Halfway Ice Cream Report!

Here it is- the post you've all been waiting for- my data and notes for my search for the best ice cream in America:

I'm about halfway through my ride, and have eaten ice cream at 17 different local shops.  One difficulty in my experiment is that I cannot consume this ice cream in a vacuum.  I feel as if my emotional and physical state are too varied to give each place an equal shot.  While the ice cream often tastes quite similar (in general, simply DELICIOUS), the actual experience in each shop has been unique and delightfully interesting.  While there are many constants regarding the actual ice cream, the only constant of the shops has been that every employee loyally claims that their ice cream is the best in the US.

Since 17 different ice cream experiences would make quite a lengthy blog (and since my actual data is rather technical and dry), I'll just give you some highlights and superlatives in bullet form.

• Strangest shop: In the middle of rural Virginia, I bought a cone from the weirdest ice cream shop I've ever entered.  It was the first time I had seen a store advertising ice cream, so I eagerly detoured to have my first taste.  I entered Dyson's, which was a tiny ex-gas station.  The store was tiny, cluttered with dusty knick-knacks from the 90s (including a dirty my little pony without a tail), reeked of cigars, and had a massive flat screen computer.  On the computer screen, the owner was streaming live footage taken from his 10 security cameras...

• Most appropriate name: Dixie Dream Dairy was also located in rural Virginia.  I ate this ice cream after riding through the brutal heat and after riding by countless confederate flags, a "the south will rise again" banner, and redneck trucks with ridiculously large wheels.

• Best texture: Chaps Ice Cream, which I ate in Scottsville, Virginia, had a fantastic cherry vanilla flavor with perfectly smooth vanilla ice cream wonderfully balanced with large chewey cherry chunks.

• Most rewarding cone:  After an 80-mile day up the Appalachian mountains and 12 hours in the saddle, I rolled into Lexinton, Virginia just as it started to thunderstorm.  I sprinted 2 blocks through the pouring rain to get to Sweet Things Ice Cream Shoppe.  That thin mint sugar cone was well-deserved and the perfect way to end a satisfying day.

• Best combinations:  Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream of Charleston, West Virginia, offered a glorious pair: ice cream and coffee combos like espresso milkshakes, iced coffee with scoops of vanilla ice cream.  While sipping on teammates' caffeinated frozen treats, I got a fantastic chocolate waffle cone here, filled with chocolate symphony flavored ice cream.

• Best children's ice cream: I felt like a little kid again as the ice cream from United Dairy Farmers (a chain, I know, I know...) dripped down my sugar cone.  My skin was sweaty, my dress was stained, my feet were black, and my knees were covered in chalk.  The UDF flavors were all brilliantly colored and super sweet- the perfect completion to a kid's mid-summer night's dream.

• Most popular among locals: Literally everybody in Cincinnati recommended Graeter's, and for good reason.  Their salty pretzel ice cream cones wonderfully complimented a super sweet chocolate ice cream.

• The Ambiance Award:  Zaharakos ice cream parlor in Columbus, Indiana has been serving ice cream and sodas since 1900.  Their marble countertops, old-fashioned soda fountains, glittery mirrors, leathery bar stools, shiny gold cash registers, and antique organ echoed the attitude of the entire city: "Columbus is not a self-conscious historical shrine. It is a dynamic living place with a past it is not willing to erase from the collective memory."
• Most Unique Flavors: Hartzell's local ice cream in Bloomington, Indiana offered flavors like root beer float, banana foster, basily chocolate, sea-salted caramel, garden of good and evil (lavender, honey, and vodka), bluer than blue (blueberry, basalmic, and blue cheese), and chemali (pepper, olive oil, and salted pecans).  I tasted many of them, and the bizarre combinations of flavors were incredible and genius!

The best that I've eaten thus far on my journey has surpassed all of the others by quite a bit.  I can't disclose that information yet, because I consumed it about 2 hours ago.  I need to digest it (ahahaha) and think about it before I draw any conclusions for my ice cream hunt of the Eastern half of the Central US....

So sorry to keep you in suspense!
Love,
Abby :)

Miles & Miles

"And every one of us gets tired, but every one remains inspired, and every one of us required to keep picking through our soul.  I play the road, and the highway is our song..."



St. Louis seems thousands of miles ago.  In Bike & Build world (very different from real world), we do and see so much in one day that each day feels like a week.  It makes blogging very difficult.  For example, today we ate breakfast, cleaned up the host site, rode 45 miles, and ate lunch all before 10am.



Hiding in corn



After St. Louis, we rode along the Katy Trail.  The Katy Trail was an old railroad line converted into a trail that stretches for hundreds of miles through rural Missouri.  Although the trail was gravel, it was wicked nice to get off the roads and not worry about cars for 2 days.  As usual, the landscape was remarkable and we had a blast exclaiming at bluffs and playing in cornfields.

Pintos along the roadside

Once we were done with the Katy Trail and passed through Jefferson City, we faced some brutal headwinds through which we had to pedal downhill and still only hit 9mph (to put that into perspective, I usually ride at about 25mph downhill without pedaling).  To break up the ride, we made friends with some beautiful horses and attempted to woo some cows.

Monkeys in Missouri?

We completed our first century (100 mile ride) on our way into Kansas City! With 2 lunch breaks, a B2 Bomber overhead, and a detour at which we saw an island full of monkeys (yes, in Missouri.  And I'm 98% sure this actually happened and that I wasn't just hallucinating.), the hundred miles felt like a breeze.  Also, Kansas City happens to be Johhny Foster's hometown, so seeing him jumping around excitedly like a 6-year-old on Christmas that morning made the day particularly enjoyable.  After we rolled into our host site, his hometown church, I got to witness Johnny's reunion with his mother, which was one of the most touching moments of the trip thus far.  So happy!



Gates BBQ in Kansas City



In Kansas City, we had a build day with Habitat as well as our first day off!  It was wonderful to have no responsibilities for the day and to sleep in (til 8:30am woooooh!). We got a full Missourian experience, complete with a Kansas City Royals game and classic BBQ. 



Costume ride!



For our ride out of Kansas City, we had a "costume ride".  We all dressed up in costumes that we had bought at a thrift store.  It was hilarious, to say the least.  Although it did get a little toasty in my wool flight attendant dress after 60 miles of pedaling...



Kansas University yesterday, Kansas State today.  Our Central Route is actually Tour de College Towns.  I couldn't be happier- I love touring the schools and exploring the little local shops and eateries (the BEST ice cream stops) that college towns offer.  So far we've seen UVA, Marshall University, Xavier, Indiana University, Indiana State University, St. Louis University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Missouri in St. Louis, Kansas University, Kansas State University, and several smaller schools.  And many more to come!

The ice cream hunt is going well.  I can't disclose any information just yet, but since I'm nearly half way done with the trip, I'll post a midway ice cream blog soon!

Thanks for following.  If you have any feedback of what you'd like to hear more/less of, please send me an email at poeske@email.unc.edu

Love & miss you all,

Abby

Group picture at the build site in Kansas City

 

Inspiration & Motivation

After facing a long morning of gravel (we've been riding through Missouri on the beautiful but unpaved Katy Trail) and strong headwinds, I took an unusually long lunch break.  This leisurely stop turned out to be one that provided me with much inspiration and motivation.

Bike & Build meets RAAM!

As Setareh and I were overlooking the Missouri River, a man came up to us and started chatting.  Turns out, he was a crew member for a woman who was also cycling across America.  The difference is that she's going from west to east. Oh, and she's 50 years old and is expecting to complete the trip in 13 days.  In the past 3 days, she's averaged an hour of sleep and has biked over 300 miles. 300 miles each day, that is.  Kathy is participating in RAAM, or Race Across America, the ultimate cyclist challenge.  Setareh and I chatted with Kathy's crew, parked nearby, and had such perfect timing that we got to see Kathy and cheer her on as she plugged away.  


Kathy is raising money for childhood cancer along the way.  She also was the first woman ever to complete a triple ironman.  Yes. A triple ironman.  What a warrior.


We were given bracelets with "Courage" written on them, which I now wear as a reminder that I have NOTHING to complain about, and that there's people out there who are truly suffering and showing real courage.  

Kathy as she passed by us!

To find out more about Kathy and her challenge, or to be instantly inspired, visit Go Kathy Go!

Hoosiers & Mizzou

Good morning from St. Louis!  I'm currently at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, waiting out a thunderstorm before I start riding this morning.

Nashville, Indiana

IU in Bloomington

It's been a big week- since I've last blogged, I've traveled through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and into Missouri!  Indiana has been my favorite state thus far- every town we stopped in was interesting and unique.  We went through Columbus (a blossoming city known for their architecture), Nashville (a crafty toursit town that is very much like the shopping villages at Disney), Bloomington (an awesome college town with the beautiful IU and the most interesting ice cream place I've been yet! So many crazy flavors...), and Terre Haute (home of the "Crossroads of America", or the intersection of Routes 40 and 41).  In Terre Haute, we hosted a bike clinic for young kids to teach them cycling safety.  The kids were adorable and SO excited to show off their skills in an adjacent parking lot.

2 friends from the bike clinic!

Illinois was fun as well, but quite thunderstormy.  We had to break up a couple of rides when there was lightening and the rain got bad (visibility issues).  Those days, despite being soggy, ended up being hilarious and rather enjoyable, as we entertained ourselves for hours inside laundromats and under gazebos.

Laundromat Entertainment

Welcome to Illinois!

 

Crossing the Mississippi!!!

Near the Missouri border, I stopped into the Louis and Clarke museum and compared their westward exploration to ours.  It was pretty cool to read quotes from their journal entries that expressed their fatigue yet determination to reach the Pacific, and then their excitement at finally getting there.  The similarities were neat, but it also made me appreciate how easy I have it.

Just the other day, we monumentally crossed the mighty Mississippi River.  It felt like such an accomplishment to have gotten this far!  Shortly after, we pedaled by the arch of St. Louis.  It was so exciting to finally see the gateway to the west!

Working with Rebuilding Together

Yesterday, we had a build day in St. Louis.  For the first time on our trip, we worked with Rebuilding Together (instead of Habitat for Humanity), another affordable housing organization.  We had the pleasure of revamping Sandy's home, doing things like painting her kitchen, replacing her cabinets, and fixing her porch.  It was a nice change from Habitat and incredibly satisfying to see the improvements we made in just one day.  Sandy, an elderly woman, was one of the most appreciative women I've met.  We could barely  talk to her for thirty seconds without her crying happy tears!

The storm is passing, and it looks like it's time to ride!

Love,
Abby

Pictures & More Pictures!

Here are lots and lots of photos from my first 2 weeks!  I won't get a chance to title them/tell you where they're from because I'm currently hogging the computer just to upload them.  Enjoy!

Album 1

Album 2

Life Lessons from the Bike

1.  Hills always look bigger from far away. They're never as bad as they appear once you get closer and start taking them on (Niel Curley).

2.  It's not always best to be in the front of the pack.  Sometimes, it's better to be slow.  The first people are those who get lost and have to figure out the directions.

3.  Detours make the journey much more interesting.

4.  When photographing scenery, sometimes there's a better view right around the corner. Be patient.

5.  You need your friends to push and pull you up mountains. You can't do it all on your own.

6.  Sometimes your biggest obstacles aren't those that look the scariest, they're the ones you cannot see.  I'd take steep mountains over strong headwinds any day.

7.  Miley Cyrus, "The Climb".  I hate to admit it, but she's right.

8.  For every uphill, there's a downhill (Johnny Foster). 

State Lines, Scents, & Contrasts

3 build days, 5 states (we detoured into Kentucky just for fun), 9 ice cream cones, 19 days, and nearly 1,000 miles (if you count bonus miles!) already done!  I would very much like this dream to slow down.

Fun lunch stop!

My last day in West Virginia was fantastic.  We cycled under a blistering sun, but got to play on big inflatable water toys at a campsite's lake during lunch.  After we un-velcro-ed our shoes, ate our pb&j, and rode our bikes around.  It's great to be 5 years old again. 

Haaaaang on Sloopy...

 Our last West Virginia stop was in Huntington.  We found the football memorial at Marshall University and danced to a Jimmy Buffet cover band in the rain at a downtown pavilion.  Livin the dream ahaha.  The next morning, we crossed the Ohio River into the one and only Buckeye State.

I knew it the minute I pedaled into Ohio.  I may be a little biased, but immediately the people became drop-dead gorgeous, the sun started shining, and the flora and fauna exploded with beauty.  Ok, I'm exaggerating a little bit.  But it did smell different from West Virginia.  That's one of my favorite parts about this trip- I get to smell the country.  I acknowledge that that is weird, but each place I've been has definitely had it's own scent.

Hyde Park, Cincinnati

  It's so nice to be out of the mountains and foothills!  Ohio was pretty flat (except for that random, cruelly graded hill that everyone literally fell over while attempting to bike up). After Portsmouth and then the quaint town of Georgetown, Ohio (birthplace of Ulysses S. Grant!), we rode to Cincinnati.  One of my favorite moments of this trip was at a farmer's market in the ritzy Cincinnati neighborhood of Hyde Park.  There, I witnessed the most gentle and picturesque vision of America.  Small children squealing and running around leashed dogs, soft music balanced with the splash of a water fountain, families purchasing local goods from farmers under a perfectly sunny sky.  It was a scene that, to me, represented the American dream.

Just 3 miles away from this, we stopped at a gas station in a rough part of town.  Here, the windows were barred and bullet proof, and all of the patrons walked out of the convenient store with alcohol and cigarettes.  Music thumped out of beat-up cars, and we attracted dirty looks as we stood outside.

These two scenes represent one of the most significant things that I've realized from this trip. Our country is FULL of extreme contrasts.  For example, I'll ride by an old barn that's literally falling apart, and right across it is a brand new subdivision of mcmansions.

While we were in Cincinnati, my good friend from UNC (and Beth's boyfriend) drove down from Columbus to visit us.  I kind of forgot that there are people outside of Bike & Build until I saw him.  Just kidding...  We also had our third build day here, which was lots of fun (and lots of sawdust)!   And this morning, we crossed into Indiana (and they didn't have a welcome sign.  Rude.)!  During our 86 mile ride today, we turned one corner and BAM we hit the Midwest. LOTS of farmland.

Right now, I'm in Columbus, Indiana.  It's a really cool town with lots of interesting architecture.  It makes me happy because it's a classic small town USA with lots of character that actually seems to be growing.  Sadly, most of the other towns with any personality that we've been through have been fading fast.  It's refreshing to see one that's thriving!

Aaaah I have so much more to tell you, but I don't want to miss out on exploring this awesome town!  

Love and miss you,

Abby

Georgetown, Ohio

at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati

At the build site in Cincinnati

Crossing into Kentucky-just for fun.

The Mountains: Appala(tion) & Perspiration

"We were young, we were wild, we were restless. Had to go, had to fly, had to get away. Took a chance on that feeling. We were lovin blind, borderline reckless, we were livin for the minute we were spinnin in, maybe we were a lot of things, but we weren't crazy."

So sorry for the delay- I'm blogging from Huntington, West Virginia, where I finally have phone service and internet access again!  Such a luxury!




First build site

Last time I blogged, we were in Charlottesville, Virginia.  While we were there, we had our first two build days.  It was great to get off the bike (and out of our spandex!).  We worked at Charlottesville's Habitat for Humanity, where we put down a floor and raised some walls.  After we built, we got a chance to explore UVA and downtown Charlottesville. 

After our build days, we were warned by our leaders that we had the most difficult riding days ahead of us.  It was Appalachian time.  Before our first day of climbing, a bunch of Bike & Build alumni came to our host site at 5am to cook us breakfast and pump us up for the big day.  "You'll need it," they told us.  And we did.




soaking in the views at lunch

Although it was incredibly rough getting up the 4,000+ foot mountains,  the views from the top made it worth it.  On our fist day, we rode along the Blue Ridge Parkway, where I was tempted to stop every quarter mile to soak up the breathtaking views of the valleys below.  I've never appreciated how beautiful our country is as much as I did that day.

After flying down the mountains at over 40mph, we coasted into the quaint town of Lexington, VA.  After that was 2 more days of mountaining.  Although it was slow and painful, we rode the entire way, because as Jacob Smith sassily reminded us, "this is NOT walk-your-bike-and-build."  It was a struggle, but the scenery was so remarkable that I smiled nearly the entire ride.   My cheeks hurt more than my butt!

West Virginia State Border!

After a particularly long climb, we hit the our first state border! Onward and upward into "wild and wonderful West Viriginia"!  We coasted down the mountains, through middle-of-nowhere towns (one host town had no phone service at all, and I had to use a payphone to call mom.  Such a complicated device- I don't know why old people complain about the complexity of cell phones!).  Although there wasn't much going on in these small mountain towns, our hosts here were definitely the best cooks we've had thus far.  We were spoiled with feasts that included the most incredible homemade biscuits that have ever blessed my stomach.

Just yesterday, we reached Charleston, West Virginia.  Since most of the ride was downhill (yay!), we got into town early and had a chance to explore.  I think I may have found a strong contender for America's best ice cream at Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream on Capitol Street.  I'll post an update on that soon!

Sights in West Virginia

It's time for dinner- something that a cyclist NEVER wants to miss out on.  I'm hoping to post a lot more pictures soon, because words cannot describe all of the things that I'm seeing.

Miss and love you all,

Feeling strong (?) after a big climb

Abs

Cooling off in the mountain stream

Exploring an old cemetery- complete with Confederate States of America plaques

Mountains & Thunderstorms.

Two days ago, my team and the entire Bike & Build community mourned the death of Christina Genco, a leader on the South Carolina to Santa Cruz (SC2SC) trip.  Christina was struck by a car and killed while riding in Alabama.  We heard the news at night, and the next day struggled up the Appalachians.  We felt the weight of our sorrow with every pedal as we moved slowly uphill.  Although only our leaders had personally met Christina, she was a part of our Bike & Build family and we all were devastated.  Later that day, pathetic fallacy erupted as a thunderstorm halted our ride for the day.  The thunder, lightening, and pouring rain appropriately matched our emotions.

Please pray for Christina's family, her SC2SC team, the Bike & Build community, and cyclists everywhere.  And please please please remember that a person's life is more important than getting somewhere fast in your car. 

If I've learned anything from biking through the mountains, it is that for every struggle uphill, there is a smooth glide downhill.  And to make it up that mountain, you sometimes need to be pushed and pulled up by those who love you.  As a team, as friends, as family, Bike & Build will help push and pull eachother through the devastating loss of Christina.

We pedal on for Christina, with every ounce of sweat and blood in her honor.  For her, we will continue on and bike & build as she would have wanted us to. 

Ride hard, love harder.


"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, butnot in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed...We who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body."  -2 Corinthians 4:8-11

Wheel Dipping & Riding

I am alive.  I won't lie- it hasn't been easy. But it wouldn't be an accomplishment if it was easy, eh?

Wheel Dip Ceremony in the Atlantic

And currently, I'm situated at our host site (a UVA sorority house) in Charlottesville, Virginia.  I'm not sure how to consolidate thirty pages of journaling into one blog.  This is going to be a little sloppy and disorganized, but SO much has happened in the past week that there's no way to help that. But I'll start at the beginning, in VA Beach.

Enchanted Swamplands!

After two days of orientation and ice breakers, we epically dipped our wheels in the Atlantic and began our ride.  Although the 50 mile ride was completely flat, I struggled through the blistering heat.  I worried that I maybe wasn't cut out for this.  However, after a solid night of sleep and literally gallons of water into my system, I've recovered and have been going strong.

Morning View

On Monday, we rode through gorgeous farmlands of rural eastern Virginia.  When stopping to fix a flat, we watched the wind ripple over the fields of grain.  We zipped through lush swampy areas from which we expected fairies to emerge because they seemed so enchanted.  We clambered into abandoned farm houses and explored some rickety dock houses.  To celebrate Memorial Day, we belted out "God Bless America" while we rode under the spacious skies, through the amber waves of grain and fruited plains, from sea to shining sea.  We stopped in Waverly for the night, a small and aging town where a gracious church put us up, cleansed us with a hose shower, and stuffed us with classic Southern fried chicken.


On Tuesday, temperatures peaked at over 100 degrees and the sun bore down on us.  We were sweating even at 5 AM.  After getting lost a couple of times (we like to call it "bonus miles"), we finally made it to Pocahontas State Park.  It was hard not to run when our leaders brought us to the campsites's pool area!

Today, we hit the hills.  The ride was like a roller coaster as we coasted down and powered up the slopes.  The scenery was remarkable- deep green forests were broken up by farms that lay slanted on the slopes.  After we rolled over the sparkling James River, we stopped in the small artsy town of Scottsville where Beth and I FINALLY got our first ice cream cones!  All I can say is that it's the best we've had thus far.  After lots more hills, we made it to our destination!


Here is where I'll get random as I spill out some of my thoughts collected thus far:


My group is incredible.  Never have I been surrounded by such a positive, determined group of people.  Never an hour passes by without laughter.  Nobody is left behind on any ride, in any mile, on any hill because we're all like family now and have eachother's backs.


We do push-ups before we ride, ab workouts after we ride, and are planning on going for a run on our build day (tomorrow).  This is crazy even for my standards. And for those of you who know me well, that's pretty ridiculous.


It's remarkable how quickly one's body can adapt.  I couldn't sleep, I struggled to wake up at 5am, I wasn't hungry at lunch, I had to remind myself to drink water, and my body hurt like hell on the first two days.  Now, I sleep like a rock, jump out of my sleeping bag, am famished by 9:30am (lunch time!), I drink gallons of water automatically, and my legs are feeling just fineeeee after 80 miles of hills.  When is that normal for a 20-year-old? Only on Bike & Build.


I wake up every morning and remind myself how lucky I am.  This trip could not be more amazing, and it's only day 5.  I wish I could properly relay how ridiculously incredible this all is, but there's no way to convey it all.


Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! We're hitting the Appalachians after our 2 build days here in Charlottesville, so I'll try to update you again after that.


Gotta go- time to explore downtown Charlottesville!