"There's always gonna be another mountain..."

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. It really stinks not to have internet access readily available. Well, on the one hand it stinks, but, on the other hand, it's nice not to feel tied down to anything. I do wish I could blog more often, though. I'm writing things in a hard journal, too, but I was relying on my online blog to keep track of specific details from the trip.

Anyway, so last time I wrote we just got into Northampton, MA, and were staying with a leader's friend. Umm...best host site yet. She had a duplex, but owned both sides. This meant six bedrooms which resulted in me getting/sharing a bed! It was glorious! So comfortable. The woman also had the cutest son ever, Ethan. We sang Viva La Vida while his mom made a delicious dinner for us all. He was also baffled by my ability to remove my finger (magic is great). So after a great night's sleep we took off for Pittsfield, MA. It was only 42 miles, but, oh man, it was tough. Hills hills hills. Julie Andrews was on crack. The hills are alive with the sound of exhausted cyclists climbing. Good thing I started the morning by serenading the group with The Climb by Miley Cyrus. A very applicable song. After lunch I noticed I was having tire difficulties. Then, Andrea noticed she had a flat. We changed our tires and took off and then she ended up getting another flat only miles from the host site. Definitely frustrating. We got to the host site which was a church a woman bought years ago and started her own business in. It was kind of cool/kind of creepy. But the food was amazing. It was all vegan and I totally judged it at first, but it was sooooo good! We also roamed around town, went to the bike shop, etc. Later that night we had our first presentation on affordable housing. Each rider is paired up with another and have to give a presentation at some point along the trip. I don't have to do mine until late July.

So after sleeping in the aisle of a creepy half-renovated church we took off for Poughkeepsie, NY. This meant, yes, we were crossing our first state line! That was exciting. Hard to believe we've gone through all of Mass. That was an interesting ride, too. It was our longest yet - 92 miles. But I really loved it. The rolling hills really reminded me of Ithaca.

After lunch something peculiar happened. I was riding with Goose and Aaron and I pulled over to eat something. I pulled out my first pack of Performance Power Gel and downed it. And then I had wings. The last third of the route was flying. Goose and Aaron were mad impressed. We were the first to arrive at Oakwood Friend School. Here we stayed in dorms which, once again, meant beds! Some people didn't roll in until 7:00/7:30 that night. We were all so beat. There was a mix up with dinner, to, and we ended up walking downtown to a Chinese buffet...delicious. Most of us crashed early that night because of how exhausted we were. Overall, it was definitely my favorite day, so far.

The next day was a build day. We helped out an organization called Hudson River Housing. It was sort of a pain (literally) that we had to bike to the site. Most of us didn't wear shammies or cleats which was added difficulty. And it was really hot. And I got a flat on the way there. But we got to the first site which was a transitional housing apartment complex. They let tenants stay there up to two years to help them get on their feet. We did relatively easy work. Ripped up carpet, weeded, powerwashed benches, and painted. They gave us a tour around the area and then we ate lunch with the tenants. After, they took us on a bike ride around the city and showed us different property they owned and what they were doing with it. It's an interesting organization. I do feel more accomplished if I'm building, though, which is something we really didn't do. Still, they are a good organization and what they're doing is great. We ended the day with a BBQ at a retirement home. The people were super friendly and a blast to talk to. We biked back at the end of the day and had some chill time. We started painting the trailer (something we haven't been able to do because of the rain) and also got some mail drops. I received nothing and blame you. I also did a solid cleaning of my bike. Roy needed it badly. Also heard about the death of MJ - devastating. I will miss the king of pop.

Yesterday morning we headed out of Poughkeepsie and to Point Jervis, NY. Only like 68 miles, but near the end it got rough. And rainy. And thundery. And lightningy. And haily. Luckily, it stopped after a few minutes and a group of us were able to get in safely, but while walking back from this fitness club where we took showers it started to POUR. Water was flooding the streets. And some riders were still out there. Everyone got back safely, though. The group of us walking back had to seek refuge in the city's Municipal Building to wait for the rain to stop. It lightened up a hair and we booked it uphill using our towels to try to shield us (did not work).

It was a fellow rider's birthday yesterday (Robbie), so we went to a bar across the street and drank a few with him. I replaced my brake pads, too, because they've been shot a while.

Today we woke up, ate the breakfast provided by the church, and took off for Mt. Pocono. We were all so scared of this ride because we heard the climb in the Poconos was killer. The ride was only about 55 miles and, surprisingly, only the last couple miles were a steady uphill battle. We all got into the church super early, too. I think sweep got in by 3:30. And, with the exception of Thomas driving the Uhaul (still waiting to get a new van) into the overhang, everyone here is nice and we can't wait for the dinner provided by a local restaurant. Baked ziti... you are mine.

Until next time, keep on pedalling.