DirtDrift 2018: Build Days (9/14 & 9/15)

Morning Huddle with NeighborWorks

Unlike other Bike & Build trips, our build days on this trip were not spread out over the week. Due to the remoteness of the areas where we'd be biking and the general brevity of this trip, our build days were scheduled for the first two days that we'd be together in Boise, ID (9/14 & 9/15).

While our rider numbers would eventually grow to 12 in total, our first build day on Friday, 9/14, had a few less people due to scheduling and travel conflicts. Regardless of this, we went to work supporting the organization NeighborWorks and their goal of building a weather-resistant shelter for use by residents of one of their low-income apartment complexes. This would provide a safe place for children waiting for the school bus and other residents to seek shelter from the elements.

At the site, the corner posts had already been set in concrete and the materials were on their way, but nothing else had yet been done. Although we got off to a slow start with leveling the ground for paving stones, we quickly picked up the pace and by the end of the day had completed this lovely shelter:

With the shelter completed, the next day we split into two teams to volunteer at a pair of local Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations. The Habitat ReStore is a great source of home furnishings and construction materials at a low price, though sometimes they get pieces of furniture donated that are not in good shape or so outdated that they never get sold. As our supervisor said, if you wouldn't put it in your own home or the home or your siblings, parents, or grandparents, it may not be worthwhile to keep in the store.

We quickly found that there is a lot of interest in maximizing sales and turnover of donation stock at the Habitat ReStore, where proceeds from sales go to support Affordable Housing causes. Our goal there was to clear out space for new donations to come in and to help de-clutter and reorganize the display isles. The rest of the day went by very quickly as we re-arranged their showroom floor and broke down a number of old cabinets to make room for newly donated items.

With two good days of labor behind us, it is time to look towards the upcoming ride...

On The Road!

Update From The Air

...and I'm off!

As I type this, I'm currently on a plane flying somewhere over Colorado on my way to San Jose, CA then to Portland, OR. I've left the East Coast a week early so that I can join my fellow Bike & Build SUS 2014 riders Laura & Dusty at their wedding this weekend in Portland! I can't wait to celebrate with the happy couple!!

Next Friday, our DirtDrift group will start off our trip with the first of two back-to-back build days. Following this, we'll hit the road and disappear into the mountains for our 250-mile ride.

Despite the extensive cumulative experience of our group of Bike & Build alumni, I can't help but be a little nervous about this trip. Contrasted with the long days spent riding on highway and side streets in 2014, we will be out on the wilderness and expect to have little to no communication with the outside world until it is over. This will be a great test of our group dynamics and capability to deal with any incidents and accidents (hopefully not!) completely by ourselves. Nevertheless, I'm still excited!

Stay tuned for more info and pictures!!! A big thank you to everyone who has donated to my trip so far :) I am still taking donations up through the trip, so if you have some spare change please consider supporting this great cause!

DirtDrift 2018: Update

Biking the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail with the BWI Loop

Only a couple weeks now until I arrive in Boise, ID and head off on my second Bike & Build trip! We had a team meeting over the weekend and squared away some detailed trip info:

• 2 Build Days (in Boise)
• 6 Riding Days
• 250 Miles to Cover
• Camping Every Night
• Weather - Highs in 80's, Lows in 20's
• Cell service - Not likely
• Wildfires - Maybe?

As for me, I'm hurriedly getting ready for this trip along with everything else going on around here! At the suggestion of other Bike & Builders, I am using BikeFlights.com to arrange ground shipping straight to Boise and hopefully I'll have a good review to leave when my bike arrives safely via FedEx (their shipping partner). I never needed to ship my bike when I was on SUS 2014, so I'm a little nervous. My local bike shop was kind enough to give me a used bike box and somehow I managed to fit my 29er into this small box (made for a cruiser bike) during a test fit.

Attempts at Bike Packing

Well I'm home now from my 45-mile ride on the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, adding in the BWI Loop for good measure. I was hoping to make this 60 miles but I ran short on time... Anyways, I'm quite tired and I shall say goodnight! Thanks for reading my blog!

I'm Back!

Hi friends, welcome back!! I ask that you please take the time to eventually read this whole post, but if time is short or if you want to know why now, 4 years later, I am creating a new post on this blog, go ahead and skip to the end. As always, thank you for your friendship and support!

Just over 4 years ago, I joined an amazing group of individuals on a 4220-mile trip from Jacksonville, FL to Monterey, CA. This trip was the 2014 Bike & Build Southern US (SUS) trip and it opened my eyes not only to the wonders of our great country but to the needs of those within it. All across this country, there is a significant need for decent, affordable housing. Many families lack the funds and support to have a place of their own, something which many of us take for granted. Supporting affordable housing is about helping others to fulfill the basic human need for shelter and giving them the chance to improve their own well-being.

 

On SUS 2014, our group of cyclists met many people along the way that were positively supported by affordable housing. From veterans to single-parent families, those that we met were the kindest, most gracious and welcoming people that I have ever been in contact with. I have been very fortunate to be a part of this and see firsthand the benefits that an organization like Bike & Build and its affordable housing partners can bring to the less-fortunate all across the country. 

My OTHER Ride (Rocky Mountain Trailhead 29er)

Wait, what happened to my road bike??  Well, friends, I am pleased to announce that this summer, I will be joining Bike & Build for another ride, but this time it will be on a less-paved course very far from any ocean. On September 14th, I join the  Bike & Build DirtDrift leaving out of (& returning to) Boise, Idaho!

This ride will be the first test of a future off-road Bike & Build trip and although we won't stray outside of Idaho, we are still following the same organizational goals of my 2014 trip. These include earning our 'sweat hours' on at least two affordable housing build days and raising funds for affordable housing projects. I am extremely excited to be joining Bike & Build once again on this shakedown ride and paving the way (though not literally)  for future generations of service-minded young adults to continue supporting the affordable housing cause. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for your support as I tackle this new trip!

Please feel free to follow me here for updates on the ride. Given the nature of the ride itself, I may not be able to post every day during the week-long ride (or at all), but I will have some amazing pictures after it has wrapped up. I am responsible for fundraising $700 towards this trip, so if you wish to help support me financially, please see my fundraising page at https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/1521309. Thank you once again!!

More information about this Bike & Build trip is available at https://www.classy.org/event/bike-and-build-dirtdrift/e188238.

Training For The Trip (Plainfield, NH)

The Countdown Starts!

4! 15! 29! 30!

It's The Final Countdown!!!! (Cue guitar solo)

What does that mean????
1. I have 4 weekends left to make the most out of (and one of them will be up in NY with family).
2. I have 15 days left of work before my Bike & Build adventure starts!
3. I have 29 days left before I hit the road on a road trip down to Jacksonville, FL.
4. I have 30 days (1 month!) left before this Bike & Build business gets real.

How much do I have left to do?  Lots of course.  I still have 40 thank you cards to hand-write, many training miles to put on, a room to clean up, tasks at work to finish, and a theater to get ready for the summer.  How will I do all of this in my little time left?  I don't know!!!!

Regardless, what I don't have to worry about anymore are donations!  You guys have come through in a fantastic manner and have really blown me away. To everyone who has helped and donated, I am super stoked to say

THANK YOU!!!!!!

How much have I raised?  $1? $4500? $5000?  Nope, I have raised $6440 for affordable housing already and there's still another month left to go!  I cannot believe the generosity of everyone and the amount of support that you have shown for me in this endeavor, so thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

On a final note, to those of you whom I have not thanked yet, I sincerely apologize.  I have had so little time at home in the past few months with trying to juggle everything on my plate that I have fallen severely behind on thank you cards and follow-up correspondence.  As long as I have your name and your address, I do promise that there will be one on its way to you before I leave on this trip, and that everyone can expect a postcard from me from some point along my journey :)

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By the way, I had the chance to go on a nice bike ride on the B&OD trail with a mix of B&B alumni and newbies two weekends ago.  What an awesome group of people!  Next up is my 65-mile training ride this weekend with JoBeth.  I'm definitely looking forward to it!!!

Full Steam Ahead

(I get really excited about installing door sweeps!)

Hi everyone!  I just wanted to share a little update on everything that has been happening in the big run-up to Bike & Build (starting May 16th!).  A lot has happened in the past week, so let me try to consolidate:

• Last Saturday, I met up with a group of 8 Bike & Builders to spend 6 hours with Rebuilding Together in Alexandria.  What an awesome crew!  I spent the day with 5 B&B alumni (including my girlfriend, Emily) and met two 2014 riders, one of them being on my Southern US (SUS) trip (hi JoBeth!).  We caulked, painted, and installed door knobs at one of RB's foreclosure condos... not bad for a day's work!  That's 6 of my 10 required sweat-equity hours complete!


• As I previously posted, I do have my B&B bike now.  She is sitting pretty in my work office, encouraging me to go on rides after work whenever I can fit in the time.  With everything else going on, it's tough to find time to complete those 500 pre-trip miles, but I'll get it done. :)  I'm currently 21 miles in, so only 479 left!


• Planning is going great for my upcoming fundraisers!  On March 7th, there will be a Bike & Build Booster in Riverhead, NY, which is being organized by my wonderful mom and sister, and on March 27th, we have a Trivia Night Fundraiser here in Maryland at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center.  Please see the links on the side of this page for more info!


• Finally, I am excited to share with you that my fundraising has surpassed the 50% mark!  In fact, I'm currently at 57% of my minimum fundraising goal of $4,500 for Bike & Build!  Let's get that all the way up to $4,500 and then some!!! As I've said before, running the Bike & Build trip only takes about half of the total fundraising amount and the rest is given to affordable housing groups to support them in their work.  Any extra fundraising that we can raise together will go straight to worthy affordable housing groups (and I will even get a say in choosing which ones get it!).

That's all for now!  Thank you again to all of my wonderful donors!  The next round of thank you cards will be going out shortly. :)

The Bike & Build Work Crew (2/15/14)

Words From A Past Rider

"Bike & Build reminds me of the importance of being human – the importance of living, feeling and embracing the human condition while pushing the context and the boundaries of how we see and perceive ourselves and our fellow man. It not only reminds us to keep our feet (or wheels) planted firmly on the ground, but also encourages us to reach skyward with our hearts and our heads, spurring personal growth and redefinition so that we may help others. Leading our lives with honesty and truth and being conscientious of those in need contributes to the energy that betters our world.

~ Derrick Thiel, Bike & Build CUS 2010

Happy New Year!!!

Source: http://newtownbike.com/

Welcome to 2014!!!  I hope that everyone had a fun and wonderful holiday season!  I wish you and yours a safe, successful, and most wonderful 2014!

When I started this blog, I had said that I would probably have some trouble keeping up with making posts, which is apparently the case! So, in the interest of keeping up a blog, I have updated my resolutions list:

New Years Resolutions:

1 - Transition from writing 2013 (accidentally) to 2014 in 20 days or less.

2 - Read at least 12 books this year.

(Edit) 3 -  Update this blog at least bi-weekly pre-trip.

...Hopefully these resolutions will last longer than most peoples' "exercise more" resolutions!

As you know, this summer I will be bicycling across the country and will be stopping along the way to help build houses with affordable housing organizations. While the time spent building houses is significant, that's not all that the trip is about.  Here's an excerpt from the Bike & Build website:

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Creating a Connection
From the moment that you sign up for one of our trips to when you reach your final destination, our organization strives to create a connection between the two aspects of our program: biking and building. As you ride you'll find that the two roles compliment and reinforce each other.

 

By virtue of completing a long-distance bike tour, you will assist and enable affordable housing efforts throughout the nation. As you travel you'll stop to talk with people about your summer, our program, and the housing landscape. You'll take breaks to work on construction sites and give town-hall style presentations to people throughout the country. You'll review, evaluate, and choose to fund grant proposals our organization receives. You'll find that traveling by bicycle - especially on a trip of this magnitude - is a great way to promote the housing cause, and you'll receive publicity and attention that you would not have seen off of your bikes.

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Yes, we could have fundraisers to donate straight to affordable housing, but that's not what this trip is about.  This trip is about spreading the word about what we're doing and why we're doing it.  This trip is about talking to people along the way and letting everyone know about the challenges faced by affordable housing groups in the US.  This trip is (for me) about being thankful for what I have and intentionally giving that up for a few months to make a difference.

Just the beginning...

Hi everyone, welcome to my first-ever blog!  Now that we are on the heels of Thanksgiving, it seemed appropriate for me to take a moment to give thanks for having the opportunity to make a difference by starting a blog about my upcoming adventure.  Over the course of the next year, I will be chronicling an opportunity that will be dominating much of my free thoughts and free time.  I thank you for coming here to take a look and I thank you for joining with me in this great adventure.

It was less than two months ago that I first heard about this particular nonprofit organization called Bike & Build.  Since 2003, this charitable organization has raised money and awareness for affordable housing, totaling over $4 million in contributions and 120,000 hours of service.  This is all made possible through yearly cross-country fundraising cycling trips and the hard work and determination of young adults involved in them.  Over the course of 2-3 months, the trip participants bicycle across the country and spread awareness about affordable housing by talking with locals, giving presentations, and donating time and labor at build sites with local affordable housing groups.

As for my story, once I heard about this organization, I immediately knew that I had to be a part of it!  From not knowing a thing about it, I have since applied and been accepted to be one of the 30 riders covering a route crossing the Southern US (henceforth known as SUS) during the summer of 2014!  I'll be heading out in mid-May from Jacksonville, FL and finishing up in Monterey, CA during the first week of August, completing 4000+ miles of bicycling with only 4 days of rest!

Words cannot quite describe how excited that I am for this trip!  Not only will I get to travel the country by bicycle (a long-term goal of mine), but I'll get to support a very worthy cause along the way!  I'm excited to spend 5 days straight building in New Orleans, where residents are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Katrina, and (if all goes well) to hike my way up Half Dome in Yosemite National Park!  In order to cover all costs and to provide some worthwhile donations to charity organizations and along the route, very participant is responsible for raising at least $4500 in donations, so I ask wholeheartedly for your help.  Please stay tuned on how you can help!  

Thanks!