Hey guys,
I've posted some more Bike & Build videos to my youtube page. When you click on the link, it will automatically start playing from the first new video I uploaded, and the rest will play automatically, so just keep watching to see all of the new videos.
These were all videos taken by fellow Bike & Builder Kerri Socha, and one of the videos actually features me (Nina) as the subject (ahem, dearest mother who complains that all of my videos are videos of other people). ;)
Alternatively, you can watch ALL of my uploaded videos (including the ones uploaded a few weeks ago) here: all 68 Bike & Build videos. Comments are welcome! yay!
I will keep this blog open (as well as my twitter) and continue to post (albeit less frequently) any biking or Bike & Build related events in my life.
Thank you all again for supporting me!! Bike & Build was the coolest thing I have ever done and such a great cause to boot. :)
Cheers,
Nina
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Videos!
Check out the compilation video I made with most of the footage I had taken over the summer!
All of my unedited videos can also be seen on my youtube page, including a few that didn't make it into the compilation vid.
Bike & Build: Southern U.S. 2009 from Nina Chen on Vimeo.
All of my unedited videos can also be seen on my youtube page, including a few that didn't make it into the compilation vid.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Pictures!
My hundreds of Bike & Build photos are now available online, hooray: http://picasaweb.google.com/zenithguitar.
Additionally, my study abroad pictures from last fall in London are also posted there, for those curious about my other cross-country, er, cross-continental adventures. (For the extra observant, the "10-17-08 london, stonehenge, and bath" album documents Becca Bainbridge's visit, so you'll be able to see pictures of both of us not biking. Shocking, I know.)
But wait, there's more! Videos to come soon! :)
Additionally, my study abroad pictures from last fall in London are also posted there, for those curious about my other cross-country, er, cross-continental adventures. (For the extra observant, the "10-17-08 london, stonehenge, and bath" album documents Becca Bainbridge's visit, so you'll be able to see pictures of both of us not biking. Shocking, I know.)
But wait, there's more! Videos to come soon! :)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Downieville, CA to Yuba City, CA
I decided to ride with sweep that day, which meant that I left the host last with Anna Baeth and Luc. The host was this house in the midst of a gorgeous, winding mountain road that follows along this super, clear river. Almost everyone was stopping at the cafe at mile 5 for breakfast, since it was only a 72 mile ride day and thus a "short day." As usual, Bike & Build swamped this little cafe that only has one waitress and one cook, so it took some people up to 45 minutes to get food. I got the eggs & bacon breakfast, which comes with 2 eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, and a little slice of watermelon. Luc got the deluxe breakfast, which is all of the above plus sausage, as well as two pieces of french toast and two gigantic pancakes...i.e. 3 breakfasts. Everyone ate their food (and scavenged some of Luc's pancakes), and we didn't actually leave the cafe until 10:30am. Rebecca and Laura joined us (Rebecca said that she had been at that cafe since at least 7:45am, haha), and we headed out to climb the first mountain.
Halfway up the mountain, we run into Tim's group (Tim, Laurel, Max, Anna, and Jordan) and stop to find out that they were picking blackberries from the side of the road behind the guardrail. We ate a lot of wild blackberries, which were all along the side of a cliff. At one point, Rebecca held on to the back of my jersey because I was leaning forward really far to reach some larger blackberries that had been yet un-scavenged by hungry Bike & Builders.
We crossed over a dam on the way to lunch (the water was SO BLUE. Like the kind you only see in tv commercials for the Bahamas or something).
Fifteen miles after lunch, we stop at an intersection where we see a restaurant with bikes outside. We go inside and see Tim's group is getting food, so Luc and I get some fries. Then 11 miles after that, we stopped a gas station where Ashley, Jacki, and Emily Boydstun were, and then a bunch of us got ice cream. Laura got an It's-it, which Tim had told us about and was super excited to have once we got to the San Francisco area. (It's an oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich dipped in chocolate.)
Fifteen miles later, we pass a church sign that says "Jesus is why there is myspace in heaven." I stop to take a picture. We then get lost half a mile from host. After asking for directions several times, we finally make it, where dinner and showers awaited us.
As sweep, we determined that being sweep basically means that not only do you stop when others stop, but that you eat when they eat. I.e. you eat all day: eat big breakfast at some cafe in morning, go 10 miles, meet up with one group who's eating, eat with them. Go 10 more miles, meet different group that's snacking, eat with them. Go 10 more miles, eat at lunch, etc. It's great!
Quote of the day:
"Feet, fart, and fun: the smells of Bike & Build" - Anna Hankins
Halfway up the mountain, we run into Tim's group (Tim, Laurel, Max, Anna, and Jordan) and stop to find out that they were picking blackberries from the side of the road behind the guardrail. We ate a lot of wild blackberries, which were all along the side of a cliff. At one point, Rebecca held on to the back of my jersey because I was leaning forward really far to reach some larger blackberries that had been yet un-scavenged by hungry Bike & Builders.
We crossed over a dam on the way to lunch (the water was SO BLUE. Like the kind you only see in tv commercials for the Bahamas or something).
Fifteen miles after lunch, we stop at an intersection where we see a restaurant with bikes outside. We go inside and see Tim's group is getting food, so Luc and I get some fries. Then 11 miles after that, we stopped a gas station where Ashley, Jacki, and Emily Boydstun were, and then a bunch of us got ice cream. Laura got an It's-it, which Tim had told us about and was super excited to have once we got to the San Francisco area. (It's an oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich dipped in chocolate.)
Fifteen miles later, we pass a church sign that says "Jesus is why there is myspace in heaven." I stop to take a picture. We then get lost half a mile from host. After asking for directions several times, we finally make it, where dinner and showers awaited us.
As sweep, we determined that being sweep basically means that not only do you stop when others stop, but that you eat when they eat. I.e. you eat all day: eat big breakfast at some cafe in morning, go 10 miles, meet up with one group who's eating, eat with them. Go 10 more miles, meet different group that's snacking, eat with them. Go 10 more miles, eat at lunch, etc. It's great!
Quote of the day:
"Feet, fart, and fun: the smells of Bike & Build" - Anna Hankins
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Day off in Ely, NV
Here is the third journal that I have written for the group journal page.
My day off in Ely, Nevada began with me waking up at 7:30am, which had been the earliest I had ever gotten up on a day off. The fact that I accidentally fell asleep at 6pm the previous night may have contributed to my “early” wake up time (still late by our 4:30am standards). As usual, there were already a few people awake by that time, so we wandered around in the dark finding out if people were interested in getting breakfast. By the time we left, about half the group had waken up, so we all headed out to the Silver State Restaurant, which was recommended by our host.
The directions we were given by the host including cutting through a cemetery, but when we reached it, we discovered that sprinklers were on in the morning and thus drenching the walkway with water. We had a dilemma: should we run through the sprinklers or walk an extra half a block to go around the cemetery?
We hesitated for about 30 seconds. Suddenly, the cemetery was filled with a dozen yelping Bike & Builders running awkwardly downhill in their flip flops while trying to dodge the sprinklers (and failing miserably). By the time we reached the bottom, everyone was in hysterical giggling fits and more awake than they would have been had they had three cups of coffee.
However, that is not to say that we still can’t have three cups of coffee anyway. Or seven. To say that we enjoyed the free refills of coffee at the café would be an understatement. We also thoroughly enjoyed our real breakfasts that had lovely things like eggs and pancakes! Ah, the simple luxuries that one enjoys after living on a food budget of $4 a day for two months.
After breakfast, the girls in the group split off to go visit some of the local thrift stores. Our mission: to find completely ridiculous (and fantastic) outfits for roller derby day. We had decided near the beginning of the trip that the girls would dress up in roller derby costumes for one day and give each other roller derby nicknames, such as “The Hammer” (Jane), “Sonic” (Anna Baeth), or “Hurricane Nina” (real name unknown). Today we decided to finally put this plan into action and debut our outfits the next ride day. Some of the better outfits included a green halter top with hood (it IS as odd as it sounds), two identical leopard print dresses with matching cardigans, and a bright yellow belt covered in frayed, blue denim patches. Thrift stores are great – I got my camouflage overall skirt with matching camouflage shoes for a grand total of $1.75 . . . roller derby was clearly a big budget day.
Afterwards, people split off into little groups that went to the library, got ice cream, or just explored. I ended up walking back to the host with Becca and Rachel Bainbridge, and we once again cut through the cemetery, although this time the sprinklers were no longer on. We did, however, get stopped by a passing pickup truck. A somewhat elder looking man leans out his driver side window and beckons us closer. As we approach, he asks, “What side of a chicken has the most feathers?” We stare at him blankly for a few seconds before I realize that I know the answer and blurt out, “The outside!” “You got it!” he says, while pointing his finger at me and slowly driving off. Becca, Rachel, and I look at each other and just burst out laughing. I think it’s safe to say that we all just had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, since I’m pretty sure that I won’t be stopped in the middle of a cemetery to be asked a riddle anytime in the near future.
Later that night, we watched “He’s Just Not That Into You” while eating dinner, since someone had rented it from the video store. It was certainly interesting (we made fun of the bad advice the movie kept giving), but we haven’t watched movies in so long that it was still something to do. Then another night of sleeping on a gym floor before roller derby day the next morning!
My day off in Ely, Nevada began with me waking up at 7:30am, which had been the earliest I had ever gotten up on a day off. The fact that I accidentally fell asleep at 6pm the previous night may have contributed to my “early” wake up time (still late by our 4:30am standards). As usual, there were already a few people awake by that time, so we wandered around in the dark finding out if people were interested in getting breakfast. By the time we left, about half the group had waken up, so we all headed out to the Silver State Restaurant, which was recommended by our host.
The directions we were given by the host including cutting through a cemetery, but when we reached it, we discovered that sprinklers were on in the morning and thus drenching the walkway with water. We had a dilemma: should we run through the sprinklers or walk an extra half a block to go around the cemetery?
We hesitated for about 30 seconds. Suddenly, the cemetery was filled with a dozen yelping Bike & Builders running awkwardly downhill in their flip flops while trying to dodge the sprinklers (and failing miserably). By the time we reached the bottom, everyone was in hysterical giggling fits and more awake than they would have been had they had three cups of coffee.
However, that is not to say that we still can’t have three cups of coffee anyway. Or seven. To say that we enjoyed the free refills of coffee at the café would be an understatement. We also thoroughly enjoyed our real breakfasts that had lovely things like eggs and pancakes! Ah, the simple luxuries that one enjoys after living on a food budget of $4 a day for two months.
After breakfast, the girls in the group split off to go visit some of the local thrift stores. Our mission: to find completely ridiculous (and fantastic) outfits for roller derby day. We had decided near the beginning of the trip that the girls would dress up in roller derby costumes for one day and give each other roller derby nicknames, such as “The Hammer” (Jane), “Sonic” (Anna Baeth), or “Hurricane Nina” (real name unknown). Today we decided to finally put this plan into action and debut our outfits the next ride day. Some of the better outfits included a green halter top with hood (it IS as odd as it sounds), two identical leopard print dresses with matching cardigans, and a bright yellow belt covered in frayed, blue denim patches. Thrift stores are great – I got my camouflage overall skirt with matching camouflage shoes for a grand total of $1.75 . . . roller derby was clearly a big budget day.
Afterwards, people split off into little groups that went to the library, got ice cream, or just explored. I ended up walking back to the host with Becca and Rachel Bainbridge, and we once again cut through the cemetery, although this time the sprinklers were no longer on. We did, however, get stopped by a passing pickup truck. A somewhat elder looking man leans out his driver side window and beckons us closer. As we approach, he asks, “What side of a chicken has the most feathers?” We stare at him blankly for a few seconds before I realize that I know the answer and blurt out, “The outside!” “You got it!” he says, while pointing his finger at me and slowly driving off. Becca, Rachel, and I look at each other and just burst out laughing. I think it’s safe to say that we all just had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, since I’m pretty sure that I won’t be stopped in the middle of a cemetery to be asked a riddle anytime in the near future.
Later that night, we watched “He’s Just Not That Into You” while eating dinner, since someone had rented it from the video store. It was certainly interesting (we made fun of the bad advice the movie kept giving), but we haven’t watched movies in so long that it was still something to do. Then another night of sleeping on a gym floor before roller derby day the next morning!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Page, AZ to Jacob Lake, AZ
Internet and phone service is available again! Here is the second journal that I have written for the group journal page. Full blog posts are still hard to do, so don't forget to check out my twitter page for mini-posts that are posted whenever I have phone service.
The morning started out once again at 4:30am as we woke up in the town of Page, AZ. This was our last host site before three full days of camping, and it seemed as though we were moving just a little bit slower that morning in order to savor having a roof over our heads. As part of the breakfast crew chore group for that week (yea, Flock of Seagulls!), I helped prepare the 60(!) eggs that St. David’s Episcopal Church had provided for us to go along with all the delicious dinner leftovers that we would be having with our standard breakfast foods of cereal and oatmeal.
After breakfast and the host had been cleaned up, I headed out for the day with Rebecca Bainbridge. The elevation began at 4300 feet, and we began our slow climb towards the first mountain of the day, which peaked at 5800 feet. Along the way, we met up with Laurel, Ashley, and Emily B. Halfway to the mountain, we saw the van approaching behind us. As it passed, Nate honked at us as the van driver usually does, but then to our surprise, Kerri poked her head out the passenger side door. “Ice cream!” she yelled, while waving two ice cream bars out the window. As the van pulled over, I felt like a little kid chasing an ice cream truck, except we were adult bicyclists screaming after a 16-person van with trailer. We had a lot of ice cream bars left over from dinner, and they were very well served as a mid-morning snack. Adam was so excited with his sundae cone that he powered up the next hill holding it triumphantly in the air like an Olympic torch.
Ice cream break over, we started to slowly, slowly, slowly climb the mountain. There was a brief pause as we reached the top where the road seems to disappear over the edge, and then we crested it and let gravity take over. All of sudden, the valley was visible beneath us, and it was breath-taking as it seemed to stretch out endlessly into the distance. We zipped down that road and almost flew to first lunch, descending at over 30mph. Unfortunately for me, my cheap little bike computer has difficulties reading speeds over 26-30mph, at which point it gives up and reads “0mph”, so I never know quite what my max speed is, only that it is more than 30mph.
After lunch, we rode along Marble Canyon and the Vermilion Cliffs, enjoying the sights but also being fully aware of the fact that the road could be as much as 30 miles shorter had it cut straight through the canyon instead of the taking the scenic route alongside it. We certainly didn’t mind it that much since it was a scenic route, but it did remind us of the sort of things people take for granted in a car: taking winding roads with ease, motoring up hills, and being unfazed by intense wind.
The above is also a fairly accurate summary of that afternoon: blistering headwinds and crosswinds, no shoulder, and a very long, slow climb out of the valley. Becca and I averaged about 5 miles per hour for a long time and got super excited whenever we would briefly reach 7 or 8 miles per hour. When we finally climbed over another hill and saw the trailer about two miles away, it felt like it was both really close and really far at the same time, since we could see it, but it still took almost half an hour to get there. Stopping for second lunch was a welcome and much needed break.
As we were about the leave, Becca discovered that she had a flat, so Konrad and Max stayed with us as we changed the flat while Ashley, Laurel, and Emily went on. Just as they started to leave, the wind picked up even more, and we watched as a dust storm began to gather in the distance. Konrad tied a handkerchief around his face, and we all turned away from the wind as the sand hit the backs of our legs at ridiculous speeds. Even just standing there, the sand stung as it hit us, and we hoped that the riders who were riding through it would be okay. “Eventful day” would be an understatement.
Dust storm passed, tire changed, we set out to climb one last mountain before we reached our campsite at Jacob Lake. This mountain lasted for several miles, but by then, the wind had died down, so it was actually easier to climb the steeper hills than it was plowing through the headwind earlier. When we reached camp, we did what was most important first, which was getting milkshakes at the Jacob Lake Inn, of course! While there, some people saw our trailer and asked what we were doing. Upon hearing that we had come all the way from Florida and raised about $150,000 for affordable housing, they gave us a $100 donation! Thank you again to the Walkers and the Koons!
After milkshakes, it was time to eat dinner and go to bed. Showers were $2.50, so a number of people did not shower, since we would be smelly the next day anyway. Plus, it’s Bike and Build; we’re smelly all the time anyway, hehe.
The morning started out once again at 4:30am as we woke up in the town of Page, AZ. This was our last host site before three full days of camping, and it seemed as though we were moving just a little bit slower that morning in order to savor having a roof over our heads. As part of the breakfast crew chore group for that week (yea, Flock of Seagulls!), I helped prepare the 60(!) eggs that St. David’s Episcopal Church had provided for us to go along with all the delicious dinner leftovers that we would be having with our standard breakfast foods of cereal and oatmeal.
After breakfast and the host had been cleaned up, I headed out for the day with Rebecca Bainbridge. The elevation began at 4300 feet, and we began our slow climb towards the first mountain of the day, which peaked at 5800 feet. Along the way, we met up with Laurel, Ashley, and Emily B. Halfway to the mountain, we saw the van approaching behind us. As it passed, Nate honked at us as the van driver usually does, but then to our surprise, Kerri poked her head out the passenger side door. “Ice cream!” she yelled, while waving two ice cream bars out the window. As the van pulled over, I felt like a little kid chasing an ice cream truck, except we were adult bicyclists screaming after a 16-person van with trailer. We had a lot of ice cream bars left over from dinner, and they were very well served as a mid-morning snack. Adam was so excited with his sundae cone that he powered up the next hill holding it triumphantly in the air like an Olympic torch.
Ice cream break over, we started to slowly, slowly, slowly climb the mountain. There was a brief pause as we reached the top where the road seems to disappear over the edge, and then we crested it and let gravity take over. All of sudden, the valley was visible beneath us, and it was breath-taking as it seemed to stretch out endlessly into the distance. We zipped down that road and almost flew to first lunch, descending at over 30mph. Unfortunately for me, my cheap little bike computer has difficulties reading speeds over 26-30mph, at which point it gives up and reads “0mph”, so I never know quite what my max speed is, only that it is more than 30mph.
After lunch, we rode along Marble Canyon and the Vermilion Cliffs, enjoying the sights but also being fully aware of the fact that the road could be as much as 30 miles shorter had it cut straight through the canyon instead of the taking the scenic route alongside it. We certainly didn’t mind it that much since it was a scenic route, but it did remind us of the sort of things people take for granted in a car: taking winding roads with ease, motoring up hills, and being unfazed by intense wind.
The above is also a fairly accurate summary of that afternoon: blistering headwinds and crosswinds, no shoulder, and a very long, slow climb out of the valley. Becca and I averaged about 5 miles per hour for a long time and got super excited whenever we would briefly reach 7 or 8 miles per hour. When we finally climbed over another hill and saw the trailer about two miles away, it felt like it was both really close and really far at the same time, since we could see it, but it still took almost half an hour to get there. Stopping for second lunch was a welcome and much needed break.
As we were about the leave, Becca discovered that she had a flat, so Konrad and Max stayed with us as we changed the flat while Ashley, Laurel, and Emily went on. Just as they started to leave, the wind picked up even more, and we watched as a dust storm began to gather in the distance. Konrad tied a handkerchief around his face, and we all turned away from the wind as the sand hit the backs of our legs at ridiculous speeds. Even just standing there, the sand stung as it hit us, and we hoped that the riders who were riding through it would be okay. “Eventful day” would be an understatement.
Dust storm passed, tire changed, we set out to climb one last mountain before we reached our campsite at Jacob Lake. This mountain lasted for several miles, but by then, the wind had died down, so it was actually easier to climb the steeper hills than it was plowing through the headwind earlier. When we reached camp, we did what was most important first, which was getting milkshakes at the Jacob Lake Inn, of course! While there, some people saw our trailer and asked what we were doing. Upon hearing that we had come all the way from Florida and raised about $150,000 for affordable housing, they gave us a $100 donation! Thank you again to the Walkers and the Koons!
After milkshakes, it was time to eat dinner and go to bed. Showers were $2.50, so a number of people did not shower, since we would be smelly the next day anyway. Plus, it’s Bike and Build; we’re smelly all the time anyway, hehe.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Wichita Falls, TX to Altus, OK
This is the journal that I was assigned to write for the group journal page.
It was another early morning for the Bike and Build crew as we woke up at 4:30am in the Wichita Falls YMCA. Breakfast was the usual simple Bike and Build meal: cereal, bananas, oranges, and coffee. You’d think it’d be easy enough to make it through the morning uneventfully, but some people (or maybe just this person, heh) tried to refill the industrial sized coffee maker and instead managed to get coffee everywhere because she couldn’t figure out how to stop the water from pouring through the filter even though the coffee maker was off. Hm . . .
As people started heading out that morning towards our next new state (Oklahoma), I discovered one of the more unpleasant things of a typical Bike and Build day: the dreaded flat tire in the morning. With the wear and tear of each day’s biking, it usually happens at least once a week to somebody on the trip, but each time, it never fails to be a surprise. Becca Bainbridge waited for me to change my tire, and we finally headed out as the last people before sweep, who are the two riders that are assigned to ride in the back for the day.
Along the way, we turned onto a new road that we would to be riding on for nine miles and promptly encountered a bright orange sign that said, “ROAD WORK: NEXT 8 MILES.” As we bumped along, we exchanged stories to pass the time and distract ourselves from the “mildly uncomfortable” butt massagers that our bikes had become. When the road work ended, we started riding a lot faster since the road was nicer, but we had only gone a few miles before Becca yelled, “Stop! Camels!” As confused as I was, I stopped anyway and saw Becca pointing at the small herd of camels that were grazing on the other side of the road. We took some pictures, and I chalked the road with “Camels! <=,” so that the riders behind us would see the chalk and the camels. (They did indeed stop and ended up crossing the street and seeing the camels up close. Some of the camels even walked up to the fence so that the riders could pet them.)
Usually chalk is used to indicate which direction to turn on a confusing street or whether we should turn off for lunch, but sometimes it can really be used for anything, like when we chalked that there were camels. Riding along, we saw lots of random, fun things like “=),” “I wish I were on a boat right now,” and my favorite, “STOP: Hammer time.”
After lunch, we encountered some serious, 15-20 mile headwind that did not let up for basically the whole 50 miles we were on that road. We usually try to take breaks every 15 miles or so on a normal ride day, but that day, we stopped after 2 miles to go to the bathroom and then 8 miles after that because we were exerting so much energy. As we approached the only shade we had seen for the past ten miles (a barn by someone’s house), we could see a convertible in the driveway with two curiously unmoving people sitting on the back of it. As we got closer, we realized that it was two mannequins dressed in bikinis sitting on top of this classic style convertible just hanging out on the front lawn. It was certainly . . . unique. We weren’t the only ones to think that either. While we sat in the shade of the barn, we watched as a random SUV stopped in front of the house. A woman came running out of it to pose in front of the convertible while her husband took a picture. She then ran back into the car, and it just drove off, perhaps not even seeing the tired bikers huddling in the shade nearby. We took some of our own pictures before leaving, hoping that the owners didn’t mind too much that we enjoyed their little oasis of shade in the endless road of powerful headwind.
Becca and I toiled on for many more miles before we finally turned onto a new road away from the wind so that it became a tailwind. We zipped along the smooth flat road, thoroughly enjoying the fact that we could actually coast downhill without coming to an abrupt stop because of the wind working against us. We crossed the border into Oklahoma (and took pictures with the state sign) and made it to the host with a few minutes to spare. It was a long, hot day, but it was definitely a boost each time we saw something unexpected on the road, be it silly chalk or bikini-clad mannequins on someone’s front lawn. The things you see on the road in a day of Bike and Build . . .
It was another early morning for the Bike and Build crew as we woke up at 4:30am in the Wichita Falls YMCA. Breakfast was the usual simple Bike and Build meal: cereal, bananas, oranges, and coffee. You’d think it’d be easy enough to make it through the morning uneventfully, but some people (or maybe just this person, heh) tried to refill the industrial sized coffee maker and instead managed to get coffee everywhere because she couldn’t figure out how to stop the water from pouring through the filter even though the coffee maker was off. Hm . . .
As people started heading out that morning towards our next new state (Oklahoma), I discovered one of the more unpleasant things of a typical Bike and Build day: the dreaded flat tire in the morning. With the wear and tear of each day’s biking, it usually happens at least once a week to somebody on the trip, but each time, it never fails to be a surprise. Becca Bainbridge waited for me to change my tire, and we finally headed out as the last people before sweep, who are the two riders that are assigned to ride in the back for the day.
Along the way, we turned onto a new road that we would to be riding on for nine miles and promptly encountered a bright orange sign that said, “ROAD WORK: NEXT 8 MILES.” As we bumped along, we exchanged stories to pass the time and distract ourselves from the “mildly uncomfortable” butt massagers that our bikes had become. When the road work ended, we started riding a lot faster since the road was nicer, but we had only gone a few miles before Becca yelled, “Stop! Camels!” As confused as I was, I stopped anyway and saw Becca pointing at the small herd of camels that were grazing on the other side of the road. We took some pictures, and I chalked the road with “Camels! <=,” so that the riders behind us would see the chalk and the camels. (They did indeed stop and ended up crossing the street and seeing the camels up close. Some of the camels even walked up to the fence so that the riders could pet them.)
Usually chalk is used to indicate which direction to turn on a confusing street or whether we should turn off for lunch, but sometimes it can really be used for anything, like when we chalked that there were camels. Riding along, we saw lots of random, fun things like “=),” “I wish I were on a boat right now,” and my favorite, “STOP: Hammer time.”
After lunch, we encountered some serious, 15-20 mile headwind that did not let up for basically the whole 50 miles we were on that road. We usually try to take breaks every 15 miles or so on a normal ride day, but that day, we stopped after 2 miles to go to the bathroom and then 8 miles after that because we were exerting so much energy. As we approached the only shade we had seen for the past ten miles (a barn by someone’s house), we could see a convertible in the driveway with two curiously unmoving people sitting on the back of it. As we got closer, we realized that it was two mannequins dressed in bikinis sitting on top of this classic style convertible just hanging out on the front lawn. It was certainly . . . unique. We weren’t the only ones to think that either. While we sat in the shade of the barn, we watched as a random SUV stopped in front of the house. A woman came running out of it to pose in front of the convertible while her husband took a picture. She then ran back into the car, and it just drove off, perhaps not even seeing the tired bikers huddling in the shade nearby. We took some of our own pictures before leaving, hoping that the owners didn’t mind too much that we enjoyed their little oasis of shade in the endless road of powerful headwind.
Becca and I toiled on for many more miles before we finally turned onto a new road away from the wind so that it became a tailwind. We zipped along the smooth flat road, thoroughly enjoying the fact that we could actually coast downhill without coming to an abrupt stop because of the wind working against us. We crossed the border into Oklahoma (and took pictures with the state sign) and made it to the host with a few minutes to spare. It was a long, hot day, but it was definitely a boost each time we saw something unexpected on the road, be it silly chalk or bikini-clad mannequins on someone’s front lawn. The things you see on the road in a day of Bike and Build . . .
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Updates from the road
Since it is so difficult for me to access the internet on the road, I have opened up a twitter account: http://twitter.com/ninabikes so I can use my phone to send text messages about what I am doing and have it posted online. These short updates (think of it as a mini blog) will only appear on twitter and not on my main blog, so hopefully I'll be able to let you guys know more about what I am doing. Feel free to leave comments about anything (either on the blog or through twitter); I'd love to hear what you guys think! :)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Carthage, TX to Athens, TX
Today's route: 94 miles from Carthage, TX to Athens, TX
We woke up this morning at 5am in the house of a previous Southern U.S. Bike and Build rider. I was sleeping alone on a recliner in a room in the corner and did not hear the wakeup call, so I did not actually get up until 5:20 when I heard people moving around outside. I packed my bag as quickly as I could (the rule is that no one eats breakfast until all the bags are packed in the trailer) and actually managed not to be the last person packed. We then had a delicious breakfast of pancakes, cereal, coffee and orange juice, amid the chaos of everyone filling up their water bottles and cleaning their bikes.
Lots of people had already left by the time I was ready, and there were only about 5 riders left, including sweep, which are the two riders who are assigned to ride in the back to make sure everyone is okay. I left at around 7am with Rebecca Carter, and we headed out into the Texas sun. Well, it was actually more like Texas dense fog, and it was very eerie riding through fog so thick that visibility was only a few feet. Thoughts of Stephen King's The Mist kept coming to mind.
Rebecca and I took turns leading as we zipped down the road thinking that everyone was way ahead of us because they left so early. We ended up passing some of the slower riders (we affectionately call them "The Slugs") and a large group of at least 10 people that were waiting for someone to change a flat tire. We finally caught up to another group that was riding and traveled with this group until we reached the first lunch stop. The group pulled in just as the van was parking, so we were the first group to arrive. I was thrilled because I had never been in the first group to arrive at lunch and especially not after leaving almost last.
After lunch, (including some delicious donated lunch meat...lunch never has meat usually since it's too expensive to buy), we all headed out to the pool party that was being held at mile 70. The hosts were the family of yet another Southern U.S. alum, and everyone was excited for the break in the long day. Three miles from the party though, we encountered construction and freshly paved roads. While this is a plus for cars, it is completely impossible to bike on because gravel would get stuck in the wheels and lock the bike up, and many people ended up with melted tar all over their wheels. Becca Bainbridge and I alternated between biking 20 feet, stopping to get out all the rocks, or just walking the bikes in the grass. Those three miles took us about an hour, and all we wanted was to go to the pool party. When we finally made it, everyone just relaxed and had some delicious food and ice cream. We also found out that some people managed to hitchhike their way across the construction, while others got a ride from the van or just toiled through it like Becca and I did.
When we left, we biked the last 25 miles mostly on a very narrow road with no shoulder and rolling hills. Kerri and I almost got run off the road by a semi passing another semi, but still managed to make it to the host right before 7pm. It was a long day and will be another long day tomorrow (~100 miles again: the mileage on the website is not necessarily up to date, but as of today, everything listed for before July 4th is correct). Our average mileage is way more than the original stated 65, but by the end of trip, riding multiple centuries (100 mile rides) in a row will be a piece of cake for everyone. Although hopefully not something that we would need to continue doing after Bike and Build. :P
We woke up this morning at 5am in the house of a previous Southern U.S. Bike and Build rider. I was sleeping alone on a recliner in a room in the corner and did not hear the wakeup call, so I did not actually get up until 5:20 when I heard people moving around outside. I packed my bag as quickly as I could (the rule is that no one eats breakfast until all the bags are packed in the trailer) and actually managed not to be the last person packed. We then had a delicious breakfast of pancakes, cereal, coffee and orange juice, amid the chaos of everyone filling up their water bottles and cleaning their bikes.
Lots of people had already left by the time I was ready, and there were only about 5 riders left, including sweep, which are the two riders who are assigned to ride in the back to make sure everyone is okay. I left at around 7am with Rebecca Carter, and we headed out into the Texas sun. Well, it was actually more like Texas dense fog, and it was very eerie riding through fog so thick that visibility was only a few feet. Thoughts of Stephen King's The Mist kept coming to mind.
Rebecca and I took turns leading as we zipped down the road thinking that everyone was way ahead of us because they left so early. We ended up passing some of the slower riders (we affectionately call them "The Slugs") and a large group of at least 10 people that were waiting for someone to change a flat tire. We finally caught up to another group that was riding and traveled with this group until we reached the first lunch stop. The group pulled in just as the van was parking, so we were the first group to arrive. I was thrilled because I had never been in the first group to arrive at lunch and especially not after leaving almost last.
After lunch, (including some delicious donated lunch meat...lunch never has meat usually since it's too expensive to buy), we all headed out to the pool party that was being held at mile 70. The hosts were the family of yet another Southern U.S. alum, and everyone was excited for the break in the long day. Three miles from the party though, we encountered construction and freshly paved roads. While this is a plus for cars, it is completely impossible to bike on because gravel would get stuck in the wheels and lock the bike up, and many people ended up with melted tar all over their wheels. Becca Bainbridge and I alternated between biking 20 feet, stopping to get out all the rocks, or just walking the bikes in the grass. Those three miles took us about an hour, and all we wanted was to go to the pool party. When we finally made it, everyone just relaxed and had some delicious food and ice cream. We also found out that some people managed to hitchhike their way across the construction, while others got a ride from the van or just toiled through it like Becca and I did.
When we left, we biked the last 25 miles mostly on a very narrow road with no shoulder and rolling hills. Kerri and I almost got run off the road by a semi passing another semi, but still managed to make it to the host right before 7pm. It was a long day and will be another long day tomorrow (~100 miles again: the mileage on the website is not necessarily up to date, but as of today, everything listed for before July 4th is correct). Our average mileage is way more than the original stated 65, but by the end of trip, riding multiple centuries (100 mile rides) in a row will be a piece of cake for everyone. Although hopefully not something that we would need to continue doing after Bike and Build. :P
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Hello from Marianna, Florida!
Hi Bike and Build friends!
I am presently in a public library in Marianna, Florida on my day off. I have limited access to internet throughout the trip, but I will try to update the blog when I can. In the meantime, you can follow the main trip blog at http://www.bikeandbuild.org/rider/route.php?route=SUS&year=2009. There, you will be able to see where we are, how far we've progressed, photos, and the group blog, which is updated every day by a different rider.
Presently, the group blog does not have the most recent posts because we camped out in state parks for the first two biking days of the trip (June 13th and 14th) and did not have access to internet. (We have nice air conditioned hosts for a while now, so no more camping for some time.) All newer the posts should be up soon, and then you can check for daily updates there.
I'll try to post more about what I've done specifically (and pictures of course!), but I have two minutes left on this computer, so more news soon!
Thank you all again!
I am presently in a public library in Marianna, Florida on my day off. I have limited access to internet throughout the trip, but I will try to update the blog when I can. In the meantime, you can follow the main trip blog at http://www.bikeandbuild.org/rider/route.php?route=SUS&year=2009. There, you will be able to see where we are, how far we've progressed, photos, and the group blog, which is updated every day by a different rider.
Presently, the group blog does not have the most recent posts because we camped out in state parks for the first two biking days of the trip (June 13th and 14th) and did not have access to internet. (We have nice air conditioned hosts for a while now, so no more camping for some time.) All newer the posts should be up soon, and then you can check for daily updates there.
I'll try to post more about what I've done specifically (and pictures of course!), but I have two minutes left on this computer, so more news soon!
Thank you all again!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hills galore and "stock" photos
So now that school's been over, I've been back at home in a suburb of Philadelphia, biking mostly in Tyler State Park, which is right near my house. Now while it's quite nice having somewhere to bike where I don't have to worry about traffic (like the bike path around Manhattan), I quickly learned that I had been spoiled by the flatness of New York City. What? Biking 30 miles in Manhattan? No problem.
Tyler Park, on the other hand, is apparently Hill Capital. Its own website says, "If you’re riding a bicycle, remember that nearly all of the trails on the west side of the creek are hilly." The first time I went biking there, I discovered that, yes, sometimes I do have to use more than just the middle 2 of 27 total possible gears, hehe.The good thing about having uphills, though, is that there are downhills. Wheee! I also discovered that it is best to keep one's mouth closed when traveling at high speeds through heavily wooded areas with lots of little, flying bugs. Unless one likes the extra protein.
 |
I set the camera precariously on top of sign that said "Caution: Steep Hills" (figures :P) and carefully set the 10-second timer. Then I had to hurriedly get onto the bike and then bike extra slowly past the front of the sign. After biking at a snail's pace for a few seconds, I would bike back to pick up the camera and see if the picture turned out okay. The resulting picture is actually a result of the third try, since on the first try the camera overexposed, and all the picture showed was a massive ray of sunlight. Then on the second try, I didn't get on the bike fast enough and accidentally ended up taking a picture of a passing jogger instead.
I mean, behold! Breath-taking action shot! :D
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Past Bike and Builds
Check out the new video that Bike and Build made: learn a little more about Bike and Build, and see some of the cool things I'll be doing this summer!
If for some reason the above video does not work, you can also watch it through the direct link here.
If for some reason the above video does not work, you can also watch it through the direct link here.
Friday, May 15, 2009
"Bike, bike, bike . . . "
First off, apologies for not updating more often . . . however, finals are finally (pun not intended) over! That means more time for biking, building, and blogging! And other things that begin with "b" . . . er, baking?
Anyway, before school was over,
I had gone biking in New York City a number of times. I lived right in the middle of Chinatown, so my friend Becca and I decided to try biking along the south side of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, which is a bike path that runs along the edge of Manhattan, separated from traffic. Unfortunately, there was construction along most of that side, including the lovely signs that accompany said construction, "Bikers must dismount and walk bicycles." Becca and I pretty much walked down to the south end of Manhattan before encountering any open bike routes, and even then, we had to bike really slowly to avoid running into the massive swarms of tourists visiting the Statue of Liberty and South Street Seaport.
What? Lots of people would be outside on a sunny Saturday afternoon in New York City? What a silly notion... :P
After that, I would only go biking in the late afternoon/early evening,
which actually turned out to be quite nice since there were less people around, and it was cooler outside.
You can see a tiny Statue of Liberty on the left side of the picture to the right.
I also discovered that if I went north instead of south on the greenway, there was no more construction and only miles and miles of beautiful straightaways. While biking, I was not wearing headphones and listening to music as I did all winter at the gym (since it's unsafe). So with nothing to listen to as I biked up the west side of Manhattan, I found myself thinking "bike, bike, bike, bike, bike..." as I spun away on the pedals. At one point I caught myself and briefly wondered if I was going crazy. Naaah.
Riverside park, which I didn't even know existed until I biked straight into it. Cool, huh?
"Bike, bike, bike..."
Anyway, before school was over,
I had gone biking in New York City a number of times. I lived right in the middle of Chinatown, so my friend Becca and I decided to try biking along the south side of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, which is a bike path that runs along the edge of Manhattan, separated from traffic. Unfortunately, there was construction along most of that side, including the lovely signs that accompany said construction, "Bikers must dismount and walk bicycles." Becca and I pretty much walked down to the south end of Manhattan before encountering any open bike routes, and even then, we had to bike really slowly to avoid running into the massive swarms of tourists visiting the Statue of Liberty and South Street Seaport.What? Lots of people would be outside on a sunny Saturday afternoon in New York City? What a silly notion... :P
After that, I would only go biking in the late afternoon/early evening,
which actually turned out to be quite nice since there were less people around, and it was cooler outside.You can see a tiny Statue of Liberty on the left side of the picture to the right.
I also discovered that if I went north instead of south on the greenway, there was no more construction and only miles and miles of beautiful straightaways. While biking, I was not wearing headphones and listening to music as I did all winter at the gym (since it's unsafe). So with nothing to listen to as I biked up the west side of Manhattan, I found myself thinking "bike, bike, bike, bike, bike..." as I spun away on the pedals. At one point I caught myself and briefly wondered if I was going crazy. Naaah.
Riverside park, which I didn't even know existed until I biked straight into it. Cool, huh?"Bike, bike, bike..."
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Adventures at the gym
Adventures at the Gym
A story told in pictures
by Nina Chen
(Click on the pictures to see the full-size versions)
Nina is excited to go to the gym today. NYU and the Coles Sports and Recreation Center get some free advertising.
Nina is excited* to be at the gym today. Bemused bystanders scratch their heads and wonder why people are taking pictures in the exercise room.
Nina documents a day's exercise at the gym.
Nina then proceeds to have a snack, thus negating any caloric benefits of having biked for 45 minutes. :D
*Note the careful use of the same face in each picture, in order to create an instantly recognizable "Nina" expression. Also may or may not be an excuse just to make a silly face at the camera.
A story told in pictures
by Nina Chen
(Click on the pictures to see the full-size versions)
Nina is excited to go to the gym today. NYU and the Coles Sports and Recreation Center get some free advertising.
Nina is excited* to be at the gym today. Bemused bystanders scratch their heads and wonder why people are taking pictures in the exercise room.
Nina documents a day's exercise at the gym.
Nina then proceeds to have a snack, thus negating any caloric benefits of having biked for 45 minutes. :D
*Note the careful use of the same face in each picture, in order to create an instantly recognizable "Nina" expression. Also may or may not be an excuse just to make a silly face at the camera.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Route change!
As some of you may know, I was originally signed up for the Providence to Seattle route, which goes, as one would expect, from Providence, Rhode Island to Seattle, Washington. However, I recently switched to the Southern U.S. route, which starts in Jacksonville, Florida and ends in San Francisco, California. The new route is about 200 miles shorter (3534 instead of 3765 miles), but we'll be spending a week rebuilding houses in areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. And we get to bike along the Grand Canyon and across the Golden Gate Bridge! yay!
So, besides my obvious love of 100+ degree weather (hahaha), I had signed up for Bike and Build with my roommate and best friend Rebecca Bainbridge. (She's awesome, you should support her too!)
Unfortunately, it is apparently not easy to access fax machines while studying abroad in Berlin. Long story short, we were not placed in the same trip.
This made us
. Then I switched trips. Now we're 
.
Hooray cross-country bike trips for charity!
Also, I guess that means this picture is outdated:
Hm . . .
There. Much better. :)
So, besides my obvious love of 100+ degree weather (hahaha), I had signed up for Bike and Build with my roommate and best friend Rebecca Bainbridge. (She's awesome, you should support her too!)
Unfortunately, it is apparently not easy to access fax machines while studying abroad in Berlin. Long story short, we were not placed in the same trip.
This made us
. Then I switched trips. Now we're .Hooray cross-country bike trips for charity!
Also, I guess that means this picture is outdated:
Hm . . .
There. Much better. :)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Welcome to my Bike and Build blog!
Hi there!
Here you shall find the online journal of my preparation and eventual trip with Bike and Build this summer. If you're wondering what Bike and Build is, here is a brief synopsis:
BRIEF SYNOPSIS (warning: may contain spoilers)
Being an easily excitable 20-something college student, Nina felt that her standard student schedule of work, schoolwork, and more work was not demanding enough. By chance meeting, she comes across a bright, young non-profit called Bike and Build. Bike and Build makes her a proposition: she can go on the coolest summer trip of a lifetime, biking across the United States in two months and stopping to build houses along the way. The catch? She must raise $4000 for the cause of affordable housing before the summer begins. No problem, Nina says. Comedic hilarity and dramatic training montages ensue.
***spoiler***
You, the reader, help Nina raise more than $4000 for affordable housing, and lots of people get new homes! Yay!
Also, Roger Ebert gives the film "two thumbs up" for feel-good family fun! Shocking.
Want to learn more or help out?
Learn!
Help!
Here you shall find the online journal of my preparation and eventual trip with Bike and Build this summer. If you're wondering what Bike and Build is, here is a brief synopsis:
BRIEF SYNOPSIS (warning: may contain spoilers)
Being an easily excitable 20-something college student, Nina felt that her standard student schedule of work, schoolwork, and more work was not demanding enough. By chance meeting, she comes across a bright, young non-profit called Bike and Build. Bike and Build makes her a proposition: she can go on the coolest summer trip of a lifetime, biking across the United States in two months and stopping to build houses along the way. The catch? She must raise $4000 for the cause of affordable housing before the summer begins. No problem, Nina says. Comedic hilarity and dramatic training montages ensue.
***spoiler***
You, the reader, help Nina raise more than $4000 for affordable housing, and lots of people get new homes! Yay!
Also, Roger Ebert gives the film "two thumbs up" for feel-good family fun! Shocking.
Want to learn more or help out?
Learn!
Help!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Who is this Nina person anyway?
Official Bike and Build bio! 
Award-winning recipe for Double Chocolate Chunk Ninas:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2 cups New York University (junior edition)
1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks
4 ounces obsessive music listening
2 to 5 tablespoons of indecisiveness
1/2 cup all-carb diet
3500 miles of biking
4 continents traveled
3 ounces chocolate covered espresso beans
1 teaspoon sarcasm with hints of cheekiness
1 dash adventurism
(optional) 1 teaspoon occasional laziness
Mix haphazardly. Add biking miles 65 miles at a time over the course of two months. Put in oven before oven is done preheating. Bake for 20 years, allowing 1 year for cooling. Sprinkle with chocolate covered espresso beans.
There are no reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!
What is Bike and Build?
General Highlights:
Bike and Build is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that organize cross-country bike trips to raise awareness and funds for affordable housing.
Bike and Build has raised over $1.6 million over the past six years, with almost half a million from the summer of 2008 alone!
Bike and Builders bike upwards of 4000 miles over the course of two summer months while stopping to build affordable houses in communities all over the country.
Learn more from Bike and Build's own About Us page.
The Southern route (my Bike and Build trip):
Who: Nina and about 30 other cool people!
What: A total of 3534 miles and 11 build days
Where: Jacksonville, Florida to San Francisco, California.
When: June 10th to August 17th
Why: To raise money and awareness for affordable housing! And because it's awesome!
Bike and Build is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that organize cross-country bike trips to raise awareness and funds for affordable housing. Bike and Build has raised over $1.6 million over the past six years, with almost half a million from the summer of 2008 alone! Bike and Builders bike upwards of 4000 miles over the course of two summer months while stopping to build affordable houses in communities all over the country.Learn more from Bike and Build's own About Us page.
The Southern route (my Bike and Build trip):
Who: Nina and about 30 other cool people!
What: A total of 3534 miles and 11 build days
Where: Jacksonville, Florida to San Francisco, California.
When: June 10th to August 17th
Why: To raise money and awareness for affordable housing! And because it's awesome!
Why is affordable housing important?
In light of the United States' current (and completely problem-free) housing market, affordable housing is more important than ever.
Affordable housing (aka Fair Market Rate): housing for which rent or mortgage payments (plus utilities) does not exceed 30% of the family's income.
There is no county in the country where an individual can
work 40 hours per week at the minimum wage and afford even a
one-bedroom apartment at the local Fair Market Rate.1
Problem: About 27 million people spend more than 30 percent of their monthly income on housing (with half of these people spending more than 50 percent).
Problem: People who work more than 52 hours a week on minimum wage would still end up spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
Renter's Wage: the wage required for a single individual to be able to afford the Fair Market Rate working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year (no vacation or sick days).
Want to help make a difference? See How can I help? for more information.
1http://www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2008/introduction.pdf
Affordable housing (aka Fair Market Rate): housing for which rent or mortgage payments (plus utilities) does not exceed 30% of the family's income. There is no county in the country where an individual canwork 40 hours per week at the minimum wage and afford even a
one-bedroom apartment at the local Fair Market Rate.1
Problem: About 27 million people spend more than 30 percent of their monthly income on housing (with half of these people spending more than 50 percent).
Problem: People who work more than 52 hours a week on minimum wage would still end up spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
Noticeable gap between Renter's Wage and minimum wage (even when working 52 hours a week)
Renter's Wage: the wage required for a single individual to be able to afford the Fair Market Rate working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year (no vacation or sick days).Want to help make a difference? See How can I help? for more information.
1http://www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2008/introduction.pdf
How can I help?
Pick my name from the dropdown list if you'd like to support my efforts this summer.
Proceeds go to affordable housing organizations and communities around the country, yay!
Not sure how much to contribute? Sponsor a day of my trip for a dollar a mile! We average at about 65 miles daily, and it ranges from as little as 36 miles to as much as 110 miles in a single day. However, any amount is greatly appreciated!
Fun fact:
Not one to talk the talk without walking the walk, the highest contribution so far is from Nina Chen with a donation of $200. (Yep, that's me!)
I wonder if anyone will challenge my position as top contributor . . .
(6/3/09) Holy cow, thanks to Y. Ma and S. Cheng for matching my $200 donation! And thank you to all of you for supporting Bike and Build! $4770! Better than I could have imagined! :)
Still looking for more ways to help? Volunteer with your local affordable housing group! Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together are some awesome non-profits driven by volunteers and supported by Bike and Build.
Alternatively, if you are between the ages of 18 and 25, you could always try inspiring people by doing something wild and adventurous, like biking across the country for charity, hehe.
Proceeds go to affordable housing organizations and communities around the country, yay!
Not sure how much to contribute? Sponsor a day of my trip for a dollar a mile! We average at about 65 miles daily, and it ranges from as little as 36 miles to as much as 110 miles in a single day. However, any amount is greatly appreciated!
Fun fact:
Not one to talk the talk without walking the walk, the highest contribution so far is from Nina Chen with a donation of $200. (Yep, that's me!)
I wonder if anyone will challenge my position as top contributor . . .
(6/3/09) Holy cow, thanks to Y. Ma and S. Cheng for matching my $200 donation! And thank you to all of you for supporting Bike and Build! $4770! Better than I could have imagined! :)
Still looking for more ways to help? Volunteer with your local affordable housing group! Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together are some awesome non-profits driven by volunteers and supported by Bike and Build.
Alternatively, if you are between the ages of 18 and 25, you could always try inspiring people by doing something wild and adventurous, like biking across the country for charity, hehe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
