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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!