I know I haven't been good about updating very often, but we stay very busy and rarely have internet access. But I have a little bit of time on the comp, so i'll give ya'll a quick update. I'm trying a different approach to posts.. let's see how it goes.....
-We're in Brinkley, Arkansas! We crossed over from Tennessee this morning via the bridge over the Mississippi River.. it was pretty sweet. Pictures were taken, but not posted yet (surprise surprise...)
-My knee is still damaged! Yes. The knee still hurts, but it has improved. Supposedly we're heading into the Ozarks tomorrow, so wish me luck with that. It's gotten to the point where my knee is okay most of the time... but still is strained on climbs.
-Memphis was a lot of fun. We got to go downtown and party on the famous Beale St Monday night. Yesterday was a day off... and I spent the majority of it sitting around, except for the pool party, which was awesome. Didn't get to Graceland like I'd hoped, i heard it was expensive. But did get some Memphis-style barbecue from the Commissary. Amazingness.
-I did not ride today, nor did Dennis and Alex. The three of us were "vanned" for misbehavior. We won't go into details, but basically we were bad bike n' builders, so we were punished for the day. But we're all riding tomorrow!
-A few days ago we passed thru Lynchburg, TN... home of the Jack Daniels Distillery. Of course we stopped and took the hour-long tour. It was a dream come true. Tons of pics to come.. eventually. We also had a pool -party in Pulaski, TN, with the MAYOR of Pulaski. He was insane, and absolutely a blast.
-The tan lines are getting extreme, and our legs are getting ridiculously strong. I guess it was a matter of time.
-I miss my family! A bunch of us sat around yesterday evening at the pool party in Memphis, exchanging stories of family traditions, memories, etc. Not that I didn't miss them before, but after last night, I miss them like crazy. Luckily I'm meeting them in Hilton Head immediately after BnB.
-Our trip is over 1/3 completed! It has seemed to fly by, and it's gonna end before we know it. We're already in our 3rd state... then Oklahoma... then Kansas... and less than 2 weeks from now..... Colorado ALREADY. It's been amazing, I don't want it to end.
-Still not a huge fan of cycling. Downhills are a blast (~40mph... curves... exhilarating), and pacelining is fun too (average 26mph over a 20 mile span, and it's almost effortless). But all in all, it's still just a mode of transportation.
-Supposedly my Diploma showed up at the house. I guess I'm officially a college graduate now! But... still no job. Anyone reading this want to employ me? My plan right now, assuming I don't get a teaching job, is to move to the beach, wait tables/ bartend at night, and substitute teach during the day. I figure it's an easy way to get my foot in the door of a school system, and then when a position becomes available, it'll be mine for the taking...
-Tomorrow we head into Little Rock, Arkansas. I'm not sure what to expect yet, but at least we have a build day on Friday! Amazingly, it'll be our 5th build day already. Oh, for those who are wondering, I'll update the mileage.......
Mileage to date...
According to website: 1213 According to cue sheets: 1249 My Actual: 1134 (thanks to injuries and today's punishment, where we missed 84 miles...it's ok, i'll make up for it eventually)
Days w/ Rain: 6 Build Days: 4 Days off: 2
Oh, and for anyone interested.. I know i'm a slacker when it comes to posting pictures and updating my blog, but other members on my team are not as lazy as I am. Go to our website's route tracker, http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/route.php?route=NC2SD&year=2009, and you can access our entire team's journal (updated daily by a different person every time), our pictures, and everyone's blogs (especially check out Nhan's and Sharif's... they're good about updates) via the links on the right. Hope everyone at home, etc is doing well! I'm doing GREAT! Thanks for all the continued support, and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Later ya'll!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Day 17, Sweetwater, TN....
So a lot has happened since my last post. Let's see what I can fill ya'll in on...
I left off telling ya'll about our first day in Asheville. I forgot to mention that we stayed in UNC-As dorms! Yes. That's right. We slept in beds for 2 nights. It was awesome. Since we weren't at a church, we had to provide dinner for ourselves for the first time of the trip. A lot of us went to Asheville Pizza and Brewing company. I had an absolutely AMAZING pizza that I created.... w/ a black peppercorn crust, cajun chicken, chorizo sausage and jalapenos. The brews were good as well. We enjoyed our night on the town since we had a build day the next day.
Day 13, BUILD DAY in Asheville, NC
Upon waking up, my first thought was THANK GOD I do not have to ride my bike today, because my legs (and knee especially), were KILLING me from the day before's ride thru the mountains to Asheville. Upon walking into the lounge for breakfast, we're informed that due to smaller build sites, we would be divided and sent to 3 different sites. No big deal. Except. My group would be the ONLY group that HAD to ride our bikes to the site. Shoot me. No big deal, right? 3 miles. But. We're in the mountains, and my legs hurt, so it wasn't fun. The build day was amazing though. We built a wheelchair ramp for a house with Mountain Housing Opportunities. It was a blast, and we were one heck of a team. That night we had to provide dinner for ourselves again, so we went to a burrito place, then downstairs from it for ice cream. The night ended with Affordable Housing presentations, and myself staying up LATE (like tonight again), to update the blog.
Day 14, Asheville, NC to Gatlinburg, TN
YES! The day has arrived! We leave NC to venture into the beyond! But this was my day from hell, as well for other riders. Let's just say that the "mountains" we climbed into Asheville were definitely put to shame by this ride. And that my knee was totally shot by the time I got yanked by the van at 5:30... but we'll get to that. This ride was a tough one because there were 3 major climbs... and did I mention the mileage for the day was about 90 miles? The day started out pretty easily, with rolling hills and such, which my knee was very thankful for. Then the first mountain, which destroyed me, and I almost threw the towel in at the first lunch break. But, being the stubborn person I am, I decided to push it and ride on. The rest of the climb was just as miserable as the first half, but thanks to my buddy Andy encouraging me and sticking by my side, I made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway. That starts the 2nd climb, which wasn't as steep, but was long. I was determined to continue on, eventually cresting it, despite the copious amounts of motorcycles wizzing by us. The next few miles were worth every bit of pain that I had just put myself through. We decended from 5200ft to about 1000ft within about 10 minutes. It was AMAZING. I think I topped out at 45mph... although I could've gone faster. Then we entered the Great Smokey Mtns... 3rd climb of the day. This mountain fooled us, because it started kind of gradually. Turns out, It was not a nice mountain, and took its toll on my knee. I bowed out about 6 miles from the top, and tried to call the van to get me, but had no phone service. So I chilled for a little while, and luckily was picked up soon after. Amy was driving the van on this particular day, and had to pick up anyone that had not crested the final mountain by 5:30. I was one of 10 to be picked up, thank God, because we still had about 18 miles to go after the mountain. The rest of the night was fairly uneventful, camping on the lawn of First Baptist Church in Gatlinburg.
Miles to date...... (not handy, sorry).
Day 15, Gatlinburg, TN to Maryville, TN
This was a short ride, about 40 miles with one large climb and the rest rolling hills. I wouldn't know from experience though, because I was in the van riding shotgun. The leaders and I decided I should take a day off from riding to rest my knee. I really did not want to because I'd rather participate in EVERY ride and have my trek across the country be legit. But. It was for the best, and it was a short ride anyways. Gabe and I stopped on the side of the rode with a lot of the riders to hike to a waterfall, it was pretty sweet. The rest of the day was pretty chill, including going out to a bar downtown that night.
Day 16, BUILD DAY in Maryville, TN
Absolutely AWESOME day!! We ROCKED it out there! The entire team rode about 6 miles each way on our bikes to the build site. Blount County Habitat greeted us with cowbells as we rode in. I'm still not a fan of biking on our day off from biking, but I do think it's pretty sweet that we literally Bike AND Build in the same day... hence our name. This job site was amazing. We built the entire flooring system of a house, from the main support, up to the sub floor. We worked like a machine and made it happen. The weather was gorgeous, and I'm still a redneck thanks to it, haha. Last night we ate at Aubrey's, a restaurant in Maryville. It was totally free except for drinks and tip. The service was awesome, and the food was even better. (I had a salad... yes, I did.)
Day 17, Maryville, TN to Sweetwater, TN
Today was like any other..... AWESOME! This trip has been amazing, I don't think I can reiterate it enough. We woke up at 7am to pack and clean the church. I decided to ride and test my knee out, and it wasn't too bad today. Mike Vail and I were sweep for this one. A lot of people really dread their sweep days, but we got lucky. Today was a 39 mile ride thru rolling hills in the Tennessee countryside. We had some gorgeous views and a really relaxed ride since we had to hold down the caboose. Upon arriving at the host site (Sweetwater National Guard Armory...), we showered and immediately got in the van with the rest of the crew to go to The Lost Sea! Haha. This is the largest underground lake in the US, second largest in the world, and it's here in Sweetwater about 5 miles from our host. It was pretty sweet... kind of a tourist trap, but nice to be in a 56 degree cave rather than the 85 degree sun. 27 of the 31 of us went to the cave for a fun, relaxed afternoon, and it wouldn't have been the same without all of us. The rest of the day has consisted of us hanging out at the armory. By the way, I'm sad they won't let us drive the Humvee... haha. Tomorrow should be a nice ride, with rolling hills, and supposedly 80 miles..... we'll see about that, haha. Pray for my knee, and for my entire team's health as we continue... almost 800 miles so far!! Until next time, Gnight!
Miles to date... (sorry, not handy... next time, haha)
According to website: 735 Cue Sheets: --- Actual: ---
Days with Rain: 6
Pictures STILL to come... I promise. (Check out Facebook...)
I left off telling ya'll about our first day in Asheville. I forgot to mention that we stayed in UNC-As dorms! Yes. That's right. We slept in beds for 2 nights. It was awesome. Since we weren't at a church, we had to provide dinner for ourselves for the first time of the trip. A lot of us went to Asheville Pizza and Brewing company. I had an absolutely AMAZING pizza that I created.... w/ a black peppercorn crust, cajun chicken, chorizo sausage and jalapenos. The brews were good as well. We enjoyed our night on the town since we had a build day the next day.
Day 13, BUILD DAY in Asheville, NC
Upon waking up, my first thought was THANK GOD I do not have to ride my bike today, because my legs (and knee especially), were KILLING me from the day before's ride thru the mountains to Asheville. Upon walking into the lounge for breakfast, we're informed that due to smaller build sites, we would be divided and sent to 3 different sites. No big deal. Except. My group would be the ONLY group that HAD to ride our bikes to the site. Shoot me. No big deal, right? 3 miles. But. We're in the mountains, and my legs hurt, so it wasn't fun. The build day was amazing though. We built a wheelchair ramp for a house with Mountain Housing Opportunities. It was a blast, and we were one heck of a team. That night we had to provide dinner for ourselves again, so we went to a burrito place, then downstairs from it for ice cream. The night ended with Affordable Housing presentations, and myself staying up LATE (like tonight again), to update the blog.
Day 14, Asheville, NC to Gatlinburg, TN
YES! The day has arrived! We leave NC to venture into the beyond! But this was my day from hell, as well for other riders. Let's just say that the "mountains" we climbed into Asheville were definitely put to shame by this ride. And that my knee was totally shot by the time I got yanked by the van at 5:30... but we'll get to that. This ride was a tough one because there were 3 major climbs... and did I mention the mileage for the day was about 90 miles? The day started out pretty easily, with rolling hills and such, which my knee was very thankful for. Then the first mountain, which destroyed me, and I almost threw the towel in at the first lunch break. But, being the stubborn person I am, I decided to push it and ride on. The rest of the climb was just as miserable as the first half, but thanks to my buddy Andy encouraging me and sticking by my side, I made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway. That starts the 2nd climb, which wasn't as steep, but was long. I was determined to continue on, eventually cresting it, despite the copious amounts of motorcycles wizzing by us. The next few miles were worth every bit of pain that I had just put myself through. We decended from 5200ft to about 1000ft within about 10 minutes. It was AMAZING. I think I topped out at 45mph... although I could've gone faster. Then we entered the Great Smokey Mtns... 3rd climb of the day. This mountain fooled us, because it started kind of gradually. Turns out, It was not a nice mountain, and took its toll on my knee. I bowed out about 6 miles from the top, and tried to call the van to get me, but had no phone service. So I chilled for a little while, and luckily was picked up soon after. Amy was driving the van on this particular day, and had to pick up anyone that had not crested the final mountain by 5:30. I was one of 10 to be picked up, thank God, because we still had about 18 miles to go after the mountain. The rest of the night was fairly uneventful, camping on the lawn of First Baptist Church in Gatlinburg.
Miles to date...... (not handy, sorry).
Day 15, Gatlinburg, TN to Maryville, TN
This was a short ride, about 40 miles with one large climb and the rest rolling hills. I wouldn't know from experience though, because I was in the van riding shotgun. The leaders and I decided I should take a day off from riding to rest my knee. I really did not want to because I'd rather participate in EVERY ride and have my trek across the country be legit. But. It was for the best, and it was a short ride anyways. Gabe and I stopped on the side of the rode with a lot of the riders to hike to a waterfall, it was pretty sweet. The rest of the day was pretty chill, including going out to a bar downtown that night.
Day 16, BUILD DAY in Maryville, TN
Absolutely AWESOME day!! We ROCKED it out there! The entire team rode about 6 miles each way on our bikes to the build site. Blount County Habitat greeted us with cowbells as we rode in. I'm still not a fan of biking on our day off from biking, but I do think it's pretty sweet that we literally Bike AND Build in the same day... hence our name. This job site was amazing. We built the entire flooring system of a house, from the main support, up to the sub floor. We worked like a machine and made it happen. The weather was gorgeous, and I'm still a redneck thanks to it, haha. Last night we ate at Aubrey's, a restaurant in Maryville. It was totally free except for drinks and tip. The service was awesome, and the food was even better. (I had a salad... yes, I did.)
Day 17, Maryville, TN to Sweetwater, TN
Today was like any other..... AWESOME! This trip has been amazing, I don't think I can reiterate it enough. We woke up at 7am to pack and clean the church. I decided to ride and test my knee out, and it wasn't too bad today. Mike Vail and I were sweep for this one. A lot of people really dread their sweep days, but we got lucky. Today was a 39 mile ride thru rolling hills in the Tennessee countryside. We had some gorgeous views and a really relaxed ride since we had to hold down the caboose. Upon arriving at the host site (Sweetwater National Guard Armory...), we showered and immediately got in the van with the rest of the crew to go to The Lost Sea! Haha. This is the largest underground lake in the US, second largest in the world, and it's here in Sweetwater about 5 miles from our host. It was pretty sweet... kind of a tourist trap, but nice to be in a 56 degree cave rather than the 85 degree sun. 27 of the 31 of us went to the cave for a fun, relaxed afternoon, and it wouldn't have been the same without all of us. The rest of the day has consisted of us hanging out at the armory. By the way, I'm sad they won't let us drive the Humvee... haha. Tomorrow should be a nice ride, with rolling hills, and supposedly 80 miles..... we'll see about that, haha. Pray for my knee, and for my entire team's health as we continue... almost 800 miles so far!! Until next time, Gnight!
Miles to date... (sorry, not handy... next time, haha)
According to website: 735 Cue Sheets: --- Actual: ---
Days with Rain: 6
Pictures STILL to come... I promise. (Check out Facebook...)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Late Night of Day 13 in Asheville, NC
So I've been pretty slack when it comes to updating my blog, so let's see what I can fill ya'll in on... Oh, by the way, it's been absolutely AMAZING.....
Day 4, Greenville to Wake Forest, NC
This was the day from HELL as far as expectations go. We assumed we'd have some hills sooner or later, and this day was the first of them. According to the site, we were supposed to ride 79 miles. Well, due to some mishaps (no fingers pointed..), we officially/unofficially did our first century ride of the trip. Yes. Day 4. Over 100 miles. We won't go into details, but let's just say it was a LONG day. Thankfully it didn't rain on this one particular day, which for some reason is a rarity on our trip so far. It was long and exhausting, but it was a lot of fun, and the church in Wake Forest was very accommodating to us being off-schedule.
Oh, and I'm gonna start a new segment to my blog, to keep everyone (including myself), up-to-date on statistics. So.. here it goes. And... notice the discrepancies, it's already getting ridiculous.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 237 According to cue sheets: 237 Actual: 259
Days w/ Rain: 2
Day 5, Wake Forest to Chapel Hill, NC
This was a GREAT day. Steve, (one of our leaders, and a Duke alum), wrote the cue sheet for this ride. He sent us thru downtown Durham and Duke's campus on our way to that dreaded town called Chapel Hill. It was a fun ride, pretty hilly, but definitely cool. We biked around 40 miles total, including exploring Duke's campus, etc. It was pretty strange to be gone for so long so far on the road, and to eventually end up back in my hometown. But it was really exciting to show everyone a piece of my life like that (especially Cameron Indoor, haha). Chapel of the Cross was excited to have us, and provided an awesome dinner upon arrival. They also got tons of fruit (the pears were amazing) for us, etc. This was also the day of our first bike clinic with the kids in Carrboro. It went well for the group as a whole, but I wasn't really feeling it that day. That night, Dylan, Dennis, Nhan, Danielle, myself and others went to Ham's on Franklin st. for some brews and to watch the Canes game (depressing loss). It was nice having a 1am curfew for a change.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 276 According to cue sheets: 274 Actual: 289
Days w/ Rain: 2
Day 6, BUILD DAY in Chapel Hill (Hillsborough), NC
This was our first build day! It was a gorgeous day, and we got a ton accomplished. We got up early to drive to Hillsborough, and were literally less than 10 minutes from my house. Talk about a strange feeling..... I wanted to see my dogs! And my sister! But. Didn't get to. We framed a house, literally every wall of it. Orange County Habitat definitely knows what they're doing, and we proved ourselves as builders immediately. Later that night, the church hosted a pot-luck dinner where family and friends were invited to come join. Since we live so close, Sean and my momma came to join us at dinner. My mom brought meatballs (huge hit), and they socialized with me and my 30 new best friends (everyone LOVES my mom...). To cap off an incredible day, about 20 of us, including B&B alum Brendan, Collin, Cory, Megan, and others, went to PTs bar and grille to hang out. It was definitely a night to remember.
Day 7, DAY OFF!! in Chapel Hill
Our first day off was a lazy one. I personally slept til 11:30. A lot of people went shopping, to the bike shop, or other things. Around 1pm, a lot of us vanned to Sarah's parents' house for a pool party. Great weather, great company, GREAT brisket, and just a fun, lazy day. My parents and Rachel came to town later that night to take me out to dinner and see me one last time for 2 months. Peppers Pizza on Franklin st. That's all I have to say, it was amazing. Then I said my goodbyes, and headed to Four Corners with a huge crowd of B&B folk. A lot of fun, but yet another depressing loss for my Canes.
Day 8, Chapel Hill to Winston-Salem, NC
Early to rise, 5am. Pretty smooth ride, actually really gorgeous (I need to learn to take more pics...). We definitely hit some hills this day, especially once we got into Winston. Oh, and did I mention we got lost... 3 times? In Winston?? Yeah. Not fun. But only an extra 7 miles or so, not too bad. The church in Winston was HUGE, and the people were awesome. Oh, and of course it rained again on this ride. We hit the hay pretty early, long day ahead of us, and we were pretty beat.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 365 According to cue sheets: 360 Actual: 382
Days w/ Rain: 3
Day 9, Winston-Salem to Charlotte, NC
Another early morning, and guess what! STILL raining. Not an exciting thing to wake up to, especially when we know we have to ride about 91 miles. On this day, my knee was hurting, as it has been, and still does. My back was killing me from something that popped while playing knock out in the gym. And... still got a head cold. I really didn't want to ride, but I toughed it out. It was worth it I guess, it turned out to be a pretty fun, not too difficult ride. The rain was kind of on and off, and we even resorted to taking shelter with about 10 miles left due to thunderstorms. And... we got lost. Within BLOCKS of Zach's house. For some reason there are about 8 different roads in Charlotte named Park Rd.... took us a while to find the right one. In the end we rode about 96 miles, just shy of our 2nd century day of the trip. Zach and his mom treated us like royalty, with BBQ, slaw, etc. Everyone had a real chill night hanging out, although most went to bed early because of the long day. Oh, and I got to talk to my Aunt Carol on the phone. I was hoping to see them while I was in town, but I guess they didn't live as close to where we were as I thought. It was refreshing to hear that they've been following my weak (until now), blog, and I love knowing I have the support of my family.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 433 According to cue sheets: 451 Actual: 478
Days w/ Rain: 4
Day 10, BUILD DAY in Charlotte (Davidson), NC
YEAH! Build day #2. We drove a ways to Davidson, where we worked with Hammers!, a non-profit group who fix houses in the Davidson area. We worked with 2 Davidson college grads, George and Zach, and worked to remove a tiled ceiling in 2 bedrooms, and replace it with drywall. It was a lot of fun, and refreshing to see the almost-finished result. That night we went to Zach's (our host/NC2SD alum) uncle's house for a cookout and pool party. This was a GREAT night, with tasty burgers, pasta, vegetables, and some sort of puddin/parfait creation. We also got to play in the pool, basketball, watch the Canes depress us again, etc. Great night to cap off another GREAT day on Bike and Build. By the way... can ya tell I love it yet??
Day 11, Charlotte to Forest City, NC
Probably the hardest day until yesterday. We rode about 87 miles (80 according to the cue sheet), due to EVERYONE having to take a bunch of detours as we were leaving Charlotte. There was a road closed due to a fallen tree (some SWEET pics to come..), a crazy dog that Andy had to chase away from the group (oh Zeus...), etc. And of course. RAIN. And our first taste of the mountains. But. Although I make it sound miserable, it was my favorite ride to date. AND the first day that my knee wasn't killing me afterwards (which didn't last). I guess these strenuous days are starting to whip me into shape. Or at least I thought, until yesterday.... We went to bed early to prepare our bodies for the first climbs into the Apps. We definitely needed it........
Mileage to date...
According to website: 490 According to cue sheets: 532 Actual: 565
Days w/ Rain: 5
Day 12, Forest City to Asheville, NC
Day of gorgeousness. And hell. Amy (one of our leaders), likes to lie to us. She said it was going to be about 90 miles into her hometown of A-ville. Thankfully it was only 66. But. more than half of it was climbing thru the mountains. UGH. I took some pics, including the 1hr+ lunch break we took in Chimney Rock, NC. But, still to come. The climbs were, how should I say this.... Hard? There isn't a word to properly describe it. But peeing on the Eastern Continental Divide was fun. So was the 2 mile descent down the other side, where we hit speeds around 40mph. But it was a HARD day, and supposedly... tomorrow is WORSE. Speaking of, I need to go to bed. Wake up is in 4 hours. I'll hopefully fill ya'll in on today, etc VERY soon. Until next time, thank you SO MUCH for all the support. Wish us luck tomorrow, moving on into TENNESSEE!!! and, pics to come, be patient. Goodnight.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 569 According to cue sheets: 598 Actual: 631
Days w/ Rain: 6
Day 4, Greenville to Wake Forest, NC
This was the day from HELL as far as expectations go. We assumed we'd have some hills sooner or later, and this day was the first of them. According to the site, we were supposed to ride 79 miles. Well, due to some mishaps (no fingers pointed..), we officially/unofficially did our first century ride of the trip. Yes. Day 4. Over 100 miles. We won't go into details, but let's just say it was a LONG day. Thankfully it didn't rain on this one particular day, which for some reason is a rarity on our trip so far. It was long and exhausting, but it was a lot of fun, and the church in Wake Forest was very accommodating to us being off-schedule.
Oh, and I'm gonna start a new segment to my blog, to keep everyone (including myself), up-to-date on statistics. So.. here it goes. And... notice the discrepancies, it's already getting ridiculous.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 237 According to cue sheets: 237 Actual: 259
Days w/ Rain: 2
Day 5, Wake Forest to Chapel Hill, NC
This was a GREAT day. Steve, (one of our leaders, and a Duke alum), wrote the cue sheet for this ride. He sent us thru downtown Durham and Duke's campus on our way to that dreaded town called Chapel Hill. It was a fun ride, pretty hilly, but definitely cool. We biked around 40 miles total, including exploring Duke's campus, etc. It was pretty strange to be gone for so long so far on the road, and to eventually end up back in my hometown. But it was really exciting to show everyone a piece of my life like that (especially Cameron Indoor, haha). Chapel of the Cross was excited to have us, and provided an awesome dinner upon arrival. They also got tons of fruit (the pears were amazing) for us, etc. This was also the day of our first bike clinic with the kids in Carrboro. It went well for the group as a whole, but I wasn't really feeling it that day. That night, Dylan, Dennis, Nhan, Danielle, myself and others went to Ham's on Franklin st. for some brews and to watch the Canes game (depressing loss). It was nice having a 1am curfew for a change.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 276 According to cue sheets: 274 Actual: 289
Days w/ Rain: 2
Day 6, BUILD DAY in Chapel Hill (Hillsborough), NC
This was our first build day! It was a gorgeous day, and we got a ton accomplished. We got up early to drive to Hillsborough, and were literally less than 10 minutes from my house. Talk about a strange feeling..... I wanted to see my dogs! And my sister! But. Didn't get to. We framed a house, literally every wall of it. Orange County Habitat definitely knows what they're doing, and we proved ourselves as builders immediately. Later that night, the church hosted a pot-luck dinner where family and friends were invited to come join. Since we live so close, Sean and my momma came to join us at dinner. My mom brought meatballs (huge hit), and they socialized with me and my 30 new best friends (everyone LOVES my mom...). To cap off an incredible day, about 20 of us, including B&B alum Brendan, Collin, Cory, Megan, and others, went to PTs bar and grille to hang out. It was definitely a night to remember.
Day 7, DAY OFF!! in Chapel Hill
Our first day off was a lazy one. I personally slept til 11:30. A lot of people went shopping, to the bike shop, or other things. Around 1pm, a lot of us vanned to Sarah's parents' house for a pool party. Great weather, great company, GREAT brisket, and just a fun, lazy day. My parents and Rachel came to town later that night to take me out to dinner and see me one last time for 2 months. Peppers Pizza on Franklin st. That's all I have to say, it was amazing. Then I said my goodbyes, and headed to Four Corners with a huge crowd of B&B folk. A lot of fun, but yet another depressing loss for my Canes.
Day 8, Chapel Hill to Winston-Salem, NC
Early to rise, 5am. Pretty smooth ride, actually really gorgeous (I need to learn to take more pics...). We definitely hit some hills this day, especially once we got into Winston. Oh, and did I mention we got lost... 3 times? In Winston?? Yeah. Not fun. But only an extra 7 miles or so, not too bad. The church in Winston was HUGE, and the people were awesome. Oh, and of course it rained again on this ride. We hit the hay pretty early, long day ahead of us, and we were pretty beat.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 365 According to cue sheets: 360 Actual: 382
Days w/ Rain: 3
Day 9, Winston-Salem to Charlotte, NC
Another early morning, and guess what! STILL raining. Not an exciting thing to wake up to, especially when we know we have to ride about 91 miles. On this day, my knee was hurting, as it has been, and still does. My back was killing me from something that popped while playing knock out in the gym. And... still got a head cold. I really didn't want to ride, but I toughed it out. It was worth it I guess, it turned out to be a pretty fun, not too difficult ride. The rain was kind of on and off, and we even resorted to taking shelter with about 10 miles left due to thunderstorms. And... we got lost. Within BLOCKS of Zach's house. For some reason there are about 8 different roads in Charlotte named Park Rd.... took us a while to find the right one. In the end we rode about 96 miles, just shy of our 2nd century day of the trip. Zach and his mom treated us like royalty, with BBQ, slaw, etc. Everyone had a real chill night hanging out, although most went to bed early because of the long day. Oh, and I got to talk to my Aunt Carol on the phone. I was hoping to see them while I was in town, but I guess they didn't live as close to where we were as I thought. It was refreshing to hear that they've been following my weak (until now), blog, and I love knowing I have the support of my family.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 433 According to cue sheets: 451 Actual: 478
Days w/ Rain: 4
Day 10, BUILD DAY in Charlotte (Davidson), NC
YEAH! Build day #2. We drove a ways to Davidson, where we worked with Hammers!, a non-profit group who fix houses in the Davidson area. We worked with 2 Davidson college grads, George and Zach, and worked to remove a tiled ceiling in 2 bedrooms, and replace it with drywall. It was a lot of fun, and refreshing to see the almost-finished result. That night we went to Zach's (our host/NC2SD alum) uncle's house for a cookout and pool party. This was a GREAT night, with tasty burgers, pasta, vegetables, and some sort of puddin/parfait creation. We also got to play in the pool, basketball, watch the Canes depress us again, etc. Great night to cap off another GREAT day on Bike and Build. By the way... can ya tell I love it yet??
Day 11, Charlotte to Forest City, NC
Probably the hardest day until yesterday. We rode about 87 miles (80 according to the cue sheet), due to EVERYONE having to take a bunch of detours as we were leaving Charlotte. There was a road closed due to a fallen tree (some SWEET pics to come..), a crazy dog that Andy had to chase away from the group (oh Zeus...), etc. And of course. RAIN. And our first taste of the mountains. But. Although I make it sound miserable, it was my favorite ride to date. AND the first day that my knee wasn't killing me afterwards (which didn't last). I guess these strenuous days are starting to whip me into shape. Or at least I thought, until yesterday.... We went to bed early to prepare our bodies for the first climbs into the Apps. We definitely needed it........
Mileage to date...
According to website: 490 According to cue sheets: 532 Actual: 565
Days w/ Rain: 5
Day 12, Forest City to Asheville, NC
Day of gorgeousness. And hell. Amy (one of our leaders), likes to lie to us. She said it was going to be about 90 miles into her hometown of A-ville. Thankfully it was only 66. But. more than half of it was climbing thru the mountains. UGH. I took some pics, including the 1hr+ lunch break we took in Chimney Rock, NC. But, still to come. The climbs were, how should I say this.... Hard? There isn't a word to properly describe it. But peeing on the Eastern Continental Divide was fun. So was the 2 mile descent down the other side, where we hit speeds around 40mph. But it was a HARD day, and supposedly... tomorrow is WORSE. Speaking of, I need to go to bed. Wake up is in 4 hours. I'll hopefully fill ya'll in on today, etc VERY soon. Until next time, thank you SO MUCH for all the support. Wish us luck tomorrow, moving on into TENNESSEE!!! and, pics to come, be patient. Goodnight.
Mileage to date...
According to website: 569 According to cue sheets: 598 Actual: 631
Days w/ Rain: 6
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Late Night... of Day 3 officially
Tonight we're at Mr. Johnny Branch's church in Greenville (St. James UMC), and they have a youth room with 7 computers with internet. So, I'm staying up a little late to update the blog...
The trip has been CRAZY awesome so far! To date, we've ridden about 160 miles of our 3500+ trek. It has felt like a lot, but in respect to the total... we've just begun. Day 1 in Nags Head (66 miles to Swanquarter), started rough. I woke up to a flat tire. Bummer. So I change it. In the process, I realize the tire itself is defective, not just a popped tube. As a result, I start the first day with 2 popped tubes and a useless tire. Ugh. So I replaced it with my stock, back-up tire, and rolled with the punches. The wheel dip ceremony goes smoothly, with sunshine, happy cyclists, and a good turnout of supporters. We embark on our trip, everything going to plan. Until.... my bike computer decides to stop working. Seriously? About $90 worth of gear, down the drain... THE FIRST DAY?!? Not so happy. And to top it off... we leave the sunshine behind, running into severe headwinds and non-stop rain. Needless to say, it was a heck of a first day. But, the people of Swanquarter definitely made up for it with their hospitality. Not only were we invited into people's homes to shower, but my host even gave me a gift of some Rasberry Jalepeno Jam that was made right up the road, just because I love spicy food. It was awesome. AND the dinner at the church was absolutely AMAZING. Day 1 turned out to be great after all.
Day 2. Swanquarter, NC to Belhaven, NC
Yet another day of rain. And frigid weather. At least it was only 34 miles. The ride was not so great, but... Belhaven folk are AWESOME. Just like Swanquarter, the people of Belhaven invited us into their houses for showers, which is where I met George. George is a local who grew up in Belhaven, who now owns his own Oyster sports bar. We chatted for a while about a lot of things, like his bar, his Harley, his grandkids, my time in school, etc. It was great getting to know him. He even gave me a t-shirt from his bar, (2nd gift of the trip so far... haha), to take across the country with me, taking pictures along the way in the different states. I was excited at the opportunity, and in fact, i'm wearing the shirt as I write this. Anyways, the time in Belhaven was awesome, with a welcoming community, great church, and a beautiful area. If I can, I'd love to get back there to visit again some day.
Day3. Belhaven, NC to GREENVILLE, NC
Today was a great ride. 57 miles thru beautiful areas, with great weather. I think the high today was 70somethin? It was nice. The only downfall to today's ride was that my knee was KILLING me all day today, and still hurts at this moment. Other than that, it's great to be in Greenville, and the best ride to date. We're staying at St. James UMC (ehem... Johnny Branch...), which is a GREAT church. I got to go to lunch with Brianna, Taylor, Jackson, and Josh Hess. It was great seeing everyone again. Then I came back to the church for the traditional painting of the trailor as a team. It's a work in progress, but we got a good start. Then dinner, affordable housing presentations, and a few drinks with teammates and old friends (and Bobo too). All in all, a great day. The trip has been great so far, tomorrow we move on to Wake Forest, NC. 80+ miles, wish us luck!
The trip has been CRAZY awesome so far! To date, we've ridden about 160 miles of our 3500+ trek. It has felt like a lot, but in respect to the total... we've just begun. Day 1 in Nags Head (66 miles to Swanquarter), started rough. I woke up to a flat tire. Bummer. So I change it. In the process, I realize the tire itself is defective, not just a popped tube. As a result, I start the first day with 2 popped tubes and a useless tire. Ugh. So I replaced it with my stock, back-up tire, and rolled with the punches. The wheel dip ceremony goes smoothly, with sunshine, happy cyclists, and a good turnout of supporters. We embark on our trip, everything going to plan. Until.... my bike computer decides to stop working. Seriously? About $90 worth of gear, down the drain... THE FIRST DAY?!? Not so happy. And to top it off... we leave the sunshine behind, running into severe headwinds and non-stop rain. Needless to say, it was a heck of a first day. But, the people of Swanquarter definitely made up for it with their hospitality. Not only were we invited into people's homes to shower, but my host even gave me a gift of some Rasberry Jalepeno Jam that was made right up the road, just because I love spicy food. It was awesome. AND the dinner at the church was absolutely AMAZING. Day 1 turned out to be great after all.
Day 2. Swanquarter, NC to Belhaven, NC
Yet another day of rain. And frigid weather. At least it was only 34 miles. The ride was not so great, but... Belhaven folk are AWESOME. Just like Swanquarter, the people of Belhaven invited us into their houses for showers, which is where I met George. George is a local who grew up in Belhaven, who now owns his own Oyster sports bar. We chatted for a while about a lot of things, like his bar, his Harley, his grandkids, my time in school, etc. It was great getting to know him. He even gave me a t-shirt from his bar, (2nd gift of the trip so far... haha), to take across the country with me, taking pictures along the way in the different states. I was excited at the opportunity, and in fact, i'm wearing the shirt as I write this. Anyways, the time in Belhaven was awesome, with a welcoming community, great church, and a beautiful area. If I can, I'd love to get back there to visit again some day.
Day3. Belhaven, NC to GREENVILLE, NC
Today was a great ride. 57 miles thru beautiful areas, with great weather. I think the high today was 70somethin? It was nice. The only downfall to today's ride was that my knee was KILLING me all day today, and still hurts at this moment. Other than that, it's great to be in Greenville, and the best ride to date. We're staying at St. James UMC (ehem... Johnny Branch...), which is a GREAT church. I got to go to lunch with Brianna, Taylor, Jackson, and Josh Hess. It was great seeing everyone again. Then I came back to the church for the traditional painting of the trailor as a team. It's a work in progress, but we got a good start. Then dinner, affordable housing presentations, and a few drinks with teammates and old friends (and Bobo too). All in all, a great day. The trip has been great so far, tomorrow we move on to Wake Forest, NC. 80+ miles, wish us luck!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Short post.. just a quick update
So it's currently 5:22, and the library closes at 5:30.. so let's make this quick.
Yesterday was our first full ride.. 66 miles from Nags Head to Swanquarter. It was... intense? Very hot to start the day, with our wheel dip, etc. Then about halfway to swanquarter, it begins to pour.. and it's been raining ever since. Not to mention the high gusts of wind as a headwind on the boring US264, it was a long ride. Our dinner last night was amazing though. The people of Swanquarter were welcoming and awesome. Dang it, cut short, library's closing. Continue when I can!
Yesterday was our first full ride.. 66 miles from Nags Head to Swanquarter. It was... intense? Very hot to start the day, with our wheel dip, etc. Then about halfway to swanquarter, it begins to pour.. and it's been raining ever since. Not to mention the high gusts of wind as a headwind on the boring US264, it was a long ride. Our dinner last night was amazing though. The people of Swanquarter were welcoming and awesome. Dang it, cut short, library's closing. Continue when I can!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
IT'S HAPPENING!
So, today was our second day of orientation in beautiful Nags Head, NC.
Hmm. Where to start? THANK YOU EVERYONE for your help getting me here! I won't let you down!
So we arrived yesterday afternoon around 2:30pm, and were immediately greeted by our leaders and some of our teammates. Timur rode with me, my only teammate from NC State. He was tortured for 3+ hours by my parents and I rambling on, but i'd say it was a good time. We IMMEDIATELY bonded with our team, hanging out and chatting in the lobby of Nags Head Church, waiting on the entire team to arrive. We had some basic orientation yesterday and this morning, such as safety and health rundowns, team building exercises, etc. It's been amazing. Oh, and did I mention we rode our first 25 miles today? In the pouring rain?? It was a great ride, from the church to the Bodie Lighthouse and back. And supposedly we have rain to look forward to for the next 2 days. But that's cool, it's still amazing. Tonight some of the wonderful people from the church provided us with a huge spread of food... i'm seriously stuffed, and very appreciative. Tomorrow we're back awake at 5:30am to pack up, clean the church, and head to the "dip site" for our send off. I can't WAIT to start this adventure! It's a shame to leave Nags Head, but it's AWESOME that we're finally going on our trip.
Some fun notes. Bonding with the team. Awesome. Seriously. These people rock, and I've only known them a day and a half. After 2 months with them, I can't imagine how close we'll be once we get to San Diego. For instance, about 16 of us went down the road to Jockey's Ridge to play on the sand dunes. You'd swear we've all known each other our whole lives.... not that we met yesterday. Also, about half hour ago we got talking about our first day on the road tomorrow, to Swanquarter. We got chatting, and formed our first little pace group: Myself, Rebecca, Greg and Drew. Of course others are welcome to join our newly formed clique, but for now, the 4 of us plan to explore during our route, try to find as many crazy fun things to experience along the way. It's gonna be a great summer. Whelp, more to come, along with PICTURES.....
Hmm. Where to start? THANK YOU EVERYONE for your help getting me here! I won't let you down!
So we arrived yesterday afternoon around 2:30pm, and were immediately greeted by our leaders and some of our teammates. Timur rode with me, my only teammate from NC State. He was tortured for 3+ hours by my parents and I rambling on, but i'd say it was a good time. We IMMEDIATELY bonded with our team, hanging out and chatting in the lobby of Nags Head Church, waiting on the entire team to arrive. We had some basic orientation yesterday and this morning, such as safety and health rundowns, team building exercises, etc. It's been amazing. Oh, and did I mention we rode our first 25 miles today? In the pouring rain?? It was a great ride, from the church to the Bodie Lighthouse and back. And supposedly we have rain to look forward to for the next 2 days. But that's cool, it's still amazing. Tonight some of the wonderful people from the church provided us with a huge spread of food... i'm seriously stuffed, and very appreciative. Tomorrow we're back awake at 5:30am to pack up, clean the church, and head to the "dip site" for our send off. I can't WAIT to start this adventure! It's a shame to leave Nags Head, but it's AWESOME that we're finally going on our trip.
Some fun notes. Bonding with the team. Awesome. Seriously. These people rock, and I've only known them a day and a half. After 2 months with them, I can't imagine how close we'll be once we get to San Diego. For instance, about 16 of us went down the road to Jockey's Ridge to play on the sand dunes. You'd swear we've all known each other our whole lives.... not that we met yesterday. Also, about half hour ago we got talking about our first day on the road tomorrow, to Swanquarter. We got chatting, and formed our first little pace group: Myself, Rebecca, Greg and Drew. Of course others are welcome to join our newly formed clique, but for now, the 4 of us plan to explore during our route, try to find as many crazy fun things to experience along the way. It's gonna be a great summer. Whelp, more to come, along with PICTURES.....
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Today is April 13th... which means we are about a month away from our trip! I'm getting more and more excited every day, but also more and more concerned about not meeting my goals. I still need to raise $935 before we leave.. and although I have been training some, I still do not feel ready to cycle 3500 miles. I'm sure i'll be in shape after the first couple hundred miles, but i'm still a little worried, and it's my own fault. It's all good though. I quit my job the other day, so now I have weekends off to train, go to Habitat build sites, etc. I could still use the money, but I haven't been motivated to go to Ale House the past few months, just have had too much on my mind. They're probably pretty mad at me for outright quitting after 3 years of employment, but oh well, they had it coming to them. Just to keep everyone up to speed, here's where i'm at for the next month:
-2 more weeks of student teaching every day at Middle Creek High
-Lab planning portfolio due April 22 (barely started...)
-Student Teaching portfolio due April 27 (not started...)
-Final evaluations of my student teaching performance
-2 Final exams... seriously?
-Find a job.. maybe Carrboro High will work out? if not..... where?
-If I DO find a job... find a place to live?
-¡Graduation! Finally. Hopefully. It's about time. MAY 9th
-Graduation means Graduation parties.....
-possibly getting down to Wilmington/Greenville to visit people
-Getting home to visit the fam and my dogs
-Habitat build site for my minimum 8hrs sweat equity prior to the trip
-Cary Redhawks flag football on saturdays
---FUNDRAISING almost 1000 bucks..... and training......... when I have time, which is rare.
-Trying to enjoy my last month as a college student, including pool party mondays, the festival on May 2nd, hanging out with my roommates, etc.
-Basically getting all of my affairs straight with the plans of being out of town for 2 whole months, including rent and bills, where my truck is going to end up, my plane ticket home, making sure I have all the gear I need, etc.
Obviously I have a lot on my mind, and it helps me to make a list. If you haven't seen me in a while, well, i'm not surprised, I don't have much free time. Quitting the Ale House was a great idea, minus the fact that I could've used the money. But it's definitely a weight off my shoulders. If you can help me out in any of these bullets, especially the FUNDRAISING, i'd really appreciate it. Oh, and I realize I haven't put pictures up of my bike yet... I will if I find a free moment, just add it to the list, haha. For now, this long post is finished. Thanks for readin'!
-2 more weeks of student teaching every day at Middle Creek High
-Lab planning portfolio due April 22 (barely started...)
-Student Teaching portfolio due April 27 (not started...)
-Final evaluations of my student teaching performance
-2 Final exams... seriously?
-Find a job.. maybe Carrboro High will work out? if not..... where?
-If I DO find a job... find a place to live?
-¡Graduation! Finally. Hopefully. It's about time. MAY 9th
-Graduation means Graduation parties.....
-possibly getting down to Wilmington/Greenville to visit people
-Getting home to visit the fam and my dogs
-Habitat build site for my minimum 8hrs sweat equity prior to the trip
-Cary Redhawks flag football on saturdays
---FUNDRAISING almost 1000 bucks..... and training......... when I have time, which is rare.
-Trying to enjoy my last month as a college student, including pool party mondays, the festival on May 2nd, hanging out with my roommates, etc.
-Basically getting all of my affairs straight with the plans of being out of town for 2 whole months, including rent and bills, where my truck is going to end up, my plane ticket home, making sure I have all the gear I need, etc.
Obviously I have a lot on my mind, and it helps me to make a list. If you haven't seen me in a while, well, i'm not surprised, I don't have much free time. Quitting the Ale House was a great idea, minus the fact that I could've used the money. But it's definitely a weight off my shoulders. If you can help me out in any of these bullets, especially the FUNDRAISING, i'd really appreciate it. Oh, and I realize I haven't put pictures up of my bike yet... I will if I find a free moment, just add it to the list, haha. For now, this long post is finished. Thanks for readin'!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Update...
I got my bike last week.. it's pretty SWEEEET! But. I haven't taken it for a ride yet.. just a little too busy right now. The fundraising has been going pretty well lately. $2425.22 to date. That's awesome, thank you everyone who has donated!! But I still need even MORE help from everyone. I have another fundraiser in mind, but haven't decided whether or not i'll implement it. It involves purchasing custom B&B wristbands (like Livestrong wristbands), and selling them to whoever, and donating ALL proceeds to B&B (including my investment). If you're reading this... what do you think of this idea? And does anyone have a different idea for a fundraiser that I can use? I'm open to any and all suggestions. I'd love any support I can get in any form, so PLEASE email or call me if you can help. Thanks everyone, ya'll are amazing. Only 2 months 2 days till our team meets in Nags Head!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Bike is on the way....
So... I ordered my bike today! It should be here shortly, I can't wait! I went to the Performance Bicycle shop in Cary this past saturday to buy the majority of my gear. It's a lonnng list of stuff we need, and I'm never afraid to throw my money around. So I spent about $650, (not including the bike, B&B provides that). Haha, yes, I know. A little ridiculous. But it was all essential to my trip, except for maybe the new sunglasses... But I figured if I was spending about $600, what's another $60? Oh, and btw... none of the $650 was fundraised money, it's out of my pocket. All money fundraised is in the name of Bike and Build, and I have no access to it. So don't worry, I'm not spending your hard-earned money on a fancy pair of shorts.... just my own. And speaking of YOUR money... Ya'll rock! Fundraising has definitely gotten better as of late, I now have raised over $1700! I appreciate all the help!! And for those still waiting to donate.. I still need you. I have to raise at least another 300 by mid-March (which is 2 MONTHS PRIOR TO OUR DEPARTURE), and I HAVE to hit that $4000 mark before we leave. But I'm not worried, I have great family and friends, ya'll are taking good care of me. Whelp, that's all for now. I'll post pictures of my bike when it comes in. I can't wait for May 15th!
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