End of week 5

Eric will be doing the blog today!  So I have no clue what format he will use so you’ll just have to live with however he writes.

Hi, Eric here, as Joel said I am doing the blog for today.  It is 11:17 am on Sunday morning, July 28, 2013.  I am writing the blog beside a small pond in a city park in Coralville, Iowa.  Yesterday we biked 95 miles from Central College in Pella, Iowa to Coralville, Iowa.  Thanks to a slight tailwind for most of the day we rolled up and down the many, many, many hills on the route. 

We had a pancake breakfast in Sully about 15 miles into the ride.  Many of us did not eat breakfast when we left Pella so we could feel in some small way what it feels like to be poor and “live on empty.”  A big thank you to the church in Sully for a great breakfast!  Breakfast was a pleasant, but quick stop because we still had 80 miles to ride. 

We rode through several small Iowa towns that popped up through the corn and soybean fields.  At the community building next to one of our SAG stops in Parnell they were preparing for a wedding that evening.  I had to wonder where all the people were coming from for the wedding because it was a very small town at a corner in the road with just a bar, post office, and a community building with several houses around.  I walked into the little post office with another rider to mail a couple of postcards.  From the looks of the post office it seemed that everyone in the town went to pick up their mail from a mail cubby inside rather than having the mail delivered to a mail box by their house.

Up and down the hills we pedaled on.  Cows and horses in the fields along the road stared at us as we rode by.  Many large farm houses were built beside small ponds.  At one of the next SAG stops we had a delicious piece of Dutch cake made by one of the SAG van drivers.  So good!!!  It was just enough to give our taste buds a kick and keep us going for the next 30 miles of rolling hills into camp. 

I arrived in camp at about 3 pm.  It was a bit windy and cool so after showering at the local community recreation facility I put on my jeans for the first time on the tour along with a long sleeve shirt and blue Sea to Sea hooded sweatshirt.  The cooler weather feels good and more like home in Michigan compared to the heat of the desert that we experienced early on in the tour. 

In the afternoon before dinner new riders started to arrive.  We are gaining 22 new riders this week.  Wow! 

Dinner was spaghetti and garlic bread with chocolate pudding for desert.  As evening settled in many riders walked into town, but a few, including myself, settled down and fell asleep by 9:30 pm.  We were tired out after a long day and six days of riding during the week. 

Thank God for a day of rest today!  We had a pancake breakfast this morning and lunch will be at the city park here in camp.  At 5:30 pm we will join will New Life church for a celebration church service with dinner to follow.  The evening will wrap up with peloton, our large group meeting, and the next week will soon begin tomorrow with another fun, yet long ride. 

Michigan, here we come! 

And now some pictures...

 Bike windmill sculpture in downtown Pella

 Personal Energy Transportation (PETS) wheelchairs for disabled people being tried by numerous bikers

 Mom and dad got stuck waiting for the "Tractor Parade" to pass them by on the road.

Some people were wondering who passed who, the riders passing the tractors or the tractors passing the riders.  I think it flip flopped depending on the wind and up/down hills...

 Part of our camp set-up in Coralville, Iowa.  Here for the weekend!

Most of Week 5

Eric says " The pie has been GREAT in Iowa...  the pie has been REALLY GOOD in Iowa".  Enough said there!

Eric getting pie from a guy that we talked to about SeatoSea...  Worthwhile stop don't you think?

Sorry we didn't take very many pictures this week...  I myself simply thought that corn fields without end is something that can be expressed in just about one picture...

Probably one of the coolest things I saw in Iowa, maybe (hopefully) I just wasn't paying attention the rest of the time...  Which is probably true.  Those hills made for some slow riding and plenty of solid thinking time!

As I said before, corn fields without end.  But I guess you can see a few tree lines between fields.

Friday July 26
I guess I might as well do today as well...  Saves me forgetting to do it later!  Last night it rained.  Eric and I have discovered previously to last night that our tent suffers in the rain and wind...  So we got wet.  As a result we were the last riders to leave camp (at 8:15ish) and also the last to finish.  Good thing it was a short and sunny ride so we were able to set out our stuff in Pella to dry.  But mid-ride (about mile 35?) we stopped at a church in Knoxville for some spectacular watermelon, pie, and cookies/bars leftover from RAGBRAI which had passed through only one or two days ago.  We made it quite a stop and I think those 6 cookies really helped me push it up some hills for the last 15 miles.  Here in Pella we walked around town and did our laundry (using machines!  Not in the shower today!) before having an excellent buffet supper at the cafeteria of Central College.  Celebration service outside after supper and then time to ourselves to likely get to bed on time for tomorrow's 95 mile ride...  Oh, and John had his 11th and 12th flats today!  So without further ado, I'm hitting the sack; or rather, as often happens it will probably hit me first.
4 flats and 0? falls

Thursday July 25

Pretty good day today!  Breakfast with the church was great I hear.  Eric for sure had a superb time eating whatever pies were leftover from last night…  75 miles seems to be getting easier and easier as the weeks go along.  Or maybe we just didn’t have wind and tons of hills today like we have for the last week or so…  Eric, a few other people, and I stopped and talked to a guy who asked us if we were lost RAGBRAI riders and while talking he offered us fresh pie!  Couldn’t say no to that!!  The rest of the day has been passing normally, showers, laundry, and people competing for wifi wherever it is available! 

6 flats and 1 fall (between today and yesterday)

Wednesday July 24

Halfway done according to number of days!  Wow the time has been flying.  Just realizing that most of these people I will probably never see again is just a crazy thought…  Otherwise the day passed rather uneventfully until supper.  We stayed at a great state park campground and that weekend the only church in town was having a large fundraising event began by homemade pies and ice cream at the park Wednesday night…!  It goes without saying that we all made our way across the campground to their location for some amazing dessert!

? flats and 0 falls (look at Thursday…)

Tuesday July 22

Biked from Nebraska to Iowa today!  On the way to Waubonsie State Park we stopped on the bridge over the Missouri River and at the Lewis and Clark Museum.  A description in the museum depicted a hard life…  Waking up, packing up, heading out for the day’s adventure, setting up camp, and going to bed.  Sounds oddly familiar if you ask me!  Hard day today with quite a bit of ups and downs and a strong headwind for the last 10 miles and a 300 ft climb to the finish.

4 flats and 0 falls

Beginning of Week 5

Monday – July 22

Day was fairly relaxed as people realized that today would be a relatively short, easy day and it was!  We were able to take a hard-packed gravel bike trail about 20 miles out of the 50 that took us away from the bustle of the highway and brought us into the country (lots of corn fields).  As I am typing I am learning how to hunt a deer with a bow from the day camp meeting in the same building as I’m in.  Tonight we will be slowed to stay in the air conditioned main building of the camp (Camp Oasis Bible Camp near Firth, NE).  Wondering what’s for supper tonight…  Somehow us Stehouwers have gotten the reputation of early in line (starting the line 10-15 minutes early) for supper.

The tan line on my thigh!  It's starting to look pretty impressive, but looks more "contrasty" in real life...

Sunday – July 21

Pancake breakfast!!  I learned that when they have extra pancakes if you ask for two both cooks will gladly give you two, leaving you with double than you asked for…  Let’s just say that we aren’t allowed to go hungry!  And then after church we were given lunch, which even after second helpings by many still ended up with us leaving with enough food for supper as well.  People spent the afternoon going to a State Historic monument nearby town, going to Walmart, or using the wifi at McDonalds.  We, as bikers, really appreciate having the day off each week!

 Desert and some of the salads for lunch at church

3-4 tables full of noodle salad things, pulled pork sandwiches, and lots more!

Also, a hungry Peter that went up for at least 3rds!  He thinks it'll help make him more aerodynamic...

Saturday – July 20

People have agreed that today was much harder than it should have been.  Due to a number of possible reasons including rain, headwinds, hills, being the day after a Century Ride, and simply the 6^th day of riding in a row!  Some riders were delayed by thunder and lightning in a small restaurant for up to 2 hours!  I guess I lucked out this time by only getting a little rain and some wind.  The gym in the park was opened for our use but unfortunately the flies followed us in at night (many of them found this to be a mistake and haven’t moved from around my sleeping area…).  Otherwise we had a slow late afternoon and evening while looking forward to not waking up early and not biking the next day!

Week 4 Monday through Friday

Sorry, we haven’t had access to wifi since Sunday night…  I’m learning how difficult it is to try and keep this type of thing updated!  Also, my dad suggested I put more recent (chronological) events towards the top of the page.  So if you find yourself reading backwards in time just take it as a cool experience or something?  Sorry this is only from my perspective; John is using facebook if you want to check out what he’s been doing on it (which I honestly don’t have any idea of).

Friday

Today we crossed from Kansas into Nebraska with no noticeable difference, just a bumpier road and the same small towns and scenery (wheat, corn, and grass fields for miles).  But!  Today was our second century ride (100+ miles long) of the tour!!!  Also, a church supplied us with some fantastic baked goods about mile 22 and then a small town burger stand gave us each a free ice cream cone near mile 68!  What a great day!  Until the last kilometer (I was riding with a Canadian…).  When suddenly we found ourselves in a torrential downpour and facing head/side/shifting winds that buffeted us around on the lane we claimed.  Some sections of road (tire paths and edges) were under 1” deep running water and the rain came down so hard it hurt any skin it hit.  Anything outside at camp got soaked (people’s tents, pillows, and sleeping bags).  Apparently if we had gone maybe ½ hour slower we would have encountered only a few sprinkles like Larry and Sherry among multiple others.  Thankfully the community building was promptly opened up for us to sleep in overnight (and it’s air conditioned!)

5 flats and 2 falls

 Church sign for baked goods stop!  It's awesome to see signs made to welcome us as Sea to Sea!

Today we rode past the geographical center of the continental US...  Wow we've come a long ways!  Over half way already...  Woah, just realized that.

Thursday

What an amazing day!!!  Winds were similar to yesterday (20 mph up to 40) but today were almost a direct tailwind!  My (Joel’s) group averaged over 19 mph for the 72 mile ride, finishing well before lunchtime.  Our host tonight was Prairie Dog State Park in Kansas.  Really nothing else to say…  It was such a fast ride and then slow relaxing day at the park.

0 flats and 0 falls (1 flat overnight but they decided to count it as yesterday’s…)

Apparently John and now also Adam require no tent to sleep at night...

Wednesday

Today I rode with my mom and dad which requires patience and is mentally taxing in different ways than biking with other (faster) bikers.  It was still a good day for a relaxed ride due to a less than average distance day and the strong crosswinds the entire day.  Winds were said to be 20 mph with gusts up to 40! 

10 flats and 1 fall

Who would have thought that people could draft a tractor thing at 25 mph!  I couldn't even catch up to take a picture!

Eric and his new girlfriend!  What do you think?  Look good together?

Actually, I have no idea what day this was...

Tuesday

Today (I) Joel tried to keep up with Eric…  Big mistake!  Eric kept a very impressive pace of about 20-22 mph for 2 hours while fighting some crosswinds on I-70 East and then promptly died around mile 45.  We had pretty nice weather the entire day apart from strong crosswinds for the last 10 miles.  In order to use I-70 we were required to pay a $700 fee (because we were an event…) which gave us a police “escort” for the whole 40 miles we were on it.  Any governmental people involved sure learned that we don’t all stick nicely together the whole ride…

12 flats and 0 falls

An example of our daily "Peloton: meeting

Monday

Today we were following Mark Kiemel’s “favorite” route out of Colorado Springs…  In other words it was very (probably unnecessarily) hilly.  The morning started off cool and a little wet but about 10 miles in we were all (for those of us that did that is…) glad that we wore long sleeves.  The next 25 miles were cold, wet, misty, and a little windy.  After 35 miles or so the sky cleared up and it became very nice and sunny for the rest of the ride.

12 flats and 1 fall

 Funnel cloud near the top of Pike's Peak.  At the same time 5 guys are getting near the top (by bike!)

4000 ft of climbing with grades up to 20% (I think that's right)

Hiding from the rain while eating supper in Colorado Springs...  under the kitchen truck looks like a good spot!

Sunday

Day spent in Colorado Springs at Garden of the Gods', Pike's Peak, and stores like REI/Target/Walmart.  John spoke during church about a "God Moment" he experienced last week and we were fed afterwards by the congregation of Cragmor Church (CRC).  Otherwise a great day for relaxation.  And for those of who who know him, I talked to Austin Johnson on Saturday!  Wow, four years can bring a lot of change (physical here, he got tall!)

But it’s 10:00 pm (well, now 10:20) here and I’m one of the last few people up…  So I’m heading to bed.  I hear that we will be staying in a small town for the weekend (presumably it is at least big enough to have a McDonald’s!?)  So night!  And hope everything is going as great for all you guys as it is for us.  We may have some things to feel sorry for ourselves occasionally but really we have an awesome life on the tour!

Hot chocolate after rainy descent
Thunderstorms Colorado springs

Sherry is finally going to write our blog!!  Well, dictate it to me as I write, so if the person changes just go with it.  The “I” in this refers to Sherry, not me.

Wednesday, July 12

Phew!  What a day today was!!  We (Larry and Sherry) started riding at 6:30 am and right off the bat had to climb for 20 miles…  Sherry used her lowest gear and averaged 4.4 mph.  Eric, John and Joel averaged about 12.  It took Larry and me until 11:00 am to get to the top of the Cumbres Toltec Pass at 10,022 ft elevation!  The scenery was beautiful as we crossed from New Mexico into Colorado.  As we (Sherry and Larry) started the descent it began to rain and soon it really poured.  We were afraid to descend without hugging our brakes every few seconds.  We were splashed by passing cars and it was difficult to see the bumps in the road due to the wind, rain, and even hail!  By the time we got to the bottom Sherry was shivering from the cold and unable to shift adequately.  We stopped at a gift shop for hot cocoa and apricot pie (but don’t tell the boys).  The rest of the ride passed fairly uneventfully except for the occasional rain and a crosswind for the last 14 miles.  Also, we missed out on the fresh chocolate chip cookies back at camp because we came in too late (4:45 pm)…  I am definitely working harder than I ever have before while Larry has been learning to be very patient.

Great view over a mountain valley during the climb! 

Yes, we did bike all the way up here, 10,230 ft!  Now to go down!

Thursday, July 11 - Alamosa Rec Center -> Chaffee County Fairgrounds (Poncha Springs)

Today’s ride was ~80 miles with most of it very flat along US 285 N.  The scenery really didn’t change much at all…  We were in a wide valley between the nearby mountains.  The excitement was reading the extra terrestrial signs for the UFO watchtower, seeing the alien settlements, and passing a HUGE field of solar panels.  Near the end of the ride we pedaled over Poncha Springs Pass with a long, fast (over 35 mph) descent.  It was a spectacular end to the ride!  We spent the evening in a 4-H animal barn (empty of animals for the time being).

Alien settlement!  Even with a giant X in the sky to mark the spot!

An example of a sight at the Alamosa Rec Center...

Friday, July 12 – CC Fairgrounds -> The Abbey (Canon City)

Joel, Larry, and Sherry rode together today into the nearby town of Salida where we saw the river some cyclists (including Joel) had floated down yesterday.  We saw a pink, black spotted beetle car (VW Bug) and a few other interesting vehicles.  Today’s ride was on US 50 East, a curvy road between rocky hills following the Arkansas River.  This was my (Sherry’s) favorite ride so far even though we were unable to make a detour to see the Royal Gorge Bridge due to a recent wildfire (disasters have started to occur before we visit places now…  Dave Naberhuis).  Tonight’s stay is on the grounds of a historic monastery.  We ended up sleeping on the floor of the gymnasium because of wind and threatening rain (not wanting to further endanger our already hurting tents…)

Saturday, July 13 – The Abbey -> Colorado Springs Christian School

A new experience for us this morning, scrambled eggs!  Finally the “tilt skillet” in the kitchen truck is fixed (which is the device our meals were initially planned around…).  Thankfully today’s ride was short (a mere 50 miles!).  I very much enjoyed the downs, but not so much the ups because we continually went over large hills.  Joel had his first flat today but I forgot to take his picture as he was fixing it.  All of us have had one or more flats now, with John having as many as the rest of us combined!  We are sleeping inside again, in the hallways of the high school because it is “Monsoon Season” so it tends to be very windy overnight and often rains.  Sherry (along with many others of us) is definitely looking forward to the day off tomorrow!

Dad and Adam on the swings at the Winery (July 8)

July 6 – Century Ride!!

Today everyone woke up bright and early (as is normal now… sadly) and as we got ready it was announced to us that the day’s ride was cancelled (moved to Sunday) due to a washed out road and no alternate routes less than 160 miles…  So then most of us simply continued to eat breakfast and began pondering what we wanted to do with our extra day in Rehoboth.  Then a few minutes later we learned that a bypass was created especially for us! But that the road would be impassable by vehicles.  So we had maybe 15 miles with traffic and then a great 50 miles with virtually nothing!  Everyone on the tour that began the ride finished the ride, perhaps a tour first!?  Also, it was many peoples’ first “Century Ride” (any ride exceeding 100 miles) including Joel and John!

10 flats and 2 falls

John Noordhof (guy with smugmug pics) standing next to washed out road area!

Washed out road filled in with dirt where I am standing.

Hard to see but the road collapsed about 3 ft down, with the ravine about 10 ft deep...

For you civil engineers! (Mark and Anna)

Hail/Rain/Thunder Storm in Rehoboth (they hadn't had rain for 8 months prior!)

July 7 – Sunday…  Much deserved day of rest

Slow start to the morning (until we learned that we had French toast for breakfast) so Joel and John were standing first and second in line 10 minutes before the food was ready…!  Church service mainly in English but with a few songs in Navajo at Bethel Christian Reformed (or something like that) in Shiprock, NM.  Lunch provided by the church, taco-like toppings on fried flatbread, definitely a great meal!  Then a relaxing day of sitting around until the shuttles to the nearby pool starting at 6. 

Anyone read Navajo?  I forgot what song this is...

July 8 – Monday

Day began quite early regardless of an expectedly (and reasonably) easy ride today.  Almost (if not) everyone got into camp before 12 (lunchtime).  Very relaxing day at “Wines of San Juan” (winery) culminating in tours (and tasting) for those of us over 21.  I (Joel) decided that I do not like the taste of wine at all, it must be an acquired taste?  Debate came up over where the camp and winery boundary line was due to a rule of “no alcohol consumption in camp”.  Supper was too good!  Many of us overfilled our plates (and consequently our tummies)!

10 flats and 3 falls

July 9 – Tuesday 

Ouch!  What a doosie (however you spell that…)  Almost 90 miles going continually up and down quite large hills.  Total elevation increase was 6000 ft with downhills of a mere 4000 ft.  Not to mention the unexpectedly strong headwinds for the last 15 miles or so…  Joel, Sherry, and Larry were concerned that they would miss the beginning of supper (which was delayed for the 20 or so people that hadn't made it in by 5, thankfully).  I think that everyone agreed that today had been the hardest day yet of the tour, including the late (but justifiable) arrival of the gear truck at 6 pm.  Also, John fell today!  Something about the combination of going uphill, a lacking road shoulder, and eating a smoothie...  I personally find it funny ( but maybe John doesn't.)

July 10 – Wednesday – The Pass!

Today began with a 21 mile long climb of 3000 ft to a pass through the mountains into Colorado.  Followed by an intense race down the other side (7 miles) on which many people averaged over 30 mph (with a good dose of the brakes)!  Including the open range cattle and sharp curves it made for an exciting ride!  Some people even had to “scare” (is it wise to actually scare a cow) a baby cow out of the lane they were travelling down at ~30 mph!  After the steep descent we had a slow but steady downhill finish for the last 35-40 miles.  Today, unexpectedly enough, the wind was relatively behind us!  What a great change of pace!  On the other hand, I hear that Larry and Sherry had to fight their way through some hail while climbing, thankfully most of us avoided anything similar!

Can you tell that we are now in Colorado?  Hint, it's not a desert anymore!

The tour is going great still, apart from very much hurting seats...  Why can't someone find a way to make bike saddles comfortable?!?!  Supper is in 30 minutes, so I'm heading out to find my dishes and get in line before everyone else thinks to!  And I'm gonna make Sherry (my mom...) write the blog this weekend, so look forward to it!

Week 2... I got behind...

June 30 – Sunday in Payson

Today we went to “Shepherd of the Pines Evangelical Lutheran Church” which is located right behind the high school we were staying at.  It was really cool to experience a different tradition/style of worshipping God and the view of the mountains through the windows behind the pastor was amazing (and I’ll admit a little bit distracting…).  Lunch was at the church and was exceptional! 

July 1 – Monday in Payson (Oh Canada day)

Last day off before re-beginning the planned tour!  In the morning we woke up early to get ready for tomorrow and took a 12(?) mile bike ride to a nearby river which we spent a great majority of the day at.  It was definitely a good way to get our legs moving in preparation of Tuesday after not having biked since Thursday.  During peloton we sang “Oh Canada” to keep the Canadians happy…  Which I didn’t know the words or tune to but oh well!

July 2

Intense climb today of about 3000 ft!  Great practice for when we hit more mountains in the future.  The Stehouwer family was very spread out for this ride, having left camp at different times and also riding at different speeds (in the range of 4-10 mph on the climb).  Camp was in a high school gym and while providing showers, did not quite live up to expectations (scolding hot in the guys’ and freezing cold in the women’s)…  But it was still a good day with leftovers (and fruit as dessert?) for supper.

14 flats and 2 falls

July 3 – St. Johns

Today was a superb day!  My (Joel’s) group’s average speed was easily 20 mph…  I think that everyone had a great day and ride today.  Better yet was the pool in the park that we were staying at for the night.  It was fully equipped with a 1 ft deep pool (which none of us used), a diving board, and a high dive!  You would not believe some of the methods we learned to make the biggest splash (and have the most fun).  After swimming we had supper, peloton, small groups, and then a free outdoor movie.  Maybe about half of the cyclists stayed up to watch “American Tails” with people from the St. Johns community.

9 flats and 1 fall

July 4 – Independence Day (for the Americans)

Day began at 4:15 with an Iphone alarm that the owner slept through and didn’t end until 4:20.  But the rest of the day got much better!   The day actually began at 5:00 with a noise very similar to a cannon being fired…  The town of St. Johns prides itself on its ownership of and use of a cannon on every fourth of July to celebrate American Independence (and make some unsuspecting people jump pretty good!).  Most cyclists got into camp before 12:00 and then had a relaxing (and touristy) day at Zuni Mission Christian School and the surrounding area.  It was really interesting learning about the Zuni culture and way of life.

2 flats and 1 fall

July 5 – Zuni to Rehoboth

Quite a short ride today!  We began the day an hour later than usual (and got confused about the time change) but still finished just after 12:00.  The last 4 miles or so of the ride were spent on Route 66, which meant that our average speed dropped quite significantly due to picture taking…  About 2:30 a storm came and brought thunder, rain, and even hail.  For some reason it seems we bring rain (and normally a good amount of wind) to whatever community we stay overnight at.  As of now, at 3:15 the rain is still coming down.  Thankfully most of us decided to set up camp inside Rehoboth Christian High instead of sleeping outside in tents (that hopefully are unscathed).  As a fun little fact, I (Joel) took a fall when turning out of a café parking lot by unclipping my right foot, stopping, and then leaning left…  No damage to me or my bike, simply quite embarrassing.

6 flats  and 2 falls

 Eric after a good (and hot) day's ride.  This was in Quartzsite, last week Thursday

Hard to see from the picture just how big this hill was, but yeah, we went up that!

For those of you to whom this would be an icon, this is today on Route 66

Hard to tell, but it was so windy some people stood in the rain to keep their tent on the ground...

PS:  if you want to see a whole lot of pictures from Sea to Sea, not necessarily taken by someone you know...  but go to "johnhenry64.smugmug.com"!  He is a pastor at a church in Canada and I (Joel) have been riding with him most days. Or just copy and paste "http://johnhenry64.smugmug.com/Religion/Sea-to-Sea/27520369_rtFTg6#!i=2316185802&k=NtQXKgX" and it should bring you to his site!

I'm trying to convince my mom to write some but she hasn't yet...  Anyone really want to hear from her somehow get ahold of me and I'll keep trying!

Pictures from Second Half of First Week

 Air conditioned halls, no matter what size are always welcome in the desert.  Quartzsite, AZ

Boarding the bus from Quartzsite, AZ to Payson, AZ due to extreme (almost record breaking heat)

 Method used by many cyclists used to fight the heat...  Swimming and other sorts of frolicking in nearby rivers.  Payson, AZ

Today, July 2, looking and riding downhill after having biked up 6% slopes for up to 20 miles...  Downhill stretches are very much appreciated!