And We're Off

I leave for orientation and the official start of whats going to be an awesome summer in just a couple hours so this is going to be a very short blog since I have yet to figure out how to get my gear into my backpack since my sleeping bag takes up the ENTIRE thing.

Thanks again to all of you who supported me in one way or the other to make all this possible.

Here's my schedule for the summer, and please visit www.bikeandbuild.org and check out our journals and pictures once we got on the road.


Week:
Date
City - State
Mi.
06/11
Boston - MA
0
06/12
Boston - MA
0
06/13
Andover - MA
23
06/14
BUILD DAY
0
06/15
Fitchburg - MA
40
06/16
Amherst - MA
51
06/17
Pittsfield - MA
48

06/18
Poughkeepsie - NY
77
06/19
BUILD DAY
0
06/20
Port Jervis - NY
57
06/21
Mount Pocono - PA
51
06/22
Berwick - PA
53
06/23
State College - PA
94
06/24
Johnstown - PA
80

06/25
Pittsburgh - PA
74
06/26
DAY OFF
0
06/27
Steubenville - OH
45
06/28
Newcomerstown - OH
85
06/29
Columbus - OH
87
06/30
BUILD DAY
52
07/1
Rushville - IN
92

07/2
Bloomington - IN
76
07/3
BUILD DAY
0
07/4
Lawrenceville - IL
82
07/5
Salem - IL
71
07/6
St Louis - MO
71
07/7
DAY OFF
0
07/8
Potosi - MO
68

07/9
Houston - MO
95
07/10
Springfield - MO
91
07/11
BUILD DAY
0
07/12
Joplin - MO
79
07/13
Vinita - OK
62
07/14
Tulsa - OK
66
07/15
BUILD DAY
0

07/16
Chandler - OK
72
07/17
Yukon - OK
61
07/18
Cordell - OK
84
07/19
Wheeler - TX
78
07/20
Amarillo - TX
98
07/21
BUILD DAY
0
07/22
Hereford - TX
52

07/23
Portales - NM
75
07/24
Roswell - NM
92
07/25
DAY OFF
0
07/26
Carrizozo - NM
90
07/27
Socorro - NM
76
07/28
Pie Town - NM
84
07/29
Springerville - AZ
71

07/30
Houck - AZ
82
07/31
Winslow - AZ
88
08/1
Flagstaff - AZ
74
08/2
BUILD DAY
0
08/3
Grand Canyon South Rim - AZ
79
08/4
DAY OFF
0
08/5
Ash Fork - AZ
76

08/6
Kingman - AZ
112
08/7
Las Vegas - NV
103
08/8
BUILD DAY
0
08/9
Baker - CA
93
08/10
Barstow - CA
67
08/11
Palmdale - CA
97
08/12
Santa Clarita - CA
35

08/13
Santa Paula - CA
33
08/14
BUILD DAY DAY OFF
43
08/15
BUILD DAY
0

Automotive Darwinism

An excerpt from Thomas Friedman's NY Times article Truth or Consequences:

I can’t say it better than my friend Tim Shriver, the chairman of Special Olympics, did in a Memorial Day essay in The Washington Post: “So Dodge wants to sell you a car you don’t really want to buy, that is not fuel-efficient, will further damage our environment, and will further subsidize oil states, some of which are on the other side of the wars we’re currently fighting. ... The planet be damned, the troops be forgotten, the economy be ignored: buy a Dodge.”

At a time when Americans are finally considering making major lifestyle changes, if not for the sake of the environment, then at least for the sake of their wallets, the attempts by companies like Dodge and Jeep to suck customers in with promises of $2.99/gallon gas for the next three years, and promises from two presidential candidates of summertime gas tax repeals, are borderline criminal.

I can't decide if its stubborn, or just plain stupid. Obviously there are still going to be people out there who will insist on driving large SUVs and trucks, and there are plenty of people who can afford to do so, even if gas sky rockets to $5 a gallon, as expected. However, the logistics of this offer don't really pan out, especially when compared to the efficiency of hybrids, you still end up paying more to drive a 14 mpg vehicle at 2.99 a gallon, than a 30-40 mpg car at much higher gas prices.

If there is still a demand for big cars and trucks, which for many small business operations there always will be (contractors, landscapers, etc.) then these companies should be focusing on how to deliver the same size vehicle, with comparable performance and power while using much less fuel, or alternative sources of energy. They aren't doing that though, and it seems that survival of the fittest will prevail even in the auto market. Overall car sales have been down by 4% across the U.S., but the demand for small, fuel efficient cars is skyrocketing. Companies like Ford, whose 2008 sales have dropped 1% since April, are kept afloat by a 44% increase in sales of the Focus, a compact, affordable car that boasts up to 34 MPG. Toyota, who makes the increasingly ubiquitous and space-ship-like Prius, has had a 3% boost in overall sales, and now has a two month waiting period for anyone who would like to purchase their hybrids.

Regardless of whether your car gets 10 or 40 MPG, the real question is, if gas prices reach 5-6 dollars a gallon, and suddenly it costs upwards of $100 to fill up, what are you going to do when you can no longer afford it? Basically, what is your plan B? Could you walk or bike to work? Carpool? Work from home? Take public transportation? Would you sacrifice going away for vacations? Many businesses will have to be especially resourceful and creative to get around rising prices, either by making up the difference in other ways, skillfully avoiding rising costs, or simply passing the higher prices right on to customers (the first two being more difficult, but preferable in the long run to the last one).

Unfortunately, the cost of food and virtually everything that needs to be transported from manufacturer to retailer in order to reach the customer is already rising. That doesn't bode well for people who already struggle to put food on the table, and a roof over their heads. In fact, when the cost of a tank of gas escalates to the point where it doesn't fit into a low-income budget, and that tank reaches empty, it may prevent someone from making it to work. In the worst case scenario, a low-wage worker could lose her job for missing a day, or being late, and then be unable to find another because she can't drive out to an interview, or would be confined to the jobs available within walking distance of home, or within reasonable reach via public transportation. Barbara Ehrenreich writes about this dilemma in her book Nickel and Dimed, and illustrates the cyclical, inescapable nature of poverty in America. The most important point Ehrenreich makes in her book is that even while working 40, 50 or 60 hour weeks, and many times juggling several jobs (as so many of Americas impoverished do), it is damn near impossible to live comfortably on low-wage salary, let alone the Federal Minimum wage. The Working Poor by David Shipler gives specific examples of hard working people who were sent into a swift downward spiral into poverty by either one unexpected large bill that could not be met, such as car repair or a medical expense, and suddenly found themselves with bad credit, no savings, and no where to turn for help.

One of the greatest things about riding a bike cross country this summer is that it makes you temporarily impervious to the prices at the pump. Once I get home though, I think I will be forced to say byebye to my little hatchback as I move out of the suburbs and into the city, leaving myself at the mercy of the inefficient..and sometimes deadly MBTA.

Consistent Blogging is Hard

During the last three weeks, while I was dutifully neglecting my blog, a series of events of both quotidian (I'm psyched to find use for this seemingly useless, pesky GRE word) and cataclysmic proportions took place that seem to be somewhat in tandem with my own life. First, as we all know, an earthquake ripped through the heart of China, taking thousands of lives and destroying thousands of homes, schools, and villages. Every clip and photograph that crossed the papers and news broadcasts have caused a lump to well up in my throat, and a rush of gratitude that my Chinese and American friends still over there were miles away from the site of the quake. The images from Sichuan province brought a flood of memories of my own over-crowded classroom in Inner Mongolia, of the shanty villages outside the school campus, and the city stacks of crumbling cement buildings that shelter dozens of families at once, and lend testament to the fragility of Chinese infrastructure. It also speaks to the importance of an organization like Habitat for Humanity, which responded to the earthquake of 2007 that destroyed 90,000 homes in Yunnan province, and I am sure will be quick to respond to this most recent one.

Coincidentally, I recently SURPASSED my fundraising goal with 4,155 dollars raised, which is enough to sponsor a Habitat for Humanity home in China. Unfortunately, it takes a lot more to build in the States, but after spending a recent Saturday afternoon with some fellow Bike&Builders at a Lawrence Habitat site, I am all the more impressed by the institution, and excited to get more involved. Our Boston to Santa Barbara trip is actually donating the bulk of our funds to the Merrimack Valley Habitat that is building in Lawrence, which makes me happy because it's in my home state, Lawrence has the second highest rate of foreclosures in Massachusetts, and a rate of 34.4% of the population living below the poverty line, so I know it is time and money well spent.

In other news, I spent my past two Sundays out on awesomely long bike rides with former Bike & Builders. In just those two rides I learned a great deal about my bike and surviving out on the road. I did make the classic rookie mistake of not clipping out early enough when coming to a stop, and as a result I took a wobbly, slo-mo digger onto the pavement. Fortunately, the only thing hurt was my pride. However, last night I found out a long-time Westford "cyclist", that my friends and I lovingly refer to as "DUI", also took a spill and was not so lucky. He was struck by a car and was seen cradling his bloodied head on the side of the road during yesterday's rush hour. "DUI" is a crotchety, bearded, flannel-clad old man whom we assume has had his license permanently revoked. As long as we can remember this guy has been hoofing it through the streets of Westford on a one speed bike, with two 12-packs of Natty Ice in each pannier basket, a Marlboro red hanging from his lips, and an emphatically extended middle finger for passing motorists.

Wherever you are DUI, may you have a speedy recovery, and someone to keep you fully stocked with watered-down, fizzy beer.

I should also mention that the first of the 2008 Bike & Build trips is underway! The Central US group left Virginia Beach just a few days ago, and the North Carolina trip is starting as we speak. Bon Voyage to all of you, and as they say: lets keep the rubber side down.

Boston 2 Santa Barbara departs in less than 3 weeks which means...tomorrow I'm giving my two weeks notice (decidedly one of the greatest feelings on earth)! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Lastly, a big thanks to recent donors, my fellow "low-belts" Karen, Ed and Lee from Alpha TKD, the Lawlors, the Pearsons, the Dorados, Frank and Jen, Mark M., Travis S. and Donnie M. Also, thanks mom for stocking me up with lots of Kashi energy bars for the trip...and for feeding me for the past 23 years ;)

Funds Were Raised, Good Times Were Had

Thank you to everyone who made it out to the fundraiser on Friday, and thanks for the folks at The Good Life Bar for hosting, I'm now a mere 40 bucks away from 4,000!
Here are a few pictures from the night:

Hopefully the houses I help build this summer will be a bit more structurally sound than this one:


Setting a good example..


Mingling Westfordites


Dysfunctional Family Portrait Time!


Someone is really happy to be the manmeat in this sandwich


Friar Reunion!

The Home Stretch

This Friday night I am hosting a fundraiser for Bike & Build at The Good Life Bar on Kingston street in Boston. (Easily accessible from Downtown Crossing and South Station via Summer St.) I encourage anyone and everyone to come and bring all your friends. I will be asking for a $10 donation at the door, and soliciting donations from strangers with a house-shaped donation jar, however, if you are a Bike & Builder yourself, or have already given me a donation, you are exempt from this. It starts at 7:30 and the early birds will get free pizza.

The next morning a few Bike & Builders and I will be wielding hammers and powertools at a Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity project in Lawrence. All B&Bers have sweat equity requirements to fulfill before the start of their trips, this includes a minimum of 8 hours volunteering at an affordable housing site, and several hours researching affordable housing and poverty in the U.S. in preparation for a presentation to be made along the journey. While I have already been stuffing my brain with stats and facts about poverty housing for some time now, I have yet to volunteer, and I am still shy of the $4,000 mark. However, I am hoping with a solid turnout on Friday night, and a full day on site Saturday, I can cross fundraising and sweat equity off my "to-do" list in one fell swoop. That would be nice since there are little over 6 weeks left (yikes!) til departure and in that time I have about 5 work-free, obligation-free days to work with. That doesn't leave much time to get my sorry butt into shape...


Thank you Chris and Moira for putting a giant dent in my remaining fundraising goal :)

When it Comes to Biking, It IS All About the Benjamins, Baby

If there is one thing I now know for certain about cycling, it is that it's an incredibly expensive and materialistic sport, and I can barely afford it. Buying and maintaining a bike is an investment of time and resources in itself, yet the sheer amount of products available to make the human body faster, more efficient, or more comfortable while riding a bike is unbelievable. There is a piece of equiptment ergonomically and anatomically designed for every inch of the male and female body. The line between what is necessary and unecessary seems permanently blurred. Once you decide you actually do need something, you have to decide between tens, sometimes hundreds of options ranging in price and quality, but all claiming to be the best at the pressure-relieving, moisture-wicking, skin-protecting or power-transferring properties that they were designed for. I realized all these years I took for granted the convenience of only needing a decent pair of sneaks to compete and train as a runner. Those days are over.

Let's take, for example, feet. One with little or no knowledge of cycling may assume that a cyclists feet are of little importance since a rider spends most of his or her time sitting; WRONG. On the contrary, there is a whole parallel universe in sports equiptment dedicated to a cyclist's footsies. Shoes, for instance, can be divided into two general categories of "Road shoes" and "Mountain Biking Shoes". Those two categories can be sub-divided according to the type of cleats they have, which correspond to the pedals on the bike. Pedals are a whole new can of worms, so lets assume, for sanity's sake, that our hypothetical cyclist has Shimano pedals, which would require her to get shoes that are SPD compatible, simple enough. She has also decided to get mountain biking shoes because she is not racing, and will need to be getting on and off her bike frequently in the course of a day. Now, each shoe is made of different materials making it breathable, or durable, stiff or flexible. A stiffer sole is going to get more power out of every stroke of the pedals because there is less resistance when the foot pushes down on it, yet these may be less comfortable, and certainly harder to walk around in when off the bike. The opposite holds true for a softer sole; easier to walk in, but less power in each stroke. Once a decision has been made on this front, there is always the issue of price, (which can range from $80 to well over 2 or 300), which seems to correlate directly with appearance, (some shoes say "I'm the next Lance Armstrong, while others say "I bought these online for a discount, and now I have elephant feet").

Then theres the issue of socks, yes, socks. A cyclist can't wear just your run-of-the-mill cotton tubes or gold toes...oh no. A cyclist needs a sock that will wick sweat, dry itself, and have acceptable air permeability. Not only do these babies run for up to 15 buckaroos a pop...but they are like snowflakes, no two pairs are alike. That means, when you inevitably lose one in the dryer, your feet are going to suffocate and sweat profusely, and you're out 15 bucks. Of course, you can find them for cheaper online, but all the cool looking ones are always gone, so the bargain hunters get stuck with the crappy designs like the red, white and blue ones that say "Vive La France". I'm not kidding. In fact, as an aspiring art historian, I am considering doing some research on the underground art movement that is cycling sock design, and up until a month ago was previously unbeknownst to me.

I was also recently made aware of little things called "Booties". Booties are are meant to slip over the cycling shoe to block wind and keep feet warm. So while a cyclist may have just spent her life savings on shoes and socks with adequate "air permeability" it is also necessary to buy booties in case the permeating air is too cold. Fantastic.

So I admit, I am a little bent out of shape over the superfluous spending necessary to go for a ride on my new bike, but when I took it out last night (without incident!) for the first time with new Shimano MTB shoes, black and white striped cycling socks, and clipless pedals, it felt pretty darn good.

Thanks to the great guys at Back Bay Bicycles in Boston for their help and the generous discount they offer to Bike and Builders. I went in needing pretty much everything except for a bike, and I came out 45 minutes later fully equipped to shlepp across the US of A. Also, A big thank you to the Studley family, and the Mandeville family for their generous and unexpected contributions.
I have raised 3,420 dollars! That's 86% of my goal, I can't believe it.

L'Allez Est Arrivé!

Yesterday was an excrutiatingly endless day at the office because I came in and found an email in my box from UPS that said my new bike had spent the night in Chelmsford and was going to be delivered that day! I have a hard enough time sitting still and waiting for 5pm to roll around as it is, but when I have to sit in this dismal cement slab of a building and rot under fluorescent lights as the last hours of a very bikeable, bright and balmy spring day trickle away, it literally makes time stand still.

Fortunately 5:00 did eventually come around and I sped home to play with my new toy...


Wally was way skeptical about letting this intruder into his house...


He let me lug it in anyways...


A "welcome to your new home" hug...


Smells like factory fresh rubber and plastic!


Big box did not contain Bicycle Mechanic...Must not screw this up...


Dad to the rescue...


Sooooo bad ass...


In other exciting news, we now have less than two months before the departure date. Time to up the ante with training, fundraising, and cramming affordable housing information into my brain.

Thank you to the Quinn Family for their generous donation!