Sunthin Else

There ain't much to do in Cordell, Oklahoma but golly they got some beautiful sunsets.

Halfaway

It's strange to think that we only have 4 and 1/2 states left to ride through before we hit Santa Barbara. It's even more strange to realize that we've pedaled our bicycles all the way to Yukon, Oklahoma.
Here we stand 2,000 miles from Portland, ME and, as cliche as this is going to sound, it seems that just yesterday we were still figuring out how to unclip our cleats from our pedals! The days are so eventful and our lives have become so transient that we often forget where we were staying the night before. It's as if the entire trip has melted into one epic adventure. Fortunately for us Bike & Builders we don't think about how many miles we have left to go. All we know is that at the end of the day there are cool showers and hot food to be had. That's enough to keep the wheels turning.

Horsing Around

Just past the Oklahoma state line were too beautiful horses. Anybody who approached them was greeted with a thorough sniff and if they deemed you harmless they would try to nibble at your shirt. I must have been too harmless because one horse took a good chomp into my arm and refused to let go. No blood was drawn.
I'm guessing the Oklahoma government strategically placed them there to give visitors a good first impression of their state. A very effective tactic OK countrymen, effective indeed.

McNomer

Visited the "largest McDonalds in the country" for breakfast yesterday. Vinita, Oklahoma to be exact. There were two registers, coffee machine wasn't working and they didn't even have a playscape. Though the building itself did bridge highway 44, I was pretty let down that the largest fast food restaurant in the world couldn't spruce up their mother ship a bit more. McGriddles were par.

Drop in on Joplin

Just over a year ago Joplin, Missouri was devastated by a tornado. The wake of destruction was still present as we rolled into town this afternoon. Staggered telephone poles and concrete foundations were the only signs of civilization for a 6 mile stretch. I've seen how destructive tornadoes can be after driving through Springfield, MA not too long ago but in a land that is so baron to begin with, the magnanimity of a thrashing tornado becomes ever more apparent. Some houses are starting to spring up through the rubble and one day the residential west side of Joplin, MO will thrive again.
One little restaurant that weathered the storm was "Instant Karma Gourmet Hot Dogs." I walked in expecting to get a corn dog and maybe some fries. I left having eaten the "Paradise Doughnut Burger." It is a thick angus beef patty with cheese gently placed between two warm glazed doughnuts and doused in powdered sugar. I'm still not sure if it was my lunch or a desert but it was oddly delicious.

Still Rolling

We left St. Louis with high morale and high expectations to start cranking out mileage through a state most of us knew nothing about. A few hundred miles later through a few hundred degree days we understood where the name Missouri comes from.
I didn't personally endure the struggle as a rider but me and the van had our own issues to deal with. On top of the long hot days a head cold has been passed around the B&B population. If I had to guess I'd say it stemmed from 33 people dipping sweaty hands into food bins that are shared by all.
Yet despite the heat exhaustion, illness, consecutive centuries and car accidents, the Bike and Build motto rings true. "There are no bad days at bike and build, some days are just harder than others."

The Gateway

To the west.

Larryville

What a day! Woke up in Indiana, recognized that it was Friday the 13th as soon as we started pedaling, got free shit from DQ and McD's, toured a national monument, crossed into the Midwestern time zone to gain an hour, publicly urinated all day, broke the 1,000 mile mark on my odometer and put another century ride together to land in the ghost town of Lawrenceville, IL to be treated to yet another epic feast of fried chicken and devilled eggs. Oh you've never heard of Lawrenceville, Illinois? Thats probably because there isn't much of anything here.

INdiana

It wasn't the endless fields of corn and soy that gave away our entrance into Indiana, nor was it the hearty Midwest accents. As soon as I saw a UFO house planted in someone's backyard I knew we had crossed into some strange territory. We rode more than 100 miles in one day to get here but the state line has been crossed. Welcome to Hoosier country.

Goodbio

Another state is crossed off the list as we continue on towards California. There's a good chance I may never be back to Ohio so I'm happy to have fond memories of yet another beautiful state. From spending the 4th of July in the small town of Cadiz, to riding around the OSU Buckeye stadium in Columbus that hosts 105,000 people at one sold out football game. Essentially every person in every town from Cadiz to Columbus could fit inside that stadium and I'm pretty sure most of them do. OSU is the pride of Ohio and they won't hesitate to let you know it.
We finished our Ohio tour in a little hippy town called Yellow Springs. We were hosted by a rather strange school called Antioch College. Antioch College had closed down in 2007 after the board of trustees decided the school wasn't making enough money. Their solution? Free tuition for everyone. Antioch reopened this year and currently has 33 students enrolled. Everyone's tuition for the next 4 years is paid for by alumni who wanted to see the school live again. The students are a very interesting bunch that have come from some rocky youths but seem to feel comfortable at a school that lets them be who they want to be and learn what they want to learn. One young man named Dustin said that he ran away from home when he was in high school and he used to squat in the Antioch hallways. Five years later he's got a dorm room all to himself. Perhaps some things are just meant to be. At the end of each students introduction they threw a fist in the air for "social justice!" Right on.
Antioch is said to be founded by Horace Mann, the father of public education. Etched into the courtyard is a quote that has resonated so strongly with the student body and faculty that it has become a sort of unofficial mission statement. "Be ashamed to die until you've won some victory for humanity." - Horace Mann

Build

We spent two days on a build site in Columbus, OH. It was nice to get off the bike for a few days and dodge yet another heat wave. It had been over a week since our last build day. It's good to be reminded of what our purpose is and how much of an impact we can make in just two days.

O O O Ohio

"There's a road outside Columbus, Ohio. Feels like I drove along for years.
This Midwest way of ease it surrounds us. I can't deny the rhythm here." - OAR

This song was in my head for all 81 miles today. Technically I was on a road outside Columbus and it did feel like I drove along for years.

Missionaries, Sand Sculptures and Regattas

Not quite the Pittsburgh experience I was expecting to find on my first day off but I'd say I was pleasantly surprised.

3+1=4th of July

We ate breakfast in Pennsylvania, lunch in West Virginia and dinner in Ohio. Three states, one long day. Here's to you America!

B&B Goes To Pittsburgh

Two days ago we were biking past horse and buggy rigs in Amish country. Yesterday we got engulfed in sky scrapers and city buses. Go Pirates!... I guess.

Fire & Ice

After climbing a 14% grade mountain for 2 miles spirits and legs were both battered. An enthusiastic volunteer firefighter, Diego, helped to boost moral for the last 30 miles that were to come. He opened up the fire house for us and gave us some ice to put in our water bottles.
Diego moved from Brooklyn, NY to central PA about a year ago just to try something new. You can imagine that an eccentric Latino man in rural Pennsylvania is a bit out of the ordinary but Diego seems to make friends very easily.
We chatted and climbed in the fire trucks like a bunch of 5 year olds until it was time to mobilize.
These are the days you won't find anywhere else.