Aliens. The whole town is centered on aliens.
We had a day off in Roswell, and had a great time both nights we were there. We stayed in a university gym and weren't provided with dinner, so a bunch of us - devon, emily, lynn and I decided to go into town to find something to eat. On our journey over, we met this group of students who were trying to study for their para medicine test the next day. Instead, they ate dinner with us at applebees and told us about Roswell and the surrounding area. They were a great group of people who definitely kept the night interesting.
The next day was glorious. Through donation magic, we got a free breakfast then set out to the alien museum. After browsing the local shops for random goodies, I went to an awesome Mexican restaurant and ate way too much.
The best part of the day was X-FILES!! We saw the movie on opening night in ROSWELL!! How perfect can it get?!? All we needed was someone to tell us their abduction story. The movie itself was decent but the experience was awesome.
I want to believe.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Hereford, TX
Late post - Beef smells bad. Feed lots are about the most disgusting things I've ever encountered. Hereford, Texas is the beef capital of the world because of its feed lots, which are where cows are held in close quarters and fatened up before they are killed. When you have that many cows in one place, the whole town smells foul. You got used to it after a while though.
Funny thing is - they fed us ham in the beef capital of the world.
Funny thing is - they fed us ham in the beef capital of the world.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Cowboy Boots
We left texas today after epic steak eating (one of our riders ate 62 oz of steak in a competition) and great hospitality. On our way into New Mexico, we discovered a western wear shop that specialized in hats and boots. They were having a giant sale and I couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Route 66
Going down Route 66 has been a grand old time. The tiny towns along the way are totally like the ones in the movie cars. Some towns are so small that we roll by without noticing, which is hard on a bike since we go kind of slow.
I love seeing the old attractions that have been preserved and some new ones that have popped up. I hope more people decide to travel down route 66. It is tons of fun and the area needs a little pick-me-up.
One comment about BIKING across the country - when you bike through a place you really get to soak up the atmosphere and notice the little things. We went into Texas today and the state line transition was the most obvious. As soon as we crossed the state line there were tons of oil rigs, churches and signs in spanish and mexican restaurants. Its amazing how the culture changes so fast from state to state (especially when it comes to Texas)
I am enjoying the plains and red soil - I'm not used to that in Wisconsin or Boston
I love seeing the old attractions that have been preserved and some new ones that have popped up. I hope more people decide to travel down route 66. It is tons of fun and the area needs a little pick-me-up.
One comment about BIKING across the country - when you bike through a place you really get to soak up the atmosphere and notice the little things. We went into Texas today and the state line transition was the most obvious. As soon as we crossed the state line there were tons of oil rigs, churches and signs in spanish and mexican restaurants. Its amazing how the culture changes so fast from state to state (especially when it comes to Texas)
I am enjoying the plains and red soil - I'm not used to that in Wisconsin or Boston
Friday, July 18, 2008
Kansas - July 13th Joplin to Vinita
The run through Kansas was tons of fun especially since it was a low mileage day. We all joined up together for a one mile sprint through Kansas since we only had an 8 mile stretch through it. We went through kansas mainly because it was close and didn't add too many miles. After the one mile sprint, we got into Oklahoma and found a river and we all took a dip. It was a great day for group bonding. The swim really cooled all of us off and to make the day even better, we got to eat lunch INSIDE an ice cream shop. Not only were we able to buy delicious ice cream, but we could relax indoors where it was air conditioned.
Later, when we got to the host, we swam again in a nearby pool as others went to see the biggest McDonalds in the US which straddles I-44.
Later, when we got to the host, we swam again in a nearby pool as others went to see the biggest McDonalds in the US which straddles I-44.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Rain Rain Go Away
It has been raining a lot on us recently, sometimes to the point where we need to stop and wait for the thunder and lightning to pass.
yesterday we had a build day where we worked on a blitz in progress and on the 30th, we had our first bike and build all in one day. Even though I got two flats it was still tons of fun.
I am now in MO, but leaving tomorrow for a quick run through Kansas to get to Oklahoma.
yesterday we had a build day where we worked on a blitz in progress and on the 30th, we had our first bike and build all in one day. Even though I got two flats it was still tons of fun.
I am now in MO, but leaving tomorrow for a quick run through Kansas to get to Oklahoma.
My Journal for June 28th when I was Sweep
Saturday June 28th Ride into Newcomerstown, OH
Today we left our gracious host early in the morning and set out for Newcomerstown, OH. One perk of Bike and Build is that everyone helps out everyone else. People will stop if someone gets a flat tire or just needs a rest. We want everyone to be safe, which is why we have something called sweep. Sweep consists of two people that always ride behind everyone else. They make sure people don’t get lost and carry extra tubes and tires.
Today, sweep had a very eventful day: Since sweep must stay behind all of the other riders, we decided to take a break early in the morning by rolling through the drive through Burger King on our bikes. Two orders of cinnaminnis later, we were content and ready to roll knowing that we were a fair distance away from the back of the pack. Just as we mounted our bikes to head out, we got a call from one of the riders that got lost. We were ahead of her! We made sure she was going in the right direction and waited for her to reach us. After biking for a while we met up with another rider who needed to get picked up and waited with her until the van came. All just a normal day until the weird starts- the other sweep was feeling that her pedal was acting weird so we stopped to take a look at it. Her pedal had fallen off the other day and it had been put on crooked in haste. To remedy this we tried to take the pedal off, but found out that we stripped the crank’s threads in the process. Luckily a kind cyclist rolled by and called her husband who came by with tools. After some engineering magic, and a long amount of time, the kind gentleman “fixed” the pedal to the crank.
The afternoon was equally eventful. After the van pulled away, the chain on the other sweep’s bike came off, and we struggled with is for a long while to get it back on. After a few miles of riding we got a call from some riders that fell on the road. They rode over some gravel and fell during a turn. Both riders were ok, just a little shaken. After checking over the riders and the bikes we determined all was right and started riding. A big hill came up and as one of the riders shifted to the “granny gear” her bike made a loud clanking noise and refused to move. We took one look at her derailleur and knew something went very wrong. Her derailleur exploded and was twisted in an awkward position. At that point it was late in the day and everyone else was into the host location, so the van driver decided to pick us all up and take us there.
A great end to the day is that it was Jane’s Birthday so we got to pick up a cake on our way back and celebrate with a good friend! Other riders had bought her a turtle hat and we all joined in to sing her a happy birthday.
Jess Leon
Today we left our gracious host early in the morning and set out for Newcomerstown, OH. One perk of Bike and Build is that everyone helps out everyone else. People will stop if someone gets a flat tire or just needs a rest. We want everyone to be safe, which is why we have something called sweep. Sweep consists of two people that always ride behind everyone else. They make sure people don’t get lost and carry extra tubes and tires.
Today, sweep had a very eventful day: Since sweep must stay behind all of the other riders, we decided to take a break early in the morning by rolling through the drive through Burger King on our bikes. Two orders of cinnaminnis later, we were content and ready to roll knowing that we were a fair distance away from the back of the pack. Just as we mounted our bikes to head out, we got a call from one of the riders that got lost. We were ahead of her! We made sure she was going in the right direction and waited for her to reach us. After biking for a while we met up with another rider who needed to get picked up and waited with her until the van came. All just a normal day until the weird starts- the other sweep was feeling that her pedal was acting weird so we stopped to take a look at it. Her pedal had fallen off the other day and it had been put on crooked in haste. To remedy this we tried to take the pedal off, but found out that we stripped the crank’s threads in the process. Luckily a kind cyclist rolled by and called her husband who came by with tools. After some engineering magic, and a long amount of time, the kind gentleman “fixed” the pedal to the crank.
The afternoon was equally eventful. After the van pulled away, the chain on the other sweep’s bike came off, and we struggled with is for a long while to get it back on. After a few miles of riding we got a call from some riders that fell on the road. They rode over some gravel and fell during a turn. Both riders were ok, just a little shaken. After checking over the riders and the bikes we determined all was right and started riding. A big hill came up and as one of the riders shifted to the “granny gear” her bike made a loud clanking noise and refused to move. We took one look at her derailleur and knew something went very wrong. Her derailleur exploded and was twisted in an awkward position. At that point it was late in the day and everyone else was into the host location, so the van driver decided to pick us all up and take us there.
A great end to the day is that it was Jane’s Birthday so we got to pick up a cake on our way back and celebrate with a good friend! Other riders had bought her a turtle hat and we all joined in to sing her a happy birthday.
Jess Leon
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Mountains = Pain + Amazing Views
The past few days have been grueling when it comes to biking. We have gone through three sets of mountain ranges with high mileage each day. Amish and Mennonite country was super exciting (horse drawn plows and farm equipment!). And even though the climbs are hard, the views are amazing.
I will try to take more photos on the road and actually post them on facebook and picasa
Unfortunately I got sick recently and had to take a day off after completing the century day(100 miles of riding in one day in mountains). I pumped myself full of day quill to get through the century and pretty much collapsed that night. The next day I felt so horrible that I rode in the van and the leaders yelled at me to go to sleep as soon as I got to the host location. 10 hours of sleep later I felt much better and biked the next day.
Now we are in Pittsburgh and have a day off! It is a much needed rest for everyone, and we're all excited to check out the city and get out of our chamois and spandex(if only for one day)!
I will try to take more photos on the road and actually post them on facebook and picasa
Unfortunately I got sick recently and had to take a day off after completing the century day(100 miles of riding in one day in mountains). I pumped myself full of day quill to get through the century and pretty much collapsed that night. The next day I felt so horrible that I rode in the van and the leaders yelled at me to go to sleep as soon as I got to the host location. 10 hours of sleep later I felt much better and biked the next day.
Now we are in Pittsburgh and have a day off! It is a much needed rest for everyone, and we're all excited to check out the city and get out of our chamois and spandex(if only for one day)!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Building...er...moving furniture
We are in Poughkeepsie New York right now staying in a boarding house with real beds (yes, this is a big deal) After a few more days of biking across rolling hills and steep inclines we had another build day. While its not really a rest day, it allows our legs to have a rest while we help out Habitat for Humanity.
Yesterday's ride was epic. It was nice riding, not too hilly, but it was very long. 81 miles takes a long time when you're just starting out biking. A bunch of us wound up getting lost at the end when it started raining and we got into our host site 2 hours later than the 4:00 limit.
We were very cranky and needed a cookie, but settled for a hot shower.
All in all things are going really well. I had been having problems with my knee because of a tight IT band that rubs on my knee. Good news: I messed with my bike fit and it didnt hurt after 86 miles in one day!! Hopefully this keeps up.
Yesterday's ride was epic. It was nice riding, not too hilly, but it was very long. 81 miles takes a long time when you're just starting out biking. A bunch of us wound up getting lost at the end when it started raining and we got into our host site 2 hours later than the 4:00 limit.
We were very cranky and needed a cookie, but settled for a hot shower.
All in all things are going really well. I had been having problems with my knee because of a tight IT band that rubs on my knee. Good news: I messed with my bike fit and it didnt hurt after 86 miles in one day!! Hopefully this keeps up.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Mail Drops
Support me by Sending me things! I love food, or letters, or whatever you want to send!
Mail must be sent through the US Postal Service, and please make sure you send it with enough time to arrive by the pick-up date. If you mail misses us, then the post office will forward it to the mail drop two weeks ahead.
Mail should get addressed to:
Bike & Build
Attn: Jessica Leon
General Delivery
ADDRESS
TOWN, STATE ZIP
The address, town, state, and zip are as follows:
Thursday, June 19, 2008
55 Mansion Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Thursday, June 26, 2008
700 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Thursday, July 3, 2008
206 E 4th St
Bloomington, IN 47408
Thursday, July 10, 2008
500 W Chestnut Expy
Springfield, MO 65801
Thursday, July 17, 2008
900 Garth Brooks Blvd.
Yukon, OK 73099
Thursday, July 24, 2008
415 N Pennsylvania Avenue
Roswell, NM 88201
Thursday, July 31, 2008
223 N. Williamson Avenue
Winslow, AZ 86047
Thursday, August 7, 2008
201 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89125
Thursday, August 14, 2008
836 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-9998
Build Day
Let me start out by explaining a little bit about what this trip is all about: This route is dedicated to the memory of Chris Webber, an awesome guy who was one of the directors of bike and build. We stopped at his home in Andover, MA and met his family at a BBQ that they put on for us yesterday. It was great meeting them all and hearing about what a great guy Chris was. The family has been incredibly generous to our trip by providing us food and helping to drive us to their home.A guy named Tony from Merrimack Valley Habitat For Humanity also came to speak with us about how Habitat for Humanity is run and some history about the site we were going to work at.
Today we worked with Habitat for Humanity in Lawrence, MA. We worked on three different houses because we are such a big group. I mainly worked on this two family home with a handicapped residence on the bottom floor and a regular home on the top floor. After moving very heavy sheets of wood up the stairs for support, I mainly helped put in scaffolding. The scaffolding was put in against the house and secured via bolts and nails (much different from the scaffolding I was used to). I also worked on the roof of the house. The two floors had been constructed but the beams for the roof had to be put in so I moved more heavy wood (this time in the form of planks) and climbed up on top of the house to place the beams in the right place.
Everyone took lots and lots of pictures that are posted here!
Today we worked with Habitat for Humanity in Lawrence, MA. We worked on three different houses because we are such a big group. I mainly worked on this two family home with a handicapped residence on the bottom floor and a regular home on the top floor. After moving very heavy sheets of wood up the stairs for support, I mainly helped put in scaffolding. The scaffolding was put in against the house and secured via bolts and nails (much different from the scaffolding I was used to). I also worked on the roof of the house. The two floors had been constructed but the beams for the roof had to be put in so I moved more heavy wood (this time in the form of planks) and climbed up on top of the house to place the beams in the right place.
Everyone took lots and lots of pictures that are posted here!
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Beginnnig
So far, Bike and Build has been amazing. Through going on some long rides with Devon, Jo, Jess, and Talia I had discovered that 1. I <3 Biking 2. My IT band is tight and 3. I'm totally excited to bike across the country
Orientation was a great start to our trip. The church we stayed in was incredibly generous to us and offered their giant Bingo room for a few days, and bought us several delicious catered meals! Trips like these remind me that there are generous, caring people here and around the world.
After an amazingly generous breakfast from the church, we dipped our bikes in the ocean this morning and went off for our first ride. It was only 20 miles to Andover, and our first build day is tomorrow! The trip leaders did a great job of picking a route that ramps up slowly in mileage.
Orientation was a great start to our trip. The church we stayed in was incredibly generous to us and offered their giant Bingo room for a few days, and bought us several delicious catered meals! Trips like these remind me that there are generous, caring people here and around the world.
After an amazingly generous breakfast from the church, we dipped our bikes in the ocean this morning and went off for our first ride. It was only 20 miles to Andover, and our first build day is tomorrow! The trip leaders did a great job of picking a route that ramps up slowly in mileage.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Training: Providence and Cape Cod
Training for bike and build has been a little bit slow. I mainly go on 20 -30 mile rides but recently I've been gong on longer ones to get used to the mileage. To get my sweat equity, which is required of everyone, I worked at a Habitat for Humanity site in Providence RI. I took the commuter rail with Talia to Providence, biked to the site, then met Jo and Devon later on in the day.
We stayed in a Hotel that night and biked back from Providence to Boston!
We stayed in a Hotel that night and biked back from Providence to Boston!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Bike and Build Beginnings
I will try to keep this updated about my bike and build progress. First some background on why I'm doing this crazy ride!
Reasons why I'm doing bike and build
One is because of the service it provides to people throughout the United States. The money goes towards building homes and the trip involves helping out wherever we go. Its a great opportunity to meet people who also have a passion for helping others out! I can't go very long without working on something to improve the lives of others. I wholeheartedly agree with my mother when she says that our purpose here is to make the lives of others better and always help those in need, and I have kept that philosophy since I heard it. Thanks for raising me right mom, and forcing me to volunteer at things when I was little. Turns out I fell in love with it.
(By the way, the Innovators in Health is going strong! We are always looking for donations to keep us going! Help out the Tuberculosis Adherence Problem in Bihar, India: www.innovatorsinhealth.org)
Another reason is for the amazing opportunity to see the country. I love travel and I couldn't pass up an excuse to see the sights and meet people from all over.
One more reasons was to take a chance on something like bike and build. It is going to be hard, and sweaty and painful but amazing at the same time. Life is no fun if you never jump.
Fundraising
So far, things have been going well. I fund raised about halfway so far and I still have some people in mind that I can ask. At some point I'm just going to have to suck it up and absorb the cost but I'm going to kick it into gear once I have some time (and don't procrastinate by writing blog posts)
Training!
This is the fun part! i got my bike a while ago and went on some pretty cool rides, but they were all pretty short. I had some mishaps when I got my clipless pedals which involved the pedals being too tight, some falling, and some leg on gear action that I had to get wrapped up. I have battle scars.
My Bike
Is amazing and gorgeous, its a specialized dolce and I love it
Reasons why I'm doing bike and build
One is because of the service it provides to people throughout the United States. The money goes towards building homes and the trip involves helping out wherever we go. Its a great opportunity to meet people who also have a passion for helping others out! I can't go very long without working on something to improve the lives of others. I wholeheartedly agree with my mother when she says that our purpose here is to make the lives of others better and always help those in need, and I have kept that philosophy since I heard it. Thanks for raising me right mom, and forcing me to volunteer at things when I was little. Turns out I fell in love with it.
(By the way, the Innovators in Health is going strong! We are always looking for donations to keep us going! Help out the Tuberculosis Adherence Problem in Bihar, India: www.innovatorsinhealth.org)
Another reason is for the amazing opportunity to see the country. I love travel and I couldn't pass up an excuse to see the sights and meet people from all over.
One more reasons was to take a chance on something like bike and build. It is going to be hard, and sweaty and painful but amazing at the same time. Life is no fun if you never jump.
Fundraising
So far, things have been going well. I fund raised about halfway so far and I still have some people in mind that I can ask. At some point I'm just going to have to suck it up and absorb the cost but I'm going to kick it into gear once I have some time (and don't procrastinate by writing blog posts)
Training!
This is the fun part! i got my bike a while ago and went on some pretty cool rides, but they were all pretty short. I had some mishaps when I got my clipless pedals which involved the pedals being too tight, some falling, and some leg on gear action that I had to get wrapped up. I have battle scars.
My Bike
Is amazing and gorgeous, its a specialized dolce and I love it
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