Our first build day was so great! We went to work with an organization called Neighbor Works in Rhode Island. They are very invested in not only giving the members of the community a home but also to create a strong sense of community. We worked with people that they called "selfies", which are people who benefit from the organization but are responsible for the construction of their homes. When we had gotten to them, they were working on siding and insualting the houses and had started construction back in October. The had made all that progress on their own and we were the first volunteer group they had every had on that site. This goes to show how hard they were constantly working. For lunch, they were able to provide us with an awesome lunch of hamburgers, hotdogs, coffee, and many other great things! During the lunch break, I had a huge emotional wave come over me as a realized that I was back in the grind of a Bike & Build summer and I couldn't be happier. It's so overwhelming to think about the experience I got to have and now I'm getting to share that with others. This build day was a great way to start off the summer! After the build, we went to the NeightborWorks summit, where they did a huge kick off for the organization. That night, we finished up presentations and worked on the trailer more. It was a jammed packed day for all of us and we were exhausted!
After the build, we had our shake down ride the next day. It was so rainy and cold this morning, making it hard for us to want to get on the road, but we were all so anxious to get going that it worked out alright! We started with bike maintenance and drills, which took all of the morning. After that, we went back to the church, ate lunch, and then hit the road! My riders are all so amazing at calling out all of the obstacles on the road, making me feel very confident in how the summer would go. That night, we finished everything with writing our team charter and then hitting the hay.
First ride day was great! We did the wheel dip over in India Point park and then took waaaayy too long to ride 37 miles into Pomfret. Dan Kaminsky also came to my wheel dip, making my heart swell with joy! It was so great getting to see my previous B&B leader as I set off on my journey as a leader. He gave me a lot of really great advice and confidence. Dan is the man :) I love him! Getting out of Providence was a little difficult because of all the poorly labeled roads and confusing city route, but once we were out, the ride was great! Pomfret school is a prep school that we got to sleep in and have a wonderful dinner and breakfast provided. The riders had some time to play ultimate frisbee and relax, we also got to completely finish the trailer! Frank is happy.
Writing everything in retrospect is hard, but lack of sleep is harder! Tomorrow, I hope to add the rest of the days and get caught up!
After the build, we had our shake down ride the next day. It was so rainy and cold this morning, making it hard for us to want to get on the road, but we were all so anxious to get going that it worked out alright! We started with bike maintenance and drills, which took all of the morning. After that, we went back to the church, ate lunch, and then hit the road! My riders are all so amazing at calling out all of the obstacles on the road, making me feel very confident in how the summer would go. That night, we finished everything with writing our team charter and then hitting the hay.
First ride day was great! We did the wheel dip over in India Point park and then took waaaayy too long to ride 37 miles into Pomfret. Dan Kaminsky also came to my wheel dip, making my heart swell with joy! It was so great getting to see my previous B&B leader as I set off on my journey as a leader. He gave me a lot of really great advice and confidence. Dan is the man :) I love him! Getting out of Providence was a little difficult because of all the poorly labeled roads and confusing city route, but once we were out, the ride was great! Pomfret school is a prep school that we got to sleep in and have a wonderful dinner and breakfast provided. The riders had some time to play ultimate frisbee and relax, we also got to completely finish the trailer! Frank is happy.
Writing everything in retrospect is hard, but lack of sleep is harder! Tomorrow, I hope to add the rest of the days and get caught up!
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