Getting geared up....literally

Yesterday and today were the first two days of my Bike and Build adventure! So far, we have been dressed, fitted, drilled, and thrown into a pile of exciting information about the journey in front of us. I now know how to change a flat tire, for instance! (very important). We kicked off the weekend with some rules, basic bike maintenance instruction, and ice breaker games. And last night we had a fantastic late night jaunt across, over, and through some rather large sand dunes.

If you did not know, there are about 33 of us. So there are a lot of names to learn! It is my goal to meet up with each and every one of my crew mates and get to know each throughout this summer. And so in order to ensure this happens, I am going to attempt to write mini profiles about each of my new friends, with one or two included with each of my entries. Today I am starting with Andrew Linville.

Andrew Linville
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Andrew is a BFG. (Thats a "big friendly giant for all of you non Roald Dahl fanatics). Meaning, Andrew is very tall and very nice. I had the privilege of riding (in a car) from Chapel Hill to Nags Head with him and my Dad. Andrew has spent the last two years of school at Davidson College, but has spent most of his life in the lovely New York City. He has one brother and some pretty smart parents. With a father who has been a lawyer and a mother who has her own landscaping business, it is no wonder he is such an observant and thoughtful person. I found it especially impressive that, as a sophomore, he has lead several outdoor trips for Davidson students, including pre-orientation trips for incoming Freshman last summer. Coincidentally, my NC Outward Bound crew ran into one of these such groups on the French Broad River. I remember because they had awesome big red canoes that said "Davidson" on the side. I look forward to getting to know Andrew even more over the coming weeks! Below is a photo of him helping paint our van that will hold all of our stuff this summer. You can read more about Andrew on his bio page: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/3713

From Bike and Build (North Carolina)

Today we also biked from Nags Head to the Bodie Island Lighthouse. The short 20 miles rounded me up to my 500 pre-trip milage, and we even learned a little of NC coastal history. For instance, did you know that the lighthouses are meant to be constructed very close to 40 miles apart from each other so the ships would be able to see both as the reached the shore? Even so, it is incredible how many ships have been claimed by the OBX. After that, we biked to some public showers and after a dip in the ocean and a scrubily bubbly, we stopped on the way home for ice cream.I had some german chocolate and coffee ice cream...mmmmm.

From Bike and Build (North Carolina)

Well, I best get going to dinner!

FAQs and Departure Details!!

Total Funds Raised: $7322.42
Total Miles on my New Bike: 480 miles
Longest Ride to date: 50 miles

So the time has come. I am less than 48 hours from my Bike and Build Orientation in Nags Head, NC! And so, I would like to leave you all with some answers to the most frequently asked questions I get about my Bike and Build adventure, as well as some ways to keep in touch!

Frequently Asked Questions

When do you leave and how long is your trip?
My adventure starts Friday, May 14th at 2pm at Nags Head, NC, and will commence on July 22nd in San Diego California. Therefore, I will be gone for about 10 weeks. (see the end of the FAQs for a more detailed schedule)

How many miles do you average a day?
I will start out with shorter rides, but grow to average about 75 miles a day.

Where do you stay at night?
Along the way we will stay in churches, synagogues, schools, YMCAs, campgrounds, community centers, and more that are prearranged by our Trip Leaders. These hospitable hosts will arrange for showering facilities and introduce us to the local food and culture.

That all sounds great! Will I be able to keep in touch with you while you are away?!
Yes!! And here are three easy ways to keep in touch with me!

1) This Blog.
I will do my best to update it frequently, so be sure to keep checking back. If you would like nifty e-mail notifications when I update my blog please e-mail me at iamroshon@gmail.com to let me know you would like to be added to my mailing list.

2)Letters!
If you want to send me letters and/or packages (a ticket to eternal friendship), you can mail them to designated "mail drops" which we will roll by about once a week. Be sure to check the dates of these drops as we will not be turning back around to pick up any stragglers. The dates and addresses for my route are as follows:

Address to:

Bike & Build
Attn: Allison Young
General Delivery
STREET ADDRESS (if noted)
CITY, ST ZIP

May 20
Chapel Hill NC, 27514
May 26
Downtown Asheville 28802
June 03
Dunlap, TN 37327
June 10
Brinkley, AR 72021
June 17
Bartlesville, OK 74003
June 24
Lamar, CO 81052
July 01
Gunnison, CO 81230
July 08
Kayenta, AZ 86033
July 13
Prescott AZ 86301


3)Good ol' Cell Phone!
I will have my cell phone the entire time. And though reception may be patchy at times, I would LOVE to hear from you! 704.564.7984

Sweet! Are there any other places I can look to keep up with where you are and what you are doing?
There are a two other websites that may be handy in addition to my blog.
www.bikeandbuild.org - General Bike and Build Information
https://sites.google.com/a/bikeandbuild.org/nc2sd-2010-info-zone/ - the NC2SD Route website

And below is a more detailed description of where I will be and when.


05/14 Nags Head - NC 0
05/15 Nags Head - NC 0
05/16 Swanquarter - NC 66
05/17 Belhaven - NC 34
05/18 Greenville - NC 58
05/19 Wake Forest - NC 79
05/20 Chapel Hill - NC 39


05/21 BUILD DAY 0
05/22 BUILD DAY 0
05/23 Winston-Salem - NC 89
05/24 Taylorsville - NC 70
05/25 Newland - NC 65
05/26 Asheville - NC 79
05/27 BUILD DAY 0


05/28 BUILD DAY 0
05/29 Waynesville - NC 40
05/30 Gatlinburg - TN 60
05/31 Maryville - TN 45
06/1 BUILD DAY 0
06/2 Sweetwater - TN 39
06/3 Dunlap - TN 79


06/4 Winchester - TN 44
06/5 Pulaski - TN 85
06/6 Adamsville - TN 85
06/7 Bolivar - TN 38
06/8 Memphis - TN 56
06/9 DAY OFF 0
06/10 Brinkley - AR 91


06/11 Little Rock - AR 68
06/12 BUILD DAY 0
06/13 Clarksville - AR 101
06/14 Fayetteville - AR 89
06/15 BUILD DAY 0
06/16 Grove - OK 77
06/17 Bartlesville - OK 68


06/18 BUILD DAY 0
06/19 Ponca City - OK 71
06/20 Cherokee - OK 80
06/21 Coldwater - KS 89
06/22 Dodge City - KS 67
06/23 Garden City - KS 53
06/24 Lamar - CO 102


06/25 Rocky Ford - CO 75
06/26 Pueblo - CO 55
06/27 Colorado Springs - CO 70
06/28 BUILD DAY 0
06/29 BUILD DAY 0
06/30 Buena Vista - CO 102
07/1 Gunnison - CO 85


07/2 DAY OFF 0
07/3 Ridgeway - CO 101
07/4 Durango - CO 70
07/5 DAY OFF 0
07/6 Cortez - CO 45
07/7 Teec Nos Pos - AZ 65
07/8 Kayenta - AZ 58


07/9 Tuba City - AZ 75
07/10 Grand Canyon - AZ 78
07/11 DAY OFF 0
07/12 Williams - AZ 81
07/13 Prescott - AZ 70
07/14 BUILD DAY 0
07/15 BUILD DAY 0


07/16 Wickenburg - AZ 58
07/17 Wenden - AZ 48
07/18 Blythe - CA 65
07/19 Brawley - CA 88
07/20 Julian - CA 68
07/21 El Cajon - CA 49
07/22 SAN DIEGO - CA 31

Total Mileage: 3543


YAY! Ready or not, off I go!

Tubes and Wii Ski: An Anatomy Lesson

Total Funds Raised: $7262.42 (We did it!!!!!)
Total Miles on my New Bike: 300 miles
Longest Ride to date: 40 miles

Hey again! It is my greatest pleasure to report that we have reached my $7000 fund raising goal, and even surpassed it! What an amazing feat we have achieved, thank you all again for your support!

Unfortunately my training has not been quite as victorious in the last two weeks. Between traveling and a lingering cold, I haven't made it out on my bike as much as I would have liked since my last entry. However, I do not think I will have too much trouble reaching the required 500 miles. I do need to get in some Habitat builds though! It seems like they just have not coordinated with my schedule in the last few weeks.

However, I did finally buy the rest of my bike gear! I have never bought so much stuff that I had no idea how to use. But, I am now tuned up, equipped, and waterproofed for my cross country adventure. Slowly but surely I am also learning more about my bike. I even learned how to tuck going down hills from one of my leaders, Nate! He basically described it as finding a forward balance over your front tire, similar to placing the little red dot over the "speed spot" on the ski jump game on Wii fit. I found this to be a very amusing and somehow extremely appropriate analogy coming from Nate. And though I have not quite mastered getting my bootie on and off the seat for the most effective crouch position over the top tube (i'm learning my bike parts!), I did get up to a speed of 38 mph on one really big hill!!! I was exhilarated by the feeling of speed as I achieved tunnel vision, whizzing past blurred visions of trees. It was incredible.

If you want to learn more bike anatomy along with me, here is a diagram of a typical road bike:


Also, I know several people have asked me about the dates and places I will be traveling this summer. My journey begins May 14th and I will be traveling until July 22nd. Below is an image one of my leaders made of the route we will be taking this summer. It also has the names of all the people who are riding with me on a map over where they are from. I'll be posting a more detailed list of where we will be and when closer to our departure date.




You can also find out more about my ride at the NC2SD website our leaders made!

On a slightly unrelated note, I got a job with AmeriCorps for next year! Yay! I am very excited to announce that I will be living in Washington DC with four other ambitious young adult volunteers as a member of the Westmoreland Volunteer Corps. The Westmoreland United Church of Christ will provide housing and community support for the five of us while we each work with social service agencies in the DC area. I will more than likely be working at the Sasha Bruce House, a safe home for teens. It is all very exciting. If circumstances allow, I hope to keep a blog on my experiences there as well.

Anyway, I had best get back to school work. The traveling and cold have kept me from that for a while as well, so it is time to play catch up. Hope you are all well, and take care!

Seek the Joy of Being Alive

Total Funds Raised: $6, 572.42
(I'm so close to my $7000 goal! If you haven't donated yet, now is the time!)
Total Miles on my New Bike: 195 miles
Longest Ride to date: 40 miles

"Be joyful. Seek the joy of being alive"

This is my favorite of the woodcraft laws I learned many years ago at Green River Preserve. And it was this phrase that came to me as I was riding my bike on Sunday afternoon. As I pushed up an enormous hill, rain pelting my face and fierce winds threatening to roll me backwards or off the road, a somewhat gritted-teeth rendition of "Living on a prayer" carried me up and over. As I was finally able to sit up and coast down the hill, this phrase filled my head. seek the joy of being alive. I felt clean and fresh as I took in the beautiful multicolored sky, brushed by blues, purples and grays. Textured clouds moved quickly and I could feel the rain gathering in my shoes. Soggy feet and all, the experience was simply fantastic. I am thankful on every ride I take for the ability and the opportunity to do all that I do.

With all of the uncertainties about where I will be next year, it seems I am meeting more and more people who just don't seem to know what they might want in the long term. But I have also realized that it really is the little things, the everyday wonders that really matter. So, here is a toast to time. Slow it down, I say. Realize where you are at before you try to figure out where you are going.

And if all else fails, go for a 40 mile bike ride in the rain.

On another note, I am less than $500 from my $7000 fundraising goal! THANK YOU AGAIN. Unfortunately, I was not able to participate in a build this weekend because I had too much school work, but I know the time will come soon and I am looking forward to it.

Also, here is a great opportunity for you to take part in my adventure. If you haven't had a chance to read any of the materials on my blog or in the letters I sent (or even if you have!), I strongly encourage you to watch this 5 minute video on the Affordable Housing Crisis. And if you like it, share it with your family or a few close friends. The video covers the basics of the housing crisis in the US with significant statistics that really bring this issue to life. It was created in Philadelphia, but illustrates the issue as a whole. Plus, it has a pretty sweet backtrack by Jose Gonzalez.


Source: MiND TV (www.mindtv.org)


I hope you all have similar opportunities to seek the joy of being alive each day. And when you get those "ah-ha!" moments about how awesome your life is, I'd love to hear about them.

Thanks :)
P.S. If this post had a backtrack , this would be it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIhm94a-8SE

Making Progress

Total Funds Raised: $6, 172.42
Total Miles on my New Bike: 135 miles
Longest Ride to date: 32 miles

Hey everyone! Just an update to let you know that training is now fully underway and I am loving it. The fantastic spring weather hasn't hurt either! I am trying to get in 3 rides a week with at least one of them totaling 30 miles. I also found a really great 20 mile route that has some nice little hills on it, which definitely gets the cardio pumpin.

Next on my list is to start collecting the rest of my bike gear and start learning more about how to maintain my bike. There is so much to learn! I can not wait until it all becomes second nature to me. It is all so exciting.

I am hoping to participate in a habitat build this weekend and maybe get together with some Bike and Builders again for another longer ride on Sunday. I'm ready to up the ante!

Before I close this brief entry, I wanted to leave you with another educational news tidbit. Below is an opinion piece published last week on the the News and Observer website regarding Wake County Schools and affordable housing. As you may know, there has been a discussion on changing the district's policies on busing students to achieve diversity. The county is scheduled to vote today on whether to end the policy. You can read more about the vote here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/23/403142/nc-school-board-set-for-vote-on.html?storylink=misearch#ixzz0j1r6QjLS

Letter to the editor: Housing the answer

The solution to the current debate regarding Wake County schools is to have schools that are both economically diverse and neighborhood-based. To achieve this, we need diverse neighborhoods, not concentrations of wealth or poverty. The key is the availability of quality, affordable housing, as well as the schools, transportation choices and neighborhood businesses, services and recreational facilities that make for sustainable communities.

Until more progress is made in these essential areas, other means are required to provide high-quality education countywide, including the current magnet system and student assignment policy.

Ultimately, it's just the right thing to do. A mature citizenry combines personal perspectives with a commitment to the common good. In this way, we can create a better future for all of our Wake County neighbors.

Thomas Barrie

Professor of architecture, N.C. State University, Raleigh

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/21/397761/housing-the-answer.html?storylink=misearch#ixzz0j1q4OlhO

Learning to Clip and Climb (MY NEW BIKE!)

I got my bike! It arrived in a giant package on my doorstep about two weeks ago! I expected it to be a huge ordeal to drag it down the stairs to my room to unpack it, but road bikes are actually unbelievably light. In fact, getting it down the stairs ended up being the smallest task in the wrap to roll process. After removing all of the packaging I discovered that the simple re-assembly process involved removing some serious zip ties...you know, the ones the cops use in downtown Charlotte on New Years Eve. So....about five pairs of scissors and a week later I was able to locate some wire clippers strong enough to free my bike (thanks Neha!)

Putting on the seat!

(Neha should also be thanked for documenting the re-assembly process. Yay for the very first photos of my new baby!)

After a short ride to get used to the gears, I learned how to switch up and down as I climbed and descended hills, which is actually much different than on a mountain bike. Rather than spinning dials, you push the brake grips to the side. This took me longer than it should have to figure out, and I was actually stuck in a really high gear for a while because I got excited and kept switching it up until I realized I didn't know how to go back down again. that made climbing the hills a bit more challenging. But my friend Vince informed me that there are in fact two levers on the brake grips...go figure. Anyway, I have the hang of it now.

Weekend before last I went for my first longish ride with my bike- 30 miles! It was really awesome. I met some fellow Bike and Builders, including 2 that are going to be on my trip. Nathan, one of the guys I met is one of our 4 leaders, and John is a Junior at NC State. They were both really nice, helpful, and a lot of fun. This summer is going to be amazing. Caroline, another girl we rode with was also really helpful with remedying some of my "rookie mistakes" so I am grateful for her advice and guidance!

This weekend, I conquered THE PEDALS. Yes I can now dismount my bike with my shoes tied...or something like that. I still may spaz out a bit at stoplights (starting off partially clipped in is the hardest part), but for the most part I can handle the clip in shoes like a pro...well, okay, maybe more like a rookie. But I didn't fall!

Now lets look at more pics of my baby! Ohhh! Ahhh!

I was amazed at how shiny the gears were and made Neha take a picture And I'm off!!

BTW, my bike needs a name. Suggestions are welcome! Might be a fun little contest. Winner gets 3542 brownie points from me and recognition on my blog...what more could you want?! Laterz.

THANK YOU!!

I want to send a great big THANK YOU to each and every one of you who have contributed to my ride and donated to such a great cause! Thanks to YOU, I have raised nearly $6000 so far! After such a successful few weeks, I decide to raise my fund raising goal to $7000. I know we can reach it! I truly truly appreciate all of your support.

After reaching my first fund raising goal, I was able to order my bike. A fantastic Giant Duffy 2 should be arriving on my doorstep in the next week or so! I am excited to finally get out and on my bike to really get my training started. Now that the half a foot of snow that covered the triangle area has completely melted, I expect my work out routines will be much more consistent.

Another thought I wanted to touch on in this blog entry involves another important person in my life. My grandfather, James Henry Young Sr. was a large advocate for this cause as well. Thank you so much to those of you who have reminded me of all the service he did in Anderson, South Carolina when he was living. Papa is another person who has had a huge influence on my commitment to my community. His dedication to his church, patients, and local community was admirable and its impact is still apparent today. From what others have told me, I have learned that Papa was a leader in the Community Development Company, which helped to create the Friendship Court Apartments (I believe you can read about it here) . Apparently there is even a monument in Anderson on Mauldin St which honors the members of the Community Development Company(Corporation?). I hope I will be able to see it next time I visit the area to see my family.

Anyway, I'll be sure to update with pics of my bike when I get it, so be sure to keep checking in!