**Everyone's comment's have been so amazing. It means so much to me to have you riding along with me on this journey via the blog. You guys are rockstars!**
Day 8 - June 10, 11:14pm
75 miles. Middlefield, CT to Warwick, NY
It turns out that unleashing a perfectly timed burst of expletives while climbing your 25th hill of the day can actually do wonders for getting an extra boost of energy. I discovered this today and so did the people next to me.
Today was our first rainy day and riding wasn't so fun initially. In fact I was kinda out of it for the entire first part of the day. Partially the weather, mostly my pre-occupation with some personal things that have been bothersome. I wasn't necessarily upset, but do you ever have those days where you just can't help but not be happy and cheery? I've learned that what works for me is to kinda embrace this fact, and resign myself to knowing that tomorrow will be a new day in which I'll most likely feel great. Its kind of a more general philosophy of going with the flow and listening to what your body is telling you. However on the other hand, I found that thinking and working through the actual thing bothering me today was very helpful as well
Also, took my first spill today. Am totally fine now but the whole incident was still pretty scary. I was right behind a biker (prob around 17 mph) and our wheels touched as he turned into a gas station. I fell on my left side and bruised my shoulder and hip but nothing else thank god. Seriously, as soon as I recovered I really did expect the worse but amazingly i got away with nothing serious and for this i am supremely grateful. Had i not been wearing my gloves, my palms would've been in serious trouble. The other rider didn't fallover fortunately. On the plus side my jersey now has this sweet hardcore rip on it.
We crossed into NY today and rode along the beautiful Hudson today. The hills were fortunately nothing like the two days in CT before, but 75 miles is the most I've ever done(the previous being 53). After lunch near Bear Mtn, the rain stopped and the weather got a bit nicer. This and a couple things started cheering me up. (Isn't it ridiculous how much weather can affect our mood? Why do people even live in Boston in the first place?) A few of us got to meet Julie's(a rider) grandparents on the way. They were a super cute couple who treated us to snacks. In general i love getting to meet significant figures in the lives of my friends, it really helps me understand and appreciate them way more. Also, I gained an inordinate amount of pleasure from seeing Julie struggle to try and explain to them how to take a picture of us with their cell phone.
Then we started riding through this great park that was just gorgeous. I got into some great conversation with this rider Doug who i like a lot. We get along great and just really understand each other very naturally. Isn't it great when that happens?
At one point we stopped for a one minute silence break near a beautiful lake when i had my 4th! deer sighting of the day! Seeing those deer all up in their business not even caring about us silly humans and our wars and complaints and such made an impression on me.
The last few miles is when the hills got pretty ridiculous. Though the 2 mile stretches of downhills were tough not to enjoy. As was my new landspeed record of 46.2 mph!
Tonight we stayed at one of our trip leader's uncle's house. All of Sonya's family was here and it was just a great fun barbecue and destresser. Smore's over an open fire pit topped off the night.
Degreased and totally cleaned my chain (not fun but something you want to do when riding long in rainy weather) and am ready to head into Pennsylvania tomorrow. Only 80 or so miles, no biggie, you know.
I think I've got my personal situation more mapped out now. It's nothing bad or serious, but basically concerns certain group dynamics or lack thereof, and we'll see how it plays out. Should be interesting.
Still no time to put up pictures( there's actually not that much alone time here given showers and dinner and sleep time and everything) but they will be up soon.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
"Homeless"
Day 7 - June 9, 10:42 pm
Woke up extra early to get to the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen and help serve breakfast along with 6 other Bike and Builders. This was one of the places the wonderful Sherry from the church helped us volunteer at since the build site was at capacity with volunteers. It was a really small place, almost diner-like, that got full pretty quick and had a quick turnover. We started out doing odd tasks and then finally settled in to a rhythm. I would start a plate would 3 sausages and a bagel, and Colin would add eggs to it and hand off to the servers. New landspeed records for moving food may have been broken.
The place was very nice. The people in charge were very friendly and grounded. It turns out all of the people in charge that day loved heavy metal go figure. I had some good conversation with Rich about his love of Kiss and Metallica, while this other awesome dude Jerry would sing along to every song on this ridiculous 80
s rock station.
The people to whom we were serving were very nice and visibly thankful. They're really cool because they don't ask any questions of their guests, and this is important for giving struggling undocumented workers a place to eat. I was really taken by just how "normal" most people seemed.
Some werent even that much older than me and most were just average folks. It just really makes me think about the labels and presuppositions we have when approaching topics such as "homelessness" and how debilitating they can be to our effective confrontation of them.
Got back to the church and had a pretty seriously epic 3 hour nap. Ate a great lunch and generally milled about in glorious lackadasiality. Tomorrow we're camping so I helped make sure all the tents were prepped, though I would've preferred setting up a good ol ridgeline FOP style!
Overall, the destressing was really necessary today. Just kicking back, reading, and struggling to think of a single obligation was glorious beyond words. I can't even remember the last time I've felt so stress free. At night we had the first three of our affordable housing presentations which we have all prepared in groups. We are presenting to each other this first month so we can all be super aware of everything affordable housing related for the road ahead.
Tomorrow we have our first 70 mile (rainy) day as we cross into Warwick, NY. This church has been utterly amazing with their hospitality. This morning they had already posted up pictures they took last night!
But most of all, the Splendid Sherry, who has seen Motley Crue 81 times and had a wicked Tommy Lee shirt on, MADE GUACAMOLE! Even more, since i almost dropkicked the stove in my euphoria while discovering the work in progress, Sherry just showed me a whole stash she has in the fridge just for me tomorrow! And yes, I report this without fear of having my tires slashed since It'll all be gone by the time i even post this online!
Tomorrow's hills will be tough, but we'll be tougher. Though, for tonight I think I will chose to softcore it on an actual mattress. Yes.
Woke up extra early to get to the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen and help serve breakfast along with 6 other Bike and Builders. This was one of the places the wonderful Sherry from the church helped us volunteer at since the build site was at capacity with volunteers. It was a really small place, almost diner-like, that got full pretty quick and had a quick turnover. We started out doing odd tasks and then finally settled in to a rhythm. I would start a plate would 3 sausages and a bagel, and Colin would add eggs to it and hand off to the servers. New landspeed records for moving food may have been broken.
The place was very nice. The people in charge were very friendly and grounded. It turns out all of the people in charge that day loved heavy metal go figure. I had some good conversation with Rich about his love of Kiss and Metallica, while this other awesome dude Jerry would sing along to every song on this ridiculous 80
s rock station.
The people to whom we were serving were very nice and visibly thankful. They're really cool because they don't ask any questions of their guests, and this is important for giving struggling undocumented workers a place to eat. I was really taken by just how "normal" most people seemed.
Some werent even that much older than me and most were just average folks. It just really makes me think about the labels and presuppositions we have when approaching topics such as "homelessness" and how debilitating they can be to our effective confrontation of them.
Got back to the church and had a pretty seriously epic 3 hour nap. Ate a great lunch and generally milled about in glorious lackadasiality. Tomorrow we're camping so I helped make sure all the tents were prepped, though I would've preferred setting up a good ol ridgeline FOP style!
Overall, the destressing was really necessary today. Just kicking back, reading, and struggling to think of a single obligation was glorious beyond words. I can't even remember the last time I've felt so stress free. At night we had the first three of our affordable housing presentations which we have all prepared in groups. We are presenting to each other this first month so we can all be super aware of everything affordable housing related for the road ahead.
Tomorrow we have our first 70 mile (rainy) day as we cross into Warwick, NY. This church has been utterly amazing with their hospitality. This morning they had already posted up pictures they took last night!
But most of all, the Splendid Sherry, who has seen Motley Crue 81 times and had a wicked Tommy Lee shirt on, MADE GUACAMOLE! Even more, since i almost dropkicked the stove in my euphoria while discovering the work in progress, Sherry just showed me a whole stash she has in the fridge just for me tomorrow! And yes, I report this without fear of having my tires slashed since It'll all be gone by the time i even post this online!
Tomorrow's hills will be tough, but we'll be tougher. Though, for tonight I think I will chose to softcore it on an actual mattress. Yes.
Powdery Relief
Day 6 - June 8, 9:45pm
Turned out today was only 53 miles to Danburry, CT. I didnt think it was possible but the hills were even WORSE than yesterday. It was just ridiculous at some points but we kept on beasting. My quads are not happy right now, but we have a Build Day tomorrow and we get to recuperate.
Lunch was particularly magnificent today as we were all exhausted by the 30th mile. I personally ate a peanut butter sandwich, 3 cups of tuna salad, and then 3 more leftover pancakes slathered in more peanut butter. This brings me to an important theme of this trip. FOOD. There is so much. Everywhere. Our great hosts have just been throwing it upon us and we have tons of leftovers every day. Honestly I have never ever in my life been so satisfied after meals. You're guaranteed to never leave a bike and build meal less than stuffed. Seriously I walk in every night thinking who in their right mind would agree to feed 32 ravenous emaciated cyclists. And every night i end up rolling in stomach pain from having gorged myself. In short, I love food and I have never been so irrationally happy over such a simple pleasure.
After lunch we came across a sweet pond and took the liberty of a full hour chill sesh and did some dipping. It evetually turned into tossing each other by the arms and legs into the water which was SO refreshing. PS - It was pretty hot today. While my forearms are developing substantial bronzed goodness, the non-exposed chestal area is a bit paler to say the least.
On the home stretch to the church, John treated three of us to ice cream in his store. We needed it, thanks John!
This church as usual was great. They had Bike and Build t shirts and banners set up to welcome us and have had our profile pictures up on banners since February. Their turkey burgers and dinner were also substantially delicious as was their hospitality. We walked into our room to find it filled to the brim with inflatable mattresses. How nice are these people!
Upon arriving the first thing they did was shuttle us to someone's outdoor swimming pool. We got to ride in the back of pickup. So fun! PS - Creating whirlpools in a pool and then stopping suddenly is great.
Today was also my first experience with Gold Bond Powder. I decided to skip the minor leagues and went straight with the extra strength. Lets just say I'm not used to experiencing sudden cooling sensations in that particular part of my body. All in all though it was chalky fun and I think i might become a repeat user. It apparently really helps avoid rashes when biking.
Post dinner was a great game of Big Booty after which the kids lit up some fun fireworks for us. Also i literally stood by this dip in the kitchen eating it for like 6 minutes before I realized that my hand was controlling me.
Since the build site can't accomodate all of us tomorrow, I'll be serving breakfast at a homeless soup kitchen from 6-9am tom. Never done and think it should be enlightening. Overall, am very happy with my stated objective of trying out as many new things as possible on this trip. Off to bed for 5:15 wakeup!
Turned out today was only 53 miles to Danburry, CT. I didnt think it was possible but the hills were even WORSE than yesterday. It was just ridiculous at some points but we kept on beasting. My quads are not happy right now, but we have a Build Day tomorrow and we get to recuperate.
Lunch was particularly magnificent today as we were all exhausted by the 30th mile. I personally ate a peanut butter sandwich, 3 cups of tuna salad, and then 3 more leftover pancakes slathered in more peanut butter. This brings me to an important theme of this trip. FOOD. There is so much. Everywhere. Our great hosts have just been throwing it upon us and we have tons of leftovers every day. Honestly I have never ever in my life been so satisfied after meals. You're guaranteed to never leave a bike and build meal less than stuffed. Seriously I walk in every night thinking who in their right mind would agree to feed 32 ravenous emaciated cyclists. And every night i end up rolling in stomach pain from having gorged myself. In short, I love food and I have never been so irrationally happy over such a simple pleasure.
After lunch we came across a sweet pond and took the liberty of a full hour chill sesh and did some dipping. It evetually turned into tossing each other by the arms and legs into the water which was SO refreshing. PS - It was pretty hot today. While my forearms are developing substantial bronzed goodness, the non-exposed chestal area is a bit paler to say the least.
On the home stretch to the church, John treated three of us to ice cream in his store. We needed it, thanks John!
This church as usual was great. They had Bike and Build t shirts and banners set up to welcome us and have had our profile pictures up on banners since February. Their turkey burgers and dinner were also substantially delicious as was their hospitality. We walked into our room to find it filled to the brim with inflatable mattresses. How nice are these people!
Upon arriving the first thing they did was shuttle us to someone's outdoor swimming pool. We got to ride in the back of pickup. So fun! PS - Creating whirlpools in a pool and then stopping suddenly is great.
Today was also my first experience with Gold Bond Powder. I decided to skip the minor leagues and went straight with the extra strength. Lets just say I'm not used to experiencing sudden cooling sensations in that particular part of my body. All in all though it was chalky fun and I think i might become a repeat user. It apparently really helps avoid rashes when biking.
Post dinner was a great game of Big Booty after which the kids lit up some fun fireworks for us. Also i literally stood by this dip in the kitchen eating it for like 6 minutes before I realized that my hand was controlling me.
Since the build site can't accomodate all of us tomorrow, I'll be serving breakfast at a homeless soup kitchen from 6-9am tom. Never done and think it should be enlightening. Overall, am very happy with my stated objective of trying out as many new things as possible on this trip. Off to bed for 5:15 wakeup!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
"Breakfast is on us!"
Day 5 - June 7
53 miles to Middlefield, CT today. 53 VERY hilly and sunny miles. But its all good because one of those hills granted me a new all time high of 44.5 mph. It was sweet.
Couple of great things happened today. Wore a bike bib for the first time and felt really hardcore. Basically they hug your body more than shorts and make riding nicer. Of course they look hilariously awkward without a jersey on.
Early on in the day we came across an awesome empty field of gras. Five of us proceeded to frolic at which point the two Colin's trounced Steven and I in a wheelbarrow race.
Around the 20 mile marker I reached the high of the day. Emily and I were starting to get hungry. We came across a Friendly's, of which Emily is a big fan. We decided to give a shot at asking for a complimentary meal. We walked in decked out in cycling gear and gave our (vehemently rehearsed) 30 second pitch explaining that the more we spent on food as a group, the less we can actually donate to affordable housing organizations. After a suspenseful pause, the manager was more than happy to treat
us to a complimentary breakfast and quite possibly the best two egg, bacon, and portobello mushroom club sandwich of my life. Generous donations like these are apparently the norm on all bike and build trips and I'm so grateful to that Friendly's and everyone in general who has been so receptive to our cause. Other trip members came had similar experiences and altogether we actually fundraised $226.50 today from individual donations alone!
Next, we rode through Wilimantic, CT. Now you would think that this is an ordinary town, that is until you see the statues of GIANT FROGS on spools everywhere! It was the most outrageous urban decoration I've ever seen. Everyone acted so normal around them that we legit thought we were the only ones who could see them. Apparently there was some big lake full of frogs back in colonial times and all the citizens confused the croaking with Native American war cries until they actually saw the pond for themselves. As a result the town is now full of giant frog statues. If only we could all learn so much from our past...
At the church, the wonderful congregation members treated us to showers in their own homes. Jim and Jennifer had an awesome house with an awe inspiring double shower with a tv. Not that i don't enjoy cramped group showers with other smelly, dirty men... Jim had actually travelled to over 35 different countries as an air parts inspector and Jennifer was a LOST fan, Thank you so much guys!
Afterwards, we once again had food heaped upon us by the wonderful church youth group. This made me very happy. The Apple pie was extra yummy.
Also, I finally got some time to freshen up the blog and actually email all of my friends about it. I hope to get the pictures organized soon as well.
All in all, today i continued to ponder what a ridiculously wonderful opportunity im experiencing. If anyone reading this is even remotely considering doing Bike and Build (and you def should be) please be sure to apply this October, it will be the best summer of your life.
Something like 70 miles tomorrow. I wonder who we'll meet...
53 miles to Middlefield, CT today. 53 VERY hilly and sunny miles. But its all good because one of those hills granted me a new all time high of 44.5 mph. It was sweet.
Couple of great things happened today. Wore a bike bib for the first time and felt really hardcore. Basically they hug your body more than shorts and make riding nicer. Of course they look hilariously awkward without a jersey on.
Early on in the day we came across an awesome empty field of gras. Five of us proceeded to frolic at which point the two Colin's trounced Steven and I in a wheelbarrow race.
Around the 20 mile marker I reached the high of the day. Emily and I were starting to get hungry. We came across a Friendly's, of which Emily is a big fan. We decided to give a shot at asking for a complimentary meal. We walked in decked out in cycling gear and gave our (vehemently rehearsed) 30 second pitch explaining that the more we spent on food as a group, the less we can actually donate to affordable housing organizations. After a suspenseful pause, the manager was more than happy to treat
us to a complimentary breakfast and quite possibly the best two egg, bacon, and portobello mushroom club sandwich of my life. Generous donations like these are apparently the norm on all bike and build trips and I'm so grateful to that Friendly's and everyone in general who has been so receptive to our cause. Other trip members came had similar experiences and altogether we actually fundraised $226.50 today from individual donations alone!Next, we rode through Wilimantic, CT. Now you would think that this is an ordinary town, that is until you see the statues of GIANT FROGS on spools everywhere! It was the most outrageous urban decoration I've ever seen. Everyone acted so normal around them that we legit thought we were the only ones who could see them. Apparently there was some big lake full of frogs back in colonial times and all the citizens confused the croaking with Native American war cries until they actually saw the pond for themselves. As a result the town is now full of giant frog statues. If only we could all learn so much from our past...
At the church, the wonderful congregation members treated us to showers in their own homes. Jim and Jennifer had an awesome house with an awe inspiring double shower with a tv. Not that i don't enjoy cramped group showers with other smelly, dirty men... Jim had actually travelled to over 35 different countries as an air parts inspector and Jennifer was a LOST fan, Thank you so much guys!
Afterwards, we once again had food heaped upon us by the wonderful church youth group. This made me very happy. The Apple pie was extra yummy.
Also, I finally got some time to freshen up the blog and actually email all of my friends about it. I hope to get the pictures organized soon as well.
All in all, today i continued to ponder what a ridiculously wonderful opportunity im experiencing. If anyone reading this is even remotely considering doing Bike and Build (and you def should be) please be sure to apply this October, it will be the best summer of your life.
Something like 70 miles tomorrow. I wonder who we'll meet...
Saturday, June 6, 2009
"Oh and then they gave me a purple heart"
Day 4 - June 6th
First Day of Riding today. 37 miles from Providence, RI to Plainfield, Connecticut.
We all stopped at the Narangasset Boat club to dip our tires, be surrounded by overeager parents, and generally feel good about ourselves. It was a fun little ceremony. Saw mom and dad there, who aside from heaping amounts of love gave me a proper pillow. Perhaps my sleep has some hope.
The whole way the ride itself felt like just another training run. Its hard to understand that we are going one way all the way. Right next to the state border sign introducing Connecticut was a huge cemetery. Talk about a warm welcome...
The ride was decent with some awesome sights along the way including an amazing reservoir(which i believe goes all the way to my faucet in nyc) and some great rural scenery. The highlight though goes to a MONSTER hill at the very end of our ride where I clocked my all time high of 40.2 mph. It was awesomesauce.
At St. Paul's Episcopal Church we were yet again met with unbelievable hospitality. Upon my humble request for a tailor in town to fix one of the pouches on my luggage bag, one church member called another and before I knew it the amazing Linda(who just happened to be a professional seamstress) totally pimped out my entire bag. We're talking reinforced zigzag stitches everywhere, even on the pouches that weren't ripped. Thank you Linda!
At the dinner there was also this interesting looking fellow who I decided to sit next to. Within the first minute of conversation, I found out he had been a church member for all 84 years of his life. Highlight of dinner was Linda's amazing Mac and Cheese with corn recipe that her husband Ernie had found in a tractor magazine! Over dinner I also overheard that Charlie had played lots of sports when he was younger, including baseball.
I love baseball and approached him later about this looking for some casual conversation and this is where stuff got crazy. It turns out that not only did he play several varsity sports simultaneously, taking the places of students 2 years older than him, he had also been asked to go to a St. Louis Cardinal's tryout. But wait, he couldnt do this because he was instead required to show up for an army physical.
A couple of months later he's in the frontlines of WW2 Germany fighting for his life, sleeping in ditches in ten degree weather with snow. Wasn't long before he got caught by a mortar and had shrapnel in his legs. He survived and recovered fully. Oh and by the way he casually earned a Purple Heart, you know, no biggie. And all of that from an unassuming cheery 84 year old man who doesnt exactly run up stairs. Oh and Linda casually reminded me that many of his state athletic records remain untouched.
Honestly its people like Linda, Charlie, and Robin(from Providence) that make every single day so unbelievably exciting. These people have led such amazing lives and you would never know it. Plus seeing the excitement in their eyes when we talk about what bike and build does is unbelievable.I can't wait to keep on meeting so many cool people.
Today I also started another pledge to do at least as many pushups as miles cycled that day, given i remain injury free. Would i mind a little bit of tanned rippedness at the end of the summer? Hmm...
56 miles to Middlefield, CT tomorrow and we're not even at the Appalachians.
First Day of Riding today. 37 miles from Providence, RI to Plainfield, Connecticut.
We all stopped at the Narangasset Boat club to dip our tires, be surrounded by overeager parents, and generally feel good about ourselves. It was a fun little ceremony. Saw mom and dad there, who aside from heaping amounts of love gave me a proper pillow. Perhaps my sleep has some hope.
The whole way the ride itself felt like just another training run. Its hard to understand that we are going one way all the way. Right next to the state border sign introducing Connecticut was a huge cemetery. Talk about a warm welcome...
The ride was decent with some awesome sights along the way including an amazing reservoir(which i believe goes all the way to my faucet in nyc) and some great rural scenery. The highlight though goes to a MONSTER hill at the very end of our ride where I clocked my all time high of 40.2 mph. It was awesomesauce.
At St. Paul's Episcopal Church we were yet again met with unbelievable hospitality. Upon my humble request for a tailor in town to fix one of the pouches on my luggage bag, one church member called another and before I knew it the amazing Linda(who just happened to be a professional seamstress) totally pimped out my entire bag. We're talking reinforced zigzag stitches everywhere, even on the pouches that weren't ripped. Thank you Linda!
At the dinner there was also this interesting looking fellow who I decided to sit next to. Within the first minute of conversation, I found out he had been a church member for all 84 years of his life. Highlight of dinner was Linda's amazing Mac and Cheese with corn recipe that her husband Ernie had found in a tractor magazine! Over dinner I also overheard that Charlie had played lots of sports when he was younger, including baseball.
I love baseball and approached him later about this looking for some casual conversation and this is where stuff got crazy. It turns out that not only did he play several varsity sports simultaneously, taking the places of students 2 years older than him, he had also been asked to go to a St. Louis Cardinal's tryout. But wait, he couldnt do this because he was instead required to show up for an army physical.
A couple of months later he's in the frontlines of WW2 Germany fighting for his life, sleeping in ditches in ten degree weather with snow. Wasn't long before he got caught by a mortar and had shrapnel in his legs. He survived and recovered fully. Oh and by the way he casually earned a Purple Heart, you know, no biggie. And all of that from an unassuming cheery 84 year old man who doesnt exactly run up stairs. Oh and Linda casually reminded me that many of his state athletic records remain untouched.
Honestly its people like Linda, Charlie, and Robin(from Providence) that make every single day so unbelievably exciting. These people have led such amazing lives and you would never know it. Plus seeing the excitement in their eyes when we talk about what bike and build does is unbelievable.I can't wait to keep on meeting so many cool people.
Today I also started another pledge to do at least as many pushups as miles cycled that day, given i remain injury free. Would i mind a little bit of tanned rippedness at the end of the summer? Hmm...
56 miles to Middlefield, CT tomorrow and we're not even at the Appalachians.
Swivel, don't push
Day 3 - June 5
Am not quite adjusting to sleeping on hardwood floors yet, but getting there. Had our first of ten build days today. Arrived to an empty foundation and left having almost all of the floorboards in place. Effectively hammering a nail in is easily like top 10 feelings in life. Seriously. Always hold as low on the handle as possible and make sure to swing with the wrist rather than push with the arm, and you too can experience such nirvana. No powertools yet, but that time will come.
Bought an awesome super neon yellow windjacket at the shop. It may or may not have legally blinded some drivers on the way back.
Also stopped by our friend Robin's unique pet store, Plaid & Stripe. It had some super cool and funny things in it. Just when i think this guy cant be any cooler he then shows us his amazing vintage circus poster collection! Apparently there are upwards of 15,000 dogs in Providence but only 1,200 are registered which has serious effects of , and Providence Barks(insert link) is his advocacy effort to push for greater recognition of the pet owning population in Providence.
The wonderful people at St. Martin's church again treated us to an amazing potluck dinner tonight, and my hopes for actually gaining weight on the trip momentarily flared up. Their kindness, support, and enthusiasm have just been awe inspiring. I look forward to meeting more great people like them.
It's so odd how us riders only been with each other for two days but are already ridiculously close and friendly. It's great. Tomorrow we officially kick off. We'll dip our tires in the Atlantic Ocean and then start our first day of riding. On Aug 13, we'll complete our journey by dipping into the Pacific. Nothing like symbolism to inspire a sense of accomplishment...
Am not quite adjusting to sleeping on hardwood floors yet, but getting there. Had our first of ten build days today. Arrived to an empty foundation and left having almost all of the floorboards in place. Effectively hammering a nail in is easily like top 10 feelings in life. Seriously. Always hold as low on the handle as possible and make sure to swing with the wrist rather than push with the arm, and you too can experience such nirvana. No powertools yet, but that time will come.
Bought an awesome super neon yellow windjacket at the shop. It may or may not have legally blinded some drivers on the way back.
Also stopped by our friend Robin's unique pet store, Plaid & Stripe. It had some super cool and funny things in it. Just when i think this guy cant be any cooler he then shows us his amazing vintage circus poster collection! Apparently there are upwards of 15,000 dogs in Providence but only 1,200 are registered which has serious effects of , and Providence Barks(insert link) is his advocacy effort to push for greater recognition of the pet owning population in Providence.
The wonderful people at St. Martin's church again treated us to an amazing potluck dinner tonight, and my hopes for actually gaining weight on the trip momentarily flared up. Their kindness, support, and enthusiasm have just been awe inspiring. I look forward to meeting more great people like them.
It's so odd how us riders only been with each other for two days but are already ridiculously close and friendly. It's great. Tomorrow we officially kick off. We'll dip our tires in the Atlantic Ocean and then start our first day of riding. On Aug 13, we'll complete our journey by dipping into the Pacific. Nothing like symbolism to inspire a sense of accomplishment...
Plaid and Stripe
Day 2 - June 4
Went on first ride in two weeks(20 miler) along the most scenic bike path ive ever seen. at one point we had water on both sides of us while we rode along a thin strip of land, with a lighthouse to our right. Being on the bike felt amazing and the scenery made me yell in delight several times.
Immediately after i took my first ever group shower. Talk about comfort zones... Totally not a big deal, looking forward to more, in a hygienic sense that is.
We woke up at 6:30am and the day legit just didnt want to end. Just as my hunger almost won out, we arrived at the potluck barbeque the members of St. Martins church threw for us. Burgers for 32 starving people, and 3 alone for me, well these people are wonderful to say the least.
One charming person in particular was Robin, owner and proprieter of Plaid & Stripe. The dude is from Greeenwich village, so atuomatically legit. His "woof" cap though and two beagles, and awesome yellow rimmed spectacles were just the tip of his awesomeness. He described his store by explaining how one of his products is a fortune cookie for dogs that says inside, " One dog's poop is another dog's patte". Super cool, i think yes. He enthusiastically invited us to the store tomorrow, so that is definitely happening.
First build day is tomorrow, cant wait to put in those nails...
Went on first ride in two weeks(20 miler) along the most scenic bike path ive ever seen. at one point we had water on both sides of us while we rode along a thin strip of land, with a lighthouse to our right. Being on the bike felt amazing and the scenery made me yell in delight several times.
Immediately after i took my first ever group shower. Talk about comfort zones... Totally not a big deal, looking forward to more, in a hygienic sense that is.
We woke up at 6:30am and the day legit just didnt want to end. Just as my hunger almost won out, we arrived at the potluck barbeque the members of St. Martins church threw for us. Burgers for 32 starving people, and 3 alone for me, well these people are wonderful to say the least.
One charming person in particular was Robin, owner and proprieter of Plaid & Stripe. The dude is from Greeenwich village, so atuomatically legit. His "woof" cap though and two beagles, and awesome yellow rimmed spectacles were just the tip of his awesomeness. He described his store by explaining how one of his products is a fortune cookie for dogs that says inside, " One dog's poop is another dog's patte". Super cool, i think yes. He enthusiastically invited us to the store tomorrow, so that is definitely happening.
First build day is tomorrow, cant wait to put in those nails...
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