today is WORLD HABITAT DAY!

I'm advocating for a more sustainable National Service program that does not rely heavily on Congressional appropriations each year.

Today is a special, special day folks…it’s WORLD HABITAT DAY! WHD is an international holiday designated by the United Nations as the first Monday of October. The purpose of World Habitat Day is to bring attention to issues of shelter and housing worldwide.

Let’s face it, we look outside our picture window and see immaculately groomed lawns, stone facades, and children playing wiffle ball safely in the culdesac. Lovely, right? Well, most of the world does NOT see this pleasant image when they look out their window. Nearly a BILLION people see something along these lines…

With a population of 1 million, Kibera is one of the largest slums in Africa.

According to UN Habitat, one out of every three city dwellers – nearly a billion people – lives in a slum. Slums lack adequate services that we all take for granted and meerly overlook (Slum indicators include: lack of water, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, non-durable structures and insecure tenure.)

A child stands in front of a place of business in Kenya's Kibera slum.

Habitat for Humanity hopes that by raising awareness and advocating for universal decent housing we can dismantle and alter the systems that allow for poverty housing and make an affordable, decent place to live a reality for all.

In addition to building homes in partnership with people in need, Habitat advocates to address the causes of poverty housing. Advocacy activities always include a specific request, such as asking supporters to sign a petition or sending a message to an elected official.

As I wrote last time, Habitat International is putting together a worldwide photo petition to send to Congress. Austin Habitat for Humanity has made huge efforts to contribute to this photo advocacy campaign by asking their volunteers, staff, board members, and partner families, “What will YOU build?”

Austin Habitat has collected nearly 150 pictures thus far to contribute to Habitat International’s photo wall . Check them out on our flickr group!

If you want to get involved, upload your own photo to the wall and take action now by emailing your Congressmen in support of safe and decent housing.

p.s. Watch this great vid about Austin Habitat…

What will you build??

My favorite response thus far…“WALKABLE STREETS.” There are so many good answers to this question, and I am very excited to find out what local Austinites have to say.  Tomorrow I will be taking Habitat for Humanity International’s World Habitat Day photo campaign to five on-going construction sites of Austin Habitat for Humanity.

The World Habitat Day Photo Wall is a global petition to demonstrate the support of adequate housing for all as a legislative priority. This year, HFHI hopes to collect more than 3,000 photos from Habitat supporters all around the world.

As a new member of the Volunteer Services department of Austin Habitat, I am syked to have the opportunity to work with so many dedicated volunteers and to spread the message of World Habitat Day over the next few weeks. So…

What is World Habitat Day?

• What? World Habitat Day is a day for grassroots action, a time for people to unite against substandard housing worldwide.

• When? Monday, Oct. 4, 2010. The first Monday in October was designated World Habitat Day by the U.N. General Assembly in 1985.

• Why? Families face a daily struggle for mere survival. Substandard dwellings leave people vulnerable to disease, crime, malnutrition and natural disasters.World Habitat Day calls attention to the tremendous need for decent, affordable housing all over the world. It recognizes the basic need all human beings have for adequate shelter.

• How many? One billion people, one-sixth of the world’s population, live in deplorable conditions in dilapidated slums and shantytowns. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to 2 billion.

• Who? You. World Habitat Day reminds people everywhere of our collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

(This is a nice little excerpt from the official World Habitat Day brochure which has loads of great information if you want to know more about this U.N. holiday)

Want to do your part?? Take action now! Also, whip out that new digital cam and submit your own photo today!

Volunteer opportunities to help Haiti!!

One of the tent cities that has sprung up around Port-au Prince, Haiti after the earthquake.

So everyone knows the deal in Haiti.  Devastation.  Destruction.  DISASTER.  Habitat for Humanity International is responding to this disaster and addressing shelter solutions, including the delivery of shelter kits.  These kits are intended to help families construct or repair temporary shelters and provide a safer and cleaner environment to live in as we begin to rebuild Haiti.  

If you are in the Atlanta area, and would like to DIRECTLY help Haiti, we need your help!  This week, we are assembling over 8,000 shelter kits to be shipped to Port-au Prince, Haiti.  Whirlpool is graciously assisting us by providing enormous warehouse space for the preparation and assembly of the kits.  

We’ll be assembling them Monday through Thursday of this week and really need additional volunteers for Monday and Thursday.  You can sign-up for half day or full day shifts between 9 am and 5 pm.  Sign-up online with Hands On Atlanta. 

If you aren’t in the area, but would still like to help, please pass this information along to anyone you know near Atlanta that may want to volunteer.  Also, check out our website for other ways you can help.

lets do it again!

Before you get too excited, let me clarify…I am doing Bike & Build again this year, not a cross-country summer trip, but an alumni ride over New Years! It’s called the Chris Webber Memorial Ride (or CWM as we like to say) and goes from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  It’s reserved only for those who have braved a summer (or two) of cross-country cycling and are jonesing for another blissful Bike & Build experience…only this time it’s a tenth of the distance, flat as a board, and still worth every minute.

 

Now I’m faced with another fundraising challenge, but no where near as intimidating as that staggering 4G I conquered a few months ago [FYI, I ended up raising nearly $5,000 (including in-kind gifts) for my last journey].  For CWM, we’re required to raise $375 in order to go on the trip.  This money goes toward the CWM Fellowship which supports affordable housing projects conducted by Bike & Build alum.

 

Once again, I’m asking for a little help in reaching my fundraising goal.  This trip is like Bike & Build on crack, everything happens so quick…my deadline to raise the funds is merely weeks away!! By DECEMBER 1st I need to have raised the $375…so please donate whatever you can.

 

Rest assured, I have pledged my commitment to this cause with a hundred dollar donation as well as a firm letter to Santa stating that all I want for Christmas is to do Bike & Build once again.  I greatly appreciate any help you can offer in supporting my trip and the affordable housing cause.

 

My friend Brad is AMAZING and has created some of the best Bike & Build vids of all time!  The one above is my favorite, but definitely check out the others found on our B2SB youtube channel:

 

youtube.com/user/b2sb09

 

Oh and I just had to throw in our mustache vid as well…

WORLD HABITAT DAY – Oct. 5

Isn’t that awesome!?  Remember the “It all starts at home” photo petition I blogged about?  Well, Habitat took the thousands of photos people submitted (including one from me, my sis, AND Kenny Roger!) and put together this sweet collage that makes up the World Habitat Day logo. 

 

Now, as you may or may not know, this Monday (Oct. 5) is WORLD HABITAT DAY.  It is a U.N holiday that occurs the first monday of October every year.  The purpose is to globally unite and declare that the lack of decent, affordable housing is unacceptable.  Raising awareness and advocating for change are the first steps toward transforming systems that perpetuate poverty housing.

 

I’d like to ask a small favor…if you believe in the basic human right to safe and decent shelter, then please take a moment to send this photo petition to congress and to Ask Congress to Make Housing A Priority on World Habitat Day!  It’s quick, it’s easy, and it makes a world of difference…literally.

 

 

If you’d like to educate yourself about the problem, check out these statistics and research about poverty housing in the U.S. and around the world.  It’s easiest to point to the slum conditions abroad to demonstrate the extreme (and terrible) conditions people are living in.   I would highly recommend this documentary, Slum Survivors, which talks about the largest slum in the world (Kibera, located in Kenya).  It provides great insight as to what it’s like to live in a slum and what substandard housing actually means. [Click the link...you can watch the whole thing online!]

 

 

To start making a difference, visit AdvocateWithHabitat.org to voice your support for an end to poverty housing both in our nation and abroad.

 

santa barbs

Since I had the official journal entry for Day 65 going into SANTA BARBARA, CA, I thought I would just share it here with you.  I’ll jazz it up a bit, then post some final reflections to close this lovely blog out.

 

Santa Paula to SANTA BARBARA, CA

August 20th, 2009

 

The day started out in Santa Paula, waking up with tons of excitement in the air. Everyone was in good spirits, singing and dancing as they packed up for the last time. With “the Killers” and epic “Boondock Saints” music playing in the background, it was quite surreal watching everyone clean up and get ready for the final ride. We had a phenomenal breakfast provided by the Church of Christ, including scrambled eggs, large, fluffy pancakes, and freshly picked California oranges and grapefruits (yum). Our cue sheet meeting was pretty memorable when Denis and Ravi pumped us up with a Bike and Build version of the “Cool Runnings” speech.

 

The weather on this Thursday morning was very grim…cloudy, drizzly, and cool. It reminded us all of our departure from Revere Beach, Massachusetts where we had precisely the same weather. We all laughed about it as we slipped on our arm-warmers and saddled up for the ride.

 

The ride was short and enjoyable. I rode on the “sweep team” which included Megan, Cali, Ali, and myself. The day was filled with DM (donation magic) and beautiful sights. We had free coffee and donuts for second breakfast, then free subway for lunch. Thanks for the support!

 

 

Our ride was mainly on a bike path that followed the coast, giving us our very first views of the Pacific. A few miles before the beach, we all met up at Lookout Park and as we approached it, the grey skies opened up and the clouds quickly scattered away. Rolling into the park, the sun shined brightly down on all the bikers laying in the grass with the beach and ocean right before our eyes.

 

Riding 31 deep for the last few miles to East Beach, Santa Barbara was one of the most exciting moments of the trip. We took the town by storm, dominating bike paths and whole lanes of traffic. My heart was racing as we caught a breath-taking view of this coastal cliff rising from the beach, filled with palm trees and colorful flowers. It was truly amazing.

 

 

As you may know, one of our beloved riders, Sarah Royal, broke her elbow two weeks ago. We all wanted to finish together, so we picked her up with a mile left to the beach. It was such a cinematic moment seeing her waiting at the start of the bike path in this crazy bike contraption. It was a three-wheeler with a full seat so that she could lean back and just use her one good arm while cycling in the last mile.

 

 

She led the pack all the way to East Beach where we were greeted with a fanatic group of family and friends. They cheered us on with their oversized Bike and Build signs and along with the screaming riders, we caused quite the commotion. We pulled up to the beach, threw down our bikes and ripped off our jerseys. A finish line/chute had been set up, so we sprinted down the beach whizzing past the colored flags and diving straight into the Pacific. It was the moment we had all been waiting for…singing our trip song, “Build me up Buttercup” in the Pacific. Such an epic moment, so well earned. Bottles of champagne were popped and we all celebrated the insane achievement that we had accomplished TOGETHER.

 

 

 

Jacqui’s mom continued with her habits of generous baking by bringing a very large tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to the beach (they were still warm from the oven!). The beach was spectacular and just looked like a little slice of heaven.  We all lined up and dipped our front tires into the Pacific to mark the completion and end of an epic journey.

 

 

The rest of the afternoon involved biking another few miles to the church we were staying at, fighting traffic on our long journey to shower at the YMCA, and getting spruced up for our end-of-trip celebration. We had a banquet at the Santa Barbara Golf Course with riders and their families. Each leader gave a brief speech/presentation…Ali did a picture slideshow recapping the trip, Megan read a poem that she composed, and Nathan worked his magic in getting a widely popular live performance of one of our favorite songs, “Frustrating” (Brad Milison and Aaron Goldstein). We laughed, we cried, we laughed again (and again, and again) as we reminisced about our wonderful journey and all the great memories we’ve had. Following the banquet, drinks and wild celebration ensued late into the night. Good times all around.

 

Boston to Santa Barbara was an AMAZING trip and even though it is quite possibly the most intense route (thanks José!) I know that we are all so proud and thankful to have been a part of B2SB. SHOUT OUTS to all our gracious and generous parents, especially those who provided some wonderful meals and mail-drop goodies. Thanks to everyone who supported and followed our journey, we couldn’t have done it without you.

 

it’s the final countdown

Alright, I admit this is way overdue, but better late than never, right?  I’m actually down in Americus, GA, where I have been officially welcomed to the South….yesterday, at a youth rec soccer game I learned that “hands” is a two-syllable word (pronounced “hay-ends”).  I love it.  But back to where I left off…the final days in Cali:

 

• luscious descent – leaving Palmdale, we finally exited the desert in quite a dramatic fashion.  Of course, the day started with miles of climbing, but then it led into one of the most pleasant and welcomed descents of the trip.  We followed winding roads down the mountain into a luscious green, california valley.  There was the smell of citrus in the air, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, we felt cool…actually, even a bit nippy.  There was SHADE! We had forgotten what it was like to experience shade, and it was literally a breath of fresh air.  It was funny because as we passed through the shade we would go in and out of cold and hot pockets, and you could really feel the difference. 
• in n’ out – a classic west coast burger joint, known for its “secret” menu.  When first observing the menu over the counter, it seems quite small and simple.  Fools.  There’s so much more that you have to know before you go…”animal style” is where it’s at.
• six flags – Santa Clarita is home of the L.A. area’s very own Six Flags, so naturally we had to go.  We ended up going to their water park, Hurricane Harbor, and had a grand ole time.  We got a group discount, but inside it was hella expensive ($14 for a fountain soda! $7 to rent a tube for the lazy river!).  The rides were lots of fun, especially the vortex/taco, but our six flags experience went so fast due to the incredibly long waits (ironic, right?). 

the vortex

• grants – as you know, Bike and Build facilitates a competitive grant process for youth-oriented affordable housing groups.  I was super excited to discuss and disburse the funds we raised to some very deserving groups across the country.  We had roughly $18,000 to give out in grants, and after long debates, we chose Youth United of Vegas, Habitat of Lowell - Mass, Tulsa Habitat, and Rebuilding Together of Springfield - Mass.  I’m really proud of where are money is going…especially the youth united group in Vegas because they had a really outstanding grant application, and I know that this grant will make an impact on a completely youth-sponsored, youth-built Habitat home. YAY YOUTH UNITED!
• smokin joes – another example of two constants of our bike and build trip: 1) extremely generous parents, 2) we destroy toilets…destroy.  So, Alex’s mom was super nice and took us all out to lunch on our short, 35 mi day into Santa Clarita.  Lunch was delicious, even though we overwhelmed their kitchen and waited almost two hours for our burgers…on top of that, we all were suffering a bit because after about a half-hour of being at the restaurant, we managed to clog their toilet and consequently flood the bathroom.  Sorry Smokin Joes…
• citrus disaster – going into Santa Paula was a day full of citrus.  We smelled it all along our ride, and then stumbled upon our first orange orchards!  Naturally, Emmy and I stopped to explore the orchard…but we got ourselves into a wee bit of trouble.  Emmy picked a ripe orange from the tree, and moments later we were confronted by a large, scary man in a pick-up truck.  He confiscated the orange and warned us that we were in line for a $1500 fine!  He let us go with a warning…but not before reminding me (just me) that there was a restroom down the road and I should not even think about pissin on his orchard.
• citrus delight – as i said, the day was filled with citrus.  When we got into Santa Paula, our wonderful host (Church of Christ) had provided us with a crate full of oranges!  They were freshly picked from one of the parishioner’s yards and they were simply delicious.  Incredibly juicy, and such a fantastic treat.  I ate two on the spot, and then peeled one for our gimp, Royals, who was very appreciative.
• Church of Christ(mas) – this host was really superb…felt like christmas in august.  First, they had the fantastic oranges.  Then, they shuttled us to parishioner’s houses for luxurious private showers.  In the evening, we were royally spoiled with an insane amount of food…including a wide array of pasta, meat, veggies, fruit, and DESSERT!  I had the most scrumptious chocolate cheesecake…yummm.  There was a huge showing from the community, which is always cool to have.  Before dinner, the pastor made an announcement saying that no one could eat until each rider had gotten seconds.  This was a bit radical, but incredibly generous and considerate (one of our biggest fears is running out of food after having  just burned 5,000 calories).  There were a surprising amount of children there, and I got to sit with a precious little family.  It was a mother, her two daughters, and their grandmother.  They were asking us all about our trip, and were really enthused about it.  Towards the end of dinner, one of the little girls said, “I can’t wait till I’m eighteen so I can do Bike & Build!”  Her mother was supportive, and it was just so…cute.
• ceremonial mustache shaving – Santa Paula was our last stop before Santa Barbara, so it was determined that the molestache challenge would end there.  We had a ceremonial mustache shaving at a local bar that fully supported our endeavours.  Emmy had the honors of shaving each participant’s stache…starting with the best of the best, Denis.  It was really tough for her, and she protested at first, but finally Emmy was able to pull herself together and shave five years off Denis, who regained his babyface that night.  All fifteen guys had participated in the challenge, and now, that the trip was coming to an end, we finally ceased to look creepy and had an air of decency for once.

Denis and his handlebars

 

the molestache club

• the roast – after our ceremonial shaving, we returned to the host site where we engaged in the widely anticipated Leader Roast.  Trey hit it off with hilarious light-hearted jokes about all of our fearless leaders.  They each got the recognition they deserved for their finest (and most “eccentric”) qualities.  Too many inside jokes to share…or understand

 

fyi, the next post will be dedicated solely to Santa Barbara…so get syked!

it all starts at home

Habitat Photo Petition: "It all starts at Home"

Join Habitat for Humanity’s photo petition!  Habitat needs our help to remind President Obama that human health and well-being starts with having a simple, decent place to live.  Join me in reminding the U.S. government that “It all starts at home.”

 

Follow the Habitat photo petition instructions to post your photo to Flickr.  If you submit your photo by September 25, 2009, Habitat will deliver your photo to the White House in honor of World Habitat Day 2009.

 

I was reading the latest issue of Habitat World, and I came across this article I really liked…so I thought I’d share.  It’s the winner of a national essay contest, and I think it gets at the heart of what the affordable housing movement is all about:

 

The CWP Winning Essay by Kelli Akremi

 

“I couldn’t do my homework last night. It got dark too fast.”

Sighing softly to myself, I turned to face Edwin. In my many years of teaching fourth grade, I’ve heard a countless number of excuses as to why homework is missing or incomplete. I just did not expect to hear this from Edwin, a bright, gifted fourth grader.

“Why didn’t you just turn on a light?” I asked.

“I couldn’t,” Edwin whispered, his voice nearly inaudible as he fought back tears. “The company turned off the electricity last week.”

As the rest of the class completed a reading assignment, I listened to Edwin’s heartbreaking story. Both of his parents worked long hours at their jobs, but they couldn’t afford to buy a house and barely managed to pay the rent on their townhouse each month. Faced with a mounting pile of bills in the mailbox, Edwin’s parents were recently forced to make difficult choices. Shelter or electricity? Fix the broken lock on the front door or buy school supplies for the children? Purchase food or gasoline for the car? Unlike the math tests I administer, there are no correct answers to such questions. Choices had to be made, though. Ultimately Edwin’s family had started to eat cold dinners by candlelight and, for safety, to sleep crammed together in the one tiny bedroom that had a lock on the door.

It was my turn to fight back tears.

“It’s OK,” comforted Edwin. “We have a place to sleep and my parents love me. I’m really sorry that I didn’t do my homework, though.”

Without realizing it, Edwin gave me a homework assignment of my own to work on that night. What is a “home”? In his young eyes, a home is a place to sleep and a place where children feel the comfort of their parents’ love for them. In my eyes, a home is a place with so much more. Doors with locks to provide feelings of safety and security. Piping hot meals eaten in well-lit rooms. Tables covered with piles of artwork (and devoid of overwhelming mortgage notices). Family areas filled with laughter and memories next to nooks for individual times of solitude. Children at desks completing homework under the glow of a bright lamp.

I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity because of students like Edwin. No child should have to worry about doing homework in the dark. All children deserve a place to learn and discover their potential. And this begins with a decent home, I learned from my young student Edwin.

spelled Cali, pronounced Cal-lay

i haven’t biked in almost two weeks, all my scabs have fallen off, and my quads are still huge and quite bulbous (ppl insist on testing their firmness).  It’s odd to be done, and like most, i’m suffering from bike and build withdrawal.  No worries though, there are plenty of pictures on facebook to immerse myself in the memories and now we even have some vids up from our trip.  check out Alex Nguyen’s video:

 

 

So I left off in California…I’ll start back again with my evening in Twenty-nine Palms

 

• you’re a good man, Charlie Brown – in Twenty-nine Palms, we stayed at the Little Church of the Desert, which was a wonderful host.  The pastor’s name was Charlie Brown, and he was ever so nice.  He shuttled us to a parishioner’s house so we could enjoy their pool on that hot, hot day.  Then, we had a great dinner back at the church with a huge turnout from the community.
• slumber party – after dinner, we were all auctioned off to be taken home with the parishioners.  Families would put in requests (such as two females, or three males) and we were split up and sent off for the night.  It reminded me of meeting my host family when i studied abroad…Brad and I stayed with a woman named Cynthia up in the mountains at the edge of the city.  Her house was fairly isolated, so it had a phenomenal view of the stars…we got to see the milky way again that night!
• rough ridin – everyone had looked forward to/feared the 120 mile day, but in fact the real challenge was the 90 mile day that followed it.  Riding into Victorville, CA we faced brutal head winds, draining heat, and bumpy roads that did not help our serious chafing issues.
• gas station domination – so at mile 81 on that rough day, we found refuge at a Chevron gas station.  Megan and Cali initiated it, then we all followed, but they just plopped down in front of the tasty cakes, pretty much in front of the front door blocking an entire aisle of goodies.  I’m surprised we didnt get yelled at…we were such a mess.  Megan and Cali were taking pics of each other and laughing deliriously, then Sadie, Tati, and I joined them on the floor as we chatted loudly and sipped on our cold beverages.
• slumber party part deux – in Victorville, we stayed at this empty house…it was weird, and ever so crowded.  Since there were way too many people and bags inside, i initiated the movement to sleep outside.  It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed several games of “catchphrase” before catching some z’s under the stars.
• Palmdale build day – we worked with the Antelope Valley Youth Build School and fixed up foreclosed properties.  We ripped up a roof and removed all the shingles, cleared three front yards of overgrown grass and bushes, and did some grading for a pathway.

bloggers cant be choosers

so i’m actually all done and back on the east coast now.  twas an amazing summer and i feel the need to share the rest of it with yall.  its time to catch up where I left off…

 

first, here’s my last album of pics: last album…rly  (they’re from my disposable camera…so yea)

 

• “consecutive flats are the worst” – riding from the Grand Canyon to Ash Fork, AZ I was “sweep” with good ole Brad Milison.  We kind of dropped the ball as sweep since we had so many of our own bike issues.  Brad got three consecutive (and explosive) flats before even leaving the national park.  We would pump them up, get close to the required pressure, then POOFFFFFFFFFF…the tube would explode and when we inspected it, it looked like a squirrel was taking a huge bite out of it…three times over.  ridic.  We used all our tubes, and we even switched out the tire with the spare we were carrying.
• gimp – on our ride to the Grand Canyon we had a very unfortunate accident.  Sarah Royal, native new jerseyan and author of “Creative Cursing”, had a piece of tire get stuck in her front wheel which immediately flipped her over her handlebars, landing right on her elbows.  She broke her left elbow and had to get a complicated surgery resulting in a nasty, frankensteinesque wound complete with at least thirteen staples.  She was okay, just in a lot of pain, and incapable of riding the last two weeks of the trip.  Even though shes a gimp, we still love her 

precious royals

• Prescott – great little town in the green mountains of Arizona.  It was a short day, so we got in super early (11:45) and got to explore.  We hung out in the town square/park just laying on the grass, got some bargain ice cream, played in a hat shoppe, and then headed back to the church for a delightful dinner.  The ladies of the First Congregational Church were FANTASTIC.  They loaded us up with fresh veggies, south-western chili (with avocados!) and yummy home baked cookies.  Even more amazing was the fact that they came in at 4 am the next morning to provide another phenomenal meal: pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt with granola…I declared it the BEST breakfast of the trip.  Thanks ladies.
• desert descent – leaving Prescott, we were excited because we were dropping thousands of feet…but unfortunately, that meant we were dropping into the sizzling heat of the desert.  We thought we had been through the desert, but we were sadly mistaken.  The “real” desert was quite an experience.  The ride started off with one of the greatest descents of the trips.  GORGEOUS.  We were winding through forest-filled, green mountains and as we made our way down along the curves of the mountains, the landscape transformed drastically.  The mountains turned into giant piles of rocks/dirt, the ground became completely void of trees, and cacti started peeking out to say hello.  We saw fields of classic cacti and we were officially welcomed to the desert.

•  death – we had been relatively lucky in terms of heat…we had a hot hot day in oklahoma, then it kind of cooled off for a while.  unfortunately, that cool streak was over when we hit Salome, AZ.  It was a ninety-five mile day, so we left at 6 am but we should’ve left earlier because at the end of our ride it was 1 pm and deathly hot out.  It was 115 degrees, and even hotter on the road (radiating heat sucks).  People did NOT handle the heat well…I was doing fine up until mile 91.  At that point, I knew I only had a few left to go, but i suddenly felt really, really sick.  It was an overwhelming feeling of nausea and light-headedness and it really felt like I was going to die.  The heat was merciless and there were NO trees to offer any sort of relief from the sun.  My body started crashing and my legs weren’t working.  They were moving so slowly and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t make them go any faster.  At that point, I did the only thing i knew to do when you weren’t feeling well…EAT.  It’s pretty much the universal bike and build solution…”getting grumpy? eat something.”  So i ravishly ate a cliff bar, but in the process I knocked out a package of “smarties” from my camelback!  Smarties are one of my favorite candies and this one was special because it was a gift!  Someone at the Grand Canyon gave it to me when I told them I was biking across the country (candy from strangers, safe right?).  Anyway, i lost my smarties but the infusion of 240 calories into my system saved me.  It allowed me to ride out the last four miles (ever so slowly) and crawl into the air-conditioned paradise that Salome’s First Baptish Church so graciously provided us with.

• zoom zoom – the next day we did NOT mess around.  We jetted out of Salome to avoid the brutal heat and bang out a short 66 mile day to Parker, AZ.  There must have been a tailwind or something, because we were flying (avg = 21 mph).  We got there in a mere three hours (approx. 9:30 am), which was completely ridiculous.  Skipped lunch and only stopped once at a gas station for some cold water
• you call that cold water? – so i came to the realization that cold water in the desert is quite the luxury.  If you turn just the cold faucet on, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to have not lukewarm water, but fairly HOT water.  I had never experienced such a thing.  After death in Salome, all i wanted was a cold shower, but what did i find!?  a nice hot one without even touching the hot water faucet.
• Colorado River – in Parker, AZ we ended up camping right on the Colorado River!! it was SO sweet.  Since we were there uber early, we had some lunch, then headed to the “Roadrunner,” a floating bar on the river.  It was basically a covered, mist-filled dock where you could sit back, enjoy a drink or two, then jump off into the cool water of the colorado river.  It was a beautiful sight…the river’s deep blue contrasted boldly with the brown mountains that rose straight up across the river.  Those mountains looked like giant piles of dirt, or a scaled up BMX course…and it happened to be CALIFORNIA.  We could’ve swam right over if we wanted to.

Nathan and Emmy jumping in

• DM jetskis – the highlight of the day was by far the insane DM we scored.  Brad, Cali, and I stopped to talk to this couple on the river about Bike and Build.  They were really interested to hear all about it, and the husband was a cyclist himself.  He warned us of the days to come and that we needed to take extra caution with these California desert roads.  He had his own jetski and he asked if we wanted to take it for a spin!  Brad went first and zoomed up the river towards the floating bar.  I went next and continued this bragging tradition as i sped by everyone at the “Roadrunner” to show them how cool i was.  Cali went last, and she made the mistake of pulling over at the bar to talk to the other bike and builders.  Emmy tried to climb in and catch a ride, so Cali zoomed off back down the river.  It was my first time on a jetski and yes Bray, you were right…it was AWESOME