Long Time, No Blog....

Well I know it has been quite a while since I have blogged and I apologize for the delay. The last couple of weeks have been EXTREMELY exhausting, both mentally and physically. Since my last post, we have crossed over FIVE more state lines (Alabama to Mississippi to Arkansas to Texas to New Mexico to Colorado), had three more build days, and one day off.

Our average mileage for most days has been 80-100 miles for the last couple of weeks because we have been traveling in areas where there is nothing around for miles and miles. While we were in the south, our group faced extreme heat. Before I started this trip, I knew I would have to make sure I stayed hydrated because I am easily dehydrated. I was surprised I managed to stay fairly healthy in the heat and humidity. But the conditions definitely drained the energy from my body. Some areas we traveled through were even going through drought conditions. We knew this because of the chalk on the road. During our trips, our group uses chalk to communicate turns, reroutes, or even general messages. While riding on a highway in Mississippi, we saw some chalk wishing a happy birthday to someone not on our route. All of us were quite confused. Later on, we were informed that NC2SD rolled through the same area about a week earlier. In other words, that area did not have any rain for over a week!

Although I have been switching up riding partners (and occasionally riding solo), I tend to stay towards the back of the pack. If I wanted, I could stay up with the people at the front. But I think going at a relaxing pace is what has kept me from sore muscles. I have only had two or three days where my body has felt extremely sore. Plus, I get to see much more when I ride a little slower.

To be honest, Alabama and Mississippi weren't extremely memorable. I am glad I had a chance to see this part of the country, but I do not see myself living in either of these parts. The people were very friendly and hospitable, but I really do not think I would be able to handle the heat and humidity. One highlight of Mississippi was when we were in Oxford, which is where Ole Miss is located. I was biking with Angela that day and the heat was really getting to us. We took it slow into town and made multiple stops (we even played with a friendly puppy at one point). As we rolled into town about a mile away from our destination, we saw a ice cream/shaved ice shop. I hoped that Angela wanted to stop, and she read my mind. I enjoyed a huge shaved ice with watermelon and pina colada flavoring while Angela tried some Blue Bell ice cream, which is apparently a southern ice cream company that was highly recommended by Kelsey (who is from Texas). We enjoyed the little shop so much, we decided to call Preston and David who weren't far behind us. They stopped as well and they were very glad we told them about the amazing "cool down" spot. Later that evening, a few members of the Oxford cycling club hosted our dinner. We were spoiled with a vegetarian dinner (the nine vegetarians were very excited) and a pool party. The water was very refreshing after multiple days in the heat. (Can you tell I was a big fan of the heat based on the number of times I have said "hot" and "heat"??).

I was happy to cross over the Mississippi river into Arkansas. Arkansas is one state I have always been quite curious about (I'm not sure why..). I crossed the border with Preston and Melissa. Once we got over the border, we were in Helena, AR. Seeing that sign made me wish I was in Helena, MT so I could jump into a lake! Shortly after the border, we all stopped at the Arkansas visitor's center. The lady who was there was very helpful in telling us about things to do along our route. One funny thing at the visitor's center was a "wanted" sign for a woodpecker. Apparently in one of the nearby state forests, someone spotted a rare bird species (the ivory billed woodpecker). Scientists believed the bird was extinct, so there is a $10,000 reward if someone shows proof of its existence. The lady also told us about the Louisiana Purchase site. Preston, Melissa, and I decided to stop at the site on our way to Stuttgart, AR (the rice and duck capitol of the U.S.!). The site was about a mile and a half off the road located in some swamplands. We walked along a 1/2 mile boardwalk that took us out to the original site of where the Louisiana purchase was marked. We had great timing because there was a tour guide and a group of Arkansas teachers while we were there. The tour guide allowed us to listen to his tour. We hoped to see an alligator in the swamps, but all we saw were two water snakes (One was a poisonous cotton mouth snake. Apparently Arkansas is the only place where all 4 North American poisonous snakes live). During the tour, the teachers asked us about our trip. Several of them gave us donations for the Bike and Build cause. We ended up collecting a little more than $50! The generosity of strangers still boggles my mind sometimes. At the end of the ride, Preston and I decided to ride an extra three miles to make the day our first century ride! We were quite tired at the end, but it was fun. A couple days later, our route took us past some Indian Mounds near Little Rock. Karen, Melissa, Sarah, and I decided to ride the 1/2 mile off the route to check out the state park. The park was actually doing an archaeological dig while we were there, which was interesting to see because it was the first one they had done there since the mid '90s. Karen and I walked down to the nearby lake and fed some turtles before we rolled on towards Little Rock. After getting a little lost in downtown Little Rock, Karen and I made our way to the Riverside market. I enjoyed a well-deserved Reuben burger while Karen ate some amazing Thai food. After a fun evening potluck with the local bike club, we watched "The Blind Side" at the Little Rock outdoor amphitheater. On our day off in Little Rock, I had fun hanging out with David and Katie R. We visited the Heifer International Headquarters (which had a really cool "green" building), the Clinton Presidential Library, and enjoyed the Riverside market food again. We even went and took pictures with the real "Little Rock"! As we rode out of Little Rock, we had a chance to ride over the Big Dam Bridge, which is the largest cycling/pedestrian bridge in the United States! I also got a free smoothie after riding the bridge, which was a nice, refreshing start to the day. I caught up to B$ and Katie R. and rode with them to the first $ Stop. B$'s dad joined our group from Little Rock and followed us through Oklahoma. Between our lunch stops, he would set up snack breaks. These were extremely helpful on the long, tough days in Oklahoma.

I crossed the OK line with my friend Kim. I wasn't a huge fan of Oklahoma because I envisioned a flat, easy ride. Instead, we were faced with rolling hills and AWFUL headwinds! Sometimes the headwinds were so tough I was pedaling in my easiest gear and barely moving! Our day into Oklahoma City was probably one of the tougher days for me on this trip. I tried to keep up with my friends Angela and Sarah. I did well for the first 1/3 of the trip, but I struggled with the headwinds and going uphill. Both of these girls have better endurance than I do, so they handled the fatigue better than I did. Once I was dropped, I started giving up on myself mentally. I got frustrated because my mind was giving up before my body. This trip is just as much of a mental challenge as a physical challenge. As soon as you give up in your mind, it is difficult to make your body do another 40 miles. After second lunch, I decided to slow down and ride by myself to OKC. I stopped to take lots of pictures along the way in order to remind myself that frustration is not how I wanted to spend my time biking. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I did not want to spoil taking in the sights just because I was frustrated I couldn't keep up with a couple of my faster friends. After I realized keeping up with Sarah and Angela wasn't the easiest thing for me, I started riding with Kim and Kelsey a lot. They were my riding partners throughout the rest of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.

I was excited to cross the Texas border with my favorite Texan on the trip, Kelsey. She and I rode with Kim as well on a really hot, hot day. For the first time, I didn't hydrate well and I was quite sick during the evening. I tried drinking lots of water at night, but I still wasn't fully recovered by the next day. I warned our leader Natalie that I may have to van it at lunch. I was having a tough time believing I could push my body through it. But with the help of my friends pushing me along, I made it through the day. I was glad they supported me through the ride because my ultimate goal is to not be in the van at all during this trip.

After a short two days in Texas, we rolled across the New Mexico border. When we crossed into NM, I was riding with a group of about 8 girls. The headwinds were tough again, but we pushed through them. Northeastern New Mexico reminded me a lot of Montana. (I am actually quite excited to explore other states after I get back home. Before this trip, I would have been intimidated to ride in the mountains of Montana. But now I think I can handle the challenge). You could see for miles and miles. Our host town was in the middle of nowhere and had about 150 residents, which made me think of little Tracy, Montana. Everyone knew everybody in the town. There wasn't a stoplight and only one restaurant and one gas station. On our way out of Des Moines, NM, a large group of us decided to stop at the volcano about ten miles off our route. Some of us arrived too late to climb the mountain on our bikes (we didn't realize they allowed people to ride to the top before the park hours..part of our group made it up). About six of us didn't get to climb, but Melissa asked a couple with a pick-up truck if they wanted to take us up to the top. They willingly took us up and thought our cause was really awesome. The view from the top was amazing! We could see clear to the Rockies, which was quite a ways away. After we got back to the bottom, we descended into a huge canyon. The descent into Colorado was awesome!

Anyways, this blog is quite long right now, so I will leave Colorado for later. I have a lot of fun stuff to say about Colorado. Hope this helps paint a little better picture about my trip and will write again soon!