Thank You Doris!

I would like to thank Doris Kusan for her generous contribution this week. I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that her year-end review was also due to me this week. Just Kidding! Doris is a fine member of my team and I am greatful for all her hard work. She makes my life easier since she knows what she is doing. I will miss her great attitude and sense of humor while I am on the trip. Don't worry Doris, I will be updating this blog as often as I can on the road.

On a side note, no riding in LA for me. I have had a good time in Santa Monica and hope to get in a workout tomorrow morning at the hotel. They have some cardio equipment and free-weights that seemed pretty good. I will be hurting after the red-eye flight back to Columbus and probably will be taking it easy on Monday.

Rock Climbing

Tonight, instead of hitting the bike for a workout, I went rock climbing. Not necessarily the best workout to train for biking, but it was a nice change of pace. It was a workout that I will be feeling tomorrow since I already feel the burn, so tomorrow I expect I'll really be feeling it.

Looking forward to spending in the weekend in LA. I had some grand aspirations to get in a couple of bike rides, especially since I would be able to rent one right near the hotel. But then I checked the weather forecast: rain and high of 55. Oh well, I am going to take some riding clothes and hope for the best and worse case workout in the hotel. On the plus side, I will get to meet up with Heather, who is at UCLA getting her MBA, and help celebrate her birthday.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Had a good weekend; got in two 45 minute rides on the bike at the gym. Nothing too strenuous, but I got stronger the longer I rode. I'll probably start increasing the intensity next week. I would have kept going, but others were waiting to use the bike, and being the kind individual that I am, I gave it up. I have commitments every night this week, but hope to either get some late nite (for me - 9:30pm) workouts in or get up early and get them in before work. Time will tell...

I would like to give a shout out to Rebecca Gorney for her generosity today. We went bowling, and upon hearing about Bike and Build, she asked if she could make a donation on the spot. Thank you Rebecca!

Welcome

This summer, I will be co-leading a trip across the country to raise money and awareness for affordable housing as part of Bike and Build's North Carolina to San Diego's (NC2SD) trip. The adventure begins in Manteo NC and ends 2 months later in sunny San Diego. Along the way, we will stop and assist with builds in local communities, make presentations and of course have a great time. I will do my best to actively update this blog leading up to and throughout the trip. If you'd like to check out more about the trip, check out BikeandBuild.org. There you will find a list of all the riders and more information, including mail drops, applications if you are interested in participating yourself, and ways to donate.

Ok, now for the shameless plug. Bike and Build is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which means that all donations are tax-deductible (if you pay taxes, this lowers your taxes, if you don't pay taxes, don't get caught but still donate). Any donation is appreciated, especially since every rider needs to raise $4,000. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Another way you can help out: To maximize the money raised and minimize costs, we will be staying wherever we can for free. Ideally, we will be staying in churches, synagogues, YMCAs, JCCs and any other place that will let us spend the night for free. If you know of someone in any of the towns that we will be stopping at (itinerary below), let me know, as I, along with the other trip leaders, are responsible for setting up nightly accommodations. We don't need much, just a roof over our heads and enough room for 30 riders. We will be respectful and clean-up after ourselves, leaving the place just the way we found it. In return, we would be more than willing, and actually would like to make a presentation on affordable housing or give a basic bike maintenance clinic. We are also looking for food donations, as we will be going thru a lot of calories. Nothing fancy like steak or lobster (although we won't turn it down), but just some good food (like pasta - cheap, high in carbs). My email as trip lead is sshapiro@bikeandbuild.org if you have any questions / comments.

Below is the tentative itinerary (averaging 75 miles / day of biking)

05/21 Manteo - NC
05/22 Manteo - NC
05/23 Swanquarter - NC 62 Miles
05/24 Belhaven - NC 34 Miles
05/25 Greenville - NC 54 Miles
05/26 Wake Forest - NC 77 Miles
05/27 Chapel Hill - NC 58 Miles
05/28 BUILD DAY
05/29 BUILD DAY
05/30 Winston-Salem - NC 77 Miles
05/31 Taylorsville - NC 70 Miles
06/1 Linville Falls - NC 54 Miles
06/2 Asheville - NC 50 Miles
06/3 BUILD DAY
06/4 Gatlinburg - TN 85 Miles
06/5 Maryville - TN 40 Miles
06/6 BUILD DAY
06/7 BUILD DAY
06/8 Sweetwater - TN 40 Miles
06/9 Dunlap - TN 77 Miles
06/10 Sewanee - TN 55 Miles
06/11 Pulaski - TN 85 Miles
06/12 Savannah - TN 77 Miles
06/13 Bolivar - TN 47 Miles
06/14 Memphis - TN 70 Miles
06/15 DAY OFF
06/16 Brinkley - AR 82 Miles
06/17 Little Rock - AR 70 Miles
06/18 BUILD DAY
06/19 BUILD DAY
06/20 Lamar - AR 88 Miles
06/21 Fayetteville - AR 73 Miles
06/22 Grove - OK 60 Miles
06/23 Bartlesville - OK 80 Miles
06/24 DAY OFF
06/25 Ponca City - OK 71 Miles
06/26 Cherokee - OK 80 Miles
06/27 Coldwater - KS 89 Miles
06/28 Dodge City - KS 67 Miles
06/29 Garden City - KS 53 Miles
06/30 Lamar - CO 102 Miles
07/1 Rocky Ford - CO 75 Miles
07/2 Colorado Springs - CO 96 Miles
07/3 BUILD DAY
07/4 BUILD DAY
07/5 Buena Vista - CO 87 Miles
07/6 Gunnison - CO 85 Miles
07/7 Ouray - CO 106 Miles
07/8 Durango - CO 75 Miles
07/9 DAY OFF
07/10 Cortez - CO 45 Miles
07/11 Teec Nos Pos - AZ 47 Miles
07/12 Kayenta - AZ 73 Miles
07/13 Tuba City - AZ 72 Miles
07/14 Desert View - AZ 56 Miles
07/15 Williams - AZ 80 Miles
07/16 Prescott - AZ 85 Miles
07/17 BUILD DAY
07/18 Wickenburg - AZ 60 Miles
07/19 Wenden - AZ 45 Miles
07/20 Blythe - CA 65 Miles
07/21 Brawley - CA 88 Miles
07/22 Julian - CA 75 Miles
07/23 El Cajon - CA 50 Miles
07/24 San Diego - CA 36 Miles

**Subject to change