Day 26 Kremmling to Winter Park Snow Mountain Ranch Sea to Sea 08

Day 26 July 25 Kremmling to Winter Park Snow Mountain Ranch Sea-to-Sea 08

Stats for today
37.59 miles
Time in saddle 3.33 hours
Ascent 1606
Current elevation 8722
Average speed 10.5
Temp this morning 10 Celsius

The Lord knew we needed a short day. It was very relaxing, enjoyable and fun. It was also an emotional day as we were saying goodbye to a number of people and we had communion together to close the day. Wish all our days were so short and enjoyable. But then it would take a lot longer to bike across the country. Everyone was looking forward to a great day.

Hank and I woke up this morning at 545. We slept in. What a difference in the camp. There was no mad rush for people to get out this morning. We were much more relaxed and enjoyed a more leisurely breakfast. We knew we had the whole day to cover 34 miles. There was no pressure to get out early to beat the heat.

It was very cool this morning 10 degrees. I wore my jacket, arm warmers and leg warmers. Joan and I started out shortly after Hank, Mary and Bill went out. It took us 10 miles to catch up to them, as we were not rushing today. The scenery along the Colorado Canyon was spectacular. There were people fishing in the river and we saw three men painting one of the canyon walls. We could hear the rushing river and the train along the canyon wall. What a delightful and inspiring ride.

We stopped in Hot Springs for a coffee and delicious cinnamon roll. The cyclists cleaned the café out of baked goods in short order as Hot Springs is a small town and we usually all hit the same place. Walter Vink at SAG stop ensuring we use purrel regularly to keep germs away.

Joan and I ended up riding with Hank, Mary, and Bill for a while. In Granby, Joan wanted to stop for her usual Friday night pizza and beer. I was not really feeling great and pizza and beer did not sound appetizing. So Joan went on with Adrian Kloet and I stayed with Hank, Mary and Bill. We had fries, root beer and taco chips with cheese.

We decided we would head into camp. Just about 3 miles from the camp I saw Phil Quist parked along the side of the road. He greeted Hank and I. It was a pleasant surprised. He is staying at Snow Mountain Ranch with us tonight.

We got into camp around 2PM. The camping site was a little rough as we were camping in a field that was not very level. Hank and I decided to get a room in one of the lodges. It is perfect. We had our own private shower, queen size bed, and Internet in the room. It is quiet and comfortable.

Chaplain Steve from Snow Mountain Ranch expressed his pleasure at having us. He shared with us how God broke him when he visited Kenya. His heart became broken when he saw and heard stories of severe poverty, starvation and death due to lack of resources. He was pleased to hear how what motivated us to do this difficult and challenging undertaking. He thanked us on behalf of the poor he had seen.

During our peleton meeting Len reminded us that tomorrow would be the third anniversary of Elizabeth Woudsma accident. For those of you who do not know her, she had signed up to cycle the last leg of the 2005 bike tour but was hit by a truck that paralyzed her from the neck down. She was injured while she was in training for the ride. This reminded us of how careful we need to be and also pray for Elizabeth as God uses her in a whole new way. She is a joyful and inspiring person in spite of what happened. She inspired the cyclists when we visited her in Kingston during the tour. God has a different plan and she was willing to let him lead her in a new way.

Tonight we said goodbye to 15 cyclists who will be leaving the tour in Denver. It was a fairly emotional time for many. Good sharing and community had developed with each person. They will all be missed in their own way.

After the peleton meeting we celebrated communion. Dave De Ridder from Denver prepared us for communion and reminded us of the anniversary of the space shuttle landing on the moon. I did not know that the astronauts had taken a silver challis, wine and wafer to the moon. The first food eaten on the moon was wine and bread celebrating the maker of heaven and earth and what God has done for us. This really made our celebrating it more moving for me. We than each dipped bread into grape juice to celebrate what God has done and is doing through us for his people. Joan celebrating communion given by Betsy and Jessica Fox. Second is Jen VanBeek celebrating communion.

All of us were moved by the experience but knew God was present and is surrounding us with his angels.

Please pray that we continue to care for each other each day especially long hard days. Tomorrow the climb is over Berthoud Pass at 11305 feet. Many people are having difficulty breathing and are not feeling 100% due to altitude sickness we believe. Teresa Hoekstra has not been able to ride due to asthma and has had great difficulty breathing in this air. Lois Craven has also had great difficulty breathing. Several people like Art Smid, David Teitsma, and Stephanie Webb have had knee problems that prevent them from riding full days. Please pray for these people that they may receive strength to do what they can each day.