Lee Vining, CA

I rode with Colleen and Greg again! I always ride with them but we always have so much fun. We all knew that we were going to have some major climbing to do today but we also knew that it meant that we would be able to get out of the desert! At mile 12, the climb started! And it didn't stop until we got to mile 50 when we hit 8000ft. We climbed a total of 5200ft that day and even though it was pretty difficult, it was also a lot a lot of fun and it was so beautiful! We rolled into a tiny little town called Lee Vining and it was kind of like a tourist place for people to go if they were trying to visit Yosemite. We walked around and looked in all of the shops and then we went to a restaurant and got burgers and fries! That night, we finalized where our money was going to be donated for the grant program, so it was super exciting to get that out of the way and figured out. We also had a family meeting and lots of even more team bonding. People were really starting to realize how close we were to being done and that we need to stop wishing away our time with thoughts of the coast in our heads. Yosemite was tomorrow and we were all super pumped...except for that we found out that there was going to slight change of plans because of a forest fire in the park and blocking off the road we needed to take to bike in.

Lone Pine and Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA

I had a really great ride to Lone Pine! There was a tail wind the whole way and I got to ride with a really large group of people. We had a really fun time talking and laughing about stuff. We talked about our favorite B&B memories and about how excited we were to make it to the ocean. Unfortunately, Ashley didn't have such a great ride because she kept throwing up all the way to first lunch. The ride was 73 miles but when it's all downhill and there's a tailwind, I always feel like we should be getting there way before we actually do. About 7 miles out from the host, we went off the road and found some hot springs where we all go to take a break and go for a little swim. It was so much fun hanging out (even though I got sunburned) but I had an amazing time this day. The host that night was an RV park where we just camped out in our tents on the RV sites. The people that work at the camp were so wonderful and made us all sorts of appetizers and a huge dinner that included steak! We were actually very spoiled! I really liked staying here. We were also, basically, right across the street from Mt. Whitney, which is the tallest point in the contiguous US.

The nest day was a very similar ride to the day before. Generally flat, pretty easy and nothing out of hand. I really enjoyed getting to ride with Gaurang and Charlie into the host because I didn't get to ride with them very often throughout the trip. At bishop, we stayed at a building on the fairgrounds but, luckily got our food provided for dinner again! Today was my all time record for how much I ate...and I loved it. I woke up, had breakfast, midmorning snack, lunch, half a large pizza, half a large calzone, half a stick of garlic bread, a frap from starbucks, and then a burger and pasta salad. I don't know why I was so hungry but I would love to be able to eat like that again! That night, I was with the laundry and grocery crew, which I really didn't mind doing because I get to go out to the store and look at real food.

Ridgecrest and Build Day 16

The ride to Ridgecrest was okay. It was really long and this was the day that everyone had mental breakdowns. Somehow, Marlee, Colleen, Greg and I ended up towards the back and had a long day. By the time I had gotten to second lunch, I was so over it and kind of ready to just get in the van and call it a day but I knew that we had prom that night and I had to finish the ride! Every Bike and Build trip has a prom night but instead of doing prom we decided to make it wedding themed. So Laura and I dressed up with vests, bow ties and we put our hair up, pretending to be either the groom or really any guy at the wedding. Colleen and I were the ones that got married and it was so hilarious because everyone played their own little part in the wedding. We had a comedian (Charlie and Micah), Shayan was the "religious figure head", we even had someone who dressed up as the ring! After that, we all went out to a restaurant, dressed in our crazy outfits. I ordered unlimited fries and ate about 3 plates by myself, all with ranch all over them (I'm going to miss eating like that!). That was probably one of my favorite nights of Bike and Build. It was really fun just being able to hang out with everyone as a group and be together all night. The next day, we got picked up to go to the build site where we found out that we weren't actually building, we were taken to the fair grounds where we were doing maintenance and beautification. I think that I would have preferred a build but this was still good because we were at least making a difference and helping out the community. That night, we just prepared for more days of biking by fixing flats, taking naps, eating ice cream and reading the grant proposals that we had to chose from. We also had a really fun and busy night with a presentation to the community and then a potluck! Prom, though, was the best memory here!

Barstow, CA

Another ride through the desert. I really had a hard time in the desert. Mostly just because everything about it was so hot and boring to look at. For this ride, we actually had to ride on the interstate the whole way - which is legal in the state we were in, thank goodness. The shoulder was really wide and clear so it wasn't very nerve wracking but when we were like 3 miles away from getting off the highway, a cop asked us to get on the access road and not be on the interstate anymore. Luckily, there was a road for us to get on, otherwise, we wouldn't have had a way to get to the next place. When we rolled up, we went to a place called the Calico Ghost Town and it was an old mining town that they had turned into a tourist attraction. One of the women that had been working there for a long time was very involved in Bike and Build and always provides dinner and lunch for the team when they get there, which was so amazing! We went over to one of the stores and she had made a ton of tacos with all sorts of salsa and guac dip. She also managed to get us free entry into all of the different attractions there. There was  a"fun house" where the house was built crooked so everything was an optical illusion and looked super wonky and weird. There was also a mine cave that we got to walk through and we got to mine for gold in the water with a pan, like I did when I was really young. But it was still a lot of fun! That night, the woman who made us dinner also had the restaurant in the ghost town make us a spaghetti dinner and then we went to the woman's house where she let us swim in her pool and she also had a lake in the backyard. The lake was kind of interesting because they put die in it and it was manmade in the middle of the desert but we had a lot of fun on her paddle boats. That night we slept in a cabin without air conditioning so I just took my mattress and slept outside on the front porch, which was so wonderful! A stressful and hot day ended up really wonderful!

Baker, CA

Finally in California!! We all definitely started realizing how close we were at this point and we all were buzzing with excitement to get to that final border. Our last border. It was so crazy to think about that we only had one more state to cross before getting to the ocean. I'll never forget how long it felt to make it the 8 miles to California with Gaurang, Charlie, Maddie, and Colleen. When we were about half a mile away from the border, Charlie started doing the speech from the Lord of the Rings about how we will fight today and not back down and when he was like "we will fight!!", we all sprinted to the sign, screaming at the top of our lungs. For some reason, I got so emotional during this and felt on the verge of crying - possibly because I was just so excited! We took about 30 minutes to take pictures and then we made our way to Baker California. 55 miles of this ride was spent on Death Valley Road so you can imagine how difficult, hot and miserable it was. Our Death Valley ride was real! We dipped down to 400 feet above sea level and crossed through salt flats. After that, the road stayed straight and directly into the wind for 20 miles. It really wasn't an easy ride. Also, the host we were staying at, the AC in the building wasn't working when we got there and it took 4 hours for it to finally cool off so we were just hot all day! Luckily, we were able to go to the high school there and swim in the pool. Without that pool, I think we all would have gotten heat stroke. That night, we had a family meeting and that was also the night that my bestie, Colleen started officially dating Greg <3.

Pahrump, NV

Today we rode the hump to Pahrump!! Everyone calls it this because the whole first half is all uphill to climb over a mountain and then the second half is entirely downhill. I rode with Kirsten and Liz and we were all struggling pretty hard after first lunch. The whole way to first lunch wasn't terrible because it wasn't a huge uphill grade but it was pretty cool because there was a big group ride going on where we were riding. There had to have been like a hundred other bikers on the road we were biking and they all kept looking at us weird and some even yelled to us asking who we were and where we were going. Bikers generally know that we are going long distances because of all the extra stuff we have on our bikes and the Camelbaks. After we got over the Pahrump hump, we were flyyyyying!! We were going 30mph EASY because not only was it all downhill, there was also a tailwind. Everyone was so happy to get in and was in a great mood because of how easy it was. Upon arrival, we signed up on sheets of paper which house we got to go back to and sleep that night. We were doing home stays where we get split up as a group and all go to separate peoples homes for the night. I didn't get to go to the home stays last time we did it because I was really sick and was quarantined at the church. So, I was super excited to get to go to a home where I was going to be fed fruit, get to sleep in a bed and get to use a real shower that's inside a house and not in the back of a church! I went to the house with Claire being my bed bud that night. The couple that we stayed with was so amazing and just wanted to talk to us as much as they could. They also have a pet desert tortoise in the back yard that they've had for 40 years now! Luckily, when we were there, the turtle came out of his home to see us and we got to feed him and pick him up and stuff. We also got the chance to wash all of our clothes in a real washer and dryer where we didn't have to put our laundry on a laundry loop and they were able to dry like normal and actually be really clean! It was such an amazing night and very refreshing! Especially because we had eggs in the morning!

Build Day 15

On this day, we got to build at the Veterans Village in Las Vegas. It was amazing how excited the staff was for our help and how appreciative they were that we were there and doing the chores they needed done. This job wasn't like the others. We weren't building or "rebuilding" but instead we were just doing clean up jobs and making the place look a little better. I was on painting duty and was in charge of everyone that was repainting the lines on the parking lot. Almost all of the white lines were worn off and barely visible: as was much of the paint in the Veterans Village. My team and I worked together to get about half of the whole parking lot done and just the small amount that we were able to help out with made a huge difference and kind of smoothed out the rough edges of the place. They were so awesome to provide us breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day! When we were done with the jobs, during dinner, the staff was thanking us and actually got choked up and were crying because of how grateful they were. It's always so amazing to see how much we are able to do with the very little amount of time we give to them. I would have liked to stay another day and finish the jobs they needed. That night, we walked down to the Fremont Street Experience. It was described to me as the "older Vegas" and I loved it! It was a lot different than the strip because it seemed more artsy and less expensive. There was a huge ceiling on the outdoor sidewalk that lit up and played music, which was super cool. For that night, we just walked around and looked at everything taking it all in. By the end of the night, Colleen, Greg and I went to a little coffee shop, looking for a quiet place to get something to eat. Where we went didn't end up selling food but for the little amount of time we were in there, we got to know one of the "regular" customers who told us about how the coffee shop was built in an old hospital and how there are a ton of floors upstairs that have all been turned into offices for artists. He offered to give us a tour and the whole building was so cool!! All of the rooms where the patients would have been were turned into offices for various artists or hair stylists. There really wasn't any sort of structure to the building, which was what made it so cool. Also, all along the walls of the place was the art work of the people who worked there. After getting to check out the building, we walked down the street to find some pizza and then made our way back to the Village for a much needed nights sleep!

Viva Las Vegas!

I wasn’t overly excited to go to Vegas because I’m not even to go get a quick game of Blackjack in but I was pretty excited to see the craziness and the circus that is Las Vegas! I was also pretty excited because where we were staying was on the street where the strip is and is in between the strip and the Fremont Experience. The ride in was especially difficult and it was the ride that we all decided that we hate Nevada and there is nothing but desert there and we felt like we were riding through the part of the country that the government buys so they can blow stuff up. It was so hot – like space heater in your face hot. And there were so many hills. And so many head winds. What I remember the most was how Colleen kept telling me that there would be a gas station at mile 50 and everything would be okay. When we got to mile 50, there was nothing but desert…and more desert. That was the hardest part about the ride: there was nothing. Not even a tree that we could take protection from the sun under. Finally, we started getting to civilization when we got a bicycle path leading us into the city, even though we were still about 30 miles out. There was even one part of the path that was such a steep uphill that half of my group got off our bikes and just walked up the hill because we were so over it. Looking back, it was really funny how miserable we were because we were so pouty and annoyed but we had some great conversations and some hilarious rants about the desert and how much it sucks! Finally, 20 miles out, we got to a Sonic!!!! Sonic is like our favorite place of all time and we were all so happy that I thought I was going to cry! I was able to put ice in my Camelbak, buy a slushy, chicken nuggets and tater tots! We stayed there as long as possible so that we didn’t have to go back out into the sun and be miserable again. Eventually we made our way and, thankfully, ended the ride with a tailwind. My group and I biked straight to the bike shop in Vegas because they had offered free maintenance to all of us and tune up all 32 of our bikes, which was so amazing of them! While waiting to drop our bikes off, Colleen, Rhys and I fell asleep on the floor of the place and were eventually woken up to walk back to the host. On the way back, we saw the pawnshop from the TV show, which was really cool! Everything they sell is extremely expensive though. That night, we were staying at a place called the Veterans Village, which is a halfway home for veterans living in Las Vegas. They allow people a place to stay while trying to find permanent housing, so that they don’t end up homeless and ruined by the extremely flawed system. The people that run the establishment were so extremely grateful for us being there and couldn’t contain how excited they were that we were going to build with them tomorrow. After dinner that night, the group that was in my room took a quick nap before getting ready to go downtown and walk up and down the strip. My room ended up sleeping a little past what we had planned and didn’t go downtown until about 10 that night. We just took the bus to the front of the strip and then walked all the way down until we were too tired to keep going. Everything was so crazy! And so huge! Like the signs were towering over the people and all of the building were stories tall. It was insane to see all of the different kinds of people walking around and all of the lights that illuminate the streets. I also got to see the Bellagio fountains and go in one of the casinos. In the casino I went in (I think it was the New York one), there was a performer dressed as Michael Jackson dancing on the tables. It was really awesome and super impressive.

Overton NV

This 96 mile ride might as well have just been a century because it was so exhausting and such a long day! The whole beginning of the ride was all riding straight uphill and I was not having it! This was the ride day that Colleen always talks about when I got the most grumpy and bossy while riding. I was yelling at Greg for catching up to me on the hills and yelling at Colleen for going too fast! It was pretty funny…after the fact. I remember having an especially hard time with being in the back on this day. We ended up with sweep because about 10 miles into the ride, Elle was having a hard time and thought she was going to pass out so we stopped with her for about an hour, making sure that she was okay and trying to help prevent her from passing out. Eventually, the van finally got to us and we were able to get back on the road but by that time, we were at the back of the group and were mentally over it. It wasn’t after long that we realized we are definitely getting into the desert. The gas stations were becoming more and more scarce and the vast openness was becoming more and more apparent. I remember it got soooo hot on this ride and Greg and I were starting to become really effected by it. We made it to the second water drop, under a bridge for the highway we were about to get on. I was highly debating whether or not I should just van and save myself the trouble. Greg surrendered to the heat and made a smart decision to get in the van but I wanted to keep going so badly. Eventually, Micah and Jamie caught up to us and Colleen and I took Jamie’s place as sweep, making our way through the rest of the ride. At second lunch, we had to be shuttled for part of the ride because of construction on the highway that was dangerous to bike through. The rest of the way into the host, Micah played the this or that game with me the entire way, trying to distract me from the desert and how miserable we all were. Making it into the host was amazing! Everyone was standing outside of the church yelling “SWEEEEEPPP” and clapping for us! That was one of my favorite things ever because I realized how appreciated my efforts were. Greg had bought us sodas, Molly took my bike and put it away for me, Dan had gotten the mail and my packages were waiting for me and everyone on the team set aside special plates for us so that they made sure we had enough food to eat for dinner. It really was one of my favorite things on this trip! It made my heart smile.

Build Day 14

St Augustine build day was with Habitat for Humanity and was, luckily, right down the street from the church we were staying at. We were broken up into two groups that day onto two different build sites. I went to the house that had to have the inside floors grouted and tile laid and in the backyard, the ground needed to be leveled out and a sandbox built. I worked in the backyard that day, leveling out the ground. It wasn’t a very difficult job, it just took a long time to get it just right. They were going to lie out sod so the ground had to be perfect to prevent pooling and stuff like that. I got to be in charge of the music so we had a lot of fun dancing around and goofing off the whole day. That night I was part of the crew that had to go grocery shopping and do the laundry so I got to go to Wal-Mart for the first time in a long while. I like to go grocery shopping, unlike some people because it’s a chance to get out and just go back to normal civilization for a little while – although there is nothing normal about going out to buy 30 loaves of bread! That night, we did some more Frisbee and all the guys got haircuts from Ashley! She cut all of their hair in very interesting ways. Like Greg got a really long Mohawk and Charlie had the hipster cut going on. It was pretty fun to see them get a little something different.

St. George, Utah

Early wake up for me!! I decided to be one of the hikers that morning and wake up at 5:00 so that I could get out for Angel’s Landing hike early in the morning and hopefully beat the big crowd out there. Me and a pretty big group of people headed out together. I mostly hiked with Colleen, Angela, and JoBeth all the way up. It started off as a paved path all the way up to Scout’s Landing. The whole way up was all switchbacks and was extremely steep but very doable. After making up that part, we got to the actual Angel’s Landing part. According to the sign, it was a 1.1 mile hike on a cliff face 1400feet up off the valley floor. It was extremely nerve-wracking and not at all for people who are nervous about heights (which I am very nervous when it comes to heights but I had to overcome them and do it!) Angela helped me up the scary part where there are chains that you hold onto so that you have something to grip as you climb. Without her there, I would have been very distracted by the height of the cliff and I don’t know if I could have done it! Making it to the top was so beautiful. There was so much to see and you could see the entire park. The buses running on the valley floor looked so tiny from where we were. I was super proud of myself for making it all the way up there and I was so glad that I had gotten up in time to do something so awesome! By the time I got back to the camp, I was exhausted but I, unfortunately, had to get on my bike and make it to the next host! Luckily, we only had 40 miles that day but, unluckily, I was sweep. Emma and I were a sweep that team and ended up turning a short 40-mile day into the longest 40 miles of our entire lives. It took us 6 hours just to get to the host and that might be because of the laziness that’s associated with the late start or the long stops that we took, doing our sweep duties. The first stop was only like a mile out of Zion at a coffee shop, but I was ok with it because I got an awesome mint mocha frappuccino! The next stop was lunch at a trading post (which is one of my favorite things in the west). We got to hang out while people got burgers and shopped around. All we ate at that break was fries and Coke because we were still too full from the drinks we had earlier. We kept making our way to the host and the common joke of the ride was that there were “amazing views” along the route. We would be like “wow! Look at that view!!” and then point at a huge hill that was right in our face and couldn’t see around. It was pretty comical when we were so tired and over it with the biking. Before making it to the host, we came across an accident in the road and quickly realized that it was one of our riders that had an accident with a car. Shayan and Rhys had been going down a hill when a driver passed them, yelled at them from the window, and then got in front of Shayan and slammed on his brakes causing Shayan to crash into the back of the man’s car. Fortunately, the man didn’t drive away, he called the cops, hoping to get us riders in trouble but instead got huge fines for mistreating us. In Utah, they treat bikers like vehicles so you have to have the same respect for a biker as you do a car. I’m so grateful to those police officers for seeing the truth in the accident and responding appropriately. I’ve seen bikers get the short straw so many times in an accident with a car because the cops don’t agree with bicycles on the road. Shayan had really hurt his wrist in the wreck and messed up his bike so he was unable to ride the rest of the day. Later in the trip, we found that Shayan has actually broken his wrist in two places and was unable to ride the rest of the trip. Luckily, we found a really awesome bike shop that donated a new front wheel to him and a bunch of tubes! The graciousness of people we experienced while on the road was amazing! The rest of Emma and my sweep day was pretty good, ending with a quick trip to In-N-Out (even though we didn’t get anything besides more Coke) and chalking for ourselves because no one else on the team chalked for us! When we got into the host, we immediately got into the van and were shuttled to a community pool for showers. There was an awesome indoor/outdoor pool there where we went down the water slide numerous times and played in the kiddy playground for a long time! That night, we got another awesome dinner provided and then watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall on the projector as a big group. That was a lot of fun getting to stay as a group and do something all together!