El Paso is That Way

Oh man,  a lot has happened in the past few days.  First of all, I got a rain jacket for those blustery days in the mountains.  I think I look pretty good in it too.  It was obviously very sunny in the Sports Authority, so I kept my sunglasses on.

I also met with a homeowner that had a home built by Habitat for Humanity.  In partnership with the Syracuse Veterans' Administration, the affordable housing organization built the first home in Syracuse for both a disabled and woman veteran. 
      For a single mother with three kids, I can imagine it is hard to find an affordable home, and Habitat for Humanity has helped her thrive.  She is completing her Bachelor's degree.  She even volunteered more than the required 300 sweat equity hours to receive a home.  Having a face to face conversation about somebody's personal experience with an affordable housing organization furthered my understanding about why I am riding across the country this summer.  
     Everybody deserves a good home, so that they are able to be independent and happy.  I'm excited to educate people about the need for affordable housing in the United States.  I'm also excited to help build some homes!

I also did some fundraising at a local grocery store called Maines.  The manager and employees were awesome at accommodating me on a busy Saturday afternoon.  I set up my bike and bike trainer along with a sign.  My mom brought cupcakes.  I don't really know why.  I think she just wanted to torture me while I rode in place for three hours long.  But still thank to my mom, for being my support team.   Anyways, people were super generous which reminded me why I love humans so much.  Shout out to homo sapiens for having big hearts.  I ended up raising $200 in three hours, and I only got off my bike to rescue my sign from the wind a few times.

The patrons kept telling me that I wasn't getting very far and that I shouldn't break the speed limit.  Some guy also directed me to El Paso.  I smiled, waved, and said thanks to everybody.  Some children stared at me, and I offered them a cupcake, which made it a little less awkward.   In the end, I was a very tired young cat, but it was a very successful day.
   I also received a lot of other different donations this weekend.  So now my total fundraising is at $2519.  Oh yeah, less than $2000 to go!  I also biked around Owasco Lake with my sister and her fiance.  It was very windy, but the views were spectacular.  I have now biked 580 miles since April 17th.  I still haven't mastered the clip less pedals.  That is my mission for this week.
      I'm hoping to do some more fundraising this week which will include a can and bottle drive.  I'm trying to do something at the mall, but there are a lot of authority figures that have to say yes to me fundraising unfortunately.  I'll try my best though!  Just a week and a half left. Oh man!

Have a happy last week of May! 

If you have a pocket full of sunshine, please donate here:

http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6693


Thanks!

Bike Equipment on Cats

Hello again.  So I was about to go out for a ride yesterday when the valve on my tube decided to break off while I was pumping air into it.  I have never actually changed a tire, but I decided it was time to give it  a whirl.  I recently bought  a tire lever, this angelic pink tool that makes repairing a flat ten times easier. 

My brother's name is Peter. I call him Pedro.

     If you're reading this and you're not a cycling expert, you may not know that on road bikes, the tire itself is not blown up with air.  You have to pump air into these tubes, and if they get a little hole in them, you'll probably get a flat, which is terrible.

Check out my cat socks too.

    My brother had to rescue me on Christmas Eve because I got a flat in the middle of nowhere.  That's why I bought the tire lever that says Pedro on it.  Because my brother's name is Peter.  And he rescued me when I couldn't repair a flat.  So now that I can, I'm pretty proud of myself.  I also put the flat tube on my cat.  It doesn't have the same effect as yarn or catnip unfortunately.  I  need to do some research as to how I can go about recycling old tubes.  If you have any creative ideas, just let me know.

Since flats are pretty inevitable while biking across the country, I went to Syracuse Bicycle and purchased eight more tubes.  Thanks to a handy gift card I won at a triathlon,  I was able to get a pretty good deal.  Then I put those tubes in their boxes on my cat.  She started purring, so maybe she just likes bike tubes that aren't broken.

I call her Sadie Bontrager Lounsbury

Cats and hydration, pretty important.

I've also been acquiring a ton of other bike stuff for my journey.  I got a Camelbak for my birthday, and so I decided my other cat needed to model some bike equipment.  The purple color of the back pack, and the blue mouth piece really bring out Sassy's natural aura in my opinion.  But in all seriousness,  I know how important it will be stay hydrated this summer.  Biking through Midwest is going to be extremely hot, and so I plan on riding with the Camelbak soon so that I can get used to drinking from it.

In the next two weeks, I plan on doing 65 miles bike ride, hopefully around Skaneateles Lake.  I'm also trying to think of a few more creative ways to fundraise.  I will also be meeting a with the executive director of the Syracuse Habitat for Humanity to discuss how the affordable housing organization is run and who qualifies for a home.





Have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

 http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6693

Click above link to Donate!

-Sarah Lounsbury

Back on the Saddle

Once upon a time...
                                 The doctor told me I was healed! Hooray! And now I want to dance just like this:

So now I've begun a campaign because I'm a bit behind in donations.  And by a bit behind, I mean $2933 behind.  But I have biked 391 miles since April 17th.  My group has a competition on this site called Endmondo.com where we can record all of our miles ridden.  Whoever rides the most gets prizes which include American Flag arm warmers. and a t-shirt with a dinosaur riding a bicycle.  I love eclectic clothing, so I'm all about it.  Currently I am in 5th place, but I know I can squeeze in some more miles before I depart for this journey.
           I typically ride between thirty and forty miles at a time, and sometimes I take breaks at scenic areas so I can take some really gorgeous pictures of myself.  And by gorgeous, I mean awkward.

Anyways, I'm glad I'll have some biker friends to model with this summer.
      I also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Rochester.  It was glorious because this woman taught me some hammer skills.  But because I tried to use these hammer skills, my hammer accuracy decreased.  But in the end, it was still a successful day.  So, shout out to Flower City Habitat for Humanity for being awesome.  Also, shout out to Syracuse Habitat for Humanity because you jump started my volunteering back in January before I broke my ankle.  My main inspiration for Bike & Build came from this picture below.  I was in Statesville, NC working with Habitat for Humanity, and I sawed apart a bathtub. 

I realized that power comes from power tools.  I also found out that insulation in your pants results in extreme itchiness. 
        There's one more thing I'd like to leave you with.  I recently read an article by Stephen Barton.  He is a Syracuse University Alumni and embarked on a journey to bike across America with one of his best friend last summer.  He ended up being in that movie theater in Aurora, CO.  He was injured but survived and is planning on finishing his journey this summer.  In his article he wrote, "I've since realized that our lives are ultimately defined by how we react to our setbacks and difficulties."

After breaking my ankle, I didn't want to give up on this journey.  I focused on school.  I focused on healing.  Whenever I encounter people, I can't help but smile while explaining what I will be doing this summer.  My whole heart has gone into this.  I'm sure I will encounter some minor obstacles this summer, whether it be getting a few flats or getting lost.  But I will overcome each obstacle.  I have more than 4000 miles to pedal to complete my goal, and I know I will.

-Sarah Louns

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