BEST ACCOMODATIONS EVERRRRR!!!!!!

Wow. I pretty much love Cincinnati, OH. The ride here today was so picturesque -- this part of southern Ohio is totally like Knox and Licking Counties (which are further north by my old stomping grounds), and even though the land is scarred by farms and telephone polls there is just something about the straight rows of corn and soybeans growing on rolling hills under a cloudless blue sky that is so beautiful.

This morning I rode with Becca, Roshie, Erin, and Kristi, and we had several of our normal adventures before it was even 10am. For example: Rosh, Kristi, and Erin all almost were flattened by a semi when they decided to cross the yellow line (a huge Bike and Build no-no). Apparently a dog was headed out into the road and since Roshan has already run over one dog (don't worry, he escaped with only a broken leg), she was not going to take any more chances. Apparently it was safer to cross the dotted yellow line in the path of a semi/huge farm truck instead. I actually wasn't sure which was more dangerous -- my 3 friends swerving to the left or Becca yelling herself hoarse somewhere between sudden high blood pressure and having an actual heart attack on her bike. Yeah...it was pretty scary having that go on from next to me.

Of course there are other more hilarious adventures, like Roshan's first time peeing on the side of the road. I'll spare you the details, but will quote Kristi: "Roshan on Bike and Build is like Paris Hilton at summer camp." She is so accurate, it's hilarious. Roshan is pretty much the JAPiest Iranian I know...haha love you Rosh.

Just before lunch Becca and I broke away from our sidekicks to take a detour into UDF. For those of you who are unaware of the wonderfulness that is United Dairy Farmers, I'm quite sorry for you. It is an Ohio chain of (yes, I am not making this up) gas stations and ice cream. YUM. Becca and I split a large raspberry chocolate chip milkshake. Did we care that it was 11am? Absolutely not.

We rolled into lunch about 5 miles later and bought some peaches from the farmstand whose grassy lawn we had taken over. Most of us took naps or chatted on the phone with family and friends, staying for about an hour before rolling out to Cinci.

During the afternoon I rode with Becca; the ride was mostly thru the outer suburbs, including the super nice Indian Hill. Unfortunately, we got a call midway thru our last 25 miles from Mariah, who was driving the van. She told us that Kristi had in fact been hit by a car (not her fault though) and needed to go to the hospital. Luckily though, she is alright and sports only a nice bruise on her elbow. The Perkoset she is on is also helping.

Ok -- so here is the reason I am so pumped about tonight. While it sucks to have home stays that make our group get split up, it is quite nice. We rolled into the Dwyers' driveway around 4, and Becca, Roshan, Erin, and I quickly hijacked the van and went to find the nearest Graeter's. AMAZING. Because I had gotten a raspberry chip shake earlier, I opted for my other fave flave -- peach (in a homemade waffle cone, of course). Rosh and Erin opted for raspberry chip and Becca decided to eat 2/3 of my double scoop of peach. Oh and of course we listened to Rent on the way to and from Graeter's. Obvi.

Tonight we are staying at one of Dwyers' friend's house, somewhere outside of Cincinnati. It's AMAZING. We went for a swim in their pool when we got here, ate food that did not include pasta and cookies (instead it was chicken, fruit salad, and more Graeter's!!!!), took a nice relaxing shower without worrying about the long line behind you and the hot water running out, are able to get on the internet and again not have to worry about a long line behind us, and later on we're planning on playing some Corn Hole (ohhhhh the midwest, gotta love it) and then having a slumber party snugfest-style while watching The Holiday. And did I mention we're sleeping in beds tonight? It really doesn't get much better than this :)

Tomorrow we head into Indiana -- it's really going to start to get flat now! I'll miss Ohio but am so pumped for new places, spaces, and people to see. Best summer ever, no doubt.

HANG ON SLOOPY SLOOPY HANG ON (O-H-I-O!)

Yay Ohio! We rode 100 miles from Cameron, WV to Marietta, OH (cute town) a few days ago and stayed in Marietta for 2 nights before rolling out to McArthur and now Hillsboro. I am obsessed with being back in the midwest...I just love the landscape and the people so much. It feels like home again and I keep getting nostalgic -- I see familiar/regional grocery stores, banks, ice cream shops, newspapers (Bike and Build got a shoutout in the Dispatch yesterday), roads, signs, rivers, and even friends (I ran into Kate Lainhart and Matt Schep in Athens)! I rode by myself for about 40 miles yesterday and decided that my life in Ohio is definitely not over. I may not return in the near future but I would absolutely love the chance to at some point.

The roads have gone from mountains to flat, and the 70 mile days don't take us nearly as long as they once did. I continue to ride with Roshie, Kristi, Erin M., and Becca and we do nothing short of have a hilarious time. Today was our first day riding in the rain, which was pretty cold, and flat tires certainly don't help, but we still manage new and exciting adventures with every mile. I love it.

I also love how I have absolutely NO idea what day it is, and I never need to look at my watch, my to do list, check my blackberry, etc etc. It is the best thing ever to wake up in the morning and be like, "All I need to do today is bike 75 miles." If I'm tired, I get off my bike. If I'm hungry, I get a snack. No big deal.

Tonight we're in Hillsboro and tomorrow's our last stop in Ohio, in Cincinnati. We really are in the midwest now -- the generosity is amazing, i.e. Kroger donated tons of breakfast food for us, there is talk of a Graeter's party tomorrow, drivers beep encouragement and cheer us on rather than the angrier honks we experienced in the northeast states....awesome. So fantastic.

I feel like there was tons more I wanted to mention and now that I have finally gotten access to a computer I can't remember everything. I've been kind of bad about being on the internet but don't forget I have my cell phone with me! And OMG. I need to give a shoutout to my wonderful friends who have sent me incredible mail! My parents and aunt have been great sending random energy food and of course tabloids, and NELL AND JULIA the cookies and muffins (and the postcards) are way delish. Ricky thanks so much for the birthday present package and this week's postcard, also a thanks to my secret admirer who keeps sending me things from somewhere in Maryland...they never fail to make me laugh and I wish I knew who you were so I could thank you personally (Dan I'm still not totally convinced it's not you). And Katie -- your letter was awesome too :)

So I guess that's it. I'm going to join everyone else watching Rent now (Hi Laura, I miss you...you said we were golden!). We always sing the lyrics when we ride and tonight Becca bought the DVD so we can watch it on the ridic widescreen at the Hillsboro Methodist Church. w00t.

Bye Grossylvania

Pennsylvania is so disgusting and I am so happy to be finished riding thru it. The roads we rode on were terrible -- gravel and glass in the shoulders, construction, giant dump trucks spewing black smoke, hecklers speeding rusty American-made cars past us...ick. We rolled into West Viginia now and believe it or not it's heaps better. They even had a state sign.

Although Pennsyltucky is somewhere I would never like to revisit, I am still having a fantastic time on this trip. The people are just so awesome. I have not laughed this hard since I was in college. It's quite refreshing after a horrible year in the real world. I have no idea what day it is and barely know the time, either. I do know that we get up at 6 (or 5), but after that I never look at a clock and go to bed when I'm tired. Hosts have been pretty great, I mean we had to sleep according to gender at one church, but I guess as we roll further and further from the east coast it's going to become more conservative. We all just feel lucky enough to have a roof to sleep under (we did camp last night in PA, uneventful except for the skunk that ate all of Joseph's Clif Bars and a few Shot blocks, too.).

I haven't really been keeping up with running (I know, lame) because there is so little free time. I was able to get in a short jog with Rachel a few days ago, though, after our build day. We painted and worked on an addition to a few homes in Harrisburg, PA.

Highlights this far: Hay Barrel pics, the discount candy factory we found in rural PA, getting free food from generous store owners we pass along the way, eating Rita's, riding thru the Delaware Water Gap, all the downhills, all my great new friends, and leaving PA. There are many more but I actually have to give this computer up to other riders who would like to share their own highlights on their own blogs.

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you enjoy this!

Hi Pennsylvania

After less than 24 (or 18) hours in New York, we arrived in Pennsylvania, our home for the next week. I have to say, I have never really been a fan of The Keystone State, and the fact that there was no "Welcome to Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendall" sign after we crossed over the Delaware River didn't help things. Of course, we made our own on the shoulder so that other riders wouldn't be as upset as we were (it should be noted that one of the expectations of Bike and Build is to get a picture at every state sign). That was the only low point of the day.

There was much whimpering this morning as we rolled out from the church in Middletown; the agony of repeating yesterday was much feared. We had also heard that there would be a 15 mile climb, and after the 3 mile, 2000 feet climb of yesterday, well...there was definitely some crabbiness. It's hard to hear so many people getting down so I did my best to make my way to the front of the pack, picking off complaining riders as I raced (HA) in granny gear up Mountain Road in Orange County (NY -- we're not in California just yet).

The top of Mountain Road was amazing, and I have never been so happy to see a "Trucks Use Low Gear Next 4 Miles" sign. It took about 45 minutes to get up the hardest part of the hill, and about 2.5 to get down, and from there we sped thru Port Jervis (some stopped for ice cream but I actually couldn't do that just yet, it was about 930 in the morning) and over into PA.

We actually did have a beautiful ride thru the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area. There was a nice broad shoulder and little traffic. Because the van was being serviced (windshield replaced, NY state inspection (Bike and Build is based in Brooklyn), oil replaced...no big deal) we weren't really sure about lunch, and when we hit mile 35 (our designated lunch spot) there was no van to be seen. We ended up getting in touch with the driver, who said that they were still waiting at the garage. Hmmm...it sounded like we'd have to keep riding into the "town" of Bushkill to buy our own. We coasted in 14 miles later and hit up a shady Poconos resort (is there any other kind?), and Erin and I decided that ice cream with sprinkles was the perfect meal. After an hour long break, we finished the ride in Stroudsburg, a cute town that stands on the other side of what is typical Pennsylvania from the park -- a road filled with giant dumptrucks running us of into the gravely shoulder, pumping diesel exhaust into our lungs. GROSS. Luckily though, that ended after about 15 more miles and we were fortunate enough to get showers at the Y, find some wireless, and be located within a mile of RITA'S. BEST DAY EVER.

It always took me about 6 hours to drive across PA on my way to and from school. This time though, it will take strong quads and a whole lotta mental toughness. Shortly after, we roll in and out of West Virginia, and then we'll begin the next chapter of the trip in the midwest. It's so hard to believe this, but each day is an adventure more exciting than the last. What an incredible summer!

I HEART NEW YORK

What a day. We biked UP -- straight up -- Bear Mountain near West Point. We got lost and some of us did a century ride (100 miles) instead of the planned 70 miles. We are sunburned and sore. All we eat is carbs. Cooper got stuck in a grate, fell over, and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. We missed our showers at the Y because it closed at 6 (yes, we were on our bikes from 830 this morning until 7 tonight). We missed laundry because it closed at 9 and we weren't ready. We've worn our jerseys for three days straight. We smell foul, even after our shower at the local Hampton Inn (15 girls using one shower was quite the bonding experience). WE LOVE BIKE AND BUILD!!!!!

There has been quite an interesting range of riding conditions over the first three days, literally, in the saddle. Day 1, from Providence to Plainfield, CT, was 37 miles in cool, gray conditions. Then it was our hardest day, now we not only say that every day, but we look back at that first day and say it was the easiest.

Day 2 we rode into Middletown, CT. Such a cute town! Riding over the bridge to Middletown got us all so excited for the Golden Gate Bridge in just two months. We had tons of time in the afternoon to take leisurely showers at the Middletown Y, the nicest YMCA I've ever been in. A bunch of us went to Prailenes and got AMAZING ice cream (it was one of the many stops in my ice cream across America book). I met my friend Nina later on and had some more ice cream. Some of us went to the local bike shop, Pedal Power. It was a beautiful day and we were all sporting the beginnings of fantastic tan lines. That night, of course, we had a wonderfully delicious meal provided by our host church, St. Paul's.

Day 3, yesterday, we left Middletown for Danbury, CT. There were some errors on the directions and after much confusion we rolled in around 6pm. Also, I never knew Connecticut was so hilly, and we all pretty much died on each climb. Highlights of the day included stopping at the Strawberry Festival in Cheshire. YUM. Complete with strawberry shortcake, live music, and blow-up games, it was a Bike and Builder's ideal way to spend the morning (besides riding, of course). However stopping by the festival got us into lunch late, and besides that my chain fell off twice on downhills, so I pretty much had to drag Brutus in around 2pm. And then, 4 hours later, I coasted into Danbury, with pretty much everyone else. Of course the Y showers were closed....so Carys had the chutzpah to ask some random guy on the street if he knew where we could go. Perfect! We went to the Portugeuse Club of Danbury. The showers were amazing and much needed, and once we were done the plan was the take the van back for a delicious pizza (real pizza, obviously, in case you don't realize how close to the City we were) dinner provided by Katie's parents. Unfortunately......all the paint that we used to decorate our lovely trailer spilled and they had to spend quite some time cleaning out the (leased) van. And so two hours later, after being told by the Portugeuse (Club) of Danbury that we had to leave the property for loitering, as the temperature dropped into the 50s and the moon began to rise, we got a ride back to the church in our van, which now sports a bright orange floor and no middle seat (it had to be removed for cleaning). We returned to the church, ate some pizza, and immediately fell asleep.

And then there was today.

Tomorrow is Pennsylvania.

I really don't think I have never pushed my body this hard before. All those preseasons I had where I seriously thought my quads were going to rip out of my legs the moment I took another step...those mean nothing now. They are minute compared to this physical exursion that I, and every Bike and Builder, commits to every morning at 6am. BUT...it is wonderful. I can not think of a better way to spend my summer. The people I have met are so amazing -- hilarious, motivating, intelligent, strong athletes. This is such a wonderful experience!

I'm trying to get some pics at some point but the computers I keep using don't have spaces for my memory card. Check out the website though because I heard there is one of me. And I know there are a bunch on The Facebook too. So if you're interested, definitely take a look!

Until next time--

The END of Orientation...we ride west tomorrow morning.

Well I survived orientation. I met everyone, learned bike maintenance, did a shake-down ride, have been successfully getting up at 6 (and running too), ate some ice cream (Americone Dream, not really a fan of the flavor but I did it for the trip), and the color that I had previously been getting on my shoulders and chest is fading fast. Oh and I crashed too, so I guess that makes me an official cyclist.

The past 48 hours have been spent getting to know our group and eating lots of carbs. There are 32 riders, from various colleges throughout the country --mostly Brown, Harvard, one other kid from Kenyon, a few from RISD...and then other small crunchy liberal arts schools like Mt. Holyoke as well as some larger schools like Cornell, Texas (GO BUCKEYES), and Minnesota (hi Ricky). We also have a rider who served in the IDF, a rider who returned from Africa just last week, and two riders who had never used clipless pedals before yesterday. There are guys in our group who cycle for their school teams, and one of our leaders biked xc two summers ago. I felt at home when I realized that Ohio is well represented -- not only are there two Kenyon kids ('06 and '09) but two girls from Cincinasty and another from Cleveland who went to Baldwin-Wallace. So yes, it goes without saying that we will be able to have a Graeter's party (or three) when we roll thru the Buckeye State. In addition there are several New Jersey kids, and even though I haven't lived there since '02....since I am moving home at the end of the summer (I know, ouch) I better appreciate them too! Seriously though, it's a great group of young adults and I am super excited to spend the next nine weeks with them.

We took our first ride as a group yesterday, biking 20 miles of the East Bay trail outside of Providence. It required about a mile on a highway bridge, complete with high-speed winds (no big deal), a wrong turn, and beautiful scenery. Those three things are only a glimpse of what is to come!

Today was our first build day, we built a fence at a Habitat home on the west side of Providence. Let me tell you...building a fence is NOT an easy thing. Apparently it really does matter which screws should be drilled in which holes, the way each post goes, AND the way each of the horizontal posts go. Also, even though we were using teamwork, it really is counteractive to use two people to drill. By accident I drilled through (well ok, not through) Mary's hand. Oops. She is ok though!

Tomorrow we will ride 37 miles to Plainfield, CT, our shortest ride of the trip. I'm sure we'll still have kinks to work out, but I have confidence that every single rider is well-prepared. Everyone is so eager to roll (literally) out of Ptown and get this show on the road!

Bring it on, United States...here we come!

HOOTIE.

TOMORRRRROWWWW

Omg. Tomorrow I head up to Providence for the start of one of the best summers (slash experiences) of my life. I am so excited!!!

I'm staying in Providence for the weekend with my lovely childhood friend Abby Brewster. I'm hoping to meet some other Bike and Build riders on Sunday, but if not, Monday is The Big Day, so I'll definitely meet everyone then.

Yes I am excited, but I'm nervous, too. The following are worries/concerns I have about the next 9 weeks:

1) I will get out of running shape. I mean, obviously. But seriously -- I would love to do a marathon in the fall (Portland, OR/Chicago/Columbus?...any takers?) so I should probably try and run 3-4 days a week. How this is going to happen I have no idea. But I am slightly obsessed with running and I will make sure it does. Even though every time I get off my bike and go for a run it is a huge struggle...I'm talking heavy legs, feels-like-I'm-running-through-molasses struggle. Yeah...I'll keep you updated. Sidenote: I am also worried about losing arm strength, and glad that I don't have to be in shape for lacrosse anymore.

2) I will gain weight. This is bound to happen. In fact I do not know any (female) riders who have done Bike and Build and not arrived at the Pacific Ocean without an additional 10-15 pounds. YIKES. I am especially nervous about not fitting into clothes for all the interviews I have lined up in the fall (HA! Interviews...that's funny). Seriously though...if you notice that I look a bit pudgy in pictures, feel free to let me know. Like...you may not recognize me. Now that I'm no longer a recent college graduate I have noticed my metabolism slowing down. And since ice cream is my favorite food, and I am bringing a book that lists all the best ice cream places in the country, and I plan on consuming heaps of ice cream each day, even though I am lactose intolerant...well, I just may have to be rolled across the Golden Gate Bridge. Think Violet from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Like I said earlier, you may not recognize me.

3) Sick tan lines. The word sick can be interpreted a few different ways here. The first is sick as in GROSS. Example: it will look like I am wearing a jersey even when I am completely topless. White shoulders and upper arms like a truck driver or farmer, gleaming white. It should look lovely when I wear a strapless dress to a wedding in September. Of course the other interpretation of the word sick is FANTASTIC. Who doesn't want it to seem like they're wearing socks (or spandex, or a Bike and Build jersey, or gloves, or sunglasses for that matter) when they are...not? What can I say, I'm vain.

4) Laundry. I've done it before. Ok, not the whole living-out-of-a-bag thing for nine weeks, but the wear-the-same-outfit-practically-every-day thing. My junior year I spent my fall semester abroad (Turks and Caicos, hootie), where we had to use a few sprays of Febreez to clean our clothing. Fresh water wasn't exactly readily available on the island of South Caicos. At least not for something as unimportant as washing laundry. But yeah, I am OCD (and I mean super anal) about how I do my laundry -- what gets dried (or more like what doesn't get dried), what gets washed cold water only, what gets spun on the delicate cycle, etc. etc. What the heck am I supposed to do when it gets -- God forbid -- tossed in a laundromat machine, one of those front-end types that dirty laundry belonging to other people -- people I don't even know -- touches?!?! Talk about sick. I will have to...what's the word my mother always uses?...Cope? Yes, I'll have to cope. But if my one cotton shirt I'm bringing shrinks, I'll be pissed. And you know my span can't shrink anymore...especially with the 10 pounds of ice cream I'll be dragging around in, yes literally in, it.

There are more ridiculous things that I can't even post here because I'm sure you already think I am so over the top. But don't worry I will make sure to fill you in on the adventures I have running after a century ride (oh I would never do that), counting my calories (nope, I'd never do that either), trying to tan on my lunch break (this I might attempt), and insisting that I be in charge of laundry every time we go to wash it (I'm sure this will get really old really fast).

In the meantime, check out the article below, as well as the radio clip of Bike and Build founder, Marc Bush (Caitlin Wells, seeing/hearing his name makes me think of you every time).

Enjoy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/health/05brod.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1181070189-8OrNmGwqerdsoijx0t7CIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ONxb9WcONk&NR=1

Now it's time for more packing and a few hours of sleep before I hop on 95 and head up to Providence.

Monday, June 11, 2pm in Providence, RI: BRING IT ON.