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!

The sun also rises

This post is really more about sunsets than sunrises, but I couldn't help pay tribute to one of my favorite authors, Ernest Hemingway.

Last night, as I biked home from the grocery store, I was struck by a particularly beautiful Davis sunset (see below). Now, I've always been one that gets sentimental about sunsets, but last night's was especially glorious for some reason.

As I watched the sun drop beneath the horizon, I saw the sunset as an exciting opportunity-- a beginning, not an end. The sun may be setting on my time as a college student, but the sun also rises: and with it, a new adventure and next step in my life journey.

In just a few weeks, I'll be leaving for my ride with Bike & Build. And with this trip, comes an incredible chance to see the sunset in a different part of the country every single night. For two and a half months. If that's not hopelessly romantic and insanely poetic, then I don't know what is.