WE DID IT!!!

Well folks, we actually did it. Around 1 pm yesterday we barreled onto the beach in Santa Cruz and ran into the ocean. Our friends and family greeted us and we bounced around in the ocean (PERFECT water temp, too!) hugging and screaming and laughing and drinking champagne. It was so exciting to have all 31 of us cycling down the streets of Santa Cruz in one long line, our matching jerseys adorned with flags and leis. We gathered quite a bit of attention, and it was so fun to tell people that we had pedaled all the way from South Carolina to arrive at this beach. Afterward we had a party at a local park, where we got to know each other's family and eat a lot (I even ate dessert for the first time in several weeks).

I'm a little disoriented now; it's odd to not get up and put on my spandex at an ungodly hour. It hasn't quite settled in that the trip really is over, and it will be a long time before I see anyone on the trip, if I do end up seeing them ever. I sure hope to maintain these friendships, and either way I treasure very much the amazing times we had together.

I don't really have time to sit and be glum though: right now I'm roadtripping with my family up the west coast, visiting extended family and frequently patting my beautiful sister's 6-months pregnant belly, then it's off to the Chesapeake Bay with Oliver to go sailing with his dad (and seeing Mark and Mandi too!!), then to Sao Paulo Brazil to sing the soprano solo in Carmina Burana, then back to school (one week late) to teach taekwondo and finish my graduate diploma, prepare for a recital, and make my professional opera debut with Indianapolis Opera on October 2nd and 4th. Whew! I'm pretty excited for all the excitement ahead for me, and very blessed to have had all the excitement from the summer. I will treasure the memories for a very long time.

Back in the saddle

Hiya folks! Sorry as always for the delay in posting. It turns out that in the west there is a lot of space without much in it (and we like it that way!) so internet has been scarce.

Most importantly, I'm back in the saddle! After only two days in the van for my injury, I was able to hop back on a bike, and I've been riding ever since. I was very pleasantly surprised at how quickly I recovered, and now I feel as good as new. The last week or so has been really great. All the rides have been wonderful--while it's definitely quite hot, we haven't had anything over 80 miles...and that's a treat for us! With these sorts of shorter days, I usually roll into the town/village/hamlet/collection of two houses and a barn/etc by midafternoon, giving me plenty of time to do what I please. This usually involves reading (currently reading A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah which is heartbreaking and intense but recommended), practicing, studying my music, going to the library when one exists, and occasionally, as a treat, napping.

This summer has been very interesting for me musically. Which is ironic, since I'm not officially doing anything musical. But I've learned to stand on my own two feet when it comes to learning music, and that has been really fun. I'm preparing a recital for the fall, and as I work on my music I've been coming up with all sorts of questions regarding interpretation, musicality, etc. In my former life, I would have run straight to a coach. "What does Debussy mean by these markings here?" I might ask. But since that's not an option this summer, I have to say, "Well, Abby, you have a degree in music. What do YOU think he means?" I admit, I have emailed my teacher with a couple questions, but for the most part I've come to my own conclusions and it has been extremely rewarding. That said, I'm looking forward to getting back to school and starting to collaborate with a pianist, study formally, and rub elbows with like-minded folk.

That's not to say that my dear Bike and Builders aren't talented though! A few nights ago we had a talent show, and it was absolutely one my favorite events from the trip. I laughed so hard my abs were sore the next day. We had a juggler, impressionists, dancers, a poet, and a Bike and Build Rodeo compeition, where Jake and Bryant raced to see who could unroll and inflate a thermarest, change a tube on a tire, and deflate and reroll the thermarest fastest. It was hilarious (Jake came from behind for the win). I also sang an aria, which was--if I may say--by FAR the lamest offering of the evening.

Speaking of the rodeo, we also went to a real one, in Stone, Idaho. While I'm not sure I'm a full supporter of rodeos, due to the treatment of the animals involved, I decided I just had to go because, really, when am I going to have the chance again? It was really fun, I have to admit, even though I did feel sorry for the cows getting thrown around. The announcer was awesomely cheesy, the cowboys were genuine, and it was an all-around great evening. I think my favorite moment though was when I saw a cowboy--chaps, spurs, hat and all--ride by on his horse, texting.

Another highlight of the past week or so was our day off in Boise. I'd heard that Boise is a neat city, and it is. I spent most the day running errands and getting prepared for the craziness that is this fall, but it was actually nice to have a to-do list again. I also practiced for a long time and it went the best that it's gone all summer. I have a lot of very exciting singing to do after the trip, and so having some great practice time really got me pumped.

Anyway, now we're in Hines, Oregon. It was Jon's last day today. He has to leave early because he starts med school on the 14th, and so we got extra rowdy to send him off. It was a great ride, only 60 miles with two small mountain passes, and afterward Jon's family bought us all ice cream. Yes!

It's hard to believe we have less than two weeks to go. Bike and Build has become such a lifestyle for me. While I remember my past life, and think with great anticipation about what is to come, there's a part of me that believes I've always been on this trip, and always will be. I've found actually, that biking across the country is a great metaphor for life, especially achieving a goal. When we began in South Carolina, I couldn't really even conceptualize what it was I was doing. I knew the Pacific Ocean was out there somewhere, but it seemed so distant it wasn't really real. I didn't think about that much actually. I just got on the bike every day, and rode. It was a couple of days before I even started to get excited about the next state, and after the first one it seemed like the second wouldn't come for an eternity. But every day I got on the bike, and rode. Pretty soon the states started to tick by faster, and before I knew it, I was looking at a map, aghast that I had bicycled across five states. How did that happen??? All I did was get on my bicycle every day.

I may not be a sage, but I AM 25 after all, and I think this is exactly how it is in life. Anything you want to achieve, be it an operatic career, an advanced degree, a million dollars, a marathon, at first seems impossible to the point of absurdity. But the thing is, you don't have to bicycle across the country in one day. You just get on your bicycle every day, and you ride. You don't question it, you just do it. It becomes routine. Some days you dread it. Some days it's hot, and your arms ache and your butt is chafing. Some days, when the alarm goes off at 4:30 you kick yourself for ever thinking this was a good idea. But still, you get on your bicycle, and you ride. And on some days, when the air is cool and the road is smoothe and the Earth looks like heaven around you, you realize that that's why you get out on your bicycle every day. Not for the Pacific Ocean, but because it feels so damn GOOD to ride your bicycle. Your dream is still there of course, and it takes a lot of hard work to get there. But you don't do it in a day. You create a lifestyle that has the rewards built in, and splashing in the salt water is the icing on the cake.

Sarah Roberts said something else the other day, which really kind of encapsulated this experience for me. She said that while we might be vagabonds on the road, with no home of our own, at the end of the day, we get to come home to each other. And I've started to realize how much we have become a family--complete with drama and tensions--and how much this family means to me. I often ride alone these days, by my own choice and for various reasons, but I always smile at the thought of coming home. Home is a church that I haven't seen, in a town I'll surely never visit again, but inside are 31 amazing people who I've known for so little time but for so much life, and I am always so excited to see them.

Taking a fall

Well folks, I've had my first bicycle crash. Oliver assured me it was coming (he's a veteran of several...I mean, the man's been a bicycle messenger in Manhattan, where getting hit by a cab was really more of an annoyance than anything else) but I've been lucky so far. Actually, I still am lucky, as this could have been a lot worse.

The cause was benign enough: the highway was getting a fresh coat of blacktop, and the edge was uneven. I went over the edge at too narrow an angle, and toppled over. I wasn't going too fast, probably 15-17 mph, but it was fast enough that in that slow-motion moment of "Alrighty, I'm going down..." I did imagine that it would probably hurt. It happened fast, so all I really remember is that slo-mo start, and then my head bonking the pavement (thank you, helmet!!), and then finding myself sprawled on the pavement, with Ann Margaret sprawled next to me. Sarah K, who was behind us, told me that after I fell AM ran into me, and well, this is where it gets a little indelicate.

She hit me with her bicycle....right between my legs. With enough force that it broke her wheel. Yeah. I have no recollection of that happening (again, it happened fast), but I'm definitely feeling it now! First of all, yes, it is very lucky it happened to me and not to a guy. If it had, he probably would have had to go to the hospital. Also, it is a good thing I was wearing a helmet! If I wasn't wearing one, I definitely would have left in an ambulance. So let me just ascend the soapbox now: IF YOU RIDE A BICYCLE, WEAR A HELMET!!! I was doing nothing especially outlandish or daring, I could have easily been on my commute to school and have the same thing happen. Just as you need to wear your seat belt even if you're just driving a couple of miles, you need to wear a helmet when you're riding a bicycle, ALWAYS. Ok, lecture over.

So, after laughing so hard our bellies hurt over the complete ridiculousness of the situation, and me crying from a combination of the pain and the laughter, Sarah called the van to come rescue me. Luckily they were only a few blocks away, so we just walked our bikes there. Ann Margaret's wheel was ruined, so I gave her mine, since it was clear I wasn't going to get back on a bike. I spent the rest of the day in the van, and unfortunately it looks like I'll have to sit out a few more days.

Like I said, it could have been a LOT worse, so I'm thankful for that. A few days' rest in the van isn't the worst of fates, though I do hope it doesn't drag on for too long. In the mean time, I'm hobbling around like a 90 year old, icing myself in REALLY awkward places, updating everyone in the group constantly about the status of those awkward places (hey, they ask!), and answering to my new nickname: Crotch of Steel. Yeah.

She'll be comin' round the mountain...

Mountains! Yay! I must say, after weeks in the Deep South wondering, "what country am I in?" and a few more in the plains wondering the same thing, we've finally reached the wonderful, wild, west. Shortly after leaving Colorado Springs we started really getting into the mountains, both the up and down. For the first day or two the climbs were mostly long and gradual, with descents to match. I've actually come to really love the long, shallow descents. While you don't get going as fast as something steeper, you also don't have to focus as much as you do when you're going 45 miles an hour. You can just cruise along, not pedaling but not breaking, daydreaming, singing (in my case any way), admiring the views, and generally having a splendid time.

The biggest climb for this trip was Independence Pass, at 12,050 feet. People have been talking about this climb since the beginning of the trip with trepidation, and it was a little surreal when it actually arrived. We had camped the night before, and I didn't sleep well at all because it got surprisingly cold, so I was worried about having the energy for the climb. The day's ride was short, only 45 miles, but we knew it was going to take us several hours to reach the top of the pass.

The first 15 miles of the ride were extremely gradual, so much so that it didn't really feel like you were climbing a mountain. I was very cautious about my physical condition, trying to take care of thirst and hunger before they really even appeared. Around the 15th mile, we came upon the mountain proper, complete with necessary switch backs. At this point the adrenaline sort of kicked in--"I'm about to bicycle up a mountain"--and after a granola bar break I was ready to go.

As it turns out, it wasn't that hard. I feel a little sheepish about it, actually. Hiking Pike's Peak was about 300% more difficult, and the best of my half-marathons (IU, 2007) was about 200% more difficult. The thing is this: switchbacks are popular for a reason: they make the road flatter! I mean, it wasn't the EASIEST thing I've ever done (for example, eating a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is easier than bicycling Independence Pass), but a taekwondo black belt test, an operatic performance, or a century of rolling hills is substantially more difficult, for me anyway. I guess what I'm saying is you should definitely go out and bicycle up a mountain as soon as possible.

Especially since at the top you get an awesome view! And then you get to go DOWN! We all sat at the top for awhile, waiting for everyone to arrive. After congratulating ourselves and gawking at the mountains, we had a dance party while blasting music from the van. Our song of choice was, of course, Beyonce's Single Ladies, which for some reason has become our theme song for the summer, though nobody knows why. It was really great to shake it on the top of a mountain in our riding spandex, much to the befuddlement of passersby. And then, of course, we got to go down. The entire rest of the ride, into Aspen, was downhill, and it was a blast.

The first 15 miles or so were the actual mountain, and some of that was actually about as steep as I'd ever want to go. What made the steepness nerve-wracking was the turns, some of which were pretty sharp, and the narrowness of the road. It amazed me how some of other riders went down without seeming to break at all, as they navigated the turns it almost looked like they were skiing the slalom.

The descent was made even sweeter to me because waiting for me in Aspen was one of my IU besties, Stephanie. Hilarious, bodacious, totally boss, and with a mezzo voice that can liquify granite, Steph is tops on my list of People I Am Jazzed to Know. She's studying at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and I'd been jumping out of my skin with excitement about seeing her.

After a great dinner (and dessert!) and plenty of catching up, I went and saw her sing in the chorus of La Boheme. The opera is one of my favorites, and it was fun to see it in a small theater where I felt really connected to the performers. The next day I followed her around to her various classes and rehearsals, and it was so fun to be around music again. This trip has been a learning and growing experience on about a bazillion levels, but one of the most profound has been being isolated from other musicians for the longest stretch of time since childhood. While my musical independence has certainly grown as a result of this, it was so wonderful to be with "my people" again.

After her day was finished, we went to Happy Hour with some BB peeps, then saw Harry Potter. All in all it was one of the best days off ever, and got me extremely stoked to reenter musical life this fall.

After Aspen we had several phenomenal rides, with a wide variety of terrain. Crossing into Utah we had desert, then mountainous desert, and then before we knew it, we were back into green and snow-capped mountains again. It is stunningly beautiful--I only wish I had my skis! (Um, and that it was winter...)

Colorado Springs, finally!

Hello friends and family (and Romans and Countrymen too)! I'm so very sorry for the gross delay--would you believe we don't have handy access to internet in Colorado Springs? Our church doesn't have wifi, and the closest library is a bit of a trek, especially after a day of building. But enough excuses--we built the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We finished yesterday, actually, so today is a bonus day off (whee!).

Building the house was an incredible experience. I used five different power tools and still have all my fingers and learned that nothing makes me feel sexier than wearing a tie-dye tshirt and safety glasses and using a power saw to cut out a window. Arriving on the first day to a slab of cement and leaving yesterday with a house (the outside of it anyway) was just plain awesome. I will post pictures someday. Really. It's kind of interesting to me that despite all the technology at our disposal these days, building a house still comes down to nailing some wood. There's something great about that though--I mean, how many millions of hammers have swung in the name of shelter in human history?

I'm liking building more and more, I think because I'm getting more confident at it. I'm starting to think that I'll do more work with Habitat for Humanity in the future. It bugs me that they are a Christian organization (they give every family a Bible upon move in) but other than that they really are a great idea realized. I certainly think they won't solve the affordable housing crisis on their own, but they are definitely making a huge impact. We got to meet several Habitat homeowners throughout our stay here, and they were all very grateful for our work. After all, one of the main reasons Habitat can sell houses for far less than market price is because the labor is free. On our first day of the blitz build, one of the supervisors said "I'm looking at about $100,000 worth of labor right now." That's a pretty big chunk off the price of a house!! I'm especially interested in volunteering internationally next time--I'm considering even organizing a Bike and Build reunion....

Most of our time has been spent building, obviously, but we did have one official day off here. So what did I do? Hike Pike's Peak, of course! The 26 mile round-trip hike took me to 14,100 feet, and damn if it wasn't one of the harder things I've ever done. Fourteen of us did it, with eight making it to the summit. We hit the trail around 6:15 am, which we were told by locals was really the latest we could start if we hoped to do the whole hike.

I've learned on this trip that bicycling rarely satisfies my need for nature. I used to lump a multitude of activities in the "outdoors" category and assume they satisfied the same things, but I've discovered this is not the case. I love bicycling, but the nature of it requires that one stays at least in relatively civilized areas (unless you want to do serious off-road mountain bicycling). It's fantastic to see different towns and be outside, but it's not the same as being in the woods with nothing around. That's what I was hoping to do with the hike, and that was certainly what I got!

At the very beginning we were all in one big crowd, but that didn't last long. For awhile I tried to keep up with the first group, but it became clear early on that there was no way I'd be able to sustain that kind of a pace for 6 hours. But I was already well ahead of the second group, so I ended up doing the vast majority of the ascent by myself. I really enjoyed it. I saw a few other people on the trail (including a surprising number of those nonsensical masochists known as "trail runners") but for the most part was in complete solitude. There is an amazing camp half way up (Barr Camp) that I think just might be the most pleasant place on Earth. There is a little cabin where the caretakers live, and I asked the woman running it if she had the best job on the planet. She laughed and said she did, but that it was a lot of work--they get 28,000 visitors every year! The camp also has campsites with lean-tos, a pretty brook (with adjacent swinging bench--guess where I ate my lunch??), picnic tables, and tent camp sites. It was a gorgeous morning (around 9 when I was there) and I kind of regretted not bringing a book. If I ever come back to Colorado Springs, I'll definitely plan on hiking to the camp with lunch and a book, staying a few hours, and hiking back down.

But for this trip, the summit was beckoning. After a bagel and a few minutes on the swinging bench, it was up and at 'em again for me. Another three miles later I reached the timber line. Above the trees was quintessential alpine meadow, complete with three marmot sightings. There were lots of large boulders lying around just begging to be scrambled upon, but again, I didn't really have the time. By this point I was really feeling the altitude, and was going pretty darn slow. I also lost the trail (with a gravel-like ground it's hard to tell what is trail and what isn't) and ended up going straight up the mountain for quite awhile. I started to wonder whether I could make it to the summit, but I was running low on water. I knew I could fill up at the summit, whereas if I turned around I would have to go all the way back down without any. It was a good motivator!

The trail got more and more brutal, with the first patch of snow appearing a little less than two miles from the summit. The trail basically turned to rocks, complete with water running down them so you were basically walking up a stream. By this point I had found the trail, and other hikers (no Bike and Builders though). Everyone was moving slower, so the groups got closer together than they were down in the trees. It was nice to be around humanity again, especially since I wasn't entirely confident I wasn't going to collapse at any moment.

It took me literally an hour to go the last mile. Yes, that does mean I was going officially 1 mph. Kind of sad, but the altitude was really getting me, and the trail involved lots of big steps over rocks that were more like climbing than walking. I had a pretty bad headache by this time, and I couldn't believe how hard my heart was pounding considering how slow I was going. I felt like I couldn't go more than 10 or 12 steps without pausing for a moment to catch my breath! The views were stunning though, and by this point I was bound and determined to reach that summit.

And I did it!! I was practically delirious I was so exhausted, but I did it. You can actually drive to the top of Pike's Peak (there's a gift shop and restaurant) so there were actually a lot of people there. Normally this would turn me off, but I was starving and very much looking forward to eating something and using a real restroom and filling up my water. And who should I see getting ready to head back down as I arrived--7 Bike and Builders, of course! I must have looked a fright, because they were all looking at me as though I might keel over in front of them. They had all come up as a group though, so they were impressed that I had done the whole thing alone. I didn't want to hold them up, but I definitely needed to sit for a moment or two, so they all headed down except Bryant, who waited for me.

We didn't tarry long, because of course now we had to go alll the way back down. We got hit by a smattering of hail at the summit, and a little rain later on, but other than that the weather was great all the way up and down. About 2 miles into the descent though I started feeling really nauseated, and it didn't let up for the rest of hike. I felt really bad for Bryant, because he was nice enough to wait for me, and now I was going so slow because I felt like I was going to throw up at any second. At Barr Camp we met up with some others though, including some that had turned around before the summit, and I stuck with them to let Bryant go ahead. Everyone was hurting pretty bad for the last miles; my nausea let up a little bit as we got down, but not enough to really eat anything.

We made it though (at 8 pm--14 hours after we started!) and I was so excited, though too exhausted to show it. We went to dinner, but I was still feeling sick, so I just had a Sprite. In fact, I didn't have anything to eat for the rest of the day because by the time we got back to the church around 9:30 all I wanted to do was sleep. I slept like a rock though, and was feeling surprisingly perky at the build day the next day. I was really sore though, and was walking like a 90 year old for three days, much to the amusement of others. I also was ravenous all day the next day, not surprising since I hadn't eaten anything since noon on the hike and had burned probably 2,000 calories. I just could not get enough food in my body that day! I'd eat normal sized meals but be starving 45 minutes later. It was bizarre. The hike was Monday, and now I'm finally back to normal in terms of appetite and the ability to walk!

The ability to bike however, remains to be seen. We'll find out tomorrow! We're doing a 70 miler tomorrow, which should reacquaint us all with our two-wheeled friends. On Monday we climb Independence Pass (one of Lance Armstrong's training rides), and on Wednesday we have a day off in Aspen, where I'll get to see Stephanie, one of my IU besties. All these days off are spoiling us rotten! I think after Aspen we don't have another one until Boise, so we're enjoying them while we can.

The Western half of this trip (because yes, in terms of mileage and riding days we're only half way there) seems to be pretty remote, with more camping days than the first half, so I might not be able to update as much. But I will post when I can! Thanks for keeping up with me, and I'm sure I'll have more adventures to fill you in on soon!

Texas, New Mexico, and into Colorado!

No offense to my dear brother-in-law Kevin, but Texas made us all want to die. We zipped through the panhandle in just over two days, but it wasn't fast enough! The land was incredibly desolate, the heat oppressive, and the sights few and very far between. For the most part it was just barren land, with oil drills spaced out every few hundred yards. The oil drills are incredibly creepy. They look kind of like aliens--they are big metal objects which bob up and down into the earth all by themselves. There are no (NO) people around, no one watching or running them. They just sit there, bobbing up and down and making eerie creaking noises and giving me the heebie jeebies.

The other creepy sight came into view several miles out (that's what happens when the land is really flat...yesterday we could see the lunch stop three miles before getting there). Most of the land is a sandy brown, but on the horizon we saw a huge swath of dark brown. As we neared it developed a kind of bumpy texture, unlike the flat-as-a-pancake land around it. Finally we realized what it was: cows. Thousands and thousands and thousands of cows. Cows packed together in pens in the sun with small troughs of water and/or food (we couldn't get close enough to see for sure). When standing at the barbed-wire fence bordering them, the pens stretch as far as you can see. Off in the distance behind them was a large white building. We debated amongst ourselves whether this was the slaughterhouse or whether the cows would be moved to a different location. It was a really creepy sight. I already don't eat beef, but if I did I think seeing this would make me reconsider. (Not that eating chicken is any better. In Arkansas we passed a Tyson factory and it was emitting the worst smell I've ever experienced in my life).

Finally we escaped from Texas and into phenomenally gorgeous New Mexico. We were only there for about 18 hours, but it was beautiful. Yesterday morning's ride was probably one of the best I've ever had in my life. It was cool--a little chilly, actually--and the scenery was gorgeous, with pre-Rockies hills dotting the landscape. I also saw longhorns for the first time, and we got an AWESOME tailwind for the first time. I was pedaling lazily and still cruising along at 27 miles an hour! I felt like I was flying and it was one of the best things on this trip so far.

One other thing: I succumbed and rode in the van on the last day in Texas. I debated for days whether or not I would do it, but the fact was I was exhausted and getting increasingly miserable. I was cycling slower and slower, with the lack of sleep (less than 6 hours every night for nights on end) and the plentiful exercise starting to take its toll. I was starting to get in a pretty bad mood--dreading cycling each day, withdrawing from the group, and feeling pretty down in the dumps. Finally I got fed up and realized that being miserable for the rest of the summer just wasn't worth it, so I skipped a 95 mile day and rode in the van instead. I'm really glad I did. I was able to relax, read my book, do crossword puzzles (thanks Auntie Vic!), call my family, and just take it easy for a day. The next day (yesterday's awesome ride) I was feeling much better and much more like myself. Many people commented on how great it was to see me smiling big smiles again. I didn't realize that everyone had noticed that I hadn't been myself lately. It just goes to show how much we really are becoming a family.

Also, I turned 25! I'm a quarter of a century, and I feel so happy and lucky. I never thought I'd be spending my 25th birthday in Spearman, Texas, that's for sure. I also thought I'd be tres sophisticated and beautiful and perfect and well, that didn't happen either. Turns out you DON'T wake up on your 25th birthday with all the answers, but I think I'm ok with that. I feel so incredibly blessed to have spent 25 glorious years on this phenomenal planet. If I die tomorrow, I know I will have enjoyed more love, laughter, passion, adventure, wonder, and joy than most people do in lifetimes three times as long. In any event, 25 is treating me well so far. I'm growing more content with myself each day, and I'm jumping out of my skin with excitement about the future. I may not have all the answers, but I DO have a few thousand more miles to pedal, and I'm sure I'll come up with some of them along the way.

And thank you SO much to my family and friends and Oliver for the birthday treats and well wishes! I feel so blessed to be in your thoughts, even from far away.

By the way, I'm writing this from Trinidad, Colorado. Hard to believe we've been through 8 states and are less than half-way there!

Arkansas Part Two and Oklahoma Part One

So after far too little time Oliver headed back to Bloomington, and I sallied forth on my cross country journey. The rest of Arkansas was beautiful. The days were LONG (75 miles, then three centuries in a row) but really fun. We had what were probably the biggest ascents and descents I've ever done so far, so it got a lot of us thinking about the Rockies. I also got to swim in two lakes, which was pretty much the most amazing thing ever. Our one complaint was that on both days the lakes arrived early in the days ride; while they were still great it would be REALLY awesome to encounter one around 2 pm. The second lake was especially awesome because there was a big rock we could climb up and jump off of. We actually stayed around there for an hour and a half. It was in the Ozark National Forest and it was gorgeous. We all wanted to stay there all day, but alas, it couldn't be.

The three centuries in a row was certainly a challenge. I didn't get in before 6 pm on any of the days (my latest arrival was 8 pm), and considering we leave at 6:30 am that's a pretty long day. I'm not sure what takes so long. I'm not THAT slow...I'm certainly not the fastest in the group or even in the top third, but I'm not dead last either (unless I'm riding sweep, in which case it's my job to be last). On all three days we did stop fairly frequently--it's pretty much a necessity in the heat--and well, 100 miles is a long way!

Today we had a build day in Oklahoma City. We did framing for a house, which was really interesting. It's pretty cool to arrive in the morning to a slab of concrete and a pile of lumber and leave in the afternoon with a recognizable house there! I pretty much swung a hammer all day, and aside from the 102 degree weather, it was a great day.

As usual, the food is amazing. Our hosts continue to outdo each other, and Amelia's family is providing a perpetual stream of gargantuan quantities of baked goods. We're actually all a little worried about getting fat! No expanding waistlines yet (though at least for yours truly, no whittling ones either) but we'll have to see how it goes.

Oh, and Oklahoma is not flat. At least not yet. Our hosts are promising that we'll reach the Dust Bowl in due course, but so far we've seen almost nothing but hills. It's been extremely beautiful though, particularly our first day in the state. There is a LOT of green; way more than I would have thought. Picture rolling hills thick with green trees, patchwork farmland mixed in, and shiny streams and babbling brooks flowing throughout, and you have eastern Oklahoma.

And yes, I've been singing show tunes nonstop. :-)

Little Rock

So, as it turns out, I have the best boyfriend in the world. I had an inkling this was the case, but it's really true. Last Tuesday as we were coming into Little Rock, we got to ride on this phenomenally gorgeous bike path to get through the city. I was riding with 7 or 8 other people, and we were really enjoying being away from cars and along a river. As I was riding I heard someone call out "hey Abby!" I thought it was kind of weird; the person in question was sitting a bit removed from the path under a tree, and I couldn't really see him. I actually considered just pedalling on--maybe I was just hearing things. But then some cyclists behind me said that someone was calling me so I thought I'd better investigate. I sauntered my bike closer, but still I had absolutely no idea who it was. Finally, when I realized it was him, I (um, very dorkily) half fell, half leapt off my bike and ran towards him. In fact, he was filming the whole thing, and you can watch it here (I didn't hear him say Schnookie or I would have known it was him earlier). Not to be cheesy or anything, but it really was probably one of the best moments of my entire life.

And I don't think I have EVER been so surprised. He had called one of the trip leaders to set it all up, and a couple of the other riders were in on it. But everyone was really great at keeping the secret. He rode the rest of the days ride with us, including over the Big Dam Bridge, the longest pedestrian/bicycle designated bridge in the country (world?). That night we had dinner with the group so he could meet everyone, and everyone was going on and on about how great he was (my favorite was Mary's opinion, which was: "Abby, your boyfriend's a stallion!"). All the other girls with boyfriends back home were extremely jealous, and I can't really blame them. I was jealous of myself!

Oliver rented a room for us for the two nights (we had a day off in Little Rock) and we spent the day sightseeing and trying to stay out of the insane heat. We went to the capitol, and the Clinton Library (the city is frighteningly obsessed with Bill Clinton), and to this nifty tae kwon do monument. The one annoying thing about the tkd monument is that the statues are wearing karate uniforms. Seriously??? We also did plenty of lollygagging in air-conditioned restaurants and bookstores, and it was pretty much heaven on Earth. I wish so much he could have stayed longer, but even so the visit is definitely a memory I'll treasure for a very long time.

Mississippi and Arkansas Part One

Well gosh, what to say about Mississippi? Lots of biking was involved! Rolling hills in the east and flat flat flat in the west, which somehow surprised me even though I had no idea exactly what to expect. As I mentioned before, I had some difficulty understanding people, especially in small towns. I have plenty of experience deciphering various accents from the British Isles but considerably less with some accents from my own country.

My favorite town by far was Oxford. Home of Ole Miss and nicknamed the "Little Easy" it has a distinctly New Orleansian feel (not that I've ever been to New Orleans). One thing I thought was interesting is that right in downtown there is a memorial for Confederate soldiers. It is a large statue that says something on it about people giving their lives for a "noble and holy cause." I'm not sure how I feel about the cause being holy, but I do think it's rather nice they have a monument. It's interesting how there are lots of monuments for the "winners" of wars, but not any that I know of for the "losers". But in the end, people on both sides of the war died, and that is never a good thing regardless of what side they are on.

As I said, getting into Arkansas was flat. Mind-numbingly flat. Actually, what was mind numbing wasn't the flatness, but the straightness. Basically we biked along a straight road stretching off into the horizon as far as we could see. Occasionally we'd turn only to be greeted by the same sight. We nearly went insane (Kristen especially) but it was nice to have a break from the hills.

Once Arkansas became more Arkansan, it was really beautiful. It is more of a mixture of rolling hills and flatter farmland, and the combination is really striking. Crossing the Mississippi was pretty great, since I'd never seen it before. Unfortunately though we were on a fairly busy highway and the bridge had no shoulder so we couldn't stop to take pictures or admire the view.

We did have a bit of an adventure later that day though when we crossed the White River. The bridge is 3 miles long (yes) and with literally no shoulder. The locals were all very freaked out about the idea of us crossing it, but we didn't really have a choice, so they convinced us to call a police escort! Normally we are pretty spread out throughout the day, but we all waited at second lunch until everyone had arrived and was ready to cross. The van lead the way and the police car followed behind us flashing lights. It was a blast being all together; we were singing songs at the top of our voices and remarking on our incredible badassitude. The reason the bridge was so long is that the land is very swampy, so there isn't a clear border between the river and the land. Rather, the river just kind of seeps around where it wants to go, and it leaves quite a large berth. The swampy land isn't solid enough to build a road on, so the bridge has to go not only over the river proper, but also all the marshy stuff. It was really beautiful though, and completely unlike any other environment I've been to on Earth.

Halfway through Arkansas we had a day off in Little Rock, which proved to be far and away the best day on the trip...

Sorry for the lack of post-age, y'all! (Not to be confused with lack of postage, though I am running low on stamps).

Can't write much now as it is after 9 (waaaay past my bed time) and I have a coherency level of zero.

In brief: 4:30 wake-ups, 100 mile days, incessant sun, chafe-age like you would NOT believe (aren't you glad I shared?), gorgeous gorgeous America (Arkansas and Oklahoma are awesome and you should all visit), raddest people on Earth, scarily generous hosts, and yes, a certain Dickensian gentleman who is totally rocking my world.

Love and hugs to all, I WILL update in earnest as soon as I can!

Sweet Home Alabama!

Whew! So sorry for not updating for an entire state!! But in my defense, we blew through the state in four days (including a build day) and we had very little internet access throughout.

So. I believe I left you before our first century day. Wow that seems like 10,000 years ago. Anyway... The first century was great for me, even though it turned out to be 121 miles!!! On days of 90+ miles we get two lunches, and the first third of the ride flew by. Everyone was pretty pumped up about riding a century, and we were able to get out of the metropolitan area pretty quickly. The ride continued to go smoothly until second lunch; I was definitely ready for a break, but it didn't seem that weird to get back on the bike afterwards, even though usually we would be done by then. For awhile I was with a fairly big group, until we stopped a railway bridge over a river. Everyone was just hanging out, but I was getting pretty anxious to get to the border, so Laura and I took off ahead. We hit a gravel road but since that's what was on the cue sheet, we went down it anyway. We hit pavement soon, but the roads were not marked at all (an annoying commonality in the rural South, it seems) so we asked a man mowing his long to direct us to the highway. His directions seemed quite straight forward, so we went on our way. 15 or 20 minutes later though, Ben called, saying the group had been rerouted to avoid the gravel road. When we explained that we were already quite a way's past the road, and headed to the highway we wanted to end up at, he told us to just keep going.

And so we went. And went. And went and went and went. We were in pretty good spirits; I was being unusually goofy (as in, goofy to an unusually high degree. I realize it's not unusual for me to be goofy) and was having a great time making Laura laugh. It even distracted us from all the hills were going up and down and up and down. Finally, after an hour or so, we hit the highway, only to discover that the westward direction of the highway was going more or less back the same way we had just come. At that point though we just wanted to get there, so we headed west and soon spotted two Bike and Builders up ahead. Yay! People! We're going the right way! We were shocked to discover though, that it was sweep (the two riders who have to stay in the back of the pack). Since Laura and I fell off the map, they were instructed to wait for us before continuing on. We were flabbergasted that after starting in the front, we were now dead last.

The last 10 miles were pretty challenging, since we were already far over mileage for the day. It remained hilly, and while none of the hills were all that remarkable by themselves, a hill that is a non-issue at mile 20 can be rather irksome at mile 110. There were multiple signs saying we had entered Hartwell, but no town in sight, and at the crest of every hill we were simply greeted by another one. Finally, at long last, we arrived at the church with the sun low in the sky. All of our efforts were rewarded handsomely though, with our first genuine southern fried chicken dinner, provided by the church. After dinner we were all pretty exhausted; all I could manage were my chores and a phone call to SDL before collapsing in bed.

The next day we were in store for 87 miles, which became 97 after rerouting from road closures. I found this day pretty swell also. It was hilly--there were three hills which were by far my longest ever, one was over 2 miles! They were tough, but even while climbing (and certainly while descending!) I felt healthy and vigorous and happy to be alive. Several folks had a particularly tough time that day, but I really felt rather peppy throughout the entire thing. I entertained (or annoyed) my companions by singing Beatles tunes and having a solo dance party on my bike. I did end up getting a little lost when we were coming into Birmingham. We were going through some really gorgeous neighborhoods with amazing, unique houses (I later learned that Oliver used to live on one of the streets we biked down!) but we also had to navigate busy streets with plenty of drivers unused to seeing cyclists on the road.

The next two nights we stayed at the Habitat for Humanity volunteer headquarters, and they had BUNKBEDS! That's right, we had two nights in which we didn't sleep on the floor. I was also delighted to find a little nook with a mirror in which to practice--at school I almost always practice with a mirror and this was the first time on this trip I've been able to.

Our build day in Birmingham was my favorite yet. We were working on the finishing touches on two houses. I spent the morning making shelves for a closet with David and Steph, and I got to use power tools! Yes! I have to admit, I did feel pretty badass when I was cutting boards with a loud power saw.

The site supervisor was a very interesting guy. He was recently released from prison for bank robbery, and is a former drug addict, a sad after effect of the car accident which killed his wife and son in 1996. But I tell you, he is one of the happiest people I've ever seen. At lunch he was all smiles and wanted to tell us all "how good the Lord has been to me." He was constantly cracking jokes, rhapsodizing about how much he loves his job ("you couldn't drag me away from Habitat with a team of horses"), and even recited some Edgar Allen Poe poems, which I thought was the best thing ever (people don't recite poetry often enough, says I). It was very moving for me to see someone who had endured so much tragedy and hardship look around and see all the blessings in his life and be joyful about it.

Well, I still have two days to update, but my time is about up on the library computer so I'll have to save those for next time. Hopefully we'll have internet again soon! But for now, I'll just say that: I'm in Mississippi for the first time in my life, and have found many things interesting, not the least of which is the fact that I often have a hard time understanding people. True Southern drawls are no joke!

Build day in Norcross

Today we worked with Rebuilding Together, an organization which focuses on repairing dilapidated homes of low-income people. We went to the home of Mr. Jones, who turned 89 today. His home is large but is in really bad shape. There is a leaky roof and a rat problem, unstable floors, holes in the walls, and way too much furniture. Some people worked on the roof and built a new railing for the porch stairs, and some (me included) painted the inside. All the rooms were pretty dark, and since Mr. Jones has glaucoma, the dark paint makes it even harder than usual for him to see. Hopefully the white paint will help, though he also depends on us putting back things where we found them so he knows where to expect them.

On a break I sat down and talked to him, and we ended up chatting for the better part of an hour. I learned that he served in the Navy in WWII, was a very skilled ping pong player, went to the World's Fair in 1939 where he saw a television for the first time, and likes Obama because "he always talks about helping people". He dazzled me with his ability to remember exact dates of things. While it's not surprising that he remembers the exact dates of his wife's and son's deaths, I was shocked when he rattled off exact dates of his first plane ride, a trip to San Diego in the 70s, the day he met his wife, and other life events. He asked me about Seattle and how I came to be in Georgia, and told me about how his son "developed cancer and that took him away from here."

It was somewhat frustrating for us to spend so much time on painting, when that really is the least of his needs in a lot of ways. But we can't exactly go through his stuff and convince him to throw things out so he has room to move around (or put in a bed; he currently sleeps on the sofa), nor can we do skilled labor like replacing the floor in the bathroom or tearing out the old appliances in the kitchen. But the Rebuilding Together staff seem dedicated to helping him as much as they can, so I'm hoping Mr. Jones will have a more comfortable place to live in the near future.

After the day of work we had another phenomenal donated dinner. This time a local cafe that is usually only open for breakfast and lunch stayed open just for us, and we had a taco buffet that was delicious. A cover band was playing Beatles tunes and other fun stuff and they passed around shakers and hand drums so we could all get into the action. We sang at the top of our voices and got our groove on and generally had a great time. Afterwards we walked back to the Boys and Girls club, and along the way Chris alerted us to a huge magnolia tree that we could actually get inside. It was like a different world, with branches and deep green leaves all around and the sunlight streaking through. I wished I had discovered it sooner--it would have been a great place read a book or recite sonnets or listen to the whisperings of one's heart that are only heard in places of great beauty.

Tomorrow is a big day: 100 miles of riding. In cycling speak, this is called a century, and is something of a demarcation between cyclists and people who fiddle around on a bike. I'm a little nervous, but mostly excited. We'll be making our second state line crossing, into Alabama, another state I've never visited. We'll be getting up at 4:30, so the 6:30 start time should allow us to take it slow and have the bulk of our riding hours before the day really heats up. If I live to tell the tale, I'll let you know how it goes!

Georgia...

...is hilly! Who knew? Not atrociously so, but still, there has been more up and down lately than flat.

So, we left Greenville on Thursday, which turned out to be our first rainy day. It started sprinkling when we gathered for route meeting, and rained the rest of the day with various levels of enthusiasm. I didn't really mind it though. First of all, because it was our first rain day, everyone was even more rowdy than usual. Partly to pump each other up, and partly as a result of releasing our inner kid-playing-out-in-the-rain mentality, I was doing as much laughing as pedaling for most of the morning. Leading the ridiculousness were of course Chris and J Gibbs, who were offering a wacky continuous commentary in outrageous Australian accents.

Thursday was also notable as being our Best Ever Lunch Stop. We stopped at the parents' house of a Bike and Build alum, and they had an amazing spread laid out for us. You see, the typical Bike and Build lunch consists of pb&j on bagels and bread, bananas, apples, carrots, chips or pretzels, and usually cookies of some kind. But luckily, Rachel (the BB alum) alerted her mother that to win our hearts all she need do is not offer any of those things. So we feasted on chicken nuggets from Chik fil-a, homemade mini banana bran muffins, bowls full of grapes and berries, fresh veggies with hummus, and oatmeal M&M cookies warm from the oven. It was heaven!

The main excitement of the afternoon was crossing the state border into Georgia. Near the border we passed by a huge, beautiful lake and were greeted by a sign saying "Welcome to Georgia...we're glad its on your mind." Our first night in Georgia was spent in Hartwell, at a labyrinthine Baptist church with hallways that wove and turned about and got me thoroughly confused on most occasions. I was overjoyed though to find the choir room open, and forwent a shower so I could spend the afternoon working on music (hey, it was raining all day, it's not like I was that gross!).

The next day we continued from Hartwell to Athens, the former stomping ground of Adam, a University of Georgia grad. Athens is hilly! It's a cool college town, though I only saw the main drag as we biked down it, for our church was a bit removed. The best part of this church, Holy Cross Trinity Lutheran, was the FOOD. Several church members prepared an amazing pot luck dinner for us, and we shared it with a dozen or so of the congregation. We showed them our rad Bike and Build video, chatted, laughed, and ate way more than was necessary (at least I did). But they REALLY went above and beyond the call of duty by getting up at 6 am the next morning to prepare us breakfast! When I carried my duffel to the trailer around 6:30, I was shocked to see several ladies from the church setting out bagels and spread (they really spoiled us with Nutella), bowls of fresh fruit, granola bars, and coffee and cocoa. We were certainly incredibly lucky to have them as hosts, and hopefully they will be long-term partners of the Bike and Build family.

Today's ride was pretty great, and brought us to Norcross, a suburb of Atlanta. Highlights of the day included a visit with a miniature horse, or more accurately, Claire yelling "Tiny horse!!" to a group of riders approaching us and causing Kelsey to literally fall on the ground laughing. The terrain was kind of interesting: hilly getting out of Athens, mostly flat in the middle, and then hilly again coming into Norcross. The last dozen or so miles (of 55) were pretty urban, which isn't the best riding, but I didn't mind it. Tonight and tomorrow we're staying that the Boys and Girls Club, and we are pretty much in heaven. Not only is there a computer lab with internet (15 people blogging as I type this) but also pool tables, air hockey, foosball, basketball courts, a flat screen and DVD player, and more sports equipment than you can shake a stick at. Tomorrow we have a build day with the organization Rebuilding Together. I'm not sure what our tasks will be but I will keep you posted!

Day off in Greenville, SC (Georgia on my mind...)

I'm not sure which is better: getting to sleep in, or getting to brush my teeth AFTER eating breakfast.

So today was our first day off, and our last full day in South Carolina. I slept until 10, which was bliss, even on a thermarest (mine is surpsingly comfy). I then got to eat breakfast before brushing my teeth, which is a luxury I didn't realize I'd miss so much. Usually we have 45 minutes to get up and get our duffel bags into the trailor. Everything that you're not carrying with you on your bike for the day goes in the duffel, so if you want to brush your teeth you have to do it before you pack your toiletries away. We don't eat breakfast though until after the trailor is all packed, so invariably I start my ride without that minty fresh feeling. Small price to pay for the general awesomeness that is Bike and Build, but still, I relished it while I could.

The past few days have been great. Day four of cycing took us from Columbia to Newberry and was a fantastic route. It was about 55 miles, mostly flat with some rolling hills, and mostly country roads with few cars (though plenty of potholes). I road with Claire and Laura in the morning, and with a whole gaggle of girls in the afternoon. We got a little lost towards the end, but Claire google-mapped us back to the route. It was really fun to ride with a group of girls, and let me tell you, six women in matching spandex are quite the spectacle in Prosperity, South Carolina.

Our hosts in Newberry were all kinds of awesome. We had a huge church gym to sleep in (though some in the group thought sleep was just the secondary activity after basketball) and an awesome dinner provided for us by the church. The pastor was very nice, and I chatted with him for a few minutes when I went to the church office to ask about practicing. He let me practice in the sanctuary, which was one of the most gorgeous I've ever seen, actually. It wasn't all that big, but it had really high vaulted ceilings with white paint on the walls and dark exposed wood which created a really beautiful contrast. It also had a bunch of colorful stained glass windows, but they were just designs, not the grotesque crucifixion ones you often see in Catholic cathedrals. The only ornately religious part was a big cross at the front and that didn't bother be too much, especially when I was facing away from it! I really enjoyed singing in there, and it certainly beats the round building as a practice space.

After I practiced I walked around the hopping downtown of Newberry. I had been alerted that there is an opera house there, so that was my destination. The opera house is really beautiful, and is still in use (though not for opera, unfortunately). I asked the lady at the ticket counter if I could look around and she said sure. When I went in the theater there was no one there so I went ahead and sang three arias on the stage. It was really fun! The theater and stage were small, but what made it fun was the historic look of everything and knowing that it was over a hundred years old.

The rest of the evening in Newberry was very relaxing, and yesterday was another early wake up to get us to Greenville. Riding with us yesterday were Bill West, one of Bike and Build's board members, and several of his friends. We are certainly lucky to have Mr. West on board; he not only hooked us up with our awesome church in Greenville and bought us dinner yesterday and tonight, but also got cycling racer and Lance Armstrong buddy George Hincapie to call Giant and get us a sponsorship. Our slick Giant Defy 2s are all thanks to him!

The route yesterday was phenomenal, and our longest yet at 73 miles. It was also my longest bike ride ever, but it didn't really feel like it. It was a wonderful mix of rolling hills and flats, and actually had two hills that I would consider memorable, a first for this trip so far. The one problem was that not everyone had cue sheets (the directions) and so we had to stay in big groups. Riding in big groups isn't exactly safe, but it sure is fun. Especially in the morning I had an awesome time. I was with 8 or 9 other people, and everyone was being really rowdy and fun. At lunch I was a little annoyed that I couldn't just take off when I wanted to but had to wait for a large group to assemble, but it worked out fine.

Our church in Greenville is also incredibly awesome and huge, and the town is really fantastic. After the bbq dinner Mr. West had catered for us, I walked around main street and the great downtown park with an assortment of awesome folk. The park is really extraordinary, with a beautiful river, several fountains, and lots of green. There is a theater set in the ampitheatre for the outdoor Shakespeare festival, but since no one was on it I went up on the balcony and sang Summertime. Seemed like an appropriate song for the occasion, and Will told me it's his favorite. That reminds me that I also sang while riding my bike that morning and that didn't go quite as well. The group requested Ave Maria, but that is a really hard song to sing while riding a bike! It's a hard song to sing while doing nothing else because of the really long phrases (which aren't really my strong suit to begin with) so when you're also pedaling it's quite a challenge. I told everyone I'd be happy to sing for them while riding again, but next time I'm picking the song!

Anyway, today is our day off, so a lot of lazing around is in store. I'm going to try to find a space to practice at the church later, and then Mr. West rented us a room at the best pizza place in town for dinner. We are definitely getting spoiled here in Greenville!!

Tomorrow is our first state line crossing, into the 28th state I've ever visited, Georgia. High on my to-do list is eating a peach for the first time in my life...

Day Three of Cycling

Greetings from Columbia, South Carolina! We've now had three cycling days, with the last two days being about 55 miles each. I'm pleased to say that I feel pretty darn great! Yesterday I was riding sweep, which means me and my sweep partner Andy had to be the last rider in at the end of the day. Two riders are designated sweep every day, and they are not allowed to pass anybody all day. As you can imagine, this makes it a pretty slow day. We had a couple small stops in the morning, but two hour long waits in the afternoon, one when we had to wait for someone who got lost, and one with someone with a flat tire. It was actually really fun though, because we did a lot of sitting in the shade under trees and talking about physics and the Discovery Channel and alligators and other hugely important topics. Also, the enforced rest left me hardly tired at all at the end of the day, even though I'd biked 55 miles. We arrived at the campsite around 5, jumped in the lake (though I could only stay in for about 60 seconds for fear of gators) and had a very pleasant evening lounging around.

Today was a spectacular day. We had a 5:30 wake up, but being on the road at 7:30 was awesome. It wasn't hot at all, and the first 20 miles or so were on a really awesome road through the roads. Flat roads can be just as hard as hills, or harder, if there is a strong wind, and there often is. But this road, while flat, was in the woods so the trees blocked the wind. Bliss! I road with Sarah K today and we had a really awesome pace. There were a few long but not steep hills in the second half of the ride, but I didn't mind them at all. I actually feel like with a bit a rest I certainly would have been able to keep going today.

Anyway, another 55 miles tomorrow, 70ish the day after that, and then our first day off!

"You make cycling look good."

That's what Adam said to me at lunch today, our first official cycling day. Mary then said "Yeah, when you were out ahead of all of us I was thinking 'who is that? She's really hot!'" :-) Not a bad start!

Today started with the first time through the typical morning routine. Each morning we have two hours to get up, eat breakfast, pack the trailer, get our gear ready, have a route meeting, and get on the road. It seems like that should be easy to accomplish in two hours, but with 32 people it's actually a pretty tight schedule. We managed to start pretty close to on time today though, and hopefully we'll just get faster at it.

We started out by going a couple of blocks to the ocean, to dip our wheels. It was a bit of an ordeal to get to the water, as there was 50 yards or so of marshy land between the side walk and the tide, but we decided to go for it anyway. All the shells in the sand were flat tires waiting to happen, but only Sarah K ended up with one. After she was all fixed up we took a bunch of pictures and then kind of stood around staring at each other.

"Um, you guys can go," said Jake, one of our trip leaders. Well alright then, let's get going! I was really anxious to get on the road, so I was in the first group out. There were 8 or 9 of us, and I was in the second spot behind Dr. Jon (who just got into med school at Penn). A couple miles in though he stopped to chalk a tricky turn for the groups behind us, so then I was in the very front, leading the way! It was pretty awesome, being the first person in the first group. I felt like quite the trailblazer. I led the way for probably 10-ish miles, then fell back a bit when post-long-stoplight sluggish legs took awhile to get going again. Then Adam, Mary, and I got cut off at a light so we biked the rest of the way to lunch just the three of us. The roads were mostly busy highways so that wasn't ideal but it was flat and not windy.

Today was a short day, only 32 miles, so after lunch (for which no one was really all that hungry but we ate anyway because, hey, free food!) we only had 10 to go. I set out with Mary and Will and led the way, and as we pulled into Moncks Corner, our stop for the evening, I looked behind me and Will had magically materialized into Adam. I felt kind of bad for not even realizing that Will had stopped--what if he had been injured and I just didn't notice and kept going?--so I'm going to try to keep better tabs on my group tomorrow.

Since it was such a short ride day we have the whole afternoon and evening free, which is great. I'm hoping to find a place to practice in the church. I practiced every day in Charleston and I hope to keep up the routine this summer, especially on shorter days. At first I was really embarrassed to sing within ear shot of all my fellow riders, since hardly any of them have ever heard a classical singer before, but they've all been really nice about it. Actually, they're really good at keeping me on my toes--several people ask me every day "Have you practiced today?" I'm not expecting to make profound technical strides in my singing this summer, but I have a big fall coming up so I'm hoping to at least stay in relative shape. I also have all the music I'd like to sing on a fall recital with me, so I'm hoping to learn all of that. We'll see!

Orientation

Well, we're all oriented, and tomorrow we officially head off to Santa Cruz! We won't arrive there tomorrow though. We have to go to Moncks Corner, South Carolina first, and then a few more stops in between before we get to California. I'm excited!

Over the past two days we've done a lot of policy type stuff, i.e., what will get you kicked out of the program (buying alcohol for minors, for example), what day to day life on the road will be like, bike safety and maintenance, etc. We also have met several Habitat for Humanity people to learn more about the organization and how it works (we don't exclusively build with Habitat, but we do a lot of builds with them). We've met several home owners which has been really fun. We had our first build day today, and we got to work with the owner of the house, Jenny. I worked on siding, mostly with Kelsey, Ann Margaret, and Amelia and it was so cool to see what the house looked like at the beginning of the day and what it looked like at the end. I managed to bang my thumb with a hammer only once, sweat away approximately half my body weight (don't worry, I've already made up for it in cookie consumption), and learn some more about the building side of Habitat for Humanity.

Yesterday we also had a shakedown ride. We did a 24 mile out-and-back to a fort on the bay to make sure that no one had severe bike issues and to get used to riding together. It was hard to ride as a big group, but since the route was in the city there wasn't really room for us to spread out that much. Plus since the ride was so short we all pretty much stayed together in a long line. I was happy to discover that I'm not way slower than everyone else, I floated around in the middle with no problems. I've heard lots of horror stories about our tires (lots of people have bought different, better tires) and some people have already gotten flat tires, but my trusty little tires are doing just fine. Everyone swears that the tires will fall apart long before we reach the Pacific, but I have faith. I'd love it if my tires make it the whole way not just because then I wouldn't have to buy new ones but also to prove everyone wrong!

We've also been eating a lot. Subway has donated a bunch of meals to us so I've eaten a zillion foot-long turkey sandwiches, and last night a bicycle lawyer in town bought us all dinner at a bbq place. For breakfast we've been eating Panera; one of the leaders goes there every evening to get the food they're about to throw away and it's left us with boxes and boxes and boxes of bagels, bread, pastries, cookies, and cakes. Way more than we could ever eat, and we eat a lot! Perhaps I should say now that actually a lot of people gain weight on these trips. What happens is in the beginning everyone eats a ton, and they have to, because they burn it all off with the cycling. But as you go your body becomes more efficient, and doesn't need as many calories to do the same thing. But most people continue eating a lot, and so they end up gaining weight. I'm going to try my darndest to make sure that doesn't happen, but no gurantees!

That's all for now...my chore group (shout out to Mary, Molly, J Gibbs, Adam, and Dane) is making spaghetti for the whole group for dinner tonight. Better get cooking!

Mail Drops!

If you want to send me cookies, cards, cookies, letters, notes, cookies, or anything else via snail mail (cookies, for example) this summer, here's the deal:

We're only in each town for a day (sometimes two if we have a day off) so Bike and Build organizes mail drops in advance for receiving mail. Mail is sent "general delivery", meaning it is held at the post office until we pick it up. For each mail drop, address the package as such:

Bike and Build
Attn: ABIGAIL MITCHELL
General Delivery
City, State, Zip

Be sure to write somewhere on the envelope "Please hold for pick up on DATE". If they don't have a date on it they may hold it indefinitely; if there is a date they can forward it to the next mail drop if we happen to miss it.

Mail drops:

June 04 Hartwell, GA 30643
June 11 Hamilton, AL 35570
June 18 Russellville, AR 72801
June 25 Spearman, TX 79081 (MY BIRTHDAY! I'm just saying...)
July 02 Colorado Springs, CO 80903
July 09 Colorado Springs, CO 80903
July 16 Silt, CO 81652
July 23 Brigham City, UT 84302
July 30 Ontario, OR 97914
August 06 Old Station, CA 96071
August 13 San Jose, CA 95113


Also, I plan on being a postcard writing machine this summer, so if you want postcards and I don't have your address, email it to me!

Charleston!

I've arrived in Charleston and it's beautiful! Oliver and I got in late Sunday night, and he left early Monday morning to head home to visit family. I spent most of Monday with friends from IU who came down to Charleston for the Spoleto Festival. We walked around, ate lots of ice cream (well, I did), swung (swang? swinged?) on a swinging bench on the pier (bliss), and went and saw the opera in the evening (Louise by Charpentier). The opera was kind of strange, if you ask me, with a very simplistic plot and a rather mish-mashy dramatic structure that kind of jumped around to scenes which had nothing to do with one another and in which little or nothing happened. There was some fine singing though, particularly from Stefania Dovhan who sang the title role. Slept my first of 82 nights on a thermarest in a church rec room and it was surprisingly wonderful. I've spent several less than restful nights on a thermarest in a tent while backpacking and the like (still love it though) and I think a pillow and a carpeted floor makes all the difference in the world. About 12 riders have arrived so far and last night there was only one snorer...we shall see what happens when all 33 of us are sleeping in the same room.

Official orientation starts today at 1, and we have training and various activities today and tomorrow, including a shake down ride tomorrow "to make sure that everyone can ride a bike!" I'm nervous about being the worst and/or slowest cyclist of the group, but I'm trying not to overthink it. I have already made some dumb comments involving misnaming bicycle parts (pedals vs cranks for example...why they are separate parts is beyond me) so I'm feeling a little sheepish. We shall see!

One week to go!

A week from tomorrow I'll be arriving in Charleston, South Carolina to start my trip. We'll have two days of orientation, followed by a build day with Charleston Habitat for Humanity. Then next Friday we'll commence our coast-to-coast journey, starting with a wheel-dip in the Atlantic Ocean and plenty of pictures, of course. I'm hoping that while I'm in Charleston I'll be able to catch a show or two at the Spoleto USA festival. This multi-disciplinary performing arts festival has interested me for some time, so its rather serendipitous that I'll be in Charleston during it.

Preparations are going well, though I still have a lot to do. This week I'll be completing my sweat equity at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Bloomington, getting a physical to make sure I'm not going to completely fall apart on the ride, finishing up my affordable housing presentation, and riding at least 35 miles every day. I'm hoping to get in a 80 mile ride, but the days are few so we'll see!

The training has been great so far. I had some pretty profound knee pain on my spring break cycling trip which really worried me, but Oliver adjusted my pedals and that seemed to fix it. I am definitely aware of my legs lately, but I haven't had any monumental soreness yet.

My biggest concern right now is my hands. Technically when riding a bike you're not supposed to put too much weight (or really any) on your hands. But as you can imagine when you're riding for several hours that is really difficult to do! Unfortunately though, putting weight on your hands in the riding position for extended periods can pinch nerves. That's what has happened to me, especially in my right hand. Ever since spring break I've had numbness in my pinkie on my right hand (the broken one!) and reduced strength in both hands, especially the right. Since I haven't been to the rock climbing gym in awhile, you'd think I wouldn't really care about hand strength, but it actually has been very noticeable in my day to day life. My right hand is my dominant hand, and with its reduced strength it is very easily fatigued. Writing by hand is more difficult (and if you can believe it, my hand writing is even worse than usual), as is opening jars and even turning the keys in my apartment.

Apparently the official term for this problem is "cyclists' palsy" and is quite common. I do want to be careful though, because it is possible to permanently damage the nerves and then I'd end up with a strength/feeling deficit for the rest of my life. I'm in the market for some better gloves, continually adjusting my handlebars to find the right position, and working on my riding technique in hopes of solving this problem.

I also still have a long way to go on my fundraising, especially considering the trip starts in a week. I know times are tough for everyone, but if you have a few bucks to throw Bike and Build's way I would be very grateful! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far--your generosity and support mean so much to me.

www.bikeandbuild.org/donate Every little bit helps!

Bike and Build 2009

As many of you already know, this summer I'll be bicycling across the country with the amazing organization Bike and Build. Bike and Build is a non-profit which raises money for and awareness of affordable housing efforts through cross-country bike trips with young adults each summer. Each cyclist commits to raising $4,000, 500 miles of training, 8 hours of volunteer "sweat equity", and creating an affordable housing education presentation before the trip begins. Once the trip starts, long cycling days averaging 75 miles are interspersed with days of construction with affordable housing organizations across the country. We'll also give presentations to the communities we visit and run bicycle safety clinics for children, hopefully inspiring people to pick up a hammer, get on a bicycle, or both (though not at the same time).

So why am I doing this? Several reasons, not the least of which is because I think I can't. I am not a naturally athletic person. No one believes me when I say this, but truly, I'm not. Blessed with an, ahem, Rubenesque figure, and naturally inclined to hibernation in all seasons, I am not physically or mentally well outfitted for athletics of any kind. That being said, I decided some years ago to continually challenge myself, seek out new experiences, and always pursue health and fitness.

Four or five years ago, at the dawn of this Challenge As A Lifestyle decision, I could barely get through 20 minutes of running on a treadmill without feeling like I was dying. Now I'm a half-marathon runner and honestly, I've actually really been missing running since I ramped up my cycling training. My point is that while I am not a naturally athletic person, I am proud to say that I am an athletic person. But it's all come from hard work, and none of it compares to the hard work ahead of me in bicycling across the country.

Thinking about bicycling 4,000 miles from coast to coast fills me with excitement, fear, curiosity, inspiration, and dread. Who am I to think that I can do this? Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with self-doubt that I just want to curl up in bed and never so much as look at a bicycle again. But I know from experience that there is no greater feeling than that of achieving something you thought you could not do. It is my sincere hope that by doing something so challenging I will inspire others (i.e., you) to push themselves beyond their perceived limits. Trust me, if I can bicycle across the country, you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to.

My other main reason for signing up for Bike and Build is my desire to do something for my country, and incorporate service as a mainstay in my lifestyle. I have been unbelievably blessed in my life, and have long been acutely aware of how many are less fortunate. Immersed in the often self-absorbed world of music, I always justified not volunteering or serving others by telling myself "I have to practice" or "I'll do that later." Well, "later" is today, and yesterday, and the day before, and I am sick of making excuses and putting things off. Whether music is a selfish career choice is another topic for another blog, but what I know for sure is that I want to dedicate my life to service just as much as I dedicate it to art. Bike and Build counts as one of its main aims the fostering of the spirit of service in young people, and many of my fellow riders have already accumulated impressive records of helping others. I am thrilled to have the chance to work with and be inspired and humbled by them, and learn from them what it means to make volunteering a priority in one's life.

It is a rather odd sensation for me to look ahead to this summer knowing I will be a different person after it. But while I love Abby for who she is now, I am excited to meet the Abby I will become as a result of participating in this extraordinary summer experience. I am anticipating hours of painful effort on the bike, panic attacks from my first summer away from singing since I chose it as a profession a decade ago, moments of regret (what am I DOING??) and loneliness, and saddle sores so profound they may become permanent (gross but true). But I know these things will pale in comparison to the exhilaration that comes from meeting new people, seeing new places, trying new things, and helping people in a tangible way.

Thank you to all of you for the incredible support you've shown me over the past few months as I prepare for this journey. Thanks specifically to:

--all of my sponsors. Your generosity is mind boggling.
--my riding buddies Mark, Mandi, Krista, and especially Oliver,
--Daniela, for providing the slick piano to my lame jazz vocals for my fundraising CD,
--Noodles & Company for hosting my fundraising dinner, and Justin, Kaia, Mark, Mandi, Alize, Benny, Annie, Bethany, Steven, Lisa, Arwen, Beth, Nick, Thomas, Johanna, Ken, Daniela, Amanda, and Jenny for coming and bringing friends,
--the IU Taekwondo club, for always pushing me to be my best, surrounding me with so many hardworking and inspiring people, and coming to my fundraising dinner and threatening to throw down when a cashier wouldn't accept the flyers,
--my extraordinary, fabulous, frighteningly talented mother, whose gorgeous quilts dazzled everyone and raised a ton of funds,
--my amazing family, who supports me in every crazy scheme I come up with,
--and most of all Oliver, who inspired me to go on this trip in the first place, taught me everything I know about the bicycle, joined me on hundreds of miles of training rides, recorded my fundraising CD, and has helped with every conceivable thing that has needed doing in preparation for this trip.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you to everyone I've ever met in my entire life--knowing you has brought me to this point, and I am extremely excited, amazingly scared, and uncommonly blessed.