my first bike tour

Our bikes loaded up












The golden gate bridge -pretty much before we started


315 miles in 5 days! I am so impressed with both me and my riding partners. We were planning on going about 60 miles a day, but on day one we didn't really know where we felt like staying in between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, so we just went straight to Santa Cruz; 101.4 miles in one day! We started across the Golden Gate Bridge and didn't take quite the straightest path (and didn't always know where we were going) which I believe is why we ended up at 315 miles, rather than under 300, but all the better! Anyway, this definitely has given me a boost of confidence, because I was getting afraid I wouldn't be able to do 100 miles in one day in two months. Now I just have to continue on and FUND-RAISE.
Anyway, on with my trip. So day 1 we did a little over 100 miles and since we had budgeted 60/day we figured we would just take it easy the rest of the trip, but we got bored so we just kept doing 60+ until our last day when we only had 20 left! We definitely could have done it in 4, I believe. Bike touring is my favorite thing ever! Along the way you happen along other tourers and form a little community. In fact, we brought someone we found along the way back with us. There was one night that three other tourers shared our campsite. I am wondering if it is just more common for us to find these people because we are riding along the pacific coast bike route or if this happens everywhere? No matter, it is an awesome thing to do and I am so stoked to be doing it. For some reason I have no idea how to format these stupid pictures into my blog. What a pain. Anyway, this is of my bike partners after we ate just chilling on the beach. Safeway pretty much saved our lives a couple of times since two of us are vegan and health food stores are hard to come by in the middle of nowhere. You have to eat a lot while you are biking. I am not looking forward to how much $$ I will have to spend on food during the trip. This whole post is rambling and I am just tired!

i don't spend enough time on my bike and build blog

I've just been thinking a lot about bike and build because....

1.) I was freaking out for about a week that I would have $2,000 by the 21st, but since there are a couple of large checks from my amazing brothers in the mail I am set (as long as they get in in time :::crosses fingers:::)
2.) I am graduating in a few days (I have two finals and one take home final--which I think I am going to take to the beach and do.. I'll bike there, of course!) and I am going to have a lot more time on my hands to ride (hopefully at least 4 good rides a week and cross train other days) rather than sitting on the (though, I've found, relatively realistic feeling ones) stationary bikes at the gym while I try to finish reading the literature covered on my finals.
3.) I am going on a mini bike tour from San Francisco back down here. About 300 miles in 5 days!
4.) I need to get a physical.
5.) I need to make my sweat equitable.
6.) I went to a bike swap meet today... these kinds of things always amp me up.

So mainly, I need to graduate! This quarter has been crazy for me with 20 units, 3 jobs, bike and build, and an animal rights campaign I was working on. It is making me all the more happy to graduate and be done with it. Once I graduate I will have time to call doctors and find out if they take my insurance and see if there is any time I can volunteer for habitat. Hopefully, they have something going on at this time of year, otherwise I will have to get tricky and find somewhere else that needs my services.