Dear Wisconsin,
It is with full confidence and excitement that I say you have officially won over the NUS'10 B+B group! Everyone was pretty tired of hearing me talk about you for the past few weeks, and they didn't have very high expectations. But low and behold - they were amazed with your majestic beauty, never-ending fun/beer/brats, and varying landscape! YAY!! Congrats and I'm so proud of and for you :)
Now I have to be honest...in the beginning, right when we crossed over from Illinois, people were less than impressed. There was construction, heat and unexpected hills - not a great combination. But I told everyone that Janesville didn't come free, they had to work for it...and was it ever worth it! Everything about our time in Janesville was extraordinary! I was so anxious to "come home" that to everyones surprise (including my own AND my mothers) I was one of the first people to arrive in town! Thank you Mr. Andrew Corcoran for helping me ride like the wind...aka blocking all of the wind for me - LOVE YOU! My mom greeted all of the riders (other than me because I'm just too fast to catch) with popsicles on Milton Shopire road, it was awesome and everyone LOVED it! I was sooo happy to be back home and in the company of my family and friends! Extra special thank you to Cullen, Tori and Amy for coming to see me and helping prepare for the party!
On Saturday we had our build day in Janesville and it was great! We worked on a house on Pine street and got to do a lot of work! We had people on the roof, putting in windows and siding and everything in between! After the build day we had what just may be the absolute BEST B+B BBQ of all time! First of all, I cannot say a big enough THANK YOU to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton and EVERYONE ELSE that helped organize/plan this party...it truly was outstanding! The t-shirts, posters, unreal amounts of food, the absence of any and all forms of pasta and exceptional company was enough to put me right over the edge! I could not believe how many people came to see us!!! I was overwhelmed to say the absolute least at how many people were there - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone! I was SO happy to see you all and it makes me soooo happy to know you read my blog and are excited about this adventure I'm on! It means so much to me, and I LOVE that I can share it with all of you :) :)
The next day we rode into Madison and it was extra special because I got to share it with my family! My Aunt Peggy, Aunt Mary, Uncle Bern and cousins Connor, Tom and Beth all decided to ride with me...it was AWESOME! The boys obviously kicked my butt and are clearly future B+Bers...but they were nice enough to stay with me rather than speeding ahead and leaving me in the dust. We had so much fun and I was SO glad they all got to ride. We all made it to Madison, and I have to give a special shout out to my cousin Beth who was a total rockstar and had never rode her bike more than 10miles before this ride...you make this look easy! :)
We had our first day off in Madison and everyone had a great time! Then we were off to Soldiers Grove, La Crosse/Onalaska, and finished off our tour de WI in Pepin. We spent a lot of time on the Great River Road and it was absolutely GORGEOUS!! Long story short...everyone LOVED riding through WI (hills and rain included) and I had a ridiculous amount of fun doing it! I'll miss you and all your glory - but we will be reunited in September and I promise not to fall for another state other than you!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Why I love Lake Erie and riding with Paul Northrop
Hello everybody from South Bend, Indiana...I have so much to tell you all! We have had an amazing few days filled with MANY MANY miles AND state lines as well as a pretty awesome build site....RECAP!
Avon Lake (July 9th) turned out to be one of the greatest nights of the trip! We had an AWESOME dinner and got to stay with host families. After dinner we all headed to this amazing lake home (yes in Ohio) with a HUGE dock right on Lake Erie. Just for the record, NEVER in my life did I think I would spend so much time riding around and/or swimming in Lake Erie - kuddos. It was BEAUTIFUL, we got there right at sunset and it was just fantastic! The water was SUPER SUPER SUPER wavy (like waves over the dock wavy) and we all decided to risk our lives and biking legs for a little wavepool Lake Erie style maddness. It was incredible...like a Noah's Ark wavepool on steroids. I've never had so much fun while also thinking I was going to die at the exact same time. Thank you to all of the tall boys on my trip that let me grab them when my 5 foot self got scared :)
After Avon Lake we headed to Bowling Green (home of Bowling Green State University) and had an awesome host-stay. I went to mass with a few people in my group and that was really nice. It was a super small town and I was very tired after a GREAT 91 mile day so I can't say I did much other than sleep, bike and eat (story of my life) but I was still a happy camper. I had a really great ride with Beth and in the last few miles before reaching Bowling Green I finally rode without my hands on my handlebars for more than 5 seconds so that was a definite highlight.
Camden, MI was a fun day because we crossed a state line and we rode through an area with a high Amish population so it was really fun to see all of the horse and buggies! I actually had a pretty terrible ride into Camden and wasn't feeling all that great which sucked after having such a great day the day before...oh well! We had an awesome host who let us shower at their homes and watch the last bit of the World Cup game (GO SPAIN!!!!).
The ride into South Bend was AWESOME! It was our highest mileage yet with 92 miles and I was feeling AWESOME! We had two lunches which were provided by Beths family and they even gave us root beer floats :) They know how to please the Northern riders! Paul Northrop is an ox of a man on my trip with a heart of gold! He is (roughly) 6'3 and a VERY strong man...so if I need someone to ride behind to block the wind I know who to find! Anyway, we were riding together for a while and we came upon a hill. I was already having so much fun because we hadn't spent that much time talking yet so it was really fun hearing more about his life. We started up the hill and I surged ahead (as I very rarely do) and all of the sudden, right when I expect my quads to start hating me I started to SPEED UP...? Go figure, right?!?! I was going faster and faster and faster and getting pretty cocky about my mad biking skills until I realized Paul was right next to me. Not only was he next to me...he was literally PUSHING me up the hill while he was riding. Pushing me SO hard that I was going FASTER than I do on plenty of flat stretches. Long story short, thank you Paul - I LOVE YOUUU! :) I wish I could return the favor but, good joke!
We finished the day on the Notre Dame campus! It was soooo much fun! Fighting Irish football stadium and touchdown Jesus included! :) I had a great ride and an awesome build day today too! We worked at a Habitat site where we laid sod, sort of built a porch, and landscaped/mulched a whole bunch! It was great.
Chicago tomorrow...you know what that means! AUNT PEGGY :) :)!!! I'm so excited to see her! She's going to come see us ride in along Lake Michigan which will be AMAZINGGG!! Then its Janesville and Madison and family and BBQs and all sorts of fun!!! I can't wait! Any and everyone in Janesville that wants to see Bike and Build in the flesh we'll be riding in on Milwaukee Street probably sometime around 2pm...cheer us on! :) :)
I don't expect to blog much in the next few days due to all of the excitement so sorry in advance!
<3 Kate
Avon Lake (July 9th) turned out to be one of the greatest nights of the trip! We had an AWESOME dinner and got to stay with host families. After dinner we all headed to this amazing lake home (yes in Ohio) with a HUGE dock right on Lake Erie. Just for the record, NEVER in my life did I think I would spend so much time riding around and/or swimming in Lake Erie - kuddos. It was BEAUTIFUL, we got there right at sunset and it was just fantastic! The water was SUPER SUPER SUPER wavy (like waves over the dock wavy) and we all decided to risk our lives and biking legs for a little wavepool Lake Erie style maddness. It was incredible...like a Noah's Ark wavepool on steroids. I've never had so much fun while also thinking I was going to die at the exact same time. Thank you to all of the tall boys on my trip that let me grab them when my 5 foot self got scared :)
After Avon Lake we headed to Bowling Green (home of Bowling Green State University) and had an awesome host-stay. I went to mass with a few people in my group and that was really nice. It was a super small town and I was very tired after a GREAT 91 mile day so I can't say I did much other than sleep, bike and eat (story of my life) but I was still a happy camper. I had a really great ride with Beth and in the last few miles before reaching Bowling Green I finally rode without my hands on my handlebars for more than 5 seconds so that was a definite highlight.
Camden, MI was a fun day because we crossed a state line and we rode through an area with a high Amish population so it was really fun to see all of the horse and buggies! I actually had a pretty terrible ride into Camden and wasn't feeling all that great which sucked after having such a great day the day before...oh well! We had an awesome host who let us shower at their homes and watch the last bit of the World Cup game (GO SPAIN!!!!).
The ride into South Bend was AWESOME! It was our highest mileage yet with 92 miles and I was feeling AWESOME! We had two lunches which were provided by Beths family and they even gave us root beer floats :) They know how to please the Northern riders! Paul Northrop is an ox of a man on my trip with a heart of gold! He is (roughly) 6'3 and a VERY strong man...so if I need someone to ride behind to block the wind I know who to find! Anyway, we were riding together for a while and we came upon a hill. I was already having so much fun because we hadn't spent that much time talking yet so it was really fun hearing more about his life. We started up the hill and I surged ahead (as I very rarely do) and all of the sudden, right when I expect my quads to start hating me I started to SPEED UP...? Go figure, right?!?! I was going faster and faster and faster and getting pretty cocky about my mad biking skills until I realized Paul was right next to me. Not only was he next to me...he was literally PUSHING me up the hill while he was riding. Pushing me SO hard that I was going FASTER than I do on plenty of flat stretches. Long story short, thank you Paul - I LOVE YOUUU! :) I wish I could return the favor but, good joke!
We finished the day on the Notre Dame campus! It was soooo much fun! Fighting Irish football stadium and touchdown Jesus included! :) I had a great ride and an awesome build day today too! We worked at a Habitat site where we laid sod, sort of built a porch, and landscaped/mulched a whole bunch! It was great.
Chicago tomorrow...you know what that means! AUNT PEGGY :) :)!!! I'm so excited to see her! She's going to come see us ride in along Lake Michigan which will be AMAZINGGG!! Then its Janesville and Madison and family and BBQs and all sorts of fun!!! I can't wait! Any and everyone in Janesville that wants to see Bike and Build in the flesh we'll be riding in on Milwaukee Street probably sometime around 2pm...cheer us on! :) :)
I don't expect to blog much in the next few days due to all of the excitement so sorry in advance!
<3 Kate
Friday, July 9, 2010
SNOW DAY
Hello all! I'm writing to you from Avon Lake, OH (very very close to Cleveland) and I'm super pumped to be back in the Midwest! It's crazy how much closer to home I feel just because we're in Ohio! :) We've had a crazy couple of days! Here are some of the highlights:
We spent the 4th of July in Lockport, NY (home of the Erie canal and a pretty fantastic "cave" tour) and we had a B&B cookout to celebrate! Being my favorite holiday, I was very happy with everyones American enthusiasm. I decorated my bike and it was AMAZING and everyone loved it. We sang patriotic songs on our ride (my favorite thing in the entire world) and had a great ride. We went to the local firework show and pretty much took over (as a group of 32 crazy B&Bers tend to do).
The next day we rode to Niagara Falls and enjoyed a super duper short ride (20 miles) so we could have the ENTIRE DAY to enjoy the falls! We ventured to Canada for the first time as a group (consider it a warm up for when we go to Vancouver) and had a grand old time. We took over the Maid of the Mist and got soaking wet...which was just fine because it was mid 90's and humid outside. What a great day! :)
On July 7th we had a pretty epic ride day. We started the day in Westfield, NY had lunch in Erie, PA and ended the day in Ashtabula, OH...now if you were counting, yes that is THREE state lines in ONE DAY :) :) It was awesome! It was a super hot day so we had two lunch stops. It was SO much fun and I felt like such a rockstar!
Ashtabula, OH ended up being a very eventful city in my B&B experience. Yesterday, we had a build day and toward the end of the day I was painting a fence in the blistering heat when someone tapped my shoulder and asked if I wanted some help. Of course I said "yes!" and turned around and low and behold there was my UNCLE BERN!!!!!! I was completely shocked!!! Clearly I had a panic attack and started screaming even louder when I turned and saw Aunt Mary and all three of my cousins! I was SO SO SO SO excited! They were coming back from Boston because my oldest cousin, Connor, was doing a college tour at Boston College and they decided to surprise me! They took me out to eat, bought lots of groceries for the rest of the B&Bers (fruit...yum!) and it was just the best day ever! I love you guys...thank you so much!! :)
But that's not all Ashtabula, OH had in store for me...today we woke up at 5:00am only to find after packing our bags and eating breakfast that there was an epic storm rolling in and its path happened to be identical to our bike route. After having a couple hours of "delay" our leaders sadly informed us that we would not be able to ride the 80 miles from Ashtabula to Avon Lake. We were all super bummed, but after the storm hit we were all glad NOT to be on bikes. We had to take three shuttle rides in our 15 passenger van and load up 32 bikes in our trailor...it was quite the team effort. We all had fun being stuck in the church and goofing around - but we'll be glad to be biking again tomorrow! 97 miles to Bowling Green...here we come!!! Janesville in a week - yay!!!!
<3 Kate
PS: My friend Beth has been keeping a really cool video blog that I wanted to share with everyone!! I make a few cameo appearances - but for the most part its just a cool way to share our B&B experience :) ENJOY!!!
www.psychedtobike.blogspot.com
We spent the 4th of July in Lockport, NY (home of the Erie canal and a pretty fantastic "cave" tour) and we had a B&B cookout to celebrate! Being my favorite holiday, I was very happy with everyones American enthusiasm. I decorated my bike and it was AMAZING and everyone loved it. We sang patriotic songs on our ride (my favorite thing in the entire world) and had a great ride. We went to the local firework show and pretty much took over (as a group of 32 crazy B&Bers tend to do).
The next day we rode to Niagara Falls and enjoyed a super duper short ride (20 miles) so we could have the ENTIRE DAY to enjoy the falls! We ventured to Canada for the first time as a group (consider it a warm up for when we go to Vancouver) and had a grand old time. We took over the Maid of the Mist and got soaking wet...which was just fine because it was mid 90's and humid outside. What a great day! :)
On July 7th we had a pretty epic ride day. We started the day in Westfield, NY had lunch in Erie, PA and ended the day in Ashtabula, OH...now if you were counting, yes that is THREE state lines in ONE DAY :) :) It was awesome! It was a super hot day so we had two lunch stops. It was SO much fun and I felt like such a rockstar!
Ashtabula, OH ended up being a very eventful city in my B&B experience. Yesterday, we had a build day and toward the end of the day I was painting a fence in the blistering heat when someone tapped my shoulder and asked if I wanted some help. Of course I said "yes!" and turned around and low and behold there was my UNCLE BERN!!!!!! I was completely shocked!!! Clearly I had a panic attack and started screaming even louder when I turned and saw Aunt Mary and all three of my cousins! I was SO SO SO SO excited! They were coming back from Boston because my oldest cousin, Connor, was doing a college tour at Boston College and they decided to surprise me! They took me out to eat, bought lots of groceries for the rest of the B&Bers (fruit...yum!) and it was just the best day ever! I love you guys...thank you so much!! :)
But that's not all Ashtabula, OH had in store for me...today we woke up at 5:00am only to find after packing our bags and eating breakfast that there was an epic storm rolling in and its path happened to be identical to our bike route. After having a couple hours of "delay" our leaders sadly informed us that we would not be able to ride the 80 miles from Ashtabula to Avon Lake. We were all super bummed, but after the storm hit we were all glad NOT to be on bikes. We had to take three shuttle rides in our 15 passenger van and load up 32 bikes in our trailor...it was quite the team effort. We all had fun being stuck in the church and goofing around - but we'll be glad to be biking again tomorrow! 97 miles to Bowling Green...here we come!!! Janesville in a week - yay!!!!
<3 Kate
PS: My friend Beth has been keeping a really cool video blog that I wanted to share with everyone!! I make a few cameo appearances - but for the most part its just a cool way to share our B&B experience :) ENJOY!!!
www.psychedtobike.blogspot.com
Saturday, July 3, 2010
You know you're on Bike and Build when...
I had the idea for this blog on one of my longer rides because there are so many funny B&B things that happen and I just wanted to have them all written down...(this will be added to periodically)
1. Desitin, Gold bond (extra strength medicated) and biofreeze are on your grocery list
2. You can't remember the last time you wore underwear (my favorite part of B&B)
3. You can't remember the last meal you had without pasta and/or peanut butter
4. Your mother buys you a brand new pair of Nike shorts with built-in underware...and you cut it out in an angry rage on day 2
5. Any ride under 65 miles is "short"
6. You have a water bottle in your hands at ALL times
7. People you met days ago = new best friends
8. You can't tell FOR THE LIFE OF YOU what day of the week/month it is
9. You try to get DM (donation magic) all day everyday
10. You can't remember the last time you went a day without eating at a Dairy Queen/Tastee Freeze etc. (they should really consider changing the trip name to Bike and Build and eat a lot of Dairy Queen)
11. If you're on laundry crew you don't even have to look at the tag to see whose clothes are whose - by this time you can name every single piece of clothing in any B+Bers wardrobe (aka duffle/bin)
B&Bers...suggestions appreciated :)
1. Desitin, Gold bond (extra strength medicated) and biofreeze are on your grocery list
2. You can't remember the last time you wore underwear (my favorite part of B&B)
3. You can't remember the last meal you had without pasta and/or peanut butter
4. Your mother buys you a brand new pair of Nike shorts with built-in underware...and you cut it out in an angry rage on day 2
5. Any ride under 65 miles is "short"
6. You have a water bottle in your hands at ALL times
7. People you met days ago = new best friends
8. You can't tell FOR THE LIFE OF YOU what day of the week/month it is
9. You try to get DM (donation magic) all day everyday
10. You can't remember the last time you went a day without eating at a Dairy Queen/Tastee Freeze etc. (they should really consider changing the trip name to Bike and Build and eat a lot of Dairy Queen)
11. If you're on laundry crew you don't even have to look at the tag to see whose clothes are whose - by this time you can name every single piece of clothing in any B+Bers wardrobe (aka duffle/bin)
B&Bers...suggestions appreciated :)
Who knew I could ride a bike 90 miles in one day?
Hello All!
I'm currently sitting in the dorms of RIT in Rochester, NY enjoying an unexpected "build day" turned "day off"! Yesterday was the longest ride of the trip so far...and I was NERVOUS! I woke up with butterflies in my stomach just thinking about riding 88 miles in one day. I started the day off with a little knee pain, but nothing too bad. We ended eating lunch early (mile 35) and had a FEAST thanks to Kira's mom (THANK YOU THANK YOU the ham sandwiches were DELISH). I tried to eat fast and get on the road early because I knew I had a long day ahead of me...it was really messing with my head that we weren't even halfway done with the day. I started off with Tony, Steven and Chris and was having a SUPER hard time. My knee started to hurt a lot, there were some hills I was NOT expecting and I started to get really frustrated. Needless to say, during miles 35-45 I was wondering what the heck I was thinking doing this darn trip and why in Gods green earth they would schedule such an early lunch on a long day etc...(feel free to replace with some choice words). Eventually I broke away from the boys and started riding on my own for the first time of the trip. I've tried to avoid it because A) I don't really like being alone...like ever B) I was SUPER scared of getting lost C) it's kind of scary riding alone in a rural, unfamiliar setting BUTTT I bucked up and set off on my own!! I was a little nervous at first, but after a few miles I really started enjoying myself! The scenery was beautiful (upstate NY really reminds me of parts of WI) and I was having a great time solo!! I had a lot of time to think, sang a few songs to myself (outloud of course) and enjoyed going through a bunch of cute towns. I must admit I was very proud of myself and it felt great to do something I was a little uneasy about. I finished the ride with a group of other people including two B&Bers from last year! It was awesome! We did get lost though, and 88 miles turned into an even 90 (I know 2 miles doesn't seem like a lot...but it sure felt like a lot then).
One of the things I've learned about B&B is that once you do it, you're in for LIFE! People from different routes get to know eachother really well and share experiences and great stories/games...it is just the coolest thing! It's such a great network and I'm so excited to meet as many other B&Bers as I can! Special shoutout to Xtina and Jenna from B2SB 09 :) Love you girls! Thanks for skittles and BBQ!!
Another special shoutout to the people from Boonsville, NY at the Methodist church, especially Chelsi and family :) They were the nicest people and biggest helpers in the world! I had so much fun spending time from people in the community and getting to know everyone...not to mention they provided some of the most delicious food we've had to date! Thank you thank you!!!
I can't believe how fast the trip is going!! Tommorrow we have a shorter ride (yes, I officially consider less than 60 miles short), then we'll had a super short ride to Niagara Falls!!! :)
ANOTHER special shoutout to my amazing mom for sending me the most outrageously fantastic 4th of July package EVER :) :) I have a history of decorating my bike for the 4th of July (my favorite day of the calendar year) and she sent me all of the essentials to do so....even when I'm across the country!! I can't think of anything more American than riding across the country decked out in red white and blue (with a flag coming out of my backpack)...sooo excited!! Thank you, I love you!!!! Many many pictures will be taken!
I'm currently sitting in the dorms of RIT in Rochester, NY enjoying an unexpected "build day" turned "day off"! Yesterday was the longest ride of the trip so far...and I was NERVOUS! I woke up with butterflies in my stomach just thinking about riding 88 miles in one day. I started the day off with a little knee pain, but nothing too bad. We ended eating lunch early (mile 35) and had a FEAST thanks to Kira's mom (THANK YOU THANK YOU the ham sandwiches were DELISH). I tried to eat fast and get on the road early because I knew I had a long day ahead of me...it was really messing with my head that we weren't even halfway done with the day. I started off with Tony, Steven and Chris and was having a SUPER hard time. My knee started to hurt a lot, there were some hills I was NOT expecting and I started to get really frustrated. Needless to say, during miles 35-45 I was wondering what the heck I was thinking doing this darn trip and why in Gods green earth they would schedule such an early lunch on a long day etc...(feel free to replace with some choice words). Eventually I broke away from the boys and started riding on my own for the first time of the trip. I've tried to avoid it because A) I don't really like being alone...like ever B) I was SUPER scared of getting lost C) it's kind of scary riding alone in a rural, unfamiliar setting BUTTT I bucked up and set off on my own!! I was a little nervous at first, but after a few miles I really started enjoying myself! The scenery was beautiful (upstate NY really reminds me of parts of WI) and I was having a great time solo!! I had a lot of time to think, sang a few songs to myself (outloud of course) and enjoyed going through a bunch of cute towns. I must admit I was very proud of myself and it felt great to do something I was a little uneasy about. I finished the ride with a group of other people including two B&Bers from last year! It was awesome! We did get lost though, and 88 miles turned into an even 90 (I know 2 miles doesn't seem like a lot...but it sure felt like a lot then).
One of the things I've learned about B&B is that once you do it, you're in for LIFE! People from different routes get to know eachother really well and share experiences and great stories/games...it is just the coolest thing! It's such a great network and I'm so excited to meet as many other B&Bers as I can! Special shoutout to Xtina and Jenna from B2SB 09 :) Love you girls! Thanks for skittles and BBQ!!
Another special shoutout to the people from Boonsville, NY at the Methodist church, especially Chelsi and family :) They were the nicest people and biggest helpers in the world! I had so much fun spending time from people in the community and getting to know everyone...not to mention they provided some of the most delicious food we've had to date! Thank you thank you!!!
I can't believe how fast the trip is going!! Tommorrow we have a shorter ride (yes, I officially consider less than 60 miles short), then we'll had a super short ride to Niagara Falls!!! :)
ANOTHER special shoutout to my amazing mom for sending me the most outrageously fantastic 4th of July package EVER :) :) I have a history of decorating my bike for the 4th of July (my favorite day of the calendar year) and she sent me all of the essentials to do so....even when I'm across the country!! I can't think of anything more American than riding across the country decked out in red white and blue (with a flag coming out of my backpack)...sooo excited!! Thank you, I love you!!!! Many many pictures will be taken!
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