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--