Build Day in Provo, Utah

Provo is the second largest city in Utah. Oh I miss city riding! This was my first build day where I got to ride my bike to the build site. It was only 2 miles from our host site, and I realized that I miss commuting too!

Our build day in Provo was the first day of working on a new project for the Utah County Habitat. We worked on a historic building that some guy in the 1800s lived in who helped the city’s economy. Since it was the first day at this site, our job was demolition. This home was beautiful, but I knew that the interior was musty and had little air circulation. So, I volunteered to do landscaping outside. I spent the whole day in Provo standing on an 8 foot ladder to prune the trees in the front yard. Working outside allowed me to get fresh air and a nice breeze, and I enjoyed working with plants with the “prune crew.” Meanwhile, others removed appliances, ripped out carpeting, tore out cabinets, and even did lead abatement inside the house.

Lunch was catered by a mobile brick oven pizza company, and I maybe had half a large delicious pizza. The work day ended with DM-ed ice cream at the nearby grocery store. However, while leaving the build site, I realized that I had parked my bike where there were hundreds of thorns. As I removed each one from both of my tires, I could hear the pssst of air leaving both of my tubes. So I walked my bike back to the host site, where I spent a solid hour checking my tires for debris. This was the closest inspection I’ve done on my tires this whole trip, and wow I should have been doing this more frequently. Inch by inch I pinched the tires and could suddenly see all the tiny rocks, bits of glass, and thorns that had been jammed into the tears of my tires from the past ~3,000 miles. I recommend checking your tires periodically, especially if you find yourself getting flats on flats.

Thursdays are both mail drop days and our family meetings. I got a postcard from my novice crew coach that made me miss seeing the sunrise while rowing in the Charles (can you tell I’ve been a little homesick?). The family meeting went well as there wasn’t much to address and people had more highs than lows. The evening was finished by watching Moonrise Kingdom on a projector.