Bike & Build: 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