San Francisco!

The trip ended this past Monday Aug 17th with a nice 36 miles ride from Point Reyes CA to Baker Beach in San Francisco. It was quite a cold morning as we left the camp site bundled in our warmest gear. The ride was up and down over the hills and through a few cute towns. We met up about 3 miles from the end and all rode together across the golden gate bridge! My parents were there and got a picture of almost everyone :)
There were tons of family and friends waiting as we pulled into the beah and evryone cheered. We promptly dropped our bikes and ran into the cold ocean! We then did the formal wheel dip with pictures, and enjoyed the party and food for a few hours.

I then spent a few days exploring San Francisco, one in Monterey and driving the CA coast, and am now visiting my friends Doug and Kevin in San Luis Obispo. We are going wine tasting and surfing this weekend!!! Then early
Monday morning I'm taking a bus to LA and flying back to MD.

Thanks to everyone who donated or otherwise supported in my endeavors this summer. It was a wonderful experience and an adventure I'll never forget.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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. 

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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...

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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 :)

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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 :)

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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 :)

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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 :)

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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!!!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Day off in NOLA

Out day off was nice. I slept until noon :) and then I did some work on my bike and cleaned it, and then well, it was time for dinner so we all went out to a lovely Cajun restaurant. I had some red beans and rice which were a bit spicy but delicous non the less. I wish I had seen more of the city, by sleep was necessary and my bike was really important to do, so I guess it's ok.
Today as another build day with EDOLA. The site was only 5 miles away an so I rode my bike which was a goo test. I didn't tighten the handle bar quite rough ad I noticed them shifting while I rode... But I fixed that problem over lunch. I spent the day ripping out corner rounding and floor boards which are to be preserved and used again as the house is redone! A tricky task to not dent or crack I may say...
A kind couple that some people met at a local diner made gumbo for all 32 of us tonight for dinner! It was super, just like the one mom and dad make. (except that I much prefer kilbasa to sausage) We will be up a 4:30am and riding to Baton Rouge where we have yet another build day.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Mail on the road!

A few people have asked... so here is the info on how to send me mail if you wish :)

If your families and friends are anything like mine, they have been curious about how they are going to get in touch with you for the next 10 weeks. What I've written below is an explanation of the mail drop process. Please forward this information to your family and friends as you see fit.

To send mail to a Bike & Build cyclist on the Southern US Route, address your letter/package as follows:

Bike & Build
Attn: CYCLIST NAME
General Delivery
City, State Zip

Use the following list of dates and locations (City, State Zip) to get your letter/package to the location of your choosing:

Thursday, July 2: Lafayette, LA 70509

Thursday, July 9: Garland, TX 75040-9998
Thursday, July 17: Clayton, NM 88415-9998

Thursday, July 23: Cuba, NM 87013-9998

Thursday, July 30: North Rim, AZ 86052

Thursday, August 6: Ely, NV 89301-3140

Thursday, August 13: Yuba City, CA 95991-9998

Lastly, in addition to addressing the package correctly and getting it to the post office in time to be picked up, it is also IMPORTANT that the following is written somewhere on the package: "Hold for pickup on DATE." ("DATE" refers to the dates listed above.) This is important because we will have the post office forward any mail received after we have left town; without this note, your package may be held instead of forwarded.

Happy mailing!

Community Fair

Today we were volunteering again, but a group of us had the opportunity to help out with a community play day in one of New Orleans center city parks.
The park was used a a lot to put FEMA trialers after Katrina. These were recently cleared out but it was noticed that kids have not returned here to paly a try did ore-storm. Therefore multiple community groups are working together to out on these play days once per month to acclimate kids to the park all over again.
I had a blast haning out with kids and enjoying the afternoon. A few older kids taught me how to play Jax, it took me a bit to get the hang of it but I ended up doing pretty well! I also had the pleasure of letting some younger children play "blow bubbles in kerri's face" which they enjoyed becuase
I flinched or I made an angry face each time It got in my eyes. I plaues tennis with an aforable little boy, held a baby, hula hooped ad jimped rope with some teenage girls and many more... Overall
It was a super fun afternoon.
After dinner i started putting my old biketogethet do that I'll have something to ride come Tuesday! And almost the whole group of us went out together. We took the steetcar to the french quarter and walked down bourbon st. But then a few of us headed off to Pat O'brien's and Cafe Du Monde for some dessert! Tomorrow is our day off... And I'm REALLY looking forward to sleeping in :)

On a side note... I've decided to keep going and grown out my hair to donate one more time (this will be 4!). Ive been debating for a few months becuase i really look older with it short. My cousin Sarah recently donated hers which makes me thrilled becuase it's such an easy but important thing to do! I always hate how it looks right after it's cut... But, it grows back, and it's totally worth it. Good job Sarah :)

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Rebuilding in New Orleans

Thanks to Bethany Lee for sponsoring today! She is participating in summer build week in Baltimore this week.

Today we built with the same organization but in the ninth ward. We are building a fence! The other groups are painting and then clearing out a lot to be built on.
We had a lovely dinner with the church of the Brethren disaster ministries which was exciting! The place we are stating this week is pretty sweet... Basically a mansion that was left to the church and now the rector lives in. But he is out of town an so his wife invited us to stay with her! There are a few beds so we have been switching it up which is amazing, and there is a heated pool do we all went for a dip after today's super long day.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Louisiana!!

We rode into New Orleans last night... the third century in four days. Some people were pretty far behind and had to get picked up before actually making it into town :( Today was our first build day with the Episcopal dioceses disaster services group. It was really fun, we met a few others here volunteering. I spent the morning sanding and staining windows. In the afternoon we ripped down sheet rock where they are going to tile.We are here for 6 days, building for 5 and we have a day off on Sunday to explore the city!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Mississippi

We crossed into Mississippi today! But, there was no "Welcome to Mississippi" sign to take a photo with... And even more sadly I got bad news at the bike shop. My frame is ruined- not rideable or fixable :( so we are till trying to figure that out. Tomorrow I'll be driving the van again and then we will be in New Orleans for 6 days building houses so it will give me some time to get it all settled before we ride again.
Also, the fire ants are everywhere here... We have all been bit multiple times. Today when I went to call my dad I sat outside, an afterwards found ants in my pants, haha.
Until then....

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Alabama!

Yesterday was another century, but we crossed into Alabama! It's exciting to finally be out of Florida. I was driving the van, and unfortunately it was a very busy day....we had a flat tire, and there was another bike on bike accident- but everyone Is fine and will be riding as soon as they get new helmets! I still don't know the status I my bike from one girl landing on it the other day, so I'm bringing it to the shop this morning and REALLY hope to be riding by lunch time!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

The end of our short ride days...

Today was our last shirt ride for a while...we enjoyed the 56 miles across Florida's pan handle. We took a lovely afternoon break at a swimming hole, complete with cold natural
springs and a diving board! And then we had some ice cream :) unfortunatley I got a little sun burn today- after putting sun screen on 3 times!
Tomorrow us supposed to be a beautiul ride right along the coast, but is also our first century ride! Many riders, including myself are nervous. I think it will be ok as long as we have adequate time I make it through... Ad so we are waking up at 4:30 am in order to be on the road by 6! Goodnight.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

The end of our short ride days...

Today was our last shirt ride for a while...we enjoyed the 56 miles across Florida's pan handle. We took a lovely afternoon break at a swimming hole, complete with cold natural
springs and a diving board! And then we had some ice cream :)
Tomorrow us supposed to be a beautiul ride right along the coast, but is also our first century ride! Many riders, including myself are nervous. I think it will be ok as long as we have adequate time I make it through... Ad so we are waking up at 4:30 am in order to be on the road by 6!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Central time zone!

Thanks to Paula and Martin Socha for sponsoring today!! Happy birthday Dziadziu, miss you.

We crossed over into the central time zone this morning! My camelback leaked all over me for the first 10 miles which stunk. But, the ride today was a beautiful 53 miles, and we took a detour to have lunch in Georgia :) There was one enormous hill where I hit 36mph which is crazy. On a not so good note... I almost fell asleep on my bike this afternoon. This may seem impossible, but I guess it's not... I'm trying to get to bed early tonight and hope it won't happen again!
We arrived on a small town called Marianna where we were given a delicious meal and our group gave our first affordable housing presentation. For the summer. Tomorrow we have our first day off, I'm hoping to find Internet so I can upload some photos to this blog(and a bunch to facebook), and we are all planning to check out the caverns!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Day 3 and 4

We're not camping today, yay! We had a 76 mile day, the morning was beautiful and we cruised along at about 18mph. The afternoon got a bit hot, and there was some rain- however we were all very excited for the rain and to be a bit cooler. We stopped for some ice cream and had a nice little chat in the shade. We are staying at the Presbyterian church and they made us an amazing dinner! Yay for sleeping in air conditioning.

Tuesday was my first day to drive the van. It was super busy with errands, lunch stop, sick riders and lost riders. My butt definitely enjoyed the day off tho! And everyone made it safe and sound to the host. We are staying at a high school in Havana FL and have to sleep on the gym floor....

A few notes about bike and build.... I'm getting very used to cold showers, having bathrooms is becoming a luxury, having someone else cook dinner Is amazing, chamios butter is necessary, peanuts are everywhere and sleeping on the floor still sucks- hoping that will get better.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Wheel dip

We started our journey early yesterday morning by dipping our back wheels in the Atlantic ocean, in Atlantic beach FL. There were pictures and a nice little send off, and then we got a police escort for the first 5 miles!
The day started out great, but after lunch there were some
Thunderstorms and we pulled over to wait out the lightning. (Later we found out there had been tornado warnings all day in Jacksonville.) the storm was a bit of a downer but got worse when we realized that not everyone would make it to camp by dark, and the director wouldn't make his flight home. The night consisted of a lot of chaos and slightly unhappy people. But everyone was safe. We camped and luckily no rain! All together I rode 63 miles. There was no cell signal, so stru for the delay in posting... This may happen often :(.

So far today is good. Nice weather and I'm just pulled over at a rest stop, waiting for some people to keep on riding!
We finished the 76 mile day with only mild pain. My seat us no too comfy yet,.. I'm hoping that will improve! And I had a bit of heat rash, but nothing too bad. Were camping again tonight, and are all looking forward to less bugs, and a meal cooked for us tomorrow!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

last day of orientation!

Thanks to Lindsey Dean for sponsoring today! And, Happy Birthday to her dad :)

Today was our last full day in Jacksonville. We started the morning with a 7am Health and Hygiene speech, then went on to bike safety. We did a hand full of drills, and went for a shakedown ride. This was a full dress rehearsal so everyone could feel out all their equipment and make sure they have everything they need! Afterwards we biked over to the showers... and I had to stop and help fix a flat. And well, on the way home I got to stop and help someone else fix a flat. So... it was the longest shower trip EVER. The night was complete with some trailer painting, and my parents stopping by for a few minutes. We will be at Atlantic Beach in the morning so we can dip our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean and officially start biking across the country!!!!

Jacksonville build day

Today we built with Beaches Habitat just outside Jacksonville. We had to wake up at 5:30 in order to get all ready and out in time, but people were quicker than anticipated so we played some name games prior to being at site a 7:45am.
Groups split up to work on various pojects on about 5 different houses. I spent the morning doing demolition: tearing out carpet and lenolium floors, undoing cabinets and doors, etc. Then I spent the afternoon painting, which isfun becuase I could teach people stuff!
Habitat provided us with dinner so we all walked over, about 1.5 miles away. Just as we went to leave it started to rain.... Then proceeded to pour! We had a nice long walk in the rain haha.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Riders are here!

Yesterday was more leadership training, including some more shopping, practicing driving with the van and trailer, working on some more cue sheets, going for a swim in the ocean and talking about emergency action plans... good times. 

Today we had a crazy morning doing all the last minute stuff, and cleaning up the church to set everything up. The riders started getting here around 1pm and we all put bikes together (which I had to help with? I did better than I thought I would!) did some bag checks, check-in stuff and all that jazz. Then we went on to play some ice breakers and do some small group meeting about policies, chore groups, painting the trailer and other fun stuff. We also did group skits of all the policies, which is just a fun way to go over them :) We had a lovely dinner that the Beaches Habitat group put on for us, and then we came back to the church. A group of about 5 of us primed the trailer, and did some brainstorming for painting that will occur tomorrow and friday. And now, we're off to bed so we can get up at 5:30am for our first build day tomorrow, yay! 

Leader Orientation

Monday was our first full day, which started at 7am and was packed full. We started out by finalizing the schedule for rider orientation, and who will give each talk.We then went to the storage unit and picked up the bikes and other equipment that has arrived... And sorted it all.
We had a lovely lunch at a smoothie shop, and went I Wal mart to do our big shopping trip. Again we sorted and labeled everything. Then we had some time to figure out the driver, sweep and journal schedule for the whole summer/ which had many computer difficulties and ended up taking forever.
The other riders went out for a bike ride(mine isn't here yet, boo) while kristian and I found a cafe with Internet.... And Finally I got us a place I stay the first night! I've been stressing because for weeks now the only nights we didn't have anywhere were the first 2 nights of the trip. One down, one to go.
We finished the night with facebook photo stuff, and learning how to make cue sheets. And well, we had some fun with Will's camera and our bike lights.... photos to come!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

   I'm taking off for my Bike and Build adventure today :) First off, thanks to everyone who donated! I was able to raise $4338.80 for the affordable housing cause! 

   Today is the start of leader orientation, and then we have a few days of orientation with everyone, and a build day with Habitat for Humanity in Jacksonville Florida before actually starting to ride cross country on June 13th! I'll be blogging every few days (assuming we have internet access!), so please follow my blog at  www.kerribikeandbuild.blogspot.com  You can also track my progress across the USA through this link: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/3148   At the bottom there is a map, a journal that someone from the ride will be writing each day, and lots of helpful information such as how to send me mail :) This journal will be updated every day, just not always by me. 

   I will be checking email only periodically, so if you need to contact me and get a quick response please do so by calling my cell (although I hear AT&T service stinks out west), or emailing my bike and build email which I'll be checking frequently: ksocha@bikeandbuild.org  I also plan to be on facbeook when possible!

   Lastly, if you donated more than $50 and wanted to sponsor a day, please get me that date asap so I can be sure to have the info written down! And, send me your address if you'd like a postcard. 

Take Care and I'll be back to Maryland August 24th!

Jacksonville!

I just got off the plane in Jacksonville! We are waiting for Will's flight to land, and then we're off to the church. Today is the start of leader orientation, which will include fun things like driving and parking the van and trailer... And making cue sheets! Haha.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Packing

Easier said than done.... My dad and I spent almost 2 hours last night fixing all the little things on my bike, and taking it apart to ship it. It was not as easy as we had hoped, but it's shipped and will be in Florida next week!

As for the rest of my belongings... they are still all over the living room. I had to go through and write my name on everything, which made me feel like a 5 year old. But, that task is done. Now I need to put everything for 3 months into one duffle.... We will see how that goes!

My flight to Florida is on Sunday morning :)

I love cycling

Yup, I love cycling. Today I made it outside on my good bike for the first time in about a week. It was fabulous. I went for almost 3 hours on the trails, with my ipod in, I just loved everything about it... I hope this is how the summer will be! Fun, beautiful sights, nice weather, and relaxing.

Oh, the gym.

I sadly didn't make it outside again today. After class I drove out to college park to have dinner with a friend from undergrad which was fun, but the sun was set by the time I went home. So, I'm stuck biking in the gym. The beginning of this week I was super confident in my ability to start this trip, but this week is really hurting me. Good thing there are still 2 more weeks when I don't have class!

Stress...

So, taking this stress management class is turning out to be a great thing for me. Today we had a conference call and I'm getting really worried that a few of my hosts are not yet lined up. More importantly, its the first two nights after we start biking, and would suck for everyone if we have to camp. I have MANY phone calls to make this week which is difficult when I'm in class 9-5. Today I went for a short bike ride because there was just not enough time to do anything else. Hopefully tomorrow will be a day when people answer the phone, and I can get outside and enjoy the sunshine :)

Thanks to Kevin Smith and Colin Kemper for your donations!

yay $4,000

Wahooooo! I hit the $4,000 mark today :) I'm very excited to know I won't have to pay anything for the trip, but am of course still accepting donations as they are going to a good cause. 

I went for a bike ride today, a very cold and windy one... I'm also heading to the gym to do some cross-training. My good bike is in the shop getting some work done on the handle bars so that they are more comfortable, and so today's ride was on my specialized bike. I noticed the difference of how it felt, and of course in how heavy this bike was. Basically, I'm extremely happy with my choice to upgrade to the Giant Advanced. 

Thanks to Bryon Martinez and Anne Buckley for their donation!

Saturday's Ride

Saturday's ride was cut short by the rain and incoming thunder storms. However that didn't stop me! I brought the bike inside, set it up on the trainer and watched 2 hours of the NCIS marathon while biking in my living room :)

A different kind of ride

Friday morning was my graduation ceremony for my Master's from the University of Maryland. My parents came into town, and the ceremony was lovely. In the afternoon, we headed into DC and my parents took me on a bike tour of DC. We arrived, and got our bikes, helmets and tacky orange vests. I got on the bike and laughed, as it was nothing compared to the bike I normally ride. We went on a tour of the monuments, seeing some lit up at night. Everything was lovely! It was by no means a workout, but it was fun. 

(Thursday was a rest day so there was no need to blog)

Thanks to Cassie Ravo and Abdel Piedramartel for donating :)

65+ ride

Bike and Build says we have to do at least one ride over 65 miles before orientation. Today was my first one! It was low 70's and sunny, which was perfect. I mapped out a nice 65 mile route where I could have lunch by the Annapolis harbor.... however, I got a little lost, making it closer to a 70 mile ride, haha. Even better, when lost I pulled out my iphone for help, and it told me my "location could not be determined", BUT the lady at the gas station was very helpful and directed me correctly. At the end I was gratefully not in too much pain... a bit in my hands and a bit in my back but that's it, which is great news! Afterwards I went to the gym and did some strength training. Let's see how I feel tomorrow, haha. I think I'm pretty much ready for this summer. But, I am going to try and do at least one more long ride in the coming weeks. 

Lots of Donations!

I tend to check my Bike and Build account everyday, but went away last week and didn't check it for 5 days. I happily came back to many new donations. Thanks to all of you :)

Cassie Ravo, Mike Osbourne, Sara Montag, Lindsey Dean, Elyssa Diamond, Kevin Socha, Michael Yestramski, Joey Szynal, Nick Wetzel, Laura Fletcher, Ryan Cohick, Angela Kinney, and Harlyene Goss!!!! I'm now up to $3,860.... so close!

Today I rode the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail. This trail is nice and a bit longer than the BWI loop. However, it's a farther drive to get to, and I have to go during the school day or there are kids everywhere which hurts my average speed!

I made the Habitat website!

I've been volunteering for Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity, here in Baltimore since September. I've met some great people, and had many joyous days there. I joined the Volunteer Engagement Committee back in December. As part of this I got to know some of the staff, and well, they learned a lot about Bike and Build. (I should also mention that I learned about Bike and Build from one of the Americorps at Habitat, Roger Knight, who did my route last summer!) A few weeks ago, I was asked if I would like to be featured on their website?!?!   Here is the link, check it out:   http://www.chesapeakehfh.org/volunteer/meet.php?ID=107

I'm taking a summer class entitled Stress Management. As an assignment we have to implement a 10 day stress management program for ourselves. I'm going to use an exercise and journaling format. Therefore, I will be trying to blog every day for the next 10 days. 

Today I went and rode the BWI loop. This is one of my favorite rides in the area because it is a wide path, fairly quiet and doesn't have too many little kids. 

BBQ Fundraiser

The BBQ didn't go quite as well as I had planned :( But, everyone who came had a good time, and I profited about $60! I'm now up over $3,200 total, and am still counting. 

I biked 298 miles outside in the month of April, let's hope I can do the same or more in May!My total since I started training is up to 760 miles. So, training is going well, but it keeps being interrupted by my going out of town and visiting people now that I'm basically done with grad school.... Which, is totally worth it and I'm trying to get the mileage in regardless of where I am. This coming week, I'll be biking in Chicago!

Thanks to Sharon Heselden and James Dunigan for donating!

The first fall :(

Today I experienced my first fall for the season :( Luckily, it was nothing compared to my battle wounds from last year! But I do have 3 cuts and a bruise. Embarrassingly, I fell over while standing still waiting for cars to pass... and interestingly the cuts are on the left side of my left leg, but in the shape from the derailleur which is on the right side of the bike?? hmm. But no worries, a little blood, a little pain and I was riding 5 minutes later! And the good news is it was not the new bike. Let's cross my fingers for no major injuries this spring or summer.

New Bike!!!

My fancy new bike finally arrived on Tuesday :) I was very excited, but then it too 2 days and paying the shop before it was useable which was semi-disappointing. Below are some pictures, its the Giant Defy Advanced 2 for anyone who likes bikes and wants to look up the specs. It should be a sweet ride, I'll be heading out first thing in the morning to test ride!

And... thanks to the following donors: Karen Hopkins, Uncle Edward, Ellen Anderson, Harry Campbell, and Mary Kay Pogar!