Times They Are A Changin'

I'm in Payson, Arizona. I got here by pumping and cranking my own two legs over hills, across plains, and through desert land, as well as swinging hammers, sawing wood, and nailing boards.

Seriously?! What is this life?! Most of the time it still doesn't seem real. 

Life is all about perspective and mine has shifted significantly since starting this trip. How could it not? When you spend all your time with 32 like-minded people striving toward a common goal to help a greater purpose, if you don't come out changed you did something wrong. 

It's about seeing the generosity of folks all across the country willing to sacrifice precious resources to help us achieve our goal. It's about small interactions we have with people in gas stations and at host sites where we get to hear their stories and share our own. It's about getting to be part of a family that never stops supporting you and loves you for who you are no matter the circumstance. It's about being part of a once in a lifetime opportunity where you get to experience your homeland in a way not many people are willing to risk. 

Yes, obvious aspects like geography, food, and the physicality of my body change; some of the more important takeaways I've discovered about myself are the fact that I am more mentally strong than I thought; I want to do something with my life that makes me happy and that does good for other people even if I don't make a ton of money; I'm going to be a damn good driver when I get home. 

We as a society spend too much time worrying about where we have to go or what the next thing we have to do is. Slow down! If this trip has taught me anything, it's the joy in taking the time to talk to people, actually seeing the scenery you're passing by, being considerate of other people (drivers, please when you see a cyclist or hiker or whoever, see them as a human and not a nuisance. Too many times have we been passed by assholes who, for no good reason, try to intentionally cause us harm because we try to share the road with them.) 

With only three weeks left, there is still a lot left to see and experience. Like having my first time camping be at the Grand Canyon or seeing Southern California. And doing it all by bike, nonetheless. Every ache, pain, mental breakdown, laugh, and smile has been worth it to get me to this point. Call me crazy, but this is a crazy life and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

We've gotten to ride on historic Route 66 

Mountains in AZ we descended through 

Chris Benson and the mayor of Portales, NM with a proclamation stating that August 2 is Bike and Build day in Portales. 

When You Run On Fumes...

A place to sleep: free

Clif bars, energy drinks, and other carbs, proteins, sugars: $20 

Tubes, lube, and chamois butter: $45 

Being able to bike 276 miles in three days: Priceless

I'm running on Clif shot bloks, Nutella, and perpetually sore muscles at this point. We are, when looking at a map, halfway across the country, (currently in Springfield, MO) but we still have a little over 2,000 miles left to cycle in the next month and a half. A lot of good things have happened since our last day off, which was around my last post. 

I didn't realize my lack of free time until the trip actually started. We bike about 5-8 hours a day, depending on mileage, shower (yet the stench never fully washes away), eat (always ridiculous mountains of food), and get ready for the next day. It's a monotonous cycle that allows for spontaneity and joy in who you ride with, what you see, where you bike, and what you do with your time. It's a beautiful mutiny on my body. 

We had some awesome build days in Columbus where we got to put up the first walls of a house, help start the second floor on another, and build garage walls. Supervisors like Bill, Dave, Dan, and Tim really make build days worth it; who wouldn't want to be on the A-Team?! We're like a swarm of locusts that come through, but instead of devastating everything we get so much work done. It's incredible to see what we can accomplish in one day. One of our commandments for the summer is "biking is the perk, building is the reason" and each time we work with Habitat it's another reminder of that. It gets me excited for the fall when I'll be joining Habitat KC as a Volunteer Coordinator. 

Building has it's ups and downs, although that couldn't be truer for ride days. The Midwest, and Missouri (or Misery as my teammates...okay sometimes myself included...call it) in particular, has surprised us with how challenging it can be. The Midwest is NOT FLAT. Brutal finding that out. To get through MO, we biked through the Ozarks and it was hilly-steep, long, and constantly rolling-rivaling the mountains of western PA we hit a couple weeks ago. 

Everyone is sore, tired, and excited to get out of the Show-Me state. We have a little more showing to do, but I think we have done pretty darn well considering the circumstances with terrain, increased heat and humidity, and overall morale. It's strange to know we only have a month and a half left. We still have half our build days, the desert of NM, AZ and CA, and the Pacific Ocean to look forward to. I may be tired, but this has by far shown me how tough I can be, how much it means to have solid support, and how beautiful our country really is, not just the landscape, but more importantly, the people. 

From the most epic Bike and Build ride day ever...hehe 

Nuff said. 

My first legit century ride from STL to Belle, MO.