Hey all!
Since my last post we've celebrated the 4th of July over Niagara Falls, had breakfast in New York, lunch in Pennslyvania, and dinner in Ohio over the span of one day, completed our longest ride yet, and have plunged into Lake Erie. It's been a great week and we're about to say goodbye to Ohio as we head into Michigan on Sunday!
 |
| Thanks for coming Grandpa! |
During the weekend in Niagara Falls I got to spend a day with my Grandpa who stopped through! We explored downtown Niagara a little bit which unfortunately has lost a lot of industry over the past couple decades, now seeming to rely solely on tourism and casino business, but regardless, the Falls are spectacular! We walked around them for awhile and got surprisingly close to the American Falls. Enjoy the pictures, and Grandpa--seeing you was such a treat, I really appreciate seeing a familiar face!
 |
| Paul, Elizabeth, and me riding into Niagara...the Falls are on the left |
 |
| Sooo much water...there's Canada on the right! |
 |
| Jon messing around on our sweep day |
Everyone in the group is doing great--on Thursday I was on "sweep" meaning my partner Jon and I had to be the last riders for the day, and we are so proud of our group who all completed the 93 miles in good time. Sweep is there to make sure everyone makes in it at the end of the day, acting as an insurance out there on the road...it's nice to know that no matter what you'll always have 2 teammates behind you. So Jon and I rode 93 miles at a slower pace (we spent about 7 hours just on the saddle) but the day ended up being amazingly fun! When normally we like to push ourselves at a faster pace, on Thursday we had no pressure and got to explore a lot more. The route even took us through the heart of Cleveland that day which was beautiful! I never thought that riding 90 miles a day would feel normal, but it is quickly becoming less intimidating!
Our hosts here in Avon Lake, OH have been absolutely wonderful the past two days. Instead of our normal routine of laying out our thermarests and sleeping bags in the a church hall or sanctuary, these kind community members have hosted us in their homes! Thank you so much to the Forbes family for hosting Emily and me!! Our build day today took place in Loraine, OH where we worked on finishing 3 homes so they could be put on the market. I spent my day cleaning windows and power washing the outside of the houses (so fun!) while others worked on planting a community garden across the street. All in all a great day that makes us weary of saying goodbye to Avon Lake!
Here are a couple more pictures that sum up Bike and Build pretty well. It's been an incredible 3 weeks already on this trip of a lifetime! We're headed to Michigan in a day and are hoping the roads will be a little smoother than here in Ohio, but until then, have a great weekend all!
 |
Emily, Brittany, and Erik relaxing at the Bernet's who hosted us
at their beautiful lakeside home for lunch one day |
 |
| Emily, me, and Bishnu entering Pennsylvania! |
 |
| And, naptime. |
No comments:
Post a Comment