Duluthm, MN
Ideal Build Day. We had a great time today, all 30 of us were able to build on one site and we got a ton done. I had a hand in putting the trusses on for the whole roof of the house. Most of us headed out that evening for the Duluth Huskies minor league baseball game--free tickets thanks to our gracious hosts at the temple who joined us as well. Another fun day on Bike and Build.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Duluth, MN
Quick. After the rough night, I got out first with Nate, Eileen, Alli, and Jason for a fast day. It was supposed to be a flat 57, majority on the bike path. The Willard Munger bike path was great and we rolled really quick. Only problem was after lunch the four of us--Nate, Eileen, Jason and I--continued on the same bike trail, as the cue sheet said. Turns out we were supposed to jump a different path. No matter, we hit a main road and headed for Duluth over 10 extra miles of relatively intense climbs. Great view over the St. Louis valley though. Even with our extra 10 miles, we still arrived with the first group at 2:30. Stayed at a Jewish Temple and enjoyed a kosher dinner. We were welcome to attend their service and they were very helpful in explaining for us who weren't familiar and making us feel comfortable. Great food and experience.
Quick. After the rough night, I got out first with Nate, Eileen, Alli, and Jason for a fast day. It was supposed to be a flat 57, majority on the bike path. The Willard Munger bike path was great and we rolled really quick. Only problem was after lunch the four of us--Nate, Eileen, Jason and I--continued on the same bike trail, as the cue sheet said. Turns out we were supposed to jump a different path. No matter, we hit a main road and headed for Duluth over 10 extra miles of relatively intense climbs. Great view over the St. Louis valley though. Even with our extra 10 miles, we still arrived with the first group at 2:30. Stayed at a Jewish Temple and enjoyed a kosher dinner. We were welcome to attend their service and they were very helpful in explaining for us who weren't familiar and making us feel comfortable. Great food and experience.
Sandstone, MN
Long and Hot. 110 miles, high of 90. Pretty flat though so no big deal. Riding next to Physnick, he hit a rock and took a graceful fall. Nasty calf puncture from his ring, but he toughed it out for the rest of the ride with some one legged pedaling in there. First 'camping' day on the land of the director of Habitat of the area. He grilled out for us and we enjoyed a bonfire as a big group. Sleeping was rough. I slept on the porch. Two options: cover up and sweat mad, get crazy bug bites. I did a combination with little sleeping. I did stay dry though. Lots stayed in tents and woke up swimming in the thunderstorm. Always good times.
Long and Hot. 110 miles, high of 90. Pretty flat though so no big deal. Riding next to Physnick, he hit a rock and took a graceful fall. Nasty calf puncture from his ring, but he toughed it out for the rest of the ride with some one legged pedaling in there. First 'camping' day on the land of the director of Habitat of the area. He grilled out for us and we enjoyed a bonfire as a big group. Sleeping was rough. I slept on the porch. Two options: cover up and sweat mad, get crazy bug bites. I did a combination with little sleeping. I did stay dry though. Lots stayed in tents and woke up swimming in the thunderstorm. Always good times.
Twin Cities, MN.
Day off. Angel, Jay, and I had a great stay with Nancy, Denny and their hospitable family. They graciously shuttled large group of us to and from a late night Harry Potter showing and directed us to a fun day. On the day off we payed off a little bit of sleep debt with a 10am wake up. We took the free bus to U of Minnesota where we bummed onto a tour then checked out "Dinkytown." One of the workers at the bike shop joined us for lunch at a local burrito place. We were then picked up from the church by the Hogans and taken to their house to enjoy great conversation and an amazing home cooked meal of salmon, green beans, and potatoes. Early sleep to get ready for another century.
Day off. Angel, Jay, and I had a great stay with Nancy, Denny and their hospitable family. They graciously shuttled large group of us to and from a late night Harry Potter showing and directed us to a fun day. On the day off we payed off a little bit of sleep debt with a 10am wake up. We took the free bus to U of Minnesota where we bummed onto a tour then checked out "Dinkytown." One of the workers at the bike shop joined us for lunch at a local burrito place. We were then picked up from the church by the Hogans and taken to their house to enjoy great conversation and an amazing home cooked meal of salmon, green beans, and potatoes. Early sleep to get ready for another century.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I've been away from computers for the past 11 days and so much has happened. On July 12th we had our first century with 112 miles into Chicago. It was a great ride with 2 amazing non-PB&J lunches that made it easy. Riding into the skyline on a crowded Sunday bike path was an awesome experience. We were even met by two NUS '08 riders with cupcakes waiting for us along the way. Wade and I had a great conversation and Chicago deep dish dinner that night Dan--a leader from last year's trip. An easy day the next day, we spent the morning seeing the bean and millennium park, wrigley field, and a swim and nap on the beach of Lake Michigan.
We rode to Greyslake, IL for a night and then headed to Janesville, WI. On the ride into Wisconsin we stopped at a cheese store where I enjoyed my first cheese curds, along with samples of all different types of cheeses. Delicious. Janesville was alot of fun because one of the girls on our trip--Alli--is from there and her parents and neighbor were nice enough to take us on the boat for water skiing and tubing. I got up on the skis and had a great time. We worked the next day in Janesville for Community Action on a forclosed house. The house needed some demolition work before it could be restored--turned out to be another fun day.
From there we headed another short day to Madison, WI. Madison was a fun biker friendly city. We had a fun evening in town and ate at a great Thai restaurante. We stayed for a successful day working for Habitat for Humanity. I helped a nice woman named Gwen install Subfacia (I don't know if that's spelled right, just learned what it was--part of the house framing just below the roof) for the morning and installed roofing boards in the afternoon.
More Wisconsin. The next day into Gays Mills was my hardest ride day of the trip and maybe hardest workout of my life. The route was scheduled for 101 miles of hilly terrain. Starting earyly with the 5am wake up, I got two flat tires before lunch around mile 35. At mile 50, Wade, Eileen, and I joined/followed Jason on what we called an architecure adventure. We headed for the Taliesin--Frank Lloyd Wright's main house and studio. Turned out the tours were full for the next two hours, and it would have cost us fifty bucks to get in anyway--so we looked from afar. We headed back to the route with an extra 25 miles of very hilly terrain under our belts, no big deal. Ready to get going again, a man flags us down at a gas station and we help him pump up his tire--road bike tires have different nozzels than car tires so the gas station pump wouldn't work. Turns out we were helping the Culver family--owners of Culver's restaurante, a big ice cream/fast food chain in the midwest. We followed him around the block and he gave us each 2 coupons for free ice cream sundays and one for a food basket. Good deal. We pushed the next 40 tough miles to second lunch waiting for us. It was about 4 and Nate--sweep that day--was waiting on us. We were told the van may have to come pick us up because we might not be able to make it before dinner and everyone else was already there or very close--disheartening. We pushed on with Nate, up and down what seemed like Wisconsin Mountains. With about 15 miles to go, the van pulls up. We're all ready to convince Rachel that we can make it and we don't have to ride the van, but it turns out only a few people were at the host, so we went for it. Harder than any football game, pushed the last 15 miles into Gays Mills. 125 miles! Quite an accomplishment. I ate like I never ate before--amazing pot luck with vegetarian chili and cheese potatoes I was just pouring down my throat. The rest of the night was a blur, but I woke up the next day ready to go.
It's crazy when 72 miles is a recovery day. Mississippi River! Road along the river most of the day. We crossed into Iowa, rode into Minnesota, then back to La Crosse, Wisconsin for the night. The next day we continued along the river to Peppin lake, and today we rode again rode the Mississippi to St. Paul and the twin cities. Excited for the first day off tomorrow! More later.
We rode to Greyslake, IL for a night and then headed to Janesville, WI. On the ride into Wisconsin we stopped at a cheese store where I enjoyed my first cheese curds, along with samples of all different types of cheeses. Delicious. Janesville was alot of fun because one of the girls on our trip--Alli--is from there and her parents and neighbor were nice enough to take us on the boat for water skiing and tubing. I got up on the skis and had a great time. We worked the next day in Janesville for Community Action on a forclosed house. The house needed some demolition work before it could be restored--turned out to be another fun day.
From there we headed another short day to Madison, WI. Madison was a fun biker friendly city. We had a fun evening in town and ate at a great Thai restaurante. We stayed for a successful day working for Habitat for Humanity. I helped a nice woman named Gwen install Subfacia (I don't know if that's spelled right, just learned what it was--part of the house framing just below the roof) for the morning and installed roofing boards in the afternoon.
More Wisconsin. The next day into Gays Mills was my hardest ride day of the trip and maybe hardest workout of my life. The route was scheduled for 101 miles of hilly terrain. Starting earyly with the 5am wake up, I got two flat tires before lunch around mile 35. At mile 50, Wade, Eileen, and I joined/followed Jason on what we called an architecure adventure. We headed for the Taliesin--Frank Lloyd Wright's main house and studio. Turned out the tours were full for the next two hours, and it would have cost us fifty bucks to get in anyway--so we looked from afar. We headed back to the route with an extra 25 miles of very hilly terrain under our belts, no big deal. Ready to get going again, a man flags us down at a gas station and we help him pump up his tire--road bike tires have different nozzels than car tires so the gas station pump wouldn't work. Turns out we were helping the Culver family--owners of Culver's restaurante, a big ice cream/fast food chain in the midwest. We followed him around the block and he gave us each 2 coupons for free ice cream sundays and one for a food basket. Good deal. We pushed the next 40 tough miles to second lunch waiting for us. It was about 4 and Nate--sweep that day--was waiting on us. We were told the van may have to come pick us up because we might not be able to make it before dinner and everyone else was already there or very close--disheartening. We pushed on with Nate, up and down what seemed like Wisconsin Mountains. With about 15 miles to go, the van pulls up. We're all ready to convince Rachel that we can make it and we don't have to ride the van, but it turns out only a few people were at the host, so we went for it. Harder than any football game, pushed the last 15 miles into Gays Mills. 125 miles! Quite an accomplishment. I ate like I never ate before--amazing pot luck with vegetarian chili and cheese potatoes I was just pouring down my throat. The rest of the night was a blur, but I woke up the next day ready to go.
It's crazy when 72 miles is a recovery day. Mississippi River! Road along the river most of the day. We crossed into Iowa, rode into Minnesota, then back to La Crosse, Wisconsin for the night. The next day we continued along the river to Peppin lake, and today we rode again rode the Mississippi to St. Paul and the twin cities. Excited for the first day off tomorrow! More later.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Edwardsburg, MI
77 miles turned 85. The pastor accompanied us for the first 12 miles--great to have his enthusiasm and knowledge of the area. In two miles we hit Indiana, where we rode most of the day before heading back into Michigan for the night. After lunch I had fun pushing hard with a quick pace line near the front of the group. Even got a draft off a dump truck--hit 35mph. We followed Kat and Laura's chalk, but when we caught up to them, we were a little lost. With lots of contemplation, and Ashley's iPhone, we rerouted ourselves through beautiful scenery and made it to the church--last group to arrive, everyone else took the perscribed path. Picture of Jason on State Line Road--half Indiana, half Michigan. Taco dinner!
Camden, MI
Tailwinds! Fun country roads good for double row riding, stories, singing, and games of contact. 5 miles into Michigan we stayed in a small town of people waiting for us. It was great--welcome sign and all, look closely. Talked with a reporter, went to a neighbor's house for a shower, had a great dinner of loaded baked potatos, and enjoyed a little talent show--Nick did the peanuts dance, the Pastor sang with his wife, then with Kat, Theo played Cannon on the piano, and Nate balanced Alter chairs and on his chin. The midwest is great!
Tailwinds! Fun country roads good for double row riding, stories, singing, and games of contact. 5 miles into Michigan we stayed in a small town of people waiting for us. It was great--welcome sign and all, look closely. Talked with a reporter, went to a neighbor's house for a shower, had a great dinner of loaded baked potatos, and enjoyed a little talent show--Nick did the peanuts dance, the Pastor sang with his wife, then with Kat, Theo played Cannon on the piano, and Nate balanced Alter chairs and on his chin. The midwest is great!
Bowling Green, OH
90/90 Rule: if we ride over 90 miles, or the wether is calling for over 90 degrees, we wake up at 5am--instead of 6--and have two lunches. 93 miles from Avon to BG was the first. Turned out to be a great day for eating. Woke to the best hot breakfast yet by the church mens group. Cold meat, cheese, pasta salad, the best bread we've had, trail mix, and random snacks from the Van Horns was an awesome change and put everyone in a good mood. The ride was flat. Corn and soy everywhere. The clouds were beautiful--looked like the intro to the Simpsons. Winkle met me in BG and we went and say Erin workin at the sub shop. It was great to see them. Good times.
Avon, OH
Great day for Cleveland. We were quickly sucked in to our first stop of the day to hold some 6 week old kittens--always a good start. After a quick lunch at Mentor beach, Ally, Wade, and I enjoyed a scenic but bumpy ride along Lakeshore blvd into the east side of Cleveland. It was awesome biking into the downtown skyline. We took a quick stop in Public Square and decided to grab a quick bite at Ticket to Tokyo--a little asian restaurante down an ally--and head for a look around the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After some pictures Wade and I held a good pace for the last 20 miles through Lakewood and into Avon again along the lake. Total 80 miles. We enjoyed an amazing pot luck with church members and a much appreciated appearance by the Van Horns. We had our first experience with home stays--where members of the church brought us to their homes to sleep in comfort for the night. It was great! Jay and I went watched the sunset over the lake and went home with the Fishers and enjoyed amazing hospitality and a sound sleep.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Ashtabula, OH
Sunny day for Sweep. Each day two people are assigned to be sweep. Sweep has the responsibility of carrying an extra tire and first aid kit, and being the last riders in the group, to make sure everyone is on track, OK, and making time. Today was Jason and my first sweep day. We hung back and left Westfield last but at a fast pace. We caught Nick, Will, Kat, and John at the Pennsylvania border. Kat was feeling real sick so we hung back and waited for the van to come pick her up. We continued the day at a fast pace, and when we caught someone we would find the nearest thing to occupy us. Made a handlebar container for my bike out a Nutty Bar box at a gas station, weighed our bikes--25lbs, and packs--11lbs at a sports store, took a nice nap after lunch, stopped at the Whippy Dip for ice cream in OH--mainly because of the name. Enjoyed a quick visit from the family and the Hopkins with brownies which were much appreciated and quickly devoured by the group. Had a good evening and our group finally had a dry opportunity to paint the trailer. We have some good artists and it came out great.
Build day. We did work for a local community action organization that does work with affordable housing, energy efficiency, and health and human services including the WIC program. I'd never heard of the WIC program before, it provides food vouchers for healthy food for women with infants using federal funding. The whole group worked together to paint their health and human services center. We had a successful paint job finished in half a day and I with many others headed to the library for a rare blog/email opportunity. Another home shower and a trip to the country's largest covered bridge.
Sunny day for Sweep. Each day two people are assigned to be sweep. Sweep has the responsibility of carrying an extra tire and first aid kit, and being the last riders in the group, to make sure everyone is on track, OK, and making time. Today was Jason and my first sweep day. We hung back and left Westfield last but at a fast pace. We caught Nick, Will, Kat, and John at the Pennsylvania border. Kat was feeling real sick so we hung back and waited for the van to come pick her up. We continued the day at a fast pace, and when we caught someone we would find the nearest thing to occupy us. Made a handlebar container for my bike out a Nutty Bar box at a gas station, weighed our bikes--25lbs, and packs--11lbs at a sports store, took a nice nap after lunch, stopped at the Whippy Dip for ice cream in OH--mainly because of the name. Enjoyed a quick visit from the family and the Hopkins with brownies which were much appreciated and quickly devoured by the group. Had a good evening and our group finally had a dry opportunity to paint the trailer. We have some good artists and it came out great.
Build day. We did work for a local community action organization that does work with affordable housing, energy efficiency, and health and human services including the WIC program. I'd never heard of the WIC program before, it provides food vouchers for healthy food for women with infants using federal funding. The whole group worked together to paint their health and human services center. We had a successful paint job finished in half a day and I with many others headed to the library for a rare blog/email opportunity. Another home shower and a trip to the country's largest covered bridge.
Westfield, NY
Headwinds made the relatively flat 86 miles to Westfield quite a workout. We rode around Buffalo and stopped for wings with Wade and Jaye for the local experience. We each enjoyed 20 one hundred calorie wings--according to the man sitting next to us--to a great view of lake Erie, the Buffalo skyline, and a small wind farm. Must have burned every calorie, because the last 10 miles took lots of effort with tired legs and butts. I decided to skip out on the Chataqua fire works and instead took a 2 mile jog to Rosie Fisher's beautiful house on lake Erie. Had great company and an appreciated ride back. Slept the night in another United Methodist church--the vast majority of our stays have been with United Methodists, great hospitality and much appreciated.
Headwinds made the relatively flat 86 miles to Westfield quite a workout. We rode around Buffalo and stopped for wings with Wade and Jaye for the local experience. We each enjoyed 20 one hundred calorie wings--according to the man sitting next to us--to a great view of lake Erie, the Buffalo skyline, and a small wind farm. Must have burned every calorie, because the last 10 miles took lots of effort with tired legs and butts. I decided to skip out on the Chataqua fire works and instead took a 2 mile jog to Rosie Fisher's beautiful house on lake Erie. Had great company and an appreciated ride back. Slept the night in another United Methodist church--the vast majority of our stays have been with United Methodists, great hospitality and much appreciated.
Niagra Falls, NY/Canada
Woke excited for an easy 20 mile ride to the falls. Enjoyed the day taking in the sites. Lots of people did the maid of the mist and walk tour, I opted for the Canadian horse-shoe view from the grass and a much enjoyed nap. We got out of the touristy area and to a small corner bar called Jacks with a roof patio for the evening. Had a great Indian cuisine experience and good conversation at a humble little restaurant. Ended the night meeting Jaye, Nate, and Cidny for a quick Casino experience. Back across the bridge, we slept in a beautiful stone church.
Woke excited for an easy 20 mile ride to the falls. Enjoyed the day taking in the sites. Lots of people did the maid of the mist and walk tour, I opted for the Canadian horse-shoe view from the grass and a much enjoyed nap. We got out of the touristy area and to a small corner bar called Jacks with a roof patio for the evening. Had a great Indian cuisine experience and good conversation at a humble little restaurant. Ended the night meeting Jaye, Nate, and Cidny for a quick Casino experience. Back across the bridge, we slept in a beautiful stone church.
Lockport, NY
Rained on an off all day for 62 miles. It's nice to appreciate 62 miles as short. Arrived in Lockport around 3 and got an early shower at the YMCA. About half of us headed to the Erie canal for a canal and underground boat tour. Enjoyed some history and a walk and boat ride in a man-made cave that was used to redirect water to power industry in the 1800s. Another great pot luck dinner and an early sleep to get ready for the falls.
Rained on an off all day for 62 miles. It's nice to appreciate 62 miles as short. Arrived in Lockport around 3 and got an early shower at the YMCA. About half of us headed to the Erie canal for a canal and underground boat tour. Enjoyed some history and a walk and boat ride in a man-made cave that was used to redirect water to power industry in the 1800s. Another great pot luck dinner and an early sleep to get ready for the falls.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Rochester, NY
Ride to Rochester was a rough with, as Wade correctly put it, foreboding weather for our longest day yet--91 total miles. Started in the rain trying to fight the wind with a pace line. Had a wet lunch stop around mile 40. Wade, Kelsy and I stopped at the sight of a vintage thrift store where I made a nice sunglasses pick up for 50 cents. Onto a busy highway, we were rolling along in a nice pace line when Julian crossed Kat's tire for a rough but not terrible fall. Soon after we were stopped by thunder, delaying our arrival to RIT to about 6:30. Enjoyed a great sleep on a bed.
Build day in Rochester. I had a great experience building with Flower City Habitat for Humanity. four other bikers and myself got to work on their first LEED certified house. This is a certification that a house or building can get for being more environmentally conscious in building. Some things in this case: 24" between framing boards instead of 16" to save lumber--needs better aligning with roofing boards and is just as sturdy, spray foam insulation instead of fiberglass, better windows, no wood in the dumpster--all recycled for mulching. I was able to help nail up foam board under siding and then hang 4 windows. It was an accomplished day, and only scattered showers. Ended great with a visit , dinner, and ice cream with the grandparents. When I returned to RIT, everyone was eating except for Cydney. She was determined to go to Weman's grocery store because a friend of hers said she would enjoy it, so I joined her for a few mile bike, because I've always heard good things from Aunt Jeannine. Success.
Build day in Rochester. I had a great experience building with Flower City Habitat for Humanity. four other bikers and myself got to work on their first LEED certified house. This is a certification that a house or building can get for being more environmentally conscious in building. Some things in this case: 24" between framing boards instead of 16" to save lumber--needs better aligning with roofing boards and is just as sturdy, spray foam insulation instead of fiberglass, better windows, no wood in the dumpster--all recycled for mulching. I was able to help nail up foam board under siding and then hang 4 windows. It was an accomplished day, and only scattered showers. Ended great with a visit , dinner, and ice cream with the grandparents. When I returned to RIT, everyone was eating except for Cydney. She was determined to go to Weman's grocery store because a friend of hers said she would enjoy it, so I joined her for a few mile bike, because I've always heard good things from Aunt Jeannine. Success.
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