Fuller Center 2018 Bike Adventure Week 2
by Bill Turner • June 17, 2018
6-17-18 Challenging Week #2 on The Bike Adventure done
Hello from Missoula, MT, we are downtown at River Valley Church. 770 miles down, 3,130 to go, 32,217 feet of climbing so far, and now at 3,200 ft. elevation. We had a rather wild week of riding. We eventually left the many miles of wheat and buckwheat crops of Oregon and Washington, and then road into the canola fields and large trees and cattle of Idaho. Saw many old trestles of rail lines abandoned, and many coal, grain, and oil trains moving on current rail lines. Weather was mostly sunny and gorgeous until yesterday. Yesterday was rather challenging, rain, rain, and more rain for 62 miles of 50 deg. air. I wore a thick wool layer under a cycling jersey and rain jacket on top and polyester tights with ski socks and wool bike socks over cycling shorts. I was warm enough as long as I kept peddling, so stops were very short and not much food was consumed. We had to deal with three 10 mile sections on the Rt 90 interstate, not bad until trailer trucks went by with a cloud of mist moving in all directions in too many construction zones.
However as you may remember this effort is not about the riding, wonderful pot luck meals our hosts often provide, the team building we are experiencing, or the incredible beauty we see up close day after day, these are all perks. The ride is about the fund raising we are doing for the Fuller Center for Housing, where 97% of what we raise on the ride goes to providing a hand up for folks who need a reasonable place to live. With the partnership approach, the owner provides sweat equity as they are able, and for whatever funds for materials that are expended in repairing a home or building a new one, the cost of the materials are paid back by the owner with a no-interest -mortgage over a time period they can afford, thus resulting in more repairs for others as time goes on.
On Thursday we got to do our first of five build days in Kellogg, Idaho where we divided into three teams to work on three houses. The team I served with got to install back steps and a small front porch on a woman's replacement used mobile home. Her previous home had been damaged by a bear that fell on the roof while climbing a nearby cherry tree, and by a small fire in her dog grooming studio. The building permit was issued to her and the Fuller Center Chapter, and we were plugging away to finish items needed to allow it to meet local code requirements. She is like the strongest women I have ever worked along-side, she installed most of the leveling blocks under the home by herself.
This year the five bicycle rides that the Fuller Center Bike Adventure is running are attempting to raise $400,000. The trips are currently at $200,000 and slowly climbing. If you know of folks who might like to support this type of housing effort please do not hesitate to send them to my Donor Page.
Because of many of you I am now at about 91% of my fundraising goal of $20,000 for this ride, and in 2nd place regarding fund raising on our team. My bicycle and body continue to work well and I feel very blessed to have the time to be on this ride for such a worthwhile cause. You can follow my ride on Facebook at Spinning Pedals for Homes courtesy of my son Kirk's assistance I will post on Facebook again in about another week.