Carthage to Athens 89.8 miles/101.46 miles
"There are no bad days on Bike & Build, some are just harder than others." ~B&B saying
If you had asked me at noon how the day was going, I would have told you it was my worst day ever. Eight hours later it had become one of my favorites. We started out the day at the MacPherson's with a wonderful breakfast and a great surprise. Today was scavenger hunt day!!! I have been looking forward to this almost as long as I have been looking forward to B&B. We were given a lost of 34 different prompts and we needed to take a picture for each of them. Some of the ideas were "best Chuck Norris look-alike" "best upside down" "gas station mayhem" "picture with stranger-bonus if hugging stranger-double bonus if kissing stranger" "best animal photo-bonus if armadillo-double bonus if alive armadillo" "best donation magic" ect. All creative and all lots of fun. We were split into teams. My team included Kelsey, Kenan, Grant, Lynsey, and Josh A. We started off well with a Chuck Norris picture, stopped at a gas station where we had a stick-up with water guns and Grant got a kiss from the cashier, then on to a farm to get tractor pictures. As we approached the back door to ask permission a very angry man came out an asked us what we were doing on his property. It being Texas, we were a little concerned, but Lynsey told him we were doing a photo scavenger hunt and asked of we could take a picture on his tractor. Expecting a "no" we all half turned around, but the man's demeanor changed immediately. "Of course!" He asked us more about what we were doing and where we were from, then told us to go ahead and take the photos. We posed on the tractors, tried to cajole the donkeys into coming close enough to pet (kinda worked), then spent some time with the horses. As we were walking away, the man came out again and said "wheres that girl from Michigan I was talking to?" everyone pointed at me and the man said "you need to have some Texas" then handed me the most ginormous garlic plant I have ever seen. It was bigger than a softball and still had the stalk attached. I thanked him and then rode the remaining ten mile to lunch holding garlic in my hands. We stopped at a dollar store to get more photos and ended up getting our picture taken for the paper and I got interviewed about Bike&Build :) another high was getting tojump around on a trampoline while we took our upside down shots. At lunch we made the decision to pause the hunt until 2nd lunch because we still had 60 miles and it was already 12pm.
That's when things got hard. My team was separated since we didn't need to be together for photos anymore, but all of the people who ride my speed were either way ahead or way behind me. I ended up alone for most of the thirty miles to 2nd lunch with rising temperatures and some of the worst winds that we have seen yet. I kept pushing, hoping I would find someone or that things would get easier, but neither happened. I got in a mind funk, where I kept fuming over little things, which just made me more and more unhappy. At mile 55 I stopped to take a picture of the bank sign that said "103 degrees." I followed that up with a couple miles of a sobbing pity party on the road. I didn't want to stop moving, but I was just angry and frustrated. After feeling like my cycling skills were continually improving in Florida and Louisiana, Texas was making me feel like a failure. I stopped at a gas station for some water. The woman inside was really nice, even though I was a little crazy :) She got me ice and convinced me to stay and cool down before venturing out again. We chatted for a little bit, until I was calmer and less shaky. As I set out another group of cyclists were passing, so I hopped into their group. It worked out great because we were headed right down the biggest street in town (think 28 St in Grand Rapids area). Being in a big group makes it a lot safer in those situations because the cars have to see us and respect us. Halfway through town a red SUV dropped in behind and started flashing his four ways. It turns out that the president of the Texas cycling club happened to see us on the road and wanted to make sure we were safe so he became our unofficial chase car. He followed us for five miles all the way to second lunch. After such a horrible afternoon it meant a lot to me that he took the time out of his day to protect us.
Second lunch was quick because we had been told that we needs to be to the host by 6:30 at the latest or we would have to be picked up by the van. It was 3:30 and I wanted to be as far away as possible if the van started picking people up. I had not suffered through 30 miles of mental madness to be picked up by the van in the end. I think most of my worries and anguish were about the possibility of being picked up by the van.
I set out again with Coleman, Lynsey,Corey and Kristina. After a few miles Kristina decided that she needed to be picked up, so Corey waited with her and the rest of us kept trekking. We pushed our way through six miles of winding, windy uphills but when it came time to turn, there were no roads to turn onto. We had missed a turn! Ahhh! Because of a huge lake, the only way to get to Athens was to backtrack six miles. I was just so tired and so scared of being vanned for taking too long. We booked it back to the turn where sweeps and Corey were waiting for us. Corey had seen us miss the turn but couldn't get our attention. We decided to push on an try to make it even though it was 6:00. Up and down, down and up we went over hills that lasted two miles. Corey was riding with me up one particularly nasty slope, when out of nowhere a giant black lab lunged at us. The rational side of my mind had left me back at mile 30 so I did the first thing that came to my mind. Instead of yelling "stay!" or "sit!" or squirting warm Gatorade in it's face, I screamed. Full out shrieked at it! I think I stunned the dog because it halted in it's tracks, but that is probably not the right way to handle dog attacks. We pushed on through the never-ending hills. Christine C and Dre did a wonderful job as sweeps, encouraging me up the hills. I think that it became one of my favorite days because i really tested my limits and went beyond them. At 8pm we finally made it to the church where the rest of the team was waiting to give us a spirit tunnel and lots of food. We were also met with a great surprise, homestays! Each of us was going to spend the night with a church member and one or two other B&B'ers. Bwalsh and I spent the night with Toni. She let us use her shower and did our laundry for us. Her daughter even made us a cake and wrote a note to us since she was away. I slept in her daughters room and Bwalsh slept in her sons room. Sleeping on real beds was a special treat. It was a great way to end an interesting day.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Texas!
Grand Cane, LA to Carthage, TX 89.7 miles
A longish day. We started with so much excitement. We were goof to Texas after a long time in LA. Not that Louisiana isn't a great state, bit we were all looking forward to the next state line. Coleman was especially happy to go back to his home state. Before we could reach the line at mile 19 we had a few hills and valleys to cross slowly but surely. Right before we reached the border we saw a church with a particularly appropriate sign out front. "Dream no small dream" was all that it said. Most of us took pictures in front of it then headed to the border. Waiting to welcome us into the motherland was Coleman wearing his Texas shorts and wielding a giant flag tied to a log he had found on the side of the road. Everyone gathered at the border for photos and memories. We decided to do something epic like a 4 story pyramid with the flag on top...so we did it :) I was on the third story of the pyramid and it was very interesting. We had to take three attempts to get it right, but eventually Coleman and his flag managed to scramble to the top of the formation and we had our pyramid!
The rest of the day was fairly normal (as much as biking across the country can be normal!) until we got to Carthage. We stopped to look at a tea house, but got distracted by a village museum on the third floor. They had all sorts of old stuff that had been donated to them including a 75 year old braid of hair, several army uniforms and a giant neon "GAS" sign. We found a perfect double for Coleman in on of he pictures on the wall then moved on to explore the town. We went to the fudge shop and a few other places before taking over the Mexican restaurant. We had 28 of the 33 of us at this restaurant(a few had skipped the town and gone directly to the hosts) . It was super good and delicious. We finally left and headed out to the McPherson's. Their daughter did SUS a few years ago and they have hosted the group ever since. The last 6 miles were hard. We had just eaten a lot, were facing headwinds, and having our first experiences with chipseal. A cheap way to pave Texas road is chipseal, where they basically just put a thin layer of tar down, then cover it with gravel. The tar keeps the gravel in place, but it's cheaper than a straight tar road. However, it is far from ideal for bikes...mmmm.... Makes for quite the bumpy road. Arriving at the host, I played with their dogs, swam in the neighbors pool and showered before falling asleep on a pull out sofa.
A longish day. We started with so much excitement. We were goof to Texas after a long time in LA. Not that Louisiana isn't a great state, bit we were all looking forward to the next state line. Coleman was especially happy to go back to his home state. Before we could reach the line at mile 19 we had a few hills and valleys to cross slowly but surely. Right before we reached the border we saw a church with a particularly appropriate sign out front. "Dream no small dream" was all that it said. Most of us took pictures in front of it then headed to the border. Waiting to welcome us into the motherland was Coleman wearing his Texas shorts and wielding a giant flag tied to a log he had found on the side of the road. Everyone gathered at the border for photos and memories. We decided to do something epic like a 4 story pyramid with the flag on top...so we did it :) I was on the third story of the pyramid and it was very interesting. We had to take three attempts to get it right, but eventually Coleman and his flag managed to scramble to the top of the formation and we had our pyramid!
The rest of the day was fairly normal (as much as biking across the country can be normal!) until we got to Carthage. We stopped to look at a tea house, but got distracted by a village museum on the third floor. They had all sorts of old stuff that had been donated to them including a 75 year old braid of hair, several army uniforms and a giant neon "GAS" sign. We found a perfect double for Coleman in on of he pictures on the wall then moved on to explore the town. We went to the fudge shop and a few other places before taking over the Mexican restaurant. We had 28 of the 33 of us at this restaurant(a few had skipped the town and gone directly to the hosts) . It was super good and delicious. We finally left and headed out to the McPherson's. Their daughter did SUS a few years ago and they have hosted the group ever since. The last 6 miles were hard. We had just eaten a lot, were facing headwinds, and having our first experiences with chipseal. A cheap way to pave Texas road is chipseal, where they basically just put a thin layer of tar down, then cover it with gravel. The tar keeps the gravel in place, but it's cheaper than a straight tar road. However, it is far from ideal for bikes...mmmm.... Makes for quite the bumpy road. Arriving at the host, I played with their dogs, swam in the neighbors pool and showered before falling asleep on a pull out sofa.
Sweeps!
Nachitoches to Grand Cane
Today was my first sweep day. Jillian and I rode at the back of the pack to make sure that everyone made it to the host safely. We carry a spare tire, some extra tubes and a "medical kit" also known as a very squished box of band aids. We have to make sure that everyone stays in front of us and makes it to the host with minimal problems. Everyone on the team sweeps at least three times. I am also sweeping into Kaibib,AZ with Tiffany, Zion National Park, UT with Dre, and Delano, CA with Alex.
The day started with breakfast at the university cafeteria. We had pancakes and fresh fruit! They also had a cheer/dance camp happening on campus, which made our breakfast all the more interesting. 33 B&Bers, 100 Cheerleaders, 50 dancers and 10 campus police make for an interesting looking crew at the breakfast table. But Southern US is an exceptional group and we even managed to magic a police escort off campus. We gathered the group, then rode off after he police car...even if he did make a wrong turn that caused a half mile detour. Nothing like starting the day off on an exciting foot. We made it a few miles down the road before the first flat tire. Jillian and I stopped and waited for them to change it, then waited a little longer to give ourselves more time. We traveled on down the road until we saw a group stopped at an alligator bus. We went a mile down the road only to learn that alligator alley is not open at 8am on a tuesday. What a shock...it so strange when I run into businesses that aren't open because I have been up and functioning for the last 3 hours. We decided not to wait for it to open at 10 and went on our way. We rode a bit further before coming upon Brettly and Richard napping in the grass. We joined in on the napping for 30 minutes before setting off again. The next city was a few miles before lunch so we stopped to fill water bottles at a feed store. I got to play with the store cats which was nice. We finally got to lunch where we helped clean up then continued on. We stopped for a few more things before arriving in the tiny town of Grand Cane. This was the smallest city hat we have been to yet with only a few hundred people in the area. We stayed at the First Baptist Church where we had a great potluck with the church members. Dinner crew also put on an amazing presentation for the church members during their Wednesday night service. After church was the weekly family meeting, then off to bed.
Today was my first sweep day. Jillian and I rode at the back of the pack to make sure that everyone made it to the host safely. We carry a spare tire, some extra tubes and a "medical kit" also known as a very squished box of band aids. We have to make sure that everyone stays in front of us and makes it to the host with minimal problems. Everyone on the team sweeps at least three times. I am also sweeping into Kaibib,AZ with Tiffany, Zion National Park, UT with Dre, and Delano, CA with Alex.
The day started with breakfast at the university cafeteria. We had pancakes and fresh fruit! They also had a cheer/dance camp happening on campus, which made our breakfast all the more interesting. 33 B&Bers, 100 Cheerleaders, 50 dancers and 10 campus police make for an interesting looking crew at the breakfast table. But Southern US is an exceptional group and we even managed to magic a police escort off campus. We gathered the group, then rode off after he police car...even if he did make a wrong turn that caused a half mile detour. Nothing like starting the day off on an exciting foot. We made it a few miles down the road before the first flat tire. Jillian and I stopped and waited for them to change it, then waited a little longer to give ourselves more time. We traveled on down the road until we saw a group stopped at an alligator bus. We went a mile down the road only to learn that alligator alley is not open at 8am on a tuesday. What a shock...it so strange when I run into businesses that aren't open because I have been up and functioning for the last 3 hours. We decided not to wait for it to open at 10 and went on our way. We rode a bit further before coming upon Brettly and Richard napping in the grass. We joined in on the napping for 30 minutes before setting off again. The next city was a few miles before lunch so we stopped to fill water bottles at a feed store. I got to play with the store cats which was nice. We finally got to lunch where we helped clean up then continued on. We stopped for a few more things before arriving in the tiny town of Grand Cane. This was the smallest city hat we have been to yet with only a few hundred people in the area. We stayed at the First Baptist Church where we had a great potluck with the church members. Dinner crew also put on an amazing presentation for the church members during their Wednesday night service. After church was the weekly family meeting, then off to bed.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Hello again
Hi! So I haven't posted since Natchitoches...oops! I'm working to get everything up to date, but a combination of long days and little Internet have conspired against me. I have posts for some of the days written, but I'm waiting to put them up in order. I will do my best to post a few soon, but Internet is getting scarcer and scarcer as we travel. The next few posts may be a little shorter than normal as I try and catch up, so please have patience and keep checking back for new posts in the next few days! Thanks!
P.S. Thanks for all of the awesome mail that I have gotten in the last few days. I love the little notes and treats that everyone has been sending!
P.S. Thanks for all of the awesome mail that I have gotten in the last few days. I love the little notes and treats that everyone has been sending!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Pronounced "Nack-o-dish"
Alexandria to Natchitoches 56.0 miles
We loaded up the trailer this morning, then went into the church for a wonderful breakfast that the church prepared for us. Mel and Grant were featured in an article from the Cenla newspaper, which was passed from person to person during breakfast. My favorite part was the mustache that Mel was sporting in the picture, since it had been mustache Monday! We hit the road after a short route meeting. Today was the first time hat I have biked by myself for any length of time. I had gone back to finish packing the trailer and when I was done everyone else had left so I set off on my own. It wasn't as bad as I had thought to bike by myself, but I still prefer being with other people. I figure that I have 1.5 more months to ride with these people and at least thirty years to ride by myself. I should enjoy every minute with them that I can, since I have olsuch a short time left with them already. Around mile 3 I caught up to Sonia and I spent the rest of the day with her. She stuck with me and my flat tire around mile 10. I forgot to tell y'all about my first flat tire on the longest day of my life AKA day 2 Palatka to Lake City. After surviving the heat, the desert and all of the 75 miles of craziness, I got a flat 3 miles outside of the church. So today's flat about 10 miles in wasn't that big of a deal. There were about 10 feet with massive bits of glass everywhere. I called it out to Sonia who was behind me, then said "whew! I'm glad I made it through without a flat..." to which she responded by telling me I had a flat. So we stopped to change it and got to hang out with he sweeps, Keenan and Sonja, for a little bit. It turns out that I wasn't having the worst day as far as flats go. Galen had 5 flats during the first 30 miles leading up to first lunch. We made it to lunch, then headed out. A nice headwind was developing, and by nice I mean very nasty. We also began to encounter our first hills since we left northern Florida which always adds fun. We rode past three or four antebellum mansions and plantations. They were very interesting to look at. One of my favorite bits of the ride was riding along the Grand Cane river for a majority of the time after lunch. It was very pretty. The people of Natchitoches are very quick to let you know that the movie Steel Magnolias was filmed there and the river looks just the same as in the movie. They are also very excited about being the oldest settlement in the Louisiana purchase. After arriving at the First United Methodist Church we set off to explore. We found a little Mexican restaurant and had some very good food. We also found a smoothies place and enjoyed some smoothies. I was able to call Kristen since she is now back in the USA! We got back in time to walk to dinner. Or at least start walking to dinner :) Alyssa, Mel and I got a ride from one of the men who helped to organize our dinner with the Baptist Campus Ministries. We got there a few minutes early so we were able to look at the maps on the wall and really examine our route. They had a Louisiana map and a US map which had most of our towns on it! It was amazing to realize just how far Natchitoches, LA is from Jacksonville, FL. We had a great jumbuhlaya for dinner and chatted with some students before taking the bus back. I crashed into my bed and enjoyed some rest.
We loaded up the trailer this morning, then went into the church for a wonderful breakfast that the church prepared for us. Mel and Grant were featured in an article from the Cenla newspaper, which was passed from person to person during breakfast. My favorite part was the mustache that Mel was sporting in the picture, since it had been mustache Monday! We hit the road after a short route meeting. Today was the first time hat I have biked by myself for any length of time. I had gone back to finish packing the trailer and when I was done everyone else had left so I set off on my own. It wasn't as bad as I had thought to bike by myself, but I still prefer being with other people. I figure that I have 1.5 more months to ride with these people and at least thirty years to ride by myself. I should enjoy every minute with them that I can, since I have olsuch a short time left with them already. Around mile 3 I caught up to Sonia and I spent the rest of the day with her. She stuck with me and my flat tire around mile 10. I forgot to tell y'all about my first flat tire on the longest day of my life AKA day 2 Palatka to Lake City. After surviving the heat, the desert and all of the 75 miles of craziness, I got a flat 3 miles outside of the church. So today's flat about 10 miles in wasn't that big of a deal. There were about 10 feet with massive bits of glass everywhere. I called it out to Sonia who was behind me, then said "whew! I'm glad I made it through without a flat..." to which she responded by telling me I had a flat. So we stopped to change it and got to hang out with he sweeps, Keenan and Sonja, for a little bit. It turns out that I wasn't having the worst day as far as flats go. Galen had 5 flats during the first 30 miles leading up to first lunch. We made it to lunch, then headed out. A nice headwind was developing, and by nice I mean very nasty. We also began to encounter our first hills since we left northern Florida which always adds fun. We rode past three or four antebellum mansions and plantations. They were very interesting to look at. One of my favorite bits of the ride was riding along the Grand Cane river for a majority of the time after lunch. It was very pretty. The people of Natchitoches are very quick to let you know that the movie Steel Magnolias was filmed there and the river looks just the same as in the movie. They are also very excited about being the oldest settlement in the Louisiana purchase. After arriving at the First United Methodist Church we set off to explore. We found a little Mexican restaurant and had some very good food. We also found a smoothies place and enjoyed some smoothies. I was able to call Kristen since she is now back in the USA! We got back in time to walk to dinner. Or at least start walking to dinner :) Alyssa, Mel and I got a ride from one of the men who helped to organize our dinner with the Baptist Campus Ministries. We got there a few minutes early so we were able to look at the maps on the wall and really examine our route. They had a Louisiana map and a US map which had most of our towns on it! It was amazing to realize just how far Natchitoches, LA is from Jacksonville, FL. We had a great jumbuhlaya for dinner and chatted with some students before taking the bus back. I crashed into my bed and enjoyed some rest.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sandwich of awesomeness
Opelousas to Alexandria 76.3 miles
I realize that I start almost everyone of my posts with "today was..." or something similar. But I just can't think of any better way to describe today other than today was a sandwich of awesomeness. It began awesome, the middle bits were amazing and I ended on an awesome note. Any day that starts with Mustache Monday and a police escort is pretty good. We have decided to do theme days of the week to spice up out rides, so today was the first one: mustache monday. We drew mustaches on each other with permanent marker (yes I know that sounds risky, but we figured that it would sweat off pretty fast in all of the heat). I had a very nice handlebar, but others were sporting some ridiculous creations. Jillian had a Fu Manchu, Keenan looked a bit like Chewbacca, and Kristina had a half-grown mustache with a bit of a goatee. All amazing! Almost everyone participated, which made it even more fun. As we were prepping for the route meeting, the leaders let us know that we also had a police escort out of town! We all got to ride in a big group of 30 out of town and he blocked all of he intersections so we didn't have to stop. He even used his sirens and flashing lights. I really enjoyed the start of our morning today. We broke into smaller groups when we reached to highway. I would compare most of the roads that we ride on to Chicago Drive in the West Michigan area. They all have their parts that go right through towns and are busy and crazy like grandville/jenison but most of the time they are like the bit between Hudsonville and Holland with lots of farmland and few cars. Anyways, I rode with team estrogen until 1st lunch. We have gotten in the habit of naming the groups that we ride with. The A Team is always the first group in, then you have the A- team and the B+ team which are flexible with membership. Team Estrogen is a group of all girls that always seem to end up together. They aren't really set people in each group, but each day they change a little bit depending on who is sweeps, who's riding fast or slow, ect. 1st lunch was in a field of what I believe to be sugar cane. Too many people had joined Team E during lunch so I ended up splitting up from them after lunch. I joined up with Eddie, Kelsey and Alyssa to make up Team Pinky (Eddie) and the Brain (us girls). Lynsey joined us a little later on. I had a lot of fun riding with them. We had a little time to chat during times between cars which is always nice. At one point I fell behind and had to go 21 to catch up and as soon as I made it back, everyone stopped for a break. Haha so funny...after I got my breath back I really enjoyed the spot. It was like the southern scenes you see in the movies, with all of the trees overhanging the road which wound gently into the distance. Just beautiful! Pushing on to 2nd lunch we ate lots of bananas (we have a banana surplus right now) then took off for home. Halfway there we found Galen who had a flat and needed a tire from the van. Usually when you get a flat you only need to replace the tube, not the tire. However, a rock had completely ripped his tire to shreds, so he needed a new one. We made it into town and to the St. James Episcopal day school. If you search YouTube for videos of Southern US bike and build and see some with trikes in them by a girl named "ninabikesandbuilds" you will see the gym we stayed in tonight. I headed out to go get snowballs with a few guys. I had a watermelon and it was amazing! Dinner was red beans and rice, provided by the church. We quickly threw the laundry in the wash, listened to an affordable housing presentation by Summer and David about homelessness and the affordable housing crisis, then piled into Richard's parents vehicles. All 33 people went to Richard's mom's house for a pool party. They even had a cookie cake to share! It was the first time I have ever swam in a saltwater pool. It was actually quite refreshing. Richard also had 3 dogs for us to pester all night :) We came back where Corey raced a trike around the room and sleeping people. Keep your eyes peeled for a video in August :)
I realize that I start almost everyone of my posts with "today was..." or something similar. But I just can't think of any better way to describe today other than today was a sandwich of awesomeness. It began awesome, the middle bits were amazing and I ended on an awesome note. Any day that starts with Mustache Monday and a police escort is pretty good. We have decided to do theme days of the week to spice up out rides, so today was the first one: mustache monday. We drew mustaches on each other with permanent marker (yes I know that sounds risky, but we figured that it would sweat off pretty fast in all of the heat). I had a very nice handlebar, but others were sporting some ridiculous creations. Jillian had a Fu Manchu, Keenan looked a bit like Chewbacca, and Kristina had a half-grown mustache with a bit of a goatee. All amazing! Almost everyone participated, which made it even more fun. As we were prepping for the route meeting, the leaders let us know that we also had a police escort out of town! We all got to ride in a big group of 30 out of town and he blocked all of he intersections so we didn't have to stop. He even used his sirens and flashing lights. I really enjoyed the start of our morning today. We broke into smaller groups when we reached to highway. I would compare most of the roads that we ride on to Chicago Drive in the West Michigan area. They all have their parts that go right through towns and are busy and crazy like grandville/jenison but most of the time they are like the bit between Hudsonville and Holland with lots of farmland and few cars. Anyways, I rode with team estrogen until 1st lunch. We have gotten in the habit of naming the groups that we ride with. The A Team is always the first group in, then you have the A- team and the B+ team which are flexible with membership. Team Estrogen is a group of all girls that always seem to end up together. They aren't really set people in each group, but each day they change a little bit depending on who is sweeps, who's riding fast or slow, ect. 1st lunch was in a field of what I believe to be sugar cane. Too many people had joined Team E during lunch so I ended up splitting up from them after lunch. I joined up with Eddie, Kelsey and Alyssa to make up Team Pinky (Eddie) and the Brain (us girls). Lynsey joined us a little later on. I had a lot of fun riding with them. We had a little time to chat during times between cars which is always nice. At one point I fell behind and had to go 21 to catch up and as soon as I made it back, everyone stopped for a break. Haha so funny...after I got my breath back I really enjoyed the spot. It was like the southern scenes you see in the movies, with all of the trees overhanging the road which wound gently into the distance. Just beautiful! Pushing on to 2nd lunch we ate lots of bananas (we have a banana surplus right now) then took off for home. Halfway there we found Galen who had a flat and needed a tire from the van. Usually when you get a flat you only need to replace the tube, not the tire. However, a rock had completely ripped his tire to shreds, so he needed a new one. We made it into town and to the St. James Episcopal day school. If you search YouTube for videos of Southern US bike and build and see some with trikes in them by a girl named "ninabikesandbuilds" you will see the gym we stayed in tonight. I headed out to go get snowballs with a few guys. I had a watermelon and it was amazing! Dinner was red beans and rice, provided by the church. We quickly threw the laundry in the wash, listened to an affordable housing presentation by Summer and David about homelessness and the affordable housing crisis, then piled into Richard's parents vehicles. All 33 people went to Richard's mom's house for a pool party. They even had a cookie cake to share! It was the first time I have ever swam in a saltwater pool. It was actually quite refreshing. Richard also had 3 dogs for us to pester all night :) We came back where Corey raced a trike around the room and sleeping people. Keep your eyes peeled for a video in August :)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Bridge over troubled waters
Baton Rouge to Opelousas 64.3 miles
We woke up at 5:30. The only thing that I shall not miss about this host is the stage lights. I have been sleeping on the stage, but every morning the lights are super bright! I'm not a fan. We packed everything up, then had another great breakfast provided by the church. I was running behind, so I was one of the last to leave the church. It ended up not mattering because there was a stopped train blocking our path about 3 miles in. We all ended up stopped together waiting. I enjoy all of the times when the whole team ends up in the same place around the same time. No matter what the situation is, 33 B&B'ers can make it fun. I blew some bubbles with my birthday bubble wand and dug my sunglasses out of my camelbak. When it was time to go again I ended up with Alyssa, Kelsey, and Eddie. We crossed the Mississippi river! About 5 miles into the route we went over a giant bridge and now we are officially west of the Mississippi! Ahhh! I got here on a bike! It is absolutely crazy if I really think about eveything that I've done this summer. Today my total odometer surpassed 1000 miles for the trip. I rode 100 of those miles in one day, most in 90*F+ heat, walked a mile in sand, and crossed countless bridges. All in 3 weeks and 3 days! I can't even imagine what will transpire in the next 8 weeks!
Most of the team stopped for pictures with a giant rooster on the other side of the bridge. I had a funny time trying to climb on top of it :) We kept going until lunch (only one today) where I had a very tart plum and a strawberry ice cream in addition to my pb&j and salty snacks. Soon after we encountered the longest bridge yet. From the point where I started counting, it was 3.15 miles long. And I didn't even start counting for at least .5 miles. I entertained my self by singing "Bridge Over troubled waters" in my head. It finally ended, but hen we saw an even bigger bridge in the distance. Prepping for the bridge, Alyssa moved from the shoulder onto the road. She caught the edge of her tires on the lip between the two and took a spill. Luckily, there was no traffic nearby and she suffered only bruises and a small scratch. Kelsey and I were a little ahead so we stopped and walked back. As we walked a truck stopped and flagged me down. A guy got out and ran over with a fluorescent orange contraction vest. He told me that the last person in the group had to wear it because it was a dangerous bridge, then drove off. I put it on, even though this bridge actually wasn't too bad. It had a 3 ft shoulder and two lanes, which allows cars to pass us with out being too near. The end of the bridge is where things got scary. As we defended we all saw an ambulance and a solitary rider standing near. Another rider had fallen much the same as Alyssa, but whereas Alyssa had been going 16 when she fell, this person was coming off a bridge at 25 mph. The van had already come to take her to the hospital, but it was scary to see that sight. She is doing fine tonight, a little sore and scratched up, but generally fine. I tried to find my vest guy, but he was no where to he found, so I guess I have a sweet vest now! A little smelly, but really, I'm generally stinky myself, so no worries. We pushed on to Walmart, about 3 miles from the host, then set off for the First Baptist Church. Upon arrival we at snacks and slept on the floor. Showers were at the Louisiana family fitness center. We had about 2 hours to be very quite while services were held this evening. Most of the group took a nice long nap! We were fed delicious jambuhlaya and white beans. They even had pecan pralines and bananas foster for dessert! Mmmm! Keenan and I did our affordable housing presentation about Habitat and Rebuilding Together case studies. It went pretty well. I had a little ice cream from Galen and now I'm off to bed! And at a reasonable hour (for once!)
We woke up at 5:30. The only thing that I shall not miss about this host is the stage lights. I have been sleeping on the stage, but every morning the lights are super bright! I'm not a fan. We packed everything up, then had another great breakfast provided by the church. I was running behind, so I was one of the last to leave the church. It ended up not mattering because there was a stopped train blocking our path about 3 miles in. We all ended up stopped together waiting. I enjoy all of the times when the whole team ends up in the same place around the same time. No matter what the situation is, 33 B&B'ers can make it fun. I blew some bubbles with my birthday bubble wand and dug my sunglasses out of my camelbak. When it was time to go again I ended up with Alyssa, Kelsey, and Eddie. We crossed the Mississippi river! About 5 miles into the route we went over a giant bridge and now we are officially west of the Mississippi! Ahhh! I got here on a bike! It is absolutely crazy if I really think about eveything that I've done this summer. Today my total odometer surpassed 1000 miles for the trip. I rode 100 of those miles in one day, most in 90*F+ heat, walked a mile in sand, and crossed countless bridges. All in 3 weeks and 3 days! I can't even imagine what will transpire in the next 8 weeks!
Most of the team stopped for pictures with a giant rooster on the other side of the bridge. I had a funny time trying to climb on top of it :) We kept going until lunch (only one today) where I had a very tart plum and a strawberry ice cream in addition to my pb&j and salty snacks. Soon after we encountered the longest bridge yet. From the point where I started counting, it was 3.15 miles long. And I didn't even start counting for at least .5 miles. I entertained my self by singing "Bridge Over troubled waters" in my head. It finally ended, but hen we saw an even bigger bridge in the distance. Prepping for the bridge, Alyssa moved from the shoulder onto the road. She caught the edge of her tires on the lip between the two and took a spill. Luckily, there was no traffic nearby and she suffered only bruises and a small scratch. Kelsey and I were a little ahead so we stopped and walked back. As we walked a truck stopped and flagged me down. A guy got out and ran over with a fluorescent orange contraction vest. He told me that the last person in the group had to wear it because it was a dangerous bridge, then drove off. I put it on, even though this bridge actually wasn't too bad. It had a 3 ft shoulder and two lanes, which allows cars to pass us with out being too near. The end of the bridge is where things got scary. As we defended we all saw an ambulance and a solitary rider standing near. Another rider had fallen much the same as Alyssa, but whereas Alyssa had been going 16 when she fell, this person was coming off a bridge at 25 mph. The van had already come to take her to the hospital, but it was scary to see that sight. She is doing fine tonight, a little sore and scratched up, but generally fine. I tried to find my vest guy, but he was no where to he found, so I guess I have a sweet vest now! A little smelly, but really, I'm generally stinky myself, so no worries. We pushed on to Walmart, about 3 miles from the host, then set off for the First Baptist Church. Upon arrival we at snacks and slept on the floor. Showers were at the Louisiana family fitness center. We had about 2 hours to be very quite while services were held this evening. Most of the group took a nice long nap! We were fed delicious jambuhlaya and white beans. They even had pecan pralines and bananas foster for dessert! Mmmm! Keenan and I did our affordable housing presentation about Habitat and Rebuilding Together case studies. It went pretty well. I had a little ice cream from Galen and now I'm off to bed! And at a reasonable hour (for once!)
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