Pensacola to Mobile

Today was our first "century" ride. I put that in quotes because by the end of the day my odometer only read 96.5. By mile 16 I had a flat tire and just before a long hilly bridge at mile 21 several motorists told us we had a rider that had been hit. Thankfully, while a rider had gone off the road she had not been injured. Trent and I got back on the toad as soon as possible because in order to avoid interstates our cue sheet involved taking a ferry. The time we were told we had to make the ferry by was 1230. Trent and I booked it to lunch around mile 45. I grabbed half a hot dog bum with some Nutella and peanut butter, filled my cambak with water and Trent and I set out to make the ferry. Marcus and crew passed by and he said "All aboard the pain train for the 1230 ferry." so Trent and I jumped on behind and pace lined our way in. After my small lunch I definitely wasn't feeling my best when we made it to the ferry. After finding some fellow Kentuckians and chatting them up I got myself a snack and some chill time. The ferry ride ended sooner than expected and I was starved and a bit of a diva. We stopped at a local restaurant, and although the service was super slow it was one of the best burgers I've ever had. After booking it so hard for so long I wasn't feeling the best. But it was getting late so we kept trucking after a stop to refill our water. After some serious hills we made it into the church around 6. I wasn't feeling the best but I was glad to have made it and to have crossed my first state line.

Also, don't forget the next mail drop is Thursday the 7th. The address is:
Bike an Build
General delivery
Attn: Jessie Modrall
701 Loyola ave.
New Orleans, LA 70113
Hold for pick up on 6/7

Defuniak Springs to Pensacola

Today was just a serious CF of issues. Less than 20 miles into the ride I got a serious flat tire on the bumpiest of roads. We had been going up and down some serious rolling hills which I was not in the mood for. Luckily Steph was with me and we got it changed decently quickly. We had to stop again quickly after to adjust my breaks and sweep caught up. Next we hit a section of road near the airport and the roads were full of crazy Memorial Day traffic. I felt unsafe for the first time on the trip and soon after we made a turn onto a one lane road an RV came within an inch of Steph who was riding in front of me. Jack was in between the two of us and caught his wheel on the derailleur of her bike and broke it. Thankfully no one was hurt but all of our nerves were thoroughly shaken. Rocked some hot dog buns with cream cheese salsa vegetables and sausage patties for lunch. Breakfast this morning was awesome as well. We had pancakes and bagels, English muffins, eggs and sausage. It was wonderful. I thought the day would never end. I got my second flat of the day for no rhyme or reason and we battled headwinds that made us struggle to go 10 mph. Jack Steph and I stopped to see the beach after a second water drop where Steph and I DM some free slushies to put in our waterbottles. We got some free cake and killed it. The decision to dip my feet in the ocean was definitely a good one, but getting back on my bike was one of the hardest things I ever did. We finally, after a few wrong turns made it to the church and had dinner and showered. I'm exhausted and tomorrow is our first century ride and state crossing into Alabama. Roll Tide!

Panama City to Defuniak Springs

Kristina Jay Alex and I killed it to lunch today with the help of a tailwind. By 10 am I had eaten two meals and a snack. David tacked on to our group after lunch and for a while we continued to dominate. After a while Kristina dropped and eventually the pace got to be to much and Jay and I dropped back. Yesterday Bri and a few others acquired a huge blow up alligator to mark our lunch spot. We've named him David Hasselhoff. The last ten miles of the day took almost an hour because the route was so hilly. But it had been recently paved so it was a nice reprieve for our rear ends. Because we only had 63.4 miles to ride today most of us were in to the host by 2. Tomorrow we ride to Pensacola and after that we'll get to cross our first state line into Alabama!!! Though that will also be the same day as or first century (100 mile) ride.

Today was laundry day and I enjoyed an awesome shower. Great day. Don't forget the next mail drop is Thursday. And you can send me all sorts of love through USPS! :)

Apalachicola to Panama City and a Build Day

Today was shorter mileage, we only had 60 miles to ride but it the weather was rough. Kristin and I were sweep, which means we were the two riders designated to carry extra supplies and also stay behind all of the riders. The idea is not only that the sweep riders will have necessary supplies to help riders who may need help but also that once the sweep riders make it to the host the leaders know all the other riders are in safely. However, this makes for a very long day of biking. The day started off well and we were able to ride side by side and chat. We caught up to another group and stuck with them. We stopped at a Goodwill to get some dun outfits to wear for Memorial Day. As we got close to lunch I heard my phone ringing and wanted to pull off to answer it. But the communication didn't reach the back of our line in time and two of our riders ran into one another and crashed. It was scary because Marta fell into the road. Thankfully no cars were coming and we were able to patch her up. By the time we made it to lunch it was 97 degrees and I was tired, cranky and hungry. Not to mention hot. After waiting around for everyone else to leave lunch it was after 1. We didn't get to the host til almost 4 and I was in serious need of water and snacks. We had some delicious pasta for dinner and i was back to my normal self. We ended the night with some margaritas and since we had crossed into CST we got a pseudo extra hour of sleep.

This morning we biked to our build site, but due to temperatures and lack of work we only worked til around noon. Most of our group laid sod while I was inside installing a sink as well as countertops and touching up some baseboard paint. After some lunch most of our group headed over to Panama City Beach while I opted to head to the bike shop, catch up on some blogging and take a shower without a line of people waiting behind me.

Tomorrow we head to De Funiak Springs. I must confess it felt really nice not to have to pack my bin up this morning. But I'll have to get organized tonight because I'll have to pack it all up in the morning. Our chore groups switched today so now instead if setting up breakfast and doing laundry my group loads all the bins in to the our trailer Ms. SUSie.

Also. Our next mail drop address is posted so don't forget to send me some love.

General Delivery
Attn: Bike and Build
*Jessie Modrall*
250 St.Joseph St.
Mobile, AL 36601

Tallahassee to Apalachicola

Today was an 83 mile day but knowing the cue sheet was right made it a mental breeze. We were on a nice bike path for almost 15 miles so we were able to have some quality conversation. After a quick break we found lunch at mile 35. A hot day meant we got a water drop near mile 60. But before we got there I managed to get a flat tire. Jay, Kristina and I got seriously up close and personal as we figured out it takes 3 Bike and Builders to change a flat. We made a couple more stops...got some free ice cream to cool off and enjoyed an awesome view. We ended the ride to the host with a 3 mile long bridge ride and a jump in to the bay. A nice cool shower by hose and a shrimp boil for dinner. Later that night a group of us headed out for oysters because Apalachicola harvests more than 10% of all oysters consumed in the U.S. So I got to try my very first raw oyster. Not half bad.

All in all it was a great day even considering the milage.

And my lunch creation today was called ants on a log Bike and Build style... A hot dog bun, covered in peanut butter and a layer if whatever chips available and last but not least covered with a layer of craisens. Wayyy better than my asiago cheese bagel with peanut butter BBQ chips and blueberries. Haha.

The pictures are from our water stop and the view along our route. :)

Perry to Tallahassee

Today was a short 52 mile day in to Tallahassee. Our cue sheet had us spending 47 miles on the same road but we were able to stop at a gas station for some delicious candied pecan samples to give ourselves a break before lunch. Trent, David and I, joined later by Emily killed it up some serious hills and made it to lunch by 1030 and our host by 1230. A bunch of us headed to a local sandwich shop to have second lunch. My legs are all sorts of sore but after a walk around town and a shower they feel better. Tomorrow is supposed to be more long mileage. I hope my rear end and my legs can once again handle the challenge. Tonight we'll do some exploring since we are close to the FSU campus and since it is laundry day again head to the laundromat with my chore group and two huge tarps full of smelly sweaty clothes. Mmmmm.

Lake City to Perry

After yesterday's crazy mileage I was strangely psyched to see today's mileage was only 70. The cue sheet was right the whole day which makes the mental game a whole lot easier. Around mile 15 Allison (with whom I was riding) and I saw a sign for blueberries. When we pulled off we saw tons of other riders already stopped. The owner had agreed to give us 20 free pounds. We ran out of time and only picked about 15 lbs but I can assure you that way more than 5 lbs went in our bellies.

Even though we had 70 miles today we kept a slow steady pace and it was NBD after yesterday. The temperature rose into the 90's which would usually mean second lunch which we didn't get organized but we did get a second water drop which was great. I've drank well over 300 oz of fluids today.

One of our leaders found a kitten on the side of the road and decided to pick it up and bring it along in his jersey. We've named it Maxwell but we're hoping someone in Perry will adopt it. We are not exactly in a position to accept a team cat. Haha

God day overall and tomorrow we have a pretty short day to Tallahassee which will give all our butts a nice break of sorts.

St. Augustine to Palatka and on to Lake City

Yesterday was about a 40 mile ride from st. Augustine to Palatka. Because we were staying at a church with early services we had to be up at 5 am and out by 7. Because we were up so early I found myself and the riders I was with rating lunch at 9 am. We were well ahead of several other groups of riders so we took a nap and enjoyed our short mileage. After our nap after wondering why no other riders had passed us we discovered our leader had set up lunch at a stretch of road not on our designated route. Never thought not following directions would pay off but it sure did. We arrived to Palatka by 12 and after a few minute headed to a local diner known as Angels. It is the oldest diner in Florida. I had a delicious burger and fries as well as a banana milkshake. A local couple talked to us and were so excited about what we are doing they bought the meals of myself and the 5 others with me. Another local man gave us $20 which we'll be able to add into our AH donations. After a great community picnic for dinner myself as well As the rest of the breakfast/laundry crew (Stephanie, David,Maggie and Arden) headed to do laundry for 27 smelly people. The problem was because it was Sunday the laundromat closed at 9 so instead we had only the one washer and dryer available and the local marina. We realized this method would take well past or 11 pm curfew so a leader found a 24 hr location and we were able to finish by midnight.

Palatka to Lake City
Today's ride was supposedly 76 miles so we were all excited when our cue sheet this morning said 63. We quickly figured out this would not be the case because a bike trail we thought we would be able to take was only accessible by mountain bike. We re routed but his added an unknown amount of mileage to our trek. Lunch came at about 40 miles in to our day but the poor location gave us kittle hade and even less locations to sit. A fortuitous missed turn after lunch saved is from 5 mikes of sand road through which our bikes are not rideable. Though this added even more mileage to our journey. After getting lost several more times we resorted to ridding on a very busy road because we couldn't find the turns designed to keep us off it. So...after 8.5 hours and almost 85 miles of riding and missed turns and unmarked roads myself, Jay, Arden, Emily and Kristina made it to the host. The rest of the riders didn't make it til almost 8 pm. Dinner wasn't until 830 and by then I had downed some serious snacks. But the delicious taco salad was worth the wait. As mug as anything is worth waiting for after 85 miles. To my knowledge tomorrows ride is less than 60 miles to Perry, FL. Though as we all learned today; cue sheets should not Always be trusted and this really is a mental game.

All in all, so glad I am here on Bike and Build. A serious shout out to everyone who donated. Without you I wouldn't be laying here on my thermarest and sleeping bag writing his and wondering when the last time I went to bed before 11 and was delighted to do so was.

The saying goes: there is no such thing as a bad day in Bike an Build, some days are just harder than others.

Build day 1 5-18-12

Today we split up into 3 separate build sites and worked with Beaches Habitat for Humanity. We accomplished so much but it was definitely hard work. I think I may be more sore from building than riding tomorrow.

Jacksonville to St. Augustine

Today was our first biking day. We woke up @ 6 am and packed our bins and the trailer. After we all ate some delicious Panera for breakfast we headed to the beach for our wheel dip. We dip our back tire in the Atlantic ocean as we leave it and finish our trip by dipping our front wheel in the Pacific. Our ride was about 35 miles and all along the beach. It was a beautiful ride with great scenery. Unfortunately during lunch on our short walk from the beach i got several thorns stuck in my feet. Luckily a follow rider has tweezers with him so I was able to get them out and keep riding. Emily, Ben and myself took a great free ride on a carousel on our way in to town. We got in to the Fountain of Youth fir free as well and even got to drink from it. I feel younger already! We were able to get some free pizza and rice and beans for dinner since the host didn't provide it and now we're going to decorate our trailer.

Conclusion: though a bit sore I'm having a blast already! :)

Shakedown ride & orientation day 2

After learning all sorts of important Bike & Build information yesterday we finally got to put to use this morning. We woke up @ 6 am and packed up all our gear to simulate what a typical morning might be like. We did a short obstacle course and headed for a quick 15 mile ride to get the hang of riding together. It's a great comfort to know I have 26 other riders watching out for my safety. And 26 pairs of eyes that may be able to see something I don't. It poured for about half of the ride...but there is no such thing as bad weather only bad choice of clothing. Tonight held some free bowling that we donation magiced ( a term used for when we give our B&B speech and ask for free product or services in order to it down on costs incurred) and some delicious donated ribs for dinner. Yum. Tomorrow will be our first build day and Saturday we will have a wheel dip ceremony and head to our first city, st. Augustine. Everyone has been so nice. Riders and people we had encountered willing to host us and feed us.

Also...check out the mail drop page. Our first mail drop is coming up on the 24th and I don't want to be that left out kid that doesn't get any mail. :/ letters, and care packages are all encouraged. It's close to lights out as we have to be up at 6 tomorrow but I'll leave you with a picture of my sleeping setup. Thermarest sleeping bag and camping pillow which I don't believe has enough padding to qualify as a pillow.

Also. Please remember I'll be blogging all summer from my I-pod so I'll likely be prone to typos. but ill do my best.

Working well under pressure

Nothing like waiting til the last minute to realize you have all sorts of things to do. Good news is slowly but surely I am checking things off my very lengthy to do list. Less than 17 hours until I am leaving the ground at CVG and headed to JAX!

Don't forget to mail me all sorts of goodies this summer. The mail drops tab at the top of the page is all sorts of helpful & informative.

In the meantime I leave you with a picture of what less than an hour ago was chaos. Now I'm just crossing my fingers I've remembered everything.

Monterey & Mail Drops

Before we get to Monterey, our final stop & our welcome to the Pacific Coast; I'll explain just how easy it is to send me tons of awesome SNAIL MAIL & make me the coolest Bike & Builder on SUS '12!

Each week (typically Thursday) we'll be able to get mail in whichever city we're going to. Mail is sent general delivery & held at the post office in the town. Because it is held at the post office everything must be sent USPS (United States Postal Service (Nothing from FedEx or UPS will be accepted, under ANY circumstances)). In order to make sure the mail makes it to the right place be sure to write the address exactly as it appears below. For convenience a tab called "Mail Drops" will be added to the top of the blog so you don't have to go searching through posts to find this one.

In addition, the hold for date listed for each mail drop is the day that we will be able to receive the mail in that city. What this means is your mail must arrive on or before that day. If it arrives late it will be forwarded to the mail drop two weeks ahead. & any late mail from the last two mail drops will be returned to sender. Please remember to include the hold for date on each package/letter!

Some mail drops have not been confirmed, so they are not listed below. As soon as that information is available it will be shared. The link can also be found by clicking HERE!

General Delivery
Bike and Build
*Jessie Modrall*
20 AVENUE D STE 101
APALACHICOLA, FL 32320
Please hold for pick-up on May 24

General Delivery
Care of: Bike and Build
Jessie Modrall
Elm Grove, LA 71051
Please hold for pick-up on June 14

General Delivery
Bike & Build
Jessie Modrall
Wichita Falls TX, 76037
Please hold for pick-up on June 21

General Delivery
Bike & Build
Jessie Modrall
1 WALNUT ST
CLAYTON, NM 88415-9998
Please hold for pick-up on June 28

General Delivery
Bike & Build
*Jessie Modrall*
2301 E 20TH ST
FARMINGTON, NM 87401
Please hold for pick-up on July 5
 ^ They will not hold mail for more than 15 days leading up to July 5th, so please make sure mail does not arrive before June 20

General Delivery
Care of: Bike & Build
Jessie Modrall & Chika Kusakawa
Boulder City, NV 98005
Please hold for pick-up on July 19

General Delivery
Bike & Build
Jessie Modrall
585 W LINE ST
BISHOP, CA 93514-9998
Please hold for pick-up on July 26

Now, on to:
Monterey, CA

• Monterey had California's first theater, public building, public library, publicly funded school, printing press, and newspaper.
• From 1777 to 1846 Monterey served as the capital of California, under both Spanish and Mexican rule.
• Monterey was originally the only port of entry for taxable goods into the state of CA. All taxable goods were required to pass through the Customs House, the first government building in the state.
• The city is now famous for it's extensive aquarium.

Just about 36 hours until I head to Jacksonville!

15+ inches lighter!

First and foremost...happy mother's day to any mothers reading this, but especially to my momma. She's always been my biggest fan, from swimming to rowing to running to biking. Rain or shine, hot or cold. The woman is out there cheering me on & I really can't thank her enough for that.

It's really hitting me that bright and early on Wednesday my parents and I will fly to Jacksonville and so will begin my summer of Bike & Build. 2 more days left in KY. 2 more days left to make sure I have all the right gear, that my bin has everything I'll need for the summer & 2 more days to enjoy my mom's home cookin'.

This past Tuesday I chopped off 15+ inches of hair. Most of it will be donated to an organization that makes wigs for children dealing with hair loss, whether permanent or temporary. The rest of it was cut in order to style my hair into a faux hawk. Turns out biking with long hair didn't turn out to be as good of an idea as I originally thought. I kept it a secret, so when I finally made it home to KY my parents & brother were quite shocked, as were my friends. But, good news, I look just as rockin' with short hair as I do with long hair. No need to fear.

Now...on to explore some of the final cities we'll bike through before we hit the Pacific coast!

Yosemite National Park, CA

Yosemite will be the 4th and final National Park we'll visit on our cross country trek. Though the park covers almost 800,000 acres most visitors spend their time in the 7 sq. miles of Yosemite Valley. The park boasts some serious diversity. Out of the 7,000 plant species in CA 50% occur within the Sierra Nevada (the nearby mountain range) & over 20% occurs specifically within the park. We'll have a day off here, where hopefully we'll get a chance to explore & maybe even do some hiking. The park has over 800 miles of hiking trails.

Oakhurst, CA

• Originally called Fresno Flats the town is located at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
• A talking bear teaches visitors about the cities rich history , including their importance as a railroad town through which came though significant amounts of lumber.

Fresno, CA

• Fresno is the largest U.S. city not connected to an Interstate Highway. Instead, SR 99 serves as the major North/South throughway. Improvements necessary, however, to upgrade SR 99 to an Interstate qualification have already begun.
• Fresno was formed in 1856 after the California Gold Rush & named for the ash trees lining the San Joaquin River. Fresno is the word for ash trees in Spanish.
• We'll have our last build day here in Fresno. Fresno has a very unique housing situation in that more than 50% of the population lives in rental properties, as opposed to owner occupied housing.

Hollister, CA













The city is bisected from North to South by the Calaveras Fault, a branch of the more famous San Andreas Fault. As a result of the fault many of the streets running East to West have significant and visible offsets. The fault runs directly under several houses which have had to be reinforced to withstand the dislocation of their foundations. Because of this the houses are habitable though contorted in appearance.

My next post will feature Monterey, CA! The city which will signify the end of our journey to the West Coast. We'll end the trip with a wheel dip in the Pacific Ocean! Also...wondering how on earth you might contact me this summer!? Well, as it turns out most of the U.S. has cell phone service now a days, so calls/texts will work well. But you can also send me SNAIL MAIL!!! But more on that next post. I'll explain all about how it works so you can send me wonderful letters & packages.

Even the sun sets in paradise

6 days 'til I fly to Jacksonville. The bin is "packed" & by that I mean I've tossed everything in there and know it will at least all fit. I'll spend some more time in a few days organizing & writing my name on everything. In the meantime, seriously...only 6 days. I'm freaking. Good news, I've been reassured I'm not the only one. So, while I avoid packing, here's 3 more cities.

Lone Pine, CA

• The Census Bureau has 3 designations for towns/places: urban, rural and frontier. Lone Pine is designated as frontier.
• The Paiute-Shoshone Indians have been in the region/valley for thousands of years. The abundant food supply gave them no reason to move.
• Though there are no pictures few in the town seem to refute the existence of the Lone Pine Mountain Devil. Supposedly a guardian of nature it will attack any person or animal disrespecting nature.

Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA

 

Days like this, our ride from Lone Pine to Dixon Lake-Meadow Creek, are why Google can get us from Jacksonville to Monterey in less than 3,000 miles & we're taking almost 4,000. Our ride this day will take us mostly north, as opposed to west.

Lee Vining, CA

• The town is the closest to the East entrance to Yosemite (where we'll be going tomorrow!) And relies heavily on tourism.
• Lee Vining is home to a distinctive local landmark known as the Upside-down House.
• The town is situated at 6781 ft. in elevation and will lead us to Tioga Pass. The pass will bring is into Yosemite National Park, and through the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. The pass features a gradual approach from the west and a dramatic drop to the east, rapidly losing almost 3,000 ft in elevation. We ride east to west, so what Tioga Pass really features is a steep climb and gradual descent. Greeeaaaattt.

513 The City Flea

Clicking HERE will take you to a blog post from a blog called the City Flea. For all of you readers from the Nasti 'Nati (Cincinnati) definitely check this out. The blog was originally created because of an urban flea market type deal in Cincinnati/OTR area. But, it features a lot of other cool things, like the post linked above, about all the side effects of biking.

Turns out I'm biking across the country...

Uhhh. Wow. Saturday 4 years of hard work came screeching across a finish line of sorts. I graduated with my Bachelors in Supply Chain Management and International Business and my minor in Spanish. In true Modrall family fashion we took a few pictures and decided Milanos pizza was a good idea to celebrate. We ran into my freshman roommate and her family, and remembered just a few short years ago, when after moving us into our dorm room we all headed there for pizza. Crazy how fast 4 years flies.

Even crazier to think is how fast the next 8 days are going to fly before I fly to & arrive in Jacksonville to begin this crazy Bike & Build adventure. It just hit me in the past few days that I really am going to bike across the country this summer. Wow. Oh yeah, and I ran a half marathon on Sunday. Busy busy.

So, a few more cities to explore, a few more boxes to pack, some goodbyes to say & it'll be back to KY & then on to Jacksonville. Ready or not, it's coming.


Baker, CA

• Baker is located in the Mojave Desert & at the intersection of I-15 & SR-127 a.k.a Death Valley Rd. (Awesome, *rolls eyes*)
• Baker is home to the world's tallest thermometer, standing 134 ft. high, built to commemorate the highest temperature recorded in the U.S. (134 degrees in 1913)
• We'll pass (or more likely stop & eat at) another DDD here, the Mad Greek's Diner.

Barstow, CA

• Barstow is exactly 150 miles from both LA and Las Vegas.
• Barstow is home to both Base Barstow (a Marine Corps Logistics base) and Fort Irwin (Military Reservation)
• Barstow is named after William Barstow Strong, former president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Some early Barstow names were Camp Sugarloaf, Grapevine, and Waterman Junction.

Ridgecrest, CA

• Ridgecrest was formerly known as Crumville, it's a bit unclear as to when the name change occurred.
• The town is surrounded by 4 mountain ranges, Cosos to the North, El Paso Mountains to the South, the Argus Range to the East and the Sierra Nevada to the West. Guess we'll be doing some climbing on our way in to Ridgecrest.
• Ridgecrest is also located within 2 hours of both the highest and lowest point in the contiguous U.S. (the U.S. minus Alaska & Hawaii)

So last, but not least...though graduation was technically the kick off to my "Bucket List Summer" tomorrow marks another pretty big undertaking, another bucket list item checked off, and one more way to add to the crazy-ness already in motion. I'll share eventually, but in the meantime guesses will be accepted. : )

Go Outside, Ride Bikes

On to explore Nevada...we'll only be there 3 days, but I am excited to cross another state of my list. NV will be my last new state of the trip. So here goes...

Overton, NV

• Entering Overton will put us in the Pacific time zone (our final time zone for the trip) & me in a new state!
• Overton is located at the north end of Lake Mead.
• Home to the Lost City Museum which features a reconstructed pueblo dwelling and artifacts from Pueblo Grande de Nevada.

Boulder City, NV

• Boulder City is one of only 2 cities in the state of NV that prohibits gambling.
• The city was originally built in 1931 for those working on the Hoover Dam.
• In 2009 Boulder City was ranked 6/25 on the list of top cities in which to retire.

&...to wrap up our time in Nevada...

Pahrump, NV

• Pahrump did not have telephone service until the 1960's, the same goes for paved roads leading to the city.
• The average high during July is 101 degrees, the average low is 69 degrees.Eek!
• The population went from just 2,000 in 1980 to 36,000 in 2010.

That wraps up Nevada...the next post we'll be crossing our final state line and exploring California. Hard to believe my arrival to Jacksonville is only 12 days away. I got an e-mail containing some more information about orientation. Our schedule on May 19th, our first day of biking, looks something like this:
May 19: Go Outside; Ride Bikes

7:00AM: Rise & Shine

8:00AM: Route Meeting

9:00AM: Wheel Dip (We'll (or should I say Wheel, haha) dip our back tire in the Atlantic Ocean to kick off our journey & dip our front tire in the Pacific to end it!)

9:30AM: BEGIN BIKING ACROSS AMERICA (well it sounds a lot more intimidating when it's phrased this way...)