Week 9 Beginning

5:40 means time to go get supper for me!  So see ya later maybe.  Or perhaps I'll see you like Thanksgiving or Christmas time...  I'll try to get a few pictures up later.

Wednesday, August 21 – Whitehall to Albany

Today actually began quite unexpectedly.  I think that yesterday’s difficulty caused people to overestimate what today would be like.  So camp was empty by about 7:20 (when I normally leave and about 40 min before the last people normally do)…  To prove my point; I was sitting at a café and my mom and dad passed me!  It’s not like my group was going slow either!  For a majority of the day we had a reasonable headwind with high humidity and over 90⁰ temperatures but it was nice and sunny with plenty of spots with shade.  I have noticed certain subtle hints of people ready to go home and actually sleep in for once…  In their own bed too!  I’ve also noticed my thoughts really turning towards upcoming college and what it may be like, soccer tryouts and potentially the season, and AOE (for those of you that care about this reference).  So I would say that I am getting ready to be done.  9 weeks is a long time to be away from everyone you do things with (with the exception of my family I guess) but also it’s odd thinking that I won’t see 90% of these people ever again…  I’ve become great friends with a few of them in particular but at home they will be at least a 10 hour drive away.  But, I am definitely looking forward to meeting people at college!

Tuesday, August 20 – Ausable Chasm to Whitehall

Today was exactly what we didn’t need…  First and most importantly; we finally got French toast for breakfast but they ran out of syrup before half of us were awake!  Talk about getting your hopes dashed, ran over, and then buried!  Then…  To start the day we went up and down and up and down relatively large hills.  Then; we went up and down some more hills; only with a headwind to boot!  And then we had another hill that came out of nowhere.  I don’t know how steep it was (I’ve heard 20% grade) or how tall it was (easily 400 ft) but about half of the riders had to walk up at least half of it…  Amanda and I only made it up because of our stubborn personality and the commitment to not walking up the rest of the hill with the old people we had just passed that were walking…  Competition is a great motivator for me.  And after that hill we had more ups and downs until we eventually finished in a crawl at 82 miles.  Today really beat a lot of people!  Some of us think that the weeks through Michigan and Canada made us wimpy due to quite easy hills and lack of great distances…  But we made it and that’s what matters!  Tonight we stayed at a small little RV park that just barely could fit us but despite being basically in a swamp had surprisingly few musquitoes!  Supper as always had something that I didn’t know of until now…  But was still enjoyable nonetheless (which is good cause I went for seconds)!

Monday, August 19 – Today we biked on some pretty sad roads (bumpity bump bump BUMP!) for a few miles including 3-4 miles of gravel (which those of us riding tanks, steel bikes with wide-ish tires, even felt).  We also crossed from Quebec into New York!  Woah was that a switch!  Suddenly I could read signs again!  And suddenly everything got a lot farther away as we made the kilometer to mile switch on roadsigns…  I really do prefer the simpler metric version of measurement.  Today was relatively easy although keeping up with the top guns for the last 13 miles just tuckered me out! 

Sunday and Saturday…  I can tell my short term memory (along with many other people’s) is shot!

We biked to the Kahnawake Survival School on/near the Mohawk reservation in Quebec.  Signs switched from readable English (albeit Canadian versions) to (for me) virtually uncomprehendable French.  But; there was a Tim Horton’s right across the road (highway) from camp so jay-walking was done quite regularly by our group!  On Sunday we rode (by bus) into Montreal and attended a very structured Presbyterian Church service and then when going by bus to Old Port went in a perfect square (30 minute detour) due to ridiculous traffic…  Let’s just say we were quite fed up with riding on a bus by the end of the day (total of about 4 hours spent riding the buses).  A euchre tournament took place Saturday night but was never finished due to an excess of participants and a late start (7 pm is late for us!).  Joel was doing surprisingly well (after confusing everyone he played against (and with) with his relatively unexpected (and unprecendented) strategy.  Apparently it works though although I don’t think that it’s supposed to according to hints people have told me.  Let’s just say if no one can understand how you think it messes them up completely!

Friday

I honestly can’t remember anything from today…  Writing this on Wednesday.  And looking at the clock it’s 5:34.  Just half an hour until supper so I’m feeling a little bit rushed…  So today was probably a good day.  We had sun, heat, humidity, and spent a majority of the day biking.  Maybe today was when a time trial was set up by a group of riders but that easily could have been yesterday otherwise…  Going to college will be such a transition.  Here I can forget something and everyone else will forget it as well but I think at Calvin I’ll be expected to learn and retain things!  What a novel idea!  With that I’m off to start the supper line!  Getting in line in front of 120 other people has perks such as the potential for seconds so it’s a highly contested position (almost as contested as the bathroom and shower lines!)!

Week 8 Basically

Also I had to use a library computer so I have a time limit here...  So if this is a bit hurried that's probably why.

And my mom says that I need to say that they are still alive.  So for those of you who were wondering if there was any reason they don't make it into these posts it's because they are normally posted before they arrive in camp to say what happened that day...  But she adamantly exclaims "They DO make it into camp!!".

I really would have liked to update this sooner but we have been staying in places not near wifi…  Today (Thursday) I might be able to bike to a library with a flashdrive (I love flashdrives for those of you who don’t know and a laugh for those that do) and post this online but maybe it won’t happen.  Also, all American people’s phones don’t work due to being in Canada so I can’t mooch of their plans either…  At the moment sitting in a camp chair in the shade eating Frito corn chips while others wait in line for the (singular) shower in the campground we are staying at tonight.  So we’ll see how many people don’t even bother taking one today and just jump in the nearby lake instead!  Also, I can’t remember what day I left off at in the last post.  So…

Over the weekend we stayed at Redeemer in Ancaster.  John Noordhof brought John, Joel, and Eric to Niagara Falls, we slept in the dorms/apartments, and we were fed by local churches.  Sunday night we had sack lunches for supper (John and Joel got “Tupperware Lunches” so we could keep the containers and for the chocolate bars that went along with them!) and were surprised at how well we ate.  Never underestimate what goodies (sometimes healthy) people can stuff into paper bags, grocery bags, and other such things!  Saturday’s ride was very relaxed and easy (only 50 miles) and mostly downhill (or at least it felt like it).

Thursday, August 15 – Kingston to Brockville

Today was a relatively short ride, only 52 miles.  But the day was lengthy due to most of us stopping at the Ivy Lea Cruise for a 1 hour boat tour of the St. Lawrence River at the 1000 Islands.  We had to be at the boat by 10:15 which gave us about 3 hours to bike ~30 miles and was easily done.  This morning I was forced to wear the tutu that has been working its way across Canada on the waists of various riders.  So today I did my 15 mile section of its trip before passing it off to Eric Versluis who was equally unexcited to wear it.  After the boat tour we hunted for our helmets in the tangle that the “security guards” put them in (as a prank) and then continued our bike ride along the river into Brockville.  Where we were greeted by a few trays of cookies, gummy worms, and watermelon!  I believe that Bethel CRC is providing supper for us tonight but they at least provided us with the ride end snacks.

Wednesday, August 14 – Trenton to Kingston

Before I forget, John and Tim (John’s riding partner) rode the entire distance (73? Miles) without ever touching the ground with their feet!  Which means that they didn’t stop at Lake on the Mount or at the church that welcomed us with cookies, cake, fruit, and various other goodies near mile 55.  But that sure is quite a feat nonetheless!  In addition, they along with a number of other cyclists committed to riding the entire day in one single gear.  Therefore they biked up and down hills while occasionally fighting the wind without shifting once.  I also did this but did stop at SAGs and the church.  We took a ferry across a river (John and Tim biked onto the ferry and held onto the rail to not touch the ground) and many of us put jackets on due to the wind on the water (which then we took off once we got back onto land).

Tuesday, August 13 – Ajax to Trenton

The best part(s) of the ride were the 3 churches on the route that came out and cheered us on with countless cookies, bars, candies (Canadian varieties nonetheless!), fruits, and whatnot else!  They were conveniently spaced about 15 miles apart from each other and were awesome places to sit down and chow!  If only we could have had this much tummy) support in the US we would all be gaining weight.  In Trenton we stayed at a small Christian school but ate inside!  What a difference it is to actually sit in a chair at a table while eating…  After supper we ate loads of pie and cake and such and some of us just fell asleep right away once we finished eating!

Monday, August 12 – Ancaster to Ajax

Today we early on rode for many miles through the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) which was made interesting by directions such as “keep the lake on your right”, various construction detours, and overall busy roads and traffic.  Towards the end of the ride John Noordhof, Bonita, and Joel stopped at a Tim Horton’s for John’s birthday and to initiate Joel into being a tourist in Canada…  I think McKenzies and Sweetwaters are just as good if not a little cheaper as well.  In one spot near a public beach a family (somehow related to someone on the tour) provided us with drumsticks (the ice cream cone things) as a SAG and it was probably most people’s favorite today!  At our destination Crossroads CRC welcomed us with popcorn, snow cones, and ice cream!  Churches around here sure do know how to make us feel welcome!

Me in the tutu...

Our campground Wednesday night in Kingston

Picture of John Noordhof, John, Eric, and me at Niagara Falls

Just to show we always go uphill!

 Skylon Tower near Niagara

 Niagara Falls on the Canadian side

 Also on the Canadian side

 A "Nookshook" (unknown spelling).  A common Canadian direction helper sort of thing.  Its arms point parallel to the body of water nearby.  Perhaps it has some other unknown properties as well?

Boldt Castle (or part of) in 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence River 

Another part of Boldt Castle...  It's a pretty big castle but was hidden by trees so I only got pictures of some of its extremities...

Week 7 Pictures

These are in a very confused order...  so just go along with the non-ordered order!

Boarding the ferry to cross the border/river 

 Welcoming party on the Canadian side of the river!

 Eric...  crossing into Canada

 Decorations in the gym in Sarnia

 Newspaper clipping hanging up in the school in Sarnia

 Cool design eh?  Cupcakes in Sarnia for us to enjoy

 Cake in school in Sarnia

 Yep!  Bonita and I were lost!  We didn't stop in though...

 Fox that Bonita and I saw today (Friday)

 Visitors at Calvin on Sunday

 Also visitors on Sunday

 Self-explanatory...  Picture under a welcome sign

I'm assuming this was in a park in London.  But I am not sure at all.

Water in the shape of the Great Lakes.

Middle of Week 7 Written

Here is a written description of the last few days…  I will also put up a post of pictures with captions.

Friday, August 9 – London to Breslau

Today was pretty much perfect!  The weather was great, the temperature was awesome, and the ride was short(ish)!  Many of the riders towards the tail end took the ride at a very relaxed pace and some of them even competed to be the last into camp.  Our only problem was forgetting how to ride up hills because Michigan is actually quite flat.  We had a traffic light and then a steep long hill that multiple people had to walk up after giving up on biking.  I think that today is the only day that Sherry and Larry have gotten into camp before I have!  But I had a great relaxing day so I didn't mind.  We also had amazing snacks when we got into camp (candy bars, brownies, bottercuk?(some Dutch name)…).  Then a great supper (with seconds if not thirds) and a small group challenge face off competition during peloton (which is just about to happen).

Thursday, August 8 – Sarnia to London

Today we left Sarnia Christian School with perfect weather and quite yet full tummies from last night!  We took a right out of the parking lot, a right onto the next street, and went straight for a full 47 miles.  As we came into London we merged onto a bike path and followed that for almost the rest of the ride.  Joel and Bonita missed a turn (along with other groups) and ended up doing about 8 miles extra today due to their accidental detour.  To make it worse we went past a waterpark full of people but didn’t have our swim suits with!  Larry’s shifting cable broke while riding on the bike path and so he found a bike shop downtown before finishing.  The rest of the day here has been relatively uneventful for us but full of visits for many of the Canadian bikers.  Tonight we will be sleeping inside the lobby of the London District Christian Secondary School which will hopefully be dark, quiet, and cool enough to sleep in!

Wednesday, August 7 – Imlay City to Sarnia – The Border Crossing!

Today we began our 75ish mile ride in the midst of a thunderstorm.  We were thoroughly drenched, soaked, worn out, and blown by the wind for the first 35 miles of the ride!  Not to mention counting seconds after each lightning strike until we heard the thunder!  Many of the riders stopped either at a McDonald’s early on (4-5 miles) or a café (8-9 miles) or blew straight by the left turn at the café so Joel, John, and Bonita were some of the front riders for a time (after starting around 7 in the middle of the pack and riding right on through the storm)!  Of course, our lead was short lived due to some faster riders but whatever!  For miles 43-55 we rode across the street from the river and the border and occasionally caught glimpses of it between houses, hills, and other such obstacles.  We reached the ferry in Marine City just as the semis were crossing right at 11 (which is when we were instructed to try and get there by) and then sat in a nearby restaurant for a second breakfast!  Can you believe this was only my 2^nd cinnamon roll of the entire trip!?  As we ate the rest of the riders showed up and we prepared to board around 12.  The crossing took 5 trips due to a 35 bike limit on the ferry and many of us trying to cross.  After getting through customs we had a short (.1 mile) ride through a cheering Canadian welcome party into a park for cookies and watermelon!  I ate 7 cookies!  As time went on riders began the last 15 mile stretch into Sarnia where we were greeted yet again (this time by cupcakes, cookies, chips, and brownies)!  For dinner the community served us grilled pork and some other tasty sides with yet another helping of sweets for a community dessert social!  Wow, have we been eating good!!  Being warned of expected storms that night many of the riders billeted (slept in a bed at a local’s house) or slept inside the school.  We slept in the library and I couldn’t help but look at the titles and see how many I could recognize…  which was a lot!

Monday stuff

I had posted the blog before my parents got in and then learned that Larry had blown out his tire today during the ride.  Not just the tube, but the tire as well!  Also, I learned that when one volunteers to help cook on the grill one also sacrifices getting chocolate milk and seconds!  What a mistake!  Although the ice cream social after supper helped fill my tummy which was greatly appreciated!

Beginning of Week 7

Tuesday, August 6 – Laingsburg to Imlay City

My day took off to an amazing start!  We had French toast for breakfast!  From there the day only continued to be spectacular until about 30 miles in we ran into rain…  Which then went away, we dried out, and then came back harder and longer than before.  But it wasn’t cold out like yesterday so we were just fine.  For biking through Flint we were told to most definitely ride in groups of 2 or more, which resulted in some groups of up to 15 forming!  Normally the largest group each day will be like 7 or 8 people.  This means that the SAG stops were temporarily overwhelmed as each new group came in and that people who often ride with the same group met other riders and groups while biking today.  By now it is 3:00 and most of the riders are in camp, maybe up to 15 left?  So now it’s time to sit around and rest and contemplate what might be for supper.  I’ve heard that meals are going to be different due to what foods can or cannot be brought across the border into Canada and then ~10 days later back into the US…  So I expect that we will have a lot of fresh produce/fruit tonight for supper.  We’ll see!  Tonight we are allowed to sleep inside the high school due to expected rain later this evening and overnight.  Hopefully it’s dry out when we wake up for breakfast and more biking.  Tomorrow is the border crossing and I think that the Canadians are going to force everyone to hit up Tim Horton’s once we’re across!  I’ll try to compare it to Krispy Kremes and Sweetwaters…

Monday, August 5 – Grand Rapids to Laingsburg

Today we took almost the exact same route as they did in 2008 from Calvin College to Sleepy Hollow State Park near Laingsburg.  And it was an awesome day!  Albeit a little chilly at the beginning (49⁰F). We had great weather and only 63 miles to do in the entire day after a weekend.  Eric took a detour early on to meet with a friend or two, John left before the rest of us were anywhere near ready, Sherry and Larry took their time but still had plenty of the day to sit and enjoy, and Joel rode with a person Larry talked into joining last minute on Saturday.  I still can’t help but think how crazy it is that she took half a day to decide, join, pack, and get ready!  For supper we had corn on the cob that a rider and his family donated from their farm/fields and it was fantastic!  We also had applecrisp, cherrycrisp, and ice cream for dessert.

And here are some more pictures from last week that I had taken and hadn’t gotten onto the laptop for the blog…

 Supper and pie in Fulton, a week ago or so?

 This is what we look like while biking!  Soo fast we seem to have 4 tires on the back!

 Coming to Lake Michigan on Thursday last week

 Stain-glass windows in the church in Benton Harbor.  This is what Eric and I woke up to!

Biking with the other riders, friends, family, and Mark into Calvin on Saturday

Week 6 Pictures

Sorry these are not in chronological order...  But its late and I really want to get to bed!  I tried to label the day if I knew it.

 Ice cream stop in Frankfurt on Wednesday

 Leaving Calvin CRC for Calvin College on Saturday

 Eating in the dining hall at Hope as a family (with two add-ons) on Friday

 This is Iowa again...  Quite similar to the other picture eh?  (Monday)

 Crossing into Illinois from Iowa on Monday

Home!!  Well, not yet...  (Thursday)

Pot hole that caused mom to tumble  (Wednesday)

After causing trouble the pothole was adequately marked and a helpful local family promised it would be fixed likely the next day!  Too bad it hadn't been before we came through.

Basically all of week 6

One weeks worth of blog...  Wow is that a lot of work!  Sorry I didn't get anything put up earlier this week but wifi was surprisingly scarce and sleep was beckoning...

Saturday, August 3 – Holland to Grand Rapids

Everyone was looking forward to a shorter ride, nice weather, and the weekend and today was really what we needed!  Early on we stopped for chocolate milk provided by a volunteer, cookies at a church, and homemade baked goods at a park!  Today our average was much slower than it had been in days past!  We were joined by many family and friends of riders and took over any roads we went on.  Especially when we grouped up and had a parade finish from Calvin CRC for the last 3 miles into Calvin College!  For the last few hours we have been taking self led (or alumni led) tours around Calvin’s campus and, catching up on our blogging, and relaxing in the dorm.  It’s really funny seeing how everyone reacts to having access to free laundry…  Some people get really excited about laundry.  To me it just makes no sense!   Should be a pretty spectacular dinner at the Commons Dining Hall tonight and then we just keep getting fed for the rest of the weekend by the local churches!

Friday, August 2 – Benton Harbor to Holland

Not a perfect start to the day due to unknown breakfast start time, chilly temperatures, and the looming (inevitable) chance of rain for the next few hours.  Not to mention a flat tire before starting the ride for Joel…  But our spirits were kept high by two stops at churches on the route, a tailwind, and a relatively short ride!  The day only got better when we were met by Mark around the 53^rd mile!  After chatting for a while we finished the ride to Hope College and making a detour to pass by Sherry’s childhood home.  From there we checked ourselves in and prepared for supper in the dining hall.  I have to admit; I really like the idea of eating in a dining hall this fall!

Thursday, August 1 – Illiana to Benton Harbor

Long day today, but hey!  What do you expect if the route is 90 miles!?  But, today was also a great day due to awesome weather and some of the route on Lakeshore Drive right along Lake Michigan!  I personally was having a splendid time comparing the cottages we rode past on the lake (and contemplating which ones my own would look like if I had one).  Also, today we rode our only 3-state ride beginning in Illinois, ending in Michigan, and going through Indiana somewhere in between…  I think our largest problem is eating.  We are continually being fed by two or three groups a day and it seems like that will continue for at least the rest of the week.  They aren’t leaving any room for my “freshman 15” this fall!  Eric and Joel found an awesome room to sleep in that is home to an alleged $1,000,000 worth of stained glass windows!  What a great view in the morning when we woke up!

Wednesday, July 31 – Shabonna State Park to Illiana

Today began confusingly when we realized that the route directions we had been given were off by 5 miles.  So we quickly did the math and lo and behold!  We had an extra 5 miles to do today!  So to pass the time Joel and Bonita (his riding partner for the day) spent part of the ride comparing the conditions of certain body parts (those that were hurting or sore) and offering to trade in various combinations…  Sadly, none of these were followed through.  After the ride we were served an amazing dinner by the locals (led by parents of a rider) followed by an ice cream social!  Eric and Joel discovered sleeping in a gym is best done when hidden from everyone else on stage behind a curtain… until we were some of the last to wake up for the pancake breakfast.  But there was so much food that we had no worries.

Also, Sherry had her first fall of the tour today!  Earlier in the day a fellow bicyclist had hit the same pothole and bent his handlebar, shattered his mirror, suffered a minor concussion (maybe), and gone to the hospital for stitches...  Fortunately Sherry came out of it with only a few bumps and bruises and only her bell on her bike broke!  Still it was quite a traumatic experience and she did not take her eyes off of the road in front of her for the last 8 miles of the ride today.

Tuesday, July 30 – Fulton to Shabonna State Park

Rainy, cold, windy, and overall very slow start to the day.  Not to mention this continued the entire ride and even after we finished.  Then to cap it all off I had to serve supper!  But that also meant I was able to take seconds at the same time as firsts…!  Wow, it is really hard to remember this far back…  The state park we stayed at was quite nice and very much full when one considers we set up about 80 tents, two semis, and multiple other vehicles in it!  We really do take over any small town we stay at.  About 60 miles in a Shell gas station provided us not only with restrooms but also free hot chocolate and coffee!  What a deal!  At supper I discovered that when you are a server you can hand out portions in such a way as to maximize your own at the end…  I took firsts and seconds at the same time!

Monday, July 29 – Coralville to Fulton

Beginning the day Eric, Larry, and Joel led a group out the wrong entrance of the parking lot…  But we figured that one out quick enough and re-began the day’s route!  Only for Joel and another rider take another accidental detour (about 10 k/6 miles) which made today another century ride…  But the rest of the day went well!  Mom surprised us all by visiting her first garage sale of the summer, so was her streak broken by buying an “orange magnetic necklace”…  Supper was provided by the locals including pies and ice cream for dessert!  Also, we crossed into Illinois.  Wow we are making tons of progress!

And Mark is visiting so I figured we would give him a chance to write part of our blog…  So here is what Mark has to say about riding with SeatoSea for the second time!

After 19 hours of driving up from Austin,TX, I finally made it into the great state of Michigan and was able to settle down for a night in Grand Rapids. A quite remarkable thing happened on the drive though as I drove north near Benton Harbor. Previously, that day I had looked up where Sea to Sea would be crossing over the highway and knew that at some point their biking route for the day would cross over I-196. As a result, I began to scan all the over and underpasses of the highway to try and pick out where the Sea to Sea Riders were going. Around Benton Harbor I noticed a bike rider crossing over the highway with a signature fluorescent green biking vest on. I figured that this must be Sea to Sea. As I approached the overpass at 75mph I looked back up to see if I could catch a glimpse of any more of the riders. Some may think it a rare coincidence, others may find more to it, but as I saw the next rider just crossing over the overpass, I exclaimed “I think that’s mom!” She was wearing a pink biking shirt which I knew was one of her biking jersey colors. I quickly got off the highway at the next exit and backtracked on side roads to try and intercept the Sea to Sea riders and find out if for real it was my mom. I pulled off into a driveway and watched a group of riders pass. Then the pink rider I had seen earlier appeared and once up close I recognized her and called out “Mom!” She was totally surprised and I was too. It’s amazing that we even crossed paths considering the 11 hour drive I had just done that day, the different speeds we were travelling at, and the fact that the riders crossed only at that overpass. What a joy and blessing.

Friday, I biked from Grand Rapids to the lakeshore and met my family in Graafschap, MI. It was a little rainy in the morning, but by the afternoon things had begun drying out and the sun had appeared in the clouds. Compared to Texas, the temperature was great! And, I think those Sea to Sea riders who survived the Southwest desert of the US would agree also. Michigan has some fine summer weather. The only problem with my ride that day was the fact that the wind was blowing to the northeast. I was heading southwest, the exact wrong direction to ride. Oh well though, I think that the Sea to Sea riders deserved the tailwind more than I did. We had a wonderful stop in Graafschap at the Graafschap Christian Reformed Church. The church provided us with Hudsonville ice cream! So so good, especially the peanut butter and chocolate flavor they served us! A few of us even had 3 bowls. Don’t let our mom know… Thanks to Graafschap CRC, the Sea to Sea riders and I greatly appreciated your hospitality and warm welcome.

The rest of the ride to Holland, MI went smoothly, especially since we had that tailwind going on. We biked near Kollen Park and then into town towards Hope College. The Sea to Sea riders were going to be staying in the dorms at Hope that night (and me too if I could somehow manage to find a bed). Dinner was at the dining hall at Hope and we had some great French fries, chocolate milk, and ice cream bars. They will probably have to re-stock on the ice-cream bars because many of us went up for seconds. I will have to say though, that as a Calvin College alumnus, Calvin has the better dining halls I think. If you’ve gone to Hope and think otherwise, well then I guess I hope we can just agree to disagree. The rest of the evening was pretty laid back with the peleton meeting and hanging out with other Sea to Sea riders. It’s been great to meet the 2013 Sea to Sea riders and see many old friends from the 2008 tour that I was a part of. What a wonderful blessing and opportunity these tours are for the church to come together to celebrate and serve! I can only hope that there will be another in the future.

That’s going to be it from me (Mark) though. The “prodigal son” has been found from Texas and has ridden with the tour for his Sea to Sea fix. A shout out goes to those at Sunrise CRC in Austin, TX. Today we rode from Holland into Grand Rapids, MI which was a beautiful ride. However, I’ll let Joel tell you about that. 

End of week 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Michigan, here we come! 

And now some pictures...

 Bike windmill sculpture in downtown Pella

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

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

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

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

Most of Week 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday July 25

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

6 flats and 1 fall (between today and yesterday)

Wednesday July 24

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

? flats and 0 falls (look at Thursday…)

Tuesday July 22

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

4 flats and 0 falls

Beginning of Week 5

Monday – July 22

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

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

Sunday – July 21

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

 Desert and some of the salads for lunch at church

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

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

Saturday – July 20

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

Week 4 Monday through Friday

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

Friday

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

5 flats and 2 falls

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

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

Thursday

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

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

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

Wednesday

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

10 flats and 1 fall

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

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

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

Tuesday

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

12 flats and 0 falls

An example of our daily "Peloton: meeting

Monday

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

12 flats and 1 fall

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

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

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

Sunday

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

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