San Francisco, the new Ithaka?

Day 64 - Aug 6, 6:08pm
Build Day. Reno, NV

Working at a habitat site today for our very last build day. The houses were pretty much done and we were mostly doing things like painting and landscaping. Its interesting to think of how in contrast, our very first build day involved working on the foundation of the house. On par with this crazy desert weather it was in the 60s today and was basically fall. It was so crazy since it had been 100+ here all last week. It only reiterated how much i love the concept of change, and how im looking forward to the fall(but only the first two weeks, not the unnecessary cold after that).

While today was very laid back you can't help but be a little disappointed when there aren't enough jobs for everyone, especially when the only work is vaccumming and sweeping. Its kind of like did i really bike across the country to vacuum a carpet? But thats sorta just a side thought and it was cool to see the entire block of habitat houses next to each other. They were really nice actually. Waht i really liked was the front lawns made with different types of gravel which was really aesthetically pleasing while obviously saving on silly water bills.

Another side note, riding in a car on the highway to the build site after yesterday's biking was almost freaky. Its literally been two months since i've gone on an actual car ride and its crazy how such simple things like that are so weird after a trip like this.

Reno is interesting. It is currently hosting Hot August Nights, which is a huge car show, so seeing all the cool hot rods on the road these few days has been real fun. Its basically like a mini Vegas or Atlantic City. Its just so weird the way so much of the downtown life here is focused on flashy lights, liquor, and gambling. Kinda made me wonder of the ridiculousness of casinos and places like Vegas in general. Its cool that its our first metropolis since 400 miles ago but totally didn't vibe with me.

Thanks so much to mom and dad to an awesome mail drop. More protein bars than my liver can handle but not really, thats a complete joke. They sent an awesome poem by Constantine Cavafy about Odysseus' journey to Ithaka after Troy and the importance of enjoying your travels, etc. It really spoke to me, and I actually think with one week left its the perfect time to have received it. Really looking forward to reading it to the group tomorrow. Might try and permanently attach it to my bike or something.

And speaking of crazy journeys, check out this video i randomly came across: http://vimeo.com/4636202

We've got a pretty intense climb tomorrow, like Colorado status, and then a day off! LIfe is good right now, my sore butt not so much, but oh well, the ride continues.