TrueNorthHBC

DETAILS ABOUT OUR FINISH!!!

2006-07-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family.
Sorry for the tardiness of this post. But we have had no internet for ages.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will be finishing.

HOLY CRAP.

We finish around noon (12pm) at seattle city centre at the foot of the space needle.

meet us there for a party. we will be ending in the south east corner, in the shaded bit.

also, we will not be riding our bikes through the fountain because if we do, we will not get salmon for dinner, but instead, old mouldy power bars (or so our hosts tell us)

so,
JOIN US.

call me (danni) if you have questions. if you don't have my number, it's on the habitat site somewhere. I'm reticent to post it on a blog.

The Big Horns

2006-07-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

Holy cow – today was the best day ever. We woke up at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains and started off the day with a great breakfast provided by our hosts in Buffalo. We got our first glimpse of the snow capped mountains about 20 miles in to yesterday’s ride, and they stood off in the distance for the remainder of the ride. Unfortunately the 10,000 foot peaks didn’t vanish over night as we had hoped, so a 35 mile climb was our first order of business this morning.

About 3 miles up the mountain, we began to hear and smell what sounded like 1,000 whining 2 year olds with soggy diapers, but soon saw up in the distance a huge herd of cattle slowly making their way upwards. The cows were not to happy to see us, but despite Tony’s taunting them because we were so much faster, they did little more than ‘moo’ and leave cow pies all over the road. The cows were accompanied by about 15 cowboys and girls who thought that we were just about as crazy as we found this situation to be. Despite many offers, none of them wanted to swap their horses for our shiny, poop covered bikes, so we kept pushing on.

About 30 miles later (averaging 10 mph, that’s only 3.5 hours of climbing!), we reached the top of the Big Horns – our first official mountain chain!!! We summited at 9,666 feet on the Powder River Pass and all of our riders finished the climb. After a few of us scrambled up to the top of the rock face above (topping out somewhere around 10,000 feet) we decided to make our way down the mountain before any type of altitude sickness could set in.

After climbing 5,000 feet in the morning, we descended the same amount after lunch in about an hour’s time. We found a new favorite road sign – Trucks Use Low Gear Next 18 Miles. Wow. Not only were we able to coast for the last 30 miles, but the pine trees and gray granite rocks that we had watched during the climb, opened up into a stunning red sandstone canyon. One of our most beautiful rides by far. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

-Emily Garlough

2006-07-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Gang!

Well we arrived in New Castle, Wyoming today after a great ride this morning through the Black Hills in South Dakota. It was pretty amazing to see difference that a mere 80 miles can make in the landscape between this beautiful mountainous region and, well, the Badlands. After two days of temps topping out at over 100 degrees and hairdryer-like headwinds through the arid Badlands, we finally started to see some pine trees again and as we gained altitude in the ‘hills’. Highlights for the day included a stop at Mt. Rushmore (which just so happens to stand for ‘mountain’…in the Black ‘Hills’?? I’d argue that 20 miles of hills topped off by a 3 mile, 8% grade climb up to the top would qualify that as our first set of mountains!), a helicopter flight over Crazy Horse, a great snack stop with Emily Gade’s family =), and a valiant attempt by Gade to get us into the Jewel Caves (queue the puppy dog eyes, “We only get one stop on our 80 mile days, Mister”). All of that was topped off by a new state border, Wyoming! What a day, on to Gillette tomorrow.

-Emily Garlough

Hi from Gillette, WY

Today’s ride was said to be one of the more unattractive stretches of the trip, but with no headwind, no hills, and more manageable temps, I don’t think any of us gave a hoot. We passed the time through this dry, sagebrush region by doing Van Challenges during the morning.

#1 – Take a Western themed picture with King Henry our mascot (a purple cow from a vending machine). Results included ‘Wanted’ posters of King Henry for Public Urination (don’t know how they came up with that one) and my group had a shot of King Henry robbing a bank and holding Emily Roller hostage both gagged and hog tied. Four separate cars of friendly Wyominginians? Wyomingans? stopped to see that Emily, lying on the side of the road with her hands tied, was ok, but we told them to move along and that there was nothing to see.
#2 – Climb a tree, extra points if you bring your bike with you. Check!
#3 – Use your jersey in a creative way on your arrival into lunch (a diaper, a hat, be creative…)

The ride was relatively short and uneventful so we all arrived in town with plenty of time to relax for a bit and watch a movie before going swimming at the awesome public pool. After another wonderful dinner that evening we had a quick Town Meeting. Brandon announced that as of Friday of this week, he will be leaving the trip due to the ongoing battle between his rear end and his bike seat. On that note we fired up the first ever Habitat Butt Challenge! Close-up pictures were taken of each rider’s bum (which we’ve become very accustomed to looking at and thus the inspiration for the game), then put in a random order in a power point presentation, projected on the wall at 8 x 10 feet, and viola! We had a tough time deciding whether the person who could identify the most butts should be awarded or reprimanded for being shady, but after much debate, it was decided that a 10 minute massage and getting out of sweep would be a square deal. Patti ended up squashing the competition (no pun intended) with a final score of 24/26 butts correctly identified. Congratulations?

Build day tomorrow here in Gillette!

-Emily Garlough

Good afternoon!

Well we’re all in great spirits today after resting our butts and our legs in exchange for manual labor at a build site in Gillette. All 26 of us got to work on the same house which was a real treat because we were able to get a lot done together. Mary, the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity in Gillette, told us that with such a shortage of labor in their town, it can be tough to get volunteers to help build homes. She said that they’ve got the resources to support construction of a house, but not the manpower to put it up. We were all eager to lend a hand, and I think some of us got more than we bargained for when we were sent up to the roof to finish securing the joyces on the overhang. Yikes! Pastor Dan, our building site leader, made the mistake of asking me if I’d like to use a nail gun. Those things can blow a hole in someone from 50 feet away…sign me up!! Jon got to play with the Sawzall for the day (lucky dog), while others painted the deck, and began stapling down sheets of plywood on the roof. Job well done, team!

-Emily Garlough

Ohhhhhhh, we're halfway there...

2006-06-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

So we've all arrived safely in Madison, SD, the third of our Madison stops, and just finished up a delicious potluck and the conventional slideshow. Our tenth state is flat and kind, and we all displayed our typical antics at the state border crossing. Tony, Patrick, Matt Young ("Sassy"), and I posed as Mount Rushmore as we crossed into South Dakota today.

Before saying anything more, however, I wanted to alert folks to the blog of Jon Thompson, one of our riders. He updated nearly everyday and if nothing is on our blog, he surely will have a tale or two to tell of our journeys at http://jonhbc.blogspot.com. Check it out.

So the story of recent day is simply countless miles upon miles on our bikes peddling the day away (translation: sore knees, saddles sores, and hearty appetites). Today capped our longest mileage of the trip, 115 miles, which followed days of 100 and 80. Luckily, a strong tail wind allowed most riders to average between 20 and 25 mph for the last 70 miles. Definitely made life easier!

Lately, poor Jeff has been our most unlucky rider. While cruising along the road between Hutchinson and Madison, MN, Jeff had an unfortunate run in with a raccoon, running over it and picking up bits of its dead flesh along the way. The flesh and maggots came off easily with a hose, and Jeff did the service of sending the roadkill flying several feet out of the way and saving Bente from experiencing a similar fate. He followed that up with 7 flat tires today on yet another 100 mile+ ride. This all comes in the wake of bronchitis! Geesh! Show him some love at the next mail drop.

In other news, our hosts continue to treat us incredibly. In Minneapolis, we stayed a great YWCA and enjoyed a barbeque dinner up the road courtesy of the Yale Club. Thanks, guys! Perhaps the highlight of the YWCA, however, were the spinning classes that took place next door. Though we had a day off, we were all tempted to hop on the stationary bikes to show our might. Instead, we simply allowed the loud music booming from Studio B to serve as the background for a dance party and sing along every time we walked the halls. In Hutchinson, a brat cookout in the town square offered some great fiddle music and time to support a local Habitat fundraiser. The good folks in Madison, MN, treated us to delicious burgers, hot showers in the homes of gracious congregation members, and plenty of room to spread ourselves out in the their beautiful facility. Finally, our hosts here in Madison, SD, Trinity Lutheran Church, provided delicious potluck (even the mayor came to help out!) and wireless internet!

Tomorrow we have a much shorter day--66 miles--into Mitchell, SD, home of the famous Corn Palace. Though other short days have given us trouble, we're hoping that the simplified directions afforded by South Dakota's gridded roads will keep us on track and at our host (another Trinity Lutheran Church) on time. We have to make 3 turns in 66 miles. Wish us luck!

Particularly now that our cell phones and internet are more sparse, we're happy to report back that we're thinking about everyone back home and around the country. Of course, it's never too late to show us with baked good or other such treats that you're thinking of us (hint hint, wink wink).

Jon

W-I-S-C-O-N-S-I-N!

2006-06-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

I feel that there is no better way to begin this blog entry than with the ingenious lyrics of the song composed by Patti and Dan today about our current location:
"Weeeelllllllllllllllllllllll... W-i-s; c-o-n; s-i-n. That's the way you spell Wisconsin."
Brilliant. Coming soon: verses!

I would also like to take this opportunity to really highlight the talents of our HBC Northinators, because, as you can see, they are many, and during the 10 hours we spend on a bike, they have really begun to shine. With this, I shall also increase the ridiculousness and absurdity of our blog, because that is what blogs are for.

First, I would like to recognize the great skill exhibited in the intense and elite level 1 hour game of 'can't touch the ground tag' by everyone except for Tony, who was defeated by the monkey bars--understandably. Next, to all of those who engaged in the 'see how much ice cream you can eat without getting sick on your bike' contest, congratulations. Your commitment to ice cream is exemplified by your sitting outside the ice cream parlor until it opened early for you at 11am. True champs. Finally, I would like to recognize the ability of this group to develop, display, and disgust people with hideous tan lines. This was best reflected when a group of highschoolers laughed at the sight of us during our beach volleyball tournament. This could also reflect our lack of volleyball skills, but that is irrelevant. The people who were on the winning team is also irrelevant.

Other exciting things of the past few days include:
-THE MOST AMAZING LUNCH STOP AT THE MOST AMAZING UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME! And there is no bias in that statement.
-Crossing into Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin without ever seeing a sign--fulfilling.
-Matt Young's acoustic improvisational performance of a song about how he hates biking for an audience of parishioners' children. They nicknamed him "Sassy." Matt Young will now only be referred to in this blog as Sassy.
-Biking on a freshly paved, pot-hole free, and flat road with a tail wind! for a total of maybe 10 minutes.

With the rate we are biking, laughing, and eating, I think some people are looking forward to the possibility of a dull moment once we get further west. ha. We'll keep you posted.

Anne

Ann Arbor to Chicago

2006-06-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Evanston today via Chicago, from Westville, Indiana. Biking into Chicago was nothing short of beautiful--a bike path winds into the city along the south shore of Lake Michigan; it was a clear and warm day, and the water was a tropical teal color. Roads in Indiana generally left something to be desired (namely, maintenance and a shoulder for biking), so the bike path was a welcome change. We stopped at a beach about ten miles from our destination and took a fun break (one that also got sand in our gears and rendered some of them dysfunctional). The gang of us in yellow jerseys and spandex shorts is something of a spectacle, but I think most of us feel like our outfits are second skins by now...

Since Ann Arbor, we have been in Battle Creek and St. Joseph in Michigan, and last night was spent in Westville, Indiana. The ride between Ann Arbor and Battle Creek was our longest yet--most of our odometers clocked in between 95 and 100 miles--but it was another beautiful ride of rolling green hills, a cool breeze, and two lunches, one at 35 miles and one at 70 miles. We sailed through it, and all of us arrived before 5pm. I had no idea Michigan was so pretty.

One of our riders, Kate Belski, was in an accident with a car in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Monday morning, on our way from Battle Creek to St. Joseph, and will not be continuing with us for the rest of the trip. Kate was crossing an intersection, and an oncoming car didn't see her while it was turning left, and hit her on her left side. Kate suffered a fractured and dislocated shoulder in addition to a badly broken leg, and was in surgery on Tuesday to set the bones. Kate was one of the most positive and conscientious bikers on the trip, and she is an overall awesome person, so we will miss her terribly. Kate, we love you!!!

Many of us are very shaken after Kate's accident, and there is a lot of serious thinking going on within the group about safety issues and intentions to continue or not continue on the trip. One of the troubling things about the accident is that the collision was entirely the fault of the car--Kate was abiding by rules of both traffic and general safety when it happened.

I want to also take this blogging opportunity to thank our hosts. As a rider, I am so grateful for their hospitality and generosity. So, a shout out to the Habitat for Humanity of Battle Creek, the Women's Community Association in St. Joseph, the United Methodist Church in Westville, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Evanston. It is so amazing to be welcomed into a warm and dry place in the evening for a hot meal and a place to sleep. There is no way we'd be able to do this trip without our hosts.

On other, lighter notes: we are sick of Cliff bars, we are getting smart and augmenting our lunch diets with spinach and eggs and fruit snacks, we have hilarious tan lines, we are getting used to waking up at 5am, we like cool cities like Ann Arbor and Chicago, and every day, is, well, a biking day. Tomorrow is an anomalous day off, and we have big plans to go to the aquarium, a baseball game, a blues bar, a sketch comedy show, etc. etc.

--Laura Hess

The rest of Ohio to Ann Arbor, Michigan

2006-06-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

From Cleveland we went to Sandusky. Due to a mix up in the directions in the morning, we ended up going through the heart of downtown Cleveland at 7 in the morning. While we probably wouldn't have planned to go this way, the roads were safe because there is no large amounts of traffic in the early morning, and we all rode in large groups in double file (car formation). Most of us really enjoyed being able to bike through downtown. We were able to see the morning sun peek through the skyscapers to the left and right of us, and waved to people waiting at bus stops to get to work. There is something about a large city that just made the ride exhilirating, perhaps because we were seeing the city from a different view. The rest of the ride went pretty well (I did get two flats though), and once again we stopped for lunch right next to the lake in a beautiful park. Also there was a small communist takeover in one of the biking groups by the People's Republic of the Bike Challenge North using small squirt guns, led by party leaders Chase, Dan, and later Patty (she is the only one who speaks German. Supposedly the party leaders spoke German, therefore she had to become a party leader). While we did have some trouble finding the church in Sandusky, the real exciting thing of the day (for me at least) is that I went to Cedar Point Amusement Park.
For those that don't know, Cedar Point Amusement Park is one of the large Amusement Parks, as Courtney put it "It's like Six Flags, but with less of those annoying game booths." Since we had only recently figured out that we were staying in Sandusky, we had not been able to work anything out with Cedar Point in which they would give us a deal (When we called the day before, according to the park, it was "too little time" to figure out anything. Take that to mean as you will.) However, a bunch of us just piled into the van, and went to the amusement park anyways, all wearing our green Habitat shirts, hoping to get a deal as we were part of charity, and we were only going to be there for the last two hours of the day (8-10). While the lady at parking didn't help us, ($9.00 for parking) the nice lady at the ticket booth referred us to guest services where we got a half off deal ($12.50 a person). We ended up going on 5 different rides, including the famous Race Car Dragster in which you are launched from a speed of 125 mph up 480 feet. We didn't get back until 11:00 which was the latest I've been up on this trip when we had to get up at 5 AM the next day.
From Sandusky we went to Toledo, OH. Toledo is a relatively big city and the the interesting stops of the day include a picture at the Heinz tomato ketchup factory (no tour! in fact, no entry.), a barn where we had lunch, and an ice cream stop. The whole town where the ketchup factory was located smelled of ketchup and made us all very hungry. The main thing I would like to point out about Toledo is that bicyclists should be wary of the bridges in Toledo. There are two main bridges which cross the river, one which arcs, and another that is flat. Both bridges have extension plates (metal parts that basically sucks in the tire through the cracks and causes a flat), but we didn't know til later that the flat bridge has small metal plates that cover the extensions on the very far right for motorcyclists, that also work for bicyclists. Needless to say, some people got a flat from the bridge extension plates, and thus everyone who followed crossed the bridge using the pedestrian walkway. Toledo has an amazing cyclist group who showed up at the church to talk with us and to help us. It turns out that even the pastor was a cyclist. About 5 very experienced people came to help us, the pastor of the church we were staying at lent us her bike tools, and the pastor of another local church gave all of our bikes a tune up. Finally Chase got some paint from Sherwin-Williams (they donated it to us) and we managed to paint most of the trailer, so our trailer is no longer white.
Finally the trip from Toledo to Ann Arbor was a very short ride (55 miles!) While no one noticed where we crossed the state border form Ohio to Michigan, there were a few hills in Michigan and it was a beautiful day, though a bit windy. I will let the next person who will write about our day off (the build day was canceled) tell more about the bike into Ann Arbor.

Cleveland Rocks!!!

2006-06-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty great day! We rode to Cleveland a mere 67, flat miles! The weather was beautiful and the roads were relatively flat, but anything seems flat compared to New York state. Very few of the bikers have many nice words for the state of New York, except for the two natives.

We started out from the church today before 7, a record time for us. We rode past Lake Erie all day. It looks like and ocean, though not as clean or as nice. After 35 miles, we had lunch at a state park. There was a sandy beach where riders played frisbee, skipped rocks into the water and did some sun bathing. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

A few brave souls did jump in the water that was banned for children and the elderly because of pollution and most importantly, e-coli bacteria. Really safe. Jeff decided to jump in the water and then let us bury him in the sand. I think he rode the worst 30 miles of his life with sand in his pants.

We rolled into the city before 2:30 and enjoyed some warm showers and space to sleep. We all made plans for dinner at 4:30 (we are hungry bikers) and almost ate the restaurants out of pizza. A few riders went to the Indians game while others decided to walk to a food CoOp for some organic food...yum!

We are staying at CASE Western Reserve University tonight and were told by one of the people living in the dorm that we have another flat day with only two hills and we drop in elevation by 300 feet. It's also a short day, 60 some miles. I think that we are all excited for tomorrow.

Only three days till we get a break and another mail drop! If you didn't get your package mailed out in time for Friday, don't worry, you can send it to our next mail drop. Just check out our website for the information.

Well, it is way past my bedtime at 10:30. Have a great night and we'll keep you posted!!!

Goodnight All!
Anna

Buffalo to Westfield, NY (and some before)

2006-06-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today's ride was a pretty nice ride, despite the fact that it started out cold, windy and rainy. The highlight of the day for me was that I was riding my bike again, as my bike was put out of commission in a minor bike accident where no one was hurt, except for my bike's rear derailer hanger, from Corning to Houghton. The awesome mechanics at Campus Bike Shop in Buffalo, NY told me that the rear derailer hangers on our bikes are exclusively available from bike shops of Specialized, the bike company that made our bikes, but somehow on the spot they made a new rear derailer hanger for me that could last me all the way to Seattle, and only charged me $25 for it. (This is my plug for the Campus Bike Shope in Buffalo, NY. They know what they are doing.)
Anyways, due to the miserable weather conditions, there were many complaints about the great state of New York as we rolled out of Buffalo, and after making good time, my group decided that instead of having a trailer lunch (of bagels and peanut butter, like we have been having for the last week) we would stop at a dinner. Our first attempt failed because the pizzeria we went to was take out only, and we did not feel like eating outside. A few people were freezing outdoors, so stopping outside was of great concern. We find out about the pizzeria when we met the owner at a grocery store, and the guy gave Jeff a free T-shirt. My group ended up stopping at Tom's Family Diner, but basically all the groups found diners in the area, and stopped to eat hot lunches indoors. Chase, the van driver for the day had a very nice nap.
After lunch the weather cleared up and it ended up being a very beautiful day. Today there were much fewer flats than yesterday (yesterday's total was 36 flats in one day for 30 people). Westfield is a very small place, but gorgeous. Most of us went swimming in Lake Erie, which is beautiful, but dirty (we still swam in it). Dinner was nice, and the YWCA we are staying in is very accomadating, (it also has 5 rooms, with a total of about 9 beds, each of which were fought over). We also had an inner tube patching party today, as we have run out spare tubes, checking each with a small bowl of water to prevent faulty tires giving flats in the future. Other that that, there is nothing more that I can think of to write.

-Jesse Dong

June 4 - Houghton to Buffalo

2006-06-04T03:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday's ride from Houghton to Buffalo was our first during which it rained continuously from start to finish. There were few hills, but a wrong turn that almost all riders made at Seneca and Transit just outside of Buffalo made it along day. We don't know whether it was because of the rain or because of budget cuts that have rendered Buffalo a city without street sweepers, but flat tires devastated riders during the last ten miles of the trip. One large group of 15riders had 20 flats during that last stretch. Thankfully, Matt Young was around to change each of those in under five minutes and the group still arrived atWestminster Church before the 5 p.m. shower deadline at the Jewish Community Center across the street.The quote of the day comes from Matt Lawlor. Matt arrived as part of the group of 15 riders. He was covered in dirt, his face in particular, which he explained had been kicked up by the tire of Jeff's bike, behind which he had ridden all afternoon. Matt was eating an apple while riding out in the van withMatt Bender to pick up Emily Roller and Danni, whose tubes and tires had just exploded across the street from West Seneca West Middle School. He said, "My lips are making my apple dirty." His dirt-covered lips literally left stains on the white flesh of his apple as he took each bite.

--matt bender

Buffalo, NY

2006-06-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

We had an extremely wet and cold ride in from Houghton, NY to Buffalo today, complete with somewhere around 30 flat tires between the individual members of the group. Turns out our tires don't like to be wet!

About half the group took the opportunity to take a peek at Niagara Falls, while (nearly) everyone enjoyed a spectacular dinner hosted by a pair of church members in a spectacular townhouse. The meal included everything from tofu veggie kabobs to salmon and halibut to sushi and more. Three of us--me, Bill, and Matt Y--enjoyed the festivities a bit less because we had just completed an authentic Buffalo Wing eating contest. The final score was 36-34.5-30, with good times had by all at the time, if not after.

There's been a bit of confusion about the route so here is the updated route for the rest of the trip, always subject to change:

Date Destination
26-May New Haven, CT
27-May Danbury, CT
28-May New Paltz, NY
29-May Callicoon, NY
30-May Endwell, NY
31-May Work Day in Broome County, NY
01-Jun Corning, NY
02-Jun Houghton, NY
03-Jun Buffalo, NY
04-Jun West Field, NY
05-Jun Ashtabula, OH
06-Jun Cleveland, OH
07-Jun Sandusky, OH
08-Jun Toledo, OH
09-Jun Ann Arbor, MI
10-Jun Work day in Ann Arbor, MI
11-Jun Battle Creek, MI
12-Jun Saint Joseph, MI
13-Jun Westville, IN
14-Jun Evanston, IL
15-Jun Day off
16-Jun Lake Geneva, WI
17-Jun Madison, WI
18-Jun Richland Center, WI
19-Jun La Crosse, WI
20-Jun Stockholm, WI
21-Jun Minneapolis, MN
22-Jun Day off
23-Jun Hutchinson, MN
24-Jun Madison, MN
25-Jun Madison, SD
26-Jun Miller, SD
27-Jun Winner, SD
28-Jun Mission, SD
29-Jun Badlands National Park
30-Jun Rapid City, SD
01-Jul Newcastle, WY
02-Jul Gillette, WY
03-Jul Work day in Gillette, WY
04-Jul Buffalo, WY
05-Jul Ten Sleep, WY
06-Jul Riverton, WY
07-Jul Dubois, WY
08-Jul Grand Teton National Park
09-Jul Day off
10-Jul West Yellowstone, MT
11-Jul Ennis, MT
12-Jul Butte, MT
13-Jul Work day in Butte, MT
14-Jul Drummond, MT
15-Jul Missoula, MT
16-Jul Polson, MT
17-Jul Kalispell, MT
18-Jul Build day
19-Jul Libby, MT
20-Jul Sandpoint, ID
21-Jul Spokane, WA
22-Jul Coulee City, WA
23-Jul Brewster, WA
24-Jul Twisp, WA
25-Jul North Cascades National Park
26-Jul Day off
27-Jul Rockport, WA
28-Jul Mukilteo
29-Jul Seattle, WA

--Jon

Birthdays?

2006-06-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hey parents and friends of riders... If your rider has a birthday coming up, let me know at danielle.lovell@gmail.com. Then we will be extra sure to plan some kind of surprise. Even if it is a cool card.

More updates are forthcoming.

And HAPPY 21st LORRAINE! (two days ago... but still special)

Day 5--Endwell, NY

2006-05-31T19:01:00.000-07:00

Day 2: Danbury, CT to New Paltz, NY--60 miles
Day 3: New Paltz, NY to Calicoon, NY--70 miles
Day 4: Calicoon, NY to Endwell, NY--85 miles
Day 5: Day Off--Build Day with HFH of Broome County

So the group has been together for a full week now and has made 250 miles of biking progress all the way to Endwell, NY. Perhaps another 100 miles or so of non-progress has been made by each rider as well. It's been quite an adventure to date.

Highlights from the last four days include:

Stopping at a $0.25 lemonade stand at the New Paltz city line. $11.25 buys a LOT of lemonade, and made the day for a pair of young girls.
Playing in a waterfall atop a high mountain climb outside of New Paltz.
Crossing the Connecticut/New York border
Crossing the New York/Pennsylvania border (4 times!)
Countless wrong turns, 98 degree weather, and humidity to boot.
HILLS
Laundry! (No really. We stink.)
Spending a day with the Habitat affiliate in Endwell! Some folks put up drywall, others put down top soil, and a final group absolutely destroyed a house (as they were instructed to do) on a mountain overlooking Binghamton ("Habitat in Reverse"). And everyone got to sleep in 'til 8 am, 3 hours later than our normal wake up call.
Roller and Bill were interviewed by local radio personalities in Binghamton and performed awesomely.

Internet access has been sparse, but we'll try to keep this updated more regularly. Keep checking in!

--Jon and Anne

First Day!

2006-05-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of riding at it was great fun! First we packed things into our bags, met on the Yale green with all of the riders from North Central and South routes, and heard speeches from the the dean of Yale and all of those who have helped to make this trip possible. We were also treated to a great breakfast provided by Mortgage Lenders International. Then after more photos, hugs from family members and goodbyes, we rode out of New Haven.
Some of the more memorable moments of the 34 mile ride to Danbury, CT was at lunch when Anne asked out loud, "So when I do I get good?" This after our first half of a day of riding...
Well we are all learning quickly from scrapes and bruises after attempting to dismount from our bikes. Clipping the shoes in and out of the bike has been a challenge, but one that I think we will quickly overcome.
Other exciting news is that there was a rubby ducky race down a small stream in Newtown CT. Yes hundreds if not thousands of individually numbered rubber duckies were dumped by a bulldozer into a small stream and a lottery was held to guess the number of the first duck to reach the next bridge. Procedes benefited the local animal shelter.
It's time for a long night's sleep for the ride ahead. Stay tuned for more adventures from the Northies...

Jonathan

orientation love...

2006-05-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

Today involved two split lives. I spent the day walking bikes over to College Cycle in the morning and sitting in the HBC office in the afternoon. Then, several runs back and forth to Amity to purchase everything in the store.

Everyone else had 3 different seminars on bike safety, riding in groups and nutrition. Then, lunch and a training ride. Sophia's parents were kind enough to invite us over for a BBQ and general merriment.

Otherwise, the day has really been underwhelming. Some routing got done, some hosts were called, some riders were conscripted to fold thank you letters. And I can hear the sweet siren song of my bed calling me.

Mail Drops

2006-05-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Friends! Family!

Send us mail!!! At the following maildrops. We'd love to hear from you.

HBC Mail-Drops^TM

HBC Mail-Drops^TM alleviate low spirits, achy muscles, low blood sugar and fatigue.

Directions: Mail to rider at least one week in advance of pick up date. Biker should unwrap before consumption.

WARNING: Failure to do so may result in emotional scarring and heightened jealousy.

Pick Up Date City Address

Phone Number

June 2^nd Houghton, NY

Houghton Post Office General Delivery
585-567-8783 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
9672 Route 19
Houghton, NY 14744-9998

June 9^th Ann Arbor, MI

Ann Arbor Post Office General Delivery
734-662-0223 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
2075 West Stadium
Ann Arbor, MI 48106

June 16^th Lake Geneva, WI

Lake Geneva Post Office General Delivery
262-248-3545 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
672 W. Main St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147

June 23^rd Hutchinson, MN

Hutchinson Post Office General Delivery
320-587-2497 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
245 Main St. South
Hutchinson, MN 55350

June 30^th Rapid City, SD

Rapid City Post Office General Delivery
605-355-2819 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
Rapid City, SD 57701

July 7^th Dubois, WY

Dubois Post Office General Delivery
307-455-2735 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
Dubois, WY 82513

July 11^th Ennis, MT

Ennis Post Office General Delivery
406-682-4286 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
Ennis, MT 59729

July 20^th Sandpoint, ID

Sandpoint Post Office General Delivery
208-263-2716 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
Sandpoint, ID 83864

July 27^th Rockport, WA

Rockport Post Office General Delivery
360-853-8201 Rider Name
c/o Habitat Bicycle Challenge
Rockport, WA 98283

Also...

2006-05-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

We have a couple reroutes that we have yet to put up on our blog. It'll be up in the next few days.

Hopefully by tomorrow.

Promise.

Quote from the Habitat Office:
"Anna and I were talking about what else there was left after biking across the country. And, we thought, THE IDITAROD" - the Foote

Orientation

2006-05-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we are here prepping like mad men and women for our departure from the Green at 9am on Saturday. The leaders are tired, worn and jetlagged. But, we are also thrilled. Our riders are freakin' awesome, we're staying in the lovely Chabad house and getting ready for a full day tomorrow of training rides and modules.

Wednesday was a whirlwind of registration, dolling out gear, tuning bikes and having a full HBC dinner. We're shuttling between the Chabad house and my own house (for we cannot bring any food into 37 edgewood, or shower there).

I confess that if I see another HBC thank you letter, I might lose it. They have been waging a war with my sanity, and winning. But, the prospect of being able to hop on my bike soon and ride far far away from jammed printers and mislabelled envelops is thrilling.

Saturday morning. Send off. Be there.

A training ride...

2006-03-27T21:05:00.000-08:00

So, I went for a 'short' training ride today. But, got massively lost. So, I ended up riding 24 miles instead of my proposed 10.

However, it was beautiful. For Yalies, I just took Whitney out for 10 miles to Quinnipiac University and Sleeping Giant Park. There I found some pretty sweet hills to train on.

Basically, take Mt. Carmel Ave to the east. The only scary thing is that the road is pretty thin and winding, and there were a lot of cars. otherwise, it was fabulous.

The only recommendations I give:

When biking, take water, perhaps a powerbar, a cell phone (for when you get lost) and a little bit of money for a bus back.

Also, tell someone where you are going, dress for the weather, and perhaps take a friend with you.

But although I got lost, I now feel rather buff and accomplished.

Route Planning

2006-03-18T11:43:00.000-08:00

So, the trip is starting to gel. We have several nights set for our accommodations this summer. I finally got my butt in gear and called all my contacts. Unfortunately, it's saturday and no one was at their offices. Not all life revolves on a college schedule.

Here is our tentative route for the summer. I can't seem to get it formatted right. There are two tentative re-routes (one through SD and one through WA). I will update as everything comes together. I'm also compiling a list of all the microbreweries and brewpubs along the way. I plan on tasting all sorts of new and interesting brews. And when I'm burning 10,000 calories a day, I can.

Date	Destination
26-May	New Haven, CT
27-May	Danbury, CT
28-May	New Paltz, NY
29-May	Callicoon, NY
30-May	Binghamton, NY
31-May	Work - Broome County HfH
01-Jun	Corning, NY
02-Jun	Houghton, NY
03-Jun	Buffalo, NY
04-Jun	Niagara Falls, NY
05-Jun	Brantford, ON
06-Jun	London, ON
07-Jun	Sarnia, ON
08-Jun	Orchard Lake, MI
09-Jun	Ann Arbor, MI
10-Jun	Work day in Ann Arbor, MI
11-Jun	Battle Creek, MI
12-Jun	Saint Joseph, MI (itinerary says Benton Harbor, MI)
13-Jun	Westville, IN (itinerary says Indiana Dunes National Lake, IN)
14-Jun	Evanston, IL
15-Jun	Day off
16-Jun	Lake Geneva, WI
17-Jun	Madison, WI
18-Jun	Richland Center, WI
19-Jun	La Crosse, WI
20-Jun	Stockholm, WI
21-Jun	Minneapolis, MN
22-Jun	Day off
23-Jun	Hutchinson, MN
24-Jun	Madison, MN
25-Jun	Watertown, SD
26-Jun	Miller, SD
27-Jun	Pierre, SD
28-Jun	Kadoka, SD
29-Jun	Badlands National Park
30-Jun	Rapid City, SD
01-Jul	Newcastle, WY
02-Jul	Gillette, WY
03-Jul	Work day in Gillette, WY
04-Jul	Buffalo, WY
05-Jul	Ten Sleep, WY
06-Jul	Riverton, WY
07-Jul	Dubois, WY
08-Jul	Grand Teton National Park
09-Jul	Day off
10-Jul	West Yellowstone, MT
11-Jul	Ennis, MT
12-Jul	Butte, MT
13-Jul	Work day in Butte, MT
14-Jul	Drummond, MT
15-Jul	Missoula, MT
16-Jul	Polson, MT
17-Jul	Kalispell, MT
18-Jul	Build day
19-Jul	Libby, MT
20-Jul	Sandpoint, ID
21-Jul	Newport, WA
22-Jul	Kettle Falls, WA (Colville)
23-Jul	Republic, WA
24-Jul	Okanogan, WA
25-Jul	North Cascades National Park
26-Jul	Day off
27-Jul	Rockport, WA
28-Jul	Mukilteo
29-Jul	Seattle, WA

We had a small but successful and enjoyable 'hydration practice' with some Yale Northies before spring break. Bender, Roller, Chase and I are looking to have some more bonding exploits before we get much closer to the set-off day.

Bikes are getting sent out, maps mailed to us... It's getting exciting!

I bought myself a CycleOps Mag Plus Trainer and have been industriously biking in the basement of a friend. I find it easier than going out in the chilly New Haven weather right now, and I can do it at night. (and watch television as I go). The only problem is that it is really really loud, so I can't do it when anyone else is around and still be social.

Otherwise, this has been a fabulous way to procrastinate from my senior essay.

-d

As time rolls on...

2006-02-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

So, we have a full trip now. We are still accepting applicants, because not a week goes by that someone doesn't drop.

However, bikes are coming in to the office, donations are being processed, several riders have passed their $4000 minimum. This week, we North leaders are starting to call up the places we want to stay in.

The whole idea of this trip still isn't quite real for me yet.

I live for cheques

2006-01-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

So, we've been trundling on, processing donations.

I've yet to send my letters out. I'm wholly a terrible example. However, I did get a template to work today when I attempted to write thank you letters. Which was pretty freakin' awesome.

Bike bike durka bike bike.

It All Starts Here

2005-11-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

So, I'm in a vicious effort not to do my work.

And it is working pretty well.

This is the first entry of the HBC North trip.

Leaders are Chase Correia (BR08), Emily Roller (BK07), Matt Bender (JE06), and Danni Lovell (JE06)

We'll be riding from New Haven, CT through Seattle, Washington from late May to late July.

Right now, we're hunting down a last leader, finding a webmaster, and basically just getting our bearings. I'm excited, Matt's ecstatic, and our trip is filling up quickly. I'm thrilled. And apprehensive about training, but that will come later.

-Danni

HABITAT WEBSITE