I'm sitting in Andrea Kristina's Bookstore and Kafe on Main Street in Farmington, NM and it's 9:06am. We're not leaving for our 30 mile ride until after lunch and so of course I found some internet to keep you all updated. I wrote the entry last night - warning: it's a little long, sorry. Here you go:
Hey everyone!
What an awesome past few days.
I think something is really starting to set in among our group…maybe the fact that we only have 3 weeks left, maybe that we realize we really do all like each other and will miss each other, maybe that the events of the days have just be great…I don’t know.
Let’s recap…
Monday night after I posted, we had our famous town hall meetings that everyone hates because we always debate forever about things and nothing ever actually changes (example topics which will sound silly to you: what time to wake up in the mornings, whether to have 2 lunches, what kind of food to buy, etc.). So I was moderator this week and I had been noticing a lot of negative energy lately in the group, especially since everyone was making so much fun of ‘kudos’ (which are like affirmations or compliments for people). So for the end of the meeting, I read everyone a few quotes from a Buddhist writing by Tenzin Gyatso:
From my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion…It is because our own human existence is so dependent on the help of others that our need for love lies at the very foundation of existence. Therefore we need a genuine sense of responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others…So far I have been discussing mainly the mental benefits of compassion, but it contributes to good physical health as well. According to my personal experience, mental stability and physical well-being are directly related. Without question, anger and agitation make us more susceptible to illness. On the other hand, if the mind is tranquil and occupied with positive thoughts, the body will not easily fall prey to disease.
Then I had written a kudos for each person in the group and I put them in the middle of the circle for everyone to read at their own leisure. But they all wanted them read aloud so we had fun with that. And I was surprised that everyone was really receptive to it and I could feel the positive energy around the room. It was funny because people came up to thank me afterwards and told me that I would make a great teacher…but I don’t particularly want to be a teacher! haha…we’ll see where life takes me.
Anyway, the next morning we woke up at 4am and everyone was pumped because we had 100 miles ahead of us. So pumped in fact that we were ready before the sun was risen…which never happens. We left a little after 6am and it was SO COLD. It was the first time that I was thankful for hills because they warmed me up. The first 12 miles went so fast because I was so preoccupied with my frozen body and suddenly we reached the Continental Divide (7380 feet).
Supposedly, on the west the water flows to the CO River and on the east to the MS River, but I peed on the line and it flowed both ways so I can’t really say anything about the theory. haha. We reached first lunch (40 miles) by 9am and the worst of our climbing was over. Right after lunch we passed through this valley that I believe had once been a volcanic crater – the rock looked like hardened, smoothed lava. At the second lunch stop, we checked out Angel Peak which was AMAZING. 
It was basically a mini-Grand Canyon. My pictures definitely don’t do it justice. Photos don’t really do anything on this trip justice; I see so much that I want to capture on film but it’s useless so I just try to remember or at least enjoy the moment. So the ride was really fast and I ended up getting to Farmington, NM around 2pm. You have to understand that I have never gotten in before 6pm on a day over 90 miles, so this was amazing. A bunch of us stopped at Dairy Queen, which is becoming a tradition. And we found a bike store next door and I got some leg warmers for the early mornings and some tweaks done for my bike. We are staying at the Presbyterian Church and they had our first sign: “Welcome Bike & Build!”. 
We had to walk to a local pool to shower and it was one of the more awkward experiences of my life. We had to shower in those community showers that you are just supposed to rinse off in before you go into the pool. We had to be ‘those naked people’ in the showers. haha. But so it goes and now I’m over that phobia. Dinner was provided potluck style by the members of the church and we gave them our presentation afterwards and it went really really well.
Today we built with ECHO Hope Project, a profit/non-profit started by this awesome guy, Ryan, when he was 23. We were working on some houses in one of his developments. As always with our large group, there wasn’t something to do for everyone at every moment. Some of us started a retaining wall but the ground turned out to be stone and we couldn’t dig far enough. Molly, Whitney, Alf and I put together a metal fence for the building supplies to be stored. We were helped by Glen, one of the older guys who was working with us, and he was just awesome. After a delicious lunch of dinner leftovers and pizza, the afternoon just went crazy. Ryan had some of us building signs for the sites and it turned into a huge nail driving championship, won by Ryan of course, with Laura in close second. We had relay races and contests about everything. We drove around in the back of his pickup and had an awesome time. It was definitely the best build day so far. Afterwards, we got treated to A&W (I had never been to a real one before) and then taken to the Aztec Ruins. The ruins were of the Chaco and Pueblo people (not the Aztecs; the ruins are located in a town called Aztec). 
We walked around and heard a mini presentation by one of the rangers and it was really interesting. We learned all about kivas and other anthropological stuff. He was a great speaker so despite my exhaustion, he really did hold my attention. Our van is currently in the shop getting fixed, so some of us had to wait over an hour before getting shuttled back. But when we got there, Triple Eagle construction (Ryan’s company) had provided Mexican food for dinner and it was amazing. Tomorrow is going to be awesome too…we get to sleep in until around 7:30, then get breakfast provided by the church at 8. Then we have free time (when I will post this) until 11am. We’ll leave around noon for Shiprock, NM which is only 30 miles away. And it’s a mail drop day! Only one more day in New Mexico. Crazy…
Tidbits:
*We have established that the ‘ampersand (&)’ part of Bike & Build is essential and the most fun. The random, other things we get to do are the best part.
*We saw a dog herding sheeps/goats on the side of the road…
*There are signs all over the place around here about DWI and not driving while drunk. It’s stereotypical but I guess it’s a major problem.
*The highest altitude we’ve reached so far is about 7400. I’m definitely feeling it a little bit, mostly when I go up hills and can’t breathe…
*I’ve decided (well I guess I’ve know for a while but this trip has confirmed it) that I need to live near natural beauty. It really grounds me. Riding through it every day has been amazing.
*All the elderly people we meet along the way have told us that we have restored their hope in our generation. The idea that the older people have no faith in young people is very true. Where do they get such distrust? Is it because the media only shows negative stuff?
Sorry this is so long...I"ll shut up now! Lots of love.
p.s. We'll be camping for the next week or so starting on Saturday I believe...so who knows when I'll get internet again. I can't believe the trip is over 3 weeks from today!
The actual Shiprock in the distance
Yesterday from Shiprock, NM to Kayenta, AZ (new state!) did not start out as the best of days. I was awakened by a cockroach next to my sleeping bag, the chore of mopping the floors, and getting killed by Alan in our assassin game. Awesome. The route was 100 miles and we had the option of taking a 12 mile detour to the Four Corners. I opted out, as did most people, because I'd heard that the Four Corners is very anti-climatic and not worth 12 miles. I worked my butt off riding though because we had planned a tour of Monument Valley which is one of the Natural Wonders of the World. However, by the time everyone got in and things got organized...rain was looming and people were backing out of the tour because they were tired etc. Plus showers were a mess because the church didn't have any and the only public one in town was $3 per person at the local laundromat. I was pissed because I really wanted to go to Monument Valley, but in the end 11 of us ended up taking the Bike & Build van to see the Valley that night. It was amazing...these random rock formations out of nowhere. And they are enormous. It's something that you can't really describe or even take pictures of. I'm really glad we got to go. Plus I got some good Harry Potter reading in the van ride :)
