J-Muffin: future photojournalist?

Blatantly stealing this pics from J-Muffin. But really, who knew? I saw him with a camera here and there, but I never expected these.

TNRP

Montana, undoubtably.

ND Storm

Glacier

More Glacier

TNRP

Ride into Chicago. Indiana dirt road.

Probably Vermont.

Glacier

Definately Montana.

Better photos of the flooding.

Sunrise into Glacier. I'm so glad someone got a pic of the red light on that rock.

Up Washington Pass.

The day Muffin went off to climb a butte.

OK, that was not Montana, it was western ND, which is what Montana wish it had going for it.

Wisconsin

Sunrise on the ride to Devil's Lake.

Up Washington.

Lake George.

I wish I had of photo of myself like that.

Who else but Dan?

Sunrise in Glacier

Evanston, IL

Probably ND.

My favorite.

Final thoughts on the Bike and Build experience

(I was editing this for a while, see post dated sept 3)

Little bits

So I went to DePauw University to visit my friend Ellen last night. I mentioned my trip to her roommate, who instantly exclaimed, "Oh, I know someone who did that!" With little prompting, she called this guy on campus and he stopped by to chat after dinner. Was this a seemingly weird opening to call him and invite him over to meet and reminisce? Probably. But the Bike and Build bond is strong; plus, I'm in withdrawl so I needed someone, anyone to talk to about cue sheets and wind and Brendan Newman.

So the guy Neil shows up and we get to talking. Neil was a P2SF rider. Anyways, long story short, he verified what I already knew: our trip was the shiz. They had people drop out, ride in the van, get cliqu-ey, hook up and all sorts of other dysfunctional mayhem. And he didn't have great things to say about his leaders. Basically, the opposite of the experience we had.

In other news, my mom is desperately trying to get mentioned on the blog. Since she is the sole benefactor of the Kathy's Party Across the U.S. and Through Europe Fund, I'll go ahead and indulge her. So she's come up with a new name for my bike (couldn't this just be the name for my bike in France?): Pinky Tuscadero. If you ever watched 'Happy Days' (i.e. are over the age of 40), you would know Pinky from her relationship with the Fonz. She was a tough-talkin' biker chick with a penchant for bad boys. My mother finds this a perfect analogy for me.

Speaking of analogies and my mother, I had to explain to her why I was christened with the road name Ms. Frizzle. This one has a different age requirement: under 25. Ms. Frizzle is the key character in the PBS series 'The Magic School Bus," in which students and their teacher Ms. Frizzle go on adventures to discover various topics, including shrinking themselves to microscopic size to discover the human body and the chemistry of cakes. And let's not forget when the bus turned itself into a bat and flew around with a colony (a colony is the term for a group of bats, why weren't you paying attention when Ms. Frizzle told us that?). Anywho, Ms. Frizzle is off her rocker. She's got bright red hair and a massive nose. Her outfits are always in the theme of the topic (as in, dresses with body parts, chemical equipment, and sleeping bats), so bad that, upon viewing, even the fashion police would develop a case of melting eyeball flesh. In all, it's a pretty apt analogy. Actually, it's just about perfect:

"Oh, no. It's Hurricane Theodore! Quick; hide next to the toilet with the huge crap inside!"

That's all for now; the closing letter is coming, I promise!

Final thoughts on the Bike and Build experience

How can I begin to describe what this summer has meant to me? Perhaps I should start by telling you what I've told everyone else since arriving home:

Bike and Build was the best thing I have ever done.

And perhaps that is a bit preposterous to say. How could I rank my experience this summer above my high school, college, and running careers? It's a tough sell, giving Bike and Build so much credit. But I'll give it a try.

When I think on all the things I've done the past 20 years, Bike and Build stands at the forefront of my mind due to the intensity of the experience. In 10 weeks, we adjusted to a totally different lifestyle. We built 29 new friendships. We stayed at 60 overnight locations. We rode 4000 miles. That's quite a bit of stimuli.

In Ashtabulah we were met by and had dinner with one of last year's riders. Early as it was in the trip, we were all eager to hear about what was in store. Someone from the group asked what the most memorable part of his trip was, and the answer seemed rather absurd. "I could talk to you for 15 minutes on every single day of the trip; that's how much I remember," he claimed. Now that I am in his position, I see he's right. There are years to my life I cannot speak for 15 minutes about; yet I can recount in detail 70 consecutive days this summer. Every single day stands out, for every single day was an adventure.

The other mission of the trip was service. Now I'll grant that addressing the issue of affordable housing was not high on my list of Reasons to do Bike and Build. But during the course of the trip I did gain an appreciation and loyalty for this cause. And perhaps not in a way any of us expected. What stirred me was my own lack of a home. Every night this summer I did have a place to stay. But shelter doesn't equal security. Or peace of mind. The disquiet I experienced not having a place to call my own was immense. Owning a home goes far beyond having a roof over your head, it is provides an emotional wellbeing that no person should be denied, especially children. I plan to continue my involvement with affordable housing organizations in the years to come.

Another thing which struck me about our service was the way in which we accomplished our mission. It was fun! It was damn fun. Throughout my life I've considered the notion that perhaps my life was meant to be spent in the service of others. The thing which has always held me back is the notion that living for others and living for oneself are mutually exclusive. This trip demonstrated that is not the case. I can accomplish the things I want (ride across the country) yet simultaneously do things for others (raising funds, participating on builds). This is the model I will continue to use in my future.

So why does this trip, the perfect fusion of adventure and service, hold so much meaning for me? Why do all these seemingly unrelated aspects come together to form what I consider to be my best experience to date?

Every experience up to the day I started Bike and Build has done well to shape my character. I've learned who I am and what I love doing. Along the way I have met with challenges and made amazing friends, which has further helped turn me into this person you see before you now. Bike and Build, while it has continued this trend of forming who I am, has done something more. It has shown me how I want to live my life.

That's not to say I want to spend my time as a hobo bike rider who periodically yells at people for not doing their chores. More broadly, I'd like to live every day as an adventure. I want to wake up every morning excited for what the day has in store. I want to be surrounded with those who share this enthusiasm. And I want my work to be in the service of others.

Perhaps you have scrolled the length of my page to see a small Carolina blue ribbon. The ribbon is for Eve Carson, former student body president of UNC who was killed this spring, her final semester at UNC. Eve resonated with me. People said she was excited by everything (in fact, many noted that you always knew an email or note was from Eve because there were a lot of exclamation points!!!) and she was always busy with projects of all kinds. Eve had made trips all over the world and was a pre-med student and she just happened to be the student head of the best public school in the nation. When Eve passed away, it hit me hard. I saw in her the person I wanted to be. (And as a note, she would have LOVED Bike and Build.)

Eve's death was a reminder of how precious our time in the world is. Bike and Build spoke to me because I was LIVING every day. It was a window into the life I plan to lead.

I can't really think of anything else to say, other than to thank everyone for reading the blog and thank parents for sending their kids on this trip. It was the best thing I have ever done (thus far ;-P)!!!!!!!!!!

Presentation Video

Compliments of Anson and Kevin (I love Moxie Bomb Productions). Mad props, guys.