 200 yards from the beach, and laid on the beach for hours on end. Monday & Tuesday were a whirlwind of name games, bike lessons, affordable housing lessons, etc. I will soon have 32 new friends on Facebook, which makes our real life friendships legitament. Haha! Wednesday was our first build day! It's amazing what 33 people can get done. We looked like army ants scurrying every where, destoying everything in our path. We took off a roof and put a new one back on! I got to use a sweep scraper/pryer thing to get shingles off, then sweated in the sun to lay tar paper and new shingles. We almost got the entire roof done, except the showers we were using at the local college closed at 5pm, so we had to scidaddle too early. Then, the moment we've all been waiting for.... Thursday!! After passing all our bikes over a handrail down to the beach, we had our dip ceremony: all 33 riders & leaders line up and dip their back tires in the Atlantic Ocean. Then, once we hit Santa Cruz in 11 weeks, we dip our front tires in (then toss aside the bikes and swim in our gear). The first day was a short 34 miles to little Pinopolis. We had to account for all the time it'd take in the AM to pack, eat, load gear, for 33 people. That's a lot of people!! Very overwhelming at times. When we walk into a place, if it wasn't happenin' before, it will be once we're there. Today's ride was 67 miles to Sumter, SC, partially in the rain. But that felt good in this southern heat. It's not overwhelming yet, but it will be as the summer days tick away. We've had delicious meals provided each night so far by the churches we stay at. It's been a great start to a summer I can't believe is finally underway!! 33 personalities and bikes. Get excited for stories when I have more time to blog! Updates about once a week, or when I can find libraries so I don't have to use other people's iPad things. Til next time :)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tires & Chains; Rain & Dirt.
Less than 20 days left. Yes, that's less than 3 weeks. Like blink twice and I'll be in Charleston. Soooo, probably a good time to make sure I have all my gear and know how to use it.
Time to hit up those offers from friends! First lesson (ok, more like 40th lesson, but who's counting?), how to change a tire. Pretty fundamental skill to have while on the road, whether it's in a vehicle or bicycle. Instructor of Choice: Chris Lanyon. Super knowledgeable friend here at school who was able to break everything down into simple terms to get the message across. I now know how to use those little yellow plasticy things that were on the required list of things to buy (aka - tire spoons/levers). He also fixed the clicking from my chain. I sounded like a ticking bomb while shifting sometimes. I at least knew that wasn't good, even if I had no idea what it was stemmed from. Now, I have a quiet bike again and a basic understanding of how to tweak the tension of the gears and how to keep the chain moving the right way. Thank you Chris!! Hope those pedals work for you!
Today, I discovered what it must have felt like to have a wet diaper as a baby. I took my bike out for a spin in the rain for the first time. Also, got to see if my rain coat was suitable for bike riding. I think it'll suit me fine, one less specialized thing to purchase... whew! Nice 20 mile ride in light rain on a mostly paved path/road resulted in a nice brown streak up my entire backside. My padded shorts, jacket, and Camelbak looked like a dirty skunk when it was time to dry out and clean up.
Crunch time. Biking every day (except for this canoeing weekend). My bike computer is finally up and running-- time to start racking up the odometer mileage. Minimum of 500 miles before Charleston. Perfect time to start exploring the hills of the Bayfield Peninsula! I'll be out everyday if you'd like to join! Call me up or find me on here!
(Very sweaty) Sweat Equity Hours
We're in Miami, trick!! (Spring Break 4/22/11 - 5/1/11)
Each B&B rider must put in 10 hours of "sweaty equity" before the summer trip. This term refers to the time a person puts into contributing to the organization via building or other support work. Future Habitat for Humanity homeowners have to put in hundreds of sweaty equity hours before they can own a home. B&B riders have to put in a minimum of 10 hours to get on site experience with building, as well as have the opportunity to learn about the affordable housing cause first hand.
Each B&B rider must put in 10 hours of "sweaty equity" before the summer trip. This term refers to the time a person puts into contributing to the organization via building or other support work. Future Habitat for Humanity homeowners have to put in hundreds of sweaty equity hours before they can own a home. B&B riders have to put in a minimum of 10 hours to get on site experience with building, as well as have the opportunity to learn about the affordable housing cause first hand.
Northland College Volunteer Program has participated in Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge for 8 years now. This program offers an alternative spring break to young people, where groups can chose from over 100 affiliates located around to country to travel to and work with for a week. Past NC groups have worked in HI, MS, KY, LA, plus more. As this year's co-coordinators, Luke & I spent a large amount of our winter term organizing this trip. But all the fund raising ($5000 for this trip, simultaneous with B&B $4000), planning, and organizing was all worth it when we arrived in 85+ degree Miami!
A group of 11 students and 1 staff member traveled 30+ hours in one 12-passenger van from Ashland, Wisconsin to Miami, Florida --> snow to sunshine! We stayed at Central Bible Church in Westchester. We hit South Beach a couple hours after arriving on Easter Sunday, relaxing after crammed spaces and short stints of sleep at road side stops and RV parks. Our 2nd free day took us south 30 minutes to the Everglades. In less than 48 hours, may people knocked several things off their bucket list: going to Florida, swimming in the ocean, seeing an alligator. This was already adding up to be a stellar (and educational) trip!
So begins the work week on Tuesday. Safety orientation with the 50+ high schoolers from Bishop Brady High School in New Hampshire. Our group was small enough we were all able to be sent to the same work site, instead of being split up like the HS.
Day 1, House 1: Dry wall. Day 2, House 2: Base boarding and caulking. Day 3 & 4, House 3: Framing and ceiling bracing. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami built 91 houses last year! This amazing expansion of effort allowed us to work on three different houses in different areas of Liberty City (may ring a bell to video gamers: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City, anyone? --yep, that's where HFH is concentrating their work). Everyone found the niche at each work site, under the very patient guidance of our construction worker, Rick. What a great man... patient, patient, and did I mention patient? Everyone got their fill of cutting, measuring, nailing, screwing, lifting, painting, caulking, etc. We put in 250+ hours of building in our 4 days of work. Add on another trip to the beach, some delicious Cuban food, and bright, sunny skies and you have yourself a successful service learning project week!!
12 people down, 12 people back, alive. That trip not only fulfilled my sweat equity building requirement for the summer, but it gave me another good leadership role to gain experience and knowledge from. Plus, I got to have a great time with my friends, made new friends, and got a little refresher on what it's like to be with the same group day in and day out. Bring on the summer, with hammer and bike alongside!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Unintentional gear head.
This past Sunday, I joined my first group ride. It was a chilly, cloudy day with a chance of rain. Perfect day to don all my gear I've been required to buy for days like that during the summer. A cold & wet biker is not a happy biker, especially extended over 75 miles.
I roll up to the Sunshine Community Bike Shoppe on campus to wait for the other group members of the day's ride. Today's leader and current bike shoppe operator, Jeremiah Cornehl, took the opportunity to make a comment on my attire..
Here I am, extreme newbie to the cycling world, decked out in a Bike & Build jersey, Pearl Izumi padded bike shorts, Pearl Izumi clipless shoes with compatible pedals, bike gloves, Specialized arm and knee warmers, all cruisin' around on my sexy Giant Avail 3, which is equipped with repair kit, lights, and a nifty bike lock. Now I can appreciate the irony of this scene. I know these aren't top name brand items, but they hold their own in the biking world. Jeremiah states (paraphrased): No offense, but I've been biking for years and I don't have any of that sort of bike gear.
Fair enough. I've known people who, when they pick up a new hobby, they feel like they need the latest and greatest equipment so they can fit in with the already established crowd. [Extremely annoying thing to do - gear heads without knowledge to base it on]. This is very far from the case with me. I've bought all this gear, most of which I'd never heard of before, because its on the required list of stuff to make it across country comfortably and safely this summer. I agree that I haven't "earned" my spot in the biking community yet, but I'm working hard to.
I vow: This unintentional gear head will earn her right to own everything she owns.
On top of the research I've had to do to even understand what everything is and why I need it, I will learn how to use everything, learn the lingo, learn how to fix things, and then, most importantly, help others who are just learning because the memory of being the newbie will still be fresh in my mind, even after the summer.
(Side note: I don't personally refer to my bike as sexy, though others in the field have; recommending I make a calendar of my bike in various places and sell them as a fundraiser. My bike has earned her spotlight just by being her.)
I reserve the remained of my time. (I've been brushin' up on my CSPAN lingo as well).
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Teach me how to.. pedal?
Delving into the unknown. That's what I've done when I signed up for this crazy trip. I had never even ridden a road bike before, let alone know anything about gears, pedals, equipment, etc. But it's all slowly coming together, with the help of owners manuals, product manuals, and well intended advice from everyone (which is actually very appreciated, so when people say "I'm sure you've heard this before, but..", I actually probably haven't, so fill my mind with knowledge, pleeeease!!). I assembled my bike after receiving the large box in the mail. I must say, I was very nervous to take it out for quite a while, and I found every excuse in the book to not actually have to get on the bike. I finally had to get on it on a warm mid-March day to get a photo for my thank you post cards. Pleasant words weren't the only words out of my mouth. But, I survived and got some start up advice from people walking by, admiring the bike. I still found reasons to not ride, but I'm finally officially out of excuses and officially geeked up about riding. I noticed this pivot point when my bike was getting looked over in the bike shop for a few days, and I missed it. It was a sign. So here I am, all my gear finally here. Now time to learn how to put it all together. Aka- let the laughter & pain begin.
The latest addition to my ride are my little clipless pedals. There are little clips on the bottom of my sweet velcro shoes which lock into the pedals. Yes, lock into the pedals. Meaning my feet aren't free to catch me immediately when I fall. I've heard many a tale of people learning how to use their clipless pedals, and learning the timing of when to clip out of them (with a "simple" twist of the foot) before having to stop. Luckily, I have a bike trainer (a little stand to set my bike in while it's in my room, ideally used for actual training during cold weather, but better used as a kickstand since I don't have one). So, yesterday, I was able to learn the very basics of the clip process in the comforts of my own room, on a stationary bike. Then it was time for the parking lot. I had my helmet, padded gloves, and old sweatpants on, in case I fell. Everyone said you will fall while learning them; so fall early, learn early. But I'm cruising around the lot, thinking, "Psshht, I got this, no falling here". Until... I stopped to talk to a friend about my pedals. I clipped my right foot out, thinking I'd just lean to the right. Well, no, didn't work. I finally understood the helpless feeling of falling in the clipless pedals people described. Slowly, I tipped over to the left, with no free foot to catch me. Don't worry, bike's ok. Only some dirt on the handle bars.
Walk it off, walk it off. Time for the big leagues. Spice offered to go on a bike ride around town. Little did she know... About 10 minutes into the ride, stop at a stop sign, clip out of the right only, and whooosh, topple over helplessly to the left, onto Spice & her bike. Again, no damage, but lessons learned. Lesson 1: clip out of both pedals for every stop; at least during these beginning stages. Lesson 2: check your clips on the shoes after falling, they probably are loose. Then you'll really get stuck. Crisis avoided thanks to early detection.
Horse bucks you off, you gotta get back on. Today, I went out for an hour ride along Ashland's lovely bike paths. No crashes. Just smooth riding, with smooth shifts and eased clip ins & outs. Of course, room for improvement, but doing good. Plus, I got to try out my new bike shorts. I can see how they will be beneficial, but for now, they feel like a giant Maxi-pad (sorry guys). Yay for padded spandex! I'm startin' to look like a biker!
Now, you may be wondering why in the world you would want to be attached to your bike with no quick exit plan available. I've already discovered the wonders of the clipless pedal and I'll never ride again without them. With your foot locked in place, you can pull up with one foot while the other is pushing down. It helps balance out the work done by different legs muscles, as well as making hills a hell of a lot easier.
"The first day of spring is one thing, the first spring day is another" -Henry Van Dyke. Well, ff this is what the first 2 spring days have to offer, I can't wait for the rest!
Let's get fired up!
Hey all! Long time, no read. I thought I would have a blog section on my new website, but I finally decided I can just have this website link embedded in the website and keep this simple blog for my blurbs and updates of training and such.
Ok! So much to catch up on, I'll try not to type your eyes out.
My bike is here, assembled, checked over, decked out, and ready to roll! My Giant Avail 3 is white and blue, along with my matching shoes (coincidence. I just like blue). It has no name yet, that must be earned, not forced. We receive monthly newsletters from Bike & Build with tips, stories from alumni, updates, etc. This last time had some stories about how bikes have earned their names in the past. They were quiet cute. I'm waiting for that one Ah ha! moment.
I'm slowly accumulating necessary gear and equipment, such as padded shorts, shoes, pedal, bike lock, helmet, lights, computer, air pump, repair stuff, gloves, knee warmers, arm warmers, chamois butt'r (aka skin lube) and water bottles. Whew, I've actually made a lot of progress on the gear list, sweet! But, still to get are some more shorts, sunglasses, and a few odds and ends. I did also get a camera, another drop-proof, water-proof one. We'll see if this one is Sierra-proof (unlike the past 3 ones during college).
I've been trying to work on cardio and such in the fitness room while it was winter. That's a whole new life style for someone who actively avoids exercise rooms, but I have discovered the satisfaction of a good workout. But, it's finally spring!! Less indoor, more outdoor, real-world training.
Fundraising is going great! We're at $3500! Only $500 left to go and there are still 46 days left until the trip! I'm working on thank yous still, time is of the minimum. But I promise, your donation has not gone unappreciated!! Check out the website for the list of donors and tributes.
Also, everyone on Northland campus is so encouraging! So many people have offered to join on rides, to teach me how to change tires, and tons and tons of moral support. After spring break at the end of the month, all my efforts can be focused on affordable housing awareness & my bike trip. Right now, I'm working on fundraising another $5000 for our volunteer group to travel to Miami, Florida during spring break to build with Habitat for Humanity. But, during May term, I'll have information board up and collect some donations towards the trip. Many bike trips are coming up with student groups, so there are lots of opportunities to ride.
Keep checking in periodically for updates. This will be my blog location for the duration of the summer!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
New Website!
After a lot of brain storming, time, and hard work, a new website has been created for my bike adventure!
My mom came up with a new idea for my trip: a CELEBRATION RIDE while CROSSING OVER AMERICA. We have built a website where, in exchange for a monetary donation, we would like you to post a memorial in honor of your loved one, a tribute to someone as a survivor, a honor of someone who is serving our country, your anniversary, your birthday or someone else's birthday -something you want others to remember and know.
On the site, my itinerary is listed, along with who each day is in honor of. I think it's a good way to give back to the donors.
The website was just launched today, so we're still tweaking it. I'm waiting to see what will come of my blog: whether I'll keep this one or move it to the website. I'll be sure to make the transition easy :)
Be sure to check out the website! http://crossingoveramerica.com
(website creation and editing courtesy of Frank Parks)
Thanks for checking in! Standby for more updates!
Sierra Skye
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Fund raising underway
My fund raising letter writing campaign is fully underway! After hours & hours of printing and folding brochures (Thanks Mom!), typing and printing letters, addressing and sealing envelopes (Thanks Dad!), a bag full of letters was taken to the Ashland post office. I tried to fully explain my summer trip without being too wordy, as I tend to be. Also, I tried to explain how to donate clearly & concisely.
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| Lots and Lots of letters! |
Recap: Raffle tickets are requested to be sent back regardless of if you purchase them or not.
Online donations can be made via the tab above this blog, which says,
"Click Here to Donate".
Any questions can be emailed to me at jockischs01@myemail.northland.edu
This week started my training. My mixture of exercising includes stationary bike, swimming, dance practice, ect. Nothing like a cross-country bike trip to help a person stick to their New Year's resolutions, haha!
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| My old mountain bike on the trainer in my dorm room. I made a little cover for the back tire to help minimize noise. The knobby tire of a mountain bike is much louder than a smooth road bike. |
My first fund raising goal is $1000. Once I reach that, I can order my road bike through Bike & Build and start doing some serious training!
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| My fund raising chart! Lots of work to do to fill it up!! |
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Blog Up and Running!
Hello everyone!
First blog post to make the site official! (I promise, my blog entries will be more interesting and fun in the future, this is just a tester.)
I'm working on sending out my first mailings and the 50/50 raffle tickets. My mom & dad also are selling 50/50 tickets for anyone interested in a chance at winning $250, while supporting a great cause. To donate, go to http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/4915
I'll write a descriptive blog about the Bike & Build cause soon, so standby :)
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