Texas Sized Build Day

Monday July 30, 2012

Low: The moment when a mutant ant crawled up my shorts and bit me while I was tearing siding off of a house at the build site. It's a simple thing to get down about, but when I say that this ant was a mutant I mean it. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Everything is bigger in Texas?" It's true. As the ant made its way up my shorts, it also decided it wanted to grab on for dear life. I didn't realize such a small insect could cause so much pain. Needless to say, I was paranoid of the outdoor world for the rest of the day.

High: Walking onto the build site in northern Amarillo and being told to grab a pair of gloves, a hammer and start tearing the siding of a home down. Just as the adrenaline of exterior home renovations set in, the local classic rock music station began to play. All 33 riders were hard at work, all while rocking out to some Elton John. With such a large group, we often find that build sites struggle to accommodate us. Yesterday was different, though. Once the siding and insulation was stripped from the home, we were put to work on de-wallpapering, ripping out the molding and removing cabinets from the kitchen. It felt great to work hard all day long.

This morning we are leaving Amarillo with hopes of a not-so windy ride into Friona, TX. Wish us luck! Oh, and enjoy some photos from the past few days- Yukon, OK through Amarillo, TX.

Cheers,
Alyssa

Never Leave the Herd

Sunday July 29, 2012

As much as the 30 mph headwinds made life a huge struggle today, I honestly cannot think of a low. Therefore, I am going to share my top three moments of my 100 mile day into Amarillo, TX.

1. Seeing shooting stars from my bicycle. To avoid the heat on our century ride, wake up was at 4 am instead of the friendly 5 am. This meant that we were on the road right around 5:30. In case you were wondering, the sun doesn't rise until about 6:30 in Texas. The roads were pitch black except for the flashing lights of cyclists and occasional semi-trucks. As we were riding off into the great unknown, Cassi, Barry and I began to notice that every few minutes we could see incredibly bright shooting stars blazing across the sky. It was amazing, to say the least.

2. After lunch my group and I decided it would be to our benefit to join another group in order to break through the headwinds more easily. Little did we know, we would shortly be joining "the Herd." The Herd was a sturdy group of 18 riders. We were what the cycling world calls a peloton- a large group of cyclists riding in a close pack. By riding in such a large group, we were not only able to pull one another through the winds, but were also able keep our spirits soaring high with conversations, games and good times. I wish we rode in herds every day!

3. Upon our highly anticipated arrival to the Habitat for Humanity of Amarillo, the Herd quickly decided to become a wolf pack. As we pulled into the parking lot, all 18 riders began howling like a crazed pack of wolves. It was magical. We finished our ride with a group hug, picture, and inspirational speech inspired by the latest Dark Night movie.

Was the day hard? Absolutely. Was it unforgettable? You betcha. And now, with a build day tomorrow, we are off to the Big Texan in Amarillo, TX to watch Josh work hard to complete the 72 oz steak challenge. The challenge consists of eating 72 oz of steak, salad, shrimp cocktail and sides-- without throwing up. We will also be taking FREE limos to this event. Wish him luck!

The day is finally over. Hallelujah.

~Alyssa!

Rotten Winds

Saturday July 28, 2012

Low: The day's low consisted of the triple threat: heat, hills, and headwinds. Thinking about it, I can't decide which factor made the day hardest. The highest temperature was 102 degrees, paired with a vengeful sun beating down on us at every moment. The hills leadings out of Oklahoma were constant. The wind, ah yes, the wind... It blew. Hard. All day long. It wasn't a friendly tailwind either. The direction continuously shifted from blasting us head on to swinging around the side and nearly blowing us off our bikes but don't let me forget the massive, speeding trucks that thoroughly enjoyed adding their own wrench to the wind equation.

High: Luckily for me, I woke up from my nap in the Wheeler County Agrilife Extension center just in time to hear that the first shuttle to the rodeo was leaving. Yes, that's right, a rodeo. After all, we are in Texas now! Arriving just after the cattle case where small children chase cattle trying to grab the ribbons tied to their tails, I watched in pure amazement. A rodeo is not something a girl from the Jersey shore knows much about. It surely was an entertaining experience though... Especially when Miss Amy Simons got her hands on the rodeo announcer's microphone and asked me to our Wild Wild West Bike and Build Prom in front of the entire rodeo. Because we chose our dates at random, she had to be extra careful when publicly asking another female out on a date so it was extra funny when she asked "Big Al Cohen" to join her at prom. Naturally I said yes! Finally, I have a date!

Though the day was extra exhausting, it was yet another monumental day crossing state lines. Oklahoma prove to be, in my opinion, the most beautiful state I had ridden through. With today being our first full day in Texas, leaving Wheeler heading to Amarillo, I am excited to see all that it has to offer.

Until next time,
Alyssa

I just wanted to get sprinkled!

Every Sunday night on Bike and Build the family gathers together for Town Hall. Town Hall is a tradition that occurs on every trip. During the meeting house keeping issues are discussed and life stories and shared. Most importantly, though, each rider shares a high and low for the week. In order to keep my blogging ball rolling, I am planning on sharing a high and low for my day... So here goes. High: Erin and I were trucking along after lunch on the blistering hot Oklahoma Highway 152. We had watched random irrigation sprinklers sporadically watering the few fields of crops that have survived the horrible drought. All of a sudden we saw a sprinkler off in the distance that appeared to be watering not just the peanut plants, but the road as well! Little did we know, this would be the meanest sprinkler in the west. As we approached to be "sprinkled," the water decided to stay mere centimeters in front of my front wheel, never to drip a water on me. Mind you I was shouting with glee from the prospect of being sprinkled on, riding harder than I had been all day, and was left with my soul crushed. As sad as it may seem, it was by far the funniest thing that has happened to me in a few weeks. All I heard was Erin's sorrowful giggle, followed by our combined fit of laughter. After a brief moment of shouting at the cruel, cruel sprinkler, we turned around and approached the water's point of contact for a second chance. That time, we won. Final score: sprinkler 1, Erin and Alyssa 1. Low: Today's low point wasn't the worst in the world. It revolves around a simple realization that sleep is finally the most important thing in my day, behind riding my bike and eating cookies of course. Tonight is the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. Something that I look forward to every two years, regardless of the season. This year, I am staying in Cordell, OK- a very small town in the southwestern corner of the state. With no bars in town, and no television in our host, I have opted against venturing outside our air conditioned walls in search for modern technology. Instead, I have big plans to snuggle up in my sleeping bag, lay my head on my bright yellow camp pillow, and fall into and fall into a deep and beautiful slumber. Like I said, it is not the worst low in the world! Today was an awesome day spent watching our terrain change once again. We saw a beautiful sunrise during the start of our ride, and started venturing away from dried up farm lands. The land began to look like the southwest today, including iron rich soil, red rock and cacti. Tomorrow we will cross into the Republic of Texas and I couldn't be more excited. But for now, it's bedtime. Goodnight, America. And GO TEAM USA!!!! Alyssa

Photo drop!

Enjoy a variety of photographs stretching from our cross from Pennsylvania all the way into Oklahoma. More to come soon. Enjoy!

A very OK birthday

23: a prime number, an age of growing maturities, a number of newly found wisdom, an time in life for exquisite calf muscles.


Yesterday was my 23 birthday, and a genuine Bike & Build day. Oh, and not to mention—it was Christmas in July! The morning started off with an on- site shower (something that is cherished more than any non-Bike & Builder will ever imagine). After a solid fifteen minutes of moderate water pressure, I joined my chore team and began to clean up the Southern Hills Baptist Church in Tulsa, OK. After the trailer was packed and the host cleaned, we sat down for a special Christmas in July breakfast of homemade pancakes—courtesy of the Habitat of Greater Tulsa’s building director. Although I wasn’t able to eat the gluten-full pancakes, we were provided with two boxes of scrumptious gluten free donuts! Yum! Once breakfast was finished I promptly presented my birthday challenge to the group: eat 23 scoops of ice cream within the next 23 hours. If only I knew how desolate central Oklahoma was… My final scoop count was 4. BOO. Yet... the man, the myth, the legend: Scott R. Middleton ate a whopping total of 23 scoops of vanilla ice cream all in my honor. To say I'm in love would be a horrifying understatement. It was by far the most wonderful gesture any prince charming has ever made for me on the anniversary of my birth. Thanks for putting me to shame, Scott. You're a doll.

I spent the 70 mile day riding with three stellar riders: Cathy, Nick A. and Anna. We made a pact to make as many ice cream stops and be open to as many adventures that crossed our path. By 10 am, I had successfully convinced both a McDonald’s and Sonic to donate us small sundaes. That left our ice cream count at a mere four. (Soft serve cups counted as two scoops.) After a heart wrenching failed attempt at a second McDonald’s to get our hands on some more ice cream—the ice cream machine was broken, we heard news that Santa had a special lunch surprise waiting for us around mile 38. And away we went.

Christmas lunch: Chipotle. Chipotle. Chipotle. With a side of church air conditioning.

As Anna and I ventured back outside into the blistering heat, we were greeted with word of a public pool less than a mile from our lunch stop. To say we were excited would be a pure understatement. At that moment, my birthday entourage grew from three to about ten. We packed leftover burritos into our camel backs and headed for the vast open water of the Bristow, OK Community Pool.

After a solid hour of cannon ball contests, water basketball and several unsuccessful underwater photo shoots, we sadly squeezed out our chamois and mounted our bicycles to finish our journey to Chandler, OK. The rest of the afternoon was absurdly hot and sadly windy. What else could we expect? After all, we are the crazy ones who signed up for a summer of riding into perpetual headwinds. But hey, it was my birthday! And I can guarantee I will never have a day so unique for as long as I live.

The crowd at the United Methodist Church of Chandler was incredibly welcoming as we arrived worn down from the 108 degree Fahrenheit ride. They greeted us with fresh peaches and plums, cold Gatorade, and overwhelming kindness. As were trying to figure out when the next ride to the showers would be, or if there was a hose to rinse off with, one of my new friends quietly told me of a secret shower that was inside the church. The shower was by far the best one of the summer. It was located in a BEAUTIFUL bathroom, with great lighting, and two sinks! The best part, though, had to be the shower head. When I tell you the pressure was perfect, I mean the pressure was perfect. In all my 23 years on Mother Earth I have never felt so refreshed by a man-made shower head before. Is it sad that this was the highlight of my day? I think not.

Post showering, the group frantically ran around trying to wrap our Secret Santa presents for one another. As it was Christmas in July, we had worked out a pretty awesome grab bag the week before where each rider chose a comrade to give a gift to. The only rule was that you were not allowed to spend any money on the gift. For a Bike & Builder, this was no problem. You would be amazed with what you can find on the side of the road in southern Missouri! Gifts were wrapped in many different ways, including my own find: a Christmas stocking found on the side of Route 66. After dinner, we joined together and exchanged our gifts which included things such as bracelets made from old tire tubes and bike chains, sweet new duds from Good Will, Chipotle gift cards, sunscreen, teddy bears, and most importantly- coupons for free massages! It was a jolly Christmas, and a great way to join together with my new family.

After a fantastic night’s sleep on a big, comfy leather couch, I rose ready to crush our 62 mile ride into Yukon, OK. Today’s ride was deemed a “blind date rando-ride.” This meant that our rider groups were chosen at random, and we restricted to two riders per group. Lucky gal that I am I was paired with the stud commonly known as Holland. We decided that today was a great day to ride hard, and we did just that. Arriving to lunch at around 8:45 we were wowed with KG’s lunch spot (rated a 10) at Pop’s- a Route 66 attraction that consisted of the most insane selection of soda pop I’ve ever seen. The group went a little bit crazy, purchasing roughly 80 different varieties of soda from all across the world. We spent an hour or so taste testing the odd flavors such as Chicken Wing, Maple Syrup and Spruce. Before our sugar comas set in, Holland and I hit the road. Working together through the bearable headwind, we arrived to our host at 12:00 on the dot. Oh, I forgot to mention—we are no longer running on East Coast time! About a week and a half ago we crossed time zones and are now one hour in the future. Such a neat feeling. As it was my first day yet to arrive first to the host, I won’t hesitate to say how proud I am of myself. I quickly parked my bike, guzzled down the delish chocolate milk that our awesome host had waiting for us, and tore open my package from Grandma. Of course, it was my famous Cohen’s Chocolate birthday cake! The best you’ll ever have. Gluten had never tasted so good. After devouring about half of the cake, I helped unpack the trailer, rounded up some of the troops and headed across the street to the pool that was very kindly offered to us by a family that belongs to the church we are staying at. The pool was incredibly refreshing, as were the outdoor couches that we vegged out on for quite some time. After we got back and showered, we were met by some awesome bike mechanics from Bike One in Oklahoma, City. The mechanics have been generous enough to donate their time and services and make sure that our wheels are ready to take us across the second half of the country. Thanks guys!

That brings me to now… As I sit here and think of more to write about, all I can think of is that the past five weeks have flown by. Before this summer began, I was told by many B&B alumni to cherish every last moment. I have no hesitation to say that I am doing just that. My birthday was the epitome of a true Bike & Build day filled with heat, headwinds, hills, friends, pools, ice cream, burritos and pure fun. The day leading up to it was filled with trimming and siding on a Habitat for Humanity build site. It was a day spent building along side of a future home owner, working with an organization that changes lives each day. As you can hopefully tell, each day is filled with new adventure. Rarely do I arrive to the host and feel energized, as I try to fill my rides with as many experiences and adventures as possible. Though I have not been blogging, I have been keeping a daily journal including the adventures and stories that have occurred. Whether it happens now, or after my great adventure ends, I will post some of my favorite memories of each state that we rode through. But from here on out, I will work hard to post more frequently. The shock of this trip being half way over is starting to set in, and I want to make sure that you can all experience it as much as possible! If you have an Instagram account start following me at: Sproutalicous. I have been trying to take at least one photo a day, and as I am not the best with technology I have found that this application makes it easiest for me to share my views as quick as possible.


Until next time, America.

Sweet dreams!

Alyssa M. Cohen, 23 year old cross country cycling extraordinaire.

One week down, nine to go!

Greetings from Pittsfield, MA!!

Sorry it has taken so long to get something posted. Needless to say the past 8 days have been a whirlwind. I am going to go into detail to give you all a clear idea of just how much goes on in a week...

Nine days ago, my first year of teaching came to and end and I packed up the Prius to start my incredible adventure. On Saturday June 16 my parents, big bro Alex and Cristina (Alex's girlfriend) piled in the car and drove me to St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Portland, ME. As we pulled up to the church, there were gaggles of awkward Bike and Builders standing around in circles pretending to be comfortable with the unfamiliarity of the current situation. Who knew it would take less than a week for us to become frighteningly comfortable with each other?!

After a two days of ice breakers, bike safety clinics and unworldly hospitality from the Portland locals, we headed into Fitchburg, ME to spend our first day on a Habitat for Humanity build site. Our group spent the day painting, landscaping and fixing decks on two neighboring homes. One of the best parts of this all was that approximately one year prior to that day Bike and Build's ME2SB11 nailed the first nail into one of the homes we were working on. The work that we completed on that chilly Monday was considered the finishing touches on that house. Imagine that- Bike and Build both started and finished creating a home for a deserving family. It was a great way to put the enormity of our impact into perspective. I can't even put into words how motivating this idea has become.

After our successful build day and some DELISH lobster, gourmet bread and free Ben & Jerry's (all donated by incredible Fitchburg locals-- thanks guys!), we got our bikes ready to start our first day of riding. Tuesday began with a gigantic, unforgettable and GF frittata breakfast donated by Local Sprout's Cafe in Portland. After filling our bellies, ME2SB12 headed to East End Beach to dip our rear wheels in the Atlantic. (This is a B&B tradition symbolizing our westward departure and start of our great journey.) The days ride was just over 65 miles, including a few wrong turns here and there. We spent the night in the Second Christian Congregational Church in Kittery, ME. Our hosts were beyond generous with their feast of pastas, pizza, lentils, rice, fruit and many other goodies for the 33 hungry riders.

The next morning we sleepily shoved sleeping bags and thermarests into our duffels, packed the trailers and headed off to Andover, MA. The day consisted of 107 degree heat, many wrong turns, an hour spent swimming in Lamprey River in Durhman, NH, and some time in a wonderfully kind stranger's pool. It was our first day crossing state lines (trough NH into MA) and it couldn't have been more fun! That night we were lucky enough to be invited into the home of the Webber Family- a true Bike & Build family. ME2SB is a route on B&B that is dedicated to the memory of Chris Webber, an inspiring member of the B&B family. In 2007 Chris passed away as the result of a pedestrian accident in New York City. Chris's family continues to support the efforts of Bike and Build in more ways than they know. Their encouragement and spirit both honor their son in the best way possible- such as hosting a memorial rise each year in Florida, all while changing the lives of riders- new and old alike. We were fed a Thanksgiving feast by the Webbers and their closest friends. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to experience first hand the impact that B&B makes on the family and friends of riders. I just hope I will be able to do the CWM ride this winter!

The next day was a build day in Lawrence, MA. We worked with an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity working on converting an old convent into several different units for a variety of family's. My duties for the day consisted of building a table for the affiliate's board meeting, and using a jackhammer and sledgehammer to demolish a wall- which, might I add, was awesome! The day ended with a visit from my big bro, Alex (who is also a B&B alumni) and another fabulous alum Jessie. Oh, and I can't forget the awesome BBQ that had been donated. I even ate my first hamburger in years! It tasted just as good as I remembered.

From Andover we rode on to Fitchburg, MA. The ride was on the shorter side- 42 miles, but seemed longer as I shared the role of "sweep" with another rider, Cassi. While in the role of sweep, we were responsible for making sure that every other rider made it to our host safely. In other words- we were required to ride behind every rider. The day was hot and muggy, our muscles were getting sore but luckily everyone made it to our host safe and sound.

After Fitchburg we had experienced our first day of actual hills. The ride started moderately hilly and a bit warm. After riding through Gardner, MA, and posing for a picture on the latest chair I have ever seen, a fellow rider's father joined us on our trek. Erin's dad, Jim, was awesomely supportive all day. He patiently stopped with us each time we wanted to snag a picture or talk to locals. R even treated us to some of the tastiest berries I've ever had. When locals responded to our ride on rt 202 with fearful, "Oh my"s, he quickly told us we would made it. And sure enough, we all did. It sucked. But the views were so worth it! Right before our last climb on the treacherous Prescott road, Adrianna's derailed was brutally murdered by a cruel twig. (The derailed is the part of our bike that allows you to change gears. Without it your bike cannot work.) As cell service was unavailable, Anna and I waited with Adrianna until our support van came by en route to the host. After 2 hours of sunbathing we said goodbye to Adrianna, filled our water bottles, ditched our hydration packs in the van and took off to crush the last 20 miles of our ride... And then the lightning came. Luckily we were a few miles from the home of one of Anna's friends from UDel. Eric quickly came to our rescue, dried us off from the rain and fed us pizza. Once the storm passed we finally continued on and arrived at our host in Florence, MA- 63 miles later.

Which brings us to yesterday, which is by far one of my favorite days yet. The group left much earlier in the day, which makes everything seem so much easier. The ride was only 42 miles. The rain from the day before had passed and left us with a mild temperature, clear blue sky and some gorgeous cumulus clouds. We encountered a handful of tough climbs, but unlike the day before these climbs were followed by long, quiet, scenic downhills. So. Much. Fun. Almost everyone arrived at the host in Pittsfield around 1pm, giving us ample time to shower, nap and clean our bikes. Last night the wonderful people of the First United Methodist Church held a community block party for both our group and a church group from NJ that is also staying at the church. It was just another night of overwhelming support from the community.

After our block party, we had our first "town hall meeting" where the group spent time discussing goals, sharing stories, and becoming more of a family. Once the meeting was over, the group rallied and headed to a local tapas bar for some live music and good brews. Luckily our late night was followed by an extra hour of sleep and a day of building in town. After breakfast today we walked to the local Habitat's build site. Some work on cleaning a park, others painted, and my group worked to put up sheet rock in a new home. It was really neat to be able to watch the house change from a shell, to a home with walls.


So that is my detailed, daily update for now! Internet has been spotty, and this is all coming to you much later than I had hoped! Now that we're settling into more of a routine I hope to be posting more often! Keep your eyes peeled, and don't forget to send mail! (Cooper and Nate- your postcards should be coming soon!!)

Thanks for reading and enjoy a few photos!
Alyssa