Yes, We are still going

So there comes a time in any grand adventure when you become so immersed in the experience that all remnants of the real world dissolve into a far dark corner of your mind. It is there that my blog has resided the last few weeks.

But yes, we are still riding and the trip has continued to be incredible. A shout out to the Prescott Area Habitat and Thrivent Build crew for reminding me of all of those who read my blog. And a special THANK YOU also for the delicious chocolates :). Part of the reason for my absence can may be attributed to the personal journal I have been keeping for every day of this trip. Additionally, I have been collecting "life stories" on our bike rides, which has somewhat replaced my bios that I had been writing. It has been great to hear in depth descriptions of people's lives up until this point. It is amazing how all the pieces of what you know about someone fall into place when you really understand where they are coming from and where they have been.

Anywho now I am back, and surprisingly, we are nearly to California!! Currently we are in Wickenburg, Arizona. You could say we are in the middle of the desert. I saw my first real giant cactus today, a moment I had been waiting for. But let me back up and sum up a bit of what has been happening in the last few states.

Oklahoma and Kansas- WHEAT. Lots and lots of golden wheat fields as far as the eye can see. Full vision consumed by wheat and sky. We had our first taste of the west when we stopped by a Rodeo on our way to Ponca City, OK where we met a women's ranch rodeo champion and talked with her about all of the challenging events she competed in. In Coldwater, KS, Sami and I enjoyed a drink with some locals and learned about tractor racing. We camped out there by a lake, which was fun but HOT. We rode into town and the bank sign read 104 degrees. Perhaps the only thing that was not fun about OK and KS was the wind. Headwinds are absolutely terrible. But the one day we had a tailwind into Dodge City was great!

Colorado- BEAUTIFUL. Colorado was amazing. We conquered the rockies and the western atmosphere seeped even more into our adventures. We stayed on a Ranch in Chico Basin, where we drove 10+ miles across gravel and sand (I learned quickly how to ride fishtails). Once there, we enjoyed a herd of horses that galloped past our tents just as a beautiful rainbow crossed the sky. A picture book. However, the ranch day also marked the beginning of THE SICKNESS, a nasty virus that ultimately claimed the health of about 12 of our riders. Luckily I escaped unscathed and everyone was better withing a few days. We had 2 build days in Colorado Springs, where we built a foundation of a home. Another group of Bike and Builders intended to come in and complete the home over several days, but sadly rumor has it that complications may have prevented that from happening. The next several days were a string of difficult rides, but gorgeous scenery. Buena Vista was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. One one decent, the scene was so huge and magnificent I could have sworn ancient Greek Gods were about to descend from the heavens. We had a day off in Gunnison after we climbed up Monarch Pass at 11,312 feet- our highest elevation!(see top photo) There, a group of us went rafting, which was a ton of fun. I had my first major "bonking" experience the next day into Ridgway. That was definitely my most difficult ride of the trip. I was ready to breakdown at the end, primarily due to a really long day and intense headwinds in the last 20 miles. Those really mess with your head. But then I had a pretty good ride into Durango on the fourth of july, and we all enjoyed an entertaining fireworks display and night out on the town. I took a much needed rest day in Durango after several days of climbing mountains.

Utah- We were rerouted from the original route to Bluff, UT and spent a day in the state. We camped again, and caught our first sights of the DESERT. Brian, Marcus and I did a little rock climbing/scrambling and reached the top of some giant rocks with a lookout over a watering hole that some of us went swimming in.

Arizona- We are in Arizona now. We started out in Kayenta, which was a gorgeous ride with beautiful red rocks and awesome descents that lasted for miles. There were several where I cruised along at 30+ mph for minutes at a time. The expansive stretches of sand, grass and rock contained the most unbelievable range of colors. The complimentary color pairs were what impressed me the most- purple next to yellow, green next to red, orange next to blue. I love it. Then we saw the Grand Canyon. And what can I say; it was grand and it was a freakin big canyon. The views from that day and the feeling of riding 25 miles along the rim are memories I will remember forever. After the canyon, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Arizona has beautiful wooded mountains! If you are at all like me, and have not traveled to Arizona before, you may have had the same mental image I had of lots of dust and sand. But we have also had the first rain we have had in a while here! go figure.

Anyway, that is what we have been up to in "brief"! I best be going now because Joe needs the computer. I'll try to update again soon with the happenings of our final week. Can't believe we have come so far.

Nearly Halfway Already?!!!

I can hardly believe it but we are well into out trip and should be reaching our halfway point in just a matter of days!! I believe we have done about 1600 miles to date since we left Nags Head, NC. And since then we have also had 7 build days. It has been the most incredible summer so far.

Each day is a new adventure, from rainstorms, to taking fu(ny) pictures and playing silly games, meeting new people, experiencing small town life and sometimes big city stresses. I can not imagine a better way to see this beautiful country. I am just beginning to understand the love of cycling. Each day now, rather than convincing myself to pick myself up out of bed, I wake up excited to ride my bike. And if I must say so myself, I am getting pretty darn good at it. I no longer have to stop on big hills, I can clip in and out of my pedals- no problem. I can navigate the road, predicting pavement patterns and can communicate effectively with other riders.

I am even learning tricks of the trade to read the land. I do occasionally pull out my old teachings from Outward Bound when we are in the mountains, such as reading land features to see if we have reached our highest elevation. However, i am also learning how to read man. For example, water towers often signify a high elevation, and railroad tracks probably indicate stretches of flat land. It all comes from experience, like many things in life. I find I am learning more than I could ever imagine on this trip, and I am continually amazed at just how diverse America is, both in land and people.

I will have to share more specific stories and some more rider profiles soon, but I believe we are taking a spontaneous adventure down to the lake by Grove, Oklahoma. It is just outside the church we are staying at! I'll write again soon!

A Day of Rest and Learning

Today was our first day off in Memphis, TN. My experience of Memphis has been very different from the rest of the state, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Last night we explored a bit of the night life on Beale street. I was one of 5 lucky bike and builders who arrived in style, stepping from our friend Dre's tricked out car. Our ears were ringing a bit from the blaring music (which we chose over the videos that could have played on tvs installed in the back of the two front seats), but I couldn't stop grinning. Dre told us, "I could turn it down but it would still be loud." It was the sweetest ride I've ever taken in a car. Dre is one of the original Beale Street Flipperz, but now primarily raps. He is a pretty neat guy and very nice.

In the city, we roamed the brick street lined with neon lights advertising blues and booze. We settled on the Rum Boogie Cafe and saw an awesome live performance by a local band. They were really impressive. I immersed myself in the musical genius their fingers created and savored the jazzy goodness over french fries. After the band finished though, I headed back to our host pretty early to ensure a full nights sleep.

Today, Josh, Ray, Amy, and I spent the day exploring Memphis's contemporary culture and rich history. We had breakfast at a local diner before conquering the Memphis public transit system. Getting downtown started out a bit rocky, but we figured it out and made it to town without any troubles. We even talked with Larry, a local, and told him about Bike and Build. He was interested and impressed with what we were doing, and helped us find the trolley to take to the Civil Right Museum.

The Museum was great and extremely comprehensive! It was a new experience for me to see the entire civil rights movement from slaver to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr laid out before me. The displays covered full rooms. I learned a lot about key people in the movement, some I had heard of and some I had not. We also watched a documentary about the assassination of MLK. Prior to today, I was not aware that he had been killed in Memphis. Somehow I had forgotten that detail since we had studied it in High School. The Lorraine Hotel he had been staying at and where he was shot, has been converted into the Civil Rights Museum. However, much of the room and scene from the shooting have been replicated to resemble that fateful day.

After the museum we successfully navigated the bus system again and made it back to our host in time to check out the local BBQ joint- Central Barbecue. Ribs and a cola was exactly what I needed after a long hot day. Tomorrow we hit the road again with a 70ish mile day I believe. We will be crossing two state lines tomorrow! we will dip down into Mississippi for a little bit before crossing into Arkansas. For this, we will be WALKING our bikes over the Mississippi river! (Apparently there is a lot of glass on the bridge.)


Meet Josh Stutte

I have been privileged enough to ride a few days with Josh or "Stutte," (pronounced "stootee" ). Josh is one of the people I have had many serious and meaningful conversations with on this trip. I always appreciate hearing his perspective on debates or issues and have already learned a lot from him. (His name is also fun to place into popular songs...a routine bike and build activity.)

Not a day goes by when Josh does not proclaim his excitement about Bike and Build, its mission, and of course, about riding his bike. He he loves physical challenges. He participates in everything from marathons and triathalons, to long distance cycling or soccer. He once rode 120 miles in one day, just to pick up some mail at his school, what I would call economic travel to the max. I don't think we will be riding that far in one day on this trip, but it definitely a feat to aspire too.

Josh is from Titusville, Florida, or so he claims it as his home. He was actually born in Maryland but moved to Florida with his parents and older brother John when he was very young. Josh just graduated from Stetson University with a degree in the Humanities. Josh and I often talk about issues surrounding social justice and religious studies. He has mentioned to me that he is fascinated in religion "because it plays such a huge factor in what people do and how they act", which is a fact I am discovering to be true even throughout this trip.

Tennessee!

I apologize for the long time lapse between posts. Things seem to be going fast and slow at the same time lately. It is hard to believe we are nearly 1000 miles into our journey and have already passed into the Central time zone! To add to the remoteness of this journey- on top of stolen laptops and patchy internet access, my phone has now ceased to work as well. So, for any of you who may try to contact me- stick to email or facebook for the next week or so!

Anyways, this week has been really interesting. After some amazing days on the Blue Ridge Parkway (and HUGE climbs), we coasted our way into Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I would not argue with the notion that Gatlinburg is the "Myrtle Beach of the Mountains." We will just say it was not our favorite city, which might have had something to do with the fact that we could not even bike through town because of the Memorial Day traffic and piles of pedestrians. We camped in tents that night though, and I will say that was the best night of sleep I have received yet. It was very tough to get up in the morning with the restful sound of rain outside.

I have not spent much time in Tennessee before, so I am learning a lot about the culture of my neighbors. One of the first experiences we had in Tennessee was a build day in Maryville. As unique as its southern pronunciation, Maryville showed us a good time. From carpeted basketball courts to NASCAR themed bowling alleys, we have tasted a southern experience unknown to most, even us North Carolinians. Perhaps the most special part of our time in Maryville was when we were able to complete an entire floor structuring for Stephanie, a new home owner we met and built with. She was very appreciative of our help and told us about her two children. It was a moment that reminded us all of why we are on this trip.

Other memorable moments from Tennessee include many long rides and some slow talkers. Sometimes I feel as if I have stepped smack into the middle of a country song, being played out right before my eyes. It has definitely been an eye-opening few days. It is a wonder just how far away some people live from even basic commodities. We have passed an immense number of yard sales in the last few days, which are located in the most far out places and set up at crazy times, like 11am on a Wednesday. It makes me wonder if these yard sales are a common shopping choice for some of these households? I don't know, but like I said, it has been interesting.

Sweetwater, TN was probably one of my favorite places we have been to so far. The people were extremely friendly and we had an incredible pot luck dinner that stretched on and on and on. And they loaded us up with cookies and pound cake to go! It was a short ride into Sweetwater, so a two and a half hour nap was another highlight of that day. I don't know if I've ever felt so refreshed after a nap before. I felt like a new person.

We stayed at the National Guard Armory in Dunlap, TN last night, which was a really neat host site with very friendly hosts. And tonight we are in Winchester, TN, probably the biggest city we have been to since Gatlinburg. It was a beastly steep climb over Daus Mountain this morning, but an easy afternoon of rollers after lunch. We did a little exploration around downtown this afternoon, making a bit of a stir across town. Thirty two casual young adults roaming in flocks can do that pretty easily I've found. Speaking of roaming, we have seen lots of awesome cow and horse farms in the last few days which has been super entertaining, at least for me!

Okay, I know I haven't done bios in a while, so here is one!

Sami Feld


( Sami is on the left, Cathleen is on the Right)

I believe Sami and I have a lot in common. What I love most about Sami is her desire to help people, and her great smile that reaches all the way up to her eyes. Sami just graduated from NYU with a degree in Public Health. Like myself, she is considering graduate school for public health, or possibly social work. Sami grew up in the San Francisco Bay area in California with her parents, sister Zoe, and dog Buddy, who is an adorable bichon frise. Yes, the fuzzy white yippie dogs. VERY cute, I saw pictures. Her Dad is a doctor and mother was a nurse. AND her sister is headed on a pre-med track at Barnard at Columbia. Naturally, Sami comes from a giving family.

Sami has had some very interesting passions and jobs over the last few years. She has worked with the Clinton foundation, ran a program at NYU which focused on diminishing waste in dining halls by distributing leftoovers to homeless shelters, and even helped set up chicken coops in low income community gardens with an organization called Just Food. The eggs these chickens laid were sold at farmers markets as a source of income for the local families. I got to see some pretty awesome photos from this job too. Sami holding a chicken = GREAT. She has also been active in promoting awareness for the call to free the hikers who are currently being detained in Iran. Her friend Josh Fattal has been detained in Iran since July 31, 2009, when news reports say they accidentally crossed an unmarked border during a hiking trip in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. You can find out more at www.freethehikers.org.

And that's Sami!

Okay I should let someone else use our computer now. But before I do, just one more shout out! One of the guys on our trip, Myles, is competing in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge by entering Bike and Build as a Cause. And he is in the top 150! PLEASE REGISTER AND VOTE ONLINE SO WE CAN GET ANOTHER $5000 FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING! Once you register, you can vote once a day from now until the end of the competition on June 30th. Check it out! www.refresheverything.com/bikeandbuild

A Beautiful Ride

We are currently spending some time in Asheville for our second session of build days. It has been a nice break for our bodies. And it came at a pretty opportune time because I'm not sure how much more my body could take! The last few days have been the hardest we will probably have all summer. On Wednesday, we climbed 6100 feet to complete a very difficult 80 mile ride. However, it was also one of the most beautiful rides I will probably have. We spent 65 of the 80 miles riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The climbs were challenging, but the views were totally worth it. It was great to watch the mountains change from the foggy valleys of the morning, to the hot and muggy late morning, and finally to the cooler afternoon, when we reached our highest elevation. What was particularly cool, was recognizing some of the land features, rivers, and points of interest from my time with Outward Bound last summer. We saw Table Rock, crossed over Wilson Creek, and even biked up most of Mt. Mitchell!

It took us hours to climb up the mountains, but just minutes to soar down them. It was incredible to feel the turns and the speed. After averaging a whopping 4 or 5 mph going up hills, it was great to feel the thrill of several minutes of downhill. On most of the downhill sections, I fluctuated between 25 and 35 mph for stretches of 2 to 12 miles. It was exhilarating for sure. The only part that was a bit scary was this long construction zone where there were too many pot holes to even yell out to those behind you. You basically went in and hoped for the best!

The build days have been relaxed, and I learned how to put in windows with Joe and Daniel.

But my internet time is running out so have to go! Love you all, and will upload photos as soon as I get to a computer capable of it!

Shortest Blog Post Ever

Hey this will be brief because I HAVE to go to bed. Today we climbed a mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was ridiculous. And gorgeous. Annnnd I'm exhausted. There is not much more to say. Pictures will be coming soon, so stay tuned because they are AWESOME.

Love you all and will be in touch!

Playing Catch Up (May 24th)

So, I haven’t written in a few days and that is for two reasons, one good and one bad. First, I have been so crazy busy and exhausted I simply haven’t had time to sit down for more than a few minutes to even reflect on the past week! Second, my laptop was stolen in Chapel Hill. Soooo, that means my posts may be a bit fewer and farther in between than I had originally hoped. But other than that, this summer has continued to be amazing. It seems like I have been with this group of people for months, not days. Together we have already biked until we no longer know what a “normal” butt feels like, built homes for more than 15 hours, and made fools of ourselves in innumerable ways.

We spent several days this weekend in the place I will forever call home: Chapel Hill, NC. Luckily, I was able to see some of my roommates from this year and enjoy some sweet showers from at our house, which involved cramming 3 tall young men and me into the passenger seats of Amy’s mustang. I also saw some of my other good friends who even came and cooked for our pot luck dinner! Thanks so much to you all. You are awesome and I love you!

On my first build days of the summer, I continued to learn the art of vinyl siding. I even learned how to use a new saw, though I can’t remember the name. It’s the one that you push on straight lines with a spinning circle blade. Yea, that one. I also got to hammer in some tar paper to help waterproof a roof. The sun was really hot up there! But an afternoon shower cooled us all off. We all really felt a sense of accomplishment when we saw the tangible results of a hard day’s work. Some of our group even had the opportunity to see a dedication of a completed home. I did not attend, but I heard that it was extremely touching and the new home owners even played songs and provided food for their guests.

True to its name, with Chapel Hill came the start of the rolling Piedmont. The last two days have been really tough. Everyone is sore and exhausted. Yesterday we completed a 84 mile up and down ride into Winston Salem, and some long gradual hills rounded out a 63 mile ride this morning. A nasty headwind prevented us from getting up much speed, which added to my fatigue. But, after some delicious meals, once again we were all up and at them when we got into Taylorsville tonight, where many of us rallied up a fierce few games of Knock-Out in the church gym.

And now, introducing (in brief):

Ray Antonelli

Ray is probably one of the people I’ve gotten to know the best so far this summer. We rode together today and often play cards or have good conversations in the evenings about everything from childhood obsessions about lemurs or airplanes to discussions about families, people, school, or simply sharing our perspectives on today’s society.
Ray is a hard worker with a big heart and even bigger smile! He grew up in Pittsboro, NC with his parents and sister Rayanne (all of whom I met briefly in Chapel Hill!). His dad and sister work at Nice Price Books in Carrboro, NC, which is very close to where I lived this year. Spending time in and working at a bookstore is one of the many jobs I aspire to have one day. I don’t think there are many things cooler than working in a book shop- so many stories, so much knowledge.

Ray will be a senior next year at NC State University where he is studying biochemistry. He hopes to go to medical school in the years following undergrad to become (possibly) a primary physician (though it is the scientific parts of medicine that most interest him). And with his baller MCAT scores and GPA, I have no doubts he will be successful. And so cheerful is Ray, in fact, that he has picked up the nickname “Sunshine.” And indeed, I believe he brings a Ray of sunshine to our group each day.