Day 3- spring city, PA to holtstown, PA

Woke up stiff and sore from yesterday's long ride. It was very cold in the morning but it didn't want to have to carry layers so I wore my normal biking get up.

A beautiful ride, but the "rolling hills" of Pennsylvania made this far from a 'rest day'. Riding through Amish country is charming, kids were all at home helping their parents on the farms. I could see something's I reviewed in class, how modern builders sell the ideal of a farm lifestyle to normal families. There were no businesses in sight, so people must buy these homes and drive long distances in order to get to work to afford to keep them. Interesting to see the reminder up close.

A few hills today have made me less confident about finishing tomorrow, which is supposed to be the hardest day. I'm just trying to remind my self I've already done this- 165 miles, raised nearly $2500, and raised awareness for some spectacular organizations.

(A woman from the nj bike and ride coalition gave me a sweet patch today, can't wait to pin it on something important!)

Well kids, time to go to lobby training then bed! (here's a quick pick from lobby training- trainers with their thinking caps on!)

Peace,love, bike.

Comments

Celebrating National Bike to Work Day, May 16th 2014

BIKE TO WORK DAY MAY 16, 2014 Bicycle Safety (now you know!) Bicycles on the roadway are, by law, vehicles with the same rights, and responsibilities as motorized vehicles. Bicyclists should travel with traffic, in the shoulder or as far over as is safely possible. In NJ, helmets are required for anyone under 18- however if you are biking in location where there is automobile traffic, it is highly recommended to take the extra step. When riding in groups, never ride more than 2 across. On narrow roads with no shoulder or bike lane, ride single file. Use hand signals to notify motorists and other riders when you are turning or stopping "More than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, making bicycling a feasible and fun way to get to work. With increased interest in healthy, sustainable and economic transportation options, it’s not surprising that, from 2000 to 2011, the number of bicycle commuters in the U.S. grew by more tha...

Eating Garbage

Garbage is Beautiful. And let me tell you why. In 2010, the EPA estimated the US produced over 240 million tons of municipal solid waste. That is over four pounds of garbage, per person, per day. We travel through our day throwing things ‘away’. But where do they go? Does your trash go to a landfill, incinerator, or Waste to Energy Plant? Currently in NJ, thirteen counties have solid waste landfills and five counties have resource recovery facilities (incinerators). Of the five counties with resource recovery facilities, three also have landfills to receive waste that cannot be burnt. Eight counties have awarded waste disposal contracts and require that all waste be sent to one facility for disposal. The remaining thirteen counties have a free market system and transporters may send waste out of the county or state. The majority of us don’t know information like this, and don’t care as long as we don’t have to look at it. But if we were forced to look at the garb...

A Bit About the Challenge of Living...Buildings

Just because I'm an Environmental student does not mean I was born wanting to make my clothes out of hemp, live in a cobb house, and eat only raw/vegetarian friendly foods. I'm a Jersey girl at heart, who happened to spend her summers camping in the Northern part of the state canoeing, swimming, hiking and singing. I really grew to love spending time on the Appalachian Trail, the challenge of long, multi-day hikes, the danger of bears and other large animals, and the wonder of how life goes on despite everything happening in our cities. As I got older, I could feel the natural world around me start to change. Summers got hot- like 106 degrees hot. We couldn't hike the normal trails because water sources were dry, we couldn't swim in the lake because so much water evaporated the fecal count was unsafe, and something called the gypsy moth was plaguing the entire county, devouring everything green in its path. I realized then that maybe things don't continue on despit...

Building Alive, Designing to Thrive

Search This Blog