Our Route!

Our Route!
Charleston, SC to Santa Cruz, CA: May 26 to August 14

Trip Tracker

For an detailed interactive map of our journey, click here.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Oregon and Completion

It's done. I did it. 3140 miles in 49 rides (averaging 65 miles a day). 12 states. A fully funded finished house. Another $20K given out in grants we assessed and awarded. $16K in additional individualized grants (I gave my $500 to Penn Haven). 31 new friends, hopefully with several that truly last. Hundreds of people met, thousands of witnesses, and many inspired or touched. Charleston, SC to Pacific City, OR...A Bike and Build summer.

Care for a flash back to Colorado Springs? You can watch me gesticulate excessively here.

In explanation of the final days of my journey, I encourage you refer to the photos here. Leaving Boise for Oregon, I enjoyed riding alongside my slack-lining compadres Justin and Chris. Even with stops for photo shoots, thrift stores, and multiple flats of my front tire, we arrived in town in the early afternoon. Already excited about my next feat of endurance (Philadelphia marathon November 22), I decided to squeeze in a 4 mile run and check out the town. Despite aggravating my knee a tad, stumbling upon their County Fair made it entirely worthwhile. In the evening, our group got down to business, deciding on the grant applications to our organization. We particularly liked Habitat for Humanity applications from Clarksdale, MS and Charleston, SC, giving those regions the most money. I happily spearheaded this decision making process, maintaining decorum and keeping us task oriented. At the end of the day, we had given out more than $20K to some truly great youth driven projects. What an empowering feeling!

The next we continued on to Juntura, a tiny town of about 150 residents. Despite the small size, we received a wondrous welcome and I admittedly ate way too much of their baked goodies. Afternoon entertainment came in our host gym, where we rope climbed, shot hoops, and rough housed. Despite my warnings, my good friend Dane challenged me to a wrestling match. With the vast gap in experience, the matches were fairly one-sided. As onlooker Taylor told me, "it was hilarious watching him go from standing to flailing so quickly." I think I gained a bit of toughness cred on those mats. As we enjoyed a lovely dinner, everyone started asking me about my feelings about my Last Supper, making my upcoming departure very real. I spent my final evening writing gratitude letters to all my fellow riders and enjoying the pinkish hues of the SE Oregon desert sky.

The next day may be one of the most memorable of my life. In honor of my departure from the group, the other riders had anointed that our ride to Burns would be a dress up parade. The ridiculous outfits my biking buds came up were fantastic, reminding me of my dear Penn friends from the Fun Dumpster. Please see photos linked above. Flowing dresses, cowboy hats, sparkles, body paint, capes, bikini bottoms and bare skin...I never loved our crew more. On the road, trucks honked, children stared, and I think we frightened a busload of nuns. Eager to meet up with my mom at our destination, I took a short lunch and sped on. We coordinated a DQ stop, where she generously treated our gang to ice cream. In our peculiar garb, we flooded this small town and filled the restaurant to capacity. I felt truly loved. These random 31 people had become dear friends, willing to sacrifice some self-respect and dignity to celebrate my final Bike and Build ride. Much love team. I then hopped in the car to drive with Jeanie and my mom to Salem, OR.

After a lovely stay with Jeanie's parents, I took my final ride to Pacific City, OR. I was guided by a fit 60 year old named Dan. In the past 10 years, he had ridden extensively, having even done a 206 mile trek from Seattle to Portland...in one day! As we rode through the lush forests of Northwest Oregon, he told me of his family, Portland's kooky character, Oregon trivia, and his views on American democracy. In our quiet moments, I savored the final day, reflecting over all the places, people, and experiences of my past two months. Soon we had come to Pacific City and I could smell the salt of the ocean. Seeing the foggy coast, I jumped off my ride, hoisted it onto my shoulder, and sprinted to the sea. As I dipped my tire into the water, I bellowed, "America, Bow Before Me!" I know, I know. I've had thousands of miles to think of a plan for this moment, and all I could muster was that line. Lame or not, I loved it. Mushu (my steed) and I had done it. I soon stripped down, danced on the beach, and immersed myself in the frigid Pacific. I will never forget that moment. I thank my mom and Jeanie for coordinating and Dan for riding with me, thank all my donors, fellow riders, and hosts along the way for making this a reality. Aaahh, I am still geeked out now.

This is the end of this adventure, but there is much more to come. Medical school begins in days, which I am confident will be more exciting and challenging than this endeavor. For those that have read this and followed my summer, I appreciate your interest and hoped you enjoyed the ride. I think I am too close to the happening to pull out any great wisdom yet, but let me just say this: Stop and savor once and awhile. Life is pretty fantastic.

Want to help out? Donate!

A huge part of this trip is raising funds! All proceeds of the trip will be used to fund student driven affordable housing projects across the nation. Here is where you come in: PLEASE support me and Bike & Build by making a tax-deductible contribution. To those of you that did donate, I thank you sincerely.

You could give a penny for every mile I ride this summer ($40). Considering the magnitude of the goal and the importance of our cause, anything you can give will be greatly appreciated. Help me help others!

If you do choose to give, all you have to do is go to http://www.bikeandbuild.org/donate.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call (773-633-3499) or email (kole.jon@gmail.com).