Fireworks and Bobblehead night at the Pirates Game

With only 2 days until I head down to Nags Head, I realized this is the first time in the past 2 months I've REALLY thought about what I was getting into this summer. With my past 2 months as busy as they were, there wasn't really time to think about it. The money's raised. The sweat equity completed. The 500 training bike miles rode. The school projects, exams, busy work, done and over with. The apartment is cleaned out and the dry wall patched. This brings me to now. I'm gathering gear and tying up loose ends that need to be done before I leave. Before I left I knew I wanted to reflect on and share what I'm doing this summer, and why I'm doing it.

What I'm Doing

This summer I will be biking from Nags Head, NC to San Diego, CA. That is over 3600 miles being covered through pure human energy and will. The project is called Bike & Build. Over the past several years, they've organized 8 cross country trips each year. The goal is to raise awareness about the affordable housing crisis across the country. We will be stopping along the way to build houses with organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Through our massive presence across the country a generous spirit will be created.

Why I'm Doing This

About 18 months ago I had seen a friend of mine raising money for something called Bike & Build. I was curious and checked it out. Since then, I couldn't drop the idea and knew I had to do it no matter what. A father and mother can work multiple jobs apiece and still not afford to sustain comfortable lives for themselves and their children. I have always had a warm home and a comfortable life and am grateful for it. Now I intend to help bring that same environment to others who are having trouble attaining it. I am constantly learning more about construction and how buildings work whether it be from my classes or my own curious research. I am an asset to the affordable housing cause and I will make an impact. If you can't truly selflessly help a fellow human, then what else do you have? I get the feeling that Bike & Build will leave a positive impact on everyone that comes in contact with us in one way or another, and the that positivity will grow exponentially. Positivity is contagious and it's positively the greatest asset when trying to accomplish a goal.

The Only Concern I Have...

3600 miles over 70 is a long time through a long distance. The only concern I have that I won't be able to take it all in. I find it sometimes hard on any given day to absorb my surroundings, but how am I gonna it now that I'm keeping pace with a rolling wheel 8 hours each day? Maybe instead of just focusing on what my eyes have to offer to my body and mind, I'll try to balance out all 5 of my senses. Not just what I'm seeing, but what it sounds like, how it smells, what the air tastes and feels like. The beauty in every mile.

What I Hope to Get out of This

To be simple and short without going into detail. I hope I experience everything I was expecting and nothing I was expecting.

I'll be keeping this blog throughout the whole trip. I hope I can give you a accurate idea of what moving across the country at a speed 1/5 of a cheetah is like.

-Pat

Soundtrack to this post, "Narrow Stairs"-Death Cab for Cutie