So I haven't updated since Farmington NM (12 days and about 1,000 miles ago) and a lot has happened.
On an important and very tragic note, a leader on the Providence to Seattle Route, Paige Hicks was killed a week ago. She was hit by a truck in South Dakota. This is a horrible thing for me to blog about, I know, but I need to. I didn't know Paige personally, but I know what kind of person she was. It takes a certain type of person to sign up for Bike and Build. On my route I've gotten to know 32 of this kind of person and I love them all. I'm sure that Paige was kind, caring, compassionate, daring, adventurous, smart and overall focused on creating a society that was better for all people in it. Paige's death is a tragedy not just for her family, her friends, and her fellow riders on P2S'10, but for the entire Bike and Build community and the world as a whole. There's and Navajo Native American Proverb I remember seeing in Santa Fe that says "When you were born you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in way so that when you die the world cries and you rejoice". All I've heard about Paige makes me sure that she did this.
I feel like everything else I'll write about in this entry in insignificant compared to what I've already written, but I need to write about it as well.
First, I'm going to talk about defeat. Overall Bike and Build is one giant confidence booster. There are mountains to climb, and we climb them. Its hot outside, and we sweat. We push ourselves mentally and physically every single day and at the end of the day when I look back on what I accomplished I feel so good about it. However, not every day ends in accomplishment. There are two rides I did not finish, and on both those days I felt utterly defeated.
The first was the ride day into Santa Fe. I biked the first 30 some miles to lunch, and then I got in the van. I got in it because I had horrible saddle sores. Saddle sores, as gross as it is, are basically sores on you butt from the friction on rubbing against the seat hour after hour day after day. Everybody gets them. Even Lance Armstrong had some this summer on the Tour de France. On the way into Santa Fe mine were so bad that I was almost brought to tears every time I sat on the seat. I got in the van, and as soon as we passed the first rider on the road I cried. Defeated.
I got in the van a couple weeks later on the day into Jacob's Lake. This time I was sick. I've had some kind of stomach virus, and at only mile 16 that day I knew that I wasn't going to make it 80 miles. The girls I was riding with had asked me several times if I wanted to call the van and I said know, but it got to the point where I couldn't push it anymore. I was sick, and hurting and all I could do was sit on the side of the road holding my stomach in tears and wait for the van. Defeated.
So yes, I've ridden in the van for about 85 miles, but I've biked over 3,000. I hope not to have to get in the van again, but I've accepted that its okay to get in the van. Bike and Build is very hard on your body and if you're really hurting, you need to take of yourself.
Yesterday was the hardest day so far for me. It was 94 miles. We had a really bad head wind that was blowing us backwards, and we climbed a lot. I finished and I was so proud of myself. However, I had no idea how I was going to bike 108 miles today. I did it though, and it was actually a much easier day then yesterday. We had a tail wind for part of it and we only had one major climb, which was a mountain pass. I'm still pretty bad at climbing but I'm slowly getting better.
I'm still having an amazing time on Bike and Build. It is definitely the coolest thing I've ever done with some of the coolest people I've ever met. It has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, every day, I can't imagine spending my summer doing anything else.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Goodbye Texas, Hello New Mexico
Since I last updated a lot has happened. Two weeks in BnB time is like 2 months in real life. We have finished with Texas, and have entered New Mexico.
The last bit of Texas was fun, and because hurricane Alexander there was a cold front. It was actually chilly most mornings and the temperature only rose to the mid 70s usually. We had a day off in Amarillo, which was fun. I rode sweep into Amarillo which was a long but fun day.
Today I biked my first century (101 miles to be exact) into Farmington NM. New Mexico is my favorite state so far, it is so beautiful! I cannot begin to describe it - I speechless after we go around every corner and get a new view.
We had a day off in Santa Fe - what an awesome city! We spent the day walking around down town and getting new bike things we needed. I ate Tex Mex two nights in a row - yum! Santa Fe was really artsy and reminded me of a soth western Asheville.
Since I last updated I've had my fair share of bike issues. I got my first (7) flats. All of which have been caused by tiny little pieces of glass (except for 1 which was a huge piece that almost instantly deflated mt tube). I also put a new 9 speed chain on my bike... and then I realized the next ride day that my bike was a 10 speed. Obviously this caused some issues yesterday and I could only use 6 of my 30 gears. I finished the ride though! After the ride yesterday one of the leaders put his old ten speed chain on my bike. It shifted a little funny, but overall it worked really well.
Today was maybe my favorite day of BnB (although I say that multiple times a week). It was challenging but really fun. I also found a girl who I can ride with well on hills! I usually ride with Kate realy well, but on thw hills she goes too fast for me (I'm really slow at climbing). Today I rode with Leslie and we stuck together really well! There was a decent amount of climbing, but overall we were descending throughout the day. The final descent was amazing and right next to this huge canyon. I'm not sure how fast I was going since my computer was acting up, but it felt similar, if not faster then when I hit 42 the other day (SO MUCH FUN). Descents like that make the climbs so worth it!
The last bit of Texas was fun, and because hurricane Alexander there was a cold front. It was actually chilly most mornings and the temperature only rose to the mid 70s usually. We had a day off in Amarillo, which was fun. I rode sweep into Amarillo which was a long but fun day.
Today I biked my first century (101 miles to be exact) into Farmington NM. New Mexico is my favorite state so far, it is so beautiful! I cannot begin to describe it - I speechless after we go around every corner and get a new view.
We had a day off in Santa Fe - what an awesome city! We spent the day walking around down town and getting new bike things we needed. I ate Tex Mex two nights in a row - yum! Santa Fe was really artsy and reminded me of a soth western Asheville.
Since I last updated I've had my fair share of bike issues. I got my first (7) flats. All of which have been caused by tiny little pieces of glass (except for 1 which was a huge piece that almost instantly deflated mt tube). I also put a new 9 speed chain on my bike... and then I realized the next ride day that my bike was a 10 speed. Obviously this caused some issues yesterday and I could only use 6 of my 30 gears. I finished the ride though! After the ride yesterday one of the leaders put his old ten speed chain on my bike. It shifted a little funny, but overall it worked really well.
Today was maybe my favorite day of BnB (although I say that multiple times a week). It was challenging but really fun. I also found a girl who I can ride with well on hills! I usually ride with Kate realy well, but on thw hills she goes too fast for me (I'm really slow at climbing). Today I rode with Leslie and we stuck together really well! There was a decent amount of climbing, but overall we were descending throughout the day. The final descent was amazing and right next to this huge canyon. I'm not sure how fast I was going since my computer was acting up, but it felt similar, if not faster then when I hit 42 the other day (SO MUCH FUN). Descents like that make the climbs so worth it!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Everything is Bigger in Texas
Since the last time I updated we have arrived in Texas! The first ride day from Pelican to Carthage was marked online as only being 60ish miles, but the cue sheet ended up being 81. However, the leader who wrote the cue sheet got confused and sent us in the wrong direction adding a total of 10 miles to the already long and hot day. I ended up getting really dehydrated at mile 91 and I got sick, but I finished the last 1.5 miles and ended safely at the home of a former bike and builder's parents.
The next day we biked another 92.5 miles into Athens. That ride was so hard, and I wasn't feeling well in the morning, but I finished. The hills never ended. I almost didn't want to reach the top on them because it would bring upon me a view of hill after hill after hill. Everyone was so exhausted that day, but walking into the church where we were having dinner and having the part of the group that was already there congratulate me for finishing was an awesome thing. The day was long and hot, but looking back on it it was a great day and a huge accomplishment for every BnBer.
That night our group split up for the first time of the entire trip to stay at houses of families in the church. It was really weird, but nice to have my own bed and my own room at the house of some of the nicest people I've ever met. It was one of the girls who stayed at my hosts birthdays, and when we told Gwen, the woman whose house it was she immediately started baking her a cake. It was so sweet!
Jesse, her husband is a vet who works with small and large animals. They live on a huge plot if land in beautiful house and even have cows! One thing that greatly affects their family that I have not been aware of was the harvesting of natural gas. Jesse told us that the government owns all the natural gas, so if they can harvest natural gas on your property they have the right to put as many rigs on it as they want. All they have to pay the people the damage the rig does to the property. However when put on agricultural lands thiese rigs often cause other losses to the property owners in crops they cannot grow etc.
After a delicious egg bake made by Gwen, we left Athens and headed to Sunnyvale, outside of Dallas. Once in Dallas we built for two days with Habitat of Greater Garland. In the two days we were there we put up all the framing for all the interior and exterior walls. It was really great. We got to meet the home owner at a BBQ thrown by Habitat for us. She was a single mother of two who works in an administrative position in the health care field. She was so excited to get her own house, and she couldn't believe when we told her we had framed all the walls.
Today we biked 86 miles into Decatur Texas. I wrote about it in more detail for the trip blog, and that should be up next time we have internet. I'm too exhausted to write about again, haha.
The next day we biked another 92.5 miles into Athens. That ride was so hard, and I wasn't feeling well in the morning, but I finished. The hills never ended. I almost didn't want to reach the top on them because it would bring upon me a view of hill after hill after hill. Everyone was so exhausted that day, but walking into the church where we were having dinner and having the part of the group that was already there congratulate me for finishing was an awesome thing. The day was long and hot, but looking back on it it was a great day and a huge accomplishment for every BnBer.
That night our group split up for the first time of the entire trip to stay at houses of families in the church. It was really weird, but nice to have my own bed and my own room at the house of some of the nicest people I've ever met. It was one of the girls who stayed at my hosts birthdays, and when we told Gwen, the woman whose house it was she immediately started baking her a cake. It was so sweet!
Jesse, her husband is a vet who works with small and large animals. They live on a huge plot if land in beautiful house and even have cows! One thing that greatly affects their family that I have not been aware of was the harvesting of natural gas. Jesse told us that the government owns all the natural gas, so if they can harvest natural gas on your property they have the right to put as many rigs on it as they want. All they have to pay the people the damage the rig does to the property. However when put on agricultural lands thiese rigs often cause other losses to the property owners in crops they cannot grow etc.
After a delicious egg bake made by Gwen, we left Athens and headed to Sunnyvale, outside of Dallas. Once in Dallas we built for two days with Habitat of Greater Garland. In the two days we were there we put up all the framing for all the interior and exterior walls. It was really great. We got to meet the home owner at a BBQ thrown by Habitat for us. She was a single mother of two who works in an administrative position in the health care field. She was so excited to get her own house, and she couldn't believe when we told her we had framed all the walls.
Today we biked 86 miles into Decatur Texas. I wrote about it in more detail for the trip blog, and that should be up next time we have internet. I'm too exhausted to write about again, haha.
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