In June of 2014, 32 bicyclists and I dipped our rear wheels into the Atlantic Ocean in Portland, Maine and headed out onto the road. Our goal: To travel 4,000 miles, raising funds and support for Affordable Housing organizations across the country, before reaching the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, California.
Due to the diagonal path our route took across the U.S., we wrote "It's All Downhill from Maine to Santa Barbara" on the side of our support van and trailer, a decision we'd soon curse as we climbed the Poconos mountains in Pennsylvania, the rolling hills of Missouri, and the Continental Divide between New Mexico and Arizona.
Yet our journey was memorable for far more than the mountains we faced. We tallied our adventure by the number of houses we worked on, the scoops of ice cream consumed, and yes, the number of flats each rider experienced on the road. We all knew the journey would introduce us to regions of the United States we'd only previously seen from the window of a plane, but we still had no idea of what we'd experience as we rolled on down the road.
Mason Sperakos bikes towards the White Mountains in Arizona. On his back are a tin mug, Bass Pro cap and collapsable fishing pole, souvenirs picked up while traveling across the country.
Katherine Arn, of Jacksonville, Florida, pauses in between assembling the framing for a Habitat for Humanity home under construction in Amarillo, Texas. Our group completed the entire framing for this house, the 100th built by the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, in a day.
I stand on a two-by-four while helping to rebuild porch steps in Pittsfield, MA. Our fifteen build days were split between working on new affordable home construction and repairing and refurbishing houses for qualified low-income homeowners.
Most of the female riders on the ME2SB14 trip line up for pictures on the beach in Portland, Maine. A few riders missed the picture opportunity when they became lost in the first four miles of the entire trip.
Katherine Arn (L,) Allison Mercurio and Nick Dunlap look at x-ray images taken after Allison fell off her bike in Port Jarvis, N.Y. Doctors initially diagnosed a fracture in her elbow, but later revised it to a sprain; Allison would ride again about five days later.
Christopher Benson waits for the support van after blowing out his tire a few miles outside of Wheeler, Texas.
Catie Glynn exclaims with joy as she leans into strong winds encountered shortly after riding into Oklahoma. Lightning and hail forced us to take shelter at a motorcycle repair shop, but every rider ended up completing the ride to Vinita, Okla.
Jeff Goodwin dives into the support van to pack riders' equipment as strong winds and rain sweep into our campground in Seligman, Ariz.
Allison Mercurio (center) and Rose Matthews (r, in blue) play in the ball pit of the City Museum after a build day in St. Louis, Mo.
The sun rises over the Grand Canyon, while a tourist on another outcropping lifts his bicycle to get a closer view. The Grand Canyon was one of three days off we received during our cross-country trip.
Catie Glynn shows off her new shark socks before riding out from Tusla, Okla.
As part of Bike and Build's mission to promote bicycling safety and awareness, our program provided free bike lessons at a handful of towns across the country. In Rushville, Ind., 10 children showed up for lessons including a training ride around the church we stayed at.
Kristin Ewing and Katie Lee carry a ladder while Simon Schwazmaier takes a break from helping to repair the roofs of a house and garage in ranch property in Williams, Ariz.
Lucas Varsano and Catie Glynn share smiles and laughter in between distributing groceries at a food bank in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Katherine Arn and Jeff Goodwin grab coffee at a donut shop on Rt. 66 in Jopin, Mo.
Lunch stop on the route from Twentynine Palms to Apple Valley, Calif.
Sean Hannon idly twirls a plastic airsoft pistol while receiving instructions from trip leader Emily Hittner on preparing the lunch stop for other riders. Sean was part of a van crew that helped set up three extra lunch and rest stops during a rerouted trip through the Mojave Wilderness to Parker, Ariz.
Preschool and kindergarten children stare in awe as Nick Dunlap explains the Bike and Build program before leaving for the day's ride from Kingman, Ariz.
Pastor Larry teaches Margaux Groux how to hold a lasso and rope a steer in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church in Wheeler, Texas.
After a long, rainy day biking up the continental divide to Pie Town, N.M., riders Lucas Varsano (L), Chris Polansky (C), and Jenn Zacharia (R) warm up around a campfire and sing covers of Kelly Clarkson and Ben Folds.
Members of ME2SB14 celebrate in the Pacific Ocean upon reaching the end of our cross-country trip. The flags represent each of the 18 states we passed through, from Maine to California.
Simon Schwarzmaier celebrates on the beach at the end of the 75-day trip. A native of Cologne, Germany, Simon admitted he was conflicted with feeling happy to finally return home, yet sad to be leaving the United States and the friends he had made over the summer.