DAYVILLE TO FOSSIL
This ride was gorgeous! We rode through Canyons with hills that looked painted into the sky with natural terraces. I rode with Emily all day and we talked and admired the scenery, and lunch was at a river so we went swimming and of course stayed at lunch for 2 hours.
After lunch got really hot, and there was a 10 mile climb so that was tough, but Jake got a flat so we pulled over about a mile before the summit and ended up sitting and talking on the side of the road for about an hour until sweep got there. Almost everyone stopped to join the lazy party, and finally we climbed the last mile before descending into Fossil.
We did home stays with local families which was so weird- I was in a group with Raven, Zoe and Sam and we stayed at a woman named Mary's house which was at the top of the hill with a beautiful view. It was strange sleeping in a bed, mostly because waking up in the morning was so hard. Now I know why we don't sleep in beds.
FOSSIL TO MAUPIN
It was happy reunion in the morning as we saw our teammates after spending a night apart. The day started out with a 5 mile climb, whose descent led straight into a 10 mile climb. I had Jake as a great climbing buddy, and an awesome descent into lunch.
After lunch I rode with Fran and Jack, and we climbed to a ghost town called Shaniko, which was the most western looking place we'd been so far. I mean, they had a blacksmith.
We made a turn onto Bakeoven Road, and that's when things really started to heat up. There was no shade for miles, and of course this is where Fran gets a flat. As we go to change her flat, we hear the horrible sound of a deflating tire, as Jack gets a flat too! We of course only had one tube, and in the process of changing both tires we broke 3 pumps. Thankfully Jake came to the rescue with a tube that had a slow leak that we put in Fran's tire, and proceeded on our route.
By then it was like 4 pm, and the headwinds had sped up to what felt like 20 mph along with the blazing heat of Bakeoven road. Luckily we had a sweet descent into the valley that Maupin sits in.
The church in Maupin was awesome- they had a town party in the park where we got free ice cream sundaes and spoke a bit about Bike & Build before listening to some local music and participating in children's games of sack racing and water balloon toss.
MAUPIN TO PORTLAND
This ride was tough. 85 miles (Andrea and I managed to make it 90), climbing the base of Mount Hood. We had seen Mount Hood in the distance for a few days, and it was quite a site since it kind of pops out of nowhere. It's desert for miles in Eastern Oregon until the mountain just out and stands taller than anything for hundreds of miles.
The morning consisted of awful headwinds and led straight into Mount Hood National Forest, where we climbed all the way to lunch. The change in scenery was so drastic from the desert into the forest, it was a definite line which was really interesting to see the difference from where the mountains block the rain.
After all that climbing, a lunch nap was very necessary. The rest of the day wasn't too bad, besides getting lost twice and two flat tires. We got into Gresham, a suburb of Portland where we were staying, and had dinner before heading to the city.
A bunch of us went to Powell's City of Books, a book store the size of a city block, and three stories high. We then did the two things Bike & Builders do best: beer and ice cream.
BUILD DAY IN PORTLAND
This build was so much fun. We rode our bikes to the build site, and our crew leader James showed us how to frame walls and level them and raise them. Zack, Ben and I took a trip to another build site to retrieve some materials, and they let me drive the truck! James actually handed me the keys and sent us off, driving felt so strange, I kept thinking I should be wearing a helmet.
We were pretty productive considering the number of times Zack and I had to redo things and the number of dance breaks Jake took. That night we watched The Goonies in preparation for our arrival in Cannon Beach!
PORTLAND TO VERNONIA
All of us wanted to see more of Portland, so we rode through the city on our way out and stopped at bike shops and cafes and hung out for a few hours before biking out. Riding through Portland is amazing- their bike infrastructure is phenomenal and cars are really friendly to cyclists. We have all decided to move here.
The ride was pretty now that we're back in the forests- it actually reminded us of Virginia since it was more humid and lush, and we rode by a beautiful river and through the mountains. In Vernonia, we cooked dinner then went to a local bar where we overtook the jukebox and played all our favorite songs (much to the disappointment of the locals who quickly exited the bar).
CANNON BEACH!!!
This day was one I'll never forget. Our morning pump up was the most hype it's ever been, and we all rolled out together in a 29 man paceline- even though the day was full of climbing. The ride was gorgeous, through the coastal mountain range, even though the road was pretty busy. Most of us were distracted by the event that lay ahead: the end. The beach.
We all met up about 3 miles out from the beach so we could ride in together, and the leaders gave speeches which were cute and sentimental. We rode out and down into the town, and slowly (due to traffic) made it to the beach entrance where parents lined the street and cheered for us as we biked up. We set down our bikes, huddled together, and then sprinted to the ocean.
I can't describe the feeling of accomplishment. The second I saw Haystack Rock- the iconic view of Cannon Beach- the goal we'd been working towards for 3 months- I lost it. I ran crying tears both happy and sad, and hugged all of my teammates in the freezing water as we celebrated the biggest accomplishment of most of our lives.
After the hugging, crying, screaming, and freezing, we huddled together once more for a final cheer. What did we do today? Biked across the country. We grabbed our bikes and dipped the front wheel in the ocean, opposite what we'd done to start the trip.
My teammates parents brought wonderful food and champagne, and we had a picnic on the beach with families and friends. I can honestly say this was the happiest I've ever been, even though I was so sad it was over.
The team gathered again that night around a fire on the beach, and we sang "If it's the Beaches" by the Avett Brothers (this song became the theme song of our trip, as it talks about endings and beaches and mountains, and made us cry every time we thought about the end of the trip) and talked about favorite moments, hardest rides, best food, and amazing memories. The perfect way to end a summer full of companionship, teamwork, love, determination, and accomplishment. A summer I'll never forget, and friends I'll cherish forever.
Bike & Build, CUS 2013, we did it!!!
The Final Tally:
Miles: over 4,000
States: 13
Ride days: 74
Build days: 10
Days off: 4
Saddle sores: probably 15
Centuries: 3
Dance parties: uncountable
Bonfires: 8
Bikes stolen: 0!
Bikes broken: quite a few.
Flat tires: over 200
Hose showers: >20
Public fountain showers: 1
Highest elevation climbed: 12,000 ft
Longest climb: ~15 miles
Bonus miles: ~150
Cuddle Puddles: 50+
Lunches forgotten: 1 (good job Kyle)
Serious injuries: only 2!
Tornadoes encountered: 1
Spaghetti sandwiches eaten: a surprising number. Something like 45.
Slip n slides made with the laundry tarp: 3
Cue sheets that led us onto gravel roads: like 15
Comments on our tanlines: also uncountable. Like every time we go out.
Random lakes/rivers/ponds swam in: 30+
Roadside naps: 8
Synchronized swimming competitions: 1
Plane rides: 1
Mountains hiked: 4
Hot springs: 3
Oceans: 2
Amazing friends made: 28
RSS Feed