Oh to flat

Quick up date from the road. We are now biking lots and are in the
middle of an 8 day stretch of biking. We have already crossed through
Oklahoma, and Kansas and today we entered Colorado. I think my legs
are officially in shape, and have for the most part gotten used to
biking many miles. Today I said "tomorrow we only have 68 miles. I'm
so excited." This week we have been averaging about 80+ miles a day,
and today was our second over hundred mile ride or century of the
trip. Most of the landscape we have been traveling through has been
relatively flat, and I have learned that wind can either be amazing,
or very low on my fun list. Headwinds are completely demoralizing,
but tailwinds are great fun. We had one the other day that without
peddling we were going 11.8 mph on the flat.

In these many miles we have seen many things. In the interest of
getting as much sleep as possible I will only list a few of them.
First we went through the Gypson hills which looked like what I
imagine Arizona will look like. They were red table top hill. We
experienced watching a storm come across the praries at us. It was
amazing to watch the entire sky turn black. It was also a little
nerve racking to know that we had no where to go. Luckily it just
missed us. We spent the night in Dodge City, and I learned the phrase
"Get the hell out of Dodge" which is synonymous with get lost or you
aren't wanted here. Apparently Dodge City was used as the set for
many Westerns and that is where the term originated. For the past few
days we have been following the Santa Fe Trail. I learned that They
averaged about 15 miles a day. In comparison we were flying on our
bikes. We were crossing in one day what it would take them a little
less then a week to cross. I was glad for this, because the problem
with the flat planes is they are a tad bit boring. To keep ourselves
mentally stimulated we have resorted to games I played on long car
rides as a kid such as the alphabet game using road signs, I went to
the store and bought an..., and a new game called contact. These
games help the miles tick by. Soon we will be out of the flat lands,
and into the mountains. Part of me is really excited get back to
amazing views, but the other part of me remembers to get those views I
have to climb up many miles. I know that in the middle of some assent
I will look back on the flat planes with longing.

Well I must sleep. I wish you all a happy 4th of July. I will be
spending it in Colorado Springs. It should be a fun time, but I doubt
their parade will be as entertaining as the Round Pond Parade.

My bike is back up and running. My new fork is blue, and beautiful, and looks exactly like one the I bent. I have broken it in with 350 miles in four states in the last week, and my little legs are tired. We have a day off tomorrow, Tuesday, and I am so excited to be able to sleep in till 9AM. I have gotten pretty used to our normal 5AM wake up, and stuffing all of my worldly possessions back into my backpack. This past week has treated me well. This week I was filled with quite a number of firsts.

We had our first day off in Memphis, and go to experience Beale Street. It was fun to watch the street performers doing back flips down 50 feet of the street. Because the majority of our group had come out with us we kept running into people we knew, and having to stop and converse, play ninja tag, and do other such shenanigans. We had a great time, but I have never seen so many cops out patrolling in my life. The actual day off was not that eventful. I slept in till 8:15, ate pancakes, read my book, and generally relaxed and avoided physical activities.

The next day I crossed the Mississippi for the first time in anything other than an airplane. It is a big dirty brown river. We left Tennessee behind us, and entered Arkansas. And even though I had run in with a Tennessee driver, I immediately began to miss the TN roads. For what ever reason in Arkansas there is a bump every 20 ft. By the end of the day I had more then a few choice words to say to the builders of highway 70.

Once we entered Arkansas it became flat. We stopped to talk to a crop duster and found out that in that section of the state grew "just about everything." I learned that it was so flat that it was possible to grow rice. I did not know that rice was grown in the US, but as soon as though about the amount of rice that is eaten in the US it made sense to grow it here. Also apparently if we had headed through two weeks later we would have had to fight off hoards of Misquotes. The thought of biking through swarms of biting bugs is not high on my list of things I want to do in my life.

We had two build days in Little Rock, AK. The first day we prepared a build site for a house that had been built in a parking lot and then moved to its foundation. They do this to promote Habitat. I think this particular house had been build at one of the local high schools. I leveled sand in the car port in preparation for the cement floor. It was the first time that I had ever leveled sand so I do not know if I made it level enough for the professional, but I was proud when the day was done. Our second day of building was actually debuilding. We worked deconstruction for the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store. We went into a house that was going to be torn down, and took out everything that could be resold. We took out the doors, the fireplace, the gas stove, the hot water heater, the air conditioner, and all of the baseboard and trim. I was skeptical that the trim would get sold because it had years of paint on it, but it was sold before we even took it to the resale store. I was impressed.

Out of Little Rock was my first century day. We were supposed to ride 104 miles, but I kind of sort of got lost making mine 108 miles. I apparently missed the turn onto 64, and didn't realize it for 10 miles when the lunch stop never appeared. We have a cue sheet that tells us when we are supposed to turn, and we had planned to have lunch at about mile 40. For about 5 miles there really was no place for our trailer to have pulled off, but then I passed a deserted parking lot. I stopped at the next flea market, and asked if they had seen any bikers pass by. She said "you are the first one, so you must be far ahead." At that point I knew that I was not far ahead, but far lost. I called the van, and started biking back the way I came. Because I was behind sweep, I had to ride in the van till I caught up with sweep. They weren't too far ahead so I was still able to get in over 100 miles. Because we were still pretty much in the flat section of Arkansas it wasn't one of the hardest day we have done on this trip. The next day we bike 92 miles through the Ozark. They were absolutely beautiful, but my legs were rocked by the end of the day. Some of our group members rode an extra 10 miles so they could get in back to back centuries. I was just happy to say that I did 200 miles in two days.

The next two days were shorter with only 74 miles. I know that I am getting into biking shape when I can truthfully say that the first 74 miler was easy. I tried to do the entire 9 miles that we were in Missouri no handed. I was not skilled enough to do two of the hills no handed, and I learned that my bike seat was not made to do 9 miles of no handed riding. I was rather sore by the end. Today my legs informed me for 74 miles that they were not happy with me. It was a very long day, but I survived. I am looking forward to resting them tomorrow. Then it will be back on the bike for a full week of riding. I haven't look too closely at our schedule because we have a rule on this trip that we don't talk about tomorrow until tomorrow, but I am sure that it will be amazing.

The week of a crash

This week’s update is going to be the account of my ride from Sewanee to Pulaski Tennesse on June 11^th. The day as usual started off early in the morning at 5am to watch the sun rise over the lake. We had camped in Sewanee, TN. We got to have an exciting change to our morning routine: the taking down of our tents. I think we all passed the test, and all of our tents fit (were shoved) back in their little green totes. Then it was on the road again with some of the local riders who guided us for the first 20 miles. The ride started off with a three mile downhill: it was glorious. Because we were following the locals we were able to successfully navigate the maze of back roads. It was a good thing that we were not trying to negotiate them by ourselves because most of them were unmarked. I saw my first ever field of cotton. There was even a man on horse back checking up on his field.

Though we had lost our guides, we kept on the back roads until our lunch stop at mile 40, and the got on the Highway 64. I learned from a roadside sign that we were quite near where Jack Daniel’s Whiskey is distilled. Apparently the county that the distillery is located in is a dry country. So Jack Daniel’s is not actually served at the distillery just lemonade. The group I was riding with was rather far behind the main group, so we decided to see if we could catch up after lunch. We were flying along much faster than any pace I could have held at the beginning of the trip. I was proud, and even though it was hot and there were long hills, I was having a great time. After about 10 miles of averaging over 20 miles an hour my legs informed me that it would be a good idea to slow down. They could not maintain that pace for another 30 miles. Me and one of the other riders ended up dropping back.

Unfortunately, me, my bike, and a car decided to have a fight. I won, but the fork of my bike and the car lost. An oncoming car took a left in front of me. I did not have enough time to stop or swerve out of the way, and T-boned it. I was very lucky and survived the accident with only a small cut on my chin and a two inch bruise on my thigh. The driver of the car was much more shaken up then I was. Once I realized that I was uninjured I started laughing and joking with my fellow riders. Sadly, my bike’s steel fork was quite bent. It has been quite an ordeal to get one, but my bike should be all better on Tuesday. Thank you very much to the work of West Chiles from Pulaski, and John Fleck at Surly I am getting a fork donated to me. I had to ride the last 20 miles in the van. As I rode in the van at 60 miles an hour up some very big hills I had complete respect for my fellow riders, because the hills looked long and hot. A mean way for the last 20 miles of an 80 mile day.

We stayed that night in the dorms at Martin Methodist Community College. We got hooked up in Pulaski by Dan the Mayor to stay in suites. They were pretty sweet with real beds, washer and driers, and AC. This trip has made me appreciate the small things in life such as real towels, private showers, real beds, and AC. We were then provided with dinner at the mayor’s house, which many people of the community enjoyed with us. I personally cannot thank this group of people enough. Many of them came up to make sure that I was ok after my accident. I even got a much needed “mamma hug” to speed along the mental recovery. Through their combined efforts I only had to ride for one of the three days into Memphis in the van. I would like thank West and Terry for arranging to get me a new fork. I also was loaned a bike from John and Michelle Hunt under the condition that I was not allowed to run it into any cars. I got to upgrade and ride Lightspeed titanium bike for two days. It was a very nice ride, but I was a little terrified of breaking it during the ride. I watched very carefully for cars and other road side dangers and had no more incidents.

Overall, it was a very eventful day, but it also showed me how great people can be. The people in Pulaski had only just met me, and they went completely out of their way to help me out. And as my Dad says: in the end it will make a good story, and in life it is the stories that are important.

Week numbered 2

The south is hot. TOday we passed a bank thermometer at 2:09PM and it was 95 degrees. I have had to re define my concept of hot. In Maine it was above 80 degrees. Tomorrow it is supposed to cool off and be 85 degrees. I am so excited. I have also discovered the great thing about riding a bike is that you create your own wind to cool you off. The only problem with this is that this does not really work on the uphills. They are just hot.

In the past week we have conquered some mighty uphill. From Asheville we continued on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then through the Smokie National Park The Smokies do in fact have a hazy smoky look to them and are absolutely beautiful. Although sometimes I was too busy concentrating on the back wheel of the person in front of me to enjoy the view. I had a variation of a song from Finding Nemo running through my head "just keep spinning, just keep spinning..." It was such a rush when we reached the top of a 15 mile climb through the Newfound Gap to leave North Carolina and enter Tennessee. I have been told that i is the second longest state, so we will be in it for a while.

I have also discovered that construction is hot We have had three build days in the past week one in Asheville and two in Maryville TN. Both times we have worked on two separate Habitat for Humanity houses on the same street, because 30 people on the same house would be a bit much. In Asheville I got to polyurethane stained trim boards, and then paint the door jams white. This job came with benefits: we got to have a fan. It was amazing. My nice red Bike and Build tee shirt we wear to the job site how has paints on it. I was quite proud, because it actually shows that I did work on this trip. In Maryville we put the subfloor and stuccoed the foundation of two houses. My hammering skills have improved immensely. Okay actually only as long as no one is watching me. When I have an audience my nails end up looking like flowers, were all the petals are missed hammer marks. Maybe by the end of the trip I will be allowed to hammer something other than studs. The job sites that we work on have been slightly chaotic, but a lot of fun. The Habitat for Humanity staff, and other volunteers are interesting people, and we usually end up joking around quite a bit. So far I have avoided getting a golden screw for biggest mess up (knock on wood), I have a feeling that I will manage it at some point this trip.

People ask me where we are headed next, and I never know. n It is great to just take life each day as it comes. No big deadlines to meet. I just know that in the morning I will get up and either bike or build, and then that night I will curl up on my green thermarest ready for the next day.

Week 1

"I'm headed to San Diego" is what I tell anyone that expresses interest in why 30 bikers in blue jerseys are passing by. I have gotten pretty good in explaining in under a minute that we are crossing the country to raise funds and awareness for affordable housing. We will be on the road for 64 days of which we will be working for 10 days on different affordable housing projects as well as having a total of three whole days off. Now that I am over 500 miles into the trip I am actually beginning to believe that I actually raised over $5,000 and am headed west biking and building. Back in January when I stepped into the Lincoln County News for an interview I was unsure how I could possibly raise $4,000 but with the help of over 100 individuals and businesses I suprassed my origanal goal. Thank you to all my suppoerters in the Lincoln County area.

Growing up in Damariscotta and going to college in the North East I am excited to experieance a whole new side of te country, and so far it has not let me down. We began by dipping our wheels in the Attlantic in Nags Head on the Outer banks of North Carolina and then peddled off with our back to the ocean. The first three days we crossed a total of four "hills" which were actually just bridges over the intercoastal waterway. Slowly as we crossed the State the landscape turned into rolling hills, and then yesterday we ran into the Appelacian Mountains. My little legs are asking my whoes idea this was to bike across the United States when it would be so much easier and quicker to drive. I told them to quiet down, and the reval in the amazing views from the Blue Ridge Parkway. The ridges are indead blue. The advantage of biking instead of driving, is that you can stop and take a picture when ever you want instead of just at the lookout points.

Each night we have been staying at churches and YMCAs. They have been providing us with dinner and breakfast, and southern hospitality is not a lie. We actually had to donate some of the food given to us to a local food pantry, because even 30 hungry bikers would not have been able to eat it all. I continue to be amazed at the generosity of everyone we meet from bring smelly bikers to their house so we can shower, to getting up to feed us sausage biscuts at 6:30 in the morning. This trip has reconfirmed that people really are good. In the evening not only do the host provide us with dinner, but they often eat with us. I have meet some very interesting people along the way. In fact yesterday I was told the recipe to make homemade banana pudding. I had never had real southern banana pudding before, and it is amazing.

This trip is called Bike and Build, so we are not only biking, but also building our way across the country. We were scheduled to build for two days in Chapple Hill, North Carolina, but shortly after arriving at a Habitat for Humanity build it started to pour. Becaues we were framing the house we had quit work for the day. We were given a tour of the Chapple Hill's Habitat Housing developments. They build over 10 house a year there, and so are a much bigger organization then any I have previously worked with. They opperate much more like a General contracter. On the second day of building we were able to accomplish alot. We got up all the interious and exteriour walls of they house, as well as the top plates. The house was ready to have the rafteres and roof put on, but unfortuately we ran out of time.

Tomorrow we will have our next build day here in Asheville. I am excited to give my biking muscles a day off before we bike to Gattlinburg which will have over 17,000 ft of elevation change. It will be one of the hardest day of our trip, but I am excited for it. After a day of rest hopefully the Mountains will seem small.