New Orleans

We've been in new Orleans now for 5 days. Before getting here we went through 4 states in 4 days, which was crazy. So now we're here and we've had 4 build days so far. We've been building at a house in New Orleans that was still damaged from hurricane Katrina and we've done a lot of work so far. When we started about a third of the house had sheet rock up and we finished all the sheet rock and are on the second coat of mudding. So it looks so different from when we started.

The houses here in New Orleans are typically shotgun style houses, which means that the houses are very narrow in the front and extend straight back. There's no hallways. You just walk from the front door into a room, then keep walking straight into the next room, and the next. The one that we're working on is a double shotgun house, which means that it's two houses connected in this style.

Staying in New Orleans has been quite an experience. It's been great staying in one place for change. We've been learning a lot about hurricane Katrina and have been able to see the state of the city since. It's been really shocking actually. There's a lot about the hurricane that I didn't know. When the Levies broke after the hurricane they flooded the city which caused most of the damage. The Lower Ninth ward was hit the worst and is still not rebuilt. There are still so many people that don't have a place to live and are still living in FEMA trailers- which were not supposed to be a long term solution. Many who lost homes were given money from the government to rebuild their houses, but they often don't know what to do with a check that big and hire a bad contractor who takes advantage of them. It's a big problem right now, and it seems so ridiculous that people still don't have a place to live - 3 years later. It's a big problem and I think it has really inspired everyone on this trip to really take advantage of what we're doing this summer.

We had a day off today, which was our first day off this whole trip. About half of us decided to take advantage of our day off to ride around the French Quarter of New Orleans- which is more of a touristy area of the city- to spread the word about what we're doing and try to get donations. We're not often in such populated areas. We stay in a lot of small towns usually. So we decided to make some noise and atract some attention for our cause. We rode around in our jerseys, starting at Cafe Du Monde- which has AMAZING beignets! The owner came out and gave us coupons for free beignets (thank you!), and we rode around spreading the word. A news station came out too and interviewed us and got footage of a huge line of us riding in the city talking up Bike and Build. So many people had really supportive reactions and overall it was a great day.

We have one more build day tomorrow and after that we'll be getting back on our bikes and heading to Baton Rouge, LA. The building has been great, but a part of me is definitely missing the riding. I kind of never want to drive again. (although that can get difficult in southern california) Anne (a fellow rider) told me today that she wants to make it a point to put more miles on her bike next year than her car. I think that's a great goal. we should all try it. :)

take care everyone!