Journey of living life with joy, gratitude and adventure

Day 62 Sugust 30 Sussex to Jersey City Sea to Sea 08

2008-09-01T06:44:00.008-04:00

Day 62 August 30 Sussex to Jersey City Sea to Sea 08

I am finally posting this journal entry after several days of trying to type it up. It has been very busy since Friday and when I got home I was very tired and crashed everyday at 230. My body just said enough and I just did nothing the rest of the day and fell asleep every night at 8 PM.

Today’s stats
Not available as I had forgotten to take my bike computer to my sisters to download yesterdays stats and to recharge the battery.

This is our last biking day. After nine weeks of biking it is hard to believe that it will be over today. We have mixed emotions as it has been a great experience and we have had lots of good times with many people. But we will be glad to know come Monday morning we will not have to get up early to get on our bikes for the first time in nine weeks. We can sleep in or just relax and take it easy to do whatever. We will miss all the people who we have shared rides with and talk to about a variety of things. We will miss the freedom of just not having to plan much, know what to wear (bike shorts and shirt) not worry about what to cook for supper. Come next week we will have to think about what clothes to wear, what we will be doing each day and what we will be eating, doing the grocery shopping, and lead a normal life again.

Last night it had been raining, so when I woke up I was anxious that we might finish our last day of biking in the rain. In fact we only had 3 days when it rained during the whole tour. I was awake early, 330,as I was upset with myself with leaving my bike computer and my sister’s camera somewhere at the campsite and I could not remember where. The battery in my own camera had gone dead and I had left my charger at home thinking the battery would keep its charge for three weeks as it had lasted that long before. My sister Grace had lent me her camera till Saturday.

As it was our last ride and Ed wanted everyone to be at the staging area for the group ride into Liberty Park, breakfast was only from 6-7. The gear trucks were all to be loaded by 8 so that the trucks could all go the school and the staff go to Liberty park for the tire dipping ceremony at 230. Everyone was up early and eager to be out on the road on time.

Hank, Mel and Sylvia got up at 530. Anne had a breakfast of scrambled eggs bacon, orange juice, coffee, and fruit salad. It was great. We left for camp at 610 as I was anxious to find my stuff. I immediately went to the gear truck and saw my stuff right where I left it lying on the floor below my baskets. No one picked it up and placed it in the lost and found where I thought I might end up looking for things.

Hank and I than quickly made our lunches, checked our bikes, put all our gear away, and headed out for our last ride by 650 AM. I left with Hank, Phil and Jan. It was very over cast as we left with a very light drizzle. I wore a jacket in case it started raining.

Our first stop just outside of Sussex was the Holland American Bakery owned by my cousin Dot and Sam Valkema. I bought an apple turn over for the ride and Phil and Jan bought a cinnamon roll, which they ate right away. Sam and Dottie had hosted several cyclists for the night including Rich and Carol Rienstra. They enjoyed hearing the stories of the tour.

Shortly after we left the bakery, I had my fourth flat tire of the tour. Phil was helping me change it, when along comes Rod Kloet, who is an expert at changing tires and quickly helped us get it changed in 15 minutes. We were on our way. Down the road we saw Ken and Shirley VenWerken stopped with a flat tire and Rob stopped by there as well. He was really being a good Samaratian today helping people who were having problems.

We stopped at about 19 miles. There was a Dunking Doughnut shop that was over run by our cyclists. No one else was there expect about 40 cyclists. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their day as the mileage was not too high and we had some time to stop and enjoy the ride. We knew we had lots of time to cover the 52 miles from Sussex to the staging area. We left before 7 and did not have to be there till 1. This gave us lots of time to get there and offered us opportunities to stop along the way.

We thought we had an easier day today, and were surprised to be climbing as many hills as we had. We thought Ed, had a sick sense of humour by putting these hills on the last day. One person biking past me yesterday commented on how the second day into the start of the tour we were tested with a difficult day right out of the gate with our climb up Stevens Pass in Washington. Yesterday being the second to the last day before the end of the tour, we were being tested with the most climbing of any day of the tour, even more than the highest level of climbing in the Rocky Mountains. However I think yesterdays ride over all which much easier for everyone due to cooler temperatures and good roads as well as most cyclists are much stronger after biking for nine weeks.

As I am writing this I am just about falling asleep and will pick it up in the morning.

It is now 530 Monday morning, I am hoping to finish posting the events of Saturday.

Mike, Phil, Jan and I stopped for a light lunch in a small town along the route. I do not even know the name as all the towns we were riding through today just ran into each other and I did not see signs that told us which town we were in. Our maps just tell us the streets to take but do not mention what town it is in for the most part. We were about 8 miles from our staging area and it was just after 11 when we stopped.
Along our route one of the churches served us refreshments and welcomed us to NJ.
We arrived at the staging area at 1215. Lots of cyclists were already there just relaxing. At 1PM we took a group picture. As we were taking it cyclists were still coming in and we kept adding them and taking more pictures. I do not know if all the cyclists made it one time. I did not hear that anyone was left behind.

We also took a picture of all the cyclists who rode on a Brookes Saddle. We hope Brookes will be interested in this and support our tour in a small way.

At 130 we were lead by the Kearny Police at the outset with Bill D on his motorcycle behind the police and all 200 cyclists behind him. Behind us we had another police cruiser bring up the rear. We would be riding with police escorts the finale 10 miles or so of our tour to Liberty State Park. It was an amazing experience to be in this long line of over 200 cyclists being escorted down busy highways where traffic was stopped and we all rode through red lights all the way to Liberty Park. This part of the ride itself was somewhat of a blur as we needed to concentrate on all the cyclists around us to ensure we did not hit each other as we were riding fairly close together to keep the police escort fairly tight. It was very challenging as there was lots of holes in the road and cyclists were not maintaining a constant speed. We were all yelling out “holes” “slowing” Stopping” on a regular basis to let other cyclists know what was happening in front of them. Quite amazing that no one got hurt nor did any cyclists hit another in this tight process.

As we biked into Liberty State Park, the police escort took us onto the bike path and lead us all along the water front. We biked past by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. This was really cool. I remember my Dad talk about going through Ellis Island when he immigrated in 1947. Some day I hope to visit there and find his name in the records there.

When we got closer to the area for dipping our tires, we were greeted by lots of wellwishers. Many family members either drove or flew out to greet the cyclists and welcome them to the end of this long journey. It was quite emotional for everyone. My sister Grace and her family were there to greet Hank and I. This was very special to Hank and I. Thanks Grace and John, Julie and Tim for your support and encouragement.

As all the cyclists gathered to get ready for the final dipping, the cyclists and everyone gathered said the Lord’s prayer together. It was a very special time and we wanted to honour God in the final moments as it was through his power, strength and care that each of us could accomplish this great journey. None of us could have done this alone.
Here are Clare Kooistra, Clare Doornbos, and myself Claire Elgersma.
It was a time of celebration and congratulating each other that we did it. Praise God. It was a long journey.I am being interviewed by the press.
Tim, John and Julia Abigail and Ava
Now we needed to get to the school as it was 30 miles away. We loaded our bikes onto 2 large trailers. The cyclists got onto school buses. Hank and I rode with Mel and Sylvia to the school.

Once at the school, it was a matter of finding our gear bags, sorting through our baskets, repacking everything for the trip home. Hank and I decided to put our gear on the truck that was going back to Grand Rapids. We packed most of our cycling clothes and extra stuff into our bags. Our bikes went back in Rich and Carol Rienstra’s van as they had their own van brought here by someone from Grand Rapids. Hank and I would be heading out Sunday morning with Mel and Sylvia. We also had decided to stay in a hotel the last night, as Grace and John and Julie and her kids were also there.

While I was packing up our gear, someone called out my name that there was someone here who wanted to see me. When I went up to the school, I immediately recognized my cousin Henery Jaarsma who I had not seen in probably 40 years. I met his wife Joyce. His brother Dave who I met in South Haven Michigan, reminded him I would be in NJ and he should look me up. It was good to see him. He invited us to stay with him, which we would have loved to do, but we were already booked into a hotel for the night.

Many of the cyclists either were staying with family or in hotels. Cyclists could not camp at Eastern Christian and were only allowed to stay in the gym, which a number of them did not like to do. Having one’s privacy and not hearing all the noise of people snoring is very important to some of the cyclists. They prefer to sleep in their own tents. Since sleeping in tents was not an option they choose to stay in a motel rather than sleep in the school gym. Now some of you might think that odd, but with nine weeks of camping and being with this large group privacy and quiet time is necessary to maintain ones equilibrium over this long period.

Both Friday and Saturday were such busy days that we did not have time to post to the blog. Both days were whirlwind days with lots of activities and people to see.

Our schedule for Saturday was packed. Here is the one Ed handed out to us.
6-7 AM Breakfast – Get up early Wear Jerseys
7 AM clean up
8 AM Support Vehicles leave for Eastern Christian Middle School
1 PM Cyclists gather at staging area for Media op and Police Escort
130 PM Police Escort to Liberty State Park Freedom Way, Jersey City
2-300 Tire Dipping and closing remarks and prayer Liberty State Park
230-300 Start Loading the bikes in 2 trailers and cyclists shuttle back to Eastern Christian Middle School
4-530 Unload bikes, gear truck and get ready for evening events
530 cyclists/support shuttled to Cedar Hill CRC for dinner
6 PM dinner at Cedar Hill
730 PM Celebration Service at Cedar Hill CRC
930 PM Shuttle back to Eastern Christian

As you can see it was very tight and as cyclists we needed to ensure we were all at the staging area on time. If we were not able to make it, a support vehicle would pick us up. If are bike broke down (eg. flat tire) while we were riding with the police escort for 10 miles we would be picked up by a support vehicle and brought to Liberty State Park.
I know of several people who had a flats near the end of the escort, but kept riding as they did not want to be picked up by a support vehicle the last mile or so.

At 6 PM we were at Cedar Hills CRC for dinner. It was a great meal with chicken, spare ribs, and sausage, salads and various potato, and pasta dishes. They served over 700 people for dinner. This gave cyclists an opportunity to meet lots of people and to share some great times together for the last time. I took a picture of all the cyclists who had done both the 05 ride and this one in its entirety.

In the front row: Andy Hiesmstra Bill Wybeinga Bill VanderLinde Alita VanDyk Kyle and Joleen Witvoet
Back row Dave Raakman Teresa Hoekstra myself, Hans Doef, Claire Kooistra (he did 5 weeks of 05) George VanderKur, John VanderSteen, Dora Vander Woude, Fred Folker, Anne Mushumanski, Ed and Denise Witvoet.

The Celebration Service started at 730. It was a great service and we had a good speaker. Unfortunately I was so tired, I could hardly stay awake. I heard a lot of the message, but did not take notes in order to record important points for the blog. My body was starting to say enough and you need to get to bed. The program ended at 930. We quickly said goodbyes to various people knowing we probably we never see each other again. We also promised to organize a ride next summer and out the note on the cyclists forum or send out an email. It will be interesting to see who will continue to ride the bikes regularly in the future.

Total flats for the tour was 819 and total falls was 192. Eritia Smid has the most flats with 28. Hank had 7 and I had 4.

Hank is ready to hang up his bike for a while. I hope to do some more riding this fall as I am not sick of riding and enjoy the exercise. I especially like riding in the fall with the cooler temperatures and the bright fall colours.

We were truly blessed during this tour. God provided for us and cared for us in amazing ways. We only had 3 days of rain the whole tour. Even Saturday the last day we had a drizzle that evaporated by mid morning and by the afternoon we had sunshine for our final 10 miles.

I hope to do a couple more posts to this blog for a wrap up and conclusion over the next couple of weeks.

This is one of the signs on the road we would follow for directions each day. We had our maps, but often these signs really helped us stay on route and get to our destinations.

Day 61 August 29 Dalton to Sussex Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-31T21:05:00.006-04:00

Day 61 August 29 Dalton to Sussex Sea to Sea 08

Today’s Stats
Distance 82 miles
Time in Saddle 6 hours
Average speed 11.9
Ascent 6600 feet.

Today was an amazing ride even though it was a very hilly ride. Most cyclists enjoyed the day even though it appeared to be a tough day in the beginning. Many were anxious, and were concerned that they could not do it. The weather was cool and overcast which as a real blessing considering the length of the ride and all the hills we needed to climb. The roads were also very good considering that did not always have wide shoulders. With the cool weather and good roads, I think it helped all of us handle the ride much better than anticipated and was rather enjoyable overall. We climbed over 6600 feet today. As we went down one hill we saw another hill ahead to climb. It was a day of one rolling hill after another, mile after mile. Often the roads had a canopy of trees and provided us much shade when needed. It was all

We got up this morning at 530. It is the last night we will sleep in our tents as Hank and I are staying at my sister’s in Sussex and a hotel on Saturday night. We are not sorry to give up our tent after nine weeks. Having to get up in the middle of the night, get out of my warm sleeping bag, to walk a ways to the restroom was not always appreciated by myself. I rather like have a restroom close by. We were told there might be bears in the area so when I had to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, I was alert to possibly seeing a bear. Fortunately, I did not see or hear one.

I left camp at 650 with Mike and Phil and Jan. Hank decided he would take a SAG past most of the steep hills and ride up High Point. Within the first couple miles we had several big hills that set the tone for our days ride. Jan and Phil were a little slower than Mike and I going up the hills. When Mike and I got to Carbondale we stopped at Dunkin Doughnuts for a coffee and doughnut and to wait for Phil and Jan. They decided that we should not wait for them the rest of the day as they were not going up the hills as fast as we were and did not want to hold us back. Mike and I finished the day together at about 330. Jan and Phil came in about 6. Jan had a blow up on her tire so this slowed them down somewhat and they climbed up to High Point Monument which Mike and I did not. Jan’s sister had been involved with the restoration of the Monument so Jan felt she had to visit it. This was an additional climb of over 300 feet and 2 miles in.

We rode through very forested areas and lots of hills and valleys. We also rode through the Poconos and past Lake Wallenpaupack, a lake I went to on an 8th grade outing. This area is very beautiful and there were lots of wealthy New Yorkers who own country property out here.

We stopped for lunch at 1230 PM in Milford, which is a quaint town with lots of old homes and interesting shops.

We headed to Sussex and figured it might be 2-3 hours before we would be in camp because of all the hills we thought we would half over the remaining 22 miles. We were pleasantly surprised that the next 9 miles from Milford to Port Jarvis were flat and we sped along at 17-18 miles per hour.

We started the climb over High Point a 4 mile climb at about 2 PM. I was determined not to make one stop climbing this hill. I was pleased that I got all the way to the top without stopping once even though we had grades of 8-10 % in a couple of places. Mike and I both felt very strong. We were very pleased to reach the top. On top we were welcomed by Cory’s SAG and the family of Sandy Westra, a cyclists from NJ. We took a picture at the top but mine did not turn out great. The Applachian Trail runs along the top of High Point so we took a picture of the sign indicating the trail is here. Lou Haveman one of our cyclists walked the whole trai,l which runs from Georgia to Maine over 750 miles, during the summer of 2005.

The downhill from High Point is very, very steep. I used my brakes all the way down as I knew there was a curve at the bottom. I was afraid to look at my speed as I was very focused on the road and keeping control.

On the way to Sussex, I rode past my parent’s grave. My parents were John Aukema who died in 1967 and Grace Jaarsma Aukema who died in 1994. My parents were instrumental in establishing both the Sussex Christian Reformed Church and Valley Christian Reformed Church in Binghamton. They immigrated in 1947 from the Netherlands and settled in Sussex County for 17 years before moving up to Binghamton NY in 1964. Sussex church was one of three churches established in the area by Dutch farmers after WWII.

We arrived at Sussex Christian School and I was immediately greeted by Hank and Mel. Hank had taken a SAG to Milford and than rode his bike to Sussex. Mel did not ride today as he felt he could not handle all the hill climbing. I also saw my niece Ann Mary Amels and my nephew Charley Kuperus and my nephew Miles and his wife Lisa, my cousin Dot Aukema Valkema and her husband Sam.. I saw lots of people I knew as I had grown up here and moved away when I was 16 years old. Lots of people remarked about how much family I have. It seemed either I had family or friends in many of our stops across the country,

Hank and I and Mel and Sylvia Hugen were invited to stay with my sister Anne Kuperus for the night. We headed out to her house so Hank and I could take showers before supper. When I was at Anne’s my brother Bill Aukema called and wanted to come to see me. He and his wife Gloria and his daughter Christina came to see Hank and I for about an hour. It was good to see Hank's kids and all my family including kids, grandkids and brothers and sister.

At supper, I again saw lots of former acquaintances and family members. It was great being in Sussex. Both Sussex and Goshen churches served a great meal of hamburger and hotdogs pasta dishes and potato dishes, apple crumb dessert, which was really enjoyed by the cyclists. Thanks so much to Sussex and Goshen for their hospitality.

Hank and I finally got back to Anne’s at 930 and were ready for bed since we had gotten up fairly early and had a good day of biking. We were looking forward to finishing our last day of riding.

My nephew Brian and his wife Crystal and their son Brycen.

Cleaning out the porta-potty one last time.

A bunch of my relatives: Rich and Carol Rienstra, Grace and John Roossien , Pat and Doug Aukema

Day 60 Binghamtom to Dalton

2008-08-29T19:25:00.005-04:00

Dave Ditmer and Julia Zwart from Hope RCA
Phil and Jan Quist with myself at Peter's SAG stop

Mike Bruinooge at Peter's SAG
View of the road we were cycling on to Dalton

Reststop were we had pie and muffins
Strangers we met in Nicholson who wanted to know all about the tour and directed us to the farmers market store where we find the information about the bridge.

View of The Tunkhannock Viaduct taken from the restaurant in Nicholson
View of the viaduct from the road to our camp site
Mike Bruinooge climbing the 16% grade hill.
Jan Quist pedaling hard to climb the hill too.

Phil you can do it. Go for it

I uploaded these pictures finally, but had trouble moving them into the text.

Day 60 August 28 Binghamton to Dalton Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats
Distance 57.12 miles
Time in saddle 4.16 hours
Total Ascent 1928 feet
Current elevation 1126 feet.
Temperature this morning 55 degrees

We got up this morning at 515 am. As we were staying at Grace and John’s we did not have to pack up our tent. We had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, melon, blueberries, yogurt, orange juice, and coffee. We left for camp at 6 and were there by 630.

When we arrived Mel informed Hank he was on sweep so he could not ride with Hank. Hank was a little disappointed he was not going to ride with Mel today. He ended up riding alone for most of the day. I started riding with Phil and Jan Quist. We left at 7 AM and arrived at camp at 230PM. We had made lots of stops and took our time coming in, as we did not want to arrive in camp before the gear truck arrived. Hank arrived at 330. Mel and Sylvia were just leaving camp when I biked in. Sylvia had picked up Mel and they were heading to Sussex as Mel decided he would not be riding tomorrow.

It was cool this morning; so I wore my leg warmers, arm warmers and jacket. Both Jan and Phil had jackets and either arm warmers or long sleeve shirts on. We did not take off our jackets till the second coffee stop at 11. I took off my leg warmers at our lunch stop. My arm warmers stayed on for the whole ride.

I rode past a company I worked at during high school Eureka Tent and Awning Company on Conklin Ave in Binghamton. I could not believe it was still there after all these years.

We stopped at Peter’s SAG at mile 32 at 1100. We were over half way. We decided to stop in Nicholson to see if there might a public library with Internet. We kept running into Dave Ditmers and Julie Zwart who are both RCA and represent Hope Reformed church in Grand Rapids on the tour. I told Dave I should take their picture and let Joan Jelkel, my neighbor who is looking after our home and a member of their church know they are in good shape.

We stopped for coffee twice today and also had lunch in Nicholson. At our second coffee stop I had tea and apple muffin that the waitress grilled. Jan, Phil and Mike had coffee and blueberry pie. It was very good. We met Mike Bruinooge here who asked if he could ride the rest of the way with us.

When we started out from this coffee stop, we expected to bike up a high hill. According to our map and it elevation we were suppose to have huge hill at mile 40. It did not materialize. The ride from here to Nicholson was a breeze. We averaged 16.2 miles per hour for the 10 miles. It was pretty flat and we seemed to have a tailwind.

We stopped in Nicholson hoping to find Internet. It did not. There was a very interesting bridge there, which the locals were eager to talk about. The bridge was called the Tunkhannock Viaduct. The Tunkhannock Creek runs under it along with route 11. It is owned by Canadian National Railroads today by was original built by the Lackawanna Railroad from 1912-1915. It is considered the largest reinforced concrete structure in the world, by the locals, and has 10 arches spanning the creek and roadway. It was pretty impressive. I took a number of pictures of it one with a train going over it and several pictures of cyclists with the viaduct in the background.

We ran into other cyclists who had stopped at a great restaurant and said the food was great. We decided to also have lunch there. Jan and I had their hamburger vegetable soup which really hit the spot as it was still cool. Mike and Phil each had a hamburger.

We started out for camp to complete the last 7 miles. I biked past Hank just on the outskirts of Nicholson. Within a mile, we saw the hill we were to climb. It had a 16% grade and was a 1.5 miles long. Many cyclists walked up it.

Our showers tonight were ice cold. I decided I would not stand under a ice cold shower and felt a sponge bath was good enough today. As it is not very warm out, put on slacks and long sleeve shirt and my fleece.

Everyone seems to have gotten in fairly early. People are relaxing, playing cards, reading, cleaning bikes, sleeping and others sitting chatting. It is a great time to get caught up on lots of things. It is good people have a chance to relax this afternoon, as lots of people are anxious about our ride tomorrow with the most feet climbed in one day being tomorrow. We are climbing more than any day through the mountains.

I am enjoying typing up my blog before supper. I will not be able to post tonight, as we do not have Internet access. Our satellite service is not working. Apparently the satellite repairs will not be completed till next week. We have been very disappointed with the lack of Internet access and the unreliability of our satellite service through the tour.

Day 59 August 27 Romulus to Binghamton Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-27T20:49:00.005-04:00

Day 59 August 27 Romulus to Binghamton Sea to Sea 08

Today’s Stats

Distance 79.28 miles
Time in the saddle 5.56 hours
Ascent 3674 feet
Current Elevation 956 feet
Average speed 13.4 miles per hour

This morning we were up at 5 AM in order to pack up our tent and gear by 530 in order to report for kitchen duty.

Hank got ready to ride at 7 AM and was going to meet Mel 7 miles down the road where Mel and Sylvia had taken had bed and breakfast place. I left camp at 810 as I helped clean up all the food and clean up the tables. The rest of the team remained to load up the trucks.

I started out by myself and was joined by Marti at about mile 20. We rode together the rest of the day. We stopped to see a local falls, which was said to be the highest west of the Rockies. They were OK but nothing spectacular. We rode up a mile hill that had a 16% grade.

Later Marti and I stopped in Ithaca for coffee on the river. It was a great place for a break.

The ride was very enjoyable even though it was quite hilly. The highest hill was coming out of Ithaca. It was a good test for some of the new cyclists and a taste for what we might have on Friday when we ride into Sussex.

The landscape was very green and lots of trees and hills. Typical New York and Pennsylvania.

I arrived at the church at 3 PM and was welcomed by the members of Valley CRC. My brother Doug and sister Grace where there to greet us. Hank had arrived before I had as he had taken a ride in with the SAG. He was very happy to be in camp. here are James Holwerda, Anne, Ralph, Marti, and I in front of the church.
Marti and I at the camp.
The local DJ, who had raised money for CHOW Pantry was there also to greet cyclists and to do a last minute pitch for donations. I was also interviewed live for the local radio station that was raising money for the local charities serving the poor.

Valley Christian Reformed church did a great job of serving us a great meal. We had a local specialty “Spiedies”, salt potatoes, baked beans, Acini de Pepe Salad, brownies and ice cream. Thanks to the church for such great treatment. The Spiedies are cooked in a special cooker by Otter and Hubbard Show.

For many of the riders it was a harder day than yesterday. There was lots more hill climbing so people are feeling very tired after riding 78 miles. It was another great day for biking in that it was cool and sunny. The temperature was about 76 and we had mild headwinds from the NE.

Tonight Hank and I are staying with my sister Grace and her husband John. We are enjoying a glass of wine. I am also getting on the Internet so I am updating both yesterday and today’s blog. I will soon be going to bed.

I saw lots of my relatives. Here is my sister with Julia and her children Ava and Abby.

My brothers John, Doug and sister Grace.
Two of our three tandems Jerry and Linda Dykstra, Marion and Marlene Betten working hard peddaling up the hill. Hills are a challenge for these tandems.

2008-08-27T19:49:00.006-04:00

Day 58 August 26 Byron to Romulus

Today’s stats
Distance 79.35 miles
Time in saddle 5.43 hours
Average speed 13.8

We woke up this morning at 530 rather than five as it is still pretty dark. Hank and Mel headed out on the road at about 7 AM. I left with Al Karsten and we rode almost the whole way. Al left me at the East Palmyra refreshment at mile 52. I hooked up with Clare and Roger the last 30 miles.

Al and I stopped in Avon for coffee along with lots of other cyclists. The ride along the Finger Area is very beautiful. Unfortunately, we did not go through some of the quaint towns located on the lakes. We rode just north of them through some very nice country side.

At mile 52 we were treated to a great lunch by the East Palmyra CRC church. We had sloppy joes, chips, fresh fruit, squares, ice cream, and cold drinks. This was very much appreciated by the cyclists. Many of the cyclists had not packed a lot of food so they were very hungry by the time the lunch stop arrived.

I saw my cousin Grace and Ralph Hutt at the refreshment area as they are members of the East Palmyra church.

It was a good ride, Hank arrived at camp at about 430 and I arrived at 230. When I arrived the gear truck was not yet there so we just relaxed for a half hour.

Our camp site Sampson State Park was located on the shore of Seneca Lake, one of the largest of the fingers lakes. This area was also at one time an training area for the department of defense. The Finger Lake area has 11 lakes shaped like fingers, is a very beautiful area with lots of cottages, vineyards, and quaint towns. There is excellent sailing on most of the lakes. Watkins Glen a famour park and gorge area is at the base of Seneca Lake. It is part of the glacial shield.

Shortly after I arrived, my brother John and his wife Besty showed up. Hank and I put up our tents and took showers. John and Betsy than took us to into Geneva for supper and to look for a battery for my camera.

We also went to see the latest home that the TV show Extreme Makeover did in Geneva. It was built for a boxer who began injured and subsequently got involved with training disadvantaged kids. It was interesting to talk to the guards and a few people on the street that this house was on. One gentleman commented that he was in withdrawal as he would be out on his front porch at 630 AM and would not go to bed till 1130. The guard told us they work on a site for 2 weeks than are off for 5 days. The neighbourhood itself had been quite overrun by construction equipment and people. It appeared that lots of work had to be done to restore the neighbourhood.

We headed back to camp and saw an albino deer that is part of a herd located in an area opposite our campground. Neither Hank nor I had ever seen an albino deer before.

We ended the day with a peleton meeting followed by our last small group meeting. At our small group we talked about what we might expect life to be like when we return home and try to get back to a normal life. For most of us, we expect life to be somewhat different and to be more focused on how God might use us. It has been a good small group that felt comfortable to share needs and ask for prayer support. We did not meet every night but did meet several times a week.

As we are on sweep in the morning, we need to get up early 5 AM to report for kitchen duty by 530.

Day 57 St Catherines to Byron New York

2008-08-25T16:36:00.008-04:00

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.

Day 56 Rest Day in St Catherines Ontario Canada

2008-08-24T13:21:00.007-04:00

Day 56 Rest Day in St. Catherines, Ontario Canada

Today is a rest day and Hank and I are enjoying a leisurely day. We had coffee on the deck this morning next to Dave’s waterfall and pond. It was a delight to hear the water and observe the fish in the pond.

We could tell this was a real source of joy and pleasure for Dave.

Lilies on the pond. Just perfect beauty. Dave says he has had over 100 bloomes this summer.

Later we had breakfast with Dave. We had bacon and eggs, toast and coffee and orange juice. Hank and I wanted to get our baskets organized and our clean laundry back in order so we went back to camp in the morning as we have the celebration service this afternoon. I had also misplaced my cell phone so I needed to find it at camp.

When we arrived at camp, it was pretty quiet as a number of people had been billeted and others were heading to church across the street. I found my cell phone in my bike helmet exactly where I left it. I found it by having Terry Veldboom call my cell and I heard it ringing right next to where I was standing. I could hardly believe I found it so quickly.

After we got our things organized at camp, we went to Starbuck’s to access the internet via my wireless laptop as I needed to get some online banking done which I could not do at Dave’s home. The school had internet access, but not wireless. It is much easier for me, when I use my own laptop for online access as I have all my codes and websites saved on my computer and it is much easier to complete tasks than on someone else’s computer or at a library. We are very thankful when we can access unsecured wireless networks in the area when our own camp Internet satellite is not working. Being connected to our supporting community through the Internet has been a blessing and a very important part of this tour. We know how much everyone looks to find daily updates to see what is happening and how our day has gone.

When Hank and I came back to Dave’s home, he decided he would take a brief nap. It is that kind of lazy relaxing day.

Right now as I am typing this part of my blog at 1 pm, there is thunder in the distance and we are anxious that the celebration service and BBQ supper may get rained out. We are praying that the storm may move on and the sun come out again before 4 PM.

At 230 we decided to head out to the service. It seemed it would be clearing up. We headed out to the QEW but noticed traffic was backed up so Dave decided to go up the escarpment and go over to Niagara Falls other than the expressway. We heard that some people were stuck on the highway 3 hours. On our way we ran into heavy rain and wondered how the service would go. We arrived at the service at about 345 and the rain was just drizzling. By the time the service started the sun started to come out and by the end the sky was clear. Hank showing off his bikers tan.

Marg Elgersma, Hank and I and Heidi and George Elgersma

Brian Walsh was the keynote speaker and spoke to us about Fruitfulness and self-control as on of the gifts of the Spirit. He spoke on fruitfulness from the beginning of our lives to the end. He spoke of bearing witness for justice, ride miles on our solar powered machine for God’s kingdom. Riding a bike is a great opportunity to witness to cultivate fruits of the Spirit. We need to cultivate the gifts of the Spirit and we will be known by the fruits to display. We must be the change agents for the change we wish to see in the world. We need to meditate on the Spirit in order to bear its fruit, which must shape our character and lives. It was a challenging message.

After the service the churches from the area served supper. We had an opportunity to visit with lots of people. I saw lots of people I had not seen for a while. It was great to see so many people from different areas. St Thomas had a busload of people come for the service. I know people came from as far away as Newmarket and Kitchener, a 90-mile drive from Niagara Falls.

Friend Rick Jonjejan from Beamsville. Just returned from a trip to Alaska with his wife Ruth.

Friends from Kitchener, Christiane Bos, Hank and Rosario Stronks and Keith and Joann Oosthoek.

Janet and John De Winter from Newmarket. I was Matron on honour in her wedding when I lived in Smiths Falls, Ontario.

George Elgersma and Peter Schaafsma getting caught up. Michael Schaafsm, her two sons, Joan and Peter Schaafsma friends from when I lived in Smiths Falls Ontario
Tomorrow we start the last week of the bike tour and cross the border back into the US. Hopefully it will go as smoothly as the crossing into Canada. The border officials already have a copy of all our passports and have had a chance to check each one of us before we come tomorrow. Pray that our crossing goes smoothly.

Tonight we are enjoying another night at Dave’s and watching the closing of the Olympics. As cyclists we really have not had a chance to view much of the Olympics. It strange to know so much is going on in the world and we are completely oblivious to these events in some ways when we are focused getting to the next nights camp. We are also aware there is a hurricane Fay in southern US and may affect us later in the week. We have only had 2 days of rain so far on this tour and feel blessed that our weather has been so sunny for so many days. It is much easier and more fun biking in the sun than in the rain.

Until tomorrow, Claire

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

2008-08-24T06:04:00.005-04:00

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

Day 54 August 22 London to Hamilton Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-22T19:10:00.005-04:00

Day 54 August 22 London to Hamilton Sea to Sea 08
Today’s stats
Distance 77.88 miles
Time in saddle 5.06 hours
Ascent 1345 feet
Average speed 14.9 miles per hour

What a day it has been: a beautiful day with the sun shining, the wind on our backs, great roads, and great scenery. It was a perfect biking day. We had lots places to stop for refreshments that various churches had provided. The Canadians have been showing us great hospitality as we have been biking through their communities.

We woke up this morning at Dan and Ida’s home. Dan and Ida made a great breakfast of fruit smoothie, homemade granola, blueberries, scrambled eggs, Canadian pea meal bacon and a great cup of coffee. Thanks so much Dan and Ida. Rich and Carol Rienstra, Tony Schweitzer, Hank and I really enjoyed our glass of wine last night along with roast beef, sweet corn, fresh potatoes, and fresh baked peach cobbler with ice cream. It was a super supper.

We arrived back at the camp at 620 and already the camp was buzzing with activity. We packed a little food as we were going to have at least 4 food stops along the way.

I rode with Mike Bruinooge and Rod Kloet. Along the way Phil and Jan Quist joined us. Rod pulled the whole way and we arrived at camp at 215. It was good to be in camp as at about 1 PM it was starting to get very hot and we were starting to feel the heat.

Our first stop was in Ingersol who provided coffee, muffins and fruit provided by CRC church in Ingersol.

Along the way just before Woodstock, I was greeted by friends from Kitchener Clarence and Jane Damsma. Thanks Jane and Clarence for your encouragment. Our second stop was in Woodstock, just over the 401 out in the country and they provided subway sandwiches, bars, fruits, and cold drinks. It was a great lunch. The churches in Woodstock provided the lunch.

I also say Corrie Poole there who biked with me several times on the 2005 Sea to Sea tour. It was good to see Corrie.

Along the way we saw lots of corn, soybeans, alfalfa fields and tobacco. Rod Kloet explained to us the harvest as we saw some people working in the fields. His mother worked in the tobacco fields when she was younger.

We saw both the manuel and mechanized way to harvest tobacco.

Our next stop was in Brantford, where we had watermelon, cold drinks, and timbits. The churches in Cambridge and Brantford provided this.

Julia and Kaitlyn rearing to go. They were waiting for the guys.

Six miles down the road; on the Jerseyville Rd we again had another stop where the members of the Brantford served we church.
When we arrived at Redeemer, people from the Burlington office of the CRC greeted us. The Fellowhip CRC also served us refreshments. We had cold chocolate milk, cookies, bars, lemonade, and fresh fruit. It was great.

Redeemer provided a delicious meal and will also be serving us breakfast in the morning. We also were treated to a spa if we wished and could go to various pools for a swim. I choose to go to Doug Kloet’s home for a swim, who is the father of Adrian one of the riders in the Western part of the tour. It was very refreshing after we finished the hot ride. We also enjoyed a glass of beer after the ride as well.
At the peleton meeting, we heard about the visit to Art Aid Service project serving the homeless in London. Sue from Willard Ohio shared how she listened to one of the participants tell her story. Hans from BC shared how Liz Meyer gave her Sea-to-Sea T-shirt with one of the people at the centre. One lady, who had been in an accident, carried all she owned on her wheel chair and shared with them her story. Hans’s goal was to have the opportunity to really help a homeless hungry person and was pleased he got the opportunity to do so.
Tonight Barb Mellema, Hank and I are again enjoying being billeted with Ena and Dick Mostert. Barb enjoyed a jacuzzi while Hank and I enjoyed a glass of wine with Ena and Dirk. It is delightful. In playing CRC bingo we found out that Ena’s brother Henry Numan is known to both Hank and I. Henry baptized my son Scott in Brockville Ontario and Henry spoke at Hank’s retirement from Calvin Seminary at Synod that year. It is a small world we live in.
Tomorrow we have a short riding day of only 47 miles. We will again be treated to refreshment at 6 places along the way.
We are thankful for how good God is and how he has provided such hospitality and great weather. We continue to feel blessed and know lots of people are praying for us as we are ending our 8th week and quickly coming to the end of the tour. This week has gone by very quickly and it is hard to believe tomorrow is already Saturday and another week is done. We have only 7 riding days left.

Day 52 August 21 Chatham to London Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-21T20:22:00.007-04:00

Today’s stats

Distance 75.59 miles
Time in Saddle 5.37 hours
Ascent 1147 feet
Current Elevation 969 feet
Average speed 13.4 miles per hour
Temperature this morning 60 degrees
Temperature today 81 degrees
Winds were from the Northeast at 6-10 miles per hour.

Hank and I stayed with Myrna Panjer home. We had an opportunity to share with her some of the tour is like and to share special moments. It was good to sleep in a nice bed rather than a tent. Hank is looking forward to being done camping. I told him this morning we only have 8 biking days left. This morning she served us a great cup of coffee and muffins before we headed out to camp for 615.

We quickly prepared our lunch and checked our bikes before heading out. Hank headed out with Shirley and Ken VanWerken and I headed out with Rich and Carol Rienstra. It was a sunny day, but we did have a head wind all the way into London.

The terrain was very flat again. Rich and Carol commented that even though it was flat it was not boring as the homes and farms and fields were very interesting, well cared for. There were lots of flowers in front of the homes and well cared for yards.

On the way, 28 cyclists were starting a timed trail over 40 kilometers. Many of them had never done a timed trail, but were willing to give it a try. The time trial involves biking as fast as the cyclist can over the 40 kilometers. They are timed at the start and finish and the time it takes them to complete the distance is your speed over the distance. You are competing with yourself. Many of the cyclists were very tired at the end, but really pleased they did it.
Cyclists getting ready for their time trial
We were served a great lunch of roast beef, salads, and fruit by the Mt Bridges and Strathroy CRC churches. Thanks to the members of these churches for a fabulous lunch.

Biking into London was very tiring for Carol and Rich. Being it was their fourth day on the road they found biking for 4 days very tiring today and Carol was running out of energy. I kept encouraging them to keep moving as that they could get into camp and relax.

We had another God moment when we were heading onto the bike path in Springbank Gardens here in London and ran into Dan and Ida Tigchelaar, long time friends who live in London, just as we were coming though a red light. We could not believe that they were right at that spot.
Dan and Ida Tigchelaar. Ida has a bike with an attitude.
We were greeted at the Forks in London by members of the London churches and saw George and Robin Saylor daughter and son in law of Dan and Ida. We were offered fresh watermelon and cold drinks. A reporter from Rogers TV here London also interviewed me. Hopefully it will be on the news tonight. George and Robin Saylor at the Forks
Sarah Terpstra greeted at the Forks by her nieces
When we arrived at London District Christian High School, John and Marg Hagens long time friends from Sarnia greeted us. The area churches also served us ice cream, chocolate milk, fresh fruit and baked goods. They also served us supper. John and Marg Hagens at London District High School

Hank and I, Rich and Carol, and Tony Schweitzer were invited to Dan and Ida’s for supper and to sleep in real beds. John and Margi were also coming for supper.

We are currently enjoying our time here at Dan and Ida’s and visiting with dear friends. It is a real treat to see them and to share what the tour is like.

Tomorrow we ride 75 miles to Hamilton and will be staying at Redeemer College. We do hope we will have the wind on our backs one of these days. It would be nice as the day is much easier.

Day 52 August 20 Richmond to Chatham Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-20T20:51:00.006-04:00

Day 52 August 20 Richmond to Chatham Sea to Sea 08

Today’s Stats

Distance 56.85 miles
Time in saddle 4.24 hours
Ascent 604
Current elevation 559 feet
Average speed 12.9 miles per hour
Temperature at 7 am 48 degrees at noon 75
It was a very sunny day with winds from the northeast at 8-10 miles per hour.
Campground in Richmond The largest number of tents since the tour started.
As we were crossing into Canada today, everyone was up early. Breakfast was served from 6-7 AM. Hank and I got up at 530 had everything packed by 6. As it was still a little dark and we did not have to be a the white lighthouse staging area in Marine City till 10, we did not want to leave too early. We did get out by 7 AM as it was 20.5 miles to Marine City and we had some headwinds. I biked with Carol and Rich Rienstra and Hank biked with Mary and Bill Dracht.

We had a good ride into Marine City. We stopped at a café there for coffee and a cinnamon bun, which Carol and I shared. When Hank, Mary and Bill arrived Mary had a flat tire. All the cyclists were there in plenty of time including the SWIP team.

At 10 am we headed to the ferry and started to get on. They would not fill the ferry with all cyclists so we had to go on a number of ferries before everyone got across. When we arrived in Sombra on the Canadian side we were greeted by lots of people. There was also Tim Horton’s coffee for everyone, along with cupcakes, fresh fruit, cinnamon buns. It was a real treat. People came from Sarnia, Wallaceburg, and Chatham in addition to family members of Canadian riders. We were given a royal welcome into Canada.

I meet lots of people I knew. Uncle Lex and Aunt Jennie Kapetyn were there. I had not seen them for several years so it was really nice to see them. They also knew Mary and Bill Dracht through Disaster Response Services with CRWRC. Small world we live in. Also saw Diane Plug, and the grand parents of the Kornelis’s in Visalia California. They knew my son Scott. It seems no matter where we go Hank and I run into people we know or are related to in some way or know our family members. Uncle Lex and Aunt Jennie with Mary and Bill

Rich, Carol and I left Sombra at 1130 to finish biking into Chatham. We arrived at 245. It was a good ride even though we did have a head wind. The weather was cool which made it more bearable and enjoyable. No one was complaining. It is amazing how few people are complaining about the headwinds these days even though they are very strong. I think that because the temperature is much cooler, people are enjoying their rides.
Barb and Cynthia at the border
When we arrived in Chatham we were again greeted by lots of people from the Chatham churches. They had watermelon, cantelope and ice cream for us. It was refreshing.

Members of the church were also willing to take us to their homes to take showers which I did, and to drive us to the bank which I also did. They will also take people to the bike shop and the library. People here are very accommodating. Tonight Chatham churches are serving us dinner. Thanks so much Chatham for your hospitality and generosity.

Tonight Hank and I hope to be billeted by someone from the church and I hope I can get Internet so I can upload to my blog for the last two days.

Day 51 August 19 Laingsburg to Richmond Michigan

2008-08-20T20:49:00.000-04:00

Day 51 August 19 Laingsburg to Richmond, Michigan

Today’s stats

Distance 97.09 miles
Time in saddle 6.29 hours
Ascent 2575 feet
Current elevation 717
Average speed 15 miles per hour with head winds 8-10 miles per hour
Temperature 75 degrees

Hank and I got up at 520 AM. It was still very dark, but we started to pack up anyway as it is a long biking day to day.

I was going to bike with Carol and Rich Rienstra. When I got out of the gear truck they were not there so I thought they had left and I took off after them at 640 am . Apparently, they had not left and I ended up biking alone for about 10 miles. Hank and Mel left together.

Bert Slofstra said he would draft me if I wished, which I gladly agreed to. We did pick up a few other cyclists along the way. Art Mulder and Terry Kuipers did bike with us part of the way, but their speed was slower than Bert and we left Joe Deweerds SAG stop without them.

The scenery we biked through was quite nice. Typically what Michigan and Ontario looks like. We had some rolling hills, which made the route a little more interesting. I managed to stay behind Bert the whole way.

When I arrived in camp, Hank and Mel arrived at the same time. They had decided to take Joe’s SAG as the headwinds were too much for Mel. Mel also received a call just after he arrived from Sylvia that Sylvia’s sister had died suddenly in the night and there would be a funeral on Friday. Mel will be leaving the tour this afternoon and rejoining us in St Catherines. Condolences to Sylvia and Mel and Sylvia’s family for the unexpected death.

At the Peleton meeting we heard about how God used the death of Mark Vanthof in February to touch the lives and ride for three riders from Josh Nyenhuis. First he shared how Mark had inspired and encouraged him in participating in the Sea To Sea bike tour. Mark was very enthusiastic about the tour and was very supportive for the cause. Len Reimersma shared how Mark supported his request for a sabbatical through Classis Erie and went the extra mile to ensure Len’s sabbatical was supported at Classis and his church. Josh also shared how Mark Deckinga used Mark’s recumbent to bike from Denver to Grand Rapids as it was Mark’s V wife’s wish the that his bike be involved with the bike tour. Mark’s wife Marsha shared with us Mark’s life. As young person he grew up in Grand Rapids and lived in the Oakdale part of GR. When white flight occurred in the 60’s and 70’s Mark’s family stayed along with Oakdale CRC and the Christian School. Both school and church are still a testimony to how people continue to serve the Lord in a predominately black community. Mark’s life was always about helping others. It was a very powerful message for us as cyclists and reminds us how God continues to surprise us in how he works and moves among us. How he uses a sad event to bless so many people. It is truly amazing. Thanks to all who shared their testimony to make God’s presence more real for us all.

Day 50 August 18 Grand Rapids to Laingsburg. Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-19T15:59:00.006-04:00

Day 50 August 18 Grand Rapids Laingsburg Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats

Distance 67.90
Time in Saddle 4.17 hours
Ascent 1517 feet
Current elevation 819
Average 15.8 miles per hour

This morning Hank and I got up at 550 AM. It was great spending the weekend in our own bed. We quickly got dressed and made a breakfast of soft boiled eggs, toast, yogurt, blueberries, orange juice, coffee cake and good coffee. Marti and Kobie joined us at 620.
We left for Calvin at 7 AM. We had a brief reception at Calvin with Mel Hugen giving thanks to Calvin and all the host families for providing for us and Pastor Dale Cooper reciting Psalm 121 and giving us a prayer for the road.

Mel saying thanks to Calvin and the Grand Rapids community for their hospitality

Dale Cooper gave us a send off.

Friends Dennie and Jennie Hoekstra and Sylvia Hugen seeing Hank, Mel and I off.

Josh Krabbe with his strap. He feel on Saturday and we thought he may have seriously injured himself, but he is able to rided with some pain.

I started riding with Jan and Phil Quist. We managed to get out on the road at 8AM. Hank rode with Mel today. We rode down Ada Drive and had to make a sharp right turn at the bottom of the hill, which a lot of people missed and ended up missing the covered bridge.
We biked over the covered bridge in Ada a quaint place just outside of Grand Rapids.
Jerry and Linda Dystra and Marion and Marlene Betten at Ada bridge on their tandems. They are two of the three tandems riding this leg of the tour.
The ride today was just great. We had the wind on our backs the whole way so we could cruise at 19-20 miles an hour with little effort. Even the hills on the road were easy as the gentle wind pushed us along. It felt just so great sailing along. Jan and Phil commented that today they were setting their fastest speed yet.

We had a great refreshment stop at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Lowell. They had fresh fruit, egg casseroles, muffins, chocolate milk, juice, and coffee. My sister Nellie was there. The church had made up signs welcoming Hank, Johnny Pierce and myself as we both had sisters attending that church. Thanks to the members of the church for their great reception. It was much appreciated by the cyclists.

Hank and Mel kept catching up to Phil, Jan and I at every SAG stop. All of us were making very time. We got into camp 141 PM. Hank and Mel arrived about 230. The gear truck was already here so I set up our tent right away. When I finished my shower I was very tired, I decided to take a nap. Hank also took a nap after he had a shower. I felt much better after the nap and was ready to do some blogging. As the Internet is not currently up, I am typing this onto my computer and saving it in a word document so that when the Internet is available I can just upload the pictures and the word document.

There were only 6 showers for all the cyclists and support staff so we had to wait in line for showers. The campground and beach here appears very nice. The campsites are very spacious and private. However as cyclists we have three or more tents on each site as we do not want to be too far from the gear truck, bathrooms and kitchen. It is really important to consider all these factors when putting up our tent. Getting up in the middle of the night and walking a long distance to the restroom is not desirable especially in the dark.

All the new cyclists seem to have really enjoyed their first day on the road. It has gone very well for them. Tomorrow we will be riding 95 miles although riding out of the campground will be an extra 2 miles as Ed’s map starts just outside the gate of the park. The weather report indicates we will be having a Northeasterly headwinds the whole way. We are not looking forward to this as fighting headwinds for 95 miles will be very tiring. The only thing helping us will be the cooler temperatures of 75 degrees.

At the Peleton meeting Rich and Carol Rienstra shared a letter from their son Troy who had written the devotion for tomorrow. Fellow prisoners Keith, Anthony, Byron and Troy made crosses for all cyclists and support staff.

Greetings from the church at Chippewa Correctional Facility. As we thought of a way to encourage you to endure unto the end of your journey from sea to sea, we could find no greater source than the memorial of the cross. By the cross, we’ve been healed, forgiven, redeemed and renewed. We pray these crosses will serve as constant reminder of this Scripture. Isaiah 40:28-31 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

This was a very touching thing for the prisoners to do for us cyclists. Please pray for people in prison as there are many people who are finding the Lord and trying to live a life in prison that God’s wants them to live. It is not easy as evil and destructive forces surround people who are trying to make right their lives. Pray that God uses people in prison to bring more people to acknowledge God as Lord of their lives and to learn to walk closer with Him. Troy is conducting Bible studies in prison and needs our prayers and support to carry on each day.

Ed also announced that we will be crossing into Canada on Wednesday and that we cannot have tobacco, alcohol, firearms on the gear truck. We are also not to use the porta-pottie as it would not be allowed across if we did. He reminded us that we would all need to carry our passports on us as we cross into Canada.

Many of the Canadians are excited about entering Canada and riding in their home country for a few days. We expect we will see lots of people along the route.

Day 49 Rest Day in Grand Rapids, Michigan Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-17T21:07:00.005-04:00

Day 49 August 17 Rest Day in Grand Rapids, Michigan

What a nice relaxing day Hank and I had today. We did not get up till after 7 AM. I made a good cup of coffee and we enjoyed a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee cake, toast, orange juice and coffee on our deck with Marti and Kobie Du Plessis. It was relaxing to just sit and enjoy the sunshine and the gentle breeze, and to listen to the birds for a little while. Just having the time to enjoy breakfast was a treat as usually we are in a hurry to get on the road.

Marti, Kobie, and Hank cleaned the bikes while I did the laundry for all of us. I also cleaned out Hank and my laundry baskets that would go back on the gear truck. I got rid of stuff we did not need or did not use. It took us to 1145 to finish all our work.

At 1 PM we headed to Calvin to drop off our clean bikes and to put our laundry baskets back onto the gear truck. It was pretty quiet, as a lot of cyclists had already headed out to the Celebration Service at Fifth Third Ball Park.

The Celebration Service started at 3 PM. It was hard to say how many people attended but probably we had over 6000 people. Fifth Third can hold 10,000 and it was half full.
Tyler Buitenwerf shared with us why he rode what motivated him. Due to his injury, he broke his collarbone; he could not complete the entire tour. His priority had been shifted. In his emotional testimony, he realized his destination was ending the cycle of poverty not riding from Seattle to Jersey City. He wanted to remind us as well that it is not about the ride but about the cause. God sometimes reminds us in challenging ways to keep our priorities in order and not to forget what and why we are all about.

The main speaker was Shane Claiborne who challenged us to truly live the life of Jesus. He also shared with us his visit with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. He shared with us how Mother Teresa had deformed feet. When new shoes were donated, she felt she should not have the best shoes and always picked the worst shoes which over the long term caused deformity in her feet. She is an example of a person honoring the needs of the poor over your own needs. Shane said the best thing to do with the best things in life is to give these things to others. We are to be the fragrance of Jesus in this world.

After Shane, one of the cyclists Kyle Meyerink, sang a song he composed and wrote while he was riding his bike this summer. His voice, the music and words were powerful and were very much enjoyed by the audience. The song is “Hear Our Cry”

Your skies are blue, your oceans deep. Perfect is your world.
Yet our lives we choose to keep.
Your children young and old, Lost and empty we’ve been
Crying for you, our Lord, our King. Hear our hearts as they begin to sing!
(Chorus) Sitting on the streets, hiding in the alleys are your people
Empty are their hearts, crying for your love and a chance to be with you.

Today’s a new day, but it feels like yesterday
Still your people try to fight Away from you.
When will the world choose? When will we come on home to you?
When will the trouble in the world go away?
(Bridge) So hear our cry of love… Hear our cry of love for you.

This has been the largest celebration service so far. It was a thrill to walk around the ballpark and to receive shouts, whistles, and clapping as we were walking around. We felt like Olympians. Thanks to the people of Grand Rapids for welcoming, encouraging and supporting us. Afterwards we had an opportunity to talk to lots of people who had come to be at the service.

Tomorrow we start, the last leg of this amazing journey. We only have two weeks left. We now have 193 cyclists cycling from Grand Rapids to Jersey City. It is a very large group and many of the new cyclists are really looking forward to starting and being on the route. As we prepare for the last two weeks, cyclists will be thinking about the end and what they will be doing after the tour. A number of cyclists have left jobs and will be considering how God will be using them in the future and what opportunities for service they will have. All of us will also be faced with how we will continue to advocate for the poor and make a difference for them in the future. Does our work in “ ending the cycle of poverty” end when the tour ends? What role will we play in our communities and in our workplaces? Peleton Meeting at Woodlawn's Ministry Centre. Tonight we were with the 193 cyclists. Thanks to Brookside for supper tonight, Church of the Servant for breakfast and Woodlawn for their generosity for the use of their building. Thanks to all the volunteers in Grand Rapids who worked hard to make this weekend relaxing and a success. Thanks to all the churches who prepared food and feed us while we were here.

As we begin our last leg, I also encourage you as reader to consider what you will do to make a difference locally and globally. I have shared with you, many of the messages we have heard that challenged us as cyclist. As a reader I encourage you to also seriously consider where and how God calls you to “end the cycle of poverty” for others. Check our website to see how the money raised will be used and consider how you might make a difference for these agencies.

Pray that we will continue to be bold in giving testimony to God’s call to act justly, to love mercy and walk humbly with God. Pray that we will continue to bike safely and care for others who need our help. Your prayers and support are very much appreciated. I am meeting many of you as I bike across the country. I am encouraged that the many of the blogs are appreciated and read.

Day 48 August 16 Grand Haven to Grand Rapids Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-17T10:00:00.004-04:00

Day 48 August 16 Grand Haven to Grand Rapids Sea to Sea a08

Stats for today

Distance 45 miles
Time in Saddle 3.15 hours
Ascent 1208 feet
Current elevation 780 feet
Average speed 14.7miles per hour
Temperature 80
Winds from the NW

My alarm did not go off this morning, so I woke up with a start when I realized it was 531 and we needed to be on kitchen duty at 545. We hustled to get our sleeping bags air mattress and personal stuff packed before we had to report of duty. Fortunately when we got there the kitchen staff had put almost everything out already. They had been up since 5 and had organized everything. We just had to do a few odd things before people started coming for breakfast.

Since it was still quite dark, not too many people were there at 6. Hank and I than got to finish our packing as Mel Hugen was going to be at camp at 630 and Hank was hoping to ride with him this morning if possible. Our job on the swipe team was to get the early morning stuff done while the younger fellows got to sleep in and they would load the trucks and be the last riders out of camp. I also helped Corrine Scmenk one of my swipe team members, get ready and to be out of camp by 7 as she is not one of the faster riders.

Hank rode with Mel and Dave Gabriels from Eastern Ave this morning. Mel and Hank have a long time friendship and have ridden a lot together over the years. Sylvia Hugen came to drop them off so we got to see Sylvia before we headed off for our ride into GR.
It was great to see so many familiar faces in the last day and to be greeted by some many well wishers.

Today, we were also being joined by over 150 local cyclists, who registered to ride for the day, and raised $100 for local poverty organizations. What a great day it is to see so many cyclists biking for poverty today.

Cynthia Aukema was riding today. You may remember she broke her pelvis just outside Denver. It was good to see her and she is hoping she will be able to complete the day. She did. She rode with her son Andrew, who did the 05 Sea to Sea and Jerry Kobes. She managed to stay ahead of Barb and I most of the day. Cynthia is hoping she can ride with us when we go through Canada. It is a blessing and miracle that she can ride after having broken her pelvis only 2 and half weeks ago. She says she has to be careful, and can feel if she is pushing too hard, but she is doing it. She is a determined woman. God has been good and she feels fortunate to be doing so well.

Barb Mellema, Corrine, and I left camp together at 710. Barb is a faster, stronger rider than I am, but when I draft behind her I can go quite a bit faster than biking by myself. It was a very cool sunny morning. The landscape was still very much forest as we were leaving the lake area, lots of oaks and maples. The roads were very good, with some hills, but mostly level. It looked like we were going to be plenty early for our first refreshment stop in Eastmanville. As we were biking, Corrine suddenly was having problems with her knee. She was having sharp pains shoot through her knee and could not bike. We stopped for a while to let the pain subside and she took some Tylenol and did some stretches. This helped a little. We started biking again, but the pain came back. She tried to soft pedal, and still the pain was there. Rick Gritter one of the cyclists on a recumbent came along side her and said he would push her into the first SAG stop or the refreshment stop. As it was Walter’s SAG was only a couple of miles down the road and we managed to get Corrine there. She decided she would stay there for a while and maybe take the SAG to our staging area near Calvin.

It was neat to see how the stronger riders help the weaker riders. Rick pushing Corrine was an interesting sight. Reminded me of how the whole community of cyclists works together and cares for each other. It is also like our church community when we are sensitive to the needs of our community members and encourage and support them however we can.

Along the way, we had a number of refreshment stops; some planned some just put together on the spur of the moment by well-wishers. Our first surprised stop was just before Eastmanville and was put together by Roger Feenstra and Lavonne Koudmen’s family. Parents and siblings of both were there with muffins, coffee and cold drinks. They were there to lend support to all cyclists as well as welcome their family member.

Our first official stop was the Eastmanville Christian school were members of the local church put our muffins, cookies, fruit and drinks. Thanks so much for your support and encouragement.

Our next stop was the Westview Christian Reformed church on Leonard Street. They provided yogurt, fresh blueberries, granola, hard-boiled eggs, bagels, cookies, energy bars, and cold drinks. I went for the yogurt, blueberries, granola and eggs as I was feeling the sweets where too much at this time.

Our next stop was Tyler’s home, one of the cyclists who broke his collarbone earlier and left the tour in Denver. He had drinks and trail mix. Arnie was also there another cyclist who left the tour in Salt Lake due to a ruptured Achilles heel. It was good to see them again. They are both doing well. Tyler will be speaking at the celebration rally in Grand Rapids on Sunday.

After Tyler’s house we had no more official stops. When we were biking up Fulton, I contemplated taking a shorter route to our staging area as we were doing an extra 3 miles by the route we were taking. I opted not to take the short cut and am glad I did not as we had another surprise stop. We would have missed seeing these people who wanted to support and encourage us. As we were biking up Fulton Ave, Mayfair Christian Reformed church had some members out along the route who provided cold water, pickles, and melon. It was a treat since we had biked up the fill from downtown Grand Rapids and it was getting warmer. As cyclists we start craving salty foods as we are sweating lots. The pickles had lots of salt in them. Both Barb and I enjoyed the pickles.

We arrived at the staging area at East Grand Rapids Public school administration building on Hall and Lake Drive at 1145. We needed to be here by 1230. We got a chance to see some of the day cyclists who greeted us. I also saw Terry Beveluis who I had not seen in over 30 years. I saw John Apol, Clarence Hogeterp, Rich and Susan VanHouten, Thanks John and Clarence and Dave Gabriels for riding today and supporting the cause.

We rode into Calvin College as a large group over 150 Sea to Sea cyclists and 150 local cyclists. It was quite a site. I got only one picture of the group assembling. It was too dangerous to try and get a shot while I was riding today in the whole group. When we rode onto Calvin’s campus there were people along the route to greet us. It was an emotional time for us all to see so many people out to encourage and support us in what we are doing.

When we arrived at the Prince Centre on Calvin’s campus we were greeted by lots of people. Denny and Jennie Hoekstra, Nancy Van Noord, my sister Audrey and her husband Frank, were there along with and many others.

Hank and I cleaned out all our stuff out of the gear truck and decided to take everything home to repack and get rid of stuff we did not use in the last 7 weeks.

Marti and Kobe DuPlessis will be staying with us this weekend. Tomorrow we will probably clean our bikes and sort out all our stuff to get ready to ride for 2 more weeks.

Audrey and Frank helped us take home all our gear. When we arrived at home, we were delighted to see how beautiful our flowers looked. Our neighbors Joan and Dave Jekel had done a great job of looking after them. We were pleasantly delighted at how they looked. We also found milk, orange juice, coffee cake, bananas, blueberries and zucchini bread in our refrigerator. Thanks to Joan and Dave and Frank and Audrey for their thoughtfulness.

Hank and I went out for supper with Jonathan and Kendra, Kiley and Mark since it was Jonathan’s 39th birthday on August the 12th and it is Kendra’s 38th birthday on Monday August 18th. I am blessed to have such great kids and grandkids. God has been very good.

When we got home, both Hank and I thought we might some of the Olympics but both of us had trouble staying awake so we went to bed at 9 PM. We realize we are very tired. I did not have the energy to start cleaning out our baskets or write on the blog. So it is early Sunday morning as I am writing this. Today looks like it will be a glorious day for the celebration rally. I understand there are over 5000 tickets that have been spoken for. We are excited about this time in GR.

Day 47 August 15 South Haven to Grand Haven Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-15T21:44:00.002-04:00

Day 47 August 15 South Haven to Grand Haven Sea to Sea

Today’s stats

Distance 48.63 miles
Time in saddle 3.17 hours
Ascent 1008
Current elevation 663
Average speed 14.8
Temperature 75 with winds from the NW

Since it was a shorter day today and breakfast would not be served till 630 Hank and I slept in to 530. We managed to get everything packed up by 6 AM. We seem to be getting more efficient

in our packing and needing less time. We ate breakfast and were ready to ride by 7:10 AM. I went out with Barb’s team again as they were ready at the time I was ready. Hank went out with Bill and Mary. I arrived in camp at 1230 and Hank arrived at 130.

It was very cool this morning so I wore my arm warmers, leg warmers and a jacket. It was a beautiful sunny brisk morning for biking- a perfect biking day in many respects.

As it was fairly early, the group decided to stop for coffee in Saugatuck. It is a touristy town on Lake Michigan with lots of beautiful home, cottages, and great yachts. We could see there is lots of money here. If there are any poor, they are well hidden.

The landscape was again one with lots of forests. We saw lots of oaks and maples. Several roads we biked down had a canopy of tree branches covering the road. We thought that this would be a beautiful place to ride in the fall when the colors are out. It was just a great ride.

Graafschaap Christian Reformed Church had arranged to provide us lunch that would be served at 10 AM. They had a great spread of sliced meat, bagels, breads, fruits, and cookies. It was very much appreciated by the cyclists. Thank you Graafschaap. We also visited the Heritage Centre in the church which displays the history of the Dutch immigration to the US Why they came, How the came, How they lived and How they worshipped. The church and its community were very important to the immigrants. They center was very interesting and provided lots of interesting information. The family of Dave Geerlings, one of our cyclists, was one of the first settlers and was members of this church community. It was interesting to hear his stories.

After lunch we headed to Grand Haven as a number of us including myself would be meeting family members at the Conference grounds. Along the route Jerry Kobes wife surprised him by coming in from the state of Washington. Jerry was very surprised but also delighted that his wife was here.

Jonathan and Kendra, Kiley and Mark also greeted me along the route, which was a pleasant surprise. It was good to see them. They came to the conference grounds and stayed for supper. My sister Nellie and sister Audrey and her husband Frank also came and had supper with us.
Jonathan, Kendra, Mark and Kiley, Hank and I at the Christian Reformed Conference grounds

My sister Audrey and her husband Frank, myself and Hank and my sister Nellie.

Welcoming group at the Conference grounds.
Many of the cyclists had visitors greet them. Many saw their spouses for the first time in 7 weeks, so it was quite the joyful place. We met and number of spouses, parents, siblings of cyclists. It was neat to meet some of the people we heard cyclists talk about. Sharing this experience with family and friends is very precious. They get to have a sense of what life is like for us and how we have lived these past 7 weeks. Cyclists who have not had family, people from Ontario, are looking forward to being in their home turf and to see family and friends there. It will be neat for them also to be given a grand welcome like we have had here and other places.
Christian Reformed Home Missions provided tonight’s supper. It was a great of meal of steak, salads, and chocolate squares. Thank you Home Missions for your generosity.

Tonight we said goodbye to 15 cyclists and celebrated communion. Again it was a meaningful time and reminded us of the larger community that is supporting and praying for us daily. It will be important to also remember so many of the poor we are cycling for and to know we are one in the Lord with them.

It is now getting late and I hope to post this yet tonight. Pictures are not uploading at all so I will have to wait till tomorrow night when I am at home to put pictures on the blog.

Tomorrow will be a busy day as we have several refreshment stops provided and we hope to ride in as a group at 1230 into Calvin College. Hank and I are looking forward to being in our own bed for two nights.

Day 46 August 14 Chesterton to South Haven Michigan Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-14T19:00:00.004-04:00

Day 46 August 14 Chesterton to South Haven Michigan Sea to Sea

Today’s Stats

Distance 82.8 miles
Time in Saddle 5.45 hours
Average speed 14.1 miles per hour
Ascent 1832 feet
Current elevation 711
Today’s’ temperature was 78 degrees with NW winds.

We got up this morning about 445 AM. We were staying at Rogers and Kerrie’s and it would be about an hour drive to camp. Kerrie made us our lunches and had some breakfast for us. She had made homemade cinnamon buns, which were really delicious. Thanks so much Kerrie for all you did for us. We enjoyed being with the kids and you and Roger. It was nice change from camping and putting up our tents.

Unfortunately, we arrived at camp much later than what we planned due to a major accident on Interstate 80 that forced four lanes of traffic onto the shoulder. We arrived at 7Am instead of 615. Both Hank and I managed to get on the road by 720. I biked by myself most of the way except for the last 20 miles, when Augie Faber joined me and pulled me in, as the winds from the north were getting a little stronger and we had to work harder.

The ride was really quite nice. We biked through lots of forested areas that had lots of oak and maple trees. The Indian Dunes area is quite large so we biked for a few miles to pass that area. We than enter areas where there were lots of beautiful homes along the lakefront. We could see there is as lot of money along this area. As I biked, I thought how great it would be if people living in these nice homes would also have a heart to give some of their wealth to local charities that assist people in difficult situations.

We crossed into Michigan today and also changed our time to Eastern Time. I took pictures of both Welcome to Michigan and Welcome to Indiana as there was no Welcome to Indiana sign on the route we took yesterday.

As I was biking through St. Joseph, there was a refreshment stop hosted by the CRC here. They had just decided at the last minute to do this. They had water, fruit and cookies. I had just been debating with myself when I should stop for lunch, as it was just about 50 miles. I told myself not to stop till at least mile 52 and or at 1230. Well it was just about this time and there it was. It was perfect timing for me. I was really ready of a break and needed to eat, as I was getting hungry.
Top picture is the refreshment stop provided by the church. Next picture is all the kitchen support staff as a SAG stop. They are a great group of women who seem to be having lots of fun.

After the stop, I started biking with Paul and Teresa Hoekstra. As we were stopped at a red light, the car next to us rolls down his window and starts to talk to us. I look at him and recognize my first cousin David Jaarsma and his wife, Janet. They happened to be driving along the route. I could not believe that we meet each other like that. He invited me to their condo. I followed them home, as it was only a short ride down to the lighthouse and waterfront in St Joseph’s. They live in a condo overlooking the channel and harbor in St Joseph. It was a great visit as David also gave me a substantial donation to the Sea to Sea. Thank you Dave and Janet. It is much appreciated. I think this is one of our God moments. It was so providential and the timing was perfect as I was biking through St. Joseph.

I arrived at South Haven about 4 PM and stopped at the beach area to take some pictures of the lighthouse and beach. South Haven is a nice town with a great beach area and interesting shops. Unfortunately, I had little time to explore, as I wanted to get into camp, which was still 3 miles to go. I was ready to be in camp at this time.

Hank arrived in camp at about 530. He was tired and glad to be here. Unfortunately, a car hit another of our cyclists. Lois Craven was biking along when a car came to close and the rear view mirror hit Lois. The driven apparently was not paying attention to where she was going. Lois was not serious hurt, but does have a few bruises. This is now the third time a cyclist has been hit by a vehicle. We are thankful that there have not been any serious injuries.

Day 45 Palos Heights to Chesterton

2008-08-13T18:30:00.005-04:00

Day 45 August 13 Palos Heights to Chesterton. Sea to Sea 08

Stats for today.

Distance 55.90 miles
Time in Saddle 4.14 hours
Ascent 986 feet
Current elevation 749 feet
Average speed- 13.2 miles per hour.
Temperature -80 degrees.

Trinity College was very welcoming to the cyclists. They provided a great meal, held a greet the cyclists at 7 and than had a few short films concerning some of the poverty issues.

We woke up this morning at 6 AM at Kerrie and Rogers home. It was great to be sleeping in a real bed and to have the bathroom close by in the middle of the night. Kerrie had done our laundry and prepared our bottles with ice water and put some snacks together for us. Thanks so much Kerrie for your thoughtfulness.

Roger drove us to Trinity and we arrived at 715 and got ourselves organized for our day. Dean Koldenhoven met me and showed me the article in the local paper. He had been Scotts neighbour for the summer and really appreciated Scotts preaching. Thanks Dean for your support for Scott and Kristin.

There was a worship send off service at 8 AM. We read Psalm 121 and Pastor Michael Kooy spoke from Ps 122. He talked about the community we live in and how we continue to encourage, support and need each other. He challenged us as we biked today, to pray for people as we biked through the different areas of the city.

What I think was special was the closing song “Go My Children, with My Blessing”

Go my children, with my blessing, never alone.
Waking, sleeping, I am with you, you are my own.
In my love’s baptismal river, I have made you, mine forever.
Go, my children, with my blessing, you are my own.

Go, my children, with my blessing, riding for mine.
Mine the hungry, mine the branches and I the vine.
Feed the poor and change the structures, displeased always with injustice.
Go my children, with my blessing, riding for mine.

I, the Lord, will bless and keep you, and give you peace.
I, the Lord, will smile upon you, and give you peace.
I, the Lord, will be your Father, Saviour, Comforter, and Brother.
Go, my children, I will keep you and give you peace.

I felt this was a very special song for us as we biked around Chicago today.

I left camp with Bob, Lisa, Len, Karen, Vonda, Sheryl, and Melissa at 9 AM. Hank left with Bill, Mary, Dave, Liz and Katherine. We were told not to bike alone today as it was not safe. We all formed groups of 6 or more people to ensure we were seen in the busy traffic areas. I did not feel uncomfortable at any point in time during today’s ride even though we were biking through busy areas. Ed did a great job again of having us ride on roads we would not normally travel down if we were driving. Both Hank and I decided to stay with the planned route rather than go into Roseland.

Cyclists preparing to get into groups before departure after the send off worship service.

On our way, we biked past Griffith which had been hit by a tornado last week. We saw lots of big trees down and a number of homes that had roofs damaged. We are very fortunate that this storm did not come through this week.

We had refreshments stops at Bethel CRC in Lansing Ill and Second CRC in Highland Indiana. Thanks to both churches for their warm welcome and great generosity. It is very much appreciated. It was a great opportunity to interact with members of the local church.

Refreshment stops at Bethel and Highland. Our welcoming and cheering team as we biked into Highland CRC for lunch.

I arrived at camp at 300. When I stopped at the lunch stop in Highland, Kerrie was there with Trent. Hank decided to ride with Kerrie to the camp ground and meet me there so that we would have a little more time with Kerrie and Roger tonight. Last night we got to Kerrie and Rogers at 9 PM so we did not have much time to relax and enjoy time with them. They had come to Trinity College but it was fairly busy there and lots of things were going on.

I probably forgot to mention that we have left Wisconsin on Monday and left Illinois today. We are now in Indiana and will be changing to Eastern time tomorrow when we enter Michigan.

It seems the time is speeding by and we will be starting the last 2 week section on Monday. All the cyclists are starting to realize that this trip will be finished more quickly than we realize. We will be adding another 50 riders next week. Please pray that they will feel part of the group quickly and will experience the blessings of this tour even though they are riding for 2 weeks.

Please pray that we will continue to raise awareness for poverty and to challenge people to get involved locally and globally.

Day 44 August 12 Woodstock Ill to Palos Heights Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-12T22:48:00.005-04:00

Day 44 August 12 Woodstock to Palos Heights

Today’s stats

Not available as my bike computer was not working properly today. It shut down by itself twice thereby mileage and time were not accurate.

The ride today was harder than yesterday but it was a beautiful ride. “We rode along the Fox River on a bike trail. The communities were rode through along the route seemed very interesting. The communities have really capitalized on the waterfront on the river. It was a very enjoyable ride. Several people did comment to me that today was a hard ride. All the stop signs and traffic lights slowed people down and the traffic was very busy. For some people the bike path was too curvy and busy. I find it a beautiful ride and would have liked to take it at a more leisurely pace, but because we had 82 miles and Kerrie would be waiting for us at Trinity, I felt compelled to move on at a steady pace. Hank also enjoyed the ride as well and really enjoyed his cheeseburger from Portillos in Napierville.

Hank rode with Bill and Mary again today. I rode with Barb Mellema and John Vander Steen’s group again. Some people think I am crazy as this group bikes faster than I normally do. But John and Barb invited me to join them today again and said they would not drop me. They did not, and I was quite pleased that I could keep up with them for the most part. I fell behind on a couple of steep hills, but one of the group would always make sure I was pulled up to the main group. It was a fun ride. Along the route we saw a homeless person sleeping on a bench. John Vander Steen gave the man his lunch. We also stopped to talk to a mom and her three children who were riding bikes. Barb stopped to helped the two young boys put on their helmets properly and explained why it is important to have your helmet properly buckled. We also past two cyclists who were walking their bikes and ended up helping the one person fix his flat tire. These diversions made the trip more than just getting from point A to B. We did get off the main route as we end up taking a wrong turn on the bike path. We took the Batavia spur path instead of the Fox River trail. Directions to continue on the Fox River trail were not at a Y so we went left instead of going right. Once we discovered we were off the route, the group decided to still push ahead, they would ask for directions along the way if need be. We eventually got back on the route about 30 miles form the end of the route. I understand we were not the only ones who had diversions on the route and got misdirected.

Along the route we stopped by a gentleman who is really into railroad parafinalia. It was very neat and interesting.

We also were greeted by women from Wheaton CRC at the dutch mill in Batavia who served us fresh baked cookies and cold water.

When I arrived at Trinity College at 230 I was greeted by Kerrie, Hank’s daughter and two grandkids Rebecca and Trent. It was a very warm welcome. Hank arrived at 440 and was also very pleased and happy to be welcomed by his daughter and grandchildren.

We went out for supper to the Country House Restaurant just 1 mile from Trinity. The owner will donate 20% of all proceeds for today to Sea-To-Sea if we mention Sea to Sea.

At 7 we had meet and greet and a mini peleton meeting in the Chapel at Trinity. I met a number of people from Trinity today who were from Palos Heights CRC and knew Scott. Peter Hamstra, Bryce, and the Ohms are names I can recall and all said they really appreciated Scott and his sermons. Some commented about Scott not being here when I arrived, but I indicated that Scott did not think about the Sea to Sea tour when he booked his vacation to California. It was OK because Hank and I did get to see them last night in Woodstock.

We are now at Roger and Kerrie’s home and looking forward to sleeping in a real bed tonight. We are also doing some laundry tonight that should get us through to this weekend.

Tomorrow we will be biking south of Chicago. Please pray for safety for all the cyclists. We know it can be very dangerous on busy roads especially when shoulders are none existent or in poor condition.

Day 43 August 11 Madison to Woodstock Illinois Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-11T19:28:00.008-04:00

Stats for today

Distance 84.91 miles

time in saddle 5.48 hours

Ascent 2452 feet

Current elevation 1009 feet

Average speed 14.6 miles per hour

temperature 76 degrees

Hank and I left this morning at 630. Hank rode with Mary and Bill. The air was cool, but it was sunny. A perfect day for riding. It was a great day. The scenery was beautiful, much like the landscape in Michigan and Ontario.

Hank arrived in camp about 4 Pm. Neither of us had any trouble with our bikes and did not have any flat tires today. Both of us feel really good about today's ride and are not exhausted at all. Amazing how we can do 82 miles today without much trouble or tiredness. Feels good.

We saw lots of corn, soybeans, tobacco, and dairy cattle. The areas we biked through seem properous and well care for. We biked through various small towns.

I missed two SAGs today one because I was too early and the other Walter's RV because he was on a different road than we were. We got a chuckle out of Walter sitting for 45 minutes not seeing any cyclists than realizing something must to wrong. Oh well Walter we all make wrong turns sometime.

I started out riding by myself , but caught up to Barb Mellema, John Vandersteen, Louis Bouma, Andy Devries, Peter? Jerry Kobes and Jake Prins. They are much faster than I and are usually the first ones out of camp. I was surprised I met up with them. They were stopped at a MacDonalds and invited me to ride with them. They said they would not ride too fast and would keep me with them. We did get misdirected once which added 3 additional miles to our route. I did mange to keep up with them for about 25 miles than they pulled away just before the lunch stop in Delevan. They knew I would catch them there which I did.

Some scenery along the way. A quiet detour where we were being eaten by mosiquotes. We quickly took the picture and biked to a dead end that ended at a lake.

We were served a superb lunch in Delevan, by the Chrisitan Reformed Church there. It was very delicious and appreciated by the cyclists. Nice change from sandwiches and energy bars. We had Italian beef, sloppy joes, various types of salads, fresh fruit, and brownies with ice cream. This was a real treat.

Pictures of the lunch stop at Delavan Christian Reformed Church. Thanks to them for such a great lunch. It was really appreciated by the cyclists.

After lunch I again rode with Barb's group. As we were biking along we noticed a sign advertising free H20. Looking closer the sign mentioned Sea to Sea bikers so we stopped. The people by the sign were part of Inspirational Ministries and wanted to do something for us. We really appreciated their thoughtfulness. Even though we had just stopped for lunch we felt we needed to recognize them for their efforts. Myself, Andy and Jake started to head out for Woodstock, but the rest of the crew took a natural trail ride behind Inspirational Ministries that is provided for people in wheel chairs. Apparently it was quiet interesting. Jake, Andy and I headed for camp which was about 25 miles away.

I had had a good ride with them and got into town about 130. We arrived at the high school, but there was no gear truck yet so we decided to go back into town and get something to drink. While at the restaurant, we met a couple of ladies who had read about us in the paper and each of the ladies gave $20 donation. Amazing how complete strangers continue to give. God works in amazing ways.

The truck got in about 230 so I helped unload it. First time, I have done this.

My son Scott and his wife Kristin came up from Palos Heights with their three kids Katie, Kamryn and Troy. They got to meet Bill and Mary Dracht, Len Reimersma and several other people. They got to see the kitchen and gear truck and got some idea how the system works and the organization of the tour. It was great to see them even though it was short. We went out for supper together. They are flying out early tomorrow morning for California for a vacation before school starts for the family.

Grandson Troy riding Len's bike

People are feeling really positive about the rides this week and know the days this week will go very fast as they are much shorter than previous weeks and we have a number of churches providing refreshments. We feel blessed. God is good and is providing for our needs.

Tommorow we look forward to seeing Hank's daughter Kerrie and her family and spending the night with them in Dyer Indiana not too far from Palos Heights.

We can continue to praise God for his faithfulness, love and protection.

Day 42 Rest Day in Madison

2008-08-10T18:30:00.007-04:00

Day 42 Rest Day Madison

Today was a much needed rest day. I got up at 530 as I could not sleep in and entered my blogs for 2 days. Yesterday had been a busy day biking here, getting bikes looked after, showering, and doing laundry. I wanted today to be a complete rest day, which it was.

This morning we had a celebration service here at Crossroads Community Church. Pastor Doug Van Essen gave a message about the fruit of the spirit faithfulness. Faithfulness is an essential component in a community such as us and any relationship such as marriage. Often we find faults and keep records and score on all the wrongs a person does. We let these get under our skins. If faithfulness does not exist in a relationship/community than the community/relationship falls apart. Pastor Doug gave us 3 points on being faithful.
Faithfulness is most needed when I am least able to give it. When our partner is unfaithful we are least able to be faithful in return.
Faithfulness is produced in me not by me. It is a fruit of the Spirit. Only God alone can produce it and I can only receive the gift of faithfulness when I am open to receiving it from God. If I do not have a healthy relationship with God than I can not receive God’s gifts of the Spirit and am unable to be faithful. If I give up, I can have justification to bail out of community/relationship. To be faithful I need to focus on what God has done for me and in my life. This helps me be faithful in all my relationships especially my marriage. If I can not give credit to God for what he has done for me, I can not give it to others. God is unconditional in his love and faithfulness. I also need to be unconditional in my love and faithfulness if I am to follow Christ’s example and let God’s love flow through me to others.
The rewards of Faithfulness are seldom experienced in positive circumstances. If we look at the Bible faithfulness got Joseph into prison, Paul was beaten, and Peter became a martyr. Until I learn faithfulness, I cannot fully experience the other gifts of the Spirit like love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, gentleness, and kindness. If I keep the scoreboard, I will never experience faithfulness and therefore the full blessings the Lord has in store for me. Keep focus on Jesus, who He is and what he has done, author and perfecter of the faith, and I will not grow faint and weary.
Bikers used their helmets as collection plates for the offering. Collected $3115.
This message was good for the cyclists to hear as being together for six weeks, others have gotten on people’s nerves and people are being irritated with little things. We need to remind ourselves that God is our focus and source of strength and power. Offering for the service was $3115. 50% goes to Sea to Sea and the other 50% goes to local charities addressing poverty.

Calvin DeWitt later spoke to us. He used the African Maasai Proverb “ If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” He challenged us to remember these words that the Christian Reformed World Missions brochure promoted. As cyclists we go farther and faster if we work together and share with the whole community. He also encouraged us to observe the landscape we would be biking through and all the wild flowers around us. We are leaving the great prairies where we saw the blazing star, black- eyed susans, and the cornflowers into the beech maple forest of Michigan. The wild flower blazing star was right outside in the garden where we had lunch.

Black-eyed Susans and Cornflower in the garden outside the church

Bike with flowers Wisconsin and Sea to Sea plates in the garden just outside the church.

In the afternoon Hank and I and a number of other cyclists went swimming at a pool of one of the church members. It was relaxing and refreshing. Another great treat for us. Thanks to the Gabriels for opening their home to us.

Picture of all the cyclists enjoying the pool. Note the bikers tans on the legs and arms

This is where we had a relaxing Sunday swim. Very enjoyable and refreshing.

Tomorrow we start our seventh week and will be going through four states. It will be a busy week passing by various CRC and RCA churches that will be serving us refreshments. We will also be traveling through Chicago a very high traffic area. Pray that we will go safely through with no accidents and our journey will be a blessing to each area we bike through. We do know God is with us, sustaining and protecting us. We know lots of people are praying for our safety. Pray too that our message continues to grow and have an impact on each community we bike through and that God's presence is evident to all.

2008-08-10T06:56:00.003-04:00

Day 41 August 9 Fennimore to Madison Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats
Distance 73.48 miles
Time in saddle 5.20
Ascent 2596
Average speed 13.7 miles per hour

When we woke up at 445 this morning it was raining. As it was going to be a shorter day, Hank and I just laid in the tent for a while longer hoping the rain would stop. By 515 it was still raining, we knew we better get up and face the day and get our packing done with as quickly as possible. We got sleeping bags; therma rest and clothes all packed leaving only the tent to take down. We decided we would go to breakfast and make our lunches before taking the tent down. This happened to be a good decision as it stopped raining by 630 at which point we quickly finished packing everything up and got out on the road by 7 AM.

Hank rode with Bill and Mary and had a good ride. He got to the staging area for our group ride into the church by 215. I arrived there at 115.

The morning was fresh from the rain. It was a little cool, but still comfortable. I wore arm warmers and my jacket as the sky looked like it could rain again. Apparently at 730 there was another down pour at camp, but we did not get it on the rode.

At the first SAG stop, I noticed my back tire was a little low so I pumped it up thinking this would be OK. Ten miles down the road; at a coffee stop in Dodgeville I noticed it was low again. I decided I did not want to be stuck on the side of the road, so I put a new tube in. Andy Devries and Louis Bouma helped me change it.

The terrain was much more varied today and the roads were in much better condition. We had lots of hills, a few steeper than others, but nothing that we could not handle after riding through the mountains. It turned out to be a really great ride for everyone, as there were lots of places to stop for coffee and food. Most people took their time as we were supposed to arrive at a staging area at 230, which was only a mile from church. Since the ride was only 72 miles, people took advantage of the time and took time to visit and see different things along the way.
Enjoying a cup of coffee with Larry, Mark and Sylvan in Mt Horeb

It felt good not to be rushed or pressured because of too long a distance. Biking 90 miles or more does take a good part of the day. If I want to have some time to myself in camp before supper, I feel the pressure to push on to get into camp between 3-4.

AT 230 we all rode as a large group to Crossroads Community Church on the southeast side of Madison. We were welcomed by a band and lots of clapping and shout of welcome by the members the church. It was a great welcome and many people felt overwhelmed by the outpouring from the church. They had drinks and food for us. They also had introduction packets for all of us telling us what was available for the weekend. They had arranged haircuts, body and foot massages, and shower and laundry shuttles. The team here has really gone out of the way to welcome and thank the cyclists. It is really appreciated.

When I was riding the last 200 feet into camp, someone noticed I had a flat tire. This is now my third flat for the tour. As we were getting ready to go to the bike shop, Hanks tire blew while he was holding it. It is his fourth flat. Hank wanted to get his bike wheels looked after as soon as possible. We took both of his wheels and my rear wheel, which had the slow leak but was now, flat to the bike shop. They found lots of tiny pieces of glass and metal filings that caused the flats in both our tires. We have been checking them regularly, but now need to be much more diligent every night to check our tires for any glass, staples etc, as we will be riding on shoulders in much heavier traffic areas. I expect our flat counts will probably be going up from here on in. It cost us $191 for new bike rim, fix three tires and a new rear light, as I had lost mind and a new bag for under my saddle as the one I have is worn out.

Madison is a big city of over 200,000 people. Mark Lenters a recent transplant from Hamilton Ontario took us for a tour through the city while our clothes were getting washed in the washing machine. It has a very diversified industrial base. Mark is involved in designing “round abouts” which a minnie traffic circles for cities. Madison has lots of these. Mark commented on how well the roads are laid out in Madison. The capital building is the focal point and roads radiate out from there. From the capital building one can see all three lakes. It is a very impressive building. There are three lakes that the city seems to be built around that provide great recreational opportunities. The city has capitalized on the waterfronts and constructed lots of bike paths around the lakes. University of Wisconsin plays a significant role in the city as well. TREK as large bike manufacturer plays a big role in the city and there are lots of bike trails throughout the city. We did bike on a section of trials between Dodgeville and Barneveld.

Once we got into camp yesterday it was very busy just trying to get our bikes looked after, take showers, have supper and do laundry. By the time I got everything done it was 930 and I was ready for bed. Hank had stayed back at camp and waited for the gear truck to be completed cleaned out so we could put our laundry baskets back in before we went to bed. We were both really ready to hit the sack by 10PM. It has been a long, busy day, but a very good one.

We are now at the end of week 6 and feel really good that the two longest weeks are behind us, we did the rides and are now looking forward to having more leisurely, enjoyable rides that will allow us to take more time to see things and visit different places. We are looking forward to having a day off and completely relaxing from the busyness of biking. We hope we do not have to get on our bikes today.
Bloggaholics in the communications room at the church

It is early Sunday morning 530 and I could not sleep in so I decided I would catch up with email and blogging. Too bad I cannot sleep in. I am still too driven I think,.

Day 40 August 8 New Hampton to Fennimore Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-10T06:45:00.001-04:00

Day 40 August 8 New Hampton to Fennimore Sea to Sea 08

Stats today

Distance 100.9
Time in saddle 7.35
Ascent 3226 feet
Current elevation 1184
Average speed 13.3 miles per hour

Departure from camp was 620 AM for both Hank and I. I arrived at 330 and Hank at 4 PM with SAG pick up. He had a flat tire while sitting at Walter’s SAG and was very tired. He decided he had enough riding for the day.

We have finished 3 days of biking 100 miles or more. Everyone is very pleased that we have completed these days and they are now behind us. People had been anxious earlier in the week, wondering how it would go. By in large it has gone very well for people. They are now looking forward to more leisurely bike rides for the next little while.

I started out this morning riding alone. Joan wanted to ride with Anne again as she wants to ride faster right now. When we started out this morning, the first 15 miles of road were very bumpy and had lots of holes. I could not look around at all and had to keep my eyes glued to the road to avoid hitting holes. Pace lines were not practical at this point.

As I was biking along I did hook up with different people over the day. I rode with Anne, Ralph, and Ed for about 10 miles than they picked up speed over a hill and left me in the dust. 10 miles later, Dave Geerlings and Russ Johnson asked if I wanted to draft and I rode with them for 20 till we had a coffee stop. At our coffee stop in Postville, Joy and Doug Lutke came in and Joy said she would ride with me the rest of the day. Joy and I stayed together into camp. We had hop scotch Doug, Dave and Russ several times at SAG stops and the Wisconsin welcome centre, as they would go off and take pictures or go into various towns along the way. The last 10 miles Dave and Russ pulled Joy and I into camp. They also helped nurse Joy’s tire into town as it kept loosing air. We pumped it up four times. Just before we arrived at camp it went completely flat and Joy walked the last .2 miles into camp. Russ also helped me up the hills by putting his hand on my back and pushing me up the hill. He did this three times as I was running out of stream and my legs were starting to feel like lead. Thanks to Dave and Russ for making the last 10 miles more fun.

We did have another section of road that was very unsafe for us. It was newly paved, but there was a 12-inch rumble strip along the shoulder for 20 miles. They also had put down new gravel on the shoulder, but lots of gravel was spilled on the section of shoulder where we were supposed to ride. Riding through gravel is not safe for touring bikes. We ended up riding on the busy highway, as the shoulder was unsafe for us. On this section of road we did have a cyclist Don Bruinsting from Michigan who wiped out and broke his collarbone. This is now the fourth accident we have had that has forced the person off the tour. It is a difficult time for Don and very sad that he cannot finish the tour.

The countryside we biked through varied. We had lots of cornfields initially, but as we had more hills and trees we saw more cattle and less corn. We left Iowa and entered Wisconsin where we noticed many more trees than cornfields. We crossed the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chen .

We did have some headwinds today, but towards the end of the ride we had slight tailwinds. The temperature was a moderate 83 degrees which was very comfortable and relief from the really hot days of last week. Spirits are still very high and everyone is looking forward to a shorter ride of 72 miles tomorrow and the weekend.

We are camped at a nature park with little services. Showers are a mile away. Hank and I opted for a sponge bath today and hope to have good showers tomorrow.

When Hank came in he had to fix his flat tire. Doug helped him fix it. While he was sitting relaxing at his tent, the tire blew again. When we checked the rim, we notice the felt strip covering the spoke holes was partially exposed where the tube blew. Tomorrow when we go to get Hank a new rim for his bike we will get the felt strip replaced on his front rim as the same time.

Day 39 August 7 Algona to New Hampton

2008-08-07T20:49:00.003-04:00

Day 39
Today’s stats
Distance 112.8 miles
Time in saddle 7.45 hours
Total ascent 2632
Current elevation 1166
Average speed 14.5 miles per hour
Temperature today 85 degrees.

Both Hank and I started out at 630. Hank arrived in camp at 615 and I arrived at 430. Hanks riding partners Mary and Bill took a SAG at Rockford about 70 miles into the ride. Hank had a flat tire and was tired when he got into camp. Otherwise he is doing well. He has done both of the long days ride.

Today was another long ride. The weather was great with a cool breeze in the morning and not too hot in the after noon. We did have a northwesterly wind at first that changed to north later on. This slowed us down somewhat and we did not have the same advantage as yesterday’s northwesterly winds.

We rode past lots of wind mill farms today

I rode with Len, Jill and Leanne today, as Joan wanted to try a faster ride with Anne from Winnipeg. Anne rides too fast for me and never wants to stop.
I tried to catch the shadows of the cyclists riding in front of me this morning.

It was a good ride although harder than yesterday due to the wind coming from the north.

Most of the riders are looking forward to having the 100 miles days behind them. Tomorrow we have to do just 100 miles and than Saturday only 72. We are looking forward to shorter rides and having a more relaxing time riding and enjoying it more. Right now with the long days all you try to do is to get in as many miles as possible before noon and we do not spend lots of time idling on the road because we have so many miles to cover. We do try to take time to visit with people along the way to share our story when we can, but than get back on the road to finish the ride.

Some of the faster and stronger riders do have more time, but for the most of us we take a good part of the day to complete each days ride.

Len road past a golf course and could not resist asking on of the golfers if he could hit a shot. Len is missing his golf after 5 weeks on the road.

The spirit in camp is very positive. Internet is still an issue but we hope to have a technician look at it on Friday to see why we are having so much trouble. Apparently some of the equipment has been faulty and needs to be replaced. Not getting Internet has been a frustration for cyclists, as we want to keep our supporters up to date with what is happening. Sometimes we do get access to unsecured wireless in the area we are camping, or like tonight we go to the local library to get onto the Internet.

I am looking forward to having this week behind me. Please pray that all the cyclists can maintain their strength to finish each day’s ride. Long days do take the toll on people.

Day 38 August 6 Sioux Center to Algona

2008-08-07T20:34:00.004-04:00

Day 38 August 6th Sioux Centre to Algona

Today’s stats
Distance 114.1 miles
Time in the saddle 7.21 hours
Ascent 1841 feet
Average speed 15.2 miles per hour
Temperature low 80’s
Both Hank and I left camp at 630. I arrived in Algona 330 Hank arrived at 545.

The day started with rain. We had put out the lunch stuff on the tables and suddenly it started to rain. We scrambled to put all the stuff into the kitchen trailer. Fortunately Dordt was providing breakfast so we did not have to deal with that stuff. The winds were coming from the northwest. As we were biking west we had winds on our backs most of the way. It was really a joy to have the wind on our backs for once. We also had good roads and little traffic. We thanked the Lord for cool temperatures, overcast skies, good roads and the wind on our backs. It was a good day even though it was our longest day. Everyone felt good and pleased with his or her rides. No one said it was a bad day in spite of the many miles.

Joan, Paul and Teresa riding in the rain on a new road that was not yet open to traffic.

I started biking with Joan, Paul and Teresa Hoekstra. It was a good day inspire of the rain. This was our first real day of rain of the tour. So we have had 5 and half weeks without any significant rain. We had had a sprinkling in Sunnyside, but nothing significant. I wore my rain jacket ¾ of the day. I was wet and felt a chill so I kept my jacket on till the sun came out.

The terrain was again beautiful farmland of corn and soybeans. Everywhere we look we see fields of corn and soybeans. Local CRC churches served us refreshment in Hospers and Primghar. They served us doughnuts power bars and drinks. Thanks to the area churches for their hospitality and generosity.
Refreshment stop in Pringhar. Thanks to the churches for a reprieve from the rain.

Along the route, I also saw my sister Pat and Her husband John. We had a short visit, as they wanted to get back to Grant Michigan by tomorrow night

Today I had my second flat tire. I hit a huge pothole and my tire and tube blew. Fortunately, Betsy’s SAG had a spare tire that I could borrow till I got into camp. I had 3 spare tires in our duffel. I had started the day a little anxious about my tire, as I had notice 4 cuts in the rubber of my back tire. A couple of guys looked at it and said I could probably get into camp, but I should change my tire when I get in camp. It would have been wise if I had changed my tire before I left. Oh well, I still finished biking the route for the day.

I also had my first fall of the tour. I was looking at a road sign to the right, we were biking north for a short distance, and we had a strong west wind that was pushing us off the road. I was close to the edge and suddenly found my self-going off the road. There was about 3-inch lip on the road. I tried to get it back on, but my bike went down and my chin hit the pavement and my knee hit the gravel. I have a bruise on my chin and a few cuts on my knee, but otherwise I am fine. My bike was fine.

Hank found his ride a little more difficult than he thought it should be. He complained that his back wheel seemed to be wobbling and not rolling smoothly. We had someone check it and a few spokes are loose. There are cracks on the rim. Verdict he needs a new rim. As the bike shop is closed and the bike shops in the area do not have the rims we need we borrowed a rear wheel from someone who is not riding right now. This will allow Hank to bike for the next couple of days till we get to Madison where we hope to buy a new rim. .

At the peleton meeting, Fred Meyerink shared the story about a good Samaritan. Several of the riders had missed a turn off and were out of the way. They did not know where they were. A man drove past and noticed them and stopped by. He apparently had heard about the sea to sea tour on the radio and TV and was a cyclist himself. He proceeded to load their bikes on his vehicle and brought them back to the place the missed their turn. It was a blessing for the men that someone stopped and helped them get back to where they needed to go.

We are sharing more God moments on the tour and it is becoming more apparent each day that God is really caring for us and interesting and different ways.
Map hanging in our gear truck making our progress across the country.

Day 37 August 5 Sioux City to Sious Centre

2008-08-07T20:11:00.003-04:00

Day 37 Sioux City to Sioux Centre

Today’s Stats
Distance 61.55 miles
Time in saddle 4.57 hours
Average speed 12.4 mph
Total Ascent 2670

Today was a great ride even though there were a fair amount of hills to climb. The temperature was not too hot and the wind was not over powering. It was a relatively short ride so we were able to get fairly early.

Scenery along the way to Sioux Centre. Art and the SAG stop.

We were treated to strawberry banana slushy at Ireton Christian Reformed Church. It was a treat for us and we were able to meet with some of the people from the church.

Refreshment stop at Iderton CRC. Thanks to the church for slushy's and root beer floats.

Dordt College welcomes us with open arms. We were able to stay in air-conditioned dorms, had laundry facilities and WIFI. They also provided dinner and breakfast. It was very much appreciated by the cyclists. I was too busy to use Internet in the afternoon and when I tried to access it after the peleton, I had trouble with the password and could not access their Internet.

Hank and I had dinner with Bill and Jeanie Elgersma my brother in law and sister in law who live in Sioux Center. We had a great dinner Iowa dinner of pork chops, sweet corn mash potatoes and fruit salad and cherry cheesecake. We also got a chance to do some laundry. It was good to catch up with them and their children. Bill and Jeanie Elgersma Thanks Bill and Jeanie for a great meal and opportunity to catch up.

At night we had a celebration service that was attended by people from various CRC and RCA churches in the area. It was a good time. After wards we had ice cream and refreshments and people could visit the ministry fair of various global and local agencies serving the poor. It was a really good time. Welcome sign in front of our dorm.

Thanks so much to the hospitality of people in Sioux Centre and especially to Dordt College for what they provided to the cyclists.

Day 36 August 4 Fremont Nebraska to Sioux Centre Iowa Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-04T17:15:00.005-04:00

Day 36 August 4 Fremont Nebraska to Sioux Centre Iowa Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats
Distance 88.72 miles
Time in saddle 7.01 hours
Total ascent 1465
Current elevation
Average speed 12.6 miles per hour
Left this morning at 630 arrived at camp 245 Hank arrived just before I did with Walters SAG. He stopped at 65 miles as he found the head winds too much for the day.
Temperature today not near as hot as yesterday.

Last night was a very hot night and there were lots of train whistles all night. Hank and I slept in our tent. Tonight we are sleeping in an air-conditioned building. I think Fremont must be a main transfer point for trains as we heard their whistles every 30 seconds it seemed like. There was a continuous stream of trains. Many people slept in the arena or the Lutheran church where there was air conditioning.

Peleton meeting inside the gym at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Praise God for such generous hospitality given by complete strangers. God's church is much bigger than us.

Today we left Nebraska our sixth state and entered Iowa.

When we started out the morning the wind was coming from the northwest. Later it changed to the northeast. It looked like we would be getting rain today, as the skies were very dark and overcast. It did not sprinkle on us till we hit the Iowa border, which was 53 miles into the ride. We did get a little wet, but soon the sun was out and we dried off quickly. In fact the rain felt good, as it was warm, but not as hot as yesterday. I forgot to mention that yesterday we saw temperatures on some boards at 105 degrees in Lincoln. Today was not nearly as hot as forecast. I expect it probably was in the mid 80’s.

The countryside we biked through in Nebraska was mostly like what we had biked through on Saturday, rolling hills and fields of corn and soybeans. Again the area looked prosperous. The farm buildings looked well kept.

When we entered into Iowa the countryside here did not seem as good as Nebraska. The farm buildings were not as well maintained.
Jane Brouwer and her parents and daughter Kerri greeted Bob and Lisa Brouwer at Walter's SAG. Bob and Lisa had not seen their family since June 28th. They were happy to see each other.

Coming into the last 20 miles we again hit strong headwinds that made all of us work harder than the rest of the day. Why is it that the last 20 miles are always so hard? Joan and I stopped every 5 miles just to take pressure off our feet and butts and to get the energy to go the next 5 miles. We did make it into camp in reasonable time.

When we arrived Hank met me and we decided to sleep inside tonight. We also opted to go to the pool where there was a waterslide and nice shower. Hank and I both took the high slide. I wish I had taken my camera so I could have taken a picture of Hank zipping down the waterslide and splashing into the water. He thoroughly enjoyed the pool. It was relaxing and refreshing. We felt revitalized.

Today we had our first accident that involved a cyclists and a vehicle. Several people were riding in a pace line and a car past them, than turned right, right in front of the first cyclist. Fortunately she was not seriously hurt. Her bike did have damage, but one of the cyclists could repair it. She injured her hand and chest, but she was determined to finish today’s ride. Police were called and a report filed. The car driver was upset when another cyclists insisted on getting pertinent information for her. She did not wait for the police. Apparently the police have issued a warrant for her arrest as she left the scene of an accident that involved personal injury. Everyone is thankful that nothing more serious happened. God continues to watch over us.

Many of the cyclists are suffering from sore knees and hands. A number are unable to ride due to the pain they are having. They are feeling a little frustrated as they have trained for this ride and now are unable to ride a number of days. It is discouraging for them as a number are also young.

Tomorrow we have a shorter day going into Sioux Centre, only 61 miles. We hear there maybe severe thunder storms tonight and early tomorrow. We hope the weather forecast does not materialize. We are all still anxious about the three days following when we have 113, 113 and 100 mile days. Please pray that we will have cooler temperatures and winds on our backs. Head winds really affect everyone and makes the ride much more difficult.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. We know God is here with us and providing for us each day.

I have to remind myself the poor have difficult times much more severe than I do. When I find the ride difficult and challenging I should not complain. This is part of my journey for ending the cycle of poverty.

Day 35 Rest Day Fremont

2008-08-03T16:59:00.003-04:00

Today we have another rest day. Thank you Lord that we have the day to rest.

Last night it was it was very hot and humid in camp. Many people had difficulty sleeping and decided to sleep in the arena were it was much cooler. Hank and I did manage to get to sleep. We opened the flys on the tent to try and get a little breeze through. Not much came through. It was good to sleep in to 7 AM and have a more leisurely breakfast.

For worship service we had a choice to go either to Omaha or Lincoln to a CRC church. Some people opted to stay back and go to a local Lutheran church across the street from camp. The ride to Lincoln was 1 hour and 20 minutes.

We are glad we choose this one. It is a smaller church that has an active ministry to prisoners and homeless people. We worhiped with over 40 people from the local prison. Two of the men were baptized by total immersion. It was an interesting experience as they were submersed in a water trough that farmers use for watering animals. Each of the men gave testimony to what Jesus meant to them and what a difference having Jesus in their hearts has made. This was a blessed experience for us.

Baptism by submersion taking place.

Pastor Sam had a very meaningful and timely message as he spoke about Stewardship and Poverty. Quoting 1 John 3 17-18 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion- how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. He challenged each of us to leave margin in our lives to serve and give to others and to nuture an attitude as displayed by Jesus and Boaz.

After church we had lunch with the congregation. I sat next to one of the people from prison to hear his story. His name is Ray. He has been involved with drugs and therefore ended up in prison. He knows he needs Jesus in his heart and life. Please pray that Ray will find a church home where he can be supported and encouraged as he tries to make a new life and to change his life around. Each prisoner has their own struggles and they need our encouragement and prayers to help them break their distructive life styles and behavious. I encouraged Ray to speak to Pastor Sam to see how he can get connected more strongly to this church.

For those of you reading my blog, I hope you have seriously consider what you can do to make a difference. I also hope each of you have donated to ending the cycle of poverty. When people hear what and why we are doing this tour, they donate 5, 10 or 100.

Day 34 August 2 York to Fremont Nebraska Sea to Sea 08

2008-08-03T16:54:00.001-04:00

Day 34 August 2 York to Fremont Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats

Distance 96.11 miles
Time in saddle 7.13 hours
Ascent 1972
Current elevation 1204
Average speed 13.3 miles per hour
Temperature 98

When we woke up today, the wind was already blowing pretty hard. This was not a good sign. The wind was coming from the southeast. In looking at our map for today’s ride, we would be biking over 50 miles directly east and therefore we would have to be battling the wind a fair bit. It looked like a tough ride all day and we decided we needed to form pace lines whenever we could to help ease the day.

Hank, Bill and Mary started out at the same time Joan, Leanne and I did.

The early part of the day went better than expected and we were over half way by noon. We stopped in Seward for coffee. Marty joined us here and said she would help pull me along. There we turned north and had the winds on our backs for 21 miles. We sailed along at 17-18 miles per hour and felt good. When we had to turn east again to bike 25 miles to Wahoo we again were battling the wind. To battle the wind, we rode slightly to the left of the wheel in front of us, which broke the wind a little. There was a decent shoulder, which allowed us to ride somewhat side-by-side. When we arrived in Wahoo, we were very relieved to have made it that far and were ready for a lunch break. Lots of cyclists stopped at a Zesto ice cream place that served hamburgers and hot dogs as well. This was a great spot to get refreshed.

After lunch we only had 25 miles to go. We headed north for about 13 miles just outside of Wahoo. We had to take a detour onto highway 109. This highway did not have shoulders, but it was smooth and flat. We sailed along at 14-15 miles per hour. We were starting to get tired from the hot sun. When we turned the corner to head east we fast a really strong wind that hit us like a wall. This road had no shoulder so we could not benefit from any drafting. It was also rolling hills and rough road. We had 5 miles of road that just drained all the energy from us. At one point I was arguing with God. Why did he have to make today so hard and the wind so strong? Why did we not have the westerly winds that are so prevalent? Why did he send us winds from the east for three days? We were being worn down but the long hot days that battled winds.

Joan reminded me that the poor, for which we were riding, experienced difficult challenges every day and see no end in sight. Here I am complaining about a few days were we are having a difficult time. We can suck it up for a few days and know that when we are finished with our ride we have comfortable cars and homes to go back to. We are only experiencing these challenges for 9 weeks.
In spite of the difficult ride we did bike through some very beautiful farmland. Fields of corn and soybeans looked very healthy and farms looked prosperous. We did enjoy some of the rolling hills, as the views were great. One of the locals had mentioned that they had had lots of rain 2 weeks ago and now the dry heat was really making the crops grow. They also mentioned that the winds today were the strongest they had experienced in a long time.

The ever present grain elevators and water towers in small towns.

Tonight we are staying at the YMCA in Fremont next door to an ice rink, which is air-conditioned. We can get relief from the heat by going inside the arena.
Thank God we do have air-conditioning today. It does give us opportunity to cool down.

We are now at the end of week 5, and averaged 92 miles per day this week. We are very glad this week is behind us. Many of us are not looking forward to next week when we have three days of over 100 miles per day. Please pray that it will not be as hot and that we have the winds on our backs.

Day 33 August 1st Minden to York

2008-08-01T20:10:00.006-04:00

Day 33 August 1 Minden to York Nebraska Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats

Distance 94.64 miles
Time in saddle 7.21 hours
Ascent 1450 feet
Current elevation 1667
Average speed 12.9 miles per hour
Temperature 98

Started at 630 AM arrived in camp at 4 PM. Hank arrived at 515 PM

As usual we got up at 445AM in order to pick up everything and get on the road early. I started with Joan and picked up Leanne along the way. Hank started with Mary and Bill and ended up finishing alone. He said it was his ride and he did it his way. He was glad to be in.

When we started early this morning, there was little wind. By 10 AM it had picked up considerably and we were biking into the wind most of the day. It was either coming from the north or from the east. As we were biking both north and east we had to deal with the wind pretty much all day.

Early morning riding with a mill in the distance. These are seen everywhere there is a town in this part of the country.

We stopped at Corey’s SAG as it was the half way distance mark for the tour. It was a moment to celebrate.

Myself, Joan and Leanne celebrating the half way distance mark. We are in the home stretch.

We stopped in a town called Hastings for coffee. Leanne and I shared a cinnamon bun. It only cost 1.15 and the coffee was .67. Both were excellent. We always try to stop for coffee somewhere along the route if possible. Does not always work.

The terrain was again some rolling hills and lots of flat road. Riding from Sutton to York was a very beautiful ride as we rode on a quiet country road, past large corn and soybean fields. Much of the land was irrigated. Some of the fields were irrigated by flooding the fields with water between rows and others were irrigated. Riding on this road was delightful and a nice change of pace from the highways we have been riding on. Thanks Ed for this treat.
Pump for flooding the fields for irrigation

As we were biking along the highway, we ran across three signs. My name popped out at me, as I could not imagine who would know me in the middle of Nebraska. James Amels, Bob Winkel, Barb Mellema and my name were on the signs. It happens that Joel VanderWerken’s in laws live there and he asked them to put out a sign welcoming Sea-To-Sea bikers.

We are staying at York College, a small college in York. We are enjoying our selves here as we have WIFI in one of the buildings, along with air conditioning and a TV. It is a real treat for us as we have had problems with our Internet not working and I have had trouble uploading pictures.

I want to mention that I hope to carry the GPS for the tour on August 9th. It will be my granddaughter Katie’s 14th birthday. You can track how fast or slow I am riding that day.

We are very glad today is Friday. Tomorrow is Saturday and we will have a day of rest. We can sleep in and relax. We are also completed week 5 and one of the weeks with the highest daily averages. I will be glad when the week is done.

Day 32 July 31 McCook to Minden

2008-07-31T20:06:00.002-04:00

Day 32 July 31 McCook to Minden Sea to Sea 08

Today’s stats

Distance 96.98
Time in saddle 6.33 hours
Ascent 1605
Elevation 2185
Average speed 14.8 miles per hour

Left this morning at 615 arrived in camp 215. Hank arrived at the same time as he took the SAG wagon from Walter’s at 65 miles. He was riding with Bill and Mary and they were having tire problems and decided to Hank was riding with them he decided he did not want to ride alone and went with them in the SAG.

This morning we again got up early at 445 AM. As we changed time yesterday, it was much darker this morning at 6 AM than previous mornings. We wanted to start as early as we could, but it was still too dark at 6. When we left at 615 we had our rear lights on.

The ride today was a good ride. We had rolling hills with a slight wind on our backs. As we started early, the heat did not get to us until we got into camp. Apparently it is 98 degrees right now with little breeze.

The country we rode through appeared more prosperous than where we were riding yesterday. The corn crop was much higher and thicker. Biking through rolling hills was enjoyable today.

When we arrived in camp, I went to the local pool for a refreshing swim. It felt good. Although sitting back at camp, I was getting very tired and sleepy as the heat is very tiring even when sitting in the shade.

This afternoon when Hank, Mary, and Bill stopped by the Subway shop, the manager wrote a cheque for $100 as a donation to the Sea To Sea. It never ceases to amaze us how complete strangers want to give to our cause. So far we have had $2300 donated to us as we talk to strangers.

Today we are past the half way mark in terms of time. We have finished 4 weeks three days and tomorrow we pass the half way mark for distance. It is amazing we are now at this point. It has been a great tour so far. It seems the momentum is picking up as we bike down the highway as people say “ Oh you are the group we read about in the paper or heard about on TV” People continue to come up to the group to ask questions and wonder who we are and what we are doing.

Yesterday, I forgot to mention the Margaret DeWeerd and Rita Baarda’s who joined us in Denver and whose husband’s had driven them out were set to leave. Before they left, they set up Rita and Margaret’s tent in McCook . When Margaret saw the roses and chocolates on their pillows she was over come with emotion. Joe De Weerd and Peter Baarda are special husbands to do that for their wives. I think they will miss each other. Both Peter and Joe will be joining the tour in Grand Rapids and be a new SAG vehicle

Day 31 July 30 Wray to McCook Nebraska Sea to Sea 08

2008-07-30T21:47:00.005-04:00

Day 31 July 30 Wray to McCook Nebraska Sea to Sea 08

Stats for today
Distance 92.8
Time in saddle 6.46 hours
Average speed 13.4 miles per hour.
Ascent 1165
Current elevation 2607
Temperature when we arrived in McCook 104 degrees.

Left a 608 this morning and arrived at camp 330 Central time Hank arrived by himself at 530. Mary and Bill had taken SAG with Walter at mile 78.

Today we started the earliest I have ever started. When we heard last night what temperatures we might be facing lots of people decided to get out as early as possible.

I started out riding with Hank, Mary and Bill as Joan was not ready and I said I would ride with her when she caught up to me. We left Colorado and entered Nebraska. So we have five states we have biked through and have 11 more to go. We also left Mountain Time and enter central time. I rode with them for about 38 miles. When Joan caught up to me at Walter’s SAG stop we started biking together.

Hank and I at the Nebraska border

Bill, Mary and Hank at the border

Joan and I stopped at Stratton in a gas station for some ice and cold drink. We than stopped 12 miles down the road for more ice and cold drink. When we got to town, I bought my cold chocolate milk and Joan had her beer and called her family. I headed into camp.

Today we had to bike up a hill into camp and it did not have lots of shade. We are cooking sitting in the sun. Any bit of shade is treasured. Our vehicles are providing shade so people are gathered wherever bits of shade is available.
Cory's SAG stop along the way. Cory just doing some stretches.

The terrain today was a little more varied than yesterday. We saw more grain fields and cattle grazing. The hay fields appeared lusher. There were parts that did not look prosperous, as the corn was not very high.

The ride was long and hot. Our water got warm very quickly and every opportunity we could we filled up with ice. When it is so hot and dry, ice-cold water tastes delicious. As it is so hot and dry we need to hydrate often. Even after drinking water, I still feel thirsty. When I get to camp, I cannot seem to get enough cold water to drink.

Today numerous people had difficulty with the heat, and took SAG wagons into camp. Many of the locals cannot imagine biking in this heat. Right now it is 7 PM and there are still 15 people out on the road. This is another difficult day. We were supposed to have tail winds all day, but as it was we had the wind coming from the side in a southerly direction. This added to the challenge of the day and wore people down.

Today I have not heard of any serious accidents, which is a blessing.

Tonight at our peleton meeting we heard from Jerry Traylor who has cerebral palsy and was in braces from the hips to his feet till age 11. When he looked at himself in the mirror he saw imperfections, but he knew God looked into the heart. It did not matter what his weakness was, as God would use it to his glory. He was in the hospital for 11.5 months and afterwards he had new opportunities. He has done 35 marathons and did a run across America on his crutches. He was born in McCook and was visiting when he ran into some cyclists. He is very proud of what we are doing and encourages us to remember not just the people who are poor financially, but also the poor in mind and heart. Remember the incredible gifts God has given us, even when we are having a difficult day and we think we cannot do another day. Remember God gives us the strength to get through each day. Thank you Jerry for your words of encouragement.

Jake Kuipers shared with the group about running into a person at a Sinclair Gas station in Benkelman who had driven from Yuma this morning and had counted 140 cyclists on the road. He wanted to know who we were and what we were doing. When he heard our story he gave Jake $50. Later when Jake was in camp and a few people went to the local bar for a beer, the owner there wanted to know all about what they were all about. He proceeded to give them free beer, plus a tee shirt and donated $100 to Sea to Sea.

Apparently today we collected over $300 from complete strangers. Thank the Lord that he is using us to communicate His message about the needs of the poor. These events are what make the Sea-to-Sea Bike tour so unique and help the church as a whole to touch people in a very unique way. Please continue to pray that all of us will be bold to share God’s message for the poor and to encourage people to get involved today in some way.

Day 30 July 29 Fort Morgan to Wray Sea to Sea 08

2008-07-29T19:52:00.001-04:00

Sorry this post is a day later. The satalite booted me out just as I was ready to post.

Day 30 July 29 Fort Morgan to Wray Sea to Sea 08

Stats for today
Distance 87.43 miles
Time in saddle 6.02 hours left at 640 arrived in camp 245. Hank arrived at 415
Ascent 1090
Current elevation 3539
Temperature 96

Again we started out early. Joan and I initially started out together, but quickly caught up to Bob and Lisa Brouwer and Leanne Geisterfer. We ended up riding with them all day, for which we were very thankful. We had some winds all day, but especially the last 27 miles when we rotated through the pace line every half-mile. Bob would call out every half mile to switch the lead.

Today the scenery was a little more diverse in that we saw flat sage land, grain fields; large cattle feed lots and past through 4 villages. We noticed the corn crop was suffering. Patches of corn were dead, while others were wilting. We also noticed that the grain crop was not very good. It was very thin with small heads of grain on the stalks. A local mentioned to us that they had had a terrible hailstorm that affected the crop.

We stopped in Akron at a very quaint coffee shop. Joan got a chance to really mix with the locals and to tell the Sea-to-Sea story.

In Akron the local press interviewed Bob and Lisa Brouwer. This was another opportunity for us to share what God is doing and to encourage people to get engaged in making a difference in their local community.

When we arrived in camp today, we had a chance to go to the local pool for a swim and showers. As the showers were cold, I opted for the swim. It was delightful, relaxing and refreshing. They had large water slides, which we all enjoyed. I told Ed that it would be really nice if we could swim in this kind of pool after every ride. Having a swim after a hot long ride invigorates and refreshes.
George, Ann, Marti and Leanne enjoying the pool

It seems all the new people who started yesterday are having a better day and have completed today’s ride. Yesterday, a number of new people were over come with the heat, and were not use to eating and drinking every time you stop.

Tomorrow we heard the temperature is going to be 104 degrees. We are planning to get out at 615. We will also lose an hour as we are going into Nebraska and Central time. Please pray for wind on our backs so everyone can get in early to beat the heat.

Day 29 Denver to Fort Morgan

2008-07-29T18:37:00.006-04:00

Today stats. Sorry in transferring my bike computer into to my laptop, the info some how got lost or erased.

This morning we got up early 5AM so Brian could drive Hank and I back to the Christian High to start biking from there. When we looked at the map, we realized that we could have started from Sarah and Brians and saved ourselves about 20 miles. However we had too much stuff to carry on our bikes to start from Sarah's.

Hank and I both got our on the road about 7 AM. I started riding with Len and Joan. 2 miles down the road we picked up Augie Faber a new rider starting in Denver. Later we added Nancy Niuwenhuis from Connecticut. Half way through the ride we picked up Clare Dornbos and Roger Feenstra. 15 miles from the end we picked up Dave Teitsma. Riding in this paceline worked well for us, as we rotated regularly and the pace was not too face. We had some head winds today so riding in a paceline really helps. We got into camp about 320. This gave us some time to ourselves for showering and organizing things. At 5, I had a meeting with Ed, Jen and Erinn so I did not get time to enter info on the blog.

The ride today went well inspite of the 100 degree temperature, as we were in a paceline pretty much all day. Joan is not really crazy about riding in a paceline because you really need to keep your eye on the bike in front of you. Joan likes to look around and chat as she rides. Because we did not have many towns to stop in and the scenery was very flat, she agreed riding in the paceline helped make the ride go faster today.
In the village of Keenseburg our group was interviewed by the local paper and they took a picture of all of us. Lots of people want to know if we are in a bike race and what we are all about. This gives us an opportunity to share our stories and to witness about what God is calling us to do.

Our directions were a little confusing today and there was construction on the route that made us change where we rode. We rode on Interstate 76 for over 20 miles. The interstate was in better shape than the frontage road we were suppose to ride on. The last 15 miles we had rough roads and a headwind. So riding in the pace line bade a big difference for us.

At supper time we again saw a double rainbow. God is again telling us he is with us and caring for us even when things do not always seem to work the way we think they should.

When we got into camp we heard that Cynthia Aukema from Chatham Ontario had a serious accident riding on the interstate. Apparently there was lots of debris on the highway and there were 2 larger pieces. Cynthia was riding with a group of people who al managed to avoid it, but Cynthia caught the corner of one piece and went over the handlebars, landed on the ground and rolled several times. She suffered a concussion and broke her pelvis. Unfortunately she is not able to ride the rest of the way.

The recent accidents of Tyler and Cynthia are traumatic for the camp in that the last two day rides we have had two people who have had accidents that caused them to leave the tour. Everyone has been saddened by these events and know they need to be more careful while riding.

At the peleton meeting, we also heard stories of God moments. Stephanie Webb has been having lots of knee problems and was having a difficult time connecting with someone in Denver to help her out. As it was Len had forgotten his passport at Joy Engelsma house and when Erinn connected with her to pick up the passport, Erinn mentioned Stephanie's problem and Joy told her they have specialist in the congregation. Joy immediately connected with him and Stephanie meet with the doctor for 1.5 hours.

Marcus Lise also shared about the free lunch lots of cyclists got at a restaurant when they heard what we were doing and why.

Ed reminded all of us to enjoy the journey of our lives. This is not a race. People need to take time to look around to view the scenery and do not worry about being the first one into camp.

I almost forgot to mention that I had my first spill today. I was riding along the bike path in Denver and as I was riding up a hill and around a corner, there was water on the path that caused by rear wheel to hydro plain. I tried to keep my bike from going over and almost managed, but I did go down. I got a long scatch on one leg, and a bruise on the other. My right shifter was pushed over a little. Fortunately no major scatches or damage to my bike.

Day 28 Restday in Denver

2008-07-27T17:27:00.004-04:00

Today we had a relaxing time with Sarah and Brian, Sydney, Grant and Cole. We got up at 7 am and had doughnuts and banana for breakfast with them.

At 9 am we formed a peleton with all the cyclists to bike to Engelwood High School where the celebration service was going to be held. It was a 2 mile bike ride from Denver Christian High.

At Engelwood High there was a ministry fair were local agencies and church agencies displayed what they did to serve the poor.

Before the service started, the cyclists circled the football field and put their bikes behind the stage. It was the first time, we had biked enmass. Reminded me of the times we did this in 2005 and the thrill we experienced.

The service was organized by the CRC and RCA churches. Jerry Dykstra spoke from Job. He spoke of life's tough questions that we often ask. In biking across the country he challenged us when at the end of a tough day and we bike the last 10 miles we remember that it is not about us. Who we are and what we are doing is about being used by God to communicate the larger vision of who God is and what he calls each of us to do.

Afterwards we again celebrated communion with people from all over Canada the US and Haiti. People from the CRC and RCA churches as well as other faith communities. It truly was an ecumenical experience. Looking around at everyone, reminded us that God works in amazing ways and uses people from all corners of the earth and all walks of life to fulfill his work.

We had lunch together with the members of the area churches which gave us an opportunity to meet people from Denver and to say thank you for all the work they have done and are doing to serve the Lord.

After lunch we went back to Christian High to reorganize our laundry baskets and to put them back on the gear truck. We had to unload all our stuff from the gear truck on Saturday before we left in order that the gear truck could be swept out and cleaned. After two weeks it was getting quite dirty and disorganized. Cleaning it out periodically helps keep everything organized and helps people find things they thought they miss placed. It also keeps people from claiming more than one cubbie hole for their laundry baskets. People do have a tendency to put stuff into more than one spot because some people have too much stuff.

After we sorted out our laundry baskets and put our clean clothes back in that we had washed at Sarah's, we headed back to Sarah's house and went to the neighbourhood pool. It was very refreshing and relaxing as there was also a hot tub that we could just sit in and relax our sore leg muscles. This was a real treat and invigorated us greatly. Thanks to Sarah and Brian for a relaxing and refreshing time. We also had time to play with Sydney and Grant in the pool and hot tub. It was wonderful to spend time with grand kids and Sarah and Brian. Thank you Lord for this opportunity and time together.

As we prepare for our next weeks ride, please pray that God will continue to use us to communicate the important message of serving the poor and to act justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with God as we bike across the country. As please pray that we have the wind on our backs as we begin biking across the prairies and that we do not have severe heat to deal with.

Day 27 Winter Park Snow Mountain Ranch to Denver

2008-07-27T17:04:00.004-04:00

Day 27 Winter Park to Denver Sea to Sea 08

Stats for today
Distance from top of Berthoud Pass 63.54
Time in saddle 4:19 hours
Average speed 14.9
Maximum speed 43.8
Ascent 1860 with Berthoud in the car 4992
Descent 11940
Current elevation 5304
Time we left from top 9 AM arrived at camp 4PM.

Wow we are at the end of week 4 and we have finished the mountains. Everyone is glad that we are now finished with major climbing for a while. Probably the second to the last day will give us a challenge but that is a long time away. Right we are all looking forward to just having some days of riding downhill from Denver and in the flat lands. We will probably look forward to getting through the prairies as well but for now having the mountains behind us is a great relief. We will miss the spectacular scenery we have been viewing and the grand vistas. Every one really enjoyed today’s ride. It was a major accomplishment for most people as they had cycled four weeks, over a couple of mountain ranges.

Our day started out at 530 packing up our stuff in our comfortable room at Silver Sage Lodge at Snow Mountain Range. I did not sleep well even though the bed was very comfortable. Had too many things on my mind from last night and thinking about today. Hank slept like a log.

Hank and I had both decided not to try to climb Berthoud Pass as it would drain us by the end of the day. Since we are staying with my daughter Sarah and Brian Boonstra and the three grand kids Sydney, Grant and Cole, I did not want to be completely exhausted at the end of the day so I could not enjoy our visits. As it was the day was long enough just biking down from the summit of Berthoud Pass. Hank and I biked together the whole day. It is the first day we have biked together. The ride was mostly down hill and Hank does well on the day hill. He can coast behind me while I still pedal.

One of the group had an unfortunate accident today. A young group of riders had decided to add an extra 45 miles to their ride by going up to Mt Evans. As they started out in a pace line the last rider Tyler hit the rear tire of the person in front of him and went over his handlebars breaking his collar bone. He will have to go home to have surgery and will not be able to ride the rest of the tour. This is the second person who now will not be riding the whole way due to injury.

Top of Berthoud Pass.

SAG stop with Cory at top of Berthoud

The scenery along route 40 the bike path along 70 and route 74 out of Evergreen were awesome. We had mountain creeks running along the road and cliffs beside the creeks. It was quite spectacular. God provided beautiful views and scenery along our routes. We did enjoy God’s creation and the mountains immensely even though the climbing and altitude took its toll on the riders.

River rafts on the river we biked beside. Looks fun and refreshing

Abandon mining shaft along the route Hank crossing the bridge from the bike path along the river. We never knew this bike path was there along I 70 to Idaho Springs. This was a treat.

Bear Creek running along the canyon road from Evergreen. It was thrilling to ride down the canyon road and along the creek.

We were treated to cold refreshments along Jewell Ave by the Reformed church there. It was much appreciated.

When we arrived at Denver Christian High, we were greeted by shouts of welcome, applause and music, cool drinks and cookies, and welcome packages provided by Denver churches. Thanks to the people in Denver for a grand welcome. At night we had an ice cream social provided again by the Denver churches.

Hank and I were glad to be finished our ride. I did have my first flat tire just a mile from the high school. So far Hank has had two flats and I have had one. Hopefully we will not have anymore.

Hank and I are staying with Sarah, Brian, Sydney, Grant and Cole this weekend. It is so nice to be in air conditioned out of the sun, have a bath room and shower close by and a regular bed. Brian has agreed to drive us back to camp early Monday morning so we can stay two nights with them. Thanks Brian for your willingness to get up early to drive us so we can start by 630.

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

2008-07-26T00:01:00.005-04:00

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.

Day 25 July 24 Craig to Kremmling 95.73 miles Sea to Sea 08

2008-07-25T23:46:00.003-04:00

Day 25 July 24 Craig to Kremmling 95.73 miles Sea to Sea 08

Stats for today
95.73 miles
Time in saddle 8.17
Average speed 11.5,
Max speed 41.6
Ascent 4164
Current elevation 7404
Temp in morning 17 C sorry my clock gives Celsius not farenheit.

Another beautiful ride, but brutal for me. I left camp at 645 and arrived in Kremmling at 545. I was completely exhausted. It took me 2.5 hours to climb to the false summit of Rabbit Ears Pass. The grade was 6-8% for 7.3 miles.

Hank took a SAG to the top of the mountain along with Mary and Bill. They rode down from the false summit into camp and arrived at 2 PM. Hank had the tent and sleeping bag all arranged for which I was very thankful. Hank, Mary, and Bill were very rested and had an enjoyable ride.

Joan and I started the day strong. We enjoyed the ride from Kremmling to Steamboat Springs which is a tourist town with lots of biking, hiking and skiing. This is a place both of us want to come back to as we did not have any time to really look around. It was quaint with lots of interesting shops. We did stop at two bike shops as I need a new water bottle holder and Joan needed something to help with the constant numbness in her hands. We enjoyed a cup of coffee in Steamboat and left to tackle the mountain around 12 noon.

Scenery along the road before Steamboat Springs

The ride up the mountain was very beautiful as you can see from the pictures, but it took us a long time. We first tried to do a mile at a time than a half mile. Eventually we got to the false summit. Julie our SAG at the top was a sight of sore eyes. The real summit for Rabbit Ears was another 5 miles across the top of the mountain range. Half way, we were greeted by Leanne Geisterfer, who was giving our freezes that a family from Denver had provided. Wow did this ever taste great at the top of long hot climb. We crossed the continental divide at the summit of Rabbit Ears.

Pictures starting at the bottom of our climb to the top where we crossed the continental divide.

After the summit we had a nice descent for 15 miles. While going down my feet starting hurting a great deal. I was looking for Walter our next SAG stop, but it was a long time coming. I started to hyper ventilate and had a panic attack going down. I was having a serious melt down. By the time I did get to Walters SAG I just sat down and cried. I am sure it was because I was just exhausted from the climb and from the pain in my feet. Walter was a blessing for me. He provided a cold towel, some cold cranberry juice, and cold water for my feet. Thank you so much Walter for your kindness and thoughtfulness.

All the cyclists really appreciate the SAG drivers as we do have many difficult times. One day Cory had chocolate chip cookies for everyone, Julie had chips and Walter has had licorice or watermelon. These treats are special and very much appreciated by everyone. The freezes along the highway were also special.

By the time I got to camp I was completely spent. I quickly took a shower as supper would be served shortly. After supper we found it getting very cold and people were needing long pants and jackets on for the first time since the tour started. I was so cold, I had the chills, that I put on a fleece plus another jacket. It was suppose to be in the 40s for the night.

Everyone who climbed the mountain found it exhausting and tough. They also thought it was also a beautiful ride. At night many people went to bed by 9. Since tomorrow would be a short day of 34 miles, Ed said breakfast would be a half hour later and told people to sleep in.

Hank and I were in bed by nine.

Day 24 July 23 Dinosaur to Craig 88.01 miles Sea To Sea

2008-07-23T19:59:00.005-04:00

Day 24

Stats for today.

Time in Saddle 7.30 hours,
88.01 miles,
3326 total ascent,
11.7 average speed
Max speed today 45 miles per hour
Current elevation 6394

Yesterday I forgot to mention that we entered Colorado our fifth state. We now have 4 states down, 12 to go and one province.
Today was a much better day than yesterday for me. Hank finished 60 miles than felt he could not do anymore and got into a SAG to take him into camp. Hank did not feel well this morning so cycling was not something he looked forward to today. That fact he still did 60 miles is amazing. There are a number of people who have been feeling ill in the last couple of days.

What made the ride easier was the roads were better, we had overcast skies for part of the day and the wind was with us more than yesterday. Many people were very weary this morning after the difficult day yesterday and were not looking forward to riding today. I think people are getting fatigued due to 3.5 weeks of biking. This week is the hardest week yet with long days and lots of climbing. We will all be glad when the week is over and we are in Denver.

Today we biked through more country like yesterday. It was a boring ride for the beginning of the day. We manage to get through the day by pacing ourselves between SAGs. We stopped in a small place called Mayberry for lunch and I bought an A&W root beer and some chips to eat with my sandwich. The water gets warm, so we really enjoy a really cold drink when we can get it. Having chips also is a nice change as we have energy bars, cookies, cheese sticks, sandwiches, oranges, apples, and bananas. Food is all starting to taste the same. WE look forward to suppers as the cooks do a great job and making for that tastes good and we have lots of variety.

Thanks to all of you who are sending emails and comments on this blog. Hank and I really feel your support and prayers. Often I am not in camp early enough to work on the Internet as much as I would like. I barely have enough time to upload pictures and write a few comments. Sometimes I am just too tired to do a lot and just do the minimum to let you know how Hank and I are doing. Sometimes the Internet is not very cooperative and loading pictures does not always go easily.

The spirit in the camp continues to be very positive even though people are very tired. The young people are really a blessing as they have lots of energy and are enthusiastic. The last of today’s sweep team just came in. It is 715 and they still have to set up their tents, eat supper, and take a shower. They are happy and say they had fun on the road and all work together. The older people are probably much more tired and are feeling the effects of numerous days on the road.

Please pray that we will be able to handle the remaining long days on the road this week with the high climbs. Being above 6000 feet affects our breathing and we have to drink lots of water and not over exhort ourselves too quickly. We need to be slow and steady.
Tomorrow we are going over Rabbit Ears pass at 9500 feet. People are anxious about it as we are also going 96 miles as well as climbing 4993 feet. Please pray that we will have wind on our backs, smooth roads, and overcast skies.

When we arrived in Craig today, the local press interviewed two cyclists and the TV station wants to have one of the cyclists on TV in the morning. We are getting good press and people are really responding well to what we are doing and why.

Day 23 Duchense to Dinosaur 91.7 miles Sea to Sea 08

2008-07-22T21:53:00.003-04:00

Day 23 July 22 Duchense to Dinosaur 91.7 miles

Total time in saddle 7.32 hours, elevation 5869, average speed 12.3 miles per hour.
Hank and I both left at 640. I arrived at 445 and Hank at 545.

It was a little cool when we first got up but warmed up quickly. Both of us started out at a good pace this morning. Hank rode with Bill and Mary again and they averaged 17.4 miles per hour for the first 18 miles. It is the fastest average Hank has ever had. I rode with Joan and we averaged 16.4 miles per hour. We both meet at the first SAG. I took Hank’s picture as he rode in.

The terrain was varied. We saw red rock formation that are the beginning of the red rocks that extend all the way to the Grand Canyon. They had their own beauty.

We were well over half way before noon and had some lunch in Varnal. We only had 35 miles left to go about noon. The last 35 miles took us forever. We faced headwinds and up hill climbing. It was not very steep but it was long. With the head winds and rough roads it felt we were riding on flat tires. We were working twice as hard. Everyone we spoke to at camp felt the same way. It seems most people found this another tough day.

Along the way Joan stopped to pick up money she saw on the road and managed to pick up $1.17. This money goes into the Sea to Sea donation bucket. Anyone who finds money or receives donations puts it into this bucket. Joan also spoke to two cyclists who were carrying lots of gear. She found out one was on the road six months and the other three months. Both seemed to be enjoying their experience.

I forgot to mention that one night Hank found out he had a flat tire at the peleton meeting. He had to change this before he went to bed as the next day we were going to have a long ride. So Hank has had two flats so far.

One of the cyclists Joanne Tipple, who had a very heavy bike and was experiencing lots of problems got a new bike this weekend. Her comment to us is God is good. She is enjoying her rides much more and finds the hills much easier now that she has a new Trac.

One of our cyclists Jake Kuipers, has also had two significant accidents that could have injuried him seriously. The first one occurred just as he arrived in Sunnyside. He hit a bump and went flying over his handle bars and hit his head on the pavement. He had no serious injuries. Today, his seat post broke while he was riding along and he went flying onto the middle of the busy highway we were biking along. Fortunately no cars were coming in either direction. Thank you God for your protection for Jake and that nothing serious happened. It could have been very tragic if there had been traffic.

Tonight we are staying in the city park. Nothing grand. We have to walk to an RV park about quarter mile to go for showers. The women’s shower only had one working so all the women waiting 6 of us decided to get things done as quickly as possible we would take turns under the shower head to get our hair and bodies wet than lather up and then go under to rinse off. We all managed to get six showers down in less than 10 minutes as supper was going to be ready in 10 minutes. None of us were shy. It was rather comical, but it worked for all of us and we were ready for supper in time.

We continue to feel God’s protection and care for all of us. We also try to be careful as we ride along the busy highways.

Hank and I are tired but hanging in there and taking each day as it comes. Thanks for all of your words of encouragement and prayers. We know God is here for us.

Day 22 July 21 Salt Lake City to Duchense 90.64 miles Sea to Sea 08

2008-07-21T21:49:00.005-04:00

Day 22 Salt Lake City to Duchense 90.64 miles Sea to Sea 08

Total time in saddle 7.44 hours left at 7 AM got into camp at 515 Hank arrived at 615
Ascent 4630 Elevation 5540 Highest elevations was 9500 feet at mile 37.
11.7 average speed Temperature 86

Another hard and challenging day for both Hank and I, but we both finished the day on our bikes. We are both thankful that we are able to handle each day God has planned for us. We celebrate with fellow cyclists the accomplishments of each day.

Hank and I got up at 510 and were packed up by 545. We had to have our duffels loaded onto a pickup truck, as it was a half-mile walk to the gear trailer.

We managed to get out of camp by 7. I starting riding with Joan and Tony and Hank rode with Bill and Mary Drache.

The day started with over cast skies, which we really appreciated. It was a little on the cool side, so I left camp with my jacket on.

The scenery throughout the day was spectacular. Each changed in altitude or road change presented new display of God’s grandeur and majesty.

After going downhill for 5 miles we than proceeded to climb for 32 miles. The last 7 miles we had grades of 8% or more. Joan and I stopped every half-mile to catch our breath and to get our heart rates back to a reasonable level. I had trouble breathing up the hill as we were climbing to 9500 feet today. At the top of the summit we all celebrated that we made it and enjoyed our lunch at the top.

We proceed to go downhill for about 15 miles. It again was a thrill. The scenery going down was as spectacular as going up. We saw deer along the road and sheep in the fields. Several people saw a moose today. We did not.

At Hanna we stopped for a coffee. The café was overrun with cyclists and the poor waitresses were just beside themselves. When Joan saw this she immediately started to clear some of the tables and wiped them off. She than took peoples orders and went behind the counter to get coffee and ice water for people. She also got pie and ice cream for people who wanted that. She reassured the waitresses we would treat them well and no one would leave without paying their bills even though the waitresses had not taken their orders. It all went very well. The food was excellent. It is a great place to stop in Hanna as it is the only place for 70 miles and is frequented by motorcycle riders and cyclists.Betsy Fox head SAG driver preparing to load one of the bikes on top of the van to take the cyclist and bike into camp

Joan and I were both looking forward to being down for the day. When we made the final turn to go onto highway 40 and do the last 18.5 miles we faced a head wind. We asked Ralph Fladderus and Don Brunsting if they would help pull us into camp.

Having them draft us really saved us and we had an enjoyable ride the final 18.5 miles.

We arrived into camp at 515. I discovered Marti had setup my tent. Thank you so much Marti it is greatly appreciated. I could then go for a shower before supper, which would be served at 6PM.

Just before supper we again noted two rainbows in the sky. God is always reminding us he is with us, and caring for us.

I have discovered a number of cyclists had a very hard day today. Some have health issues that prevent them from doing the whole day. One person had an asthma attack climbing up to the summit and had to ride the SAG into camp. She was really upset and had to come to terms that she will not be able to ride as long as we are above 6000 feet altitude as there is not sufficient air for her to breathe. Please pray that she will have patience and be able to enjoy the tour from a different vintage point for a week.

It is now 930 and I hope to publish this blog before I go to bed. We are planning to get out before 630AM for the long 90 mile ride to Dinosaur Colorado.

Rest Day July 20 in Jordanalle State Park

2008-07-21T21:28:00.002-04:00

Day 21 July 20 Rest day Seatosea08

Today was a good day just to sleep in and relax. Sundays really do have a new meaning for us.

We had a number of things to do such as laundry and cleaning bikes. In addition I also had to get my bike fixed. George VanderKur could not fix it so I had to go into Park City to have a bike shop look at it. It ended up that I needed a whole new shifter for my back gears as my cable had broken and the mechanism inside was jammed with some frayed cable. This cost me $306 as shifters come with the front and back. Even though I only need the back I still had to buy the pair. I was just glad I could get it fixed as one bike shop did not have the part and I had to go to another.

Hank and Marti cleaned all our bikes after we returned from town and I did the laundry for Marti, George, Hank and I.

I had trouble with the internet all day and only got Saturday posted late Sunday night. Frustrations.

Just before supper, we had lots of wind come and some rain drops. In the distance we could see major rain coming down in the valley and anticipated having a major storm over supper and the service. Just before supper, the wind changed and the dark clouds moved south of us and we saw double rainbow. We felt God telling us he is present and reminding us of his care for us. Everyone was pretty moved by the rainbow and how the storm clouds avoid our camp. God is good and gracious and omnipresent. Not one of us doubted God’s presence and care for us on Sunday night.

We had a potluck supper and celebration service put on by the area CRC churches. It was a blessed time. The minister preached on Ezekiel 47 and the river of God flowing out of the altar. He reminded us of the river we are fully immersed in the river and to observe how God is present all around us and to open our eyes to what he is doing through us.

It was a good day and we finally went to bed at 1020.

Day 20 July 19 Willard to Salt Lake City Seatosea08

2008-07-20T09:26:00.006-04:00

Day 20 July 19 Willard to Salt Lake City Sea To Sea 08

Total mileage 101.38
Ascent 5599
time in saddle 8 . 43 hours.

What a day it was on Saturday. It was a hard long brutal day for me. It started out very early with Hank and I getting up at 450 AM and getting ourselves dressed and packed up. We were ready to go by 610.

As Hank’s riding partners Mary and Bill Drache were not riding today as they were visiting family in Salt Lake, Hank asked Leanne Geisterfer if he could ride with her. His day started with Leanne having a flat tire right at the out set. She had another two flats before they got to the 1st CRC church in Salt Lake City. The last flat they keep pumping up 4 times as it was a slow leak in order to get to the church. At the church both Hank and Leanne called it a day and decided they were not going to climb the hills. This was a good call as the hills were very challenging and the day was very long.

In the meantime, I rode with Joan and Tony again. Joan’s goal for the day was to get into camp by 6PM. I thought we would get there well ahead of that. Surprise. This did not happen.

The first part of the ride was great. We rode mostly on level land through a number of towns including Bountiful. These towns seemed to be very prosperous and often had large Mormon churches. We did not stop in any of them as we had a long day ahead of us.

1st CRC church in Salt Lake City were providing us two refreshment stops, one at the church and the other on top of the summit in Emigration Canyon. We got to the church around 11 and had finished 60 miles by then. So we seemed to be making good time. A number of people stopped by to see the Mormon temple but I decided not to as I had seen it before and wanted to keep going to get the ride over.

After we left the church we started an immediate 12% graded climb. I had trouble and went every which way but could not get up the hill. Joan veered off onto a sidewalk to avoid me and feel off her bike. Both of us decided it was too steep and walked up to the lights at the top. We could than get back on our bikes and proceeded to enjoy the rest of the climb to the top of the summit in Emigration Canyon. It was a beautiful ride with a creek running along the road and lots of trees to find shade under. I took a picture of one of our many stops on the climb. I also had a chance to dip my feet into the creek to them cool off. It felt great. I took a number of pictures of the canyon ride to give you some idea of the beauty. We had a neat treat, as there was a couple handing out freezes to us. They had heard about us and decided that we could use a refreshing treat part way up our climb. Thanks to Jay and Leslie. As we were climbing, we reminded ourselves that we could be thankful for the beautiful scenery, the good roads and the shade provided. This made the climb up much less stressful and more enjoyable.

Scenery along the Emigration Canyon Road with one of our frequent shade stops.

Once we got to the top, the crew from 1st CRC greeted us. They were a welcomed sight. They had really cold drinks and power bars that provided a great change from the warm water we were drinking from our water bottles. The drinks were refreshing and renewed our energies for the next challenge. The view from the top was beautiful. From the summit we look down onto a large lake surrounded by canyons. We could see Interstate 80, which we had to take for our next challenge.

View at the top of Emigration Canyon and volunteers serving us refreshing cold drinks at the top

We sped down the hill quickly and hit our next challenge with full force. The entrance to the interstate was a 10% grade for at least half a mile. The rest of the climb was about 6% for the remaining 4 miles. Joan and I had to stop every half-mile to take a rest. We reached the summit of by 4 PM. Now we had another 20 miles to get to camp.

Clare Koostra riding up Parley Mountain, and view of down hill from Parley Mountain.

After stopping at a variety store at the summit, Joan, Marti, Anne and I headed out for the final push. It was going very well until I discovered I could not shift my gears. My bike was stuck in the highest gear in the back. I could shift the front gears but not the back. I was still 9 miles from camp. I realized I could not finish the ride today. I called Betsy Fox our lead SAG person who came to pick up my bike and I got picked up by Alida our camp nurse. I got into camp around 615 exhausted and very tired.

Hank had gotten into camp earlier as he had taken the SAG from the church in Salt Lake City and had set up the tent. We were both very tired.

When we did get into camp, we found out, our tent site was a half-mile walk and the showers were half-mile walk in another direction. We were initially deflated as we were exhausted a dreaded the thought of all the walking. After a refreshing shower and a good nights sleep we are feeling much better.

I did talk to Ed about the campsite, and he told me how hard it was to get the right places to camp. Apparently it is policy in Utah that schools do not allow anyone to camp on their premises. This limited his choices. Jordanelle is the first really big campground outside of Salt Lake that we could use. So here we are. I have attached some pictures of the campground to give you an idea of where we are camping. Jordanelle is a very beautiful campground for regular campers with lots of showers and restrooms and laundry facilities close by. Group camping is another matter.
view if the gear truck and pavilion from our camp site.

The temperature is cooler here and I am wearing my fleece for the first time.

I hope to ride the last 9 miles today after my bike gets fixed. I have discovered that the cable to my rear derailleur has broken off at the front shifter and I will need a new cable. George VanderKur has said he can fix it. If he can not I will need to take the bike into town to get it fixed as I can not ride it as it is.

So here we are at the end of the third week, very glad that Saturday is behind us. I think Saturday will be the toughest day of the tour as we had over 100 miles and almost 30 miles of climbing at the end of the day. If we can do this ride than I think we can do any other day on the tour.

Thank to the Lord that today is Sunday and we have some rest.

Day 19 July 18 Snowville to Willard Sea to Sea 08

2008-07-18T20:56:00.007-04:00

Hank at camp in Willard Bay State Park with our tent.

Day 19 July 18th Snowville to Willard Sea to Sea 08

Total mileage today 67.86
Time in saddle 5.30 hours
Climbed 1858 feet,
Current elevation 4249
Ave speed 12.3
Temp in Willard 96

Hank and I woke up late this morning at 6 AM. The camp was already buzzing with activity. Our new alarm clock is not working and I did not wake up in time. I must have been tired not to hear the noise of people packing up around me. Surprisingly Hank and I still managed to get on the road by 7 AM. I felt very rushed as I hate getting out late. I hope to have my alarm working tomorrow. If not I will buy a new one.

Hank, Joan and I started out together. We immediately got onto Interstate 84 and hit construction. They were paving the road with new black top. Fortunately, the shoulder was completed plus another lane so for the first 10 miles we road on a black carpet that was smooth and easy riding. We did have to climb for the first 10 miles but the incline was only 2-3% and with the great pavement we sailed along. It was wonderful. The scenery was pretty with fields of hay and rolling hills. It appeared to be more lush than the terrain when we came into Snowville.

We got off the interstate at mile 20. The next part of the journey took us on a quieter country road with varying vegetation. Some areas appeared more rich than other areas. We passed by a large missile launch facility called ATK. We took a few pictures.

Johnny Pierce and I wanting to fly across the country like a rocket.

We rode close to the Golden Spike National site but no one wanted to bike there as it was at least a 6-7 mile bike ride in.

After stopping by ATK we hit 20 miles of freshly paved road with lose gravel. We rode through a wide valley that had mountains on both sides. The mountains were difficult to see as it is very hazy here. We are riding through the great salt basin. On the east is the Wasatch Mountain, which is a 160 mile range that starts at the Utah Idaho border. It is sometimes called the eastern boundary of the great basin or the Western edge of the Greater Rocky Mountains. We past several areas of salt flats and marsh lands. Not many farms or ranches appeared to be in the area. Actually the last couple of days we have seen mountains in the distance but because of the haze we have difficulty seeing the mountains clearly and getting any pictures. We have been told that the haze is due to the fall out from the forest fires in California. All the smoke and ash seems to drift north and east.

The 20 miles of fresh gravel wore us down again. It seemed this distance was as difficult as the 20 miles we did we did at the end of the day yesterday. Joan was getting a little grouchy and just wanted a cup of coffee. When we finally did cover the 20 miles, we saw the Last Spike Café in the town of Corine and enjoyed a cup of coffee and a plate of French fries and two huge glasses of ice water. We were absolutely parched after that 20 miles. This really hit the spot.

As we biked into Brigham City, we saw water running along a drainage channel along the road. Joan, Tony and I decided we cool off out hot painful feet. It felt absolutely fantastic and cooled us all down. Funny, how such simple things as cold water can make such a difference on such a hot day. Made me realize how blessed we are to have these so readily available, when people in poor countries can not easily get ice cold water and may not even know what it is.

Enjoying a refreshing moment with my feet in some nice cold water.

Joan and I stopped at a grocery store to get some cold chocolate milk and suntan lotion. Hank and I are running out and we need to kept it on as Hank has very sensitive skin and he needs to kept his arms and face protected. I bought him a skull cap to keep some sun off his head and to absorb the sweat so it does not run down his face.

As we were ending our ride we noticed a sign at a fruit stand Welcome Sea to Sea and advertising bing cherries. Joan and I had to stop to see who these people were. They had heard about us and decided to put out the sign. So if you are in the area visit Nielson’s Produce in Perry Utah just outside of Brigham City, very friendly ladies will serve you.
Nielson Produce welcoming the Sea to Sea tour
Joan and I arrived in camp at 230. It was very hot but we had a large lake to swim in and a large cover shelter with picnic tables. When we arrived lots of people were already in and working on their laptops or were swimming in the lake. I went for a swim and it was very refreshing. Apparently the lake has a dam and on the other side is the great salt lake. We will probably see it tomorrow. Our camp site along at Willard Bay State Park. Note the Wasatch Mountains in the background.

So here we are the end of day 5. Tomorrow will be the biggest day yet with the most miles and the highest climbing. Please pray that the day will go well for all of us. Hank and I plan to get out before 630 if we can to beat the heat and get a good start.

I do not know if I will get the pictures posted today. I will try but uploading pictures is always a challenge.

Day 18 July 17 Burley to Snowville 86.57 miles Sea to Sea 08

2008-07-18T18:13:00.006-04:00

Day 18 July 17 Burley to Snowville Utah 86.57 miles Sea to Sea 08

Total time in saddle 7 .08 hours average speed 12.1 Total ascent 3281. Current elevation is 4560 Ft. We entered Utah today and are on Mountain time. Three states down 13 more to go.

We woke up early this morning at 5 am as Hank and I had breakfast duty at 6 AM and we wanted to have everything packed and ready to go before we had to report of duty. We put out the cereals, milk, peanut butter, jam, nutella, bread, milk, orange juice, cranberry juice various types of energy bars, tuna fish salad for lunches, bananas, grapes, oranges, and hot oatmeal. Also had coffee and tea. As you can see we have a good selection for breakfast and lunch.

Hank got onto the road by 645 and started riding with Mary and Bill Drache. I got out onto the road by 7 and started riding with Joan, Tony Schweitzer and Corrine Smenk
It was slow going. I could not get over 12 miles per hour in the first 5 miles. A double peleton was passing me at about 15 miles per hour and I decided to hitch a ride for about 6 miles, which was a sweet and easy time for me. That was the end of my easy ride for the day.

At about mile 12 we started into our climbing for the day. This was not too hard nor was the second climb, which was 10 miles long.

First of the days climb. Keep pedaling Tony

As we were finishing out climb we were really wishing to see Walter our third SAG stop for the day. We saw him just before the top of our climb and just before the state border for Utah. Walter's SAG was a sight for sore eyes. It is so nice to sit in the shade and in comfortable chairs for a few minutes. It refreshes us considerably so we are ready to do the final push into camp.

Entering Utah

At mile 60 we finished our climbing and we looking forward to the 25 mile down hill. To our dismay we had a head wind going down hill and had to work. It was also getting hot. As we were starting our descent we could see the road we had to travel for the next 25 miles. The road was as straight as an arrow and we could see a great distance. As we got closed to Snowville we had one sharp turn and hill to climb before we biked the final 3 miles. These three miles seemed to last forever, as our bottoms were sore and our legs very tired. Today was one of the long hard days. View of the final 25 miles. The road seems to go on forever.

The terrain in the beginning was flat, with lots of irrigated fields and dairy’s. Once we started climbing the terrain was much drier and we saw lots of sagebrush again with little life. Once over the hills we again descended into a huge valley that had lots of irrigation and fields of hay and alfalfa. Again we realized how important the supply of water is to making the land come to life.

Showers here at our camp are very unique. None of us have ever had showers as we have tonight. The camp crew assembled a large tarp with a hose that women and men could take turns showering under. It was cold, but we were all this thankful we had a shower after a long hot day of biking.

The outside and inside of our fancy showers.

Len is reminding us at our peleton, that many of the people we are cycling for have much harder days than we are having. Even though we are finding some days hard we are still blessed and what we are able to do through this bike tour is amazing.

I arrived in camp with Joan around 330 and Hank arrived just after 5. Both of us were very weary and glad we were finally in camp.

Today one of our cyclists experienced an injury that will probably prevent him from cycling again on the tour. Arnie Issell from Michigan tore his Achilles tendon and his foot is in a brace. We have had minor injuries and accidents but nothing as serious as this. It is very disappointing for Arnie as he was so looking forward to doing this. Please pray that healing will go well and Arnie may be able to ride again.

Today we also had some minor incidents with two support vehicles. Two trucks had the trailer hitches come lose and the hitches dragged on the road. One was the truck hauling the groceries and the other was the truck hauling the porta potty. The safety chain held on the first one but it did not hold the porta potty so the trailer carrying the porta potty started down the highway on its own. Fortunately, no cars were coming and all is well tonight. We could laugh about it at our peleton meeting as we thought how funny it looked to see it travel on its own.

Hank has gone to bed early tonight as he is tired and I will be going shortly. I hope to upload to the blog tomorrow as our Internet seems very sporadic tonight and uploading information takes a long time.

Day 15 Gooding to Burley 85.73 miles SeatoSea08

2008-07-16T18:48:00.007-04:00

Time in the saddle 6 .01 hours. average speed was 14.2. We did a few extra miles as some of the cyclists wanted to stop at Shoshone Falls just outside of Twin Falls.

Total flats as of last night is 262

We woke up the morning at 515. The temperature was 56 degrees. After getting everything packed up and ate breadfast we managed to get on the road at 645. This is the earlist we have gotten out so far.

I road with Bob an Lisa Brouwer and Alida VanDye from St Catherines and a 2005 cyclist. We were doing very well early in the morning and were averaging over 15 miles/hour. We made several stops besides the regular SAG stops. We stopped at a large dairy farm owned by Ted Miller. It had a big carorsal cicular milking parlor that milks 50 cows in 10 minutes. They milk 1700 cows and have an other 1300 young stock. They own 1500 acres. Many of the cyclists were fascinated by it as they had never seen anything like this. This milking parlor reminded me of the one I had seen in the 1950's in New Jersey. The technology in this one is more uptodate and pretty impressive. We enjoyed cold chocolate milk.

Cyclist getting a lesson on dairy operations, the milking platform for the cows. Hank and Mary at the Dairy.

Hank met me at the dairy and was pleased that he is learning to draft. Today he is riding with Mary and Bill Drache. It seemed to be going very well.

Next we stopped to look at the gorge we were riding by and took numerous pictures.

Florene tempting fate by looking into the gorge.

Alida and I at the edge of the gorge.

Getting into Twin Falls we biked over a huge bridge that spanned the gorge. We stopped mid way and on the other side to take pictures. When we got to the other side we heard someone was going to jump of the bridge with a parachute, into the gorge so we hung around until he did. I tried to get a picture but it all went so fast.

Cyclists viewing the gorge at Twin Falls and view of gorge from bridge.

In Twin Falls we stopped for lunch at Twin Falls Reformed Church. They feed us subs, ice cream potatoe chips, watermelon and chocolate or strawberry milk and water. It was delicious and hit the spot for everyone. The church has over 1500 members and it a very large church. Thanks so much to the people in Twin Falls for their hospitality. It certainly was appreciated by the cyclists.

Shoshone Falls from up level.

At the church the local CBS affiliate interviewed mysel and other cyclists. The TV News online also interviewed us. You might try magicvalley.com to see if you can view it. We are also hoping to get links post to the seatosea.org website so people can see the coverage we are getting.

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/07/17/news/local_state/140539.txt

After lunch many of the cyclsits headed to the Shoshone Falls as they are supposedly higher than Niagara Falls. It was a steep ride down. I only went half way as I had seen it before in the spring of 2006 when it had the most water flowing over it in 20 years. I did not care to pedal up on a 12%grade. Hank decided not to go either as he too had seen it before. So he by past it altogether.

After all these stops we were now serious about getting into camp as we had 40 miles to go and it was now 1130 and getting hot and windy.

Bob and Lisa did a great job of pulling Alida and I into camp. We did have a 1-2 % incline for about 20 miles so we had to work harder than we did in the morning. The last 9 miles though we had a wind on our backs and it was pretty much down hill. All of us were glad to be home.
I got in about 315. So I had a chance to take a shower and than started to get on to the internet to up load to the blog. I was unsuccessful last night and hope to post tonight if possible. The internet seems to be going in and out and we are having lots of challenges with it.
Jenna Zee and Reuben Vyn showing off their buys at the local thrift shop. Jenna always wanted a square dancing dress and Reuben loves plaid jackets.

Some of the things we have gotten use to is hearing trains in every campsite so far in the night. As we are staying in towns along the river valleys and the Oregon Trail the railroad has been an important link for them. Some of the towns have been a major connecting point for the trains and a lot of shuttling goes on that we hear in the middle of the night.
We also hear dogs barking and last night I could hear cattle in the middle of the night. These are sounds that I do not hear at home.

Day 14 Mountain Home to Gooding SeatoSea08

2008-07-15T18:43:00.004-04:00

Len and Joan waiting up ahead while I take my pictures.

Ridge in the background to the right is one we biked over to get to Gooding. Note the irrigation again in the fields.

Day 14 Mountain Home to Gooding SeatoSea08 63 miles
Time in saddle 4 hours 57 minutes, arrived at 1 PM. Hank arrived at 2 PM. Hank is biking stronger and faster according to others and they are impressed with how well he is doing. I hope he can continue to get stronger so that the long days ahead will not be too overwhelming.

Last night as we were finishing up supper we heard the sprinklers starting up in the area we were all sitting and the serving tables were all set up. People were scrambling everywhere to get out of the line of fire. You never saw people move so fast. I was quite funny as no one was upset or hurt. One of our support staff just enjoyed this so much that she rain through the sprinklers, jumped in the puddles and was having the time of her life. She said she needed a shower anyway and this was one way to cool off. A picture could not do the scene justice.

Later at the peleton a group of cyclists presented Len with a set of child’s training wheels on his bike. They said they wanted him to have a safe ride as he had fallen twice off his bike.

Today we woke up to cloudy skys and 60 degree temperature. The weather forecast is that it would be in the 90’s in Gooding with winds coming from different directions. Hank, Joan, Len Reimersma and I headed out before 7 AM. There was a slight headwind to start but Joan, Len and I managed to get into a good peleton that pulled us along at 15-16 miles per hour for the first ten miles. Hank does not feel comfortable riding like this so falls back very quickly. I do wish he could find people he would feel comfortable with as it helps so much and my average speed increases by 2-3 miles per hour when I do.

The scenery today was more enjoyable as we saw lots of fields being irrigated. We past fields of swiss chard, corn, potatoes and hay. We biked along portions of the Snake River. At one point I saw something huge jump out of the river. The body part out of the water appeared to be at least 5 feet long and 1 foot thick. It made a huge splash. Other people cycling with me only saw the splash. They knew something had jumped, but thought I was a little crazy when I described it to them. It was not until we stopped in a coffee shop in Glenns Ferry that the locals said it probably was a sturgeon that is know to grow at least 16 feet in this part of the Snake River. They are protected. One local told us of the time he and his brother were fishing and caught a sturgeon that was longer than their boat that was 14 feet. It took them four and half hours to reel the fish in. Amazing.

Fields being irrigated in the early morning.

I hope to get some pictures uploaded so you can see the scenery. Unfortunately I did not get a shot of the big fish jumping out of the water.

Parts of the road was very rough, it was like they had just laid new black pavement and we had lots of lose gravel. We decided to pedal as fast as we could to get off this part of the road as it was getting very hot.

Marti had caught up to us and pulled me to the next town of Bliss where lots of cyclists descended on two country stores that had lots of cold drinks, ice and water plus the store was air-conditioned. This stop was 14 miles from Gooding so it help refresh us for the last push into Gooding. The last 14 miles was fairly flat so we could cruise at 16-17 miles per hour in a group peleton of 10 people until we hit an up hill climb that slowed lots of people down. The peleton feel apart as some people could go up the hill faster than others and because we were so close to the end of the ride, people decided to keep pushing rather than waiting up for the slower riders.

Tonight’s camp has some trees, so we have lots of shade, which everyone tries to get as quickly as possible when they get into camp. The shade does shift, so those who had shade, lose it, and those who were sitting in the sum now have shade.

Today a number of young people decided to take a diversion off the tour and go to the highest Sand Dunes in North America just south of Mountain Home. A comment from one of the cyclists who went was this was the highest and largest sand box he had ever played in. For the people who went it was great. It was a 20 mile detour that lots of young people opted not to take as this week is still quite busy with the miles we need to bike.

Some people coming into camp are very tired and have had a rough ride. Several people are not feeling well and are having trouble eating due to upset stomachs. Bill Drache said even energy drinks did not taste good and he struggled all day. I am finding out that a number of people are lactose intolerant. Some energy drinks have a milk base, which they are unaware of and they discover this when they are riding. Dale Mowry and Bill have both experienced this and it seriously impairs their ability to pedal. People are commenting on the heat and are feeling very tired. Many will be going to bed early.

Tomorrow night when Hank and I arrive in Burley, we will be on sweep. this means will be helping get supper ready, serve it, and clean up tomorrow night. On Thrusday morning we get up early to get breakfast and lunch ready, help clean up the camp site and pack up the trucks. We will be part of the last cyclists leaving camp on Thursday morning to ensuring all cyclists get into camp. Although I do hope Hank and one other cyclists can get away earlier as they are slower and it would not be good for the sweep team to keep waiting for them. We will see what Thrusday brings. Depending on the time, I might not be able to update this blog.

Continue to pray for us and cause as we do not want to lose sight of our primary task and that is to raise awareness. It is very easy to just focus on ourselves and each days ride and forget what this is all about. Pray that this tour causes radical change in people and our church communities to walk the talk and to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Till the next time,
Hank and Claire

Day 13 Boise to Mountain Home 56.98 miles SeatoSea 08

2008-07-14T14:51:00.003-04:00

Hank's granddaughter Kathleen and her cat Ruby - she loves her cat

Cheap labour Laura, Hans, Sarah and Matt.
Joan, Marti and I are fast and efficient when we need to be
Scenery along the road from Boise to Mountain Home. Lots of sage brush and flat land. Mountains are a little hazy in the distance.

This morning Hank and I woke up at Matt and Sherie's house. It was 57 degrees at 6 AM. We said good bye to Sherie. Thank you so much Sherie and Matt for the refreshing and relaxing time. It was good for both Hank and I.

As we did not need to pack our tent, we were able to get on the road very quickly. We left camp at 7Am. There was some uphill for the first 20 miles with a steady grade of 1-2 %. The terrain was very barren and flat. Sage bush covered the landscape. In the distance to could see the mountains both north and south, but there was a heavy haze in the air that prevented us from getting good clear pictures.

I started out with Hank and Joan, but Hank quickly dropped back as we had a little hill going out of Boise. Joan and I biked steadily. We arrived at the school in Mountain Home at about 1215. Again Joan and I beat the gear truck. Lots of other cyclists were already there ahead of us.
Our average speed was 14.4 miles per hour and we were in the saddle 3 hours 57 minutes. It is good to be in camp as the temperature in Mountain Home is supposed to go up to 96 today.
We did have the wind on our back when we were heading south east which made biking much easier today. When we rode on Interstate 84 the shoulders were very smooth and the wind was on our backs so we sailed along at 18-20 miles per hour. It was a delight.

As we exited off the interstate 84, there was a coffee shop where lots of cyclists stopped to get coffee and pie. Both Joan and I resisted the sweets and just had ice water and coffee. We had stuff on our bikes so we just ate that instead of buying sweets. I am trying to watch what I eat. At Matt and Sherie's I weighed myself and noted I had not lost nor gained which is good. However if I want to lose some weight I need to be more careful about how much sweets I eat.

I hear a number of people already talking about our Saturday ride this week and how hard it will be. I remind them not to go there yet and to enjoy the ride each day. Saturday will come soon enough. They are starting to getting worked up about it already. Not a good idea.

As I am typing this, I am in the public library in Mountain Home. I can not up load any pictures at this time. I hope to do this later if the satellite is up at camp.

We had Internet in camp so I could upload my pictures.

I do not have the latest flat stats, but one person Doug Lutke has had 10 flats so far.

Today, Hank has his first flat 2 miles out of Boise. He said he had a thorn in his tire. So much f0r our armadillo tires that have a tougher skin. He is fixing his tube so he will have a spare again on his bike.

Because I spend lots of time at the library and then went to a restaurant to have ice cold lemonade, Hank got to camp before I did and started to setup the tent. It was blowing so hard he had to have two girls hold the corners as he hammered in the stacks. It is very windy sitting here as I am editing today's blog.

Thanks for all the comments on the blog. Good to hear people are reading and keeping up to date on the tour.

Rest day in Boise- Sea To Sea 2008

2008-07-13T18:36:00.009-04:00

It feels so good not to be on our bikes for a day. We really appreciate Sundays and know why God created Sundays as a rest day. Last night Hank went to bed at 830 PM and woke up this morning at 9am. He was falling asleep in the car when we were riding home from the restaurant. So he went to bed and feels much better today.

Our celebration service was co-sponsored with Valley Life Community Church which is an RCA church here in Boise area and the Boise Rescue Mission which assists homeless people and people who have had addictions . Pastor Tom Katz gave the message on Peace as one of the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit. He shared with the story of Jesus and his disciples in the boat and how Jesus calmed the sea when the waves threaten to overcome the boat. He reminded us that we are never alone and God the Father is always with us no matter where we are and his angels surround us at all times. We do not need to worry or be afraid.

We also hear the testimony of John who testified to Christ redeeming his life after 15 years of heavy methadone use. He shared with us about the benefits of Celebrate Recovery Program and encouraged people to get involved in their own communities with this program as it has a powerful affect.

We enjoyed our lunch at the park and meet various people from the community. Some people were biking by saw all the bikes and wondered what was happening. They appeared to be very interested in what the church was doing and wanted info about the tour and the local church. Who knows how God will use the service in the park to draw people to him.

Joan shared with me her experience at the Rescue Mission the previous evening. You may recall Joan and I stopped at a rest stop along interstate 84 two days earlier and we meet a number of people including several women who were very interested in what we were doing. Well one of those women showed up at the rescue mission as she is homeless and has no place to call home. Her name is Lovey and she told Joan she has no family. Initially When Joan first saw her, she thought she looked familiar and likewise for Lovey. It was providential that Joan had the opportunity to serve Lovey in this way and make a real connection about what the tour is all about. Pray that Lovey may find her way home to God and find a community here that will care and provide for her.

I also heard about Len Reimersma ride on Saturday. He really enjoyed his ride as he got a chance to play golf for an hour. He told me how the group he was cycling with needed to use a restroom and went into the golf course along the road. He went in and told the guy how much he is missing his golf and it would be neat if he could play. Well the manager said this was just the right day as some equipment representative were there demonstrating equipment and they would have a chance to try this out. So Len and his fellow cyclists got to hit golf balls for an hour and each got to keep one golf ball. I wished I could have taken a shot of this so people in Willard, Ohio would know Len is not just biking.

Hank and I are really enjoying our time with Matt and his family. It is truly a treat and we feel blessed to have this time together. Matt will be driving us back to camp about 6am so we can get a early start. Thanks so much Matt and Sherie for the comfortable bed, great food and great wine. This time refreshes our bodies and souls.

Gerald Krabbe from Calgary as 2005 cyclists joined us for a day cycling with his son Joshua. He is in the middle Bob and Evonne Dystra two former support staff who drove truck and help cook food. Worship service in Julius Davies Park downtown Boise.

Cyclists checking the internet and this is the media trailer and truck that pulls our satelite which sits on the back of the pickup truck. Today it was working great as there were no mountains close by to block the signal.

Day 13 Sea to Sea Ontaio Oregon to Boise Idaho End of 2 week

2008-07-13T08:54:00.004-04:00

It is hard to believe that we have already completed 2 weeks on this tour. Everyone is in good spirits as tomorrow is Sunday when we can rest and not bike for the day.
This morning we woke up to a chilly morning with temperatures around 54 degrees. A little cooler than what we have during the day. We did hear that Baker City where we were yesterday the morning temperature was 34 degrees. We are experiencing huge temperature changes.

Hank, Joan and I started out just before 7 AM. We knew it would be a longer day therefore wanted to get out early enough to beat the heat in the late afternoon.

We left Oregon right outside the city of Ontario and entered Idaho our third state to cross.

We now have 13 states left to go through and one province. Amazing that we have gone 640 miles and have 3242 miles left to go. Everyone is still committed to going the distance they planned. Today we say goodbye to three cyclists Agatha VanderStarre age 77, Joel Pel and Martin Kastalin all who had committed to riding for 2 weeks. All say they will miss the tour, but have work or other activities to get back to. Saying good bye to fellow cyclists who touched others is a little sad, but we know this will happen again in Denver and Grand Rapids. This is life and we need to celebrate what we experienced to together.
Joan and I left Hank just into Idaho as he prefers to ride at his own speed and not try to keep up with others that ride faster. We rode along huge fields that were being irrigated. We past fields of spearmint, (which smelled refreshing) garlic (which had a distinctly other smell), swisschard, corn, potatoes and hay. We notice that the land not irrigated is very barren, brown, and dry. Amazing how giving water to the soil brings out new life and blessings.

Joan and I stopped by a cafe along the way at about 930. The cafe had already been invaded by a large group of cyclists who reported coffee was excellent and the cinnamon buns were to die for. So Joan and I had coffee, but split a cinnamon bun because it was so big. It was hot and gooey. The next shift of cyclists rolling in cleaned out the cafe of cinnamon buns. When Hank rolled in there were none left. He had to settle for just a cup of coffee.

We road through rolling hills, nothing real steep or hard today. Again Ed has done a great job of finding quiet country roads that had minimal car traffic on them and we could ride side by side a lot of the time to talk and share thoughts about the ride. The temperature before noon was fairly comfortable, but we could feel the sun getting hotter on us and the road starting to heat up. It was time to get to Boise where we would stay for the weekend. It seemed not too many cyclists dilly dallied today as all wanted to get into Boise. Many of the younger folks who started late just sped by us and they made biking up hill look like they were giving little effort. We do notice that if the road surface is rough, we have to work harder and with much greater effort to maintain a speed of 14 miles per hour. Often we would drop down to 12 or 13 just we were working much harder than when the road is smooth.

This is a picture of the Boise valley. Sorry it is so poor but I am starting my descent down a steep hill and am trying to take a picture while riding. Joan had already gone way down. Not a good idea here as I need to put my camera into my pocket so I have control when I am speedy along at 38 miles per hour. Right at the bottom of this steep hill we had a stop sign and had to turn left.

The Boise river valley area is again quiet beautiful. We rode along estates lots that had huge homes on them and many had a barn that held some horses or cattle. The area appears to be very prosperous. Boise appears to be a neat area to leave. Many farmers from southern California I understand have moved up here because land is much cheaper and it is not as crowded. Just outside and to the north of Boise, there is a great ski area called Bogus Basin that has great skiing. Boise does not get severe winter, but still offers people the fun things of winter only a short distance away. I think I could live here.

We arrived at the out skirts of Boise at about noon. We still had 15 miles to go to get into camp. I knew we were biking very close to Matt Zwaanstra's home. It was only 100 yards off the route. I quickly swung by to say I was in town and to tell Matt his dad was about 1 hour behing me. Matt went out to greet his dad with his daugther Valerie. It was quiet emotional from what Matt told me. as Hank was not expecting to see them along the route. I wish I could taken a picture of this moment. As Matt says here you are biking 3882 miles across the country and you could have taken numerous routes, but here you are only 100 yards from our home.

Just before we got into camp about 5 miles from our destinations we saw a large group of cyclists stopped at another coffee shop. They called out to us to stop as the cafe had great coffee and refreshing drinks, which we did. Joan and I both had a large glass of freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice which tasted sooo refreshing as it was cold. Both of us were very thirsty and were tired of drinking the warm water in our water bottles. Finally we started up again to finish our ride into camp. But before we got there I still craved some cold chocolate milk. We rode past a variety store and I bought a bottle which I downed very quickly. Now I was ready to get to camp which was just a mile away.

Today is Saturday so it is also the day we all clean out our shelves take everything out of the gear truck so it can be sweeped out and cleaned. The truck does get very dirty from sand and dust and also very smelly from all the dirty clothes and shoes. This is also a time everyone get a chance to reorganize their laundry baskets and try to find things they missed placed and could not find during the week. It is also a time for people to do laundry. Some of the SAG wagons will provide a shuttle to the closest laundramat which today is over a mile away. Too far to walk with a pile of laundry. As Hank and I are staying with Matt and Sherie, I am taking a all our dirty clothes including our sheets and pillow cases and towels to get cleaned for the next week.

Hank and I are enjoying our time with his son Matt and his family, Sherie his wife and two daughters Valerie and Kathleen. This is very much appreciated. We have a nice comfortable bed to sleep in, have our own bathroom next to the bedroom and a great shower. Sitting in an airconditioned home with comfortable chairs, catching up on the news and having a glass of wine is a real treat. Hank has not had a chance to hear any news for two weeks and has had no idea what the stock market is doing. So getting an update from his son of the current events was great. Kathleen, Matt, Valerie, Sherie,Hank and I

Matt and Sherie took us out for dinner to the Texas Roadhouse where we had the most delicious spareribs. The waitress asked us if we were visitors and when she found out what we were doing and why she said the manager would certainly like meet us. The manager did come to talk to us and he was really impressed with what we were doing. When Matt went to pay the bill, he noticed that two spare rib meals had been taken off the bill. Many thanks to Troy DeVries service manager and Texas Roadhouse in Meridian Idaho for this gift. It is much appreciated.

Both Hank and I were very tired. Hank kept falling asleep as we were driving home from the restaurant. He could not even stay awake for the news and went to bed at 830. I went to bed at 930 after the local Channel 12 news, which had a section on the Sea to Sea bike tour. They said they will have a more detailed coverage at nine on Sunday night. Matt will try to record this for us.

So here we are at the end of week two, very tired but thankful that we were both able to complete another week without incidents. We are also thankful that none of the other cyclists had major incidents and everyone is doing well. A couple of cyclists are still struggling and do not ride everyday due to some health issues. This is OK as we hope they can stay with the ride and do they days they can so they can still experience the blessings of the tour.

Thanks for your support and prayers. God is good and has provided for us in amazing ways. We feel his presence everyday and know his angels are protecting us along the way.

Day 12 Sea to Sea Huntington to Ontario, Oregon 35 miles our shortest day

2008-07-11T23:31:00.006-04:00

Mary and Bill Drache biking up the hill out of Huntington. Way to go Mary and Bill. They are real troupers. Mary is the oldest female riding Sea to Sea at age 66. They are both an inspiration to others on the tour.

Myself in the middle of a wheat field in Oregon
R riding along the wheat fields
Marti DuPlessis just flying on her bike
SAG stop at Walter Vink's RV. Dont put your bike against the RV.
Joy and Doug Lutke and myself all wearing our DALMAC shirts as we did this together last summer

Peleton behind me.
Marti riding along the Snake River
Snake River valley
Sheik Clare Doornbos and fellow rider Roger Feenstra

One of our foodlines Stehanie Webb serving Tyler -not sure he wants whats being served
Leanne Geistefer and Lynn Verros wondering where oh where did I put my stuff.
Some of our support staff Bert Steen Bergen, Cory who drives the Porta potty wagon and Betsy Fox our nurse and lead SAG driver.
Over looking our camp in Huntington.

Day 12 Sea-to-Sea Huntington to Ontario Oregon 35 miles

Flats for ride into Huntington –23 Accidents –3 A number of people had flat tires riding along the busy interstate. There is always lots of stuff on the shoulders of the highway, which we end up picking up when we ride there. I try to stay as close to the white line as possible to avoid all that crud that is on the shoulders and which could give me a flat tire.

Today being a short day and time change we were told breakfast would not be till 7 AM. This was very hard for those of us who are awake at 5 AM and were told do not absolutely do not start opening those tent zippers till 6 am. The young people cannot get over how early all of us older folks get up. Most of the young people do not stir till 630 or later. Some of them cannot get over how early some people are out of camp. However when it is very hot they realize how important it is to be into camp before the heat hits. In order to be on the road early, they have to get up earlier pack up and get on the road before 7. They are starting to understand.

Last night we had a 35-mile an hour wind that rack havoc with our camp. I think over 20 tents could not stand up to it and the cyclists pack up their tents either before supper or at 10 PM and slept in the gym. Hank and I could hear the wind flapping most of the tents in some way. Ours held up very well.

Last night and this morning we also had visitors from Winchester Ontario Canada and Tacoma Washington. John DeJonge and his wife from Winchester came to camp to visit with their son-in-law Brian Devries. John did the 2005 and says he is not envious of the bike riding as he has not ridden a bike since 2005, but does miss the camaraderie, the community and spiritual aspect of the tour. This morning Jay DeBoer, Regional Director for DRS visited the camp with his wife. They were vacationing in the area and wanted to see what our camp looked like. Last year Jay and his brother, from Arizona, biked across the US by themselves and had wished the Sea to Sea tour had taken place last year.

Today our ride was fabulous with a little hill just out of camp, but with the wind on our backs we sailed down the road. The temperature was in the mid 70’s, very comfortable riding. The scenery again was beautiful as we biked along the Snake River valley where there were extensive irrigation fields. The were fields of onions, potatoes, corn, and wheat. I took looks of pictures of us biking past wheat fields.

Hank beat me to camp today as I was dilly dallying around taking pictures, visiting the library in town to update the blog for yesterday, shopping and having a good cup of coffee. I did not get into camp till 230 but was in the city of Ontario already at 11. We decided not to go to camp right away as the gear truck had just past us when we got into town and knew it would be an hour before the gear truck would be ready to unload as they needed to figure out exactly where each support vehicle would be parked with the kitchen truck always being placed first.

When I arrived at camp, Hank had already setup the tent and had had a shower. He was eager to go into town. A group of people said they were going so he went and had a beer with other cyclists while I showered and cleaned my bike. When Hank returned we cleaned his bike. We try to clean our bikes once a week to ensure smooth shifting gears and to reduce the chances of problems. We also check our tires regularly to see if we have picked up any goat heads. Last night Hank found 2 in his tires and I found one after I had stopped at a SAG. We are much more cautious where we take our bikes and try to leave them on the road rather than bike onto the dirt shoulder or parking spot where the SAGS are parked. So far neither Hank nor I have had flat tire for which we are very thankful.

Tonight for supper, we had a great meal of meatballs (cooks said they lost their marbles. It was supposed to be meatloaf) mashed potatoes, French style green beans, salad, and chocolate pudding with whipped cream. Delicious. Everything tastes so good as we are outside all day and are very hungry.

This trip as been a great experience and it is really rewarding to see how the young people interact with the older people and likewise for the older with the younger. There is a real sense of community in which people are caring for each other. There is also a great spirit of enthusiasm and joy. Even when people have had a bad day, they do not carry this around very long and are ready for the next day’s opportunities. I am really impressed with the commitment, expressions of love and caring for others, spirit of joy, and maturity level of everyone to make this tour a success. We are truly being blessed.

We continue to treasure all your prayers.

Day 11 Sea to Sea Baker City to Huntington 47 miles

2008-07-11T15:03:00.006-04:00

Day 11 Sea to Sea Baker City to Huntington 47 miles

Time in the saddle was 3 hours and 17 minutes. We left at 7 AM and arrived at 1130. Along the way we stopped numerous times to take pictures, relax, visit, and talk to strangers about our tour.

The ride was delightful as it was mostly downhill. The terrain is very barren and with desert conditions, mountains are barren and very isolated. We did have to ride on Interstate 84 for 14 miles, which was a little scary as there was construction on the highway and on a bridge. The shoulders for us were reduced to 2 feet beside trucks barreling past us at 55 miles per hour. Several people had panic attacks as we crossed the bridge. Fortunately we had no accidents and everyone arrived in camp safely. Ed Witvoet has done an excellent job of finding nice quiet roads for us to cycle on when he can. When we end up on the interstate we realize how blessed we have been to have the quiet country roads that we have had.

Along the way today in addition to the normal SAG stops we stopped at a rest area along the interstate where we chatted with a number of people who wanted to know what all the cyclists they were seeing on the highway were doing. Most people when they hear what we are doing and why, are really awed by it and can hardly believe what they are hearing.

We also found a quiet spot just before we got into Huntington where we could soak our feet and cool water in an irrigation canal. It felt sooo good as we were starting to get very hot. The temperature is supposed to go up to 96 today so we wanted to get in before the full heat of the day hit. As I am writing this, we have set up camp and everyone is trying to find a cool place to sit, read, or sleep. The school where we are staying is not air-conditioned so any shady place found is treasured. There are also no shade trees in the back of the school where our tents are located. All the tents are sitting out in the open football field where the sun is beating down on them.

As it was a short riding day most people beat the support vehicles into camp. Many people were here by 10 and the gear truck did not get unloaded till 1 PM. I find it interesting that this year I have been into camp 4 days before the gear truck arrived. In 2005, I managed to get into camp before the gear truck only once or twice. This year I am consistently getting out earlier to help Hank beat the heat as he has more difficulty than I. This year it is also much hotter and sunnier than in 2005. My tan is getting very dark even though I am wearing suntan lotion. I have only worn my jacket two days to start and only one day when it was raining. One this trip, on cool mornings I started by wearing arm warmers, but they are off by the first SAG stop which is usually 10-15 miles out of camp.

The weather forecast, so far tells us we will continue to have hot dry weather for the next 5 days. We are reminded to drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration and bonking or hitting the wall in cyclist’s terms. If we bonk it will take several hours to get our energy back for the ride. So it is extremely important that we stop regularly, eat and drink to keep our body fluids up and our energy level consistent. I do not eat much along the way but will eat ¼ sandwich or half of an energy bar or a cheese stick. I may also eat some fruit like a banana, orange or raisins. Sandwiches do not taste as good as they did in 2005, probably because it is hotter and drier. At the end of the ride I crave a large container of cold chocolate milk. It just seems to satisfy my thirst and is a good source of protein. Some cyclists love to stop for ice cream or other foods that they crave. When we finish riding, you will observe everyone eating when they first get into camp just to replenish their energy. Most cyclists find it difficult to start the day on a full stomach; therefore they are very hungry when they get into camp. At suppertime, the guys all go back for seconds or thirds depending, as they seem to be burning more calories. Cyclists are known to burn over 6000 calories riding 80 miles or more. Today my garmin (which is my bike computer) told me I burned 3500 calories riding 46 miles.

Hank is feeling really good and does not seem to have any problems with his feet or bottom. Unlike Hank, my feet continue to hurt after several hours of riding and I look for some cold water to cool my feet. I also have a sore bottom, but it is not getting worst. Hopefully, I will be OK by the time I start the longer days next week.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers. We know God has been providing for us and protecting our group as we bike across the country. We are truly blessed.
This are Hank and my dresser drawers for the 9 weeks on the Sea to Sea
Inside the gear truck
Hank and my home for the 9 weeks on the bike tour
Farmer John(who rode in Sea to Sea in 2005) his wife and son-in-law Brent DeVries visiting camp. John misses the community and fellowship that the Sea to Sea tour is all about.

Cyclists relaxing in the little bit of shade in Huntington

Joy and Doug Lutke and Rick DeRitter in front of the Oregon Trail marker
Doug and Rick relaxing at the irrigation canal just before we hit Huntington. Cool place to relax
A group of cyclists cooling off and replenishing our electrolyts after a hot ride. Note the safety vests reflections which the flash hits them. These vests are great for visibility and reflection in rainy conditions. Bob Brouwer, Pat and Bill Drache, Marti DuPlessis Hank and I enjoying a cold drink
Lou Haveman taking a rest after a hot ride. Notice his new hair cut.
Several of our super kitcher staff eagerly working to prepare our fabulous meals

Scenery along the road from Baker City to Huntington
Horse ranch along the road
Old farm along the road

Day 9 10 LaGrande and Baker City

2008-07-09T17:22:00.007-04:00

Paul Buth enjoying his lunch on top of the mountain
Happy to be on top of the mountain
Lou Havemen filling up his bike at the gas station in LaGrande??
road to Baker City and train coming down the valley
Several cyclists taking a break along the road

View from road from Pendelton
Paul and Teresa Hoeksta and Anne taking a break after fixing another flat tire and climbing the road from Pendelton
George VanderKur giving us his words of wisdom
View from the road from Pendelton and the switch backs.

Lou Havemen looking out over the hill we just climbed. Must be getting a new idea for Partners

Today is the first time it seems I can get on the internet after several days. It has been frustrating for cyclists as they are eager to check email and update their blogs. Today it is working well and has a strong signal.

Monday the group had 12 flats and 7 accidents. Again nothing major. Just minor run ins with fellow cyclists or falling at a stop.

Day 9 Pendelton to LaGrande. 57 miles.

Hank and I got up at 515 packed our tent, sleeping bags and termarest by 6 ate breakfast packed our lunch before 645 started out before 7 am. It is interesting how long it takes to get ourselves packed up and on the road. Everyone comments about how long it seems to take for them and they try to figure out how they can do things quicker. It seems we need about 1 ¾ hours to get up and out of camp each day. When we get into camp it takes same amount of time to get our gear bag, setup our tent, sleeping bag. Than we try to grab some food at the end of the ride finish our lunch and take a shower. Everything seems to take more time here on the road than at home.

The road out of Pendelton to LaGrande was very quiet, lots of switch backs as we were climbing the mountain, and beautiful views. We climbed to 4000 feet for over 10 miles. It was not as steep as Stevens Pass and not as hot. We really enjoyed the ride. Everyday we seem to see such beautiful views. We are blessed to see this from the view of the bike. So far I have not seen any wild life. Hank saw some quail.

Today the group had 18 flats and 3 accidents, nothing serious. A number of people have had more than one flat at a time

Day 10 La Grande to Baker City 49 miles.

Hank got out before 7 AM and I started at 7. I started biking with Joan. Bob and Lisa Brouwer pulled us part of the way and I finished the ride with Joan and Christina from Sarnia Ontario. Hank had one of his better days today and is enjoying the experience. He is geeting stronger. He is sleeping well.

According to the elevation on the map it looked like we would have a major climb again. It was not as steep as it appeared. We only climbed for 3 miles and it was a gradual climb with only a short part at 6%. We again went through beautiful country and I took some pictures but my camera failed as my battery ran low. I had not charged it for a while. This is really unfortunate as I did see some great views and visited several interesting times.

Along the way we stopped in several quaint villages. Including Haines, where we understand there is an underground city that Japanese and Chinese men lived in to build the railroad. The town it self looks to the Elk Mountain range which still had snow on them. The valley itself is irrigated and we rode along potato fields and large fields of beef cattle. The area appears to be very prosperous. The people in Haines were extremely friendly and they had a neat salon the served the best potato soup the cyclists had tasted. There was also a general store that had many interesting things in it. Our visit to Haines was delightful and I would recommend people stop along here if they ever have an opportunity. One lady who just drove up to me as I was pulling out of town, asked what was happening with all the cyclists in town. I explained to her what we were doing and why, gave her our card. She asked if she could donate right then and she gave me $10. God is amazing in how He is using us to communicate his message of hope. We are being blessed as cyclists

Some interesting things are happening informally in our camp. A number of younger cyclists have taken it upon themselves to look out for several older riders who are finding the ride challening. They ensure these riders are assisted if they need help and encourage them each day. Some of the young people are being very intentional in having intergenerational interactions on the tour. There is a very good spirit on the tour and very little grumbling. Everyone is impressed with the organization, the attention to detail and the quality of food. The only negative thing being said is that people are eating too much and will find it hard to go home and cook for themselves again. We are very blessed each day.

Riders are having sore muscels and some are have sore butts including myself. We hope we get tougher as the weeks go on.

For those of you wanting to read other cyclists blogs go to www.seatosea.org Than click on events and than blogs. Several of them have some lots of interesting stories and have different perspective on things.

Baker City is also very interesting. Many of the buildings has cap stones that dated to 1888, 1889. We talked to one of the store owners who has Dutch background and told us about her father’s home that was made of granite and had three feet thick walls. We rode past it and rang the door bell to see if he was home as he does speak Friesen. Unfortunately, he was not home but when we rang the door bell we notice the vestibule was made of white marble. It was an amazing home.

We are enjoying our visit here as well as the town has lots of history and has many old buildings. This is another great place to visit if you are in the area.

Day 7,8 Kennewick to Pendleton

2008-07-07T21:13:00.005-04:00

Day 8, Sea to Sea Kennewick to Pendelton,

Today Hank and I were on sweep team. So we were up early at 5 AM to pack our sleeping bags, air mattresses, chairs, and tent. We were all packed by 545 and than reported to the kitchen for duty. We assisted in putting out all the breakfast and lunch stuff. Today we had hot oatmeal, cereal, toast, bananas, yogurt, juice, milk, coffee and tea. For lunch we could make peanut butter and jam sandwiches, meat and cheese sandwiches, energy bars, bananas, oranges, apples, yogurt, baby carrots, cheese sticks.

After setting up we quickly ate our breakfast and made our lunch and were allowed to get out on the road. I started with Hank, Joan Doorensplete from Bowmanville again and Gerald Kobes from Yakima. Gerald and I were being interviewed by the Heriston Herald along the way, about 35 miles out so we needed to get on the road. We were out by 7 AM.

The weather again is very good. Not to hot to start. There was a head wind going along the Columbia river for about 35 miles. This slowed us down a little, but Gerald did a get job pulling us along. Hank did drop back as he wanted to go at his own pace and we were going too fast. I took some pictures at the Oregon border and along the route.
Again the scenery was beautiful. Each day brings its own beauty. Although the landscape seems barren in places, this still has its own beauty. We rode along the Columbia River and vast wheat fields. We had a long climb 20 miles up route 37 to Pendelton. It was a quiet road so we could enjoy the scenery without worrying too much about the traffic.

I arrived in camp around 230 PM and Hank got in around 3PM. I did stop for a cold chocolate milk which tasted sooo good after riding.

Today 3 cyclists Rubin Vyn, Nick Ellens and someone else went back to Sunnyside to pick up a package and than will bike all the way to Pendleton. All of them are very strong riders. We pray they will make it into camp in good time and have a safe trip.

Hank and I both are tired after the ride but also feel good that we have completed another day without accidents or flat tires. Hank is riding strong and people are noticing he is doing better and spinning his legs more which will help him not to tire to easily. People are encouraging.

This morning Alida VanDyk awarded Hank his PHD certificate for climbing Stevens Pass. Hank really appreciated this as Alida rode with him up the steep mountain pass. He says it was his greatest achievement and was much harder to do than his Phd. He also says he does not want to be held accountable for things he says on this tour. I think he is enjoying himself even though he is working harder and doing something he has never done before.

People are amazed and admire Hank for doing what he is doing.

Pastor Louis Bosma being apprehended for speeding on his bike by the Washington state trooper

Hank and I at a rest stop along the Columbia River

The kitchen crew enjoying the scenery along the Columbia River.

Joan Doorensplet and Dora VanderWoude in the vast wheat fields.

Joan and I at the Oregon border 1 state down 15 to go and 1 province.

Day 7, Sunday in Kennewick

Today was another perfect day. Lots of sun and 90 degree dry temperature. We had a beautiful service organized by the Kennewick CRC church. My guess is we had over 600 people from various CRC churches in the area. Pastor Dan Wolters gave great message and challenged people to make a difference and get engaged in helping others. Pastor Dan had a great vision and understanding of what the tour represented and communicated that to the audience. We had a good time of praising the Lord through singing. After the worship service the church also had prepared a delicious meal for everyone present.

At the worship service we saw Jeff and Missy Bos and their three children who had just arrived back from Bangladesh to night before. Jeff’s parents Yakima and Missy’s parents from Grand Rapids were also there.

In the afternoon we had opportunities to do various water activities. I choose to go to a pool with 18 people and Hank choose to stay in camp and visit and relax.. The pool was just what we needed. There was also a zip line there which I tried. I had never done anything like that but thought here is my chance. Everyone that went to the pool tried it.

I have attached a few pictures of the days activities. I also appreciate the bed provided to Hank and I by Henry Lee’s family in Kennewick and the use of the pool by the Rosendals. All together the day was great. It gave the cyclists an opportunity to relax and enjoy quiet time. Just what the Lord ordered for the day of rest. Lots of people commented about how they really now appreciate what a day of rest means.
In the evening we held our peleton meeting. On Saturday it was reported there were 31 flats and 3 accidents. We probably will have more flats on rainy days.

Worship service in Kennewick
The Bos family
Sunday afternoon relaxing in the pool and cooling off. What a treat. We are truly blessed
Diane Slofstra on the zip line . Even I tried this.

Day 7, Sunday in Kennewick

Today was another perfect day. Lots of sun and 90 degree dry temperature. We had a beautiful service organized by the Kennewick CRC church. My guess is we had over 600 people from various CRC churches in the area. Pastor Dan Wolters gave great message and challenged people to make a difference and get engaged in helping others. Pastor Dan had a great vision and understanding of what the tour represented and communicated that to the audience. We had a good time of praising the Lord through singing. After the worship service the church also had prepared a delicious meal for everyone present.

At the worship service we saw Jeff and Missy Bos and their three children who had just arrived back from Bangladesh to night before. Jeff’s parents Yakima and Missy’s parents from Grand Rapids were also there.

In the afternoon we had opportunities to do various water activities. I choose to go to a pool with 18 people and Hank choose to stay in camp and visit and relax.. The pool was just what we needed. There was also a zip line there which I tried. I had never done anything like that but thought here is my chance. Everyone that went to the pool tried it.

I have attached a few pictures of the days activities. I also appreciate the bed provided to Hank and I by Henry Lee’s family in Kennewick and the use of the pool by the Rosendals. All together the day was great. It gave the cyclists an opportunity to relax and enjoy quiet time. Just what the Lord ordered for the day of rest. Lots of people commented about how they really now appreciate what a day of rest means.
In the evening we held our peleton meeting. On Saturday it was reported there were 31 flats and 3 accidents. We probably will have more flats on rainy days.