seatoseastehouwers

Thanks and Praise God

2008-09-12T17:32:00.002-04:00

I believe now that we have exceeded our goal of $30,000. Going into this I was intimidated by just raising $10,000 for just one participant. God totallly surprised us and more than tripled that. God is at work here and now. What a joy it is to work with Him - meeting so many great people and having so much fun! Thank God! Encore!

August 29, 2008

2008-09-02T13:50:00.003-04:00

Today we rode 82 miles from Lackawana State PArk to Sussex. Breakfast was 1/2 an hour early for this big, hilly day. I think that this may have been the hardest day of the tour for me. I rode with Annette all day which was absolutely great. It was like riding with a hilarious, fun-loving sister. This morning at about 10 am we got free fudge samples at a general store that we hung out at for like 1 hour. I ate to much of my lunch right then because I think my stomach was doing more work digesting than my legs were doing pedaling in all this hilly country. We stopped at Susies's Canday Shop, a little pink candy shop with pink picnic tables outside, and got a free Bailey Irish Creme for mentioning Sea to Sea. I felt so much better after that chocolate. It was so good! I think I released some chocolate endorphins. Walter also had chocolate truffles at his stop. We biked two really high points today. We climbed 1.5 miles off route to High Point in High Point State PArk in New Jersey. What a view! We stopped at a local bakery in Sussex for Smash pie and scones. Sussex CRC gave us the full potluck spread for dinner tonight. Thanks so much. Last day tomorrow.

August 28, 2008

2008-09-02T13:36:00.002-04:00

Today we rode 57 miles from Binhampton to Lackawana State PArk, PA. We moved from NY into PA today. It was another one of the most beautiful rides that I have been on. I would love to come back to PA or NY to hike or canoe or bum around. The route was auite hilly the last 10 miles, very steep and fun. We camp down a hill once to a very beautiful, placid lake that stood still in time. I talked to a senior in high school who works at the state park renting boats. He loves to mountain bike in the state park and go downhill skiing around here. More talk about the end of the ride in peleton. Yikes! 3 different police escorts the last day, shuttles, etc. Many people are joining us for dinner the last day at a local church, friends and family of cyclists. We stopped at a sweet bike shop in New Milford. I have never seen so much stuff packed into such a small place. It definitely had character. I wouldn't mind running a bike shop like that some day. At a coffee shop in town I had a stellar cranberry-orange muffin. Hans rode Claire's 3 wheeler for the last 10 miles and Claire rode Hans' two wheeler. I don't think he knew that all those big, steep hills were coming. Suppossed to be a skreamer tomorrow. So excited! Tonight we celebrate communion for the last time in peleton. The state park here has great pizza and ice cream.

August 29 Friday: Lackawana State Park, PN to Sussex, NJ

2008-08-29T22:31:00.008-04:00

Hi from Larry. We had a great bike ride today. Overcast and occassional morning misty rains. Some steep hills - I hear an early climb in the day was about 14% grade and that one was hard on me, all I can do is try to keep the pedals turning and huff and puff rapidly. Other ones went well, some even fast. The rolling terrain and I get along fine and speedy sometimes. Supposedly we climbed and rolled down about 7000 vertical feet over 86 miles. This helped us remember our mountain climbing out west. We needed a little more climbing after the last peak so we went up 400 more feet to the monument in High Point State Park, also climbing about 270 steps in the tower. It got hot toward the top and the views were only out small closed windows (the patio area at ground level was better). This is the highes point in NJ at about El 1600 feet I think. At High Point you can see NJ, NY, and PN. We had great sag stops from our sag teams and a CRC church greeted us at the top of the last mountain at High Point with much needed drinks, cookies, oranges and watermelon. Nice to see Ruth Herringa and grand kids there, as they waited for daughter/mom to bike in. So we had energy for the last few climbs Mark and I ate at a Milford Diner on the east side of town (gyro and a BLT). NJ's afternoon weather gave us a bit of sunshine and humidity (we started with 50 F, ended at about 88 F, reminding us of the warm to hot days out west and in the midwest. A highlight was Clove Brook Market and Bakery as we entered Sussex 1.8 miles before the school. First we had a couple scones, then a summer smash pie (thank you for that!) that we shared with about 8 including Eric, Heidi and Denise, and we tried two danishes and an almond roll. Wow was this all good! The Sussex and Goshen CRC churches hosted us tonight for dinner - burgers and hot dogs plus 100 +/- salad/casseroles and baked goods. Meals on the road in camp and by host are GREAT. Thanks to every church hosting us - that is one of the highlights of the tour we will always remember - God bless you as you have blessed us. We played "Cycle bingo" as part of our last peloton - we were not winners. In that game we learned who wore the same bike clothes for 3 days (without washing it), who had no flats, who had more that five flats, who did a volunteer activity, etc. Parting thanks were spoken to all support staff, sags, nurses, chaplian and others (even Johnny who alwas with a loud voice reminded us "lets do something beautiful". Tomorrow we do out last 60 miles to reach Liberty Island State Park for the Atlantic tire dip and conclusion of the tour. Bitter sweet, good byes to many new friends, now about to rejoin family, bikes that may not get ridden frequently, soggy gear from dew and what we exhale (it is raining tonight). Hope to post more pictures of these great things soon. God is good, all the time! We are so thankful we could participate in this bike tour and support ending the cycle of poverty.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

2008-08-27T18:22:00.002-04:00

Today we rode 76 miles form Romulus to Binghampton through some of the most beautiful New York country ever – finger lakes, hills, rivers, and forests. Gotta come back to New York someday to enjoy these forests and waterways. The ride was absolutely beautifully gorgeous. We left camp at 7:30 am and arrived at 2:30 pm. The day was another cool air, warm, sunshiny day. At the end of the day Valley CRC surprised us with donuts, chips, and water right across from the school that we were staying at. I played with Ed’s 2 little kids for an hour in camp this afternoon throwing tennis balls around on the tennis courts. Oh the joys of being a kid. Tonight we are having a special New York menu – speedies (marinated chicken and pork sandwiches), some other stuff, and ice cream. In fact it is happening right now. Time to chow down.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

2008-08-27T18:04:00.003-04:00

Today we rode 76 miles from Byron to Southwoods RV Park. It was quite a hilly day. We must be getting to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Upstate New York is a beautiful place to ride with not so busy roads, smooth roads, and wide shoulders and beautiful scenery with rivers, finger lakes, and lots of trees. A local CRC brought out lunch to us at a farm along the route. We had sloppy joes, ice cream bars, fruit, and lots of other homemade goodies. We spent 2 hours at this lunch stop just eating, napping, and socializing. The air was cool but the sunshine was warm, perfect weather for riding. We arrived in camp at 4:30 pm and played on the sweet playground equipment at Sampson State Park. The park is on one of the finger lakes of New York. The lake is the view from the door of our tents, so beautiful. I ate dinner sitting right on the edge of the water. Tonight we reflected on the significance of the tour for us in our small groups. The things that stand out to me are the people, the scenery, and the day to day lifestyle, sometimes pedal to pedal lifestyle. Some big questions are – What has this trip meant to you? What was your motivation for going on the tour? What has been tugging and pulling at your heart? God knows. This questions will take some thought and reflection especially when the tour all of a sudden ends. I am so grateful for this experience. I never thought I would get to know so many people on this tour, especially so many Canadian college students. It has been lots of fun.
Last night at Southwoods RV park a group of campers came out and played some music for us on their cello, violin, and keyboard. We got some good old swing dancing going and ate lots of s’mores.

Monday, August 25, 2008

2008-08-25T20:23:00.003-04:00

Monday, August 25, 2008

Today we biked 76 miles from St. Catherines, Ontario to Byron, New York at an RV park with a swimming pool. So guess what we did when we got into camp. We went swimming in the pool. It felt so good even though it was such a beautiful, bright, sun-shiny cooler day that we thank God for. Breakfast was a half hour early this morning because we had to cross the border from Canada into the U.S. today across Rainbow Bridge. Rainbow bridge is right near Niagara Falls and has a beautiful view of the falls as we crossed the bridge. The border crossing was completely smooth. We cycled through just like we were crossing a normal bridge because the border patrol was surprised at how organized that we were. Upstate New York is beautiful country to cycle through with forests, cabbage fields, and corn fields. We stopped at a small restaurant/driving range for lunch. We took quite a few swings at some golf balls. It was only $3.50 for a small bucket of about 30-40 balls. So much fun and such a good break. We actually had no snack stops today. We missed them very much but when you don’t have to stop the biking day really flies by because your free to just keep riding. We arrived in camp at 4 pm and had spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, and fruit for dinner after we went swimming in the pool. We are not having small groups after peleton tonight and are instead having a campfire. The campground brought over a bunch of wood to us with a tractor so we could have a fire. We are even having s’mores. Yes! We are starting to thinking about the end. There is a lunch stop on a farm tomorrow by a local CRC. In peleton tonight Chaplain Len called forward all those who are going back to school to pray for them. Thanks Len. I don’t really want to think about the end and I don’t know if it will really hit me until we get back home. There will be a lot of reflection to do if things don’t turn around too quickly. I just want to thank God for pouring out His blessings on this awesome experience.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

2008-08-25T20:17:00.002-04:00

The churches in St. Catherine's served a phenomenal breakfast this morning! The meal consisted of tons of mixed fruit, granola and yogurt, and quiche (however you spell it). Quiche is a dutch dish of scrambled eggs with meat and vegetables in like a pie crust - very good. So after breakfast, I, Mark, needed to burn some time before the church service held at Maranatha Christian Reformed Church. Thankfully Art Smit challenged me to a duel in chess with a tile floor as the board and about 2 foot tall pieces. I was black, he was white. The battle started slow, Art taking only a few of my pawns, but then it became fierce, our pieces flying left and right. Sad to say, we had to finish our match without a winner because it was time for church, but I think Art would've won.
The official Sea to Sea rally started at 2pm in Queenston. There we had a "meet and greet" from 2-4pm. However, it was raining, quite hard at sometimes, so we all huddled together under trees and park shelters. Just as worship was about to start at 4pm, the rain immediately stopped. What an amazing act. You could really tell that God was at work. It had been overcast and rainy all day. David Raakman led worship with Brian Walsh speaking about the "fruits of the spirit" for our message. I don't know how many people attended, but it was a lot. All the rain umbrellas made it hard to count.
For supper they fed us hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, and pasta salad in the park. It was great, especially since we were all hungry after having only a light lunch this afternoon at the school.
We rode buses back to the school. Just when we arrived, Dale Mowry challenged me to a chess game. So, having to prove myself, I accepted. The match was back and forth, but eventually I gained an upper hand. However, peleton was starting so we had to end early. I guess it's just not meant for me to finish a chess game. At peleton we received instructions about tomorrow's border crossing into New York on the Rainbow Bridge near Niagara Falls. Hopefully it goes smooth. If anything, at least we'll get to look at the falls once again.
Well, that's all for now. I'm going to try and get some extra sleep for tonight before our last week. It's just amazing how fast time has gone by. Seems like only yesterday we all were arriving with our bags at the University of Washington.
Eric rode on the Maid of the Mist, a boat ride that takes you into the mist at
Niagara Falls, on Sunday morning with a local family and then joined the rest of camp at the celebration service.

St. Catherine's

2008-08-24T20:46:00.000-04:00

St. Catherines

2008-08-24T20:22:00.003-04:00

Saturday, August 23, 2008

2008-08-23T22:06:00.002-04:00

So pretty much I just lost the blog that i typed up for the day b/c we lost internet connection. So here is a summary...

last night:
bonfire with Peter's friends by Redeemer College at his friends' house
sight seeing from the Niagara Escartment at 11:30 pm at night
Thanks so much Peter.

Today:
Wake up at 6:40 am and decide to rush into camp today to go to a Toronto Blue Jay's game in the Roger Centre or Skydome.
Thanks to Brad and his family for taking us to the game, serving us dinner, and putting us up for the night

We have been so blessed on this tour. Blessed to be a blessing, eh. As one man who opened up his pool to us said, "You cannot out give God."

Last week ahead. It will be hard to say goodbye to friends made, maybe we can have a reunion in like 5 years and do it all again. Just kidding.

Well there was more detail and reflection but that was the just off what i lost typing up in the last 45 minutes or so. Wow has Canada blown us away with supporters cheering along the road, snack stops, etc. Thanks. I don't know how to show my appreciation other than enjoy the hospitality and say thanks and God bless.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

2008-08-23T21:07:00.003-04:00

Today we rode 47 miles from Hamilton to St. Catherines, Ontario. Last night after peleton Peter took a group of us college students on Sea to Sea to his friends' house for a bonfire for an hour. It was fun to hang out with some kids from Hamilton and here about Redeemer College and their lives here. That would be our normal lifestyle over the summer - working and hanging out on the weekends - but we are on this bike tour that I have no problem trading a summer for. In fact, I would gladly do it again but it would be nice to have a break too. Only one week left. So weird and crazy to think of. It will be so hard to say goodbye to all the friends I have made on this tour. It has been such a blessing and I greatly thank God for this opportunity. Life will turn around so quickly after the tour is done though with classes starting up again in a week for me (Eric) for my senior year, my dad going back to work, family, and soccer practice, and my brother Mark starting his first year at Calvin College right away on the Monday that we get back. After an hour at the campfire Peter took us to the Niagara Escarpment, a 500 km long cliff that that gives way to Niagara Falls at one point, that looks over the city of Hamilton at about 11:30 pm so it was pitch black except for the city lights below. We got into camp a little after midnight, the latest that I have been out yet but I knew that we had a short ride today so no worries.
I woke up this morning at 6:40 am. The night before I had heard some rumors about Brad taking a group of kids to a Blue Jays game. He had mentioned last night that they still had one more spot and encouraged me to go, but they were leaving at 7 am to get into camp today and be ready to go to the baseball game at 11:45 am. The baseball game was to start at 1 pm. This morning as I was climbing out of the tent I saw Brad and he asked me again if I wanted to go. After some quick deciding and second guessing and...yup...sure...I'll go. I left camp at 8 am with Theo to hit the road hard to be ready to leave for the game by 11:45 am. There were 5 planned stops along the way today with Tim Hourton's muffins and coffee and donuts, sandwiches, tons of homemade bread, cookies, and bars, and even vanilla ice cream with peaches in Grimsby because of a peach festival I think that was going on now. So amazingly, spectacularily scrumpuous. What a bad day to have to race to camp, but we squeezed in all the stops in excellent style and even packed some in our bike bags for later because we could not eat it right then on the road. We thank everyone along the route to day for all their preparation, planning, cooking, baking, and cheering. I thoroughly apologize however that we had to rush through the stops to get to the baseball game. I especially apologize too for trying to grab a freezie pop from a supporter on the run who was braced and ready to hand out freezie pops to riders on the go but missed it and had it splatter on myself and on the road. I felt so bad. But we had so much fun on our ride today pushing hard and eating hearty. It really made the ride fly by. We quick showered at Beacon Christian School and the headed off to the Toronto Blue Jays baseball game. We ended up arriving at 2 pm because of busy traffic but had a blast at the game anyway. It was so neat to drive into Toronto. It is such an exciting experience now to even ride in a car because we have been biking so much. You can go so fast in suc a short period of time with little to no effort. After the game we went Brad's house for dinner in Georgetown for hamburgers and salads and played so street hockey until it was dark. Again I was the only American out there playing hockey. I thank Brad's family so much for all their hositality - for taking us to the baseball game, serving us dinner, and putting us up for the night, and taking us to the celebration service in St. Catherines tomorrow which I encourage everyone in the area to attend. Georgetown is quite a beautiful small, hilly town. I kind of feel like hanging out with all these Canadian college students is kind of a cross-culture experience, but it is also so similar. Playing hockey is really just the thing to do around here. It is quite a family affair. Brad's sisters even came out to play with us. It has been such a joy traveling trough Canada with warm welcomes and cheering all along our routes. It will be a bummer to leave Canada. Thanks so much again! I don't know how to show my appreciation other than just to enjoy your hospitality and say thanks and God bless you for being such a blessing to us. I this trip I have seen and experienced God pouring out so many blessings on us to overflowing support and desserts.

Friday, August 22, 2008

2008-08-22T19:44:00.004-04:00

Today we rode 77 miles from London to Redeemer University in Hamilton, Ontario. There were probably like 8 snack stops along the way with various baked goods, fruit, and drinks. The main stop along the route was in Woodstock. It was a lunch stop with the full spread and sub sandwiches. Thanks so much to all the people generously gave their time and baking skills to encourage us along the way today. The Ontario countryside was beautiful and the roads were quite smooth and less traveled which made the day more relaxing and enjoyable. It has been lots of fun to see those on the tour from around here meet up with friends and family at our stops and along the route. Thanks especially to the Bentum's who fed us a delicious shepherd's pie, ice cream, and homemade cookies and put us up for the night last night. We really enjoyed this. Last night camp was in London at London Christian High School. We were absolutely blown away by there hospitality. In fact, they did such a good job that they even over fed us and had much left over which they said that they would donate to the mission. There were probably five long tables filled with desserts after a hamburger dinner in camp last night - ice cream, brownies, homemade bread and muffins, pies, goodie bars, etc. - pretty much whatever dessert you could think of. Wow, what support and what a warm welcome in Canada. People here in Canada have been so support and encouraging. They have really gone the extra mile, I mean kilometer, to make us feel welcome. Tonight we are at Redeemer University. Denise gave me a walking tour of campus. It looks like a fun place to attend college and has a very nice campus. Redeemer fed us dinner tonight. The kitchen staff has really been getting the break they deserve these past few days and I think they have more to look forward too. Some friends may give us a tour around Hamilton tonight. I am looking forward to the weekend in St. Catherines. We plan to visit Niagara Falls tomorrow night. I am skipping peleton right now to write this in Redeemer's library. Until next time...

Chatham to London

2008-08-21T18:15:00.002-04:00

Our tent was soaking wet this morning. Maybe it's the strong dew from the freezing cold of night up here in Canada, or perhaps its our heavy breathing after a long hard day of cycling. Either way, our tent was soaked. So what do you do, but simply pack it up for the morning and await with anticipation the time of reopening. Despite the soggy tent, our morning was a tad cold. Hot chocolate warmed me (Mark) up during breakfast and everything started to turn out all right. We got on the road by 8:00am to advance through this "Canadian wilderness" called Ontario. It's actually very much like the states with cornfields, soybeans, trees, and houses. The only thing different is that all the road signs read kilometers per hour. What in the world does that mean? And then there's this Tim Horton craze we, Americans, just can't understand. It's been a good experience so far though I'd have to say.
We had a headwind today, quite strong. I don't think Canada has tailwinds. I believe that Canada is simply all flat with the wind always blowing at you. That's okay though, because after seven weeks of cycling, I've started to develop some pretty strong muscles. I can plow through that wind. My dad is the one who really can though. he kept us going around 17-20mph the whole day. At first we (my dad and I) started out riding with Matt and Cheryl, two new riders who started in Grand Rapids. They stuck with us for about 35 miles until Walter's stop with his famous "Waltermelon."
Now, there was a "Sea to Sea Time Trial" going on today. You were supposed to sign up last night; we didn't. Well, the time trial started about 30 miles into the route, so what do we have to do, but "unofficially" do the time trial. We went fast, but not as fast as we could have. Actually, my dad was bursting with energy and I was worn out. I just didn't eat right this morning or something. Maybe it's just that I'm so full from all this food the Canadians are feeding us. They are amazing cooks.
AT mile 54 there was a church stop in Mt. Bridges. Here was spread before us a feast of roast beef, fruit, rice krispy treats, baked beans, etc. We ate like kings. The churches in Canada really know how to feed us. They have amazing hospitality which is just too good to be true. And, sorry to say since I'm American, I think that the Canadians have outdone the Americans so far. We'll see though once we get back into the US and into New Jersey. Anyways, the food was amazing at the church and then there were two stops later on in the route. The last one in London gave us watermelon and Canadian Dry Green Tea - pretty good stuff. Our welcome into London was tremendous. There were tons of people cheering us on with shouts and banners. People were out in their driveways cheering and waving us on. Riding through London reminded me of Grand Rapids. Canada really isn't that different I guess.
So, we arrived at the school. A crowd greeted us and so did the Bentums at their house near the school. We entered the parking lot and were immediately led to the food tables which were bursting and sagging under the weight of donuts, cookies, homemade bars, ice cream, chocolate/white milk, and pounds of fruit. I couldn't believe my eyes. We had just eaten lunch an hour or tow ago and now these Canadians were feeding us again. I think I'm going to burst! We still have supper tonight. It's going to be a barbecue. I don't know how long I can handle this, but somehow, I'll survive.

Our thanks to all the Canadians with their tremendous welcome and hospitality. We appreciate you for making us Americans feel like we're at home.

Eric's Richmond to Chatham, Aug 20

2008-08-21T18:08:00.004-04:00

Today we rode 56 miles from Richmond, MI to Chatham, Ontario, Canada. 20 miles into the ride we arrived at the U.S.-Canada border along the St. Clair River. At 9:45 am we all meet to take the ferry across into Canada, about 70 of us at a time on the flatbed ferry. This is how all our support crew vehicles including the gear truck crossed. The border crossing went very smooth. All we had to do was show our passports. Right when we got off the ferry there were people lining the streets cheering. They surprised us with droppies, cup cakes with white frosting and maple leaf-shaped sprinkles, fruit, homemade bread, Canada stickers and pins, etc. Wow! The whole route today in the U.S. and especially in Canada was completely flat. We had a brisk 10-15 mph headwind that we had to work against. We took a photo shoot at Tim Hourton’s in front of Tim Hourton’s and going through the drive through. When we got into camp in Chatham we were welcomed with yellow watermelon, red watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, and oranges. At camp a map was posted with six locations that might be of interest to us bikers in the area like the homes with pools, computers, laundry, etc. Shuttles were also available to where ever. I had my first Canadian junk food the other day – passion flakes and Joe Louis. This afternoon a group of us went to a neighbor’s pool. It was a blast and we thank that couple so much for their open arms and hospitality. We had a great time visiting, swimming, and just hanging out. Johnny got $107 in bike repairs paid for by some nice guy at a bike shop. Thank God for these good surprises and these great people in Canada. For dinner we had a lavish potluck hosted by 3 churches from Chatham. So good. Thanks a ton to those churches! Looking forward to our second day in Canada. We have heard of great things ahead here.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

2008-08-19T21:26:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Today we rode 95 miles from Sleepy Hollow State Park to Richmond. Today was my mom and dad’s 30th anniversary. My mom and two younger brothers and my aunt and uncle and cousin also camped at Sleepy Hollow State Park last night. We had our second campfire of the tour last night with s’mores. So good. This morning my brother, dad, and I joined my mom and relatives and brothers for pancakes and eggs this morning. We hung out for a while and then left about the same time as the sweep crew. It was a cool 64 degree F morning. We left camp at about 9 am and arrived in camp at about 3 pm. My dad, brother, and I all stuck together again today. We had a brisk 10-15 mph northeast headwind. It took some work today, but we all loved the cooler weather. We road on many rolling MI country roads. Someone spotted at Tim Hourton’s in Richmond so before dinner we road a mile and a half down the road from camp to enjoy what the Canadians talk up so much. I had a stellar banana nut muffin. Tonight we were surprised with blueberry, peach, and cherry cheesecake for dessert and spaghetti pizza as the main course. Did I not mention that we have an awesome kitchen staff. Tomorrow we cross the border into Canada. I am so excited. We actually get to ride the ferry across the border. Tomorrow will be a big day.

Monday August 18 2008

2008-08-19T21:25:00.001-04:00

Monday, August 18, 2008

Today we rode 65 miles from Grand Rapids to Sleepy Hollow State Park. It was a beautiful, bright sun shiny day with quite a nice tailwind. My dad, Mark and I all rode together today with an average of 19.7 mph thanks to the generous tailwind that God gave. We had a great stay in Grand Rapids at Calvin College. The churches again surprised us with their hospitality breakfast, lunch, and dinner including homemade coffee cake, pizza, sub sandwiches, ice cream, etc. Many people were hosted this past weekend so camp was a little less occupied. We added I think about 50 new people this weekend. It is so exciting to have all these new people. Their journey is just beginning while our journey is beginning its ending with only 2 weeks left. Bummer! I really don’t mind this lifestyle. I am looking forward to meeting all my friends again in going back to Calvin but classes are looming slightly ominous. I can’t say that we have gotten the greatest mental exercise on this bike tour but we have gotten lots of social, physical, and spiritual exercise. I love being back home in Michigan. I had taken for-granted how nice MI was with all of its beautiful country and shade trees. Shade-filled, wooded Sleepy Hollow State Park is many, many yards apart from the sagebrush filled, dessert-like
West which is neat in its own way. The cooler weather and shade is appreciated though. My family is camping with us tonight including my uncle, aunt, and cousin. We even get to have another campfire tonight, our second one of the tour, with s’mores and cherry pies. Yes! We all left Calvin with a short send off service at 8 am and arrived in camp at about 1 pm. We got to share lunch with our family. This afternoon we went swimming in Lake Ovid at the state park. Len, our head chaplain, just jokingly said in peleton, our after dinner meeting, that the route has been changed and we are no longer going through Canada. That would be mutiny if it was true. I am looking forward so much to riding into Canada. I have heard so much that I am excited to see. Tomorrow we are bumping up our mileage to 95 miles. These past few shorter days have been great. Just to let you know it was just announced in peleton that we cannot use the port-a-john now because they don’t want to have to declare the contents at the border. It is going with us into Canada. Okay, sorry, too much information. I highly recommend this biking lifestyle. I would encourage everyone to try it some time no matter what excuse you may have. It is quite a exciting adventure and a great way to get to know new people and travel.

Aug 14 to 16 South Haven/Grand Haven Conference Grounds/GR

2008-08-17T20:24:00.004-04:00

This is Larry writing. Wow, we are passing through our West MI home area already. Nice being in a familiar place. It is really good to see family, cousins, and many friends. Thursday Mark hustled into South Haven from Indiana State Dunes State Park on Thursday, leaving about 6 am to meet friends at the north beach in SH. He got there about 1 pm. Eric and I pushed hard after doing the morning sweep duties (breakfast, clean up camp, and loading the gear truck)to get to cousins in St Joe for an early afternoon lunch - the VanderPloegs. A beautiful ride along the southern portion of Lake Michigan with blue sky, with some NW head wind. We did about 52 miles with no stops, like Mark, to get to our cousins in St Joe, trying to make up for an hour time change. Mark had visited mid morning on his way through. We were suprised to find my wife Sherry, and younger sons Joel and John there waiting for us as well. They looked at me a bit goofy because I had a grey beard! John says I look better without it. Probably should have asked Dave VP to sail me north, but instead we biked. Joel biked with us about 30 miles from St Joe to SH. We got to SH about 5pm, and we were greeted by many more friends (Dawn Brown and kids, her mom, and Kalamazoo kids and more friends). Sherry got 4 Little Ceasers pizzas so they could eat with us in camp, and see how well we eat. Sherry got a VanBuren State Park camp site and will tag along a few days by camping with Joel and John.

Friday we enjoyed another sunny biking day along the Lake. Eric went off ahead with friends. Joel joined Mark and I biking from Graafschaap CRC lunch stop (a great feast, and blue berries too) for about 20 miles to the conference grounds by GH. Larry stopped by P&N Holland while Mark, Joel, Sherry and John got a nutty paddle pop at the Peanut Store. Then we regrouped by Holland State Park and a visit with the Drooger's at their trailer. We encouraged many cyclist to visit HSP, to bad we have to head east so soon. To our surprise my parents and Uncle Ken greeted us as we arrived at the conference grounds about 4:30. Like us, many friends and family are visiting cyclist. It was a beautiful sunny day, but a cool breeze came off the lake in the evening during the steak dinner. The whole family enjoyed that, and John ate two steaks!

Saturday was an easy bike ride to Calvin in GR. Many cyclist left normal times, and the one day riders came between 7:30 and 9:00 to do the ride. Mr Jeltema, Mr. LeMaire, Mr. Scripture to name a familiar to us. Eric had to scurry out to get to Calvin, but he is social and visited a bit getting there. We moved slower so we got to have the pancake breakfast in the Conference Grounds before Larry and Joel, and Mark and Jared set out about 10 am. M&J took the scenic way via GH State Park, Larry and Joel visited Larry's parents in Spring Lake, and then Bill and Barb in Lamont. Sad to say, we missed the Lamont food stop being later in the day but the Eastmanville folks treated us well! Joel wished mom picked him up in Lamont as planned but John was enjoying the GH skate park and Sherry the sidewalk sales. So Joel got rescued after about 35 miles on the west side of GR. Larry and family arrived at Calvin about 3. Having missed the fan fare and snacks, we headed to Big Bob's for a Braizzo pizza feast and Junction Station for ice cream. Eric stayed to camp. Mark and I, with family, returned home for bed rest and laundary tasks. We slept well in real beds, until about 9 am.

Sunday we finished some home chores (soccer emails, pool cleaning, minor repairs, mail) and headed up to GR for the afternoon celebration service. Again, greeted by many friends from Kalamazoo and church. Shane Clayborne spoke, and we were awed by Kyle's song! Mr. Steak feed us a lot, the shakes were great. Eric went off with a Calvin friend Rachel, so they missed out but I hear the ice cream stop of Saturday was in their route. Tonight Sherry and the young boys are off to Sleepy Hollow State Park camping two nights with my favorite broither-in-law Dave and family. We bike there on Monday. It will be great to see them. Maybe they will bike out to meet us 10, 20, 30 miles?

I love this trip (and home and work someday again). And take note - it is our 30th wedding anniversary the 19th. Love you Sherry and I thank God for all the joy and happiness we continue to share, and four great boys!

Hope we can post some prior days and pictures soon. God Bless. Larry

Algona to New Hampton, IA to Fennimore,WI to Madison

2008-08-09T20:14:00.005-04:00

Hmm... So I'm (Mark) sitting here in the church in Madison, WI trying to remember the last day that we could have possibly blogged on. The satellite internet has been broken. I'm thinking that it was perhaps Thursday.

Thursday's ride took us from Algona to New Hampton, Ia. My dad, Eric, and I rode together the whole time. Eric is sometimes known as the "prodigal son" because he doesn't always ride with us. Today he wasn't the "prodigal son." We kept together in a pace line to make it through our second 113 mile day.
The ride wasn't as easy as the first 113 miler. There was a crosswind from the north. I think we averaged about 17.4 mph. In the small town of Britt (mile 20) we stopped and had breakfast at the famous "Hobo House." We heard that this is the location of the annual and national hobo convention. We were actually there during that time. There were events happening all throughout that week. The day that we were there had a parade, museum, and coronation of the hobo king and queen scheduled. Some real hobos were in the restaurant. They were very friendly and offered us a sample of poetry they had written or a token commemorating that year's hobo fest. I learned at the Hobo House the definition of a hobo. A hobo is a person who will travel and work. A tramp is a person who will travel, but won't work. And, a bum is a person who will not travel or work. Besides the knowledge of hobos I gained, we enjoyed a glorious breakfast of "hobo hash browns" mixed in with sausage, bacon, peppers, and more - very good. Eventually we decided that we must get going. There were still about 90 miles to do that day.
Our next stop was at Julie's truck. There she had cinnamon rolls waiting for us. What a treat after our huge breakfast! You can always eat when you're biking.
Carrying on, we saw cornfields and soybean fields. They're all over out here in Iowa. I'm amazed that you can ride for days in these fields and yet there is still poverty in the world. It gave me something to think about during the day's long ride. While riding, we also saw tons of ginormous wind turbines. There were hundreds of them scattered throughout the fields. I was so amazed and impressed by the "greeness" of it all. I learned that some of the blades are 130ft. long. i tried to take pictures, but they just don't do justice. You'll have to drive (or ride) out here yourself and check them out.
A third stop we took was in Rockford, home of Devonian fossils." We ate lunch there and bought a pop from the local gas station. A little quick sugar really revives you. For lunch I had a nutty bar and grapes. I don't eat much for lunch anymore. Maybe a few granola bars along the route and that's it. I guess you just gotta do what gets you through the day. Now, Eric takes like 2-3 sandwiches, granola bars, apples, oranges, etc. I'm amazed by how much he eats. Eritia, a fellow rider, eats a lot too. I bet she eats more than Eric. She's really fast too.
So that's pretty much all for Thursday besides taking showers and swimming at the city pool in New Hampton. I started a new book, "Pound for Pound." Theresa gave it to me. I hope it doesn't keep me up too late these nights.

Friday's ride was an adventure from New Hampton, IA to Fennimore, WI. We got to cross the Mississippi River. It's pretty big. I thought that we had passed over all of it and then another bridge appeared. So we crossed that and finally made it to the other side. The ride to the river was up and down, pretty hilly. More and more trees began to appear as we left the fields of Iowa for our new state, Wisconsin. The day was beautiful, sunny and 70-80's. However, it was our third and last consecutive century ride. I was feeling a little worn down. Plus three-hundred miles in three days really can take a toll on your body, or at least the energy that you are able to exert. So, in order to boost our depleted energy stores, my dad and I stopped at a Culvers in Praire du Chaine, Wisconsin (right after the bridge crossing the Mississippi). Here we got a taste of home since Culvers are found in Michigan; we didn't know that they existed out here. A few other cyclists joined us, Augie, Lynn, Dave, Fred, and more came later. Both of us had a double bacon burger, fries, and sundaes. My sundae was Reeses and Twix, very delicious. The food felt great while eating it, but you didn't want to move afterwards. We thought we gain energy, but I think we lost it. All we gained was a heavy stomach. But that was okay, we could survive the next twenty miles into camp.
We made it to camp. I felt pretty good. Three days of a hundred miles hadn't killed me yet. So that night we just relaxed. I did go to bed early though. After a shower at a local pool, peleton, and small groups, I hit the sack. I'd say it was about 9:30pm.

Today we rode from Fennimore to Madison. What a relief to be done with our century rides. Today's route covered 70 miles in a hilly and partially wooded Wisconsin. The ride began in the rain. We woke up this morning to a slight drizzle (the inside of our tent got wet). Then as we left camp after a pancake and bacon breakfast, the rain poured, only for about 10 miles though. I thought it was going to be a miserable yet exciting day. I was wrong about the first part. At the first sag stop, Julie's, the sun broke out and dried us off. No longer would we be able to get soaked by the spray from passing cars or feel the water squishing between our toes. But, that's okay. The day turned out to be beautiful. As the sun appeared, so did the color in the trees, wildflowers, and fields. The route took us on a hilly excursion. Up and down through valley's and along flat highways on a bike path (much like the Kal-Haven Trail in Michigan).
My dad and I rode together today, as we usually do. Our first real stop came in Mt. Horeb. It was a small tourist town of say 664 people with an excellent old-fashioned Schubert's cafe/bakery. Here we fed ourselves energy food, lemon bars, raspberry bars, and donuts. We like to eat healthy on trips like this, especially biking ones. When we left we had a final 20 miles to Madison. they went by quick. The hills just rolled us along. My dad enjoys coasting down the hills and then sprinting up them. So for me to keep up, I must really work. Sometimes I think that we go faster uphill than downhill (except on long uphills, then I win).
As we entered the Madison area I noticed one of the city signs which read, "Madison Population 206,054." I guess that its quite a big city compared to the rural ones we've been staying in. Our leaders, Ed and Jen, instructed us that the media would like us to ride into camp all together. So, in order to do this, all the cyclists had to meet at a designated park at 2:30pm. My dad and I were early. We were there at 1:30. I guess we didn't take enough breaks, so we decided to go to a nearby corner with restaurants. We ended up at a Red Robin. I've never been to one before. There we ordered a gourmet cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate malts - very good. While eating, the Olympics was on the television. What a new thing to us. Biking puts you out of the world. All that is happening is the cars and road around you, along with when the next meal is going to come. We've kind of left the world behind. It was nice to see what was happening again, sitting and enjoying out chocolate malts inside air conditioning.
At 2:30, all the bicyclists rode into camp at the church. There we were greeted by a whole congregation with banners, posters, noise makers, and cheering. A brass quartet was even playing marches as we rode in at the church. It was an awesome entrance and welcome. Each church is so unique in their hospitality. This one had all kinds of activities lined up for us, spas, massages, trips to bike shops, sightseeing, showers, laundry, etc. I absolutely love the weekends. At the church, Eric and I met a woman and her daughter who had been praying for us. We didn't even know them! How neat is that. We thank them so much for their prayers and support. It means so much to know that you have people praying and supporting you, especially when one might not even have known them at first.
Pretty soon its time for supper. This weekend they are giving the cooks a break. There's some volunteers who are preparing the food. It should still be good. The church is showing a movie tonight at 7pm, The Flying Scottsman. I think I'll go to see it. They said there's snacks, drinks, and a dark room with air-conditioning (perfect for a nap). So off am I. Thanks for reading and all your prayers. We'll hopefully see some of you in Michigan this week!

Sioux Center (Dordt College) to Algona

2008-08-06T22:28:00.002-04:00

Today was a great ride! I think that I could do it again. Now, many would disagree since it was our longest ride so far and it rained in the morning. I (Mark), however, found it exhilarating. Iowa is such an amazing state to bike in. Perhaps because it reminds me of my home in Michigan. So it did rain this morning, on and off. We were prepared though, taking along our waterproof biking jackets. The rain drizzled for maybe an hour or two then stopped. It was beautiful. The weather was so overcast all day that the sky was filled with dark, looming clouds. These lofty blobs blocked out the sun, preventing the day from getting too hot. The temperature was in the 60's to 70's all day, a perfect biking climate.
About 15 miles into the route a local church provided us with energy food loaded with carbohydrates. They were donuts and coffee. Mmm mmm good. Then 30 miles in another church gave us power bars and gatorade. Our bodies were just buzzing with energy. No rain, rolling hills, or monotonous cornfields could hold us down. So we took off, whizzing away at 20-25mph. There was a tailwind pushing us from behind. What a difference it made. Usually we fight a headwind. Then's it's tough. I'm convinced that the wind always blows from east to west, except on Wednesdays.
So the day went by, as did cornfield after cornfield (there were some soybean fields in there too). Eventually, at mile 85 we reached Walter's stop, our first breaking point since mile 30. There they had the leftover donuts from this morning just waiting for us. So what could we do, but eat more donuts. Then, brimming again with energy, we raced off. Until we hit the town of Wittemere. This town had a Sausage Haus. We decided to quick step inside and take a peek, but were compelled to stay and chat. The owner right away cut up three plates worth of fresh sausage and told us to eat up. Our thanks to him. Protein (or perhaps simply food) was just the thing we needed. So we talked for a good hour about Sea to Sea, fishing trips in Canada, and how the sausage business went. After an hour we ended up buying 10lbs of sausage - it was that good. So we shoved these things into our bike pockets and held onto handbags pf sausage for the 10 miles left till camp. It was quite an adventure. I've never biked with sausage on my back.
Supper today was breaded chicken, potatoes (100lbs of them), broccoli, carrots, some salad thing, and ice cream bars for dessert. It was the usual meal. Nothing stood out too much tonight except the ice cream. I love ice cream, especially since you don't get it much when you're biking.
Now, it's time for bed. We have another big day ahead of us. Instead of a 113 mile day we have a 112 mile day. Hopefully it goes as well. Perhaps another tailwind will come and whip us right along. We'll see.

August 5, 2008

2008-08-05T18:15:00.004-04:00

Today we rode 60 miles form Seargent Bluff to Dordt College in Souix Center, Iowa. We left camp at 7:30 am this morning and arrived at Dordt at 1:30 pm, so nice to have a short day. I believe that our next 3 days are all over 100 miles. In Ireton a church welcomed us with rootbeer floats, starwberry-bannana smoothies, and bannanas. Thanks so much! The smoothies were amazing! The whole route today was rolling hills, so much fun to fly down and then coast/push right up.
This is my first time at Dordt College. It has a beautiful campus. They offered us bowling, swimming, laundry, hockey at the ice arena, etc. Tonight they are serving us pizza from the Pizza Ranch and chicken in the Campus Center at 5:30 pm. We have our first mid-week celebration service here at 7 pm in the BJ Haan auditorium. Everyone wear your yellow Sea to Sea shirt. We are always a sea of yellow on celebration days with all of our yellow t-shirts. We get to stay in the dorms tonight too. My dad and Mark went into town to the Dutch Bakery (Caseys) while I stayed around the dorm and did laundry and just lazed around. I guess it was my turn to do laundry and it was nice to just relax. You would think that we have planty of time to do that, but we keep busy biking around and doing the everday camp things. Everything is so beautifully green around here - the lawns, the corn, the trees, the soy beans, quite a contrast to the dry desert areas we have been through further West. Pray for a tailwind and endurance and a joyful attitude on these next long days. These prairie states are high mileage weeks, but we are excited for what is to come in the East, more friends and family and fewer miles.

Monday, August 4, 2008

2008-08-05T18:05:00.002-04:00

Today we biked 88 miles from Fremont, Nebraska to Seargent Bluff, Iowa. We woke up at 5:45 am to report for breakfast sweep duties only to find that breakfast and lunch items for the day were pretty much already put out. What a pleasant surprise thanks to those early risers who are quite eager to get on the road and beat the heat and the winds that usually tend to pick up in the afternoon. It was so hot yesterday so everyone was slightly anxious about beating the heat today. We had yet another quite significant headwind. I do not know who choose to go from West to East on this tour, but it always seems like we are fighting the wind. Thanks to the Brower's we got freezie pops along the route. Thanks! 4 miles into our sweep riding for the day we met one of our group who had broken off the left crank arm on their bike and the screws were stripped to put it back on. By coincidence or providence I guess we had the same bike in about the same size on the gear truck that one person was not using for the day. So a SAG got that bike as a replacement. Later on down the road the bike with the missing crank was used for a spare tire. We all share things in common around here as best as we can to help another biker out. What a blessing to ride in this community. As one of the kitchen ladies says, "We are all one big family doing the same thing." We arrived in camp at 5:10 pm and were surprised with spaghetti and peach crisp for dinner with ice cream.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

2008-08-03T18:19:00.003-04:00

Sunday, a day of rest. Well welcomed and needed. Smoking hot outside. Glad we are not biking today! The Sea to Sea group went to church this morning in two different churches, double duty. We went to Prairie Lane CRC in Omaha, Nebraska. They opened up the gates of hospitality to us and served us quite a spread for lunch. They even had a pizza machine dishing out pizza. I have not had pizza in like 5 weeks now. We heard about Open Door Missions, a local mission, and India Missions. We keep on hearing the stat that every 12 pedal strokes or every few seconds someone dies because of poverty related issues. As the pastor said this morning, this seems to be overwhelming. What should we do? The pastor said to see where God is at work in the world and join in. What a joy and blessing it is to be a part of God's work too. To think that God would include such limited creatures like us. Wow! What a loving God! A Lutheran church next to camp open up their doors when 2 ladies from our group wen there instead of riding the bus to where we were suppossed to go to church. The Luthedran Church heard about what we were doing and opened up there gym and air conditioned facility. We have just been chilling out in here all afternoon. They provided homemade brownies, pop corn, watermelon, and snacks off the fly. We can even sleep here tonight. Thank God for good surprises like this. God bless these churches and everyone else who has so generously provided us the warmest hospitality!

Friday, August 01, 2008

2008-08-03T18:17:00.004-04:00

Today we rode 94 miles from Minden to York. We had a strong headwind along US-6 in the morning that we battled strong and hard against throughout the day. My dad, Mark, and I (Eric) rode together all day today and helped pull some people along through the wind. At a gas station rest stop we met a sanitation worker from the area who said to keep on handing out lots of cards about what we are doing because there are lots of rich farmers in Minden. We had some great roller coaster roads along some of the country roads we road on. It was nice to get off the highway onto some less traveled country roads, much more relaxing. These roads reminded us somewhat of the country roads we ride back on in Michigan with corn standing tall this time of year on both sides of the road. In York we stopped for a delicious Jamocha shake at Arby’s, a simple pleasure that is so delightful on a hot, sunny day after a 90 mile bike ride. We left camp at about 7:45 am this morning and rode into camp at 4:30 pm in the afternoon.
Last night for our halfway celebration we had strawberry shortcake and ice cream for an evening snack. So good! I had 3 helpings.
A few funny coincidences…
A couple of days ago we stopped at a donut shop for our first donut of the tour. I know that is a long time to go without donuts. We mentioned that we never even have donuts for breakfast in the morning at camp. I guess they are not very healthy, but surprise, surprise a local bakery donated a bunch of donuts for us for breakfast yesterday. They drove them to the school we were staying at a 6:30 am in the morning. Thanks! The other night at dinner we were still a little hungry and craving some cereal. Surprise again! There were Cheerios and milk sitting out on the dinner table when we went up to wash our dishes. Just yesterday we were talking about Jamocha shakes at Arby’s. One girl on the tour had never had one and she really wanted to try one so by coincidence today were riding together right when we went by an Arby’s and stopped in for a shake. Thank God for all of these good, little, big surprises! Yes, they do all revolve around food. Food is pretty exciting for us on this tour. Looking forward to pancake and bacon breakfast Saturday tomorrow!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

2008-08-03T18:03:00.003-04:00

Today we rode 96 miles from York to Fremont. Going east we had a strong head/side wind. Going north we had an awesome tail wind, about half and half of the ride either way. Overall all the day made us work for our destination. I (Eric) thought I would just ride with my dad and brohter again for the day, but I helped pull along some older fellows through the strong wind, 13 mph. They appreciated it and, hey, variety is the spice of life. Gotta ride with new people sometimes. This was a great time to help. God has better plans than our plans if we are willing to be used by Him. We stopped at the farmer's market in Seward, Nebraska which is by the way from a sign we read in town about 4000 miles from Seward, Alaska. We strolled through and a couple of kind ladies offered us some peanut butter M&M bars. So good even in the morning! A free lemonde came along too after I helped a fellow change a flat tire. Great surprises are around the corner if you just take the time to stop and help, not to mention the great stories that those you help often tell during these times. One guy drove all of Route 66 in 1961 from Chicago to California with his friends to meet some friends they met at convention, a story I never would have heard if I would have just whizzed by. We arrived in camp at about 5 pm hot and tired, but after a solid hamburger dinner we geared up at the YMCA right next to the park we were staying at for a game of hockey in the ice arena. I think I was the only American playing hockey. The rest were Canadians. Wow they are good! After hockey we were going to go for ice cream but ended up just splitting a half galloon with Reeses pieces for the toppings. Gotta live it big on the weekends. We thought we would watch a movie on a laptop, but fell asleep about 20 minutes into it at 11 pm. We watched the movie and slept in the ice arena. It was actually the perfect temperature to snuggle up in your sleeping bag and sleep.

Minden to York

2008-08-01T22:25:00.002-04:00

Wray to McCook to Minden

2008-07-31T23:34:00.002-04:00

Tuesday was an awesome day, despite a strong headwind which made the ride intense. My dad and I (Mark) rode with Jim Holwerda, Katrina, and Nancy. We acted as the windbreakers, pulling the others along. You really got to see a pace line at work that day. There was such a difference from leading in the front to following in the draft behind. I felt really good that day, must be from that energy-rich oatmeal breakfast, yum yum. So we arrived at camp around 3:30 in Wray, Colorado. Our tent was quickly set up in the park and we went off to explore the town. Turns out that there was a public pool which was free for Sea to Sea cyclists (multiple towns have done this). Well, this wasn't just some ordinary, diving board public pool. This pool had a kid's water park place, and two water slides, a yellow and green one. Now, the yellow water slide was longer, but slower. The green water slide was "wicked" (in the words of Ed) fast, but shorter. So you decide, which one to go down. I went down both and had a super duper time.
Camp supper that night was amazing with mashed potatoes, peas, salad, beans, and cherry cobbler for desert - absolutely delicious. Our cooks really know how to make food or it's just that we'll eat anything after a long hot day of biking.
In addition to all the fun we have been having, there have been some serious accidents. So please pray for the safety of all the Sea to Sea riders. Three cyclists have had to leave the tour - Arnie, Tyler, and Cynthia. We miss each very much. The community really takes a toll when any rider is hurt. Please pray for quick recoveries and comfort.

Wednesday was a not-so-awesome day. The wind was just wild. It was like a huge fan blowing in your face. I don't think that I believe in tailwinds any more. The day was frustrating to me. You wanted to go faster, but the wind held you back. You got saddle sore. The sag wagons and towns just didn't come soon enough. It was just too hot outside. So, as I said, it was a tough day. However, there were good things too. We made it into camp. We got a slushy and Arby's jamocha shake. The sun was shining (even though it was too hot). We got to ride through three states - Colorado, Kansas (a detour off route), and Nebraska. So, I guess it was a good day looking back on it. When you're riding it's tough though, each pedal stroke can be a drag. But, Once you get into camp, your energy is renewed almost like that. A shower freshens you up and you feel as if you could do the whole ride again, or just take a nap in the shade. So, that day we went from Wray, Colorado to McCOOK, Nebraska (our sixth state).

Thursday, today, was an awesome day again. I'd have to say that it was amazing. We woke up at 6:00, packed our tent, ate breakfast, prepared our bikes, and were on the road by 7:30. The was a no wind, such a blessing. Then, as the day progressed, a tailwind grew and grew. Suddenly, instead of just going 18mph we started to go 22mph. Our speed dramatically increased which made the day wonderful. It was nice to move along at a good pace after days of crawling around in a headwind. My dad and I stopped at a gas station for a slushy, cherry and blue raspberry flavored. It's a tradition now to get at least one during the route. In fact, we keep our cup in my bike bag so that we can get refill prices.
My dad and I arrived in town at about 1:30pm. The gear truck was still locked. So we had to tour around town. While meandering the streets, a small boy on a bike shouted out a greeting. He was a salesman, shouting out the good news that just 'round the corner there was a lemonade stand. Only 25 cents was the price. He was so compelling, that we had no choice. My dad and I went to the corner of 2nd and Colorado to find the homemade lemonade stand with beach chairs alongside the road. We drank our fill. Then off we went again. This time in search of "Southfork," a local cafe praised highly by the lemonaders. We found the place eventually and were taken aback by the air conditioning. What a treat. So we just had to split a cheeseburger and basket of fries (their special), along with a chocolate malt and cyclone (ice cream with candy bar). It was great. I wish we could've stayed. They were hiring, but not shifts for the "short time/one day" I was thinking about.
At camp now we're resting up. My dad, Denise Bentum, and I are sitting in the shade. My dad's sleeping, I'm blogging, and Denise is just thrilled that she learned how to make a slide show on her computer. It's pretty hot out now, but we do have the usual iced tea and strawberry-lemonade in large jugs. We're keeping cool.
Well, that's all for now. Sorry, we couldn't keep you updated sooner. The satellite for internet seems to be taking a few days off. Hopefully we can get up some pictures later on.

And, for all who wish to know, we have met Ralph Fledderus. He's a great guy.

Denver to Fort Morgan

2008-07-29T20:44:00.002-04:00

Monday we had a terrible headwind. I (Mark) think it blew so hard that we can remember nothing else about that day. However, there are a few highlights. the beginning of the day started with about 18 miles on the South Platte Bike Trial in Denver. What a smooth, scenic ride. there even was a Starbuck's for my dad on the side. We weaved our way around the outskirts of downtown, viewing the Six Flags Great America and Wesco field. As we carried on into the country, the headwinds mounted up against us. We rode through barren plains dehydrated and eager to be out of the sun. Our directions were limited and we sometimes had no idea which way we were headed. So as we plodded on with no real knowledge of the road before us, a 7-11 appeared before us. There we took our daily pit stop in Fort Morgan, or what we thought was. We downed a few slushies (I bet we've tried every flavor by now) and a pop or two. This is how you hydrate. Stop and drink slushies. The ground ice does wonders for your hot, sweaty, weary body.
As we rode into camp, a storm began to brew. The clouds darkened and took on an ominous face. the wind picked up and blew in gust, throwing sand this way and that in the wind. We did make camp though before the storm and decided quite quickly not to set up our tent. So to wait out the storm, we went to find the showers and wash our laundry. The storm never did hit us, though we did get a few raindrops during supper. And so, after filling ourselves on hot dogs and watermelon, we opted to not set up camp entirely and sleep in the gym. Lights went off automatically at 10pm and came back on at 6am, ensuring us an early start for the next day (luckily we found some mats extra mats to sleep on behind the bleachers). We slept well and woke up early, actually heading out on the road at about 7:30am versus the normal 8:00am - quite an improvement I'd say. Our goal was to beat the headwind which rises at noon. And so, to hear about today's, Tuesday's, adventures you'll have to read on later when we post them(since I want to eat supper now and perhaps get seconds on cherry cobbler), .

Sunday, July 27

2008-07-27T21:49:00.002-04:00

Today we rode a total of 4 miles to and from Denver Christian High School to Englewood Christian School for the celebration service. At the celebration service we all celebrated communion together in the football stands in the hot, sunny weather. After the celebration service the local churches who put on the service hosted a sloppy joe, watermelon, chip, and homemade cookie lunch. Loving those homemade cookies. Thanks.
This afternoon a bunch of us went downtown Denver. We walked through the downtown mall area, visited a catholic cathedral to take a peak inside, rode an old time bike with the huge wheel in the front and a tiny wheel in the bike, listened to street performers, etc. Downtown Denver kept us busy for the afternoon. While we were downtown my dad was doing laundry for several people including us at a locals house who he met at the celebration service and offered up their washer and dryer. A big thanks to my dad for doing laundry and to the people who let us borrow their washer and dryer. It will be so nice to have actual clean laundry verses just sink or shower washed laundry.
This evening the churches hosted dinner for us. The kitchen staff was so excited for the break and they deserved it. 15 new people hopped onto the tour and 15 people left. Hopefully they feel welcome and confident as they begin their adventure.
Mark got a haircut today and was mistaken as a new rider in camp. Mark really appreciated the trim. He had been growing out his hair for quite awhile so a friend who went to cosmetology school out here could cut his hair in a professional manner. Thanks Bri! Good to see yah and say hi to the family.
Looking forward to a new week. We are headed out of the mountians now and into the plain states. May the wind be at our backs otherwise the flats may feel like the mountains.

Saturday, July 26

2008-07-26T22:59:00.002-04:00

Today we rode 86 miles from Snow Mountain Ranch to Denver. Many people said that is was one of their best and favorite ride yet. The day started of great as every Saturday does with pancakes and bacon for breakfast. We make sure that no pancakes go to waste. In the morning we climbed Berthoud(?) Pass to I think 11,000 feet. What a gorgeous view! At the top we were surprised with Jelly Bellys and watermelon. Thanks to whoever had this ready for us! Gotta love the Jelly Bellys!
After Bethoud Pass we cruised downhill for a long time all the way pretty much into Idaho Springs, maybe 20 miles(?). I (Eric) hit 47.9 mph. What a rush! No worries I do balance out tucking to get speed and standing up for sight seeing as I go down. I don't want to miss the sights, but going fast is a blast.
We rode down through another canyon today, pretty much all downhill with a rushing river tumbling alongside the road. We rode through multiple small Colorado mountain towns. Some had art fests, pancake breakfasts, and the like going on. About 4 miles from our camp in Denver we were welcomed by a church with chips, gatorade, and water. Thanks! Then to our surprise as we pulled into Denver Christian High School we were greeted with cheerleaders, goodie bags, mail, free hair cuts in the school gym, homemade cookies, free postcards, and an ice cream social. What hospitality! Thanks so much to all who made this happen! You have represented Denver well and we have not even had the celebration service and lunch afterwards yet. And I am now typing this blog in the Denver Christian HS library. Thanks for opening the school up to us. Many of us were bilited(?spelling?) (P.S. I just learned what this word means a couple of weeks ago. I am convinced it is a Canadian word thing or something.) or we can sleep in the school gym or our tents. Thank God for the blessing of such welcoming and encouraging hospitality. In this western segment of the tour we have not seen many people because there is a lot of just wilderness between here and there, but I am looking forward to the eastern section more and more because it will be cool to see all the communities who have helped support this tour and the cause and also spread the word more to new people. We are on our way. We take the tour a day at a time. God is faithful and His mercies are new every morning.

Friday, July 25

2008-07-26T22:42:00.002-04:00

So I think Mark already did this blog, but yesterday we rode 34 miles from Kremling to Snow Mountain Ranch. The ride was beautiful. During one part of the ride we rode through a canyon river with a rushing river running down the canyon along the roadside. I (Eric) was so excited to arrive at Snow Mountain Ranch because I knew that there were a bunch of Calvin kids there (about 40) who were working there for the summer with a joint program that Calvin and Snow Mountain Ranch runs called the Leadership Challenge Institute. I walked into the front desk area, the gift shop, and the swimming pool and out popped all these familiar faces in an unfamiliar place to me, so exciting. Thanks to Rachel and Allison we got a narrated tour of the SMR grounds. After dinner they even took a group of us on a hike to some waterfalls. I the way back from the waterfalls we saw a beaver swimming in the mountian stream tumbling alongside the path we were hiking on. Thanks so much Rachel and Allison for these great adventures! It was great also sharing dinner with all you who tried out the biking camp dinner with us. I think they were impressed with what we eat on the road. We have some great cooks on our support crew!
Last night we also had a farwell service for the 15 people who are stopping in Denver. We also add 15 new riders this weekend in their place. Each person leaving gave a little farwell speech and 1 or 2 people then shared their fond memories of that person on the trip. Beautiful words just flowed out of the speakers mouths, words of testimony, encouragement, and good times. It was quite something to sit there and listen. After these speeches we all shared communion together. What a beautiful thing! That is who we are and what and why we are all about. We are the body of Christ, all brothers and sisters. Thank God for the blessing of being a part of His family!

Craig to Kremmling and Kremmling to Winter Park

2008-07-25T19:33:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, we biked from Craig to Kremmling. The ride was absolutely amazing despite its humongous Rabbit Ears Pass. The route was 95 miles and took us through the mountains. There was a tough headwind, but working together in a pace line you could pull through. Our team consisted of my dad, Tyler B., Nathan Beach, and myself. we were rolling along fine until a clanking noise arose and I discovered a broken spoke in my rear wheel. So my dad and I stopped, the others we waved on, and attempted to repair the damage. Well, it would've been done, however, our local bike shop had given us the wrong spoke length. So I rode crippled for 5 miles until we entered the very tourist-oriented town of Steamboat Springs. The bike shop there repaired us in a jiffy and we were off again. The climb came next,6 miles out of Steamboat. So our muscles were tested. And, we found that after four weeks of biking, mountains aren't that bad after all. I made sure to take plenty of pictures while riding up because it helps break up the time. I don't stop to take the pictures though, I've worked on this coordinated riding-picture taking process. Finally, after about an hour of climbing, I reached the summit, or shat I thought appeared to be the top of the pass. It turns out that I was wrong. Rabbit Ears is a unique pass in that it is rolling at the top. What was my "summit," was five miles from the true peak. So I trudged on, taking only a slight break to eat an "otter pop" provided by the Carpenter family.
There at the pinnacle of this mountain, an hour and a half of climbing, I reached the continental divide which separates the watersheds. The pass had been conquered and
I rejoiced.
The rest of that days ride was primarily downhill. I took it easy, riding by myself in order to experience the vast wilderness of Colorado. Mountains surrounded me, closing me in. the grasses would sway in the wind, undulating their tendrils while wildflowers would bob their heads at the sun. Rocks loomed over the road, stating their formidable presence. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the trip. Walter's stop came near the end. he gave us watermelon - what a treat for weary cyclists. Around 4:00 we arrived in Craig. My dad and I quick took a break inside a Wendy's for some shakes and fries. We had finally hit civilization again. Fast food restaurants were in abundance.

Today we rode from Craig to Winter Park. We're staying at the YMCA, otherwise known as Snow Mountain Ranch. During the ride, our shortest yet (34 miles) we passed through many small towns. Riders took breaks all over the place. Coffee and Breakfast shops were booming with business as 150 hungry cyclists rode by. Our route took us through Byer's Canyon. What an impressive sight. Tall cliffs made of jagged rock loomed on both sides of us. A stream flowed along our right, bubbling away. Also to add to the picturesque view was a railroad track with an occasional train or two. This canyon was the best part of the day.
My dad stopped for coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Eric and I stopped for nothing. We were eager to arrive at the ranch and explore the many activities offered to us. Our first adventure as finding a campsite. The ground here was pine cone ridden and stump laden. Bumps and weeds abounded all around. I found the perfect spot though. Only after removing about 30 pine cones.
After establishing our presence in camp and clearing the ground, Eric, Kevin, Peter, Denise, and I headed into the swimming pool at the ranch. What a sight! Water is so awesome when you're hot and sweaty. The pool filled up quickly with Sea to Sea cyclists. I think we scared the lifeguards with our numbers. All ended well though. No one had to be rescued. Alex did have a sore stomach after a few belly flops. and some others turned red from the sauna.
Now, everything is cooling down. I'm waiting for supper. Each night it's a mystery. hopefully tonight is something like lasagna. We'll see. I have heard that there is an ice cream social tonight. I think I'll go to it, gotta carbo load or whatever you know.

Wednesday, July 23

2008-07-23T19:03:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Today we rode 86 miles from Dinosaur, CO to Craig, CO. I (Eric) left at 7:45 am and arrived in camp at 1:45 pm. Boy oh boy, was it ever good to get into camp early. I stopped only for pit stops and water. I surprised myself by riding on a banana, apple, and some grapes all day, but I devoured my lunch once I got to camp. Yesterday we took an hour break to eat our sack lunches in a McDonald’s. I think that let my body cool down a little to much because my legs felt like concrete after that. May it was because we ate so much at one time for lunch too that did me in.
Prairie dogs popped up along the road today. This part of US-40 had much more of a shoulder than yesterday so we were not literally inches from death like we were yesterday due to the big semi trucks just grazing by. Although, I was chased down by a big tractor which could only go 24 mph, but I could keep that pace so he eventually passed me. I wish I could have stayed with him to keep his draft, but no go there.
The whole route today was like a hilly roller coaster, so much fun. It is such a rush going 40 mph downhill when after only climbing at 5 mph uphill.
We are at a school again so we actually have decent showers again. What a convenience that we have got so used to at schools in being able to use their locker room showers!
Craig is a big city compared to Dinosaur. The view was gorgeous riding in – mountains in the distance with what looked like rain falling on them. So far Colorado has been all mountains. It is nice to have that rolling variety verses just flat land. From a local I heard that tomorrow will be another tough day because we have quite a steep pass to climb. We are all getting stronger physically and mentally though. I think I can say that I like these 90 mile days better than the only 40 or so mile days that we started with. You feel like you have accomplished something and you aren’t looking for things to do with a long afternoon in camp. Although that dead time can be nice at times too.
Phew. The honey wagon that travels with us just pulled up. It gives off quite a stench, just a reality of the every day road travel.
I rode pretty much alone all day today. In a way that was nice because then you are not so vigilant on staring at somebody’s back tire in a pace line and you can enjoy the surrounding scenery a little more. Today was the day for that. Well, almost everyday is I guess. We woke up at 6 am and left a little earlier today, 7:45 am, which gave us a little more cool to ride in. That is priceless. Today we hit 100 degrees on our bike computers as usual. Ride on!

Tuesday, July 22

2008-07-23T19:00:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, July 22

Yesterday, Monday, July 21, we biked from Jordenelle State Park to Duschene. We climbed to 9450 feet in the beautiful Utah mountains with pine forest, flowing streams, and wildlife such as deer and moose on UT-35. However when we turned from UT-35 onto UT-208 the landscape seemed to change from green, stream trickling mountains to rocky, shrubby, dry steam bed mountains. At the celebration service on Sunday a local mentioned that on our ride this week we would see why the dinosaurs died. After peleton, our evening meeting, we were surprised with ice cream as a special treat. It was my dad’s birthday yesterday. I guess the kitchen staff knew by coincidence.
Today we biked from Duschene to Dinosaur. It was already 81 degrees when started on the road at 8:10 am this morning. We were some of the last to leave before the sweep team. Most people tend to leave by 7 am or even 6 am on these long 90 mile days that we have been having back to back.
The first 60 miles of the day seemed to cruise right on by down interstate 40. We rode interstate almost all 80 miles today and we will again tomorrow. It is absolutely breath-takingly crazy when a semi passes by you only about a foot from your shoulder. Pray for safety because these roads are crazy at times. Although the past three evenings we have seen a rainbow in the sky. God must be reminding us that He is with us and watching over us every pedal stroke of the way. As for the last 30 miles they were straight-up grueling for everyone. A wicked side/head wind slowed our pass down to about 10 mph unless you got so sick and mad at going that slow that you just ground out 15 mph tops. We were even going downhill at 10 mph at times because the wind was putting up such a good fight. Phew, was it a joyous thing to see camp!

Hi Rachel. Peter just said you read this blog.

My dad and bother Mark actually decided that they did not do enough biking and biked 2 miles to Dinosaur National Monument. Then they biked up a bluff, 1000 feet, 4 miles, in the park. They said it was a sweet view of the surrounding area. Dinosaur is just another tiny little town. Tomorrow looks like today. Our directions are pretty much 86 miles down US-40. We’ll cross our fingers that we don’t make any wrong turns. There are really no wrong turns to make, because there are hardly any other roads or anything other than wilderness out here.

P.S. Mark ate lots of peppermints today to keep his throat moist.

Sunday July 20 Jordanelle State Park, UT (near Park City

2008-07-22T00:28:00.004-04:00

The bike ride Saturday was 100 miles with big mountain climbs after Salt Lake City, the local church provided refreshements in SLC, and others did at the top of the mountain pass (our hardest so far). We briefly visited the Morman Temple area Saturday. We had a necessary relaxing Sunday in the state park. Thunder storms threatend some. But God showed us his favor with a rainbow during dinner Sunday night. Several churches provided dinner Sunday night - and we ate well. They lead a great worship service Sunday night in the pavilion by camp - music, messages,even the Hoflands were part. Larry drove one van shuttle to Park City for the morning and afternoon. Eric and Mark met a park ranger and he let them try out his wind surfer and kite. Big biking day again Monday and the rest of the week getting to Denver.

Oh, sleep is good - look at the photos.

Saturday, July 19

2008-07-20T00:46:00.000-04:00

Saturday, July 19

Today we rode about 95 miles from Willard Bay State Park to Park City, Utah. This was our longest ride yet. We climbed quite a ways, but it was a blast. Well, before I go on about today’s adventures I should write about yesterday because we have not blogged on that yet.

So yesterday, Friday, July 18 we rode from Snowville to Willard Bay State Park. We were off and rolling from the tiny town off Snowville at about 7:30 am, but we stopped about 0.1 miles down the road for coffee and hot chocolate at Mollie’s Cafe. The coffee was calling my dad. We sat and talked while we sipped our coffee about the day ahead. We learned a little about Snowville from the two ladies running the café. The kids in Snowville get bused 38 miles to Tremonton(?) for school. Wow! Snowville is popular stop before the long, straight, drawn-out, nothing, but desert trip to Burley where we were the night before for gas and food. Snowville is home to O.S.I. which if I heard right fishes for brine shrimp out of the Great Salt Lake. Brine shrimp is really the only thing that lives in the lake.
Well we got done with our talking and sipping and the sweep team pulled up. My dad phoned work so we stayed and chatted some more while he talked on the phone. I (Eric) decided to just ride with the sweep team, primarily Heidi, Denise, and Theo. About 15 miles down the interstate which I guess we could not avoid riding on Heidi took a spill and needed a new wheel so we waited in the shade of an overpass for a new wheel from support crew. No worries and we got back rolling. Heidi is a tough cookie.
Further down the trail off the interstate we had fun taking goofy pictures at a rocket display. I guess out here in the dessert at this rocket sight they test rockets for space shuttles and stuff like that. As we got to Corrine at about mile 50 out of 65 we stopped at a local café called the Gold Spike Café. Heidi, Denise, and I have had a ravish hankering for French toast. Upon special request the cook cooked us up some French toast even though it was on the breakfast menu. Many bikers had stopped into this café earlier but since we were taking up the rear we were the only ones there.
We pedaled our last 15 miles on a great meal of French toast and lots of syrup in the heat and finally ended up at Willard Bay State Park, our camp spot, at 5 pm. Right by our camp was a beach to go swimming at on a big fresh water lake at the state park. Mountains towered around the camp. We had some delicious cheesecake with cherries on it along with chili and chips for dinner. Everyone was starting to get anxious for today so it was an early bed time at about 9:30 – 10 pm.

Today, Saturday, July 19, every one woke up early and anxious for this long 95 mile day with two long climbs that did not come until after the 60 mile mark. Breakfast was served at 6 am, a half of an hour early, and most people were out of camp by 7 am. We covered 55 miles by 10:15 am. We were fly down the flat to Salt Lake City where our climb for the day would begin. 1st CRC provided snacks for us in Salt Lake City and at the top of our first climb out of Salt Lake City. Thanks!
In Salt Lake City we – my dad, brother Mark, and I - took a couple side adventures. We visited the Mormon temple downtown and took pictures by some sweet cars at a local Ferrari dealer. We even handed out cars to the guys there and the owner. Maybe something will come of it, but at least we tried.
The rest of the day was a long, slow climb to camp through the mountains, tough but a total blast if you ask me. Some may beg to differ with me. Climbs do take work, but the scenery is beautiful, and the downhills are a rush.
We arrived at Jarnelle State Park at 4:30 pm. Some people did not arrive until after 8 pm because of the long day but they made it. The state park has a beautiful lake and we are looking forward to the day of rest tomorrow.

Burley to Snowville

2008-07-19T00:13:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Friday, was a rough day, or at least I (Mark) think so. From Burley, Idaho to Snowville, Utah, not only our muscles, but our minds were challenged. The route began with a climb. We had left at about 8:00am in order to escape part of the midday heat. The climb drained our strength, a long and gradual slope into the mountains. Upon reaching the top, we were looking into a valley as far as the eye could see and surrounded by mountains which loomed as shadows in the distance. So we descended into the valley, regaining lost time on the downhill. The beginning of the valley was scenic, a small town named Albion and patches of trees in the fields. However, as we progressed, the valley turned into a barren, desolate wasteland, covered by sagebrush. The road was long and straight. you could look down it for miles. A headwind began to grow ahead of us and our bikes somehow began to slow down. This wind lasted for the entire route. It was a challenge to continue pedaling, with the infinite long road and desert sprawled out ahead of you. We pushed through the wind though. Our paceline slowly covered the long and dull miles. I say dull because the majority of riders believe the scenery was boring. The sagebrush has become boring to them, but I still find it beautiful. There's just so much of it. I feel repetitive in describing this scenery, but it's so unique compared to the mountains and forests in Washington. So eventually we reached Snowville, a small back country town of about 300 people as we learned from the local cafe. Coming into town, my dad and I (Mark) were thoroughly exhausted. We decided immediately to take a long pit stop at the single Chevron gas station in town. Here we drank our fill of mountain dew, orange slushies, and chocolate milk. At first, I felt terrible after gulping down so much fluid so fast, but then, as time wore on, my spirits rose. I had energy again. So, for about 2 hours, my dad and I recovered in the air conditioned gas station. I never knew that gas station could be such a accommodating place. They even gave us free refills! Talk about hospitality. We thank them so much. It was just what we needed.
And so we rode into camp, ready to take our cold showers. The camp aids, Bill, Bert, and Ed had rigged a sower from tarps since the park we were staying at lacked traditional showers. In the end, what was a patch of nice grass turned into a squishy mud pit. I believe that we came out dirtier than cleaner. But, that's okay. We felt refreshed from the ice cold hose water. Supper that night consisted of pasta, all you can eat. So of course, we stuffed ourselves, eating noodle after noodle. Then, like a bear ready for its winter hibernation. We went to sleep. The night turned cold and we slept soundly. I believe that the ride was the toughest yet, harder than the mountain climb through Steven's pass. We'll see though, Denver is coming. I've got high expectations for an intense challenge.

In order to show our fatigue and exhaustion, we have included these nice pictures of us resting. This is how tough our day can be. We really need our sleep.
-sorry, technical difficulties, pictures coming this weekend

Eric's Gooding to Burley

2008-07-16T20:09:00.002-04:00

Today we rode form Goodings to Burley. We left camp in Goodings at about 8 am for our 81 mile day. I (Eric) was feeling almost 100 % better than on Monday and Tuesday. I think I was tired from having too much fun going ice blocking and tubing over the weekend. The last two nights were some early bed times like before 10 pm. About 15 miles into the ride we stopped at Ted Miller’s dairy farm where we got a sneak peak at the milking operations. Fifty cows ran on a carrousel. One was milked every 12 seconds. The farmer set out coolers with milk and water for our refreshment. Just before Twin Falls, we passed a huge canyon at the bottom of which the Snake River flowed. We rode across a big iron bridge across the canyon into Twin Falls. Heidi and Denise said they saw a man jump off the bridge with a parasail! He landed on a grassy spot at the bottom of the canyon. This bridge is one of the few spots left in the United States where it is legal to base-jump. It is quite popular! A road wound to the bottom of the canyon where there was a smaller bridge, farming fields, homes, trees, and even a golf course. It was quite a beautiful canyon. About half way on our ride in Twin Falls we stopped at a local Reformed church who fed us subway sandwiches, fudge popsicles, orange cream popsicles, strawberry, white and chocolate milk, watermelon, and potato chips. A stellar lunch, I have to say! Thanks so much to that church! Perhaps this will happen more often if future churches hear how thankful we are for these lovely stops in our day. We also went a little off-route in Twin Falls to stop at Shoshone Falls, the Niagara Falls of the west. It was quite a majestic sight! The locals said that the water volume flowing over the falls was unusually high due to all the snow they got in the winter. We had to descend 1200 feet into the canyon to see the falls. Then we had to climb back up, but it was worth it. The ride down was a switchback rush, and the ride back up went quicker than we thought. Past the falls we cruised down highway 30 to Burley. We rode at a solid pace. All day long my Dad, my brother Mark, and myself rode together. We can move pretty well as a three-man pace line. We arrived in camp at 3:30. We showered, set up our tent, and are now waiting for dinner.

The photo of the ladies in the sprinkler is at falls - they were hot and ran into the sprinkler (Geri and ___ the head cook).

Thanks to Denise, this blog was typed up in a very timely fashion.

Mountain Home to Gooding

2008-07-16T00:27:00.002-04:00

So this morning we were awake by 6:00am, definitely not my (Mark) idea of a summer full of sleeping in. The reason was that our "sweep" team was on duty. We had to swiftly set up the tables for breakfast so none of the riders would go hungry. Our job was crucial. If not for us no one could have their nicely mashed oatmeal or cut-up muffin for breakfast. Eventually, at about 9:15 after loading the gear truck, our team hit the road for the days ride. We were off to Gooding, Idaho. It's a town in a forest of waist-high sage brush and desert sand. Actually, the scenery is quite beautiful with the light green color against the tan sand and brown mountains looming far off into the distance.
So our sweep team began our journey. It was a rough start. At approximately two miles into the route, we came across a troupe of lost and weary bikers. They had gone astray, following not old highway 30 but some other deceptive road sign. Thankfully we were there to rescue them and point them in the right direction. This was only the first amazingly and nice good deed out of a million we performed that day. Sometimes we would repair tires, other times replenish empty water bottles, and still other times we would encourage riders to stop with us at the local cafes for a bite to eat (the one called Oregon Trail Cafe in Gooding has really good hamburgers). Not bad for a day's work I would a say. However, despite its glories, "sweeping" is not so glorious. Our day, though it was filled with adventure, was hot and long. We were on the road for about nine hours, arriving at camp at about 5:00pm.
What's so neat about this tour called Sea to Sea, despite its obvious awesome goal, is the unique and diverse people. Some people are strong riders and others prefer to take their time. This can be frustrating, especially when you must wait for them, however, it really does open your eyes into the struggles of that person and the beautiful creation around you. Sure, you're hot and sweaty, dreaming of that nice ice-cold shower at camp, but sweep can really teach you a lesson in patience and relationships. You get to meet some people you never would cause you may otherwise just blow right by them. You get to slow down, look around the road and notice the intricate flowers and rock formations, the rivers that wind and the creeks that appear from seemingly nowhere in the desert. God is truly an amazing Creator. We are so blessed to be able to experience creation on a vehicle such as a bike. What a way to slow down and praise God for all the good things he has made.
And so, approaching camp, I saw ahead a huge cloud of smoke looming a few miles outside of Gooding. A fellow rider, Randy, and I speculated what it could be. Perhaps it was a factory, a huge bonfire, or the grill from the kitchen trailer going up in flames. Well, to our surprise, there was actually a sagebrush fire outside of town. A burning pile of dead brush had spread to surrounding fields and began to burn all the area around it. Thankfully, the firefighters were able to control it before it got too far, but it still did spread about five miles.
Tonight, we had some type of bean, hamburger, and hot dog collage. It was quite good. Desert was pistachio pudding with marshmallows and pineapple mixed in. Quite a treat for us weary cyclists. Supper led into peleton where ewe are now beginning to hear about some of the organizations which will be receiving the funds raised by Sea to Sea. Tonight was Home Missions and the work they do abroad in countries such as Haiti. Small groups consisted of meditating on our shifting gears devotional passage. We talked about "spiritual perspiration" tonight. When you see a person struggling, sacrificing, and working hard, you want to know why they are doing so. Thus your sweat spreads and opens the opportunity to share the reason for your struggle. We related this to our bike tour because when people see us biking, they want to know what's going on, especially when 145 of us ride by their house or stop at the local coffee shop. And so, we are able to spread the mission of Sea to Sea to the surrounding communities that we pass through.
Well, it's late and I must go. Sleep is becoming a priority. Good Night

Mark's Boise to Mountain Home

2008-07-14T19:12:00.003-04:00

Mark here. Our ride today took us from Boise, Idaho to Mountain Home, a small town located in the center of an immense forest of sagebrush. Not really much of a forest, but they still have a ranger station. The ride went well, besides Eric's two flat tires. For the first flat, the tire began to bubble in the tread and Eric didn't notice till the bubbles started popping. The second flat turned out to be a defective tube. We repaired that in a jiffy though. We're getting pretty good at fixing these sorts of things.
The ride was hot. We got a late start (seems we keep leaving later and later from camp). So as a result, the it was midday when we were biking in this barren desert. We survived though. The wind was blowing at our backs so the riding came easy. We were whipping along a a clipping pace of 20-25 miles per hour. You couldn't even tell that you were going uphill. The wind just pushed you over the top. Towards the end of the ride my dad and I (Mark) stopped to have a refreshing pit stop involving mountain dew. The dew did its purpose. We were revitalized and nothing could hold us down. Thus we flew into camp, leaving tumble weeds in our dusts. At camp we did the usual routine: unloading the gear truck, setting up the tent, exploring town, and taking showers. The school we're at is called Mountain View Middle School. I'm pretty sure it should be a high school, maybe they just build their schools ginormous out here. It's very nice though, spacious and air conditioned. Tonight they say we could get a wind storm. hopefully it's not as bad as Huntington's, but we're prepared. We know how to face these sorts of environmental difficulties now. Well, I must get back to my sweep team duties. We have to serve supper, clean up camp, and make sure the dishwater is clean (sort of). So I guess that's all there is for now. Thanks for all the comments you guys post. We love hearing from you. Tell us if you want a specific picture or something. We'll see what we can do.

Mountian Home, Idaho, Monday, July 14

2008-07-14T18:22:00.003-04:00

Sat and Sun July 12 and 13

Mark and I had a long day biking Saturday because we rode with some riders having trouble, separating from each other to help those individuals make it. We all started together today, but earlier on Eric wanted to go slower and met up with his friends. The sky was blue the temperature was about 95 to 105, the sun was shining, and the wind was at our back matching our speed in the afternoon on Hill Road so it was very dehydrating. Finally I reached town, and not just housing developments in Boise. A much needed break was made at about 5pm for huge pop, huge water, burger and fries. Then we completed the last five miles, joining with the sweep crew and Agatha to reach Timberline High School. A cheering group greeted us. And, we had a well deserved meal at 6 pm after a shower. Eric had earlier gone off with friends to some ones home in Boise. We hear that they swam in the river, had grilled pork chops, went ice block sledding on a huge grass hill, then slept at this family’s home, got breakfast Sunday and in the afternoon went tubing on the Boise River (Mark joined them tubing, Larry was the afternoon shuttle driver for laundry and stores by choice to relieve those doing it daily).

We got to enjoy our favorite from mail delivery – Auntie Jan chocolate chip cookies! See the photos. Betsy enjoyed one with Mark and Larry Saturday night at Starbucks.

I forgot to take a few photos last night of the automatic lawn sprinkler “attack” on a many tents and riders about 12:30 to 1:30! What a night for them. I helped two get bedded down in the gear trailer after draining there tents and hanging up the wet stuff. Many waste barrels and tables were set over sprinklers to minimize the reach of their attach.

The worship service with Valley Community Church in the park was great. The message was on the fruit of the Spirit - peace. The music was great, Helena spoke about why we are biking (my son John got to talk with her a little Sat. night while Larry and Mark called home asking if she was Eric or Mark’s girl friend). We know that God is always with us and that He is totally in control even when trials and tempest temporarily beset us. The church fed us lunch, a potluck with burgers and hot dogs, desserts (like peach cobbler and chocolate brownies). It is so uplifting to worship with the community, their praise band, and all us SeatoSea folks. I took some video to try to capture a bit of that so we can show you in a movie that Mark hopes to make when we get home. Several media crews were present. Many people in the community ask about us and some offer some support. One lady really took on any assistance that was requested – thank you!

Hoped to go to Dairy Queen tonight across the street but it closed at 10 pm. Now I am writing about 11:30 to update our blog, but the internet satellite connection is not working. Earlier today I helped cooks and kitchen helpers Dini and Geri get blogs started, and flicker photo sites.

Monday, July 14

Today we rode from Boise to Mountain Home, Idaho. We just cruised along with the wind at our backs the most of the time. Tonight we are on sweep duty so we have to help set up and serve dinner.
This past weekend I (Eric) stayed over at a friend of a friend’s house who is on the tour. We got to go ice blocking on Saturday. Ice blocking is riding a block of ice down a big grassy hill. I guess it is the thing to do in Boise during the summer. We saw some other kids coming out at night to do it as we were leaving because we thought it was getting too dark. The bumps just come right up on you. You really feel it when your ice block stops because of a bump and you keep moving. What a hoot!
Yesterday, Sunday, we got to go floating down the Boise River along with just about everybody else in Boise it seemed. What a blast! The water was quite refreshing. Our hosts served us BBQ ribs for dinner, cheesecake for dessert, provided beds, and just straight up blew us away with their great hospitality. Thanks so much to them. May God bless them for being such a blessing to us, just a crazy group of bike riders.
Interviews happen randomly along the route. Mark has been in the paper and just yesterday I guess I was on the Boise news from what people have been saying. It is not easy being put on the spot when they fire questions at you. I just stuck to the basics in describing the tour. Jesus said to love our neighbor as our self so we are reaching out to our brothers and sisters in poverty, trying to live out Jesus’ words. I also mentioned about how God has and continues to surprise us in so many ways like being hosted for the past weekend by a friend of a friend. What a connection! Thank God for providing such great and encouraging hospitality along the way, not only at the homes we stay, but also just the people we meet who get excited about the cause and give on the spot and the great churches that host the celebration services and serve all of us lunch on Sundays. We also got mail this past Saturday and in it came Auntie Jane's chocolate chip cookies. So good! Thanks!

Boise, Idaho

2008-07-13T01:04:00.003-04:00

Last night we stayed on the grounds of Ontario high School. The grass was soft and the night cooled off so we slept well. For breakfast, we were served a royal breakfast of pancakes, bacon, oatmeal, and cereal. Definitely filled us up with that essential energy for the day. We got out on the road by about 8:30. The route began by taking us through town and then crossig a river into the state of Idaho. Of course, we got a picture of our third state we are cycling through. Next came an agricultural region in the country filled with a whole variety of edible plants, primarily those good ole Idaho potatoes. My dad and I (Mark) started out biking together until we hit a group of fellow cyclists. One cyclist had a few spokes broken in her wheel and her derailer was out of place. My dad fixed the bike temporarily, or at least as well as he could. I more or less watched and learned, picking up useful tricks for the future. So eventually we got back on the road again, but at a slower pace as we helped pull these cyclists into Boise by using the drafting technique.
Entering Boise was quite a sight. The outsirts of the city were dotted with enormous houses and ranches with beautiful landscaping. Hitting the city was quite a shock as we adjusted to seeing so many other cars, people, and houses all over the place. We rode along a looping and curvy road on the outside of town to the Timberlane High School. After today's 65 miles we had reached the end of this week's trip. We set up tent, took showers, and waited for supper. Supper tonight was another fabulous treat: slopppy joes, broccoli salad, baked beans, watermelon, etc... and peanut butter. We always have peanut butter. After supper, my dad and I went across the street to explore the little plaza of shops. Somehow we ended up at a Starbucks. My dad got a coffee and we split a couple almond hershey bars from a local right aid.
Coming back to camp, we received a surprise package of goodies from the "cookie-lady." To our delight, we found inside a whole box of chocolate-chip cookies wrapped in designer wrap. So, for desert, we munched on a few (or maybe more) of the delicious treats. Now we'll really have to watch our weight. Our huge thanks to Janice Dyksterhouse. We thoroughly enjoyed our snacks.

Baker City to Huntington to Ontario

2008-07-11T21:52:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we began our ride in Baker City. After a breakfast of oatmeal and cereal we took off for our 45 mile bike ride. The route was to be all downhill. Not feeling challenged enough, my dad and I (Mark) decided to follow a fellow cyclist on and adventurous expedition over a mountain pass nearby. So we departed on our adventured and rode 5 miles up a mountain pass, 2500ft. Then we continued on our way, searching for a rode to lead us to our next camping site in Huntington. The rode we were biking on ended in gravel, a depressing site. So we turned around and went back up the mountain, 5 miles and 2500ft, versus the 20 miles on a gravel rode. Eventually retracing our pedal strokes, we arrived back again in Baker City. We already had about 60 miles logged onto our bike clocks. After stopping at a local gas station for mountain dew and some sour apple slushies, we left on our original planned route for huntington. The ride was hot, but enjoyable since it was primarily all downhill. All around us was desert and sagebrush. Huntington was a small town, built around the railroad and concrete industy. Now things have slown down, but the people are just as friendly as ever. A laundry mat near the school of the Huntington Locos allowed Sea to Sea cyclists to do their laundary for free. Such hospitality. Arriving in Huntington, we pitched our tent and went into town for some appetizers before supper. The local cafe served us some amazing homemade marion-berry pie and a chocolate shake. Both were delicious and the air conditioning in the cafe a welcomed relief. The evening progressed with the normal activites: peleton, small groups, teeth brushing. Eric went for a mountain hike nearby. We thought we could pick him out from camp, a samll white dot in the distance. However, all this while, the wind was picking up. That night the wind was about 40 miles per hour depending on the gusts. Some rainflies were lost and a tent blew away (but we caught it a 1/2 mile down the road). The night was restless, but refreshing since we could sleep in, knowing that tomorrow our route would only be a mere 35 miles to Ontario, Oregon.
This morning started out with breakfast, oatmeal and cereal again (our staples). Then Eric, my dad, and I started out of Huntington. We traveled along the winding Snake River. My legs were feeling a little tired from yesterday's adventure up and down a mountain. Good thing the ride was flat. There were many irrigated fields along the route containing onions, radishes, corn, wheat, etc. The hills and small rock formations were quite amazing. Despite being in the desert, the scenery awed us by its extreme diversity of green farmland and barren desert. We had no flats. The locals tell us that goatheads (like a sandburs) often prick a rider's tires. We were lucky I guess, until we were about a mile away from the Ontario high School and my dad got a slow leak. We did patch it up though and decided to explore town since the ride was so short (35 miles - took us 2 hours so we got here by about 11am). We stopped at a local coffee shop called Java and Juice. Extremely friendly service and great ice water.
For those of you who wonder what we are eating, tonight's supper consisted of mashed potatoes, meatballs, salad, green bean cassarole, chocolate pudding, carrots, and peanut butter sandwiches. My second plate turned out to be bigger than my first. I'm going to have to start to watch my weight. Right now, some fellow cyclists and I are using the internet at the local library. Our satellite internet is not working as planned. They say it's missing a part I think. Hopefully that can be fixed. Otherwise, we'll look for those handy libraries to let you know what's going on. Tomorrow we're off to Boise, Idaho, our third state. We're really starting to really move along now.

Day 10 - Baker City

2008-07-09T19:30:00.004-04:00

Today we rode from La Grande to Baker City. We had some eggs and cheese with our normal cereal, fruit, and yogurt for breakfast. We cruised right along today. It was only about a 50 mile day. We stopped in the small cattle ranching town of Union to sit down under a tree with our usual peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Gotta love that peanut butter and jelly! We arrived in Baker City at about 12:30 and stopped at the local bike shop to take a look around. We stopped at Charley's ice cream for a quick snack, Huckleberry and Amazon Trail ice cream. Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Gotta support the local ice cream shops. The owner stopped by our table in the shop and asked about the tour. We handed out a few cards about the tour to others in the shop too. Who knows what may come of it, but we were encouraged to keep on handing out more cards. We are biking now, but we are still on a mission. The locals were great people. A local newspaper crew came to camp at the high school here in Baker City to interview several of us and take pictures. We found a river about a mile from camp, the Powder River. We plopped into the river from a rope swing tied to a tree along the banks. The river had quite a current, but not overpowering. Some local kids were taking what looked to be a float trip down the river in their little blow up boat. Now we are sitting in the shade of the gear truck waiting for dinner at 6 pm. We are always looking forward to dinner time. Last night we were surprised with apple crumble and ice cream for desert. Dad stopped at the Dollar Store to pick up a whiffle bat and ball. We hope to get a game going tonight maybe before dinner or something. If we are at all of these schools we figure that we might as well have fun on the baseball fields. We are still getting to know names on the tour. 150 people is quite a group. So many great people with great stories, new ones everday pop up to make our ride more exciting. Thank God for the great weather that we have been having and the great company to share it with.

Pendleton

2008-07-08T00:36:00.004-04:00

Today, we arrived in Pendleton. The ride was hot and moderately uphill. However, the scenery was amazing. At first we were in a canyon with strong headwinds, but eventually climbed out of it. All around you up top were wheat fields stretching out into the vast horizon. Talk about amber waves of grain. In Pendleton, we beat the gear truck and so I (Mark)and a friend, Peter, took a ride into town. Eric was still biking and my dad was fixing his first flat tire of the tour. He then went to a local coffee shop. In town I got some postcards at Walmart, went for a underground historic tour (free because they liked Sea to Sea), and visited the Pendleton Woolen Mills. The blankets at the mills were gorgeous, but expensive. And anyway, I had to stick to my sixty pound weight limit. Tonight we had spaghetti for supper, definitely high in carbs and preparing us for our next day, a 2500ft climb into La Grande. Our Pendleton meeting covered the same topics as usual - flats, accidents, banana peels alongside the road, etc. We then had a devotion speaking about the intricacies of a bike wheel, how all the parts must function and fit together in order for the wheel to spin true. If Paul were a biker, he would have used the bike wheel analogy versus the body perhaps. After small groups we watched the sun set quickly. The red glow is amazing over the hills. Now is time for sleep, a very essential part of biking. Perhaps I can get them to let me sleep in a little to 6:30. We'll see.

Yakima, Sunnyside, and Kennewick (Columbia Park)

2008-07-06T22:20:00.003-04:00

Thursday we arrived in Yakima after a beautiful ride through the Yakima River Valley Canyon. there were gorgeous rock formations and an oasis where the river flowed through with its swift waters. All around the outside of the canyon and its walls was barren brushland with tufts of plants and shrubs spotting the hillsides. Eric and I (Mark) climbed up the side of one of these "bluffs". We would have to guess that it was a thousand foot climb. Each time we would reach what seemed to be the top, a new higher ridge would appear before us. So, being commited we continued climbing to the top and succeeded in viewing a vast landscape of the Sonora Desert. The wind was blowing and you could see Yakima in the distance. Quite a sight! (Mountain biking shoes work well for climbing we found out) Then, continuing our adventure, Eric and I explored an old road travelling parallel to the highway. It went through an old bridge through the cliffs on the edge. We carefully walked through, carrying our bikes. Inside we found many graffitti-drawn pictures. It was really cool seeing all the artwork. Eventually we found the right road again marked on our maps and rode to that night's camp site. We stayed at a local Christian school. the Yakima CRC provided us with peanut m&m's and tootsie roll pops. We gratefully appreciated the snacks. It is this type of hospitality that is so amazing!
In the evening at camp we played card games. We played variations of spoons and president. Both served well to build community and burn time before supper. Mosquitoes turned out that night. I woke up that morning with a couple bites, but you don't notice when biking.
Friday we reached Sunnyside. The ride was very hot in the "barren wasteland" we were biking through. However, when we would look around you would notice patches of green where irrigation was occuring. This region of Washington is actually a major center of fruit growing, especially cherries. During the ride we received refreshments from a Church in Zillah, another small gesture of support and hospitility. I believe the people in Washington are the most friendly that I have ever encountered. At the rest point in Zillah, we ate cherries, watermelon, bananas, etc. A few from the church were there to serve and converse with.
When we arrived in Sunnyside it was early in the day for our ride was short, about 40 miles. We stayed in the fields around the local Christian School. To cool down from the heat, Eric and I ran around in the sprinklers with some other riders in the fields. Later that night, my dad, Eric, and I were put to sweep duty. This is where you serve food and help set up/tear down camp. However, we were spared our chores for the CRC in the area served us supper. We didn't even have to bring or wash our own dishes! It was an amazing meal of tortilla chips, tacos, beans, hamburger, pork, and strawberry shortcake. Then, that night for the forth of July we went to fireworks at Sunnyside high school. Another church served us rootbeer floats-very refreshing in the heat. I think we will gain weight versus losing it on this trip. The fireworks that night were great, an impressive show, but many of us were so tired that we could hardly keep our eyes open. Eventually we turned in for the night. Camping in fields under the stars.
Saturday,we arrived in Kennewick at Columbia park. It's a park right beside the Columbia river with some mountains in the background and multiple large bridges towering over the waters. The bike ride that day was extremely hot. Not much shade or coverage was around. The three of us were on sweep duty. We were "appointed" the last riders of the day, bringing in the herd. As a result we wer eon the road for six hours in the scorching sun. I'm sure that I have gotten burned. Many riders that day had flat tires from goatheads, small, sharp burs. Thus, we ended up mastering our tire repair skills and leisurely biking the route. When stopping for a bathroom break, we asked a local Mexican farmer if we could us his port-a-jon in the orched. he was all to happy to allow us and insisted that we take some cherries from his orchard. He quickly went and found a huge box filled with fresh cherries, picked that day, and told us to take them all. We ate what we could, and packed a few, but could not finish off the entire box. Before we left, the farmer insisted on giving us his cell phone number in case we wanted to come back for more cherries that night. What a blessing this farmer was, giving us not only a meal of cherries, but cold water. I think that I have now concluded that folks from Washington are the most friendly, we'll see how the other states are though.
Today, Sunday we attended the celebration rally in the park we're staying in, Columbia Park. Kennewick consists of about three cities and so the rally was bigger than the first one at the University of Washington. The service asked us to give and realized that we are more blessed when we focus on those around us. A few of the church were Burmese, another story, and they provided us with amazing music and singing. What a wonderful sound, even though it is in another language.
This after noon, we were able to do different activities from boating to floating down a river to shopping. Eric and I went to a pool at the house of a person from the area. The pool had a waterslide, diving board, and zip-line. Quite a treat. We enjoyed it and thank them deeply. My dad stayed at camp and rested up while playing bocce ball. Overall, its been a relaxing day preparing us for another intense week of biking. Thanks for all the support. We'll watch the sunset over the river tongiht and think of all you. Thanks again.

Leavensworth to Ellensburg

2008-07-03T01:24:00.006-04:00

We woke up this morning early to get a jump start on our second major mountain climb of the week. Oatmeal and muffins supplied us with our energy for the hills. We traveled briefly through a construction zone and then began our ascent. Ponderosa pines and tall rock formations covered in folaiged lined the roads. The route we traveled was through Blewett Pass, 3000ft, and then did another 1000ft climb. The downhills were much appreciated since the temperature rose above 100 degrees.
We're coping with the heat by drinking plenty of water and stopping for slushies at a gas station near camp. At camp tonight we ate supper and then attended our daily peleton meeting and small group. At the peleton meeting we talked about the day, heard who had flats, who fell, how many trucks honked at us, etc. At small group we talked about having the freedom to bike. Christ gives us the liberty to serve him and go our own direction in him. We're not confined to our sinful nature, but can choose our own route. Each day we have a short devotional relating to bike riding.
Tomorrow's route is downhill. Hopefully we can recover from our aches and pains from the mountains. Thanks for all the prayers and support. We're meeting tons of new people and are hearing their stories. Many miracles large and small are in those stories.
We'll keep pedeling out here.

2008-07-02T01:47:00.001-04:00

Today we traveled from Sultan to Leavensworth, WA. It's a samll German town in the moutain passes. The ride there was very strenuous, however we had no flat tires to slow us down. We climbed about 4000ft in 40 miles to Steven's Pass and then coasted 40 miles to the town. There were extremely cold waterfalls and rivers along the way to cool us down from the 95 degree temperatures. Overall, the ride's going great with beautiful weather, no rain so far. Tomorrow is another mountain pass.

On the road to Seattle

2008-06-27T03:03:00.006-04:00

Tuesday, 6-24
We left Kalamazoo. Betsy is joining us for the Sea to Sea trip as a nurse and sag wagon driver.

Wednesday, 6-25
Arrived in Glacier National Park. Hiked at St. Mary's Falls and Avalanche Lake. Spent the night in West Glacier.

Thursday, 6-26

So we left Glacier National Park early today and headed out on 94 for the great mountain known as Mount Rainier. The drive was very scenic, many tall pine trees, rivers, and agricultural fields were passed. The roads were curvy, threading their way through the mountains like a great snake. As we traveled, I (Mark), sat on the seat next to the window for the whole drive (since the insurance won't cover under 21 years of age.) Since this was my plight, I was able to become the official photographer of the day. The mountains were beautiful as we approached them. Winding our way up to Mount Rainier, we pulled out onto a scenic view point. Here, we were lucky to catch a glimpse of the very peak of Mount Rainier. Snow was covering the top and clouds were drifting around, often hiding the peak. About 10pm we arrived in Seattle, WA. It was a shock to enter an area so urban compared to Montana and East Washington.

Departing 06 24 2008 for SeatoSea Seattle

2008-06-23T23:56:00.003-04:00

Loading up the SAG van on 6/23 to depart in the morning. Betsy is joining us for the drive, and as the tour SAG driver/nurse. Thanks to her mom and dad for getting her to Kalamazoo.

We thank all those helping us toward our pledge goal - we are at about 75%. Hope to see you now while we are on the tour or the return.

Thanks to TLC for the camp week and support.

Richland Bible Church 62 mile ride

2008-06-15T22:41:00.003-04:00

Eric, Mark and Larry enjoyed a Saturday morning ride of 62 miles, well organized as a fund raiser for the church youth group summer service project in the UP.

Lgihthouse Community Church Benefit Concert

2008-06-15T22:27:00.002-04:00

On Friday June 13 Lighthouse hosted a benefit concert. Thank you performers, and my coworker Dan who organized the concert. We trust God will bless those efforts for SeatoSea - doing something beautiful as musicians! And we have a first newspaper media connection - the Kalamazoo Gazette sent over a photographer to get some live "biking" shots ahead of the concert so maybe a article will follow soon.

SeatoSea Benefit Concert May 11

2008-05-13T22:19:00.007-04:00

Thanks to many student performers we had a very great musical evening - solos, violin, piano, small band, Kalamazoo Junior Symphony woodwind quintet, harp, trumpet to name several. Also thanks to Third CRC, several hosts, sound people, janitor, and deacon. These people all shared their God given talents and made for a successful evening to help "slay the giant" of poverty. Plus, we had great refreshments and fellowship afterward. Most performers are in the attached photo. We have received many positive comments about music and SeatoSea, and one potential lead for another sponsor. The funds raised amounted to about $1,400 and several took donation forms home. Wish all of you could have been there.

Training had to take a break while all this went on. Tonight I just had to go to the Maple Valley Track meet so we could visit Mooville for ice cream! That is a good idea for a significant training ride - about 100 miles round trip. Anyone up to join me?

Pledge Goal Update; Benefit Concerts

2008-05-10T06:21:00.005-04:00

Gratefully we can acknowledge that SeatoSea reports $11,100 received towards our $30,000 pledge so far; for all cyclist combined around $450,000 has been contribured to date toward a $1.5 million goal. In about six weeks the tour starts. Pray God blesses all the people and efforts in progress for toward "ending the cycle of poverty".

Final preparations are underway for the benefit concert hosted by Third CRC with Kalamazoo Christian students and friends as musicians on Sunday May 12 at 8 pm. Thank you!

Our first tshirt sale to a distant purchaser just happened - that was like selling some to the "President", totally unexpected! Thanks Dave.

Join us for a benefit concert June 13 at 7pm at Lighthouse Community Church,4321 11th Street, Kalamazoo, MI(just south of Parkview on 11th Street in Oshtemo Township). Wow - a friend from work goes there and spearheaded that. Thanks to Dan and his church.

Twin Lakes Reformed has a week long day camp June 16 to 20, and wrap up in worship on the 22nd - they are designating SeatoSea for their fund raising cause. I get to work (my last week before my leave to go on the tour) but Sherry, Eric, Mark and Joel are volunteer helpers and John is a camper. SeatoSea wrist bands will be an incentive to the campers and they will provide a ongoing message toward "ending the cycle of poverty".

Oh, we do try to bike and run to get in shape, time permitting. Some cyclist wizzed by me going up the 6th Street hill - maybe in September I will be able to do that too! Sorry, no pictures of that are available.

Check out the links - new soon will be a Blessing poem submitted by cyclist Hans and a concert announcement.

Fund raising status update

2008-03-31T23:40:00.003-04:00

Today at SeatoSea they posted reciepts adding up to $6,068 toward our goal of $30,000. For all riders they show $325,000 as received to date. Thanks organizations and individuals providing support for the poverty reduction. God is blessing fund raising efforts.

SeatoSea says the media roll out should come in a few weeks, with warmer weather.

BENEFIT CONCERT: May 11 at 8 pm, Third CRC on Winchell in Kalamzoo, put on by high school students. Hope you and your friends can join us. Thanks Third and student performers!

SUMMER DAY CAMP: Sounds like we will be participating in Twin Lake's day camp on Jun 16 to 22, and may be stated as their fund raising cause. Mark has been a counselor several times. Maybe Eric can this year will help with recreation. Joel may be a junior couselor, John a day camper, and Sherry a helper. The camp theme is Growing Good Fruit! Pray God blesses their planning, those taking on leadership and support roles; and Dawn especially with the challenges she has and as camp director. Thanks Twin Lakes!

We have our street bikes now and some accessories. We hope the weather allows us to get out on them more and more for conditioning.

Spring Training Begins

2008-03-21T20:00:00.003-04:00

We have not done much biking this week, rather bike shopping and fund raising. Trying to schedule some concert fund raising events.

So, today we need to get in some miles since we are all together for Easter weekend :) :) :)

Tee shirts and wrist bands

2008-03-14T23:30:00.005-04:00

Mark, Larry and Sherry printed tee shirts at school this evening, a little over 100, to raise funds to meet our pledge.

Also, we bought 100 wrist bands from Sea to Sea to resale.

$10 for tee shirts and $4 for wrist bands, plus shipping, if you would like one. Order them by email to us at lstehouwer1@juno.com.

Donations to Sea to Sea are coming in. A sincere thank you to those contribution. Positive contacts continue. Hoping to be invited to some more churches or organizations to speak.

Support encouragement

2008-03-13T03:45:00.000-04:00

We are working on fund raising. Tee shirt printing is resuming Friday.

Some positive feed back (for example: T says "We'll be glad to help out with this very worthy trip. I'll approve this and ... get it to you. I am sure you will have many stories when you get back, I'll need to come down and listen to some of them. Have a great trip !!").

Larry got two rides in, 22 miles Tuesday with wind and 17 miles Wednesday with hills.

2008-03-09 first post

2008-03-10T01:51:00.000-04:00

Took my fourth conditioning ride. For a challenge I took the hills on F, 6th by Alamo, Winding Way, and old Douglas. Felt good trying to learn to spin at a steady rate. About 12 deer crossed. Spring is in the air. About 30F.

Mark spoke at 2nd CRC AM, offering pm. Many positive contacts.

Looking to get tee shirts we purchased printed (about 100) and get braclets from headquarters.

Good news - chamber and school doing articles.

"Cycling to reduce the cycle of poverty"