Kabito, AZ

This morning I woke up feeling like I just biked 117 miles the day before. Maybe because i had. Everyone was sore and tired but we all got on our bikes anyway. Tiff was sick this morning so I was riding with Lama and Jillian and Sadie. I started my coughing, gagging, I'm going to vomit soon routine around mile 10. Not a good sign. If I had been riding with Tiff we would have pulled over, I would have vomited and we would have been on our way. However that was not the case today. So here I am bent over on the side of the road vomiting at 6 am ish across from the beautiful Baby Rocks. ugh. So Lama called the van to come and get me :( I wasn't happy but I was also in no condition to argue today. Then we found out that Steph had taken a serious spill and needed to go to the hospital. Will picked me up and then dropped me off at the McDonalds the next town over then he was off to deal with the Steph situation. Needless to say I ended up meeting a beautiful dog and buying her McDonalds for breakfast. Who doesn't love the golden arches right? Then I walked over to Burger King where some of the other riders were hanging out. As riders rolled out the sick crew ended up napping on the floor of the Burger King Play Place. You know you are in a dark place when you fall asleep on the floor of a public restaurant. lol. Tomorrow we ride to UTAH!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!

Arizona and the Four Corners

The ride out of Farmington was very exciting. We knew that it would be a long day due largely to the fact that we were facing another century ride but everyone was excited none the less. We crossed another state line!!!! Hello Arizona :) Goodbye New Mexico :( Landscape gets more and more beautiful everyday. The ride was going really well today so Tiff and I decided to take the 10 mile detour to see the four corners. this has been on my to do list for quite some time and we were so close anyways!!! The four corners was a lot of fun. We took some group pictures and hung out for a while before heading back out. The second half of the day was just as beautiful as the first but we could see the rain clouds approaching. Tiff and I just kept pedaling and pedaling. I got some really awesome pictures of the rain and landscape. This was definitely a very challenging ride but together we climb and descended. When we arrived at the host and looked at our odometers we realized that we had done a grueling 117 miles!!! Holy Crap. I never thought that I would ride 117 miles on my bike in one day but I did. This whole experience is so surreal!!! I find myself thinking "If I can ride my bike 117 miles through Arizona in July I can do just about anything."

Farmington, NM

The ride into Farmington was a century but it was so so enjoyable. The day was mostly down hill and the weather was beautiful!!! We had a tail wind most of the day which also mad the day wonderful. Dance party at lunch, ice cream, peeing behind random bushes. This was an excellent day. Our host loves Bike & Build and has hosted us for the past few years so as soon as we arrived at the school they had snacks and drinks ready for us. They had shuttles for the showers at the local YMCA as well. Dinner was a pot luck and we actually ate with several members of the congregation. It was really nice talking with members of the community about what we are doing and why we are doing it. I enjoyed meeting a women who works at the nature center here in Farmington. After dinner we gave a presentation and then everyone kind of spread out. Some watched movies, some played guitar, some told jokes, others just spent time one on one with each other. I really love this team.

The next day we built with an organization called ECHO. We actually did a demolition and started a rebuild. Riding to the build sight was fun. I spent most of the day measuring and cutting boards. Others worked on the roof and other s took care of scraps and did some landscaping. Lunch was provided by ECHO (subway!!!) And our sight coordinator challenged the team to a hammering contest. Most of the guys took a swing at it, I think Kelly was the only girl to take part. After lunch we finished up on the build sight and headed back to the host.I took a short nap before leaving. My chore group was in charge of running a bike clinic for some local kids so we headed over to the community center. A handful of kids showed up and none had bikes but we did meet one boy who loves to bike and is seriously considering Bike & Build when he turns 18!!! I really hope that he does.

Headed to Cuba on the 4th of July!?!?!

This morning we woke to more of the beauty that is Abique Lake. I really love it here. Sunrise was beautiful! Everyone got pumped for the 4th of July!! American flags and red white and blue were everywhere. After our route meeting we were on our way to Cuba...NM. Riding out of Abique had a fair share of climbing but it was just so gorgeous. At one point we stopped to take photos. You could see everything. Exactly where we had come from just days before!!! It still amazes me that we are already in New Mexico. We started in Florida and here we are. Crazy. After biking for a little while we stopped for a team photo, about half way up the mountain, in front of the lake. Riding into Cuba Tiff and I saw some horses. The horses with the mountainous back drop made me feel like I was in a western movie! After arriving we took naps and then hit up a thrift store for prom apparel. Some good stuff was purchased I assure you. Purp Squad cooked us a great meal. Handmade veggies burgers for us veggies :) The evening was complete with pie and punch. The boys also drew names for prom tonight so the prom posals should be starting soon. I am excited to see who comes up with what and who has who. The evening wound down and concluded with pleasant conversation in good company as always.

Abique Lake, NM

Today's ride was my favorite so far!!! Everything was so beautiful from start to finish. I am starting to understand why they call New Mexico the land of enchantment. Today's landscape was everything from mountains to valleys. We found trees again!! We found green grass again! I didn't even realize how much I missed it until I saw it again today. We arrived at the host fairly early and explored the small town for a bit. We stopped by the local library and explored the church and the landscape around it as well. Then we all shuttled to showers and some people went for a dip in the lake. I was not about to dive into ice cold water so I watched and then ended up taking a walk with Tiff and Mark. We got a ride from some nice park rangers to the showers. Showers are so refreshing at the end of a bike day. After showers we headed back for dinner. Donation magic pizza. Then Mark and I took a walk and enjoyed the scenery. I got to talk to him about Americorps and who knows maybe I will apply at some point. After our walk I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures of the sun set it was so incredible. During my picture taking I ran into Tiff and we decided to explore the land some more. We found a creek and some beautiful little houses. The sun set over th mountain was breath taking. But it gets better!!! We found cats :) And boy did we love on these little guys. One part of me was overjoyed that we had found animals. The other part of me was sad that I had to leave them outside and then the realist in me concluded that these cats were probably homeless and unaltered. They would contribute to the overpopulation problem and there was nothing I could do :( I will save the world one animal at a time but not today. Tomorrow perhaps. After our cuddle session it was pretty dark so we headed back to the host and hung out in our room for a while. Some people were watching a movie and it was hard to fall asleep so I talked with a teammate for a while before finally falling asleep.

Santa Fe, NM

The ride into Santa Fe was a lot of fun. I am really enjoying the landscape here in New Mexico. This is definitely my favorite state thus far :) Today's ride had lots of up and downs but my body is adjusting more and more with each ride. Tiff has had a few nose bleeds due to the altitude but I have been lucky so far. Today we only had one lunch stop and it was a few miles past where we expected it to be but it was worth it because it took us to the top of the hill. At lunch we met a guy who is biking from California to Virginia!! It was nice to talk with him and hear about his journey. After lunch there was more climbing but everything was so beautiful that it was hard to get discouraged. Almost into town we stumbled across a wonderful restaurant called Real Food Nation :) The best veggie food. It's so refreshing to have food options again I have to say. I ate entirely too much food and then hit the road again. Tiff and I got a little lost on our way to the host but we were able to find our way to the host. We are staying at Our Lady of Guadelupe Church. The church is beautiful! It is surrounded by roses and other beautiful flowers. The area of the church that they have us staying in is very similar to a class room. The shower here is very interesting to say the least... closet converted into shower with absolutely no temp control what so ever lol. Elayna came to see me tonight!!!! Brettly cleaned my bike so that I could visit and then a bunch of us hit the town to explore. Santa Fe is beautiful. Definitely some place that I need to come back to at some point in my life. Catching up with Elayna was so so so much fun. I truly have great friends.

Building here has also been nice. When we got to the work sight they divided us into groups to do a men's build and a women's build. I spent most of the day laying down black paper and covering it with chicken wire so that the plaster can be sprayed on within the next few days. I spent most of the day working with Elayna, Prachi, and Sadie. All in all we had a good time. I even conquered my fear of the ladder once again. I love build days and I am really glad that I was able to share this one with Elayna. Back on the bike tomorrow!!!

Mosquero NM

4:30 wake ups started today. I never thought that I would ever be happy to get up at 4:30 in the morning but surprisingly I was. Beating the heat is the key to my riding success so if that means waking before the roosters I am all about it. Today's ride went well. Tiff and I were able to finish the day strong despite the rising temps and the ridiculous wind. The first 30 miles went by super fast. We rode past a some horses and they got excited and started running next to us! It was wonderful. Right before lunch the wind picked up and blasted us. There is nothing like pedaling as hard as you can into a strong head wind and going no where. Slightly frustrating but just another challenge. The rest at first lunch was much needed. The ride from first to second lunch was very hot. There wasn't a lot to see today either considering there were no towns in between our previous host and our current destination. As the heat bared her ugly head Tiff and I decided to talk things out to take our mind off of the temp. It's still amazing to me that you can spend everyday with someone and still find things to talk about :) I know that Tiff and I are going to be friends for a very long time! After finally arriving at second lunch I wanted to die. Lunch was at the only house in sight. Sitting in the shade, drinking cold water and petting the resident border collie named Hank really helped recharge and refuel. After lunch Tiff and I plugged around and then it happened. I bonked. It didn't occur to me at the time that this is what was happening though. I just remember thinking I was kinda tired and then I saw a dog so I got off of my bike to pet it. Then it wasn't there and the white line was moving so I just decided to walk my bike. I eventually made it to the shade tree that Tiff was waiting under for me. We sat for a while and drank water. She tried to get me to eat but I didn't want to so I threw my bar in the dirt. Then Corey pulled up with Vanessa and told me that I needed to get in the van. I was not so convinced so I started walking my bike. Yup that's right. I thought I would walk my bike the last 30ish miles up a mountain. Needless to say this was a bad idea and Corey made me get in the van. I was frustrated but this was for the best. Dinner was rice and beans and some other veggies. As soon as my head hit my thermarest I was out.