Day off!

Today is our day off in the Grand Canyon! Our campsite has no cell signal... But had wireless Internet in the general store, lol. We started the morning with a hike and ended at the vistors center to listen to the Ranger's Geological Talk which was fun. I then spent time doing some leader things, and we wen for a little bike ride to eat out. We watched sunset over the Canyon while Jacki played the guitar and sang to us! It was perfect. We then had smores by the campfire to end a fabulous day. 

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Grand Canyon

Thursday we rode into the National Park and the Grand Canyon! locals had told us is was a beaultiful ride... And well we never trust locals too much when talking about terrain (unless they are a cyclist). The local were right, it was beautiful but it was a different beautiful than we expected. There were no rocks or cliffs, but grass and trees!

Thanks to Lindsey Dean for sponsoring today!

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Another fall

Yesterday was another century ride into Page AZ. There was beautiful scenery once again and more heat than we've had in a while. We were exicted to have a few rain showers late in the day! About a mile from host.... I ran off the shoulder as it dropped about 4 inches, landing me on my head and left shoulder in the middle of the street. Luckily the other riders were far enough behind me that they were able to stop before hitting me, and a ranger happened to be passing in the other direction- she stopped traffic and then gave me a ride to host. My helmet cracked, but good thing I was wearing one! I went this morning to buy a new one and am hoping to ride this afternoon assuming my head pain is gone.

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Arizona!

Yesterday we crossed into Arizona! And then we made a little stop off at the four corners monument which was pretty cool. I bought some more jewlery, some for myself and some for family members... Hopefully I will soon stop seeing beautiful things so I cam start saving money!

We had less than perfect living conditions last night... But today we are in Keyenta AZ, a town with 2 fast food restaurants (aka big compared to where we have been visiting, haha). We gave another bike clinic and presentation today, and again mcdonalds donated dinner... And Once again I couldn't stomach it :(

But today was a short 56 mile day with lots of pretty Arizona red rocks! It was also Laura's birthday so we all sang ro her and had some cake. Happy Birthday Laura! Now we are off to bed to prepare for a century ride tomorrow...

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mountains, mountains, and more mountians

We haven't had Internet or even cell phone signal for the past two days... We spent one night camping just west of Cuba NM and then last night we camped out in the parking lot of Appache Nugget Casino on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation. Staying at the casino was interesting... First it was SUPER windy when trying to set up tents, we could barely hold them from blowing away and ended up pace lining them behind the van to cut wind, lol. It was also Becca's 21st birthday soahe had a great location to celebrate! I chose to save my money and only watch the gambling take place :)

The last 3 days have been super hilly, with some great views from the top of mountains. Wednesday we reached over 9,200 feet in elevation! It was a sweet ride down... And I hit my max speed for the trip of 43mph. I tend to get scared going downhill and so I start braking at 30mph if not sooner... So you can imagine how fast some members of the group were going!
Today we are in Farmington NM at the First Presbytarian church. It seems like a nice town and the people are great. A few parishioners have been reading my blog for the past few weeks... Thanks! And I hope you enjoy it :)

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Today was great!

Today we had a day off in Santa Fe New Mexico. I started the day with a much needed trip to the chiropractor, then we went to Trader Joes and dunkin donuts!! Neither of which we have visited at all this trip, and well dunkins was amazing as always :) I wandered downtown a bit by myself and bought a kokopelli blanket and looked at lots of jewelery. I bought a necklace and earing set with turquoise which I'm pretty excited about. We visited the good old post office to send some stuff home and make our bags lighter. Then, Laurel and I headed off for a massage! It was fabulous. We ended the day with a nice Italian pizza and getting organized and ready to hit the road tomorrow.
This is my favorite place we've been yet, and I hope to come back and spend more time!

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Beautiful scenery

Today was the most beautiful scenery we have passed yet, heading through the country side of New Mexico. The ride was long and hard, with a 3 mile hill at the end... But none the less it was a great day. There was lots of group spirit and chalking of positive thoughts written on the tough roads. It was an 88 mile ride... And we passed one "town" the entire way. This town was a church ( and outhouse, no plumbing...) and 3 houses! We are officially in the middle of NOWHERE.
We are spending the night in another tiny town (well, a bit bigger) called Mosquero, with a population of 87 people! This weekend happens to be the cowboy camp, and we were invited over for dinner, live music, and conversation. It was fun, Haha
On other fronts: My tan lines are becoming outrageous... And I'm still super tired all the time, our 2 days off just wasn't enough. I cant wait to be back in my bed on Aug 24:) lastly, we have entered the area with limited Internet/ cell service so please understand any delays in my communication.

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New Mexico!

Today was a luxurious 48 mile ride into Clayton New Mexico! We of course took pictures by the state sign and the sign saying we crossed into Mountain Time Zone. We arived in town around 11:30am and so we stopped a the first Mexican place we passed and had a delicous lunch.
After arriving at the church people were talking about exploring downtown and getting hair cuts... And well, it turns out the lady here from the church used to be a hair dresser and offered to cut all our hair for free:) thanks! I decided to get a trim since it's been months...
Today was a mail drop day, I got cookies from my mom! And some inner tubes, which are necessary. Thanks!
We gave our first children's bike clinic today and it was lots of fun. My first days impression of NM is certainly better than the first day we spent in TX, haha.
When I was asking for donations there was an option to sponsor an entire state verses just a day or two. My aunt Tonia chose to sponsor New Mexico! Thanks. And, so did the Litch family, thanks to Cindy, Rob, Cassidy and Tyler :) I'll be sending you all postcards before we leave the state!

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Don't Mess with Texas

This saying is on all the anti-littering signs around the state of Texas, and it makes me laugh each and every time. We ended up having two sort-of days off this week due to an incident in Amarillo and needing to leave that host a day early. Our scheduled day off consisted of us waking up before 7am and speaking with the YMCA staff, then finding a new host, and shuttling people to Dalhart the town we were biking to the following day. Luckily the Baptist Church here agreed to take us a day early! We spent half the day in Amarillo, explored a coffee shop, and watched two members of our group attempt to eat a 72oz steak at the Big Texan Restaurant. Unfortunately neither of them succeeded :( One had 14oz left at the end of the hour, and the other puked with 3 minutes left, so close! The the leaders drove everyone and their bikes to site, and we had another day off in Dalhart. I was able to sleep in, upload some photos here/ to facebook and went out for some authentic Texas Mexican food! Mexican is one of my favorites, and so I was very excited!!!

Oklahoma!

Today we crossed into Oklahoma right at the end of our 87 ride. It was another hot and windy day... This seems to be a pattern! I didn't fall asleep on the bike today though :) LOL. I'm struggling with this an am trying to change a few things in my diet to see if it helps... Since sleeping more just doesn't seem to be an option. We rode through a handful of abandoned towns today which was interesting and caused much discussion about how that occurs.
I had 2 flats today, one in each tire... And when we got to host we found out that McDonald's had donated our meals for the night/ breakfast. I haven't eaten McDonald's in almost 5 years, and well it was just as bad as I remember. Haha

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Busy busy busy

It's been a few days since I've had time to blog. Thursday we had a build day with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Garland in Texas. Garland is a suburb just east of Dallas. It was a ton of fun, we were framing. When we arrived at 8am there was simply a concrete slab. And when we were done at 2pm ALL the walls were up! Pictures to come.
Yesterday was an 89 mile ride into Decatur- the days are definitely starting to run together and getting hard to remember what was what town. It was probably one of the hardest days physically because it was hilly, super hot as there was a stretch of almost 20 miles with no shade or establishments a which we could enjoy AC or refill on water. Thinking of Craig and all he went through the last few years helped to know that I could be strong and make it through. I ran out of water about 8 miles from host, and then bonked about 5 miles out which was scary. But I rested a few minutes, ate something and got water from another rider so then I was fine to finish the ride and just took it east last night. Once a week we do "town hall meetings" where everyone has the opportunity to express their concerns, questions and comments and last night was the first one where people really had concerns, hopefully we can get some solutions in the next week. One big concern was trying to shorten our mileage because many people, including myself, are severely under rested and exhausted all the time. So... if you have some free time and wanna help us out by playing with google maps, or by making some phone calls, please let me know:) we don't often have Internet and the iPhone can only do so much...
Today is 71 miles into Wichita Falls TX and we are already at first lunch stop at 9am! It will hopefully be an early and relaxing evening so I can get some sleep.

Lastly, Cassie Ravo sponsored July 11th and I wasn't able to blog that day, so I wanted to thank her here! And, wish her sister a happy marriage :)

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Pool party lunch stop!

I officially love biking in the morning. Waking up early is still rough and making me super alert on the bike but its worth it. Yesterday was a 97 mile day through some pretty bad roads. They were very bumpy all day long leaving me almost shaking each time we stopped. And to top it off, when we hit mile 68 the road was freshly paved- now this sounds good, but it certainly wasn't. The road was melting and so the tar was getting stuck to our tires, and in the brakes. It made walking my bike VERY difficult, let alone the thought of riding. The tar ripped a line through the rubber in my tire and ripped the screw out of my cleats. It was the worst 3 miles of the trip....
BUT, we had a lovely pool party waiting for us at mile 71 which totally got me through it all! We were greeted by a kind family, food, a pool and their little son who had a tray of ice cream! It was amazing and powered us through the last 25 miles which were pretty good.
Last night was our best host yet! We were split up into pairs and sent off to stay win different families from the church. I was with Kim at the Grymonprez's house, and they were great :) we went out for a sunset boat ride on the lake, and a little dip. I took lots of beautiful pictures! And, it was amazing to have my own bedroom!

Today was only 75 miles which was nice. The day was pretty average. Laura got a few flats, she is up to 18 so far this trip! I feel super lucky to have only had one yet.

I was hoping this summer would be relaxing and stress free so I could enjoy the journey and our county. I'm realizing that this isn't true :( There is always something going on and so we aren't free til 9 or 10 at night, and well I just want to sleep at that point because we wake up sooo early. My leader responsibilities are more time consuming than I had expected and often keep me occupied. But overall I like the majority of the people and enjoy the time on the bike and so the experience is good thus far :)

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Texas!

Thanks to my aunt Julie, Kylee and Delaney for sponsoring today! Happy Birthday Grandpa, we miss you lots.

Today we crossed into Texas which is super exciting. This is the first state
on our journey that I have never been to before. It was also one more state that I drove across the border not rode my bike... Maybe the next one I can finally ride across!
It was a super rainy day, the worst we have had yet, until about 2 pm and so I wasn't too sad to miss out on that.
Tonight we are staying at a family's house. Their daughter did bike and build a few years ago, so it should be a fun evening.

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Amazingly short day!

Today was a simple 31 miles... We chose to sleep in until 9am and then my group stopped at an alligator farm along the way! The gators were pretty cool I took a lot to pictures and will postnsome here eventualy. I also bought some souvenirs for my cousins! So be excited fot those next time I'm in NH. There were some thunder storms in re afternoon... But we were surrounded by corn fields and saw no where to take shelter so we just rode through, which ended up being pretty fun.

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July fourth

Happy 4th of July!!!
Today was a really fun ride day. I was riding sweep (at the of the bunch to make sure everyone gets there ok) but it was only 55 mile so we were able to have a nice relaxing day. We stopped and took some pictures on bails of hay!
Tonight went to the college president's house for dinner and then explored downtown Natchitoches where there was a fair and fireworks by the river.

Thanks to Martin and Paula for sponsoring today! And happy anniversary too :)

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my first flat

Yesterday was a 102 mile day.... And today was 99 miles. Needless to say I don't have much positive to write. LOL
Today I got my first flat tire which stinks. But I was able to change and pump it up in 10 mins which was sweet! I also lost the screws in my cleat and so the cleat got stuck in my pedal... Making it SUPER hard to ride the last 5 miles. My back hurt again today too :( but hey, tomorrow is the 4th of July and we only have 55 miles to ride! Happy holidays all, I'll try to write more when I have time... But right bow I just want to sleep.
We do some math... And found we typically spend 3-4 hour more riding our bikes each day than the sleep we get at night. Not good.... Especially for someone who needs as much sleep as I do!!!

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Baton Rouge Build Day!

I was assigned to do today's group journal, and below is my entry for anyone reading this blog and not the group one:

This morning we woke up at 5am thinking that breakfast crew was cooking and we had to be at site at 7am to volunteer. However, there was a pleasant surprise that the church was providing breakfast and we had a little "snow day" because we were able to go back to sleep for 30 minutes! It turned out that the whole group slept an hour... And we were a bit rushed by everyone made it out and there on time. Thanks to the St. James Episcopal Church for a delicious break consisting of eggs, pastries, sausage, coffee, and juice.

We arrived at the worksite for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge and began the day with a prayer. Today we were doing a pre-build meaning that we were putting door and window frames together, and putting together studs for the corners, etc. Many people wet excited because this is the closest we have come to framing! And tons of people had the chance to use power saws which is always fun. There was enough work to keep everyone busy alld ay long which was exciting, and something that does not always happen. The day was extremely productive with many piles of cut and prepared wood by the end of the day. And, an ice cream truck drove by site, which many people found exciting! I ended up leaving the worksite a bit early to take two riders to doctor's appointments but the group kept hard at work. Both riders are fine, they just wanted to get things checked before continuing the upcoming long ride days. The work day was over at 1pm and some people went back to the church for a good old PB&J lunch while a few others went out. Thanks to Habitat of Greater Baton Rouge for an excellent work day, and for the delicious snacks!

The afternoon consisted of napping, visiting the public library, running to the bike store, pharmacy and various errands for different people. A handful of people took time to catch up on old journal entries, so we can hopefully be up to date! There is a sushi place just down the street with happy hour deals so many people headed over there. Dinner was provided by St. James Episcopal Church again today. In the evening a few people went out to explore town, but most stayed in and watched a movie on the projector.

-Kerri Socha

On the road again

Yesterday morning we had a lovely breakfast and then rolled out of New Orleans around 7am. It was an 83 mile ride into Baton Rouge. At first I was little worried about that many miles after I hadn't ridden in 9 days and becuase I wasn't sure the bike was all adjusted properly. However, we got on the road and there was a bit of a tail
Wind in the morning combined with a non humid 90 degrees, and well we we crusing! We had 60 miles done before noon time and were thoroughly enjoying it. I honestly think this was the best ride conditions of the summer so far! The route itself wasn't too eventful as we rode on LA route 61 for 75 of 83 miles.
Along the route we passed a few establishments which I found imtersting: a gas staion and casino combo?!?! I made a stop later in the afternoon to see a chiropractor because my low back was really hurting from working on the floor boards, and then biking 83 miles... But I'm already feeling better. A few of us have discussed going for massages in Texas! (And of course when we get to San Francisco)
The pastor at the church we are staying at took us all out for pizza at a cut local shop which was a nice treat. Today we are building in Baton Rouge and I'm assigned to do the group journal so I'll paste that entry here too.

Thanks to the Spiegleman's for sponsoring June 29! They asked to sponsor a nice day, and well this was a vey nice day :)

I anyone would like to come to San Francisco to see I finish and celebrate, let me know! We will arrive on August 17th and have a nice lunch time celebration and then spend a few days in the city.

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