Day 1 - Orientation

After a somewhat restless night, I woke up this morning at 7:00 sharp acutely aware that I had just spent the last night sleeping in a bed for pretty much the rest of the summer. Today marked the first day I would spend sleeping on gym floors, church pews, and other hard horizontal surfaces throughout the country this summer. 

Orientation was a blur. I spent the whole day meeting my teammates and learning every single aspect of Bike and Build one could possibly know... even down to the saddle sores. Andddd there were pictures involved. Mmmm. 

Today was great but I am exhausted. We have an equally as packed day tomorrow and we will be having our shake-down ride to make sure everyone can ride their bikes properly. I should have brought my training wheels....

Well my thermarest is blown up and my sleeping bag looks inviting. Goodnight from Charleston! 

First mountain of the summer!

Yesterday we got into Asheville, NC. The mountains are absolutely gorgeous. I'm already thinking that I want to move around here someday because it is so beautiful. 

Dad brought along his bike so we could take a ride the next morning. We were thinking it was going to be an easy, scenic warm-up for the summer. We set our sights on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway so we got in the car and drove to the place we wanted to start biking. We stopped at the visitor's center to get an idea about where we wanted to ride. Dad pointed to a spot on the map and told the lady behind the counter that we wanted to start there.

"Ohh," she said. "You'll be starting uphill but it's sure fun to come down." 

So we set out on the ride. It definitely was uphill. My legs were not warmed up. They complained. I was breathing loudly. So was Dad. Marcus fell behind. But eventually our legs gave in and warmed up and we continued uphill. 

After a mile, it leveled out a little. Dad looks at me and smiled. 

"That hill was a mile long! New record for me." 

Then we continued up for 14 more miles. Little did we know, we'd chosen to climb a mountain for our "warm-up" ride. The last mile and a half had a steeper grade and it was grueling!! But we all made it to the top!! Here are some pictures: 

Marcus resting at a scenic outlook stop. 

The beautiful mountains!

Dad and I at the summit!!

We climbed 4000 feet in 15 miles. It took over an hour and a half. The descent was mind-blowing. We averaged over 30 miles an hour and reached the bottom in less than a half hour. The road was sooo smooth!! Coming down that mountain was one of those moments where I felt so happy and so at peace that if I happened to die at that very moment, I would probably wake up in the same exact place I was in. The emotion was almost indescribable but I'll try. It felt like doing cartwheels and eating ice cream and going 40 mph and falling in love and snuggling with puppies and world peace all in one emotion. What a great way to start off the cross-country tour!!!! 

Orientation is tomorrow!!! I am nervous but mostly excited to meet leaders and teammates!! Stay tuned!!

The bridge into Charleston!

Fundraising Completion, Cover Indiana, and LESS THAN A WEEK TO GO!

Hi! I have so much news to share because I am already such a bad blogger! First off, I have officially gone above and beyond my fundraising goal of $4,500. My generous friends and family have donated a total of $4,720 which is 105% of my goal! And the donations are still trickling in! Wow! I am so incredibly humbled by the generosity of everyone. Be sure to check your mailboxes this summer because you'll all be getting postcards!!!! Here's the rest of my team members this summer who have supported me: Fier family, Mark Sloss, Sheilds family, Spanier family, Reinemann family, Taylor family, Martin family, Michels family, Jason Meyer, Allen family, Grace Schmit, Tracey Luttrell, Miller family, Karen Switalski, Denis Luebke, Alan Clinton, Cole family, Styzek family, and Mary Ann Kattner.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! I hope you all read this blog so you can come along for a virtual ride across the country. My goal is to post a picture and a short story every day so stay tuned! Orientation starts May 22nd and the first ride is May 25th!

NEXT! Cover Indiana 2013 was a success!!! I got approximately 320 miles of riding in last week across the beautiful Indiana countryside with about 85 equally beautiful people! Here are some pictures:

Got a flat..... ughhhh.

Purdue student riders

Jamile and I after climbing a hill!

My best friend, Max, and I with double tails!

AHHHHHH! This time next week, I will be at orientation and next Saturday I will be dipping my rear wheel in the Atlantic Ocean before heading to the Pacific! Eeeeeeeeee!!!! I am so unbelievably excited! Black Beauty is all tuned up and ready to go (she's in the shop tonight to get the water out of the bottom bracket from when Max and I rode in the flood... bad idea...) Dad and Meghan have offered to drive me to South Carolina and we'll make a pitstop to pick up Marcus from Lafayette. Dad wants to take a stop in Ashville, TN for the night and so we can take a bike ride! Should be fun!!!! I'll keep you updated.

Max started his route today from North Carolina to San Diego! Keep him in your prayers as he makes his way over the Appalachians! Bye for now!

Biking/Swimming

Today turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day with minimal winds and sunny skies. My training partner-in-crime, Max, joined me on a ride. We went out west of Purdue, the terrain we usually ride, and chatted while enjoying a slight tailwind. The forests are getting greener and farmers have begun working the fields. 

About seven or eight miles in, we came to a "road closed" sign. If you don't know, it has been raining here like constantly causing the Wabash River to burst its banks and cause flooding issues. But Max and I ain't afraid of any "road closed" signs so we biked past it and continued talking.

Soon, we came to a flooded road. We reduced speed and rode on the high side of the road. Our feet barely got wet. "Hah!" We scoffed (or at least I scoffed.) "They closed the road for THAT?" We pedaled onward.

Less than a mile later, we came to this mess:

"Uhhhhhhhhh.... Looks pretty deep," said Max.

"Let's go for it!" I suggested, knowing that was probably a stupid idea.

So we pedaled until our feet were submerged and eventually the hubs on our wheels were underwater as well. A woman whose house was nearby looked on disapprovingly. 

The current was strong! I unclipped my feet from the pedals and dismounted, fearing that the current might sweep me away while I was still attached to my bike. If I went under... my brand new iPhone, stowed away in my jersey pocket, would get ruined. Plus, I might drown. I looked back and saw that Max had done the same. We snapped a few more pictures to document our adventure:

(Black Beauty and me, forging the river)

(Max shouldering his bike, Habby)

The water was freezing! We both picked up our bikes and walked through the flood by foot. We made our way to the top of the bridge where it was dry and wrung our socks out. We noticed how heavy our bikes had become with water, in the rims and in the frames. "Good training," we said about the extra weight. After our socks had been partially sun-dried, we put on our soaked shoes and made our way up and over the bridge. Upon reaching the apex, we looked ahead of us and saw that the other side of the bridge was washed out as well. Ha... figures! So much for trying to get dry.

After the flood, we biked through the Indiana countryside battling some head winds and cross winds, got lost a few times, but eventually got back after having a nice and refreshing 20 mile ride.

Meet my Support Team!

As of right now, I have raised $3,542 total. That's only about $1,00 short of my goal: $4,500. With about 2 and a half months until my trip starts (whoa, time flies!), I have plenty of time to raise the rest before the deadline which is the day that the trip starts (May 22nd). Thank you so much to everyone who has donated!!! There was such an amazing response from my friends and family and I feel so loved and supported (and grateful!) Here is a list of my "team," the people who have supported me thus far:

(In order of donation date)
Marcus Thompson, Stephen Shirley, Alex Rouse, Sarah Mattox, Leanne and Chris Talbert, Lynne and Bill Luehrs, Tom and Michelle Kozloski, Dellanina family, Benson family, Mazanek family, Skowera family, Diebel family, Schafer family, Roshan Alex, Britt Simmerman, Liberty family, Fusilero family, Parisi family, Novotny family, Atwood family, Grandpa and Grandma, Tumberger family, Kapcheck family, Tim Liberty, Clifford family, Kreb family, Brucchi family, Gallus family, Kristina Throne, Joe Gambino, Lauren Johnson, Liz Deal, Tixier family, Hammersley family, Fairburn family, Scala family, Ritchie family, Handrich family, Sandel family, Maclure Cooperative House, Dix family, Mikel Whicher, Wiley family, Brandt family, Perrone family, Cushing family, Joan and Chuck Hemauer, Cassie Phegley, Nuelle family, Ward family, and Steve Yaninek.

While I'll be the one on the bike this summer, these people are truly and heart and soul of Bike and Build. Without them, the organization would not be able to accomplish its core cause, which is to fund programs that provide low-income families and people with affordable housing. Thanks to all of you, someone in the United States will have a safe place to lay the foundation of his or her life.

You are all so amazing and so inspiring. Thank you for your support and look for your postcard in the mail this summer!

First Ride of the Year

With the snow on the ground quickly melting, I headed out for my first ride of the year! All it took was 25 miles to let me know how out of shape I am. I had a slight headwind going out, which I was happy about because it means I get to fly home on the way back. I slowly climbed up Kerber Hill a couple times and raced down nearby Eagle Hill, which gave my burning quads a breather. I took it slow and just enjoyed the fresh air. It really feels like spring outside. Sadly, it's only January... :(

My mighty aluminum steed, Black Beauty, still rides like a dream. If you're wondering why my bike's name is Black Beauty, it's because that, as I kid, every bike I owned was named Black Beauty after the horse. I always wanted a horse but obviously Chicago is not a horse-friendly place. I guess in a kid's mind, a bike is the next closest thing. Sometimes I still pretend I'm riding the actual Black Beauty across the countryside. Maybe one day.....

Neeeiighhhh!

Year 2013

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!!!! Year 2012 was a doozie but 2013 is going to be even crazier! I have a lot more money to raise and a lot more miles to ride this year than last year, but I'm looking forward to it all!

These past few days, I've been watching Bike and Build videos on YouTube like it's my job. I get more and more pumped with every one that I watch! I just can't wait until the weather warms up and I can get back on my trusty ol' Trek and start training. Until then, I'll be hitting the gym and the pool to stay in shape. Hopefully, I can shed the couple pounds I've added on this winter and get into summer shape before my trip starts. Those Christmas cookies were deadly. I don't want to lose weight this summer so I'm going to try to maintain the weight I have after training this spring.

My fundraising campaign has officially started! I mailed over 100 letters yesterday to my friends and family. I still have emails to send but I think that's a good start! Who knew that composing, printing, folding, and addressing 100 letters would literally take the whole day? With a solid two hours of licking! Meanwhile, I'm still brainstorming other fundraising ideas. Thanks to everyone who has donated!!! It means so much to me.

With 2013 officially here, Bike and Build is becoming more of a reality. In 5 and a half months, I'll beginning the adventure of a lifetime, possibly the highlight of my existence. If you know me, you know that this trip is like a dream come true for me. Thanks everyone for your support in making this crazy dream of mine a reality. The funds I bring in will go to support another person whose dream come true is to become a homeowner! What a great cause! Stay tuned for other updates as the day draws nearer!