4,199 miles of lessons learned

Road Closed? No thanks, I've got places to be.

What I thought was going to be a summer of biking across the country, helping build affordable housing, and hopefully making some new friends turned out to be way more than that. I learned more than I could ever hope to convey in a blog post, made friendships that will last a lifetime & managed to help people along the way. So here we go, a (maybe short) list of what I learned this summer, combined with some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Jay & I, just before our first official ride day!

1. People helped me way more than I helped them.

People we met were often in awe of the fact that we raised money & stopped along the way to help build affordable housing. However, the love and thank you's we received from all those for whom we built, as well as everyone who along the way housed us and fed us was more than ample "payback" than we could have ever expected.

2. Faith in humanity.

You hear so many people now say they are losing faith in the good of humanity. Do not fear, for there are still good people out there. Randy & Shelly who spent all afternoon driving up and down the road searching for B&B'ers so that they might offer us a Coke and an air conditioned van to give us rest from the sun. The local swimming pool in OK who agreed to let us all in free of charge to cool off after our ride. The countless gas station owners who allowed us to fill up our Cambelbaks with ice & use their bathroom, free of charge. Churches & community centers excited and willing to open up their doors to us, to house us and feed us, to sit and hear our stories & be excited about the work we were doing.

Cafe du Monde in New Orleans

3. Face your fears head-on.

There were many days this summer when we would know we had a lot of climbing to do. And many a time I would look up and see a mountain, hill, or vertically rising land mass and know that in a matter of miles or maybe days I would be ascending that. We never had a choice, the cue sheet told us where to go & that was the route we were taking, even if it was up. Our only solution was to take a deep breath, downshift and pedal on.

4. Don't sweat the small (ish) stuff.

Waiting out a thunder storm, with 60 miles still to ride on our 118 mi day.

More than once we were lost. More than once our cue sheet told us to go the totally wrong direction. More than once there was only creamy peanut butter at lunch, when I wanted crunchy. But, every day I was one step closer to having biked across the country, and that's what really mattered. At the end of every day none of those things mattered. Sometimes all you could do was laugh at how positively absurd a situation we had gotten ourselves into, and know that even though no one had any idea what was going on we would eventually figure it out.

5. Blue (Gatorade) can take away the worries of almost any bad day.

It's just a fact.

6. Home is wherever I'm with you.

Our fully framed house in Dallas!

Hey Grand Canyon!

We spent almost every day of the summer biking somewhere new. I hadn't been to a single one of the cities we visited. So everywhere was new to me. There were very few constants this summer, and we often laughed because people we met would ask where we were coming from and going to, the only answer we could consistently remember was Jacksonville to Monterey. After a few weeks all of the names blend together, the order gets mixed up and all you can do is laugh and shrug. However, I knew that wherever I went my 26 other teammates would be there, we would all go to sleep and wake up in the morning to repeat.

Should I climb on a hay bale? YES!

7. Yes is always the right answer.

You're biking across the country, so would you like a hamburger or hot dog for dinner? YES! Would you like to go on a 15 mile hike on your 1 of 4 days off for the summer? YES! Should you stop for a milkshake even though its only 9 am? YES! Should you ride a carousal? YES! In fact, I can't think of a single question to which the answer should be no. Everyone already thinks you're crazy for biking across the country, so you might as well do some other cool and crazy things along the way.

8. I have way too much stuff.

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX

Seriously. I just spent 2.5 months living out of a 20 gallon bin. It may look like a lot, but add a pair of tennis shoes, a sleeping bag, pillow & thermarest & there isn't too much space left. I only had a 3 or so t-shirts and about the same number pairs of shorts, and I survived just fine. And while it is much less socially acceptable to wear the same outfit 4 days in a row, I don't need 300 t-shirts. Or the skirt I have had, but not worn for years.

9. You can get a shocking amount accomplished if you wake up early.

You never hear anyone say it's only 2 a.m. and I've already worked out, eaten 4th meal, finished my term paper & gone grocery shopping. However, you do hear early risers talk about all the things they accomplished before 9 a.m. We got up so early we were often having lunch by 9, it felt good to have already accomplished that much.

Made it to 2,000 miles before 9 am!? Hell yeah!

10. Sharing is caring!

Sometimes when you only have a little bit of something it seems like it could be easier than not to say no if someone asks to share. But, living with 26 you were always sharing something. Whether someone ran out of soap and the next town was not for 4 more ride days, or if there was only 1 piece of lasagna left and 2 people were still hungry, we were always sharing. It always came back around, and in the end, no on went hungry or dirty, unless by choice.

11. Chivalry is not dead.

Monument Valley

There were only 8 guys on our trip, as compared to 19 girls, but what they lacked in number they made up for in chivalry. I very rarely had to open a door for myself. And while everyone realizes that girls are capable of opening their own doors, sometimes it's nice not to have to. The guys formed the Gentleman's Club, and vowed to eat dinner last each night, after each girl had gone through line. These are just a few examples, but we appreciated it every little bit.

And, the last and final thing learned...

12. Pay it forward, you never know how much your action might mean.

We made it!!!

So many cars this summer drove by and gave us a friendly honk, or wave, or fist pump. It never failed to put a smile on my face, and more than made up for the occasional rude driver. But some days that wave or honk is the only thing that kept me on my bike, when I thought I might be too tired to go on, or thought I was nuts for thinking I could bike across the country. And a hot breakfast or even just coffee in the morning means more than a thank you could ever convey to any of our hosts. At each host we left a thank you note & t-shirt to convey our thanks, but it was never enough. It's more of a relief than even I realized at the time to know you have a roof to sleep under, a shower to use and dinner provided. Even just walking down the street with a smile on your face, or holding the door for the person behind you might mean more than you know to someone around you.

We biked to the PACIFIC!

I am forever changed. I have shared a series of moments that connected into one amazing summer with 26 other people who together made SUS '12 a team, rather than just a "route".  Some days I don't feel like I pedaled across the country. I know that I woke up each morning & biked the number of miles required of me, and each small number added up and before I knew it we had biked 2,000 miles and even sooner after that we were running into the Pacific and had biked 4,000 miles. So, never doubt that small repeated actions can lead to great success.

And FINALLY. Thank you so much to everyone, to all who donated, prayed, read the blog. I would not have made it coast to coast without the support & love from everyone around me. I biked EVERY INCH! And on the days that seemed too hard I just remembered all the love & support I had across the country, and knew I could do it. THANK YOU.

Hollister to Monterey

Today was full of procrastination. Though everyone woke up on time nary a bin was out on time. Jack had prepared a slide show of pictures so most of us spent time watching that, as well as just generally trying to make our last morning last as long as possible.

During breakfast we passed out letters that we had written to each other earlier in the summer. We had each drawn a name out of a hat and wrote a letter for that person to open in Monterey. Chika had written a poem which she read, and my tears started. In true B&B fashion we had the weirdest of breakfasts, which included pudding cups, pizza and about anything else we hadn't eaten yet but that would soon go bad.

David, Arden and I set out for one last ride. We knew that we would have one last hill/mountain to climb, so we braced ourselves. The weather was cold, in a weird twist of irony, and we all were wearing arm warmers. The mountain we climbed was barely paved and shrouded in fog. At many points I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me, though thankfully the road was practically deserted. It was windy and really only 1.5 lanes wide.

Halfway in we spotted a gas station ahead and all agreed to stop in hopes that they had coffee for David and I and hot chocolate for Arden. They did indeed. And, as tends to happen with B&B, where there is 1 there are more. What started out as us and a few others stopping to warm up turned into 27 B&B'ers drinking coffee, eating burritos from the sketchy Mexican place in the back of the gas station (delicious!) & generally partaking in nonsense, including dance parties, sidewalk chalking the parking lot and procrastination. All in all we spent about an hour and a half there before deciding we really ought to move on, as we had promised family we would be on the beach at 1 and it was now almost noon.

We were on a bike path for about the last 10 miles, and we caught glimpses of the water, which prompted the singing of "We biked to the PACIFIC, P-A-C-I-F-I-C!" to the tune of Gwen Stefani's "This sh*t is bananas" song. With about 1 mile to go we stopped at a Best Western and had our final lunch. I read my letter, which was an awesome parody all about B&B from Jay, to the tune of Freaks & Geeks by Childish Gambino. It was perfect! Jay ate his first & only PB sandwich of the trip (he had purposely & successfully avoided doing so all trip) We read the final Kudos (Kudos are little compliments, or shout outs, sometimes funny, sometimes serious), most were a walk down memory lane, which I think we all needed. We had a super intense dance party in the middle of the road, blocking some traffic, listening to some of our trip favorite songs, we hooked Marcus' huge flag to the back of his bike again, and finally, around 130 decided that we should maybe go to the beach.

The last mile in was on a bike path & is all sort of a blur. All 27 of us were screaming and chanting. We rolled in, dropped our bikes, took off socks & shoes & ran to the water. It didn't even feel cold, though apparently the temp was in the 50's? We danced and splashed and sang and chanted and generally made fools out of ourselves as only B&B'ers could. We circled up and had a big group hug. We posed for pictures & then headed back to retrieve our bikes. We completed our journey (my odometer read 4,199) & dipped our front wheel into the PACIFIC Ocean! We posed for more pictures & then the feasting & celebrating began with all of our friends & family.

Fresno to Hollister

Today's ride was supposed to be our longest of the summer, but due to a detour earlier in the summer we did 118 to Baton Rouge and this became our second longest ride, though still not something at which to scoff. I set off with Kristina, Hannah, David and Justine. Thankfully many of the first few turns were chalked, we were supposed to be riding along a bike path, but we just ended up taking the road as the path was not clear, and many directions on our cue sheet were wrong-ish. The roads were very bumpy, and this was a condition that we hoped would stop when we changed roads, though it never did.

The days we spent in CA were not what I expected. I guess it was unrealistic, but I pictured lots more beaches and water, and instead found mountains, desert and agriculture. This day we had lunch in a almond orchard. Second lunch was originally at one of our turns under what had been the only shade for miles, but was later moved to a saloon only a half mile away where we were able to enjoy cooler temperatures and a Coke if we so desired, which I definitely did. One of our stops between first and second lunch included a hot springs where we were able to use the bathroom and rest for a minute as well as a side of the road nap, or if you were me, middle of the road nap. The road was deserted and we were all desperate for a break. We kept trying to hold out for shade, but none came, and we decided we couldn't wait any longer. While the miles before first lunch were easy-ish, all of us had boarded the struggle bus afterwards. We had to cross what was known as  the Coastal Range, a small mountain range. We crossed through a low pass and about the highest grade we climbed was 4%, but we were all tired and at least for me, the climb up Tioga Pass went way more smoothly and easily than this.

We were told that there was a town & gas station at mile 100. Hannah got a flat tire around mile 98 & Kristina & I went ahead in search of the gas station because she wasn't feeling too hot. What we actually found was a store at mile 104-ish. We got a snack & a Blue and waited for the other 3 there. By the time we left the gas station it was already nearing 6 p.m. We knew that there were only 5 others ahead of us, which meant about 17 more were behind us. We hustled the last 10 miles in, and after battling the heat and sun all day we were actually chilly since we had crossed the mountains and were now getting an ocean breeze.

When we got there we gave our taillights to Tova who went back out to give them to riders on the road without them because it was nearing dark. We walked a few blocks over for showers and decided to treat ourselves to Subway, instead of waiting for pizza. Though we all did have a slice or two after dinner. Everyone made it in safely and close to 9 p.m. we got a start on reviewing grant applications.

Each B&B team gets to disperse the rest of their fundraised money through a competitive grant program. AH organizations can apply for up to $10,000, but their program must involve youth in some substantial way. We, as a group, got to read over all the applications and decide where our money could make the most difference.

We all headed to bed late as we relished our last night all together.

The beginning of the end

Spoiler alert: All of us made it safely to Monterey. Look for the last few blog posts in the week to come, and lots of pictures when I make it back to my laptop.

In the meantime...thank you to everyone who has followed along and supported me this summer. Your comments, thoughts and prayers have meant more to me than you'll ever know.

Oakhurst to Fresno and prom B&B style

The day started off with me forgetting my camelbak and sunglasses. Yup, 11 weeks in and my act still is not together. After I got my things Natalie, Hannah, Jack and I set off down the hill we climbed to the host yesterday. We stopped immediately at a local coffee shop at bottom where we DM'd some coffee.

We left and almost immediately started climbing. My body was not prepared for this and even in my granny gear I was barely moving. After a stop to remove my underarmor I continued on, and we regrouped at the top. We then circled Bass Lake which was beautiful but the roads were rough. We got to a gas station at mile 18 intending to take a nice break, but instead learned that in half an hour the section of road at mile 24 would be closing. So, Nate, Trent and I set out to crush to make it through. It was downhill and though we made it well before the supposed closing time of 10 am they had started early. They were blasting sections of hillside and as a result the road was both temporarily closed and unsafe for us to bike on. So, we had an early lunch stopped and hitchhiked our way through once the road opened. We had left Jack at the gas station with Marcus whose tire had exploded and needed to wait for sweep. Shortly after making our way through the construction we stopped at a school for a quick break and Natalie did the dip. So we were down to two and headed on. The rest of the ride was hot but conversation passed the time just fine.

After arriving at the church a few of us made a McD run knowing we had almost 4 hrs til dinner. And we pre-dinnered hard.

After dinner the prom prep began. After a store run Emily and I headed to the bathroom to do our hair. Our trio was Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2. I was Thing 2 and we both used blue hairspray to help us look the part. The costumes were all pretty funny and we headed out as a motley crew to a nearby restaurant. We got our drink and dance on and a bomb time was had by all. We partied hard til around 1130 when we were all beat and the restaurant finally kicked us out. Overall prom was a huge success!

Yosemite to Oakhurst

One of the riders Hannah had to leave for a few days and was supposed to return on our off day. However, we were told they had lost her luggage so she had to wait for it to be found. But...as we found out this morning it was not Hannah's luggage thy was lost, but the bike of the program director, Natalie, whom we love. She flew in a few days early to bike with us! We departed the host with Arden, David, Marcus and Natalie. However, due to the curvy and downhill nature of the roads we split up and it ended up just David and I.

The van was still in the shop, but the Captain's fiancé was visiting so we were able to use her truck as a SAG wagon and to set up lunch. Lunch was at mile 30 after a mostly downhill morning. We feasted on lunch meat with real bread and cheese. We regrouped as just David, Arden and I after lunch and immediately began climbing hills. We spent the last 40 miles of our day climbing and neither my body nor my mind was prepared. The host was straight up a large hill and on the way up Arden's chain dropped. I swerve to avoid hitting her and we stopped for her to fix it.

We had hose showers again and dinner crew made b-fast for dinner. We gave a presentation to a local BSA troop and worked some more on prom stuff.

Day off in Yosemite

Most people in our group decided to hike Half Dome, however, a 19 mile, 12 hr hike was not exactly something I was in the mood for. So, Jack, Ben, Susan, Justine and I went on a hike called Cloud's Rest which climbed up to almost 10,000 ft and overlooked Half Dome. Jack informed us it would be about a 7 mile roundtrip hike. However, once we got onto the trail we found out is was about 7.5 miles each way, or 15 miles total.

It was exhausting, but the view was beautiful. The van was acting funny on our way back and we stopped repeatedly to try to figure out what was wrong.

We got back to the host late because our hike was so long and immediately grabbed the laundry tarp to take and wash. We only got about 500 ft with it in the van before it seized and stopped completely. It wouldn't move so we called AAA and began trying to figure out how to do laundry for 27.

After lots of talking and arguing we finally got ahold of housekeeping who agreed to stay open a half hour late for us, but we still had no ride. I approached the neighbors who were outside enjoying some wine. After explaining our situation they said we could take their Rav-4. So, I ran back to tell the good news. We shoved garbage bags of our filthy, smelly clothes into the trunk and flew to housekeeping. The guy there was not the woman who had agreed to stay open late, so we DM'd an extra hour or two of laundry time and got to work. We were also able to convince him to let us shower for free after the showers closed. Meanwhile we made a mad dash to get pizza before everything in the park closed at 10. The evening was a mad dash and could not possibly have been more Bike and Build. Everything is more complicated with 27 ppl involved. But clean clothes were had for everyone!!!

Lee Vining to Yosemite

Stressful does not even begin to describe today's ride. The first 12 miles were the most rewarding and were spent conquering something known as Tioga Pass. We climbed 3200 ft in 12 miles at an average 8% grade. I made several stops along the way but made it up pretty quickly all things considered. As soon as we passed the ranger station at the top we had first lunch and a 3 hr dance party/celebration.

The day was 75 miles so we still had a lot to go. The roads were narrow and windy and though Emily, Bri and I were often going or exceeding the speed limit cars did not seem to pay attention to that and passed us carelessly around blind curves and with opposing traffic. We had several harrowing experiences and spent the rest of our miles on edge, never knowing which cars would wait for us to find a pull-off and which would be too impatient. People seemed to be rushing to see nature when nature was all around. I saw some really angry looking kids, upset their parents has dragged them there for the weekend. But, crowded roads and bad drivers aside, Yosemite was gorgeous and such an amazing opportunity to be able to bike through.

Second lunch was sad as we ran out of bread and instead had lettuce turkey wraps. A lo-carb option for those of us watching our weight. Haha.

We stopped at a gas station and for a break from the stress of the roads. I had an amazing ice cream sandwich called an it's-it. Mint flavor...pro. We were joined by many other B&B'ers there and witnessed a woman making a mixed drink in the trunk of her car while her husband drank some beer and pumped gas. They then tried to drive off but didn't remember to close the side door of their car. We spoke with a park ranger and alerted him of the situation, but this put us even more on edge for our last 15 miles as they were not the only ones we saw drinking there.

We finally made it to the school in which we were staying. Dinner crew made a late evening but delicious dinner and we all took a freezing cold hose shower. I was in bed shortly after 9 to prepare for our day off which would include lots of hiking. But more on that later.

Bishop to Lee Vining

Today was the day before the fabled Tioga Pass. I rode with Holly, Nate, Kristina, Marcus and Arden. We split around mile 11 when half of us stopped for an impromptu dance party just before a 10 mile climb. The hill was so large it had a sign advising cars to turn off their AC to avoid overheating. We took a nice long break at the summit and regrouped.

We had not been told that the day would be full of climbing and so we were not predicting to climb to well over 8000 ft. We had a nice decent into town, but unfortunately I had a slow leak in my back tire so my speed did not exceed 46.

We stopped at a Mobile gas station with a famous deli inside where we all had a much needed sandwich. It was delicious.

We got to participate in a fashion show to raise money for the city's outdoor education program. We wore some pretty crazy stuff and had a good time Bike and Build style. Some pretty nutty pictures got posted on FB and I got to work on my model walk. Good times.

Lone Pine to Bishop

Rolled 6 deep today with Arden, Kristin, Susan, Steph and Emily. We kept good conversation and good pace with much needed stop in Independence on the way to lunch. Today was straight out of Oregon trail. Had an awesome snack at the gas station while Susan fixed a flat and made it to lunch, which was entirely unsatisfying food wise, but did include an hour plus long dance party.

We had a nice t-dubs (a favorable wind...whose full name shall not be mentioned so as not to jinx it) and were cruising at around 26 mph for a solid bit. We had seen a billboard for Subway and had our stomachs prepared for a real lunch of foot long proportions. When we got into town we learned it was another 2 miles down the road...nbd except it means it's also 2 miles back. Susan and I, as well as our stomachs were pretty committed so we forged on while the others opted for something closer.

Some B&B chili for dinner rounded out the evening before some AH presentations and town hall. Today was Jay's birthday and in honor of the small roses he gives out to help us all remember to stop and smell the roses each member of our team was given a rose to then give Jay at some point today. Given Jay and I are forever going in search of wifi together I thought it only fitting to post a picture of me with the rose to FB.

I also visited an awesome antique store called Cobwebs and made a few super cool vintage postcard purchases and also got a pretty cool present for someone back home. Though rearranging my bin to fit it in was a serious endeavor.

Ridgecrest to Lone Pine

I am sore. So so so so sore. I guess I should have anticipated this since I don't swing sledgehammers all that often...and when I do it's not for 8 hrs at a time...but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad.

I rode with Justine, Steph, Ben and Jay, and we started the morning off right with a coffee stop at McD's. Then we set off on our ride. Besides Ben getting a flat and then later needing to take the Captain's wheel we had a very uneventful morning. The conversation was good and flowing and we stopped once more before lunch to get ice. There was a moderate amount of climbing but nothing big enough for me to use bad words. We made a few more stops but managed to make it to the host before 2. Tonight we're "camping" at an RV park, so we have showers, wifi and a pool. Dinner an breakfast are both provided so essentially the only reason we're calling it camping is because we'll be using tents.

We only have 7 ride days left this summer, it hasn't hit me yet how quickly this is all ending and I don't want it to either.

Yermo to Ridgecrest & an un-build day

Today's ride was our last day in a stretch of 6. We knew it was going to be about 90 miles, but we didn't know that meant 97 miles which with 2 small detours quickly turned into over 100. I was apprehensive and my legs were angry from the start. I rode with Marcus and Tova. Around mile 21 we saw a road closed sign. We learned it was because a flood had wiped the bridge out. However, the only other entrance point to the toad we needed prohibited bicycles. So what did we do? We walked down to the river bed and then through it across the broken bridge. No big deal.

Luckily there was well placed civilization today so we were able to take breaks at gas stations in the shade and fill our packs with ice which was an awesome treat.

We knew as we got closer to the host there would be a big downhill followed by a big uphill. Well, no truer words have ever been spoken. I got up to almost 45 mph on the downhill and then struggled my way up 4ish miles of uphill. Once we crested the top we had awesome tail wind and the last miles were a breeze. The last 5 were especially awesome. I didn't pedal at all and cruised in the 30's the whole time. Definitely a much easier 100 miles than I expected when I saw the cue sheet in the am and heard we were fording a river before 830 am. But seriously, I felt like I was on Oregon Trail Bike&Build style.

After getting to the host and getting showered a group of us headed to Subway because we were too hungry to wait til dinner. It was delicious and really hit the spot. A dash of civilization was definitely something I needed.

Today we worked on the same house here as SUS '11. They had saved the rest of the demolition work a whole year so we could get a chance to do some demo, since they saw how much last years group enjoyed it. As did we. Sledgehammers and jackhammers helped us get the job done with a little bit of brute force as well. No pictures, because I left almost all of my stuff at the host by accident. A brief dip in the local pool followed the "build". We were all covered in concrete dust. But it was a blast. Who knew un-building could be so fun?!

Baker to Yermo

The ride was only around 60 miles but it started with breakfast and a mental breakdown. After only getting about 5 hrs of sleep the fact that I woke up with my sleeping bag so caddywhompus that the foot portion had my head in it and my feet were cold because they were at the head of my sleeping bag seemed like a condition I was unable to handle without shedding tears. So I had a good cry and headed out to attempt to face the day.

Around mile 11 David, Arden, and I stopped at a gas station. I bought a blue gatorade (referred to on our trip simply as blue) and a bag of beef jerky and unbeknownst to me it was exactly what I needed. Instant morale boost.

We made it to lunch and from there continued on the last 25 miles. We rode all but a few miles on the highway, which is legal in CA if it is the only road between two towns. We passed lots of cars ad they waited in line for an agricultural inspection which was a pretty cool feeling. The last few miles after we were forced by signage to exit the highway were on a poorly paved road as we headed to our host which was the bunkhouse of a ghost town.

We each had a bed and I took the opportunity to nard (nap hard) before dinner at the restaurant in the ghost town. Afterwards, Janet, our contact at the host took us to her house where many of us swam in the lake, some showered, and many played with the unexpected surprise...PUPPIES!!! There were 6 4 week old poodle puppies. They were absolutely precious and after a log few days of riding were exactly what we all needed.

Pahrump, NV and baking in Death Valley to Baker, CA

The ride today was arguably one of the hardest things I've done in my life. The ride was 84 miles long, but, we decided as a team to cross the CA state line together. So our photo shoot slowed us down immensely. Arden,David, Kristin and I made it to mile 35 before the van so we stopped in the only shade we could find to wait for lunch. Soon more riders had shown up but there was still no sign of Timmy or Ms. Susie. There was no cell phone service either. We finally, after more riders came and we had waited for more than an hour hailed down a passing car and found out that Ms. Susie, our trailer, had a flat and was as a result currently out of commission. We knew we were wasting precious cool morning hours, so, we assessed our water situation, filled up water bottles with green tea given to us from a passing car, and headed on towards Baker. About 5 miles after leaving "lunch" we started tying to hail down passing cars to replenish our water before we got into a desperate situation. We hailed down an RV and got a gallon of water and carried on. Around mile 50 Timmy and Ben came over the crest of the hill (just like out of a movie) with water, ice and supplies for PB sandwiches. We sat and soaked up all the shade we could. We carried on and soon we began to very seriously feel the effects of the 118 degree day. There was no shade and as a result nowhere good to stop for a break. Kristin said it best when she said she felt like an ant in a hair dryer.

With some serious headwinds coming at us we were only averaging around 8 mph. We were quickly running out of water. We flagged down a truck with NM plates who was very generous and was able to give us enough water to completely fill our camelbaks. We took frequent breaks to snack and assess our water situation. During one break we hailed down a pickup with 2 guys who handed us the vitamin water and dasani that they were in the process of drinking, but they were cold and we didn't care. During that same break a nice French family stopped for us as well and even had ice to spare.

At this point we were within 11 miles of town. We made a goal to make it 5 more miles before out next break. We were close, however, rounding a bend a minivan passed us and pulled over to the shoulder. Out hopped a woman who offered us cold soft drinks. I have honestly never stopped and hopped off my bike so quickly. She offered to let us sit in the van and cool off and we immediately accepted. Once inside we learned their names were Randy and Shelly and they had been traveling and seen our bikers in our group. They immediately stopped to offer what beverages they had. When they learned what had happened to the trailer they began driving up and down the road to find other B&B'ers to offer them cold beverages and a chance to cool off. Shelly even had windex to clean our sunglasses with, and offered us gum and chapstick. We tried to convey what a blessing and how grateful we were for this couple who had just spent their afternoon searching us out to provide such an oasis. But I don't think any amount of words can express that. Honestly, to everyone that helped us words cannot come close and typing this is bringing me close to tears. Thank you.

We made it into Baker at 530 and soaked up all the air conditioning we could. Dinner was not provided so we were cooking, however, the trailer and dinner ingredients were an unknown number of hours away so we went to DM. We had some Arby's followed by some tacos, followed another 4 hrs later with some pasta and veggies.

Other riders trickled in and everyone looked rough. Because the closest towns with water were 56 miles apart the van was having to double back to fill up. Many riders ran out of water, but many were not as proactive about flagging down cars.

One rider was in a particularly rough state. After doing what we could we determined her pulse was too high to be safe and called EMS. They came in site and assessed the situation. Later she had an IV, but never had to go to the hospital.

We really lucked out, and very much survived by the generosity of others. The 4 of us stayed upbeat and positive and I would not have made it without that. We joked about it being like the amazing race...but seriously.

Boulder City and over the hump to Pahrump

We were told there was a famous saying "Over the hump to Pahrump". So we were nervous about today. Arden, David and I rode together and took it pretty easy. The first 20 miles were full of lots of turns and a few stops to run errands. There was a huge "hump" we knew was coming after lunch...so it seemed logical to fill up on cinnamon buns, doritos, and garlic bread. Uhhh what was I thinking!? The hump was more than 9 miles long, and at one point I almost fell over because the wind was so strong and I was going so slow. We made it over and things got easier. After a dinner of awesome sandwiches and salad an homemade chips we split up into different home stays. Marta, David, Arden and I are at a hotel nearby because there weren't enough beds at homes for us. But no worries. We'll soon all be headed to bed!

Overton to Boulder City

I'll keep this short and sweet so I can get to bed. Yesterday Alicia and I were sweep. It was only a 70ish mile day but despite us leaving at 615 am we didn't get in until after 3. It was blazing hot. And I think my insides got a little fried. We did lots of climbing which neither my head nor legs were prepared for...but we biked along Lake Mead almost all day. The last 3 miles took us over an hour to bike and there were points where I wasn't sure we would make it. But we did. An it was worth it. Grace Community Church provided us with so much fresh fruit and an amazing dinner, and so far the beat breakfast we have had this trip. Sooooo good. And we made a short trip to see the Hoover Dam as well.

St. George, UT to Overton, NV

Today was hot. Like 110 degrees plus hot. And with nary a bit of shade to be found. David, Marcus, Trent and I set out together and cruised until Marcus got a flat at mile 13. It was there that David noticed a huge gaping hole in his tire and so we were forced to wait for sweep to bring the spare tire. We were there for over an hour and lost lots of cool weather riding time. We had to stop again at mile 20, after quite a few miles of uphill, because Marcus' tire had a gash. Since the sweep tire was already in use we had to patch his with Cliff bar wrappers. We used our last tube and headed off towards lunch, which was fortunately downhill the last 15 miles or so.

We were at lunch for upwards of 2 hrs as we waited for Marcus to change his tire. I was less than patient regarding this endeavor.

We stopped at the state line, but because we were on back roads the only sign was on the highway. So...what's a group of B&B'ers to do besides clamber through a barbed wire fence and run across 6 lanes of traffic to get a state line sign picture. Totally worth it. :)

We stopped at a gas station to get some ice for our packs and then headed on to second lunch. There was a long series of rolling hills that you could see stretching out before you. And finally making it to lunch under the shade of a highway overpass was a huge relief. However, as soon as we were ready to leave...sans Trent who hopped in the van...Marcus noticed he had a flat. He changed it, only to instantly get another. So he took Tova's wheel and we headed off.

The last 25 miles or so went pretty quickly as we made it a point to keep conversation flowing. We stopped 3 times to pump and pray that Marcus' tire would hold. It did, sort of.

I'm not sure I've ever felt such effects of heat on my body before yesterday. It was a rude awakening after numerous short days in a row. It was also our first ride day in a row of 6.

But, when it's all said and done, a shower and dinner never fail to put things in perspective. Yesterday was just harder than others.

Zion National Park to St. George and a build day

Since our ride into St. George was only 40 miles we were given the okay to go on a morning hike. All but a few took advantage of that opportunity. Kristina, Emily and I weren't quite up for the strenuous 5 hr hike that most of the group was planning so we set out for a moderate 3 mile hike. We finished in just about an hour, 2 hrs less than the hike was predicted to take. We grabbed our stuff from the van and I ate a peanut butter and s'more sandwich. We headed out of the park and grabbed coffee and some second breakfast before killing it into St. George.

A group of us then headed to an awesome ice cream place called Sub Zero. They literally make the ice cream in front of you from real cream. You can make any flavor you want! I had a peanut butter chocolate mint milkshake with Heath bits. Nom.

Afterwards Emily and I headed to a nearby thrift store to get some items for our prom costume. I'll keep it a secret for now, but it's less than a week away and I am pretty excited!

I made a long trip to Barnes and Noble to use their wifi and then had a great dinner provided by our host. Last night a bunch of us went to see the movie Brave. I really enjoyed it and was extra impressed that I could even stay awake for the whole thing.

We worked with the local Habitat chapter today. Melissa was our contact and her bubbly personality was contagious. Jack, Nate, Kristina and I worked ripping up carpet for a woman named Betty. The intention was for it to be replaced along with some rotting deck boards underneath. Unfortunately we didn't have the right materials and couldn't finish the job. But Betty was so appreciative it made us feel so accomplished. Sadly, during the afternoon the glass window on a pickup truck cab bonked me hard in the head. I shed a few tears, took a few pills and all is well minus the large lump on my head.

An amazing potluck dinner wad had. We feasted. St. George has treated us well. And after a stretch of short riding days I am so not ready for the 92ish miles awaiting us in the morning.

Fredonia, AZ to Zion National Park, UT

The ride to Zion was relatively short, but because AZ does not participate in DST we lost an hour crossing the line into UT. David, Arden, Hannah and I crossed the state line together and continued at a steady pace because we wanted to get to Zion early enough to hike. We made lunch a quick stop and immediately after made turn that took us uphill towards the park. Stephanie and Alex were supposedly ahead of us and had money to pay for all of our entrance to the park. Hannah hopped on the struggle bus soon after lunch so we headed on as 3 without her.

We got a text from Jack in the van saying there was a small problem but no one had service to call him, so we headed on to the park entrance. At the gate we explained Bike and Build and that two riders should have been in to pay for us already. The woman let us in with no problem. Which we later learned was funny because Alex and Steph had failed to make a turn on the cue sheet and ended up in Bryce Canyon National Park and had to turn around. Meaning...no bikers had been through to pay for us. Haha, oh well! The ride after entering the park was beautiful. The road wound through and down into the Canyon and barely required any pedaling, which is always a favorite of mine. Getting to our campsite required going through 2 tunnels. One was short and accessible by bicycle but the other was very long and was illegal for passage by bike. However, hitchhiking was not only allowed, but encouraged. So we asked a friendly couple with a pickup if they would mind taking us through the tunnel. They didn't mind so the 3 of us hopped in. The tunnel felt like a ride and had small windows that peeked out into the Canyon.

We were the first group into the park and as soon as we dropped our bikes off at the campsite we headed out for a hike on a trail that ended up being perfect for the 3 of us and had awesome views.

Dinner was a hot mess as no on started cooking til around 7. And once it did get started only one person from dinner crew was there. We left our big pot somewhere so we had to borrow one, the rice burned, but we first spent twenty minutes trying to get the stove set up. When dinner crew finally did return tensions were running high and hungry.

A few of us headed out to the town later that night but it was an early evening as we had biking to do in the morning.

Summary: Zion's views kick Grand Canyon out of the water. We could look up at everything from our campsite!

North Rim to Fredonia

Because there is only one road in and out of the North Rim the first 43 miles of todays ride involved reversing our route from Jacob Lake to the rim. The good news is that is was mostly uphill to the rim, so it was mostly downhill on our way out. However, there was one "small" difference between our ride in and our ride out. This morning it was pouring.

It was already cold to begin with so I had all my warm layers on...but, during breakfast it started to rain. The temperature dropped even more, but we had no choice except to ride. Within the first 5 miles my body was confused as I started to sweat but was still cold. At this point the rain turned to a torrential downpour and the winds picked up. Miserable does not even begin to describe us. And describing my fingers as being numb would also be an understatement.

At mile 18 the Lube Monsters (Arden, David, Maggie, Steph and I) pulled into the gas station. Ben told us the lodge across the street served breakfast til 9 so we immediately headed over. I ordered an omelet and took off what I could of my warm clothes. I drank some hot chocolate, and after witnessing a few minor explosions ha a fire place to stand in front of to warm up. When we finished warming and decided to brave the cold it had been close to 2 hrs. We decided to pain train it to Jacob Lake for cookies. We left as only 4 because Arden had dipped; and crushed it the rest of the way to the lodge. Lunch was supposed to be at mile 30, but, because a few riders had so many flat tires Chika had to go back to give them tubes. Lunch got moved to the lodge at mile 43, but I opted for cookies and milk instead. An awesome choice.

The last 30 miles were pretty much entirely downhill. At the top of a 3 mile long hill I heard a loud pop and knew it was the patch on my tire exploding. We stopped so I could change it. And I am thankful it happened at the top of the hill, rather than halfway down.

Maggie also got a flat, but nothing major. And with the exception of a storm we spent the last 9 miles or so of our day outriding all was smooth sailing. A SUS '11 alum, Summer, brought us amazing burrito/taco salad dinner tonight as well as delicious cupcakes.

I am thankful for lots of things tonight. They include but are not limited to: we're not camping so we had a roof and electricity, we got to finally do laundry today, and we didn't have to make our own dinner.

Also. Forgot to mention. B&B does a prom near the end of every summer. Just a fun excuse to dress up and dance. Due to our awkward guy to girl ratio each guy is taking 2 girls and the theme is famous threesomes. Alex had apparently been trying for a few days to get a suntan that would spell out Prom Jessie? But since it had been overcast his plan had been foiled. Instead, he taped it in duct tape to his chest and at dinner last night jumped up on his chair, ripped open his shirt and asked me to prom. Of course I said yes. Now, all we have to do is pick our threesome. Some ideas others people have toyed with include Bill Clinton, Hillary and Monica L., JFK, Marilynn and Jackie O. We'll see where
It goes.

To tie up the evening there was an amazingly clear double rainbow and an amazing sunset as well. The morning started out rougher than rough. But, after a cookie and some dry clothes morale was high. :)

Jacob Lake to North Rim and a day off

The ride today was only 43 miles but it was one of the rougher rides I've had considering the distance. A group of us went to the lodge for coffee before the ride and afterwards we climbed almost immediately from 7900 ft to almost 8900 ft. I was out of breath most of the ride.

I rode with the coffee gang, or the caffeinated crew, Nate, Jack, Kristina, Emily, Bri and myself. We saw Busan and Marcus around mile 20 and joined them for a nap and a snack. I had a teensy problem when I woke up which was that I was seeing double. That continued for the rest of the ride which was a bit disconcerting. However, when we hit the park with 12 miles to ride the excitement took over and our speed increased.

We pulled into our campsite and headed to take the trail to the lodge. I enjoyed some elk chili and a hardcore nap. Since we were dinner crew we made pad thai a la Bike and Build, which actually turned out really well despite our lack of resources. Dark came around 830 or so and Arden, David and I were in our tent and
almost passed out by then. We crashed hard because we knew we were waking up super early to see the sunrise.

A bunch of us woke up around 500 to walk to a lookout point to see the sunrise. It was pretty spectacular. Then I immediately went back to bed and slept for a few more hours. David, Arden and I woke up, had some oatmeal and headed with Jay, Marta and Allison for a hike. We did a 3+ mile hike and the views were spectacular, though some parts of the trail were rough. We got back just before it stormed and I headed to the lodge with Jay to grab some lunch. While we were there it started hailing which was pretty nuts considering it's July.

After the crazy weather had stopped I headed back to the campsite and had a shower. Which after all the hiking I needed. Jay DM'd us dinner at the employee cafeteria which was an awesome break from cooking, and the food was tasty and plentiful. We went to bed early again and the weather was generally crummy and rainy.

Overall: Grand Canyon was pretty amazing. As expected. :)

Page to Jacob Lake

Today was sort of nuts. It was an 80 mile ride, but we had to ascend from 4200 ft to 8000 ft. During the first twenty miles we ascended to 6000 ft. Then we enjoyed a nice 6% downgrade for the next few miles ad continued downhill for almost 15 miles. We arrived at lunch before the van so we picked out a prime location. By a few miles after lunch we were at 3500 ft of elevation. We stopped to see the Colorado River and then started our ascent. We gradually climbed to 5000 ft and then, just after second lunch,we began writing songs about the amazing cookies the lodge here was fabled to have, and then began our 12 mile climb at 6% grade.

I was huffing and puffing by the time we cleared the first switchback and Arden and David took a break so I could catch up. We took quite a few breaks, and pumped my back tire since the pressure was low. By our 3rd break I felt really lightheaded, dizzy, a lot like I might puke and my vision was sort of doubled. Davey was sitting on the ground and all of a sudden started to sing "Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low". It was pretty much exactly what I needed. We continued singing and I was ready to carry on. We stopped a lot more so I could catch my breath...and I appreciate more than they know that they stopped
to wait for me as many groups split up on the big hill.

We finally made it to the top. And the cookies were awesome. David and I shared a few and enjoyed some chocolate milk.

We're camping tonight and our chore group made a pretty good dinner of chicken Parma a la Bike and Build. Tomorrow we go to the North Rim. I'm pretty damn excited.

Tough day, but rewarding day.

Kaibeto to Page

Today was the shortest of rides. Only 36 miles & we lost 1700 ft of elevation. It's safe to say I barely pedaled. Our day was so short that lunch was had at the host rather than on the road. The scenery was awesome. Originally I had planned to ride with David, Marcus and Nate. However, after Marcus took forever to change a flat he knew he had last night he almost intently got another. So David and I ditched and headed out on our own.

Gravity is always on my side going downhill and is unfortunately never on David's. So I spent a lot of the day standing up on my bike trying to be less aerodynamic to let David catch up. It only sort of worked.

We made quick time to Page and decided to take showers and head to a placed called Slackers that the priest in Kaibeto had recommended. It did not disappoint. I had a pastrami cheeseburger and we were able to watch the Tour de France on one of their big screens.

Tomorrow we head to Jacob Lake and then Thursday we will be in the Grad Canyon for 2 days. It'll be awesome. But we'll also be pretty isolated and I would guess we won't hit too many wifi hot spots. So...until next time...keep it real. :)

Kayenta to Kaibeto

Today was a pretty short day, only 65 miles. I passed out hard last night and woke up late and rushed to get my bin out close to on time. We had breakfast and then most us headed to the McDonalds at the bottom of the hill to get coffee. Though the coffee helped I was still struggling, as was most of our crew this morning. We left McD rolling 6 deep with me, Jack, Hannah, Arden, David and Kristina. We happened upon the van around mile 6 and picked up Trisha. We split into 2 groups and David, Arden and I stuck together. We were getting our slow roll on up a hill and stopped for a photo op at the top. It was beautiful. The leaders have told us that the scenery is only going to et better. I'm not sure I believe it can, but I continue to be amazed. Trisha left us to join Meghan and Julie as they passed and we went back to being 6. Around mile 18, my tire, which had exploded yesterday, so I am currently running on a Gatorskin with a hole patched with athletic tape, rapist got a flat. The tape had gotten a hole. So, we patched it with some duct tape and a Cliff Gu wrapper that David had. We lost a few riders heading up a hill and once again got split into 2 groups. David, Arden and I stayed together and flew the last 8 or so miles to lunch. We stuck around for a while since we weren't in any sort of rush. We took a very short break with about 15 miles to go. I was dying, for whatever reason and would have loved to stop and have a snack but there was thunder an lightening behind us and storm clouds rolling in, so we kept it short and sweet and pressed on. It was here I noticed my tire was oozing. It occurred to me a bit later that the chocolate cherry Gu wrapper must still have some Gu in it.We took one more "break" for a photo op. We rode up a huge hill before we made our turn into the host. Whose address is on a street called "Paved Road". We were here by 2 and soon after were able to take showers and then a few of us headed over to the grocery store/post office/gas station. I was able to get some second lunch including a Coke, corn dog and a quarter pound of potato wedges. Nom.

Dinner was amazing. We had Navajo Tacos. You don't roll them or fold them but rather cut with a knife and fork as everything lays flat. Delicious!!! And very different from anything we have had so far. And, as dinner crew I was very thankful to have a break from cooking considering after tomorrow we camp for the next 3 days. So we will be doing lots of cooking.

Our ride tomorrow is only 37 miles, and all the locals have agreed it is mostly downhill. Which makes sense, we have about 1700 ft in elevation to lose. After that, however, our next 2 days of riding will bring us back to around 8,000 ft, so we have to enjoy it while it lasts. But...since our ride is so short we get to sleep in until 7 am! I have every intention of getting 8 consecutive hours of sleep tonight!

Teec Nos Pos to Kayenta

Today's ride was only 72 miles, and we had reason to hustle because after the ride we were going to shuttle to Monument Valley.

I set out with Kristin, Susan and Jay. We took a break at a gas station around mile 16, where I took a brief nap and pet a dog that came wandering by. I had another good nap at lunch after some leftover burnt mac and cheese. We headed back out and the views were gorgeous. Arizona is certainly living up to expectations and the red sand/soil is a great contrast to the sky. At mile 50 we took a break and took some pictures and enjoyed the scenery. We made it about 2 miles and heard what sounded like a gun shot. I freaked out a little bit and then looked down and noticed my tire had exploded. Luckily the van was passing by and I was able to get a tire good enough to get me to the host. We took a break at the top of a big hill and determined we might as well be biking across the country for narcolepsy because we can sleep anytime and anywhere. I almost fell asleep on the bike today. Rumble strips aren't just for cars we have discovered. The last 7 or so miles were a real struggle for Kristin and I, but for no real discernible reason. We stopped at McDonalds just before the host and had a "snack". I rushed to take a shower and then I jumped in the van to head to Monument Valley. The views were spectacular and we got to take a dirt road tour around part of the park.

As soon as we returned dinner crew had to start making dinner. We didn't eat til around 9:30. I am exhausted and plan to head to bed.

Fact: The state of Arizona does not participate in Daylight Savings, but the Navajo Nation does. We're currently in the Navajo nation, but also Arizona. None of us are really quite clear on what time it technically is.