My Love Affair with Route 2

Dear Route 2,
Our relationship started off beautifully. We spent so much time together. The cue sheets would read "Turn Left onto Route 2. Go 67.8 miles. Turn Left into Church." or "Turn Left onto Route 2. Go 78.5 miles. Turn Left into Church." I'd have to say my favorite cue sheet of the entire trip read, "Turn Left onto Main Street. Go 1 mile. Turn Left onto Route 2. Go 114 miles. Turn Left into Church." It was by far the longest day of the trip, and we spent the whole time together. Things were wonderful. That's when it started to go bad.
Your demand for all of my attention on the road got old, almost naggy. It came to a point, when I didn't want to see you all day. Maybe I wanted to hang out with some of my other routes. You were so clingy, just always demanding all of my time. I got tired of it. I said some things I probably didn't mean, and that's when the fighting began. You threw all of the wind at me you could find, trying to knock me off of my bike, throwing it right in my face. I thought you were just testy, but it only got worse. That's why I had to leave.
At first, I met U.S. 23 in North Dakota. She was so mean to me. She gave me no room to breathe, making it impossible for trucks to pass, and she has a much stronger arm than you. Her wind throwing was out of control. I thought I missed you. I remembered all of the good times: how I used to gaze miles in your direction, and I could see for miles, how I never had to pay attention to time because it just flew by when we were together. I thought I wanted you back, and that's when I met Going to the Sun Road.
She took me through the Rockies. She let me take my time. She even let me turn and hang out with other roads. It was wonderful. Unfortunately, it only worked out for a day, but then I met Montana State Road 37. Again, what a beautiful road. She was so nice and didn't try to fight me. We got along so well, and I think it's safe to say, we have a very serious love, a type of love that no other road and human seem to have. I have decided I don't want you back.
Tomorrow, I just found out, I will be seeing you again. All I will be able to think about are the hard times we have had: the fights, the negative words we shared, and the terrible break up. I know you want me to think you're nice, and we will be spending a lot of time together the next few days, but after that, it's over. Don't call me, don't text me, and I don't even want you to facebook me. I probably won't speak to you tomorrow, but let's just agree not to bring up our hard feelings. There will be other roads out there, and I'm sure you will cross paths with another great guy someday. Just know that it's not going to be me in the end. After all, I will be moving back to Indiana soon, and you just don't have access to get there. Best of luck with your future. We had some good times, but this is goodbye, Route 2.

Sincerely,

Michael W. Kraft

"Shut Up Legs!"

There is a famous German cyclist named Jens Voigt, who is an outstanding climber. When interviewed, they asked Jens how he keeps going up so many hills ruthlessly, he says, "When my legs start to hurt, I look down and say 'SHUT UP, LEGS!'" He's famous for this saying, but I'm pretty sure he stole it from me because I am constantly telling my legs to shut up as well as yelling at myself when I go up hills. (For more information on me talking to myself in intense situations see: "They Call Me Mr. Competitive.") The other day, we left Pepin, Wisconsin toward St. Paul, Minnesota and expected a relatively normal day. We had no warning of hills or mountains in Wisconsin so people took their time. I don't really like to stop so I pressed on with Kristen toward lunch and we were met by the biggest hills we've seen probably since the East coast. It was brutal. Hill after hill appeared over the horizon, but we finally made it to lunch. At lunch, someone said, "Well, it's all flat from here." That person lied to me. We continued to climb hills all afternoon arriving in St. Paul to what looked like the mother hill. It was nearly straight up for .2 miles. We pumped ourselves up and got in the zone and then realized at the top that it was nothing compared to the mountains of the morning. I think that day proved one of the tougher ones in the Midwest, but I think we can all learn a little something from Mr. Voigt (who learned it from me). When you're in pain, just tell your body to shut up and keep going. (Unless of course you have a bone sticking out of your body or realized you've lost a limb. Then, maybe you should go see a doctor!)

Paige Hicks

For those of you who have not heard, Paige Hicks, a P2S (Providence to Seattle) leader was killed in an accident last week in South Dakota. This is not a leader on my trip, but it is terrible news. For more information, please check www.bikeandbuild.org. This is the first major accident in B&B history so please keep Paige's family in your prayers

Raise the Roof!

Today was our sixth build day of the trip as we built in Janesville, WI. I helped put up some roof trusses and then it was onto roofing. I got to be on shingle crew and we were almost able to finish the whole thing! It was a pretty awesome experience and it was the first time on the trip that I felt really like I was very helpful at a build site. We've had to do a lot of landscaping thus far so it was nice to have some building on our hands. Overall it was a very successful day.

They Call Me Mr. Competitive

No, seriously! Today at our lunch stop, we were lucky enough to eat on the porch of a bar in Lake Geneva, WI. Upon arrival, I noticed a very nice sand volleyball court and was excited when some people asked to hit the ball around. We were just having fun when someone said, "So, should we start a game?" I of course was the first to chime in with a yes! That's when it happened. Someone said, "Well, Mr. Competitive, that's not a surprise." Most people would think, "well that's rude to name call," but not this guy. It was more of a proud moment. Someone actually told me it was their goal to beat me today in volleyball, which sadly for them didn't happen because we ended up on the same team for the second game, which we lost. You will all be glad to know that I handled the loss well, didn't yell at anyone, and still laughed during the game. I may have had a pep talk with myself out loud after a botched serve, but baby steps people, baby steps.

Ride of the CENTURY!

The other day, I awoke to a challenge nobody has ever experienced before. Well, that's a total lie because thousands if not millions of people have completed the challenge, but oh well. We had just finished building in South Bend, Indiana, and needed to get to Chicago. There was just one problem. Chicago was 105 miles away. "What did you do?" you are thinking. "Did you hitchhike? Break the trip into two days? Lay down and cry?" Nay I say to you. We just got on our bikes and rode, and i completed my first century ride. Now, had the weather sucked, the ride would have been awful as well, but we really lucked out. We had a tailwind for most of the ride (our first of the trip), and everyone knocked out the first 40 miles in just over two hours! When we got into Chicago, we got to ride in on the Lakeshore Path, which was so nice. The view of the city was incredible. In the city, I met up with some friends from camp and ran into a good friend who I haven't seen in years. She was working at our host church! Crazy! Chicago was by far the best ride of the trip, and I'm so excited to say I have finished my first century and lived to tell about it. Of course, that will be nothing when we ride 119 in the wind in North Dakota. For now, we'll just pretend like that isn't going to happen!

P.S. I Have a Mohawk!

I needed a haircut yesterday and instead of just cutting my hair short, Kelly created a masterpiece. I now have a mohawk for a few days. I will try to post pictures later.

OHPA!

You may be reading this and think, based on the title, that I have just come home from a Greek wedding. That is, however, not the case, though I did pass a Greek Orthodox Church on the way here so I guess I could have tried. In the past three days, I have completed two more states. Ohio and Pennsylvania flew by and we are now in Camden, Michigan. While in Ashtabula, Ohio, we stopped for a build day and were again split into three different groups. One group went to pull up roots to prepare a site for the foundation. Another group went to help paint buildings for the community center, and my group ended up at G.O. Ministries' soup kitchen. You may be thinking, "Michael, that doesn't deal with affordable housing!" When we cannot find enough work to do in a town, Bike & Builders will serve wherever needed. We picked up trash around the outside, got rid of some siding, and put together food boxes for members of the community. The center just received news that they are going to be getting a new building and are so excited to get started with the changes. When we awoke in Ashtabula, we were greeted by some terrible storms. Our ride for the day was cancelled and we had to shuttle to Avon Lake, which was such a hassle, but when we arrived, they had awesome snacks, cornhole, and Monopoly. I got a little too into the board game, but it was still fun. Avon Lake provided our first host visit, where we stay with the actual members of the church at their houses. Tony and I stayed with the Coy family, and it was so great. We ate dinner with over 80 members of the church then headed to one of their lake houses. We all jumped right into the crashing waves of Lake Erie and swam around for over an hour. The waves were literally 8 feet tall. We then headed back to finish our laundry, and then found out we both had our own room with a queen size bed. When the 5 AM wake up call came, I was not too eager to get out of bed. We headed out on a 90 mile ride to Bowling Green, which was soooooooo flat and nice. We arrived around 2 and relaxed for the rest of the day. Today was a 77 mile ride here to Camden, Michigan, and it was a bit more windy. We stopped at a Dairy Queen, and I talked to some nice ladies in line, who ended up buying my slushie and giving a small donation to Bike & Build. It is so cool how many people I have talked to on the street about our wonderful cause. For all of you following out there, and especially you Dairy Queen family, thank you so much for all of your support. Tomorrow, I get to see my parents and I can't wait! Indiana, here I come!

Michael & Sacajawea Get in a Fight

Every human/bike relationship has its firsts. I remember the time fondly when Sacajawea and I climbed our first mountain together. I remember our first rainstorm, our first flat tire, and of course, our first embrace down a steep hill. But every couple has its first fight, and ours occured yesterday. It was an 88 mile ride to Rochester, and it started off very well. The land was flat, and there was little wind. We were so excited when we found out we were the first people to lunch. After lunch, we headed back on our way, and that's when the trouble began. Sacajawea started whining about the hills so we stopped at a gas station and had a talk. I told her to stop complaining, that she knew what she was signing up for. Then she became a bit stubborn. Leisl noticed a flat in my back tire, and sure enough there was a hole in the tube. I changed it becoming a little disgruntled with Sacajawea, and then realized it must have just been a mistake. I told her to stop being so stubborn and then we pressed on. We made it near the city, stopped for some lemonade and then continued. About a mile outside Rochester, Sacajawea "bonked." Bonking is when your body runs out of sugar and you can't continue. I told her we were just a mile away and we were going to make it. Then, she popped the front tire. It was more of an explosion so I had to fix it, and quickly. I grabbed another spare tube, checked the tire for glass, and went to pump it back up. I unhooked the pump, and as soon as I knelt down to put the tire back on, it exploded right in my ear knocking out the hearing in my left ear (all is well now.) That's right, Sacajawea yelled at me. I had to call the van to come get us A MILE AWAY, and probably said some things I didn't mean to the bike. It's been an awkward 24 hours and she is just sitting in the room refusing to go outside. She won't eat either. As an apology, I got her some new tires. She is going to be so happy when she sees those new Armadillos, and I just hope she'll forgive me. Hopefully tomorrow, we'll go for a make up ride and all will be okay. I have certainly learned my lesson, and hopefully Sacajawea and I will never fight again.

Look Ma! NO HANDS!

I felt this post should be uploaded by itself because it was a monumental moment. Every 12 year old dreams of that day when they will finally do the unthinkable... ride their bike with no hands. Well, it's a little known fact that all 23 year olds feel the same way. The other day, I finally did it! If I were still a 4th grade teacher, I would brag to my students and they would think I was awesome because things like that are cool when you're ten. Well, they're also cool when you're 23 so mom, I hope your proud cause I finally did it!

Go 65.1 Miles. Turn Left into Church

Well I may have complained that I had climbed the biggest hill I'd ever seen, but I was sorely mistaken. I spent yesterday on "Sweep" making sure all of the riders made it in. We turned out of the YMCA to what was the biggest hill of the trip. We slowly climbed it, moved on and came to what was arguably the biggest climb of the trip. We slowly climbed it, ate some lunch, had an impromptu dance party and moved onto a tough climb up to the next host. The wind decided to pick up making it arguably the biggest climb of the trip. (Notice a pattern?) We arrived in Indian Lake, which is one of the last wilderness counties in the U.S. (no internet and no cell service). It was a nice little town. We woke up at 6:00 today to prep for our first 75 mile ride of the trip, and it was awesome. We only made one major turn which was crazy. We finally found those "rolling hills" we'd heard about and it made it much easier. I rode most of the day with Beth and we powered into Boonesville, NY. We walked the city for a while and grabbed some pizza from a very angry Italian man who thought we should surely buy one more piece. The good news is we finally have cell service so all of you who have been desperately trying to get ahold of me can call now. Overall, the last few days have been a blast with some major mountain climbing combined with belting out "The Climb" or "Climb Every Mountain" You'd be surprised how hard it is to sing and bike up a 9% grade at the same time. Luckily, I'm a multitasker so fear not. Hope all of you are well and feel free to send me mail! For more info go to nus.bikeandbuild.org and find info on mail drops. More later

Where the HILL are we?

Sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog, but it has been tough to get computer time and cell phone service around here. We arrived in Portsmouth, NH just last Sunday and started out with our orientation. We did our first shake down ride Monday and did a build on Tuesday with Habitat for Humanity. Unfortunately, I was a bit ill and had to spend the afternoon in the van. We headed out from Portsmouth on Wednesday on some rides through New London, NH, Concord, NH, and Lebanon, NH. One thing I've learned is that the East coast has hills that we've never even seen in Indiana. It has been pretty brutal, but I'm hangin in there. We did a build in Lebanon, NH and landscaped an entire yard for a duplex house. It was a lot of fun, and we were able to see the change from start to finish. New Hampshire provided us with some great times, but we headed out form Lebanon and crossed the state line into Rochester, VT. Along the way, we climbed Bethel Mountain, our first major climb of the trip totaling 6 miles and 2,109 ft. The downhill was so rewarding though even though I thought I was going to pass out on the way up. We stayed at the house of Ginny Bowman, who lives in a former youth hostel. It was so amazing to be able to hear all of her stories and of her adventure biking across the country. She cooked us some incredible food, and we headed off today to cross yet another state line into Silver Bay, NY. We are staying at a YMCA camp and it was such a huge surprise. We all have our own beds, bedding, and fresh towels. We spent the day at the lake and doing some archery and grabbed some Prime Rib from the dining hall. We're all a little spoiled. We then learned that Beth and Jess, two of our riders had a major collision today on a hill. Luckily, they are both okay, but it was scary to hear about it. Hopefully it'll be the last of our crashes. Tomorrow we head into the deep woods of upstate NY, and I will still be without cell service (3 days running). For those who are dying to know, my bike is now named "Sacajawea," which is pretty funny. Although she carries a whining baby on her back (me sometimes), she will eventually get Lewis and Clark (my leg muscles) to the West Coast. Hope you all enjoy. I'll try to send more updates soon, but the line for the computer is long. Hope you all are well!!!

Is This Already Happening? / This is Taking Forever

Well, last night Kelly and I spent nearly an hour packing my bike. It was kind of a disaster, but all is well in the world now. My bike has been shipped off to Portsmouth, NH and is currently waiting my arrival. It seems like the time has flown since we started planning this trip, and I can't wait to get started. It also seems like this week is going to take FOREVER! Oh, well! In no time at all, I'll be in NH ready to start my 3,800 mile journey across the U.S. Can't wait to get started! More to come later. Also, my poor bike is nameless. Any suggestions for names? Trust me, we've already come up with several, but I'm not sure we've found one that would be at all appropriate for the road with 31 people I haven't yet met. Send those ideas my way!