Day 2: Whiterock to Bellingham

We met the mayor of Whiterock! As we ate breakfast on the beach (the notorious bananna/peanut butter bagel mix), she came up to us. At first she wanted us to get rid of the bikes, as they're not allowed on the promenade, but once we had explained our tour (which was kind of hard, as peanut butter doesn't wash down easily...), we were forgiven. It was a quick ride to the Peace Arch, but we had to wait up for Angie, Taryn and the van (their bikes broke!). A game of Ultimate Frisbee began, which I quickly left from, as I needed some energy to get me down to Bellingham.

The border crossing was interesting. It was the first day of the new rule: from now on, you must have your passport with you. As a biker gang, we had to go through the pedistrian crossing. Inside, many non-white people were waiting get through. I spoke with one man, who told me he was just born in Israel and was told to sit and wait. It was quite upsetting, as it took all of 5 minutes to let all 16 of us through. The border guard asked me what my occupation was, and when I answered with a "I'm a student," he asked me what I taught.. HMM.

The trek south to Bellingham was hot and dusty, and Ben, Sahrs, Ang and I had an interesting day... yelling at llamas and cows is so much more fun than you would think. We stayed at the HUB in Bellingham, a similar set up to Recyclistas in Victoria. Kyle, the owner, was super cool, and we had a BBQ and some interesting music going on. There was an old man wailin on Bugsy's guitar for hours... pretty entertaining. Had some fun showertime in the YMCA, and yes, of course.. we sang the song.

Day 1: Commercial Drive to Whiterock

The day we've all been waiting for!! We started off with a morning pledge ride from the art gallery downtown to the park on Commercial Drive. There, a BBQ and karate presentation awaited us, as well as family and friends. It was pretty exciting, although you could tell we were all pretty anxious. At about 2:15pm, we were sent off - the traffic lights were stopped in our favour, and people were cheering. It was an interesting trek from the park to the church we stayed in. I don't know how many people got lost or sidetracked... our directions were to follow the skytrain, but it disappeared from time to time.

It was a day of learning, that's for sure. I wound up with heat exhaustion, and was pretty concerned that it was going to be an ongoing issue. Bugsy and Carly, our first aid attendents and ride leaders, told us that our bodies would tell us when we needed water and food. Also, I was the first on the tour to get a flat tire! My bike's different from everyone else's - a road racer Cannondale is not exactly the ideal vehicle for this kind of trek... - so no one really knew what to do. However, a girl from the European tour who had joined us for our first ride was able to help me out, and after 20 minutes, we were back on the road.

We were all pretty exhausted after the hot journey, and a bit confused. Since we were still in Vancouver, it just felt like we had done a day trip. But after some pizza and watermelon and intense stretching, we got revved up again, as tomorrow... we hit the States!

On the road..

Well I haven't been excellent at keeping this thing updated, but I will try harder! I have been writing in my journal (and yes, I know it's only day 5 or something), but I'll put together a few more entries that are in some sort of chronological order next time!

I am currently in Seattle in an internet cafe. I have to say that my weight is below average in this town. I don't understand how there can be so many hills in this city and so many heavy people wandering around..

Our numbers have dwindled slightly. There were supposed to be 25 of us riders, but we're down to 17. Taryn just left this morning as she caught mono, and yes, we're all a bit concerned that we'll catch it, but we're trying to stay positive and strong! She may come back in a couple of weeks to join us again (hopefully!).

We sat through a presentation at a microfinance insitution called Unitus. They're a group that helps to establish the microcredit institutions around the world. They work on developing the companies that lend out the money in the impoverished areas. I didn't really realize how much work went into finding the partners and clients and just.. everything! It was a great presentation, and definitely got my brain rolling. Lots of interesting questions were asked by our group - not everyone was impressed with the answers, though. There are tons of holes in the whole microfinance area. Not everyone's money goes into the right hands; make sure you check everything out before loaning anyone anything!!

Anyways, I will end this now, as it would make more sense to write everything in some sort of order. Peace out!

77 Days... What.

So the auction was an interesting venture. I didn't get quite the turn-out that I was hoping for, but still managed to raise about $1100! Pretty sweet, considering the circumstances... Anyways, a HUGE thank you goes out to my 'leading men,' who were absolutely fabulous. I'll post some pictures when I figure out how.

We have to have our accommodations secured by tomorrow. Each rider is responsible for two locations - I have Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. Only one of the two places has responded to me, so I guess I should get on with the other one (Freewheelin' Farm). And tomorrow is the deadline for $1500 and I'm soooooo close.

There is now another rider from Victoria - Cody - and the two of us had an interview with the UVIC paper, the Martlet. Apparently we'll be on the front page of Thursday's edition? Rad. Picture included... not so rad. Oh well, I better get used to it! I'm on the 'external subcommittee' which means that during the trip, I'll be making presentations and whatnot to the communities we visit. Not by myself, but anyways, the interview was probably equivalent to the stuff we'll have to talk about while we travel south.

I cannot believe this thing is just over two months away. I'm a bit freaked out, but I guess we all are in similar boats. Or bikes.

Thank you to everyone who helped me with the auction! Marri, Naomi, my momma, Ian, Amy, Carrie, Raena, Shauna, Krystle, Lindsay and Marnie (my fabulous auctioneer)... you guys rock my world!

Hunks For Hire

So this event is on Saturday! I just met up with most of the guys in the auction, and they're super pumped; I'm loving the energy. They're coming out in suits, and to sweet songs to rile up the ladies... it should be a good time!

I've sent out so many sponsorship letters, but am still waiting to hear back. I wonder if the failing economy has something to do with the lack of response. Hmm.

Come to the auction! March 7, 8pm at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.

Chaos

This process has managed to stress me out. We keep getting emails with more and more ideas for fundraising and spreading awareness. It's really difficult trying to keep up with everything, especially since I also have five heavy courses at UVIC and a part time job and a difficult living situation. I'm finding it all pretty crazy, and definitely miss my mother!!

Hopefully it will all sort itself out. We (the other Victoria riders and I) have been asked to set up a pledge ride here in Victoria. There are already two in Vancouver and Toronto, so one needs to be on the Island! If only I had some free time ... at the rate I'm going now, my next available chunk of free time is the end of Apri l...

My bike is now here with me. I just need to fit it to my liking, and buy it some pedals. And put some air in the tires. I'm super stoked to start riding all over this city, though! Training at the gym isn't quite the same.

The auction planning is still trudging along. I have quite a few guys interested, and lots of people around town who need some "handymen"! Now I just have to dig into my creative side, and figure out how I'm going to advertise these hunks.

117 Days Left...

Wow, time is kind of flying by.

Yesterday, most of the riders and I had our first "conference" call - it was this MSN-like program, but with more features. It was kind of cool "meeting" everyone... the face-to-face introductions will be better and probably less chaotic!

Fundraising-wise, a few other ideas have been created. The benefit concert mentioned earlier may no longer happen, but in its place, an auction! I've managed to get quite a few guys who have volunteered to be sold as handymen! Pretty funny, but I'm sure I'll get quite a bit of money from it. Planning the whole thing is a lot of work, and it's really difficult to prioritize everything (balancing school, tour, training, work, soccer, etc is crazy!). Obviously, homework is first, but it's hard to concentrate on any one task when I'm thinking of doing another! If anyone wants to be my personal secretary, let me know ...

It's awesome having Angie as one of the other riders. We've been banking off of one another, which keeps us both in check! I met Cody, a new member to the team, yesterday. He's been on quite a few tours, and we're going to bike around this town once my bike's ready to rumble ... it doesn't have pedals yet haha.

Thanks to Brian for his donation, and Marri and Naomi for their help with the auction!