Charleston and beyond!

The Wanderlusters have just left Charleston, SC and we have lots of updates from the last few days.

In Charleston, the Wanderlusters had a meeting at a University. A woman and gender studies professor named Allison organized the event and invited people from the local community to participate. At the meeting, everyone broke into small groups and Becky's group included a woman and her family( originally from CA). Both of the young parents spoke about how concerned they are to be raising their son in the environment in Charleston, because they want him to grow up to respect women and their choices. The woman also said that she never felt the need to get involved in reproductive health issues before, because she didn't feel that her rights were threatened in CA. Since moving to Charleston, however, she noted that she has been surprised by the religious stranglehold on various aspects of women's health and really wants to become involved as an activist. Others in the small groups had equally successful conversations, and were able to speak to people from various walks in life about their interest in making connections with others and becoming more involved.

In Charleston, the Wanderlusters stayed in a hostel called NotSo Hostel and were joined by 3 new riders! The NotSo Hostel is a pretty famous Charleston hostel and they have a great website that talks about their room and space sharing philosophy (it opens dialogue!). After sleeping on the ground for the past few nights, I'm sure none of the Wanderlusters minded having to share a bathroom!

One of the new riders, Shelby Knox, has also been writing about the trip at her blog. For those of you unfamiliar with Shelby, she made her mark while still in her teens when she fought with her small Texas high school over their abstinence only curriculum. They chronicled the fight in a documentary called The Education of Shelby Knox, which we highly recommend!

Here is the most recent audio file from Becky! She passed the phone around to a few other riders, and you can hear messages from some of the more seasoned rider, Elizabeth, Vanessa and Elisa, as well as Shelby!

Gabcast! 2000 Miles for Justice! #10 - Meet some of Becky's friends

On the way to Charleston, SC

Hi everyone! Sorry for the brief blog hiatus, the staff has been really busy and we have been in and out of the office for the last few days. Becky has been sending some wonderful pictures and audio clips our way and we will do our best to get everything uploaded ASAP so that you can continue to follow her progress.

We have updated the mileage to reflect the last 3 days of biking, and the Wanderlusters are well on their way towards 800 miles!

Here is Becky talking about some rainy weather on their way into Charleston:

Gabcast! 2000 Miles for Justice! #9 - Rain and Sand biking!

Almost half-way

As of today the Wanderlusters are in Charleston, SC. Due to some mishaps (a fellow rider broke her arm, all the flat tires etc) the total mileage count is likely to end up around 1200-1400 miles instead of the anticipated 1,800. This means that Becky is now approximately halfway done with the ride! We are going to have to recalculate our pledges based upon this new information, but are really appreciate of everyone who has made a donation or a pledged thus far.
Lately, we (the staff) have been telling a lot of people about the Wanderlust ride and Becky's participation. The response has been unbelievable! Everyone has been so positive, and so impressed with her stamina and dedication. It has also been really interesting to see what happens when we tell someone what Becky is doing; invariably people want to share their own stories about their own bike rides, or experiences they've had meeting with people across the country. We're really excited for Becky to come back and share her stories, because we know that we have just been getting tiny snippets of information.
Please keep up the e-mails, texts, blog comments, and phone calls to Becky! She has been putting up with really hot weather, long days, and other hardships along the way. Please feel free to contact the office if you would like to extend well wishes or make a pledge!

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to keeping you updated as the riders begin the 2nd leg of their trip!


ps. thanks to rhonda for the picture!

100+ Degree Weather

After a few days of playing 'catch up' using the van, the Wanderlusters are back on their bikes! Yesterday they rode 40 miles in 100+ degree weather.
They also had their next meeting in Augusta, where Becky took this picture.
<-- In the audio message below you can hear Becky talk about the trip so far, her appreciation for the UU's in Augusta and some other interesting trip notes. Becky also told us that (sadly!) flat tires are an almost daily occurance. Here is a picture of a bike being repaired on the side of the road-->













You can listen to Becky give a quick update on the ride here:
Gabcast! 2000 Miles for Justice! #8 - 100+ Degree Weather

Camping out

We're waiting to hear about the most recent meeting and mileage count, but for now here is a picture that Becky sent with her phone!





Camping at Hard Labor Creek in Social Circle GA