Today's stats
Distance 76.68
Time in saddle 5.08
Ascent 1863 feet
current elevation 706
Average speed 15 miles per hour
We got up at 5 AM this morning. Dave's dog Shirpa slept with us all night. Dave says his dog has never done this before. I tried to get a picture of him, but he somehow knew what I wanted and he hid from me so I could not take a picture.
We left for camp at 530 and arrived at 610. When we arrived we put our stuff in our dresser drawers (laundry baskets) and then went for breakfast that was served by local churches.
Dave trying out my bike
Ruth Jonjejan was a camp and had dropped off some cyclists who stayed with them. I had not seen Ruth on Saturday or Sunday when I had seen Rick. We got to just say hi and give each other a hug. They had just got back from their trip to Alaska and I had wanted to hear about their trip. They had run into Clarence and Jane Damsma at a Tim Horton’s on the Alaska highway.
Hank and I pumped up our tires, brought our duffel bags to the trailer. I headed out with Rich and Carol Rienstra at 650 and Hank and Mel left at about 7 AM. We needed to be at our staging area in Niagara Falls to cross into the US by 930. Soon I hooked up with Lou Haveman and we rode together into Niagara Falls. The ride into the Falls was beautiful as we biked past vineyards and orchards. The area we biked through is a real geological treasure for Canada as it is an area that peaches, apricots and grapes can be grown. One would never think these could be grown at this latitude in Canada.
American and Canadian Falls
We stopped and took some pictures at the Falls then proceeded to the staging areas. We did stop for some coffee after we got to the staging area. At 930 Ed Witvoet got a call from the border people that we could come through as things were very quiet. We proceeded to go over the bridge. When we got to the border crossing we took up three lanes and the officials just waved us through. They did not even check our documents or our bags to see if we had fruit or other band items. All of us were amazed. We do have to remember prior to our arrival, they had received a copy of all our passports so they had had time to check our background. Ed thanked the officials at the border and the officials at the border thanked Ed for how well organized our group was and how orderly we crossed. I also think that the difficulty Ed had with entering the US last fall and the subsequent granting of a work visa by Chief Stevens in Niagara Falls may have contributed to all the details being covered well ensured an orderly and problem free entry. At the time the steering committee wondered what God had in mind when Ed had all his trouble with the border. We know think these problems helped us establish a good working relationship for the expeditious crossing for the cyclists and support staff. We see how God has had a hand in all these things.
Waiting at the staging area and crossing the Rainbow Bridge Niagara Falls.
After the border crossing, I hooked up with Joy and Doug Lutke and Rick Gritter. We moved quickly through Niagara Falls New York and were headed through the country.
I had another flat tire. This makes number 4 for me. Rick and Doug had it changed within 15 minutes and we were on our way.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. We did have strong winds from the NW, which sometimes gave us a tailwind and other times a strong side wind. We did have to work somewhat. It was a little cool and I wore my jacket till we arrived at Niagara Falls and then kept my arm warmers on till about noon. At 2 pm when I was riding the last 12 miles there was a chill in the air and I wish I had my arm warmers on again. As I am writing this I am sitting with a blanket around my legs wearing a fleece and jacket to keep warm. It is now getting very chilly at night when we are in camp.
Everyone seems to have had a great day today. At the Peleton meeting we are starting to talk about the end of the tour. We need to sign up for things on Saturday and the need for people to clean all the support trucks for departure on Sunday. We are also discussing with each other what our plans are for after the tour. Nothing definitive is emerging for lots of people, but they know that this trip has changed them and they will need to think about how to adjust back into normal life at home.
John Straastma told us the funniest story about having a flat tire today. He was riding with Roger Feenstra and Clare Dornbos. Roger noticed John's rear tire was low, so John calls ahead to Clare that he has flat. Clare turns into the nearest drive and when he has turned in notices a large dog lying down. Clare immediately turns around when the large dog gets up and yells to the others large dog coming as he is racing out the driveway heading to John and Roger and tears past them. Clare appears petrified the dog is coming after him. They notice the very large dog with huge eyes and neither John nor Roger know where to turn. Roger just quickly shouts to the dog "sit" and the dog proceeds to sit down. To hear the story being told by John was quite funny and he only wished he could have had a video doing a recording of this event. This all happened within the space of a minute. It is good to have some funny stories being told. Having a flat tire is usually not very funny.
Please pray that for everyone, including readers of the blogs, the tour is really a beginning for new and exciting changes in people’s lives and in the life of the church community.
Note I am having trouble uploading pictures tonight. I hope to post tomorrow. The battery in my camera has also gone dead even though I charged it before I left home and it should have held a charge for 3 weeks. I hope to get a new battery tomorrow.
Distance 76.68
Time in saddle 5.08
Ascent 1863 feet
current elevation 706
Average speed 15 miles per hour
We got up at 5 AM this morning. Dave's dog Shirpa slept with us all night. Dave says his dog has never done this before. I tried to get a picture of him, but he somehow knew what I wanted and he hid from me so I could not take a picture.
We left for camp at 530 and arrived at 610. When we arrived we put our stuff in our dresser drawers (laundry baskets) and then went for breakfast that was served by local churches.
Dave trying out my bikeRuth Jonjejan was a camp and had dropped off some cyclists who stayed with them. I had not seen Ruth on Saturday or Sunday when I had seen Rick. We got to just say hi and give each other a hug. They had just got back from their trip to Alaska and I had wanted to hear about their trip. They had run into Clarence and Jane Damsma at a Tim Horton’s on the Alaska highway.
Hank and I pumped up our tires, brought our duffel bags to the trailer. I headed out with Rich and Carol Rienstra at 650 and Hank and Mel left at about 7 AM. We needed to be at our staging area in Niagara Falls to cross into the US by 930. Soon I hooked up with Lou Haveman and we rode together into Niagara Falls. The ride into the Falls was beautiful as we biked past vineyards and orchards. The area we biked through is a real geological treasure for Canada as it is an area that peaches, apricots and grapes can be grown. One would never think these could be grown at this latitude in Canada.
American and Canadian FallsWe stopped and took some pictures at the Falls then proceeded to the staging areas. We did stop for some coffee after we got to the staging area. At 930 Ed Witvoet got a call from the border people that we could come through as things were very quiet. We proceeded to go over the bridge. When we got to the border crossing we took up three lanes and the officials just waved us through. They did not even check our documents or our bags to see if we had fruit or other band items. All of us were amazed. We do have to remember prior to our arrival, they had received a copy of all our passports so they had had time to check our background. Ed thanked the officials at the border and the officials at the border thanked Ed for how well organized our group was and how orderly we crossed. I also think that the difficulty Ed had with entering the US last fall and the subsequent granting of a work visa by Chief Stevens in Niagara Falls may have contributed to all the details being covered well ensured an orderly and problem free entry. At the time the steering committee wondered what God had in mind when Ed had all his trouble with the border. We know think these problems helped us establish a good working relationship for the expeditious crossing for the cyclists and support staff. We see how God has had a hand in all these things.
Waiting at the staging area and crossing the Rainbow Bridge Niagara Falls.After the border crossing, I hooked up with Joy and Doug Lutke and Rick Gritter. We moved quickly through Niagara Falls New York and were headed through the country.
I had another flat tire. This makes number 4 for me. Rick and Doug had it changed within 15 minutes and we were on our way.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. We did have strong winds from the NW, which sometimes gave us a tailwind and other times a strong side wind. We did have to work somewhat. It was a little cool and I wore my jacket till we arrived at Niagara Falls and then kept my arm warmers on till about noon. At 2 pm when I was riding the last 12 miles there was a chill in the air and I wish I had my arm warmers on again. As I am writing this I am sitting with a blanket around my legs wearing a fleece and jacket to keep warm. It is now getting very chilly at night when we are in camp.
Everyone seems to have had a great day today. At the Peleton meeting we are starting to talk about the end of the tour. We need to sign up for things on Saturday and the need for people to clean all the support trucks for departure on Sunday. We are also discussing with each other what our plans are for after the tour. Nothing definitive is emerging for lots of people, but they know that this trip has changed them and they will need to think about how to adjust back into normal life at home.
John Straastma told us the funniest story about having a flat tire today. He was riding with Roger Feenstra and Clare Dornbos. Roger noticed John's rear tire was low, so John calls ahead to Clare that he has flat. Clare turns into the nearest drive and when he has turned in notices a large dog lying down. Clare immediately turns around when the large dog gets up and yells to the others large dog coming as he is racing out the driveway heading to John and Roger and tears past them. Clare appears petrified the dog is coming after him. They notice the very large dog with huge eyes and neither John nor Roger know where to turn. Roger just quickly shouts to the dog "sit" and the dog proceeds to sit down. To hear the story being told by John was quite funny and he only wished he could have had a video doing a recording of this event. This all happened within the space of a minute. It is good to have some funny stories being told. Having a flat tire is usually not very funny.
Please pray that for everyone, including readers of the blogs, the tour is really a beginning for new and exciting changes in people’s lives and in the life of the church community.
Note I am having trouble uploading pictures tonight. I hope to post tomorrow. The battery in my camera has also gone dead even though I charged it before I left home and it should have held a charge for 3 weeks. I hope to get a new battery tomorrow.
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