Lessons from Lemming

Our dear little Lemming made my night when she had this conversation with some of us. 


Friend of Lemming: "Are we going into a new time zone tomorrow?"
Lemming: "Yeah (said with sass)!  What time zone?  The Western time zone?"
Lindsay: *stares at Lemming with amazement and love*
Lemming: "Well it makes sense!  Eastern time zone!"

Lemming and Lindsay in love in Manhattan

Mountain Dance Party!

A few days ago we had an intensely steep 5 mile climb up the Teton Mountains within the first 10 miles of a 87 mile day.  The grade was 10% or more at some points!  Lindsay actually did really well going up the bike trail and was one of the first ten riders to get to the top.  Once we reached the top, we cheered on the other riders who shortly followed.  When everyone was accounted for, we had a rousing dance party to celebrate our accomplishment.  Everyone's favorite part came after the high of conquering a mountain wore off--the descent.  Some riders got to 50 mph but Lindsay was scared and feathered her brakes all the way to the bottom.  


By mile 20, we were in Victor, ID a town famous for their Huckleberry milkshakes.  Being the fatties that Bike & Builders are, we all stopped to have a shake.  Lindsay and I split a Caramel Spud which consisted of espresso, caramel and Mexican cocoa.  Unfortunately this was the beginning of the end.  Lindsay felt sick by lunch and suffered from the urge to vomit and poop her chamois at the same time for the rest of the ride.  It was definitely a day of highs and ultimate lows.  

Idaho? No, U-da-ho!

We're in Idaho if you didn't get that from the title.  Also please disregard Lindsay's cameltoe in the second picture. 

Journey to the Top of the World

On July 3, we embarked on the most epic ride of the trip: going over the Rockies.  Lindsay was definitely nervous about the ride since it is the Rocky Mountains after all.  The grade stayed around 5 to 6% for most of the climb so Lindsay took her sweet time averaging about 7 mph.  It was definitely a long ride but it allowed me to enjoy the beautiful scenery and truly majestic Rocky Mountains. 


The trip did not come easy though.  There were intense winds blowing from every which way.  One gust pushed Lindsay over while she was on her bike; another literally moved Lindsay and her bike over by a foot on a gravel road; and the last brutal wind pushed Lindsay into a gravel ditch that was next to a beautiful meadow.  Lindsay nearly walked up a hill because the wind was so bad.  She was deathly afraid of being blown over a cliff which thankfully didn't happen.  


It was quite a relief when we reached the top of the mountain.  The winds definitely did not cease and it was horribly cold but it the trials and tribulations were absolutely worth it.  A marmot greeted us at our lunch stop--we all thought it was either a gopher, groundhog or, in Christina's case, a beaver.  After spending a bit of time trying to stay warm, a group of us headed a mile down the mountain for the Visitor's Center.  We toasted hot chocolates and coffees and Lindsay proceeded to buy a number of Rocky Mountain memorabilia including a bandana, a long sleeved t-shirt and a Colorado pin.  


The descent was equally as epic and Lindsay constantly feathered her brakes due to her accident anxiety--no one wants to careen off the side of a mountain and die.  I felt so free as the wind blew through my silky brown fur.  There was nothing like it.  And to top it all off, the Continental Divide was on the way down.  We stopped to take pictures to commemorate the occasion. It was the ride of a lifetime for Lindsay and I'm glad I was able to hitchhike along with her.

What's Up, Wyoming!

As of today, we're in Wyoming!  Let me welcome everyone to the wild, wild West. 

Celebrating the Birth of Our Nation

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday.  The reasons?  1. We get to celebrate America (hell yeah!)  2. Fireworks (who doesn't like fire in the sky?) 3. The food! (mmm, mmm good).  The Bike & Builders had to ride on the 4th despite it being a holiday but it made for a wonderful day.  We had a ride from Granby, CO to Kremmling, CO and it was only a 27 miler which is the shortest ride we've ever had.  Unfortunately the short ride didn't deter the strong headwind that met us for most of the way.

We still got to Kremmling in killer time and got some yummy lunch (a cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, corn nuggets and an M&M shake for Lindsay).  After that we had to set up the campsite for our first official night of camping.  We made our own little commune with cute tents of various sizes that had to fight the wind and rain.  The downside to the day was that it was freezing cold so Lindsay had to layer all the clothes she had just to keep herself somewhat warm.  

Later that night, a group went to the town square for the fireworks that they light from the cliffs.  We were surrounded by kids with sparklers and men yelling "Yeah!" and "America!"  The Bike & Builders even got their own sparklers and ran around chanting "Bike and build!"  It was a good night for fun, friends, fireworks and America.

Peace and Chamois Butter,

      Babycakes

A Little Late...

Happy Belated Birthday to the great U.S. of A!  

Love, Your Biggest Fan (Babycakes)

Bike & Build Models

Here's a fun little post to share with you guys!  While we were in Denver--an absolutely amazing specimen of a city--Efrain Cruz, a photographer, took studio photos of all the B&B-ers.  Lindsay and Zach took some great shots and, admittedly, some not great shots.  Don't get me wrong, Lindsay can be photogenic at times and can even rival Giselle...but these weren't her best photos.  I'm planning on teaching her how to pose and turn her head so her face doesn't look so fat.  But that aside, please enjoy these fun and sometimes adorable pics!