Traveling by bike gives so much more depth to the journey. I can confidently say that I know, not just the interstates, but the hidden gems, backroads, smells, sounds, and locals of all the states we've been through. It's not touristy, but that's perfect. I love being able to take in the natural world around me at slow speeds, right up close.
Today we continued biking along the Mississippi River in heavy humidity. After lunch we stopped at an awesome local bike shop and talked for awhile with the owner. Rob, Erin, Stella, and I took a reroute, he suggested, down to the river to bike on a more secluded road, which was beautiful.
On out way through Alma, we stopped for blueberry cheesecake ice cream at a very cute shop. It had a garden behind it and several hotel suites upstairs. I would love to live in one of the suites!
Pepin is small and quaint and known as the birthplace of Laura Ingalla Wilder. A couple of us went to the tiny museum that had some neat things about the Wilders. It was so much fun to reminisce in my childhood.
There is another cycling group in town tonight: Cycle Across America. They're headed from Seattle to Boston and are fully supported with bike mechanics, a massage therapist, and more. We are a very different operation from them.
Tomorrow I get to see Aunt Kit and Aunt Cyntia; I can't wait!!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Some days you got it, some days you don't
Today, I had it; 60 miles on 4 hours and it felt great. Averaged 15.7 mph because we climbed some huge hills. But, I was cruising at 19-20 along yhe Great River for 20 miles.
This morning we awoke to a beautiful valley with mist rising from the night rain fall. It was humid and spelled wonderful. The first half of the ride involved climbing out of the valley. My legs were not happy but getting to the top was absolutely worth it. You could see farmlands for miles...Wisconsin is beautiful. The fields are not square like they are in Ohio, they're more round.
We rode all along the ridge, up and down hills, past cows and farms until we finally rounded the corner to a very long and speedy decent. Decents can be thrilling but they're also sometimes frightening. I definitely feather my brakes. Once at the bottom we found ourselves biking along a river. I was flying down the road, it felt amazing.
After a quick lunch we continued along the river towards La Crosse. The rest of our route was full of quick turns, which helped to pass the time. I arrived at the church at 11:45 and could hardly believe it!
We were shuttled to the YMCA for showers and then I took an 1.5 hour nap. It was much needed. Everybody took advantage of all of our free time to relax and chill out. Before dinner a bunch of us worked on a big puzzle of the world. It was great combo of geography knowledge and puzzle skill.
Dinner was excellent...I consumed lots of raw veggies and fruit. The best was dessert: cheesecake with jam on top. Yum yum yum! Our host is excellent and the a/c is cranked meaning I can snuggle in my sleeping bad tonight.
This morning we awoke to a beautiful valley with mist rising from the night rain fall. It was humid and spelled wonderful. The first half of the ride involved climbing out of the valley. My legs were not happy but getting to the top was absolutely worth it. You could see farmlands for miles...Wisconsin is beautiful. The fields are not square like they are in Ohio, they're more round.
We rode all along the ridge, up and down hills, past cows and farms until we finally rounded the corner to a very long and speedy decent. Decents can be thrilling but they're also sometimes frightening. I definitely feather my brakes. Once at the bottom we found ourselves biking along a river. I was flying down the road, it felt amazing.
After a quick lunch we continued along the river towards La Crosse. The rest of our route was full of quick turns, which helped to pass the time. I arrived at the church at 11:45 and could hardly believe it!
We were shuttled to the YMCA for showers and then I took an 1.5 hour nap. It was much needed. Everybody took advantage of all of our free time to relax and chill out. Before dinner a bunch of us worked on a big puzzle of the world. It was great combo of geography knowledge and puzzle skill.
Dinner was excellent...I consumed lots of raw veggies and fruit. The best was dessert: cheesecake with jam on top. Yum yum yum! Our host is excellent and the a/c is cranked meaning I can snuggle in my sleeping bad tonight.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Wisconsin has hills...who knew?
11 hours of traveling can take it out of you, especially when you are on a bike. My total cycling time today was 7 hours and 20 minutes, but we took rest stops and two lunches making for a long 11 hour day. I'm so sleepy now and can't wait to sleep a full 9 hours hopefully.
The morning took up through the serene countryside of Wisconsin. There were gorgeous scenic overlooks as we biked through farmlands. What we weren't expecting were the hills. The hills started in the morning and only got worse as the day went on. We arrived at lunch around 9:00, so we had lots of time ahead of us. It often seems like the hardest part of the day during very long rides, is between first and second lunch; today was like that. I couldn't muster the energy to move my bike forward and the hills didn't help.
Less than a mile from second lunch we hit a huge hill and as I climbed I could feel my blood sugar dropping. I stopped and downed a gel packet and a bit of energy bar. I was getting shaky but I was so close to the top. At the summit, I came upon second lunch and gorged myself on pb+j, chocolate, an apple, dry cereal, cookies, leftover Thai food, and some rice pilaf. The amount of food we eat is ridiculous and it's hard to get used to.
During the last part of the ride we all struggled to find the will power to keep biking. It began to get hot as the rain clouds that threatened us this morning moved away. We stopped to take breaks, one of which was under a huge willow tree by a little creek. I got some awesome pictures of a snake that was curled up on a stick in the creek. While we were sitting there the woman in the house nearby came over to let her dog out, which was the cutest Beagle. I loved petting it...being away from my dogs is super hard; I just want to snuggle with them.
Just when we thought we were getting pretty close, we hit a 2-3 mile incline, which was not steep but relentless. Finally we reached the top and biked along the ride of the hills through apple orchards overlooking the Wisconsin landscapes. The one thing you know when you climb hills, is that you must come down eventually and we hit that decline toward the very end. It was a super steep grade that curved down the mini mountain. The speed limit was 15 mph for cars...I was gripping my breaks so hard I probably wore through them terribly.
The last part of the ride was difficult, but it reminded me a lot of southern Ohio. It smelled like Appalachians of Ohio and the rolling hills resembed the roads around our farms. I enjoyed thinking that I could be biking in Ohio.
Tonight we are staying at a K-12 school in a tiny town of 500 people. In their lobby there are tons of stuffed animals (birds and mammals). Tomorrow we have a 5:00 wake up and only a 63 mile ride...piece of cake after today (though I hear there are terrible climbs unfortunately).
P.S. Bike and Build has become so normal for me that I probably graze over simple things that we do that the real world may want to know about. So, if you have a question about our trip or how we do things, let me know! I'll answer them in my next post if I can.
The morning took up through the serene countryside of Wisconsin. There were gorgeous scenic overlooks as we biked through farmlands. What we weren't expecting were the hills. The hills started in the morning and only got worse as the day went on. We arrived at lunch around 9:00, so we had lots of time ahead of us. It often seems like the hardest part of the day during very long rides, is between first and second lunch; today was like that. I couldn't muster the energy to move my bike forward and the hills didn't help.
Less than a mile from second lunch we hit a huge hill and as I climbed I could feel my blood sugar dropping. I stopped and downed a gel packet and a bit of energy bar. I was getting shaky but I was so close to the top. At the summit, I came upon second lunch and gorged myself on pb+j, chocolate, an apple, dry cereal, cookies, leftover Thai food, and some rice pilaf. The amount of food we eat is ridiculous and it's hard to get used to.
During the last part of the ride we all struggled to find the will power to keep biking. It began to get hot as the rain clouds that threatened us this morning moved away. We stopped to take breaks, one of which was under a huge willow tree by a little creek. I got some awesome pictures of a snake that was curled up on a stick in the creek. While we were sitting there the woman in the house nearby came over to let her dog out, which was the cutest Beagle. I loved petting it...being away from my dogs is super hard; I just want to snuggle with them.
Just when we thought we were getting pretty close, we hit a 2-3 mile incline, which was not steep but relentless. Finally we reached the top and biked along the ride of the hills through apple orchards overlooking the Wisconsin landscapes. The one thing you know when you climb hills, is that you must come down eventually and we hit that decline toward the very end. It was a super steep grade that curved down the mini mountain. The speed limit was 15 mph for cars...I was gripping my breaks so hard I probably wore through them terribly.
The last part of the ride was difficult, but it reminded me a lot of southern Ohio. It smelled like Appalachians of Ohio and the rolling hills resembed the roads around our farms. I enjoyed thinking that I could be biking in Ohio.
Tonight we are staying at a K-12 school in a tiny town of 500 people. In their lobby there are tons of stuffed animals (birds and mammals). Tomorrow we have a 5:00 wake up and only a 63 mile ride...piece of cake after today (though I hear there are terrible climbs unfortunately).
P.S. Bike and Build has become so normal for me that I probably graze over simple things that we do that the real world may want to know about. So, if you have a question about our trip or how we do things, let me know! I'll answer them in my next post if I can.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Madison
After a dinner at the church, we were released to do as we pleased. Everybody was vanned over to Donnie's house where he had a big party for us. It was finally a chance for people to truly sit back and relax. Around 9 I headed out for swing dancing with Tyce and Nate. The swing dance was in a very chill lounge with very comfy chairs. I could have fallen asleep right there. The DJ was good and there were some great leads. I also helped Tyce brush up on his dancing and showed him some new moves. I was super excited that I got the chance to dance again.
Day 2: Our first day off! After waking up around 6:00 am and lazing around on my thermarest for an hour, I rolled out of bed. Nate was also up and we headed down the street for breakfast at Lazy Jane's Cafe. It was a wonderful breakfast spot and there was a crowd, so we knew it would be good. I enjoyed a real hearty breakfast of chorizo eggs, toast, and potatos, with a nice cup of decaf coffee :)
The rest of my day consisted of exploring State St., the main drag in Madison. I got some frozen yogurt, stopped at a natural pharmacy for sunscreen and energy bars, bought a new chain and brake pads, and got a delicious chai latte. After this outing I was tired again and layed down for a little nap. Today was also mail day and I was super excited to get a great letter from my Nana and a suprise package from friends who made homemade granola. It is so tasty and delicious!
For dinner I trekked a block away to the Taco Palace with Kelsey, Tyce, and Nate. As an appetizer we order jalapenos wrapped with bacon and stuffed with cream cheese. They were so spicy my tongue burned for 10 minutes even after downing a glass of water. My favorite taco of two in my entree was the backyard barbeque: shredded pork, colesaw, fried avocado...so yummy. The day off was full of much needed relaxing. It's been a full month since we started, with no days off. Our next is coming up in Minnesota.
Day 3: Our group split into three for our build day today. My little group biked about five miles away to our site where we then split again into two teams. This morning my team worked on laying down the plywood floor of the house. It meant cutting plywood, glueing the beams, and then nailing down eight penny nails to hold the board in place. I was thrilled to finally swing a hammer on this trip. After lunch we finished up the flooring and then had to clean up our site. Our next task was ripping out nails of the built walls because they were all put on backwards. After ripping off the plywood walls we had to flip over the frames and reassemble the sheeting. I had a great day building because we all had something to do and I could see the progress of our work.
I am currently sitting at a library to catch up on emails and update the blog. We have had a lack of wifi at our host, so it has been difficult. Tonight I look forward to dinner, showers, and an early night to bed. Tomorrow brings another century, so I'll need as much energy as I can get. There will be no bonking or heat exhaustion tomorrow....I promise.
My camera came today so pics will be more frequent!
Crossing over the Wisconsin stateline
Warpaint Wednesday
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Community Action and the Incredible Dinner
Yesterday our group was split into two and taken to separate builds, one with Habitat and one with Community Action. I was with the second group and we ended up in a pretty run down neighborhood in Beloit. The organization had bought 30 houses in the area from the government and is now rebuilding and remodeling them in order to sell or rent them to low income families.
I spent the morning cleaning the house and then painting trim. We took a very long with lunch and many of us fell asleep from the heat and general fatigue. We were treated with sack lunches from the host that had great sandwiches, carrots, apples, chips, and cookies. Then our site supervisor whipped out ice cream sandwiches; they were heavenly.
Despite the heat advisory I chose go work in the community garden in the afternoon because it wasn't as stuffy as the house. We spent the rest of the day pulling weeds and running under the sprinkler to cool off.
After the build and before dinner many of us took naps. When I woke up I actually thought it was morning. I was in for a pleasant suprise for dinner; we all were.
We were taken to a local's house who had prepared an amazing feast. To begin there was a food truck in the drive way that served fried cheese curds, milkskakes, root beer floats, and sundaes. The cheese curds were perfect. For many on the trip it was a new experience.
Dinner included brats, salads, quinoa, rice pilaf, fruit salad, and best of all sweet corn. I mostly indulged in the corn! It was so juicy from being grilled.
After dinner and a bike and build presentation we were treated by fire-less works in which two guys dumped huge buckets of golf balls off of the garage balcony. They tumbled down and bounced all over the driveway. Following that we had a water balloon toss which ended in simply attacking each other with water balloons. I was happy to stand by and watch the madness.
The evening was lovely and relaxing. The house was beautiful, food amazing, and company enjoyable. Everybody had a great night and we will always remember Janesville!
I spent the morning cleaning the house and then painting trim. We took a very long with lunch and many of us fell asleep from the heat and general fatigue. We were treated with sack lunches from the host that had great sandwiches, carrots, apples, chips, and cookies. Then our site supervisor whipped out ice cream sandwiches; they were heavenly.
Despite the heat advisory I chose go work in the community garden in the afternoon because it wasn't as stuffy as the house. We spent the rest of the day pulling weeds and running under the sprinkler to cool off.
After the build and before dinner many of us took naps. When I woke up I actually thought it was morning. I was in for a pleasant suprise for dinner; we all were.
We were taken to a local's house who had prepared an amazing feast. To begin there was a food truck in the drive way that served fried cheese curds, milkskakes, root beer floats, and sundaes. The cheese curds were perfect. For many on the trip it was a new experience.
Dinner included brats, salads, quinoa, rice pilaf, fruit salad, and best of all sweet corn. I mostly indulged in the corn! It was so juicy from being grilled.
After dinner and a bike and build presentation we were treated by fire-less works in which two guys dumped huge buckets of golf balls off of the garage balcony. They tumbled down and bounced all over the driveway. Following that we had a water balloon toss which ended in simply attacking each other with water balloons. I was happy to stand by and watch the madness.
The evening was lovely and relaxing. The house was beautiful, food amazing, and company enjoyable. Everybody had a great night and we will always remember Janesville!
Monday, July 16, 2012
70 miles in a heat advisory
Today was quite the opposite of yesterday. Low energy, slow speeds, very high temperatures. It was miserable. Sometimes you get so hot that you feel like throwing up and your whole body gets itchy. On top of that there were headwinds, so I tried to hang behind Nate who is taller than me and breaks some of the wind. Toward the end of the day I had doubt that I could make it... I was getting chills from dehydration and the roads were not nice. I resorted to spitting water on my arms and legs to cool off.
On a brighter note, there were some very cool animals along the route today. We saw two huge bulls at a farm, as awesome hawk on a street sign, and a field with tons of foals and their moms.
Another note: I officially came up with a name for my bike today. It shall be called Lawrence, named for Chamberlain of the 20th Maine in the Civil War. I was told before the trip by my pop to think about the struggles of the infantry men being in the heat, war, and away from home. My struggles are not as great, but it helps to think about it. So Lawrence and I are in it together!
On a brighter note, there were some very cool animals along the route today. We saw two huge bulls at a farm, as awesome hawk on a street sign, and a field with tons of foals and their moms.
Another note: I officially came up with a name for my bike today. It shall be called Lawrence, named for Chamberlain of the 20th Maine in the Civil War. I was told before the trip by my pop to think about the struggles of the infantry men being in the heat, war, and away from home. My struggles are not as great, but it helps to think about it. So Lawrence and I are in it together!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
"That's what I'm talking about"
Last night I trekked over to the Drake Hotel to hear the Flat Cats and get some dancing in. Aaron was awesome and offered to go with me because I didn't want to go alone and wasn't going to go. The band was awesome! And there was a woman there who said that she would point all the good dancers toward me. I got some great dances in; it was good to just dance, it's been weeks.
This morning started at 6:30, a welcome wake up after our 4:00 morning. After everything was ready to go we went out to explore Chicago more before departing for our 48 miles. I headed down to Michigan Ave with two others in search of coffee. We ended up at Caribou Coffee where we were given free drinks that we didn't even ask for. The sales guy was so impressed he asked if we lived off donations and we said yes so he gave us our stuff free of charge. Then we took our drinks to Millenium Park to take pics of bean.
We rode out of the city through Lincoln Park and I loved the urban riding. Just after Northwestern we rode past a Ba'hai temple. It was incredible and beautiful. The entire building had intricate carvings all over it. I can't imagine being the builder/artist/arcitect.
We hopped on a bike path not long after and it took us most of the way. We had a refreshing lunch at a deli store where we got great sandwich. Nobody could wait for our actual lunch stop.
I rode with Kate, Erica, and Sean today which was new. Sean led us and I had a blast going 18-20 mph behind him. Having someone lead who can push you is awesome. I felt so powerful and strong today. We were flying and I was thrilled.
At our host we trekked over to a lake for a quick dip. The water was warm and perfect because today's heat was ridiculous. After a late night yesterday and a fast ride today, bed will come very soon for me. The church had provided us with pads which will make our sleeping very luxurious tonight.
This morning started at 6:30, a welcome wake up after our 4:00 morning. After everything was ready to go we went out to explore Chicago more before departing for our 48 miles. I headed down to Michigan Ave with two others in search of coffee. We ended up at Caribou Coffee where we were given free drinks that we didn't even ask for. The sales guy was so impressed he asked if we lived off donations and we said yes so he gave us our stuff free of charge. Then we took our drinks to Millenium Park to take pics of bean.
We rode out of the city through Lincoln Park and I loved the urban riding. Just after Northwestern we rode past a Ba'hai temple. It was incredible and beautiful. The entire building had intricate carvings all over it. I can't imagine being the builder/artist/arcitect.
We hopped on a bike path not long after and it took us most of the way. We had a refreshing lunch at a deli store where we got great sandwich. Nobody could wait for our actual lunch stop.
I rode with Kate, Erica, and Sean today which was new. Sean led us and I had a blast going 18-20 mph behind him. Having someone lead who can push you is awesome. I felt so powerful and strong today. We were flying and I was thrilled.
At our host we trekked over to a lake for a quick dip. The water was warm and perfect because today's heat was ridiculous. After a late night yesterday and a fast ride today, bed will come very soon for me. The church had provided us with pads which will make our sleeping very luxurious tonight.
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