Wheel Dip!

The last day of our ride was 26 miles. We got to sleep in because of the short ride, and were able to take our time. It was a little hilly, and there was some wind, but overall the ride was beautiful. We also found a buffalo early on in the ride that Jake decided to ride and chase Alyssa on and we found more opportunities to pick and eat wild blackberries.

We all met up just outside the beach at 2:00 pm to prepare for wheel dip. We then rode the last quarter mile as a large group of 26 down to the water. We all got in a line and dipped our front tires in the Pacific together. More than 4,000 miles after our wheel dip in the Atlantic, we tried to recreate some of the same moments. We took a lot of pictures with our bikes held over our heads and celebrated what we had accomplished over the last 2 1/2 months. After a little while some riders began getting back in the ocean and soon we were all in the water for one last swim together and a giant group hug.

We still had one last long evening ahead of us. After dinner we all got together as a group for the last time to give each other awards to remember great moments, have a big trivia games with fun facts about each other and the trip, and share any confessions we had about things from the trip that we had not shared with each other before. It was a great time to think back on the trip and all that we had experienced and to celebrate the time that we had spent together.

Triple Century

One of our hardest stretches of rides so far this trip was the three ride days between Libby, Montana and Republic, Washington.

The first of these days brought us to Sandpoint, Idaho. An early treat about 10 miles in was a waterfall and the last swinging bridge in America just off the road. Jake and I were sweep, the designated last two riders in the group, and Jake got his first flat tire of the trip. The mileage between the hosts was actually just under 100 miles, so many groups chose to do a couple extra laps around the block to finish off the century.

After a break to build in Sandpoint we set off for another century to Metaline Falls, Washington. The ride was on a road along a beautiful river for much of the day and a lake towards the end of the ride offered many riders the chance to swim a little. Once again we were just short of 100 miles so we did a couple laps around town. We ended up needing several laps around the whole town because each lap was only about half a mile.

The final Century into Republic, Washington was by far the hardest. The beginning of the ride Had a small mountain that would have been considered hard on another day but we faced one of the hardest climbs of the trip towards the end. The climb up to Sherman’s Pass started at about mile 60. We had known that we had a mountain pass coming but were unprepared when 20 miles later we were still climbing. Overall the climb to Sherman’s Pass was about 24 miles long and we gained over 5,000 feet of elevation. The total for the ride was over 100 miles with 7,700 feet of elevation gain. This was definitely the longest ride for many riders, taking some almost 15 hours to complete. It and a good thing we were camping in Republic for the night because it let us finish the ride even though it took the last groups until almost 9:00pm.

The Collective

Throughout the trip we have been meeting to discuss affordable housing as a group. The discussion started out as a book club, centered around the book Evicted, by Mathew Desmond. We all highly recommend the book, which is set in Milwaukee and follows the lives of several tenants. The book offers a powerful view on affordable housing and why it is so important and meaningful. Alyssa and another rider, Julia, were put in charge of the group. In the first few meetings, only the three of us, Julia, and one other rider (Higgs) were participating.

To try to get more people to come, our group “rebranded.” We named ourself The Collective and told the group that we would be collecting and sharing knowledge. We started assigning different people to do research on specific topics related to affordable housing like race, gender, mental health, or public housing. These discussions went a little better, more people came since they didn’t have to read the book or prepare. However, there were still meetings when only the five of us showed up.

Our last meeting took place last night, and we used the time to reflect on the trip. We reflected on all the things that we had learned. In particular we noted all the ways organizations tried to combat affordable housing, with emergency shelters, rental assistance and affordable apartments, avenues into first houses (like habitat), and with needed repair work. These many different approaches are all valuable and necessary given the extent of the affordable housing crisis.

Finally, we talked about solutions to the affordable housing crisis. We think that there is no single solution, and many things can be done. Most importantly, we think it is up to us (and everyone who believes in affordable housing) to find a way to make a difference. We reached out to the program director for suggestions on how to stay involved and he recommended trying to volunteer at a local AH organization. He also said that the importance of getting involved and understanding the local politics issues around housing was invaluable. Finally, in Evicted, Desmond suggests that we should view housing as a human right, and suggests that the voucher program could be an important part of the solution.

Overall, The Collective was a success. We were a little disappointed when people didn’t come, but those that did seemed to really appreciate the experience. Groups in the past have been dissatisfied with the AH curriculum, so our effort was an attempt to address that. We will be passing along notes about how the group worked and what went well so that future groups can build on it. We are excited that new bike and build groups will be able to follow our lead and integrate affordable housing more into the fabric of the trip.

Glacier Ride

We biked through Glacier on the Going to the Sun road. It is 50 miles long, and bikers have to be off it by 11:00 am. In order to finish the ride we tried to leave by 6:00, which meant getting up at 3:30. We packed our bags, ate breakfast, and had route meeting in the dark and left before the sun came up.

We spent the morning climbing up to Logan’s Pass. Our favorite part of the ride was about half way through the climb when we stopped at an overlook. The sun was just coming up, and there was a rainbow between the mountains.

As we climbed closer to the top it got colder and colder, but the hard work was keeping us fairly warm. We biked into some dense fog and up into some low clouds. We got a rest at the top, but when we started again we were soaked and freezing.

 The ride down was a very different experience. Visibility was down to less than an eight of a mile, and we were moving much faster. We braked the whole way down, trying to pulse them to preserve our brake pads. We tried to stay moving at around 20-25 miles per hour, slow enough to see the turns just in time but fast enough that traffic wasn’t trying to pass.

When we had made it about half way down we were too cold to keep going safely. Several other groups had already stopped, and we could smell our break pads melting. With the rain and the fog, all we could see was the road. We pulled off at the loop and joined the other bikers shuttling out of the park on the free busses. We were cold, tired, and wet, but also exhilarated from the ride and stunned at the beauty of the park.

Day off in Glacier

 

We had our first, and only, day off of the trip in Glacier National Park. We camped for two nights in the park and had a whole day to enjoy ourselves. We all met up with family for the day and spent time with them exploring the park. We had worried that the weather would be bad, but it was mostly sunny and the temperature was great. 

Alyssa met her mom and sister for the day and drove through the park on the Going to the Sun Road. They stopped along the way and took pictures of things they saw in the park.

Jake and I met our parents and grandparents and spent the day doing short hikes in several parts of the park. First thing in the morning we hiked to see an amazing waterfall that was just off the road in East Glacier. On our way to the next hike in Many Glacier we saw a black bear rooting around in the underbrush on the side of the road and saw it run off with something in its mouth. That afternoon we also saw three mountain sheep walking along the path that Jake and I followed at a distance for about half a mile.

We went to bed soon after dinner because we knew that our next morning would be early. The next ride was through the park on the Going to the Sun road and we had to complete almost 50 miles before bikes were kicked off the road at 11:00 am. This meant our wake up time was 3:30 am. 

Montana Builds

After our recent long stretch of rides, we've had build days in Whitefish and Libby, MT. As much as we love the cycling, the build days are the meat of the trip. We were originally drawn to the trip because of the strong affordable housing elements, so the builds are a good reminder of why we're here and what we're working towards.

In Whitefish, we worked with Habitat on a triplex building which will house three families. While some crews put up scaffolding or set concrete forms, the three of us were tasked with nailing wooden siding onto the house. Starting with a blank slate, we had a lot of fun working quickly and diligently, seeing more than half of that wall completed before the end of the day.

In Libby, we did a lot of exterior painting. Most of the volunteers in the area are part of an RV travel program, so they hadn't had any volunteers under 70 work on the house we painted. They were glad to have us working on the hard-to-reach areas.

Sunrise, Sunset

Our time in Theodore Roosevelt National Park was one of the greatest highlights of the trip!

In the space of about 36 hours, we were lucky enough to catch two sunsets as well as the sunrise in between. Our first night in Medora, ND, we walked up a small mountain and watched the sunset.

We had found such a beautiful spot, we decided to try and wake up early enough to see the sunrise the next morning. We woke up at 4:30 am and slowly climbed the mountain on our bikes. We just beat the 5:15 am sunrise, and watched it for about half an hour.

We were also rewarded with a swift descent on our ride back down the mountain. We arrived back at the host around 6:15, and promptly fell back asleep until 7:30 breakfast. Later in the day, after our affordable housing events, we entered the National Park for a picnic dinner and scenic drive. During the drive, we not only saw some incredible wildlife, but also found the perfect spot high on a mountain to watch the sunset. Luckily, we had come prepared with our bikes. As dinner came to a close, we hopped on our bikes and pedaled toward the sunset. Although there were some big hills, the view was incredibly rewarding.

Affordable Housing Day

A few days ago we spent two nights in Medora, ND. Medora is just outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and the ride into town was beautiful. It was also the second day that we had ridden on the interstate (I-94). About 9 miles from the end, we stopped at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center. We had some amazing views and a chance to get more stickers for our bikes. After our stop the rest of the ride took less than 30 minutes, but it was one of the best 30 minutes of the trip. It was all downhill from there to Medora, and the landscape was amazing.

We stayed 2 days in Medora, and had an Affordable Housing day there. Our first AH day was planned by the leaders in Rochester, NY. On that one we went biking with the community and had a short discussion about our history with affordable housing. During that time we also set up the book group. This time, several members of the group planned the activities.

We started with an activity to reflect on the trip so far. One person would read our a statement like, “I feel that I have been helpful on build sites” or “I feel that this trip will effect my future life decisions.” Everyone would then line up somewhere along a spectrum from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

The first activity was a good way to get started thinking about the trip, but it didn’t get us thinking critically about the issues of affordable housing. The next activity went a little more in depth. We played an online game called “spent” that asked us to make decisions assuming that we were recently homeless and had only $1000. Some questions asked us to consider what jobs would be best, while others considered possible options when your car breaks down or your child wants to join an athletic team. As a group we would consider the options, have a short discussion, and vote on a decision.

This game was more of a challenge for our group, and a lot of people went away feeling unsatisfied with the game and the discussion we had. There was some tension during the conversation since there is such a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds on the trip and people had different options based on their unique experiences. In several ride groups later in the week we have also discussed how the game neglects other resources like time, energy, and access to support systems. However, we thought that it also brought up a lot of good issues and provided us with a chance for much more in depth discussion in our smaller ride groups.

Finally, we watched a documentary called “The Homestretch.” If you haven’t seen it, we would all highly recommend it. The movie followed three teenagers as they struggled with homelessness in Chicago. We thought it offered an important perspective, examining the extreme challenges and innovative solutions that the students came up with. The documentary gave us a personal connection with homelessness, as we saw people our age shifting from place to place and living on the streets.

Animals

We have seen many animals throughout the trip but we were excited to see a lot more in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The first animals we saw on our way into Medora were prairie dogs. There were entire cities of prairie dogs along the side of the road running around and barking at us. We would see many more prairie dogs throughout the next few days and they were very fun to watch and listen to.

Going into the park the next day after our affordable housing meeting we saw a ton of bison. We saw a lone bison on the way in and when we stopped to watch it another visitor told us where we could go to see a whole herd. Further into the park we did get to see an entire herd of bison and watched them for quite a while before dinner. There were two big groups out in the field and we enjoyed watching smaller groups of just a couple bison cross between the larger groups.

In the evening we rode our bikes out of the park, back to Medora, after watching the sunset in the park. The sun was down and it was starting to get pretty dark which made it even more startling to come around a bend and find a bison in the middle of the road. Luckily it moved off fairly quickly and we were able to continue with our ride. Soon after our encounter with the bison we spotted some deer and some wild horses in a field off the road. Just as we were leaving the park we thought we saw another deer but quickly realized it was an elk when it started running along beside the road next to us. We were very excited to see all these animals but decided that we would rather see them from slightly further away rather than encountering them on the road on our bikes.