Day 55 August 23 Hamilton to St Catherines Sea to Sea 08

Day 55 August 23 Hamilton to St Catherines Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats

Distance 46.55 miles
Time in Saddle 3.19 hours
Ascent 979 feet
Current elevation 312 feet
Average speed 14 miles per hour

Hank and I stayed at the Mosterts with Barb Mellema. We got up at 530 and had a good cup of coffee before heading back to Redeemer where we would have breakfast. Redeemer has been very gracious by providing meals for the cyclists. We had scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit.

I started riding with Marti Du Plessis and Hank started with Rich and Carol Rienstra. We departed camp at 7 AM. It was a beautiful sunny day with a strong wind from the South. It was much stronger than the forecast. So we did have some headwinds so we had to work harder than yesterday.

We were going to have a number of refreshment stops along the way so we did not pack much food. The scenery along the route was very beautiful. We saw lots of vineyards, orchards of peaches, pears and plums. This are along the Niagara Escarpment is a real treasure for Canada. From the top of the escarpment we could almost see Toronto and the CN tower, but due to the hazy skies today we could not. The escarpment, which is a about 350 foot high cliff, runs from Niagara Falls all the way to Tobermory in Ontario, about 750 kilometers. Below the escarpment is an area between the escarpment and Lake Ontario that has a significant change in climate which allows this area to grow peaches, cherries, apricots, and excellent grapes for world-class wine making. The government is trying to protect this area, as it is very unique for Canada. The pressure for housing development is very high because of this unique climate.

View of Hamilton from the top of the escarpment on Ridge Rd.
Our first stop was at the Fruitland CRC stop on Ridge Rd at a members home. We stopped briefly because the mesquitoes we biting us within seconds of stopping.

Our next stop was at Shalom Manor to visit with the seniors there. Marti and I took a picture at the windmill there. As I did not have any relat
ives here nor did Marti we did not really visit with anyone there. Many of the Ontario cyclists had relatives or had had relatives there so spent a few minutes visiting. We proceeded to the next refreshment stop, which was only less than a mile away at Mountain view CRC. There we enjoyed ice cream with fresh peaches, some Tim Horton’s donuts, and timbits, date squares, coffee, and cold drinks. Here I met Dave Tigchelaar, Hennie Schat and Bill and Nellie Smedes 05 Sea to Seaers. I do met many people but I have forgotten some names. Sorry, but if I do not write things down I have a tendency to forget. Must be having some senior moments Hennie Schat in front of Mountain View CRC

We then headed on to our next stop at Providence CRC in Beamsville. However before we got there we had an accident. I was riding with Doug and Joy Lutke, Marti Du Plessis and Rick Gritter. A dumped truck suddenly stopped and Doug tried to avoid hitting it from behind. He and Joy managed to swerved and miss it, but I did not manage to avoid hitting Joy from behind and I hit her back derailleur and than went down on the pavement. I just scratched my left knee, same one as before, and left elbow. They were minor scratches but Joy’s derailleur needed attention. We managed to get it straightened out so she could bike to the nearest bike shop in St Catherine’s. Fortunately the bike shop was a Trek bike shop and had a hanger for her derailleur.
Doug and Rick working on Joy's bike with Peter Baarda SAG driver providing some needed tools.

We arrived at Providence CRC and saw Rick Jonjegan there. It was good to see him. Unfortunately he is busy tonight taking cyclists to see Niagara Falls. Hank and I have seen it many times so we are not signed up for this event. The lunch at Providence was great. We had buns with ham and cheese, salmon, egg, potato chips, fresh fruit, cookies and squares, cold drinks and coffee. It was a good stop as we could have different things to eat. I tried not to eat too many sweets as I found my stomach reacting to too much sugar. I enjoyed the chips and pickles along with the buns. Again I only ate a little bit since I cannot ride on a full stomach. Many of the cyclists were also finding too many sweets a problem for them and were limiting their sugar in take.

After lunch we headed on to our next stop ,Pieter Pereboom’ parents home, who served us freezes. Here we again played Chrisitan Reformed bingo and I met a man who has relatives in Sussex NJ were I grew up.

The next stop was Jubilee CRC. There we again saw some former Sea to Seaer’s and Bert and Alice Witvoet. There we had fresh fruit and water. We were feeling we had had lots to eat over the 47 miles and were no longer very hungry.

We were ready to get to camp and just relax after all these stops. Joy, Doug, and Rick stopped by the bike shop just before camp in order to get her bike fixed. I arrived at Beacon Christian School before the gear truck was in. The CRC community here offered massages and footbaths while we were waiting for the truck to arrive.

As Hank and I were invited to stay with Dave Tigchelaar tonight we just cleaned out our things from the gear truck. His wife Joanne is in Calgary visiting their daughter Monique for the week. Sorry we are missing seeing her. We did not need to put up a tent tonight. Hank and I are getting a little tired of tenting and enjoy the comforts of a bed and bathroom for the night.

Dave took us on his sailboat for a relaxing ride on Lake Ontario. Hank enjoyed sailing and was very relaxed. Too bad I forgot my camera. It would of been great to have a shot of Hank enjoying the sail and Dave in action. Dave and Jo enjoy sailing immensly and you can see it on Dave when he is on his boat. Dave prepared a great supper of pork roast, fresh potatoes and beans, a salad and fresh strawberries from the Tigchelaar berry farm. Great meal Dave. You make a great cook. After supper Dave took Hank up to the top of the escarpment to take a walk and to view the lake from there. I am sitting on Dave’s deck posting to my blog and enjoying the soothing sounds of the waterfalls in their back yard pond. I can see Lake Ontario from their deck.

It has been really great visiting the refreshment stops along the way this week in Ontaio. The only downside to this is that we are not stopping and visiting with the local people and sharing our message. Some of us still do a little but for a majority the refreshment stops were enough so the need to stop anywhere else was not done. We biked past beautiful wineries and quanit towns, but past them by as the day was getting hot and we wanted to get inot camp and to finish the ride for the day.
We are now at the end of week 8. It is hard to believe we have one week left before the tour is finished. Next week at this time we will have dipped our tires into the Atlantic and celebrating the finish. On the one hand it is sad to see this end, but Hank and I will also be glad it is over. There has been a grind to the daily task of biking, setting up a tent and taking it down every day. Some biking days have been great while others have been a real grind.
Several people have spoken to me about doing another tour. I think it should be a number of years before we do another. I know there are many great things that have happened because of this tour and there are real changes that are taking place in individual lives as well as the church community as a whole.

We do need to sit back for a while, evaluate the outcomes, but also the cost in relation to the benefits. Planning a tour of this magnitude takes lots of time and energy. It takes vision and determination as we had many bumps along the way. Things did not always go easy and we questioned whether the tour should go through. If you as a reader have some ideas or things you would like to tell me about the tour and what it has meant to you to be a part in some small way, you can email me at chelgersma@sbcglobal.net. I understand some people are having trouble posting to blogs, but you can email me a message and I will try to respond individually where possible.

We continue to experience God's presence and love through his people as we cycle across the country. Thanks so much to each of you as you pray and encourage us. Lots of people have come up to me and told me they read my blog everyday. Some have emailed me or posted to the blog. I know all the cyclists are amazed at how many people are reading about our travels and are pleased we can provide you some sense about the tour and what it is meaning for us and the communities we are traveling through. May God continue to bless you and keep all of you safe as you serve Him in your daily tasks at home. I pray that each of you too experience God momnets that you know he is with you and showing his love and care for you.

Until the next post. blessings to you all. Claire