New York!

So, we rode into New York yesterday. It was pretty sweet to cross the state line on a bike! The past few days have been hard; lots of hills, but everything is going well. So, the days blend together a lot, but let's see if I can give a break down:

In Boston (well, Revere really, which is near Boston), we stayed in and ate at a church. We met for orientation on Wednesday and stayed until Friday morning. We had the shake down ride around Revere, MA, which totaled about 15 miles, and we spent 2 miles or so riding around the parking lot goofing off, so that was a 17 mile day. I think that was on Thursday. It was a nice, easy, pretty day. We went into Boston that night, walked around a bunch, and got some food donated from a local bakery.

The next day we rode into Andover, MA, about 25 miles total. It was my first experience with any hills at all, and it was a little difficult (in retrospect), but good. We stayed at a school and had dinner at the Webber's house. Chris Webber was an alum and one of the first B&B employees who was killed when he was hit by a car (walking, not cycling). Our trip is dedicated to him, so it was cool to meet his parents and talk to them. We also played wiffle ball and enjoyed having a backyard to hang out in. Saturday was a build day, so we did 0 miles, but worked hard. We put up a wall, carried sheets of particle board up to the roof of one house, and did lots of general hammering and clean up. It was a cool day, and the Webbers hosted us again for dinner.

Sunday we rode into Fitchburg. It was about 45 miles, and lots of hill climbs. It rained a lot too, but Emma and Sophie (two other riders) stuck with me, cheered me on, and I made it into the host location. We did laundry, walked to the Y to shower, and the church we were staying at cooked us dinner.

Monday turned out to be a pretty rough day. I couldn't make myself eat anything about breakfast (which is highly unusual at this point), and before we even left I was throwing up. I took a van day because I had no nutrition or hydration at that point. The van got to stop at one point so I could get sick again on the side of the road, again at lunch, and one more time after lunch. I didn't ride my bike at all, so I did 0 miles on the 50+ mile day. We got into Amherst, walked into town and got some anti-nausea medication at CVS and stuff at the bike store, and went back to the host location (UMass Hillel) to wait for dinner. We then ran through the pouring rain to wait for a bus to go to dinner, which was graciously provided by a B&B alum, only to decide the lightning was too close to be standing out there and took the van. We did get splashed by a bus first, so it was pretty awesome. I was able to eat dinner and keep it down, so I decided to ride the next day.

Tuesday we rode into Pittsfield. It was a grueling 50 mile day, with lots of mountain climbs in the Berkshire Mountains. I made it 28 miles before literally falling over on a hill because my legs gave out and calling it a day. We stayed at the Y in the Pittsfield and were fed by one of the rider's former scout masters at a church there.

Yesterday was an 85 mile day that was supposed to be easier than the previous two. I was riding in the morning, doing alright, and I fell and ate it coming down a hill too fast. I took the van to lunch because I was a little bloody and banged up, but then rode the rest of the way after lunch, so I did a little over 67 miles. We also crossed the New York state line that day. We're staying a school again. We ordered Chinese last night for dinner and we're cooking for ourselves for the first time tonight. We worked with a Habitat chapter today, and unloaded two semi-trucks full of furniture donated by a university that will be going to the Habitat Re-Store here. It was a good day's work.

So, yes, so far it has been difficult. Mountains were not something I could prepare for, and we're not quite done with them yet. I have already gotten stronger and will continue to do so, I'm sure. I am amazed, though, by the amount of support from the people we meet on the road and the other people in this group. I can't believe I have only known these people for a week. We really have gone through so much already together that I feel like we can do anything we put our minds to, so getting to Pittsburgh (where, rumor has it, the mountains end) should be easy. It's also awesome how much support we have from alums. One alum, Dave, has been with us since the beginning of the trip, riding and helping out as much as possible. Another alum provided us with lunch one day. Tracy provided dinner in Amherst and has been riding with us since then. We had other alums meet us in Boston, Amherst, and today. Once you do B&B, you are part of a nationwide family that you can count on regardless. I plan on helping out when trips come through Amarillo next year (which is near Lubbock) and possibly riding for a day or two, though we'll see what the grad school budget will allow.

Anyway, line for the internet is growing and I need to shower and do laundry (we have showers, laundry, and beds here!). Facebook is blocked here, though, so we can't upload any pictures. B&B uses Facebook to upload and tag all pictures, so I will have to wait to show you all the awesome things going on. Until next time...

I survived!

So today was our first real day of riding.  We made it from Revere, MA to Andover, MA unscathed.  I got my first hill training, and it's going to be tough, but I did it!  The part of the country we're in is really pretty.  We went through some small towns and sweet countryside today.

Orientation, the group, everything is awesome.  I am getting yelled at because we're leaving for dinner and I'm still typing, so I'll update you more later!

Ready to go!

Well, everyone, this is my last post before I leave for Boston. I have less than 12 hours before I start all of this, and what a whirlwind it's been. Thank you all for your love and encouragement as I've started freaking out about this. I really appreciate the kind words and support. I got a rather disheartening call yesterday from my friend Nikki, who is on Providence to San Francisco, about how hard the ride is and how bad the weather is and how many people are already quitting, which was not quite what I needed right now. I've decided, though, that this is mind over matter, and I've worked too hard not to see this through. Also, you all have worked too hard and given too much to me and to the cause for me not to finish this.

If you want to follow the route, you can go to www.bikeandbuild.org. On the left hand side of the page, there is a Route Tracker, Journals, Photos, 2008 Cyclists, Blogs, etc. You can also get information on our mail drops (where you can send me mail and love, but nothing too big because I don't have much room) and other fun things. Remember, I'm on Boston to Santa Barbara, and you should be able to find everything you need!

Alright, I gotta take care of some house stuff and some grad school stuff, and then I'm off to bed. I've got a big day tomorrow!

It's almost here...

Well, I have 4 days until I leave for Boston. This means that the past week or so has been a marathon of running around, figuring out how to pack everything I need for two months into a bag that gets progressively smaller by the minute, and tying up all loose ends before I leave. Which means training has come to a standstill.

I finally got my affordable housing research done and submitted, which is a big plus. I think Skip (my leader, who is in charge of making sure all of us do our research) was about to strangle a few of us for not getting it turned in on time (or even close to on time). But, it was done, done awesomely, and I am ready to present on the history of housing practices from 1990-present, including the current problems with subprime mortgages. Speaking of which, we close on my house on June 18th! It got a new roof this week, too. I'm so excited. I'm also not a subprime mortgage, I swear. :)

So, I quit my job last Friday (freedom!), moved out of my apartment on Saturday, broke up with the boyfriend Monday, and drove down to West Palm Beach (where my parents live) on Monday. I've been attempting to pack and get ready for the trip down here, which is more difficult than it may seem. My entire life has been packed into a trailer, which means any time I need anything, I have to go into the trailer (which is about 130 degrees in the middle of the day) and find the box it's in, open the box, and retrieve the item. Had I thought this through better, I would have packed for Bike and Build before I packed my entire life away. But, I didn't, so it's been an adventure. Also, I have had to get so many little things that I didn't think about still (and some big things). A quick dry camping towel, new digital camera (Canon Powershot SD870) because I wasn't going to bring any of the 9 cameras I already own on the trip, and lots of bike gear. Then I had to ship my bike to Boston.

This brings me to a huge, huge thanks. Wheels of Wellington, and Stan Kilbas, the owner of the shop, have been awesome. They tuned up my bike for me, boxed it, shipped it, and gave me more gear than I know what to do with. I have energy gel, nutrition bars, Camelbak Elixir, spare tubes, and really nice spare tires. All of the gear was donated, which has saved me so much money as I've prepared for this trip. Also, my dad used to ride with Stan, and I found out that they used to call my dad "The Pope." I was unaware of this, and am debating incorporating this nickname into my everyday vocabulary with Dad. We'll see how it goes.

In other thanks and great news, I met my fundraising goal! I have $4009! Thanks goes to:

Roberta Sickerman
Gainesville Area Women's Network
Harold Murphy
Paul and Pamela Jahn
Ashley Jahn

I can't believe I finally met it. It's such a huge relief, as now my entire savings can go toward fixing up the house, instead of Bike and Build. I really can't thank everyone who donated and helped with fundraisers enough. Without all of you, there is no way I would be able to do this. Your support means so much to me!

Well, I have to go attempt to get way too much stuff into way too small of a bag. Packing is a bit of a challenge right now, and it must be done before Tuesday!