Welcome to PA!

We made it to Pennsylvania! Orientation in Providence was a real blast. After a build day in Providence, we dipped our tires in the Bay and then made moves west. Below is the work we got done in one morning! We showed up with just a foundation, and managed to get a good portion of the floor finished.

So far our longest day was 75 miles. Connecticut has way more hills than anything I trained on, but riding with a group, this hills seem not so steep, and we keep an eye on each other. So far I think my favorite stretch of riding has been through the Delaware River Water Gap. It's a beautiful section of forest that surrounds the water gap, and we had some quiet roads to cruise on. No flats yet (knock on wood) and the bike is feeling great. For anyone wondering about what our riding is like, we generally cruise at about 15 or 16 mph, but a lot slower when going up hills. My current max speed was down a huge hill in NY and I went 44.7 mph. I didn't know bikes went that fast... really.

Our second build day was in Danbury, CT. They were awesome hosts. For my build day I worked on a house that will one day be a transition house for veterans moving from a shelter, then into their own place. It was a cool aspect of affordable housing that I just don't learn about too often. The picture above is of Jenny, Steven, my and Sonya taken just earlier today, and our trailer is in the back.

Thanks for checking in! Bike and Build is already proving such an amazing experience. The people we've been meeting have been so generous. Riding has been a blast too. Yesterday we got poured on, but we're all just so excited to be doing what we're doing that I felt like not one of us missed a beat. We cranked our way through NJ and into PA. This morning I feasted on a WaWa soft pretzel and chatted with a super excited crowed at the register. Looking out the window of my beloved wawa I saw lots of blue Bike and Build jerseys cruising on by, and it felt just perfect.

-Rob