Moutain View To Bartlesville

What can happen to your legs after a night of camping in Pointsett State Park, AR

A pace line starting up in early morning

.... Ok so from where I left off last time....
After the leaders called off the ride we had to shuttle 60 miles to Mountain View. I was not happy that we didn't get to ride. I think the leaders made the best decision they could with the information they had, but that still didn't make me happy about having to ride in a car instead of on a bike. I figured that if we couldn't ride I'd be happier getting to the church we were staying at to unpack everything the trailer, set things up for the night try and take care of some much needed organization. For this reason I decided to get in the first shuttle. About 5 minutes in to the ride it became apparent to me (and I think most other people) that the weather wasn't going to be as bad as had been reported, 20 minutes later it was apparent that it was in fact be a beautiful day! This of course added to my sour mood, which I tried keep contained to myself by sleeping. About 45 minutes into the 60 mile shuttle ride the trailer got a flat tire on the way down a winding hill. When we were finally about to pull over the tire was torn to pieces and we didn't have a spare. So we were stuck on the road for about 3 hours waiting for someone to come and change the tire. I took a short walk, and worked on thinning my tan lines on top of the van while we waited. The guy who came out to change our tire was awesome. He changed a tire faster than anyone I've ever seen, and after a short conversation with Mike Madormo (our ambassador to the world, seriously this kid can make absolutely anyone tell them their life story within 5 minutes of meeting them) we had his life story and a $100 donation!

So, we got the tire changed and got back on the road. After arriving we unpacked the trailer got things setup and then I went on a run to burn off some steam. The rest of the day was great. We had a great dinner, no mosquitoes, and listened to some amazing live bluegrass.

The next day was Harrison, AR, and the day after that was a great ride. We stayed at the Methodist church there and it was again a wonderful night. We had a wonderful dinner of donated Subway Subs (thanks Subway) and Little Caeser's Hot and Ready $5 Pizzas!

(Picture to right is of Andy McDonald and Anita Chang)

The ride after that was to Rogers. In the morning we started off to a good pace. I stopped to take pictures and people we cruising along. When I caught back up I was heading up a hill behind Molly North when her chain came off, got stuck in her front chain ring and broke! What a bummer. We ended up sitting on the side of the road for 3 hours waiting for the van to be able to come back and give us someone else's bike for her to ride. If we had been in a dangerous situation the van would've come back faster but since we weren't they had to support the other riders. Just the name of the game when riding with a group of 30! Anyway, Molly and I decided that we should make sure we enjoyed the rest of the ride and not try and rush which is easy to start doing when you're behind. The ride was beautiful, we peddled through the Ozarks and they were some awesome views. Molly and I ended up having a great ride and got into Rogers at about 4pm.

(Picture to left, Molly North on our day through the Ozarks)

The next day was a ride into Grove. We crossed two state lines that day (AR to MO, and MO to OK) and largely stayed together as a group. It rained about bit but it was still a ton of fun. The place we stayed at that night was again really nice and we were grateful for their hospitality.

(Picture to right, Molly and I again on our day through the Ozarks)

The 28th was Kim Webber's birthday. The ride to Bartlesville was about 80 miles, largely flat, and pretty fun. Part of the ride was along US 60 which becomes a two lane road with no shoulder. Most of US 60 was fine but at one point I got run of the road by a WalMart semi-truck.

After arriving in Bartlesville, we had an awesome dinner cooked for us by our hosts, the members of the Church of Christ, and went out to Vern's Tavern to celebrate Kim's birthday. Vern's was amazing. It is quite literally a metal sided shed with OSB walls covered in pictures, and beer signs. They only have Budweiser on draft, and serve a Budlight, Coors light, Michelob Ultra , and pop in bottles. The people there were super friendly and we quickly felt like family. It was an awesome night, with about 30 rounds of Happy Birthday sung to Kim whenever there was a lull in the Jukebox music.

(Picture to left, The gentlmen of the trip at the Missouri state line, our first of the to for the day)

Today, the 29th, was a day off in Bartlesville. I used the time to rest, organize, clean up and do some needed bike maintenance. The local YMCA let us come in and use the pool, jacuzzi, sauna, etc. It was a great day and I'm excited for the ride to Ponca City tomorrow!

Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon!

Cheers,
Vandy

Hello and Welcome from Harrison, AR

Hello all! Sorry but this post will be short. We are only able to get one computer online at a time and so are limited to 30 minutes each, and well, email comes before blogging!

The last couple of days have been pretty crazy. Memphis was a ton of fun, as well as being filled with some very scary moments. One of our riders was hit by a pick up truck that was going 50mph. Luckily he only got some severe road rash. Considering the truck was going 50 thats about as close to a miracle as you can get. He's taking some time off and may come back to the trip. We are all hoping he does b/c he's a great guy and we're missing him. Remeber Andrew, you should've seen what you did to the truck!

After memphis we stayed in a camp ground in pointsett state park which has the highest density of mosquito's I've ever experienced. I got bit more than 10 times on my right hind end, through my spandex bike shorts, in the 30 minutes I was outside in the morning. We then started what was to be a 100 mile ride in the pouring rain (and I do mean pouring, not misting). After making it to the first rest stop (about 40 miles I think) the leaders called off the ride and decided to shuttle b/c they thought it was going to keep raining and thunderstorming all day and they were worried about cars being able to see us on the road.

That's all I have time for now, I'll finish the story soon I hope!

Cheers, all and thanks for the comments!

Vandy

Party's in the Back!: Pictures from a day of sweeping

Check out the Journal Entry I wrote for today at the bike and build website for written details (click here). Here are some pictures!

A Mohawk picture for those of you who have been waiting (not it's best form as the back isn't sticking up but still not to bad a display)

Molly Pederson searching for inspiration in the morning sun! (sarcastic, not dramatic)

Andrew getting ready for the days ride.

CVH in the morning at Dunlap

Zach Wright Leaving the "Rescue Squad" in Dunlap

Trip leader Kaitlin Luna rolling out of Dunlap

Kim Rolling out in the morning



Zach riding away in fear from the rolling bail of hay pushed by Kim, Molly and Risa (left to right)

Molly P. Bike over head with and without a little funk

Kim with bike over head

Kim after flat number 7 in two days!

If you regularly check this blog and want to see pictures of someone in particular tell them to have me post some.

Cheers,
~Vandy

Gatlinburg and Maryville

So after a pretty filling lunch we headed out for the TN/NC state line unsure how mountainous the trip would be. It quickly turned into a rather steep climb for 15 miles with essentially no breaks. Luckily we had been climbing the previous two days and that morning and had learned a few lessons. Most importantly when climbing don't ever expect to stop. Just keep trudging along like you're going to be going 6mph straight uphill for the rest of your life. The second you start thinking that the road is going to level out (or even better turning into a downhill cruise) you come around the next bend and see another daunting uphill climb.

(Picture to left is of Caitlin Luna at the begining of of the afternoon ride, not quite at the uphill yet and hence the tongue out)

With this new strategy in mind I decided to simply get on my bike and ride for 30 minutes striaght, take about a 5 minute break - eat a snickers, drink some Gatorade - and then get back on my bike and climb for another 30 minutes. It worked out real well for me. I found that I was able to sustain a higher energy level and speed than I had the previous two days and really cut down on the mental frustration.

Finally we reached the TN/NC state line at about 3pm. We were greeted by a tiny sign at a lookout that said "Tennessee State Line" and gave the elevation - about 5,080 feet I think, 800 feet lower than we had hit the day before. We had been hoping for a huge "WELCOME TO TENNESSEE" sign, but no such luck. We took a ton of pictures anyway and waited for the van and more people to show up.

After that we were treated with a thrilling 15 mile downhill ride with an average speed of about 35mph straight into Downtown Gatlinburg. Upon arrival at about 5:20pm we rode around town looking for the church we were staying at. We found it, dropped off our bikes and then headed to a restaraunt/bar on the main drag that had this great balcony overlooking the street to get some appetizers, give directions to the riders still arriving and people watch.

Gatlinburg is truly a turist town. The people watching was great. At one point we saw a horse drawn wagon go by with a guy playing a banjo, a person dressed up as a clown, another peson dressed up as a brown bear and then about 3 other people who looked like they were just along for the ride. That night CVH cooked some delicious pasta and we all hit the sack.

Wednesday we rode into Maryville, TN, where we are currently working with Habitat for Humanity. It was a pretty mellow ride, only about 40 miles and with no major happenings except for Tony Woods and Mike Madormo who took a wrong turn and ended up in Knoxville (oops). We are staying at this awesome summer camp place called "Camp Tipton". They've got 4 cabins with bunk beds as well as a slip and slide, archery area, huge playing field, and a very large gym. We have all reverted to about 12 years old and our enjoying our camp experience.

(Picture to right is of Anderw at the Maryville Build Site)

During the day we've been working at different local Habitat Build sites and the Habitat HomeStore which is like a huge thrift store that also has building supplies and appliances. We had been expecting to do a Blitz build but due to some changes in management in the local habitat chapter it was canceled without us knowing. No big deal, they've got a ton of other useful stuff that we've been working on and all is going well. There is even a Women's Build that some of the girls have been participating in and seem to really love. At the HomeStore we've largely been helping them reorganize everything and sort through donations. They literally have an entire room about 12x40ft stuffed to the ceiling with clothes that have been donated and needed to be sorted. We've done a great job of working through those and have even found some great steals oursleves!

(Chris Jochem at the Maryville build site)

Tomorrow is our last day in Maryville and then we start riding again. I hope to keep posting frequently. Thanks for all the comments!

To Asheville...

Ok, so I last left off at the day we rode up 181 and then down to Linville Falls/Alcott/Newland. After a wonderful dinner of lasagna (vegetarian and otherwise) we had a good sleep and started out the next day for ashville. We knew that this again would be a mountainous ride wouldn't be as bad as the ride up 181. It was agains a long day of climbing but this time there were more downhills along the way up which gives you some much needed rest from climbing and pumps some adrenaline in to the old bloodstream to keep you going. I spent the day riding mainly with Molly North, Andy McDonald, and Risa Griffin. We had a great time and at the end of the day were treated with a 13 to 15 mile downhill ride. Average speed downhill was about 35 mph. Man was that a rush! When we got in were staying at YMCA, complete with whirlpool/jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room! It was awesome.

(the above picture is of Molly (M.A.N.) North on the tric of a guy we met while climbing the moutain)

Kim Webber and Eric Immel were the sweeps for the day and the new 6pm Arrival Time Van Rule was stressing them out a bit while on the road. Andy, Molly, Risa and I arrived with the middle group at around 5 or 5:30pm and the sweeps were a way back. They eventually made it in at 7:45 after about 12 hours on the saddle. The trip leaders aloud them to stay on the road which I think was a great decision since the day was really just a long ride and there was no doubt they'd be able to finish it.

That night Andy's brother, who live's in Ashville, took some of us out for a delicious Italian dinner. He was a real nice guy. I felt bad because we were all so exhausted I'm afraid we weren't the best conversationalists. After dinner we got back to the Y and hit the sack.

The next day was to be the hardest ride yet, Ashville to Gatlinburg. A number of people had told us they didn't think we'd be able to do it in one day and that we should stop in the middle. Needless to say we were all conserned but focused on getting to the Tennessee/North Carolina State Line to stay motivated.

The day started out with pretty flat ground. At the water stop we found out that the road we were on turned into an expressway for a few miles and we had to get shuttled in the Van about 6 miles down the road. After that we had a steep but short (in comparison to the previous day) climb and then a fun downhill to the lunch stop... Library is closing. Hopefully I'll get the post more soon, with some pictures. Thanks for reading!

Goodbye North Carolina, Helllooooo Tennessee!

Hello from Maryville Tennessee! We have made our way from Chapel Hill, NC - Where I last updated the blog - all the way to Maryville Tennessee for a week of building. It has been a very challenging week for the Bike and Build NC2SD team, but we are all stronger for it, have come closer together and I think learned more about ourselves.

Starting out leaving from Chapel Hill we rode Winston-Salem. What was slated to be a 72 mile ride turned out to be in the mid 80's on our direction sheet and in the end (after getting lost) washed out to be over 100 miles - in the rain (Photo left of Kim Webber). It was a very long day with over 32 turns,which doesn't sound like much but when streets don't always meet up the way they're supposed to and every mile in a wrong direction is doubled when you make your way back to the correct route 32 turns is a lot. The day was long, slow, and wet. In all it really wasn't that bad until the end when I just wanted to be there and we were all tired and moving slowly up hills. When we finally rolled in a bike shop across from the church we stayed at had set up a tent in the parking lot and was grilling up food for us and giving free tune ups/lubes. During the day's ride I broke my 3rd bike computer (the first one which I had had for awhile broke at home the day before I left for the trip, the second one never really worked well, 3rd one which I purchased the night before leaving chapel hill for winston-salem worked for a little while, stopped working, jiggled loose and then fell into my front wheel, was ripped off by the spokes and thrown across the street), so I bought what will hopefully be my last one for this trip and had them put it on.

As we sat and ate more people made their way in. As they rolled in I realized the slight detour - due to confusing directions - my group had taken wasn't as bad as I had thought. Some people had ended up on the freeway, gotten two flat tires (at the same time), had small emotional breakdowns or were just to worked to finish the ride and had to end the day with a ride in the van. The truly awesome part (besides the amaising hummus at the bike shop) was that as each person rolled in - some in tears - our entire group surrounded them for a big group hug and show of support and celebration for our first century ride. I've been a part of a lot of teams and organizations in my life but this one is a truly tight nit and supportive group. It is awesome to be a part of it.

The next day was another tough day for me. I was sweep. Each day two people are designated as sweep. They stay at the back of the pack and aren't allowed to pass anyone. They carry extra water, spare parts, and food, as well as a phone, so that they can provide help to anyone who has problems along the way. I am usually in the front group of riders. Not because I'm particularly talented, but because I like to get on the bike and go. I'm not sure why but it's just part of my mental make up. The sweep day was difficult for me because I was riding off of my normal pace, which believe it or not can really mess up your energy levels. While Caitlin vonHedemann (CVH) had a great time taking pictures and making little detours - to check out the fields of a wine vineard for example (picture right is of CVH and Andy at the Vineyard) - by the end of the day I was exhausted and like a five year old child cranky.

This now brings us to last tuesday I believe, our ascent into the Apalachan Mountains! We had been told that they day would be hard, involve some tough climbing and the leaders had also implemented a new rule that if people weren't to the host site by 6:00pm - the usual dinner time - the van would come around and anyone still on the road would have to get in. Because of this I was so I started off determined to push myself through and make it in before six. My achillies tendon had been swelling up to the point where I could feel it rubbing when I walked and would give me some pretty significant pain when riding. Luckily CVH had a ankle brace she wasn't using and I decided to give it a whirl for the day. I started off taking it pretty easy but found may ankle was doing well and decided to start pushing. The route was hilly and I like to shift to a harder gear, slow my candence and pedal lightly down hills to try and build up some more kinetic energy to help push me up the next hill. A lot of people like to glide down the hills to save energy. Because I was anxious to go and ride this way I ended up making my way through most of the hills a bit faster than the rest of the group. I made it to the first water stop in great time and my ankle was feeling real well so I just kept on pushing. I ran into a problem however when I missed a turn on cecel road. The que sheet said that it was something like 5 miles from the first water stop but it was actually around 1 or 2 miles. Needless to say I flew right passed it and continued on for another 5 miles before I called the van saying I couldn't find the road, found out I was passed it and turned around. I finally made it back to the correct route and caught up to everyone right at a 3 mile gravel road that we had to ride down - the leaders didn't know it would be gravel when they planned out the route. Let me tell you riding a road bike with 23mm wide wheels 3 miles up and down hills on a gravel road is a rush. It was bumpy but overall fun. After the gravel road we had a few more hills and then stopped for lunch.

At lunch we spoke with some road workers about what the roads we were taking in the afternoon would be like. They re-iterated what we had expected. US 181 was a steep winding road that would not be much fun. We were pretty sure that it would only be about 4.8 miles long - the distance our que sheet said we'd be on it - so we were confident we could manage. When after lunch we hit 181 it was very steep and windy, but also closer to 13 or fifteen miles long. Really the only thing worse than climbing uphill on a bike is climbing uphill on a bike for 3 times longer than you thought you'd be climbing. It was hot and definately the most physically challenging thing I've ever done - way harder than running 13 miles in 100 degree heat while training for a marathon last summer - but the great thing about climbing up a mountain on a bike is that you then get to ride down a mountain on a bike! Whoooo Weeee! That was a good time. But, as you'll see was a theme for this week, minor disastor struck again - direction problems! At the bottom of the mountain we were supposed to take a left on to a road called Bugger Hollow. Bugger Hollow however turned out not to be labeled and we couldn't find it. After riding back and forth on 181 about 3 miles in each direction looking for the road my group decided to try and find our own way to get to newland - the town our que sheet said we were staying in. We went to a gas station, looked at a map and planned out a route. Along our new route on our way to Newland we got to cross the Eastern Continental devide - pretty cool!

When we finally ended up in Newland we discovered that the church we were staying at wasn't actually in Newland. It was in a town called alcott (I'm spelling that wrong), about 7 miles outside of Newland's downtown. So we got back on the bikes, made the 7 mile trek and arrived at the church right around 5:30 to find almost everyone else was already there! We had called the van earlier and explained our trouble finding Bugger Hollow and they had chalked a different road (US 183) to guide those behind us to the correct destination! We were just happy to be in but definately wished we had had better directions. The real kicker of it is that Mike Madormo and I had stopped at US 183 and debated taking it but it wasn't on our que sheet and we didn't have any cell service so we couldn't ask the van!

Well there is more to tell but the library is closing so I've gotta run. I'll hopefully post some more words and some picture tomorrow. I want to say in closing however that while there have been some fairly big problems with the que sheets I think our trip leaders are doing a great job. This is a completely new route and they're doing the best they can with the maps they have. Navigation is quite a bit harder when you're taking small no-name roads to small towns to try and avoid traffic.

Thats all for now! I'll hopefully write again soon!

Wake Forest and Chapel Hill

Since the last time I posted we've ridden from Greenville to Wake Forest, and from Wake Forest to Chapel Hill. As I believe other people have already posted the ride from Greenville to Wake Forest was a bit longer than it needed to be. We changed our trip directions to a route we had heard was shorter but ended up not leading where it was supposed to, so we turned around reverted to the old directions. It was a hot day but a really fun ride. I really didn't mind the extra miles, and since our directional error caused us to hit 88 miles a few of us debated throwing on another 12 and making it a century. Saddle sores and a swollen Achilles tendon got the better of us however.

The picture above and left is of me on a bridge on the ride from Belhaven to Greenville, and the one above and center is of Zach on the same ride.

On the ride from Wake Forest to Chapel Hill a few of us decided to take a detour through Durham and see the stadium(picture to left) in which Bull Durham was filmed as we as take an ad hoc tour of Duke University's Campus by bike. It was only a 30 mile ride so we had some time to kill and it was worth it. Pictures below are of Eric sitting on Mr. Duke's Lap, and of Catlin Luna riding up to the famous church on Duke's campus.

We spent today working at three different build sites. The group split in half and my group went to one site for the morning and worked on framing a house and putting blocking so that shelving, toll bars, etc. can be hung once the drywall is put up (picture to right of mike doing some blocking, and below that is Andy after we put some straw in his mouth while he was napping at lunch. Zoom in on his glasses and notice kim laughing on the side and me taking the picture).

We then spent the afternoon doing landscaping at another site. It was a very tiring day, especially since many of us seem to have picked up a cough/cold, but it was fun and fulfilling work. Even a few hours of steady work can drastically change the shape of a house and its awesome to be a part of that. Our build supervisor Toniesha was amaising. She was going non-stop and she does this stuff every day. She has some amaising energy. (Last picture is of andy at the landscaping site posing with weed whacker)