An Open Letter:


Dear Wind,


We have to call it quits. Frankly, you’re smothering me and I can’t take it anymore. Sure we’ve had our ups and downs (Bowling Green, OH), but it’s just gotten to be too much. Since North Dakota, you’ve been around me all the time and after today’s ride I decided that we need to end it.


It was a short day, only 54 miles from Culbertson to Wolf Point. It should’ve been a piece of cake, but you were in my face the whole day. The first 20 miles out of Culbertson were rolling hills. I’d call them rolling mountains, but you know that I don’t like to be dramatic. Whatever they were, it wasn’t too bad; I wasn’t going that fast in the first place. But then you messed with my downhill. It’s a problem when the fastest you’ll let go is 18mph on a downhill. You crossed the line.


The last 30 miles of the day were flat terrain and you were there for every inch of it. With you around, I can’t hear myself think. You’re physically and mentally draining. I need my space. You seem to be everywhere, but behind me. You’re outbursts have gotten so bad that the only thing I can do is stick my head down and hope to make to make it through—my back hurts, stop.


You know I’ve never gotten along with your best friend rain, but you keep hanging out with her. Theodore Roosevelt National Park was the last straw. I had to hide in the bathroom while you had a girl’s night out.


I can’t deal with your temperament. You’re fine in the morning and at night, but the tantrums during the day are too much. I’ve begun to wake up earlier to get my day started so we can spend more time getting along and less time fighting.


We’re just not moving in the same direction anymore. You’re headed east and I want to go west.


You blow,


Craig Lee

This day may go down as one of my most memorable days of the summer (for good or bad)!


I began my day like any other driving day - I’d packed a book and food for the lunch stop and with the trailer packed, I was ready to go...until I tried to back up. As we soon discovered, our van decided to get itself stuck in PARK. The day before, the same thing had happened. After waiting for an hour for AAA, the van was then towed to Minot and was “fixed”, or so we thought. Unable to shift the van, I decided to run over to the local Chrysler dealership to see if they could help...keep in mind, this town was tiny! They were extremely nice and sent their mechanic out. He preceded to take apart the ENTIRE steering wheel. Baffled, he somehow rigged the thing so that in order to shift into drive, you first had to turn the keys slightly up (but not on), into neutral, then turn the engine on, then shift to drive. Kind of crazy but it worked and I went on my way.


Because of the morning van troubles, the lunch stop wasn’t until mile 50 in a small park. I was amazed by how flexible everyone was with the change of plans, no complaints!


The drive to Theodore Roosevelt National Park was beautiful and I found myself jealous of everyone biking. The entrance was at the bottom of a massive hill that overlooked the entire landscape. The campsite was 5 miles from the entrance and many riders were actually stopped by dozens of bison blocking the road. It’s not like you could just go up to one of the them with your bike and nudge it away...


A few of us went back into town to find ice and coal for dinner. Others set up tents and explored the park. After a great dinner, Eric taught us how to make bananas with melted chocolate and marsh-mellows. Some people biked up the hill to watch the sunset. The night seemed to be the perfect night to camp...until the storm...


Around 2:30 in the morning I woke up to our tent literally collapsing around us. The rain was pouring, lightning everywhere, 30 mph gusts of wind. It had to have been the most intense storm I have ever experienced! We manage to escape the tent and flee to the girls bathroom. Funniest site I have ever seen. 15 people crammed in to a tiny bathroom, drenched, and cracking up at the craziness of it all. An hour later, we managed to spread ourselves out between the two bathrooms and decide the only solution is to sleep on the floor. What a night!


I would like to add that aside from our tents being in a rather sad state, everyone woke up the next morning ready to bike in good spirits. After that night, I was so proud to be on this team. If we can get through Hurricane Theodore, we can get through anything!


- Joy

Rugby ND – Minot ND


Alright, another day another dollar… oh wait that is what my friends who are spending there time behind a desk are saying. For us it is “another day another long stretch on rout twenty.”
We woke up today, like any other day and packed up. The only thing that made today different was that we all had to wash the gel out of our hair and take the smeered make-up off of our faces. Prom was fun last night, but thins morning we had to put it all behind us and get back on the bike; which we did.

The day, thankfully, was much less windy than our previous one. Most of us arrived at the church around 2:30 or 3:00. Not many eventful things happened on the ride. I was lucky enough to spend most of the day with Kathy who is a riot to ride with. She kept me entertained and because it was such a nice day we were able to ride alongside one another and talk. And talk we did. Kathy told me many stories including one about a fateful afternoon at track camp. If you ever have a chance to meet Kathy, please, I beg you, ask her to share this story with you.
When we arrived at the church we were met with a wonderful surprise. I had thought there was nothing provided at the church we were staying at but a place to sleep. Thankfully I was wrong. They not only provided dinner, they are also providing us with three meals tomorrow for our day off and also giving us breakfast on our way out of town. YAY!!!!!

Two news stations will be covering our group while we are here in town so if you are in Minot be sure to turn on your television.
Well, Bingo tomorrow and then on to a new town, Newtown, ND!

CH

July 29th, 2008


Two weeks ago, in a humble little kitchen in LaCrosse WI, an earth-shattering idea was born. If you’ve been keeping tabs on the group, you know that we’ve planned some activities to break up the monotony of the rides. Up to this point, we had put on a costume contest and had a scavenger hunt in the works. That night in the kitchen, after most everyone had gone to bed Christopher, Jessie and I stayed up to conjure up more trip activities. That was when Christopher threw out the word “Prom.”


Now allow me to take a moment and express my unbound fervor for the institution known as prom. Prom is, in a word, ridiculous. Everyone gets dates, dresses up, rents a limo, buys expensive dinners, takes a massive load of photos…and for what? Two hours of awkward dancing. And this is an all-American tradition stretching back nearly a century. And it’s stressful: a literal vortex of high school drama. I consider it fabulous as I stand back and watch the drama unfold from the wings. I disagree with all the pomp and circumstance, but instead of boycotting prom, I choose to infiltrate. My modus operandi? Irreverence. I’m the one who dines in, takes a friend as a date, and wears the gaudiest dress imaginable. I see it as having the time of my life while at the same time taking a stand against the institution of it all. Well, it’s mostly about having the time of my life.


So when that small, yet explosively evocative word hit the air, I was set. Prom would be our next major endeavor for NUS Bike and Build 2008.


My vision included outrageous dresses, dinner, decorations, dates, and dancing. But it would all be very tongue-and-cheek. Foir instance, prom outfits would derive from thrift stores as opposed to Macy’s. Couples go from within the group, but brownie points to the person who showed up with a townie (and six of the guys were going to have to get creative as there were not enough females to go around). We would also have photos with gaudy backgrounds and awkward couple poses.


So in Pepin, WI the plans were announced. Invitations were sent out a week later. The theme we (Christopher and I) decided upon would be HARVEST MOON. It was appropriate given the current scenery of the country (this would make decorations easy, just pilfer some corn stalks from a nearby field). Harvest Moon was also the theme which was proposed by Christopher when he was prom panning committee (is anyone surprised by this fact?) but was rejected; this was going to be his redemption. The prom was scheduled for June 29th in Rugby, ND. Attire: formal. Dates: required.


At first, Bike and Build Prom 2008 was met with lackluster reception. I think a lot of people were intimidated by the idea of required dates, which is understandable. All of us are good friends, so the notion that we were “pairing up” had the potential to make things awkward that evening. Very awkward.


I also believe some resistance came from some negative associations with the word “prom.” Once again, this is understandable. If we had termed this event “Glorified Dance Party 2008,” I don’t think people would have experienced the emotions they did. This is a group with great heads on their shoulders, I can’t imagine anyone got caught up in or enjoyed the trivial drama of their high school prom. I’m sure no one wanted to relive that.


To diffuse this mounting tension, I did two things. The first was to invite Dan to prom. It was assumed by everyone that Dan and Kim would be each other’s dates. To stir the pot a bit, I announced one morning I was about to ask someone to prom. So in front of all 30 riders, (and in my chamois no less), I went on bended knee to Dan and asked him to escort me to prom. Surprisingly, he accepted! While I simply did it for kicks, it wound up being such a blessing. The absurdity of the situation set the tone for the rest of the proceedings: this prom is going to be ridiculous. Dan and I demonstrated too that the dates weren’t meant to be serious. The other way I attempted to calm anxieties about prom was the announcement at the last town hall meeting: “I know everyone probably doesn’t have the best memories of their prom. This prom is going to ameliorate all that. Actually, don’t even think of this as prom, think of it as anti-prom.”


Ok, so that’s the primary background of all prom activity leading up to July 29th. Let’s talk about that actual day.


That morning, I was awoken an hour too early by Sharon (I love you, Sharon, but I’m still bitter about this) who couldn’t figure out how to get out of the camper in which we had slept (and to be fair, Jessie and I dealt with the same problem the day before). So at 6:30 am I listened to Sharon as she took apart the door in order to climb out of the camper.


It was difficult to be mad for long though as I was waking up in Eden. The day before we had ridden through 116 miles (and a massive storm , which I found shelter from underneath a hay bale along the side of the road, but that’s another story) into Devil’s Lake, ND. After the ride, we were picked up and taken to Isaiah’s farm where we were to eat and spend the night.


The Bergs were hands down the best hosts of our trip. Everyone in our group continuously exclaimed, “I feel so at home here.” Literally half the town of Starkweather turned out to dinner to meet us. We were all treated to tractor and horseback rides, tours of the farm, dips in the whirlpool, and, perhaps best of all, a plethora of photo albums and embarrassing stories about the Isaiah. Besides being such gracious hosts, they were truly salt of the earth. Never have I encountered such genuine kindness within an entire family.


That night I had chosen to sleep in the Berg camper set up in the driveway. I fell asleep to the most spectacular lig htning storm (no thunder could be heard, a North Dakota phenomenon?), which resembled a series of flashbulbs going off in the distance every other second.


So back to the morning. Sharon came back around 7:30 to call Erik and me to breakfast. And what an amazing breakfast it was. Mrs. Berg made her famous caramel rolls and cranberry/white chocolate scones. Ian treated us to French toast from his prized Challah loaf.


To say we were hesitant to leave is an understatement, but leave we did around 9 am. As we rode along in the bus back to Devil’s Lake, our hearts sunk not only because we were leaving the Berg farm, but of what we saw when we looked out the window: Wind. Torrential winds from the west.


We got back to the church, repacked the trailer, and mounted our bikes around 10. The ride was decent for about, oh, the first 1000 meters. We were headed north out of the church until we turned onto Route 2 and headed west.


How can I describe riding against 30 mph winds for 60 miles? It is simply the most demoralizing experience I can think to imagine. You could be pedaling as hard as you possibly can and yet still only reach speeds of 9 mph. You’re constantly being blown to and fro across the road and you cannot coast on you bike for fear of losing momentum (so quickly) that you fall over.


I was told that there would be days on the trip when I would want to throw my bike in a ditch and walk home. This was that day. I however was blessed to be riding with Erik. Just having another person there prevented me from “going to the Dark Side” as it were. Also, having one other person to draft off of was perfect as you can position yourself at either side of the person if the wind is coming from the sides. It also allows greater mobility in times when the wind or road suddenly shifts.


We reached lunch around 1, with our average speed at 11.4 mph (the day before I averaged 18 mph through 116 miles). Shortly after we began lunch, there was quite a bit of bad news as we found out Katrina had tapped wheels in a paceline and gone down. Fortunately, she merely fractured her finger but had to go to the hospital.


After lunch was 28 more miles of riding. While the bad conditions were still just as intense, I got my second wind every time I thought about Prom waiting at the end of the ride. At on e point, when Erik and I took a break from the wind behind some hay bales, I took to chalking on the side of the road, “14 miles to Prom!!!”


Erik and I made it to the high school (we couldn’t find a church in this town and so decided to hold prom that night as we would already have to make our own dinner and need a dancing venue) around 4:30. Katrina had just come back from the hospital and had a monster cast on her arm. But what did she want to do? Get back on the bike and get her miles in. Baller. Sure enough, she did 25 miles with the cast at the end of the day.


We found a venue for the dance and began to cook dinner and set up tables outside. As people began to arrive, I was hesitant to get too intense about prom. After all, it was a rotten day of riding. But not a singl e person got off their bike with a bad attitude. Not only that, but some people had actually taken time out of what they knew would be a long day to get last-minute items at the thrift store in Devil’s Lake.


By 7:30, dinner was prepared (Dan make fruit/veg chili, I prepared some beer bread and cornbread) and we all sat with our dates to eat. Some notable costumes: Kate, Craig, Lindsey, Anson, Isaiah, and Eric took some costumes (including tuxes) from the band room for outfits. Katrina made use of her cast and face scratches to resemble a battered housewife. Zack wore an army camo suit and inadvertently matched his date Jess, who dressed like a Miami floozy. Quang was a cowboy and his date Arianna wore a sequined American flag outfit , the all-American pair. Michelle and John R. matched as a hippie couple. Joy and Sharon dressed similarly. Pen and Kevin dressed up hand-made mannequins to act as their dates (there weren’t enough girls, remember?). Bobby found a cowboy outfit from the band room, but the pants didn’t zip up all the way, causing a lot of laughs. Ian, Shawn, and Derek made use of some random thrift items and could be collectively described as hobos. Maki and Christopher were just fabulous; words can’t describe them. And Dan and I went for a space cadet look (bringing a new level to “Harvest Moon”) with matching hot pink and grey outfits. Dan even detailed the back of his bright pink blazer (found in the women’s section) with “Harvest Moon” along with moons and stars in silver spray paint.


After dinner, I read descriptions of the couples a few of us put together the night before. It began as me merely justifying why I had paired some couples together (unattached people had come to me several days before to be “match made.”) and eventually evolved into a short snippet of everyone:


Quang and Arianna: The Wallflowers. Two emos brooding in the corner. How original.
Jess and Zack: The Skydivers. They met, they fell in love. And then they jumped out of a plane.

Reed: Reinstated. We’ll allow you to this prom, but you have to come up with your own date.
Anson and Lindsey: Moxie and Torch. She’s on fire… at least her eyebrows are. Good thing she’s got Moxie from Alaska to cool her down.

Michelle and John R.: The Tandem Pair. Mathemathics, economics, engineering…a marriage of minds. But probably not bodies.
Pen, Kevin: The Non-Disclosure Pact. “No comment.”

Kate and Craig: The Amazon and the Gods. Amazon women often have trouble finding legitimate men. Then Kate saw Thor and Vigo and the rest is legend.
Kim and Ian: Swinger couple. Because it doesn’t matter who you go to prom with, it’s who you bring home that matters.

Dae: Taken. If you’ve ever admired a girl in his presence, his immediate response is, “Oh no, man. I’ve got a girlfriend.” So Dae gets to bring his girlfriend…in popsicle stick form. That’s right, print out her photo and attach it to a popsicle stick. You can still enter the best dressed, provided she’s decorated appropriately.
John P. and Shawn: The Separatists. Now you can “do your own thing.” Together.

Maki and Christopher: The Finns. The b est the Aryan race has to offer. This may not be saying much.
Joy and Sharon: Romy and Michelle. Every prom needs its token lesbian couple.

Derek: “I’m just here for the food.”
Kathy and Dan: Homewreckers. What’s worse, the fact that she asked a taken guy to prom or that he accepted?

Isaiah and Katrina: The Farm Couple. Because farm kids have to start somewhere.
Bobby-One word: townie.

Kristen and Erik: The Sweethearts. Missed volunteering at the animal shelter to come to prom. Shame on you.


Oh, and we took photos! We found an old banner in the back of the trailer and Christopher used the back to write “Harvest Moon.” We tied the banner up, stuck bike materials, a thermarest, and even a gong underneath. Each couple took cheesy photos in front of it all.


After dinner, we did the quintessential after-prom activity: visit the DQ. That’s right, we marched into Dairy Queen in full prom regalia, freaking some townies out in the process. Literally. There were three girls that were straight up horrified by Christopher. Then they started flirting with Ian. Ah, highschoolers.


We went back to the school, where dancing was set up. I figured most people were exhausted and would go to bed, but I could not have expected what came next. For a straight 45 minutes, nearly every bike and builder got on that dance floor and got down. Mind you, this is 11 o’clock at night after what was many people’s hardest day. There were line dances, dance circles, the YMCA (in which was added statements like “free bagels!” and “creepy old dudes in the shower!” by Maki and Christopher, respectively), and mad sing-alongs. It was the best dance of which I had ever been a part.


In fact, it was the best prom ever.

So we've reached Crookston, MN. This will be our last night in Minnesota before heading into North Dakota. I'm really excited to see ND, since we've all been joking since the beginning about how boring and flat it might be. I have a feeling it will surprise us. Tomorrow will be a long day, to. 116 miles I've heard. Ack! Thank goodness then that we've had today's ride. It was so nice! In contrast to the horrible headwinds of yesterday, we had almost no wind and perfect temperatures all day. We didn't get a puff of wind until we finally turned off HWY 2 near the town itself. I really hope this trend continues. Wind makes everyone grumpy, and makes me even later than usual. So tonight we are staying at the Wesley United Methodist church, and they've been treating us so well. We feasted at din
ner, and had a great turn out for the presentation. We've finally started incorporating some housing statistics and real information in with out "Bodies in Motion" video, and I think it will stick. Tonight's presentation went really well, and for once actually informed people about how sever the housing crisis is, instead of just that 'a housing crisis exists'.


Now its time for everyone to hit the sack, since we're out of here at dawn tomorrow for our longest (official) day yet. I can't wait to see Isaiah's farm! Good night! ~Arianna Heiderer

Welcome to the Wind


It’s a strange yet common phenomenon in Bike and Build to not remember where one was 12 hours ago. Such is the case for me at the moment as I am charged with the responsibility of writing this particular journal entry. Oh yes, there it is. We were all in Grand Rapids, MN. In another 12 hours we will no longer be where we are now, Bemidji, the Paul Bunyan capital of the world. The past two days have marked the beginning of change in our routine. We will now be getting up quite early in the mornings. The reason for this is that we cyclists are now facing the full strength of our arch nemesis (aside from poverty housing), the wind. This villain usually strikes hardest around 11 am and into the late afternoon. Getting on the road by 5:30- 6:30 helps us get some good riding in before we hit a wall of menacing and spirit breaking wind. The group I was riding with was able to hit our lunch stop before the wind really hit us, so I was among the lucky.
Lunch for the day was exciting. We stopped at “Big Fish,” where we dined beside a house shaped like a giant trout. Joining us along with the pesco-company, were a one-eyed dog, and a snooping kitten. You never really know what you’re going to find on the road until you hit it.

After lunch I rode with my great friend Christopher, for about 15 more miles until we both pulled off to take a short nap in a ditch. We joined the next two riders that passed us to keep us motivated for the next 15 miles into town. I think in all of our minds town is just around the next corner. Trouble is out here there really aren’t that many corners. Bemidji was a refreshing place to find ourselves in at the end of a gruelingly straight and windy day. Friendly locals, a pretty cool Paul Bunyan and Babe sculpture, and a great deal all graced us today. In the next couple days the roads are only going to get straighter and windier, but if everything else continues to go as well as it has they just might be a breeze.


~Daniel Dunbar

So the start of my day was slow because I got my first flat: a slow leak from a lodged pebble that punctured my back gatorskin yesterday. The air escaped overnight leaving me a deflated back wheel this morning. The sweeps (Michelle and Derek) and I left the church at around 8:30, trailing the group by a half hour. The half hour delay was no big deal because the mileage was not especially high and the route followed a bike path (yay! No zooming cars and trucks, just a nice leisurely, mostly flat path!!). We started from Hinckley, MN and rode to Duluth which is 77 miles. We had the privilege of riding on the 63 mile Hinckley - Duluth segment of the Willard Munger State Trail which is the longest paved trail in the world. The trail extends between Hinckley, Willow River, Moose Lake, Barnum, Carlton, and Duluth.


The trail proved to be quite lovely and the weather as well. There was a strong sun and a cold breeze. The path was mostly shaded by pines and birch and we passed lots of lakes. The land and weather reminded me of Alaska. The morning rolled by quickly, we started playing a game of, “Would you rather…” which was mindless and entertaining. We determined that Michelle would rather be asthmatic than lactose intolerant and Derek would prefer to be a sloth rather than a turtle. We stopped for lunch in the quaint town of Moose Lake at the Blue Bear café which was yet another place of Norwegian heritage. We learned the difference between a malt and a shake…well sort of…malts have malt powder….and stopped again at the van lunch stop 6 miles later for snacks where we woke Joy up and ate more. We rolled out of our second lunch within a 10 mile span and continued would you rather, pedaled over some tar…Kim pedaled through quite a lot of wet tar…rode past a pretty high cliff, probably 35ft that some bike and builders jumped off of into a river. The trail also passed through a solid granite rock that was about 1/8 of a mile long that looked as if it had been dynamited. Pretty crazy.


After many beautiful sights, sounds, smells and much conversation our leisurely trail (that included a 12 mile slight downhill slope at the end) transformed into the streets of Duluth. The hills in the city have been compared to those found in San Francisco. Duluth is not especially bike friendly in terms of road maintenance and pathways, but not as bad as the streets of East Cleveland, so no complaints. We (the last ones in) reached the Temple Israel (which was our first non Christian church) around 5:30, and found the kosher meal to be quite lovely.


With a build day the next day people found the energy to explore. Some went to a Finnish culture festival while others went to the movies. We got back late night and were pleasantly surprised by pizza which had been ordered for us by our hosts as a midnight snack. We went to bed satisfied and excited to have a day off from cycling, looking forward to working with a land trust organization and Common Ground. That’s all…the best day we could hope for before the 1,000 mile stretch of route 2.



Kristen

This morning we left from St. Paul after our glorious day with our ever so gracious host families. Group moral seemed low starting the day knowing we had an 80+ mile day ahead of us and our beds felt so good. Everyone wanted to just take a few more hours to sleep in. Some even decided to stay around in St. Paul for some morning coffee. Once we got on the road though we felt alright. Our day was pretty standard until we made it to a beautifully paved bike path around mile 20. We basically had this 22 mile path all to ourselves to cruise side by side. The miles just flew by not having to worry about cars and traffic and pot holes. Our lunch stop included a nice picnic area with bbq pits and a playground which the few with excess energy (don’t ask me how) decided to exercise more by creating a obstacle course and racing. Dan hit his head, I hit my back, yet we still managed to have fun with it. After lunch we had only a few more miles on the nice bike path and got on one road the rest of the way. I am glad it was such a great day yet it was getting slightly monotonous by the end. Kim and Dan decided to make it more exciting by crashing into each other. Luckily they weren’t hurt besides a few scrapes and a new back wheel.


I am still so impressed with all of our riders, I would say we are halfway through our trip and still NO ONE has ridden in the van for any reason. Tonight we are staying at the local High School and got a lovely dinner donated by Joy’s mother. So we will all go to bed full.


Tomorrow looking forward to a nice ride to Duluth and from what I heard its all on a bike path!


Till next time.

Erik

It was a beautiful day, that stayed beautiful throughout. We've had a string of great weather here in the Midwest, and western Wisconsin has been gorgeous throughout. Beautiful roads and wonderful scenery have all made our rides pleasant, and our riding day into Pepin, WI was no exception.


We rolled out of La Cross and began our trek northwards, roughly paralleling the Mississippi for most of the trip. About 12 miles in we discovered that some road signs have been recently renamed, and therefore, the cue sheet is completely wrong. Or rather, as I prefer to say as a leader and infallible cue sheet creator: "It's the road's fault."


So with that established, the road made some big mistakes. I was in the lead group with a few other faster types and we were having a great time since we had caught the van and trailer with Dan frantically plugging in routes into the GPS, checking, making U turns, chalking, and continuing to reroute. For some reason, my days in the van are often pleasant, relaxing, and filled with adequate nap time. My fellow leaders don't seem to be as lucky. Maybe I'm just oblivious to the impending chaos and disaster whirling around me at every moment; or maybe I'm just lucky. You all be the judge.


So anyways, my fellow fearless leader is chalking our route ahead of us and we're cruising along, and we manage to catch him in a Wildlife Refuge. We are then led to a dirt road heading into what appears to be Wisconsin's best attempt at "African Savannah" when we decide to sit down and analyze the situation.


We have a single tracked dirt road heading off into a wildlife refuge. The van GPS tells us that the highway we need is a little over two miles away, down that road. We could backtrack on paved roads and get there just fine... or trust GPS and plunge into the heart of darkness.


John Pribik says "Let's do it." and naturally, the (illogically) fearless male sense of direction that powered (pervaded?plagued?) our group forged a path across the refuge on an awesome dirt road. Ian chalked our turn with a Mr. T quote "I pity the fool..." next to the arrow. Other groups unfortunately took this as a signal to not follow us, which created confusion, when chalk lines were later corrected, then corrected again, all within a maze of quotes and jokes chalked in the middle of a confusing refuge. It's confusing enough trying to describe it, so I'll just move on.


We are halfways through the refuge when we come to a closed gate, with a one way sign (going against us). That's where GPS wants the van and us to go. Well...we'd prefer the van not get in a habit of ramming steel gates (nor forging paths through wildlife refuges) but we were adventurers on our bicycles, and we were going to have our African safari! So we dug out arrows in the dirt, put pretty pink streamers in arrow formations weighted down by rocks, and then had a good old time as we biked further into unknown territory. Dirt, gravel, bugs, wild plants overgrowing the trail, and the ever-present inappropriate Family Guy reference from Ian got us through and to the highway. It was probably the most fun detour I've taken all of this trip.


The rest of the ride was rather uneventful by comparison; I rode with a very fast group through the rolling hills, and stopped at Pepin in the end to enjoy a delicious chocolate milkshake. We promptly passed out that night at Emmanuel Church, who had the most wonderful people providing more amazing food than I could hope to describe in this journal entry. I've got one word, no two.


Spaghetti. MMmmmmmm.


I finished the evening down by a still inlet off the Mississippi referred to as Lake Pepin. Sunset was gorgeous. A few of us sat on the lifeguard tower and discussed destiny, Into the Wild, skipping rocks (record of 7 baby!) and the wonderful exercise in futility that it is to throw stones into the still water of a lake.


I remember picking up rather similar out of lake beds when I was a little kid, securing the safety of countless people's feet as those stones would never do them harm again. I used to have such great character. : )


I'd like to send an enormous thank-you to the town of Pepin and all of the people therein, for a place to stay, food to eat, and most of all, another little piece of this adventure we call Bike and Build.

This morning we were, as usual, woken up politely by Dan Dunbar. However we had was a comparatively late wake up time: 7:30, which was a welcome change from the usual 6:00 or 6:15. The reason for the late wake up time was that the day was only 43 miles. This almost sounded too easy; "only 43 miles? Come on." After saying goodbye to our great hosts in Janesville over cereal, and then the all-too-familiar routine of packing and cleaning everything and finally dragging our selves to our bicycles we set off.


The route was very beautiful once we got out of Janesville – almost entirely country roads with very little traffic. Everything was going well until we saw the van coming towards us, which is is usually a bad sign. Isiah pulled up to us and we asked what was going on with the van. He told us that the road was flooded, and that he thought we could make it through, and then when we stared blankly at him, he said “you’ll see.”


So about a quarter of a mile later we came across a lake with a road leading into it. Parts of Wisconsin and Iowa had been hit very hard with floods several weeks earlier, and this road was one of the casualties. We then noticed chalk that read “12 of your oxen have died,” a joke only some people will get, and proceeded to wade/ride slowly without shoes/take a little row boat across to the other side. The whole ordeal was the most exciting thing to happen to us while riding in a while, and was kinda fun.


About ten miles after that, at about mile 33, I began to become ravenously hungry. I had been told that lunch would be at mile 30, but lunch has a knack for moving further down the road the hungrier I get. But finally, at about mile 35 I found lunch. Lunch happened to be in some random persons yard which can best be described as a bog or a swamp. The guy offered us some beer and watched as we ate our swamp.


Finally we began to arrive in Madison at our host church, which was very large and very welcoming. We had dinner that night with some members of the congregation and members of a group of people living-between-homes which the church was hosting. To end the day people went out and explored down town Madison and its bars and ice-cream shops in preparation for the next day: a well earned day off.


-J R

Today we rode from Grayslake, Illinois to Janesville, Wisconsin. Wisconsin did not have a state sign, but it did give us a warm welcome. The ride was not too long- just 69 miles- but it was a hot day and a tiring one for some of us. We arrived in Janesville to find an air-conditioned church, tasty snacks and rented videos. Showers were nearby at a health club. The health club had just recently re-opened after severe flooding. Employees at the health club said that it was “one in 500 years flooding,” and that it was the worst flooding they had ever seen. Outside the window, we could see that the river was still very high and fast. Because the waters have just receded, people are not sure about the overall impact. It is clear, though, that many crops have been lost and many buildings damaged. Along our route we saw flooded fields and swamps where corn should have been.
Dinner was a lavish feast at the home of a community member. Her son is biking along the Central route, and she wanted to provide some of the hospitality that her son was receiving this summer. The evening could not have been nicer- grilled chicken and tofu, salads and good company under shady trees with a light breeze. The heat of the day had passed, so we all sat around for a couple of hours, chatting away and enjoying ourselves.


After dinner (and laundry), we gathered for a costume contest. In the morning, everyone was instructed to spend no more than five dollars and to create the most excellent costume possible. Pen won, courtesy of his excellent dancing and Southern belle magenta skirt. Kathy and Christopher came in a close second, with Kathy wrapped in blue plastic and attached to a hose, and Christopher dressed as a rider. They were a hydration pack and its drinker. The other wonderful costumes included Dan as the lost-and-found bag, Quang as “Quang-man”, Kate and Lindsay as the “perfect fusion” of biking and service, and Craig as a lovely Jasmine. The night finished off with a showing of “Aladdin”. What a great day.



-Katrina Roi

Today was our first day off. It wasn’t supposed to be, but scheduling landed our build day in Chicago on a Sunday – the only day Habitat for Humanity doesn’t operate.
Many of those with friends and family in the Chicago area had already taken off and spent the night elsewhere. The remainder slept in for the first time in nearly a month, went to a Cubs game, or got up at 6:45am to go skydiving. I was one of those who decided to jump out of an airplane. My 10 thrill-seeking companions and I wore our Bike & Build jerseys for the flight and dive.

Back at the church, a few riders without set plans dedicated their morning to give our host community a presentation on the organization and a bike safety clinic to some children who showed up with their helmets and bicycles.
After representing Bike and Build at the highest elevation a rider has ever reached while en route, we went back to the church and got ready to spend the afternoon exploring Chicago. It was my first time in the city and am fortunate enough to have a cousin who lives in the area. She took me to get real deep-dish pizza, to gawk at the stores on Michigan Ave, to enjoy the spectacular views from the ladies room on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building, and watch kids splash around in the fountains at Millennium Park.

I was so impressed with the city. Granted, it was sunnier and warmer than most of the year, but having the excitement of a big city without the claustrophobia of Manhattan was fantastic. And our architecture student on the trip was in heaven!
I arrived back at the church a little bit past 9:00pm. Others were trickling in as well, but not a single one of us were rested. It was strange having been apart for a whole day, and for once having such a variety of stories to share. But even though we maybe didn’t give our bodies as much of a rest as they needed, the day off of our saddles was much appreciated.

So today was our longest day of the trip thus far. We have officially transcended into the legitimate cycling world as we all completed over 100 miles today. It was super tough though, and it did not come without its fair share of adventurous stories.


I think my favorite story from the day was when Pen got lost. Everybody has their tough days and we all get lost, but Pen is the first to have been picked up by a sheriff. It all started as he was following his cue sheet and also the chalk markings on the road. However, both the directions and the markings took him straight onto the interstate and directed him next to Martin Luther King rd. (aka the projects of Chicago). I can just imagine it now, Pen, a tall, skinny biker on the interstate headed straight for the most dangerous part of Chicago. No wonder the sheriff forced Pen to get back in the car and go back to Gary, Indiana. Luckily the rest of us didn?t suffer the same fate, as the chalk was corrected and we all heard Pen?s story when we arrived at the second lunch stop.


Even when we weren?t lost though, getting to the second lunch stop was challenging in itself. Not only were we pretty tired, but also the roads in Gary were completely horrible. They claimed many a tire... I think that these were some of the worst roads we?ve faced throughout our entire trip, even worse than entering Cleveland which I?m sure somebody complained about plenty in a previous entry.


Getting to Chicago was amazing, but sort of like a false summit. After about 100 miles of biking, we finally saw the skyline and entered the city. We got onto the lake front bike path and we were in the city. It didn?t really hit us that we still had 20 miles to go. Those 20 miles were also pretty crazy, as there were hundreds of people flooding the bike path and making it really difficult to weave back and forth safely. There were plenty of awkward encounters; I remember vividly having to yell at a few people who didn?t look and jumped out right in front of me on my bike. There were also some obnoxious people with really expensive/sweet bikes who thought they were the next Lance Armstrong on the Chicago lake front bike path. I enjoyed passing them and crushing their egos, especially after I had already put 100 miles on my legs.


All in all, I think it was a really interesting day. It has been our toughest so far, but I anticipate more challenging days ahead. I?m incredibly impressed with everyone?s ability to handle such a tough day and even make it out the same night to see Chicago. I don?t quite understand it, but this seems to be a group with endless energy. I?m really excited that I can now say I?ve biked over 100 miles in a day, and I?m really looking forward to our day off tomorrow. Yay Chicago!!!!!

A day in the mind of Reed Stephens:
--------------


I wake up and open my eyes. A church sanctuary, no longer the paradise of Avon Lake. I listen to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band as I pack up my sleeping stuff. Breakfast smells wonderful as usual. What's this? A puppy poodle with pink fingernails?


I eat.


The pastor leads our bike group for the first 10 miles of the day on his trek mountain 151 supreme tandem specialized bike. The ride is through beautiful country, with occasional interactions with the Amish community. I notice for the first time Kevin is really good at riding his bike.


The next 70 miles is more boring than the 3rd season of American Idol. Seriously, who remembers Fantasia?


We get to the church and immediately turn around and go to Taco Bell because we have 3 hours until dinner. Euphoric.


The local bike shop shows up at the church. They work on all our bikes for free. I love people.


Kevin once again proves his awesomeness by showing Ratatouille on the projector screen. Kevin is so awesome.


I sleep. 120 miles tomorrow. I am scared. Kevin will lead me though, I'm sure. He is everything I've ever dreamed of.



Kevin

Woke up at our normal time today, 6:30 am, to our leader, Dan Dunbar, saying “time to wake up”. Continued with the typical routine of changing into my biking clothes and packing up my bag to take out to the trailer, taking my bike outside, and filling water bottles. Since I’m trailer crew, I had to help pack the trailer- took a go at playing “tetris” with the bags to make sure they all fit. When most of the trailer was packed we got to enjoy a hot breakfast of eggs, sausage, and bacon. I of course ate my usual cereal and was fortunate enough to have fruit from the huge fruit bowl! We finished packing the trailer with the full coolers and all of the food we received from the Avon Lake and Bowling Green congregations! We also “febreezed” the room to ease the scent we tend to carry with us everywhere we go. Had a minor set back and did not get on the road until 8:30 (instead of our usual 8:00 ish). A rider forgot a critical item from his bag so we had to unpack the trailer. Turned out to be for the better though because we did a much better job packing everything the second time around.


A few miles into our ride we could not pass up a photo op of wind mills! So, took some fun pictures there and further down the road we finally stopped to take pictures of the wheat fields we have been passing for days now. Spent most of the morning on route 6. It was pretty uneventful aside from the huge trucks that passed us, nearly sucking us into the road (definitely a tad bit scary) and our slight change in cue (direction) sheet. We did not want to go on an interstate and ended up meeting in a parking lot to discuss an alternate route.


Lunch stop at mile 40 was definitely a welcome site! The road was extremely windy and I was ready for a break! Ansom picked the lunch spot and we found out later that it was next to the sheriff’s house. Unfortunately, we did not get to meet him. However, we were able to talk with a man and his daughter who were happy for the “excitement” we brought to the community. A few of us decided to “relieve ourselves” in the wheat field and the owner of the field decided to personally come over and “scold” us for going on his private property. Oops.


Last to leave lunch today with Kristen, Michelle, Maki, Arianna, and the sweeps- Craig and Isaiah. Stopped about ten miles down the road for a bathroom break at Dairy Queen. In the whole ten minutes we were there, a reporter from Williams County was informed of a “bunch of bikers in the same uniform” and came to D.Q. to take our picture! We’re going to make it into her “A Day in the Life” article… an article describing different activities that occur in Williams County.


More corn fields completed the afternoon. I was excited to see a train because it was a moving object that made the landscape more interesting! The rolling hills were also a nice change from the very flat terrain and we made a stop to visit some llamas. With 4 miles left, we entered Michigan! We were pretty tired by this point and a little too achy so we didn’t stay long. Finally arrived around 4:00 pm. There was a “Welcome Bike and Build” sign that was very nice to see (especially because it’s our first time in Michigan! The Northern U.S. route has never gone through this state before). We were quickly ushered to take showers. I lucked out and was able to take a shower at the house in the back yard of the church. It was interesting to chat with the people at the house. There were two little boys, ages 4 and 6, having a tea party and a grandmother who showed us some of her artwork. We also talked with a German exchange student from Cologne who was back visiting four years after he completed his studies.


Had a delicious dinner of barbeque chicken, baked potatoes, pasta, fruit jello salad, frozen fruit, salad, chick peas, broccoli, and an assortment of pies! We did a presentation for the church to introduce them to bike and build. Finished the night off with an affordable housing meeting during which we learned about the history of housing. We discussed some issues like mixed income neighborhoods, discrimination, and matching architectural styles. It was a good conversation and ended around 10:00. Oh, and one more thing to note. There is no laundry mat in the village of Camden (population 500) but Joy was able to arrange for each of us to wash one biking outfit in some church members’ homes. We were very grateful for this. Now it’s time for bed!!! Must get a good night’s sleep for tomorrow’s ride to Edwardsburg, MI.


- Lindsey Pete

So today was long. Our longest in fact. A grand total of 96 miles (and I didn't ride those extra 4 miles to get a century). At the ungodly hour of 6 am we met at the church in Avon Lake, left the warmth of our host families' beds, ate a huge breakfast and loaded up the trailer. The only problem here was that the folks at Avon Lake gave us so much food we weren't sure if it would all fit in the trailer. Normally we play bag tetris with our duffle bags and just shove the rest of the food into the empty spaces. This time was different though, we needed to not only play duffle bag tetris but also food tetris. Our trailer was packed completely full - an impressive feat.


We started the day approximately fifteen minutes after a large rain storm passed overhead so the only thing we had to deal with was wet roads - not too bad. After taking a group photo in front of the "Welcome Bike and Build" sign at the church, we took off. Our 95 mile day was to have two lunch stops! So I was looking forward to a well fed trip. The first 40 miles were not that eventful for me and my huge paceline of Pen, Chris, Isaiah, Kathy, and Ian, and a few others that came and went. We arrived at the lunch stop after passing by Cedar Point Coaster Point, looking longingly at the numerous roller coasters. I then took off early with Bobby to go the next 35 miles to our next lunch stop.


Bobby and I took turns leading each other in the horrendous headwind. As the first group of riders we had to chalk every corner, but since we were limited in our amount of chalk - our directions were probably lackluster at best. After a bit of confusion in the directions getting into Freemont (I think?), OH, and passing the mansion of President Rutherford B Hayes we started to get confused. Our cue sheet said go 2.2 miles on Route 6 and then turn right onto Country Home Road and go 20 some miles. However we never saw said road, but we did see signs on Route 6 for Bowling Green so we just went on Route 6. Let me tell you, Route 6 was one of the worst roads we've been on. There was a pothole, roadkill ridden shoulder, which was barely wide enough to keep us out of danger. Several times we were inches from passing semis speeding along with seemingly little concern for our well being - a scary thought indeed. We plodded our way to Helena, OH at 75 miles, still no sign of our van and second lunch stop. After calling the van several times I get ahold of Dan who sounds like he said "I got stopped and am at mile 62". So thinking the van got a ticket we continued on surviving on bananas, energy bars, and the thoughts of an air conditioned church. For the record it turns out the van got "stuck" not "stopped" in the muddy shoulder and had to get towed out.


As we approached Bowling Green, Bobby's tire was getting flatter. A hold over from a flat earlier in the day, I found a slash in his tire that I assumed caused a small puncture. We pumped up the tire in hopes it would hold for the next 15 miles to Bowling Green. We got about 6 more miles and it started deflating. So quickly (since we wanted to get to the church) we put a new tube in and put a dollar bill at the slash site to keep the tube from coming out of the tire and getting a puncture again. The dollar bill, unlike most paper, doesn't disintegrate when wet. We finally found the mysterious Country Home Road and then at 3:30 found the waiting cool church with iced drinks and snacks. After showers at Bowling Green State University, we had a wonderful pasta dinner and had a great presentation and chat with some congregation members.


While it was a long day, everyone but us had two lunches and arrived before 6 pm, a long day for all. All of us seem quite tired since it was our longest day and are looking for a good nights rest.


A bit about me now that I'm done blathering. I am Anson Moxness. I am originally from Anchorage, Alaska and just finished my freshmen year at Dartmouth College, where I plan to be an Engineering major.


As with my blog entries I'll end with a quote, undoubtedly about cycling:


It never gets easier, you just got faster
-- Greg LeMond



Anson Moxness

In the world of Bike and Build, today was a day off; at least it was off our bikes. We had the privilege of sleeping in a bit and enjoying breakfast with our host families. Luckily, Jessie had the foresight to mention that she had packed her rain jacket, and I ran to retrieve mine before returning to the church.


At the church we loaded into vans to be transported to our build site in Cleveland. It was nice to be driving these roads instead of being on our bikes dodging potholes and debris. We spent the day working with the local habitat affiliate. They had three houses in the works and plenty of work for all of us and a group of volunteers associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They got one house, the pros worked on the middle house, and we got the giant piles of dirt.


How do you keep 30 unskilled laborers busy for a day of house making? Give them a mountain, and tell them to move it. Today Bike and Builders became heavy machinery as we backfilled a nearly completed houses. The biggest feat of the day? Filling the asteroid hole, called the front porch with dirt. We spent hours transporting dirt and clay from the back of the house to the front, and throwing it into a hole that was 10 feet deep, then 8 feet deep, and finally level! But we call this a day of rest!


We were well rewarded for our endeavors. At the end of a back breaking day in the sun, we got to enter the refreshing halls of rock and roll history. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum had a lot to offer, including a movie on the history of rock and roll which included a blues soundtrack that made me miss the Delta. The many exhibits included Elvis, Mike McCartney, The Beatles, and The Doors. The best piece of history on display? Hands down, Jim Morrison’s Boy Scout Uniform.


A storm began while we were in the museum. Heavy rain and lightening pounded Lake Erie. When it was time to go, I was very glad that Jessie had reminded me to bring my rain jacket as we darted for the shelter of the van.


Upon our return to Avon Lake, we were greeted with another AMAZING meal and great company. Dessert included free massages for anyone who wanted one. After cleaning our bikes and making sure we were all ready for the next day, we got to enjoy a quiet evening at home with our families.


Sharon McMonagle

Firstly, who I am: Michelle, rising senior at Reed College in Portland, OR. One of the riders on NUS. So, yeah.
Admittedly, my morning started off bizarrely. As I stumbled off my Thermarest and crawled to my duffle bag, I was surprised to find Anson digging through my bag and clutching my Chamois Butter.

“What are you doing?!” I asked.
Anson turned bright red. “I ran out of chamois butter a while ago and I’ve been taking a little bit from everybody hoping they wouldn’t notice.”

We really need to find a bike store soon.
Aside from that, today was a landmark for us NUS riders – three states in one day! Departing from upstate New York, we took a quick hop through Pennsylvania and landed right in Ashtabula County, OH. Although it was a mostly uneventful ride for yours truly, John R. broke a spoke on his bicycle and the Sweep failed to sweep Arianna, Sharon, Reed, and Quang, who inadvertently took a wrong turn and rode on to Route 20 too early. Fortunately, even with these mishaps, everybody arrived at Trinity Presbytarian Church well before 4.00 – everybody seems to be getting faster and faster! Bad news for me.

Dinner was a picnic-by-the-lake hosted by the Dartmouth Club. We met Dan, a NUS ’07 alumni, who regaled us with funny stories of last year’s trip while others partook in an epic game of volleyball. The sunset was beautiful, creating a pink reflection on the lake and inspiring 100,000 fireflies to fly into the night.
On the way back, the Bike & Build van overheated with our burrito bundles of laundry. While most of us were worried that we wouldn’t have clean chamois for tomorrow, Christopher decided to get the rumor mill running by telling people that the van was pulled over for speeding 95mph and that Lindsey was taken by the police. On the other van (that didn’t break down), Quang decided to freak people out by putting a strand of his hair on my face. And I guess I’ll leave you with that.


Michelle Lopez

Bike and Build. Northern US 2008. Coast to Coast. Moving 0.3 miles at a time. This probably best describes the first 20 miles of our ride today. We spent the majority of it moving through Buffalo and somehow we all managed get stopped at every opportunity for a red light. This, combined with rather rough roads, made for a rather frustrating beginning part of the trip. Normally at the beginning of the day we quickly disperse into smaller riding groups, but with all the red lights, we all were getting bunched up together. I remember at one red light, there were 20 of us in a line waiting for it to turn green. There are 30 of us. We were quite the sight in our matching jerseys moving as a large pack through the streets. Eyebrows were raised.


After making it through that stretch, we spent 48 miles on Route 5, also known as the Seaway Trail. It follows along Lake Erie and it was quite the welcome sight to see all that water and feel the cooler breeze. Several riders stopped off at Graycliff, a Frank Lloyd Wright house built in 1929, which was right off the road. There’s an admission charge, but the people there were nice enough to let us go take a look around the grounds. After hearing about our trip, they were kind enough to let us take tour of the house. I chatted with the Grounds Manager, Clif, who told me even more about the history of the building. For me, it was an hour and a half break but well worth it. Funnily enough, lunch was just 2 miles further down the road, so even more of a break for me.


Leaving lunch, I continued along the Seaway Trail and with 23 miles left, Eric, a Westfield church member, joined me to finish the last leg of the day. It was great to have someone ride with and he definitely helped to keep me on pace.


On most days, after we arrive we go and take showers. Since the YMCA was closed, the local pool opened just for us to take a shower. Opening meant having two lifeguards there, so we were able to take a swim. Erik and Jessie showed off their diving skills. The pool was refreshing compared to the showers. The showers were cold and high-pressure, it felt like icicles. Hands down the worst shower yet.


The church here in Westfield has been great. They provided a nice spread at dinner and we are very excited to entertain ourselves with the various foosball, ping-pong and large flat-screen TV they have in their church. We also gave a Bike and Build presentation to a few members after dinner.


Today was supposed to be our first 90-mile day, which would’ve been our longest day yet. Thankfully, Isaiah, our ever clever trip leader, somehow managed to cut 12 miles off from our day’s route leaving from Niagara and arriving in Westfield. Our bodies were very grateful for the reduction in mileage.


As a group/route/family, whatever you want to call us, we have been quite fortunate that no one has had to ride in the van yet. Despite some rough bits of rain, climbing mountains, multiple flats on the same day, and even some crashes/tumbles, we’ve all made it through the day’s route.


Which leads us to today’s “tumble.” Kathy was riding in a paceline and her front wheel accidentally touched the rear wheel of the rider in front of her. While the rider in front didn’t feel anything more than a possible large rock, Kathy meanwhile veered off the road and basically “flew” off her bike. Fortunately, it was a grassy area to help cushion the landing. No major injuries, just a few nicks, but her front wheel is now a little bent.


Despite that and our beginning through Buffalo, today was a great day for a ride. The weather was perfect, sunny, cool, and not windy. A welcome change from the rain that we are used to.


Tonight’s our last night in NY, as we move on to Ohio tomorrow, passing through PA along the way.


- Craig Lee

Celebrating the Fourth (or “Forth” in rural New York) of July on the road….


It was our shortest day of the trip so far, a mere 20 miles. This morning we left from Lockport, New York, which is a small town just east of the falls. It was a gorgeous morning: no rain, no wind, and no clouds in the sky. Following yesterday’s torrential downpour, the ride was quite lovely. Rain seems to be a common theme here in upstate New York, most of the days we’ve had here have been plagued by rain for at least part of the day, but not today, not for the Fourth.


This morning also marked our first opportunity to “sleep-in”, meaning we got up at 8am…. Danishes, cereal, bananas, as well as some other healthy alternatives were offered for breakfast allowing us the energy for the short ride and an afternoon at the falls. Patriotic flare adorned many of the bicycles providing quite a spectacle for onlookers as we rode out of the church – more of a parade and less of a group of half-nuted young adults riding across the country helping with the issue of affordable housing.


We all arrived safely in Niagara Falls at the Riverside Presbyterian Church, which has been so generous in offering us their space as well as a delicious dinner of hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, and watermelon – quite fitting of a July 4th dinner. Following some unpacking we all managed to venture down to the falls where many, if not all, crossed into Canada to take in the sites. Some decided to make use of the boat tours while the other perhaps less daring people decided to stay on land and venture around the town of Niagara which is dotted with enough tourist attractions to appease those of any age. Though I saw the falls perhaps fifteen years ago, they still amaze me. The sheer volume and force of the water itself is quite intimidating and awesome! It was also quite daunting to think that we will be back in Canada again, way on the other end of the country.


This evening fireworks will be shot off over the falls which will be quite a spectacle. It has been a very relaxing day, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that within 8 days we will be in Chicago. Two consecutive days of 90 mile rides begin tomorrow and will be quite a challenge. We’re finished with the northeastern states and now have to battle the Midwest states in the coming days Thank you again to all of those reading for your support, we couldn’t do any of this without you. Many great things await us so keep checking back!


Ian Kraut

Building a bicycle-powered ark…


…at least then we’ll make it to Vancouver come high water, which, at this point, seems almost inevitable.


Hi, I’m Sean, but some prefer to call me “Blue Steel”. I’m the stark, cynical one on the trip (alongside comrades Ian and Craig). And no, I don’t dislike everyone as much as it seems…don’t blame my perfect jaw line. Unlike other, more rose-tinted types, I prefer to count potholes or point out the fact that we’ve ridden in (mostly heavy) rain five of our total nine ride days, instead of relaxing and taking in the fresh mountain air. Believe me, we’ll smell fresher.


However I have been quite amazed at how fresh the cow manure has been this trip. In Vermont, I think the cows pooped solid gold, so their scent was absolutely brilliant. Here in New York, I’d say the scent of manure has also been rather high in quality. And today was no exception. As the road to Vancouver continued to gradually flatten, I think I began to find myself more and more content upon encountering nature the way Bessie intended.


Alas, we’ve arrived in Lockport, an important city along the Erie Canal, and (FUN FACT!) first place to ever have a functioning fire hydrant system. They also have a three-story library. That’s right, three fun-filled stories. And how about a few more stories! First, the 58 mile ride from Rochester today was…well lets just say it was one of those days that just could not end soon enough. I was sweep today with Reed, and I’m not sure if anyone else has talked about the responsibilities of the sweeps, but they are the ones who are the last ones to depart our host in the morning and last to arrive at our destination in the afternoon. They are responsible for making sure everyone makes it to the destination safely and (unless someone gets insanely lost) within reasonable time. If someone has a flat, or has had a crash or anything else that delays their ride, the sweeps are supposed to stay back to make sure everyone makes it. Well, today, the sweep job was difficult, not because other people had problems, just because the day would not end.


A synopsis of my day-in-the-life as a sweep: sore and tired upon leaving our wonderful host Jeff Herring at RIT, we faced a stiff headwind, then some drizzle, then Reed had his first flat tire in the midst of a manure wonderland, then rain, then heavy rain, then downpour with heavy wind, then near hypothermia at our lunch stop, then Reed’s flat #2, then more sore/tired legs, then Reed’s flat #3 (at which time I found a shard of glass caught in his tire, removed it, and patched it with a Clif Bar wrapper). In all, I wouldn’t exactly call 58 miles in 7 hours efficient.


Tonight we are staying with the amazingly generous folks at the United Church of Christ here in Lockport. They provided us with enough lasagna to feed maybe three of Christopher’s four stomachs. I cannot wait to see what they have in store for the morning, if he doesn’t get to it all first.


Tonight was also the night of our first affordable housing meeting. In this weekly event, we all convene to discuss specific topics on affordable housing. This week’s theme was a general introduction to facts and figures regarding affordable housing. Okay, I’m going to stop saying affordable housing…now. Typically five people present each theme, along which they all have different topics. The big topics of discussion, beyond the overwhelming array of statistics, was gentrification (the good and the bad), the comprehensiveness (rather, lack thereof) of governmental initiatives, and some interesting stories about everyone’s experience with these issues. I’m feeling really encouraged by these meetings, and am hoping everyone can bring a lot to the table. Next week will be an insane discussion about the history of housing practices in the United States. I’m responsible for just the 1990’s to present (including the sub-prime hiccup) and have no idea how to pare down all my information. I can’t imagine what the four others have to discuss.


Well, it’s on to Niagara Falls tomorrow for America’s 232nd. Seriously, we’re only riding 18 miles, and are probably having a romp in Canada. Take that, patriotism.


Cheers,
Sean Houghton

Today we worked on the Habitat site in Rochester, NY. After a solid night of sleep in the RIT dorms, we went to our build a short drive away. The neighborhood is pretty run down and the Rochester Habitat chapter plans to build 100 homes in the neighborhood over the next 10 years, an effort which will undoubtedly affect property values in a positive manner. Rochester’s chapter is able to build more homes because they do not contract out much of the specialized work—they take care of their own electric work, plumbing, etc. Most of the group worked to clear a large, overgrown lot where two Habitat homes would reside. It was really incredible to see how much progress we made. At first, the lot was full of waist-high weeds and grass, tree stumps, and corroded fencing, and by the end of the workday, these vestiges of neglect were gone. Many of the guys played Tarzan, ripping overgrowth and vines from low hanging tree limbs. In the afternoon we continued our build day tradition of “Contact,” a word game we played for hours on end.
We were pretty tired by the end of the build, as nobody had received quite enough pizza at lunch. After recovering with an early dinner of yes, even more pizza, most of the group proceeded to the movie theater, choosing between Wall-e, Hancock, and Wanted (in descending order of quality, according to group consensus). After the movies, it was lights out in preparation for the 60-mile ride in to Lockport the next day!

“We have hit the wall…”


That my friends was the only thought running though my head last night as I tiredly stared across the dinner table into Jessie’s swollen eyes. Pen, who can barley stay awake on a bike was a dead man walking, and Dan, well his usually bliss full morning wake up routine was reduced to nothing more than a mere “Hey… let’s get going.”


The beginning of the day was rough. Eric attempted to rally the team with a hearty meal of Quaker oats but with the long ride that lay before us looming over our heads it took a guilt trip from Kate for anyone to touch it.


The ride began. It was difficult at first but it is always difficult to start the day. After about mile 5 I fell into a pace line with a small group of riders and before I knew it we had arrived at lunch; a good forty miles in. We didn’t rush, we even stopped to pick cherries along the way but the promise of hummus sandwiches that awaited us at Lunch assured that we didn’t dawdle for two long.


After calling the D&C and other Rochester news outlets at lunch I set off with Kate. Turns out she is a pretty interesting person. We had a great ride together keeping a fairly even pace and riding mostly side-by-side. Eventually Kevin caught up to us and joined in the fun for the remainder of the trip. We tried to visit my Aunt Sister Barbara Weyand but the Sisters of Mercy Mother House (her convent) had her written out for the day so we carried on with the trip. I would have loved to have seen her, she always gives me cake, but such is life, and such is bike and build.


Arriving at RIT was awesome. My dad was sitting on the front steps of the dorm we were staying in that evening. I don’t get to see him too often so I was psyched about getting to spend a little time with him before dinner.


Then my favorite part of the day happened. Dinner was served. We all rushed into the inter-faith center and were treated to a wonderful dinner from the local pastor, his wife, and a former bike and build alumni. I couldn’t have asked for anything more, well, until my mother and brother arrived.


My mother, Mary Hess, a massage therapist, and my brother, Dr. Joseph McKay, a chiropractor treated any of the riders who wished to be seen. I made sure I had the longest treatment though…I mean come on, I’m family. Everyone loved getting stretched and cracked and the night ended in a fairly calm way. Some watched THE OFFICE in the TV lounge, others made phone calls, and I went to the Olive Garden for my second dinner with my pops… I needed the carbs.


Christopher Hollowell

A day in the life of a van driver...


As a leader, you have to drive the van every few days and I took the wheel for the trek from Boonville to Palermo, NY. Growing up in Florida, the hills that we’ve been facing over the past fews days through the Adirondacks have been challenging (but beautiful) and I know my legs were happy for the short change of pace!


The day was perfect. No rain, sunshine but not too hot. I must admit I was slightly jealous that I had to sit in a van all day! After leaving the United Methodist Church early in the morning, I of course made a wrong turn within the first 5 miles and had to turn around in someone’s yard with the trailer in tow. This is always entertaining considering I am still new at the backing up part and after 10 minutes of drive/reverse...I noticed that I had accumulated quite a few onlookers staring and pointing at me through the windows. I politely smiled, managed to miss the ditches on both sides of me and went on my way. The rest of the morning went smoothly as I stopped at every turn to chalk colorful symbols or signs pointing riders in the right direction. The roads turned into smaller and smaller country roads that passed through farms and pastures. I had a minor encounter with a flock of wild turkeys that decided the other side of the road seemed better and crossed right in front of me...deer maybe, but turkeys?!


The small town of Cambden provided a perfect stop for lunch. After all the riders came in, we noticed that we were missing Kevin and Eric. We learned that they had taken a wrong turn way back in Boonville and had turned around to find there way back to the route. In the meantime, a pastor from one of the local churches opened his doors for us and gave us snacks. The local grocery store also offered us a gift card. By noon everyone had made it and we set off for Palermo which included a stop to help Katrina fix her flat and an ice cream shop that said they had “world famous custard” which turned out to be just plain old ice cream...


Thank you to the Palermo United Methodist Church and Tammy Nipper for hosting us tonight and for the past few years! The fudge was absolutely amazing and it was great to meet everyone who came out for the presentation. Our longest day awaits us tomorrow...86 miles!


Joy Irby
Trip Leader

I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t think I was the only one who woke up this morning feeling less than ecstatic. I’m guessing that yesterday will be considered one of the hardest days of our trip: we battled with hills, rode through some heavy rain, had someone dislocate a knee and had several riders with colds. Personally, I broke five tubes (the tube is the inflatable part of the tire) and fell off my bike when I hit some wet train tracks. We all completed the ride, but many of us were sore, tired and hoping for an easy day today. Biking is hard, after all, even without rain and broken tires. Thus, when I found out this morning that we were going to be riding for 75 miles today (our longest day so far, in terms of mileage, by about 15 miles) my heart sank a little. Today, I thought, was going to be a bad today.
I am happy to report, then, that today may have been my favorite day of the trip so far. When it’s raining and your bike is falling apart, it’s easy to forget that biking can be a lot of fun. Today we had beautiful weather (well, until the rain started at the end), few hills and a beautiful ride through the Adirondacks. I did get two flat tires (an improvement, given yesterday), but the day was mostly pure enjoyment. We got to ride our bikes through an awesome part of the country, encountered few difficulties, and ended our day with a delicious (and filling!) meal at a very generous church. It’s days like this that I’ve been looking forward to for about 6 months, and I’m certainly going to sleep happy tonight.

I want to begin this letter with a dedication to the parents of NUS ’08 riders. Every day I consider myself so blessed to be a part of this amazing group of people. Thank you for allowing them to be a part of this trip and a part of my life. This experience would not be the same were it not for everyone’s personality, insight, excitement, humor and attitude. All these characteristics help to make the worst days the best ones. Today was one of those days.


Imagine, if you will, mountains. Imagine riding over them, on your bike. Now imagine 60 miles’ worth of this activity. Unfortunately, even the most creative minds cannot fathom the intensity of such a ride. Your impressions of riding over mountains are inadequate. It’s like Socrates’ Allegory of the Cave. You can’t explain sunlight and real images to the cave-dwellers; much like you cannot recreate the pain and suffering of riding biking over (not through) the Adirondacks.


Unfortunately for the group, riding 60 miles of mountainous road was just the beginning. Around 2 pm, the most torrential downpour I have ever witnessed hit this earth. I was one of three people who did not get caught in this rain. The other 90 percent of the riders were still on the road looking for the campsite, or, if you were Arianna, Zach, Anson, Quang, or Jessie, just leaving lunch. Aside from riding 4 hours and 25 miles in such weather (and it rained the entire time), Anson was deliriously sick, Zach had 5 flats, and Quang was bandaged up more than a mummy (having suffered an injury the day before).


Can I just reiterate that everyone was riding up mountains in torrential downpour?


Another serious issue was a typo on the que sheets. Que sheets are basically direction sheets every rider carries with them on the road. The campsite we were planning to stay at could be reached by a country road turnoff before the town. When Kristen, Laura, and I reached the turnoff, we decided to go straight to town and relax as we preceded even the van. Those who made the turnoff (i.e. everyone else) were distressed to discover the directions were wrong (it was a right, not a left). The road dead-ended four miles later, about an hour’s worth of detouring for everyone involved.


When Ian, Penn, Dae, Kevin, Derrick, and Dan arrived in town around 3, we all went out to eat. At this point we still thought we were staying in tents that evening. Dan had the glorious idea to ask the local churches if we could stay in their basements. So after the meal we hit up the parishes. I say the word ‘parishes’ because both would not allow the boys and girls to sleep in the same building. Seriously? And this coming the night after Kate and Dae had been paired to room together at the resort at Silver Bay (Zach and I had also been paired together, but they thought we were married).


When everyone finally gathered at the Baptist Church around 6:30, the stories came out. Back around mile 15, John R. missed a turn and wound up riding 8 miles in the wrong direction. Isaiah, several hundred meters back, took off after him but failed to catch up as John was headed downhill. Both odometers read 75 miles by the end of the day (just as a point of reference, mine read 56). When John P. returned after the wrong turn on the que sheet, he took off in a huff ahead of Bobby and others. When something came off his bike and he had to turn around through the pouring rain and pick it up, he screamed, “Agh! I can’t even throw a tantrum correctly!” Ian walked into the convenience store and was invited to go mud sliding by a group of drunken locals. Back before lunch, Reed saw a sign for “Snowmobiling and Horseback Riding.” Jumping at his chance to hop on a horse, he stopped and rode around a mare named Freckles for a half hour and in the process brought a whole new meaning to the term “saddle sores.” The quote of the day came from Penn: “This rain is really doing a number on my Chuck E. Cheese’s stickers.”


Later in the evening the girls went off to the Methodist Church 4 blocks down the road. As I left, I recall seeing Isaiah conked out on the floor and Quang walking around in a purple towel draped like a toga. I hear some Britney Spears music was broken out after all the girls left. I know Kevin was leading that karaoke party.


Overall, the ride was awful. I must have gone through every expletive in my repertoire in making those climbs. But just the thought of Quang riding injured or Anson riding sick though those same hills hours later (and turns out their weather was infinitely worse than mine) was inspiration enough to get me through.


And despite being the worst day on record, I didn’t hear a single word of complaint from the riders. Instead, I just heard laughter.


-Kathy Hill

So we’ve finally passed through Vermont and entered state number three, New York! I’ll give you a run down of the day, but first let me introduce my self.
I’m Arianna, from Colorado. I got into this crazy voyage mostly for the service aspect. I spent a couple of years in New Mexico where I did a lot of community service work. I think service is an incredibly important part of our social responsibility. Besides, it’s one of the most interesting ways to learn about the people around you. This past year, I just don’t feel like I’ve done enough, so I feel like this trip is a chance to make up for that a little and make a real difference.

On the other hand, this bicycling thing is completely new to me. It’s amazing, though. I think I am catching the cycling bug! Still, these rides are really difficult for me. Today was a long ride for everyone. We’re all just worn out from yesterday’s trip over Bethel Mt., and New York just keeps throwing hills at us. We had a bit of extra fun today when we got to ride a ferry between Vermont and New York. When we finally did get to our destination, though, it was definitely worth it. We are staying at the Silver Bay YMCA, which is more like a summer resort than any YMCA I’ve ever seen. Despite exhaustion from a 53 mile day, we all ran down to the beach as soon as we got everything unloaded. A bunch of us went swimming, and some people even took out kayaks and small sail boats. It was such a wonderful relief from the heat of the ride.
Everyone’s headed towards bed now. Apparently we have another long day tomorrow. Let’s hope it goes as well as today. Thanks for checking in on us!



-Arianna

What a beautiful day for building! After having our build day cut short yesterday by thunderstorms, we were very pleased to wake up this morning to sunny skies. We started off the day right with a big pancake breakfast at the United Methodist Church down the street, then we split up and headed to our two build sites – Meriden Road (in Lebanon) and Norwich, VT – both with Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity.


I was part of the Norwich build site, which is a gorgeous Timberpeg house on a nice plot of land up the hill from the Connecticut River. We continued work on the roof today, which allowed us all to get a lot of practice with our hammers! I overcame my slight fear of heights and climbed up on the scaffolding to try my hand at roofing. By lunch time, I was wearing an awesome hard hat and had graduated from a hammer to a nail gun. The atmosphere at the house was great – everyone was so enthusiastic and engrossed in the building process! So excited, in fact, that four different people had to come and tell us to come down for lunch. After eating lots of delicious pizza and taking a much-needed break from the sun, we were back on the roof, and by the time 4:00 rolled around, the entire roof had plywood on it and was ready for tar paper. A very successful day, topped off by a refreshing swim in the Connecticut.


The Meriden Road site that the other group was working on over the past two days looks quite different from the Norwich site. There is already one finished Habitat house on the road, which a family of four lives in. I got to meet them yesterday when we all went to the site, and Jessie and I “raced” bikes with Daniel (10) and Nicole (5 ½). It was so much fun to interact with kids again – I am a pre-K teacher and I miss the kids a lot! Anyway…across the way there is a foundation for another house, which our group has been working on. The crew spent the first half of the day putting up insulation on the inside and outside walls of the foundation, and was so awesome and hard-working that they finished their job before lunch. I got the feeling that everyone enjoyed these two past build days and felt great about what they contributed to these two projects. I will be living in the area next year, and I can’t wait to come back to see the houses when they are finished!


All in all, I would say that our group thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Lebanon. The hospitality was unbelievable I have never eaten so much in two days! It was great to meet some of the community members and see just how much they supported and cared about us and our cause. I also really enjoyed being in the Dartmouth area – since nearly half of our group members are Dartmouth grads (myself included) or undergrads, it was a special treat to come back to our second home. Saying goodbye to New Hampshire tomorrow will be bittersweet, but I’m really excited to get moving. We have a lot of great things ahead of us! Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive, and keep reading!


Kate Davison

After only three days of biking we stopped in Lebanon for our second build day. We woke up to an amazing breakfast thanks to the nice folks at First Congregational Church. Since there's thirty of us we split into two groups for two different build sites. Since driving in the van is lame we biked up some steep hills to get to the first build site.


The first group tarred the foundation basement and covered it with foam. Next to the build site was another habitat house already with a family. Kate and Jesse raced bikes with the little kids. It's awesome to be part of building a little neighborhood where kids can grow up with a backyard to play.


The second build site was farther along. I went because I heard we'd get to go up on the roof! The roof was extremely steep and scary so we built scaffolding to stand on. Unfortunately I only hammered a few nails before the thunderstorm blew in. The excitement however did not end when we got off the roof. Isaiah, Kevin, and Christopher kept us all entertained by their lovely singing voices.


At night a group went to Hanover to see a movie. I didn't feel like sitting in the theater so. I walked around Dartmouth's campus. Nothing much was going on until I ran into a friend. My two hours in town turned into a spontaneous adventure. After building we had planned on jumping into the river but didn't have time before dinner. I realized I still had my bathing suit on. We walked down the river road on a search for a house whose roof hangs over the water. The height from the water was terrifying but the darkness made it less scary. I jumped off into the stars reflecting on the water. I met everyone back at the theater soaking wet.


Kim Davis

Day 3 of riding! Day one of cycling in the rain! After a traditional bike and build carb-fest breakfast we set out from New London around 8 or 8:30. The beginning of the day was a bit overcast and damp but perfect weather for riding. The breeze felt great on the down hills that dominated the first 10 miles or so of our ride. The terrain slowly transformed into typical New England rolling hills that are wonderful for cycling and good practice for the steep uphill grade of the eastern mountains of which we are quickly approaching. We were able to take our time today, as our total mileage was around 38. The rain came in just before lunch, which turned the ride a bit chilly, but not unbearable. No serious incidents in our first heavy rain, quite impressive! Yay, bike and builders! Lunch stop was alongside a small pond from which a gaggle of geese muddled about. We fed them even though its probably not the best thing…but it was fun. We continued riding through the rain with only about 10 miles to go until Lebanon. The sun quickly showed itself and warmed us up and dried us out. We cycled through a quaint little lakeside town just before we hit Lebanon. We’re staying right in town at the First Congregational Church that is conveniently just about 5 miles away from Dartmouth College of which a significant number of people in our group attend. In the afternoon we ventured to the Dartmouth campus and had a lovely dinner prepared by the hospitable volunteers of the congregation with plenty of vegan and veggie options that was fantastic. The next two days will be build days which will be a nice rest in preparation for our first ascent up a mountain as we cross our first state border and approach Rochester, VT!


- Kristen Boegner

The second day of riding was much, much, shorter but did not lack in excitement. Total miles ridden today was around 34 and about 33 seemed to be hills (all up). The nights sleep after the first ride was glorious because all of us were exhausted. So the sleep was early and long for most. However, one rider, John Pribik was mysteriously attached by some sort of small (or big) animal. Some of us wanted to sleep outside to stay cool, most of these got pushed back in by annoying mosquitoes. But John was the brave one and stayed outside all night. Around 12:30am some of us heard a terrified yet groggy yell, from John. John, frantically looked all around, trying to find his mystery attacker, but he couldn’t find anything. The attacker was not found yet we know exists and the only description is that it has a tail. John turned out to have no permanent damage and seems to be alright.


Our wake up call came around 6:30am for a quick breakfast, cleanup, and departure for New London. The ride was significantly shorter, though hillier than our previous day doing a number on our tired legs. The day was not nearly as clear as yesterday but a very nice ride. As a group many less people got lost due to some excellent encouragement and direction giving in the form of sidewalk chalk from the leaders of the pack. For those in the back there were many places to stop including a flee market for some New Hampshire souvenirs. For others there was the open house at the fire station or some chatting with some police men and locals. Reed managed some miraculous maneuvers on his bike. While relaxing on the down hills he accidentally veered off the pavement saying hello to the bushes for about 20 yards then re-emerging still upright like nothing had happened. But we all made it to our destination safely and our enjoying some quick naps and movies projected on the wall. LAUNDRY was done today too…..yeah laundry… Through washing machine breakdowns, mesh bags melting and shrinking and giant tarps filled with smelly, dirty clothes me successfully washed our clothes(well at least mostly).
We are staying at “Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church” and head off to Lebanon tomorrow. Another good ride, another good day; much more riding ahead of us and much more sleep.

-Erik Bell

Today, Bike and Builders finally embarked on their 4000-mile journey across North America. Wake up call took place at 5:30 AM. It would have been gruesome for me since I have never woken up earlier than 11 AM since summer started; however, the excitement of commencing trans-continental journey quelled my habitual laziness. As a part of tradition, Bike and Builders started frenzy morning by dipping their wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. Then, approximately around 8, Bike and Build NUS ’08 officially began.


The cycling route was carefully designed by leaders beforehand. Full of enthusiasm, B&Bers made jump start out of Portsmouth, NH. The daily temperature was in mid-80s, slightly hot for a perfect cycling day. Nonetheless, B&Bers were fearless, perhaps little too audacious. Many lost their grasp of direction as they ventured around rolling hills of New England. Some faced minor challenges with bicycle equipment, while trying to catch breath and climbing hills for the first time this summer. Some even managed to miss lunch stop, focusing too much on unfamiliar road at their hands. Few wrong turns and several dismissive groan aside, everyone arrived safely to Concord, NH. Upon arrival, the lack of hygiene and exhaustion overwhelmed B&Bers.


However, I was more than satisfied with my first day. At the end of the day, everyone was happy. Pride and joy reverberated throughout endless tales and unending smiles.


-Daehyun An

"After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable. A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go. You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow." ~H.G. Wells



As our orientation here in Portsmouth comes to a close, I can’t help but express my enthusiasm for what this summer will bring. We have done a little bit of biking, a good deal of building, and a WHOLE LOT of eating. We have so many people to thank; from the kind souls at Gaslight in Portsmouth that accommodated our leader group (and my enormous appetite), the delightful food of Geno’s in downtown Portsmouth, the amazing congregations that have hosted us and fed us, and countless other organizations and people that have made our stay possible.


We’ve gotten the privilege to work on a Habitat for Humanity build site and have seen first hand the fruits of our efforts. It will be an incredible blessing to a family in need.


Things are wrapping up here at the Leader HQ; we have things to do, people to see, people to thank, bikes to fix, stuff to pack, riders to spend time with, and days to plan. We’ve been blessed with a remarkable network of people here in Portsmouth and across the northern United States.


The success of our journey has been and always will be built on their shoulders.



-Isaiah Berg, NUS Trip Leader '08

Today brought the trip full circle--we got lost on the first day and we got lost the last full day. On our way from Lynden, WA to Richmond, BC, however, we were much more confident in our navigation skills than we were on our way from Portsmouth to Concord, NH.


The day started out with our realization that the campground cost $180 for us to set up our tents--which we found soaking wet by attack sprinklers in the morning. Lynden served as a nice spot for us to hang out while the leaders worked dilligently to find a place for us to sleep. The riders hit up a Danish bakery and a really cool thrift store, where Adam regained some of his soul with a Zoot suit, and Sarah kicked it Western style. (Adam found the rest of his sole after unpacking the van.) We then returned to the church to find out that the leaders had scored a church for us and that the mileage for the day into Vancouver would only be 14 miles.


We finally (at noon) started on our trek to Canada, and got there in a surprisingly quick 5 miles. Everyone, even Avnish and June, got past customs, and we proceeded on to British Columbia, but only after picking some tasty blackberries. We all had a hard time following the cue sheet and at times looked like a pack of confused sheep on cycles. After 52 miles (or should I say ~80km), 2 bridges and infinity wrong turns, we made it to the church in Richmond.


- Billy

T-minus 3 days!!! Greetings from a cold and dreary campsite in Rockport, WA. This journal entry is going to be a difficult one to type considering the frost bite that has overtaken all of my appendages including my phalanges. Today was an absolutely beautiful and extremely brisk ride. We started this morning from the Early Winters campsite and climbed a few thousand feet to Washington and Rainy passes. We were minus quite a few riders today who spent the day in the van battling the plague that has been spreading around the group. It was a bummer to miss such a beautiful ride but most of us were also quite jealous of them napping cozily in their warm and dry clothes. The ride up Washington pass was amazingly beautiful and a good hearty climb. The snow spotted Cascades stood dauntingly all around us as we slowly chugged along up the nearly vertical roads. Dan and I reached the summit (5477ft) as it began to rain and the temperature slowly began to plummet. In every effort to avoid the descent, we took the road to the Washington Pass overlook and relished in the beauty of our surroundings which including standing in our respective restrooms and pretending they were warm and comforting our frozen bodies. Finally, we decided that the descent was inevitable and we might as well get it over with as soon as possible. My usually most favorite part of cycling, descending, was the absolutely most painful and horrific experience of today. And it lasted for 30 miles, dropping about 5,000 ft. It was a shame as well because it was probably one of the most beautiful rides of the entire trip.

At the lunch stop Dan and I encountered another distance cyclist name Caleb who was on a Pacific Northwest journey. He was in amazingly high spirits which helped to raise my own. We offered him some soggy peanut butter and jelly and exchanged some stories. Dan and I then continued to accidentally stalk him the rest of the day. We ended up stopping at all of the same stops and then eventually riding with him to the campsite where he is joining us for the evening.
At the bottom of the longest descent of my life stood a little general store and public restroom which at the time appeared with a large glowing halo above it. It was warm and full of delicious snacks and was key for returning our core temperatures back to normal. About 14 miles down the road from that was a restaurant that most of the group stopped to find more refuge and fill their bellies with warm food. However, warm welcomes did not embrace these weary souls. The restaurant was full of rude waitresses and terrible food. There a few stories that they would like me to include, but in the interest of time and keeping this journal clean I am going to save you all.

Dan and I decided to keep on going due to the horribly rude greeting that we received upon opening the door. We ended up making a great decision and finding Cascadian Farms Organic farm stand a few miles down the road where we indulged ourselves with Chai Tea, string cheese, and granola. After that it was just a few more miles to the campsite where perhaps the greatest surprise of the day lay waiting for us. Hot showers!! We did have to pay 50 cents for 4 minutes of hot water, but at that point I would have maybe sold my soul for it. We then enjoyed a delicious burrito dinner and relaxed under the pavilion.
I have heard that it is all downhill from here. I am not going to believe that until I get to Vancouver, as I have been mislead a few times on this journey. But it?_Ts true, we are out of the last mountains that we will encounter in this country, we are feeling the weather from the coast, almost smelling it. This journey is almost over, there is no more land left to ride heading in this direction. We have almost made it, I can?_Tt really believe it.

-Sarah C.

The day started off well, we had had a great night?_Ts slumber in a cool, dark room free of sprinkler damage and breakfast was pancakes (my favorite). The goodness, however, was not destined to last. Claire, Sarah A, and I decided to ride with Chris and Kristian and before we were even out of the parking lot Kristian had a flat. After waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting) for him to change it, we finally set off. Not far down the road, however, Chris managed to get himself a flat as well. I am ashamed to say that for the first time this trip, I got swept.
Before long we began climbing an unfortunately steep hill, and I certainly was not enjoying it very much at all (especially because I was maxed out at 5 mph and everyone else was lightyears ahead of me). Fortunately, just then Thuy-Tien and Carla drove by in the van. They offered me ice cream, and while I denied, several riders accepted (which perhaps explains a later portion of this entry).

We started up Loup-Loup pass at a steady pace, singing Cocomo (but changing the words to Vancouver-o). About half-way up I was thrilled to remember that I had a snack pack of pancakes in my jersey pocket, which I took great advantage of. After another flat tire for Chris, we reached the top of Loup-Loup pass and lined up for pictures. While the boys piled on top of Claire and I, Claire managed to gouge out my left eyeball. After these adventures, however, we started downhill.
We soon reached lunch, where I ate some MORE pancakes, but didn?_Tt stay long because we figured a diner stop was definitely in order very soon. We reached the town of Winthrop about an hour later, and stopped at the first diner we saw. We soon realized this was a poor choice, however, when we received calls from Shap and Matt saying there was a fun town across the bridge. We made a quick exit from that diner and headed to town. We ate at a great place and then headed to play putt-putt golf in the rain. It is important to note that we have all been dreaming of playing putt-putt since New York, so this was an unbelievably lucky find. This was, in fact, the most challenging putt-putt course I have ever played (and I?_Tve played a lot), but we got to play it with umbrella hats, so life was good. Sarah A and Kristian rivaled each other the whole game, but Shap was the clear winner (and Cody the clear loser).

After some ice cream, we got back on the road to head to the campsite. We soon realized, however, that Claire and Max were not feeling well. Upon arriving at the campsite we went for a bath in the creek, which actually defied the laws of science by being colder than freezing yet still being composed of running water. After cooking a delicious meal of spaghetti and creamed corn (yes mom, seriously, again), I realized Claire really wasn?_Tt feeling well. So while I took care of her, I missed dinner, eating yet again MORE pancakes (the total for the day must have been about 50).
Well it turns out Claire and Max fell victim to the ?_oCarsons?__, a 24 stomach flu (begun by Sarah Carson). By morning Shap, Cody, Jax, and Lindsay were afflicted as well. Ironically, although Sarah A and I slept in the Taj (our favorite tent) with four sick people, we remain healthy, and now no one will come in there to wake us up in the morning (great news).

Fortunately, everyone is feeling better now, as we head into Vancouver, BC. I can?_Tt believe this crazy adventure is almost over, it truly is unfathomable what we have done this summer. A big hello goes out to my Grandpa Vic, who I know reads all of these, as well as Mom and Dad (see you guys soon). And for the bike and builders who read this later, thanks guys for the most amazing summer of my life.
-Kels

Chewelah, WA to Republic, WA


Today got off to a great start with an amazing breakfast provided by our hosts in Chewelah, including eggs, quiche, and delicious French toast. Jax and I were on sweep so we waited for everyone to leave and then departed with Cool Train. We got slightly lost in the first few miles, but luckily we quickly got back on course and cruised for the first 35 miles. We made a lengthy stop at an organic market in Kettle Falls. It was so nice to be surrounded by so much wholesome, healthy food! I couldn?_Tt resist a pint of homemade organic ice cream?_"white chocolate with strawberry swirl. SO GOOD! A lot of people got rice bowls and fresh fruit there, which all looked delicious, as well.


We all knew that we had a mountain pass to climb, but it came a little sooner than expected. Soon after leaving the market, we crossed the Columbia River and began our ascent. As we made our way up, Jax and I preoccupied ourselves by talking about Dartmouth. I learned so much about inner workings of the school and different organizations, and we had an hour long conversation just talking about different foods that we love at school. We got to continue this talk while we waited for some of Cool Train to go to a peach orchard about a quarter of the way up the mountain. The wait was worth it, because they shared a couple of their peaches with us. These were probably the best peaches I?_Tve ever tasted. We continued on, and the incline was pretty gentle up until lunch. After lunch, the road definitely got steeper. Thank goodness for Jax?_Ts ipod!! Sherman Pass, at an elevation of about 5575 feet, is the highest mountain pass in Washington. Though the climb was challenging, I felt so good at the top. We had a mini photo shoot at the sign and then got to enjoy a 10-mile downhill. What more could we ask for? It was so nice, and there were great views as we rode down.


We got in at about 4:45, making it a long day. But it meant we got in just in time for the barbeque dinner provided by Carla, her husband, and another couple in their congregation. Today was also our last mail drop of the trip! We got our final influx of goodies and letters. Our last town meeting/town brawl was also tonight. There was no brawling tonight though, only joking and recalling our favorite parts of the trip for our hosts. I slept outside with Cody, Claire, and Kelsey. It was a good night--Claire, Kelsey, and I executed Operation Friendship on Fire, pelting Cool Train with candy and juice boxes (retaliation for earlier this summer), and we made it through the night without getting hit by sprinklers!!


-Sarah A.

In a nutshell (a very large, steep and exhausting nutshell), we didn't realize we would be going up a mountain pass today. A mountain pass that was not quite as well graded as the Rockies. whew.


So we woke up this morning after