Day 59 Romulus to Binghampton

Another beautiful day in NY state. We left at 7:30 with clear skies. It's not as cool as yesterday.

Our first stop was in Ithaca (pic) where I caught up on yesterday's blog. I talked to a few people at the library about the trip (people ask what's going on) and I'm told one of them was looking at the Sea to Sea website after I left. Ithaca is the home of Cornell University, known for it's medical school and research.

We had some pretty good hills to climb, the first one was right after Ithaca, and the second was right after our lunch stop in Romford. There were others in between and after, but not too severe. Again, a nice scenic day.

Valley CRC of Binghampton NY had nice cold water for us at the 100 k (60 mi) mark. They also hosted us for a fantastic dinner with speidies (sp) of pork or chicken, salad, beans, and dessert. They have an interesting building and are situated right across from the Chenanga Forks HS where we are camping tonight. They also had a welcome sign made by their youth hanging off of a silo not far from here (pic)

We got into camp at 2:30 and it was quite warm, but it really cools down once the sun has set. (pic)

Totals for day: 125 k (75 mi), 4:47 on the saddle, 26.2 kph avg (16 mph)

Day 58 Byron to Romulus

It was a pretty cool night last night with again a heavy dew. We left around 7:15. The later we leave the warmer it gets. The sun rises around 7 and it was nice all day. Later on in the afternoon it probably got to 75F.

The country side is quite nice here and reminds me a lot of the Langley BC area. Rolling hills and much agriculture.

We came through some nice little towns like Avon and Lima. Their main streets have large stately homes, nicely renovated. As this area was settled over 200 years ago, there is much history here and some of the homes are 200 years old. Neat to see.
We stopped for pie or pancakes in Lima (not Peru). Across the street was a very old Young Mens Christian Association bldg (YMCA) and old firehall (pic).

We had a lunch stop hosted by Palmyra CRC at the 100 k (60 mi) mark at one of the member's (Andy) farm which was right on route. It was very good and we all enjoyed it. Imagine, putting on lunch for 200 people.

We stopped at Rose Hill Mansion built in 1837 (pic). It's right across from Lake Seneca, one of the Finger Lakes (pic). The farmer here in 1850 was the first to use tile drainage which yielded him very good crops. That's when tile drainage caught on in the area.

We got into camp at 2:30, just ahead of the gear truck. We are at Sampson State Park which used to be a Navy training base in WW2 and a Airforce training base during the Korean War. (pics)

Totals for day: 159 k, 4:45 cycling time, 27.0 kph avg (16.2 mph)

Day 57 St. Catherines to Byron

We are all back in the US of A today after completing our little foray into Southern Ontario.

I left at 7:30, Fred is on sweep today. No real rush to leave as we all have to meet at a parking lot by the Falls so we can cross the border together. It was only a 30 k (18 mi) ride to that spot. The wind was from the N, so we had a little tail wind/cross wind going on. As we had time, we stopped at a couple of view points for pictures. We could see people looking at us out of their hotel room balconies as we proceeded towards the Rainbow Bridge which would take us across the Niagara River and into NY State. Even though I've been part of the group cycling thing a few times now, I still enjoy seeing the large throng of cyclists pedal together, all in their Sea to Sea jerseys.

The border crossing was a breeze. We didn't even have to stop as it was all taken care of before hand. One thing about Niagara Falls, the Canadian side is commercialized as all get out, but there is only the small town of Niagara Falls on the US side with little going on.

The scenery in NY is fairly rural in this part, once we got 10 k or so in. The farming seems fairly casual though, but did get more intense towards the end of the ride. We came by a couple of small towns on the route today and the roads were good for the most part.

The N wind kept the temperatures cool, around 65 at noon, but now at the RV park at 5 it is nice and sunny. We left ON with darker clouds, but it changed to sun and cloudy by 9 or so. I got into Byron at 2:15, got a choco milk and headed to camp down the road. The RV park we're at is pretty good.

Totals for day: 129 k (80 mi), 5:10 on the saddle, 24.9 kph avg (15 mph)

PS: We lost two riders recently. Lynn V (IA) left at Grand Rapids as she had hurt her knee that week after a fall on a bike path. She cycled a couple of days after the accident but it was just too painful. This weekend, Sarah T (ON/PEI) got a kidney infection which put her in the hospital and is probably out until NJ. Cuz' Doug S (AB) is riding OK with his seperated shoulder so far.

Day 56 Sunday in St Catherines

It's about 7 AM and a few of us are in the school library catching up on blogs etc. The day's events are pretty well planned out for us, so I'll tell you what's scheduled for the day.

First off, it looks like it's going to be a nice day. There was a call for a chance of rain today earlier in the week. We hope not as the Celebration Service this afternoon will be held outdoors at Queenston Heights. (addendum - it poured at 8 AM, but it's pretty nice now at noon)

Breakfast will be served at the elementary school by Jubilee Fellowship CRC (which I believe is in Vineland). Right across the street from the school is Maranatha CRC where we will worship this morning. They are also hosting lunch for us today. After lunch is the rally preceded by a peach social put on by Covenant CRC (St. Catherines ?) For dinner, there will be a bbq put on by the churches of Welland, Wellandport, Smithville, Fenwick and Dunnville. See what I mean about support and interest? Wow.

So we are heading into the final week. As I've never been to New York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, it should be quite interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing those parts of the country. I'm really looking forward to arriving at Liberty State Park and seeing my family again, as well as friends and supporters and getting off my bike for more than 24 hours. That will be sweet, but I'm sure as I adjust back to "regular" life, sitting at my desk or whatever, I will think from time to time that it would be nice to be riding my bike in Colorado or Pennsylvania with all the others that we met over this summer. The ride has been a fantastic experience, but even the Beach Boys know there is no Endless Summer, or perhaps better put by the writer of Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything under the sun (paraphrase - a time to begin a bike tour and a time to end a bike tour).

Day 55 Hamilton to St Catherines

Today is to be a very short day distance wise, but will be extended by numerous stopping points hosted by the good people of southern Ontario.

We left a little later today, 7:15, the wind was blowing pretty goood from the south, meaning we would have a cross breeze. Not ideal, but could be worse. It was a little cloudy to start the day, but ended in sunshine and 30 plus degrees (90 F). The humidity is up a bit, but not too bad.

The roads weren't all that great today. A number of times there would be a yelp or something when going over some bumps that we just can't out maneuver in time, especially when behind another cyclist. One time Fred was ahead of me and one of his water bottles popped right out of it's holder and found it's way under my tires. Fortunately no damage to either rider or bottle.

We came by a nice view point overlooking the city of Hamilton and Lake Ontario. At the 30 k mark we cycled down the Niagara Escarpment which is a 300' or so drop and brings us to all the cities and towns around the lake. Our first stop was at the Dutch Store in Grimsby where Eritia S (ON) works. Our church stops were hosted by Mountain View CRC (Grimsby), Beamsville CRC, and Vineland CRC. At Beacon Hill Christian Schools, our stop for the weekend, the Mountain View, Beamsville, and Fruitland CRC's hosted us for supper. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone, the support here has been fantastic and some events seem to blur into the next. There were also a number of occasions when people would have signs by their houses or businesses, or just be standing along the road cheering us on. Once we got in (around 1:30), we had snacks and services availabe by some of the local CRC churches. Fred and I went to Chris and Joanne T's house for a bit, where showers and laundry were available. Much appreciated Chris and Joanne, who later escorted a bus full of us to Niagara Falls.

After supper I was surprised (accosted) by Arnie Tenbrinke when I was by the gear truck. Arnie and Sherry are here for a visit and it is nice to see them.

As noted, we went to see Niagara Falls after supper. We had two school buses full of tourists to add to the thousands already at the Falls. The Falls are quite spectacular (pics) and we saw the bridge we will cycle over on Monday morning as we cross into New York state.

Totals for day: 79 k (47 mi), 3:00 pedalling time, 26.0 kph avg (16 mph)

Day 54 London to Hamilton

Today was fairly warm like usual, but a little more on the humid side. The roads were good just like yesterday and the wind wasn't a big deal either way. We left at 7:15 this morning.

The scenery here in southern Ontario is mainly of farmland. The land is farmed more actively than what we had seen in Michigan. There are dairy and poultry farms, and lots of corn, soy, and tobacco fields. There is also a lot of commerce and industry happening here as well. London has a population of about 300M and Hamilton here is around 500M with lots of little towns in between. We came by a big GM parts distribution centre along the way today. There were a lot more hills today than yesterday.

We had a number of refreshment stops along the route. Our first one was at Ingersoll CRC (pic), then a little later there was a stop at a field where the people from Woodstock CRC treated us. After that we came by the Cambridge CRC stop (they are actually 20 k off of the route, but found a place to set up beside the road) and the next stop was at the Brak's place on Jerseyville Road in Brantford where the Brantford CRC set up shop (pic). At Redeemer College, our camping spot for the night, the Meadowlands Fellowship CRC which is behind the college had refreshments and eats for us as well. I tell you, these Ontario folks know what to do when a couple of hundred hungry and thirsty cyclists pedal through their area. They know a lot of the cyclists as about 1/3 of them are from Ontario. We appreciate their eagerness to meet and greet and keep us refueled. Thanks to all of you!

So now we are at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, just before Hamilton. It's a nice looking campus here. We have use of computers in their library, so it's pretty busy here right now (before supper). Redeemer is hosting us for supper. We got in at 1:45.

Totals for day: 125 k (77 mi), 4:40 cycling time, avg 26.9 kph (16.4 mph)

btw, we went off route a bit today at the end and shaved 4 k off the route, so that goal has now been met. Thanks to Christina N (ON) a Redeemer student for the tip.

Day 53 Chatham to London

We billeted at the Aukema's last night and had breakfast with them and a number of the London Express cyclists. Thanks Cynthia and Ralph for your hospitality. Cynthia cycled yesterday from the ferry crossing to Chatham and also did today's ride at pretty well her normal clip. Way to go Cynthia!

We hit the road at 6:45. It was a little misty out on some of the fields (pic)(my pictures should show up eventually on Fred Meyerink's blog) but it was warmer than yesterday's cool start and the day turned out really nice. This afternoon it's over 30 C (90 F). It was head/cross wind all day again, but it still didn't rain, so it could be worse, lots worse.

The roads today were really nice, no potholes etc. The only tricky part, which we were warned about at peleton meeting last night, was a double set of RR tracks which were at a 45 degree angle to the road. We want to go over them as straight as possible if we can, but that didn't quite happen and Fred almost took me out. My cuz' Doug Schoon (AB) did fall on them today and he will attest to the pain they can dish out. He has a mild shoulder seperation.

We had a great lunch at 10:30 at the Mt Brydges CRC. (pic) They treated us to beef on a bun, chilli, fruit, and drinks. Thanks folks for your hospitality. They have a Sea to Sea progress map going on at the front of the sanctuary as well.

By London, we got on a really nice bike path through Springlake Park (pic). There were a number of people waiting for cyclists there as well and watermelon and water was available too. We were biking with Bert S at the time. At the stop the media wanted to speak to someone from BC so Fred and I nominated Bert to which he said fine, but it never happened as Gayle H had a lot to say to the media so Bert finally left.

We cycled a bit with a Londoner named Albert D. At lunch he told me an accountant joke. When we got to London, a nice lady named Sharon who served me some ice cream told me the same joke. I told her a guy named Albert told me that joke at lunch. Turns out they're married. We thought that was funny. I'll see if I can find them some new jokes, but then again, who wants to hear a joke from an accountant.

So we got into London Christian School at 1:30. They're all ready for us here with all sorts of baked goods and even chocolate milk! Good job. Thanks to you all for your interest and hospitality. I met some nice people who read our blogs.

Jeff and Judy Ypma along with their sons Bryce and Troy dropped by for a visit. They had been at the Cadet campout which got rained out north of here last week. We also saw Jeannette Huisman at Grand Rapids this past weekend. Charlene was along and they were dropping Ryan H off at Kuyper College. As noted earlier, we visited with the Kloot's from Chilliwack this past Sunday, so we're feeling quite connected to home recently. It was nice seeing all of you. We hope and pray you all have a safe trip home and an enjoyable time on your holidays.

Supper was hosted by the London CRC people. Barbequed burgers, sausage, corn on the cob, salads, lots of desserts, etc. They went all out and talking to them it appears that the community here was quite happy to be involved. Thanks again London.

Totals for day: 127 k (75 mi), 4:50 pedalling time, 26.4 kph avg (16 mph)

Day 52 Richmond to Chatham

It was a cold and chilly night with a low of maybe 50 and a heavy dew. The sky showed like it was to be another nice day though. There was quite the buzz in camp as this was the day we travel into Ontario, Canada, home and native land to about 100 cyclists and support staff.

Fred was on sweep today so I biked with Jason and Gresham V (AB) and Melinda B (SK) until we got to Marine City MI where we were to cross the St Claire River by the ferry there. We had time to kill so the local cafe was swamped with cyclists. The ferry crossing itself was nice and smooth and there were no hitches at either border station.

On the Canadian side, Sombra, ON, we were greeted by about 200 people. The tables of food and water etc were out and we stayed there quite a while as the ferries came in with cyclists and support vehicles. It was great. The greeting was put on by the CRC's of Wallaceburg and Sarnia.

One thing about the wind, it knows no borders or nationalities. So the headwind was here in Ontario too. Oh well, the sun is shining, we're getting closer to home (so to speak) so a little headwind on a shorter day is tolerable.

I got into Chatham at 2, again the cyclists were greeted by the people here and offers of shuttles to town, swimming pools, laundry, bike shop etc abound. We've had such great hosts along the way.

I'm at Ralph and Cynthia Aukema's now, having enjoyed a swim in their pool along with a number of others. Fred made it in from sweep now too and is here. The plan is to billet out tonight.

Totals for day: 92 k (55 mi), 3:30 cycling time, 26 kph avg (16 mph)

Day 51 Laingsburg to Richmond

The weather report from Katrina M (MI) at last night's peleton meeting was not good. Wind from the East. Seeing as we have over 150 klm (95 mi) or so to do, the peleton group groaned in unison.

The weather report was right. The wind turned from the W to the E during the night, and that's what we woke up to. Back in the mid-west it would usually not get windy until mid-morning or so, but today, it was head wind right from the start. It was also cloudy and cool today, but now in the afternoon it has cleared up and is sunny and warm.

Our route was pretty well straight east, having completed the trip around Lake Michigan on Saturday. Fred and I alternated taking the lead every 10 klm and that worked pretty well, so our speed wasn't bad at all considering. It just takes more effort to get anywhere when the wind is coming at you. When it's like this, we don't really take in the scenery all that much, it's more like look at the road and pedal. But basically, the scenery here is all small farms, hobby farms, corn, and soy. The towns are fairly small, and most of them had really, really bad pavement. Lot's of cracks and potholes. It's amazing our bikes haven't fallen apart yet.

We stopped at Papa's Restaurant in Almont about 5 miles before our final stop for some food/fuel. One of us had 4 berry pie a la mode, and the other had cabbage/ham soup with coffee.

We arrived at Richmond High School at 2:30.

Totals for day: 159 klm (99 mi), 6:04 on the saddle, 26.2 kph avg (15.7 mph)

Day 50 Grand Rapids to Laingsburg

We had a brief send off at Calvin College this morning, just out by our bikes a little before 8. Btw, the campus here looks very nice.

Because of the send off, most of the cyclists left around the same time which made the road a little congested, especially now that there are close to 200 of us. We had a very nice tail wind all day long so everyone enjoyed the day. I'm told this was only the 5th day all tour that we had a tail wind!

We had a pit stop at the CRC in Lowell. They had all kinds of snacks and food and nice, cold Gatorade too. We all enjoy those kinds of stops and appreciate the efforts the people put into it.

From Lowell, Fred and I heard about an alternate route to the State Park we were going to, and due to the congested road shoulders we thought that would be the way to go. Well, the road (M21) was free of cyclists except for a few (Barb M included), it also took us a little farther north than we wanted so we ended up doing an extra 10 K. It is now our goal to find an alternate route that will actually save us miles instead of add to them, but time is running out.

We passed a place whose sign read "Ryan's Road House - Warm Beer and Lousy Food". We didn't really need either so we kept on going.

We arrived at Sleepy Hollow State Park at 1 PM, the same time as the gear truck. It's a nice place to camp, but it's not the same being here without my family if you know what I mean.

Btw, we passed the 3,000 mile / 5,000 klm mark on Saturday.

Totals for day: 124 klm (75 mi), 4:10 on the saddle, 29.8 kph avg (18 mph)

Day 49 Sunday in Grand Rapids

Today was another nice sunny day. After breakfast I went to the church that uses the Calvin Chapel, Woodlawn CRC along with the Vinks, Dini M, and Betty T. They have a pretty good pipe organ there (probably an understatement). (pics)

After lunch we went off to Fifth Third Ball Park for the Celebration Service. It was well attended and the speaker, Shaine Colbourne, spoke well on proverty. (pics) As I was sitting there in came our friends the Kloots from Chilliwack along with their Holland relatives the Van Heests. It was nice to see them all there. Fred and I went with them to the Van Heests for supper and a boat ride around the lake there which also joins up to Lake Michigan. Going against the waves on Lake Michigan was like being on a small roller coaster. I never heard Jim laugh so much. Thanks for your hospitality and driving us back to camp. It'll be nice seeing you all back in the "Wack.

All the new cyclists are rolling in. Eleven left after Saturday and 55 or so are joining us for the next two weeks. So lots of new names to learn. So far the bulk of them seem to be from Ontario where we will be heading to on Wednesday.

It seems as though us "original" cyclists are heading in a different direction than the "newbies". We're in a winding down stage, while they're just starting up. Only 12more cycling trips left. Two weeks seems like a long time yet, but broken down into 12 trips, it'll go pretty quickly as all the days have gone so far.

Day 48 Grand Haven to Grand Rapids

Another beautiful morning for us cyclists. Joining us for the ride tgoday were over 100 cyclists from the GR area who had signed on to ride for a day, so there were lots of bikes on the road today.

We left at 8, and followed a group of riders who were a ways up the road. Turns out they were not going to follow the map, but wanted to go through the town of Grand Haven. So we were off track from the get go, although we did get to see Grand Haven as well. From there we had to find a way back without back tracking which led us on a steel bridge deck again and eventually onto I96 for about 10 miles. We eventually then joind up with the rest in Eastmanville where we had our first stop at relatives of Roger F.

We had another nice stop at Westview CRC (pic), then another at Tyler B (the cyclist who broke his collarbone a few weeks back) and there were greeters etc along the way after that as well. Claire E (MI) and Barb M (IA) led us to the gathering spot close by Calvin College. From there we all biked abou 1 mile to the college where many friends and family members of cyclists were waiting. (pics)


So it's about 2 PM now. I met Len Vanderkwaak's brother and wife here (Nick and Jean) and also George Vanderbeek who used to live in BC many years ago.

So today was a nice short day with good weather and good people. Now it's time to look around the campus.

Totals for day: 82 k (50 mi), 3:12 on the saddle, 25.7 kph avg (15 mph)

Good news and answered prayers: Cynthia Aukema who had the bad fall a few weeks back and cracked her pelvis rode today! She plans to take next week off and finish the last week DV.

Day 47 South Haven to Grand Haven

It was a cool morning, probably as cool as our morning in Winter Park CO when we were at 9,000' elevation. But the sun came up at 8 (remember time change yesterday) and it was another very nice day.

We left at 8 and headed north to Grand Haven. We made a stop in the tourist lake side town of Saugatuck and had a coffee/pastry stop there. We had a lunch stop at Graafschaap CRC. (pic) It is, I believe, the oldest church in the denomination. In the basement of the church is a Holland MI, immigrant, CRC museum, done very nicely. The lunch was good too. We pedalled around Holland's downtown as well, talking to some locals and Fred could go to the Peanut Store to buy some droppies. The downtown has been redone and looks good. (pic)

We took our trip down Lakeshore Dr, hoping to see the lake as we pedalled, but unfortunately trees are in the way of the view. The properties along the road are very deep (behind the trees) so we couldn't see much of the houses either, but did notice that most of the owners have Dutch names.

Just before Grand Haven some people set up a welcome stand (pic) and had fresh blueberries and water for us. There are lots of berry farms around here and the Holland area is fairly rural in general.

We got to the CRC Conference Grounds/Campground at 1:30. It's a really nice spot and has beach access (pic). Tonight we had a great steak dinner put on for us.
Ad deBleaj's wife works here for the summer, so we met her today. She was busy baking extra pies this morning. Very good, all sorts.

Todays ride: 90 klm (54 mi), 3:30 on the saddle, 25.9 kph avg (15.5 mph)

PS Mike D - I don't have your ph no here. But our schedule for Sat is Gather at EGR School Adm Bldg (Lake and Hall) at 12:30 for ride into Calvin. Arrive at Calvin at 1, hang around rest of afternoon at Prince Conference Center (where we camp) but also need to go to town for a bit. Can you leave your # on my hotmail acct randydewolde@hotmail.com or email what your schedule is like. Thanks.

Day 46 Chesterton to South Haven

Today was a continuation of sweep duties. I did manage to get in a walk over the dunes to a viewing point to see Lake Michigan (pic). The day started out cloudy but fairly warm but got sunny by 10.

After clean up and loading the gear truck, I left as part of the final sweep team at 8:45. With me were Gerry K (WA), Kees V (MI) and Russ J (MI) (pic). This is our last sweep ride as our next sweep duties fall on a Sat night/Sunday.

Our ride took us along Lake Michigan. I had no idea it had such a nice sandy beach. (pic). It's like White Rock, Lindell Beach, OK Falls, Deception Pass etc. Lots of nice "shacks" along the way to look at too.

We caught up to Bill V (MI) (aka Tricycle Bill) just before New Buffalo (35 k) so we stopped there for lunch at Rosie's Cafe (pic). We caught up to Bill an hour or so later, so we took a break there as he rolled on. We came through another town called St Joseph, but didn't see anyone there and were surprised not to have caught up to Bill yet. After halfways being done, we ran into Gayle H (ON) who was taking a break with her cell phone. Once we got going, we went at a slower pace with Gayle until we got to Walter's SAG with about 40 k (24 mi) to go yet. So back to Bill V, turns out he had pulled into a gas station in St Joseph, but we never so him there. He ended up getting SAGged in from there. Russ J got going with Gayle while Gerry, Kees and myself waited by Walter's for another 1/2 hour or so waiting for some other cyclists to come by (fast ones who had detoured). When they came by we also left and went at a good clip until we caught up to Russ and Gayle just at the beginning of South Haven. We got into camp at Baseline Middle School at 5:00 PM (actually now 6 PM as we have entered into Eastern Time Zone now). This paragraph is a typical day on the road for the final sweepers on their sweep day ride.

So all in all it was another nice day. We passed into Michigan from Indiana in the AM (pic), our 11th state. (The scenery along the lake was great. (pics)

Totals for day: 135 k (80 mi), 5:41 on the saddle, 23.7 kph (14 mph).

PS Happy Birthday Ryan. I hope you have (had) a good day and wish you God's blessings for the year ahead. I look forward to seeing you soon. Love Dad.

Day 45 Palos Heights to Chesterton

Last night Fred and I were billeted out, first time we tried that. We were fortunate to end up in the home of Steven and Barb Timmermans. Steve is the president of Trinity Christian College and Barb teaches in the nursing department there. Their home is right on the campus' edge so we could just walk there. We enjoyed the comforts of their home and their gracious hospitality, not to mention some great peach pie. So thanks once again to the Timmermans, it was a pleasure visiting with them.

We had a send off service at Trinity and left around 9 AM. It was a beautiful day.

We had a pit stop at the Lansing Bethel CRC where we were treated to refreshments, energy bars and many well wishes. Shortly after that we had a photo stop at the Munster Indiana CRC. These churches are about 1 mile apart and are both quite large.
We crossed from Illinois into Indiana inbetween these two.

Then we headed off to Second CRC of Highland Indiana, another large church, where we were treated to a fantastic lunch of subs, baked goods, gatorade, etc etc (pic). Again, very gracious hosts who we really appreciate. All of these stops are going to put our SAG drivers out of business!

At the 63 k (38 mi) mark we got onto a bike path which was pretty good and went on for about 16 k (10 mi). Part of it was under construction so we had to pick up our bikes for a bit (pic).

We got to the Indiana Dunes State Park (pic) at 3 PM and were greeted by people from Crown Point CRC. They had a tables full of baked goods and lemonade. So what am I doing back here in Chesterton? (about 10 k away)

Well, I better get back to the goodies then. I'm also on sweep tonight and tomorrow.
Anyhow, a very nice day again. They did have quite the storm in this area on Monday. Lots of trees being cleaned up. At the state park it rained a lot this morning, but we were fortunate not to see any all day.

Totals for day: 90 k (54 mi), 3:38 on the saddle, 25.0 kph avg (15 mph)

Day 44 Woodstock to Palos Heights

Another nice day in Illinois, although there is supposedly a chance of rain tonight.

We left Woodstock at 7 AM and part of the route was to go around the town square where the movie Ground Hog Day was filmed. (pic) At the 20 k mark (12 mi) we got onto a bike path which went on for 60k (36 mi). It brought us by back yards, industrial areas, commercial areas, a coffee/bakery shop (pic), over bridges, over roads, under roads, along the Fox River, through a number of suburban areas (there must be a lot of executives in the Chicago area), and by parks.

At the 70 k mark by a park with a working windmill (pic) some ladies from the Wheaton CRC had oatmeal cookies and water for us. The cookies were very good.

After the bike path was done, we got onto some busier roads, so it's not at all like the mid West states anymore. We stopped for a look at a Guitar Center store, lots of good stuff, but no room on the bike. So we left empty handed.

We got to Palos Heights and Trinity Christian College at 3 PM. A little later today as we stopped longer along the way and the bike path was nice but slower than roadways. Cyclists really had to pay attention on the bike path as it changed and crossed etc many times. Happy to say our wrong turns were only minor. I haven't fallen with my new pedals and clips yet either despite the many times needing to stop on the path and all the intersections in this busier part of the tour.

The campus here at Trinity is beautiful. It used to be a golf course and the old building used for student admissions, etc, (pics) used to be the pro shop. It's one of the older buildings of Palos Heights period.

For supper it's Chicago deep dish pizza I'm told, and it's about ready. We plan to billet out tonight after the meet and greet.

Totals for day: 143 klm (89 mi), 6:00 on the saddle, 23.8 kph avg (14 mph)

Day 43 Madison to Woodstock

It was a nice sunny day today. It's probably in the low 70's, with a little white cloud mixed in with the sunshine. The wind was a non-factor today.

We left at our usual 7 AM from the Madison Crossroads CRC. We are now heading south east as we begin to make our way around Lake Michigan. We will be in four different states this week, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.

The first little town we came through was Utica, WI. It had a general store with one gas pump in front (pic), and a really old, small fire hall (pic). We were on nice quiet country roads for a while and I got pictures of Wiebo and Hans V as we came by them. Also took one of Fred and him of me. No high speed film required for those.
At Julie's stop there was an old school house (pic) which is now part of a golf course. We had Russ J (MI) hook up with us there for the rest of the trip.

Another small town was Milton where we came by a neat looking SDA church (pic). The next town was Delavan WI (pic). The main street was in cobblestone and was decorated in American flags and had plenty of antique stores etc. (pic) There were plenty of fine looking older homes to look at as we pedalled in. Here at Delavan we had a pit stop at the Delavan CRC (pic) and were treat royally. Lunch was served in the church
basement and consisted of Italian beef on bun, sloppy joes, salads, and dessert. Thanks very much Delavan CRC!

We passed into Illinois shortly after that. As we are on country roads, there is no state sign, so a State Line road sign is what we all used to mark our entrance into this our 9th state. The country roads continued (pic) until we got to our destination for tonight, Woodstock, Ill. We made the usual choc milk stop and spoke to a local mom and daughter who said we were no's 23, 24, and 25 in. The school looks like a grand old building (pic) but the gear truck was still beside the road (pic) waiting to find parking. So Fred and I are currently at the library doing the blog thing. It was a good ride today.

After setting our tents up, we walked back to town with Billy D and Bert S. It turns out that the town square area is where the movie Ground Hog Days with Bill Murray was filmed. Might have to check that out later on.

Totals for day: 135 klm (84 mi), 5:09 saddle time, 26.2 kph avg (15.7 mph)

PS the collection at church yesterday brought in $ 3,100 to be split between the Sea to Sea causes and some local Madison WI ministries. Thanks again to the church in Madison, we appreciate you!

Day 42 Sunday in Madison

No rush to get out of the sleeping bag this AM as it's Sunday. It was nice and sunny, albeit a cool breeze at first. We just had a simple breakfast from the Sea to Sea trailer, oatmeal packages, cereal, yogurt, danish, etc.

The celebration service was at 9:30. (pic) They had a nice jazz band assisting in music, so we sat in on part of their practise before church. Pastor Doug Van Essen had a good message on faithfulness from Gal 5. Each week's Celebration service highlights one of the fruits of the Spirit.

The Madison CRC provided lunch outdoors for everyone. Bbq'd hotdogs or brats and all of the fixings plus baked goods etc. It's all good. If it wasn't for the cycling I'd likely come back 20 lbs heavier.

After lunch we got a ride to town and took a tour of the state capital bldgs (pic)
I'm in a church room now with more than a dozen others who are blogging, loading pictures etc.

Tomorrow we move on and will be passing into our 9th state, Illinois.

Day 41 Fennimore to Madison

We woke up to the sound of rain on our tents this morning. Good thing is, it always sounds worse than it really it is. It was cool, so we started a bit later, waiting for the rain to hopefully quit and have the roads dry up. By 9 the sun was shining and the roads were drying already about 1/2 hr into the route. The day turned out quite nice. Right now though it looks like it might rain again.

The first 40 k of road was great, and the wind was helpful as well. Later on had a bike path to ride on for about 12 k which would have been better suited to mountain bikes (pic) but was alright, just slowed us down some.

We came through a place called Mt Horeb. A nicely redone town (pic), popular with the tourists. Fred and I lost track of each other there. I figured he was still ahead so I carried on with Bert S (BC), Ryan B (IL) and Pete W (MI). Turns out Fred was still in town, so I could have hung back and visited a great looking bakery there. One thing about these little towns is the great looking old homes. If I stopped and took pictures of all the ones I liked, I might still be back somewhere in Iowa. The library that was closing just I walked in their door yesterday was about the neatest one I've seen. Marble curved window casings, lots of woodwork, granite etc, obviously been around for a very long time. Anyhow, lots of great looking architecture so far.

We all gathered at a park nearby the church in our Sea to Sea jerseys and rode in together for a photo op deal. It's neat biking a mile or so with 140 cyclists, clogging up the traffic etc.

The Madison CRC people are taking good care of us. Haircuts, massages, shuttles to the showers, a movie tonight, supper tonight, shuttles to laundry, town etc. The whole church bldg is available to us and the people here are great.

Today is also Dini M's birthday.

So we have finished the two long miler weeks. Feels good to have them done. Now there are only 18 rides left. We've completed 36. I think the time is going to move along even faster now.

We picked up the mail at the church here. Thanks to all the folks back home who signed the sheets or sent a card. It's appreciated.

Totals: 120 k (72 mi), 4:29 on the saddle, 26.9 kph avg (16.2 mph)

Day 40 New Hampton to Fennimore

Today we crossed the Mississippi into Wisconsin, state #8.

Our first 30 k was the worst pavement we've been on so far. Cracks and pothills you could lose a small dog in.

In E Iowa we start seeing lots of small dairies, with upright silos dotting the horizon everywhere, and on into Wisconsin as well. The farms are older and smaller (pic)

After crossing the Mississippi River, we stopped at a bike shop in Prairie du Chien and got new chains put on our bikes. My bike almost pedals itself now.

Don B (MI) fell off his bike today, breaking his oollarbone, so he's finished for the tour. Too bad. Our fourth one like that.

Totals : 166 k (101 mi) 6:35 on the saddle, 25.2 avg kph (15.1 mph)

PS Congratualations to the Delange and Mulder families with the marriage of Curtis and Katelyn. I hope you all have a great day with many blessings from above.

Day 39 Algona to New Hampton

Everyone was pretty happy at camp last night at completing the first long mileage day with the helpful weather. It helped set up today as something not to be really dreading. (only partially dreading)

I talked to Wiebo last night about his day and he was quite happy about how it all went too. He has found a good riding partner in Hans V (BC).

Today was a nice, sunny day. Temperature at noon was about 80. The wind was mainly NNW, so not bad, mostly at our side as we're travelling due E again. Later the wind was pretty well straight from the N. We're thankful we didn't have this on Mon and Tue when we were travelling up to Sioux Center!

Fred and I got out at 6:45 this AM. At Julie W's SAG stop, we got a nice cinnamon roll, better for us than an energy bar we figured. There are plenty of electricity generating wind turbines in the fields here (pic). We had seen them earlier in the tour, but none in CO or NE. Up close they are really, really big. Pictures don't do them any justice.

We stopped for lunch break in Rockford (pic) at a little park there. Hans D, Julie Z, Matt Z were already there as were the London Express. Gerry L (AB) was there shortly as were our cooking crew (who do a fantastic job btw). At noon the firehall whistle sounded, and shortly after that some bells played a couple of old hymns.

At Walter's SAG, there was an old stone farm house (pic). The owner figures it was built around 1870. He said it's a little cold in the winter months.

Just before we got into New Hampton there was a road sign that showed the distance to nearby towns in both miles and kilometres. First time we had ever seen that.

We got into New Hampton at 2:45. The body is a little sore and tired, especially as some of the roads were not great for cycling due to cracks going across the pavement (kathunk, kathunk, kathunk, etc) A little ibuprofen is in order today. But we're very thankful to have these two long milers done and for the good weather conditions we had with them.

Totals: 186 klm (115 mi), 6:53 on the saddle, 27.0 kph avg (16.2 mph)

Day 38 Sioux Center to Algona

After breakfast in the old Commons bldg, Fred and I set out for Algona at 7 AM. It was raining, but, the wind was coming from the W. As we're heading due E, that's great.

It rained for about the first 3 hours of the day and was just under 70F. It was warm enough biking, but cool when we stopped at the refreshment spots set up for us by Hospers CRC and later Sanborn CRC. They both had good snacks and refreshments for us and a dry roof to stand under for a bit. Thanks to both churches.

We spent some time biking with Doug Schoon (AB) today. We missed a turn at one of the points along the way (we had lots of jogs in the route today). We thought we were heading way too far N but didn't confirm that until our road butted up to Hwy 18. As we looked at our maps there, a man named Greg stopped and asked where we were headed. He had seen the Sea to Sea story on the news last night and figured we were a part of that. He knew where we went wrong as he had just cycled that part of our route himself on a Breast Cancer ride. Being a cyclist, he had his bike rack on the back of his Tahoe and offered to drive us back to where we should have turned. As we had already overshot by about 10k, we took him up on it. Thanks again Greg.

We got into Algona at 3PM, stopped for a choco milk and now it's sunny out. I'm at the library and will head to camp shortly, a local elementary school. So the day went really well considering the distance we had to travel, not to mention the extra miles. Eight hours total including stops.

Totals for day: 197 klm (118 mi), 6:58 pedalling time, 28.5 kph avg (17.1 mph)

Day 37 Sioux City to Sioux Center

Well, we seem to all know this would be a highlight day for me, visiting my alma mater. It lived up to expectations I'm happy to say.

We slept in the gym last night so no tent to take down this AM. We got going at 6:45. It was a little cooler with good cloud cover, but the wind, it was blowing the wrong way again. We were cycling due N and the wind was coming from the N. It wasn't all that bad though. I think we're accepting it as a fact of life. Tomorrow it's supposed to be at our backs which would be good as we head over 100 miles due E to Algona.

We had a nice reception from the people of Ireton CRC. Rootbeer floats and strawberry smoothies. We got to Sioux Center and Dordt around noon. We only biked 100 k (60 mi) today, almost like a day off. We were surprised at the rolling hills though and also how hilly Sioux City was.

Dordt looks great. There are many new facilities since I was a student here 30 years ago. I don't know how anyone would have time to study now. I found my old room (North Hall 305) the lecture auditorium etc and showed Fred around as best I could. (pic, pic, pic...)It's really neat to be here. We're staying in Covenant Hall tonight. Very nice.

We had supper in the newer cafeteria (Pizza Ranch and the DC caterers)(pic). There was also lots of great pies to be had for dessert. So good, it's a shame to leave. Tomorrow we have breakfast in the old Commons building.

This evening we had a celebration service/peleton meeting in the BJ Haan Auditorium Chapel. It was well attended. (pic) The singing of Be Thou My Vision and Go Do Something Beautiful (Sea to Sea theme song) sounded really good in there.

Totals for today: 100 k (60 mi), 4:15 on the saddle, 23.5 avg kph (14.1 mph)

PS Fred E, We get a map for the next day's ride at every evening's peleton service, but sometimes we do the man thing and don't pay attention like we should.

Day 36 Fremont to Sioux City

Said good bye to the corn and soy fields of Nebraska and hello to the corn and soy fields of Iowa today, our 7th state.

Carrying on with sweep duties this AM, we left as "sweepers" at 8:45. Not bad. Not like the wind, it was coming from the north, the direction we are heading for today and tomorrow. Oh well. It did die down for a part of the day at least, but I'd say 2/3 of the day was dealing with head winds.

I missed a turn off onto CR15 early on as did about 1/2 of the cyclists today. That brought us to another route and we had a brief stop at the Kennard PO (pic) for directions. We also came through a really sleepy town called Herman (pic of old equip shop) which at least had a PO where we could get some water. I was biking with Russ J (MI) at that point. We got back on route and cycled over the Missouri River, which is the border of Nebraska and Iowa. (pic) It's one of those open grid metal deck bridges where you can see down to the water. Kind of sketchy to cycle on.

On the other side we came by Tony S (MB) who had just fallen off of his bike. He hurt his ribs a bit making cycling into the winds a little tougher (when you can't breath well). So Jim and I drafted him into our final stop. All that means is Jim and I take turns in front, breaking the wind for the guy behind. We made another wrong turn and ended up in a place called Whiting (2 pic - old laundromat and old bank). I think the downtown buildings were built around 1900 and there has been little change since. Kind of neat to see. There we just hung a left and got back on the right road. (Oh, there was no choco milk at the gas station there so I got a Sobey's and subsequent heartburn this time)

Tomorrow's the big day. Getting into Iowa for the first time in about 30 years was good, but tomorrow it's Dordt College. Looking forward to it. Well, the lights in the gym are being turned off, so time to go. Most of the people are sleeping here as there is chance of rain tonight. There is lots of snoring going already. Oh boy, better find my ear plugs.

Totals for day: 158 klm (95 mi), 6:37 in the saddle, 23.0 kph avg (13.8 mph)

PS Happy anniversary to Tony and Dinah. May God bless you with many more great years together. I hope you had a wonderful day, out golfing together or something like that.

Day 35 Sunday in Fremont NE

We are staying at the Fremont YMCA/skating rink. Some of the more energitic cyclist (the young 'uns) were able to play some hockey last night and probably were out there for a couple of hours. Some also slept in the rink or the A/C lobby as the building was kept open all night. Most are in tents on the grass area in front of the building.

There were different church options today. We could get a school bus ride to Omaha or Lincoln for the Celebration services, or there was the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church right beside the YMCA. Fred and I and a dozen or so others decided to stay here and have an opportunity then also to tell the locals what we were doing. (No, the two hour round trip in the school bus had nothing to do with it.) So we went to the 8:30 service. After that, I thought I'd take a walk and headed towards town. Coming by the Salem Lutheran Church's grand old brick building, I saw they were having a service at 10:15, so I figured I'd drop in there as well. Nice stained glass windows. wood floors, a good time of worship too.

Getting back to camp, I was told that the people of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church were going to open up their gym area and bring in baked goods, iced tea, snacks, etc. Very nice of them as they had no idea until today what we were doing etc. Andy H (ON) and I are now at Dick and Jan's place, watching golf and doing our internet thing. I commented that this is the first time I've been in a house since June 26. The church has also offered to keep their gym open for anyone who wishes to sleep there tonight as well. Very accomodating I think.

I start sweep duties tonight for supper which will carry on until arrival in Sioux City IA tomorrow.

Day 34 York to Fremont

We left at the usual just before 7. The wind had already been going for some time, from the SE. No dew settled overnight on account of the wind.

My rear flat problems continued with a flat at the 16 k (10 mi). Since I have put on close to 4,500 k (2,700 mi) on this original tire since May, I think it's time for it to be replaced.

We stopped in Seward, NE and bought a couple of good fruit pastries (an apricot and a strawberry) at the farmers market which is right in front of the courthouse. There is a war monument dating back to Gettysburg (pic) and the downtown is nicely redone, including brick streets (pic).

The SE wind was really going strong today, the windiest day of the week. It wasn't nice when we headed E, but great when we were going N. We spent about 95 k (55 mi) going E and about 60 k (36 mi) going N. With the wind at our back we could do 30-35 (18-21) but later on into the wind it would keep me down to about 20 k (12). Pretty slow. My rear tire was losing air, so I made stops short and pumped it up along the way as needed, just wanting to get into Fremont. Fremont has a population of 25,000, pretty big for these parts. Unfortunately, there is no bike store here. I figure biking is not big here because of the wind (Honey, going biking, can you pick me up in an hour? I don't want to bike back). Fortunately, Barb M and John V had to go to Omaha and picked up a tire for me there.

It was sunny, hot, and humid all day. Which still beats cycling in rain I think.
It's nice to have this week done as we put a lot of miles on and it's time to rest up a bit for next week which will also have our 3 longest cycling days.

Totals for day: 158 klm (98 mi), 6:15 on the saddle, 25.3 kph avg (15.2 mph)

Day 33 Minden to York

I hear the train a comin, it's 5:15 AM, woke me up this mornin', got on my bike again
(unpublished verse of J Cash song) Yes, the train comes through town early here and there are no train whistle rules. That's alright, time to get up soon anyhow. The night was fairly humid, so we packed away tents etc damp, but they always dry out quickly in the next town.

Minden was a neat town, helpful, friendly people like Kurke, and the school AD came by to talk to us and handed out some souvenir school t-shirts too.

We left just before 7, but wouldn't you know it, back to the E by NE head wind. Not just a little either. We headed out on US34(aka US6) like the last few days, but today we had nice cloud cover which really helped with the temperature. Biked for a while with a group including Reuben V (OR), Hans D (AB), David T (MI), Julie W (ON). We did alright as a group, but with traffic increasing later, that didn't last too long.

Again this area is all agriculture (corn, soy beans) and agri-business. We came through a larger town, Hastings, which has about 25,000 people. There are ethanol plants, irrigation shops, etc.

Fred and I took an alternate route to York which brought us through Grafton, pop 187. They have a pretty neat sign (pic), which put most of the "Welcome to the State of ...." signs to shame. Go figure. We turned N at Fairmont on US81 with an overpass loop. Hadn't seen one of those for a while (pic). The wind was now more at our rt side, so we could go a little faster again (25/15). Earlier we had been down to 20/12 for miles and miles. But it still was an enjoyable day. Many people work outside in more difficult conditions so I shall not complain about anything. I thought to myself on a few occasions "here I am, biking across the state of Nebraska" I can picture a cartoon of a guy on a bike (very small) moving across a big map of Nebraska. Words can't describe (sorry Es)

We stopped at the Walgrens in York for a choco milk, and seeing as the day was a little longer, I got a Sobey's as well. So good.

I am now in the Mabrey and Madge Miller Student Center in York College. YC is a small liberal arts Christian college. I'll take a look around yet and get a pic or two.

Totals for day: 154 klm (95 mi), 6:30 on the saddle, avg speed 23.7 kph (14.2 mph)
Compared to yesterday, see how a headwind vs a tailwind will add a good 1 hr to the ride?

PS, I will be thinking of and praying for the Stellingwerff/Vanderwekken families as you all gather together with family and friends for Jordan's and Emily's wedding. Best wishes and God's blessing to the newly weds (or soon to be). I hope you have a great day and that the weather holds out. Wish I could be there with all of you to help celebrate and witness. Take some pictures, we'll have to catch up later.