Miss The Good Old Days

By the good old days I mean Bike and Build. Almost a month and a half to go until it's been a year since the beginning of my trek. I still miss it. The people, the riding.

A friend is going on a bike and build route in two months. I'm kinda jealous because I know how much fun he'll have.

I've got a couple new adventures brewing but it's not going to happen for a year or two.

The triathlon is 3 and a half weeks away. I'll be ready for it. Need to kick it up to high gear.

Triathlon

Training for Triathlon. My brother and I are training almost every day.

Time has passed

I want to keep this blog alive for future adventures so I thought I'd post a little update.

It took a month or so to get over my post bike and build depression. In October I sold my car and moved to Davis, CA in November. It's one the most bike friendly communities in the country. Everything I need is close by. By bike or walking.

I'm going to start to train for a Triathlon my brother and I are doing in April 2009. I guess that's my next big adventure.

I'm still hoping to be a bike and build leader in 2010. I have a friend who is doing bike and build this coming year. I'm happy for him that he took the plunge once he found out how much fun I had.

Everyone from my trip still keep in touch. Regular e-mails of what everyone is doing. There is talk of doing a marathon next year together. That would be sweet!

I guess that's it for now.

3558.09

That is the total mileage for me since the official start on May 23rd. I've also done that many push-ups.

We all dipped our front tires in at the same time. Many parents taking lots of pictures.

Closing "ceremony" of sorts, a toast, food and our last ride together to the church where we cleaned out the trailer and van. One last hose shower as well.

I was the first to leave and said my goodbyes that night. 

This trip was awesome! Through thick and thin we all made it. Memories that will be with us forever and a summer that will never get old to tell.

I was looking for answers but I think I've got more questions now. But through this I know I can do anything I set my mind to. If I push hard enough I will get to the finish line.

I'd like to thank everyone who donated! I could not have done this without you. I hope you realize the impact that this has brought me. I will remember this summer forever.

I hope you enjoyed this blog. Following me on my journey and seeing evidence that there is a God. The pictures I took do not do the landscapes justice. I encourage you to see the country at a slower pace. Life moves way too fast. We all should slow down. Remember, you've only got one life to live.

Dave

Dan and Me

Tommorow, our last day...

The view from the awesome climb this morning

Rode through the desert the last couple days. Like sand dunes. Hot and sometimes tough but we made it through. I haven't been taking a lot of pictures because the landscape is rather depressing.

Today was an awesome ride. 52 miles and some nice descents and hills. Only 5-10 miles of climbing so I powered through it.

We are in El Cajon and tomorrow we hit the pacific ocean. An awesome accomplishment but I'm sad to see it end. Everyone has been awesome and we've gone through so much.

Until next time,

Dave

Yeah, kinda hot

Crazy, we're in Cali!

So we just hit our last state. What a bummer! I don't want this trip to end. Seriously. Sorry everyone back home.

After cruising through state inspections, 8 or so of us swam in the colorado river. Nice and warm. I was sweep with Maggie and it was our last sweep day. It was great though. No pressuring the people in the back. Just a nice, easy 65 mile day. Started out in the rain though but it stopped at lunch, 30 miles in, at 8:30 in the morning.

The previous day was exciting but I can't talk about it. We did sing a lot of songs though.

We had  a part two of the talent show tonight. Scott W wrote more to his previous song which was awesome! I wrote a poem yesterday because we had lots of time and I shared that. Turned out pretty good. I will not post it because you wouldn't get any of the references. Sorry.

I'd like to thank Lance's Mom for sending him the cookies. He did share them and they were good!

We only have a few short days left until we have to part ways and work our way back into reality. So lame! 

I haven't been taking a lot of pictures so here are some from the previous week or so.

Daryl(our supervisor), Ben, Hannah and Scott W on our last build day

Is he strong or what?

Anna on a locals bike. Part of game day

The sunrise in Wickenburg, AZ

Grand Canyon, +30, a whole lot of rain and our last build day

Dennis and some bug. If you know what it is, leave a comment

The other day we rode through the Grand Canyon National Forrest. It was awesome! Got some nice shots before the storm came and then we got caught in a downpour. A downpour and approaching 7:30 at night is not a good combo. But we made it to the campground safe and sound.

Though it was still taking a dump on us. The two I was riding with and I hung out in the trailer until it died down a little, changed out of our wet clothes, had a couple bagels and finally crashed in our tent until morning.

Oh and we did 95 miles instead of 60. Full campgrounds made us ride 30 more miles through the Grand Canyon and into a not packed one. But we had only 50 miles today instead of 80. We found out at lunch so we had to psyche ourselves up for 30 more.

Also we are now on Pacific time! No more adding hours to my bike computer to find out what time it is.

Yesterday we had a scavenger hunt of sorts as it was a 70 mile, not that good of scenery day. Divided into 3 teams and had objectives that had to be captured by a camera.

We had a blast the first half. My team got a ton of objectives. Some crazy some not. It started to get hot and all the teams had like 15 flats combined at lunch. We decided to call the second half after lunch off. In the next couple days we are going to look at all the teams pictures and see who won. Also the last 15 miles, Lisa and I switched bikes and shoes. We wondered how different it would  be. Wasn't that different for me but my bike was a little too long for Lisa.

Today was our last build day, here in Prescott, AZ. Landscaping of sorts. Digging up rocks, large rocks and putting them back after we get what little dirt there was out. Good work but it was hot! The sad thing is we only have a week left! We have to go back to reality. I get butterflies thinking about it.

Tomorrow we head down. Down into the hot desert. Should be great!

Dave

A bunch of people climbed out onto the rock before the storm started moving in

Suz and Lisa behind the sign, before the downpour we got caught in

Grand Canyon

Arizona, your roads are horrible! But the views, pretty cool.

The ride to Durango, CO I believe

So we are now in Arizona. The last state before we hit California. So sad.

We are here in Kayenta, AZ and just got back from Monument Valley. Super cool valley of rock formations. For $25 we got a 3 hour open window bus tour. It was awesome! Oh, I got my 3rd flat. Lame!

Here are a bunch of pictures:

Here is a picture of Lance at 4 corners for Lance's Mom

Me at 4 corners

Lisa contemplating the beauty of it all

Beautiful Disaster

Long time, no post. Sorry. Internet shortage. After the 4th we had a 103, 84, 101 and 70 mile days. These were miles going over mountains in Colorado. So long, tough days with beautiful landscapes and great descents.

We went over Monarch Pass which is 11,300 feet. Stopped for lunch and hot chocolate(Thanks Angela!) at the top. A storm started brewing as usual and I left for the 10 mile descent right before it hit.

Rain, wind, taking up the whole lane, going 25-35 down and saying f-it at the bottom where others had stopped to wait it out. I just kept riding and killed it the last 30 miles. Staying around 25-30 the whole way. Getting in first and calling some guy to open up the school for us.

We also had a build day. Doing more flooring just outside of Durango.

These are pictures from my new camera. My old one broke one morning. Just stopped so when I had a chance to go to wal-mart, I picked up a new one. I would have been kicking myself if I didn't get one so the expense was justified.

We go into Arizona tomorrow and I think I'll have even less chance of internet. So it might be awhile until my next post.

Miserably Great!

Rays of light!

Happy Fourth of July! We are now in Colorado and today is our day off. Our last day off...(sad). Yesterday we had another build day. Framed a house. A two story this time. That was cool.

The day before that was our longest day of the trip. 123 miles. It took many many hours. It also didn't help that we got caught in a storm.

The group I was riding with decided to stop when we were almost blown over by the wind. There were no structures around so we found a ditch next to a barb wire fence.

It was raining, really cold and lightning. We huddled together trying to keep each other warm as the storm was passing over us. It was miserably great as the title says. Though we were freezing, wet and pretty uncomfortable I think we all had a good time. We started playing the grocery store game and we thought of warm items we would get.

We were there for about an hour and it started to calm down enough to continue riding. It was tough getting out of the ditch and ride. We were all shaking from the cold and all the roads were wet. Not a good combo.

Others got caught but found shelter of some sort. In all, that day was awesome! Another century and a good story to share.

The next three days are going to be good ones. 100 tomorrow, then 80 and back to a 100 mile day. All of this through the mountains of Colorado.

I'm not sure what I'm doing tonight. Maybe fireworks, maybe not. I biked to the bike shop a couple times today. Got in 14 hilly miles.

Also, the talent show did go on and it was awesome. People that had talent actually performed. We got video of all the acts but I'll show you mine when I have a better connection to upload it. Horrible but nessesary for all the people back home. Told some I'd do it. It's almost 5 minutes so you probably don't want to waste your time.

Later!

Dave

A funny sign and Dream Sweep!

Shot at the same spot as the top picture, minutes apart, just a different direction

Kansas is not flat!

It has come to my attention that Kansas is a hilly state. Flat like glass it is not. So we are obviously out of Oklahoma and soon to be out of Kansas, into Colorado.

Yesterday was so windy, we were going 4 mph in a very strong head wind at times. We also camped the other day. Fun but much more work and less amenities. Also heard tornado sirens the next morning. No sightings though, bummer.

Saw a tarantula on the road, didn't get close enough pictures though as he was moving pretty quickly. Played the alphabet game and grocery store game a bunch today. Helps pass the time when the scenery is all the same.  Also stopped again for ice cream. We all seem to be making it a necessary stop after every ride. I should start an ice cream/shake fund. 

Talent show tonight, at least I think that's the plan. I've got a great act. Video eventually. Nothing else really really exciting. Here are some pictures for you. Sorry for the not very detailed post. Got our next century tomorrow.

.

This is not flat! Lisa and Suz climbing up the hill

Clouds the other day

Patrick staring off into the distance thinking he can't go on...not  really...well sometimes

The long road in life

Crash into me!

So today was my first crash. I'm fine but more importantly my bike is good and my camera still works.

Enjoy these pictures:

We are now in Ponca city, OK. Today was 74 miles. A bunch of head wind that most people didn't like. I didn't mind. Yesterday a couple of us rode to the bike shop and then to downtown Bartlesville. Checked out the only Frank Lloyd Wright skyscraper. Pretty cool. Didn't get pictures though. So here are some random ones.

Green plant objects

bike clinic

Bike clinic held for local kids

We have 8 days straight of riding with possible internet connection shortage. It's going to be awesome!

I Love Tail Wind!

Yesterday I felt really great! I was way ahead of everyone the whole day. 74 miles by myself. I didn't push it that hard or really aim to be first. It just happened. It was really windy and had side wind, head wind and tail wind.

When I hit some tail wind I got to 31mph on the flats for a mile or so. I was flying! But then I had to turn back into the side wind. Lame!

The day before was another 74 miles. Rode through some pretty good rain for about 20 minutes. Also took pictures at 3 corners, where Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma meet. Missouri was a bonus state that we rode in for 8 miles. Also right at the end I had a tire blowout. It was a pretty loud bang. I put 2,300 miles on the tire so I'm not really bummed. I will be making a belt out of it when I get back home though.

On the 21st we rode 91 miles through the Ozarks. Wasn't bad at all. A bunch of climbing but used to it now. Hit a new high speed record, 41.4 mph!

A couple of us that got to the host site first decided to do 9 more miles to get back to back centuries. We were in Fayetteville and it's on a hill. Everywhere we turned were hills, so we had to go down one but we had ice cream at the bottom to make it all better. Those last miles took forever!

Today is our second day off and we are in Bartlesville, OK. Got a list of things I need to do after breakfast, which is at 9:30. About the time that we have first lunch if it's a long riding day.

Cole Train!

3 corners

Me not talking on a phone, really!

105 miles!

19.3 miles an hour and hit the hundred mile mark!

So we are in Clarksville and our first century was awesome! At least for me. It felt so good. Nice scenery, cool people to ride with(everyone's cool though) and a pretty quick and easy day. A couple hills here and there but pretty flat most of the way.

We were on the news(click to watch segment) last night and someone at a gas station said they saw us. If you look closely, you can see me in a couple shots, one with me leaning on something working hard!

I don't know the mileage tomorrow but I hear it will be hilly. Bring it on!

We have wireless here so I decided to give today its own post. Here are some pictures from today.

Tip of the day: Remember to bring your towel to the showers

Later,

Dave

A nice dam bridge and Travis, part of Cole Train, the best chore group since time began

Also part of the dam bridge, a multi use path that we rode across

Found outside a gas station

Police, Cars, Trains, Oh My!

Claire's Hand

The other day Renee and I were sweep. 10 miles in, we got to train tracks and got split up. She made it to the other side before the gate started closing. The train stopped and an hour and a half later we were on our way.

- A truck got hit and a lady got thrown from it

- Renee was the first on scene on the other side and called 911

- I got video of the truck and train with audio of the collision

- Police asked for my memory card, I had a spare so it's OK

- Took down our info and the train people want to call to get our story

- Have the best sweep story so far

We also crossed our second state line, Arkansas. That was 87 miles, crossed the Mississippi and right after that was flat, hot, boring land. At that point Arkansas was boring but now it's a little better.

We are here in Little Rock and finished up two more build days. Worked on deconstructing a house to re-sell at the ReStore and also helped in the ReStore organizing and building dividers.

Last night we scored some tickets to a Travelers game, a minor league baseball team. They lost but it was a lot of fun with everyone there and they put us up on the big screen a couple times.

Tomorrow we have our first century into Clarksville. It's going to be great!

Until next time,

Dave

Organ at the church we are staying at

From the pulpit

Deconstruction Day

Baseball Game

Trolly ride to the game

91, 37, 55

A shot from a whole group ride with some locals during our 91 mile day.

That was the miles ridden over the last 3 days. Today is our first day off. We are here in Germantown which is about 14 miles from Memphis. Rode to the store to pick up some stuff, went to a car show, read a bike magazine. Relaxing day. After this post I'll be cleaning my bike.

Had soda for the first time in 3 years or something like that(figured I'm eating horribly anyway so why not?). Everyone but 3 of us went into town for the night here in Germantown. We stayed in and cooked pasta, garlic bread, corn on the cob, cold root beer from a bottle and tofu ice cream sandwiches. Also watched breaking away, an old cheesy bike movie made in the late 70's.

This morning I made pancakes, not for everyone though as they were all sleeping when I started. Nothing else really exciting to talk about.

Not too many pictures as the scenery isn't all that striking.

One of the roads we were on. Well not actually the road but the speed limit of the road.

Car Show!

Leaving Adamsville

Later!

Dave

First Time Zone Change!

Forgot to mention that the other day we passed our first time zone. Gained an hour! OK, now I'm done.

First Flat!

So today was a long 84 mile day. Rolling hills though, so nothing major to climb. I got to the host site, we had one hill to ride up to get to the dorms and the ride felt funny. I knew I had a flat. Lame! My first flat of the trip. It would have been cool to go the whole trip flat free. Anyway, patched it up and should be good to go for tomorrow, another 80 mile day.

We're in Palaski, TN. Had dinner at the Mayor's house. Great food! Thank you everyone who helped!

We had some 80 mile days and sub 50 days over the last week. Yesterday though we had a 12% grade that went for a couple miles right in the beginning. It wasn't too bad, the day was only 45 miles. I'm good with hills so I was in the lead for the beginning and two others caught up and we rode to the top and descended together.

We've stayed in two different national guard armory's, camped last night in Sewanee by a lake and another dorm tonight. All in the span of 4 days.

Played some mafia a couple nights. Fun game. I think we have our first day off coming up this week in Memphis. Should be pretty fun, though I don't know what anyone's doing.

I could share more but It's late, I have to sort laundry and I don't remember the names of the people who gave us dinner last night. Sorry!

From the ride two days ago?

Cross a river. Which one? No idea...

At the first armory. No we didn't climb up it and have our picture taken on it...

Just plain cool.

A bridge from two or so days ago.

A Ginormous Dragonfly. Oh, and building with Habitat

Dennis and the giant dragonfly. I tried to get it in the reflection of his glasses but it didn't work.

So the last two days we built with Habitat here in Maryville. The cinderblock foundation was already done so we worked on the floor. Got it all finished in two days on two houses side by side. Me and two others on the first day were cutting all the joyces(I think) for the houses. 

Today we had 3 teams going. 1 team stuccoing both houses and 2 teams working on the floors. It turned into a competition(nothing else on our trip has been competitive...). I would say our team won but both teams still had to go back and nail some stuff. The guys that actually know what they're doing all told us we did a great job and they didn't expect us to get so much done.

The ride into  Maryville was hot for most people. It was so easy and many took their time. Me and two others booked it to the bike shop we were having dinner at. We did stop at a yard sale/junk store place. All clothing, 5 cents. Nothing good though. We chilled for a couple hours waiting for everyone and more importantly, dinner.

Yesterday the locals had a throwdown ride that we could join in on. Only 7 of us went. I guess we're that cool. The day was 95 degrees and cloudless, until we went on the ride. Pouring rain, thunder, lightning, cold. We were going to do 28 but cut it short. Hung out under a churches awning until it got a little better to ride back. A 12 mile ride still isn't bad.

Tomorrow is another 40 mile ride. Easy. How quickly we all think 40 miles is easy when we have 80's and 100+ to look forward to.

Stay Cool,

Dave

Gatlinburg Reminds Me of Tahoe

Don't ask where this was taken. No idea. It was in the last couple days though.

So today we had an 83 mile day and ended up in a new state! Gatlinburg, TN. I guess it's a tourist town but the style and vibe is very much like Tahoe. Got a picture of the sign and me at the top of the second peak but it's not letting me upload. Will try again tomorrow.

The climbing was slow going for me, 5-6.5 mph. Many miles of climbing, hot again. The whole ride was really only two mountains. Climb up, go down, up, down. The descents were sweet! Got a new top speed of 38 going down the second one. The tunnels were a bit sketchy though. No headlight so it was really dark. At least the tunnels were short but so bumpy and wet. Someone lost a water bottle in one. Overall, being one of the supposedly toughest days, wasn't too bad.

The descents went on for 10-15 miles. Not even peddling the whole way down, just leaning into the road. Some nice tight turns. Lots of cars though. Oh, we got onto the busy main highway two lanes on each side, 60 mph, dividers, exits. Pretty exciting as we didn't know it was part of the route. They'll change that for next year. Kinda not safe. We only had to go down a couple exits.

Tomorrow is a cake day. 40ish miles. Wake-up is 9. Usually it's 5.

Here is a few of the bugs I killed riding two days ago.

Here are a bunch of pictures of the build site I was at:

Finally!

Man, it's been a long time. I finally have a connection, time and not dead tired. So here is the last 4-5 days.

On the 30th we had an 85 mile day. Up and down all day but wasn't bad. One of the riders church held us up for the night. His church was awesome as with all our hosts. Names escape me. Most of the days are all a blend. It's hard to remember the place we stayed at the night before.

The 31st was awesome! 68 miles, hot, rolling hills and I killed it! I just felt really good after lunch that day and got to the church we were staying at first. I don't think that will happen again. I got to chalk twice. I was riding with one group, they stopped for a rest and I "picked up" Dennis. He was pulling for awhile and I took over and pretty much ditched him. I was just flying up the hills. For the last 8 miles I was by myself.

The 1st of June was awesome as well. We rode 68 miles, mostly on the Blue Ridge Parkway which is in a bunch of different national parks or something. Our first real mountains at 10,000 feet of climbing. It was tough. Wasn't feeling it and the climbs were long.

51 miles were pretty much climbing. After lunch we had 17 miles to go and it was pretty much all down hill. It was so fun flying down the hills. Twists and turns, 30mph, viaducts, bridges, views and the first day where everyone felt great and pumped.

This is a pic at our first stop

This is a group of us at the Eastern Continental Divide on the 1st

The 2nd was good and tough. 78 miles, almost 7 hours in the saddle for me, 11.4 avg mph and 36.2 max speed. 12,000 feet of climbing goodness.

Today we had our 3rd build day. That was really cool. Some went with Habitat to stucco a house and stuff. Me and 10 others went with another organization to build a wheelchair ramp. I took a bunch of pictures which I'll post in the next day or two.

Tomorrow is going to be one of the toughest days on this trip. Asheville to Gatlinburg. 85 miles and 17,000 feet of climbing. So with that, it's time for me to sleep.

Dave

Building!

So yesterday and today were our first two build days. Yesterday we got in an hour before the rain started. Kinda stunk we couldn't build.

Today though was a great day, about 8 hours of work. Sunny, hot and we got a lot done. As you can see from the pictures we got all the outside walls up and pretty much all the inside walls up. It all went pretty smooth. Not too many re-dos for us.

This is our last night in Chapel Hill. Tomorrow we ride to Winston-Salem. 85 miles and I think it's going to be a little hilly. It will be good to get back to riding.

This was the day it rained. The foundation and floor were already in. In this picture is Lance, Angela and Renee. Oh, the one in blue was our site supervisor

Well, that's all for now.

Later,

Dave

Tough Day!

Yesterday we left Greenville for an 80 mile ride to Wake Forrest. It was a tough day. Our first day of decent hills. The combination of many miles, some heat, pushing too hard and not changing the front gears sooner did me in. I was in the front group and thankfully we had cold gatorade waiting for us. Showers soon followed.

North Wake Church was our stop. Again, awesome! The hosts have all been very cool and generous.

Leaving the house

one of the last pictures before my gorilla pod snapped off on a big pothole. Tried superglue but it's done.

Go Go Go! Right across from the YMCA we showered at was a go-cart place that was closed but had a guy working on a new mini-golf course. He opened the track and gave us a discount. It was a blast! Those things slide nicely.

Today was much easier and slower pace for me. 38 miles to Chapel Hill. Some hilly spots but not as bad as we thought.

The first couple groups got in at 1. We were the first to shower! Who knew showers could be so coveted? The next two days are build days here in Chapel Hill. 9-5 days is what I heard.

Today is pretty chill. The group who has no name is doing laundry right now. We have our first group presentation tonight and dinner at 7. After that we are free for the night. In the next couple of days we'll probably do our presentation to people of the community/Chapel of the Cross(the church we're crashing at for the next couple of days).

Cole Train(inside joke), the group I'm in has cooler duty this week. Gatorade, water, food. Eh, I guess that's enough info for you guys. More later.

Dave

Push-ups!

Oh, forgot to mention or maybe I did(Already these days are blending in), most of us are doing a push-up for every mile that day.

So for instance, today we did 58 miles and 58 push-ups when we got to our destination. We are pretty loose with the rules. People can rest and stuff. I rest but don't get my hands off the ground.

It's a nice way to work the upper body. Even out a little.

Dave

The 3rd Day..

Itinerary - Here is the updated places and mileage

So we've been riding for 3 days. 65 miles day 1, 35 day 2 and 58 day 3.

Day one - 65 miles. So flat and straight. Piece of cake! Police escort part of the way, great dipping ceremony, just a great start for this trip. Swanquarter was our first destination.

A real small town. The school across the street let us use the showers. The church, its pastor and people from the congregation had a great dinner for us. Thank you for all that you've done! It is really appreciated.

Day two - Woke up to rain. It was only 35 miles but it was lightly raining. Belhaven which is an awesome town of people was our stop for day two! Of course it got all sunny and warm after we arrived. Their hospitality is going to be hard to beat. There was an article in their paper, donation jar, tons of food for dinner and breakfast. These people are crazy good and generous. Many opened their homes for showers and laundry. A big thank you to this awesome community.

These people just kept giving us food. Which we are going through quickly.

Also we all are assigned chores and this week I had laundry. So myself and a couple others assigned to laundry started on them when the van was unloaded. 30 people and lots of laundry. We got through it pretty quickly though.

Day three - It was 58 easy going miles to Greenville. Again it was pretty flat. A couple "hills" if you could call them that. I was sweep with Travis so we were making sure everyone got to our destination, helping with flats and stuff like that. I'm ready for tomorrow! 78 miles or something like that. All this energy unused!

We are staying at some huge house that the guy doesn't live in anymore. Someone had a connection and we got tons of super awesome food again. We are getting spolied! In a couple weeks well have to be making our own and be eating a lot more PB&J.

Today I finally got cell reception. Called the parents to let them know what's up.

It's only been a couple days but all the people on this trip are awesome! I've gotten closer to some(Go Laundry Group!) and I'm excited to get to know more about everyone.

I'm so glad I went on this trip. I know I'm going to be talking about this for the rest of my life.

If you want to know more, ask away! Just leave a comment and I'll get to it asap.

Thank you all!

Dave

First Pictures!

We had our shakedown ride(21 miles to the lighthouse) and I hooked my camera to my bike. Got some decent pics. Adjusted the settings so there should be better ones the next time I post(I don't know where the next internet connection will be)

Tomorrow is the real start. 5:15 wake-up, bike dipping ceremony and riding 66 miles to Swanquarter.

Until next time...Get Riding!

81 Miles Baby!

Well, things didn't go as planned. I got my bike yesterday around 1 and Hannah got hers at 6. Plus major thunder/lightning storm and a bunch of rain. We decided to get up early today and do it all in one shot.

Got up at 4:45 and left at 5:10. Went 81 miles(my longest ride by about double). Took 6.5 hours, not including two 5-10 minute breaks. It was awesome! Didn't have my camera out because I thought the weather was going to be iffy. Saw some pretty landscapes and got good experience riding on the road.

So we got to orientation and did a bunch of icebreakers in the sand dunes(I'll try and post pictures later) when everyone arrived. Went over rules and stuff like that. We also painted our trailer(again, pictures later). It was fun getting to know my fellow bikers.

Well I'm off to bed. A little tired after getting up before the sun to bike 81 miles.

Tomorrow we are going to a local bike shop to learn more about bike maintenance and going on a 14 mile shakedown ride. Friday is when the real work begins. I think 60+ miles.

Oh, I forgot to mention, instead of 3,400 miles. It's now over 3,700! 4 centuries now and some days have been extended.

Later!

Dave

They took my butt cream!

Got your attention? Before I get to that, let me update you!

I finished my sweat equity pulling weeds at hope house, which is a transitional home for homeless mothers and their kids. Not Habitat related but still deals with homelessness/in need people.

I also spent the best $1.25 ever! Thursday I did the 48 mile ride. Started at 12:30pm in 95+ degree weather on my old bike. Took an extra 40 minutes, a lot more hard work and all of my 100oz hydration pack. When I got back to the parking lot the water I had in the car was warm, so I went to a vending machine and got the most refreshing water ever!

Friday and Saturday were sweet going away parties for me. Family, friends, rock band and an awesome time! Told people more in detail what my planes were, how I was getting to Nags Head, etc.

I got up at 3am to go get on a plane to fly to Norfolk, VA. So this is where I am, couch surfing(check out couchsurfing.com if you don't know what that is) on some guys couch, very close to the water, just had a sweet asian portobello salad and borrowing someone's wi-fi(Thank You!).

Tomorrow I'm going to ship my duffle to Nags Head and hopefully get my bike to start putting it back together. I'll bring my camera and take some pictures of the sweet houses or anything else I deem cool enough to photograph.

Hannah is getting in on Tuesday and the plan it to bike 40 miles that day. We'll see how that goes!

I know some of you wanted me to post the itinerary and I will, just after we get to orientation. That way you can get the most up to date info.

Oh, almost forgot about the butt cream! So you totally need it when you ride a whole bunch, which I do and will continue to do for the next 2 months.

I put the bottle in my bike shoes to save space and brought those shoes on carry-on backpack. The screener had to open it up but I didn't know what he was looking for until he took out the cream. I laughed and said I totally forgot about it. Didn't even think about the no liquids thing.

That just means I need to get some more tomorrow. Ah, good start to the adventure of a lifetime.

Later for now!

Serving and I'm almost gone!

Last night I helped serve a couple hundred homeless/in need people. I found out about it that morning and signed up. They've been doing it for many years and are very efficient. I was a server. Stood in line and when it was my turn, took two plates of food and was directed to people just sitting down. Once I was out I got back in line. It all worked very well. After that we cleaned up and put the chairs and tables away.

I still need 1.5 hours but there is nothing habitat related. Well there is but not in the next couple days. I'm going to contact the head of a single mothers home and see if they need me to do something.

On the biking front, I shipped my bike! I have my old mountain bike that I just started using again. Man was it weird getting back on it. This is the bike I put 1,400 miles on but now it's so low to the ground and heavy. No clip-less pedals, different stance and not as cool looking as my road bike.

If you still want to donate, contact me. The time has past to get donations to the office in time. I will be bringing any donations to orientation. If you have donated, thank you! I've compiling all the address but some of you didn't leave an address. I'm trying to locate those to send you a postcard along the way. Send me your address if you didn't put your address anywhere.

I've got a couple more things to wash and I'll start packing my duffle bag. Everything should fit nicely. I've been calm getting things in order like, how I'm getting to Nags Head.

All good stuff!

Peace!

Dave

Ride Video!

So my ride times were a little slower getting back into the swing of things. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I found a place to crash in Norfolk! And my presentation is done! A couple big things checked off the list. Also got 48 bucks back for some bike shorts! They just had a big sale and I got mine a couple weeks ago. They refunded me the difference!

Today I went on my "usual" 48 miler and did it in the usual time. I took pictures and video though. It's almost 12 but I put together this video. I think it's pretty sweet! But I did make it so...

Enjoy!

A Ride Tomorrow!

It will be my first one in over a week! I worked my legs pretty good last week so I don't think it will be too bad.

I started working on my presentation and want to finish it up tomorrow. I went to the bike shop to find out about shipping and get some bike parts.

The way it looks right now, I'll be shipping my bike next Monday! I'll have a couple days to ride it and I'll have to switch back to my mountain bike. Not that big of a deal.

I'm looking for a place to crash in Norfolk and hit up some poeople on couchsurfing.com. Not bites yet.

I also sent Habitat in Sacramento a quick e-mail about any projects I can work on.

Not too much time left! Crazy! But not too much to do. Which is good. Don't want to be running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Dave

Habitat!

Today I did half of my required sweat equity and it was awesome! I had so much fun!

The house was mostly done but we tore down a fence, put new posts in, went to the dump, mowed the lawn and some other stuff.

OK, that's all for now. I've got to get up at 4:30 tomorrow.

Catch ya in a week!

New Record! And no riding for a week!

1:45:21 for my 23 mile ride around the neighborhood today at an average of 13mph. 3 minutes off my previous best ! The fastest speed today was 36.7 mph. I think that's the fastest so far.

Yesterday I did my almost usual 48 mile Thursday ride. That was also a new best! 2:45 and averaged 17.6 miles an hour. I ate some stuff right before the ride and earlier during the ride. That helped a bunch and didn't bonk.

Today was my last ride for a week! I think I might go into withdrawals. I'll work my legs though so it's all good.

When I get back next Monday I have a bunch of stuff to get done. Work on and finish the presentation. Go to the bike shop and get a couple more things. Figure out how to raise about $500 more. Still pretty much the same as last post.

Tomorrow I'm doing a Habitat project! Another one on May 17th was canceled so I squeezed into this one. It will also be my last day of work. All this craziness coming together at once. How fun!

Later!

Snapshot

I was riding to work yesterday when a friend snapped this picture.

I've got 27 days left. It's getting down to the last stretch. This week I'm going to stop by the bike shop and get the last couple things for my bike and talk to them about transporting my bike.

I want to wrap that up as I'm gone for a week next Sunday. Overall I feel really good about the status of it all. I still need to raise more funds, I still need to figure out how to get to Nags Head, I still need to do my presentation thing and I still need a couple more things.

But it's all good. No worries.

Peace!

First Flat!

I've patched up my tubes on my mountain bike a bunch of times but never the back tire.

Today on my ride my road bike got it's first flat. And guess where it is? Ding ding ding!

The back! So I wont be commuting to work today because I don't have time to figure it out. I'll do it tomorrow. It will be good experience though.

I knew something was wrong when my back tire was making a different noise. Checked it and it was totally empty. Got out my pump and pumped it up so I could get a little closer to home. Then I walked the rest of the way. Lame!

I'll post how the patching goes tomorrow. I think by the end of the trip I'll be able to patch a tire with my eyes closed.

Dave

I'm a bike commuter!

So Monday through Wednesday I rode my bike to work. It wasn't as "creepy" as I thought, riding home at night. My lights were adequate and it's a pretty cool experience. When riding at night it is a good idea to ride to and from during the day so you can know of any bumps or obstacles to watch out for at night.

So I'll pretty much be riding to work for the next couple weeks.

I'm at 83%! If you'd like to donate, you don't have much time. I'm serious!

Today I found some habitat projects that are a couple counties over. The one in a couple weeks is full but I sent them an e-mail anyway. The next one they have is on the 17th of May. The day before I leave. Talk about last minute. It would be awesome if a spot opened up before the 17th.

It's kinda sad that nothing is really happening in my county. 

I just went shopping again to get another load of gear. I think I'm almost finished with the gear list.

I biked 48 miles yesterday. It's pretty flat and I tried to keep a 20 mph pace. Though I sorta bonked 20 miles in. I need to keep more food on me and eat a little throughout the ride. I averaged 17.1 mph.

I did it in 2:49 without stopping though so it wasn't too bad.

So that is the latest update. I should take my camera out when I ride and get some pictures for you guys.

Peace!

Almost!

I've almost reached my fundriasing goal!

It's almost here!

I've almost got all the gear needed!

I'm almost going crazy! OK, not really.

Everything is going pretty well. Just got the info on the presentation thing we all have to do. Biking, trying to find some community service to do, just getting it all in order.

Today I'm going to be commuting to work. I've done it before but not at night. I work 1-10 so it will be dark when I go home. It's only 8 miles total but will save money, gas, the earth and help me train. All at the same time!

I'm going to commute as much as possible for the next 20 days(that's how long I have until I don't work). I'll post in the next couple days on how it's going!

Later!

Dave

New bike and a 50 mile ride!

So I got my bike and it's awesome! So light! It's really different from my mountain bike. Everything is different!

I put almost 1,400 miles on my mt. bike before I got my new one, so I was very comfortable with it.

Today I did a 50 miler with a bunch of guys from the LBS. Which is about twice what I'd done before. It was flat land but still was great! That was the first time I rode with a pack. I usually ride solo. I'm getting more comfortable with my new ride and used to clipping in. Almost fell once or twice but I caught myself.

I've raised about 75% of the total! Thank you all who have donated! It is very much appreciated. I have a second round of mailing almost ready. You can still donate!

I still haven't done anything for the sweat equity. Shame on me. 50+ days until I leave. I need to do it soon!

That is what I'll do in the next couple of days. Mail off those letters and get something lined up with habitat.

Later!

Dave

50%!

I've just reached the 50% mark in donations! Thank you all so much!
There is not much time left and if you'd still like to donate, please do asap.

I also sent my medical forms in so that was the last thing that needed to be checked off.

Now that that is out of the way I can focus on doing at least 8 hours of
affordable housing work, finish raising money, train and get all the
needed equipment/supplies.

I've checked with my local Habitat but they don't have any projects right now. I need to figure that out soon! Also I should be getting my bike on Monday. After themix up it should be all good and I can really train!

I'm itching to ride more than 23 miles at one time. The days are getting
warmer and is a beautiful thing! Some very nice days this past week.

Until next time, RIDE HARD!

Dave

Whohoooo!

Today I beat my previous best which was 2 hours 10 seconds. The best part was getting in just under 2 hours! 18 seconds under!

I was pushing myself so hard. But it felt great!

I went through almost my whole hydration pack which was 100oz.

It was kinda hot out.



If you want to donate, look to your left.

Dave

1000 Miles!

Yesterday I crossed over the thousand mile mark! I have been tracking it for months so it has taken a long time to reach it but it's a good milestone. What took me months will only take about two weeks this summer though.

Soon I'm also getting the bike I'll be using this summer! I've been using a mountain bike and hear it will be a huge difference(going to a road bike). So thank you everyone who has donated.

I'm at 29% of my goal. If you'd like to donate, go to bikeandbuild.org select my name from the list(David Getchel) and follow the instructions. Pass the word on if you think others would like to donate as well.

Thanks,

Dave

120 days!

Only 4 months until I leave for my trip. I'm still riding hard. Actually beat my best time the other day by 5 minutes!

Besides riding, I've been handing out donation letters and just sent in a letter to our local newsletter for our housing development. That is where I ride currently so I'm sure they've all seen me.

In the next couple weeks, I'm going to hit up our local newspaper. I'll hit up some TV stations and the larger paper as well. Can't hurt.

We have a list of gear we'll need to bring so I've been highlighting the stuff I already have and will start to get the stuff I still need. I don't want to be rushing around the last week or two before getting everything.

I thank everyone who has donated or will donate. I couldn't do it without you!

Dave

Stormy

As I write this, winds howling and rain is pouring. Not good biking conditions at all.

But I use an elliptical when I can't ride so it's not all bad.

Donations
have been coming in and I thank everyone who is helping reach my goal!
I still need to get in contact with the local news and hand or send out
some letters that I have for people.


Dave

Flippin Cold!

So today I did 23 miles. Left about 7:15 am and man was it cold! I'm pretty well covered but the tips of my fingers get really cold and my toes as well. It felt like my toes were going to fall off. Which is not a good thing.

I need to get some thermal socks or something. Also better gloves. I'm
wearing two pairs and the cold still gets me! Next time I ride I'll
note the temperature.

In other news, I've been getting some donations in. It seems slow going but I've still got time.

I need to contact my local paper and see if they will do a story on me. Also a local newsletter. Oh, just thought of our local TV Channel as well.

The worst thing they can do is say no. Also got some other ideas I'll have to flesh out.

Until next time,

Dave

Done!

So I finished correcting my fundraiser letter and flyer, printed them out and made a blog about it with a donation button on myspace. All before 7 am!

I'm off to ride 8 miles in the cold and I'll be folding the letters after.

Have a great day!

Bike and Build Essay

A requirment as part of the application process, I needed to answer 3 questions with a minimum 300 words per answer.

I have made it into a PDF so anyone that cares to read what I wrote can do so.

Bike and Build Essay PDF

Fundraising Time

I got all the fundraising stuff in the mail and will soon start raising the money I need for the trip.

I'll be drafting a letter and also make a flyer for the area that I frequently ride.

The itinerary I received states we start on Tuesday, May 20th in North Carolina and arrive in San Diego, California on July 23rd. We will have traveled approximately 3,428 miles and cycled through 8 states.

I will continue to update any progress of this exciting journey. Before, during and after. So please check back often.

If you'd like to make a donation, contact me.

Welcome!

My name is Dave and I'm training to cycle across the country with the Bike and Build organization. Please follow along with me on my journey.

Thank You,

David Getchel