Route Map
Our route: Nags Head, NC to San Diego, CA
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
California
The minute we crossed into California everything seemed to change. We went from hot, barren, desert in Arizona to the Colorado River, jet skis, palm trees, and green farms. However, after spending a night in Blythe, CA we were reminded that we were still in the desert.
The next day was a 90 mile day in the desert. I swept that day, meaning I and my buddy Jake were to be the last to arrive to the host site. We left Blythe at 545 am, and didn't arrive in Brawley, CA until 715pm! It was a long, hot ride. Temperatures got up to 112! There was only one store the whole route, and we had the owner open it up so we could get water, gatorades, and ice. Despite the 100% markup on everything, we bought a ton. I ended up drinking over 7 liters of liquid that ride. Although it was a long, hard ride, we did see some interesting things. We were 20 miles from the Mexican border so we saw a lot of border patrol out. Additionally, we went through the Imperial Sand Dunes, which span 40 miles by 5 miles. They have been used to film many Hollywood films, including Return of the Jedi.
The next day we rode into Julian, CA. We rode 73 miles, and it wasn't an easy ride. We climbed through our final mountain range, the Sierra Madres. The West side of the mountains is desert, so we had a lot of heat until we reached the mountain town. Once again, I had about 6-7 liters of water. Luckily, this time I was able to get in by 230. Steve and I hung out at a coffee shop in town, then went out to taste test the Apple Pies that the town is so well known for. The test was between Mom's and Julian Cafe, and by majority vote, Julian Cafe won.
Today we rode into El Cajon, CA. This morning was the first morning since the Grand Canyon where I was actually a little cold starting out. We warmed up quickly though, and after a long, leisurely stop for coffee, we were off to finish our 50 mile day. It was a simple day, and the weather was perfect. Although there were some climbs, the route was mostly downhill, as we descended from 4000 feet to 435 feet. We're now staying in the El Cajon Valley high school library, and getting psyched about our arrival in San Diego tomorrow. Can't wait!
The next day was a 90 mile day in the desert. I swept that day, meaning I and my buddy Jake were to be the last to arrive to the host site. We left Blythe at 545 am, and didn't arrive in Brawley, CA until 715pm! It was a long, hot ride. Temperatures got up to 112! There was only one store the whole route, and we had the owner open it up so we could get water, gatorades, and ice. Despite the 100% markup on everything, we bought a ton. I ended up drinking over 7 liters of liquid that ride. Although it was a long, hard ride, we did see some interesting things. We were 20 miles from the Mexican border so we saw a lot of border patrol out. Additionally, we went through the Imperial Sand Dunes, which span 40 miles by 5 miles. They have been used to film many Hollywood films, including Return of the Jedi.
The next day we rode into Julian, CA. We rode 73 miles, and it wasn't an easy ride. We climbed through our final mountain range, the Sierra Madres. The West side of the mountains is desert, so we had a lot of heat until we reached the mountain town. Once again, I had about 6-7 liters of water. Luckily, this time I was able to get in by 230. Steve and I hung out at a coffee shop in town, then went out to taste test the Apple Pies that the town is so well known for. The test was between Mom's and Julian Cafe, and by majority vote, Julian Cafe won.
Today we rode into El Cajon, CA. This morning was the first morning since the Grand Canyon where I was actually a little cold starting out. We warmed up quickly though, and after a long, leisurely stop for coffee, we were off to finish our 50 mile day. It was a simple day, and the weather was perfect. Although there were some climbs, the route was mostly downhill, as we descended from 4000 feet to 435 feet. We're now staying in the El Cajon Valley high school library, and getting psyched about our arrival in San Diego tomorrow. Can't wait!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Prescott, AZ
We have been in Prescott, AZ since Tuesday afternoon. Fortunately, we arrived after some monsoons and as a result have had relatively cool weather. Prescott is known for it's Wild West themed downtown, including Whiskey Row. There is an active, young culture here, with a few colleges in the area. We were lucky to stay in Mile High Middle School right next to downtown, allowing us to freely explore the town on foot when we weren't biking and building.
Prescott marked our last two build days of the trip (::tear::). However, they were very rewarding, enlightening days. I was in a group of 10 other riders both days, framing a home for Rebecca in Prescott Valley. Over the course of two days, we constructed and raised all the interior and exterior walls for her house, among other odd projects that involved filling up trenches and leveling the garage with dirt. These were all new tasks for me, and by the end of today I felt like an expert. It was amazing to see the transformation of the space from concrete slab to an actual house.
Perhaps the most rewarding part of working with Prescott Habitat was being able to meet all the directors and supervisors involved in the organization, as well as the homeowners who are benefiting tremendously from it. Last night, we had a community potluck dinner, where a homeowner shared the helplessness she felt before she had a home, and the new-found liveliness and comfort she and her daughters have gained with their home. "We can focus on the more important things," she told us, "now that we don't have to move around all the time." She had quite the story, and it was great to know we are out helping people like her. We were also fortunate enough to meet the future homeowner of the house we were building. She couldn't express in words how grateful she was for our work, but told us that she hoped we could all have a dream come true that was important to us as this home was important to her.
Overall, it's been a great experience staying here these past few nights. Tomorrow it's on to biking the remaining 6 days of our trip. Cheers!
Prescott marked our last two build days of the trip (::tear::). However, they were very rewarding, enlightening days. I was in a group of 10 other riders both days, framing a home for Rebecca in Prescott Valley. Over the course of two days, we constructed and raised all the interior and exterior walls for her house, among other odd projects that involved filling up trenches and leveling the garage with dirt. These were all new tasks for me, and by the end of today I felt like an expert. It was amazing to see the transformation of the space from concrete slab to an actual house.
Perhaps the most rewarding part of working with Prescott Habitat was being able to meet all the directors and supervisors involved in the organization, as well as the homeowners who are benefiting tremendously from it. Last night, we had a community potluck dinner, where a homeowner shared the helplessness she felt before she had a home, and the new-found liveliness and comfort she and her daughters have gained with their home. "We can focus on the more important things," she told us, "now that we don't have to move around all the time." She had quite the story, and it was great to know we are out helping people like her. We were also fortunate enough to meet the future homeowner of the house we were building. She couldn't express in words how grateful she was for our work, but told us that she hoped we could all have a dream come true that was important to us as this home was important to her.
Overall, it's been a great experience staying here these past few nights. Tomorrow it's on to biking the remaining 6 days of our trip. Cheers!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Colorado: Build Days
We built in Colorado Springs and Buena Vista. In Colorado Springs, we learned how to lay a foundation. Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity was very well staffed and we were able to work very efficiently. I was part of the steel crew, and learned how to both cut and hang steel. I used a whirlygig, which essentially allows you to hang rebar using metal ties. We were so efficient that day, that we completed the whole foundation. They didn't have any tasks for us the next day, so we only ended up building one day, instead of the two scheduled days. We spent the next day completing our Affordable Housing presentations, where everyone in the group put together a presentation on a relevant topics and spoke about it to the group.
In Buena Vista, we were divided into groups. Some went to a build site, others to the restore, and I went to the Habitat office. The organization was founded around 2000, and had only built 8 homes since their inception. We were able to teach them what we had learned about foundations in Colorado Springs, and help them complete and prepare the foundation for inspection. It was really neat for us to be the experts for once. I helped them move their office, packing up the first office, moving everything into the new office, and arranging it in a functional, organized space. We were fortunate to have some help from some prisoners, especially for carrying things like the granite counter up a flight of stairs. We also helped them troubleshoot volunteer recruitment and retention issues, and assisted with marketing and PR efforts. We handed out flyers for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser, where we presented on our trip, and spoke about the affordable housing cause.
Overall, I think we made a positive impact on Colorado's affordable housing organizations, and have raised tremendous awareness. Two members of our group were even offered internships at the Buena Vista Habitat for Humanity.
In Buena Vista, we were divided into groups. Some went to a build site, others to the restore, and I went to the Habitat office. The organization was founded around 2000, and had only built 8 homes since their inception. We were able to teach them what we had learned about foundations in Colorado Springs, and help them complete and prepare the foundation for inspection. It was really neat for us to be the experts for once. I helped them move their office, packing up the first office, moving everything into the new office, and arranging it in a functional, organized space. We were fortunate to have some help from some prisoners, especially for carrying things like the granite counter up a flight of stairs. We also helped them troubleshoot volunteer recruitment and retention issues, and assisted with marketing and PR efforts. We handed out flyers for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser, where we presented on our trip, and spoke about the affordable housing cause.
Overall, I think we made a positive impact on Colorado's affordable housing organizations, and have raised tremendous awareness. Two members of our group were even offered internships at the Buena Vista Habitat for Humanity.
Colorado: Cycling Days
We've been in Colorado for 10 days now, 7 of which were biking days. We started off going to Lamar, CO. The second we crossed the Colorado state border, everyone was psyched. This was a state most of us were looking forward to, and right away the grass was greener and there air cleaner. Eastern Colorado was a lot of farm land, ranches, and wildlife preservation areas. There was no sign of mountains though Rocky Ford, but when we reached Chico Basin Ranch just north of Pueblo, CO, we began to see them. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the range at the ranch, and the next day headed to Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs was an interesting place in that it was a gigantic urban sprawl. From the 1980s to today, the population had increased from 50,000 to 600,000 permanent residents. You can imagine how many new developments popped up from that. We were fortunate to enjoy an evening in the mountains hosted by some Habitat for Humanity folks at their home. They taught us all about hawks and falcons, and actually had some of their own as pets which they used to hunt with. We ate well too, with a BBQ complete with brats, burgers, salads, and klondike bars. We were able to explore downtown and the Olympic training center, which were some of the more enjoyable parts of the city.
After Colorado Springs, we hit some tough cycling days. We climbed over three passes and 104 miles into Buena Vista, the highest of which was Wilkerson, at 9507 feet.We were fortunate to have a rest from our bikes and build the following day. Our next ride was into Gunnison. The ride had a challenging 15 mile climb up to Monarch Pass. This was the highest elevation of our trip, at 11321 feet. Everyone waited at the visitors center for the whole group, at which time we celebrated with a dance party in the parking lot, a group photo, and a gondola ride up to 12000 feet where we had a 360 view of all the peaks surrounding us. There was even snow at the top - YUP, snow on JULY 1st! - that we enjoyed playing with. Afterward, there was a fun 40 mile decent/rolling downhill ride where I averaged 17 mph, and had a max speed of 41mph.
The next two days were more climbing. Our ride into Ridgeway was a 92 mile day, through rolling hills, beautiful canyons, and by gorgeous river rapids and lakes and creeks. There was a lot of climbing, although we only went though one pass which was a little over 9000 feet, called Chero Pass. We met a young lady who was doing a mountain biking tour of Colorado passes. Overall, we began seeing a lot more cyclists on the road.
Yesterday, we biked 80 miles on the "Million Dollar Highway," of US 550. We climbed over three passes, one which was 13 miles up, the next 7, and the last 3. The 13 mile climb was the most beautiful, with a great view of red mountains, snow covered mountains, and cliffs. At some points, the edge of the road was also the edge of the mountain, and there were no guardrails. In other words, we had to hold up RVs and jeeps while we biked in the middle of the lane until it was safe to pass. Aside from the fact that it's ranked in the top 10 most dangerous roads, it was absolutely gorgeous!
Steve and I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast outside of Durango to bring in our day off and celebrate my birthday. We had great views and a cozy king size bed, and slept for 12 hours! We're now in downtown Durango and will be heading out soon to celebrate the Fourth.
Colorado Springs was an interesting place in that it was a gigantic urban sprawl. From the 1980s to today, the population had increased from 50,000 to 600,000 permanent residents. You can imagine how many new developments popped up from that. We were fortunate to enjoy an evening in the mountains hosted by some Habitat for Humanity folks at their home. They taught us all about hawks and falcons, and actually had some of their own as pets which they used to hunt with. We ate well too, with a BBQ complete with brats, burgers, salads, and klondike bars. We were able to explore downtown and the Olympic training center, which were some of the more enjoyable parts of the city.
After Colorado Springs, we hit some tough cycling days. We climbed over three passes and 104 miles into Buena Vista, the highest of which was Wilkerson, at 9507 feet.We were fortunate to have a rest from our bikes and build the following day. Our next ride was into Gunnison. The ride had a challenging 15 mile climb up to Monarch Pass. This was the highest elevation of our trip, at 11321 feet. Everyone waited at the visitors center for the whole group, at which time we celebrated with a dance party in the parking lot, a group photo, and a gondola ride up to 12000 feet where we had a 360 view of all the peaks surrounding us. There was even snow at the top - YUP, snow on JULY 1st! - that we enjoyed playing with. Afterward, there was a fun 40 mile decent/rolling downhill ride where I averaged 17 mph, and had a max speed of 41mph.
The next two days were more climbing. Our ride into Ridgeway was a 92 mile day, through rolling hills, beautiful canyons, and by gorgeous river rapids and lakes and creeks. There was a lot of climbing, although we only went though one pass which was a little over 9000 feet, called Chero Pass. We met a young lady who was doing a mountain biking tour of Colorado passes. Overall, we began seeing a lot more cyclists on the road.
Yesterday, we biked 80 miles on the "Million Dollar Highway," of US 550. We climbed over three passes, one which was 13 miles up, the next 7, and the last 3. The 13 mile climb was the most beautiful, with a great view of red mountains, snow covered mountains, and cliffs. At some points, the edge of the road was also the edge of the mountain, and there were no guardrails. In other words, we had to hold up RVs and jeeps while we biked in the middle of the lane until it was safe to pass. Aside from the fact that it's ranked in the top 10 most dangerous roads, it was absolutely gorgeous!
Steve and I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast outside of Durango to bring in our day off and celebrate my birthday. We had great views and a cozy king size bed, and slept for 12 hours! We're now in downtown Durango and will be heading out soon to celebrate the Fourth.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Hallelujia! - Last Day in Kansas
Monday was our first day in Kansas. Our first day we stopped in Coldwater, where we camped by Lake Coldwater. For the last 50 miles, we had a steady 30 mph crosswind turned headwind, with close to 40 mph gusts. Needless to say, we paced a lot slower than our previous days. The next day was into Dodge City, where we had a steady 20 mph headwind the whole day. (Both days were 90 miles). Today, we rode into Garden City, and rode about 20 of our 55 miles on stripped pavement - basically rumblestrips.
If you haven't noticed, Kansas is definitely my least favorite state! And did I mention all the feed lots and trucks full of cows we passed on the road? A local told us that between three cities here, they slaughter 27,000 cows per day - yikes. Let's just say I'd much rather climb a mountain any day.
Can't wait for Colorado tomorrow!
If you haven't noticed, Kansas is definitely my least favorite state! And did I mention all the feed lots and trucks full of cows we passed on the road? A local told us that between three cities here, they slaughter 27,000 cows per day - yikes. Let's just say I'd much rather climb a mountain any day.
Can't wait for Colorado tomorrow!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Best Birthday Ever!
Jared and Steve pulled for me the whole way from Ponca City, OK to Cherokee, OK. They let me take first. I chalked it at the church. We rode 81.6 miles in 3h 45m - that's a 21.5 mph pace!
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Saturday, June 18, 2011
What remains for a rainy day
There's a coffee cake too! And I donated the basket to the church, which they now use as a bread basket :)
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Thanks Mom and Dad!
Stews care package - I don't think I could ask for a better birthday gift :)
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Road closed
But not to worry - the construction workers were kind enough to stop everything and let all 33 of us walk our bikes across the half mile road block so we could continue on our route. I've certainly learned to expect the unexpected, and roll with it.
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Bartlesville, OK
We spent the last three days in Bartlesville, OK. There, we worked with the local Habitat for Humanity Chapter. We accomplished a lot, including putting in a new garage roof, priming and painting the whole interior of a house, and framing another house. The community was very appreciative of our efforts, and gave us some great accommodations and dinner in return.
Bison
We hung out with some bison about 10 miles outside of Grove, OK. I think this is the first time I've been so up close with them. I was surprised at how calm they were - except when they started fighting for one of my teammate's attention. One seemed to take a strong liking to Ben and wanted him all for herself. We did manage to distract her by giving her pieces of apple to eat. But then she was back to Ben.
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Thursday, June 16, 2011
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