Pictures!

Haven't had internet access the past couple of days.. Been camping along Lake George and Indian Lake. So far, we've traveled through New Hampshire and Vermont. Currently, I am spending the night in Boonsville, New York.

We're going to be biking for 8 days straight- and are set to reach Niagara Falls on the 4th of July! The bike rides these past couple of days have been full of hills, heat, and even hay bales! I'm enjoying seeing small towns along the way, but also the exquisite beauty of Mother Nature.

Vermonster Challenge

Today's challenge consisted of one of Vermont's finest, Mt. Bethel. It was a 42 mile ride with a 6 mile climb at a 5% grade. That means INTENSITY for a mere peon like myself, who is still working on her cycling legs.

But I got up the mountain and am proud to report that I biked every fricking inch. Had to down a 20g protein Clif Bar halfway up, but I did it! I think that was the most gratifying part- knowing that I stuck to my personal goal and did it in its entirety. The downhill ride made it all worth it. Clocking 41 mph is a fantastic and exhilarating feeling!

In other news, I scored the group a free pound of Fudge today. We have this thing called "Donation Magic", which is essentially delivering an elevator pitch to places we stop at along the way to try and garner support for our ride, be it money to donate towards affordable housing or food for our hungry bellies. I've been a little put off by the whole thing because I hate asking people for things and feeling like I'm using them. But today, I stopped in a general store and got to talking with the sales guy. He was really impressed with what we were doing and said he'd love to donate some fudge to us. Let's say that the group was very pleased with my donation magic today.

Vermont is a beautiful state. I love the natural beauty of the White River and the quaint town of Rochester that we are staying in. I also tried some pretty fantastic Maple Syrup-- Aunt Jemima's can't compare!

Vermont Strong

Today was another build day- this time helping repair a home in Vermont that was destroyed during Hurricane Irene last year. Despite the rain, we worked on weatherizing and insulating the house. It sort of felt like a White Christmas as we sprayed white insulation up in the attic.

I'm getting used to early wake ups and early bedtimes (10 pm is so the new 1 am). Laundry happens every couple of days, and essentially all of or sweaty and dirty clothes get rolled up onto a tarp like a burrito and brought to a laundry mat to terrify the locals with overwhelming amounts of spandex.

I ate a ton of food during dinner tonight to prepare for tomorrow's ride, which is the most difficult day of the trip. We are literally climbing a mountain. Curses to the guys that mapped out the elevation of the route- a 5% grade over 6 miles. I'm shaking in my chamois just thinking about it!

Rain and rolling hills

I'd say that pretty much sums up today's ride to Lebanon, NH. After some serious climbs yesterday, I think we all appreciated the downhill zooms and easy rollers. Even the freezing rain couldn't dampen our spirits. During the ride, we explored the forest, jumped into an awesome watering hole and warmed up in a small diner for cups of coffee in cat-inspired mugs.

Enjoying the ride

Yesterday's ride was about completion and proving to myself that I could do 60 miles and hills. I didn't do a good job of enjoying the ride and the scenery around me. I was too excited to get back on my bike after taking a break while recovering from my stitches.

Today was different. 30 miles and a 1200 ft climb-- I slowed it way down and really enjoyed the ride. Highlights from the day included stopping at a beautiful lake, chalk drawings in the road, visiting a flea market, and stopping at an old general market.

Currently I am in New London, CT. I am in an epic cuddle puddle. Life is good.

The hills are alive

And so are the muscles in my thighs! Today we kicked off our journey with a 60 mile ride through the hills of New Hampshire. We also had our wheel dipping ceremony in which we dipped our back wheels into the Atlantic. In a few months, we'll dip our front ones into the Pacific!

Currently sleeping on the floor of a church in Concord, NH with 32 other Bike & Builders. The group is bonding so well. I continue to be energized and inspired by those around me. I'm definitely enjoying getting to know them all.

Better update tomorrow, I promise! Lights out is very soon.

Build day #1

Today was our first build day with Habitat for Humanity. I was part of a team that painted the inside of a house. It was really fun- we blasted some tunes and painted the day away.

At the end of the day, the New Hampshire Habitat chapter threw us a BBQ. It was really inspirational to eat dinner with the families whose homes we were helping build. We met Donna (see photo) who is going to be moving into the house I helped paint today. She was so excited to meet Bike & Build. Hearing her speak made us tear up a bit.

I am feeling pretty pumped to start riding tomorrow! The build day was a great way to help the group bond, but also to reinforce the service component of the trip. Yes, we're biking across the country, but we're also helping support the affordable housing cause. Today's build has got me motivated to continue furthering Bike & Build's mission.

Mail! Mail! Mail!

In case you're interested in sending me some snail mail this summer, I've listed days that Bike & Build will be able to receive mail. A few things:

All letters must be addressed:

Bike & Build
ATTN: Debs Schrimmer
General Delivery
Address (see below)

The dates posted correspond with when we'll be in that town for the night, so please send it early enough :)

Also, everything needs to be sent via U.S. Postal Service (not FedEx or UPS).


Northern U.S. Route!

June 28
Silver Bay, NY 12874

July 04
Niagara Falls, NY 14301

July 12
South Bend, IN 46601

July 19
Madison, WI 53714

July 26
Duluth, MN 55806

August 02
Rugby, ND 58368

August 09
Glasgow, MT 59230

August 16
Whitefish, MT 59937

August 23
Omak, WA 98841

Bike & Build disco party!

Today was great! We started off with Safety School, which I passed with flying colors. Watch out, USA, this girl knows her hand signals, how to make sharp turns, and how to fix a flat. Bike & Build has a saying that "safety is sexy"....and they take it seriously.

After Safety School, we went on a nice ride through a wildlife reserve. Unfortunately, we didn't see any crazy bears or mooses...moosi...moose. Today was my first time on my bike since I got stitches and it felt great! It was also reassuring that I was riding with the first half of the pack. However, I make no promises for the longer rides.

Tonight was awesome! The Portsmouth Habitat for Humanity chapter threw us a big party in their Re-Store, which is actually an old school roller rink. We had pizza, played lazer tag, capture the flag, danced our feet off, and celebrated birthdays. It was such an enjoyable night and really great to meet the people affiliated with Habitat. The night was topped of with ice cream cake, a photo booth and disco lights!

But honestly, the best part was hanging out with the locals. People are so hospitable, it's incredible. I'm so amazed by how generous people are, donating food, money, time, etc to our ride. Looking forward to giving back to the Portsmouth community with our first build day!

Orientation-ing

Orientation has begun in Portsmouth, NH! We swam in the Atlantic and did group activities. Tomorrow we do a 10 mile ride through a nature reserve to get our bikes all tuned and ready to go!

Sleeping bag and thermarest rolled out, time for sleep!

Here we go!

There's so much to take in- graduation, goodbyes, new beginnings. The real-ness of Bike & Build is beginning to set in. After months, it's here!

I seem to live my life in constant motion. I'm always jumping from one thing to the next. It's not that I get bored or need to be constantly entertained, there's just so much in the world that I want to be a part of. In the last year alone, I went to Honduras and Israel, lived in Washington DC, graduated from college, and now--am biking across the USA. I feel so blessed for all these amazing opportunities.

It's strange that I think of this trip- one of constant pedaling and construction- as slowing down. But I think that hours upon hours in the saddle allows for deep reflecting. To make the first of many bike metaphors, I think of my new rear reflector and bike light, given to me by someone very special. In many ways, this ride will offer me just that- reflection and vision into the future. I hope to reflect on who I've become during my college years, and who I hope to be as I begin this next chapter of my life.

When I graduated from high school, I was privileged in that going to college was never given a second thought. But now, college over, I find myself taking these next steps on my own, with no predetermined path laid out for me. It's scary and thrilling.

I'm so excited to be spending my first moments as a college graduate doing something as meaningful as Bike & Build. I'm so grateful for all the love and support from family and friends. I couldn't be doing this without you all!

-debs

Bump in the road

Part of the requirements for participating in my Bike & Build ride this summer is to complete ten hours of sweat equity. This serves two purposes: (1) to spend time with a housing organization and learn more about affordable housing issues, and (2) to prepare us for physical labor, construction and how to safely use power tools. The idea of sweat equity is tied to the Habitat for Humanity model, where families who otherwise could not afford their own home contribute their physical labor as a downpayment. Typically, families contribute 500 hours of construction assistance on their house and other Habitat for Humanity projects before receiving the keys to their own home.

Over the weekend, I was working on my fulfilling my sweat equity requirements at the Habitat for Humanity in Sacramento, and my sweat equity turned into blood equity. I had an unfortunate but minor injury on-site: a piece of metal gashed me in the knee and I had to get four stitches.

According to the doctor, I should still be able to do my ride this summer with Bike & Build, though I have to be off my feet as much as possible. He said I can't bike until my stitches come out, which is after I ship my bike to the east coast. It looks like my training has come to a premature end, so I'll just have to hope that I'm in good enough shape for the summer. Yikes!

Rather than get upset about what happened, I'm trying to focus on the positive. Perspective is key. It's definitely a lame situation, but really only a minor setback. I'm lucky it was only stitches- if it had been anything worse, I probably wouldn't be able to go on my adventure. And hey, maybe this means I got my bad luck and injuries out of the way for the summer/next couple of years!

Oh, and don't worry- I didn't attach any gnarly pictures of my knee! Instead, here's a picture of something that made me smile today. One of the bike racks on campus was covered in some fancy needlework, a.k.a. yarn bombing!