I'm not sure if anyone is still following this blog, but if you are, I started a new blog for my new trip. This summer I will be riding from Jacksonville, FL, to Monterey, CA with the Southern US Bike & Build route!! You can follow along with my journey here: http://jbbikeandbuild.wordpress.com/. Thank you to everyone for following along with my CapRide route and I hope you join me on my new adventure!
JB
Monday, November 25, 2013
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Reflection
It has been two weeks since we all departed Philadelphia. As I updated my blogs from the trip, I re-lived a million different moments that happened on the trip and I want to go back and do it all again. My team is/was amazing and I hope we are all able to get together again for a reunion! You guys are the best!
I've gotten the question: What was your favorite part of the trip? I find this impossible to answer as there were so many amazing moments. How can I just pick one? A couple of my favorite parts about this trip include: completing the century ride into DC, riding through Gettysburg, the endless amount of support and love we received from our hosts and strangers, the amazing people I got to know throughout the trip, and the tons of food I was able to eat. On the flip side, the only things I disliked about the trip was how short it was. The two weeks was just enough time to get to know people, but I wish I could have had at least double, if not triple the time.
I've also been asked how I changed during the trip. Measurement-wise, my body didn't change. I took measurements of my calves, thighs, and waist before and after the trip. They were exactly the same. I did gain a few pounds, and my legs are much harder/stronger than they were before. I also got some pretty sweet tanlines on my legs and wrists. I feel I changed in a different way though. The last year has been a journey into finding myself - What do I want out of life and how do I get it? This trip has opened my eyes to many different things. I know I want to continue to help people. I want to continue to bike. I want to continue to make a change. Maybe I didn't answer the question above, but this trip helped me realize more about myself.
I had a few goals before the trip, and looking back, I think I did pretty well.
1. Be a "yes" woman - I was very open to new opportunities. I may not have said yes to everything, but I was more often than not willing to do something.
2. Not walk or get vanned for any part of this trip - I walked a small portion of the day in DC and I was vanned for a few miles on the ride out of Frederick. I wasn't happy about these when they were occurring, but things happen. It was a matter of safety that caused me to not complete this goal, but I feel I came close enough to be happy with it.
3. Take as many pictures as possible - I took almost 400 pictures in 2 weeks. Mission accomplished.
4. Ride with each person - I rode with everyone for at least a mile. I didn't ride with Saskia, Caroline, or Jillian as much as I had hoped, but I enjoyed my time while riding with them.
5. Blog daily - I feel I kept up my blog as much as possible. Some nights, I didn't have the energy or time to blog, and one day my blog didn't publish. Hopefully you all enjoyed it :)
So what's my next challenge? My next challenge is to run a marathon. I plan on running the New Orleans Rock n Roll Marathon on Feb 2, 2014. Oh yeah... I also conquered the Manayunk Wall before I left Philadelphia. It really wasn't too terrible, but I can't imagine doing it time after time like they do in the race.
Will I do another B&B trip? Oh, yes. I'll be back :)
Thank you to everyone for reading my blog! It means so much to me to have such a wonderful group of people supporting me. Without your support, your donations, and your thoughts and prayers, this trip wouldn't be possible. A few specific shout outs:
- My parents - they took care of my dog for a couple months while I was out traveling for work and biking. I couldn't ask for a better support system :) Love you both!
- Brian - he got me interested in B&B and was there every step of my training and fundraising. My best friend is pretty awesome!
- The Bicycle Escape - they helped me learn the sport of biking and helped teach me about bike maintenance. My bike shop is the best!
Life is like a Bicycle - to keep your balance, you must keep moving :)
Saturday, July 27, 2013
How is it already over?!
The last two weeks have flown. I can't believe I met these awesome people just two short weeks ago and now its hard to imagine not being with them every day. Our build day today was amazing. There were a lot of different activities to be done and we finished a lot. Jen, Eduardo and I started off the day by helping clear out the basement. It was a disgusting job, and I have to admit that Eduardo did the worst parts. After we cleaned it out, Jen and I came up for air and worked on different paint jobs. My job was to scrape and then paint the front door. I finished this soon after lunch. I then supervised the mixing of concrete and then headed back down in the basement to help fill the holes in the wall with the said concrete with Daniel and Natalie. We had a lot of fun with it.
I've decided the hardest part of the trip is saying goodbye to the people I've met. Tomorrow I head back to Frederick, but I plan on conquering one last cycling endeavour before I leave Philly - the Manayunk Wall. Several people left today and it was crazy to realize that we wouldn't all be together again.
I've decided the hardest part of the trip is saying goodbye to the people I've met. Tomorrow I head back to Frederick, but I plan on conquering one last cycling endeavour before I leave Philly - the Manayunk Wall. Several people left today and it was crazy to realize that we wouldn't all be together again.
part of the basement that we cleaned out
All geared up to clean it!
Bryn and Julia mixing concrete
Natalie and Daniel being creepers
Natalie and Daniel filling holes with concrete
Friday, July 26, 2013
Philly!!
Today was our last day of riding. I felt terrible most of the ride due to knee and hip pain. I figured out within the last twenty miles that my bike seat had slid down due to all the bumpy roads, so I moved it back up - all was well in that area. I also had cleat issues all day- as in, I couldn't clip in. At all. They got worse as the day went on and it was super frustrating. Those minor annoyances couldn't ruin my day though because it was our last ride day.
The first part of our day was on a really busy street. One of the riders ahead of my group found an awesome store alongside the road and we all stopped for chocolate covered gummy bears, and other delicious snacks. We hit a hill directly after our stop, but our group rocked it and continued on. After descending a nice hill, we came upon an accident. Thankfully it was just a fender bender and no one in our group was involved. Sadly, we were stopped at the bottom of a hill, which meant harder climbing conditions for the group. The best part was that lunch was at top of the hill at Valley Forge! Whoo! Food!! Lunch consisted of our tons and tons of leftovers from the night before (Chipotle, pizza, and Olive Garden). Many people chilled for a while and other took a quick nap in the little bit of shade we had (including me). It was as if people didn't want the day to end.
We all slowly headed out from lunch and came upon a terrible terrible road. It was insanely bumpy/holey. At one point, Bryn yelled out "Treachery!" because it was so bad. (We usually call out pot holes, bumps, etc, but this was too bad for those simple terms). Thankfully, we all survived that portion and got on a bike path that would lead us the rest of the way into Philly. The path was amazing and beautiful. It ran along a river, so it was kinda smelly at times, but still better than riding on city roads.
We all met at the art museum at the 'Rocky stairs' for a bunch of pics and then a group of us ran up the stairs together. The ride from the Art Museum to the B&B office was of course uphill. What other way would we end this trip? :) A group of us were going to do the Manayunk Wall, but due to cleat issues, it was put off. The hill we did do had an 11% grade at some point, so not too shabby.
We all went to a bonfire at the house of one of the B&B Board of Directors. It was a ton of fun to meet him, his family, eat, play frisbee, make s'mores, etc. Great way to end the trip. A group of people went out after, but I decided sleep was more important for once.
Tomorrow is our last day together and we will be working with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia. I'm so lucky to have gotten to know this group of people and I'm not looking forward to leaving them so soon!
The first part of our day was on a really busy street. One of the riders ahead of my group found an awesome store alongside the road and we all stopped for chocolate covered gummy bears, and other delicious snacks. We hit a hill directly after our stop, but our group rocked it and continued on. After descending a nice hill, we came upon an accident. Thankfully it was just a fender bender and no one in our group was involved. Sadly, we were stopped at the bottom of a hill, which meant harder climbing conditions for the group. The best part was that lunch was at top of the hill at Valley Forge! Whoo! Food!! Lunch consisted of our tons and tons of leftovers from the night before (Chipotle, pizza, and Olive Garden). Many people chilled for a while and other took a quick nap in the little bit of shade we had (including me). It was as if people didn't want the day to end.
We all slowly headed out from lunch and came upon a terrible terrible road. It was insanely bumpy/holey. At one point, Bryn yelled out "Treachery!" because it was so bad. (We usually call out pot holes, bumps, etc, but this was too bad for those simple terms). Thankfully, we all survived that portion and got on a bike path that would lead us the rest of the way into Philly. The path was amazing and beautiful. It ran along a river, so it was kinda smelly at times, but still better than riding on city roads.
We all met at the art museum at the 'Rocky stairs' for a bunch of pics and then a group of us ran up the stairs together. The ride from the Art Museum to the B&B office was of course uphill. What other way would we end this trip? :) A group of us were going to do the Manayunk Wall, but due to cleat issues, it was put off. The hill we did do had an 11% grade at some point, so not too shabby.
We all went to a bonfire at the house of one of the B&B Board of Directors. It was a ton of fun to meet him, his family, eat, play frisbee, make s'mores, etc. Great way to end the trip. A group of people went out after, but I decided sleep was more important for once.
Tomorrow is our last day together and we will be working with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia. I'm so lucky to have gotten to know this group of people and I'm not looking forward to leaving them so soon!
Chilling at lunch
Valley Forge!
Riding along the Schuylkill River
Made it to the Art Museum!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Books and Reading, PA
Natalie and Justin joined us again today/last night. They will be riding with us to Philadelphia. When we left our hosts this morning, it was really chilly (about 60F)! That is my favorite running weather, but on a bike, it's quite cold. We were wearing our arm warmers until lunch. I am amazed that our first week we had temperatures over 100 and now we are wearing arm warmers. Crazy summer weather.
My group today consisted of Julia, Jen, and Eduardo. We missed our turn twice, but didn't get too far out of the way. We did end up riding through a very sketchy area, and Jen had the bad luck of getting a flat in that area. Thankfully, all was well. She ended up getting another flat later and had to ride in the van for part of the day. We rode through Amish country and passed a horse and buggy. We also hit a good sized hill after lunch. It was a major struggle since I couldn't stay clipped into my pedals. When we were nearing our host, a car started honking at us and pulled over to the side of the road. As a cyclist, this usually isn't good news, so we were all a bit worried when she motioned us over. It turned out that she was a member of the church that was hosting us and was surprised to see us already. She told us to take our time, so we did just that. We saw a McDonalds and DM'ed a bunch of food. Sweep caught up with us and we enjoyed a small feast.
Bishnu had DM'ed a bunch of food for us in Reading, but we had to go and pick it up. We also had to drop Jen off at a local bike shop for new tires. This was a crazy adventure due to unforseen events, but looking back, it was great bonding time with Bishnu. A bunch of us went laser-tagging tonight after dinner and it was a blast. I wasn't very good, but we had a really good time.
I find it very suiting to be sleeping in the library of the church in Reading, PA. Even though it is pronounced 'redding', I can't help but think of it as reading :) I can't believe tomorrow we ride into Philly. This trip has gone way too fast!!!
CapRide13 in the News!
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=495552
My group today consisted of Julia, Jen, and Eduardo. We missed our turn twice, but didn't get too far out of the way. We did end up riding through a very sketchy area, and Jen had the bad luck of getting a flat in that area. Thankfully, all was well. She ended up getting another flat later and had to ride in the van for part of the day. We rode through Amish country and passed a horse and buggy. We also hit a good sized hill after lunch. It was a major struggle since I couldn't stay clipped into my pedals. When we were nearing our host, a car started honking at us and pulled over to the side of the road. As a cyclist, this usually isn't good news, so we were all a bit worried when she motioned us over. It turned out that she was a member of the church that was hosting us and was surprised to see us already. She told us to take our time, so we did just that. We saw a McDonalds and DM'ed a bunch of food. Sweep caught up with us and we enjoyed a small feast.
Bishnu had DM'ed a bunch of food for us in Reading, but we had to go and pick it up. We also had to drop Jen off at a local bike shop for new tires. This was a crazy adventure due to unforseen events, but looking back, it was great bonding time with Bishnu. A bunch of us went laser-tagging tonight after dinner and it was a blast. I wasn't very good, but we had a really good time.
I find it very suiting to be sleeping in the library of the church in Reading, PA. Even though it is pronounced 'redding', I can't help but think of it as reading :) I can't believe tomorrow we ride into Philly. This trip has gone way too fast!!!
CapRide13 in the News!
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=495552
Jen fixing her first flat of the day
Julia and Eduardo on the road after our big climb
Rocking out to tunes with Bish
Laser Tag Shenanigans!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Riding into and build day in York
My original post for our ride into York didn't publish, so I'm combining these two days in one post.
Our ride out of Frederick was rough. I've ridden most of the Frederick area, but I admit, I typically avoid the large hills. Our ride took us through Thurmont, an area I'm familiar with, but our leaders (and those before them) threw in a curve ball... a small mountain. As we rode out of Frederick, we had a steady incline. These I feel are the worst types of hills because you can't really tell you are going up hill, yet riding is difficult. I've heard it compared to the feel of riding through dirt. You feel you are struggling, but have no reason for it. As we came to the realization that this gradual incline was our issue, we hit the real hill - a four mile hill/mountain with a 5% grade and 1200ft of climbing. While this isn't considered a "hard" climb by most cyclist, our group had some issues. Only four of us made it to the top without walking (me included!). The road was windy and narrow, but thankfully all motorists that passed us were courteous. There were also a lot of places to stop.. drive ways, pull offs, etc. Caroline and I made it through the climb taking breaks every quarter mile or so. Amusingly enough, Jillian walked most of the way and made it to the top at about the same time we did. We also had a cyclist (not with our group) fly by us. He was likely going 10mph up the hill... we were going about 5mph. I am now determined to go and attempt the challenge again sometime soon! The reward at the top of the hill/mountain was an adorable 10 week old border collie/lab mix. Of course I had to love on him.
As we made it to the top of the climb, we hit gravel roads. They weren't terrible at first, but the van then caught us and told us that the road got a lot worse and suggested we ride in the van for it. This was a major dilemma for me because I really wanted to ride my bike the whole way, but no one else wanted to ride it and we aren't allowed to ride alone. So I got in the van. Everyone buy Bryn and Daniel ended up riding in the van. They only escaped it because they were pretty far out in front of the group. Eduardo and I were both pretty bummed about riding in the van and got out as soon as possible. We rode the rest of the day together.
As we began riding again, both of us started having problems clipping into our pedals. His cleats were completely worn down from walking through the gravel and mine were partially worn down. I had been having some issues since my crash on the first day, but it seemed like walking through the gravel made it 20x worse. We rode a downhill through Catoctin Mountain Park and it was absolutely beautiful. I had been on that road before, but its a much different experience on a bike! We reached a gas station and played around with our cleats, but we continued having issues the rest of the day.
We also rode through Gettysburg. Riding through the battlefield was an experience I won't forget in the near future. It was my first visit to Gettysburg and it was just amazing. Thinking about the events that occurred there 150 years ago made the ride somewhat surreal. Eduardo and I caught up with Bryn and Daniel and continued the ride with them. Daniel DM'ed frosty's at Wendy's and they were delicious! As our group was flying down a hill near our host, I hit a pothole and ended up with a flat tire. Sadly, my tire tore.. which caused me to get a pinch flat when I tried to blow up the second tube. I ended up sticking a energy bar wrapper in my tire and thankfully, it lasted until we reached the host.
When we got to the host, we were offered drinks, candy, food, etc. It was awesome! Daniel and I played some knock out with some of the kids at the community center. It was pretty evenly matched, and I even won once! Whoo! Haha. Crispus Attucks (our host) has a cheer squad and a drill team. Both performed for us and it was awesome... makes me miss the dance classes I used to take!
Almost everyone went to bed really early, but Bishnu and I stayed up talking for a long time. It was great getting to know him better :) We eventually headed to bed and I was out as soon as I laid down.
Build Day 3!!
We were split into two groups today to work with Crispus Attucks, a local affordable housing group in York, PA. One group worked on painting the walls of a house and my group helped rebuild/paint a porch. Our group used Daniel's iPad for music and sang/danced all day. We also found out that one guy is extremely scared of stinging insects. I don't blame him, but it was fun to make fun of him all day running away from bees (ok, really big bees). We had a lot of fun with the porch and I'm hoping our last build day on Saturday is as fun as the last three.
Tonight we are doing dinner at one of our leader's friend's house and he has a pool. We are all pretty excited to swim! Highlights from the pool:
"Racing" up the slope of the pool
George Washington impressions
Julia tipping Eduardo off his raft... twice
SO MUCH FOOD!!!! :D
Bish getting hit in the nose with the frisbee (aka, disc)
Tomorrow we head to Reading!
Our ride out of Frederick was rough. I've ridden most of the Frederick area, but I admit, I typically avoid the large hills. Our ride took us through Thurmont, an area I'm familiar with, but our leaders (and those before them) threw in a curve ball... a small mountain. As we rode out of Frederick, we had a steady incline. These I feel are the worst types of hills because you can't really tell you are going up hill, yet riding is difficult. I've heard it compared to the feel of riding through dirt. You feel you are struggling, but have no reason for it. As we came to the realization that this gradual incline was our issue, we hit the real hill - a four mile hill/mountain with a 5% grade and 1200ft of climbing. While this isn't considered a "hard" climb by most cyclist, our group had some issues. Only four of us made it to the top without walking (me included!). The road was windy and narrow, but thankfully all motorists that passed us were courteous. There were also a lot of places to stop.. drive ways, pull offs, etc. Caroline and I made it through the climb taking breaks every quarter mile or so. Amusingly enough, Jillian walked most of the way and made it to the top at about the same time we did. We also had a cyclist (not with our group) fly by us. He was likely going 10mph up the hill... we were going about 5mph. I am now determined to go and attempt the challenge again sometime soon! The reward at the top of the hill/mountain was an adorable 10 week old border collie/lab mix. Of course I had to love on him.
As we made it to the top of the climb, we hit gravel roads. They weren't terrible at first, but the van then caught us and told us that the road got a lot worse and suggested we ride in the van for it. This was a major dilemma for me because I really wanted to ride my bike the whole way, but no one else wanted to ride it and we aren't allowed to ride alone. So I got in the van. Everyone buy Bryn and Daniel ended up riding in the van. They only escaped it because they were pretty far out in front of the group. Eduardo and I were both pretty bummed about riding in the van and got out as soon as possible. We rode the rest of the day together.
As we began riding again, both of us started having problems clipping into our pedals. His cleats were completely worn down from walking through the gravel and mine were partially worn down. I had been having some issues since my crash on the first day, but it seemed like walking through the gravel made it 20x worse. We rode a downhill through Catoctin Mountain Park and it was absolutely beautiful. I had been on that road before, but its a much different experience on a bike! We reached a gas station and played around with our cleats, but we continued having issues the rest of the day.
We also rode through Gettysburg. Riding through the battlefield was an experience I won't forget in the near future. It was my first visit to Gettysburg and it was just amazing. Thinking about the events that occurred there 150 years ago made the ride somewhat surreal. Eduardo and I caught up with Bryn and Daniel and continued the ride with them. Daniel DM'ed frosty's at Wendy's and they were delicious! As our group was flying down a hill near our host, I hit a pothole and ended up with a flat tire. Sadly, my tire tore.. which caused me to get a pinch flat when I tried to blow up the second tube. I ended up sticking a energy bar wrapper in my tire and thankfully, it lasted until we reached the host.
When we got to the host, we were offered drinks, candy, food, etc. It was awesome! Daniel and I played some knock out with some of the kids at the community center. It was pretty evenly matched, and I even won once! Whoo! Haha. Crispus Attucks (our host) has a cheer squad and a drill team. Both performed for us and it was awesome... makes me miss the dance classes I used to take!
Almost everyone went to bed really early, but Bishnu and I stayed up talking for a long time. It was great getting to know him better :) We eventually headed to bed and I was out as soon as I laid down.
Build Day 3!!
We were split into two groups today to work with Crispus Attucks, a local affordable housing group in York, PA. One group worked on painting the walls of a house and my group helped rebuild/paint a porch. Our group used Daniel's iPad for music and sang/danced all day. We also found out that one guy is extremely scared of stinging insects. I don't blame him, but it was fun to make fun of him all day running away from bees (ok, really big bees). We had a lot of fun with the porch and I'm hoping our last build day on Saturday is as fun as the last three.
Tonight we are doing dinner at one of our leader's friend's house and he has a pool. We are all pretty excited to swim! Highlights from the pool:
"Racing" up the slope of the pool
George Washington impressions
Julia tipping Eduardo off his raft... twice
SO MUCH FOOD!!!! :D
Bish getting hit in the nose with the frisbee (aka, disc)
Tomorrow we head to Reading!
During the climb, this is how we felt
Puppy loving!!
At Roundabout!
Daniel working on the steps
Monday, July 22, 2013
Into Frederick!!
Yesterday was an interesting day. It was our ride into Frederick, so I was pretty excited. I was super pumped to show people around the town, but our support van had different ideas. Our van, named Elvis, decided it was a good day to break down. Looking back, it was the best day that it could happen, but it made an 'easy' day a bit more challenging. The ride was beautiful with a few challenging hills and only 55 miles! Due to trying to figure out the logistics of fixing Elvis and making other arrangements to get our stuff from DC to Frederick, we were on the road for 9 hours. But even with the difficulties, the day was a lot of fun and everything worked out!
Our breakfast was provided by our hosts and it was amazing - breakfast sandwiches, fruit, and juice! An alumni from Bryn's trip had also brought cinnamon rolls the night before. It was a feast! We wound our way through DC in a few small groups. My group missed a turn and ended up riding for a while on Connecticut - a busy street with a large hill. We made it through safely and continued climbing out of DC. Our ride was through a lot of nighborhoods in the DC suburbs, but we eventually starting getting more in the country and saw a lot of farmland. The terrain was mostly rolling hills, but we had a few larger hills that were challenging. We found a 7/11 in a shopping center and made that our lunch spot. It was interesting as there was some construction going on. After asking what they were doing, we were told that a car had driven through the wall the day before. Crazy!
I started recognizing some of the roads as we got closer to Frederick, and got really excited. My group stopped out by where I play softball to figure out plans to get our equipment to Frederick. We decided it would be best to go straight to my house and Bryn, Andrea, and Joanna would go down to DC to get our bags/bins and the two girls. Joanna would stay with the van since she was driving the next day and she had a place to stay down there. We were lucky that a. our cars were accessible and b. our group had the correct drivers in it (Bryn and Andrea had parked at my house for the trip). Our group booked it to my house then the three headed to DC.
I lead the remaining group out to The Bicycle Escape for tune ups (Thanks TBE!! You guys rock!!) and we also got our pictures taken by Jim Jarrell with AJPhotography (Thanks Jim!! The pics are awesome!!). The Frederick Post also came by the host and interviewed us for the paper. We're famous! When we got back from TBE, the girls had just returned from DC with all of our stuff. The timing was impeccable! We had a homecooked meal from our host and I collected dirty laundry. It was supposed to be a laundry night, but since our van was MIA, I got the essential items that needed washing for the next days ride (aka, chamois and jersey) from people and headed back to my place to do some laundry. I got the luxury of showering at home and everyone else used the Frederick YMCA. I went to a local store (Common Market) to pick up some generously donated Cliff Bars. I then headed back to the church (Thanks for the ride roomie!!), and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow (aka, my arm on the Thermarest).
CapRide in the News!
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/economy_and_business/business_topics/non_profit/article_fd82b801-042a-5df9-b8c2-bd2b1412cd4e.html
Due to the complications of the day, I didn't get many pictures, but here are a few:
Our breakfast was provided by our hosts and it was amazing - breakfast sandwiches, fruit, and juice! An alumni from Bryn's trip had also brought cinnamon rolls the night before. It was a feast! We wound our way through DC in a few small groups. My group missed a turn and ended up riding for a while on Connecticut - a busy street with a large hill. We made it through safely and continued climbing out of DC. Our ride was through a lot of nighborhoods in the DC suburbs, but we eventually starting getting more in the country and saw a lot of farmland. The terrain was mostly rolling hills, but we had a few larger hills that were challenging. We found a 7/11 in a shopping center and made that our lunch spot. It was interesting as there was some construction going on. After asking what they were doing, we were told that a car had driven through the wall the day before. Crazy!
I started recognizing some of the roads as we got closer to Frederick, and got really excited. My group stopped out by where I play softball to figure out plans to get our equipment to Frederick. We decided it would be best to go straight to my house and Bryn, Andrea, and Joanna would go down to DC to get our bags/bins and the two girls. Joanna would stay with the van since she was driving the next day and she had a place to stay down there. We were lucky that a. our cars were accessible and b. our group had the correct drivers in it (Bryn and Andrea had parked at my house for the trip). Our group booked it to my house then the three headed to DC.
I lead the remaining group out to The Bicycle Escape for tune ups (Thanks TBE!! You guys rock!!) and we also got our pictures taken by Jim Jarrell with AJPhotography (Thanks Jim!! The pics are awesome!!). The Frederick Post also came by the host and interviewed us for the paper. We're famous! When we got back from TBE, the girls had just returned from DC with all of our stuff. The timing was impeccable! We had a homecooked meal from our host and I collected dirty laundry. It was supposed to be a laundry night, but since our van was MIA, I got the essential items that needed washing for the next days ride (aka, chamois and jersey) from people and headed back to my place to do some laundry. I got the luxury of showering at home and everyone else used the Frederick YMCA. I went to a local store (Common Market) to pick up some generously donated Cliff Bars. I then headed back to the church (Thanks for the ride roomie!!), and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow (aka, my arm on the Thermarest).
CapRide in the News!
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/economy_and_business/business_topics/non_profit/article_fd82b801-042a-5df9-b8c2-bd2b1412cd4e.html
Due to the complications of the day, I didn't get many pictures, but here are a few:
White board with Frederick information!
Andrea on Reich's Ford (near the softball diamonds!)
Our Frederick Hosts!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Day off!
Today was our first (and only) day off in DC. We slept in (much deserved!!), then headed to the Mall for some sightseeing. Everyone went their separate ways and I spent the morning with Jen and most of the afternoon with Jen, Julia, Caroline, Bishnu, Eduardo, and Bryn. We had brunch at one of Bishnu's favorite restaurants and it included bottomless pointsettas (champagne and cranberry juice) and French toast. Yum! We had to split into two tables for brunch and one table (not mine) sat next to a birthday brunch. Jen and I went and joined the other table and ended up getting peanut butter cupcakes!! They were delicious :D We also got party hats with inappropriate sayings, but it was a blast!
After brunch, we headed back to the Mall and went exploring. We stopped for a while at the Museum of Natural History (my favorite), and they had a fun display up of National Geographic pictures. We also went by the White House and shopping for some souvenirs.
Quote: "I don't understand your lifestyle, but I support it" - guy from party at brunch
Headed to Frederick tomorrow!!
After brunch, we headed back to the Mall and went exploring. We stopped for a while at the Museum of Natural History (my favorite), and they had a fun display up of National Geographic pictures. We also went by the White House and shopping for some souvenirs.
Quote: "I don't understand your lifestyle, but I support it" - guy from party at brunch
Eduardo and Julia at the White House
LOVE Cheetas!! Love this pic! :D
Headed to Frederick tomorrow!!
Century ride into DC
The ride today was beautiful and hard. I went in to the day feeling pretty confident as I had completed a century ride before and my legs were feeling pretty fresh. Well, the first half of the ride turned out to be really hilly. It was kind of funny at lunch to talk about the ride as part of the group had been told it was going to be mostly flat until lunch and the other half had been told to expect the worst hills we had seen yet. The group I was in was not expecting the hills and we had a really rough time, as we were starting to get really hungry (first lunch was at mile 50). The other group got into lunch and didn't know what hills we were talking about. I feel this goes to show the mental preparation that goes into a ride.
We started off the morning in a slight drizzle and cloud cover. This made the first hour rough as it wasn't very bright out, but thankfully there wasn't a lot of traffic at 6am on a Saturday. The sunrise was beautiful to see as we rode.. coming up through the clouds in a variety of colors, over the mountains. We also saw a ton of deer... including several fawn! It was amazing to experience the wildlife outside a car. There were a lot of small hills and gradual ascents through most of the morning. We stopped to take a picture around mile 20 and I gashed my leg laying my bike down. Leave it to me to hurt myself with my bike while I'm not actually riding it. Thankfully, Bishnu drove by right at that moment and we were able to clean it out and wrap it up so I could continue riding.
As I mentioned above, we were told that the rest of the ride to lunch should be fairly flat and easy, but we had three or four 1/4 to 1/2 mile climbs that were extremely steep right before lunch. After lunch, we jumped on the W&OD trail. I did several training rides on the W&OD trail, so I was familiar with most of it. It was so nice to be able to ride on the trail and not have to worry about cars! We stopped for a second lunch at Carolina Brother's BBQ and it was delicious! We saw a deer right beside the W&OD trail. I now know where the term "deer in the headlights" comes from as it gave us that look as we rode by.We also stopped for a third lunch at a local bike shop just outside of DC. A few B&B alumni joined our group on the trail and it was a lot of fun talking to them.
After our third lunch break, Bryn and Da'Quan got a second wind and took off. Meagan, Julia and I took it a little slower and enjoyed the sights in DC. The three of us walked a small part of the Mall due to the amount of tourists wandering around. The whole group met at the Capitol building and snapped group pictures. There was wedding party getting pictures at the Capitol, so it was fun to get see other aspects of life outside of our little B&B bubble. After pictures, we broke into small groups and finished the last few miles to the host. My bike computer was off in mileage, but our days total was about 103 miles in over 100F temperatures.
Our hosts were amazing and provided us a delicious dinner and shower. I'm constantly amazed by the generosity of people on this trip. After dinner, showers, and a presentation by the host, a group of us went out for a drink. We were on the metro for an hour, went to the restaurant for an hour, and then rode the metro back for an hour. It was frustrating at the time, but we passed the time playing Ninja in the metro station.
Quotes: "Beat your body up and Build" - Eduardo on what Bike and Build should really be called
Much deserved day off tomorrow!!
We started off the morning in a slight drizzle and cloud cover. This made the first hour rough as it wasn't very bright out, but thankfully there wasn't a lot of traffic at 6am on a Saturday. The sunrise was beautiful to see as we rode.. coming up through the clouds in a variety of colors, over the mountains. We also saw a ton of deer... including several fawn! It was amazing to experience the wildlife outside a car. There were a lot of small hills and gradual ascents through most of the morning. We stopped to take a picture around mile 20 and I gashed my leg laying my bike down. Leave it to me to hurt myself with my bike while I'm not actually riding it. Thankfully, Bishnu drove by right at that moment and we were able to clean it out and wrap it up so I could continue riding.
As I mentioned above, we were told that the rest of the ride to lunch should be fairly flat and easy, but we had three or four 1/4 to 1/2 mile climbs that were extremely steep right before lunch. After lunch, we jumped on the W&OD trail. I did several training rides on the W&OD trail, so I was familiar with most of it. It was so nice to be able to ride on the trail and not have to worry about cars! We stopped for a second lunch at Carolina Brother's BBQ and it was delicious! We saw a deer right beside the W&OD trail. I now know where the term "deer in the headlights" comes from as it gave us that look as we rode by.We also stopped for a third lunch at a local bike shop just outside of DC. A few B&B alumni joined our group on the trail and it was a lot of fun talking to them.
After our third lunch break, Bryn and Da'Quan got a second wind and took off. Meagan, Julia and I took it a little slower and enjoyed the sights in DC. The three of us walked a small part of the Mall due to the amount of tourists wandering around. The whole group met at the Capitol building and snapped group pictures. There was wedding party getting pictures at the Capitol, so it was fun to get see other aspects of life outside of our little B&B bubble. After pictures, we broke into small groups and finished the last few miles to the host. My bike computer was off in mileage, but our days total was about 103 miles in over 100F temperatures.
Our hosts were amazing and provided us a delicious dinner and shower. I'm constantly amazed by the generosity of people on this trip. After dinner, showers, and a presentation by the host, a group of us went out for a drink. We were on the metro for an hour, went to the restaurant for an hour, and then rode the metro back for an hour. It was frustrating at the time, but we passed the time playing Ninja in the metro station.
Quotes: "Beat your body up and Build" - Eduardo on what Bike and Build should really be called
Much deserved day off tomorrow!!
Pretty view right after I sliced my leg
Julia, Meagan, and I at the Washington Monument
Made it to the Capitol!!
Hard day completed :)
Our beautiful bikes in the nursery
Ninja at the Metro Station!
Friday, July 19, 2013
Virginia is beautiful!!
Today's ride was gorgeous! We rode along the Blue Ridge Turnpike or 'Skyline Drive' - thankfully this meant not a ton of climbing, but still amazing views. That being said, there were still some good descents and some rough ascents, but we rocked them. My group for the day consisted of Julia, Meagan, and Bryn and we flew through our ride and had a ton of fun. This whole group is amazing and I'm so lucky to be able to ride with them!
The ride started off pretty rough... Eduardo hit a hole less than 2 blocks from our host and got a flat, and we started climbing almost immediately. Bryn and I slowly climbed and then flew down the descents together. We have a very similar riding style, so it was fun to ride together. Due to some van issues (power steering), our van wasn't able to keep up with us and the boys scouted out a lunch spot. They sweet talked a nice lady into letting us use her driveway/yard. It was perfect as there was a lot of shade. We then got a surprise visit from the sheriff. We were a little nervous when he pulled up behind the trailer, but it turned out he was just checking to make sure we weren't making shenanigans at the house. He was really nice :)
The guys also gave Daniel's pedals another shot, but actually ended up stripping the pedal and made his bike unridable. He had to ride in the van the rest of the day, but he had some fun chalking inspirational quotes and sayings from the trip. For me he wrote, "Like 50 first dates?" as that had become a joke on the trip. At one of the hills, I chalked "Ice Ice Baby" to try to help people cool down. As soon as I chalked it, Julia exclaimed "I was going to put the same thing!" Great minds....
After lunch, we hit some good hills, but then it flattened out and it was pretty easy. We rode through a valley with the Blue Ridge all around us and it was absolutely beautiful. We had a second lunch at a convenience store and shared some ice cream, which definitely hit the spot. When we got in to the host, we were all surprised by how easy the ride was since we had been warned by several people that it would be a really hilly day. Our showers were located at a law office in the smallest shower stall ever. But we were all grateful to have a real shower and not have to use a hose :)
We played some Bananagrams while waiting for dinner. A storm also blew in, so I had to go outside and play in the wind and rain. Thankfully Bishnu is as crazy as I am and joined me! Our pizza was later than planned, so people were starting to get delirious from hunger. Thankfully it showed up soon and we all pigged out one some AMAZING pizza. It was seriously some of the best pizza I've ever had. Washington, VA may be small, but they have some yummy food! Town Hall meeting commenced during dinner and people went through and shared their Rosebuds - rose (high), thorn (low), and bud (what they are looking forward to). Many people's high was the ride through the Blue Ridge as it was so pretty and most people were looking forward to the century into DC. I think the low was mainly the heat, but I'm not sure.
Tomorrow we have a century (100 miles) ride into DC and I think most people are as excited as they are nervous. Early bedtime tonight and 4am wake up tomorrow to try to beat the heat!
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The ride started off pretty rough... Eduardo hit a hole less than 2 blocks from our host and got a flat, and we started climbing almost immediately. Bryn and I slowly climbed and then flew down the descents together. We have a very similar riding style, so it was fun to ride together. Due to some van issues (power steering), our van wasn't able to keep up with us and the boys scouted out a lunch spot. They sweet talked a nice lady into letting us use her driveway/yard. It was perfect as there was a lot of shade. We then got a surprise visit from the sheriff. We were a little nervous when he pulled up behind the trailer, but it turned out he was just checking to make sure we weren't making shenanigans at the house. He was really nice :)
The guys also gave Daniel's pedals another shot, but actually ended up stripping the pedal and made his bike unridable. He had to ride in the van the rest of the day, but he had some fun chalking inspirational quotes and sayings from the trip. For me he wrote, "Like 50 first dates?" as that had become a joke on the trip. At one of the hills, I chalked "Ice Ice Baby" to try to help people cool down. As soon as I chalked it, Julia exclaimed "I was going to put the same thing!" Great minds....
After lunch, we hit some good hills, but then it flattened out and it was pretty easy. We rode through a valley with the Blue Ridge all around us and it was absolutely beautiful. We had a second lunch at a convenience store and shared some ice cream, which definitely hit the spot. When we got in to the host, we were all surprised by how easy the ride was since we had been warned by several people that it would be a really hilly day. Our showers were located at a law office in the smallest shower stall ever. But we were all grateful to have a real shower and not have to use a hose :)
We played some Bananagrams while waiting for dinner. A storm also blew in, so I had to go outside and play in the wind and rain. Thankfully Bishnu is as crazy as I am and joined me! Our pizza was later than planned, so people were starting to get delirious from hunger. Thankfully it showed up soon and we all pigged out one some AMAZING pizza. It was seriously some of the best pizza I've ever had. Washington, VA may be small, but they have some yummy food! Town Hall meeting commenced during dinner and people went through and shared their Rosebuds - rose (high), thorn (low), and bud (what they are looking forward to). Many people's high was the ride through the Blue Ridge as it was so pretty and most people were looking forward to the century into DC. I think the low was mainly the heat, but I'm not sure.
Tomorrow we have a century (100 miles) ride into DC and I think most people are as excited as they are nervous. Early bedtime tonight and 4am wake up tomorrow to try to beat the heat!
Riding group for the day!
Pretty view in the morning
Sheriff at lunch and working on Daniel's Bike
Julia and I after conquering a hill
Amazing view :)
Relaxing while waiting for food!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Build day 2
Today we got an early start due to the heat. I believe the heat index was 111F at one point. We worked on framing walls most of the day, but some complications prevented us from putting them up. We were split into a couple groups and my group determined the slants on the boards used for framing. We then carried all the boards (there were a lot!) across the lot and then started the framing. Some of the highlights of the day were people nailing the frames to the flooring (oops..), some parts of the frames had to be adjusted due to wrong measuring, etc. It was somewhat of a frustrating day due to many complications and the heat, but we were done at noon and it turned out to be a good day.
The rest of the day was spent exploring Charlottesville. We went to the downtown area for food (Five Guys), got Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt for 50c per person (Thanks to Daniel and his spanish speaking abilities), browsed some used-bookstores, and we tried a "real sugar" coke. Some of us went to get bike maintenance at a local shop, and I also got to talk to my mom and Brian on the phone for a while.
Back at the host, a group of us tried to change Daniel's pedals, but while we were very unsuccessful, there were many laughs. Da'Quan was cracking Daniel and me up as he worked with us. There were several times our efforts were put on hold because we were laughing too hard. Jillian and I did some bike maintenance in preparation for the upcoming two riding days, which we heard would be really hard (one day really hilly and the other over a hundred miles). A group of us also laid around in the library and talked for a while - this is one of my favorite things on the trip because you learn a lot about one another.
Headed to Washington, VA tomorrow and taking on the Blue Ridge Turnpike!
No pics from today, but we had some pretty good quotes: "Your bike has bronchitis?!" - Eduardo, "Like 50 First Dates?" - me
The rest of the day was spent exploring Charlottesville. We went to the downtown area for food (Five Guys), got Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt for 50c per person (Thanks to Daniel and his spanish speaking abilities), browsed some used-bookstores, and we tried a "real sugar" coke. Some of us went to get bike maintenance at a local shop, and I also got to talk to my mom and Brian on the phone for a while.
Back at the host, a group of us tried to change Daniel's pedals, but while we were very unsuccessful, there were many laughs. Da'Quan was cracking Daniel and me up as he worked with us. There were several times our efforts were put on hold because we were laughing too hard. Jillian and I did some bike maintenance in preparation for the upcoming two riding days, which we heard would be really hard (one day really hilly and the other over a hundred miles). A group of us also laid around in the library and talked for a while - this is one of my favorite things on the trip because you learn a lot about one another.
Headed to Washington, VA tomorrow and taking on the Blue Ridge Turnpike!
No pics from today, but we had some pretty good quotes: "Your bike has bronchitis?!" - Eduardo, "Like 50 First Dates?" - me
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Build day!
Today was our first build day in Charlottesville. We kept busy working on the flooring and the site supervisor called me a rock star because we rocked the flooring together. It was a lot of fun. They also got word of my meteorology degree when I checked the radar for the incoming storm and I was "threatened" with multiple lawsuits if my 'forecast' was wrong.. thankfully the weather held up and we were able to finish the days work. I can't wait to work with Dom and the crew again tomorrow!
Dinner was provided at Whole Foods. We showed up and for some reason they hadn't been able to properly prepare for us, so we each got a gift card to spend on whatever we wanted for dinner. It was incredible! I tried a little bit of a bunch of stuff and couldn't come close to finishing it. They also surprised Eduardo with a delicious birthday cake that we all split. It was amazing!
A group of us went out to a local restaurant/bar to celebrate Eduardo's birthday. I got Bishnu out on the dance floor for one song and it was a blast. I think I burned as many calories with that one dance as I do riding an hour. We were jumping around and boogy-ing like crazy... just having a great time! We got ready to head out and decided to get fries. So we found a place and talked them into making us an order of fries to go. They were very seasoned and hit the spot.
Quote of the day: "Son of a Bishnu!" (this became one of our team mottos for when anything went wrong)
Cap Ride in the News! We were also on the stations nightly news, but I couldn't find a link to it.
http://www.nbc29.com/story/22868648/habitat-kicks-off-belmont-building-blitz-despite-heat
Dinner was provided at Whole Foods. We showed up and for some reason they hadn't been able to properly prepare for us, so we each got a gift card to spend on whatever we wanted for dinner. It was incredible! I tried a little bit of a bunch of stuff and couldn't come close to finishing it. They also surprised Eduardo with a delicious birthday cake that we all split. It was amazing!
A group of us went out to a local restaurant/bar to celebrate Eduardo's birthday. I got Bishnu out on the dance floor for one song and it was a blast. I think I burned as many calories with that one dance as I do riding an hour. We were jumping around and boogy-ing like crazy... just having a great time! We got ready to head out and decided to get fries. So we found a place and talked them into making us an order of fries to go. They were very seasoned and hit the spot.
Quote of the day: "Son of a Bishnu!" (this became one of our team mottos for when anything went wrong)
Cap Ride in the News! We were also on the stations nightly news, but I couldn't find a link to it.
http://www.nbc29.com/story/22868648/habitat-kicks-off-belmont-building-blitz-despite-heat
On the way to the build site
Eduardo and his bday cake
Celebrating Eduardo's bday
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Ain't no mountain high enough!
Ok, so we didn't actually do mountains today, but there were some really big hills. Definitely the biggest I've done. But we had a blast. Even in the 100 degree heat along the black asphalt, it was a wonderful day.
In the first few miles of the ride, we came across a turtle in the middle of the road. Since we are good people, we decided to "save it" by moving it to the side of the road. Of course, we also had to take pics of it... and we eventually realized by "saving" it, we were likely torturing it. I learned this the hard way when it decided to pee on me. Awesome.
Jen, Daniel and I came across a thrift store and decided to play with as many things as possible. This included kids bikes, mismatching bikinis, strollers, pool floaties and many other items. We also decided that we should get a picture of us being the horse/rider at each horse crossing sign we saw. Lunch included leftovers from last night's dinner... aka spaghetti... and toast from that morning's breakfast. Hence, I had a spaghetti sandwich. It was actually quite delicious!
Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's house) was on our route (after an extra short uphill), so we decided to stop and play tourist. We DM'ed a discount on the ticket prices and went exploring. The house is located on top of a huge hill and had amazing views - definitely a worthy detour!
The ride was much hillier, but Jen, Daniel and I rocked the uphills and flew on the downhills. I LOVE going downhill, and there were some amazing descents today. I try to take the lead on these kind of rides because I love flying down the hill and hate braking on them (unless necessary for safety). Every time I brake on a downhill, I feel like a small piece of my heart breaks. I climb hills mainly to enjoy the downhill :) After our Monticello stop, Jen, Eduardo, Julia, and I conquered the last 5-6 miles together. This included a large hill... which I decided "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was a good motivational song. It definitely helped me get through it and Julia also said me yelling it out helped her too!
Other notable things from today's ride: frolicking in a field with Jen (Love this girl!!), and getting a 10% discount, free cookie, and watermelon at a super cute cafe along the route.
Our host in Charlottesville is a beautiful old church in downtown... right by an awesome mall. We had showers in this AMAZING fitness club, and some of us headed out to enjoy the nightlife. A couple alum met up with us and we had an amazing, hilarious night. Shawna's B&B rap was incredible and hopefully I'll be able to share it at another time.
Quotes from today: "Virginians are judging you" - Jen
"Most good things in life - you don't think you have time for" - Derrick
We have two build days coming up and then its off to Washington, VA, on Friday.
In the first few miles of the ride, we came across a turtle in the middle of the road. Since we are good people, we decided to "save it" by moving it to the side of the road. Of course, we also had to take pics of it... and we eventually realized by "saving" it, we were likely torturing it. I learned this the hard way when it decided to pee on me. Awesome.
Jen, Daniel and I came across a thrift store and decided to play with as many things as possible. This included kids bikes, mismatching bikinis, strollers, pool floaties and many other items. We also decided that we should get a picture of us being the horse/rider at each horse crossing sign we saw. Lunch included leftovers from last night's dinner... aka spaghetti... and toast from that morning's breakfast. Hence, I had a spaghetti sandwich. It was actually quite delicious!
Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's house) was on our route (after an extra short uphill), so we decided to stop and play tourist. We DM'ed a discount on the ticket prices and went exploring. The house is located on top of a huge hill and had amazing views - definitely a worthy detour!
The ride was much hillier, but Jen, Daniel and I rocked the uphills and flew on the downhills. I LOVE going downhill, and there were some amazing descents today. I try to take the lead on these kind of rides because I love flying down the hill and hate braking on them (unless necessary for safety). Every time I brake on a downhill, I feel like a small piece of my heart breaks. I climb hills mainly to enjoy the downhill :) After our Monticello stop, Jen, Eduardo, Julia, and I conquered the last 5-6 miles together. This included a large hill... which I decided "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was a good motivational song. It definitely helped me get through it and Julia also said me yelling it out helped her too!
Other notable things from today's ride: frolicking in a field with Jen (Love this girl!!), and getting a 10% discount, free cookie, and watermelon at a super cute cafe along the route.
Our host in Charlottesville is a beautiful old church in downtown... right by an awesome mall. We had showers in this AMAZING fitness club, and some of us headed out to enjoy the nightlife. A couple alum met up with us and we had an amazing, hilarious night. Shawna's B&B rap was incredible and hopefully I'll be able to share it at another time.
Quotes from today: "Virginians are judging you" - Jen
"Most good things in life - you don't think you have time for" - Derrick
We have two build days coming up and then its off to Washington, VA, on Friday.
Acting out the sign
On the stairs in front of Thomas Jefferson's house
Night out in Charlottesville!
View from the road
Monday, July 15, 2013
Virginia is for Butterflies
Soooo many butterflies today!! It was beautiful and also annoying as they seemed to attack us. I rode sweep today with Joanna on our 67 mile ride into Farmville, VA. Sweep is two riders that carry a medical kit and spare tire. They are the last two riders and make sure no riders get left behind.
Our first few roads today were really busy, so that was a bit stressful at times. I also had a minor accident - I was riding the shoulder too closely and went off it. I then hit it at a bad angle trying to get back in the road and hit the road. Thankfully, all I got was a scratch on my shin and a few scratches on my bike. Lesson learned - don't ride the shoulder too closely.
Some of the girls went swimming in a river, but as we passed over, Joanna and I decided it was too muddy and continued on. We did stop and eat some blackberries that Daniel, Bishnu, and Eduardo found and got permission to pick. Most weren't quite ripe yet, so they were pretty sour but still good! In the second half of the ride, we got caught up with some tarring trucks. They were laying tar, putting rocks down on it, and then squishing the rocks into the tar. It was really tough riding to say the least, and quite smelly. The boys missed a turn, so while Joanna and I waited for them to catch up, we watched the millions of butterflies and found one with a broken wing. I got it to crawl on my finger and put it in the bushes. It was pretty cool to hold a butterly.. even a disabled one.
We all arrived safely at the host, tired from the heat, but excited for the feast that awaited us. The hosts provided a potluck with spaghetti, vegan lasagna, desserts, etc. It was Amazing!! The alumni in our group (those that have done cross country trips) gave a presentation on Bike and Build.
It was a great ride and our hosts tonight were wonderful. Tomorrow we continue on to Charlottesville. Life is good :)
Quote of the day: Some people bungee jump. I do DM - Joanna (DM stands for donation magic - getting people to donate food, money, other awesome stuff)
Our first few roads today were really busy, so that was a bit stressful at times. I also had a minor accident - I was riding the shoulder too closely and went off it. I then hit it at a bad angle trying to get back in the road and hit the road. Thankfully, all I got was a scratch on my shin and a few scratches on my bike. Lesson learned - don't ride the shoulder too closely.
Some of the girls went swimming in a river, but as we passed over, Joanna and I decided it was too muddy and continued on. We did stop and eat some blackberries that Daniel, Bishnu, and Eduardo found and got permission to pick. Most weren't quite ripe yet, so they were pretty sour but still good! In the second half of the ride, we got caught up with some tarring trucks. They were laying tar, putting rocks down on it, and then squishing the rocks into the tar. It was really tough riding to say the least, and quite smelly. The boys missed a turn, so while Joanna and I waited for them to catch up, we watched the millions of butterflies and found one with a broken wing. I got it to crawl on my finger and put it in the bushes. It was pretty cool to hold a butterly.. even a disabled one.
We all arrived safely at the host, tired from the heat, but excited for the feast that awaited us. The hosts provided a potluck with spaghetti, vegan lasagna, desserts, etc. It was Amazing!! The alumni in our group (those that have done cross country trips) gave a presentation on Bike and Build.
It was a great ride and our hosts tonight were wonderful. Tomorrow we continue on to Charlottesville. Life is good :)
Quote of the day: Some people bungee jump. I do DM - Joanna (DM stands for donation magic - getting people to donate food, money, other awesome stuff)
Sunscreen is key while out riding!!
Sweep for the day!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Day 2- more orientation
Today was another fun day full of activities. We ate a ton of food, including bagels, cereal, deli sandwiches, and Chipotle. Food on this trip is mostly donated by businesses, so we don't eat particularly healthy at times. We broke into groups to learn bike maintenance - how to change a flat, lube and clean your chain, etc. Safety drills included an "obstacle course" of chalked objects... such as potholes, parked cars, a dead cat.. We each went through the obstacle course a couple times solo and then as a group. I accidentally ran over the dead cat after the group ride. oops. Other drills were stopping/starting to make sure you knew how to use your clip-less pedals/shoes and looking over your shoulder without swerving on your bike. After a short break, we went for a 19 mile 'shakedown ride' around Richmond to get used to riding in small groups and practice our skills. After showering at the local YMCA, we visited a cute little downtown area and went to get a nice bike shop. There was a Sweet Frog nearby, so we also got FROYO!! The local chapter of Rebuilding Together came by and gave us a presentation on their organization and the affordable housing cause.
I decided to give bumper pool a try and surprisingly completely rocked the table for several games. Andrea ended up beating me after I won numerous games... I think its safe to say I was not expecting to actually be decent at it with my lack of skill at pool. Other shenanigans today included Hacky sack with Andrea, Daniel, and DQ.. definitely not my thing. Daniel got the hacky sack stuck on the roof of the church, but after much effort and many ideas, we did get it down :) Meagan and I found a sweet little playground behind the church and had a blast playing around on it and taking pictures. We went to Chipotle for dinner and there was a group of women with dogs outside. Julia and I are both major dog lovers, so we headed out and got to play with the puppies (one a 3 month old Pitbull... sooo cute!!).
Loving the riders and loving the food. Can't wait to head to Farmville, VA tomorrow!!
I decided to give bumper pool a try and surprisingly completely rocked the table for several games. Andrea ended up beating me after I won numerous games... I think its safe to say I was not expecting to actually be decent at it with my lack of skill at pool. Other shenanigans today included Hacky sack with Andrea, Daniel, and DQ.. definitely not my thing. Daniel got the hacky sack stuck on the roof of the church, but after much effort and many ideas, we did get it down :) Meagan and I found a sweet little playground behind the church and had a blast playing around on it and taking pictures. We went to Chipotle for dinner and there was a group of women with dogs outside. Julia and I are both major dog lovers, so we headed out and got to play with the puppies (one a 3 month old Pitbull... sooo cute!!).
Loving the riders and loving the food. Can't wait to head to Farmville, VA tomorrow!!
Getting ready for the Shakedown Ride
A message left from a rider last year. "We're DOIN it" became one of our team mottos :)
Playing at the playground
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Day 1 - orientation
My group is pretty awesome. I figured they would be as it takes a certain kind of person to do a trip like this. The day consisted of:
- driving to Richmond
- a bunch of us tossing around a "disc" (supposedly it isn't called a frisbee...) in the rain while waiting for everyone to arrive
- doing ice breakers and name games to get to know each other better
- chalking the trailer and each other
- sitting through presentations on health, safety, and information about Bike and Build
- skits (ours was a type of "Who's line is it anyways" all about safety)
- free time (bumper pool, Wah!, Bananagrams, etc)
We were split into chore teams and my team, Full Time Staph was assigned dinner, presentations, and trailer duty. Each team had to choose a name that had something to do with the presentation on health we had earlier in the day. The other two teams were Road Rationals and Butt Butter Babes (Daniel was the only male in this group and claimed to be the "main babe").
Things are winding down for an 11pm lights out, and a very intense game (aka lots of laughter) of bumper pool is in progress. Super excited to spend the next two weeks with this group!
- driving to Richmond
- a bunch of us tossing around a "disc" (supposedly it isn't called a frisbee...) in the rain while waiting for everyone to arrive
- doing ice breakers and name games to get to know each other better
- chalking the trailer and each other
- sitting through presentations on health, safety, and information about Bike and Build
- skits (ours was a type of "Who's line is it anyways" all about safety)
- free time (bumper pool, Wah!, Bananagrams, etc)
We were split into chore teams and my team, Full Time Staph was assigned dinner, presentations, and trailer duty. Each team had to choose a name that had something to do with the presentation on health we had earlier in the day. The other two teams were Road Rationals and Butt Butter Babes (Daniel was the only male in this group and claimed to be the "main babe").
Things are winding down for an 11pm lights out, and a very intense game (aka lots of laughter) of bumper pool is in progress. Super excited to spend the next two weeks with this group!
Bumper pool!
Our "Chalked" trailer
And so it begins..
It starts today!!!! Two girls doing the trip came down to bunk at my place last night and then we'll all head down to Richmond together this morning. My bike rack hasn't actually been used yet, so I'm hoping that it a. fits all three bikes and b. doesn't break for some ridiculous reason. We tested it out last night and it looks like all should be well :)
My 18-gal bin is packed and ready, and I probably packed a little too much, oh well. Better safe than sorry!
Thank you again for all the support and I hope you follow along with my blog on the journey!
My 18-gal bin is packed and ready, and I probably packed a little too much, oh well. Better safe than sorry!
Thank you again for all the support and I hope you follow along with my blog on the journey!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Trip Goals
Now that the trip is only TWO WEEKS away, I decided to come up with a to-do/goal list for the trip:
1. Be a "Yes" woman - hopefully people have seen "Yes Man" and know what I mean - saying yes to every opportunity that comes up
2. Not walk or get vanned for any part of the trip - those hills may be intimidating, but I plan on riding the whole way!
3. Take as many pictures as possible - shouldn't be hard for me!
4. Ride with each person to get to know everyone
5. Blog daily - don't expect a book everyday, but I will post at least a couple pictures and a sentence or two. I'll go back after the trip and fill in all the details. I also plan on keeping a personal journal as I don't think everything will be appropriate to share =P
I'm sure there are more that I will think of, but this list is a good place to start. If you have any challenges for me while on this trip, feel free to share! I'm always looking for new things to try!
PS - only $300 to go! Donate here if you want to help me reach my goal of $2500!
1. Be a "Yes" woman - hopefully people have seen "Yes Man" and know what I mean - saying yes to every opportunity that comes up
2. Not walk or get vanned for any part of the trip - those hills may be intimidating, but I plan on riding the whole way!
3. Take as many pictures as possible - shouldn't be hard for me!
4. Ride with each person to get to know everyone
5. Blog daily - don't expect a book everyday, but I will post at least a couple pictures and a sentence or two. I'll go back after the trip and fill in all the details. I also plan on keeping a personal journal as I don't think everything will be appropriate to share =P
I'm sure there are more that I will think of, but this list is a good place to start. If you have any challenges for me while on this trip, feel free to share! I'm always looking for new things to try!
PS - only $300 to go! Donate here if you want to help me reach my goal of $2500!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Almost there!
The Capital Ride is only 25 days away... WOW! Where has the time gone? All of my cross-country riding buddies have officially started their trips, and I have to admit, I'm stalking all of them through blogs :) I'm headed up to Harrisburg, PA, tonight to meet up with Providence to California to drop off a bunch of goodies and see Catherine. In a couple weeks, I'll also be crashing Providence to Seattle to see Jeremie and Maine to Santa Barbara to see Casey. I was really excited to see that they would be along my driving route to and from Huntington when I go home for the July 4th weekend. I can't wait to ride with them again when they get back from their trips!
My training is complete, I have one hour of sweat equity left, and I still have $435 to raise before the trip begins. I plan on continuing to ride every other day, if not daily, until the trip begins. I am signed up for a few hours with Habitat for Humanity on June 29 to finish up my sweat equity. I'm currently holding a bake sale for the July 4th weekend. It will mainly be focused at work, but I will also post it to the Facebook page. I also have several people who have told me they will donate, but haven't yet. I guess it's time to remind them! If you haven't donated, and want to, you can do so here. Remember, no donation is too small!
A rough map of the route we will be taking can be found here. These likely are not the correct roads, but this is just a simple Google map to give an idea of the route. You can follow our trip here. This page has the route tracker, blog (if it is kept up on the trip), rider's blogs, pictures, and the list of riders.
Current Stats:
Amount Raised - $2065
Longest Ride ~ 72 miles
Max Speed - 41.6 mph (!!!AWESOME!!!)
Training Mileage ~ 650 miles
Sweat Equity - 9 hours
My training is complete, I have one hour of sweat equity left, and I still have $435 to raise before the trip begins. I plan on continuing to ride every other day, if not daily, until the trip begins. I am signed up for a few hours with Habitat for Humanity on June 29 to finish up my sweat equity. I'm currently holding a bake sale for the July 4th weekend. It will mainly be focused at work, but I will also post it to the Facebook page. I also have several people who have told me they will donate, but haven't yet. I guess it's time to remind them! If you haven't donated, and want to, you can do so here. Remember, no donation is too small!
A rough map of the route we will be taking can be found here. These likely are not the correct roads, but this is just a simple Google map to give an idea of the route. You can follow our trip here. This page has the route tracker, blog (if it is kept up on the trip), rider's blogs, pictures, and the list of riders.
Current Stats:
Amount Raised - $2065
Longest Ride ~ 72 miles
Max Speed - 41.6 mph (!!!AWESOME!!!)
Training Mileage ~ 650 miles
Sweat Equity - 9 hours
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Work it!
The last couple weeks have been hectic and the next few weeks are going to be more so, but I wanted to check in on here for a quick update.
I survived my 70 mile ride on May 18. I rode with a couple guys - Jeremie Guy (P2S13), Luc Hale (SUS09), and Bishnu Panigrahi (NUS11, CapRide13) - and we had a great time! I was really excited to meet another rider on my trip this summer and was happy to find out he's completely awesome. It made me even more excited about my trip (if that's possible)! We rode through the chilly rain, ate BBQ, and rocked the ride. I'm going on another 65-70 mile ride this weekend with some fellow 2013 B&B'ers and will get a completely different experience (sunny and low 90s). This ride's weather should be a lot like the weather during my trip.
My trip gained another guy! He will be riding with a "scholarship" from Bike and Build. For more information on it or to donate to his trip, go here: http://www.capitalride.org/scholarship. He seems like an awesome guy and I can't wait to meet him!
The fundraising aspect is slowly heating up again. It's a wonderful feeling when someone tells you how impressed they are and want to give towards the cause. People are really "wow'ed" with this trip, but I feel almost anyone could do a trip like this if they put their mind to it. Once again, thanks to everyone who has donated to this trip!! I could not be more excited for this experience!
I want to send a shout out to all my awesome sponsors! Thank you to The Bicycle Escape, Deb's Hair Design, and State Farm for your contributions!! You are all great!
Current Stats:
Amount Raised: $1945
Longest Ride: 70 miles
Most climbing: ~1500 ft
Max Speed: 39.1
Training Mileage: >500 (no idea what my exact mileage is..)
Sweat Equity: 9 hours
Monday, May 13, 2013
Getting in the Miles
Yesterday I completed a 50 mile ride with about 1500 ft of climbing. I don't think it would have been very hard, except for the fact that there was a 20-30 mph headwind/crosswind yesterday for over half the ride. I had also only ridden about 20 miles in the last two weeks, so it was a bit of a shock for my legs to go out on a long ride. Next weekend, some of us are going out on a 70 mile ride. Hopefully that goes well!
I've determined singing is the best way to get me through long rides. Yesterday I came up with numerous songs for hills... one is along the lines of "these are the hills that never end..." Hopefully most of you will get that reference. For those of you who watch a lot of tv, I came up with this saying (thanks to the most interesting man in the world commercial): "I don't cuss often, but when I do, it's when I turn into a headwind" or "I don't cuss often, but when I do, it's when I fall off my bike". You have a lot of time to think about random things when you're out riding!
Fundraising is still creeping along. I have numerous people that have told me they will donate, but haven't yet. A bake sale is also in the works for June 1 or 2... more details to come! If you haven't donated and want to, please visit http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747. Thanks to everyone who has donated and thank you in advance to those of you who are donating as soon as you finish reading this =D Every little bit, even $5-10, helps!
In other news, the Capital Ride is gaining people! We are officially at 12 people - 2 guys, 10 girls. So to the men out there, sign up!! I would love to see a more balanced group!
TWO months until orientation in Richmond!! WHOOO!!!
Current Stats:
Amount raised : $1745
Longest Ride: 50 miles
Most climbing: ~1500 ft
Max Speed: 39.1
Training Mileage: 435
Sweat Equity: 9 hours
I've determined singing is the best way to get me through long rides. Yesterday I came up with numerous songs for hills... one is along the lines of "these are the hills that never end..." Hopefully most of you will get that reference. For those of you who watch a lot of tv, I came up with this saying (thanks to the most interesting man in the world commercial): "I don't cuss often, but when I do, it's when I turn into a headwind" or "I don't cuss often, but when I do, it's when I fall off my bike". You have a lot of time to think about random things when you're out riding!
Fundraising is still creeping along. I have numerous people that have told me they will donate, but haven't yet. A bake sale is also in the works for June 1 or 2... more details to come! If you haven't donated and want to, please visit http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747. Thanks to everyone who has donated and thank you in advance to those of you who are donating as soon as you finish reading this =D Every little bit, even $5-10, helps!
In other news, the Capital Ride is gaining people! We are officially at 12 people - 2 guys, 10 girls. So to the men out there, sign up!! I would love to see a more balanced group!
TWO months until orientation in Richmond!! WHOOO!!!
Current Stats:
Amount raised : $1745
Longest Ride: 50 miles
Most climbing: ~1500 ft
Max Speed: 39.1
Training Mileage: 435
Sweat Equity: 9 hours
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
SPRING!!!!
Spring is finally here! The weather is getting warmer, rides are becoming more pleasant, and the sun is staying out longer! The weather in MD is still cooler than average, but I can't complain too much as my friends in Minnesota are still posting pictures of snow ;) I have to say that a ride in 60 F is a LOT better than a ride in 30 F temperatures! Since the sun is rising earlier, I am now able to ride my bike into work daily! I just started this week and plan to keep it up (as long as rain isn't in the forecast) for the whole summer. Yay for exercise and saving on gas!
As for training, hills are still tough, but I'm definitely getting better at them. This weekend I hope to break the 1000 ft ascent mark. Hopefully it won't be too bad as I'll likely be doing that number several times a day during my ride :) I went on a 45 mile ride a couple weekends ago with some fellow B&Ber's and we had a lot of fun. A 65-70 mile ride is in the works for mid-May. I can't wait!!
Fundraising is still moving slowly... but that is my fault. I plan on going out around Frederick on Friday and asking companies for both supply and monetary donations. Hopefully I'll get a few now that the busy season should be picking up. If you haven't donated and want to, please visit http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747 and click "Donate". Remember, every donation helps!! Thank you for your help!!
Current Stats:
As for training, hills are still tough, but I'm definitely getting better at them. This weekend I hope to break the 1000 ft ascent mark. Hopefully it won't be too bad as I'll likely be doing that number several times a day during my ride :) I went on a 45 mile ride a couple weekends ago with some fellow B&Ber's and we had a lot of fun. A 65-70 mile ride is in the works for mid-May. I can't wait!!
Fundraising is still moving slowly... but that is my fault. I plan on going out around Frederick on Friday and asking companies for both supply and monetary donations. Hopefully I'll get a few now that the busy season should be picking up. If you haven't donated and want to, please visit http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747 and click "Donate". Remember, every donation helps!! Thank you for your help!!
Current Stats:
Amount raised: $1745
Longest ride: 45 miles
Most climbing: ~900 ft
Max speed: 39.1 mph
Current training mileage: 345
Sweat Equity: 9 hours
Friday, April 5, 2013
Riding, Yoga, and Core
I told my mom the other day that my middle name was "Slacker" as I have been slacking on everything lately.. I'm going through an "all I want to do is read" phase. I finally sent out some emails to friends/family (which I've been meaning to do for a couple months), and thank you's for last month's donations are in progress. I've also been slacking on here, so here's an update.
Although I'm still not a fan of going up hills, I'm slowly getting better at them. I love going down though! The rush of adrenaline during the descent is amazing! Sadly, it seems most of the hills I can really get moving on have a stop sign halfway down or right at the bottom. Maybe I'll find a good one soon! Headwinds are also a struggle for me. Yesterday on my ride, I was cruising for the first half! I think I got up to 28 on flat road... and then I realized that I was riding with the wind. Which meant the rest of the ride was going to be into the wind. I survived though and I will continue to get stronger and more comfortable on my bike as I continue training. I also rode my bike to work today! This will be a regular occurrence as the sunrise get earlier.
Oh yeah! I went hands free for about 5 seconds - don't laugh, it was an accomplishment for me. Don't worry, Mom and Grandma, I'm being careful :)
Current stats to date:
Amount raised: $1695
Longest ride: 32 miles
Most climbing: ~800 ft
Max speed: 39.1 mph
Current training mileage: 180
Sweat Equity: 9 hours
Sunday, March 10, 2013
I want to ride my bicycle... I want to ride my bike!
I got two rides in this weekend!! One was with Jeremie Guy (P2S13 - http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6542) on Saturday and the other was with two guys I met through TBE. The rides were about 23 miles and 27 miles for a total of a little over 50 miles! There was about 1500 feet of climbing total. My max speed was 36.5 mph and it was great! The feeling you get when you're flying down hill is just amazing. Definitely worth the climbing! And although the hills kicked my butt (pretty much every hill did so), I made it through them all and I will keep pushing through as I attempt larger hills. I am going to rock this whole biking thing :)
I'm currently at $1600 and I'm really excited to have raised this much so far!! I am continuously amazed by people's generosity and love having so much support! Thank you to everyone who has donated already! If you have not donated yet and want to, please visit http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747. Thank you again for all the generous donations!!
I'm currently at $1600 and I'm really excited to have raised this much so far!! I am continuously amazed by people's generosity and love having so much support! Thank you to everyone who has donated already! If you have not donated yet and want to, please visit http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747. Thank you again for all the generous donations!!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
I'm Famous!!
I was featured in the Frederick News Post this past weekend!! Check out the story here: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/art_life/display_horizon.htm?StoryID=147578. Also, please share this link (and my blog!) with your friends and family. The more I can get the word out for affordable housing, the better!
My knee has been hurting me lately, so I've been taking it pretty easy on the running to try to heal before my half marathon next weekend. But this means I've been out cycling more! I did about 19 miles on Sunday and around 10 miles yesterday. My top speed so far is 28mph :) I can't wait to take on some bigger hills!
Yesterday's ride opened my eyes to how inconsiderate people are towards cyclists. Most people were great and gave me room, but there were also some that gave me no room. Please Please PLEASE be considerate to any cyclists you see! Give them some room (especially if they are on a road with no shoulder!) and keep everyone safe!!
My knee has been hurting me lately, so I've been taking it pretty easy on the running to try to heal before my half marathon next weekend. But this means I've been out cycling more! I did about 19 miles on Sunday and around 10 miles yesterday. My top speed so far is 28mph :) I can't wait to take on some bigger hills!
Yesterday's ride opened my eyes to how inconsiderate people are towards cyclists. Most people were great and gave me room, but there were also some that gave me no room. Please Please PLEASE be considerate to any cyclists you see! Give them some room (especially if they are on a road with no shoulder!) and keep everyone safe!!
Friday, March 1, 2013
How is it March already?!
This year is flying by! I haven't had a lot to update, but here's a couple highlights from the last couple weeks:
I'm officially over halfway for my required fundraising!! My goal is $3000, but I need to raise at least $2500. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!!
I'm working out some kind of raffle for everyone who has donated. More information to follow...
Tomorrow marks another group ride with TBE! Can't wait to ride together again and see my first silent movie!
My plan is to start riding my bike to work when its not raining/snowing within the next week or two. This will help get me out on my bike daily and the extra exercise never hurts ;)
As a reminder, to donate, please visit http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747 and click "Donate" or send a check to Bike & Build with my name in the Memo slot. The address is:
Bike & Build
6153 Ridge Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19128
Thank you again to everyone who has donated and for following my blog!
I'm officially over halfway for my required fundraising!! My goal is $3000, but I need to raise at least $2500. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!!
I'm working out some kind of raffle for everyone who has donated. More information to follow...
Tomorrow marks another group ride with TBE! Can't wait to ride together again and see my first silent movie!
My plan is to start riding my bike to work when its not raining/snowing within the next week or two. This will help get me out on my bike daily and the extra exercise never hurts ;)
As a reminder, to donate, please visit http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747 and click "Donate" or send a check to Bike & Build with my name in the Memo slot. The address is:
Bike & Build
6153 Ridge Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19128
Thank you again to everyone who has donated and for following my blog!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Quick Update and More about the Cause
I will admit... I've been slacking off a little on my B&B stuff, but I wanted to get in a short update today. In the last couple weeks, I went on my first group ride and was interviewed by the local newspaper. I've taken a short break from fundraising, but I'm ready to get back on it!
TBE contacted the Frederick News Post (the local paper) a couple weeks ago and FNP called asking for an interview. We set up the interview and a picture and they should be in the paper within the next week or two. I'm really hoping this will bring in some local donations, but if not, it will at least get the word out on B&B and the Affordable Housing Cause. I will post the story on here when it comes out.
My first group ride was the Groundhog Day Ride with TBE. My bike shop set up the ride through downtown Frederick to the courthouse so the Mayor of Frederick could tell us if Frederick Phil (our TBE groundhog) saw his shadow. The ride was a lot of fun and I met a lot of people! I also found out that riding in 18F weather is not fun unless you bundle up. It is safe to say that on future rides, I will be wearing a lot more layers!
The group assembled outside TBE.
I will end this post with a little information about the Affordable Housing cause:
Housing problems can be broken down into three main areas:
Cost burdens: residents pay an excessively large percentage of income on housing costs. About 14.3 million households spend over 50% of their income on housing.
Physical inadequacy: Lack of hot water, electricity, toilets, bathtubs and showers are examples of severe physical deficiencies. Unsafe stairs, ramps, and roofs account for a few of the structural dangers families live with. One in seven poor families live in housing that is physically dangerous! (Crazy!!)
Overcrowding: the number of people living in the house is greater than the total number of rooms in the house. This is very hard to track and log. About 6.1 million households live in overcrowded conditions.
Think about these problems. Would you want your friends and family to live like this? Please consider donating to the trip to help the families that live in these conditions. Every little bit helps!! Donate here: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747. Thank you for your support!
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