I'm officially one of the many B&B Alumni

So I can't believe it's over. This summer has been the best ever. Two days ago 29 young adults ran into the Pacific waters on the Vancouver shore to end their summer of biking and building across the US. Now, we are all slowly leaving, saying our goodbyes, and missing each other. I don't know about the rest, but I realized I have a small hollow feeling, like I'm not doing something that I should be doing. Oh yeah, getting up at 6am and bicycling or 7am and building my way across the country. I can't even put into words what this summer has meant to me...already just writing that I'm starting to get teary-eyed.
So, the 25th we got up a little later than usual...7:30am...and did a massive over-haul clean-up inventory session. We didn't start biking until 9:30 or 10am. Such a late start! We ended up riding most of the way together because we basically "wrote our own cue-sheet" by following a bike path most of the way from Surrey to Vancouver. It's cool though, we made it to Stanley Park by 2:30 I believe. Then it was crazy. We ran into the ocean and started yelling and singing. It was amazing. And now it's kind of sad because it's over.
Today, Theo, Julian, and I went on a bike ride to Stanley Park then North Vancouver where we had breakfast at Denny's, and then we ended up at this park with trails and a suspension bridge. We pushed our bikes across the bridge and several people said, "you should ride it!" lol It was a really great way to spend our last day in Vancouver. I'm already missing those guys and everyone else. I hope we all can stay in touch with each other.

Sandpoint, Idaho 17 August, 2009

I thought it was the 15th today, and it turns out it's the 17th. So I asked Julia, "Where did the last two days go?" and she said, "Bicycles?" Lol. So true.

I can't believe the summer is almost over. Truly, I would slow it down and make it last longer if I could. Right now, we (Julia, Rachel, Jon, and I) are in a coffee/used book shop called "Common Knowledge" which is a block away from the UMC at which we are staying. It is a really neat shop and I found a few books I want, one of which I am buying. I might yet buy a couple more, but have not decided...giving myself some time to think it over.

Anyway, the last few ride days were absolutely beautiful. Going from Eureka to Libby, MT then Libby, MT to Sandpoint, ID were both some of my favorite biking days yet. From Eureka to Libby, we rode along a lake for about 16 miles and saw some bald eagles and bald eagle nests. It was perfect and timeless. And the ride yesterday was on a little trafficked road lined with evergreen trees. I love the smell of evergreens. The mornings have been a bit chillier, though. I actually had to wear a long-sleeve shirt. In Eureka, MT, I went to a yarn shop and bought some yarn and knitting needles and started a hat. It is almost done. I'm calling it the Northwestern Montana Hat because it is greens and a little bit of brown and gray...the colors of northwestern Montana. I'm enjoying this part of the country so much. It reminds me of home, a little bit, but it's bigger and more rugged or wild or something. Everything is farther apart, too.

Our last build day was in Whitefish, MT. It was bittersweet to be working on the last build site this summer. So nice to be able to help and accomplish something, yet so sad that it's the last one we'll be working on this summer. It's so interesting to travel by bike across the country and help build along the way. Each place and person has left an impact on me, and I hope our group has left an impact on them, too. One of my favorite things is seen the enthusiasm in each person, from my fellow Bike & Builders, to the site managers, to the pastors, to the future home-owners. I hope we all are able to keep that enthusiasm even after the summer is over.

Montana Monday 4 August 2009

I can't believe it's already August. This morning we started off in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and then rode 95 miles to Culberston, MT. Last night, we camped there at the TRNP, and although it was 30 miles out of the way, I'm so very glad we did that. TRNP ("turnip") is amazing. Riding our bicycles out of the park, we saw bison. A herd of bison. We were on our bicycles. I stayed pretty far back, but it was still amazing. And the views were spectacular. I don't even know how to describe it. There are buttes partially covered with vegetation, but you can still see all the layers that they're made of. You can see time in these here hills. One butte had red lines regularly spaced, so it lookes like some repeated event happened every so often. I wish I knew a little more about geology. Oh well. There were more of these formations along our ride today, even along the banks of the Missouri river, which we crossed today. Not to mention we are now in the Mountain time zone. I've never been in the Mountain time zone before. Wow. For the most part "wow" is all I could think of today. Big sky out here, too. It's been quite some time that I've wanted to see this Big Sky Country. Montana is pretty awesome. You can see for miles and miles and then there are these formations rising up out of the land...these formations that are eroding away which gives them an ancient and rugged, yet fragile, beatuy. Each layer represents a period of history. In which layer did the dinosaurs live? What layer saw the Native Americans arrive on the continent? Which layer saw the Civil War? So much history in a pile of sandstone that is being washed away by the rain. Granted, that is taking thousands of years. Oh Montana, thank you for the best first impression ever.