Quite frankly, today kicked my butt. Molly said to me that her butt is fine, but I don't believe her. We started in Winston-Salem, and rode 65 miles to Taylorsville. North Carolina is a long state! Just a few more days into the mountains, and we'll hit Tennessee. If you've ever heard the Lee Greenwood song "Pround to be an American," you'll note the line that says "from the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee..." Point is, we've got some miles before we hit flat ground again. So, I better get used to it.
Our host site today is wonderful--they had balloon arches waiting to welcome us in, so naturally, Molly and I took a few prom-esque photos, which I'll post when I update the pictures onto my computer. I'm looking forward to relaxing a bit tonight, and preparing for yet another day.
The rides are like clockwork--undoubtedly, the first 20 miles fly by. Then, you hit the middle road, which is the most frustrating part, because the beginning is gone, and the end is not yet in sight--but that last third of the ride is anxious, energetic, and rewarding. The miles tick away, and I realize that I've ridden my bike almost 500 miles already, which is far longer than I rode in training, and I've still got thousands to go. Bring it on.
Right now, we're using pay-to-play wireless at a McDonalds, so I apologize, but I'm cutting this one short. Micky-D's isn't the greatest place for chill, Internet time.
Shout outs to Jen Barry's mother, who welcomed us in--can't wait for a good motherly hug!
Cheers everyone,
Eric
Monday, June 4, 2007
Yesterday's thoughts!
Here's what I said on the bike and build website yesterday:
Today started once again in Chapel Hill, at the Chapel of the Cross. The past three days had been spent there; as such, things were hectic this morning—trying to get out of a space that we really moved into. The sheer amount of food that we’ve been given was difficult to manage, and gathering our things proved to be a great challenge. But, as you might guess, we made it out, and not a minute after 8:15 AM. The generosity our crew felt from the folks in Chapel Hill was and remains to be truly overwhelming. I can’t speak for the whole group, but I found Chapel Hill a difficult place to leave.
We left together as we always do, and the group faced a 92 mile ride—our longest yet. We even had company—a few family members and friends rode with us today, which was both refreshing and fun. I’m certain that folks felt a bit nervous about the distance, but it was Tropical Depression Barry that really put a twist in our day. Yes, friends, we rode through a small tropical storm, which meant lots and lots of rain. Today, for the first time, rain coats were pulled out, and arm and leg warmers were used. Glasses fogged up, saddles were slippery, and shoes were soaked. As the North Carolina to San Diego route is new to bike and Build this year, directions to our next destinations have also been challenging—a few miscues and wrong turns weren’t uncommon today, yet another complexity to overcome. I’ll add to the fact that this was our longest day by saying that in general, it was also the toughest—physically and mentally. The lead group had four flat tires within the last mile of the ride. Enough said. One other group managed to make the 92 mile-on-paper ride 107 miles. Again, enough said—it was a challenging day.
But, at the end of the road in Winston-Salem, we had hot food waiting from Marilyn (a former Bike and Builder whose name I hope I spelled right) and her mother—burgers, hotdogs, pasta, salad, fresh lemonade, and all the fixings. We had the Pace Line Bicycle shop open their doors on a day when they usually stay closed. The mechanics there tuned our bikes, rewrapped our handlebar tape, and cleaned our chains. And, we had a news crew—they took footage and interviewed a few riders about our purpose, our ride, and our journey. It was a wonderful welcome indeed. A few of the riders came in frustrated, tears streaming (they shall remain nameless), tired, worn-out, sore, wet, and crabby. But, with the scene at the arrival point, they weren’t frowning for long—there were hugs all around, cheers and name chants. Our group is so funny, you couldn’t be mad at them or around them. It was a tough day, but a warm reward and welcome.
Today was, I believe, a pivotal moment for our group. Chapel Hill allowed us a lot of freedom to wander alone, to take time away from the bike and build crew, and to relax without having to be in front of 30 other people. But, as we move forward (and today is a fine example of our continuing journey), we move forward together, and we push through touhg days together. We welcome each other in after a long, hard day. We realize that, even though the ride was at times awful, in hindsight, it was a blast, and worth every hill, every flat tire, and every wrong turn. And we (at least I) am starting to realize that the old cliché might just be true after all—that the journey is the reward.
All in all, I’d say that it was a great day. Off to watch Anchorman with the crew to get a few laughs in before a well-deserved sleep. Drink a Guinness for me, will you?
Cheers,
Eric Immel
Today started once again in Chapel Hill, at the Chapel of the Cross. The past three days had been spent there; as such, things were hectic this morning—trying to get out of a space that we really moved into. The sheer amount of food that we’ve been given was difficult to manage, and gathering our things proved to be a great challenge. But, as you might guess, we made it out, and not a minute after 8:15 AM. The generosity our crew felt from the folks in Chapel Hill was and remains to be truly overwhelming. I can’t speak for the whole group, but I found Chapel Hill a difficult place to leave.
We left together as we always do, and the group faced a 92 mile ride—our longest yet. We even had company—a few family members and friends rode with us today, which was both refreshing and fun. I’m certain that folks felt a bit nervous about the distance, but it was Tropical Depression Barry that really put a twist in our day. Yes, friends, we rode through a small tropical storm, which meant lots and lots of rain. Today, for the first time, rain coats were pulled out, and arm and leg warmers were used. Glasses fogged up, saddles were slippery, and shoes were soaked. As the North Carolina to San Diego route is new to bike and Build this year, directions to our next destinations have also been challenging—a few miscues and wrong turns weren’t uncommon today, yet another complexity to overcome. I’ll add to the fact that this was our longest day by saying that in general, it was also the toughest—physically and mentally. The lead group had four flat tires within the last mile of the ride. Enough said. One other group managed to make the 92 mile-on-paper ride 107 miles. Again, enough said—it was a challenging day.
But, at the end of the road in Winston-Salem, we had hot food waiting from Marilyn (a former Bike and Builder whose name I hope I spelled right) and her mother—burgers, hotdogs, pasta, salad, fresh lemonade, and all the fixings. We had the Pace Line Bicycle shop open their doors on a day when they usually stay closed. The mechanics there tuned our bikes, rewrapped our handlebar tape, and cleaned our chains. And, we had a news crew—they took footage and interviewed a few riders about our purpose, our ride, and our journey. It was a wonderful welcome indeed. A few of the riders came in frustrated, tears streaming (they shall remain nameless), tired, worn-out, sore, wet, and crabby. But, with the scene at the arrival point, they weren’t frowning for long—there were hugs all around, cheers and name chants. Our group is so funny, you couldn’t be mad at them or around them. It was a tough day, but a warm reward and welcome.
Today was, I believe, a pivotal moment for our group. Chapel Hill allowed us a lot of freedom to wander alone, to take time away from the bike and build crew, and to relax without having to be in front of 30 other people. But, as we move forward (and today is a fine example of our continuing journey), we move forward together, and we push through touhg days together. We welcome each other in after a long, hard day. We realize that, even though the ride was at times awful, in hindsight, it was a blast, and worth every hill, every flat tire, and every wrong turn. And we (at least I) am starting to realize that the old cliché might just be true after all—that the journey is the reward.
All in all, I’d say that it was a great day. Off to watch Anchorman with the crew to get a few laughs in before a well-deserved sleep. Drink a Guinness for me, will you?
Cheers,
Eric Immel
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Chapel Hill, Take II
We're still enjoying the beautiful southern town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina! We spent the past two days building with Habitat for Humanity in nearby towns; yesterday our group worked in Durham, one group worked on a resoration site while the other group finished one house and framed a second house. Today we worked all together Hillsborough; we worked mostly with siding and suffit. We were also lucky enough to attend a dedication of a Habitat home! It was touching to see how joyful and grateful the family was to finally have a place to call home. Both days were very rewarding, but we are all anxious to get on our bikes again. We are still awaiting the first state line...
Unfortunately, tomorrow will be our hardest day yet; we are expecting a steady rain all day, the biggest and most hills we've seen yet, and the greatest number of miles most of us have ever riden in a day.
Although the daily routine is beginning to feel normal and the group is coming to work like a well-oiled machine, we are still stopped in our tracks every day by the generosity shown to us by our hosts. We have been feed more food than anyone should ever eat, we have been welcomed into several people's homes (and dorms, when we couldn't use the showers in the university gym), we have been offered hundreds of dollars of donations for the organization, we have accepted phone numbers and business cards from people who want to help us, we have been welcomed into a backyard pool mid-ride, and we have received well wishes from everyone we have come in contact with. We are all feeling mighty blessed and lucky. Quite a treat since we all dedicated the summer to helping other people!
We hope you are all doing well, and would love to hear from you! We both have our phones and e-mails. Or you can leave a comment below this post! And don't forget our postal drops (listed below)!
Take care,
Molly
Unfortunately, tomorrow will be our hardest day yet; we are expecting a steady rain all day, the biggest and most hills we've seen yet, and the greatest number of miles most of us have ever riden in a day.
Although the daily routine is beginning to feel normal and the group is coming to work like a well-oiled machine, we are still stopped in our tracks every day by the generosity shown to us by our hosts. We have been feed more food than anyone should ever eat, we have been welcomed into several people's homes (and dorms, when we couldn't use the showers in the university gym), we have been offered hundreds of dollars of donations for the organization, we have accepted phone numbers and business cards from people who want to help us, we have been welcomed into a backyard pool mid-ride, and we have received well wishes from everyone we have come in contact with. We are all feeling mighty blessed and lucky. Quite a treat since we all dedicated the summer to helping other people!
We hope you are all doing well, and would love to hear from you! We both have our phones and e-mails. Or you can leave a comment below this post! And don't forget our postal drops (listed below)!
Take care,
Molly
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Holy Crap...
Well team, it's been a few days. The internet connections in small town North Carolina are hit or miss; as such, we'll continue our promise to post as soon as possible.
Here's the skinny--since our first day (a 65 mile ride), we've gone 32, 58, 80, and 40 miles. So, if you check our route tracker at www.bikeandbuild.org, you'll see that we've actually gotten somewhere! Now, Molly and I, along with our friends Andy and Yvonne, are in a comtempo coffee shop/bar called Jack Sprats, and we're drinking. I have a Guinness, Molly has her wine, and life is good. We'll be here in Chapel Hill for three days--tomorrow, we start building--part of the reason and purpose of this trip.
It's been very humbling to ride with this crew so far--we've got a lot of talented atheletes, hard workers, and motivated souls on this trip--it's definately an environment of passion, drive, and will-power. There are wonderful people with us--we're busy making friends, getting comfortable, and building our team up to continue our success.
It's tough to know what to write at this point--I think we've both had our struggles--I'm having a hard time with getting up at 6 and moving immediately. In two hours, we need to have our bags packed, bike gear on and ready, teeth brushed and face washed, thermarest rolled and packed, sunscreen and chamois cream in place, tires pumped, chores done, and breakfast eaten. Whew. On top of that, our bodies are struggling--lower backs and achilles strains, knee and (OH!) crotch soreness, tired, dehydrated, and generally tuckered out. We eat like crap--pizza all over the place, fried food, bagels and cream cheese, cookies...all satisfying, but not helping either of us loose that weight we planned on losing. The founding of the push up/sit up club helps, but after a long ride, it's tough to hammer the sets out--part of me thinks that 45 push ups after an 80 mile bike ride is a little much! The point of all this--there are hardships, but we're fighting through.
At the end of the day, It's not hard to remember why we're doing this--a great physical challenge, a good cause, and a wonderful community of people to engage. I'll say it again--life is good. And, as the miles tick away, and we get more and more into this trip, it'll only get better.
Hope that made sense! Take good care, and we'll be in touch! Feel free to call and write anytime, as well.
Cheers,
Eric
Here's the skinny--since our first day (a 65 mile ride), we've gone 32, 58, 80, and 40 miles. So, if you check our route tracker at www.bikeandbuild.org, you'll see that we've actually gotten somewhere! Now, Molly and I, along with our friends Andy and Yvonne, are in a comtempo coffee shop/bar called Jack Sprats, and we're drinking. I have a Guinness, Molly has her wine, and life is good. We'll be here in Chapel Hill for three days--tomorrow, we start building--part of the reason and purpose of this trip.
It's been very humbling to ride with this crew so far--we've got a lot of talented atheletes, hard workers, and motivated souls on this trip--it's definately an environment of passion, drive, and will-power. There are wonderful people with us--we're busy making friends, getting comfortable, and building our team up to continue our success.
It's tough to know what to write at this point--I think we've both had our struggles--I'm having a hard time with getting up at 6 and moving immediately. In two hours, we need to have our bags packed, bike gear on and ready, teeth brushed and face washed, thermarest rolled and packed, sunscreen and chamois cream in place, tires pumped, chores done, and breakfast eaten. Whew. On top of that, our bodies are struggling--lower backs and achilles strains, knee and (OH!) crotch soreness, tired, dehydrated, and generally tuckered out. We eat like crap--pizza all over the place, fried food, bagels and cream cheese, cookies...all satisfying, but not helping either of us loose that weight we planned on losing. The founding of the push up/sit up club helps, but after a long ride, it's tough to hammer the sets out--part of me thinks that 45 push ups after an 80 mile bike ride is a little much! The point of all this--there are hardships, but we're fighting through.
At the end of the day, It's not hard to remember why we're doing this--a great physical challenge, a good cause, and a wonderful community of people to engage. I'll say it again--life is good. And, as the miles tick away, and we get more and more into this trip, it'll only get better.
Hope that made sense! Take good care, and we'll be in touch! Feel free to call and write anytime, as well.
Cheers,
Eric
Sunday, May 27, 2007
We've started crossing the country!
hello family and friends,
we have officially started our cross-country journey. we arrived at our host site in nag's head, north carolina on friday afternoon for orientation. saturday was more orientation information and a "shake down" ride. we rode 16 miles roundtrip - our destination at 8 miles was a famous north carolinian light house. and we spent some time with our new friend john, who was one of the last people to live in it. he's 91. and full of energy and stories. our last task before we rested up for the first westward ride was to paint the trailer. the trip has a support van that pulls a trailer with all of our gear and food. we painted a silhouette of the united states with our route on it, a biker with flames coming out of his back tire (because we're so frickin' fast!), a "share the road" road sign, and the classic bike and build bike tire. if you don't know it, visit the website! (bikeandbuild.org - also on the trailer)
this morning we got up early to partake in a ceremony on the atlantic! we had such distinguished guests as the mayor of nag's head, the family who hosted us in nag's head, several nag's head police officers, the program directors, family and friends. after the ceremony we all lined up on the shore and dipped our tires in the ocean at the same time! and we were off...
we rode 66 miles from nag's head to swan quarters. into the wind. the whole day. the route was flat as flat can be so we rode hard, past swamps and forests, with horse flies and birds, along alligator river (which harbors more turtles than anything). it took our group about 5 hours - beating the van to the host site! we stretched as we waited for the rest of the group - celebrating each rider as (s)he arrived! when (almost) everyone was here, we did our push-ups and sit ups and hit the showers. now everyone is enjoying the shade under a beautiful, leafy tree, anxious for dinner to be served. our hosts are offering fresh-caught sea-food and tons of side dishes. we're sure to sleep well tonight, unless we are too anxious for breakfast: fresh strawberries and pineapple, biscuits and gravy, eggs and bacon... mmmmm.... we're hungry from today's ride!
we think of you all often and we hope you're enjoying the journey along with us. if you want more general information about the trip there is a great resource on the website - the route tracker. the map will follow our location each day, it will advertise how many days we have ridden, have built and have left, someone will upload pictures, and someone from our group will journal each day.
pura vida,
molly and eric
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Day One: DONE!
Well, not actually day one of the trip--just day one of getting to Manteo (actually, Nags Head). 12 hours and 833 miles in the car puts us two-thrids of the way there, and tomorrow should be beautiful driving. East on I-64 to some multi-lane coastal highways through Virginia and into the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Our departure time tomorrow is around 7:00 AM--we should be tasting sea salt by 3!
The drive was great. Molly's mother and Aunt are with us for the trip, and they are a hoot and an absolute joy in the car. At 5:30, it was beer-thrity in the car--Ginny was on rum and diets, and Di was drinking rum and tonics. No worries about breaking the law, though--we were driving across Kentucky and West Virginia.
Not much else to say for now--we'll keep on trucking 'til tomorrow night, and then, it's lobster, wine, and the Atlantic. Friday, we start the formal bike and build process, and we can't wait.
Make it a good day, all!
Eric and Molly
The drive was great. Molly's mother and Aunt are with us for the trip, and they are a hoot and an absolute joy in the car. At 5:30, it was beer-thrity in the car--Ginny was on rum and diets, and Di was drinking rum and tonics. No worries about breaking the law, though--we were driving across Kentucky and West Virginia.
Not much else to say for now--we'll keep on trucking 'til tomorrow night, and then, it's lobster, wine, and the Atlantic. Friday, we start the formal bike and build process, and we can't wait.
Make it a good day, all!
Eric and Molly
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
And we're off!!
Hello family and friends!
We have been talking about updating our blog for WEEKS now. But we have also been training, fundraising, graduating, and enjoying life in Madison! So, we don't have a beautiful page yet, but it is sure to come.... if we can make time between our long bike rides.
Our update for today is this:
We each achieved our goal of $4,000!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped us along the way. We have purchased the last of our gear as of five hours ago, we have all of our forms signed as of four hours ago, and we are officially packed.... in the next five hours. We depart Wisconsin tomorrow morning, May 23 at 6am to drive to Manteo, North Carolina! Molly's mom Ginny and aunt Diane will drive us two crazy bikers to the coast and leave us at our first host site with two bikes and two bags. We are excited and nervous, prepared and unprepared, but mostly ready for whatever is to come, the unknown.
We will keep you updated as often as we have internet access (and enough energy to journal at the end of the day!) If we aren't keeping up, you can also follow our journey on the Bike & Build website route tracker:
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/
component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,210/
Finally, if you would like to send us mail along the route, here are the pre-arranged mail drops:
May 31: Wake Forest, NC 27587
June 7: Gatlinburg, TN 37738
June 14: Maryville, TN 37801
June 21: Memphis, TN 38128
June 28: Bartlesville, OK 74003
July 5: Lamar, CO 81052
July 12: Durango, CO 81301
July 19: Williams, AZ 86046
Address mail to:
Bike & Build
Attn: Eric Immel/Molly North
General Delivery
CITY, ST ZIP
Until the next entry...
Molly and Eric
We have been talking about updating our blog for WEEKS now. But we have also been training, fundraising, graduating, and enjoying life in Madison! So, we don't have a beautiful page yet, but it is sure to come.... if we can make time between our long bike rides.
Our update for today is this:
We each achieved our goal of $4,000!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped us along the way. We have purchased the last of our gear as of five hours ago, we have all of our forms signed as of four hours ago, and we are officially packed.... in the next five hours. We depart Wisconsin tomorrow morning, May 23 at 6am to drive to Manteo, North Carolina! Molly's mom Ginny and aunt Diane will drive us two crazy bikers to the coast and leave us at our first host site with two bikes and two bags. We are excited and nervous, prepared and unprepared, but mostly ready for whatever is to come, the unknown.
We will keep you updated as often as we have internet access (and enough energy to journal at the end of the day!) If we aren't keeping up, you can also follow our journey on the Bike & Build website route tracker:
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/
component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,210/
Finally, if you would like to send us mail along the route, here are the pre-arranged mail drops:
May 31: Wake Forest, NC 27587
June 7: Gatlinburg, TN 37738
June 14: Maryville, TN 37801
June 21: Memphis, TN 38128
June 28: Bartlesville, OK 74003
July 5: Lamar, CO 81052
July 12: Durango, CO 81301
July 19: Williams, AZ 86046
Address mail to:
Bike & Build
Attn: Eric Immel/Molly North
General Delivery
CITY, ST ZIP
Until the next entry...
Molly and Eric
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