Yesterday we had a very relaxing morning waking up at 6:30 and lounging around eating fluffy pancakes. We were taken over to the build site around 9:00 and worked for a solid 3 hours caulking.
Our hosts were amazing and provided us with bike mechanics. They spent all day working on people's bikes and fitting bikes for those who are experiencing a lot of pain. It was all free of charge!
Today we had a 105 mile ride into Chicago and it was quite enjoyable. We were on great country roads during the morning so we could talk and play games. And we also biked on lots of bike paths which were super relaxing and unstressful.
Coming into the city was fun because we ran into a local who was coming from 90 miles away. He led us into the city and helped us get to the bike path. A couple miles out from our host I got my first flat tire. The worst part was that I got two more flats within the next 5 miles. Finally Sean had to bike to me with another wheel to get me to the host. I examined my tire more fully and found a teeny piece of glass which kept popping my tubes.
Our host is amazing. We are staying in an office building that has a tree house, zip line, incredible bathrooms and showers, and just general cool stuff and design. For dinner we had pizza from Giorganos, I was super happy.
It's funny being in Chicago having lived here. Everyone is so excited but I'm definitely over the urban thing. I am going to try to go hear a swing band tonight and dance but we'll see how my legs hold up.
Today my body held up well with 100 miles. We are so used to biking huge amounts now and I'm getting much more acclimated to being on the bike. The last 20 miles were not even a struggle. The cue sheet helped a lot because there were so many turns and short roads we took, which mixed up re day.
Tommorow we get to wake up at 6:30 and we don't have to leave the city until 11, so we may get a great breakfast.
My camera is lost and a new one is on the way so stay posted for pictures.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
From Ohio to Michigan to Indiana
The last two days have taken us over two more state lines. And today took us from a small town of only 500 to the booming college town of South Bend.
The morning began with a beautiful sunrise over the farm fields of Michigan. The great part about biking so early in the morning is that there is little traffic and you get to watch the world wake up. After only a couple of miles we crossed into Indiana and said goodbye to Michigan.
We rode 36ish miles in to first lunch, which was on a road that took us through huge farm fields. The irrigation systems were turned on so we were refreshed by spraying water several times. Even cooler were the rainbows that were captured in the water.
At lunch we were visited a fluffy black dog from up the hill with a big mustache. He was some kind of terrier/Scotty mix I think. At first he was awful shy but he warmed up to us and I got lots of petting in with him. We tried guessing his name and finally learned from his owner it was Bourbon.
After lunch Nate took the lead in our group and we knocked out a bunch if miles at 20mph. We passed numerous homes with buggies and even saw one in action on the road. The Amish are very familiar to me, but for some on the trip they are quite new and interesting.
We continued to ride into the afternoon with minimal breaks. It helps when our cue sheet has lots of turns because it breaks thing up. For second lunch Nate and I missed the van because it was picking people up. So, we quickly grabbed food as it passed on the way back. I enjoyed a dry cereal mix with peanut butter and jelly stirred in. Yum.
The final part of the day took us in to South Bend and through the Notre Dame campus before bringing us to the church. Our hosts are very hospitable and shuttled us to a pool for dinner. We had the pleasure of hearing a Notre Dame economics prof talk about the morgage crisis during dinner to learn more about the affordable housing curriculum. Dinner itself was full of veggies and fruit, my favorite.
It is still very hard for me to muster the energy and mental stamina to keep going each day. I wonder if I made the right choice to continue onward from Ohio. It feels now as if I am biking away from home, when what I want is to be biking home.
The morning began with a beautiful sunrise over the farm fields of Michigan. The great part about biking so early in the morning is that there is little traffic and you get to watch the world wake up. After only a couple of miles we crossed into Indiana and said goodbye to Michigan.
We rode 36ish miles in to first lunch, which was on a road that took us through huge farm fields. The irrigation systems were turned on so we were refreshed by spraying water several times. Even cooler were the rainbows that were captured in the water.
At lunch we were visited a fluffy black dog from up the hill with a big mustache. He was some kind of terrier/Scotty mix I think. At first he was awful shy but he warmed up to us and I got lots of petting in with him. We tried guessing his name and finally learned from his owner it was Bourbon.
After lunch Nate took the lead in our group and we knocked out a bunch if miles at 20mph. We passed numerous homes with buggies and even saw one in action on the road. The Amish are very familiar to me, but for some on the trip they are quite new and interesting.
We continued to ride into the afternoon with minimal breaks. It helps when our cue sheet has lots of turns because it breaks thing up. For second lunch Nate and I missed the van because it was picking people up. So, we quickly grabbed food as it passed on the way back. I enjoyed a dry cereal mix with peanut butter and jelly stirred in. Yum.
The final part of the day took us in to South Bend and through the Notre Dame campus before bringing us to the church. Our hosts are very hospitable and shuttled us to a pool for dinner. We had the pleasure of hearing a Notre Dame economics prof talk about the morgage crisis during dinner to learn more about the affordable housing curriculum. Dinner itself was full of veggies and fruit, my favorite.
It is still very hard for me to muster the energy and mental stamina to keep going each day. I wonder if I made the right choice to continue onward from Ohio. It feels now as if I am biking away from home, when what I want is to be biking home.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Family Time
Upon riding 80 miles through Cleveland into Avon Lake, Ohio, I was greeted by my family! I have recently been struggling with the decision to end my journey here in Ohio or to continue onward to Vancouver. As a home girl this trip has been tough, but the connections I have made with the group will help me make it to the Pacific.
Yesterday I spent the day at Lake Erie with my family...resting and loading up on Sowash-time. Today I rejoin the group in Bowling Green to bike on. Halfway through the journey I will be in St. Paul to see Aunt Kit and Aunt Cynthia and I'm looking forward to that. I will take each day at a time and try to enjoy the small things along the way.
More updates and pictures later.
Yesterday I spent the day at Lake Erie with my family...resting and loading up on Sowash-time. Today I rejoin the group in Bowling Green to bike on. Halfway through the journey I will be in St. Paul to see Aunt Kit and Aunt Cynthia and I'm looking forward to that. I will take each day at a time and try to enjoy the small things along the way.
More updates and pictures later.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Heat Wave
The 90 degree weather we've been having has not helped with biking 70+ miles the last two days. We have begun waking up at 4:00 am to beat the heat and get a move on our long mileages.
Yesterday I rode sweep with Debs, meaning we pulled up the rear to make sure everybody made it okay. Our first lunch was right on Lake Erie just after biking through Buffalo. From there we booked it to second lunch, or tried to, becuase it was a cookout at a mans house whose backyard is the lake. We spent a long time eating and swimming before heading out to our host.
Today was grueling. The heat was terrible and I struggled to keep my butt feeling okay. We took many stops and pedaled slowly. Our lunch was at 9:00 and we finally rolled into the church at 3:30. Along the way we took a long nap, layed under some big trees, and got milkshakes/rootbeer floats. The ice cream was a great relief, but I was even happier to arrive at the host.
We got to take showers at people's houses and mine was wonderful. I even got to use a real towel! Afterwards we visited the neighbors who were having a huge party for Youngstown State friends. They had so much food and crazy amounts of dessert.
Being in Ohio is amazing. I love it here so much, it would be okay with me if I never left again. Another Ohioan and I are trying to convince everybody on the trip that Ohio is great. We have converted several so far. The milkshakes helped a bit.
Tomorrow I get to see my family finally. I can't wait. The 90 miles between us are extremely daunting but somehow I will get through them.
Yesterday I rode sweep with Debs, meaning we pulled up the rear to make sure everybody made it okay. Our first lunch was right on Lake Erie just after biking through Buffalo. From there we booked it to second lunch, or tried to, becuase it was a cookout at a mans house whose backyard is the lake. We spent a long time eating and swimming before heading out to our host.
Today was grueling. The heat was terrible and I struggled to keep my butt feeling okay. We took many stops and pedaled slowly. Our lunch was at 9:00 and we finally rolled into the church at 3:30. Along the way we took a long nap, layed under some big trees, and got milkshakes/rootbeer floats. The ice cream was a great relief, but I was even happier to arrive at the host.
We got to take showers at people's houses and mine was wonderful. I even got to use a real towel! Afterwards we visited the neighbors who were having a huge party for Youngstown State friends. They had so much food and crazy amounts of dessert.
Being in Ohio is amazing. I love it here so much, it would be okay with me if I never left again. Another Ohioan and I are trying to convince everybody on the trip that Ohio is great. We have converted several so far. The milkshakes helped a bit.
Tomorrow I get to see my family finally. I can't wait. The 90 miles between us are extremely daunting but somehow I will get through them.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Niagara Falls
Easy 22 miles into the falls yesterday! Despite this, I was definitely tired. After showering at a nearby Howard Johnson, we all made our way to the falls to take a boat tour. Having seen the falls before, I got an iced coffee and fell asleep under a tree with several others.
Upon the return of the boat group, we all crossed the pedestrian bridge to the Canadian side of the falls. This was my first time in Canada and I was seriously underwhelmed. It was terrible. As another ride commented, "this is my hell." It felt like we had entered a cheesy amusement park; it was so touristy. We ended up eating at a bar/grill and then I walked back to the American side. The one cool thing about Canada was that the falls were much neater. We had a full on view, which was great.
The fireworks were somewhat of a disappointment as they were only 10 minutes long and there were no cool shapes. Oh well.
Our build day today was also a let down. There was not nearly enough work for everyone, thus I sat under a tree for the majority of the day. It was good, however, to be off the bike seat.
Tonight is mostly free meaning I will journal, read, and sleep. There are only three days left until I get to see my family. I'm so excited!
So far this trip has been a pretty big struggle for me, definitely physically, but mostly mentally. It has confirmed several things for me:
1) I am an Ohio girl (I knew this already).
2) I want to live in Ohio my whole life.
3) I need to be near my family.
4) I am not a long term traveler.
There are more things, but these are the ones that are most highlighted by the fact that I am away from my home and family for 2+ months. This is no easy task and one that I do not ever want to repeat.
Upon the return of the boat group, we all crossed the pedestrian bridge to the Canadian side of the falls. This was my first time in Canada and I was seriously underwhelmed. It was terrible. As another ride commented, "this is my hell." It felt like we had entered a cheesy amusement park; it was so touristy. We ended up eating at a bar/grill and then I walked back to the American side. The one cool thing about Canada was that the falls were much neater. We had a full on view, which was great.
The fireworks were somewhat of a disappointment as they were only 10 minutes long and there were no cool shapes. Oh well.
Our build day today was also a let down. There was not nearly enough work for everyone, thus I sat under a tree for the majority of the day. It was good, however, to be off the bike seat.
Tonight is mostly free meaning I will journal, read, and sleep. There are only three days left until I get to see my family. I'm so excited!
So far this trip has been a pretty big struggle for me, definitely physically, but mostly mentally. It has confirmed several things for me:
1) I am an Ohio girl (I knew this already).
2) I want to live in Ohio my whole life.
3) I need to be near my family.
4) I am not a long term traveler.
There are more things, but these are the ones that are most highlighted by the fact that I am away from my home and family for 2+ months. This is no easy task and one that I do not ever want to repeat.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
7 Days of Biking
Today was our 7th day of biking, which I never thought to be possible. We pedaled 90 miles yesterday, which was a huge accomplishment. Because of our 90 mile day, we had two lunch stops, which was yummy! (We also get two lunches of 90 degree days which it very well could have been yesterday).
Today was a 58 mile day, which seems like a piece of cake now. Just several days ago 60 miles was a daunting, but we're pros now. We took the day easy and took naps at lunch. This seemed like a good idea at the time...unfortunately it meant getting caught in a huge downpour later. As we departed lunch, it looked like Georgia O'Keefe had painted the sky. The wind eventually picked up so hard, I could hardly stay on my bike and when it started raining it felt like pellets on my skin. We stopped under a fruit stand for about 45 minutes to let things pass and then biked the last 6 miles to the host, soaking wet and freezing.
We're in Lockport tonight...named for the locks on the Erie Canal. We're all craving sleep and food...my bed time will be as soon as dinner is over. Tomorrow we ride 20 miles to Niagara Fall for the 4th of July and a build day! We're all looking forward to letting our saddle sores and legs heal up for a day before getting back on the bike.
I am finally on a real computer here at the Lockport library, so here are some pictures from the last week:
The man at the buffalo farm
Team Kaboom leaving for Lebanon
Me and Diane on our rainy ride to Lebanon
Me climbing Bethel Mountain...I had just remounted my bike
Lynne at the top of Bethel Mountain with lemonade, watermelon, and hot tea
Entering NEW YORK
Swimming hole in Ticonderoga
Adirondacks on Lake George
My cue sheet, with flowers from Diane
Fellow riders frolicking in a wheat field
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Adieu Sweet Adirondacks
We have finally emerged from the mountains and I couldn't be happier. Today's ride was perfect, with small rolling hills.
We have been out of range from Internet from several days, so here is an update...
Yesterday was sooo hard after our climbing for days and days. We were downhills for the last 20 miles, but with the headwind they were actually hard to pedal down. Along the way I saw two wilds turkeys grazing on the side of the road and one of them had babies. My highlight of the day was at mile 65 when I saw a sign "Leaving Adirondack Park!"
Everybody is so sore and tired, it's crazy. We still have three more days of biking.
I promise to upload pictures soon!!
You can follow my route on bikeandbuild.org to read more stories about the trip.
We have been out of range from Internet from several days, so here is an update...
Yesterday was sooo hard after our climbing for days and days. We were downhills for the last 20 miles, but with the headwind they were actually hard to pedal down. Along the way I saw two wilds turkeys grazing on the side of the road and one of them had babies. My highlight of the day was at mile 65 when I saw a sign "Leaving Adirondack Park!"
Everybody is so sore and tired, it's crazy. We still have three more days of biking.
I promise to upload pictures soon!!
You can follow my route on bikeandbuild.org to read more stories about the trip.
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