PARTY! ride, eat, ride, eat, sleep, ride, build, ride...

Poster courtesy Vance Carlisle, good friend, advice-giver, and marketing coordinator at the Grey Eagle in Asheville.

With only a brief respite to graduate on May 16th, I leave for Nags Head, NC on May 12th to become oriented to life as a Bike & Builder; we begin cycling on May 17th, with a police escort out of the tiny beach town.

As a final fundraiser and graduation celebration, I'll be gettin down at The French Broad Brewery on May 3rd from 5-9pm. It's located behind the old polar bar at 101 Fairview Road. I'll be joined by musicians Ian Thomas, and Cary Fridley & the Down South. (Check out their websites in the previous post.) We're also holding a silent auction including such items as tickets to the Biltmore Estate and a gift certificate for a massage. I'm charging a $15 minimum donation to enter; this along with the proceeds from the silent auction will all benefit affordable housing organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together, and Asheville's very own Mountain Housing Opportunities (to name a few!)

If you're in town and are able to join in the celebration, this will be a fantastic chance to see these musicians in a very intimate setting while drinking the best beer in the mountains, and with an incredibly supportive community of friends. Any last words of advice would also be greatly appreciated. With only 21 days till the start of the trip, I'm beginning to realize that I may just be in over my head. :)

Here's the upcoming timeline:
Thursday, April 30 -- my last day of classes
Sunday, May 3 -- PARTY!
Tuesday, May 12 -- to Nags Head for orientation
Friday, May 15, day -- meet all of the riders!
Friday, May 15, night -- drive 7.5 hours back to Asheville NC for graduation
Saturday, May 16, day -- graduate, the culmination of 18 years of formal education
Saturday, May 16, night -- drive 7.5 hours back to Nags Head, say goodbye to family and friends
Sunday, May 17 -- ride, eat, ride, eat, sleep, ride, build, ride...

Yeehaw!