Facts and Figures

I thought you might be interested in hearing about my totals and averages for the trip. I used a spreadsheet to compile the following list:
· Number of riding days: 51
· Number of non-riding days: 9
· Total distance: 4,121 miles
· Average distance per riding day: 80.8 miles
· Total riding time: 10 days, 0 hours, 22 minutes (240 hours, 22 minutes)
· Average riding time per day: 4 hours, 42 minutes
· Average speed: 17.1 mph
· Number of calories burned while riding: 267,277
· Average calories burned per riding day: 4,941 (or 1,051 per hour; doesn’t include non-riding activities)
· Total ascent: 133,231 feet
· Average ascent per riding day: 2,612 feet
· Total descent: 133,232 feet (The Atlantic Ocean is approximately 8 inches lower than the Pacific Ocean)
· Average descent per riding day: 2,612 feet)

Day 60, Camden to Bar Harbor, Maine

Ride distance: 85 miles; ride time: 5:19; cumulative distance: 4,105 miles; average speed: 15.9 mph; calories: 5255; ascent: 4371 feet; descent: 4507 feet. We made it! Our trip is over, at least physically. Mentally, emotionally and spiritually we will never forget the adventure that we accomplished together. There are so many people that made this trip possible. We are indebted to those that gave so much time and energy to help us achieve our goal. I am also thankful to God for allowing me to make this trip and make friends that I will always remember and hopefully see again. We got an early start this morning heading for Bar Harbor. We had lunch in Surrey which left us less than 40 miles to go after lunch. We met up outside Bar Harbor and had a police escort into town. It was a very emotional moment for us to be greeted by a crowd of people cheering us on. We went down to the ocean to dip our front wheels in the Atlantic, just as we had dipped our rear wheels in the Pacific at the start of our journey. Our host church today was the Baptist Church in Bar Harbor. Arek and I stayed with the youth pastor and his wife, Adrian and Amanda. I would have liked to have spent more time getting to know them but our schedule didn’t allow this. We had some celebrating to do. We went to a seafood restaurant about 12 miles from Bar Harbor for our celebration. There were over 30 in attendance at our celebration dinner. Many of us had fresh Maine lobster. What a treat! After dinner, the festivities continued with a sing along with Jill Blomker, Bryan’s wife. She wrote a funny song for the occasion which she taught us to sing. We had a sharing time about the trip. Emma gave out awards to the various team members. I was given the “A-tom-ic bomb” award for the many puns that I sprung on hapless souls throughout the trip. Bryan presented us with beautiful framed pictures of our start in Anacortes, Washington. We laid the pictures out on tables and took turns signing each other’s mats. Thanks again for your part in making this the trip of a lifetime. We may never know this side of Heaven what the money we raised for Youth for Christ was able to accomplish but will be glad to find out that many young people have been reached for Christ through the projects we’re supporting. God bless and good bye. I may revisit this site shortly to give you some parting thoughts and reflections.

Day 59, Oxford to Camden, Maine

Ride distance: 97 miles; ride time: 6:16; cumulative distance: 4,020 miles; average speed: 15.5 mph; calories: 6007; ascent: 4967 feet; descent: 5364 feet. We made it from Sea to Sea. When we got to Rockport, we were on the Atlantic Ocean. Our final destination will be about 90 miles to the north at Bar Harbor. It’s exciting to have our final destination so close at hand. These last nine weeks have been an adventure that I will always remember. I’ve been blessed to meet so many fine people – the riders, support staff, and hosts. I also would like to thank the people that have made this trip possible – my supporters and especially my wife for parting with me for 60 days. Thank you Nancy! I’ve missed you a lot and will be glad to see you again. Today’s ride featured hills, hills, and more hills. Maine is not flat by any stretch of the imagination. As you can see, we climbed close to 5,000 feet today. We made it to Camden around 5 o’clock and were treated to a wonderful potluck by the Baptist church that is hosting us.

Day 58, Lincoln, New Hampshire to Oxford, Maine

Ride distance: 89 miles; ride time: 4:45; cumulative distance: 3,923 miles; average speed: 16.6 mph; calories: 5105; ascent: 4267 feet; descent: 4768 feet. We made it to Maine! We’re not at the coast yet but should be tomorrow. John, Dan and I had breakfast with our hosts, Robert and Monica. We then met up with the rest of the group and started our ascent of Kancamagus Pass. It has an elevation of 2,855 feet. It didn’t turn out to be as hard as we thought. Mike, Paul Bayfield and I were the first ones to the top. We covered the 12.6 mile distance to the pass in just over an hour. The real steep hills turned out to be the ones after lunch. They were much shorter but also much steeper. One hill was as steep as 21%. I reached our host church first at about 3:30 and the others came in later. The youth group at the Advent Christian Church in Oxford served us a lasagna dinner and we did a Youth for Christ presentation for them When we have a meeting for youth, we make it fun by having a scavenger hunt pitting the boys against the girls. The items in the scavenger hunt all help to tell the story of our bike ride. Tonight the boys were victorious. John and I are staying with Pastor Frank and his wife Judy.. We watched the Olympics and munched on Judy’s delicious cookies.

Day 57, Rochester, Vermont to Lincoln, New Hampshire

Ride distance: 93 miles; ride time: 6:05; cumulative distance: 3,844 miles; average speed: 15.3 mph; calories: 6359; ascent: 5446 feet; descent: 5559 feet. Every day is bringing us closer to our finish in Bar Harbor, Maine on Friday. This has been a spectacular trip, one I will never forget. On today’s ride, we traveled from Vermont to New Hampshire and tomorrow, we should reach Maine. We started from Rochester just before 8 a.m. The morning ride was dry but after lunch the rains returned. We found out that there has been rain in 17 of the last 18 days in Lincoln. We had quite a bit of climbing today but nothing as steep as the climb over Brandon Gap yesterday. We arrived at Lincoln starting at 4:20. There was one very tough railroad track crossing in Lincoln. The tracks were diagonal to the roadway and wet. Three of our riders fell going over the tracks and bruised their knees. Fortunately there were no serious injuries. We are being hosted tonight by St. John’s Catholic Church. Our hosts picked us up and took us to their homes to shower and change our clothes. At 6:30, the church put on a very nice barbeque for us. The youth were there and we had a good presentation for them following the dinner.

Day 56, Newcomb, New York to Rochester, Vermont

Ride distance: 89 miles; ride time: 5:56; cumulative distance: 3,751 miles; average speed: 15.0 mph; calories: 5763; ascent: 5943 feet; descent: 6785 feet. Today, we’re back to rain. It was raining or drizzling pretty much the entire day. We left Newcomb shortly before 8 a.m. dressed in our wet weather gear. We had a bit of a mix-up at lunch time. We planned to have lunch before we took the ferry across Lake Champlain. Four of us followed the route on our map and stopped at a picnic shelter at a city park in Ticonderoga, New York about 2 miles from the ferry crossing. The rest of the group followed signs to the ferry following a different route and went directly to the ferry crossing. The group at the ferry ended up riding back to the park since there was no covered shelter at the ferry crossing and it was raining. We had our lunch and arrived in Vermont shortly after 2 p.m. We were soon to find out that our hardest climb of the trip was ahead of us. We took an alternate route to Rochester since the heavy rains this summer washed out roads and bridges on our mapped route. We ended up taking Highway 73 which went over Brandon Pass. The climb to the pass was about the steepest hill I’ve been on for that distance of climb. The hill seemed to go on forever at slopes reaching 16%. Much of the climb was at 12% which is steep for cyclists, particularly when the slope continues for a long distance. Paul Bayfield, Zack and I managed to make it to Rochester shortly after 5 p.m. I was proud of the rest of the group because they all made it over that steep hill. The last riders arrived around 6:40 p.m. and we were taken to our host homes. Stuart and I are staying with Dan and Peggy tonight. Dan is a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Forest Service and Peggy is a counselor. Since I used to work for the Forest Service, Dan and I had lots to talk about. We finished the evening by watching the Olympics on TV.

Day 55, In Newcomb, New York

Bryan and I are staying this weekend with Ed and Janice and their sons Aidan and Jonas. Ed is a high school math teacher in Newcomb. I am a high school math teacher in Ukiah. Ed’s school is small so his class sizes are very small. My school is large so my class sizes are much larger. We had the chance to see Ed’s school today. There are only 70 students in grades K through 12. They have a very nice facility in Newcomb. The State of New York has a lot of property in Newcomb so they pay a good sum of the money for the school. As a result, local taxes are low and the quality of education is high. That sounds like a good combination. We went with Ed and Jackie to their church, the United Methodist Church in Newcomb. Pastor Carol was there along with her dog Ike. The service was very low-key but also very heartfelt and worshipful. John Duncan had a chance to share about our ride. After church, Ed and Jackie took Bryan and I on a drive to the trailhead for the High Peaks area. We hiked to a lake that is near the headwaters of the Hudson River. What a beautiful area. It’s no wonder the Adirondacks are a popular vacation spot. This afternoon, I took a much needed and refreshing nap. For supper, we went to the Long Lake Town Hall for another potluck provided by our host church, the United Methodist Church of Newcomb. The food and fellowship was great.

Day 54, Redfield to Newcomb, New York

Ride distance: 119 miles; ride time: 6:59; cumulative distance: 3,662 miles; average speed: 17.0 mph; calories: 7890; ascent: 6033 feet; descent: 5415 feet. What a contrast in weather between yesterday and today. Yesterday was rainy. Today was sunny and fair – a good day for a long ride in the Adirondack Mountains. We had breakfast at the Reservoir Inn Restaurant in Redfield. We were on the road before 8 a.m. to begin the long ride. There were many hills today, many of them steep. I counted eleven hills that were 10% grade or steeper. On a church marquis today, I read: "Problems that aren’t worth praying about are not worth worrying about". After 95 miles, we climbed a particularly long and steep hill near Blue Mountain Lake. We were at the 70 mile point at 2 p.m. In order to arrive at our host church by 5 p.m., Paul Bayfield, Zack and I left lunch saying we would be unsupported for the last 50 miles. We made good time and were able to arrive before 5 in Newcomb. The three of us were taken to a nearby lake where a potluck dinner was being readied for us. We started the potluck about 6 p.m. and the other riders began arriving. The setting was beautiful. This is the start of a great weekend.

Day 53, East Williamson to Redfield, New York

Ride distance: 86 miles; ride time: 5:29; cumulative distance: 3,543 miles; average speed: 15.8 mph; calories: 5506; ascent: 3722 feet; descent: 3209 feet. We started the day with breakfast at our host homes. Stuart and I stayed with Jim and Laurie and their dog Chloe. All were perfect hosts. Today was an interesting day to say the least. We’ve had great weather for this entire trip – until today that is. Today was another story. We had torrential downpours of Biblical proportions, what are known as “gulley washers”. Some of us would seek shelter from the deluge. Others with the “press on regardless” mentality would throw caution to the wind and ride through it. I was in the former group so I was able to find porches, garages, and gas stations when I needed to come out of the rain. We finally made it to our destination between 4 and 5 p.m. We are out in “the sticks” and none of us have reliable cell phone reception. We are staying at a motel tonight since no host church was available. We had dinner at the motel restaurant and celebrated Johnny’s 24th birthday with a cake. We’re hoping the weather tomorrow will be a little drier than today’s.

Day 52, Medina to E. Williamson, New York

Ride distance: 85 miles; ride time: 4:35; cumulative distance: 3,457 miles; average speed: 18.5 mph; calories: 5887; ascent: 2223 feet; descent: 2318 feet. We started the day with breakfast at our host homes. Dan and I stayed with Jim and Barb. They were very nice hosts and treated us well. The ride today took us through Rochester, New York and beside the Erie Canal. In fact, when we went through Rochester, we rode on the bike path that runs for miles along the Erie Canal. It used to be the tow path where the mules would pull the barges through the canal. We arrived at the Free Methodist Church in E. Williamson between 4 and 5 p.m. There were church members there to welcome us and provide us with snacks and cold drinks. We then went with our hosts to their homes for dinner and a good night’s rest. Tonight, Stuart and I are staying with Jim and Laurie Brown. They live out in the country in a very nice setting with their dog Chloe. They have two grown daughters, one married and one a senior at Houghton College. We had great conversation over a delicious chili dinner. Speaking of chili, there is a town nearby called Chili. It is the second town with that name that we’ve encountered on the trip. The funny thing is that the townspeople in both towns insist on pronouncing their town name with both i’s in Chili have a “long i” sound. I was wondering how they would say it if they had a chili cook-off in Chili. East Williamson is in Wayne County, New York. Jim and Laurie tell me that the county is well known for two things: apples and snow. Apparently both come in plenteous supply.

Day 51, Angola to Medina, New York

Ride distance: 103 miles; ride time: 5:50; cumulative distance: 3,372 miles; average speed: 17.6 mph; calories: 7033; ascent: 3191 feet; descent: 3234 feet. Today was a special day in that it was to be our visit to Niagara Falls. The day didn’t disappoint. We had a great visit to the falls. We started the day by going to the Mustard Seed Restaurant for breakfast buffet. We then went back to the Pioneer Christian Camp we stayed at last night to get our bikes and start the ride. It took us awhile to get ten riders over the Peace Bridge and into Canada. Arek and Mike stayed on the American side since Arek did not have a visa to visit Canada. Johnny, Fiona and I got to the falls first. After a nice look at the falls from different vantage points, I went back to meet the support van and get my backpack with bike locks and walking shoes. By that time, Zach and Paul Bayfield had met up with me. The three of us went back to the falls, took lots of pictures, then boarded one of the “Maid of the Mist” sightseeing boats that went near the falls. The boat trip was well worth the money that we paid (less than fifteen dollars). We got off the boat just after 2 p.m. and were to rendezvous with the rest of the group at the bridge to the U.S. at 2:30. What we didn’t realize was that the bridge we were to cross over was about 7 miles away. We made tracks and got there a little late, but since everyone else was a little late too, it worked out just fine. We crossed the bridge, made it through customs, and finished the rest of the ride. Today’s ride was a little longer than expected with quite a bit of climb. We didn’t arrive at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Medina until close to 6 p.m. When we arrived, the church members had delicious fruit, crackers and cheese waiting for us followed up by an equally delightful potluck dinner. We made a Youth for Christ presentation at the potluck which was well received than went with our hosts. Dan and I are staying tonight with Barb and Jim. They drove us to a couple spots in or near town that were written up in Ripley’s Believe it or Not. One was a church that is in the middle of a street. The street splits and goes around the church. The other spot was the only road in New York that goes under the Erie Canal. All in all, it was a good day.

Day 50, E. Springfield, Pennsylvania to Angola, New York

Ride distance: 93 miles; ride time: 4:36; cumulative distance: 3,269 miles; average speed: 20.2 mph; calories: 6507; ascent: 1875 feet; descent: 2051 feet. This morning, we had breakfast with our host families. Zack and I stayed with Janice. She was dog sitting a very energetic chocolate lab called Luba who gave us lots of attention. After a slurppy send-off from Luba, we were on our way again. At one of our rest stops, we had pieces of a birthday cake that was brought over from Ireland for Johnny Young’s birthday. It had started out round but had changed shape considerably in transit. (It still tasted fine though). We had some tailwinds today so we made good time. Tonight, were staying in a Pioneer Camp which is a Christian Camp. It has an excellent location on the shore of Lake Erie and excellent facilities. We went out to eat at a family restaurant run by Christians that opened up just for us. They normally close at 4 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays but the staff came back to work to serve us at 6 p.m. We’ll be having breakfast with them tomorrow morning.

Day 49, Cleveland, Ohio to E. Springfield, Pennsylvania

Ride distance: 94 miles; ride time: 5:15; cumulative distance: 3,176 miles; average speed: 17.8 mph; calories: 6240; ascent: 1508 feet; descent: 1424 feet. We had very nice accommodations at the Nehemiah Project in Cleveland. The food was good in both quantity and quality. We slept in dorm style rooms which worked out nicely. A host family with 3 little children saw us off in the morning. The kids especially liked collecting the cards of each of the riders. It was interesting riding through the streets of Cleveland. I had a quick flat after hitting a small piece of concrete on a bridge. My friends helped out and we were soon back on the road. We arrived about 4 to 5 p.m. at the Federated Church in E. Springfield. We asked what made it federated and were told that two congregations joined together about 70 years ago after the church building of one of the congregations burned down. The church put on a nice dinner for us and then we were taken to our host homes.

Day 48, in Cleveland (and Lapeer, Michigan)

I give greetings to my new blog readers in Lapeer, Michigan. I had a wonderful visit in Lapeer and want to thank you for the kind welcome I received. My mom and I went to my old church, Trinity United Methodist Church, where I went as a child and youth and during my summers as a young adult. It was good to see some familiar faces. I was able to speak about our trip and about Youth for Christ at two services and met with individuals in the social hour between services. People were glad to hear what we’re doing. I was thankful for the sermon the pastor preached today. An equation the pastor gave us today was: “God’s power + our willingness to be used = needs fulfilled”. That’s a good reminder that God can use us in mighty ways if we trust in His strength to help us accomplish what He’s set before us. I had a nice meal with my mom after church, said my goodbyes and drove back to Cleveland. I turned in my rental car and biked back to the church where we’re staying which was ten miles away. I arrived at the church just in time to be shuttled to a picnic dinner at the beach on Lake Erie hosted by a small group at our host church. The food and fellowship was great. It was a great place to relax, have a swim, or just stand and watch the sunset.

Day 47, Gibsonburg to Cleveland, Ohio (to Lapeer, Michigan)

Ride distance: 100 miles; ride time: 5:53; cumulative distance: 3082 miles; average speed: 17.1 mph; calories: 6136; ascent: 1538 feet; descent: 1438 feet. Today was a day I’d been looking forward to for quite some time. The plan was for me to ride ahead of the group, arrive at the Cleveland Airport, rent a car, and drive to Michigan to visit my mother. All went according to plan. The ride went well despite a couple of detours and a headwind for a good part of the day. I left shortly after 7 a.m. and arrived at the car rental center about 2:45 p.m. I had the opportunity to share with several families about our ride. I loaded up my bike in the back of the rental car and headed for Lapeer, Michigan where I was born and raised. It was good to be home. I arrived shortly before 7 p.m. My mom treated me to my all-time favorite meal of spaghetti and meatballs. She too had been looking forward to my visit. I showed her the trip pictures on my camera (which now number over 800). She is doing very well although it would be nice if we were closer together and could see each other more often. I try to call her frequently and have written her some letters but seeing her in person is by far better. The pictures in today’s blog are my mom Eileen Phillips and her house in Lapeer where I lived until I went off to college. I learned later that the rest of the group arrived in Cleveland between the hours of 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Our host church for this weekend is the Presbyterian Church in Lakewood although we are actually spending the weekend in a United Methodist Church in Cleveland where they have a dorm style facility called the Nehemiah Project.

Day 46, Grover Hill to Gibsonburg, Ohio

Ride distance: 86 miles; ride time: 4:28; cumulative distance: 2,982 miles; average speed: 19.2 mph; calories: 61246; ascent:866 feet; descent: 916 feet. Dick, who runs the YFC wilderness camp showed us around the camp. It’s amazing to see how God has worked to get the facilities together. Dick said that he started with nothing and God provided everything at the camp – an excellent place for young people to have a wilderness experience and find out about Jesus. At one of the host homes, Arek was fast asleep as breakfast was ready to be served. When they went to rouse him, he asked as only Arek could ask: “why do you seek the living among the dead?” (He’s not what you call a morning person). We had another good ride today. We had lunch at a state park about 30 miles from our destination. .We arrived in Gibsonburg around 4 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church. They put on a delicious lasagna dinner for us. Afterwards, we put on a presentation about Youth for Christ and the ride we’re taking. Five of us are staying at the home of Rick and Casey Smith.

Day 45, Wabash, Indiana to Grover Hill, Ohio

Ride distance: 100 miles; ride time: 5:14; cumulative distance: 2,896 miles; average speed: 19.1 mph; calories: 7124; ascent:1336 feet; descent: 1331 feet. We had breakfast with our host families then met at the Presbyterian Church in Wabash. Today’s ride went well. There was a slight tailwind so we made good time. We didn’t push quite as hard as yesterday so the ride took about 15 minutes longer. When we crossed into Ohio, we took signs of both the Ohio sign and the Indiana sign (since there was no Indiana sign when we entered Indiana on a country road). After about 85 miles of riding, Paul Bayfield, Zack, and I decided that we would see how fast we could go on level ground. The young guys won out. Paul went 37 mph, Zack went 36 mph, and I went 34.5 mph. I gave it the old college try. In my defense, if you add Zack and Paul’s ages together and throw in an extra 10 years or so, that will about equal my age. Also, Zack and Paul both had bikes with triple chain rings and mine only had a compact double. (I know – I’m making excuses – they won fair and square!). We arrived at Grover Hill around 4 at the YFC Wilderness Camp. This is an excellent place for young people to come and find out about living for Christ. About 700 to 800 young people came to the camp last year. Tonight, Paul Bayfield and I were hosted by Tom and Brenda who lived just a couple of miles from the camp. They treated us to an excellent pasta dinner and ice cream later on.

Day 44, Brook to Wabash, Indiana

Ride distance: 100 miles; ride time: 4:58; cumulative distance: 2796 miles; average speed: 20.1 mph; calories: 7492; ascent: 1414 feet; descent: 1286 feet. Last night and this morning, we were at the home of Tony and Sharon. Tony is a biology teacher at South Newton High School. He pointed out some memorabilia in the room I slept in last night -- a baseball jersey signed by Pete Rose. Tony then took Les and I back to our host church, the United Methodist in Brook. Pastor Sue led devotions and then we were treated to breakfast. Once we got on the road, the pace was fast. There was a bit of a tailwind so we made good time to Wabash. The distance was actually about 97 miles but Zack, Paul Bayfield and I rode up and down the street until we had our 100 miles in. We were trying to ride 100 miles (a century) in under 5 hours and we were successful. Wabash is noted as being the first city to be lit using electricity. There were four 3,000 candlepower bulbs that lit the courthouse starting in 1880. In front of the courthouse is a statue of Abraham Lincoln. We had a good reception at the Presbyterian Church in Wabash by local Youth for Christ supporters. Stuart and I are staying at the home of Shirley and her daughter, Carmen. Shirley prepared a delicious dinner for us and then spoiled us with vanilla and death by chocholate ice cream and fudge cake. I guess after burning 7,492 calories today, we can live a bit dangerously!

Day 43, Cornell, Illinois to Brook, Indiana

Ride distance: 91 miles; ride time: 5:10; cumulative distance: 2,­­­696 miles; average speed: 17.6 mph; calories; 5813; ascent: 1032 feet; descent: 985 feet. We met at the United Methodist Church in Cornell at 6:30 a.m. for another great meal served by the church. Today, we were a lot more fortunate with the roads – no tar. It was a hot day reaching into the 90’s. There’s one thing that bikes lack – air conditioning –although if we go fast enough, we create our own. We passed the town of Odell which was on the original Route 66. The first riders made it to Brook by 4 p.m. and others arrived over the nest hour or so. Our host church tonight is the United Methodist Church in Brook. When we arrived, we were taken to the high school for showers. We then came back to the church for dinner. We are definitely spoiled with all the good food we’ve been served. We had more locally grown and fresh sweet corn, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, cherry cheese cake and raspberry or strawberry shortcake. (Is your mouth watering yet?) Mine was.

Day 42, Kewanee to Cornell, Illinois

Ride distance: 86 miles; ride time: 4:46; cumulative distance: 2,­­­605 miles; average speed: 18.0 mph; calories; 5633; ascent: 1692 feet; descent: 1742 feet. We had breakfast with our host families this morning. I had the privilege of staying with the Gomez Family. Shelley and Trino have two lovely daughters, Sarah and Rachel who got up early to see the riders off. We had a good ride in the morning and had a late lunch about 20 miles from our destination. After lunch, we started up on the designated route. Unfortunately for us, the designated route was freshly tarred and graveled. Zack, Paul Bayfiel, Arek and I started down the road and soon discovered our mistake. As we rode along, the gravel was pinging under our tires like popcorn in a corn popper. We started accumulating a thick, gooey layer of tar and gravel on our tires that can be compared to carmel apples covered in nuts. We were able to warn 5 of our riders from coming this way. The four of us with tar covered tires went back to our lunch spot and spent the next two hours trying to de-tar our bikes. We used a bag of rags, tar remover, Gojo cleaner, screwdrivers, and plenty of elbow grease to get the bikes back into some semblance of riding shape. We were finally able to get back on the road after 4 p.m. and made it to our host church in Cornell shortly after 5. We showered and had a wonderful dinner provided by the United Methodist Church in Cornell. We especially appreciated the freshly picked sweet corn. Stuart and I stayed that night with Dave, a riverboat captain on the Mississippi River. He had a lot of stories to tell us when we went back to his house.

Day 41, in Kewanee, Illinois

We had a good day of rest in Kewanee. Our group attended the Zion Lutheran Church at 9 a.m. and gave a Youth for Christ presentation at the social hour following the worship service. Bryan gave an overview of Youth for Christ and the projects we’re supporting. Emma told a few of the funny things that happened on our trip and Stewart gave a talk about Serbia and the need for a drop-in center for youth there. After that, we rejoined our host families for the rest of the stay in Kewanee. Kewanee is known as the “hog capital of the world”. (I know that must be true since I made a pig of myself at the Pizza Hut buffet at lunchtime – only kidding!). My host family has been great. I’ve been staying with Trino and Shelley Gomez and their two girls Sarah and Rachel, ages 11 and 7. We rested in the afternoon. In the evening, we had a delicious supper meal of pork burritos, fresh corn on the cob, and Spanish rice. I chatted with my daughter Kristin in Peru and then was shown how to play “Guitar Hero” on their Wii. The Gomez family was patient while I finally managed to make it through the first song. We then watched a family movie, the Spiderwick Chronicles, and now here I am writing this blog.

Day 40, Muscatine, Iowa to Kewanee, Illinois

Ride distance: 78 miles; ride time: 4:25; cumulative distance: 2519 miles; average speed: 17.7 mph; calories: 5047; ascent: 1603 feet; descent: 1326 feet. Stuart, Paul Luedtke and I started our day at the home of Harry and Janet, our hosts in Muscatine. Last night, they took us out to dinner at a restaurant in Muscatine. They also showed us around town. There was a lot of damage from a wind storm that hit on Monday with 90 mph winds. Many trees and limbs were blown down and the town is still cleaning up. This morning, they served us a nice breakfast and took us to our host church, the Mulford Evangelical Free Church. Paul Luedtke had two guests, Dan and Debbie, who rode with us for the day. They were in Paul’s Youth for Christ group over 20 years ago when they were in high school. Paul enjoyed seeing them again. Dan has been racing road bikes for the past 3 years so he was able to set a nice pace for us today. We crossed the Mississippi River and entered Illinois. One of the towns we passed through was also damaged by the wind storm. The winds were called “shear winds” and were clocked at 93 mph. The truck in the photo was smashed by falling limbs. I talked to the unfortunate owner and he said that he had parked the truck in the wrong spot. We arrived in Kewanee at about 2:30 p.m., took showers and put on clean clothes. Our host church today is Zion Lutheran. They fixed a nice supper for us and than we went to our host homes. This weekend, I’m staying with the Gomez family. They have two young girls, Sarah and Rachel, who were eager to have a guest.

Day 39, Central City to Muscatine, Iowa

Ride distance: 78 miles; ride time: 4:24; cumulative distance: 2441 miles; average speed: 17.8 mph; calories: 4942; ascent: 2047 feet; descent: 2261 feet. If I had to give today a title, it would be “Sea to See meets RAGBRAI”. RAGBRAI is an acronym that stands for Register’s Annual Great Bike Race Across Iowa. It is a huge one week bike ride across the state of Iowa sponsored by the Des Moines Register (newspaper). There are about 10,000 registered riders but with tag a longs, there could be twice that many. The cyclists come in all shapes and sizes and have all different kinds of bikes. Every night, they stay in a different town in Iowa. The town folk prepare for this mass invasion by setting up all kinds of food stands and other stopping points for the riders. It seems to be a very festive atmosphere. Anyways, getting back to our story, about 25 miles into our ride today, we met up with the RAGBRAI riders. They were as thick as locusts on the road in front of us. Our course intersected theirs for approximately 15 miles. We had a lot of fun riding with them. I was in our fast group consisting of Zack, Paul Bayfield and myself so we must have passed dozens and dozens of RAGBRAI riders. It was great sport. In town, we slowed down to a stop and spoke with some of the riders. We explained what we were doing and one of them gave me a donation on the spot for Youth for Christ. Now I feel a little guilty for passing so many of them. .One of the cyclists had her dog in a carrier. She has carried that dog across the entire state. She claims that the dog loves it. I can’t speak for the dog but it did seem like he was having a pretty good time and getting lots of attention. When we got to a spot about 10 miles from Muscatine, we came to a road closed sign. The road had been closed because of flood damage. One of the transportation department men drove up and I asked him if there was any way we could cycle into town. He thought about it a minute and told me that we could cycle on the closed section of road if we stayed out of the way of trucks and equipment. Since this would save us a ten mile detour, we readily agreed. The damage to the road was extensive for about two miles. The flood waters had undercut the footing of the road and whole sections of the roadway had slumped to the side. We were fortunate to be able to get through. When we arrived in Muscatine, we found out that they have had two floods this year and a bad wind storm with 90 mph winds. There were trees and limbs down all over the city. Cedar Rapids was hit even worse. The Cedar River caused devastating damage in that city. Hundreds of homes and buildings were destroyed by the flood. They estimate that a flood like this only happens once every 500 years. Our host church in Muscatine is an Evangelical Free Church which happens to be the same denomination of the church that I belong to. They served us pizza then we were taken by our host families.

Day 38, Edgewood to Central City, Iowa

Ride distance: 45 miles; ride time: 2:43; cumulative distance: 2369; average speed: 16.6 mph; ascent: 1570 feet; descent: 1935 feet. Today’s ride was a short one. We started the day with breakfast at the homes of our hosts. We didn’t meet until 9 a.m. since we knew we didn’t have far to go. One of the hosts is the president of the Community Savings Bank in Edgewood. He gave our group a tour of his bank. We seemed to be a big hit with the employees. It was a bit awkward being the center of attention but we adjusted. Even though the ride was short, it was difficult because we had a headwind to ride into for all but about 7 miles. We had lunch along the way and arrived in Central City around 2:30 to 3 p.m. We had supper at the homes of our hosts. After supper, we returned to the United Methodist Church, our host church, for a meeting to present our ride and the ministry of Youth for Christ. These meetings are very encouraging. The local people are very receptive and our group enjoys sharing with them. The first picture in today’s blog is a picture of Arek as he was discussing the ministry of Youth for Christ in Lebanon.

Day 37, Brownsville, MN to Edgewood, Iowa

Ride distance: 93 miles; ride time: 5:31; cumulative distance: 2324 miles; average speed: 16.8 mph; calories: 6125; ascent: 4567 feet; descent: 4056 feet. We left Brownsville after a great breakfast from our host families and a good send off from the Zion Evangelical Church. Today's ride was one of the hardest of the trip. We had many very steep hills to climb and they all seemed to be about 3 to 4 hundred feet of climb. Some were as steep as 12% grade which any cyclist will tell you is a pretty steep hill. Inspite of the hills, the ride went very well. We saw lots of nice scenery including more views of the Mississippi River. The church pictured in today's blog was one we saw along the way. Notice the cemetary that surrounds the church. That seems to be fairly common with country churches. I also saw a fox run across the road. I tried to get a picture of it but I wasn't quite quick enough to get the right settings on my camera. Most of our trip today has been in Iowa. We left Minnesota after 14 miles. We arrived in Edgewood aroung 5 p.m. Our original stopping point was Ekander but that town was heavily damaged by floods so we had to change locations. It worked out very well. We have great host families that put on a wonderful potluck at the United Methodist Church in town. After dinner, we walked two blocks to the Bible Church and put on a Youth for Christ presentation. It went very well. There were many in attendance and we were able to do a lot of good sharing about our mission.

Day 36, Lake City to Brownsville, Minnesota

Ride distance: 101 miles; ride time: 5:36; cumulative distance: 2231 miles; average speed: 18.1 mph; calories: 6757; ascent: 3410 feet; descent: 3387 feet. Today’s ride was considerable longer than yesterday’s. We met at 7 a.m. at the teen center and soon were on the road. Three riders wanted to do a portion of the ride in Wisconsin so we split the group and both groups met for lunch at Winona, Minnesota. The group of 8 riders that remained in Minnesota had a fair amount of hill climbing to do. We ended up climbing from the river level to the level of the bluffs along the river 3 times. Each ascent was 500 to 600 feet of vertical climb. The Wisconsin riders followed a shorter, more direct and more level route so they traveled about 10 fewer miles than the Minnesota riders. We had a long lunch stop in Winona then pedaled another 40 miles to our destination of Brownsville. Our host church today is the Zion Evangelical Church. We arrived at the church between 5 and 6 p.m. and our hosts were there to greet us. Zack, Dan, Fiona, Johnny, Les and I are in two hosts’ homes that are right next to each other overlooking the Mississippi River. We all had a wonderful dinner together with tasty marinated meat and other delectable items.

Day 35, Northfield to Lake City, Minnesota

Ride distance: 52 miles; ride time: 2:54; cumulative distance: 2130 miles; average speed: 17.8 mph; calories: 3290; ascent: 1879 feet; descent: 2124 feet. Today’s ride was relatively short so we met at St. John’s Lutheran Church at 8 a.m. instead of our usual 7 a.m. meeting time. The ride went well except for 9 miles of road construction that resulted in a dirt road devoid of any asphalt. Zack had a blowout of a tube in addition to a tire that went bad at the same time. We’re getting used to fixing flats by now. They seem to take about 10 minutes to fix. Our host today was a Catholic Teen Center in Lake City. Amy was the coordinator for our stay and she did an excellent job of lining up host homes, coordinating a wonderful potluck dinner for us, and making lunches for the next day. As an extra special bonus, she even lined up the use of a 24-foot Sea-Ray speed boat for us to ride in on the Mississippi River. We had a great time of cruising on the river. There were 12 of us in the boat. Several of us even tried our hand at waterskiing. Lake City is famous for being the birthplace of waterskiing. The first waterskiing was done in the 1920’s. The skiers were pulled behind bi-planes with pontoons. It took awhile for speed boats to have powerful enough motors to be able to pull skiers. Johnny Young was the most successful looking like an old pro. Paul Bayfield was next to go and he made a very respectable showing too. Arek and I tried it and were unsuccessful. We had fun but we couldn’t quite get up on the skis. Mike tried it and was able to get up on his third attempt.