Friday, August 29, 2008

Back Home

After a wonderful stay in Vancouver and an incredible trip all summer i am back at home, once again vegging in front of the TV. While the memories of how difficult and absurdly ridiculous some parts of the trip were are still in my head they are overwhelmed by how much fun I had. But the trip was genuinely more than just fun. I was able to work on a 10 houses across the country providing countless hours of work for people that needed it. The best part of working on these houses was working along side the future home owners, and hearing their stories.

Another great aspect of the trip is the church members and communities that helped Bike and Build. We were fed to our stomic's content nearly every night and the hospitality and the love that everyone across the country gave us was remarkable and heart warming. I cant thank them enough. All of them made this trip so much more enjoyable and just incredible. I admire those cyclists that can go across the country by themselves, but for me, those warm meals and the talkative people made every night a new home instead of just a place to sleep. Especially after those long windy and wet days camping. Their was nothing better than to arrive to a church with snacks and cold water with church members awaiting to cook us a nice warm meal. I cant thank them enough!

As of my fellow bike and builders. We share something that is unique to us and will stay with me forever. We have struggled, sweat, and overcome mountains like Washington Pass together. Not only did we all survive we all made it with smiles and laughs along the way. I owe my ultimate thanks to my fellow riders and my fearless leaders. Without their attitude and individual personalities this trip would not be nearly as good as it was. I will miss them dearly and hope to see them in bike lanes shortly.

To my readers. Thank you for baring with my terrible writing and spelling. I understand my blog was not the most interesting or the most dramatic but i hope you enjoyed staying with me on my journey. So thank you and i loved the support and the comments all along the way.

Totals:
Me------------------------------Group
3939.7 miles--------------------114251.3 miles
6303.52 km----------------------182802.08 km
271 hours 10 min on the bike----7863 hours 50 min
72 days-------------------------72 days
3007404.58 tire revolutions-----87214732.82 revolutions
~1575880 pedals-----------------~45700520 pedals
$4,200 raised-------------------$175,000 raised
128 pb&js-----------------------3584 pb&js

29 new friends




thanks again.
out.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

VANCOUVER!!!!!

Everyone made it, everyone went completly across the country on their own power on a bike. I am just so pround and privledged to be part of this group i cant thank them enough. We made it across without serious injury or complications and considering our only van ride came from Katrina's broken finger going into rugby (where she proceded to come back from the hospital and the same day ride another 25 miles to make up the distance) we are one hell of a determined group. This trip has been unforgetable and unbelievable in every sence and i cant thank the riders and the leaders enough. While our trip was not blessed with the weather for the most part, i feel incredibly blessed with everyone involved in it. We had so much fun despite sleeping in campground bathrooms and having hypothermia. Spending 1680 hours nearly continuously with my friends grows a connection that is indescribable and I will truly miss being around them.


Final thoughts to come later.

Friday, August 22, 2008

2 days left!!!!! where did the summer go?

So i am alive. Past few days have been crazy and sorry for not updating more but camping and the Cascades have prevented me from finding a public computer.

Overview:
Republic to Omak - Good ride, easy pass (comparatively), then rain. then more rain. then wind... climbed to just over 4,000 feet but the pass was really not so bad. I was a sweep with Pen which made it nice to just take it easy. We took lots of breaks including one right after the pass at a local diner. The only bad part was that while being in the far back meant we got rained on, twice. At this point in the trip so close to our final destination rain is no longer a fun event, it is an annoyance and the effects of being wet can last for days. The scenery changed dramatically as we passed the pass. It immediately turned to desert. I was surprised at seeing a desert in Washington state, my opinion was that Washington got too much rain, (Thanks Grey's Anatomy)but apparently this area needed it badly. Figures, leave it to Bike and Build to bring the rain in an area which gets very little... Also, the wind, jealous of us being challenged by mountains and stupidly high climbs like Sherman pass, returned to impose her superiority over any obstacle we have faced. She remained to tortured us for a few hours just to ingrain in our heads that the one element to be feared and respected over all the others is wind. We plan to make a sacrifice shortly to the wind in honor of her power over us.

Omak to Camping Day number 1. uggg rain, again. probably a pass that was stupidly high. cant really remember. out of dessert and just like that in a forest again. Beautiful.

Camping day number 1 to camping day number 2 - uggg rain. cold, wet, hypothermia, 2 passes. (Washington pass - 5477 ft, Rainy pass - 4016 ft) cold. umbels. last 80 +_ mile day. --So much to say about this day but i will try to spare you the novel and keep it as brief as possible.-- We woke up in our tents to rain, then we left in the rain, then we climbed for 15 miles, in the rain and the cold. Though the ride up was spectacular views of endless mountains in cloud cover and trees. From the begining we knew this was going to be a hard day but we had no idea what was really in store for us. We finally made it to the top and we were cold while climbing up the mountain, which is a bad sign since we usually work a sweat in any temperature. It is so cold at the top some actually reported seeing snow flakes. Well we bundled up and started the decent knowing we would have to climb up rainy pass soon after the initial downhill. I was in my shorts and rain jacket and that was about it. After 50 feet people were jokily hugging to stay warm, little did we know that in another 3 miles people would be legitimately having initial stages of hypothermia. I made it to the bottom and i wasn't in too bad of a shape. I stopped to throw on almost every piece of clothing that i had in my camel back (thank god i have a massive and awesome camel back with tons of bandannas). So i had one bandanna covering my ears and head while another wrapped around my face and neck, i had my rain jacket (and my camel back rain jacket which is so cool i cant get over it) my jersey, and then i had my spandex shorts. i immediately started pedeling with the intention that if i just kept moving i would generate enough body heat to stay warm and for the most part it worked. I stayed warm enough that i could still control the bike enough to stay on the road... Others had other opinions on staying warm, most huddled shoulder to shoulder in a bathroom...again. I kept going though eventually to find the top of Rainy pass only to find Derek and about 7 bikes with no riders. The front riders had had enough of the cold and flagged down an RV to jump inside and get warm. They left their bikes and cruised in the RV down to our lunch stop. where they jumped into our van. So i take out my camera, snap a few photos with Derek, and decide to just keep on going. I figure i made it this far i can keep on going. So i continue. About a mile down i am shivering so bad its hard to keep the handlebars straight and i cant feel my fingers anymore so i am unsure on my braking abilities. Little did i realize 1,000 miles or so back that my 27 miles of riding no handed continuously would prepare me for a biking technique to stay warm for the Cascades. My new method for descending this rainy, miserable, mountain was to shove my hands in my pockets and just let the bike take me. The plan worked mostly and i regained feeling in my fingers at least enough to stop at the lunch stop. I ate as much as i could stand, and as much as i could make while shivering as much as i was. But really i was fine because about 30 min later i was back on the road using my theory that body motion meant body heat and this time it worked great, 3 miles out of lunch the rain stopped shortly and i was slowly regaining feeling. The sun came out briefly and the scenery was fantastic. I would say this place rivals Glacier national park in terms of beauty, absolutely spectacular. We rode along the valley with steep mountainsides on both sides of the roads with amazingly green trees and moss covering the wood. Waterfalls were stair casing down from the top spraying water into the clouds that were still hanging around. Despite the rain it was still jaw dropping to ride through. It was like this all the way through the park and into our next camping stop where Anson's Grandmother and uncle were there to warm us with delicious snacks and amazing food. All in all a good ride minus the hour or so I thought i was going to die.


Camping day 2 to Lynden. Beautiful. easy last 70 + mile day sunny.

ok got to go computer shutting down in t-minus 1 min ....59 sec...58....ahhh~!
thanks for reading this rediculously long blog! excited to be coming home soon!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Chelewah and Republic, WA

I made it to the last state. All that is left is a few more mountain passes and about 400 miles.

So our trip out of Idaho was a relatively good one until we started climbing a hill. Five miles later we were still climbing the hill. Five miles after that we were in sight of the top. This was a nasty climb. the outside temperature was recorded at 106 degrees and working all the way up the hill just adds to your body temperature. We woke up at 5:15 in hopes we could beat the heat but even at noon when i was just about to the top the hill was unbearably hot. I feel bad for the others that were behind me because it would only get worse for them. Everything turned around at the top of the hill though. I think it was called the Flower trail pass with a top elevation of 4,046ft or something like that. My favorite sign (downhill truck sign) was posted about every mile on the downhill just to remind us that we were in fact going downhill (not that we needed a reminder). 8 miles later of continuous downhill we made it to the church. This church that we stayed at was amazing. upon arrival they had a potluck they invited us to and laid out a delectable array of fruits and snacks soley for us. It was fabulous. So after i ate about 200 grapes i went out back with a few others and just sat in the ice cold stream. Then like we really need more exercise we started a game of volleyball for about an hour and a half. Then the church was so nice they reserved the public pool for us. Again...like we really need the exercise we were just playing basketball in the pool and getting absolutely exhausted. But it was so nice and spectacular that the church put this all together and fed us so well! I loved it.

So today's ride started off well once again. Then at mile 35 we started climbing. 25 miles later of continuous uphill riding we finally made it to the top of Sherman pass with an elevation of 5,575ft. I cant stress how much up hill that is, just ridiculousness. Thats the distance from mainland to Catalina Island all uphill. or for people that have not gone to Catalina thats a complete marathon distance all up hill! Then from the top to the bottom it took me 34 minutes without using my brakes going around 30mph on average.


so to recap. yesterday we climbed 4,046 ft. then went back down. then today we climbed 5,575ft just to once again come back down. yeah cant we just stay up at 4,000ft until Vancouver?

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Sandpoint, IDAHO!

The end is near for NUS 2008. I think we have only 8 more days of biking. To be honest i don't know how we made it so far in so little time. But we have one more US state line to cross before I have to give my goodbye's to an absolutely fabulous group of people.

As for our ride out of Montana it was a pretty usual day. Except it was difficult from the extreme heat we are in. For some reason i haven't been drinking enough water making riding very uncomfortable. The distance of 84 miles has been a challenge but yesterday it was hard for me. Only after drinking about a gallon of water at lunch did i feel good again. The ride was again scenic and filled with trees and lakes. This time we had quite a few cars since we re-entered civilization. Entering Sandpoint was great to because the whole day i wanted to go swimming and i didn't have the perfect opportunity. We even gained an extra hour entering Pacific Time Zone so we had the time yet their were no good spots along the route. Well the second i got to the united Methodist church i asked Dan if there was a good spot to go. He simply responded "lets go". I followed him to be the best hangout spot i could wish for on a hot day after a long ride... a rope swing into the river. This rope swing was almost perfect. It was completely public and in plain site of everyone which meant it was approved by the town as safe and all the locals were there. I must have spent an hour there just waiting in line to jump in. Then i headed back to the church, then after about 30 min later i headed back to the swing.

The next day was our build day, which turned out to be a half day build. We nearly finished applying side paneling to the whole house so it was cool to see progress throughout the day instead of a never ending giant pile of dirt. The site was great and we left around 12:30 and took a good 1.5 hour nap to break up the day. Then what else was there to do but head back to the rope swing. Again stayed for a really long time then called it a day. Went to have dinner and now i am looking forward to some Thermerest.

Hope all is well.

Until next time.

oh and to add to my list

Huckleberry honey
Huckleberry margarita

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Libby, MT

wow..yeah 12 days in Montana. Tomorrow we will finally be leaving this ginormously huge state. Though i must say i will miss western Montana. The rides recently have been fabulous. Yesterday I had a great short ride into Eureka and today we had slightly longer ride but it followed a lake the whole way with a nice wide shoulder for most of the time. The day was hot and clear so it felt great to jump into the freezing waters. The best part of the ride today into Libby was that most of it was through Kootenia National Forrest meaning there was absolutely no development. The ride today reminded me of half New Hampshire and half Southern California so i am happy. I am sorry to disappoint but i have no exciting stories other than Montana is obsessed with Huckleberries and I have tried nearly every form it comes in.

Huckleberry Pancakes,
Huckleberry Gummiebears,
Huckleberry hot chocolate
Huckleberry crepe
Huckleberry taffy
Huckleberry ice cream
Huckleberry shake

Next post will be out of Montana! (But everyone in Montana is awesome just fyi, super nice)

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

whitefish, MT

So... I have biked over the Rockies. All the way up, and all the way down. From Cut Bank we made it into St. Mary's the "Gateway to Glacier National Park" after a very long hard very hard ride. It took me 6 hours on the bike to go just over 60 miles. I will spare you the details because i just dont want to think about that day. Lets just say headwind. The last part of the ride (15 miles) was great. We were entering mountains and the backdrop was intimidating because we new we had to climb it the next day. But the change of scenery inspired me to just pound out the ~2,000 ft elevation climb after being harassed by the wind all day. I saw a group of wild horses and trees... yup we made it to trees. So after the climb we got this amazing downhill looking over the Rockies down into St. Mary's. The wind hadn't died down at this point either so even going downhill (12% or something like that) we were still only going 18mph. But we made it. Our campsites were in a great location and everything was hunky dory and despite the fact that we were camping, it didnt rain! Sadly the wind stayed all night. But the Camping went well for the first time on our trip.

The next morning (11th) we woke up to climb the Rockies. The wind was still there (i guess it really likes us) and the temperature was around the 50s something that is very new to us all. Despite the cold and wind the ride up and down the Rockies was breathtaking. I must have taken 300 photos during the two days and each one of them is spectacular. Bikes wernt allowed on a certain part of the park between 11am-4pm so we planned to just spend all day in the park and ride out after 4. This was one of the best decisions i have made on the trip. We made it to the Continental divide (6.650 ft or something) around 1pm and still had 55 miles to ride and an entire park to see. So we took our lovely time going down with barely enough room for cars. the sun was poking though the clouds every once in a while spaying light over the mountains and the glacier water below. Many pictures later we made it to the bottom at 4 and then stopped for more food and pictures. After the mountain there was still quite a bit of riding to do. we still had 40 miles left and the entire ride out of the park was perfect. We were following Lake McDonald and enjoying the greenish blue glacier water. i jumped into one of these rivers as a white water rafting trip was passing (calm section dont worry mom) and this was the coldest water i have ever been in but the river was just calling for me. Then we had "lunch" at mile 51 around 630pm... and i still had 25 miles to go. So after being in slight shock from the river and lack of food i ate as much as i could handle and I raced the sun to my destination of Whitefish. Needless to say I won, yet it didnt really matter because the van broke down again standing all of our stuff until about 10 pm that night. luckily the church members at the First Pres are amazing and arranged to tow the trailer with all of our stuff to the church so we could all change and go directly to sleep.

today was supposed to be a day off but we ended up having a optional surprise build day. The Habitat site that we worked at was extremely organized and just put us right to work and it was a great way to spend part of the day. We shingled about half of the roof with the help of the excellent site supervisor then called it a day. Now i am exhausted and need a day off....already. But Whitefish is an amazing little town and has been a lot of fun to have our day off in i wish i could spend a few more days here. But VANCOUVER HERE WE COME