May 2010
24 posts
Epilogue
A few weeks before the ride, I went to a dedication ceremony for a Habitat house. I listened to the new owner speak, and heard others tell of his story.
Money we raised from last year’s ride helped build this home. Many of you donated last year, and this is where your money went. I felt proud to be a small part of it, and you should feel proud too.
One of our trip leaders quoted Mother...
Day Seven - Last Day
Last night the church asked that the men and women sleep in separate rooms. No one protested. The next morning, the men discussed how their room had been a symphony of manly noises that no woman’s ears should ever be subjected to. Perhaps it was for the best.
Our police escort out of Plainfield didn’t show up on schedule, so we took to the road without them as one massive group. ...
Day Six - Tiki Hut
In years past, we spent the last night in camp camby; sleeping on bunk beds, playing dodgeball and kickball (a.k.a. The world series of cover), and listening to Jon woo us on the piano. So when we heard that camp camby was cancelled, we were bummed. Sleeping on another church floor? Who’s idea was this?
We arrived to a pleasant surprise at our overnight location. It was a building called...
Day Five - Sportsman-like Conduct
Today I rode through IU with my Purdue jersey. No one picked a fight, no one threw stuff at me, not one word was spoken to me on the matter. It was a little disappointing. I mean, what fun is a rivalry if people can’t even be bothered to throw their milkshake at you?
Last night we had a surprise addition to our ride. Dan, a former student leader on the ride, showed up completely...
Day Four - Grooooovy
“How are we doing today, Linton Elementary?”
“TERRIFIC!!! FANTASTIC!!! GROOOOOOOOOVVVVVY!!!!!!”
Linton Elementary taught us a new cheer today, complete with hand motions. Every year we stop here and have breakfast with the children. Then there’s a ceremony about the kids’ efforts to raise money for us and build local houses. Finally, they cheer us off as we...
Day Three - Bacon, bacon, everywhere
At each of our overnight locations, dinner and breakfast are provided by a local Habitat affiliate. All of it is home cooked, and deserts are usually plentiful. Today one of the riders was surprised he was gaining weight after all these long rides, but reasoned it was all the good food.
Most are good about accommodating different diets. Though everyone’s interest peaked last night when...
Day Two - Dan Henry told me so
Last year I spent a lot of my time with Mark, Jenny, and Kelly. Every night we’d roll out our sleeping bags next to each other and crash. I could always count on Mark to whack me with a pillow or roll me over when I started snoring.
On the second night, I couldn’t quite fall asleep. I laid awake, staring at the ceiling, when one of the girls started snoring. ...
Cover Indiana 2010 - Day One
This year’s ride started just like last years - with a clean shave. It’s the first clean shave I’ve had since the night before last years ride. I’ve trimmed the beard short a few times (it still counts Kelly!!!) but never completely off.
Looking at my full face for the first time in a year, it seems a little chubbier. But I figure that’s a good thing. I saw this...
Epilogue
Last week was arguably the best week I’ve had in years. It was a great way to end a long semester, make new friends, and contribute something to the less fortunate. I hope to return next year with more riders and donations!
If you haven’t donated, please take a moment to reconsider. The donations go to local builds in Indiana, directly benefitting a family right here at home. ...
Day Seven - Indianapolis
This morning started off with some end of the week pranks. Apparently it’s tradition to hide the authority man’s bike on the last day. I’m told last year his bike was waiting on the roof in the morning.
This year his bike was hanging from a tree in front of the dorms. The night before, some of the girls’ sleeping bags went missing (but were found in time for sleeping).
...
Day Six - The World Series of Cover
“When we have a world series, we bother to invite other countries.” ~British Comedian
Today’s ride ended at a camp, and we arrived around noon (much earlier than normal). After unloading luggage and taking showers we moved over to the gym to keep ourselves entertained. We played a few games of knockout and dodgeball, and when the weather cleared we moved outside for a game of...
Day Five - IU
One my loyal readers suggested I re-iterate the donation website:
http://www.active.com/donate/2009coverindiana/lohmeyer
In the end this ride is about building affordable homes, and this year the economy has taken a toll on donations.
We have another website for the POC gang, and I tried to increase donations by offering to photoshop embarassing features onto our photos. In the end I wound...
Day Four - Clear Skies
This morning we ate Breakfast in the grade school cafeteria… with the 4th graders. It was a lot of fun.
Some of the older girls (6th grade?) took a strong liking to one of our male riders, which provided the entertainment for the morning. “Excuse me, my friend wants to know your name.” The rest of the morning included stares and pointing.
Afterwards we all took a seat on...
Day Three Contest Winner
The answer is 425 miles. Stephen rode two 100+ mile rides last weekend, another on Tuesday, and 50+ rides Monday & Wednesday.
Apparently no one thought Stephen would do this to himself, the closest entry was 312 miles from my Aunt Karen.
No new contest today, but maybe later in the week.
Day Three Contest
It was my original plan to make this about trivia from our visit to the rescue center, but I’ve discovered all those facts are posted online. So we’ll just make this all about Stephen.
Today’s contest is to guess how many miles Stephen has ridden in the past five days.
Hint: He seems determined to show the rest of us up. He’s done more miles than us these past three...
Day Two Contest Winner
“The Purdue Shot Put Team has really gone down hill since the budget cuts.”
This winning entry came from Leo!
Oddly I had to disqualify my Uncle Jim, as his entry portrayed Mark as a turncoat Notre Dame fan.
In case you were wondering, the photo was taken on the campus of ISU, shortly after the day two ride. We still have no idea what that statue is supposed to be.
Day Three - Noah's Ark
Last week a cycling buddy nicknamed me “Rain Man” due to my tendency to ride in the rain when other cyclists stay home. Normally today would have been enough to keep even me indoors.
It was a very lite rain at the start, mostly we had to deal with the wind. The big attraction of the day was the “Exotic Feline Rescue Center” (Lions, tigers, etc). One of the riders says...
