Bike and Build 2008

The End

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:44:00 +0000

We arrived at La Jolla Shores at noon on Thursday, July 24th. We greeted friends and family, and then quickly moved to the ocean to dip our wheels.

It's hard to say all that this trip has meant to me. There are so many things about it that I will never forget.

I plan to compile a bunch of pictures (mine and others) and a bunch of stories (mine and others) into some easily viewable sort of web format. I haven't done any planning on it besides that, but I just want to say 'heads up'. It may be coming along sometime.

There are other adventures and experiences in store for me, some of which are coming up quickly. I want to try to continue blogging, but first I need to get myself organized. I'll post here once I do so. You can check here for that, or, if you want me to just email you when I get the next blog thing started, let me know.

Arizona

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:14:00 +0000

Arizona
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

1 Week Left

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:59:00 +0000

Today is July 17th. We arrive in San Diego on July 24th. It's hard to
believe that the trip will soon be over. None of us like to talk about
it.

We're in Arizona now, and have been for the last couple of days. A
couple of days ago we rode along the Grand Canyon; before that we were
able to tour Monument Valley. It's hard to wrap your mind around the
scale of these places.

The next couple of days is when things really start to get hot.
Tomorrow we descend in elevation 3300ft and increase temperature by
about 20-25 degrees. From 90 degrees.

As the trip reaches its end we'll all have to start thinking of life
outside of Bike and Build. For now, though, I can still pretend the
end is years away.

Places like this don't exist

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:52:00 +0000

Places like this don't exist
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

photo.jpg

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:47:00 +0000

photo.jpg
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

Colorado Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Colorado Springs
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

The Rockies

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:56:00 +0000

We've made it to Colorado Springs. Yesterday we had a build day; today
we have a day off. We covered about 650 miles in the 8 day stretch
previous to Colorado Springs. I'm kind of tired.

The last ride was 125 miles, and it was full of wind, hills, and
thunderstorms. It was intense. At one point my group had to huddle
together on someone's deck to get shelter from the rain and lightning.
Prior to that we had been blown off the road by a dust devil.

Today's the 4th, and since I've got family in Colorado Springs, I'll
be spending it with them.

Divine Water

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Divine Water
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

From a couple of days ago:

It was another hot and windy day through Oklahoma. Most B&B riders
have agreed that these flats are tougher than the mountains. Mountains
have downhills; wind has... more wind.

Today we paused for a water break a little over 3/4 of the way through
the ride. As we all sat in the dry and dusty shade we had found, a
pick-up pulls up with an amazing revelation. About a mile down the
road there was an oasis (an oasis? In the middle of Oklahoma? What did
that mean?) He lead us down to it, going slowly enough for us to draft
him.

The water was cold and refreshing. A life-saving miracle (maybe a
little dramatic, but you get the idea).

Kansas!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Kansas!
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

Bike Cleaning

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:14:00 +0000

Bike Cleaning
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

Good Deeds and Life Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:57:00 +0000

I've been a little too brain dead to post anything the last couple of
days. We had our first century on Friday, followed up by a 90-miler on
Saturday.

Today's ride was memorable for two reasons. The first is that we rode
through a sudden rainstorm for a couple of miles, and after we passed
through it the skies opened up. Clear sky ahead and thunderstorms
behind. It was beautiful.

The second memorable thing about today was that I saved a kitten from
a tree. We were riding along one of the state roads in Arkansas, and
we saw a cat crossing the street. As we approached it ran off, and as
we passed we heard a mewing from the road side. We pulled over, and
Claire and I went to investigate. In one of the trees there was a
rustling; up above a kitten had climbed and wasn't come down. After
much effort (and an initial vain attempt to climb the tree) I was able
to coax the kitten down. I carried it to other side of the road (where
its mother was) and then we took off again.

Life goal number 56: rescue kitten from a tree. Status: completed.

Joco Java - Clarksville, AK

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:12:00 +0000

Joco Java - Clarksville, AK
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

Where is THE little rock?

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:33:00 +0000

We're in Little Rock, Arkansas now, and in two days we will be completing our first century (100+ mile ride).

It would be a lie to say that not much has happened since my last post, but instead of trying to cover it all, I'll give what I remember in brief snippets. I'll first put forward a little disclaimer that I'm not really sure when much of this happened. Time has no meaning this days.

-The mayor of Pulaski, TN threw us a barbecue at his house. He did a cannonball into his pool to splash people relaxing beside it.

-We did a ride out of Sewanee, TN with members of the cycling team there.

-The Mississippi River is very large.

-I am developing a love/hate relationship with my CamelBak. On the one hand, it's huge (bigger than anyone else's) and becomes uncomfortable on long days. On the other hand, it holds my water and food, and keeps me from dying. I guess there's kind of a trade off.

-We have lunch at 9:30am. First lunch. Second lunch is often around 12 or 1. Ice cream is whenever we want.

Adamsville, TN - 93 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:14:00 +0000

It's not always easy to update this blog along the road, and not just
because of the lack of Internet access in many of our overnight spots.
As you might be able to imagine successive long mileage days tend to
where you out, and all you really feel like doing is sleeping.

The last couple of days have been pretty eventful, though, so they're
worth taking the time to tell y'all about them.

Two nights ago we were in Sewanee, being entertained by the Monteagle
Assembly, a sort of family Christian summer camp/retreat. Amazing
folks, and I was able to sit on on their 'twilight prayer' service.
The pastor talked about vocations, and, directing his talk towards us
riders, told us to find what "makes our heart sing".

The next night we were in Pulaski, where we were fortunate enough to
be invited to a barbecue at the mayor's house. Bike and Build has
plenty of ups and downs. Sometimes we sleep on the floor in an un-
airconditioned armory; sometimes we get the hook-up.

Today was one of the downs. Today was a 90 mile day, so we had two
lunches, today's first one was at about 9:30am, 35miles into the ride.
Shortly after that, I was descending a hill and drifted off the road
onto the grassy shoulder. I maintained my line for about a second
before losing control and flipping over. I picked myself up, a little
banged up, a couple of scrapes, bit not too much worse than that. My
bike was also a little banged up - the front wheel was bent pretty
badly out of shape. A couple of the other riders tried to true
(straighten) it, but w/I luck. I was able to switch out wheels with
the bike of the leader who was driving the van, so I was able to
finish the rest of the ride. It was a rough 60 miles.

On days like today, you fellow riders become more important than ever.
When the sun is beating down, when you ache all over, when the miles
feel like they're dragging and you know that you still have 50 left,
the person on the bike next to you is a godsend: to sing, to talk to,
to break the headwind and pull you for hours. And when the day is
over, a root beer float and a neck massage go a long way (thanks
Michelle!)

My wheel is fubar; I might need a new one. Hopefully I can switch with
the van driver's bike for the next two days, and then hit up a bike
shop in Memphis.

Dunlap, TN

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:23:00 +0000

Dunlap, TN
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

Overnight Spot: National Guard Armory

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:53:00 +0000

Overnight Spot: National Guard Armory
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

photo.jpg

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:51:00 +0000

photo.jpg
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

The last couple of days of riding we had were the toughest of the trip
so far. We essentially biked over and through the Appalachians and the
Smokies. We spent a night in Gatlinburg (a tourist trap of a town
whose economy must be built entirely on t-shirt shops), and we're now
in Maryville, Tennessee.

There have been a couple of build days since my last post: one in
Asheville, NC (note the picture of the sweet ramp we built) and one
(so far, there's another tomorrow) in Maryville.

Climbing through the mountains has been an interesting experience. The
other day we stopped and hiked a mile and a half to see a waterfall,
and the day before I stopped with my friend Claire mid-climb to step
in a babbling brook (the only type of brooks there are). That brook
probably saved my life - we were 11 miles into our second 15 mile
climb of the day, and it was 80 or 90 degrees out. Cooling off was
definitely a hood idea.

There was a bit of a scare that day as well. At the top of the second
climb (Newfpund Gap - the border b/a Tennessee and North Carolina) a
motorcyclist came up to us and said that one of our riders had taken a
nasty spill. The rider, Daven, had popped a tire on the descent and
spun out, narrowly missing getting hit by a car. He was badly scraped,
but otherwise fine. Claire, myself, and a rider named Dan Thomas sat
and kept him company while we waited for the support van to come pick
him up. While waiting we played the alphabet game. Here is what we
came up with:

I went to the store and I bought:
Apples, bananas, cherries, dancing shoes, elixir made by Cole, fudge
brownies, guava, Hatteras islands, ice, juice boxes, ketchup, lace
underwear, motion sickness medicine, nuts, Oreos, papaya, quilt, red
meat, succotash, Tennessee, underwater camera, very large rock, yak
skin coat, ...

And then the van showed up. 4 people - points to whoever guesses what
number I was in the order.

Blue Ridge Parkway Biking

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:27:00 +0000

Blue Ridge Parkway Biking
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

For the last two days we've been riding on a section of the Blue Ridge
Parkway, up and over mountains. Today's ride was an 80-miler, and
definitely one of the toughest things I've ever done. The total amount
of climbing we did today was about 12,000ft, and we topped out
elevation-wise at about 5600ft.

The climbing was rough - my legs are killed - but it was worth it. The
views we saw were extraordinary, all the more so because we achieved
them under our own power. It's incredible to realize that I just biked
80 miles over a mountain range.

The second best thing about riding up a mountain, besides the view, is
the downhill that comes at the end. For miles and miles, barreling
down the road at 35, even 40mph (certainly breaking the speed limit).

Tonight we stay in Asheville, NC. Tomorrow is a build day. Wednesday
is more mountains.

We arrived today in...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 31 May 2008 01:29:00 +0000

We arrived today in Winston-Salem after a silly(?) and hot ride of about 85 miles, last couple of days we spend at Chapel Hill, working on ____ and so tomorrow we've got another about 80 mile ride to Taylorsville(?). listen

Powered by Jott

News Article

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:49:00 +0000

News Article
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

A little late on the upload, but it made it eventually.

Chapel Hill - 38 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:58:00 +0000

Yesterday: Greenville - 78 miles

The last couple of days have been intense. The flat coastal rides have given way to some rolling hills, which haven't been too bad (considering what I've seen in Pittsburgh), but it's been longer and faster than what I've been used to. I've been introduced to pace lines - when a group of riders ride in a tight line, switching off the lead. We move over the terrain at a quick clip, and everyone saves energy by not having to battle the wind themselves for the whole time.

For the moment, though, I have a couple of days to recuperate: we've got two build days here in Chapel Hill, near the UNC campus. It'll be nice to do some work at a build site (that is, after all, what this ride is all about). Friday we move on, working our way across North Carolina, and then onwards into Tennessee.

Belhaven - 36 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Today was shorter, but wetter. We had rain accompanying us for the
second day of our trip. It was a little more miserable to start out,
but once we were out on the road it was easy to get into the groove.

Nothing of note happened on the road, and since the ride was so short
we pulled into the overnight spot - Belhaven - before noon. We've been
enjoying the southern hospitality since we arrived.

The people here open up to us in so many ways: showers, food, a place
to sleep. It's great to know there are places like this still out there.

Tonight we've got a BBQ/picnic, a bike safety clinic, and who knows
what else. Tomorrow we ride about 60 miles to Greenville.

Swan Quarter - 66 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:20:00 +0000

The first day of riding has ended, and we're staying the night at United Methodist Church in Swan Quarter.

Riding sweep was pretty uneventful - nobody broke down or got a flat. It was mostly a leisurely ride with little happening. The ride itself was incredibly flat, and the 66 miles of today's ride was the furthest I've ridden, but it went pretty well.

10 miles from the overnight stop Renee (the other sweep rider), Suz (math major from Ithaca college), and I saw Claire, Dan Thomas, and Michelle's bikes by the side of the road, so we pulled off. They had stopped in at the Octagon House to talk to the lady working there. Her name was Annette Gibbs, and it was her job to greet any visitors and tell them the story of the historic house. It was built in 1857 as a simple farm house, and has recently been renovated to be used as a historic site. As far as I could tell the house didn't have many visitors, so she was very eager to tell us what she knew.

Our overnight spot, Swan Quarter, is a tiny little town past the mosquito-infested marsh we had had just ridden through. I have no cell service, so I'm currently writing this entry from the town library. Impressive given the size of the town, it's home both to books and a parakeet who breaks the typical library silence with the occasional 'tweet'.

Orientation

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:16:00 +0000

Orientation is wrapping up, and we'll soon be on our way to the other
side of the country.

Today we did a shakedown ride - about 22 miles - to the Bodie island
lighthouse. Currently manning the visitors' center is John Gaskill, a
92 year old man whose father was the last principle keeper of the
lighthouse. He described to us how he and his brother had free reign
of the island when they were younger, beachcombing for miles in either
direction.

Tomorrow we set off on our first real ride - a 68 mile jaunt to a
little place called Swan Quarter. I'll be riding sweep, which means I
hang back and make sure that no one is left behind. My day will be
more slow and easy going than everyone else, but also longer.

After today connection will become a little spottier, sand posts may
not ne as frequent. Don't forget that there are always pictures on
Flickr (link to the left).

Nag's Head Church

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Nag's Head Church
Originally uploaded by Dan Carmody

I've arrived at the church we're staying at tonight.