Howdy y'all.
It's day two of the Bike and Build adventure, and I can tell you for a fact that it is incredibly tiring!
Orientation was a blur. I arrived in Jacksonville at around 9am from a 6am flight on Thursday, and after 2.5 hours of bus rides finally got to the Sunrise Community Church. Bikes were being assembled, introductions were had, and we promptly began our 16 hour days of Bike and Build orientation. We built for a day for Beaches Habitat, had a safety course, lots of rules talks and ice breakers, dinners all over Atlantic Beach, and a 20 mile "Shakedown Ride" down the coast. It went quickly but we were all excited to get into our saddles and ride!
Yesterday was our first real day. I'm in the "breakfast crew" so I have to wake up early with 6 of my crewmates and prepare breakfast. So far we've only had bagels and fruit, but we're going to venture into eggs. The other crews prepare dinner, do laundry, fill up coolers, and other tasks that need to get done - and we switch each week.
Our ride was almost 60 miles through country roads in Florida (from Jacksonville to Callahan), and it was my fastest ride ever. We rode through a rain storm, which was awesome, and I had some great conversation with some of my new friends. Last night we camped out at a RV campground which was an interesting and dirty experience, but we got to create a giant fire, where I taught everyone how to play Mafia, a favorite game of the Applachia trips I went on at Boston College.
Today I got out a little earlier than everyone with the fast group and we made excellent time to lunch. We crossed our first state line today on our way to Lake City, but it was only for 11 miles - we dipped through the little nugget of Georgia that scoops into Flordia. So we took photos (which I will upload soon!) and again when we got back into Florida. It was a really long ride - we did 80 miles, 30 of which were on one road. We got chased by pitbulls and German shepherds, saw giant bugs that flew into our faces. We joked that it looked like Jurassic Park. If I saw a dinosaur I wouldn't have been surprised.
At the end of the ride we did a short mile-long detour to get some ice cream at The Icy Hut. It looked like a run-down building that you'd find drugs in, but it turned out to have DELICIOUS strawberry ice cream. It totally refueled us (simple sugars at the end of a long ride are actually really good for you), and we booked it through the last 3 miles to our second campsite.
Tomorrow we ride to Perry, Florida, which is another 80 miler, but we do get to stay inside in a church which will be nice. My butt hurts a lot. A whole lot. But hopefully it will start to get conditioned soon. Until then, I'll apply loads of shammy cream, bear down, and keep riding. I'll try to post again soon, but until then, thanks for reading!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Mail Drops
Great news everyone! I've got a list of mail drops here for anyone (or everyone?) to send care packages and letters to me along the route! Mail drops will be every Thursday, so send in advance to make sure it gets there on time.
Very important: you must address your mail in the following fashion:
Bike & Build
Attn: Alex Cohen
General Delivery
STREET ADDRESS (if noted)
CITY, ST ZIP
Very important: you must address your mail in the following fashion:
Bike & Build
Attn: Alex Cohen
General Delivery
STREET ADDRESS (if noted)
CITY, ST ZIP
| Southern U.S. |
|---|
| June 03 20 Ave. D #101 Apalachicola, FL 32320 |
| June 10 104 Norton Ave Saraland, AL 36571 |
| June 17 New Orleans, LA 70140 |
| June 24 Natchitoches, LA 71457 |
| July 01 206 East Walnut St Decatur, TX 76234 |
| July 08 1 Walnut St. Clayton, NM 88415 |
| July 15 2301 E. 20th St. Farmington, NM 87401 |
| July 22 Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 |
| July 29 51 S. Main St. Eureka, NV 89316 |
| August 05 761 Plumas St. Yuba City, CA 95991 |
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Cape Ann Coaster
The red line is where I rode my bike. It was 61 miles. That's a little more than the distance between Toms River, NJ and Philadelphia. Chump change in Bike and Build terms.
So I don't really know what the "North Shore" or the "South Shore" really means, but people from Massachusetts use these terms often. Apparently really rich people live there. I don't know.
What I can tell you, after having biked through pretty much all of Gloucester County on the North Shore, is that it is gorgeous. Also, judging by the houses... really rich people live there. Something to work towards I guess.
Anyway, here are some videos I took on my first really long training ride. I rode with the Charles River Wheelmen, a Boston cycling club. Each ride they do has a name (this was the Cape Ann Coaster) and when I finally caught up to them at the halfway/lunch point, they gave me some great advice and tips and (kind of) taught me how to ride in a paceline! Yay! They also paint sweet directional markers on the street so you don't need to continuously check your map. Very helpful. You'll see some of my fellow riders in one of the later videos.
Without further ado:
Part I
Part II
If you want to see the map from the top of this page in better, here's the link:
http://www.crw.org/CueSheets/cues2htm.php?id=62
So I don't really know what the "North Shore" or the "South Shore" really means, but people from Massachusetts use these terms often. Apparently really rich people live there. I don't know.
What I can tell you, after having biked through pretty much all of Gloucester County on the North Shore, is that it is gorgeous. Also, judging by the houses... really rich people live there. Something to work towards I guess.
Anyway, here are some videos I took on my first really long training ride. I rode with the Charles River Wheelmen, a Boston cycling club. Each ride they do has a name (this was the Cape Ann Coaster) and when I finally caught up to them at the halfway/lunch point, they gave me some great advice and tips and (kind of) taught me how to ride in a paceline! Yay! They also paint sweet directional markers on the street so you don't need to continuously check your map. Very helpful. You'll see some of my fellow riders in one of the later videos.
Without further ado:
Part I
Part II
If you want to see the map from the top of this page in better, here's the link:
http://www.crw.org/CueSheets/cues2htm.php?id=62
Affordable Housing in a Nutshell
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says that housing is affordable to a low-income family as long as the cost of rent or mortgage payments plus utilities does add up to more than 30% of the family's income before taxes.
Today, over 27 million low-income households pay more than 30% of their incomes on housing. Half of those pay over 50%. Imagine for a second spending fully half of your income - before taxes - on rent. That doesn't leave much for anything else.
I first became involved with affordable housing through a group at BC called the Appalachia Volunteers. They send around 650 students on Spring Break service trips every year, many of them going to work for Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the Appalachia region. Sophomore year, I went to Huntington, West Virginia and had an amazing experience. Our first task on Monday was shoveling a mound of dirt out from the center of the foundation. Our final task on Friday was putting the roof boards on the house. With 12 kids, and between 5-10 regular volunteers (retirees who spend their free time building houses pro bono), the progress was remarkable.
While I wasn't able to find a similar thing to do when I was in London last year, I was able to lead an Appalachia trip back to Huntington this past Spring Break in March. It was great to see everyone from two years before. I also got to work on a different part of the house, this time installing tile floors and all the cabinets and appliances in the kitchen, as well as helping on the siding of the house, installing the front porch and back deck, and destroying a roof with about 30 layers of roof tiles on it. It was fun.
Most importantly the second time around, I got to meet the future house owners, Perry and Cleta. I think Perry worked nights at WalMart (though I can't remember for sure), but they adopted a boy with cerebral palsy, and their biological son just moved out of the house so they wouldn't have to support him anymore. They were extremely nice and extra-appreciative that we were there helping, and it was really heartwarming when they asked us to sign a tin star that's going to be placed on one of the walls.
Working for this cause has helped me recognize that owning a house isn't just about putting a roof over your head. It gives people dignity. It's a home - where parents come to relax after work, and where children feel safe when they're scared. A house is where a family's collective memories are shared, and years later, relived. Owning a home is part of the American Dream.
Being a part of Bike and Build is exciting because we're helping Americans live the American Dream. Having 30 million Americans pay 30 or 50% of your income on housing, leaving next to nothing left for food, let alone leisure activities, is shameful for the richest country in the world.
But there is hope, and it's because of organizations like the Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity in West Virginia. You can be a part of these solutions by donating (in my name of course) online.
This cause means a lot to me. I'm excited to bike, but I'm also really excited to build.
Today, over 27 million low-income households pay more than 30% of their incomes on housing. Half of those pay over 50%. Imagine for a second spending fully half of your income - before taxes - on rent. That doesn't leave much for anything else.
I first became involved with affordable housing through a group at BC called the Appalachia Volunteers. They send around 650 students on Spring Break service trips every year, many of them going to work for Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the Appalachia region. Sophomore year, I went to Huntington, West Virginia and had an amazing experience. Our first task on Monday was shoveling a mound of dirt out from the center of the foundation. Our final task on Friday was putting the roof boards on the house. With 12 kids, and between 5-10 regular volunteers (retirees who spend their free time building houses pro bono), the progress was remarkable.
While I wasn't able to find a similar thing to do when I was in London last year, I was able to lead an Appalachia trip back to Huntington this past Spring Break in March. It was great to see everyone from two years before. I also got to work on a different part of the house, this time installing tile floors and all the cabinets and appliances in the kitchen, as well as helping on the siding of the house, installing the front porch and back deck, and destroying a roof with about 30 layers of roof tiles on it. It was fun.
Most importantly the second time around, I got to meet the future house owners, Perry and Cleta. I think Perry worked nights at WalMart (though I can't remember for sure), but they adopted a boy with cerebral palsy, and their biological son just moved out of the house so they wouldn't have to support him anymore. They were extremely nice and extra-appreciative that we were there helping, and it was really heartwarming when they asked us to sign a tin star that's going to be placed on one of the walls.
Working for this cause has helped me recognize that owning a house isn't just about putting a roof over your head. It gives people dignity. It's a home - where parents come to relax after work, and where children feel safe when they're scared. A house is where a family's collective memories are shared, and years later, relived. Owning a home is part of the American Dream.
Being a part of Bike and Build is exciting because we're helping Americans live the American Dream. Having 30 million Americans pay 30 or 50% of your income on housing, leaving next to nothing left for food, let alone leisure activities, is shameful for the richest country in the world.
But there is hope, and it's because of organizations like the Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity in West Virginia. You can be a part of these solutions by donating (in my name of course) online.
This cause means a lot to me. I'm excited to bike, but I'm also really excited to build.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
My Bike!
Hey everyone!
After loads of fundraising, I am now past the $2,000 mark, my bike is assembled and running smoothly, and I am training like crazy out on the roads of Boston.
I finished my sweat equity over Spring Break. I led a group of 12 BC students to Huntington, West Virginia where we worked with the Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity all week. We put up siding, installed kitchen and bathroom floors, put up ALL the cabinets and appliances in the kitchen, built a shed, staked out another house, and destroyed a roof. It was an incredible experience, and I cannot say enough about the amazing hospitality of our hosts in Huntington. If you ever find yourself anywhere near the tri-state area, Huntington is worth stopping by!
Now all that's left to do is fundraise fundraise fundraise! I need just under $2,000 more, and I have less than 2 months to do it. Please give all that you can spare - it's a great cause and I will make sure you get just as much out of the journey that I do. My next post will be a bit about affordable housing, why we need it in America, and what it means to me. So if I haven't convinced you to donate yet, hopefully the next post will!
Keep riding,
Alex
Monday, October 12, 2009
Southern US 2010!
Hey everyone!
I've been accepted to participate in Bike and Build for this summer, and will be cycling from Jacksonville, FL to San Francisco, CA between June and August of 2010. As you are probably already aware, Bike and Build raises funds to donate to affordable housing initiatives across the country. That's where I'm going to need your help!
Biking almost 4,000 miles will be a cinch. But in order to do so, I need to raise $4,000 towards affordable housing. That should make it easier for you because housing is a huge problem in this country so it's a great cause to give money to!
I'll use this blog to let everyone know of fundraisers I'm going to be doing, but for now you can check out my rider page on www.bikeandbuild.org/rider/3602 and donate directly online safely and securely with your credit card.
Thanks for your help, and I hope to see/hear from you soon!
I've been accepted to participate in Bike and Build for this summer, and will be cycling from Jacksonville, FL to San Francisco, CA between June and August of 2010. As you are probably already aware, Bike and Build raises funds to donate to affordable housing initiatives across the country. That's where I'm going to need your help!
Biking almost 4,000 miles will be a cinch. But in order to do so, I need to raise $4,000 towards affordable housing. That should make it easier for you because housing is a huge problem in this country so it's a great cause to give money to!
I'll use this blog to let everyone know of fundraisers I'm going to be doing, but for now you can check out my rider page on www.bikeandbuild.org/rider/3602 and donate directly online safely and securely with your credit card.
Thanks for your help, and I hope to see/hear from you soon!
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