Providence to Pomfret (now in CT!)

6/10/2007


The first day of biking was finally here! The format of today was pretty much the same format that we will follow throughout the trip. Wake up at 6 am, pack, take everything out to the trailer(see below), breakfast around 7 or so, stretch, get the bikes ready, go over the route directions, and GO around 8. We have all day to ride but need to get to the destination by 4 pm. Then we meet our hosts and unload the trailer and hopefully shower. Usually dinner with people from the community is at 6 pm followed by our Bike & Build presentation. During the presentation, we show a video and speak about how the trip works and also about affordable housing. Then we answer whatever questions are asked. Free time until lights out at 11 pm.


Being the first day, however, there were a few differences. After breakfast we all rode to the Brown boathouse to dip our rear wheels into the water to mark our start on the East Coast. There were plenty of riders' friends, parents, and past participants there to cheer us on for our celebration. Somehow I managed to draw blood before the day's riding began. Hopefully there won't be too much more of that on the trip!



It begins...


The day's ride itself was pretty sweet. We rode around 40 or 45 miles in the rolling hills of RI and CT. Being from the flattest state of the country (FL), this is a little bit new and certainly a lot more work, but the beauty makes it well worth the effort. There were a few wrong turns during the day, but I predict that will happen just about every day. Thus, when we are told how many miles the route is each morning, we basically can assume that it will be at least 5 more miles that that.

Here are a few pics of the ride.


The group I rode with was beyond the van when it stopped to provide us lunch, so we were all starving by the time we made it to our destination. We went to a little restaurant nearby and had a great time stuffing down a bunch of food.


That night we stayed in a church in Pomfret, which will be pretty typical during the trip. This is a very wealthy area. Renee Zellweger has a home here.







6/10/2007