Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri

Comin’ at ya from Joplin, where we are spending our last night in the state of Missouri before our final 3-state day tomorrow (Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma). We are nearing our halfway point, with more than 1,700 miles and a full month under our belts (butts?). Here are a few of the many highlights since my last post:

Bike Clinic/World's Best Potluck:

Jeff, Dan, and Jessica excited for some homemade goodness

Rushville, Indiana will forever have a special place in my heart and my stomach. We rolled into town after a 76 mile day to a greeting of cold drinks, fresh fruit and cookies provided by St. Paul’s UMC.  Before dinner we hosted a bike clinic for kids in the neighborhood and had around 10 kids show up – a much better turnout than our first bike clinic (1). We set up different stations to teach the kids about bike maintenance, safety and skills. At the end they put everything into action with a short ride around the neighborhood, led by some of our fabulous riders. The bike clinic was one of my highlights of the week, as I loved being around the kids and sharing the joy of bike-riding with them.

The welcoming crew at St Paul's UMC in Rushville

After the bike clinic we joined church members for an incredible dinner spread. The pastor took great pride in the meal they provided and requested an e-mail at the end of the trip to see if anyone else had outdone them. The potluck was so big we had to weave in and out of the kitchen to hit every dish and take two plates and bowls apiece to try everything – fried chicken, pastas, casseroles, tacos, fruit salads, pizza, corn on the cob, and everything else 33 famished cyclists could want. The dessert table(s) even included a prize-winning chocolate cake made by one of the youth group members and destined for the state fair. I managed to find room for a piece on my dessert plate in between the apple pie and banana cream pie. This kind of glorious gluttony is exactly how I envisioned my eating habits this summer.

The Best Worst Day Ever:  

1000th mile celebratory headstand

Our last ride in Indiana was perhaps the most memorable of the trip thus far. It was a 95 mile day to Salem, IL, and I was riding sweep (last back) with my buddy Kelsey. The day was a series of ups and downs that included sweeping a couple riders who needed to ride in the van due to illness/injury, jumping on hay bales, riding my 1000^th mile of the trip, crossing our first time zone, and eventually catching up to a group of riders who experienced the misfortune of almost 10 flat tires in a day. Every time they flatted out we stopped to help and admire the view of the endless roadside cornfields. Our progress was painfully slow, as we would make it no more than a couple miles before the next flat. 

By the time we reached second lunch (we have two lunches on 90+ mile days), it was already 4:00. We still had almost 25 miles to go and groups ahead reported a “wicked” storm approaching. As we finished gorging ourselves with snacks, the dark clouds loomed overhead and we decided to try to make it as far as we could before seeking shelter. As we pedaled out of the parking lot and over the adjacent bridge crossing the state line into Illinois, the storm did it’s best to keep us in Indiana. I could barely rotate my pedals to get up and over the bridge as the wind picked up and the rain began. On the other side of the bridge one of my riding partners, Lucas, and I stopped just long enough to take a picture in front of the state sign. We cackled hysterically while getting drenched in our attempt to document the moment. 

Gimme shelter in an abandoned building

About a hundred feet away our group had taken shelter in an abandoned building that appeared to be covered in bullet holes. After waiting out the storm for another 45 minutes, we decided to forego the offer to be picked up by the van and finish the ride. A few miles in we found ourselves riding along a winding country road with a pink sunset over a lake to our left and the thunderclouds moving away from us to the right. The lighting was perfect and everything sparkled with moisture from the storm. That’s when we realized we had made a wrong turn and gone several miles in the wrong direction. On the way back to our route, Chris got another flat. It was almost 7:00, and we had been on the road for a full 12 hours with 15 miles left to go. Out of tubes and unsure if the bikes would hold up, we decided to call it quits and have the van come pick us up. It wasn’t how we envisioned our day ending, but the group morale was high up to the very end. We coined it the “best worst day ever” to encapsulate the highs and lows of the days and the fact that there are no bad days on Bike & Build.       

Build Days in St. Louis and Springfield:

Build day with Rebuilding Together

We had two build days in Missouri – one in St. Louis and one in Springfield. The St. Louis build day was with an organization called Rebuilding Together that does home repairs for low-income housing, focusing on vulnerable populations like veterans, the elderly, and people with disabilities. We worked on two homes on a block of a street where half of the homes had been abandoned and blockaded. My favorite part was spending time on the porch with one of the homeowners and her daughter, listening to their stories about their family and living in St. Louis.  Another Bike & Build group had come through about a month prior to work on her house, and she was thrilled to have our group continue the projects.

Check out your local Habitat Restore!

Our second build day in Missouri was with Habitat for Humanity in Springfield – hometown of Brad Pitt, Bob Barker, and the world’s largest Bass Pro Shop.  We got a different look at the organization by spending the day at the Restore, a home improvement store, donation and recycling center. This particular Restore was quite impressive in size and scope. It included 3 large warehouses and brings in 1.2 million dollars every year, covering all of the affiliate’s operating expenses so that every dollar donated can go directly towards new home construction. We spent the day doing odd jobs around the Restore to help organize and stock the warehouses and home improvement center. If you have a Restore in your area, I highly recommend checking it out, as there are some great (and cheap!) finds that help support an awesome cause.

Onwards to Oooooooooooklahoma tomorrow!

How many B&Bers does it take to screw in a bulb?

Mannequins (and Lucas) on sale at the Restore

Entryway to the Bass Pro headquarters

Special visitors in St. Louis - my parents!!