This morning we got to sleep in all the way til 9!! This is a rare occurrence. We ate a quick breakfast and then went out to meet Jay from the Davis Community Church to help do some community service. We all did various add jobs in shifts throughout the day, mostly yard work, trimming shrubs, some cleaning and painting around the church.


After that, we checked out the local Davis farmer’s market where we got to sample a ton of free fresh fruit, cheeses, breads, and homemade spreads. It was a very cute market with a lot of stuff to taste and see.


Since it was mostly a free day, everyone went on to do various things the rest of the day. Sarah, Scott, Shane, Jesse, Dustin, and I took the local YOLO county bus to Sacramento and went to the Crocker Art Museum. After that, we headed to “Old Sac” where some fun was had at O’Grady’s Old Tyme Photos. Shane stole the spotlight of the photo as a gunslinger and Scott looked pretty great too as a western gentlemen. Sarah and I took up the part of Saloon girls and we had a blast posing with guns and whisky bottles for a funny picture.


We came back to the church at Davis, had ourselves some dinner, you’ll never guess what…pasta and sauce! (I wrote this in my last journal too.) There was some competition for world domination during a pretty intense game of RISK and surprisingly enough, we’ve gotten to watch the first events of the Olympics on a static-y TV in the church the last two days.


Neil and Rob slayed this morning on a ride with various cycling teams around the Davis area and Grace and Molly made me jealous by riding to find an entire field of sunflowers to play in. (All I wanted to see this summer was a field of sunflowers and the day I go to do something else they find one!)


Tomorrow, Sarah and I ride sweep to Napa, CA. My family is already hanging out in San Francisco. Landing is in T minus 2 days. As the last days come dwindling by, I get more and more nostalgic about this summer. I can hardly believe that in less then 36 hours I’ll be in THE CITY (that’s what they call it in Reno, you know, like the Journey song.) I’ll have to say bye to my 30 new friends. As I look back on the past 2.5 months, I’ll tell you one thing: there are no states that are flat. Ok, I’ll tell you two things. Mind over body. I’m telling you, its 80/20. I would never have thought.


Other things to note:
-how to bunny hop

-riding without hands
-standing up without hands

-31 peoples’ laundry can fit into 5 washing machines
-the internet, not as important as you think

-people once survived without cell phones. It’s possible
-how comfortable people can get to be with each other

-my skin doesn’t sunburn as easily as I thought
-many people don’t find it necessary to leash their dogs

-you can get hypothermia and heat exhaustion in the same day
- Katie is always right

-cooler crew is the worst chore group
-you can eat spaghetti and sauce 6 nights in a row without barfing

-it only rains when we camp
-cyclists have worse tan lines than farmers

-guys look better in spandex then girls
-its possible to poop 5 times in one day

-you can get pulled over on a Bike
-peeing outside is better then a toilet

-11 pm lights out is way too late
-5:30 AM is sleeping in

-more people ride bikes cross country then you know. Most are older than us, and self supported. We get smoked by 80 year olds
-interstates are for cars. Not bikes. Wear a helmet.

-shane bucher will always look good in a photo. Even if he doesn’t know he’s in it. ALWAYS.
-gas is a problem. Thanks paul. And shane. And tony. And scott.

-no matter how much padding or how much chamois butter, sitting on the saddle for 6+ hours a day, will never be good for the rear. Lube liberally.
AND

-its possible to spend 75 days with the same 31 people, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without killing each other. Sometimes it’s tough. But you make it through.


I will miss all of you. Thanks for the good times, the laughs, the rides, and most of all, for letting me cut your hair.


Until next time,
Just keep spinning.


-Shannon Schebell

Unlike most riders, I decided to spend the morning of my rest day in South Lake Tahoe riding my Specialized Allez bicycle. Active recovery is what I call it. The journey included a side trip to Fallen Leaf Lake, and the road leading to the lake was straight awesomeness. It winded through a beautiful evergreen forest. In other words, the smell of pine was all around.


The rest of my day was spent lounging around on the sandy beach of Lake Tahoe. A rather large serving of Coldstone was also consumed sometime during the day. As an even more special treat, we received news that we would be spending another day off at the lake! Look out for more stories about our adventure-filled stay in the heart of the Sierras.


- Neil Broshears

No more US50! Around mile 25 we exited the highway which we had basically ridden in its entirety. Instead of having a lunch on this ride into Reno, we had a snack break at mile 30, where we ate the leftovers from the provided breakfast, pastries and muffins! From US50 we got onto Interstate 80 for about 20 miles. After finding our exit, we took a break at a convenience store where we met up with Tiff, the woman who we'd met on the road days earlier and who'd offered to host us in Reno. From there, we followed a bike path to lunch, deli sandwiches (!) and soda at a park in downtown Reno. The path was scenic and it was great to be on a quiet back road in contrast to the bustling interstate we'd just left.





The ride from lunch to the Demings' home was uphill, but definitely worth the climb. Once in their neighborhood, we each were placed in a home where we were to sleep in either a bed or an air mattress (!). It was the first time we were in a house that we weren't building in nearly 2 months. We spent the afternoon in various locations around the city. Some went to the bike shop, while others went swimming in the Truckee River.





Dinner was provided: burritos from a local Mexican restaurant. We felt so taken care of by our new friends, the Demings. Little did we know this was jus the beginning of our adventures with them...


-Jesse Cohn

Though most 4:30 wake-ups yield tired riders for the majority of the morning, packing up and getting ready to ride was a bit different on the morning of July 31st. As we waved goodbye to Jonathan, the self-supported rider on his way to the east coast, one of the two provided toilets at the Baptist Church was clogged. Try as Shane and Scott could, they could not unclog the toilet (something about there not being the properly-shaped drain for the plunger to achieve the necessary suction). The line for the other toilet got increasingly long and the rest of us were in hysterics as the boys attempted to use a stick to unclog the blocked receptacle. Some riders were even unfortunately sprayed by the unmovable fecal matter. We were unable to repair it by route meeting, so we included an apology in our thank-you note and headed out onto the road.





It hadn't seemed too cold as we departed from the host, but as we descended out of Austin, the temperature dropped parallel to our elevation. I was slowly losing feeling in my fingers and my toes, but I knew that I had to keep pedaling. The next town wasn't for nearly 60 miles, so a break would just mean huddling on the side of the road (hardly an appealing option). Our entire day's ride would be on US 50, likely already mentioned in other journals as the self-named Loneliest Road in America. Our only climb of the day was pretty easy, and we passed it before mile 20. The temperature rose throughout the morning and the ride flattened out. Before we knew it, we were at first lunch! The terrain didn't change much after lunch, more of the same arid landscape that we'd come to expect from Nevada.





About halfway along the ride we passed the Shoe Tree and stopped to take a look. This tree was covered in literally hundreds of pairs of shoes, all hanging from the tree's limbs or from other shoes' laces. As we attempted to attach some fallen footwear, some cars stopped to check out this sole landmark in the desert. One woman and her son offered us some honeydew and cantaloupe they'd purchased on their drive through Green River, a town we'd passed through about a week before. The group I was with graciously accepted the delicious fruit. It was awesome to have a roadside snack that wasn't just another Powerbar.





After leaving the Shoe Tree we passed through Middle Gate. The sign at the local bar said "Population 18", but the 18 was crossed out and replaced by a handwritten 17. We filled up our water there. The ceiling of the bar had dollar bills stapled to it with names of groups and people who had previously come through the town. Scott wrote down our names on a dollar and we added ours to the masses.





From here we headed toward 2nd lunch. The ride remained flat and with the minimal traffic on the road we felt comfortable watching the jets from the nearby base practice drills overhead. The rest of the ride after this lunch was through some salt flats, and while the headwind wasn't desirable, we all pushed through to get to the host in Fallon. Fallon was the largest city we'd seen in a week with a blossoming population of about 9,000. There we enjoyed our first provided meal in Nevada, did some laundry, and went to bed, eager to ride our final day of the 10 day stretch we'd started 2 states before.


-Jesse Cohn

This morning we woke up to Neil’s moose call ringing through the chilly desert air. After having some combination of oatmeal, honey, peanut butter and jelly for breakfast yet again, some people decided to wait for it to warm up while having a second round of breakfast at DJ’s diner. After everyone’s tummies were full it was time to head out for another day of basins and ranges along US-50, “the lonliest road in America.”


The ride in the morning was pretty flat and uneventful. The occasional cow, chipmunk, or antelope sightings spiced things up a bit. After lunch, we still had 3 mountain passes to go. After the last pass, we had a nice downhill into Austin.


As we arrived at the Austin Baptist Church, many of us were greeted by water balloons. We then checked out local sites of interest including a café, a gas station, the post office and the library. After cooking burritos and funfetti cake (left over from Paul’s birthday) for dinner, people went out for a round of ice cream. Then it was time for bed to prepare for our last century of the trip!


-Rachel Cohn

Today we were treated to an incredible surprise…a complimentary night at the Oak Tree Inn in Milford, Utah!!!!! The Oak Tree is owned by David Mitchell of Wichita, Kansas who is a friend of rider Colin Hunt. Mitchell very generously donated over twenty rooms to us! Many of us even had our spacious single rooms to ourselves! After nearly two months of communal living with very little privacy, it actually felt kind of weird to be alone! I enjoyed a quiet evening reading and watching television for what felt like the first time in ages. In addition to the rooms, perhaps the best part of our stay at the Oak Tree was filing our bellies repeatedly at the Inn’s twenty-four hour diner!


The ride itself was also memorable. Leaving Panguitch this morning, we faced a steep climb over the Wasatch Range. Our efforts were rewarded with an exhilarating ten-mile descent with grades often exceeding 8%! Many of our more aggressive riders hit speed upwards of 50 mph on the long downhill straight-aways. We made great time on the morning ride and enjoyed an early lunch in the small town of Beaver. The final twenty miles of the day were with a strong tailwind (the first that we’ve had in a while), so we cruised the final stretch into Milford at top speed.



The timing of this special treat could not have been better. After several long, grueling days spent riding across the deserts and mountains of Utah, moral had been running a little lower than normal. We were tired, hungry, and starting to feel a little claustrophobic. Yet, at this morning’s route meeting in Panguitch, Marc gave no indication of the surprise awaiting us at the end of the ride. The daily queue sheet simply directed us to an address in Milford. So, with the exception of Colin and our leaders, we were all really surprised when we arrived in Milford and realized that we were staying at the Inn!


A huge “thank you very much” to David as well as Janet Russell and her staff at the Oak Tree Inn for being so generous in their support of Bike and Build!


-Dustin Wall

This morning we had another early wakeup (4:30 am) in our efforts to beat the heat. The original mileage was 98, but dirt roads caused us to take a slight detour that added on a couple more miles. I was lucky and ended up taking a shortcut, so my mileage totaled 107 for the day. The morning was fairly hilly, but things flattened out by lunch at mile 50.


The afternoon was also pretty flat between first and second lunch. I rode with Amy for those 30 miles, which were on a road that ran parallel to a river. We even found some shade for a little while – rare for what we’ve seen in Utah so far. Jesse joined us when we took a break at an abandoned house around mile 75 – we had to be creative to find somewhere to stop since there is only one town every 30 or 40 miles. All Amy and I wanted was to find a gas station to get a cold, caffeinated beverage, and we finally got our wish at second lunch, which was in a town called Circleville. We left pretty soon after we got there because we could tell that a storm was coming, but we only got rained on for a few minutes.


Ten miles away from the host, I got another flat tire (I think I’m one of the record holders for flat tires for P2SF08), but Amy and I fixed it pretty quickly and we set out for the last few miles. When we got to Panguitch, Jesse and I got something to eat at a local hamburger place, which was amazing after a long day of cycling. It was nice to get in a little earlier today and have some time to hang out and relax before tomorrow.


-Elizabeth Langevin

Mad Libs!


On 23 July we had a [adjective] ride from Moab to Green River. For many of us the ride might have been [adjective] but then a(n) [adjective] [noun] occurred leaving every rider stunned.


Breakfast, which was provided by [host name], gave us the energy we would need for our short albeit hot journey. Most of the group rode as a [noun] playing [noun, plural] along the way. We ate just before turning onto the interstate which was guaranteed to be an exciting ride.


After just a few miles the most [adjective] incident happened. [Name of rider 1] and [name of rider 2] collided sending both [adverb] to the ground. We immediately stopped to [verb] the situation. Both riders were shaken but luckily neither lost a [noun].


[Name of rider 3] pulled out his [noun] and used it on [name of rider 2]. Before long a(n) [noun] showed up and helped guide traffic. The group pulled together and got the injured into the [noun].


After this incident, no one could keep still in the [adjective] town of Green River. Our thoughts were on [name of rider 1] and [name of rider 2].


That’s all, [noun, plural].


Cheers,
[Name of rider 4]





Proper answers: short, boring, amazing, catastrophe, St. Pius XII, pack, games, horrific, Shane, Scott, directly, assess, limb, Brent (or Dr. House), first aid kit, cop, van, quiet, folks, Colin “Pump Station” Hunt

Normally our days off include sleeping in, hanging around, and eventually checking out the town. Maybe even relax and read a book. Not today! People were up as early as 4:30am to beat the heat and head for Arches National Park. If you’ve never heard of Arches, you should definitely Google it and check it out! There are giant red rock formations everywhere! The park attracts tourists from all over the world. It’s probably one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen  Not only did people check out the park, but a lot of us also went rafting too. We were also lucky enough to have breakfast and dinner provided for us through the church. After dinner the founder of Community Rebuilds took us on a tour of their straw bale houses. Sounds crazy right? The group focuses on building houses for families w/ all natural materials. Definitely check out their website at www.communityrebuilds.org


All in all it was a worth-while day in Moab, Utah!


- Jess Medors

Today started out well when the Montrose Christian Church generously gave P2SF gift cards to McDonalds. We were either allowed to get an Egg McMuffin or a breakfast burrito. After chowing down on a delicious Egg McMuffin (that was actually made with a real egg) I set off with four other riders on an adventure. Luke, Paul, Tony, Mike, and I decided to try and shorten the days ride by taking old route 90. Mark, our fearless leader, informed us that the road was unpaved for about fifty miles but that was really all he knew about the terrain. We decided we would chance it and set off over a mountain on a well packed dirt road. The climb was long—about 14 miles—and one of the steeper climbs we have endured.


Once reaching the top we found that we were going to be riding on some deeper gravel which gave us some trouble. This trouble continued when Luke was possibly going too fast and got a flat on his front tire. Upon stopping Tony said, “Luke what is that on your rear tire” and as soon as he said it, Pfsssssshhhhhhhhhhh Luke’s rear tire popped. The five of us laughed for a good four minutes about the predicament we were in but solved the problem quickly by changing both the front and rear tubes on Luke’s bike. The rest of the ride was awesome with some really great views, some wildlife, and no more flat tires. The group was happy to make it to Naturita, CO and rest up in the middle school for another hard day tomorrow.


-Sam Lepicier

Today we slept in until 7:45! That was a good thing because most of us went out to see the opening night of the new Batman movie last night, following a regular stop at Dairy Queen. The movie was pretty good and there were people there wearing capes, which is always fun.


Because today is a build day and we won’t have to leave until tomorrow morning we can leave our sleeping bags and thermarests out and don’t have to pack up our bags. This is one of the best things about a build day or an off day – we get to settle in just a little bit more than we usually do, which is not at all. We took three shuttles to the Habitat for Humanity build site on the edge of Montrose. Montrose is a very pretty town in a desert or near-desert right next to the mountains, and the view from the Habitat neighborhood was very pleasant. The build site itself was very, very hot.


At the site we were divided into several groups and people ended up doing many different things. One group worked on building a shed, one painted a house, another put siding on a second house, and many of us put the walls up on a third house – all of these houses were next door to each other. Other Bike and Builders cleaned up, used the pressure hose and did other odd jobs. A couple of neighborhood kids also helped clean our van, which desperately needed it. In addition to trying to get nails into plywood, I walked around and took pictures of everyone working – many of these are now up under photos.


In the evening, after returning to our host, Montrose Christian Church, for showers, we headed back to the build site for a picnic and live music. The food was delicious! The casseroles and dishes were yummy and healthy, and I have never had lemon squares that good. The homemade apricot jam was also scrumptious. The band, which included three singers, guitars and a banjo, sang folk music, some bluegrass, Johny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ and other songs. Some we recognized and some we didn’t, but the music was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed listening and sitting around talking to the Habitat volunteers and stuffing ourselves with pie. We got back to the church fairly late, ready to get to sleep and get up early and head for Naturita.


Oh, and somewhere in there I managed to get new Gatorskin tires onto my bike (or rather Marc got them on for me), which means I am no longer afraid of flats. So all together today was a good day.


Amy Linn

We have logged over 220 miles in the past two days and today was a great day for a recovery. After a 7:30 wake up call we all headed out on the road around 8:45 for 64 mile ride. The night before we had talked with a woman from the Gunnison Habitat Chapter and she told us about a great cliff diving spot about 15 miles out on our ride, so we decided to check it out. All of us forgot exactly what the name of the place was called but we all agreed that it had the word “dry” in it.


At mile 16 we found “dry creek” which was a park that was off of the largest reservoir in Colorado. So the 16 of us walked down the mile long path to the rock cliffs. After making sure the water was safe we all jumped in and spent a good hour and a half leaping into the freezing cold water. I’ve never done anything like this before and it was a huge rush.


From the cliffs we left for lunch that was at mile 40. Paul, Luke and I hit lunch about 2 hours later, with packages waiting in the van. After opening my 7 packages (3 were from me) we headed down hill for 4 miles into Cimarron. From Cimarron we climbed for 4 miles and then had a 13 mile down hill into Montrose.


-Michael Benson

Conquered Monarch Pass
Three lunches, no cell service

Thank you Mariah


-White Unicorn Jockey (Marc Mastrolia)

Today was long. 104 miles, to be exact. We started off in Granby, CO where it was in the mid 40’s. My approach to the cold was to not stop until lunch. Most people, however decided to stop in the first town we went through (about 14 miles into the ride) and get breakfast, including the van. Therefore, I arrived at mile 40 with Neil, Robbie and Chris with no one else very close behind. The van arrived about 5 minutes later and informed us that everyone had stopped for breakfast. We had the usual—PB&J and pretzels. It finally started to warm up and I was able to remove the long spandex, arm warmers and wind breaker.


The terrain after lunch wasn’t too bad, just a gradual incline for the next 30 miles. We went through Silverthorne, CO which was a nice town. I stopped in the 7-11 for some water. The next turn, onto Dillon Dam Road, proved to be interesting because the road was closed. Luckily, there was a bike path that ran next to the road, along the damn. It was very beautiful and we were even able to get onto the road a little ways up. Riding on closed roads is amazing because there are no worries of cars. We went through a couple more cute towns and eventually got on a bike path that ran next to I-70.


We ran into a lot of riders in Specialized gear. They didn’t look too intense though, other than their matching shoes and helmets, most of which had visors (which I now know real cyclists don’t wear). At the end of the bike path there was an “I am Specialized” banner. Apparently there was some sort of trial thing going on… I’m not quite sure what exactly. But we did take our picture under the sign. We were at mile 80 at this point so it was very nice to see the van again. We refilled water and got some bananas and pretzels. Little did we know what lay ahead.


At mile 84 we started climbing. It was much steeper than trail ridge road and after 84 miles it was hard. We continued climbing until mile 91 when we celebrated at the Freemont Pass sign, 11,318 ft above sea level. The next 10 miles were an amazing downhill descent where I was able to go over 40 for a good chunk. Amazing. The final 3 miles were fairly flat, maybe slightly inclined. We pulled into Leadville, the highest incorporated city in America at 10,200 ft, around 3 pm. The four of us split two mountain (pizza) pies with cheese and chicken, each of which spanned 18 inches in diameter. It was no problem finishing them after the long ride. We met a man at the pizza place who had the biggest calves I had ever seen who told us about all the extreme endurance challenges people did in Leadville, including at 100 mile running race.


The church was wonderful and gave us one of the best dinners of the trip-- a delicious vegetarian chili. It was a little difficult to breathe at that altitude but it Leadville was a very nice town. The people were all very nice and even offered some of the riders beds and herbal refreshments.


-Sarah “Hoops” Huebscher

Today started with a painful 4:30 wake-up made all the worse by a collective group hangover (just kidding, but it still sucked). Fortunately, no one remained tired after stepping out the door into the snotcicle-cold mountain morning. But despite temperatures that rivaled Grace's icy demeanor, we donned our arm warmers, killed the chill, and started our climb. Nikki wore a record-smashing five layers, but still managed to get a wicked sunburn by lunch.


After leaving the host, we were quickly greeted by Rocky Mountain National Park and Trail Ridge Rd. - the highest, continuous paved highway in North America (or something impressive like that). Twenty miles of climbing later, we were almost a mile above our starting point at an altitude of over 12,000 feet. Although our noses were bleeding and our lungs struggling for oxygen, we were at both the literal and metaphorical high point of the trip (but especially the literal). The fragile alpine environment near the summit resembled Siberia or Alaska, complete with lichen, marmots, and SNOW! Dustin got back to his Canadian roots with a little sledding and Paul spent hours painstakingly documenting each and every type of wildlife.


At the top we enjoyed amazing views, a well-stocked yuppie gift shop, and a bit of lunch. Unfortunately, due to an ill-conceived wager and my lackluster mini-golf skills, I needed to smear PB on everything I ate. So it goes. Our four-ish hours of climbing were then rewarded by a gorgeous, windy descent out of the park. Along the way we crossed the Continental Divide for the first time, which many of us commemorated by peeing in both the Atlantic and Pacific watersheds. Speed demons Brent and Lori almost met their makers later along the descent when elk decided to pop onto the road and say "hi." Fortunately we all rode intact into Granby - our jaws slack with pride and awe.
Tap the Rockies!


-Scott Middleton

Day one in the Rockies. I didn’t know what to expect and that made me nervous. I only knew the flats of the Midwest and the hills of the east coast. Sure we had seen some mountains in West Virginia and New York, but the Rockies were going to be different. We biked across Fort Collins and up in the foothills for the first major climbs we had seen a while. My nervousness quickly turned to excitement as I saw lines of cyclists begin to climb. We were screaming and cheering across switchbacks (and sometimes across lakes). It was awesome.


As I struggled up one climb, I saw some of the boys looking at something in the rocks along the road. Curiosity made me climb a little faster, but then I heard Brian say something along the lines of, “Oh, Mo is not going to be happy.” This can only mean one thing: snake. I veered into the other lane and passed them. Turns out a rattle snake was just chilling in the rocks. And by chilling, I mean rattling because it was pissed that a bunch of people had cameras pointed at it. The pictures were cool.


A little further up the road we arrived at a mock western town. Caitlin and I took an awesome picture on a horse statue and we all piled into the jail for another picture. Sam and I went to look inside another fake prison cell. Creepily enough, there were fake skeletons. As we were staring into the cell one of the skeletons suddenly began shaking. We screamed bloody murder and that got everyone’s attention.


Estes Park was a neat little town at 7000 feet. It had a beautiful lake and was a great adventure town. We could see the higher, snow capped peaks from the church we were staying out. Basically, I want to move to Colorado.


Peace Out,
Mo (Elizabeth Mo)

Ft. Collins, Co
13. July


A Little Bit of R & R


While this was our day off, many of the riders went their separate ways enjoying 4,984 ft before our tour of “one big hurt-bag” in the Rockies.


A quick list of some of the days events (for a more in depth telling, call and ask your son/daughter/friend/etc):


-Stricken by nostalgia Neil went to the Nationals course and rode around, Matt went with him

-Many rode up to the Horsetooth Reservoir and hiked around that area—absolutely beautiful scenery at the foothills of the Rockies (Colorado State University transfer?).
-Swimming in the river. Rope swing?

-Trips to the bike shop (Lee’s and Performance)
-New chains put on bikes (a very gratifying thing)

-Trips around Whole Foods for free samples (the guac was terrific)
-Walked up and down College Ave. enjoying the presence of young people

-We put on a bike clinic for some of the church members
-A wonderful dinner

-Affordable Housing discussion
-Early bedtime?


Everyone is very anxious for the Rockies.


Tomorrow: Estes Park


Cheers,

Robbie Moore

We left a small town called New Raymer, Colorado and headed to the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. I had completed 6.5 miles of the ride before hitting a heavy metal object that broke my chain and chain ring, so the rest of my ride was viewed from the cabin of the van. I was lucky to get a new chain and chain ring for around 40 dollars. From the riders perspective the day turned out to be exciting because of the anticipation of seeing the Rockies just out of the plains. Sure enough about ten or fifteen miles before lunch the mountains were just barely visible in the distance. Some people questioned weather the snow caps were clouds. The second part of the day was mostly downhill with little head winds. This was a change from the strong headwinds that we had while riding on the flat plains.


Fort Collins was a great city. There were about six bicycle shops which went hand in hand with a very biker friendly community. We had an excellent host who served us a great dinner and a great breakfast. After dinner the group spent time exploring Fort Collins and witnessed a free local Jazz concert. It was a great night and led to a nice day off.


-Tony Polson

If you told me the flattest days of this trip would be in Colorado, I would never have believed you. But now having experienced it, I have to say it’s true. For all of yesterday and most of today, I saw Colorado in a new light. Not the snowy peaks and mountains that most often come to mind, but the plains and desert of the northeast.


The beginning of the day was hard. The wind was blowing at us and we were fighting it to make it to lunch at mile 50. The day was about an 85 mile ride so we figured it would be a breeze once we got through lunch. I rode with Sarah and we watched as the land changed from the rolling hills of Nebraska and we knew we had made it to the west.


We got to lunch, chilled out for awhile, and then heard it was 7-11 day. This means that 7-11 convenience stores were giving out free slurpees all day. This was an opportunity we couldn’t miss, and Paul, Luke, and Mike took it upon themselves to find the nearest one and we headed over there. After that, we set out to finish the last few miles and it seemed like it had gotten ten degrees hotter. The sun was brutal and a few people felt dehydrated and caught up with the van. Our fearless leader, Amy, took a spill which resulted in a pretty nice shiner and the purchase of a shiny, new Trek helmet. It was a scare, but she came up alright and after about 20 miles in the van we made it to New Raymer, Colorado.


Let me tell you a little about New Raymer. I’m pretty sure the population was under 100 people. We may have nearly doubled it being there that night. We stayed in a community center off of a dirt road, and the whole town consisted of a few houses, a bar, and a post office. People who live there have to drive almost 30 miles to buy groceries. If you want a pizza delivered, it’s about that far too. Oh, and showers. We had to go knock on residents’ doors and ask to use theirs. It was great. A lot of us met some pretty interesting people. I showered at Gail’s house and got to play with her puppy and some cats while Sarah showered there too. It was really quite the experience.


We cooked for ourselves that night. You’ll never guess what. PASTA AND SAUCE! Gosh, I can’t get enough of that stuff.


We hit the sack early and couldn’t wait to get up and get moving towards Fort Collins.


Until next time,
Shannon Schebell

Century, head winds,
A disturbing lack of shade.

Thought we left the plains.


-White Unicorn Jockey (Marc Mastrolia)

July 9, 2008 began as an extremely pleasant although rather uneventful day. As we set off into the great Nebraskan unknown, the great open morning sky glowed in bright pinks and pastel oranges of sherbet. Mr. Christopher Leonetti was kind enough to grace me with him presence as my “to lunch” riding buddy. The ride was rather enjoyable with rolling hills and endless fields of corn.


I spent the second part of my ride in the exceptionally splendid company of Mr. Shane Bucher and Mr. Scott R. Middleton. Although we unfortunately never cracked the case of the mysterious stale beer stench emitted by passing trucks, we did however discover how quickly time and miles pass when one engages in 5 to 6 intense rounds of 20 questions.


Upon our arrival in Mc Cook, we were greeted by Harley-riding Pastor Steve, who later took me on a joy ride around town and explained that Mc Cook has received the title of “Nebraska’s Hot Spot” simply because it is literally the hottest place in the state. Later that evening we dinned on a bountiful and rather delicious feast provided by the congregation. Shortly after supper the Bubonic Plague reemerged to the dismay of 4 of our riders, whom all spent a good part of the night or early morning hours hugging the porcelain throne. Luckily they are all on a fast track to a quick recovery, and just in the nick of time to greet the Rocky Mountains with open, healthy arms.


-Sarah Ritz

Sometimes we have a short ride. And sometimes we don’t have directions. And sometimes directions are unnecessary because we ride on one road for 45 miles. Welcome to Nebraska. Which, it turns out, is not all that flat. Yes, it’s flat compared to West Virginia. And even Connecticut. But it is not flat.


Our 5:30 wake up was followed by a wonderful breakfast, some threatening skies and for many, a different group of riders. Since we had a shorter ride from Red Cloud to Alma (through a whole 5 towns!), most of us chose to ride with different people from who we usually ride with and get to know more of the people we spend all of our time with.


Even with the threatening skies that fortunately did not bring rain (or tornados), five of us stopped to take the Bike & Build regular photos on top of round hay bails and in tall corn showing only our bikes above our heads. Most of us have finally figured out how to pick up our bikes over our heads. Note to self: buy a lighter bike the next time I make that purchase.


Everyone rolled into Alma by noon, and some chose to go out to breakfast for lunch in one of the only places in town. It proved to be better than the regular PB&J that we’ve been eating for a month now. Then we had all afternoon in town. Some riders switched sports to golf or spend the afternoon at the pool. Others chose to relax in the coffee shop/bike repair shop/photo shop. They offered “free smells.” And delicious smoothies. And comfy chairs. And a cribbage board.


Dinner was wonderful, with many members of the church present. Thank you for the food and the air conditioning to sleep in.


After dinner, I tried to spend some time alone outside and catch up with friends from home. Unfortunately, ants had a different plan and I happened to lay down just on top of a nest of red ants. This led to a wild run inside to get new clothes, realizing that I have about 2000 more ants on me than I thought, raining ants through the church on my wild run and raining more in the bathroom while changing, and getting to spend some quality time with Elizabeth, Sam, Amy and Neil as they acted like chimpanzees to get the ants out of my hair.


Send food.


Lori Schippers.

We awoke this morning after yesterday’s near century (a century for some) before the sun came up. We packed our bags, enjoyed the provided breakfast that included cinnamon buns (!), and set out from Beloit on our way to Red Cloud, Nebraska. We anticipated an easy ride, about 65 miles to the next host. Each of us was excited to cross the border into Nebraska, hoping to be the first to claim, “I think we’re not in Kansas anymore”.


With the Wizard of Oz on my mind, I couldn’t help but think Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, was responsible for our NNE wind as we, for the one of the first times on the trip, had a tailwind for a significant portion of the day’s journey. The first portion of the ride flew by as we averaged unheard of speeds in the rolling hills of Kansas. Fewer than 10 miles after leaving the previous host, Brent reached 2,000 miles on his odometer and several of us stopped to chalk the landmark on the road and set off some fireworks.


I reached lunch around 9:30, and several had already come and gone before me (okay so maybe lunch is no longer the most appropriate term for this early-morning roadside peanut and butter and jelly break). Today “lunch” brought a surprise encounter; the 3 self-supported riders from Ohio that we’d met in Pittsfield, Illinois, stopped to rest with our group as they traveled west along Route 36. They told us it was the first morning they’d began their daily ride before 11am (!).


After lunch, a group of us scouted out some hay bales for a quick photo shoot. We had started to worry that our time to take these pictures was waning away, and that it was now or never. Lifting ourselves, and then our bikes onto the bales, we smiled proudly, struck ridiculous poses, and ended up with covered in hay scratching and stuck to most parts of our bodies as we remounted our bikes. This afternoon was actually surprisingly full of stops. We had only expected to take pictures at the border to Nebraska (which we did, as well as in front of the Kansas sign which many of us had missed when we left Missouri last week). But about 20 miles from the border, we passed the GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF THE UNITED STATES. Clearly you can tell I was excited about this landmark. What were the odds that when we crossed the East/West center of the country, we would also be on the one road that also passed through the North/South midpoint as well? More photos were taken, including one of me alone in front of the sign (just for Mom!), and ones in which we all pointed to our hometowns.


The rest of the ride was pretty smooth sailing, and the tailwind was amazing. Most of reached the host by 1:30 and had enough time to walk around downtown Red Cloud as well as go swimming in the outdoor pool at the community center at which we were staying. The author Willa Cather had grown up in Red Cloud, and on the way into the town we passed a prairie in her name as well as the local opera house, where she had acted in school and community plays as a child.


Late afternoon it stormed pretty heavily, but we all enjoyed the free time as we napped, caught up on our journals and played a rousing game of Apples to Apples. Everyone devoured the delicious dinner provided by the host, and our group presentation generated a lot of conversation between the locals and the riders. It was a great opportunity to not only learn about the town, but for the residents to learn about our individual backgrounds and the program as a whole.


Tomorrow is supposed to be a short trip into Alma, fewer than 50 miles. Hopefully the weather will hold up, and it will be a beautiful ride.


-Jesse Cohn

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Well if you haven’t guessed it, KANSAS is flat. Today we had an 80 mile day from Lawrence to Manhattan. We woke up at 6 and left the host by 7:30. The first 40 miles to lunch went by really quick. My group averaged 20 miles per hour (the tailwind helped).


After lunch Paul and I hit a pretty scary lightening storm. The scary part about it was that it was safer to ride through the storm than to stop because we were the tallest thing in the field. After dodging some lighting (no big deal) we found a local diner where we met up with Marc, Robbie, Neil, Gracie, and Hoops. When the storm passed we made it to the host in pretty good time. It was a very quick day minus the whole waiting around for the thunderstorm to pass.


-Michael Benson

Our night in Richmond turned out to be comfortable and accommodating. We had a bounty of different foods to choose from for dinner and our choice of air conditioned rooms to sleep in that night. Fortunately this energized us for the long trip we had the following day. Our trip to Lawrence started out slow and bleak. After a morning of grey clouds that put a damper on all of our moods, the sky darkened and began to storm heavily. Unfortunately there were not many places to stop and take cover from the storm, so my group and I trucked on through the storm. Eventually it cleared up and the group began to think of getting to lunch in Kansas City, where we had made plans to eat outside of a bike shop where many of us had planned to buy new accessories and tune up our bikes. Getting there proved to be more difficult that previously thought however, and after several wrong turns and large hills later, we had traveled over 50 miles before lunch. Upon getting to the bike shop the sun came out and the temperature started to rise. We spent an extremely long time at lunch and I bought a new camel back to hold my water and accessories that I need with me while riding. My previous one had no pockets and leaked water on many occasions. Its exterior was also that of camouflage print due to a mishap with an online bike retailer. So I ditched my “camo back” for a better version that has more pockets and doesn’t leak.


After lunch we were given our second list of directions for the day because the directions were so long that they had to be put on two separate sheets. When it was given to me I immediately looked at the mileage to see that there was still another 54 miles to go. The rest of the day went on relatively fast, but was rather boring aside for our trip through Kansas City (both the Missouri and Kansas sides). We stopped to take lots of pictures in the city but soon we were left in the grassy open fields of Kansas.


All of the riders had believed that Kansas would be flat and smooth, however we found out the hard way that we were all being blatantly lied to. Kansas contains many rolling hills that are no laughing matter. They left us tired and angry. Finally by the end of the day, Scott and I decided that we were fed up with how long the day was taking and decided to bike as hard as we could for the last 20 miles. We moved swiftly with no breaks except for one quick stop when my new camel back started leaking because I had removed an important part from the hose that you drink out of, which left me spraying water in every direction and flailing my arms and screaming like a little girl. After that problem had been resolved, we entered into Lawrence shortly after.


What we didn’t know was that our 105 mile day was to be rewarded with hotels for the next three nights. The local habitat chapter that we were going to be building with had arranged for all 31 of us to have rooms to sleep in. It would be the first bed that any of us had slept in since the beginning of the trip. That night we slept great and were ready to help roof an entire house the next day!


Sincerely,
Shane Bucher

Hello Everyone!


Today we biked from Moberly to Richmond a total of 92 miles. As in almost everyday there is a span of time of when people reach the host. We all leave at the same time in the morning, eat at the same lunch spot and are heading to the same destination, but ride in separate groups. Most of us have found rest stops we seek out, Dairy Queen, Sonic, Cracker Barrel, McDonalds with drive-through, shady trees, swimming holes, but for the mostly we’re on our bikes, for most of the day. So what do we do with all of this time?


We play games; the alphabet game, where we choose a category and name off things that start with every letter. We play tag. We sing. We shout greetings to cows. We chat with fellow riders. Our past few days of riding have been accompanied by a steady headwind, making singing and chatting more difficult, so it leaves us a lot of time left to our own thoughts. What do we think about? How many miles are left in the day? How long it will take to get to the top of the next hill? What’s for dinner? Are cows gathered in a circle plotting to take over the world?


I know there are certain things I try not to think about, such as watching the miles tick by on my bike computer. Will I get a flat tire today? Lyrics to the song I’ve had stuck in my head the last three days. What am I going to do with my life after Bike & Build? Is there life after Bike & Build? I often feel guilty when I can’t remember the town I spent the prior night in, or the current day’s destination.


Well the point I’m trying to make is, miles and miles of corn and wheat fields are far from boring. The day is what you make of it, the scenery you take in, the conversations you have, or the conclusions you come to when left to your own thoughts. I’m grateful for the opportunity to bike in the name of affordable housing and to have completed another day and be off of my bike!


-Caitlin Campbell

We got pulled over by a police officer. Twice. Well, sort of twice. We were just cycling along on Route 24 and then we just hear a siren behind us and I hear Elizabeth call from the back, “I think we’re getting pulled over.” It turns out that we horse around too much. It happens. The second time was just a curious sheriff. It’s not as fun of a story to tell.
Near the end of the day we accidentally got on highway 60 instead of business 60. It was slightly terrifying but we managed to get off and cut through a construction site (escorted by a guy in a hard hat) and we went about our way to the Destiny Center which is where we were staying. It was awesome. It had Wii, internet, food, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and couches. Rock Band would be a good addition to my dorm in the fall.


Peace out,

Mo


-Elizabeth Mo

Today was quite nice. The route is from Pittsfield, IL to Hannibal, MO. We left the church in Pittsfield a bit later than usual because there has been a lot of flooding in the area recently and it was necessary to check that our route was clear of any flooded paths. When we finally got going, I left with a large group and we took a wrong turn in the first 500ft… all in an average day. Quickly we got back on track, and continued following the rest of the directions for the day.
The weather was good for the most part. As we proceeded through the day, there were only a few brief rain showers, nothing major. Many stopped to put rain jackets and other rain gear on in the first cloudburst but Paul, Mike and I found it kind of refreshing and pushed on.

At this point the wind began to kick up big time. I think headwinds are much more challenging to ride through than hills. At least with a hill you have a visible goal, the top. With winds, you keep cranking but get no where fast.
The three of us took many brief breaks checking out everything from a box turtle on the side of the road to taking pictures in 8ft corn stalks. The best stop was at the Mississippi. It was the first time I had seen the great river. The sight of the tremendous river was breathtaking.

At the other side of the river the three of us met up with another group and we all took pictures at the welcome to Missouri sign. The day was completed with a visit to McDonalds and the viewing of Wall-E which was very good.


-Luke Angelini

June 28, 2008- a day to remember.


Dear Diary,
This morning I awoke (at my own will?) to the Western Illinois late-morning light pouring through the Pittsfield United Methodist Church stained glass windows. As the smell of cheesy omlettes and buttered toast wafted through the santuary, I smiled to myself, recalling the debouchery which had occurred only hours before during the first annual P2SF Bike and Prom.

After washing the whorish, day-old makeup from my face, I strapped on my swimsuit and grabbed my horrendously scratchy quick-dry towel and left with the gang for a day of fun-n-sun at the local lake. We swam. We volleyballed. We fished. We horseshoed and we sun-burnt. Unfortunately, we had to say our goodbyes to the crystal blue waters and lush green foliage of Pine Lake in order to make it back in time for our hearty evening meal.
Back at the church, my paper plate overfloweth-ed with heaping spoonfulls of ham salad, cheese salad, and that pink fruity stuff. And just when I thought the night couldn’t get any better, we all received news of the Pike County Fair. Not only were there rides, livestock, and patriotism, there was also a schoolbus smash-em-up too! As quick as we could, we piled ourselves into the vans all the while dreaming of corndogs and cotton candy.

My first demolition derby experience is one that I am sure I’ll never forget. Spectating three heats and a final round of grown men ramming colorful schoolbuses into one another in a pit of mud is really just a magnificent way to pass the time with good friends. Who knew a bus could fold like an accordian? After lots of smashing, smoke, and a bit of fire, a winner was named and we moved onto the fair rides. Let’s just say the “chainsaw” was a terrifying experience for the majority of us, although Scott walked away with a new sticker to add to the collection on the van.
In this crazy mixed-up world of Bike and Build, it’s so easy to let the days fly by and melt together. Today was, without a doubt, a day full of deeply culturally enriching experiences as well as a day of reflection, gratitude, and deep-fried Americana.


-Sarah Ritz

Woke up to thunder. Never a good sign. The leaders checked the weather and the forecast was for deadly cloud-to-ground lightening with heavy rain and the like. Not really conducive to riding 90 miles. So, they opted for the shuttle. The first shuttle left around 7 am and arrived in Pittsfield at 9. We unloaded the trailer and sent Marc and Shane (who turned 20!!) back to Taylorville. Pittsfield is a pretty happening place. There’s a main square with a court house in the middle and everything is surrounding it. Since it was prom night, we hit up one of the two local thrift stores. There were some pretty awesome outfits. Molly and Mo won for best couple. Molly wore a black dress with a leopard print belt and barrette. Mo wore tan track pants with a plaid leopard print jacket that looked like it belonged on a 70 year old man living in Florida. Luke bought some pirate themed spandex and Elizabeth got a dress from the 80’s, complete with shoulder pads. Pretty fantastic.


We wandered around Pittsfield for the rest of the afternoon and got some food at Taco John’s. The rest of the group arrived around 4 with the trailer filled with bikes. Once the bikes were out safely, they headed to the second thrift store—The House of Thrift. This thrift store was in the house of a woman who had piles of used clothes on the floor, in no particular order. Highlights from the trip include Tony’s jean vest with hood (K-fed style) and Brain and Paul’s matching golf-themed outfits.


Dinner at the church was delicious: chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and brisket. We also had cake and ice cream in honor of Shane’s and Brain’s birthdays. After dinner, we proceeded to promified. Everyone put on their ridiculous outfits and we expected the church folk to either leave and go home or be very confused. Neither was the case. They asked us to come upstairs in our prom attire (some of which was on the more revealing side) where they had one of the members play the guitar while the photographed us and cheered.


Also, three self-contained cyclists stumbled upon our van and asked if they could crash with us. They were coming from Athens, Ohio and were headed to Oregon. Of course, we invited them in and made friends. They were very nice and enjoyed our prom attire as well.


Prom proceeded as most proms do, with much rejoicing and dancing. Shane and Brent choreographed a fun dance involving flips. It was cool.


So even though we didn’t get to ride today, we still had fun.


Love to everyone. Especially Harry and Sadie (miss you guys!).


~Hoops

(Sarah Huebscher)

Today we continued our journey farther into the farmlands of the Midwest. The corn stalks are getting taller and I’m looking forward to seeing husks forming. The ride was shorter and wind milder in comparison to yesterday’s monstrosity, so everyone was excited to take it easy on the road. Therefore, several of us decided to stop about 15 miles outside of Taylorville at the sight of a bowling alley. Nothing draws looks more than six college students in spandex in a setting that would normally demand less aero-dynamic clothing. We naturally spent much of our time talking with other patrons about the organization.


Two games of bowling were played, each with a small wager on it. In the first round, the lowest scorer would have to sleep with his helmet on, and in the second round the losing team would have to be food slaves to the winning team for a day; aka make them PB&Js, fix plates at dinner, fill their water bottles in the morning. Needless to say, Dustin will have an unfortunate night of sleep tonight and thanks to my gutter ball in the 10th frame after two 150+ point games, my team will be playing waiter to the winners later this week. Sorry guys.


Back on the road, we found that there was a bike bath running parallel to route 29 for the last 15 miles of our trip into Taylorville. This made the remainder of our trip outstanding because it meant we could ride 2 abreast and carry on without always watching over our shoulders for motorists. Road safety has been a big topic for discussion with the group over the past weeks as we have found ourselves on some rather large roads that require us to constantly be alert for traffic and road obstructions as well. When preparing for the trip I envisioned the daily rides as a time when we would be alone with our thoughts, and a time to reflect on life. It is amazing however, how much thought and mental energy goes into the mere act of riding due to the other cyclists around you, traffic zooming by, and obstacles in your path such as road-kill. With diligence, we have been able to stay safe on the roads with minimal scrapes and bruises.


The YMCA we stayed at is definitely the nicest facilities we have seen so far on our trip. We got to cool off after our ride at the indoor swimming pool which may have easily passed for a water park, boasting such attributes as a lazy river, whirl pool, and even a serious water slide. Much of the team spent a solid 2 hours acting the same age as the 4th graders we shared the pool with, having an absolutely ridiculous time. The evening was topped off with dinner donated by a local pizza restaurant. Delicious.


-Brent Finklea

Today we biked 94 miles from Linton Indiana to Effingham Illinois. AWESOME! 94 miles is painful. (But as it has not killed me I assume I am now stronger.) We also crossed a time zone today. It was AWESOME! I've never crossed a time zone before so it was pretty cool to watch the time on my cell phone jump back. It was just like staying awake to watch the time jump back during daylight savings (but better becuase of the whole daylight/biking/adventure thing). I thought that becuase of the time zone change it would be a good opportunity to get to the host site earlier, but as it turns out it just let me bike for longer, without taking as much "time."


94 miles is a long time, so in search of something to do Rachel and I sang "The Wheels on the bike go round and round." The many verses of this song inclkude "the chain on my bike goes k-ch k-ch k-ch" and "the drivers on the road go honk honk honk," all across the country of course. I admit not the most stimulating of pasttimes, but it did occupy us long enough to complete the ride. The ride was beautiful though, sunny and bright. It was hot out, but the cool breeze made it AWESOME!


Effingham is cool (AWESOME name right?).


~Katie

Today we got to sleep in until 6 am for a relatively short 45 mile day with beautiful weather. After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit and more, we were off to Linton, Indiana. We got to see more of Indiana's rolling hills, but luckily we were on one road for most of the day and there was a street sign. We received a few pieces of advice along the way, like a sign outside of a church saying "forbidden fruit creates many jams."



After a short stop at a mini-mart around mile 20, the sweep riders (riders designated to stay behind everyone else for the day) decided to take an extended break. Caitlin took this opportunity to make Brian's day more interesting by switching bikes with him until lunch. Fortunately Brian made it the next 10 miles with a much better track record than Caitlin's previous day with 3 flats. At lunch we arrived to find Mike, Paul, and Tony all snoozing comfortably on a rocking bench.




We arrived at our lovely host site of the Saron Church early in the afternoon, so we had time to enjoy their cool video theater room...or at least fall asleep in it. Then we were off to dinner at Jo Etta's pizza villa where we enjoyed great breadsticks, pizza, brownies, and apple pie. Big thanks to Saron Church for hosting and shuttling us to dinner and big thanks to Jo Etta's for filling our 31 hungry tummies!! We enjoyed our short day of riding today and we've have had a great stay in Indiana. Off to the central time zone tomorrow!




-Rachel Cohn

This morning we woke up bright and early (5 a.m.) and departed from Louisville, Kentucky after having our first day off of biking. It was great to have a day of rest and give the saddle sores that have developed a chance to heal, although most of us decided to bike into town, to Churchill Downs, or the mall. After running into van difficulties we packed our PB&J sandwiches for today’s lunch and our rain jackets, since the forecast called for scattered thunderstorms throughout the day. Luckily the day turned out to be bright and sunny with few clouds, which made for an awesome day of riding.


After getting lost within the first ten miles our 76 mile day, it quickly turned into an 85 miler for a handful of us. Once we found our way onto the Clark Bridge we crossed the Ohio River for the third time and entered our ninth state, Indiana. The first 65 miles or so on route 60 were flat until we had to navigate the rolling hills of Indiana. This didn’t seem too strenuous until we realized every street sign had been stolen. Thanks to this we proceeded to wave down oncoming traffic and ask which street we were on at every turn. After much chalking (thanks Jesse) and many hills we rolled into beautiful Bedford, IN and were greeted by many generous parishioners from the First Baptist Church as they welcomed us into their spectacular new facility. As many of us continue to tire ourselves out playing knock out on the court, others are watching Jurassic Park and getting ready to hit the sack (no, not Matt).


Till next time,
Brian Erickson

June 22nd was a very big day for Providence to San Francisco; America’s favorite couple celebrated their two year anniversary. Congrats to Sam and Tony.


Now because we respect everyone’s privacy and personal space here at Bike and Build naturally we sent a few scouts to follow the two on their whirlwind journey of Louisville, Kentucky.


After they woke and watched as everyone else tended to their bikes, Sam and Tony surreptitiously hopped on a bus headed for downtown L-Ville. What was initially supposed to be a romantic day gallivanting through the streets of Kentucky quickly turned into a hectic attempt to restore dignity to a mild mannered couple from Massachusetts.


Lunch was at romantic little Italian restaurant where Tony attempted to order a bottle of red wine despite their fish entrée – faux pas numero one. Embarrassed, Sam excused herself and took a long break in the wash room leaving Tony alone in his own frustration.


Trying to rectify his mistake, Tony took Sam to Churchhill Downs where he bought her a sun dress and a big hat that she will never wear outside that racetrack. Things were going well until Sam lost the family nest egg on a “sure thing” named Achilles Heel whose odds were 59-1. With no money to their name the couple walked back to the church.


But then the rains came. A torrential downpour soaked Sam’s new sundress, destroyed her garish hat and watered down her mint julep. Tony hailed a cab but the Eagles blaring through the windows sent Sam into a fit. With no ride or bikes the two trudged through the water back to the church.


Saturated and cranky the two decided to go to sleep and try the whole thing all over again in Pittsfield.


Off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush.


- Colin “Pump Station” Hunt

Today was a little unpredictable. As the last riding day before our first day off, everyone was a little sore and ready for the 80-something mile ride. We began the day in the rain. Not a good start. Thankfully, it didn’t last for too long.


Right after lunch we went back to biking and did an emergency stop as we rode past the Mini Golf. Our group convinced the manager to open 10 minutes early, and as we flagged down the riders coming by, the whole place was filled with spandex-clad riders within the hour. It was AMAZING. Two holes in one. That’s right.


Louisville ended up being an awesome, funky, badly-street-signed city and was perfect for the day off. Thanks again to the hosts for putting us up in the gym so last minute.


-Molly Junck

Today, two very exciting things happened: the first was that today marked the longest bike ride I have ever ridden (92.5 miles), and the second was that today I biked my 1,000th mile. This morning we had our usual wakeup at 5:30, followed by a breakfast provided by the Church and surprise delicious chocolate cream donuts. Then we set out as a pack to cross the bridge into Kentucky. We took some pictures with the welcome sign and we were off. Because today’s mileage was over 90, we had two lunch stops. The first leg of our trip was 40 miles, followed by peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then we set out for another 30 miles, stopped for more PB+J, and finished the last 20 miles. Today was really fun because I saw all 30 other members of the group at some point during the ride. Usually we spread out a significant amount, but today with everyone taking lots of breaks, we were all able to see each other on the road. As I and a few others were biking the second leg of the trip, we ran into a bunch of fellow Bike and Build-ers at a convenience store. Before we got there, they had been talking to a man who offered to call his cousin who writes for a newspaper. She came down to the convenience store and interviewed a few people, then took a picture of everyone with our bikes. So we are going to be in the local newspaper in Cowan, KY. I arrived at the host site (a YMCA) around 5:30 and we all hung around for a bit while we waited to eat dinner. Since we did not have dinner provided for us, Sarah had called a couple pizza places in Paris to see what she could do. With some convincing, we were able to get 14 free pizzas! It sure beats cooking after a long day of cycling. After dinner, we realized that we were at a YMCA and decided to jump in the pool for a few minutes, which felt great. Then we walked a couple blocks to get some ice cream. It couldn’t have been a better night. But I think I say that about pretty much every night on this trip. Wakeup is at 5 tomorrow to help us with the long day that is ahead of us as we bike to Louisville. Then a day off on Sunday – our first one!

Great, so we woke up at 5 am today in Wellston, OH and had a 47 mile ride into Portsmouth, OH. Today was the first day that we rode without cue sheets. Normally the leaders make a sheet of directions so that we can get to our new host for the day. It is of utmost importance that every rider uses the cue sheet and has it clipped to his or her bike each day, but the route for today was easy enough to memorize. We left our awesome hosts around 7:15 and left as one big group. The 30 of us rode out of the town and caused quite the traffic jam. We had 19 cars lined up behind us waiting to pass as we rode the first ten miles together before splitting up and finishing the rest of the ride. Lunch was the earliest so far, as most of us made it to the trailer for lunch by 10 am. The ride was short and enjoyable, and everyone was in good spirits. We made it to our new hosts in Portsmouth by early afternoon and relaxed for the rest of the day before having another amazing dinner. Another great day on the road, everyone is healthy, and we can all hardly wait to wake up before the sun tomorrow.


-Chris Leonetti

Today’s ride was about 85 miles through the rolling hills of Ohio. The weather was relatively cool compared to the scorching hot days we have been experiencing. Today’s ride was pretty uneventful in comparison to yesterday’s ride.
Things that happened:

-We saw a lot of wild life.
-A few of us saw a horse try and nudge a kitten across a stream and when that didn’t work the horse picked the kitten up in its mouth and tried to carry the kitten across. Both kitten and horse ended up in the loosing situation because the cat’s rear end was almost bitten off and the horse had a huge scratch across his nostrils.

-Later there was a trench on the side of the road where I found to crawfish that appeared to be fighting each other.
- The last thing that happened that was eventful yet tragic was a deer getting hit and almost taking out Tony. The deer ended up running into the woods while limping but luckily our rider was not hurt by the deer flying almost seven feet in the air.

Tonight’s dinner was spectacular because of the amazing food and the welcoming community here in Wellston, OH. The food was probably the best we have had so far including home cooked mashed potatoes and turkey.


-Sam Lepicier

Today was my favorite day of riding so far. Finally we were blessed with weather that wasn’t +90 or storming, and the West Virginia countryside was absolutely beautiful. There were a lot of hills in the morning, but the road was gorgeous, winding through narrow valleys with small farms and horse pastures and up and down along the crests of hills. Everything was so green and even the steep hills didn’t seem so hard (at least at first). Now I know what John Denver was singing about in his song ‘Country Roads’, the lyrics to which Elizabeth, Shannon and I tried for a good part of the morning to remember, mostly unsuccessfully. We also sang some Johnny Cash, Beatles and Now and Then soundtrack songs. We stopped in the morning at a corner store to stock up on 65 cent candy bars and chocolate milk, and also stopped to see why a group of our riders - some guys who normally ride really fast - had stopped on the side of the road. It turned out they had find a kitten and were petting and taking pictures with it. After lunch we had more beautiful roads, but did find ourselves on a gravel road for a few miles. It was bumpy and slow, but I think worth it for the overall awesomeness of the route we took today. We crossed over the Ohio River and into Ohio at the very end of the day. I was very happy to reach Marietta and our hosts for the evening, Christ United Methodist Church, who had an amazing meal prepared for us. Today was our longest day of riding so far – a little over 80 miles (and more for those who got lost) – but was generally a pretty great day. I look forward to seeing Ohio and cant’ believe we’ve come so far already!


Amy Linn

Journal 6/16/08
Today we woke up bright and early, 5:30. I’m just starting to get use to the daily morning routine. Breakfast was divine, freshly cooked scrambled eggs and biscuits with gravy. The weather however was not so great. It was a dark and dreary morning but the weather report said afternoon thunderstorms. As always the weatherman got paid to be wrong because it started drizzling as soon as we left Pearson and by mile 1 it had started down pouring. A few groups decided to wait out the rain and find shelter during the thunder and lightning. However, Luke and I pushed on in the rain behind the lead group of riders. At one point we were getting pelted so hard by the rain it hurt our faces, but eventually it let up and the rain cleared.

Today’s route was an easy one, only 57 miles on one road. It was pretty much a straight shot on route 219/33 from Pearson to Weston, West Virginia. The only catch to today’s easy route was the morning weather and the fact that route 33 is a four lane highway with a 65 mile an hour speed limit. We kept seeing signs saying, “Bike Route Use Shoulder”. I thought it was weird having cars and 18 wheelers zooming by as we biked up the mountain side. There was a plus to this main road, no steep inclines which made climbing through the mountains of West Virginia a lot easier.
Lunch was a nice change of pace as we got off the main road at mile 35 and ate lunch outside of a 7/11. I restocked on snacks and refilled my drinks and was back on the road with Luke. The last 20 or so miles were easier as it was mostly downhill with a strong headwind most of the way. I couldn’t wait to get off the side of the highway and into the town of Weston to take a cold shower. However that plan was ruined, there were no showers at our church. (Thanks Matt Rain and No Showers) It was great to get off the saddle though and wonder through town for a few hours. Ice cream at the ice cream barn was phenomenal. Then we all got together for some dinner and played some basketball and kicked the soccer ball around before we started to call it a night.

-Paul Mandala (little mohekken)
“The mountains of West Virginia are both beautiful and rugged, I feel exhilarated and at the same time I can feel the pain of new muscles growing.”

Today began with an early 5:30 AM wakeup and a hearty breakfast of cereal and last night’s amazing desserts. We headed off into the hilly terrain of Western Maryland, but we weren’t in the Old Line state for long as we passed into “Wild and Wonderful” West Virginia at mile 15 or thereabouts. After posing with both state signs (some of us had missed the Maryland one the day prior), we crossed over the mighty Potomac river (although it wasn’t quite as powerful as we expected).
The terrain continued gently below us for another 10 miles, as we rode together as a pack and gazed at the giant wind turbines on a ridge up in the distance. Suddenly we hit a wall of a climb that continued for miles and miles. It seemed like the end would never come, but finally we summited the 2840 foot Saddle Mountain. Lunch was ready at the top of the climb for some, and down the road a couple miles for others.

Fortunately we had the help of a former leader Mariah Evarts from last year’s P2SF trip, who came to ride with us for a day and a half. After driving down the road to deliver lunch to the front pack, she joined the group for some time in the saddle. The rest of the road onto Parsons was undulating and winding through a beautiful remote forest. For the first time in a long time, we were completely removed from civilization. Out of the blue we happened upon the very wind turbines we saw in the distance, and they loomed tall over our heads. Apparently, West V grairginia has the highest concentration of wind turbines in America in an effort to promote sustainable energy.
Since we were at the top of the ridge, we had nowhere to go but down. In fact, we had a 5 mile downhill at a 6% grade that rolled all the way in to our destination. Finally we arrived at St. John’s United Methodist Church, where we stopped for the night, after a total of 76 miles. A group of us immediately went to McDonalds, where we had enjoyed first of 2 post-ride meals. I split a deal for 5 cheesburgers and a basket of fries with Paul, who had already eaten a 12” sub from Subway. Afterward we went into the local river to clean ourselves and cool down, while other opted for the church hose.

Staying with us at the church was another sojourner biking from Delaware to Colorado fully-loaded (carrying all his gear on the back of his bike in rear panniers). Fittingly he was named Miles. Together we all enjoyed a bountiful potluck dinner served by our hosts. We finished the evening with a presentation to the congregation and a bike clinic for local children. Finally we went to bed in the air conditioned chapel.
-Matt Sack

Leader,
Providence to San Francisco

Journal 6/14/08
Today our intrepid group of thirty-one once again laid aside its passion for Double Dutch jump rope to continue our conquest of America. The day began at 5:30 a.m. in Burnt Cabin, Pennsylvania, where the overnight showers brutally reminded us that we were camping out. But despite ominous clouds, pesky saddle sores, and meager breakfast options we soldiered on to the dewy road. We quickly encountered and promptly “slayed” our first hill around 8:00. Blue Ridge Mountain (elevation 2200 feet) proved to be a worthy opponent, but ultimately yielded to our bulging thighs and beastly calves. The summit rewarded us with a perilously steep downgrade and a bikers’ registry book where we could commemorate our mad skills.

Shortly after descending Blue Ridge, group leader and fan favorite Jess Medors suffered a spill that left her back tire a mangled lump of scrap. Fortunately Jess emerged unscathed thanks to her secret Kung Fu magic. While Jess grieved over her bike, the rest of us rode on to an ample Appalachian lunch featuring the rare treat of REAL deli meat. A mysterious local offered us a “shortcut,” but many of us were concerned that it would lead us to a Deliverance-style deathtrap – with banjoes. Needless to say we stuck to the safety and assurance (overstatement?) of our cue sheets and rode out of the Keystone State and into the crab-cake capital of the U.S. – Maryland! Unfortunately our new state broke our hearts by failing to provide the irresistible photo-op of a “Welcome to Maryland” sign. Fortunately the rain held off (no thanks to Matt!) until most of us were at the final leg of today’s journey.
At our host, the Grace Baptist Church of Cumberland, we were treated to an abundant spaghetti dinner followed by an abundant pizza post-dinner, with cookies and strawberries for dessert. Currently most of us are sleeping or preparing for tomorrow’s ride – a route that one friendly redneck described with grunts and hand gestures as “strenuous despite its rugged natural beauty.”


-Scott

Friday, June 13th


A day in the life of a van driver….


As a co-leader part of my job is to drive our 15 passenger support vehicle (with trailer attached) every 4th day. So, I thought I’d switch it up a little and write about a typical day in the van.


5:30 – Wake up to Amy shaking my shoulder. Feel a slight sense of relief knowing I don’t have to spend 8 hours in spandex. Fumble for my glasses and slowly make my way outside to the van. Each step is followed by sore muscle pains thru-out my body. The next 10 minutes are spent hitching the trailer as long as we’re not stuck in a small, awkward parking lot…otherwise it could take 20.
6:00 - 7:00 – Pack up my stuff, eat breakfast, ask cooler crew what we need for breakfast/lunch/dinner, help anyone out who’s not quite awake and functioning. Route meeting with everyone to discuss any confusing directions, last minute announcements, and details on the group hosting us that evening.

7ish – Load my bike into the back of the van (and anyone else’s who might not be riding for the day.) Last minute run through to make sure we haven’t left anything and we’re off!
7:30-9:00 – Stop at local grocery store. Ask for manager to see if they’ll give us a discount, or possibly donate what we need. Chalk route as I drive to make riders aware of any confusing turns or unclear road signs.

9:00-10:30 – Drive to 40 mile mark to greet hungry cyclist. Try and find a nice shady spot, preferably next to a Dairy Queen 
10:30-1:00 – Wait for everyone to pass thru and eat lunch. Call hosts for next day to confirm stay and ask any last minute questions. Possibly read a book or take a power nap under tree.

1:00-2:00 – Drive towards host. Play awesome “pump up” music as I pass riders and scream it at the top of my lungs. Reach host. Drop trailer. Unload Van. Fill water coolers just incase someone is stuck out on route and needs more water.
2:00-4:00 – Hang out at host and congratulate riders as they reach destination. OR pick up riders if needed and run any last minute errands.

5:30 – Hand keys over to another leader for any remaining tasks. Hang out with everyone and listen to stories about the days’ ride 


I’m sure there are about 10 other tasks that happen through out the day, but you still get the idea.


Jess Medors

We put the roof on a Habitat for Humanity house. It was awesome to see a noticeable difference between the beginning of the day and the end. At first I was a little nervous to be working three stories up without harnesses and such, but it was a lot o fun. Similar to a really high playground. I think one of the best parts of the day was when we randomly decided to play double-dutch during lunch. As we played on the sidewalk, cars would slow down and watch us for a bit. Then some of the neighborhood kids joined us and it was nice to interact with the neighborhood in a way other then just building a house and then leaving. The little girl asked if we would be back tomorrow to play again and I was saddened to tell her that we would not.


Elizabeth Mo

Back to the Basics


Attempting to recover from a grueling ride the day before, we reluctantly deflated our Thermarests around 5:30 a.m. to a much needed breakfast. After liberal applications of Chamois Butt’r, we left our hosts around 8:00 a.m. in good spirits (and sore legs/butts). Within the first couple of miles a handful of bike and builders found themselves in a heart-racing (life-threatening) experience on an interstate highway! Avoiding rumble strips and changing lanes for over a mile, a pack of about a dozen riders found refuge on the lawn of a Sheraton. After about an hour of figuring out what went wrong and planning a new route to Harrisburg, we regrouped and headed out (on much safer roads). Riding in cooler temperatures (still in the 80’s though), everyone rightfully “slayed” the 50 mile ride. Many were able to take a short detour into Hershey’s Chocolate World where we were greeted with strange looks (apparently spandex is not the standard in Hershey, PA). Leaving with mouthfuls of chocolate we climbed back on our bikes to finish up the last 10 miles of the ride. Despite having some hard climbs towards the end, we all reached the church happier then ever before. Some were in such good spirits that they began to show off their bike tricks and also play on the church’s jungle gym.


Enough play-by-play, let’s get back to the basics.


Arriving in waves to a local park we were met by parents of former bike and builders (our dinner hosts). The trays of fresh vegetables and pita and hummus under the pavilion were quickly eaten (what a treat!). After socializing with the hosts, tossing the frisbee/football, we sat down to a fantastic dinner of veggie lasagna, chicken, salad, and fruit (can you say carbo-loading?) We shared the picnic tables with a great group of local girls whose mother is instrumental with Habitat. On a full stomach, most of us headed over to the baseball diamond for a game of kickball (while others were training for retirement on the shuffleboard court). Kickball was awesome, we all had a blast (I think the final score was 2-2.). Treated with a carrot cake’ dessert, the girls attempted to teach some of us how to double-dutch…none were successful, but many have committed themselves to mastering this amazingly difficult sport. A good memory of this was Lori’s resilience and trying to mathematically solve the problem that is double-dutch. (Note: Rope for double-dutch would be appreciated by many in one of the upcoming mail drops.) After countless attempts and many laughs we made our way over to the grass to watch some of the girls perform their cheer leading routines (cheers?). Not only can they double-dutch, but they can cheer too. Trying to not be shown up too much, bike and builders attempted to assemble into a human pyramid…unsuccessfully.


Perhaps the title of this journal is getting lost in my rambles, so I’ll try to salvage with this: we felt great today, laughed lots, summersulted/rolled down hills, skipped rope, ate great, and connected with a community. Our lives today were not weighed down with looming paper deadlines or who’s doing what on facebook, we were not weighed down by anything, but rather uplifted by the simple joys of living.


Wayne’s World is on in the other room so I’m off to go and enjoy that with some of the other riders.
Build day tomorrow!


Much Love,


Robbie

Today was another scorching hot day, we started off with an early morning wake up at 5 a.m. so we could try and beat the heat in Stroudsburg Pennsylvania. The heat was accompanied by massive climbs to our destination which made it a difficult 73 mile ride. One of the climbs was after cycling .01 miles from the church while most of our knees were still cold and burning. We “slayed” the mountain as Neil would say and when we got to the top we were all quite happy that we had not surrendered to its steep grade. After the morning climb the terrain was mostly rolling hills that allowed us to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The group encountered some serious heat around lunch time reaching the triple digits. Towards the end of the afternoon a nasty storm blew through the area and many riders had to take shelter for fear of being blown off their bikes. The storm was torrential with golf ball sized hail and winds up to thirty miles an hour. We all felt lucky when we made it to our destination in Reading, PA. Off to bed because we will all be up early tomorrow morning for another 65 mile ride.


Tony

Hi Everyone,


Today was a day filled with both highs and lows, both literally and metaphorically. This morning began an hour earlier at 5 am so that we could beat the scorching mid 90 degree temperature. At the onset of our near 80 mile trip today, everyone was feeling the aches and pains from the previous days. No longer are we questioning whether we have the physical endurance to complete each day, instead we question if our bodies can hold out through the lasting pains we are feeling from previous days. Sore knees, backs, hands and feet all are suffering from the continuous wear and tear of our journey.


As we set off from the United Methodist Church of Danbury, it was not long before we crossed the state line and entered into my home state of New York. I knew that New York had many hills and mountains and that it would not be easy. My group that I was with trucked on as the temperature slowly rose. We were all going through our Gatorade and water faster then ever. The first half of the trip seemed easier than previous days due to its lack of enormous hills. By lunchtime we had crossed the Hudson River and knew that larger hills were coming. As we ate lunch we encountered many groups of motorcyclists that stopped at the near by gas station. Many of them were nice and talked with us about where they were from and where they were going. They also warned us about the upcoming hills that we would have to climb.


After lunch we began to climb Bear Mountain. Slowly we were elevating ourselves into the sky as we saw the Hudson River grow smaller in the background. At the top we had a gorgeous view of the river and of several bridges. Hopefully we will have pictures of this posted soon. After many pictures we zoomed down the other side of Bear Mountain and crossed a bridge. By now we were dripping with sweat again and decided to jump in a nearby lake that we came upon. After 15 minutes of swimming we got ready and headed out again.


The final third of our trip seemed to last forever. After climbing several more mountains and stopping to get ice cream we were all tired and ready to be fished for the day. By now, all we wanted to do was arrive, but we were held up as a thunder storm rolled in. We trucked through it for as long as we could, but eventually had to stop for our own safety. After about 10 minutes the hard rain passed and we headed out again. After about another hour or so of fighting the hills, we finally came to our destination, Webb Horton Presbyterian church. It had been a long day and we were all happy to arrive. We relaxed and ate lots of food and rested. Also, the guys on the trip seem to have started a fad of shaving their legs for the biking. I held out for a few days, but was finally peer pressured into doing it. There are only a few more left that haven’t done it. On that note I’ll end this post because I am exhausted and want to go to bed! Hope everyone is doing well.


Sincerely,


Shane Bucher

Saturday, June 7, 2008
Middletown, CT – Danbury, CT= approx. 60something miles.


Hey everyone,

I’m sitting here in the office of the United Methodist Church of Danbury writing this to you! We just finished eating a most delicious meal provided to us by the church and members of the congregation. It is truly incredible how generous people are and how they open their arms to strangers and this is only the third day.


Yesterday’s ride was cold and wet. I had the unfortunate pleasure of being the first to ride in the support van and not ride. It was quite embarrassing but I guess I also missed out on a day of nasty riding. Either way, I wish I had felt well enough to have been out there.


Anyways, the point of that is, today was much, much, MUCH different. We woke up to a cool morning with some cloudy skies and then of course, sure enough, (I hadn’t believed anyone when they said it would happen,) the temperature rose to a gagillion degrees (well, maybe only 95 or so.) Needless to say, it was HOT. Also, the route was hilly, and those are not one of my better skills. The ride was somewhere in between 60 and 70 miles and was pretty successful overall for most riders. There were a few flats, but some had the pleasure of swimming in a lake on the side of the highway in Connecticut. It was a really tough ride, but everyone gave it their best and we were all pretty pooped when we arrived at the church. They greeted everyone with signs and applause and let us use the hose to shower each other off since we were too late to hit up the YMCA. It was really fun and refreshing. We even had a few guys decide to shave their legs today, haha.
Tomorrow is a longer ride and forecast is saying 95 degrees again. So, it looks like we might be waking up earlier to beat the heat and hopefully get to the host earlier in the evening. We will be crossing the New York state line and all I can hope is that the land is a little more flat.


Also, again, thank you, THANK YOU SO MUCH to the United Methodist Church of Danbury. You guys rock! We love you and thank you so much for your hospitality and generosity. It is really amazing.

Parents, families, and friends, everything is going to be ok. Don’t worry. We love you and miss you. Keep cheering us on!


Until next time,
Shannon

Lake Worth, FL
P2SF08 Rider

The story so far…


This is the second of what is intended to be a daily blog following the progress of Bike and Build’s 2008 Providence to San Francisco route. We’ve been busily getting organized since first coming together as a team on Monday, so haven’t yet had the chance to bring everyone up to speed. Now that the trip is nicely under way, we plan on writing a team journal every day. These will be posted whenever we have internet access, which we hope will be almost daily. Each rider will take a turn at writing, so hopefully our readers will get to know each of us a little better through reading the blog…


After months of preparation, training, fundraising, and dreaming, we finally came together as a team for the first time on Monday June 2nd. St. Marin’s Episcopalian church in Providence, Rhode Island generously provided us with the use of their facilities for the next three nights. We were treated to more than one fabulous dinner by the St. Martin’s community.


The first two days in Providence were fast-paced as we enjoyed several orientation activities. We started Tuesday morning off right with a delicious complimentary breakfast at Louis’ Dinner, a local favorite. Greg Bacos from VHB led a cycling safety seminar that is sure to save us some headaches on the road. On Tuesday afternoon, the knowledgeable staff from Providence Cycle led a bicycle maintenance seminar ensuring, making sure that we all know how to change flat tires, clean our chains, etc.


On Wednesday we got down to the business of building houses! The Providence chapter of Habitat for Humanity has recently put the finishing touches on two new projects, so we were hard at work framing a new house. It was pouring rain outside, but we were fortunate enough to be able to work inside a warehouse. After the build day on Wednesday, we enjoyed another generous dinner at St. Martin’s and spent the remainder of the evening preparing ourselves to hit the road!


Matt has already posted a blog about Thursday, so I will keep my account of the day brief. The group greeted Thursday morning with much excitement and enthusiasm. After months of looking forward to cycling across the country, the big day was finally here. Saying goodbye to St. Martin’s, we rode our bikes down to the Atlantic for the official departure. A small crowd of family, friends, media, and Bike and Build alumni were on hand at the Brown University Rowing boathouse as we dipped our tires into the salt water, reset our odometers to zero, and rolled out through the streets of Providence towards Plainfield, Connecticut, our first stop en route to San Francisco!!


On Friday morning, we woke up to a torrential downpour in Plainfield. After a good breakfast at St. Paul’s Episcopal church, we dawned our raingear and headed out into the elements. The cold rain combined with some discrepancies between Google maps and reality combined to slow our progress somewhat. The story of the day was how well we worked together as a team to make sure that no one got seriously lost and that everyone had a safe day. For much of the ride, we followed the legendary Route 66 as we headed west across the Nutmeg state. One really interesting area was around Willimantic where prominent Frog statues proudly commemorate the townspeople’s “victory” during the French and Indian War in the 1700s. According to the story, locals heard strange noises in the forest and presuming it to be the enemy, fired shots into the woods. The following morning it was discovered that the noises had actually been the sound of frogs dying from dehydration! America is filled with lots of interesting history, and we have lots of time to ponder it while riding.


Most of the team (with the possible exception of our members hailing from Connecticut) have been really surprised as to how hilly the state is. We seemed to be constantly shifting gears as we repeatedly climbed several hundred feet, descended, and then climbed again. Two particularly large hills near the end of the day were especially challenging, but we prevailed. Our efforts were rewarded when we crossed the historic Connecticut River and cruised down through the beautiful downtown of Middletown, CT. After a wet, cold day in the saddle, we were especially grateful of the warm hospitality of St. Paul’s Lutheran church in Middletown. It is nice to know that they so obviously look forward to Bike and Build’s annual arrival and follow our journey online!


Hugs and gratitude to our family, friends, and supporters everywhere!


On the road,


Dustin Wall,
Ontario, Canada

We headed out on our first day of riding to the Brown boathouse for a dip of our rear tires in the Atlantic Ocean. The long dock barely held the long line of 32 of us, while a group of onlookers and well-wishers snapped pictures. A videographer from NBC 10 even came to get some sound bites and a shot of us taking the plunge. The Executive Director of Rhode Island’s Habitat for Humanity, Herman de Koe, then gave us words of encouragement before we rode out into the streets of Providence.


Despite an unfriendly forecast, we made our way west through downtown Providence until the streets became progressively more rural. Within miles, we were cruising down country roads and passing cows along the way. On our way we passed interesting landmarks such as the “crooked fence farm,” a giant American-flag emblazed tea kettle, and huge stones carved with deer and bears. After a hearty lunch of PB & J sandwiches, we headed through secluded forest roads before crossing our first state line into Connecticut. Although the sign lacked pizzazz, we still posed for photographs in our first of many such rituals.


The fun really began after the bicycling, when our riders got to mingle with the congregants of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at our destination in Plainfield, CT. While some riders relaxed in the chapel, others donned helmets and went to the parking lot for a bicycle clinic for local children. Afterwards we played games with the kids on the Church lawn, tossing footballs and Frisbees, playing tag, and building human pyramids. The parishioners then joined us for a barbeque of massive proportions. Even so, our fearless leader Marc found the food nutritionally insufficient and decided to supplement his diet with a worm plucked fresh from church grounds. Finally, we joined our gracious hosts for a presentation on affordable housing and the presentation of t-shirts. Unfortunately, the evening came to a close as our dear Trip Director Kristian Sekse parted ways and said goodbye (at least until California). As things wound down, riders played Catch Phrase and Trivial Pursuit before happily nodding off to sleep.


-Matt Sack, Leader P2SF08

Today was our last ?_~long?_T day for the trip at ~94 miles. As has been customary recently we rose early and were on the road by 7 am. After fighting a stiff headwind yester