After 9 days and over 700 hundred miles, I am finally sitting here at the base of the Rocky Mountains enjoying the knowledge that I will not be waking up at 5:30 to ride my bike for 6 hours. I could not be more excited to finally be in Colorado. This last week has been incredibly taxing, but all of the stress and fatigue melted away when we got our first glimpse of the mountains on the horizon.
Yesterday night we camped out at the Chico Basin Ranch in Eastern Colorado. The Ranch was a 86,000 acre ranch and wildlife reserve. The ride leading into the ranch was one of our most difficult/exciting rides of the trip. Of the 80 miles, we had to ride over 20 miles on hard packed gravel and dirt roads. While our road bikes are wonderful machines, traversing long distances on extremely slick and rough roads are not something that they are designed to do. Carbon is not exactly the best at absorbing shock. There were countless close calls, but I was able to make it through the motocross style ride in one piece. After getting through the initial gravel section, we were graced with well paved roads until we got to the entrance of the ranch. After we crossed the entrance of the ranch, we were greeted to wide open pastures, livestock, and more cow pies that I would care to remember. We had to stop numerous times to allow stubborn cows to meander their way out of the road.
Once we got to the patch of land that was least covered in ragweed and cacti, we set up our tents and proceeded to do camping things, i.e. lounging, reading, admiring the landscape, and peeing outside. The day was capped off with an absolutely stunning sunset over Pikes Peak. Standing in an open field with the wind whipping, and watching one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed, I felt a surge of energy and a revitalization for this trip and for the adventure that I am on. I have been fearing that I have build up Colorado to much in my mind, but from the wave of excitment and the way that the past few days have been going, it seems that everything is shaping to be quite an exciting two weeks.
Our group has been hit with a wave of what we have affectionately dubbed "the sickness." The sickness has arose out of a combination of lack of sleep, extreme fatigue, lack of proper nutrition, a rise in altitude, and living in extremely close proximity with 31 other people. This one is going to be quite a bear to combat. Luckily, I have been able to skirt around falling prey to this awful fate. Hopefully I can stay healthy for our two build days here in Colorado Springs.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Well, hello there Kansas
Just 8 hours ago I was sitting on my bike on a deserted road in the middle of Oklahoma roasting in 97 degree heat, battling a headwind, and dreading the 30 miles I still had to ride. No matter how much food I ate or how much water I drank, nothing was working to pick me up. I was spent. Totally exhausted. It is times like these that I truly love riding my bike. There is no downhill, no tail-wind and zero chance of either shade or cloud cover. It is just you and your bike. The ride pushes you to your mental and physical limits. Your body’s screaming for you to stop. Your brain begins to work just a little bit slow as fatigue sets in, but in the back of your mind you know that no matter how strong the wind, no matter how slow you pedal, each rotation brings you closer to the final goal.
Today I really felt like I was riding across the country. We rode 70 miles on one road due west. While enjoying a wonderful breakfast in Ponca City, we were treated to the knowledge that a local cyclist would be joining us on today’s ride. Chris Mudd is a local rider who just started cycling a few years back. The cycling community is Ponca City is far from thriving, so it was a thrill for both Chris and the entire Bike & Build group to be able to ride together. I was able to ride with Chris for a good part of the morning. We passed the time talking about, surprisingly, bike stuff. The cycling community has really come out to support our trip and it is nice to get some one on one time and hear the different stories that people have an the different paths that brought each of them to this wonderful sport.
Crossing Oklahoma has been a very eye opening experience. When I first saw that we were going to be crossing northern Oklahoma, I just expected to be looking at wheat and corn for 5 straight days. Now, don’t get me wrong, there has been a lot of wheat and corn, but I have been surprised at the variety of Oklahoma’s scenery. Today we passed though huge expanses of farm land, by large lakes, and through the salt plains. Each had its own appeal and distinctive draw. The farm land is incredibly impressive. As we ride our bikes we are surrounded on all sides of these huge expanses of food that will end up in all corners of the United States.
As difficult as today was, I am excited to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. Tomorrow will be long, hot, and windy. I can’t wait.
Today I really felt like I was riding across the country. We rode 70 miles on one road due west. While enjoying a wonderful breakfast in Ponca City, we were treated to the knowledge that a local cyclist would be joining us on today’s ride. Chris Mudd is a local rider who just started cycling a few years back. The cycling community is Ponca City is far from thriving, so it was a thrill for both Chris and the entire Bike & Build group to be able to ride together. I was able to ride with Chris for a good part of the morning. We passed the time talking about, surprisingly, bike stuff. The cycling community has really come out to support our trip and it is nice to get some one on one time and hear the different stories that people have an the different paths that brought each of them to this wonderful sport.
Crossing Oklahoma has been a very eye opening experience. When I first saw that we were going to be crossing northern Oklahoma, I just expected to be looking at wheat and corn for 5 straight days. Now, don’t get me wrong, there has been a lot of wheat and corn, but I have been surprised at the variety of Oklahoma’s scenery. Today we passed though huge expanses of farm land, by large lakes, and through the salt plains. Each had its own appeal and distinctive draw. The farm land is incredibly impressive. As we ride our bikes we are surrounded on all sides of these huge expanses of food that will end up in all corners of the United States.
As difficult as today was, I am excited to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. Tomorrow will be long, hot, and windy. I can’t wait.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Arkansas
185 miles in two days sandwitched between build days. Needless to day, this is not the happiest that my body has ever been with me.
We did deconstruction on a house our build day in Little Rock. A homeowner was refurbishing his house and had contacted Habitat for Humanity to donate much of the furnishings. We spent the day taking out carpets, doors, molding, and appliances which will all be donated to Habitat and sold in their Restore. The family was very thankful and showed their appreciation by getting us access to the community swimming pool after our work day was finished. The pool was a great break and a lot of fun, especially considering the 102 mile day that was looming ahead of us.
That night I took steps to mentally prepare myself for the long day that lay ahead. I knew my body could hold up, but going to bed knowing that I would spend the lion's share of the next day sitting in the saddle still had me a bit worried.
After a 4:30 wake up and a hearty breakfast, I set out for the day. Nature was not going to cut us any breaks and within a few hours the temperatures has risen to upwards to 90 degrees. At its peak, we were riding in temperatures off 100 degrees. Myself and a few other riders have nicknamed that day the double-century. As the we continue to head west and our mileage continues to increase, that may not be the last double century that we encounter.
That night we stayed in college dorms in Clarksville. dorms were very nice, but we did not have quite enough beds. I'm sure the riders in the tour de France don't have to sleep on a love-seat when they are in the middle of a stage race. What is the nonsense that I signed up for? The ride into Fayetteville was a 85 mile ride which took us over the Ozark Mountains. The mountains were a good change of pace from the past few days of long, flat roads. I woke up extremely sore the morning of the ride, but after only a few miles in I was feeling great. I rode the first half of the route on my own and was one of the first riders into lunch. After lunch I caught up with Jeremy and Daniel and rode into town. I was eager to get into town to see my dad (who failed miserably at surprising me), Uncles, and cousins. After driving around town with my uncle and have a few memories from my childhood replayed in my mind, we went back to the host church for dinner and a presentation.
At the church I got to meet the homeowners of a future Habitat house. Patti and her daughter Rose were both sharp as a tack. They had me on my heels from the first minute and had me cracking up throughout the hour conversation that I had with her. The appreciation that she had for the work that we were doing on her house was like nothing I have seen before. She was just so excited to be able to have a home that was hers and that she could leave to her children when she passed away. Our work really does have a dramatic effect on real people, and even if we don't always get to see the direct result, we are helping to change these people's lives.
Tomorrow we are crossing into Oklahoma. Lots of long, flat, windy miles ahead of us.
We did deconstruction on a house our build day in Little Rock. A homeowner was refurbishing his house and had contacted Habitat for Humanity to donate much of the furnishings. We spent the day taking out carpets, doors, molding, and appliances which will all be donated to Habitat and sold in their Restore. The family was very thankful and showed their appreciation by getting us access to the community swimming pool after our work day was finished. The pool was a great break and a lot of fun, especially considering the 102 mile day that was looming ahead of us.
That night I took steps to mentally prepare myself for the long day that lay ahead. I knew my body could hold up, but going to bed knowing that I would spend the lion's share of the next day sitting in the saddle still had me a bit worried.
After a 4:30 wake up and a hearty breakfast, I set out for the day. Nature was not going to cut us any breaks and within a few hours the temperatures has risen to upwards to 90 degrees. At its peak, we were riding in temperatures off 100 degrees. Myself and a few other riders have nicknamed that day the double-century. As the we continue to head west and our mileage continues to increase, that may not be the last double century that we encounter.
That night we stayed in college dorms in Clarksville. dorms were very nice, but we did not have quite enough beds. I'm sure the riders in the tour de France don't have to sleep on a love-seat when they are in the middle of a stage race. What is the nonsense that I signed up for? The ride into Fayetteville was a 85 mile ride which took us over the Ozark Mountains. The mountains were a good change of pace from the past few days of long, flat roads. I woke up extremely sore the morning of the ride, but after only a few miles in I was feeling great. I rode the first half of the route on my own and was one of the first riders into lunch. After lunch I caught up with Jeremy and Daniel and rode into town. I was eager to get into town to see my dad (who failed miserably at surprising me), Uncles, and cousins. After driving around town with my uncle and have a few memories from my childhood replayed in my mind, we went back to the host church for dinner and a presentation.
At the church I got to meet the homeowners of a future Habitat house. Patti and her daughter Rose were both sharp as a tack. They had me on my heels from the first minute and had me cracking up throughout the hour conversation that I had with her. The appreciation that she had for the work that we were doing on her house was like nothing I have seen before. She was just so excited to be able to have a home that was hers and that she could leave to her children when she passed away. Our work really does have a dramatic effect on real people, and even if we don't always get to see the direct result, we are helping to change these people's lives.
Tomorrow we are crossing into Oklahoma. Lots of long, flat, windy miles ahead of us.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Making headway
We are over a third of the way across the country. Looking our route tracker is beginning to become far more impressive. In just a few days we are going to have crossed into our fourth state.
Our first day not spent biking or building was just a few days ago in Memphis, TN. Memphis was a really powerful experience. The day that we got in we were invited to an Urban Salon hosted by a professor of urban development and a few individuals who are highly involved in working work affordable housing initiatives in the city. The organizations differ from any of the other programs that we have worked with. One of the speakers was from United Housing, Inc. The organization focuses their efforts on buying up foreclosed houses, fixing them up, and then selling them to families at a very affordable price and low mortgage rate. The speakers were very well informed and were eager to answer any question that we may have had.
Today's build day was a lot of fun. Tomorrow we have our longest ride day of the trip. 101 miles. I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep before our hard day tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Memphis TN
After seven straight days of riding, we are all looking forward to our first off day of the trip. This past week has been tough both mentally and physically, but on the whole all of riders are holding up remarkably well. Aside from the usually aches, pains, and sore behinds our rag tag band of cyclists are doing amazing.
We have definitely had some interesting experiences in this past week. In Dunlap, TN we were hosted by at the Tennessee National Guard armory. The armed forces are definitely not known for their interior design abilities. Quite drab if I do say so myself. In Polaski we were fortunate to be able to stay in a college dorm. It is a funny thing how three weeks of sleeping on the floors of church gyms can make a bare mattress in a tiny dorm room seem like the Ritz Carlton.
Form all sides, Polaski was amazing. I was late getting to the host sight and was greeted by a local cycling club who had volunteered to clean and tune up our bikes. Everyone worked tirelessly until all of the bikes were in top working order. You would be surprised about how much gunk accumulates in the nooks and crannies of a road bike. As much as the riders try to keep our bikes clean, it is often times difficult to find the time and energy to show our bikes the love that they deserve. The help was greatly appreciated. After the bike clean-fest, we all went to the major's house for a pool side BBQ. The mayor and all of the local riders were incredibly friendly and the entire evening was very relaxing and fun.
Tonight we have the privilege of having a roundtable meeting with some students and professors from the University of Memphis to discuss the affordable housing situation in Memphis, and in Tennessee as a whole. This is an amazing opportunity that our leaders have set up for us. Cycling is a large aspect of our trip, but is not the main focus. We are all here to learn as much as we can about the affordable housing crisis in the United States and to think about these issues from a number of different perspectives. Through our rides, we have been able to see first hand the devastating effect that the housing crisis has had on small towns and communities. Many of the small towns that have hosted us and provided us with amazing meals have average incomes well below the national and state average, but have nonetheless donated their time and money to help us complete and excel in our journey. We owe it ourselves, our donors, and everyone that we meet across the country to give ourselves wholly to this cause and the help combat the affordable housing crisis in this country.
Tomorrow's rest day will give us all a new vigor and boost to continue into our third state. Arkansas here we come.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Crossed our first state line
It is official, we have biked our way across North Carolina. It is odd to think that we have come so far, and still have so much more in front of us. The riding has been amazing in the past few days. We have had some extremely rewarding (aka difficult) climbs in the past few days which have really tested all of the riders. Reaching the North Carolina Tennessee boarder after a 4 hour climb made the crossing a little bit more special. Not only did we cycle across our first state, but we had to work our butts off to do it.
It is really exciting to see the scenery change so quickly as we are riding. Coming out of the Appalachian mountains into the foot hills of Tennessee has been such a dramatic change. We have stayed predominantly on back country roads which gives us the opportunity to see some amazing farm lands and car traffic has been low. However, I was unaware that in order to live in Tennessee one is required to own a dog with a deep seeded hatred for cyclists. I am not sure which is worse, angry drivers or angry dogs.
The highlight of this past week had to have been our Build Day in Maryville, TN. All 32 of the riders were able to work on the same work site and we put in the flooring of a house in a single day. The build was made special by the fact that the future homeowner, Stephanie, was working on her house as well. Getting to see the impact that our work had on her, and her holding back tears at the end of the days was extremely powerful. The opportunity to interact with the homeowners in both Asheville and Maryville pushes the riders to work a little bit harder during the builds.
Today's ride has been my most enjoyable ride in Tennessee thus far. Only 3 miles into the day we began to climb Daus Mountain. A short but formidable climb. In less than 3 miles we climbed about 2000 feet and pushing our way up a 10% grade. Many of the riders, including myself, talked about how the could feel their rear wheel struggling to find traction on the wet asphalt. The climb was one of the steepest that we have encounter thus far, which made reaching the summit the top all the more exhilarating. Daus Mountain in a large plateau, so we rode about 25 miles before enjoying the fast descent. After lunch, myself and two other riders cruised into the host site at a good clip, talking and laughing the whole way. Despite the climb, today's ride was extremely relaxing.
Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised with how well my body has been holding up to the rigorous activity. I have been able to remain injury free, and my legs haven't fallen off yet, so I am taking that as a good sign. Some of the other riders have been battling recurring injuries and lingering colds, but on the whole everyone is doing extremely well. Unfortunately, this morning we had to say goodbye to one of our riders who has been experiencing problems with his achilles tenants. The recurring pain had just become to much and he was unable to continue with the trip. Saying goodbye this morning was extremely difficult and riding today with one less rider just didn't feel right. Hopefully, he will be able to take some time to recover and meet back up with us later on in the trip.
It is really exciting to see the scenery change so quickly as we are riding. Coming out of the Appalachian mountains into the foot hills of Tennessee has been such a dramatic change. We have stayed predominantly on back country roads which gives us the opportunity to see some amazing farm lands and car traffic has been low. However, I was unaware that in order to live in Tennessee one is required to own a dog with a deep seeded hatred for cyclists. I am not sure which is worse, angry drivers or angry dogs.
The highlight of this past week had to have been our Build Day in Maryville, TN. All 32 of the riders were able to work on the same work site and we put in the flooring of a house in a single day. The build was made special by the fact that the future homeowner, Stephanie, was working on her house as well. Getting to see the impact that our work had on her, and her holding back tears at the end of the days was extremely powerful. The opportunity to interact with the homeowners in both Asheville and Maryville pushes the riders to work a little bit harder during the builds.
Today's ride has been my most enjoyable ride in Tennessee thus far. Only 3 miles into the day we began to climb Daus Mountain. A short but formidable climb. In less than 3 miles we climbed about 2000 feet and pushing our way up a 10% grade. Many of the riders, including myself, talked about how the could feel their rear wheel struggling to find traction on the wet asphalt. The climb was one of the steepest that we have encounter thus far, which made reaching the summit the top all the more exhilarating. Daus Mountain in a large plateau, so we rode about 25 miles before enjoying the fast descent. After lunch, myself and two other riders cruised into the host site at a good clip, talking and laughing the whole way. Despite the climb, today's ride was extremely relaxing.
Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised with how well my body has been holding up to the rigorous activity. I have been able to remain injury free, and my legs haven't fallen off yet, so I am taking that as a good sign. Some of the other riders have been battling recurring injuries and lingering colds, but on the whole everyone is doing extremely well. Unfortunately, this morning we had to say goodbye to one of our riders who has been experiencing problems with his achilles tenants. The recurring pain had just become to much and he was unable to continue with the trip. Saying goodbye this morning was extremely difficult and riding today with one less rider just didn't feel right. Hopefully, he will be able to take some time to recover and meet back up with us later on in the trip.
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