After The Fact...

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2007:

And I'm done.

What a summer! We got to sleep in this morning, didn't get up till 730. We didn't roll in to San Fransisco until about 945, and the ride was super quick (only 18 miles) and we were able to stay together as a group. It was especially emotional with Cooper playing "We're All In This Together," a song from our beloved High School Musical. We stopped for pictures several times along the way, including Sausolito, when the bridge first came into site, and at the visitors' center on the near side of the bridge. The ride was so pretty -- the day was perfect. I still have yet to see a cloud since Park City, and even then it was raining. One of the things I love about the west is that when the sun's out, it's out. The sky is just so HUGE! And so blue. It's beautiful.



We rode along the main drag of Sausolito, and then climbed up to the start of the bridge. Cell phones started ringing as parents and friends were wondering when we were getting there -- suddenly we were on a schedule again! Amidst all the excitement though we did manage to get the cliche picture of rider-with-bike-over-head-and-bridge-in-background...for nearly every rider. And then we got a group shot. And then, after I had one of those stupid falls where you get on your bike and just kind of topple over (I know, even on the last day), we were off -- riding across the bridge!!!! It was INCREDIBLE. Soooo beautiful, such an amazing feeling, I can't even describe it. I don't know if the other trips felt this way...there is just something about the fact that we were riding over the bridge that made it seem so final. The final step. We were all totally aware that our trip was ending and it was almost like riding over the bridge allowed us to stop in time. Everything around us seemed to stop while we all pedaled to the opposite shoreline and into the ocean.

My mom met me at Crissy Field, along with several other moms, dads, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and friends. It was so fun getting to meet everyone's families and indulge in amazing food and of course champagne! I still can't believe it's over.

I am going to stay with my mom in San Fransisco for a few days, and then Becca, Sarah, Joseph, Emma (from one of the HBC rides), and I will begin our road trip back. Final itinerary:

Day 1 McDermott, NV (to get there we will drive on I-80, I'm sure it will bring back so many memories slash we will say, what the hell were we thinking?!?!)

Day 2 Jackson, WY (via southeast Oregon and Boise, Idaho)

Day 3 Sioux Falls, SD (via the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore)

Day 4 Albert Lea, MN (via the Badlands)

Day 5 Madison, WI (via Dyersville, Iowa aka Field of Dreams!)

Days 6, 7 Columbus, OH (via Chicago). One of my favorite places!!!

Day 8 Pennington, NJ (and then I get dropped off, everyone else will continue on to Providence via Long Island to drop off the trailer and then the ferry to Connecticut)

Favorite Rides:
-Marietta, OH to Athens, OH: a cool June morning, very green scenery, beautiful rolling hills, all in one of my favorite states!
-Stoneham, CO to Ft. Collins, CO: we left the plains of eastern Colorado for the foothills of the Rockies, we had our first glimpse of the Rockies, the ride was easy and I was able to explore cute Ft. Collins, as well as meet up with Misty, Elana came, we knew the most beautiful parts of the country we're coming up, we were finally hitting civilization, I was finally getting into shape...
-Estes Park, CO to Granby, CO: this included the 22 mile Trail Ridge Road, but the 7 hour climb was definitely worth it, I got to go on 2 hikes, see/touch snow, had lunch at 12,000 feet, there were beautiful panoramas everywhere I looked, the descent was exhilerating
-Maybell, CO to Vernal, UT: we left while it was still dark outside, it was mostly flat, the ride into Utah was pretty, but in a different way. Lots of red rocks, the road frequently went through small canyons, I rode alone for a lot of this and loved it.
-Sparks, NV to South Lake Tahoe, CA: a tough climb up Mt. Rose, but one of the most amazing downhills, beautiful views of Lake Tahoe, we finally got to see water again, it was green again too, and we were in civilization!
-South Lake Tahoe, CA to Placerville, CA: there was a decent climb before lunch, but after we crossed the Pacific Crest Trail there was a steep downhill, there was no humidity, just sunshine, and we were finally getting into the "real" NorCal!
-San Rafael, CA to San Fransisco, CA: for obvious reasons :)


Favorite Lunch Spots:
-Athens, OH: we ate near a sweet bike shop and I ran into friends from Kenyon.
-Kansas City, MO: we were finally in civilization again and so close to Lawrence, which held high expectations for all of us, not only did we have 3 days off, but we had heard so much about this amazing town (all of it true).
-Rocky Mountain National Park Visitors' Center, at the top of Trail Ridge Road: although it was about 45 degrees and overcast, being up there was amazing, we had just done the hardest climb of the trip and there was an amazing feeling of accomplishment.
-Sacramento, CA: we got to be in a city again, and there were palm trees everywhere!


Favorite Places to Spend the Night:
-Marietta, OH: I really love this cute riverside town. So Midwestern, but in a good way.
-Cincinnati, OH: I don't really care for Cincinnati, but we were able to sleep in beds, plus swim in a pool, sit in a hot tub, and eat Graeter's!
-Hannibal, MO: we had enough time to get to enjoy Tom Sawyer Days, drink frozen coffees, and read trashy mags.
-Lawrence, KS: a "hidden gem"...I would even consider moving here one day. Reminds me of some New England or Ohio towns, also had a sweet town pool.
-Estes Park, CO: a bit touristy, but a nice rush of people, stores, and ice cream places.
-Steamboat Springs, CO: loved drinks on a rooftop bar and swimming in the Hot Springs.
-Park City, UT: a great mountain town, beautiful, good restaurants and stores.
-Sparks, NV: If Hot August Nights wasn't going on, it might not have been as great, but really, I'm surprised that before Bike and Build I hadn't heard that much about the Reno area.
-South Lake Tahoe, CA: lots to do in this touristy town, and we could walk to everything.


I'm sure I missed some great places, but those are some of the ones that come to mind right now. I know Bike and Build is not something that I will forget easily, and I am lucky to have these memories forever. I rode through so many places I never would have seen otherwise, and discovered lots of cool, small American towns along the way. And there are places I'm sure I'll return to, too. Bike and Build was definitely hard, but totally, absolutely worth it.

I have already started to plan another cross-country trip, this one from west to east...anyone want to join me? :)

Tomorrow's the day I'll have ridden my bike XC!!!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2007:

Whaaat?!?! Omg, tomorrow's the day I'll finish my cross-country trip! WOW.

We rode into Davis the other day, mostly along a Sacramento County bike path, which was really nice. So quiet compared to I-80! Such a contrast. We stopped in Sacramento for lunch, and even had a Northern '04 rider see our trailer and come over and say hello.

After lunch we rode a Sacramento-to-Davis bike path into the town (we got to experience one of the more euphoric cyclist moments -- pedaling past bumper-to-bumper communter traffic), which is cute and super bike friendly. Even at the traffic lights, bikes have their own signals! So cool. I'd even consider living there, if it wasn't so isolated. It is pretty much surrounded by fields. You can stand on the edge of town and look across a flat 15 mile field and see the skyline of Sacramento jutting out from the horizon.

Yesterday we ate breakfast at an amazing crepes place and then had a few hards climbs into Napa. At lunch we ran into some riders from the Southern trip, definitely not as cool as our riders! haha -- kidding, they seemed like typical Bike and Build kids, aka the real deal.

Now we're in San Rafael, and can see the Richmond Bridge from the church where we're staying. The people here are super nice, too, I mean the people are always nice but the people at this church made us cookies and put them in bags with a little poem:

As you traveled and biked coast to coast,
you stopped to help those needing it most.

Over many days and many nights,
you biked along and saw the sights.

You painted, sawed, hammererd and more,
soon it was time to hang the door.

A home for children, a furry pet,
you may never know the need you met.

You gave of your time and your heart,
this truly, has set you apart.

As you end your trip, way out west,
we at St. Luke wish you the best.


It was so cute! Of course I cried.

Tomorrow is the big day. As an '04 alum just texted me, I'll be sure to enjoy the salt water!

I LOVE CALIFORNIA!!!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2007:

I love California! SOOOO much better than Nevada, obvi. We got here 2 days ago, but first were in Reno (I wrote from there when we got in, but didn't include that night's events). In Reno, Becca, Joseph, Justine, Courtney and I went out to "Hot August Nights," an annual classic car show. Definitely local color...some people get really into it, it was cool to see. We also went to our first In and Out Burger of the trip (I'm sure many more will come), where Joseph introduced us to all kinds of secret orders including animal-style french fries. Of course I only get the milkshakes there, and they were delicious as usual. I don't think I've had ice cream in a while...oh wait, that's a lie, in Lovelock I got a pint, a softserve, and a milkshake all in the same stop.

Before going to Hot August Nights, we went to Target, which was definitely a culture shock. I wasn't sure if it would be hard to readjust to the real world after Bike and Build, I mean, there are so many things I am looking forward to, a bed for one, as well as being able to just keep my shampoo and stuff IN the shower, rather than having to schlep it back and forth to a new shower every night. I also am excited to not have to live out of a bag anymore, wear normal clothes, and go running (and get rid of all this extra weight I'm carrying around!).

But yes, culture shock will happen, and that was pretty apparent upon walking into Target. Roshan and I pretty much just stopped. There were so many...things! We went to the DVD section and I was like so overwhelmed at all the new DVDs I'm going to have to buy, plus I know there are so many new songs I need to learn and new artists to check out, etc. etc. It is totally hard to be up to date with pop culture while on Bike and Build! I mean, really it's not a huge deal, but then you walk in to a place like Target and it just kind of hits you.

Sparks, NV (just outside of Reno) was by far the best mail drop of the summer. It was our last one, so I had pretty high expectations. Mostly because one of my best friends had been in Zambia for all the others and this mail drop was the one that she was finally able to send me a package to. So, along with this amazing package, I got a bunch of things from my parents (they have been really awesome about sending stuff) and a letter and some cash (yay ice cream!) from my aunt. I also got some postcards from some friends who are in Europe for the summer.

I know you are dying to know what was in my package from Maggie, so I will stop leaving you in suspense. Really, it was just a bunch of African candy and a Chitenje, which is the colorful printed fabric that African women wear as skirts and hair wraps and use to attach their babies to their backs for easy carrying. I thought that was pretty cool, but besides those things I also got the sweetest tshirt. It has a picture of a bike on it with the infinity sign above "city mpg" and "highway mpg." So clever! And according to Joseph, it is from the website www.threadless.com, which is a site where you send in your designs for a tshirt, and if they're liked enough, you can sell them. There are so many great messages on the shirts they sell, it's pretty cool. So when you're done on here definitely go check that out!

To get into California, we had to climb over Mt. Rose and descend into South Lake Tahoe. Definitely one of our harder climbs. And for me, it happened in the late afternoon. Hey, it wouldn't be Bike and Build without an adventure!!

So I needed a new cell phone, I had been having problems since western Nebraska, when I dropped it in a toilet. I tried to go after our build day in Reno, but the store didn't have any more of my phones, and it was close to closing time, so there was no way I could make it across town to the other Verizon store in time. So, I decided to go the next morning, and would just be behind all the other riders. Becca was nice enough to stay behind and ride with me, so I wasn't totally alone which was nice.

Everyone else left the Sparks YMCA around 7, but since the Verizon store didn't open until 8 Becca and I found a Starbucks, bought a New York Times, and just kind of hung out until 8. So much of Bike and Build is on the go that it was really nice to just be able to relax for a few hours. I also really enjoy knowing what's actually going on in the world, so it was nice to the have the paper.

I called the Verizon store a bit after 8, and got a message telling me their hours were 9-9 on weekdays...so that gave us another hour at Starbucks. Fine with me, but I was beginning to stress just a little about our ride that day, which of course included Mt. Rose.

At 9 I was at the Verizon store, got my phone, and then Becca and I went to get lunch at Qdoba (when you've been up since 5 it's completely normal to eat lunch at 9 or 10 in the morning). After a quick bite to eat we headed back across town, towards California!!! We happened to stumble across the Sierra Trading Post Outlet, so of course we went shopping (didn't really find anything decent though), we also went to Barnes and Noble to get Best In Show for Roshan. Finally, around noon, we were headed up towards Tahoe.

Mt. Rose is a 3000 ft. climb, very similar to Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park but maybe 8-9 miles shorter. The road we were on is the highest-year-round road in the Sierras and I am not ashamed to say I stopped a LOT.

The downhill was AMAZING. Definitely one of the top 5 rides this summer, without a dobut. We had fantastic views of Lake Tahoe -- it is so beautiful! Just like Lake George but on a bigger scale. And so blue! Gorgeous.



Becca and I rode into Incline Village around 5, the same Incline Village where our group had had lunch 5-7 hours earlier and where the Southern trip had had their lunch, as well. We grabbed some Thai food to fuel us for our final 20 miles along the winding, hilly shoreline of the lake.

Entering into South Lake Tahoe means entering into California...unfortunately the sign was beyond lame -- I could barely see it (ok, I know it was like 8 at night but the size was just so small)! What were they thinking?! Not only entering California, but being able to LEAVE Nevada! They should definitely put up a more climactic sign.



I was able to sit out on the beach and watch the Perseid Meteor Showers that night, something I have done every summer since I was little. I think this was my first time not doing at Lake George, so I was sad about that, but really appreciated the fact that although South Lake Tahoe is a touristy and developed area, there was still a dark enough piece of beach from which I could easily view the meteors.

So we're now in Placerville, CA, and when we arrived in town there was a street fair going on. After walking around for a bit, Mariah, Kristi, Erin K., Joseph, and I went to grab some gelato at this cute cafe along the main street. And the church we're staying at tonight is HUGE, one of those big evangelical ones with lots of singing and dancing on stage and TV screens that broadcast it all around the church, including the dining hall, where we had a limitless supply of soda from the soda fountain, and of course, TONS of food.

Another one of my favorite rides was the ride into lunch today. It was an awesome downhill, I mean we had a hard climb first but after crossing the Pacific Crest Trail, all it was was down hill. So beautiful, too.

Davis, CA tomorrow, and then San Fransisco in just 4 days! I can't believe it.

rEEEno!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 8, 2007:

We're almost out of Nevada! This trip is definitely awesome, but I am so ready to finish. I miss civilization, I miss the ocean, and I miss my friends. I mean the people here are great, but it's getting really claustrophobic. The other day as I was ontop of Silverzone Pass, fixing my third flat in as many days, I texted my friend "please send a jet to pick me up! i hate bike and build." haha, obviously I was being dramatic, but I don't want you to think that every day is a cakewalk. After this is over, I know it will be very easy to romanticize the whole trip, and I don't want to do that. I want to be realistic about it. There are some days when it's terrible!

Like this:
-Our night in West Wendover (our first in Nevada) was spent in their high school, where I was snuggled next to scorpians and snakes. Luckily no bites.
-We stayed in the town park in Battle Mountain (home of Jeanette Sparks, author of The Glass Castle, an incredible memoir -- read it if you haven't) and were not only woken up every 45 minutes to a train rumbling thru, just 100 feet from us, but at 4am the sprinklers came on and drenched us all. I spent the final few hours before being woken up again in the van, while my sleeping bag and clothes dried out on a fence.
-I can't get the dust out of my mouth. Nevada is gross.
-Cars and semis pass us going nearly 90 mph-- and sometimes more -- causing us to swerve uncontrollably. It's scary.
-The sun is so hot my lips are ridiculously sunburned and my tan lines are just out of control.
-Most every town we go thru is the same: poor/dry/sad/dirty.
-We haven't had an off day in like a week. I am so over riding my bike.



BUT! I don't want you to feel badly for me, I'm just whining because I'm tired, it's been a long summer, and it's time for a change again. I really do appreciate this amazing opportunity and wouldn't want it any other way. If every day was perfect, that would certainly be a boring trip.

Also, I am riding the van back with a few of the riders and one of the Habitat Bike Challenge riders. Should be fun! We are going to some cool places, too, including Boise, Jackson Hole, the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, the Field of Dreams, Madison, Chicago, COLUMBUS, and then I'll get dropped off in NJ while everyone else will continue on to Providence. Another adventure to look forward to!

On the Beehive and Silver State lines.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2007:

Utah was amazing. It is so...different...but it is just so beautiful, and as Bike and Build goes, every day is an adventure.

Park City was absolutely one of my favorite stops on this trip so far. The free bus system was key, as the church we stayed in was about 5 miles outside of the downtown area. There was a huge city park, a fantastic library, and a bumpin' Main Street, which I can only imagine gets much more crowded during the winter months. That reminds me -- I would love to return to Park City in the season when it is most active, not only to snowboard (or even ski), but for the Sundance Film Festival, which occurs every January.

The day we left Park City we headed to Grantsville, by way of Salt Lake City. It was a pretty easy ride, only 70 miles, but there were definitely some mishaps. For one, the directions did not actually make sense (they hardly ever do, I really don't get it), and after getting 5 miles into our ride Mariah stopped in a gas station to figure out how to get into Salt Lake City, that had a downtown a bunch of us wanted to check out. The only logical (logical?!) way was to take Interstate 80 -- the same Interstate 80 we will be taking through Nevada and the same Interstate 80 that runs from Cleveland to the glorious state of New Jersey.

And so we hopped on 80 for about 10 miles, riding on a shoulder covered in glass and stones, screaming down a 6% grade (we have been on much worse but with cars and trucks passing at over 70 mph it was pretty terrifying), I know I was holding my breath for fear of crashing or getting hit by a careless driver, and I'm sure many others felt the same way. I kept coming upon riders pulled over to the side of the shoulder fixing flats, while others dropped away from behind or next to me to fix their own flat. I was doing fine (my bike basically got a makeover in Vernal, UT -- new tires, tubes, and a chain), however my eyes were watering so much from the wind and grime of the road, that one of my contacts fell out. Luckily, it was stuck on my sunglasses, but nevertheless, it is obviously disorienting to only have one eye in focus! So I too had to pull over, to put my contact back in. Unfortunately, it had grown so dry from the moment it came out to the moment I found a safe place to pull over and put it back in, that it had torn along the edge, so once it was back in, even though I could see, it was pretty uncomfortable.

At the 30 mile mark, after pulling off I-80 and skirting around the edge of Salt Lake City, Ariel, Brian, and I pulled in to a gas station to find the best way into the city. Courtney, Doug, and Justine had made it into the city, and we tried to make plans to meet them. It was harder than we expected, especially coordinating with sweep (Becca and Jerrod), but in the end it worked out beautifully.

We backtracked a few miles,first hopping on a bus to take us to the train station we had passed about 20 minutes earlier. We stuck our bikes on the front of the bus, and then hopped on a train into the city. Without any maps or guide books, it was a little overwhelming, but everyone on the bus and at the train station was very helpful. On the train, there were places to keep our bikes, and we could ride with them for free, too, so that was pretty sweet.

We met up with Doug, Justine, and Courtney at the Morman Temple, which actually is a very beautiful building. We weren't allowed inside, but we could go to the visitors' center. When we met up with the others, Doug was already involved in a heated argument with one of the visitors' center's employees over who has the right to judge another's actions and beliefs. To avoid any of my own arguments, I kept my mouth shut, avoided reading any of the plaques or pamphlets, and pretty much only used the bathroom and then left the building. I think it's great that they have such a strong faith, I mean if it works for them that's awesome, it's just not something I would like in my life.



Eventually sweep met up with us and we went out to lunch at a Persian/Middle Eastern/Turkish restaurant. Salt Lake City is a creepy town. For one thing, I have never seen a city so clean. There is literally NO garbage on the streets, and I did not see one homeless person. Also, the people are all about 20-30 years old, white, and mostly male. AND...they're all happy. It's totally creepy. The good thing is though, they were nice to us (probably because they knew we were riding for charity, and don't know that half of us don't give a shit about religion, love to drink, and swear like sailors). I was tempted to leave my bike unlocked, because I am pretty sure no one would steal it, but in the off chance that there is some sinning Morman out there, I decided against it.

So we go to this restaurant which is pretty much every person of color in Salt Lake City (yes, all 7 of them) combining together to serve ethnic food to the poor white Utahns who don't really venture too far outside the city/state limits. Despite having a white waiter, the food was pretty good. Much better than the bagged cereal and peanut butter we usually eat!

After some more confusion with directions, and a stop at the Great Salt Lake, we made it into Grantsville around 6 the other night. The detour was certainly a detour, but it was definitely well worth it!

We woke up at 430 this morning for our ride from Grantsville across the salt flats to West Wendover, NV. West Wendover is actually on the stateline, right next to Wendover, NV, which is a mail drop.



The entire day I had the song "Fill It Up Again" by the Indigo Girls stuck in my head, especially the lyrics "I checked my schedule now my train is rolling down the track / past the sadness of the salt flats / to the prospect of the land fat"...you can probably guess why. The salt flats were pretty cool, they look like ice, and I took lots of pictures that reminded me of Lake George in winter. The temperature was nice today, too, only about 80 (it was 120 yesterday). But for the most part...I was bored riding straight ahead for 100 miles. Very similar to Illinois. And oh, this was day #1 on I-80. We're all safe so far.

One more state down, and now it's thru Nevada and then on to California...so ridic that we are this far through our trip!