One week left

I have been reflecting a lot on my time with Bike and Build this summer. Looking out over Prescott, Arizona, I realized that this summer... The summer of a lifetime, is quickly coming to an end. The reality of this journey is hitting me in gigantic waves. I can't imagine leaving all these amazing people behind and not riding my bicycle 70+ miles everyday. I'm going to miss the chaos of biking, bonking, binning, cooler crewing, laughing, and building. 

Today was our last build day and I worked with a group at the ReStore here in Prescott. The rest of our group worked on some landscaping. The day before we painted the outside of Prescott Habitat's 76th home. We had a potluck dinner hosted by habitat and it was probably one if my most favorite host dinners yet. I have loved many dinners on this trip, but this was special because we all went around and shared favorite stories from the trip and one thing we've learned from Bike and Build. Christine was so gracious  and gave us bloggers a special treat. I feel bad because I have really slacked on my blog! I wish I had posted even more, but I plan to go back after the trip is over and highlight each state. 

Today we rode 58 miles from Prescott to wickenburg. I know I say this A LOT, but this might have been one of my most favorite ride days! I rode with my mountain partner, Nyx Robey. I don't know what it is about Nyx, but I love riding through mountains with her. We really feed off of each other's energy and we just crush it. We had a small climb out if Prescott and a huge descent! It was so fun. We dropped down from 6000 to 2000 feet today. I love descending and the ride was epic. 

A big shoutout goes to Nyx's parents for bringing us Gatorade to lunch and snacks to the host! Thank y'all so much. Nyx and I arrived at the host around 12:00 and had the fabulous opportunity to take hose showers. One thing that was really neat on today's ride was the landscape change. I've never seen so many cacti! (And so much desert.) 

Tonight there was a torrential down pour at our host and we were rushing around fixing leaks and trying to keep the church from flooding. 

After our flooding adventures, we were all hanging out and as I looked at my teammates, I thought about how this might be one of the last times we're all together. I want to enjoy this week and soak it up for everything it's worth because this is it. The grand journey is coming to end and I plan to make the most of every moment. 

The Grand Canyon

"Weave for us a garmet of brightness, 

May the warp be the bright light of the morning; May the weft be the red light of the evening; May the fringe be the falling rain; May the border be the standing rainbow." - Tewa Song

I find myself here on this beautiful Monday staring out over the Grand Canyon. First of all, sorry for being so slack about updating my blog. Life on the road had been far crazier than I ever could have imagined. The magnitude of this journey keeps hitting me in waves. Looking out at the Grand Canyon, I think about everything I went through, everything my team went through, to get here. There were serious head winds in Kansas, rain storms and the Rockies in Colorado, and now the dry heat of Arizona. I really haven't taken enough time to process everything about this summer. As my trip is slowly coming to an end, I remember all the small things about bike and build life. I love the simplicity of this lifestyle. Every morning I wake up, do my chores, eat breakfast, and ride my bike. Every day is definitely physically exhausting, but it's simple. And I love that. I love the build days where I can interact with the families we're helping. I love Tess behler's laugh, my pink sunglasses, Evan's random burst of dance movements, Scott's sassy looks, Kathy's horrible jokes, hunter's stupid book bag, Stephen's positivity.... All of it is such an integral part of this trip and wouldn't be the same without any of these small things. They add up to weave something together, something much bigger and much more beautiful than myself. I am honored to be a part of this and to be a part of these people's lives. I've had my fare share of moments on this trip, but I wouldn't trade any if them. 

Fourth of July on Monarch Pass, I was absolutely exhausted, but I can't even describe the feeling I got when I reached the top at 11,500 feet and my friends were there cheering me on. Who can say they've experienced that? We took a gondola (or ski lift... Whatever you so choose to call it) to the top. When I told at the top of the mountain, I was absolutely speechless. It's amazing to look out over something so great and be humbled by how small you actually are in this world. Bike and build gave me that day... The best day of my life. I am so thankful for that and will be paying it forward every day of my life. Here are some pictures that can never do my journey justice... But maye they will give you a glimpse of what I am experiencing. Until next time ....