Chapin Sea to See Ride

August 14 Hitting the Coast

2008-08-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Camden, ME on the Atlantic Coast after riding 6 hours 40 minutes, covering 96 miles and averaging 14 mph. We had 5800 feet of ascent which surprised all of us. That is a lot of climbing with no mountains to show for it. Zack popped another spoke today, which makes seven, I believe. He has gotten quite good at replacing them and straightening up the rim.

We stayed dry all day but it started to rain after we had been in Camden for a couple hours. We are very much hoping to stay dry tomorrow for our last day riding together. We are in the process of sorting out the SAG van and the trailer after 9 weeks of stuffing things in places as we hustle our way across the country.

We are looking forward to the finish line tomorrow up the coast in Bar Harbor. We will be celebrating with our team as well as Ronda, Rob, Danae, Caleb & Aiden Reynolds. It has been a long, wonderful, tiring road and we are ready to hang up the bikes for a while stay up in the one place for a bit. Just 90 miles left to be conquered!

You will enjoy the recap post forthcoming in the next week to ten days.

From Camden, Maine,

Dan

August 13 Crossing the 4000 Mile Mark

2008-08-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

We rode 81 miles today in 6 hours averaging 13.5 mph. We crossed the milestone of 4000 miles in Norway, Maine in front of The Ripley Medical Center. I was riding with Zack and he took my picture. I just found out as I am writing this that we were across the street from the flooring shop owned by our hosts for tonight, Thom & Rhonda Maher. Go figure.

When I crossed the 3000 mile line it was early in the morning 3 miles north of Grover Hill, Ohio.

When I reached 2000 miles I was riding on the best bike path I have ever experienced near the shore of Lake Carlos with Stuart just west of Alexandria, Minnesota.

I attained my first 1000 mile mark in Montana. We were riding down a hill into Shelby on US-2.

The highlight of the day today was a 21% grade after lunch. It was part of a 3/4 mile hill but the steep part was only 200 yards long. It is the consensus that this is the steepest hill yet to be encountered. Though brief it was incredibly challenging. Two of our riders were forced to walk up part of it. Zack enjoyed climbing it so much that he rode down it so he could ride up it again (a picture is forthcoming). Actually, he rode down because he thought he could hit 55mph but he topped out at 51 and change. His top speed for the trip is 53.3 and is the best for our team. It will likely not be eclipsed during the remaining 2 days of our trip.

Yes, you read me correctly; we have only two days remaining in this ridiculous adventure and then we will be coming home. Amen.

Dan

August 12 and Catching Up

2008-08-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today we rode 96 miles in 7 hours 14 minutes averaging 12.4 mph. We had 5400 feet of ascent today and we crossed the state line from Vermont into New Hampshire. To date, we have completed our riding in:

Washington
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota
Minnesota
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio
New York
Vermont

We will complete New Hampshire tomorrow (Lord willing) as we enter Maine, headed for The Atlantic Ocean.

It rained just less than half the day today and even though it looked like it might clear off several times it saved the heaviest downpour for the end of the day when I was still on the mountain about 10 miles from our destination of St Joseph's Catholic Church in Lincoln, NH.

Several small climbs today but only one big one. Ever since Stuart hitched a ride last week near Palmyra, NY I find myself look back there to see if he is trying it again. Unfortunately, every time it turns out that it's the climb instead. So I just have to turn around and ride it. That was definitely the case today on our climb toward the day's end. It was long and tiring but not quite as steep as the hill yesterday.

I am a guest in the home of Rob & Monica along with Tom and John. They have a daughter, Brita, who will be entering her senior year this fall at Lincoln High School. Talking with Brita, reminded me of how much Amanda is looking forward to her senior year and HOW MUCH I MISS HER. I will be seeing Amanda for the first time in 9 weeks on Saturday night at GR Ford Airport. Rob & Monica are taking great care of us and we are enjoying getting to know them.

Life on the road has become weary and both Zack and I are ready to come home. The willpower to finish is what is needed now. We are looking forward to worshipping with our KCC family this coming Sunday.

I have tride to catch up on blog postings tonight so look back for postings that should fill in some of the blanks over the past 2 weeks. Sorry it has taken so long to catch this up.

Dan

August 9 & 10

2008-08-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

We rode 122 miles in 8 hours 15 minutes on the bike, averaging 14.7 mph. We had 6400 feet of ascent and burned almost 8000 calories today. Yes, the climbing is definitely back as we are now in the Adirondack Mountains. We will be experiencing lots of uphills, and steep ones from here to the Atlantic Ocean. We will ride out of the Adirondacks tomorrow and out of New York.

The last section of our map, Section Eleven begins tomorrow as well. We have 450 miles left to ride and five days to get it done. This adventure is in it’s final week and is winding down. Suffice it to say we are experiencing a mixture of sad and glad feelings over this. More reflections on that at a later date.

We experienced 4 miles of the worst road so far on the trip in the morning (in my opinion). Imagine gluing one million quarter inch ball bearings onto the surface of a road. Riding over the surface provided us with thousands of jarring vibrations causing numbness to hands, feet & seat. We couldn’t get any speed up on that road (because of the rough surface) to get through it quicker and it was quite rough on the tires as well. It caused at least one puncture on that section of road.

We did see several beautiful lakes during our ride today and we are staying in Newcomb, NY right across the road from a small lake here. This is a place of cool summer evenings because of the mountain location, of course. It is easy to see why a person would be drawn to this place. The beauty and peaceful setting is wonderful. It is rather sparsely populated offering long drives to things like malls, hospitals, movie theaters, etc.

We found out earlier this week that my sister from Pennsylvania, Irene Wise, her husband Bob and their oldest daughter Jen were coming to visit us at this stop. They were here when I got in at 7:15pm. (my latest arrival on the trip yet) and we had some time with them in the evening and then again on Sunday morning for worship at Newcome United Methodist church, before they headed home. It was wonderful to see familiar faces and to catch up on what’s happening with them. We are very grateful for all the trouble they went to make this stop. What a special blessing!

Today was a great day of rest, sleeping in until 7:15am and taking a nap in the afternoon as well. Time for a final weekend bike cleaning and it’s off the bed.

Dan

August 7, 2008

2008-08-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Rode 87 miles in 6 hours averaging 14.6 mph

Today was our chance to ride along the world famous Erie Canal. It is difficult to make good time on a trail like that because it passes through a large city like Erie and has to avoid a lot of streets. It was cool, however, to see so much of the canal as we rode. Zack & I rode together with a few others most of the day. No I wasn’t sick again. I am feeling better now and it was fun to ride with him.

When we arrived in East Williamson at the Free Methodist Church, having climbed at least a dozen moderately challenging hills to get there, someone told us we could have ridden all the way from Medina on Ridge Road, the road the church was on. Now this may not seem like an important detail to you but Ridge Road bears this name because it runs along a ridge. Translated, “there are few if any serious inclines on Ridge Road.” Oh well, riding along the canal was worth a few hills.

Zack, Stuart & I were heading toward our last break of the day, climbing up a hill into Palmyra and I happened to be out front. It seemed to me that the hill was getting steeper so I shifted down and pulled up more as I pedaled to generate more power. Stuart actually did it twice before I realized what was happening. Zack was right there and got a picture. I expect you will see it on the blog soon.

I am so glad I could help Stuart up the hills, as he is our oldest rider at 62 years of age, and needs a little extra assistance from time to time. My problem now is that whenever I feel any slowdown or unexplained resistance I look back to see if Stuart or someone else has snuck up on me and is hanging onto the rack on the back of my bike.

I was the guest this night in the home of Gary & Deb Rood, along with their children, Marissa, Tallon and Jeremy. We had a great time just hanging out, getting acquainted while we ate dinner (delicious venison was served), watched some Olympic competition, etc. I discovered Deb does hair in her home so I got a free haircut during my visit to their home.

Thanks Deb! I really needed it.

Dan

August 6, 2008, Medina, NY

2008-08-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

We rode 95 miles today into Medina, NY today in 6 hours 40 minutes averaging 14 mph. I was a guest in the home of Jim & Barb along with Tom, the oldest of the fast boys.

We got a quick tour of the town which included a look at the church in the middle of the street. The street had to be split and built around the church building. We also saw the only tunnel under the Erie Canal anywhere along it’s 400 plus mile length. The town of Medina grew up to service the canal but was also a great supplier of sandstone to the U.S. and many parts of the world.

Dan

August 5, Angola, NY Pioneer Camp

2008-08-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Rode 93 in 6 hours averaging 15.1

I did a little better today and felt a little better. Stuart promised to stay with me today so Zack went back to riding with the fast boys. The terrain was still pretty easy but there were a few small hills almost as soon as we came into New York State. We have been riding along the shore of Lake Erie and it really has been beautiful. I had no idea that it was so gorgeous down here. The heavy fog over the lake in the morning was just incredible!
We ate at The Mustard Seed Restaurant for dinner and breakfast and had a great time getting to know the Christian lady who had opened it just a few months previous. We stayed in modern cabins at Pioneer Camp in Angola, New York which was very nice.

I boiled in onion soup mix tonight and enjoyed eating them on the road the next couple days. They tasted very good, traveled well and did not upset my sensitive tummy. I am getting a little better every day, but still have to be pretty careful what I eat. No “issues” since Saturday night, if you know what I mean. 

Dan

August 4, East Springfield, PA

2008-08-04T20:15:00.000-07:00

Rode 98.5 miles in 6 hours averaging 14.7 mph.
Zack and I rode together today. It just sort of happened, I thought, as the riding groups formed up 5 miles from the start. It was very apparent that he was riding with me because we were riding way below his usual pace and a bit below mine as well.

I hadn’t eaten much over the weekend for obvious reasons so my energy was way down. Fortunately, the terrain, like much of Illinois, Indiana & Ohio, was very flat. Not sure I could have stayed out of the van if there had been any hills.

It wasn’t until we were 20 miles from our destination in East Springfield, Pennsylvania that I realized that he was riding with me to make sure I made it through the day OK after having been sick over the weekend. When I asked him about it he just smiled and kept riding. I have been looking out for him most of my adult life. It’s a bit odd and humbling to be on the receiving end of him looking out for me.

What a good son! A grateful dad, and proud.

I was tired but we had a good day together.

My friend Peter, who is the Executive Director for YFC Erie, helped us connect with our host church on this stop. He was there when I got in and we were able to share a bit of ministry update since I had seen him in February. Things continue to grow under his leadership and God is helping them overcome the challenges they face. It was so good to see him. A wonderful surprise.

Connie & Marcie Hopkins are my hosts tonight and I am rooming with Mike. We had a good time fellowshipping with them in their home and enjoying their hospitality.

Dan

August 2 New Experiences

2008-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today we rode over 100 miles. Seven hours on the bike averaging 14.7 mph. Staying in Cleveland, Ohio at The Nehemiah Mission

Long day!

Yesterday was a first for me because I can't recall being that sick. From 7pm to 9pm last night, it was difficult to know which end to put in the toilet...so i found a paint bucket. Fortunately it was short, thank God!

I am feeling better now and beginning eating and drinking s l o w l y. I am expecting to ride the whole day tomorrow but we shall see.

We heard recently about another group os 7 guys riding 3500 miles coast to coast just a few days ahead of us. All of them have crashed at some point except one. We have had no serious collisions or injuries of any kind and we are very grateful.

With 2 weeks to go, having ridden 3200 miles, we are all feeling a bit run down, physically, emotionally. We will be averaging 95 miles a day from this point on.

We will try and do a better job this last 2 weeks to keep the blog up to date. We really do enjoy sharing this experience with you as we travel from town to town.

Thank you so much to so many for your support through giving and prayer.

Dan

August 1 Gibsonburg, OH

2008-08-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Today we rode 96 miles in 6 hours 15 minutes averaging 15 mph. Long ride, flat road.

While we were riding today, it looked like a small wind up toy fell out of Mike’s bag onto the road. I cut back to check it out and it was a dragonfly-type bug stuck on it’s head in the road. It was rather strange but it just stayed there beating it’s wings against the road.

On our route we saw probably 6 or 8 wind turbines and they were very close to the road we were riding on. It gave us the chance to realize how very large they actually are. The gear box at the center of the fan is the size of a motorcoach, but it doesn’t look near that large until you are right next to it.

We have seen dozens of these wind turbines across the country and expect that windustry is going to play a larger and larger part in our country's energy situation.

I was a guest in the home of Larry & Kim Bowers along with Paul Luedtke and Stuart. They are in the process of remodeling a large, old farmhouse. It reminded me some of home in Millington with the high ceilings and original fixtures.

Talk to you later.

Dan

Riding Past Caledonia...Minnesota Delayed Posting

2008-07-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

As we rode south of Brownsville, Minnesota on Wednesday we passed a sign that told us Caledonia was 20 miles away. Made me feel like I was a lot closer to home than I was, but it was a good feeling.

As I was climbing up the hills in northern Iowa the thought occurred to me that Iowa is supposedly flat. Let me assure you that there are large parts of Iowa that are not. We climbed more than one 12% grade today but when we also rode along the top of several ridges today.

The shapes of the land, the colors and different textures in this very rich agricultural area was a beautiful scene. It reminded me of the hymn "This is My Father's World" so I sang a couple verses when I could get the breath to do it.

Sorry no mileage info, etc. Can't find it right now.

Dan

July 25

2008-07-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today I rode 93 miles, averaged 14.7 mph with 6.5 hours riding time.

Our route ran along the RAGBRAI route today. This is a ride across Iowa that has been going on for years, having grown to thousands of riders. People come from all over the world to participate in this event. We had some fun conversations with many of the 20,000 riders as they were riding their sixth day of seven. Stuart and I talked with Retha, who was riding bandit (unofficial rider) from a local community. She and her husband rode across the country East to West a few years ago unsupported together. It was great to talk with her about all the unique challenges and blessings of a ride like that.

We also talked with a couple at one of the larger rest stops in Mechanicsville. Both were very interested in the purpose for our riding sea to see and we received a $20 donation on the spot.

At the end of the day today we encountered a real detour and had another detour on that route. It turns out that everyone else rode through the first detour as it was passable with a bike and had only 75 total miles. As you read at the beginning of our blog, we rode 93 miles. That proved to be a costly decision for us.

We are hosted tonight by two churches in Muscatine, Iowa.

One more day of riding this week and we will be enjoying a weekend visit from Ronda and a few of Zack's friends.

Talk to you later.

Dan

Things That Are True

2008-07-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ronda loves me.
She misses me.
She is coming to see me.

It is a wonderful and powerful thing to be loved deeply and completely by another person. The three statements above still amaze me sometimes (I am not always easy to love) but they are true nonetheless, I have no doubt.

That there was a point in my life where I found myself looking into the eyes of a beautiful woman, with love, and realized that she was looking back at me...well it's a gift from God.

I will be riding to meet her in a couple days as she drives to Kewanee, Illinois to meet me.

Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.

I am a blessed man.

Dan

Saturday, July 19

2008-07-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

As we rode out on Saturday morning, we were accompanied by Pastor Brad and Hank Larsen, the host that Paul Bayfield, Mike Scott & I stayed with. Hank was 68 years old on Saturday and rode at the front for 10 miles before he and Brad turned back. Hank is celebrating by competing in a triathalon today (Sunday). He has a very cool racing bike and recently averaged 21 mph over a 25 mile race route. Way to go Hank! An update later on how he did in the triahalon.

It was wet in the morning and rained lightly on and off. Things cleared off in late morning and we had hot weather as the afternoon went on. I rode strong in the morning and then seemed to run out of energy after lunch. I rode with Mike the last two-thirds of the day, which is kind of like having GPS on-board except that Mike can actually carry on a conversation. We always have a good time when we ride together. During lunch this day, Ralph King, a local farmer stopped by to chat with us. Ralph is 85 and was out for his daily 2-mile walk when he saw our vehicles. He was pleased to hear that we are riding to help tell more kids about Jesus' love. He encouraged us on our way and committed to pray for success and safety.

Mike's navigational skills notwithstanding, we could not find the bike path where it should have been, 3 miles from our destination in Northfield. We ended up coming in on County Route 246, or something, and before we knew it we had joined the route of a local 300-mile fundraising ride. The picture top right is me with the three ladies that encouraged us as we arrived in Northfield and finished off our 77 mile day, averaging 14.3 mph with 5.5 hours of riding time.

An entertaining, unique end to the day.

Dan

July 18 Ice in my shoes

2008-07-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today we rode 80 miles, averaging 16.5 mph. We had a 4mph tailwind for much of the ride and made the most of it. We arrived in Glencoe, MN riding faster than our average. It was a good day.

Tonight we are staying at the home of Hank & Judy Larsen. Hank is a former teacher/track coach. He suggested I ice my feet to relieve the swelling I am having from all the peddling. I am not sure which hurts worse, the "hot feet" sensation I get toward the end of the day or the ten minutes of icing to ease the swelling in my feet. He is confident that this will help my situation and he certainly seemed to get a kick out the look on my face as I dipped my feet in the ice.

We crossed the 2000 mile threshold today with a total of 2031 miles so far. It has been the incredible challenge and opportunity we had hoped for and we are so grateful to be able to experience this together.

Good night.

Dan

July 16 & 17 Hanging Out in New London, Minnesota

2008-07-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

We rode 58 miles on the 16.
Averaged 13.7 mph with a few miles of tailwind that helped us to 25mph for a little while. Obviously a short while with an average speed of half that amount.

We enjoyed an extra day of rest this week on the 17th to participate in The Sonshine Festival near New London (in Wilmar). We shared with several hundred people that stopped by our booth to learn about our ride and the minsitry of YFC. There are 20,000 in attendance and it looks like they will have beautiful weather for the event. It was blazing hot today.

Stuart & I enjoyed the hospitality of Graden & Becky West, members of Peace Lutheran Church. Their home is built on a 24 acre piece of property that used to be a cornfield (in 1979). If you visited here today you would not ever suspect it. Since they purchased it, they have planted approximately 7,000 different trees and had several "volunteers" show up on there own. They moved around a lot (16 times) and chose to return to New London upon retirement. We took a driving tour last night around half a dozen of the 10,000 lakes in Minnesota and learned a lot about the history and connectedness of many of the lakes here.

Graden is an avid outdoorsman and I learned a lot about fly-fishing. Makes sense with 10,000 lakes around you. He is also a bow hunter and makes his own bows and arrows in his basement. It was fascinating to learn all the detail and the steps involved in making a wood bow.

Becky is a wonderful cook and we enjoyed two delicious dinners with them. Wednesday night we had pan-fryed Bluegill & Crappie. I had the leftovers for breakfast today. Tasted great both times.

A frivolous comment:
Becky had a grandfather who always went by the name "Captain Dan". Stuart has a fascination with nicknames for me, can't tell you why. I am certain that I have not heard the last of this one. :)

Thanks for your prayers and for all your support.

Dan

July 15 The Best Bike Path

2008-07-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today we rode 78 miles but I don't have a figure for average speed or ride time. What I can tell you is that we rode 37 miles on the best bike path I have encountered in recent memory. From Dalton to Alexandria we had a paved path, 12 feet wide. It was mostly flat but had only long gradual up & down grades. The best part about this path was the lack of intersections with automobile-driven roads. It was mostly driveways and tractor paths that we crossed and the visibility was so good at the crossroads that we rarely had to stop or even slow down. It was relaxing to have the whole "road" to ourselves and not have to stop every mile or two as is often the case on bike paths.

The roads today were definitely better than yesterday as well. Once in Alexandria, we visited the local bike shop, watched some coverage of The Tour de France and enjoyed two large party subs provided by George, the shop owner, who also owned the local Subway shop. It was very cool to hang there with George! He was very knowledgeable and got us on the right track with the foot problems Zack and I have been having.

We spent the night at Hampton Inn & Suites, through the generosity of a local supporter of YFC. I spent two hours in the evening with maintenance & repair issues. With Paul Luedtke, our riding mechanic, I repaired my second broken spoke in a week ( he commented that this was likely due to the amazing strength in my legs as I pedal? or maybe that was me suggesting that). Anyway, we also got the rear derailer shifting properly and have not had to mess with either of those issues since.

OH HAPPY DAY!!

As it turns out this has given me time to deal with foot pain issues for both Zack & me. His seem to be solv-able, but expensive. More on this later I am sure.

See Ya!

Dan

July 14 The Number is 5,989!

2008-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

We rode 52 miles today.
I averaged 13 mph riding for 4 hours.
We encountered five thousand, nine hundred and eighty-nine bone-jarring cracks in the road over a 35 mile stretch of road.
Welcome to Minnesota! Actually, many of the roads we have ridden on in this state have been quited smooth and wide but it was not the best introduction to this beautiful state.

I can clearly see how it came by the name, "Land of 10,000 Lakes" because they are everywhere and they are beautiful. Parts of this state look a lot like Michigan and I see more and more of the similarities as we continue east.

Despite the bumps, we got into town by a little after noon, which is early for us. Zack and several others took advantage of the community pool next door to our host church while others slept in a quiet corner or under the shade. I took a relaxing walk into the town of Pelican Falls, learned a bit of local history and enjoyed a free full-size frozen yogurt cone at the new McDonald's Restaurant.

Our host was Art Larfeld who has made that area home his whole life. Zack, Stuart, Mike & me spent the night at Art's house on the shore of a beautiful lake out in the woods. It was quiet, cool and we all slept pretty well. Art gave us a good tour visually and verbally through the area and fed us very well. Breakfast began with at least half an inch of chopped onion in olive oil frying in a ten inch pan, then potatoes, garlic, seasonings; it was delicious!

Once again, we were blessed and grateful for the generous hospitality we received from Art and all our hosts.

Dan

Lilacs

2008-07-13T15:52:00.001-07:00

One day last week, not sure which, I became aware of the distinct smell of lilacs as I was riding. It was only there for about 5 minutes but what a sweet fragrance. Just one of the many blessings of experiencing things from the seat of a bicycle.

Sweet memories of summer days.

Dan

July 12 Fargo, North Dakota in the Summertime

2008-07-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 12 we rode 53 miles to Fargo and averaged 18 mph.

Our first task in this, the largest city we have ridden through to date, was to locate a bike shop and replace my five-year-old rear derailer ( and the freewheel I purchased in May, as it turned out). The guys at Paramount Sports were very helpful and after a quick phone consult with Tom the Mechanic at Kentwood Cycling back in Grand Rapids, my drivetrain was shifting smoothly and ready to ride.

Updates on this may come later this week if we have not cleared up the problem (that being very rough shifting of my rear derailer). An inventory of the bike would show that since I purchased it from Dirk Ailts sometime early in the Clinton Administration, I have replaced every part of the bike at least once. The exceptions are:
The frame
The handlebars
The brake calipers & pads
The front forks (I don't know why they are the 'front' forks, there are no 'back' forks)

The old bike does continue to perform admirably, as does the old body.

While in Fargo, we have been hosted by YFC Fargo, directed by Dennis Jensen. Dennis started with YFC in the Thumb of Michigan, the same place I did. He ministered there under the leadership of Ray Clendenan, my first Executive Director, for 4 years, a few years ahead of me. He moved back to his home area of North Dakota and had been serving the Lord through YFC here since then. He treated our team and several community guests to a chicken barbecue (he raised himself) and home made ice cream with Colorado peaches. It was great! It was fun to see him again and chat about places and people we have in common. Thanks Dennis & Staff for taking such great care of us.

On Monday morning we will ride in Minnesota for the first time, adding to the 1765 miles already completed. We have ridden through 4 states & moved on to Section 5 of the Adventure Cycling Maps provided for us.

July 11 The Shortest Day

2008-07-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody,

Today was 40 miles from Cooperstown to Page in North Dakota. It was into the wind for about half the way but I managed an average speed of 14.6 over 2 hours 45 minutes of riding time.

I rode alone today, and was refreshed by the solitude and relaxed pace of the day. A good time to pray, sing & think as I covered the miles of beautiful country scenery.

Our church host was Page United Methodist, assisted by Page Lutheran Church and I stayed in the home of Kim & Julie, along with Johnnie & Fiona Young, a lone riding couple from England (he's from Ireland, living in England).

Bob Wise, you would be interested to know that Kim (now retired) worked for BNSF Railroad for 25 years in track maintenance. Many of the towns we ride through were established by and for railroad companies. We have ridden by hundreds of miles of tracks and seen dozens of freight trains along our path thus far.

Page, ND is a town of less than 200 people. It has two churches, shares a school system with nearby Hope and also boasts a movie theater. The movie schedule is 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights.

We enjoyed sharing with Kim & Julie and all the people who joined us for a delicious meal that Friday night.

Bye,

Dan

July 10 Into the Wind...again!

2008-07-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight Zion Lutheran Church is our host church and we are the guests of Clarence & Juli Sandvik in Cooperstown, ND. We just had dinner with 300 people on The Griggs County Fairgrounds to kick off the county fair that starts tomorrow. We rode home with Clarence & Juli in their fully restored Ford Model A. On the way home we toured this wonderful town of 1100 and got acquainted with the Sandviks who have raised their family here.

We rode 68 hard miles today against the wind all the way. Paul Bayfield reminded me that we did have a tailwind for approximately one mile. I guess being pummelled by the wind all day erased this from my memory.

Today was a light traffic day and we enjoyed this.

A typical day for us is:

6:00am Rise & Shine
7:00am Breakfast at host church or with families
7:30am Riding
11:30am Lunch
Noon Riding Again
2:00 - 4:00pm Arrive at host church
Connect with host families
Minor bicycle maintenance
Showers
6:00pm Dinner with host church
7:00pm Sharing about YFCI with host church
9:00pm Return to host homes
10:00pm Sleeping

We have gotten used to unpacking/packing up on a daily basis. The first week we were leaving a trail of personal items all along our path but have gotten better at keeping track as we move in and out quickly.

I hope you all are having a great summer.

Dan

July 9 Greetings from Tokio...

2008-07-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

Tokio, North Dakota that is.

Tonight we are the guests of Mike & Libby at their retreat center near Tokio. They are missionaries to the Sioux Indians. It was great to sit relax together after dinner and hear the story of how God directed them to this ministry and all the cool things he is doing through their efforts.

Today we rode 98 miles with a headwind part of the way. Fortunately it was not terribly strong. I averaged 15 mph. We got rained on today and had a bit of thunder and lightning. That sent us scurrying for cover in the Fort Totten Recreation Center approximately 25 miles from our destination. It blew over quickly after only 30 minutes and we were back on our way.

I have learned a lot about water in the past couple weeks. In the parts of eastern Montana and western North Dakota we have traveled through water is in much demand and must be carefully managed for agricultural irrigation. Where we are now there is an abundance of water. Several of the lakes are higher by 10 and 20 feet than they have been in decades. We rode by an island this afternoon that had two buildings on it but the water was so high there was no ground to walk on. We learned from our hosts Mike & Libby that it did not used to be an island at all. There is a road under water there and the people who lived in that area had to move or abandon their homes a few years ago.

We currently half way through our 4th week and less than 200 miles from the North Dakota/Minnesota border. Hadly seems possible.

Thank you for sharing this adventure with us.

Dan

July 8 Riding 120 miles in one day

2008-07-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today we rode from Stanley to Rugby and covered 120 miles (a new personal longest day for Zack, me and almost all our team). I averaged 17 mph, Zack averaged 19.5, on the bike. I averaged 14 mph from the time we left Stanley until I arrived in Rugby.

As I write this to you I am watching Stage 4 Time Trial of the Tour de France. They are averaging around 30 mph but these slackers only ride about 18.5 miles while we rode 120 today. Can you believe that?

We had a great time with the folks in Stanley, ND last night and this morning at Our Savior Free Lutheran Church.

We ate at Cornerstone Cafe tonight located at the very center of The North American Contintent. Steak, baked potato, soup & salad bar. Delicious. There is an obelisk out in front of the restaurant to prove it.

We appreciate your notes of encouragement and your prayers.

Thanks Mike & Sue for all the notes you have sent, cheering us on.

Tired. Going to bed.

Dan

July 6 & 7 Resting & Riding in Williston, North Dakota

2008-07-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

On July 6 we rested. We were hosted by The First Lutheran Church in Williston and I stayed Saturday & Sunday nights at the home of Bob & Eleanor Olson with Brian Blomker and Emma Jean Duncan.

Bob is a retired radiologist who is a devoted Minnesota Twins fan who also enjoys doing woodworking. Eleanor is a major quilter who just happens to be a devoted cook in her home. We enjoyed several meals in their home over the weekend including one with the whole team on Sunday night.

I also discovered that Bob loves popcorn. We enjoyed some together.

Today we rode 71 miles, averaging 18.7 mph with 3 hours and 40 minutes of ride time. Zack averaged 21 mph today. The wind was out of the northwest and therefore at our backs most of the way, except for 13 miles riding north out of Williston. We stayed on US-2 all the way today and had wonderful easy ride. Lots of gradual hills up and down.

We are being hosted by Our Savior's Free Lutheran Church in Stanley. They have provided us all with air mattresses and we are staying at the church tonight. Looking forward to dinner and fellowship at 6pm tonight.