Hey Cool Thanks Patrick!

By Patrick O'Grady News Editor Swinging a hammer and pedaling a bike may not seem to have much in common but for Laura Maki of Claremont they are the perfect combination. Maki, 19, a sophomore at Green Mountain College, is planning on hammering and pedaling her way across the United States this summer with the organization Bike and Build. “It combines my passions,” said Maki, home recently on her winter break. While at Stevens High School, Maki said she was enrolled in the building trades program at the Sugar River Technical Center and for years has enjoyed bicycling. But it wasn't until a friend told her about Bike and Build that she saw an opportunity to do both things she loved, while helping others. The 4,000 miles bicycle trip from Portsmouth, N.H., to Vancouver, British Columbia, includes regular stops at affordable housing projects. “We have 10 sites so far, the first one is in Lebanon, N.H.,” Maki said. “We'll be helping Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together, basically any affordable housing project.” To be part of the project that departs Portsmouth on June 18, Maki is busy trying to raise $4,000, a dollar a mile, for the van-supported ride. The money will go toward the housing projects. To that end, Maki has set up a blog on www.bikeandbuild.org. Under rider blogs, Maki’s name appears on the Northern U.S. route. The trip will take the group of about 20 riders across New Hampshire and Vermont and into New York State.The cyclists will dip below the Great Lakes region through Ohio and once past the southern edge of Lake Michigan, head north through Illinois and Wisconsin before turning west through Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington. The expected arrival date in Vancouver is Aug. 24. “Our shortest day is 20 miles and the longest is 140,” Maki said. “We will be staying in churches, YMCAs, places like that. I’m really excited about getting started.” Maki is also hoping for an early spring to begin riding more miles in preparation. “Riding indoors is getting boring,” she said. Having been on work crews with the Student Conservation Association, Maki said she is aware of the physical demands of the trip but is confident her training and experience will help her complete the journey. Maki has raised about $1,000 so far. Anyone interested in making a donation can do so by going online at BikeandBuild and clicking on Maki’s blog or through the mail with checks made out to BikeandBuild and sent to Maki at 5 Hartford St., Claremont, N.H. 03743.