We are into our fifth state as of Friday night. We trucked into Youngstown from a neat town in PA (Franklin), and stayed in Youngstown until this morning. We did a build day yesterday with the local Habitat affiliate before riding about 50 miles to Tallmedge, OH today (just outside Akron, or "AK Rowdy," as Erika calls it). Some random thoughts from the last few days...
The ride on Thursday was fantastic. We stayed at a church with a very cool pastor (Sam) who fed his homebrew and lots of Subway. He's an avid cyclist and he showed us a great bike route on the way into town and led us out the next morning. We had a bigscreen TV in the church that night, where we were able to grab some news. The big story of the night was Michael Jackson's death, which spurred multiple tribute dance parties to MJ over the next few days. It was nice to see Jim Lehrer's face again. I also had two helpings of ice cream that night (one wasn't enough), which always makes for a solid evening.
On Friday, everybody was excited for the Ohio state line. State line days are becoming quite popular; it really shows your tangible progress. We've been hearing OH is pretty flat, but Pennsylvania had one last gasp of hills to make sure we didn't get too complacent. We had a couple 8-10% grades to start the day, and then a wicked 13% grade early in the afternoon that wiped me out. A group of us coasted towards Youngstown in the afternoon, but I got separated from them when I stopped to chalk a confusing turn. That led to a bit of a bummer ride into the church on my own, with really bad roads in a dilapadated part of town. However, the church was comfy, and that night 8 of us (Eileen, Beth, Kyle, Chong, Trevor, Erika, Ali Mae, and myself) went to a local bar and had a great conversation for a few hours about all sorts of topics.
Saturday was a build day, and we managed to score some free media. Check out these links:
http://www.wkbn.com/mostpopular/story/Bike-and-Build-Comes-to-Youngstown/019lFHxFcUOvtukV1BsfKQ.cspx
http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/jun/28/cyclists-pedal-around-to-aid-building-crews/?newswatch
I was on the roof most of the day, so on the video look for the only guy wearing long pants (my AmeriCorps pants, baby!) Overall, it was a good day, and although I sometimes question just how much good we are doing based on the overall quality of our work, it is nice to interact with the beneficiaries of our service.
Today's ride into Tallmedge was actually one of my least favorite so far. The roads were atrocious for the first 25 miles of the day, leaving my back, butt, and hands very sore from all the potholes. It rained on us in the afternoon for a little while, which didn't bother me so much except that I'd forgotten my sunglasses in my other bag so I didn't have access to them for the day. The rain essentially blinded me down hills, which made things interesting. Overall, it was a short ride and I was happy to pull into the church. I also got stung by a wasp yesterday and my left leg is double the size of my right, which made for some discomfort during the ride. Oh well, gotta have some bad days to appreciate the good ones, right? Spirits are still very high, especially after the sun came out and people are out on the lawn hanging out. Maybe that's where I'll head right now.
Anyway, I hope you guys are all doing well. Talk to you soon. Pictures to come when I find my USB. (Biggest challenge so far of the trip: keeping track of everything)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Day 11 to Warren, PA
Two days in a row with Internet access... score! We are in Warren, PA, a town of about 10,000 people, staying a YMCA for the evening. We are sleeping in a gym, maybe I'll keep people up tonight with some free throws. They have computers in the lobby that I'll certainly be taking advantage of. I've been debating how I should approach my "Life After Bike & Build" stuff and decided that it would be best to devote one night to it and then ignore it for the rest of the trip if possible so I can focus on the task at hand. Tonight may be the night. That being said, I'm exhausted from a great day today.
Today was a fantastic ride. We left a really neat church in Coudersport around 8:30 AM with no clouds in the sky and temperatures quickly rising. The group rode pretty close together for the first 13-14 miles before we gradually separated, as we always do. I stayed relatively near the back, enjoying riding at a comfortable pace with about 10 other riders. We cruised into Port Allegheny at 10 AM, where Natalie worked her "donation magic" to score us a dozen Krispee Kremes (BALLAH!). This was right after I bought a Butterfinger, so my mid-morning snack had my kind of nutrition.
After that, we started climbing. I was a little wary at first because of my knee, so I took the first hill slowly with the pack. However, when the next one came I decided to stretch it out a little bit. I've figured out that climbing is absolutely my favorite part of riding, so I decided to push my knee to see if it was up to the task. Fortunately, it was. I felt great up the next two inclines and separated from the pack. I continued on my own for about an hour until I caught the lead group. The van passed us and told us that lunch was at the top of a solid hill, so Jake, Peter, and I attacked the hill for a good 20 minutes. My legs felt great and I was loving the climb. However, I was at the front of paceline cutting the wind so I was completely gased at the top. I was very excited to see the van.
The afternoon was a lot of downhill, but another stiff headwind prevented us from gaining too much momentum. Like he always does, Shawn took the lead and Jake and I followed. We rode together for most of the afternoon (or they rode and I tried to keep up), and Jake even scored us some free ice cream with a great sales pitch. I was exhausted pulling into the Y (around 4:30), but it was a very satisfying day. Probably my second favorite after the Roscoe day. To bed early tonight, and we'll be in Ohio within 48 hours. We are making progress!
Remainders:
Aaron's next project is in NOLA!!! The only person more excited about that than I am is him.
Jess, I'm not sure what the name of the ski area was, it was right across the street from the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum (kinda out in the middle of nowhere).
Denise, Happy B-Day, I'll call you tonight, although I imagine you may be a little busy.
Neal, we are passing pretty close to Meadville, I actually looked it up and thought of you yesterday.
Talk to you guys soon!
Today was a fantastic ride. We left a really neat church in Coudersport around 8:30 AM with no clouds in the sky and temperatures quickly rising. The group rode pretty close together for the first 13-14 miles before we gradually separated, as we always do. I stayed relatively near the back, enjoying riding at a comfortable pace with about 10 other riders. We cruised into Port Allegheny at 10 AM, where Natalie worked her "donation magic" to score us a dozen Krispee Kremes (BALLAH!). This was right after I bought a Butterfinger, so my mid-morning snack had my kind of nutrition.
After that, we started climbing. I was a little wary at first because of my knee, so I took the first hill slowly with the pack. However, when the next one came I decided to stretch it out a little bit. I've figured out that climbing is absolutely my favorite part of riding, so I decided to push my knee to see if it was up to the task. Fortunately, it was. I felt great up the next two inclines and separated from the pack. I continued on my own for about an hour until I caught the lead group. The van passed us and told us that lunch was at the top of a solid hill, so Jake, Peter, and I attacked the hill for a good 20 minutes. My legs felt great and I was loving the climb. However, I was at the front of paceline cutting the wind so I was completely gased at the top. I was very excited to see the van.
The afternoon was a lot of downhill, but another stiff headwind prevented us from gaining too much momentum. Like he always does, Shawn took the lead and Jake and I followed. We rode together for most of the afternoon (or they rode and I tried to keep up), and Jake even scored us some free ice cream with a great sales pitch. I was exhausted pulling into the Y (around 4:30), but it was a very satisfying day. Probably my second favorite after the Roscoe day. To bed early tonight, and we'll be in Ohio within 48 hours. We are making progress!
Remainders:
Aaron's next project is in NOLA!!! The only person more excited about that than I am is him.
Jess, I'm not sure what the name of the ski area was, it was right across the street from the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum (kinda out in the middle of nowhere).
Denise, Happy B-Day, I'll call you tonight, although I imagine you may be a little busy.
Neal, we are passing pretty close to Meadville, I actually looked it up and thought of you yesterday.
Talk to you guys soon!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day 10 in Coudersport, PA
Pictures: (Left) The group at the PA state line on Sunday.
(Center) Suzanne and I enjoying a little ice cream in Mansfield, PA on Monday
(Right) Celebrating a climb today at the highest point we'll pass until the Rockies (I think)
Hey all, I'm sitting in a public library after a relatively light day (47 miles) from Wellsboro, PA to Coudersport, PA in the northern part of the state. Nothing too major has happened since my last post on Saturday morning. We've had great weather, and yesterday was the first day it has reached over 80 degrees. Overall, partly sunny to sunny with moderate temps. We are starting to hit our headwinds, however, which I hate more than hills. With hills, you at least feel like you have control over your movement. Headwinds just push you backwards.
For the last two days from Wysox to Coudersport we've been almost exclusively on US Hwy 6, but we've experienced some great scenery. The ride on Sunday into PA was gorgeous as well, with light rolling hills. I was having trouble with my knee so I couldn't enjoy it as much as the others did, but it was a beautiful ride. My knee has been getting progressively better each day, and today I only had one little stretch toward the end that bothered it. I feel like I'm close to being back to 90 or 100% soon enough. I'm looking forward to attacking hills again.
Some folks in Wellsboro scared us today with talk of big hills most of the way to Coudersport before a step descent into town, and our topo maps showed something similar. However, our hills started out light and never got worse. We were heading uphill most of the day, but it was at such a moderate grade that we barely noticed. The headwind made it difficult, but it wasn't anything like we anticipated. We did pass a summit in the Alleghany Mountains at about 2,400 feet, which I theorized is probably the highest point we'll be before we hit Wyoming and the Rockies/Tetons. Looks like we've got some downhill ahead of us. One funny moment of the day: there was a ski area right off the highway with visible runs cut into the trees. Suffice it to say, any Colorado native would've laughed.
More scattered thoughts: last night the group of us had a "town hall" meeting to go over our highs and lows of the week and discuss other issues. It was really enjoyable hearing 32 different perspectives on the week. Some of us loved the ride to Roscoe, while some hated it, for example. We all agreed that we should try to do these meetings more. It was nice to sit with everybody and just talk for a little while with no outside distractions. I feel like it really focuses us on why we originally signed up for this adventure.
One consensus high that I really enjoyed: on Sunday night in Wysox we had a great field behind our church and we played almost every sport imaginable, from football to whiffleball to rugby to frisbee to basketball (at the Y where we took showers). Chong and I ran around for about 2 hours. Most of the group was lying around either relaxing, painting our trailer, playing sports, or cleaning bikes. It was a gorgeous day, and b/c it was the longest day of the year, the sun seemingly never set. We all had a great time.
Anyway, this is rambling and I gotta check out some news. Somebody said 6 people died on a Red Line train in DC yesterday... yikes! Hope you all are well and I'll talk to you soon!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Laying over in Binghamton, NY
Quite a lot has happened over the last few days. We are in Binghamton, NY for today to do a build day with the local Habitat affiliate, but since this region of New York knows nothing but rain, we might end up doing something inside (they've been saying something about cleaning a zoo). Anyway, I stole away for a few minutes to complete a blog entry.
Day 5 (Thurs), Poughkeepsie, NY to Roscoe, NY, was our first major test of the trip. We woke up to pouring rain that morning and it didn't let up. As long as it isn't lightning we are on our bikes, so we took off around 8:30 and started a 70-75 miler to Roscoe, NY. After 30 minutes you had to just resign yourself to being soaked the whole day. It was all about your state-of-mind. Despite the heavy rain and cloud cover, the ride was gorgeous; we passed through the Catskills with multiple reserviors that serve as watersheds for NYC (you should see how much hostility some locals have for the city, since these reservoirs have flooded out multiple towns and caused the state to relocate a bunch of people).
I started the day with a group towards the back and enjoyed riding with them for a little while, but then around mile 25-30 I was starting to get a little antsy. We hit some pretty big climbs through the "mountains" (we ain't seen nothing yet until the Tetons and Rockies, I'm afraid), so I wanted to get up and go. I left that group after a much needed hot chocolate break and pedaled on my own for about an hour and a half. I was starting to get somewhat miserable and losing my edge, but then I came down on the lead group, who had just stopped for lunch at a deli in Grahamsville. They were incredibly upbeat, just dancing and messing around in the deli. Their attitude really got me back in the right mindset: "You know what? We're wet, there's nothing we can do about it, just enjoy how hardcore it is and how crazy everybody thinks we are." I pedaled with Shawn and Peter out front for the rest of the day, and we did some creative revisions to our directions to cut off a 3-4 mile loop that got us to the church in Roscoe around 4:30 PM. By that point, we were on our last legs, hungry, and cold, so seeing that church was an amazing feeling. The rest of the lead group got in around 5:30, and people continued to trickle in to about 7:30 that night. It was a great experience though, as we were hugging and celebrating when people came in like we had just finished the whole trip in Seattle. There was so much that went awry throughout the day that people were just so happy to be finished. We all slept very well on Thursday night. We're pretty confident we'll be talking about the Roscoe day for the rest of the trip.
The ride to Binghamton yesterday was gorgeous. Lots of slow rolling hills with minimal climbs that allowed you to maintain a pretty steady pace. I started about 20-30 min later than everybody so I spent most of the morning cycling alone until I caught up with the group just before lunch, which was nice again. I'm really enjoying mixing things up, between biking alone and riding with groups. However, when you are with a group for awhile, you get antsy and want to pick up the pace a little, especially on these hills. It was quite sureal to come into Binghamton, since it's only about 40 miles south of Ithaca and I drove through it many a time when going to DC or to Jess's house in PA. With about 10 miles left yesterday, I flat hit a wall though. My right knee tightened up and I lost all energy, so I just coasted to the church last night. We got to attend a Habitat house warming ceremony for a new homeowner, which is always fun to see. The Providence to Seattle group last year worked on this house, so they were excited to have us.
Today's "build day" couldn't have come at a better time. I'll enjoy spending the day off the bike. Later today I have to hit up some AmeriCorps applications and check some email/news. I'm completely off the grid. I did see that the Rox have won 14 of 15 (thanks Ma!), but that things are on fire at Dove Valley. Crap. Anyway, we pedal to PA on Sunday I think, and from there things are supposedly more flat. The knee feels better this morning, and spirits are still very high. Hope everybody is doing well, I'll talk to you soon.
Pops, Happy Father's Day!
Day 5 (Thurs), Poughkeepsie, NY to Roscoe, NY, was our first major test of the trip. We woke up to pouring rain that morning and it didn't let up. As long as it isn't lightning we are on our bikes, so we took off around 8:30 and started a 70-75 miler to Roscoe, NY. After 30 minutes you had to just resign yourself to being soaked the whole day. It was all about your state-of-mind. Despite the heavy rain and cloud cover, the ride was gorgeous; we passed through the Catskills with multiple reserviors that serve as watersheds for NYC (you should see how much hostility some locals have for the city, since these reservoirs have flooded out multiple towns and caused the state to relocate a bunch of people).
I started the day with a group towards the back and enjoyed riding with them for a little while, but then around mile 25-30 I was starting to get a little antsy. We hit some pretty big climbs through the "mountains" (we ain't seen nothing yet until the Tetons and Rockies, I'm afraid), so I wanted to get up and go. I left that group after a much needed hot chocolate break and pedaled on my own for about an hour and a half. I was starting to get somewhat miserable and losing my edge, but then I came down on the lead group, who had just stopped for lunch at a deli in Grahamsville. They were incredibly upbeat, just dancing and messing around in the deli. Their attitude really got me back in the right mindset: "You know what? We're wet, there's nothing we can do about it, just enjoy how hardcore it is and how crazy everybody thinks we are." I pedaled with Shawn and Peter out front for the rest of the day, and we did some creative revisions to our directions to cut off a 3-4 mile loop that got us to the church in Roscoe around 4:30 PM. By that point, we were on our last legs, hungry, and cold, so seeing that church was an amazing feeling. The rest of the lead group got in around 5:30, and people continued to trickle in to about 7:30 that night. It was a great experience though, as we were hugging and celebrating when people came in like we had just finished the whole trip in Seattle. There was so much that went awry throughout the day that people were just so happy to be finished. We all slept very well on Thursday night. We're pretty confident we'll be talking about the Roscoe day for the rest of the trip.
The ride to Binghamton yesterday was gorgeous. Lots of slow rolling hills with minimal climbs that allowed you to maintain a pretty steady pace. I started about 20-30 min later than everybody so I spent most of the morning cycling alone until I caught up with the group just before lunch, which was nice again. I'm really enjoying mixing things up, between biking alone and riding with groups. However, when you are with a group for awhile, you get antsy and want to pick up the pace a little, especially on these hills. It was quite sureal to come into Binghamton, since it's only about 40 miles south of Ithaca and I drove through it many a time when going to DC or to Jess's house in PA. With about 10 miles left yesterday, I flat hit a wall though. My right knee tightened up and I lost all energy, so I just coasted to the church last night. We got to attend a Habitat house warming ceremony for a new homeowner, which is always fun to see. The Providence to Seattle group last year worked on this house, so they were excited to have us.
Today's "build day" couldn't have come at a better time. I'll enjoy spending the day off the bike. Later today I have to hit up some AmeriCorps applications and check some email/news. I'm completely off the grid. I did see that the Rox have won 14 of 15 (thanks Ma!), but that things are on fire at Dove Valley. Crap. Anyway, we pedal to PA on Sunday I think, and from there things are supposedly more flat. The knee feels better this morning, and spirits are still very high. Hope everybody is doing well, I'll talk to you soon.
Pops, Happy Father's Day!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
More pics
Top Left- Me, Erika, and Sam upon entering Kent
Top Right- "Go Buffaloes" Just for you Aaron
Bottom Left- The whole group in front of a pseudo-castle on a dam
Bottom Right- The lead pack on the first day coming into Pomfret, CT (I'm on the left)
Day 3 into Kent, CT
These three pictures are from our opening ceremony, at a harbor connected to the Atlantic, where we dipped our tires.
Two days in a row on the net... careful, I'm getting spoiled. Saskia and I are also watching cable news as I write this to get back on the grid, which is really strange. I've only heard vaguely what was going on with Iran, so it is nice to grab a sense of what has happened since I've lost contact with the outside world. I'm a little concerned about my applications to AmeriCorps, as I've found five really cool projects (2 in CA, 1 in CO, DC, OH), but I haven't had the time to sit down with the materials to apply to these. Bleh, I don't even want to think about that now. I'm having too good of a time here.
When I first came here, I honestly thought I'd just ride on my own most of the time and stay relatively detached from the group b/c I was so focused on just crossing the country. However, I'm seriously amazed at how cool the people in my group are and that has been my favorite part of the trip so far. Today was the best example of how well we get along. We had a 50 mile ride from Granby to Kent, CT, but it took us about 8 hours because we stopped multiple times for various reasons, from hiking to a waterfall this morning to stopping at a petting zoo (I sang the CU fight song in front of a buffalo; don't worry, it's on tape) to swimming at another really cold waterfall in the afternoon. We had a bunch of other small stops along the way. Just a great group of people that I'm really enjoying being around. I think I'm the second or third oldest of the 32, but there are a lot of pretty mature people here. Naturally, they are all adventurous and excited about life, so our conversations throughout the day are pretty lively. After 2 years of pedal-to-the-medal with school, this is a great way to live. Most of us are at transition stages in our life so everybody is looking for something new and exciting. (Yeah, I'm babbling now, I'm kinda tired.)
I had a great time riding with Erika and Sam today; Erika set a solid pace and we just trucked it through several towns before and after lunch. We had some huge hills today, but my legs felt great and I was able to attack. Images of Lance in the Pyranees kept me going. I'm relaxing during the flats and downhills to save my energy for the uphills. We got into Kent around 4 to candy and crackers waiting for us, and then we had burgers for din-din. Yummy.
Alright, I should get to bed, but I'm having a great time so far and hope you all are doing well. I'm sure I'll think of something I should have written here, but until then, hopefully you'll enjoy some pictures. Peace yo!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Live from Granby, CT (2 days in)
Hey group, we are safely in to Granby, CT as of about 5 PM tonight.
Yesterday we did 38 miles from Providence to Pomfret, CT, a good day despite some of the first-day jitters. The morning was pretty eventful, and I've quickly developed a reputation as the guy on the team who knows directions. I led a group of about 12 of us through shady directions through Providence. This snagged me an assignment as unofficial leader of two of our guest riders who came pretty unprepared (no spares or flat repair kits, and no directions), so they clung to me through two flat tires. That was quite annoying. Once I broke free from them I was about 90 minutes into the ride and ready to get moving, so I booked it past a few small riding groups out on my own. I was carefully following the directions and soon I was at the lunch trailer. Only problem: I was the only one there. I thought I was in the middle of the group, but I guess everybody else had turned left when we were supposed to go straight. I started unpacking the trailer... no riders. I started making sandwiches... no riders. 12 sandwiches in, and the first rider showed up. The group had taken a 13 mile detour before righting the ship. Thus, I spent about 2 hours at lunch, and I was ready to book again in the afternoon. Me and another guy took off and clocked about 16-17 mph to Pomfret and got in about 3:30 PM. Our hosts were fantastic and fed us spaghetti and meatballs last night and a big breakfast this morning. Great first day overall, despite the mishaps!
Second day I was in charge of "Sweep," meaning I had to make sure everybody in front of me got in safe. Kind of funny going from first to dead last, but it was a great change of pace. Me and the other person on Sweep, Caroline, had a good time and we spent the day with a relaxing ride. Some folks had bike issues that really slowed us down (2:40 in, we had only gone 13 miles, YIKES!), but we made it into Granby tonight around 5 PM. Overall, a great day again, and our hosts are just as kind and generous with the food!
My legs feel great actually, probably because the distance has been light (only about 95 miles total) and the hills are mediocre (nothing compared to Ithaca, Colorado, or California). I did yoga with a group tonight for the first time in my life and that felt fantastic. I'm looking forward to going faster tomorrow, but I'm also going to take some time to "smell the roses" as we head to Kent, CT, about 67 miles away.
Sorry, big line for the computer behind me, more coming soon!
Yesterday we did 38 miles from Providence to Pomfret, CT, a good day despite some of the first-day jitters. The morning was pretty eventful, and I've quickly developed a reputation as the guy on the team who knows directions. I led a group of about 12 of us through shady directions through Providence. This snagged me an assignment as unofficial leader of two of our guest riders who came pretty unprepared (no spares or flat repair kits, and no directions), so they clung to me through two flat tires. That was quite annoying. Once I broke free from them I was about 90 minutes into the ride and ready to get moving, so I booked it past a few small riding groups out on my own. I was carefully following the directions and soon I was at the lunch trailer. Only problem: I was the only one there. I thought I was in the middle of the group, but I guess everybody else had turned left when we were supposed to go straight. I started unpacking the trailer... no riders. I started making sandwiches... no riders. 12 sandwiches in, and the first rider showed up. The group had taken a 13 mile detour before righting the ship. Thus, I spent about 2 hours at lunch, and I was ready to book again in the afternoon. Me and another guy took off and clocked about 16-17 mph to Pomfret and got in about 3:30 PM. Our hosts were fantastic and fed us spaghetti and meatballs last night and a big breakfast this morning. Great first day overall, despite the mishaps!
Second day I was in charge of "Sweep," meaning I had to make sure everybody in front of me got in safe. Kind of funny going from first to dead last, but it was a great change of pace. Me and the other person on Sweep, Caroline, had a good time and we spent the day with a relaxing ride. Some folks had bike issues that really slowed us down (2:40 in, we had only gone 13 miles, YIKES!), but we made it into Granby tonight around 5 PM. Overall, a great day again, and our hosts are just as kind and generous with the food!
My legs feel great actually, probably because the distance has been light (only about 95 miles total) and the hills are mediocre (nothing compared to Ithaca, Colorado, or California). I did yoga with a group tonight for the first time in my life and that felt fantastic. I'm looking forward to going faster tomorrow, but I'm also going to take some time to "smell the roses" as we head to Kent, CT, about 67 miles away.
Sorry, big line for the computer behind me, more coming soon!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Practice Ride Done, leave in 36 hours...
After reporting to Providence yesterday afternoon, we did some orientation activities yesterday evening and this morning before taking off on a short, 20-mile practice ride around northern Providence and into Massachusetts. I'd never ridden in a group before (at most with 2 other cyclists), so I was a little wary. We did a safety talk beforehand and they went over a lot of things that group riders have to do to alert each other of hazards, cars, turns, etc. That had me thinking I was just going to ride by myself all summer to avoid all of that. (We all know how much of a loner I am at heart.) However, about 8 of us took off in the lead pack and stayed together for the entire ride, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. It felt really cool to be a part of a long line of bikers (all dressed the same and riding similar bikes) shouting out signals while cruising down country routes. Very team building-esque. There were a few times when I had the urge to get out of the saddle and go, but I decided to stay in line and enjoy the cruise. Come the trip on Sunday, I think I'll be a little more liberal with my speed, but today I was enjoying myself. No aches or pains to speak of.
Speaking of speed, I was mildly concerned coming into the trip that I would be with a bunch of people who were big-time cyclists with a lot of speed. Of course, everybody's natural desire during the first few days is to demonstrate what they know and validate their belonging here, so there were some mild, harmless "pissing contests" going on. However, I felt really strong today in the lead group, and although there were some accomplished cyclists who were hanging back, I don't have to worry about bringing up the rear and holding people back. Overall, the group is great; I feel like I'm going to enjoy spending time with them.
Tomorrow we have a build day with the local Habitat affiliate. Their director spoke to us today and he's a cool guy. The Providence affiliate builds 5-6 houses per year, and tomorrow we'll be working on a duplex that all your donations helped fund. Thanks! Then we dip our tires in a harbor boat launch connected to the Atlantic on Sunday morning at 10 AM and take off for the west coast. I think because my mind and body were still in Ithaca just until a few days ago, I wasn't overly excited about getting on a bike and going 3,700 miles, but after today's ride, I'm definitely ready to go. Spirits are high!
Talk to you guys soon
Speaking of speed, I was mildly concerned coming into the trip that I would be with a bunch of people who were big-time cyclists with a lot of speed. Of course, everybody's natural desire during the first few days is to demonstrate what they know and validate their belonging here, so there were some mild, harmless "pissing contests" going on. However, I felt really strong today in the lead group, and although there were some accomplished cyclists who were hanging back, I don't have to worry about bringing up the rear and holding people back. Overall, the group is great; I feel like I'm going to enjoy spending time with them.
Tomorrow we have a build day with the local Habitat affiliate. Their director spoke to us today and he's a cool guy. The Providence affiliate builds 5-6 houses per year, and tomorrow we'll be working on a duplex that all your donations helped fund. Thanks! Then we dip our tires in a harbor boat launch connected to the Atlantic on Sunday morning at 10 AM and take off for the west coast. I think because my mind and body were still in Ithaca just until a few days ago, I wasn't overly excited about getting on a bike and going 3,700 miles, but after today's ride, I'm definitely ready to go. Spirits are high!
Talk to you guys soon
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thank Yous and Mail Drops
Hey guys, I'm taking off this afternoon for CT, where I'll be staying with an AmeriCorps friend for the evening (Steve), and then I'm off to Providence tomorrow morning. I have a few things to tidy up before I go. First, I want to thank the following people for their very generous donations to my trip:
Pops and Mom (or Monty and Kathy Villere), Monument, CO
Tim Preston, Excel Sports, Boulder, CO
Adam Stanley, Denver, CO
Dan Harmon, Fort Lewis, WA
Jesse Loubet, Camden, NJ
Meredith Clewe, Boulder, CO
Denise Ziobro, Washington, DC
Keri Winter, Highlands Ranch, CO
Sarah Schirmer, New York, NY
Jenny Hwang, Bethesda, MD
Alison Cathles, Ithaca, NY
Grandma and Grandpa (Carol and Dale Carlson), Appleton, WI
Christina Walker, Eastlake, OH
Meha Yadav, Ithaca, NY (by way of India)
Becky Schrier, Fort Collins, CO (or as she would like to remind people - CT, FL, MI, Beijing, and anywhere else she has ever spent time)
Liz Hartman, Ithaca, NY
Thanks to all of you for not only your donations but your words of support!
Second, some people have asked about sending something (i.e. PBJs, ketchup, and spandex shorts, lol) to us on the road. We have mail drop addresses, and they are listed below:
The letter/package should be addressed as follows
Bike & Build
Attn: Justin Villere
General Delivery
City, State Zip
There will be mail drops in nine cities along our route (detailed below). If the package arrives after we have left it will be forwarded to the next post office. It is important that "Hold for pickup on DATE” ("DATE" refers to the dates listed below) is written somewhere on the package so the post office knows whether to hold or forward.
June 18th- Roscoe, NY 12776
June 25th- Franklin, PA 16323
July 2nd- Dayton, OH 45401
July 9th- Clinton, IA 52732
July 16th- Yankton, SD 57078
July 24th- Douglas, WY 82663
July 30th- Ashton, ID 83420
August 5th- Missoula, MT 59801
August 13th- Omak, WA 98841
Everything must be sent regular postal mail; the post office will not accept FedEx or UPS.
Alright, and with that, I'm off to Providence. Thanks guys, talk to you soon!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Good ride this morning
This morning I woke up around 5:30 and hit the road to bike around Cayuga Lake, an 88-mile trek. The weather was great, and because it's a Saturday, I had no cars buzzing by. However, about 27 miles into the ride, as I coming up on a little town called Aurora, I felt my back wheel give way. Flat. Curses! Fortunately, I had my bag with some stuff in it, so I set about fixing the tire. It took me a good 30 minutes (helped by losing my valve adapter and looking for that for about 10 - I'm an idiot), which is gawd-awful slow and something I'll have to improve upon.
I'd soon get my chance to test my time. I'm not sure how, but maybe a mile later, on the other side of town, I punctured the same tire, different leak. Blast! Now I was getting low on patches and wondering if these tires would be able to make it around the lake. I haven't even bought my spare tubes yet for my new bike (I was still carrying around the spares for my old one). I patched the second hole and decided to turn around lest I get 40 miles from home and the back tire becomes completely unusable. Thankfully, I encountered no more problems on the ride back.
All in all, I clocked about 55 miles. My legs were tired afterwards, but just a few hours later they feel pretty good again. I think I'm ready for Providence. It was also nice to deal with a little adversity, no matter how small. I was reminded how beautiful the Central NY countryside is as well. One lesson: make sure I get some spare tubes and restock the tire patches before my next ride! Hope everybody is doing well, thanks for reading!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
1 Week Away
I'm one week from reporting to Providence for a quick three-day orientation before we hit the road on the 14th. In preparation of that, I've been doing rides of relatively modest length over the last two weeks. Tomorrow, however, I'm testing my endurance with an 84-mile ride around Cayuga Lake. We'll see how that goes.
I'm going to miss certain aspects of Ithaca and my colleagues at CIPA (the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs), but I'm definitely ready to move on. There are some incredible people in CIPA who helped me along the way, so I will miss being in close proximity to them. However, this trip will offer me a chance to move on to the next stage of my life. I'm looking forward to just hitting the road and spending time in thought each day. Plus, I'll get to fulfill a goal that I've held for years: biking across the country. It promises to be a great experience.
For those who are interested in donating, money that is credited to my total is due on June 10th. Again, you can go to: http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,118/. Use the drop-down menu labeled "Select a Rider" and find my name, "Villere, Justin," and follow further instructions. Thanks again!
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