MONTANA!

Leaving TRNP, we knew faced some major dirt roads and hills, but we did not know we would face buffalo. They were just roaming in the middle of the roads and there were many more of them than us. We quite outnumbered and out-sized. It was quite and amazing sight. We kept inching closer to them pushing them along. When they realized we meant no harm to them, they all took off together and ran up a hillside. It took a while to get out of the park, but it was completely worth being as close as we were to the buffalo. We also had to get behind a pace car to lead us through the construction on the road out. Once out of the park we ascended a huge hill and backtracked about 20 miles to the next town which we passed yesterday. The park made all the backtracking completely worth it. In the town of Watford, about a dozen of us stopped at truck diner and got another breakfast, because the first one was not satisfactory. After breakfast we were about 10 miles away from the first lunch, but when we got there, the only thing remaining was the cooler with a few things in it; the van and trailer weren't even there. I guess we had run out of food. Good thing we already ate. We continued on and eventually hit Montana, posed for some pictures, and then turned around and got a few with the North Dakota sign. 6 more miles followed and we hit second lunch where they had restocked with food! A PB&J with a banana, and we were back on the road with about 25 miles in our 97 mile day. Going into Culbertson was absolutely beautiful as we crossed the Missouri River and hit really cool mountains. One more climb and we were in town. We were finally staying at a church again! And they had food waiting for us when we arrived. It was awesome. We showered at the local high school, came back ate dinner, then had an affordable housing meeting and were exhausted from our near century, so it was time for bed.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

I'm not even going to talk about today's ride expect for the fact that we face enormous winds until the final 14 miles where it was at our backs and we were going up hills at 20+ mph. We arrived at Theodore Roosevelt National Park around 2 pm, but had to wait to get into the park because we need to cram everyone into the van in order to save money on entrance fees. There was also construction on the road to our campsite, so the wait was even longer. On the 5 mile van ride we saw some bison, which was pretty cool, but they were at a distance. When we got to our site, we set up the tents and then most people went exploring. Heather and I went on a hike through the valley and then headed up hills to get some amazing views. We roamed around the park through trails for 3 hours until we headed back to the campsite just in time for dinner, where I grilled up some brats and hot dogs. They were pretty good after what was already a great day. To make the day even better, after dinner we headed up another rock formation near our camp and sat on top to watch the sunset in front of us, and the moon rise behind us. It was breathtaking. We stayed up there awhile and just took everything in. Once we finally came down, we got ready for bed, crawled into our tents and went to sleep.

PICTURES TO FOLLOW LATER. SORRY.

More North Dakota

Today we were leaving Minot and headed to New Town, ND. I was supposed to sweep, but because a large group of riders wanted to stay in town and get coffee before they left, one of them volunteered to do this. By the time this was decided, most everyone else had left, so I had to book it for the first 10 miles to catch people. It was kinda fun, but it was also exhausting. After I caught people we took it slow, which was nice. The whole ride until lunch was a piece of cake. There were basically no winds and the scenery was awesome. By the time lunch came the winds had picked up and it looked like a storm was coming. Behind our lunch stop we found a really cool field of sunflowers, so we took some photos. We also had a Kodak moment at the hay bales. After lunch I rode through the really strong headwinds with Heather, and we stopped a lot for more photos. It just seemed like the day for pictures, as we could see for miles down the long straight roads, that were surrounded by fields. At the end of the ride we arrived in New Town, put our bikes at the High School, and went our for some ice cream and burgers. Afterwards I put a call into the family reunion and talked to a bunch of people and wished I could have been there. Dinner wasn't provided, so we made mexican again. The rest of the night consisted of everyone trying to catch up on their journals in the computer lab at the school.

Day Off in Minot

After one of the best nights we had, we woke up at 9 am to a pancake breakfast. It was delicious and I was able to eat as many as I wanted, because I wouldn't have to bike afterwards. I ended up having some of my pancakes with ice cream on them. Following breakfast, everyone just relaxed and planned their days. Many people planned on going to the ND state fair. Before the fair, we took a trip down to the bike shop to allow people to get new things for their bikes. Next, shuttles were run down the fair. The majority of people went, but I decided to hang back and ended up running errands with Nate. We had a lot of fun doing it though. We ended up getting a lot of things donated, including our lunch which was 2 whole pizzas from Pizza Hut. Once we got back to the church people were coming back from the fair and I ended up cleaning my bike with a bunch of other people. I really needed to clean it, because it had been making noises. That was pretty much the whole day. Not too much of anything. Really just a day to recover and rest up for a 11 day stretch of riding.

Best Worst Day Ever

The morning ride flew by until just before lunch, when the weather decided to start raining. This rain wasn't too heavy, but it was absolutely freezing. People were huddling in the van and trailer while they ate their lunches. It was quite the sight. After lunch it continued to rain for a few miles and then clear up. Just as we thought we would get to the church without any more bad weather, the skies turned absolutely black and it began to downpour. This rain was coming down harder than I had ever seen it. Kat and I tried to keep riding though it, but had to stop because it hurt too much as it was hitting our faces and the wind was blowing us sideways. While we were stopped, we happened to look up and see a billboard that simply read, "Have a Great Day!" We thought this was absolutely hilarious and quite ironic. The rain eventually passed, but the winds never died down. It was okay though, because the winds completely dried our clothes. The down side was that the wind was so bad it was hard to keep the bike straight. We eventually entered into Minot, rode passed the state fair and with one more steep hill we arrived at the church and couldn't have been any happier. Everyone just relaxed until dinner. After dinner almost all of us decided to go bowling. It was really awesome. There was also a bar there so the 21+ were happy. I don't think anyone could of had a better night at the alley. My game wasn't too good though. The first game I only managed a 75, but the second game I picked it up and bowled a 137. Back at the church after bowling we all gathered on the couches around a big screen and watched American Flyers, a movie about biking. At the end of the movie it was 2 am and half of the people watching were already asleep. We were able to do this because tomorrow is our second day off!

The Center of North America

This blog comes from my journal entry on the Bike & Build website...

After two consecutive days of waking up at 5 AM for rides over 90 miles, we had an extra hour to sleep today. Although we did get more sleep, it did not seem to make any difference because we had completed 116 miles the previous day and we were absolutely exhausted. Lucky for us, we only had to ride about 60 miles into Rugby, ND today. The bad news is that we would be on Route 2 again, battling the energy and speed draining headwinds. I rode most of the morning with Kat and Rachel; we took it pretty easy and went at a comfortable pace. We found it a little odd that only a couple people passed us, but it seemed as if everyone had the same mentality and just rode easy.
Finding a good lunch spot anywhere in North Dakota is always tough because towns are so sparse and spread out. Kelsey eventually found a spot in what was pretty much the only town from Devils Lake to Rugby. The town was called Leeds and consisted of just a few buildings. We ended up eating in the parking lot of a frozen food company. At lunch we discussed our plan of attack for the North Dakota State Fair in Minot and talked about which concerts were going to be there during our day off and what else we wanted to do. We also tried to get free or discounted tickets to the Fair, but were unsuccessful and it looked like we be paying the 7 bucks for admission.
Following lunch the sun decided to hide on us, while the wind blew harder in our faces. The remainder of the ride was pretty boring and long as we rolled over more flats and passed field after field, until we finally hit the town of Rugby, which claims to be the Geographical Center of North America. We all thought that was pretty cool and posed for some pictures in front of a rock tower marking the center. In the same parking lot was a diner and seeing as dinner would not be provided tonight, about a dozen of us ate there. The food and service was excellent. The most popular order was a double bacon cheeseburger with curly fries and a glass of chocolate milk. We also worked a 20% discount on our meals, which is always awesome.
Once we completed our meals and the one mile left to Rugby High School, a large group of us headed downtown to explore and gather items for the evening activities. People had been looking forward to this evening for weeks; it was our Prom! The store of choice was the local thrift store, where we picked out ridiculous costumes. After we cooked a Mexican dinner and had our weekly family meeting it was time to party at Prom. The lights in the gym were dimmed and we bordered the dance area with our red LED blinking lights. It was quite the sight. The theme for the evening was couples and we ended up with a Hugh Hefner and his bunny, a salsa dancing couple, and a pair as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich among other funny costumes. As the festivities got underway, the music was not loud enough coming from the laptop, so we moved the party outside to the parking lot and used the van stereo. Outside, we got some odd looks from locals who happened to be driving by. We were slightly apprehensive about this so we moved back inside and found a way to connect our music to the loudspeakers in the gym. And as the music got louder the night got more fun, as people starting dancing on top of bleachers and balconies and raining fake money down upon the people dancing below. The ridiculous night continued to curfew and then had to unfortunately end, because we would have to wake up in the morning and bike ride another day before our second day off!

Welcome to North Dakota

Today was our longest ride of the trip totaling 119 miles. How I got to the end was quite the adventure. In the morning Nate and I were pretty much just sprinting and passing multiple groups of people and pacelines. We were about 27 miles in and 2 miles from the North Dakota border when I got a flat tire. That slowed us down as I had to change it and pretty much everyone we passed, passed us. After replacing my tube, we crossed the border where the state sign was quite uneventful. Normally, we will all gather and take photos, but this sign was on top of a bridge with no shoulder or sidewalk. Once across the bridge I saw UND and wanted to stop and look at the $100 million dollar Ralph Engelstad Hockey Arena. First lunch was soon afterwards, and the ride to second lunch was pretty uneventful, expect for a house being moved down Route 2. I rode most of the way from first lunch to second lunch alone, but after second lunch I rode with Julia and Kelsey. I was really happy I did, because I they ended up pulling me the entire way to the church. They also sang every song they could think of; they really entertained me, while helping me finish. When we got to the church I immediately went from my bike to laying down in the grass. I laid there for a while until spaghetti dinner was ready. A few of us went to the Bible Camp down the road to shower after dinner and we probably had the most fun you could have. There was a playgroud there with the animals on the springs. We all got on the completely undersided animals and rocked back and forth. We simply looked hilarious on them. Once we got back from showers we had an affordable housing meeting, which many people fell alseep during because of the long day.

I Really Hope the Wind Dies Down

Today was absolutely brutal. Period. Having a near 90 mile day with winds around 20 mph gusting up to 37, we decided to wake up a 5 and have 2 lunches. I made it through the wind and to first lunch fine, but at first lunch I grew extremely tired and fell asleep for a good hour. I ended up leaving with Sidny and Angel just before the last group. We rode the remaining 60 miles together and it was not easy, especially for me. I was having trouble staying awake while battling the winds. By second lunch I was becoming dehydrated. I was not really having fun, but I persevered and made it to the church around 5:30. It was a long day, but as we arrived they had root beer floats waiting for us. Dinner was a potato bar again, which was really good but repetitive. After dinner and presentations I showered at the University of Minnesota Crookston and was pretty much ready for bed after that. As I sit here writing this, people are worrying about our 119 mile day tomorrow into Devils Lake, ND. We hear its all flat, but it could get really windy. We'll find out tomorrow!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Round 2 into Bemidji

The day began with us getting back on route 2 and facing the winds. It is the exact story as yesterday but we had to add in road construction to make things more difficult. It wasn't a terrible long day at 70 miles, but the rough roads and strong head winds made the day feel much longer than it was. The good that came from today's ride was that I figured out my new choice of snack while riding: Snickers Bars. They are pretty much awesome and keep me going. As we got into the town of Bemidji, things finally started to get fun. When I rode through the center of town I noticed the lead group by the river, so I headed down there and just jumped in. It felt absolutely great after a tiring day. Afterwards we took some photos at the giant statue of Paul Bunyan. What it has to do with Bemidji, I am still not sure; maybe someone can tell me. Once we finally made it the 5 more blocks to the church and unloaded the trailer, some us headed back into town and ended up checking out some thrift stores. Dinner followed our exploring and was a good change for us. Baked Potato with chili, cheese and more toppings. We had a paceline safety meeting after dinner because we are going to start using them much more with the winds we are currently experiencing. Once the meeting was over, I ended up shaving my legs... for safety reasons. Falling off your bike with cleanly shaved legs makes for a clean wound tha t heals quickly. I still have a scab from when I fell in Cleveland, so I figured with more chance of falling with pacelines I would play it safe.

Welcome to Highway 2 ...and Headwinds

As we left Duluth this morning we were all under the impression that the first 10 miles of the day were going to be the hardest. Were we ever wrong. The first 10 miles was pretty much as constant uphill climb because we were leaving the lowest point in all of Minnesota. While it was tough, it was also fun and provided us with some extraordinary views of the largest inland harbor. Once we hit US-2, the fun was over. The winds were directly in our faces coming between 10 and 20 mph. It was very tough to pedal and maintain a good pace. Unfortunately, I got stuck riding by myself for a while, which makes it even tougher because there is no one to draft off of. After lunch we had some good pace lines going for a while in order to cut down on individual effort and block wind for each other. After a while I got bored and decided to go on my own again, I made it to the front of the pack and just wanted to get the long riding day over with. I did, I arrived at the church and shortly after many more joined me. I for one was exhausted and treated myself to a nap on the lawn before dinner. After dinner I didn't do too much and ended up catching up on my blogs before going to bed. Oh and by the way, we will be on US Highway 2 until Idaho! This is going to get interesting, or rather repetitive...

Build Day in Cloquet

Today we had our eighth build day, and it was probably one of the most fun build day we had yet. The build site was a good 30 min van ride away in Cloquet, MN, so Habitat got us another van to shuttle us over there. We were all working at the same site, which isn't always the case. And I like when were are able to work together. It is much more fun that way. At the build site we trimmed and marked trusses, put up a roof, dug trenches and insulated the foundation. A news crews came by and filmed us for a while. Everyone was impressed with what we were doing and how fast we were making progress on the house. Lunch was provided at a car dealership, where they were grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for us. There was also a moon bounce, and dunk tank. I of course was dared to go sit on the dunk tank. Daryl who worked for Habitat really wanted me to do it, so I did. Will ended up dunking me first and I think I got dunked 2 more times afterwards. The owner of the car dealership liked my efforts and rewarded me with a hat. I was soaked, but ready to go back to work. I didn't mind doing it for a few laughs and smiles. After lunch we finished putting the roof on and called it a day. We went back to the church ate some pizza, bagel sandwiches, and leftovers before about 20 of us went to see the local Dutulth Huskies baseball team for free. We all had a lot of fun and enjoyed that treat after a hard days work.

Link to News Video

Bike Paths are Fun

Being woken up at 3 am by intense thunderstorms is never really any fun, especially when your tent floods and you are sleeping in a pool of water. That is exactly what happened to my tent last night. The storm was really cool and fun to watch the bolts of lightning, but being wet put a damper on the fun, literally. It could have been a lot worse though. Some riders decided not to sleep in tents, but on the host's front porch. Although they did not get wet, the woke up covered in mosquito bites. Leaving in the morning was very slow because everything was wet, we had to break down tents, and no one really got any sleep. Once we did leave, the day was amazing. We ended up staying on a bike path the entire way to Duluth. The path was really scenic and quiet. I rode the whole day with Rachel and Kat who didn't think I would be able to because I generally ride faster than them and have no patience. I did it though, and they were impressed. We made our way into Duluth and were staying at a Temple for the first time. The place was awesome; they had a computer lab for us, and gave us a really good Kosher dinner. After dinner about 10 of us attended Shabbat services. It was really interesting and my first time. Once the service was over, we ate more and talked with the locals. It was a lot of fun to experience something new.

Well That was a Long Ride

We had another century ride today; it was longer than the others, but it was not as bad. The roads were relatively flat and we were able to keep a decent pace. I had a lot of fun and pretty much just enjoyed the ride until our second lunch. We had our second lunch around mile 70 and once I got back on the bike it hurt too much to sit on my seat. I was stubborn and would not give up or ride in the van, so I chose to stand for the final 40 plus miles. The first 20 were not too bad, but then my arms started to get really tired. I told myself I would not give up though and just kept going. Eventually I made it to our destination with about 112 miles on the odometer. This host was not like any others. We were not in a church or a YMCA, we were camping on someones front lawn. It was in such a nice area. There was nothing but fields, trees, and wildlife around. At the house in Askov, MN we had a cookout, then moved on to a campfire with s'mores. Before bed it was really relaxing to lay down on the grass and stare up at the stars. It was a really fun night until we realized we would be sleeping outside in tents or on the front porch.

Our First Day Off!

You would think that after not having a day of for thirty something days, one would like to sleep in. Well that did not happen. I think I was in too much of a routine to be able to sleep late. I woke up a little before 8 am, and went downstairs to an empty house. Our host had left for a canoe trip, so the 6 of us were on our own for the day and night. No one else was up yet, so I turned on the tv and watched The Tour de France. Apparently I can not get enough biking. Once everyone woke up and we ate breakfast, we took the bus down to the Science Museum where a couple of other riders already were. It was fun acting like a kid again and playing with all the activities. Lunch at the Museum was also amazing. I got a double barbecue and bacon cheeseburger. After we were done playing, Nate picked us up in the van and we headed across the river to Minneapolis for dinner. We ended up going to an expensive place that wasn't even that good. Oh well. Once we got back to our home for the night, we walked into the still empty house, did our laundry, made the cue sheet for the next day and went to bed, because its going to be about 110 miles.

Going to the Twin Cities

The ride from Pepin, WI to St. Paul, MN contained multiple large climbs. It felt as if we were going up hill all day. To make it better, it absolutely poured. I luckily ended up missing most of the rain, because a few of us (eventually turned into about a dozen) decided to stop at a little diner and get another breakfast; it was good, but the portions weren't large enough. After avoiding most of the rain, we hit the road again, continuing to climb. The nice part about it was that it seemed the higher we went the nicer the weather got. It ended up being pretty nice once we reached the church in St. Paul, but once we were there the weather took another turn around and began to pour again. I felt bad for the few still out there. We showered in parishioners homes, at dinner with a lot of the community and then had home stays. I for one am not particularly a fan of home stays because they separate the group, but you do get a comfortable bed to sleep in. My house ended up having 6 of us there, but all the other hosts took in 2 people.

Fun Day Riding into Pepin

Today's pace was extremely fast and I enjoyed every second of it. I ended up passing everyone in the morning, and made my way to the front and rode a while by myself until there was a mistake in the cue sheet and a few of us met up again. From there I continued to go a fairly fast pace. Right before lunch we found a cool bike shop so we had to check it out. I ended up getting my aerobars fixed with a new part for 5 bikes, so I was really excited about that. After lunch we continued to ride up the Mississippi flying past everyone that left before us at about 25 mph. I ended up finishing the 67 mile day in well under 4 hours. I was tired, but it was fun going that fast for the whole day. In Pepin, a few us went for a swim in the Mississippi before dinner. The water was gross, but it was relaxing. After dinner, we played some original nintendo in the basement and headed to bed.

Seeing Three States at Once

Leaving Gays Mills was tough, not only because sleeping was so comfortable, but because the was a giant hill on our was to La Crosse. After conquering the 15 miles of hills for the day, we came upon the Mighty Mississippi, it was really cool to see up close. As we rode along the river, we came to the town of Ferryville and realized we were pretty hungry. To overcome our hunger, we stopped at a small cafe and had a really good second breakfast. There we met this guy, named Steve, who offered some of us a ride to the top of a park, where there were fantastic views of the River and the junction of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. A few miles after lunch he met us on the Iowa border, and Sidny, Angel, Heather, and took the truck ride up the steep hill to see an amazing view.

Because it took so long and was out of the way, I volunteered myself to be sweep for the rest of the day so others could continue on. The rest of the day felt like it took forever but we finally got to our destination, which was further north than La Crosse and in a town called Onalaska. There we had a nice barbecue, gave a presentation, bike clinic, and got a good nights sleep.

Another Century into Gays Mills

I have not updated the blog for a while now, and I apologize. I will try and get caught up over the next few nights. Anyways, over a week ago we biked into Gays Mills, WI. The ride was 101 miles and covered in hills and gusting winds. Needless to say, the day was very long and difficult. We were going at a decent pace, but were probably not going to get in until about 7 pm. At this point we knew that there were at least 10 people behind us, so we were not worried about getting picked up by the van, until we saw it coming back and pass us. We got a little apprehensive and did not want to get picked up so we ended up picking up the pace a lot and booking it into town. Right before entering town we descended down a really fun hill with sharp turns. We got into town and hit 100 miles! The church was just around the corner and as we arrived dinner was being served. It was delicious and included baked ham sandwiches, scalloped potatoes, and veggies, among other items. After dinner we went over to the pastors house who opened her doors for us. We ended up hanging out in her family room talking with her for hours, which was nice. I ended up actually sleeping there. It was much more comfortable than the hardwood floor of the church.

Another Build Day

The build in Madison was awesome. The site had three houses in progress. All of them were near the end of the framing stage. Many of us were working on sheeting the roofs. Unfortunately, my group had to undo the work that the group from the day before did, because they did it incorrectly and nailed to the wrong side of the joists. So, once we tore off all they did, we did not make too much progress on roofing, but it was still fun being up on the roof. Lunch was provided by Pizza Hut and was delicious. Later in the day a news crew stopped by and took some footage of us and interviewed some of us. It aired in the evening news and was out first televison appearance. Looking back on the day it seemed that this was many people favorite build day because they got to do real construction work and felt accomplished. I also shared that feeling. Tomorrow is another century ride, so sleep is a must when we have to wake up at 5 am.

Short Ride to Madison

The cue sheet read 42 miles until Madison. We thought it was going to be a short and easy day, we were wrong. The ride was relatively hilly and extremely windy, so we could not obtain a fast pace for the day. The best part of the ride was our lunch. Itailian subs were provided by a restaurant along with home baked cookies. We did however finish the ride slightly before noon. We then had to be shuttled to showers about 5 miles away. After we showered, some people ventured out into the city of Madison to explore. I on the other hand, decided to take a nap. It felt really good and by the evening I was wide awake to go the movies. The majority of the movie goes decided to see Harry Potter, but I ended up seeing Public Enemies which was really good, as expected. After the movies everyone was pretty tired, so we headed back the church and got some rest before another build day tomorrow.

Marshmellow Suits at the Build Site

Today's build day started out with a short bike ride to a cafe in Janesville where breakfast was provided for us. We all got eggs, coffee cake, a parfait, and a drink. It was really nice and worth the bike ride on a build day. After that we rode back to the church and were shuttle off to a few different build sites. My site was a foreclosed house that was donated to Community Action, who were going to turn it into an affordable housing unit. Before that could be done, the house needed to be gutted. This is where we came in! There were about a dozen of us wearing white tyvek suits. Essentially we looked like giant marshmellows. It was quite the scene. On site we completely tore down a back room and cut the roof off and watched it fall to the ground and fold over. It was a whole lot of fun. Others worked at gutting the inside of the house with sledge hammers and other destructive tools. You could say we worked out a little anger at site. To relax afterwards, we went to a small pond and went for a dip. Before dinner a few of us went down to the local Boys and Girls Club and gave a bike clinic to the kids there. Once that was done, it was time to eat. Dinner was great, but desert was even better. We were treated to Culver's Ice Cream (custard based). It was the first time many of us tasted it and we all loved it. Following dinner we gave a presentation to the host and wrapped up the night going to bed early.

Getting Lost Going to Janesville

The 65 mile day we had today turned out to be much more complicated than we thought. Within the first 3 miles we were completely lost and had no idea where to go. The cue sheet made absolutely no idea. Almost all 30 of us met on the side of a busy road and using the GPS, iPhone, and Blackberry, we were able to recalculate a route to get back on track. Lunch was also complicated because as the van was parking my group had rode past and eventually had to turn around and bike back to eat. The food was really good though, as we had left over cold cuts from the days before. Following lunch was more of the same story with the cue sheet. I had followed it for about 7 miles until it told me to turn onto 51, which happened to be about 5 miles in the completely opposite direction. So, I took out the Blackberry again and rerouted us into Janesville. Apparently people took several different routes to get there but we all made it, and it was a good thing we did because Ali Kolste's parents had a barbecue and boat rides set up for us. We spent the late afternoon down by the river water skiing and tubing before eating a feast with some locals. We came back to the church and had a quiet night after a long day of fun. Tomorrow we will be building, or rather destroying...

Going Back for a Second Look

Today's cue sheet was cut down to about 45 miles by riding along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Knowing this, we decided to ride the 5 miles back into Chicago and explore a little more. Our first stop was the Bean, which was really cool to take pictures with. Afterwards we had a second breakfast at a cafe in downtown Chicago. Some people decided to stay longer and shop, but Nate and broke away from the group and started to cruise. We were going for a little while until I passed a really nice building and noticed it was Sigma Alpha Epsilon National Headquarters. I had to stop and check it out. I went inside and was taken on a quick tour of the building getting to see some really cool historical things.

Nate and I then continued on our short ride day when all of a sudden we realized we were starving. We ended up in a really nice town in Illinois where we stopped at a bike shop checked it out, and were directed to go to a burger place, called Michael's. We waited about 30 minutes to order, but the wait was completely worth it as the burgers were delicious.

After eating we slowly got back on our bikes and kept riding hoping the day would be over soon. It was weird that such a short day ended up feeling so long. We also ended up driving right past the lunch site at about 30 mph. By mile 40 we realized we missed it and had to stop at a gas station to rehydrate. The ride finally came to an end at about 3:30 and we had a pretty standard dinner and night. Tomorrow should also be an easy ride into Wisconsin.

Our First Century + Chigaco

Today was filled with so much. We woke up at 5 am EST and were on out bike at about 7. After biking for 2 and a half hours it was 8:30 CST and already time for out first lunch of the day at about mile 35. The lunch was amazing and was provided by a mother of rider on the Southern Route. After lunch at such and early hour we continued on our way through Indiana and the many dirt roads we encountered. As difficult as some of them were, it was fun riding on them. On our way through Gary, IN and towards second lunch we got a little lost and I got my first flat of the trip. After a new tube and some directions from the iPhone we were back on our way and finally arrived at the second lunch where we were greeted by two leaders from the CUS Route last year who had brought us our much needed lunch. As we continued on our way after lunch so much was happening. We were riding along Lake Michigan, We hit the 100 mile mark, and ended up on a bike path going into Chicago. The path was nice, but really crowded and hard to keep up a good pace. I guess it beats trying to weave through the Chicago traffic. We were also stopped along the path by riders from last years trip who made us cupcakes! As soon as I arrived at the host church, I turned around and headed to a bike shop with a few other people. I ended up buying some new handle bar tape because mine was falling off and was not exciting enough. Dinner was not provided by the church that night, so some people ventured downtown for some deep dish, while I headed up to Wrigleyville to see the park and grab a burger. It was pretty cool seeing the outside of Wrigley, too bad I didn't get to see the inside. Oh well, next time. We got back in around 11 and I was dead tired, probably because I had been up for 19 hours and biked 111 miles.

Best Build Day!

When we woke up this morning we looked outside to see gloomy skies and buckets of rain pouring down. We were a little disappointed but we were told it should clear up a little later and the build was still a go. We were driven to the site by the parishioners and before we even arrived the rain had stopped and the sun was out in full force. It was the start to a beautiful day. The house was completely framed and roofed. We worked on a lot a siding, drywalling, and landscaping. Nick Van Horn and I took on a one task and worked like a machine on it all day. We had to cut and nail up triangles to fit in the overhangs of the roof. After that was done it was on to installing soffitt around the entire garage. We were having a lot of fun and making really fast progress. The build day was cut a little short as we ran out of stuff to do on the house. I think we moved a little fasted than Habitat expected us to. Back at the church Nick and I stuck together and ended up playing about 6 consecutive games of ping-pong. We had a blast doing that. After dinner most of us gathered in the sanctuary and watched The Princess Bride on the projector and then proceeded to bed for out first century ride in the morning.

Sweeping into Edwardsburg, MI

Today I was assigned to sweep with Theo into Edwardsburg. In the morning, I was really frustrated because not everyone was leaving right away and I could not leave until everyone else was gone beacuase I was sweep. The ride was about 75 miles, but felt a whole lot longer because of some strong winds and the fact that Theo and I kept catching riders but could not pass them. Being sweep did actually pay off this day though, because the riders in front of me decieded to get lost and ended up going 15 miles out of the way. I didn't have such problems and ended up arriving to the host at about 3:30 and just shortly after the large group that got lost. Edwardsburg was a lot of fun, the church had organized for a few guys from the bike shop to come down and tune up our bikes. It was really nice of them. At the church we had everything we needed to keep ourselves entertained: a closet full of sporting gear. We ended up playing wiffleball and football in the parking lot for a few hours before a delicious taco dinner. Tomorrow is a another build day and we are excited because the locals are telling us there will definitely be work to do.

Michigan - Another State Checked Off

I don't really have too much to say about today, but overall it was a good day. My cue sheet ended up being really good and we ended up being on really smooth and quiet back roads where we could all ride next to each other and play games and talk. That was a lot of fun and made the ride seem even shorter than it was. We also experienced some tail winds where we were able to average about 23 mph in for a while. Lunch today was in a little field of the side of the road. I had a tuna sandwhich and couldn't have been more happy. I owe a thank you to the Van Horns for providing lunch and snacks for us that lasted a couple days. As we continued our ride we had not passed much except for corn fields and farms, until we hit this little playground on the side of the road. Of course we stopped and played. It was quite a sight to see 8 adults in biking gear going up and down on the see-saws. Nick had also found a large purple kick ball near the park, so Theo and I decided to take turns carring it into Michigan and to our host sight in Camden, MI. The hosts in Camden were so energetic. They had food waiting for us as we got there, called the local newspaper, and spoke of us on the radio the day before. They were really excited to have us and we appreciated it as we hung out and talked with them more than we normally do with hosts. I just hope we conitinue to get hosts this great in the future.

Bowling Green

I woke up today with an unfamiliar, but good feeling; I was in a bed. Unfortunately I was up at 5:30 in the morning, and back at the church by 6. Again, Avon Lake treated us to a feast as we had every possible breakfast food. While it was delicious, it may have slowed us down a little bit as it took longer than normal to digest. Eating was a common theme for the day and we had two lunches because it was a ride day longer than 90 miles. I took it easy for the first 60 miles just riding at a comfortable pace in the back with sweep. After the second lunch I decided to just book it into Bowling Green. I averaged about 20 mph by myself for the final 30 miles. I had to ride fast in order to get in early enough to get to see Andrea who happened to also be there that day. It was really nice to see a familiar face. We hung out for a little while until it was time for dinner at the church and she had to drive back to Akron. Dinner was one of my favorite dishes that included pasta, chicken, alfredo sauce, and garlic bread. Following dinner, I volunteered to make the cue sheet for tomorrow because there was not one from last year to go off of. The church did not have internet, so Will and I headed down to Panera to steal there Wi-Fi. We got there about 10 minutes before closing time. Luckily they let us stay and use the internet as they cleaned up. We also were given some cinnamon bogels, which were delicious. After finishing the cue sheet I headed back and went to bed.

Going through Cleveland

The ride from Ashtabula to Avon lake started out really well. Kat and I decided to ride together and just continuously drafted of each other average about 18 mph. We were the first to arrive at lunch at around 11. Some people didn't even stop and continued onto Cleveland. I apparently chose the wrong time ride through the city as I completely wiped. I have no good story about falling and don't even know how it happened; I was riding straight. There is a funny story that happened afterwards though. I decided to bike really hard and fast after I fell because I was mad. After passing about 6 riders a man in a car pulls up next to me to inform me that "the guy in the back just took a nasty fall." As I told him that was me he laughed and look confused at the same time. Shortly after my fall, we stopped at a coffee shop in the city for a snack and then continued on our way to Avon Lake. There we were treated to the biggest feast we had seen thus far. About 50 parishioners joined us and we all ate...a lot. That night we left out sleeping bags and thermarests rolled up and were invited to stay in the homes of parishioners. I went to a home with Jason and the family was really nice and willing to serve our every need. Only tomorrow we have to wake up at 5 am because its a 90+ mile day.

Ashtabula, Ohio

It’s a build day again! I was excited in the morning to be building, but my excited turned around when we found out what exactly we were doing. First of all, we weren’t even going to be working with an affordable housing organization because our plans with Habitat for Humanity fell through. Apparently they were having zoning problems with the city and could start building, therefore had no work for us. We ended up working at the WIC (Women, Infant, and Children Center). They had us paint the outside of the their office building. I didn’t feel very accomplished at the end of the day, or thought I made much of an impact on someone’s life. After finishing the whole project by 1, we had KFC for lunch and a few of us went to Dairy Queen for dessert. Girl Scout Cookie Blizzards are good! We hung then hung out for a while, ate dinner, had showers again at parishioners homes, and then it was time for laundry. Laundry tonight was miserable. My whole chore group wasn’t even there, so we were only 4 strong doing laundry for 30 people. It took us about an hour to find an open laundomat, which happened to be 13 miles away from where we were staying. We didn’t finish until after 11 pm and didn’t get to go to bed until almost midnight. I a had tomorrow was going to be a long tiring day.

Three States in One Day!

New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. We hit three different states in one day. Such a cool and accomplished feeling. If it wasn't for those 2 state signs the day would have been extremely boring. The land was all pretty much flat, straight, and full of fields. Kat did manage to find a pretty funny road sign where she couldn't resist taking a picture with me in it. See for yourself...



After lunch, things got a little less boring as we tried to teach pacelining to those who did not know how to do it yet. It wasn't great but no one crashed which is progress. As we arrived at the church we were greeted with a few parishioners who volunteered to bring us to their homes to shower. That was pretty nice. Afterward, Sidny and I took a bike ride down to the mall and then got some Steak and Shake. It was my first time there, and I have to say I was impressed. Later that night we finally got around to painting the trailer. If you have not seen pictures yet, I would suggest watching this video from Theo.

Happy Fourth of July

Today happens to be the 4th of July, and it marks the first time in years that I will not be seeing fireworks at the Hogan's house. In honor of the festivities I rode with an American Flag flying from my Camelbak; I also rode with a Canadian Flag on the other side just for fun, and the fact that I was there yesterday. The ride today was pretty brutal as we rode through some of the toughest winds we had faced yet along Lake Erie. The ride wasn't too long, but it took forever because it was tough to go fast and we got a little lost missing a turn. After the long day, we arrived in Westfield, NY. When we arrived there they had everything we could think of: foosball, ping-pong, ladder golf, and tons of food. They then let us go to the local pool to swim and shower. Only problem was that the showers were cold as ice. Oh well, can't complain too much. After dinner our hosts drove us out to the lake to see some fireworks. It was nice to have the opportunity to do that. Tomorrow we look forward to a new state.

Niagara Falls (7/3/09)

Knowing we had a short 21 mile ride today into Niagara Falls, I booked it and rode as hard as I could. I finished the trip and got there in an hour and a half, beating everyone there. Looking back on it now, it didn't make too much sense because I waited for everyone to get there before I crossed the border and entered Canada. We got there around 10 am and made it a full day. A few of us started of going on the Maid of the Mist boat tour and got some amazing photos. Afterwards, us under-twenty-one kids looked for somewhere to eat and drink. Jeremy, Sidny, I chose to go to the Rainforest Cafe, accompanied by Kat and Rachel. We got a ton a food and our first legal drinks of the trip. Next we took on some mini-golf and a ferris wheel ride overlooking the city and the falls.

After walking around some more doing touristy things, we hit up the bars. That was followed by really good Chinese food and a fireworks display. Crossing the border and walking back to the church wrapped up the night, but not before we got in trouble by breaking curfew by a few minutes. Ooops. We were having too much fun...

One More Day until Niagara

The only thing on my mind right now is that we get to go to the Canadian side of Niagara falls tomorrow. Today was a relatively short day compared to the past days. The terrain was almost none existent, so we were making really good time. The only thing slowing us down was the rain. It cleared for a while around lunch, before claiming two victims of falls because of a nasty lip in the ground around a turn covered by a puddle. After lunch I was pacelining with Nate and Nick. We were averaging about 20 mph until it started to absolutely downpour. The rain didn't stop us it just hindered our speed. By the time the rain cleared again, we were pretty much done our 60 mile day in under 4 hours. Getting in early in the day gave us time to explore Lockport, NY. We walked down to the Canals on the Erie. To get a better look, we took a tour of the Lockport caves, or man-made tunnels made to operate the canals when the were first build. We also worked out donation magic there and got $9 tickets for $5 a piece. The tour consisted of a walk along the canals with explanations and then a walk in the caves followed by a boat ride in the caves. It was really interesting and fun. We had a good day and my chore group did laundry tonight so we didn't have to while at the Falls tomorrow!

Build Day Number Three

Again our build site slightly fell through, and they were only able to accommodate about half of us. When we got there Habitat split us up into three groups as they were simultaneously working on three houses in a 2 block area. At my site we moved a bunch of brush out of the backyard to be picked up and disposed of. After lunch we moved inside the house and again split up into three smaller groups. One group hung insulation in the basement as another group put up drywall in 3 plus rooms. I on the other hand did some framework over the front porch putting a peak on it. That was pretty much our build day in a nutshell. When we got back we found everyone else pretty much sleeping and were jealous, but we at least did something satisfying. After a pizza dinner, we had an Affordable Housing meeting where Nick and I gave our presentation on the relationship between homelessness and affordable housing. And that was the end of the night as everyone was exhausted.

Thunderstorms = Ice Cream

I kinda cheated on this one because I had to do journal for the group's blog. So I just took the same one. Here it is...

Today was our longest ride thus far on the trip. The cue sheet read about 86 miles and most of us were nervous about the long trek from Palermo to Rochester, NY. The day started out looking gloomy with pending weather. As we began riding the weather turned around and we made some good progress until we got to about mile 60 and the skies turned black. A huge thunderstorm was about to pass through; luckily my group consisting of Rachel, Kelsey, Alicia, and myself were able to dodge the rain and stay dry at McDonald's. There Rachel worked her donation magic and got us 4 free ice cream cones. We enjoyed our snack as we waited for the storm to pass through and it was safe enough to ride again. When we got the go ahead, we set out to finish the ride. The rest of the ride was pretty easy and relatively flat. Others ahead of us were a little misguided by the cue sheet and ended up on the interstate for an exit (...oops). We arrived at Rochester Institute of Technology just before the next band of rain started again and around 6 pm. The people behind us were not so lucky. At RIT we were able to stay in dorm rooms and sleep in BEDS! During the night some of us set out to see Transformers 2, which turned out to be a big disappointment, but it was still fun. Tomorrow is our third build day and going to be a nice break from riding.

Catching Up on the Past Few Days while at the Laundromat

So as I sit here doing laundry for 30 people, I am trying to remember the last few days. I will start with the 29th with out ride from Boonville to Palermo, NY. The ride was about 60 miles and we didn't think the ride was going to be too difficult because the elevation didn't have too much change, we were wrong though because there was not much downhill and we were constantly pedaling. That's pretty much all I remember from that day as far as riding, but afterwards a few of us treated ourselves to some ice cream. My group was the second to go and we were warned that the portions were quite big, so we should get smalls. I of course got a large towering 3 scoop ice cream in a waffle cone dipped in chocolate and walnuts :) and all less than 4 dollars. I was told that I wouldn't finish it, well I did and then I got more ice cream with Sidny who had already showed up everyone there my finishing someone else's and getting a medium of her own. We were happy and satisfied after a long day of riding. That night dinner was great, we played Taboo, and then watched Finding Nemo.

A Perfect Day Leaving the Adirondacks

The day began of slow and cold but the weather and pace quickly turned around for us. Nick, Wade, and I started pacelining and averaging about 17+ mph through the rolling hills. Less than 2 hours in and 30 plus miles under our belts, we hit the lunch spot. It was at an awesome lake. No idea the name of it, but we sure enjoyed it. We ate lunch, swam, played frisbee and then a few of us got a ride on a boat around the lake. Heather and Nate even got to wakeboard. So in all our lunch break lasted almost 2 hours, but we had a blast. We couldn't care that we were behind schedule either becuase the weather was perfect and we were just cruising to complete the 80 mile day. When we arrived in Boonville, NY we were greeted by the nicest people who had snacks ready for us. After a group bike cleaning and an amazing dinner, I played some ping pong with Jeremy. We later set up the projector and watched Breaking Away as we fell asleep and rested for tomorrow.
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Trying To Make It Through The Adirondacks (6/27/09)

Today was a difficult ride for me as I felt as if I had just hit a wall. Everything was sore and I wasn't feeling well, but with the support from the other riders I was able to power through it and finish the ride to Indian Lake, NY. The trip was about 60 miles, which involved some pretty big climbs early in the day and a lot of rain. The worst of the rain was a thunderstorm as we crossed the Hudson River around lunch time. Luckily we found shelter under a roof, ate lunch and waited about an hour for the skies to clear up. They did and we continued our uphill journey. As we climbed to 2100 feet and our destination, the rain was back for a visit, but nothing like the downpour earlier. Because of the slow pace and rain delay, it was getting late in the day (4 pm, when we are supposed to be at the host site) and fear was in us to not be picked up by the van so we pedaled as hard as we could till we got to town. When we arrived we heard good news, we weren't camping anymore because of the weather and were graciously put up by a church in town. Being as tired as I was when I arrived, a grabbed a bite to eat, then set up my sleeping bag and passed out till dinner. I have a feeling this will end up being an early night for everyone as we have more hills and about 80 miles to go tomorrow.
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Entering New York via Ferry

The ride today was filled many brutal climbs as we left the Green Mountains and entered the Adirondacks. Apparently its just a little taste of what is to come through the rest of NY. All we know is that the rest of the ride is UP. Although the day was very difficult in terms of riding, we had some fun at stops. We stopped at a farmers market in Brandon, VT and I was given a beaded prayer key chain with a John Deere charm by a guy who we talked to for a while. At the stop for lunch we played some ultimate frisbee, and continued riding until we hit water, Lake Champlaine to be exact. We had to take a ferry to cross. 30 people on bikes on a ferry with other cars was quite a sight. On the other side of the river was NY. We had made it to 3 states! (4 if you count our pre-ride to Maine) The trip ended at the "YMCA" in Silver Bay, NY. Now, I placed YMCA in quotes because this was not your average Y, it was a resort on Lake George. They had everything you could image, even a bed, pillow, and room for all of us. We were getting spoiled tonight, and we loved it. After a dinner in the dining hall (yes it was basically a campus) we walked down to the lake, played some beach volleyball and shuffle boards till well after dark. And that was that, we had a great evening of being spoiled. The next night involves tents and sleeping outside...
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Taking the Good with the Bad

The ride to Rochester, VT was full of ups and downs, both literally and figuratively. The weather couldn't have been any nicer. We couldn't have asked for a better day to bike through the beautiful mountains of Vermont, unfortunately we could have asked for an easier ride. The trip was mostly rolling hills, capped with two 6 mile ascends. The first being roughly 700 vertical feet, and the second a steep 2100 feet. Everyone made up the first "hill" and gathered for lunch under the sunny skies soon thereafter. As midday was approaching and the weather was at its hotest, we had to face the unbareably steep climb. About half way up, I ran out of water and gatorade. I was becoming dehydrated, but we found a house with a hose and filled up our camelbaks and bottle. After hydrating and having a snack we attempted to make the trek up the hill. It was full of many stops and rests along the side of the road to catch our breaths. Others walked up with the bikes beside them. I was too stubborn to do that. From the top the veiw was breathtaking and you could see for miles. We took some photos and rolled down the long awaited downhill into town, where we stopped at a cafe and got another late lunch. Afterwards we went down to the river for a relaxing and cool swim. That was followed up by dinner cooked by the Bowman Family (where we are spending the night), a group meeting, and an early bed time as we were all exhausted.

First Days through New Hampshire

My cross country trip began on Fathers Day at New Castle Beach in Portsmouth, NH. At the beach the 30 of us dipped our tires in the Atlantic Ocean and we were on our way, unfortunately it was in the rain. For most of the 65 mile ride it rained. By lunch I was soaked, but I was having a blast. I was assigned to sweep (riding behind the group to make sure everyone makes it safely) with Rachel and we encountered numerous situations along the road. We had people with bike problems, flat tires, and encounter dirt road. I had fun riding through the mud, but I am not so sure that everyone else felt the same way I did. The day concluded with the raining going away and arriving at the church in Concord at 4:30. After some bike cleaning and maintenance we ate a pasta dinner provided by the church. Being exhausted after a long day, I headed to bed early only to get up at 6 in the morning to do it again.

Day two of riding began a little less rainy than the first day. After riding at a steady pace for most of the morning we decided to stop at the Foot Hills Cafe in Warner to grab a second breakfast. After a waffle, I was on my way to finish a couple huge climbs and arrive at the host church in New London. Showers were at Colby Sawyer College and a light dinner was provided by the church. Nothing too exciting happened that evening, but I got a good night rest to ready myself for the next days ride.

The following day started out with a lot of downhills and ended with some "fun" climbs in the mountains. Most of the day I was leading the group with Wade, Jeremy, and Nick. We decided to skip lunch and continue riding straight through and past the host sight. We convinced a few more to come along with us on a ride to Dartmouth College (Wade and Jeremy go there). In Hanover, we ate a local favorite restaurant called Molly's. The boneless buffalo wings and bread with honey butter really hit the spot after a hard day of riding. After lunch 6 of us continued to the river to hang out on the docks and go for a swim and canoe ride. We rode down the Connecticut River and crossed the NH border and entered Vermont for the first time. It was nice change of routine to travel using our arms instead of legs. When we were pretty tired from our adventures we finally made our way back to the host site in Lebanon, grabbed dinner, had an Affordable Housing metting (to discuss the reasons why we are here), watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail on the projector as everyone passed out and went to bed.

The next morning was nice because we got to sleep in until 7 and got a home cooked breakfast. We split into 4 groups to go and work with Habitat for Humanity in Lebanon. My group biked about 3 miles down the road and worked at house making finishing touches to a home belonging to a single mother and her daughter. While some people painted trim and siding on the house and shed, I put my landscaping skills to work, weed-wacked most of the front yard and make a mulch bed around a birch tree and planted tiger lillies. We finished around 4 loaded the trucks and rode back to the church. We then took the van back to the Connecticut River for the most exciting event yet. Most of climbed to the roof of a house owned by Dartmouth College students and jumped off taking the 40 foot plunge into the river. It was cold but refreshing and the ridiculous drop made it worth it. I went back up for seconds and thirds as did most of my peers. Having so much fun being crazy, we actually were a little late to dinner, which was provided by another nearby church where some interested church and communities members joined us. Afterward we cleaned our bikes and ourselves and the day was pretty much over as we prepared for what we can expect to be a tough uphill ride in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
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