We have entered Arkansas!
After 2 very rainy days in Mississippi, we have crossed the Mississippi River, and we have entered a state I have never been to: Arkansas! We are currently in Stuttgart, AR, which is a pretty small little town. Today we biked about 95 miles to get here. We actually had a police escort across a 3 mile bridge because it wasn't biker friendly. We were actually warned about it by all of the locals who stopped to talk to us. Thus, we found a cop for safety. It was fun to all bike together and get to take over the road for a few miles, though. We only held up about 20 tractor trailors...
The community here has been amazing. We are staying at yet another United Methodist Church (Methodist has hosted us 95 percent of the time). Their Youth Group actually made our visit into a project. They organized a Taco bar for us, made a pool party (WITH A WATER SLIDE!!!) for us, and they shuttled us back and forth! They even provided showers and internet. Very nice people!
Arkansas has nicer roads than Mississippi by a landslide so far. Mississippi had these not so amazing roads that provided a crack every 20 feet, which got old after about 20 miles.. and got painful after 50. The road kill is quite amusing, but it can be quite disgusting. I have seen more snakes and armadillos than anything else, which is very strange to me. The hills have dissappeared which is bitter sweet. It may cause us to be less tired, but it also causes some of us to think we may fall asleep at the pedal. It is deathly boring. Today, we played the alphabet game... except when you dont see a sign for 20 miles .. or a gas station.. it gets a little hard to play. We were in places that had town signs letting you know the population. One town had a population of 104 people. I wonder if that changes when a family moves out of town.. It might be even less these days! We have started to get very excited to see a turn in the near future. This is a highlight to our day.
Tomorrow we have about a 60 mile trek to Little Rock. AND WE HAVE A DAY OFF!!!!! VERY EXCITING! I forsee much sleep and reading in my forecast :-D.
To my Dad: Happy Early Fathers Day, in case I dont get a chance to write again! I love you very much, and have a great time in Italy.. Remember while you are lounging in my dream location that your daughter is sweating to death and as we say about Arkansas.. "Rubbing it raw in Arkansas" (we are starting state slogans to help us get through!)
I have uploaded more photos to the link I used in the last blog. Please look! They are good ones! link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2301374&id=11815505&l=f303f72cad
Monday, June 15, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Georgia.. to Alabama.. to Mississippi
Hi everyone!
Sorry it has been so long, but we have limited internet access. Here is a quick update!
The day after Norcross we traveled to Heflin, Alabama, a 107 mile ride. It was definitely a long day. In fact, we were so tired that we arrived and were greeted with a delicious meal, but we instantly fell asleep at about 8 pm. (we did wake up at 4:30 am in our defense).
We left Heflin for Birmingham (97 mile ride). I actually was in the first group finished: very strange for me! It felt good and it wasn't too impossible. We had 2 lunches, and we stopped at a church where we originally were supposed to stay, but it would have caused the day before to be a 120 mile ride, which none of us would have liked. I got to meet up with Robert, a friend of mine from senior design, and we drove (IN A CAR!!) around Birmingham. It was a lot of fun. The day rounded out at about 70 miles, which felt like nothing after the days we had been having.
We had a build day in Birmingham with Habitat for Humanity. It was good. I mostly calked the base boards of the house all day. It is a very large affiliate. They build about 40 houses a year.
After Birmingham, we headed to Hamilton, Alabama. This was our third century ride in a row. (96 miles) It was rough, and I really struggled. However, when I arrived to our second lunch, everyone shared a pity party about how sore we were after 300 miles in our last 3 bike days. It was good to see that I was not the only person in pain. It was a great bonding experience :-D
We left Hamilton Alabama for Tupelo, Mississippi on the 12th. This is the birthplace of Elvis, and this was a miraculous day. It was only 59 miles!!! (This to us sounds like an ice cream party announcement at this point.) We had time to explore downtown, and we stayed at a very nice church.
Finally, we left Tupelo for Oxford this morning. I was sweep today (this means I had to be the last person to arrive to make sure everyone was safe and accounted for at all times). It was a nasty day. We hit some thunderstorms and had to take cover, but Oxford is really really nice. We had a delicious dinner at a restaurant owned by one of the rider's cousin. It was amazing. Unlimited pasta and pizza. DELICIOUS! We had a 50 mile ride today, so although it was nasty weather, we got here fairly early. I am also currently on laundry duty, so I spent my afternoon washing everyone's jersey's with my chore team the PO-lice (named since we caused a police appearance after setting off a church alarm system in Charleston..oops). After dinner, we went to a delicious candy shop and a bookstore downtown. We are now at Ole Miss University using the computers in the student union. It is a really pretty campus. I am very impressed. I wish we could spend another day in this great city, but we will be leaving for Clarksdale tomorrow!
I may not have internet again for a while, but I will try to upload pictures the next chance I get. I finally found postcards, so I will be sending some out soon! Miss you all!
Sorry it has been so long, but we have limited internet access. Here is a quick update!
The day after Norcross we traveled to Heflin, Alabama, a 107 mile ride. It was definitely a long day. In fact, we were so tired that we arrived and were greeted with a delicious meal, but we instantly fell asleep at about 8 pm. (we did wake up at 4:30 am in our defense).
We left Heflin for Birmingham (97 mile ride). I actually was in the first group finished: very strange for me! It felt good and it wasn't too impossible. We had 2 lunches, and we stopped at a church where we originally were supposed to stay, but it would have caused the day before to be a 120 mile ride, which none of us would have liked. I got to meet up with Robert, a friend of mine from senior design, and we drove (IN A CAR!!) around Birmingham. It was a lot of fun. The day rounded out at about 70 miles, which felt like nothing after the days we had been having.
We had a build day in Birmingham with Habitat for Humanity. It was good. I mostly calked the base boards of the house all day. It is a very large affiliate. They build about 40 houses a year.
After Birmingham, we headed to Hamilton, Alabama. This was our third century ride in a row. (96 miles) It was rough, and I really struggled. However, when I arrived to our second lunch, everyone shared a pity party about how sore we were after 300 miles in our last 3 bike days. It was good to see that I was not the only person in pain. It was a great bonding experience :-D
We left Hamilton Alabama for Tupelo, Mississippi on the 12th. This is the birthplace of Elvis, and this was a miraculous day. It was only 59 miles!!! (This to us sounds like an ice cream party announcement at this point.) We had time to explore downtown, and we stayed at a very nice church.
Finally, we left Tupelo for Oxford this morning. I was sweep today (this means I had to be the last person to arrive to make sure everyone was safe and accounted for at all times). It was a nasty day. We hit some thunderstorms and had to take cover, but Oxford is really really nice. We had a delicious dinner at a restaurant owned by one of the rider's cousin. It was amazing. Unlimited pasta and pizza. DELICIOUS! We had a 50 mile ride today, so although it was nasty weather, we got here fairly early. I am also currently on laundry duty, so I spent my afternoon washing everyone's jersey's with my chore team the PO-lice (named since we caused a police appearance after setting off a church alarm system in Charleston..oops). After dinner, we went to a delicious candy shop and a bookstore downtown. We are now at Ole Miss University using the computers in the student union. It is a really pretty campus. I am very impressed. I wish we could spend another day in this great city, but we will be leaving for Clarksdale tomorrow!
I may not have internet again for a while, but I will try to upload pictures the next chance I get. I finally found postcards, so I will be sending some out soon! Miss you all!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Rebuilding Together
Today we volunteered with Rebuilding Together. It was great! We worked for Mr. Jones, an older man who served in the military for about 16 years in WW2. He has guacoma, so he has severe issues seeing. One of our big assignments was to paint the inside of the house white for function and to lighten up his home and make it easier for him to see. He was very grateful, and it was a great day. We ate dinner at an awesome restaurant downtown and were greeted with yummy Mexican food and a band playing some of our favorite songs.
We will be waking up at 4:30 tomorrow for our 100 mile ride, so it is time to get some sleep! Goodnight everyone!
We will be waking up at 4:30 tomorrow for our 100 mile ride, so it is time to get some sleep! Goodnight everyone!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Norcross, GA
We biked about 60 miles today and arrived in Norcross Georgia. We are staying at a Boys and Girls club with about 20 computers, pool tables, a gym, and flat screen tvs.. It is pretty exciting! Currently, we are all relaxing before our build day tomorrow with Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit that works to do minor repairs on homes of those in need. It should be exciting!
Our bike ride today was good. It was a bit hilly, but enjoyable none-the-less. Our host last night was amazing. They actually made us a potluck dinner, and they woke up at 6 am to feed us breakfast!! Yum! Today on our bike ride took a lunch break around Bethlehem, a small town in Georgia. It was a cool day and very enjoyable.
Tonight, we ate dinner at Mellow Mushroom, provided by a local church. It was delicious. We have been spoiled lately foodwise!
In just two days we will be having a century day (over 100 miles). It should be challenging, but hopefully doable! Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
Our bike ride today was good. It was a bit hilly, but enjoyable none-the-less. Our host last night was amazing. They actually made us a potluck dinner, and they woke up at 6 am to feed us breakfast!! Yum! Today on our bike ride took a lunch break around Bethlehem, a small town in Georgia. It was a cool day and very enjoyable.
Tonight, we ate dinner at Mellow Mushroom, provided by a local church. It was delicious. We have been spoiled lately foodwise!
In just two days we will be having a century day (over 100 miles). It should be challenging, but hopefully doable! Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
Friday, June 5, 2009
GEORGIA!!
We have internet again! We are now in Athens, Georgia.
Here is some catch up on the past few days:
June 1: We went to Newberry, SC somewhere around 50 miles.
June 2: we biked a staggering 70 miles to arrive in Greenville, SC, an AMAZING city! It is possibly the coolest city I have seen up to now. Please check out the pictures of it. It has an amazing downtown and a beautiful park that would make you think you aren't in the largest city of South Carolina.
June 3: We actually had a day off in Greenville, so we got to explore it a lot. David Rochette even came to visit us from Ashville, NC! We had a lot of fun exploring the city. One of the board members of Bike and Build actually took us all out to eat for dinner at a great pizza place. Afterward, we saw a minor league baseball game (Ashville NC vs Greenville SC), and we even crashed a high school graduation party! It was quite an excting night.
June 4: We left Greenville for Hartwell GA. It was a nice 57 mile ride, and we had a relaxing evening, although some made a trip to the nearby thrift store. New State!! YAYY!!
TODAY:
We are at UGA's town of Athens. It is really nice! Georgia hasn't shown to be the most biker friendly area. Today we biked a short 47 mile ride, but we actually got pulled over by a cop car who seemed to have gotten complaints about bikers being on the road. That was new! Kind of funny to see a cop turn on his sirens behind a biker though! Tonight we will be eating a potluck dinner at the church we are at. Yummy!
Our schedule for the next few days is to bike about 60 miles tomorrow to Norcross, where we will have a build day with Rebuilding Together, another substandard housing organization. We have been biking a lot, and we have now done a total of 383 miles..
Pictures for the last few days are at the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2301374&id=11815505&l=f303f72cad
Here is some catch up on the past few days:
June 1: We went to Newberry, SC somewhere around 50 miles.
June 2: we biked a staggering 70 miles to arrive in Greenville, SC, an AMAZING city! It is possibly the coolest city I have seen up to now. Please check out the pictures of it. It has an amazing downtown and a beautiful park that would make you think you aren't in the largest city of South Carolina.
June 3: We actually had a day off in Greenville, so we got to explore it a lot. David Rochette even came to visit us from Ashville, NC! We had a lot of fun exploring the city. One of the board members of Bike and Build actually took us all out to eat for dinner at a great pizza place. Afterward, we saw a minor league baseball game (Ashville NC vs Greenville SC), and we even crashed a high school graduation party! It was quite an excting night.
June 4: We left Greenville for Hartwell GA. It was a nice 57 mile ride, and we had a relaxing evening, although some made a trip to the nearby thrift store. New State!! YAYY!!
TODAY:
We are at UGA's town of Athens. It is really nice! Georgia hasn't shown to be the most biker friendly area. Today we biked a short 47 mile ride, but we actually got pulled over by a cop car who seemed to have gotten complaints about bikers being on the road. That was new! Kind of funny to see a cop turn on his sirens behind a biker though! Tonight we will be eating a potluck dinner at the church we are at. Yummy!
Our schedule for the next few days is to bike about 60 miles tomorrow to Norcross, where we will have a build day with Rebuilding Together, another substandard housing organization. We have been biking a lot, and we have now done a total of 383 miles..
Pictures for the last few days are at the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2301374&id=11815505&l=f303f72cad
Sunday, May 31, 2009
60 and 55 mile rides
Hi everyone!
Yesterday was a long day! We rode about 60 miles (it was supposed to be 56, but we got a little lost). Happy belated birthday Mom! It was a decent ride, but some of the roads were rough. I have a new appreciation for new pavement and well managed roads. We camped last night beside a lake in Pineview,sc. We stopped to try boiled peanuts.. yummy!
Today was about a 55 mile ride.. maybe 56 with a little bit of a detour.. It was an overall great day... with lots of hills.. LOTS of sun.. and i have new appreciation for some "butter" or lotion that goes on your shorts.. its amazing! I am starting to feel a bit of pain.. and I did recently fall as well.. but All is well in the neighborhood!
Here is a link to all of my pictures so far:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2299817&id=11815505&l=7c944b769a
Enjoy! Hope to write again soon!
Yesterday was a long day! We rode about 60 miles (it was supposed to be 56, but we got a little lost). Happy belated birthday Mom! It was a decent ride, but some of the roads were rough. I have a new appreciation for new pavement and well managed roads. We camped last night beside a lake in Pineview,sc. We stopped to try boiled peanuts.. yummy!
Today was about a 55 mile ride.. maybe 56 with a little bit of a detour.. It was an overall great day... with lots of hills.. LOTS of sun.. and i have new appreciation for some "butter" or lotion that goes on your shorts.. its amazing! I am starting to feel a bit of pain.. and I did recently fall as well.. but All is well in the neighborhood!
Here is a link to all of my pictures so far:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2299817&id=11815505&l=7c944b769a
Enjoy! Hope to write again soon!
Friday, May 29, 2009
33 mile ride!
Hi everyone!
We are now in Moncks Corner, SC, 33 miles down the road from Charleston. Here are some pictures! Enjoy!
The welcome sign to Moncks Corner, SC (It is hard to see but it is there!)
About to leave Charleston, all ready to go!
Everyone was leaving the ocean for 2.5 months!
Bye ocean!
The wolfpack was ready to go!
We are now in Moncks Corner, SC, 33 miles down the road from Charleston. Here are some pictures! Enjoy!
The welcome sign to Moncks Corner, SC (It is hard to see but it is there!)
About to leave Charleston, all ready to go!
Everyone was leaving the ocean for 2.5 months!
Bye ocean!
The wolfpack was ready to go!
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