08.05 Ely, NV

Yesterday we biked 96 miles and crossed into Nevada. It was an awful day...there was a typical amount of climbing but it was SO HOT. And besides Las Vegas and Reno, there is basically nothing in Nevada. Here were my feelings at the state sign:
Jeff and Andrea spiced things up a little by creating the Nevada Scavenger Hunt but I was concentrating so hard on just getting through the day that I didn't start anything. I did discover one thing that helped me a lot...I clipped my phone to my jersey and played music on it (yay for new phones!). It got me up the hills and put me in an oh so much better mood. Before the last big climb, I stopped at the Panaca Market which has the motto: "Conveniently Located in the Middle of Nowhere." Tells you a little about our day...And just before I turned to go to the next town, there was a sign that said, "Next services, 113 miles." A little preview for the next day. Anyway,I arrived in Pioche, NV around 4...and little did I know that we had switched to Pacific time, so it was really 3pm. Pioche is an old mining town and consists of maybe 400 people and 1 street. I felt like I had stepped into the 19th century. But of all things, they had a Bank of America which I hadn't seen in about 4 states. Yay for cash! I got a root beer float at a little diner with some people and hung around in this random park (green grass = unnatural in NV) until the church was opened for us. We were supposed to hold a bike clinic for little kids at 5 but no one showed up. Pioche was nice but not exactly the most happening town. The pastor and some church ladies served us a delicious meal; Marco helped me fix my brakes; and bedtime it was.

Today we rode 107 miles to Ely, NV (pronounced eelee) and there was literally NOTHING in between Pioche and Ely. This was my longest ride day so far and thankfully it went really fast.

Does the road EVER end?

The roads were great and we had a tailwind, so by 11am I had ridden 80 miles. The scenery was really nice, though it didn't change one bit. At mile 3 I had mountains to my right, left, front and back...and it was the same at mile 95. At mile 80 we hopped on Route 50, which is called the Loneliest Road in America. We'll be on that for the next 4 days...We had a climb from mile 80-86ish and it was one of our most difficult. I averaged about 5 mph and proved Molly's rule wrong that if you go under 5mph you'll tip over. I definitely hit 4mph. I thought the hill would be much longer so at mile 85.5 I had a slight hissy fit/tantrum complaining that I couldn't do this for another hour (remember I was by myself). Then I rounded the bend and I was at the top of the hill. And I felt stupid. But so it goes. On the way down the hill, the wind was ridiculous. When you ride your bike for so long and times get rough, sometimes the only way to feel better and the only thing you can do is yell at inanimate things. I've yelled at the hills before and today I yelled at the wind..."Okay wind, if you keep it up, I can't bike anymore! Seriously...what the *#@^?"

I also used my music again today which helped a lot. Shout out to my Ecuador chicos/chicas...I rocked out to 'Me Vale' Alexa-style on my bike...alone...in the middle of Nevada. Good times :)

Arriving in Ely, I have never been happier to see a McDonalds before in my life. I've also never felt so great after eating McDonalds. I figure biking 107 miles balances out a little McDonalds trans-fat. Now I'm relaxing in the Baptist church with wireless after a wonderful shower at the Ramada Inn down the street (fresh towels...oh the small pleasures in life).

Hope everyone is doing well. I know times are busy but keep me updated on your lives! Much love.

08.03 Cedar City, UT

Wow - what an amazing day! Today was one of those days that reminds me why I am doing Bike & Build. We got off to a slow start (it took us a record 3.5 hours to leave this morning because we had to be shuttled 2 miles on a gravel road from our campsite to the main road). The first 23 miles were very difficult climbing, though the landscape was gorgeous - blue sky, white clouds, green meadows, pine trees, aspen trees...amazing. We reached our highest elevation of 9930 ft today (some people biked an extra 10 miles to reach 10,000 ft and see Cedar Breaks Park but I had absolutely no desire to do that). The last 20 miles was all downhill...we lost 4000 ft in those 20 miles and boy did we go FAST. I hit 37 mph going down the switchback. It's scary but I'm learning to love it. The temperature differences are amazing...I was freezing at the summit and sweating at the bottom. It's funny because it was hard to fully enjoy the views going up the hill because I was working so hard, and it was hard to enjoy the views going down because I was so scared! But the scenery really was spectacular and it was such an amazing feeling to descend that hill. We got in nice and early (around noon) and some of us ate lunch at the Main Street Grill and now we're at the library. This town, Cedar City, is so beautiful. It has a nice suburb feel to it and it's right at the foot of these gorgeous mountains. We're staying at a church finally (5 days of camping = not so fun).

Yesterday we were at Long Valley Junction, UT at Camp Lutherwood (back to my roots! I was born in Long Valley...New Jersey...). It was a similar 45 mile day to today with lots of climbing. Long Valley Junction isn't actually a town...it's literally a junction of two roads and a gas station. There just happens to be a campsite there also. We paid a little extra to sleep in bunks so we got a 'real' bed which was nice. A fabulous change from the night before when it poured and everything got soaked. Some people got a hotel room that night (in Kanab, UT) but thankfully my stuff was pretty dry. Anyway, last night we, dinner crew, made a wonderful concoction for dinner...basically a stew of all stuff we had lying around...potatoes, onions, carrots, spinach, beans, corn, broth, tomato soup...and it was sooooo good. We even had enough potatoes/onions left over to make hash browns this morning.

So overall, I'm in a great mood today and hopefully that will last to psych me up for our 95 mile ride tomorrow into Nevada. Lots of love.

08.01 Kanab, UT

Okay, a quick update while I finally have some wireless internet in Kanab, Utah at an RV park. I left you in Page, AZ after 2 centuries. On 7/29 we rode to Jacob Lake, AZ and it was one of our most difficult days - 80 miles of mostly climbing. We gained about 4000 ft of elevation and experienced all sorts of weather - extreme heat in the valleys, thunderstorms and chilly weather in the mountains. The morning started with some hills and then we descended one of our biggest mesas yet (see the pics). We rode into Marble Canyon which was beautiful and then we went back up with an 11 mile climb. The change of scenery was so drastic; I couldn't get over it. We went from desert valleys to mountain forests. Being greeted by the smell of pine trees and the sound of tiny road-side streams was fabulous after the horrible heat and dryness of the desert below. We were supposed to camp at Jacob Lake (there isn't actually a lake) but we worked our magic to stay at the Inn. There was a restaurant and gift shop and some of us enjoyed what we thought would be our 'Last Dinner' before 4 more nights of camping. Beer, ice cream and pasta never tasted so good. I slept really well that night on a real bed.
Our highest elevation yet...and yes I'm wearing my uni over my jersey for easy access...Bike & Build is not a fashion show :)

On 7/30 we headed 45 miles to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Our campsite was literally 200 feet from the edge and it was beautiful! We arrived late morning and had the rest of the day to relax and explore. I finished Harry Potter which was amazing and just hung out. Dinner crew made some great burgers and we were all looking forward to our day off. Some of us went to Point Imperial after dinner which is the highest point in all of the Grand Canyon. We couldn't see the sunset or the moonrise but the lightening storms were spectacular. It rained most of the night but thankfully we didn't get too wet in our tents. I did have one of the most terrifying experiences of my life though that night...having to pee during at thunderstorm. It was thundering and lightening but not raining too hard and I really really had to pee. I was too scared to walk all the way to the bathroom in the pitch black so I walked about five steps from our tent and popped a squat. It was the scariest 5 minutes of my life, haha.

7/31 was our day off at the Canyon and I basically did nothing. Some people got up early and hiked all day and I think they are crazy. I slept in until 6:30ish and then some of us did the 1.5 mile 'hike' to the lodge. We had breakfast buffet and ate waaaay too much per usual. Then we just lounged around on the leather couches in the room with huge windows overlooking the canyon. I realized that when you are moving around so much, you really learn to make each place you stay a home. We literally take over the places we go. In normal life, I would never take a nap on a random couch in a tourist location. But there we were, reading, sleeping, chatting amongst all the tourists. And we definitely knew we were around tourists from all the different language we heard. Lunch was again at the lodge. I tried to be sort of healthy and eat a salad. But per my Bike and Build diet, I was still hungry and ended up getting the molten chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream for dessert. yuummm. I am going to have to learn how to eat again once I stop exercising so much! After lunch, I headed back by myself (a nice, reflective hike) to clean my bike, shower, and start to make dinner for everyone. My chore group started our week of dinner crew and we made delicious burritos at the campsite, complete with s'mores for dessert. We could see the sunset that night which was beautiful and the stars came out. I star-gazed for a while before turning in.

This morning (August 1st! only 2 weeks left from tomorrow!) we woke up kind of late (6:30ish) and took our sweet time cleaning up the camp site, like normal. We had to ride back the exact same 45 miles to Jacob Lake (so the Grand Canyon was a detour, but totally worth it - although there are rumors that the North Rim isn't actually part of the true Grand Canyon?). We stopped for lunch at Jacob Lake and then rode another 40 miles to Kanab, Utah. The ride was uneventful, kind of sad actually because I hit the Utah sign while I was riding by myself, so I had to use my camera's self timer to take a pic, haha. But so it goes. Having internet is really nice, but stressing me out too. The whole apartment searching thing is way over my head and I'm considering just stopping until I actually get there. Anyway, the rain has finally stopped and the internet is slowing (hopefully I'll get my pics up) and so I'll leave you here. Hope everyone is well :)

07.28 Page, AZ

200 miles in 2 days. I've finally completed two centuries in a row. What an awesome feeling...I told myself that I could ride in the van for the rest of the trip as long as I made it through these two days, haha. And I did it! However, tomorrow we are riding 85 miles of all hills, which is going to be interesting after two 100 mile days. Anyway, let me back track a little. The actual Shiprock in the distance

I left you just before leaving for Shiprock, NM. We didn’t end up leaving Farmington until around 2pm and so the 30 mile ride was nice and hot and a little tougher than anticipated. We got in around 5:30 and by the time everyone was shuttled to showers/dinner/etc. it was late and the pastor still wanted to take us on a tour of Shiprock. We went, of course, and it really was interesting but we didn’t get back until around 9:30pm, way past our bedtime for nights before centuries. He took us around the real poverty housing of the area (which always makes me uncomfortable; I don’t like ‘touring’ impoverished areas) and to the actual Shiprock and told us the stories behind it. Oh, we also got a maildrop and thanks to mom and Evan for awesome packages!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 :)

Today we rode another 100 miles to Page, Arizona which is on the southern shores of Lake Powell (I think Aunt Betty and Uncle Jim are on their houseboat out there somewhere right now). The ride was alright; I rode alone again...actually I've been riding alone now for a while and am really enjoying it. I get really anxious when I have to match the speeds of other people and riding alone lets me pace myself. It's very strange how I don't really think about anything. I'll give myself a topic to think about and never actually get anywhere. haha. Anyway, we're staying at the middle school on the wrestling mats (yay for soft floor, boo to ringworm) and the secretary and her husband bought us all ice cream at a local place (people are so nice!). I'm at the public library where they have free wireless and it'll probably be the last time I have internet for a while because starting tomorrow we're camping for about 5 days. Should be interesting...

Off to search craigslist for apartments in San Francisco...less than 3 weeks! Keep me updated on all your lives. Lots of love.

07.26 Farmington, NM to Shiprock,NM

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!

07.23 Cuba, NM

Welcome to Cuba, NM...all 2 square miles of it, elevation 6905 feet. It's actually a pretty hoppin town, excuse me, village, for 2 square miles...I got subway for lunch (first time I've ever had avocado at a Subway, amazing), there's a McDonalds, 2 gas stations, a library and oh so much more on the 1 mile of a main street. The ride in today was short (52 miles) but tough. The roads were bad and slow and there were plenty of hills. I had my max speed as of yet going down a hill...37mph. Its scary but I'm learning to handle going fast (don't worry, it doesn't happen that often). The scenery was again beautiful today; we're so close to the mountains/rock formations that it's hard not to get distracted looking at them. I rode alone today and was in the mood for it. I'm amazed at my new ability to basically think about nothing and everything for hours on end. I'm also amazed at my new ability to accept the fact that I will probably have bike grease under my fingernails from now until eternity. It's a good look for me. Real earthy. haha anyway, I'm rambling; not much else to say. Last night we had a campfire and roasted marshmellows (thanks Ash!). This morning the sunrise was amazing over the plateaus. It's crazy that I've seen the sunrise almost every morning this summer...

No pictures today because I'm at a public library with no wireless, therefore not on my own computer. I have no idea when I will get internet again because we're going to some very small towns in the middle of nowhere and then camping for many nights.

Until next time, much love from a crazy, tired, smiling biker :)

07.22 Evening Addition

Just finished an amazing dinner provided by the Ghost Ranch and a really wonderful, stimulating conversation with Jim and Jerry Kimmel, a fabulous couple staying here, about the Southwest, spirituality, and life in general. Wanted to give them a shout out because they really made my day!

We just heard a pack of coyotes howl like crazy...we really are in the middle of the desert...