One day to go!

I'll be driving down to Manteo tomorrow morning to finally meet up with the NC2SD cycling team! We'll be having a two-day orientation about rules and procedures, bike maintenance, and the educational presentations we'll be giving along the way. After putting our rear tires in the Atlantic Ocean, we'll set out from Manteo on Sunday morning with, I hear, a full police escort.

It's been a busy spring getting ready for this adventure! With the help of many generous donors, a scholarship from the Chapel of the Cross, and an Easter lily sale, I've just reached my $4000 fundraising goal--and I cannot thank you all enough. I've bought almost all my cycling gear and now feel pretty blinged out when I'm training around Raleigh (bike pictures to come). Raleigh has a surprisingly extensive network of greenways and bike trails, which are great for avoiding traffic and conserving little pockets of nature in the sprawling city. I wish I could say I've been absolutely true to my training schedule, but I know that the first couple weeks of our trip will be challenging as I get used to many long hours in the saddle.

I've also been putting together a presentation about the history of affordable housing policy in the United States, which I will be presenting to educate the group along the way. We have all been given different research assignments so that we can learn from each other, and I'll be posting the interesting tidbits I collect on this blog as we go.

To track our progress on a map and read our group journal, check out this neat feature on the Bike and Build website. Happy summers to you all!